Brother Bashirul Rahman delivered Friday Sermon to day and it was about “A heart that Perseveres in Obedience”

 

A Heart that Perseveres in Obedience

Blessed Friday Jemaah,

Let us strive to increase and develop our taqwa in Allah s.w.t. through sound and credible knowledge. Let us strive hard to prove our taqwa by performing all of Allah’s commands and strengthening our resolution to abstain from His prohibitions. May Allah bestow upon us calmness of the heart in helping us go through this transient life of ours.

Beloved Jemaah,

The main factor that one receives happiness, mercy and honour from Allah in this world and the hereafter is essentially because of his efforts to protect his heart to lean only towards Allah. Allah is the one who controls and turns the hearts of His servants, according to His will.

A person’s heart is the centre of all his good and bad deeds. When a person sins, his heart will start to reflect this darkness. If the person continues to drown himself in sins, then the darkness will not only partially cover his heart, but it is feared that it will move on to envelope and finally seal his heart in darkness. Wal Iyazu Billahi Min zalik! However, if he were to repent to Allah, then the darkness will dissipate and eventually disappear, as it is being replaced by the light of istighfar and zikrullah. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. described the heart as such:

Meaning: Rasulullah s.a.w. said: “Verily, when the servant commits a sin a black spot appears upon his heart. If he abandons the sin, seeks forgiveness, and repents, then his heart will be polished. If he returns to the sin, the blackness will be increased until it overcomes his heart. It is the covering that Allah has mentioned: No, but on their hearts is a covering because of what they have earned.” [Hadith reported by Imam al-Tirmizi, Imam al-Nasaii and Imam Ibn Majah]

Blessed Friday Jemaah,

As a mukmin (believer), we are commanded to keep our bodies and clothes clean. It is a way to maintain our physical and external hygiene. At the same time, we are also commanded to keep our hearts clean and pure – and that is spiritual, or internal purity. In fact, spiritual purity is prime, and is the key to all forms of cleanliness. When the heart is pure, it will radiate light. With this light, our entire body will then be motivated to do good deeds and bring benefits to others. Rasulullah s.a.w. said:

Meaning: “There lies within the body a piece of flesh. If it is sound, the whole body is sound; and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted. Verily this piece is the heart.” [Hadith reported by Imam al-Bukhari]

Jemaah, a good heart is one that is istiqamah (consistent) in obedience; a good heart is one that is adorned with iman and filled with love, and a good heart is one that is protected by Allah.

There are numerous merits to having a heart that is protected by Allah. Among them:

First: Having a tranquil heart. When a believer is tested with all sorts of worldly trials, at times his heart will be restless, his chest feels tight, and his mind feels blocked. However, the moment he remembers Allah and seeks for His guidance, calmness will start to envelope and the heart will start to feel at ease. He will start to experience relief from his constrictions, and he will be presented with ways to overcome his issues. Allah says:

Meaning: “Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” [Surah Al-Ra’d: 28].

Second: To have love for faith. A mukmin strives to ensure that his life journey, as well as his family’s, will always be guided by Islamic values and teachings. He will also strive diligently to protect himself and his family from anything that will not earn Allah’s pleasure. Verily Allah will grant him with a heart that is adorned with the light of iman. Allah says:

Meaning: “But Allah has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance and disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided.” [Surah Al-Hujurat: 7]

Jemaah, the aforementioned verse depicts how great a blessing it is from Allah when the heart is beautified with iman. The heart hates any form of disbelief, defiance and disobedience. When a person has such a heart, he will be distanced from bad traits, and have his heart filled with noble traits instead.

 

And the third benefit that I would like to share: A heart that is adorned with noble traits. Jemaah, the heart should be free from any sort of vengeance, envy, jealousy, and resentment. Our hearts should always assume the best of others, and to always forgive. If we do not take steps to cleanse our heart, then our heart can easily be inflicted with diseases. The heart is like a house – we need to always clean and furnish it in order to maintain it. If left empty, it will be deserted and may invite unwanted guests.

Jemaah, our hearts yearn for love and peace for the entire ummah. Allah says, in describing the purity of the heart, in verse 47 of surah al-Hijr:

Meaning: “And We will remove whatever is in their breasts of resentment, [so they will be] brothers, on thrones facing each other.”

Blessed Friday Jemaah,

Let us grab the opportunity from the lessons we have learned from the pulpit today, in order to cure the chronic diseases in our hearts. From the various verses of the Quran I have read earlier, they have all described to us the importance of striving to maintain a pure heart. If we want to attain the level of an insan who is istiqamah and yearn for Allah to grant us istiqamah in our deeds, then let us begin from our hearts. How can istiqamah grow and blossom in our souls if we do not rid our heart of diseases, sins and mistakes.

Let our hearts grow with zikrullah and the recitation of al-Quran; shower it with love, and sincerely seek Allah’s protection to shield our hearts from all sorts of evil and despicable traits. May Allah grant us with hearts that are istiqamah in obeying and serving Him. Amin. Ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.