Reading and reflecting on the symptoms and diagnosis of the diseases of the heart - as specified by our beloved Prophet ﷺ and our pious predecessors - will help us to actively work on purifying our hearts throughout this blessed month.
Pride.
Reflect: Do I get angry and feel resentful when someone corrects my mistakes? Am I overly sensitive when given advice? Do I feel that my knowledge, wealth, and status is because of what I have achieved? Do I feel that every blessing in my life is because of my own hard work? Do I become bitter when I do good for someone and they do not appreciate it?
Pride is the mother of all spiritual diseases. It is extremely destructive and one of the most difficult diseases to cure. Sometimes we take pride in our wealth, lineage, beauty, power, children, and even our knowledge and worship.
There are degrees of pride. Extreme pride and arrogance lead to outright kufr and the rejection of Allah. The victim thinks he has no need for his Creator and attributes all his success to himself.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The person who has the slightest amount of pride in his heart will not enter Paradise... Pride is to reject the truth and belittle people" (Muslim).
To remove pride, we must recognise our worth. Allah created us from broken soil and unclean sperm. We were nothing, and Allah gave us life. We should contrast this lowly state with the magnificence of Allah, and this should help us remain humble.
Feeling hunger during our fast should help us reflect on our weakness and desperate need for Allah. It should remind us to stay humble and remove the pride from our hearts.
Envy
We live in an age of envy. Gone are the days where we would only envy those whom we saw. Thanks to social media, we have access to the little details of millions around the world. This often leaves us feeling envious of lifestyles we see others enjoying, but we ourselves cannot have access to. Even though we know that images are heavily filtered and present a distorted image of reality, this does not stop our hearts from feeling envy.
Envy (ḥasad) is being resentful of what others have, and wishing that they would lose that blessing. Sometimes this feeling creeps up on us without us realising. If we fight back against it, inshāAllah we will be rewarded. However, if we act upon this feeling, and allow it to eat up our insides, then this is ḥarām.
Envy ruins our good deeds. It leads to hatred and tension. It tears down relationships and breaks families.
A remedy for treating envy is to reflect on why we are envious of that person. And then think about who Allah is, and how much He has given us. Allah is Al-ʿAdl (The Most Just) and we should be content with His decree. Perhaps we envy one thing about that person, but are unaware of ten other problems that this person faces.
Ramaḍān is a month to detox from social media. Constantly seeing profiles and updates from 'photoshopped' lives leads to ungratefulness, self-loathing and even depression. This often stems from the envy that social media triggers. Let us leave this vice, and we will feel happier and content inshāAllah.
"Beware of envy, for it consumes good deeds, just as fire consumes wood or grass" (Abū Dāwūd).
Hatred and forgiveness
There is nothing Shayṭān loves more than tearing up relationships and shattering sacred bonds. Our beloved Prophet ﷺ said, "The deeds are presented every Monday and Thursday. Allah forgives every person who does not associate anything with Allah on that day, except the person who holds hatred towards his brother. It is said, 'Leave them until they have both reconciled, leave them until they have both reconciled'" (Muslim).
Similarly, he ﷺ said, "No one should convey to me anything regarding one of my companions, for I love to meet you with a pure heart" (Aḥmad).
When Zayd b. Aslam (raḥimahullāh) entered upon Abū Dujānah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) in his final illness, his face was glowing. When he was asked for the reason behind this, he said, "There are two deeds which I am depending on: firstly, I only used to speak about matters which concerned me; and secondly, I always maintained a pure heart towards my fellow Muslims."
"Glad tidings to the one whose own faults occupied him from the faults of others. Woe to the one who forgot his own faults and occupied himself with the faults of others."
- Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh)
A common cure for treating these diseases (pride, envy and hate) is to be good to those you have these negative feelings towards. Give them gifts, and do nice things for them, especially when you don't feel like doing so. Praise them when you heart seeks to criticise or backbite about them. Meet them with respect and humility. Do duʿā' for them, especially when your heart does not incline to do so.
May Allah al-Quddūs (The Pure) make our fasting the means for purifying our hearts.
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Du'aoftheday
رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا.
Our Lord, grant us spouses and offspring who will be a joy to our eyes, and make us leaders of those who have taqwa (piety). (25:74)
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Ramadan Tips, Plans, & Challenge.
Non-Fiction"By Allah, if it was said to the people of the grave, 'make a wish!' they would wish for one day of Ramaḍān." - Ibn al-Jawzī (raḥimahullāh) This book's aim is to make the best out of our Ramadan.
