(Chapter 21: Ihya’ Ulumuddin)
“The Messenger (PBUH) said: there is in the body a bit of flesh,
if it was good, the body will be good. It is the heart.”
This hadith gives a clear
understanding that the essence of human is the heart and it is the king which
should be obeyed in all the body. Imam al-Ghazali had explained his view about
the heart in this chapter which has become one of the very important chapters[1] in
Ihya’ Ulumuddin.
1.0 Qalb,
Ruh, Nafs and ‘Aqal
1.1 Qalb
(Heart)
The heart or Qalb has two
meanings: the first meaning is the pineal flesh which is the left side of the
chest and there is inside it a cavity, in which there is a black blood and it
is the source of the soul. The animals and dead people also have the same
figure of heart.
The second meaning is a spiritual
one (lathifa) which attaches to this flesh. This spiritual thing is the
way to know Allah and understand what is not achieved by the imagination and
illusion. Therefore, this is the reality of the human and they are the addressee
of the meaning in verse 37 of Surah Al-Qaf;
“Indeed in that is a reminder for
whoever has a heart”
However, if the meaning of al-qalbu
here is the pineal figure, surely it can be found in everybody. When human know
this, we should realize that the connection between the heart and the piece of
flesh is obscure thing which is not be realized by saying but it depends on eye
seeing (the witness). All we can say is the spiritual heart is like a king and
the piece of flesh is like the house. Besides, if the spiritual meaning related
to the flesh like the accidents, this cannot be valid because Allah has
mentioned in verse 24, Surah Al-Anfal that He makes like a barrier between the
person and his heart.
1.2 Ruh
(Spirit)
It also has two meanings.
Ø Natural Spirit
The smoke that its essence is black
blood inside the cavity of this pineal flesh, and it prevails by veins which
are in all the parts of the body. For example, the lamp in the house which lightens
all the corners of the house and this is the meaning which the doctors want
when they utter the word spirit.
Ø Spiritual as the spiritual one for the heart
The spirit and the heart revolve
around the same spiritual meaning. This spirit that Allah has mentioned in
verse 85, Surah Al-Isra’:
“And they ask you, Oh Muhammad, about spirit.
Say, the spirit is of the affair of my lord”.
1.3 An-Nafs (Soul)
This word has two meanings.
Ø Power of anger, lust and the dispraised traits
It is the wanted meaning in the
Messenger’s saying: The fiercest enemy for you is your soul which is between
your sides. It is the soul which we are ordered to strive and to overcome.[2]
Ø Spiritual soul
The second meaning is the spiritual
one, which is one of the two meanings for the spirit, heart and self, in
addition to the heart. The spirit is called also by this good meaning which
represents his reality as a man and differ from the animals which not being
called as soul.
Besides, it would be called as the
reassured soul if the soul was clear and adhered to mentioning Allah, and the
effects of lusts and dispraised traits were removed from it. This is what Allah
meant in verse 27, Surah Al-Fajr: “To the righteous it will be said, O
reassured soul”
There are two ranks of souls before
it reach his rank as reassured soul.
~Reproaching
soul- Allah swore by it when He said in verse 2, Surah Al-Qiyamah:
“And I swear by the reproaching
soul”
It blames its owner for committing
sins and it does not tend to do bad deeds and accepting them.
~Enjoiner
of evil
Before it reaches the rank of reproaching
soul, there is another rank which is enjoining for evil. As Allah said in verse
53, Surah Yusuf; “The soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil”. This soul
sometimes orders of the goodness and does not blame for the evil, which is the
lowest of the soul.
Therefore, it is clear that the
reassured soul is the highest and the reproaching soul is between that two.
Reassured soul does not accept the evil things and it does not assure to it but
it assures to the goodness, by mentioning Allah.
1.4 Aqal
(Mind)
Mind has several of meanings. Two
from it are as following:
~Knowing
the reality of things that took place in the heart.
~Part
of human that have ability to absorb knowledge. It is same with the heart with
the meaning of lathifah as mentioned above. We know that everyone have wadah
that can hold knowledge. Knowledge is something that lived and fixed in the wadah.
