Like The Hearts of Birds
Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said in a hadith:
“There will be such a group of people that will enter paradise, and their hearts will be like the hearts of birds."
(Muslim, Jannah, 27 nr.7341)
Birds are known as adorable creatures that are as timid as they are loveable.
With their hearts aflutter, they are always alert and ready to fly away in a startled heartbeat. Every day they set out on empty stomaches and return to their nests having been provided for.
We understand from the previous prophetic expression that there are many eye-opening lessons in how birds submit to Allah and find sustenance for believers to learn from.
The heart is a divine essence bestowed upon humans. It is the vessel that holds their essence and secrets. Uniquely human qualities such as intellect, insight, intention, inclination, love, and hate are determined by the heart. Through it, humans are graced with divine manifestations and marifatullah.
It is thought-provoking that such a vital organ is praised in a hadith by being likened to the heart of a fragile, timid creature that is preyed upon easily. Clearly, this similarity is not related to its physical characteristics.
Our scholars have expressed that this simile points to some of the spiritual virtues that elevate humans, such as tenderness of the heart, elegance of character, purity, taqwa, fear of Allah, and submission, which lead to being praised by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and admission into Jannah.
The hearts of the people in this group are delicate, sensitive, and pure. They hold no grudges against anyone, nor do they harbor envy or suspicion. Their hearts are clean and serene, and they are not tempted by the allure of this world or contaminated by sin or spiritual illness.
They are compassionate and considerate of others and do not wish to burden anyone, even if they themselves are in need. The hadith assures us that those possessing these virtues will enter Jannah and invites believers to aspire to the same delicacy and purity of heart.
Like the Tawakkul of Birds
The comparison of human hearts to those of birds can also be interpreted as an expression of the Islamic concept of tawakkul, which emphasizes the importance of complete trust and submission to Allah Almighty. Just as a bird trusts its wings to carry it through the air, a believer should place their trust in Allah to guide them through life and submit to His will. This involves surrendering oneself to the divine plan and relying on Allah for guidance, protection, and sustenance. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) underlines this in a hadith, using birds as an example and stating that if servants of Allah show complete tawakkul and submission, they will be provided for like other creatures. He advises us not to give in to anxiety. The hadith is as follows:
"If you were to put your trust in Allah as you should, you would be given provision like the birds: they go out hungry in the morning and come back with full bellies in the evening." (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 3; Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 14)
Therefore, a believer should not be anxious about life and livelihood but should fully submit and rely on Allah. This means living life in tawakkul without having complaints or expectations or worrying about the future.
According to the narration, when the pressures of the polytheists increased in Makkah, Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) advised Muslims to migrate. With the apprehension they felt, they voiced their concerns: "How can we survive in a place where we have no home, no possessions; who will provide us with food, drink, and shelter?" Upon this, the following verse was revealed:
“And how many an animal there is that does not carry its provision. Allah gives provision to it as well as to you, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-knowing.” (Al-Ankabut, 60)
This can be interpreted as follows: “There are many creatures that wake up in the morning without food, and yet are sustained by their need and tawakkul, just as you humans are sustained by your power and effort. Allah provides sustenance to all of you, and although your livelihood is connected to various causes, it is Allah who creates those causes.
Therefore, O believers who dwell in Makkah fear not poverty regarding hijrah! Allah is the One who hears everything perfectly, including your words, and knows the secrets in your hearts. He is the only One who has this knowledge.” (Sa’labi, Kashfu’l-Bayan, 21/85)
Fainthearted in the Face of Sins and Masiwa
From the sacred hadith, one can extract a fundamental meaning, one that warrants contemplation and reflection; the heart resembles a bird, fragile and timid in its nature. The bird is the most fearful of all creatures, quick to take flight at the first sign of danger. Such is the heart that is filled with awe and reverence for the Almighty, quivering with trepidation at the thought of its ultimate destiny. The hadith declares that it is this type of heart that will enter Jannah and encourages believers to foster a deep sensitivity within their hearts about religious matters.
