6. REGARDING THE THINGS THAT HELP REFORM THE HEART (SALLAH AL-QALB)
I have seen being engrossed in studying fiqh and hadith this is barely sufficient in the reformation of the heart (sallah al-qalb), unless it is mixed with heart-softening {riqaiq) stories and having insight (nadr) into the lives of the pious (sirah al-salaf al-salih).
As for the knowledge of the halal only, then it has no major impact on softening of the heart. The hearts soften by mentioning heart-melting narrations and stories of the pious because they have acquired the objective (and fruits) of the hadith— having left the (outward) physicality of actions and having moved on to tasting their meanings. I am only mentioning this after tasting (dhawq) it and researching about it.
I found that the drive of most of the hadith experts and students is in attaining hadiths with the shortest chains of narration and accumulating many parts of hadith.
And most scholars of fiqh are engrossed in polemics and learning techniques that allow one to overpower his opponent.
How can the heart soften with such things?
On the contrary, a group of righteous predecessors would seek a pious worshipper of Allah to look at his character and seek his guidance. Not to seek his knowledge (V/w), because the objective of learning knowledge is to instil the sublime qualities in one self and benefit from its guidance.
Try to digest this fact. Blend your pursuit of the knowledge of fiqh and hadith with studying about the lives of the pious predecessors (salaf) and ascetics (zuhhad), so it contributes to the softening of the heart (riqqa al-qalb).
I have compiled a book containing life accounts and attributes of many famous and noble people. I have compiled a book containing the tales (and wisdoms) of Hasan Al-Basri, a book containing the life account of Sufyan al-Thawri, respective books on life stories of Ibrahim Ibn Adham, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Ma’ruf and others among the scholars and ascetics. May Allah give us the ability to reach the goals.
An action without knowledge is imperfect; its example is like that of a co-pilot and captain, as the self is between them, it’s hard to be controlled. With the serious attitude of both the co-pilot and the captain, the journey is undertaken easily.
We seek Allah’s protection from lassitude.
(Source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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