Knowledge is not identical with the wadah that holds it. Therefore, the
word Aqal is used to portray something that stick to the scholar or
knowledgeable people. Maybe that is what being meant by the Messenger (PBUH), “The
mind is the first thing that Allah has created, then He said to it come and it
came”[3]. This is because knowledge is something that is
‘aradh,[4]
it cannot be imagined as the first creation. It must being created before it of
together with it. Besides, it is impossible for wadah to accept
conversation. Next in the narration, Allah said come
and it came.
2.0 The
Soldiers of Heart
Ø The heart have two soldiers, which one of it can be seen by eyes
such as the hand, legs, eyes, and other organs. The other one is which is seen
by insight, as being mentioned in a hadith: There is in the body of a piece of
flesh, and if it’s good, all the other organs of the body will be good. It is
the heart. Therefore, the heart is just like a king that ought to be followed
by other organs towards the commandments and avoiding the forbidden matters.
Ø If the heart failed to commands towards goodness, the lusts will
prevail, and the king will be ordered and the matter will be reflected, thus
the king realizing that he will be subjugated in the hand of dog or enemy when
he followed the amarah.
Ø Besides, if the man obeyed the caller for evil or lust, he would
see himself prostrating before a dog while actually he had obeyed the pig which
is representing greed. In this case, he is actually had obeyed the Evil because
these dispraised qualities are the soldiers of Evil on the heart and the heart
cannot overcome them so it become weak, causing the annihilation the quality of
this good meaning.[5]
Ø Allah has mentioned in verse108 in Surah An-Nahl the word of
sealing: “ Those are the ones over whose hearts and hearing and vision are
sealed by Allah”
2.1
The imagery of heart with mirror
The
heart is just like a mirror. When it is still clear and protected from rust and
scum, definitely it is possible to see things in it[6].
However, if it rusted and not being cleaned so it would be prevail upon it,
where cleaning would be impossible and this is what being meant by the word
‘sealing’ in Al-Quran. Furthermore, the Messenger once said relating this
condition of heart.
“The
hearts rust like the iron. He was asked, ‘how can we clear the heart?’ He said,
‘By remembering death and reciting the Holy Quran’. Therefore, when the heart
ends and the Evil becomes the predominant, the praised traits will turn into
dispraised ones.
2.2
The four kinds of heart
According
to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), there are four kinds of heart;
~ A
clear heart, in which there is a lamp which lightens and this is the heart of
the believer
~A
black relapsing heart, this is heart of disbeliever
~A
covered heart, this is the heart of the hypocrite
~A
plated heart, in which there is a belief and hypocrisy.
-A belief in it is like the legume which is nourished with pure
water and the hypocrisy in it is like the sore which is extended by the pus. Therefore,
any of these was prevailed will be the ruling for it.
Allah
has mentioned in verse 201, Surah Al-A’raaf; “Indeed, those who fear Allah-
when an impulse touches them from Evil, they remember Him and at once they have
insight”. It can be understood that the sight of heart and its clearness occur
by the remembrance and the pious are only those who remember Allah. The taqwa
is the door for zikr, and zikr is the door of disclosure or kashaf,
and kashaf is the door for great winning.
3.0 The
imagery of heart in relation to the science
The
example of kasyaf heart is just like a mirror and the science and the
facts are like the shapes which are seen in the mirror. The mirror is a thing
and the facts are other things, and the appearance in the mirror is a third
thing. These are three things: the science is like the appearance in the mirror
and the heart is like the mirror and the facts are third things.
However,
not every single figure can be appeared in the mirror for five reasons:
1)
The
corruption of the mirror, before taking the shape of the mirror.
2)
When
the shape is rusted.
3)
If
the thing was isolated from the mirror by being behind it
4)
If
there is a screen between the mirror by being behind it.
5)
Not
knowing the direction of the figure, and thus the heart is ready to appear in
it the truth which is in all matters.[7]
Human’s
heart is like a mirror which is prepared to receive the reflection from the
reality of the truth that covers every single thing. If there is knowledge
about something that cannot be accepted by the mirror possibly because of these
five things:
--The
decrement in the figure of the heart, such as a little boy and mad people.
-The
turbidity of the sins and scum which are accumulated on the heart because of the
increasing of the lusts. The Messenger (PBUH) referred to this meaning when He
said: “Who committed a sin, his mind had left him and it would not be return to
him”[8].
Humans’ hearts getting turbid by the sins they made, and the trace
can’t be removed because what they can do is followed the sins with good deeds
to refine the heart whereas if they that good deeds without doing sins,
undoubtedly the heart will shine brilliantly[9].
