The Secret Life of the Heart

In fact, Allah, the Almighty, created two elements in human beings, namely the physical and spiritual elements. In other words, there is a body and a heart. The body and the heart are interconnected; in fact, they are its shadow. Just as the body has life, the heart also has life, just as the body can get sick, the heart can also get sick and even the heart can die.

Many people are very concerned about physical health, that is, the health of their bodies. It is something that is natural. Because we are also commanded to take care of the body. The body is a trust from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

The health of the body is an important matter. Many people are so concerned about their physical health, the health of their bodies. As we said earlier, it is something natural and there is nothing wrong. However, the problem is that they neglect, do not care, and even tend to neglect the condition of their hearts. They do not care about their spiritual health at all. They strive to survive and are very wary of physical ailments. It became the talk of the town.

Hospitals and medical centres were built, ranging from modern to traditional. In our religion there is also thibbun nabawi. The Prophet also talked about physical health. In fact, we can say that the sunnahs of the Prophet, if we do them and practice them day and night, will lead us to physical health.

In Islam, everything is regulated: eating, drinking, resting, and activity. Everything is clearly regulated, including what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten. The things that are forbidden in the Shariah are all regulated. If we pay attention and practice it in our lives, Insha Allah, we will get physical health. Basically, Allah wants us to be healthy. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala wants our bodies to be healthy. So in Islam, it is regulated in such a way with even very strict rules so that one of the wisdom is that our bodies can be healthy.

However, there is one side that people sometimes forget and many of them forget it or maybe don't know, which is spiritual / heart affairs. In Islam, this side is also discussed. Something that may not be visible to the naked eye, but its life determines physical life. The life of the heart has a great influence on physical life. Just as diseases of the heart contribute greatly to physical diseases.

How many people are physically sick because of their sick heart. However, people overlook this very important point, which is how we maintain and nurture the life of the heart. Hence, we discuss the secret of the life of the heart. That curing the heart of its various diseases and providing nourishment for it is no less important than curing the diseases of the body and providing nourishment for the body.

We may often check or have our physical health checked, especially if we have complaints. However, sometimes our hearts are dying and we feel fine, feeling safe, when in fact they are dying. A person whose heart is dead even though he is physically healthy is like a walking corpse. He is essentially dead because his heart is dead, but his body is still alive. Unfortunately, when this body is alive while the heart is dead, this body can do bad things because it is still alive while the heart is dead. So the body becomes a medium to do bad things because this person's heart is dead.

On the other hand, if the body dies, then the person will cease from bad deeds because the body is dead. So, the death of the body will stop one's vices. There are people whose death may be better than their life, i.e. their physical death may be better than their physical life because with the death of the body, they are saved from various vices, ceasing their evil and ugliness.

But not otherwise, when the spirit dies while the body is still alive, then this body will become a tool for him to do evil. Because a dead heart will give birth to nothing but vices. And this becomes a catastrophe for him, a calamity and disaster. The problem is that very few people are willing to maintain, care, and pay attention to the life of the heart, how to keep the heart alive and healthy until it brings our hearts to face Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in a salim (safe) condition.

Allah said,

يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ ‎﴿٨٨﴾‏ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ ‎﴿٨٩﴾

"The Day when wealth and children will be of no avail, except for those who come to Allah with clean hearts." (QS. Ash-Shu'ara[26]: 88-89).

That is the goal, that we bring our hearts to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in a safe heart condition. So, maintaining the health of the heart is something we must do until we meet Allah.

So we must show our concern to keep the heart away from all diseases that can eat away at it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has also explained this in his hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari and Muslim. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

أَلَا وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ أَلَا وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ

"Know that there is a piece of flesh in this body. If it is good, the whole body will be good; and if it is bad, the whole body will be bad. Know that the piece of meat in question is the heart" (Bukhari and Muslim).

This tells us that the heart is what determines whether a person is good or bad in life.