Central Khutbah: “The Heart Between Illness and Deliverance”

Allah, the Most High, addresses the matter of the heart in the Qur’an in a distinct and profound manner. Numerous verses speak about the heart and its inner qualities. We present here some of them as a sample and foundation within the context of this topic:

The heart is the source of passion-related illnesses:

“O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women. If you fear Allah, then do not be too soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease be tempted; but speak in an appropriate manner.” (Al-Ahzab, 32)

The heart is the source of doubts:

“In their hearts is a disease, and Allah increases their disease. A painful punishment awaits them because they lie.” (Al-Baqara, 10)

The heart can be sinful:

“If you are on a journey and cannot find a scribe, then a security deposit may be taken. And if one of you entrusts something to another, let the one who is entrusted return it faithfully and fear Allah, his Lord. And do not conceal testimony; whoever conceals it, his heart is sinful, and Allah knows perfectly what you do.” (Al-Baqara, 283)

The heart can be harder than stone:

“Then your hearts became hardened after that; they are like stones, or even harder. Indeed, among stones there are those from which rivers burst forth, others that split and water gushes out, and others that fall down out of fear of Allah. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.” (Al-Baqara, 74)

The heart can be filled with anger and aggression:

“Fight them! Allah will punish them by your hands, disgrace them, grant you victory over them, heal the breasts of a believing people, and remove the anger from their hearts. Allah turns in mercy to whom He wills. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (At-Tawba, 14–15)

It is the heart that understands—or fails to understand—the truth:

“We have certainly created for Hell many jinn and humans. They have hearts with which they do not understand, eyes with which they do not see, and ears with which they do not hear. They are like cattle—indeed, even more astray. They are the heedless.” (Al-A‘raf, 179)

There is no deliverance until the heart is purified and becomes healthy, refined, soft, and submitted to Allah. Speaking of the supplication of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, Allah the Most High says:

“[…] and grant me a good reputation among later generations; and make me among those who will inherit the Garden of Bliss; and forgive my father—he was indeed among the misguided; and do not disgrace me on the Day when all will be resurrected, the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit, except the one who comes to Allah with a pure heart.” (Ash-Shu‘ara, 84–89)

Taking Care of the Heart

It is therefore essential to ensure that the heart is sound, pure, steadfast, and consistent, and that it remains above all attached to Allah. One of the most important methods to achieve this is to frequently supplicate Allah for our hearts. The Qur’an and the Hadith provide abundant guidance in this regard.

“Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from Yourself. Indeed, You are the Giver of all bounties.” (Al ‘Imran, 8)

“But those who came after them say: ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and do not place in our hearts any bitterness toward those who believe. Our Lord, indeed You are Most Kind, Most Merciful.’” (Al-Hashr, 10)

The protection of the heart from any rancor toward the believers is among the greatest causes for entering Paradise.

In this regard, the hadith of Shaddad ibn Aws, may Allah be pleased with him, is particularly significant. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, teaches in it invocations that are a true treasure for the heart. Shaddad reports that the Prophet said:

“O Shaddad ibn Aws! When you see people gathering gold and silver, you gather instead these words:

‎اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أسألُكَ الثَّباتَ في الأمرِ، والعزيمةَ على الرُّشدِ، وأسألُكَ شكرَ نعمتِكَ، وحُسنَ عبادتِكَ، وأسألُكَ قلبًا سليمًا، ولسانًا صادقًا، وأسألُكَ من خيرِ ما تعلمُ، وأعوذُ بك من شرِّ ما تعلمُ، وأستغفرُكَ لما تعلمُ، إنَّكَ أنتَ علَّامُ الغيوبِ.”

The meaning of this supplication is:

“O Allah, I ask You for steadfastness in the matter (of religion) and determination upon righteousness; I ask You to be grateful for Your blessings and to worship You in the best manner. I ask You for a sound heart and a truthful tongue. I ask You for the good of what You know, and I seek refuge in You from the evil of what You know, and I seek Your forgiveness for what You know; indeed, You are the Knower of the unseen.”

The Prophet would also frequently say:

‎“يا مقلبَ القلوبِ ثبِّتْ قلبي على دينِك.”
“O Turner of hearts, keep my heart firm upon Your religion.”

When the Companions said that they already believed in him and what he brought, and asked why he feared for them, he replied that the hearts are between two fingers of the Most Merciful, and He turns them as He wills.

Another well-known hadith is that of Nu‘man ibn Bashir, may Allah be pleased with them both:

“Truly, there is a piece of flesh in the body: if it is sound, the whole body is sound; and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Truly — it is the heart.”

And the hadith:

“Allah does not look at your outward appearances nor at your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds.”

These verses and hadiths together show that the center of a person’s faith as well as his downfall lies in the heart. The closer the heart is to Allah—purified of rancor, hypocrisy, and desires—the closer a person is to deliverance on the Day when “neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit, except the one who comes to Allah with a pure heart.”

(Central khutbah by the religious leader Hafiz Hilmija Redžić on November 7, 2025, at the “Centre islamique Gazi Isa-beg” in Esch-sur-Alzette)