A believer's sensitivity towards sin and masiwa should be akin to the innate cautiousness of a bird towards unfamiliar or startling sights. They must remain ever vigilant towards all kinds of temptations and distractions that could lead them astray and away from Allah the Exalted. A believer should maintain the awareness that a moment of heedlessness is all it takes for them to find themselves in the clutches of the nafs and shaytan. They should be wary of the possibility of a minor lapse of judgment or a misstep, leaving them facing shaytan’s nefarious schemes and robbing them of the grace of Allah the Almighty. The boldness of sinners stems from ignorance and a lack of awareness of the magnificence of Allah and the severity of the punishment that awaits in the Hereafter.
When the heart is steeped with the fear of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), the believer gains a heightened aversion to sin and disobedience. Their religious sensitivity increases, and their behavior improves. They remain vigilant against ghaflah and are untouched by the wiles of the nafs and shaytan. In a hadith, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) praised the Yemeni people for their admirable qualities, saying, “They are more gentle and soft-hearted.” (Bukhari, Maghazi, nr. 4129; Muslim, Iman, nr. 52)
In other words, the fear of Allah is so deeply ingrained in their hearts that they find something of an antithesis to their gentle, harmonized nature in the convoluted, overbearing affairs of this materialistic world. Love of both this world and the Hereafter and obedience to both Allah and the nafs, diametrically opposed as they are, cannot coexist in their hearts, for they are people of wisdom and faith and do not incline towards wrongdoing.
This has been the way of the Companions of the Prophet, the righteous predecessors, and the people of marifah. They were so wrought with the fear of Allah (jalla jalaluhu) and a sense of trepidation for the Hereafter that they even abstained from mubah things, lest they grow fond of masiwa (everything except Allah). They lived in this state and were never seduced by the world’s temptations.
Submission of Hearts to Allah
When it comes to deriving lessons from stories, it is worth mentioning the following incident, which represents the trust and submission of the Ash'ari tribe, a tribe among the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). This event occurred during the era of the Prophet in the city of Medina. It was narrated by Zaid bin Aslam (radiyallahu anh) as reported by the scholar Al-Tirmidhi (rahmatullahi alayh).
A group of Ash'ari tribesmen from Yemen, including Abu Musa, Abu Malik, and Abu Amir (radiyallahu anhum), migrated to Medina carrying their own food supplies. After consuming all of their food, they patiently waited without asking anyone for assistance. When the situation became unbearable, they sent one of their members to ask for help from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Upon reaching his house, the man heard the Prophet reciting the following verse from the Quran:
“And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear register.” (Hud, 6)
After hearing this, the companion thought to himself, "If that is the case, then the Ash'ari tribe is no less important than any other creature to Allah, and their sustenance will not be difficult for Him." With this realization, he returned to his companions and declared, "Good news, help is on its way!"
His companions assumed that he had already spoken to the Prophet and that help was coming. After a while, two men arrived with a large dish filled with meat and bread. The companions ate as much as they wanted, but the food remained abundant. They said:
“If we send the rest of the food back, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) might use it to see to other people’s needs.” Then they said to those who brought the food:
“We have taken care of our needs. Take this food back to Rasulullah.”
After a while, they came before the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and said:
“O Rasulullah, the food you sent us was so delicious! We’d never eaten anything like that before.”
However, he replied, "I didn’t send you any food."
The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) then asked the companion to explain what had happened, and he recounted the story exactly as it had occurred. The Prophet then said to them, "This is a provision that Allah has granted to you." (Tirmidhi, Nawadiru’l-Usul, 5/10; Suyuti, ad-Durru’l-Mansur, 4/341-342)
The Sensitivity of the Heart and Taqwa
The heart belongs to the realm of ma’na; its characteristics and lataif are spiritual. The delicate refinement of the heart comes from taqwa, while its hardened state is caused by denial, disobedience, and sin. As a person approaches the realm of ma’na, their heart becomes more refined. As they lean towards materialism and the desires of the nafs, their heart hardens and becomes more rigid. The reason a heart succumbs to ghaflah and is in disarray is its attachment to the world. As a heart becomes attached to worldly things, it tends to launch into a litany of complaints and vehement expressions of unfulfilled desires and discontentment, debilitating itself with its own insatiability as it delves into temporary and empty pleasures. Hearts that are deprived of faith and fear of Allah are akin to dead husks or lightless ruins in every sense that matters.
