Hardening of the Heart 2/5
Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
The First Method � Du`aa or Supplication
The first method is dua or supplication. Nothing
softens the heart more than asking Allah to soften it
and make it merciful. This is the promise of the
Prophet Sallallahu �Alayhi wa sallam when he said,
"Call on Allah being certain that your prayer will be
answered, but know at the same time that Allah will
not answer the prayer of a heart which is negligent."
Dua will soften the heart and Allah is the One who
will soften the heart. Our dua to Him will be
answered, but we have to believe it. If we just raise
our hands and ask, "O Allah, soften my heart!" and not
really ask from the heart, it is just something we
said � and we could have said ANYTHING else! If we
call on Allah SINCERELY, He will soften the heart.
"Call on Me and I will answer you."
[Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah 2:186 : "When my servants ask
thee concerning Me, I am indeed close to them: I
respond to the prayer of every suppliant when he
calleth on Me; let them also, with a will, listen to
My call and believe in Me: that they may walk in the
right way"]
If we consider the many examples that we have from the
lives of the Prophet Sallallahu �Alayhi wa sallam and
his companions, they would show us that it is Allah
who can change the hearts.
Let us consider �Umar ibn Al-Khattab. His attitude
towards the Prophet Sallallahu �Alayhi wa sallam and
Islam was so harsh that he set out one day to kill the
Prophet Sallallahu �Alayhi Wa sallam. He was fed up
with the efforts of Prophet Sallallahu �Alayhi wa
sallam to spread Islam that he felt he had to take it
in his hands to finish this. He strapped on his sword
and set out. On his way, he met another companion who
told him to check on his own sister before seeing the
Prophet Sallallahu �Alayhi Wa sallam. He was surprised
and went to his sister�s house, virtually tearing down
the door. He slapped her and her husband until blood
came from her face. He then stopped and looked at what
he had caused.
On his way in, he had heard something from the Quran
and it had touched him, but his anger did not allow it
a chance to settle in his heart. But when he struck
his sister and saw the blood, it stopped him for a
minute. What he had heard before touched his heart. He
asked what was being read before and some of the Quran
was read for him. And he changed.
That was enough to turn him upside down. This was
�Umar! On another occasion, the other companions saw
him laughing and then crying; one after the other.
They asked what had caused that to happen to him. He
said. "I remember that in the days of Jahiliyya, I
used to have this idol made of dates. One day, I
became so hungry that I ate a piece of it. And then, I
cried when I remembered digging a hole and burying my
daughter. Whilst I was putting her in, she reached up
and brushed dirt from my beard." And he had buried her
alive. That was the practice � those who felt it was a
dishonour to have a daughter killed them. That was how
hard his heart was � how hard his heart had become, to
bury his daughter alive.
But his heart changed. Changed so much that �Umar,
when he used to lead the prayers, would be so choked
up with tears that people from way back in the third
row could hear him crying. This was Umar, a man who
was so harsh, so powerful� a courageous individual�
but with the acceptance of Islam, his heart was turned
around.
So we should do as the Prophet Sallallahu �Alayhi wa
sallam advised us � to go to Allah and call on him to
give us softened hearts and we should seek refuge as
the Prophet Sallallahu �Alayhi wa sallam had from the
heart without fear. And in the same dua, he also
sought refuge from the eyes that do not become full
with tears; eyes which never cry.
=====
Leo Imanov
Abdu-lLah
AllahsSlave
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