The Four Types of Hearts Al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent

The Four Types of Hearts
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent
October 19, 2014
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The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) divided the hearts into four categories as is
authentically reported from Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman, ‘The hearts are of four types: The heart
that has exclusively been illuminated by a blazing torch and that is the heart of the believer; the
heart that is encased and that is the heart of the disbeliever; the heart that is inverted and that is
the heart of the hypocrite - he knew only to reject, and he saw only to become blind; and the heart
that has two impulses: an impulse calling it to faith and an impulse calling it to hypocrisy: it
belongs to the impulse that is most prominent.’
The meaning of his saying, ‘a heart that has exclusively...’ means a heart that has detached itself
of everything besides Allah and His Messenger. Therefore it has separated and secured itself
from everything save the truth.
The meaning of his saying, ‘illuminated by a blazing torch’ refers to the niche of faith.
Therefore he indicated by his words, ‘that has exclusively...’ that is secure from false doubts and
misguiding carnal desires. He indicated by his words, ‘a blazing torch’ that it was set ablaze and
illuminated by the light of knowledge and faith.
The ‘encased heart’ refers to the heart of the disbeliever because it is wrapped by a veil and
covering and hence the light of knowledge and faith cannot reach it. This is as Allah said,
relating from the Jews that,
“They say: our hearts are wrapped...”[Al-Baqarah (2): 88J]
This veil is the covering that Allah has placed on their hearts by way of punishment for their
rejecting the truth and being too arrogant to accept it. Therefore it is a covering upon the hearts,
a seal for the ears, and blindness for the eyes. This is the obscuring screen upon the eyes talked
about in His saying,
“And when you recite the Qur’an, We out between you and those who believe not in the
Hereafter, an obscuring screen. We have put coverings over their hearts lest they should
understand it and deafness in their ears.” [Al lsra’ (17): 45-46]
When the people who have these types of hearts are admonished to purify their Tawhid and
following (ittiba), they turn on their heels and run!
The ‘inverted heart’ refers to the heart of the hypocrite as Allah, the Exalted says:
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“Then what is the matter with you that you are di- vided into two parties regarding the
hypocrites? Allah has cast them back [to disbelief ] because of what they have earned.” (An-Nisa,
4:88)
Thereby meaning he caused them to relapse and return to the falsehood that they used to be in due
to their false deeds.
This is the most evil of hearts and the vilest of them for it believes falsehood to be the truth and
shows love and allegiance to those who follow it. It also believes the truth to be falsehood and
displays enmity to those who follow it. The Aid of Allah is sought!
The ‘heart that has two urges’ refers to the heart that is not entrenched in faith because it has not
devoted itself solely to the truth that Allah sent His Messenger with. Instead it contains some
faith and some of its opposite: it is closer to disbelief than faith sometimes; and at other times it is
closer to faith than disbelief. The heart follows whatever is most influential at that time.
(Ighatul- Lahfan fi Masayid ash Shaitan, by Imam Ibn al Qayyim al Jawziyyah, may Allah
have mercy upon him)
Resurgence
Issue 1, Fall 2014
Courtesy of Jihadology
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