The sensitivity of a heart varies according to the level of a person's taqwa. Some people have a high and continuous sensitivity, while others have a moderate level of sensitivity. Furthermore, there are some who only show sensitivity when in difficulty. Those with high sensitivity are people of tawakkul and submission; their fears and concerns are related to Allah and the Hereafter, not to this world. They fear falling into error, heedlessness, disruptive changes that affect their hearts, and departing from this world without repentance or iman.
The Peak of Heart Refinement
A heart in which the love and rida of Allah the Exalted reside fears even a moment of displeasing Him. It shudders at the thought of Allah's greatness. This state has been praised in many places in the Holy Qur'an:
"The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith, and upon their Lord they rely." (Al-Anfal, 2)
Once, Aisha (radiyallahu anha) asked the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) about the meaning of the phrase "And they who give what they give while their hearts are fearful because they will be returning to their Lord." (Al-Mu'minun, 60). She wondered if it referred to sinners and transgressors. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) replied: "No O Aisha! They are the ones who pray, give zakat, and their hearts tremble with fear that these deeds may not be accepted." (Tabarani, Mu'jam al-Awsat, 4/197)
Our history books and biographical collections, also known as tabaqat, are filled with the life stories and inspiring words of the awliya who were at the peak of religious sensitivity and heart refinement.
It is narrated that the Qadi of Basra, Zurara bin Awa (rahmatullahi alayh), was reciting surah Al-Muddaththir during Fajr prayers. When he came to the verse, "For when the Trumpet is blown, that day will be a difficult day." (Al-Muddaththir 8-9), he could not bear it and fell into prostration and passed away. (Abu Nuaym, Hilyatu’l-Awliya, 2/256)
Ali bin Fadil (rahmatullahi alayh), who passed away while listening to the Quran, is known as the "Martyr of the Quran." (Al-Zahabi, Siyar A'lamu’n-Nubala, 8/446)
As the story goes, one day, a servant girl who was working for Caliph Umar ibn Abdulaziz (rahmatullahi alayh) said to him:
– O Leader of the Believers, I had a strange dream.
The Caliph asked her:
– What did you see? Please tell me.
– I saw Hell. It was burning fiercely, and the bridge of Sirat was placed over it.
The Caliph asked her to continue, and she began naming the Umayyad caliphs who came before Umar ibn Abdulaziz, saying:
– They brought so-and-so, but he could not cross the bridge and fell into Hell. They brought so-and-so, and he also could not cross the bridge and fell into Hell. They brought another person, and he also fell into Hell, she said.
The Caliph asked her what she saw next. "Then I saw you," the servant said, but before she could finish, Umar ibn Abdulaziz cried out and fainted. The servant girl immediately leaned in and whispered in his ear:
– You crossed the bridge! I swear I saw you cross it.
The Caliph lay on the ground, so stunned that he couldn't find his bearings. He was checking beneath his feet, wondering if he was actually on the Bridge of Sirat.
In summary, true believers are those who are pure-hearted and sensitive to Allah Almighty, who fear His Majesty, obey His commands, and constantly engage in muraqabah and dhikr. They also show compassion to all creatures. On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that many people who believe but have hardened hearts and are lost in ghaflah will be consigned to Jahannam.
A wise believer should combine fear and hope in their heart and dedicate themselves to servitude to Allah with all their might in order to attain His pleasure. One should also keep in mind that a single pleasure of Jannah is astronomically superior to all the pleasures of this mortal life combined and is worth giving up every enjoyment this life has to offer.
