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Imagine having a wound that should have healed by now, but instead, it remains inflamed and refuses to close. You visit your doctor, and he tells you, "This wound is infected. We need to open it, clean out all the pus, and ensure no source of infection remains. Then, with proper care, time will heal it."
This process may sound painful, but it is necessary for true healing. The same applies to our hearts.
"Dear Heart" – The Reality of a Spiritually Diseased Heart
A diseased heart is one infected by the poison of distance from Allah. It was once pure, shining like a crystal when we were born. But over time, black stains began to appear—sins, heedlessness, and indulgence in desires. And just like an untreated wound, if we do not cleanse our hearts, the infection will spread.
The Diseased Heart in the Quran
Allah mentions the diseased heart in the Quran:
"In their hearts is a disease, so Allah has increased their disease…" (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:10)
He also warns the wives of the Prophet ﷺ in Surah Al-Ahzab:
"Do not be soft in speech [with men], lest he in whose heart is a disease should covet…" (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:32)
This tells us that the heart can become spiritually sick, just as our bodies can.
How Do We Recognize a Diseased Heart?
Allah created hands to touch and hold. If my hands lose their ability to function, they are sick. Allah created eyes to see. If I become blind, my eyes are sick.
Likewise, Allah created the heart to know Him and love Him. The sign of a healthy heart is love for Allah, which manifests in obedience to Him—doing what He commands and avoiding what He forbids.
When the heart struggles to obey Allah, it is spiritually sick.
The Battle Within the Heart
Every believer experiences an internal conflict. The Prophet ﷺ described this in a beautiful hadith:
"Trials will be presented to the hearts like a woven mat, stick by stick. Any heart that absorbs them will have a black dot placed upon it, and any heart that rejects them will have a white dot placed upon it, until there are two types of hearts: one, pure like a polished stone, which is not harmed by any trial as long as the heavens and the earth remain; and the other, black and overturned, like an upside-down vessel, not recognizing good nor rejecting evil, except what aligns with its desires." (Muslim)
How Sins Stain the Heart
Picture this: You open your email to check an important message, but an inappropriate advertisement pops up.
At first, you see it by accident. But then, a voice inside tempts you: "It’s just a quick glance… it won’t hurt."
If you give in, a black dot appears on your heart. If you repent immediately, your heart remains pure. But if you ignore the sin, another stain appears.
Over time, the heart becomes covered in darkness—unable to recognize sin, feeling no guilt, and even justifying it:
"Everyone does this. It’s normal."
But if we remain conscious of Allah and clean our hearts regularly, they will remain as pure as a polished mirror, instantly recognizing sin and rejecting it.
The Danger of a Dead Heart
The worst outcome is a heart that becomes completely black and overturned. It no longer recognizes good or rejects evil except based on personal desires. This is the heart that is spiritually dead.
How does this happen? Small compromises. A single sin that was once shocking eventually becomes "not a big deal." Over time, the heart stops feeling anything at all.
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How to Purify the Heart?
Just as we wash our hands to remove dirt, we must purify our hearts to protect them from spiritual diseases.
Here’s how:
- Recognize the trials around you. Understand that sins, even small ones, harm the heart.
- Avoid what Allah has forbidden. His laws protect us from harm, just as He prohibited alcohol long before science confirmed its dangers.
- Turn to Allah in repentance. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, when the believer sins, a black dot appears on his heart. But if he repents, seeks forgiveness, and turns back to Allah, his heart will be cleansed." (Ibn Majah)
- Stay in environments that nourish the heart. Surround yourself with reminders of Allah, righteous people, and acts of worship.
Just as a doctor cleanses an infected wound to allow healing, we must cleanse our hearts through repentance and obedience. A pure heart sees truth clearly, loves what Allah loves, and turns away from sin instinctively.
The choice is ours: Do we let our hearts heal, or do we let the infection spread?
May Allah purify our hearts and grant us steadfastness in faith. Ameen.