- He
should be isolated from the wanted fact and his face should be directed to the
deeds of obedience. He should say as the Messenger said: “Indeed, I have turned
my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth, inclining towards
truth”[10]
The person might be very diligent in worship, but he hasn’t had a clear truth
although his heart is clean.
-The
screen when there is in the secret of his heart a lust or corrupted belief
which preceded during the childhood and its effects remained.
- Ignoring
the direction from which he should ask the thing. He ought to have complete
belief but it does not occur to him, the belief in the unknown. If the belief
was none found, it will be impossible to know things which are not found.
A
companion ask the Messenger, who is the best among human? The Messenger (PBUH)
answered, “Every Mu’min that has a kind heart”. Then other companions
asked what is meant by the kind heart. Prophet Muhammad answered, “The Mu’min
that is pious and have a pure heart, no deception, no ruthlessness, no
treasonous and not envious.”[11]
Companion said, maybe this is why Umar –May Allah pleased with him said: “My
heart saw my lord”.
This
is because Umar has a chaste heart and his hijab is lifted and tajalli
happened in his heart. Allah said in verse 9, Surah asy-Syams: “He has
succeeded who purifies it”.
3.1 The three ranks of accepting the truth
Ø The faith of Al-‘Awwam
Accepting
by hearing at the first of the instinct and it is subjected to the mistake.
This is an imitation which is done by common people.
-For
example, in the age of six to seven years old (tamyiz), they hear from
the parents about Allah’s existence, His iradah and qudrah, and
His attributes. By hearing these, they accept it and hold onto it without
having any bad thought to what they had received.
Ø The faith of Ahlul Ilm Al-Kalam
They
believe and mixed it with the evidence. Nevertheless, there is still a
possibility of having confusion in this stage. For example, you go to Zaid’s
house and heard his voice. So, this convincing you that Zaid is really in the
house. Differ from the condition of the first stage that only hears from
others. However, it might be other people have the same voice like Zaid and he
is actually not in the house.
Ø The faith of people Al-‘Arifin
This type of
faith is called as ma’rifah that is the real knowledge or musyahadah,
the witness by the heart that convincing, same with the ma’rifah of
people in the stage of muqorrobin and siddiqin. For example, you
enter a house and see by yourself that Zaid is there. Moreover, people of
‘Arifin have convincing evidence that is impossible to be accompanied by any
error. Nevertheless, they themselves have different level of knowledge,
different level of kasyaf that they have experienced.
REFERENCE
Al-Ghazali,
2003. Keajaiban-keajaiban hati. Indonesia:
Mizan Media Utama.
Rizq
Wahid Sediq Muhammad, 2009. The Outlined Copy of Ihia’a Ulum Al-Deen. First
Edition. Egypt: Dar Al-Manarah
Zaid
Husein Al-Hamid, 2003. Ringkasan Ihya’ Ulumuddin. Fifth Edition. Malaysia:
Darul Nu’man.
[1] Al-Ghazali,2003. Keajaiban-keajaiban hati. Indonesia: Mizan
Media Utama, page 7.
[2]
Zaid Husein Al-Hamid, 2003. Ringkasan Ihya’ Ulumuddin. Malaysia: Darul Nu’man,
page 197.
[3]
At-Tabrani in Al-Awsat. From Abu Umamah, narrated by Abu Nu’aim from AIsyah.
However, valued as weak.
[4]
Al-Ghazali,2003. Keajaiban-keajaiban
hati. Indonesia: Mizan Media Utama, page 30.
[5] Zaid
Husein Al-Hamid, 2003. Ringkasan Ihya’ Ulumuddin. Malaysia: Darul Nu’man, page
199.
[6]
Rizq Wahid Sediq Muhammad, 2009. The Outlined Copy of Ihia’a Ulum Al-Deen.
Egypt: Dar Al-Manarah, page194.
[7] Al-Ghazali,2003. Keajaiban-keajaiban hati. Indonesia: Mizan
Media Utama, page 60.
[8] Al
‘Iraqi said that he never found that hadith.
[9] Al-Ghazali,
2003. Keajaiban-keajaiban hati.
Indonesia: Mizan Media Utama, page61.
[10]
Al-An’am 79
[11] HR
Al Baihaqi from Abdullah ibn Umar with Sohih sanad
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