Hearts Harder Than Stone
One of the essential outcomes sought by engendering softness and gentleness in the heart is the enabling of a natural tendency towards and acceptance of the truth. It is difficult to persuade those with hardened hearts, as they refuse to submit to Allah (jalla jalaluhu) even in the face of clear and indisputable evidence. Their hearts have become hardened like stones, and they move through life in sheer obliviousness. Allah the Almighty warns about such individuals in the following ayah:
“Then your hearts became hardened after that, being like stones or even harder. For indeed there are stones from which rivers burst forth, and there are some of them that split open and water comes out, and there some of them that fall down for fear of Allah. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.” (Al-Baqarah, 74)
This verse draws a comparison between the disbelievers, who are indifferent to divine commands, and stones. Even stones submit to the laws of Allah unerringly, while human beings with intellect, perception, and willpower, to whom their Lord granted the blessings of life, fail to recognize and acknowledge Him, thus falling into ghaflah.
Hearts ensnared by ghaflah are more keenly attuned to be sensitive in favor of masiwa, that is, worldly attachments, pursuits, and possessions. People who find themselves mired in this grievous flaw are similar to prey caught beneath the claws of a predator.
Those who are constantly restless with incessant concerns and complaints roiling within them are considered weak-hearted. Even though they are believers, they suffer from obsessive thoughts. They cannot rid themselves of the fear of losing or not attaining what they deem indispensable with their erratic, biased judgment. They allow their desires to take control, even though they may logically be beyond their reach, rather than be content with what is destined for them. Such individuals also show impatience in times of trial and fail to be grateful for blessings. They foster petty, trifling ambitions in that they rejoice even for a small worldly gain and are deeply saddened when they lose it.
The world dangles a life of comfort lived in total complacency like poisonous honey before such people and steers them away from any possible confrontation with their nafs or shaytan. What is even more disheartening is the fact that such a clash of wills is a high-level conflict that they do not possess the resolve for. The reason for this infectious weakness pervading their hearts is their disinclination to submitting to the fate ordained by Allah and having an atrophied sense of submission and tawakkul. Even if such a person believes and performs good deeds, there will always be a hole they will be unable to fill, and their heart will be as if encased in cold, hard stone.
Jannah is not the rightfully earned compensation of good deeds and acts of worship but a gift out of the grace and benevolence of Allah the Most High. Therefore, having a tender and sensitive heart paves the way to being blessed with the mercy and love of Allah (jalla jalaluhu). Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“None can enter Paradise through his good deeds.” His companions asked:
“Not even you, O Allah's Messenger?”
He said:
– Not even myself, unless Allah bestows His favor and mercy on me.” (Muslim, Munafiqin 76, 78)
Believers can only be guided to the righteous path with the help of Allah the Exalted, and only through his benevolent help can they do good deeds and perform acts of worship. The rewards of Jannah are only possible through His unparalleled mercy. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says in the Qur’an:
“Say, ‘With the grace of Allah and with His mercy’ - with these, they should rejoice. It is far better than what they accumulate.” (Yunus, 58)
A Hidden Gem Embedded Within Us
The refinement and sensitivity of the heart is a matter of divine grace, but it also requires the owner's willpower and effort. One should strive to be as receptive to refinement as a precious stone and seek out the friends of Allah, experts in the polishing of hearts.
The sensitivity of the heart and religious consciousness does not occur suddenly. Firstly, one must rid oneself of spiritual ailments, purge foreign elements from within, and break free from the love of worldly things. One can only achieve this by following the path of the awliya, who have dedicated their lives to leading and guiding people on the journey from this mortal life to the eternal one.
Continuous refinement of the heart can only be done through regular acts of worship, attendance at gatherings of dhikr, keeping the company of the pious and those with refined hearts, remembering death, and reading or recalling stories that capture the essence of life in the akhirah and what makes this world a temporary residence and a provision for a life that will never end.
Nejdet Aslan
