The Pure of Mind

There are so many people who hold Qur'an diplomas and ijazas. They frequently attend lectures and memorize Surahs but they have very little Islam (gentleness, mercy, forgiveness) to show for it. Sometimes they are the most disappointing, rudest, condescending people you will ever meet. 

Where is the Islam gone among the people who claim to know it so well? The people frequent the Masjid day in and day out? Who have all the answers to all the fiqh questions? Why don't they act like God-fearing people?

    أُوْلُو  ٱلۡأَلۡبَـٰبِ  The pure of mind are discussed in Surah Ale-'Imran, verse 7. 

لۡبَ Lub is a sound mind, pure from vanity.

Aqal or intelligence is to tie something up. It is to have control over your emotions and then being able to think clearly. If you have a bias of anger, fear, love, lust, greed – any kind of emotional bias that clouds your judgement, then you are not fully exercising your intellect. Only when you put your emotions in check and you put your biases aside, are you able to think about something clearly. This equates to using your aqal.

Jahl or ignorance is having a lack of emotional control. Something comes into their head and you just blurt it out. If you feel like eating something, you will gobble it down without a thought. If you feel like doing something, you will just act on impluse  There is not rational human behaviour. This can only be described as reckless endangerment of oneself and others. Jahl is your inability to control and restrain yourself.

The highest form of clarity of thought  is lub. Lub is the pinnacle use of a human mind – the ability to think, ponder and reflect clearly essentially distinguishes humans from animals. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said: (and I am paraphrasing it here) that the people who do more taddabur (reflect deeply in Quran) have more reward than those who pray the entire night. In other words, rather than mindlessly performing one ritual after another, the pure of mind make a sincere effort to remember Allah and to connect with Allah on a intellectual and emotional basis, which completely revamps their perspective on self and others. 

A pure mind is a mind that is free from vanity, a mind that is not preoccupied by

 greed, pride, jealousy, lust, gluttony, Or filled with filth,  like with unnecessary sport statistics, names of movies, awards ceremonies, characters and, yogi-o cards etc. You can have that stuff  in your head but if your mind is full of that garbage then you won't have a clear mind or the ability to think clearly. You will not be able to really remember Allah. Even when you try to engage with Allah, your heart will immediately say, finish the salah quickly and go back to the movie. People who have sound minds, they are able to take time in their salah, really reflect on what they are saying to Allah - even cry in prayer and feel Allah's presence inside and outside of prayer. 

Surah Ale-'Imran, verse 7 began with people who are deeply rooted in knowledge (وَٱلرَّٲسِخُونَ فِى ٱلۡعِلۡم  Ra seen kha means absorption. They have absorbed knowledge, it has become a part of them, they have internalized knowledge) yet Allah mentions ذَّكَّرُ  remembrance which happens in the heart. Those who are deeply rooted in knowledge are more committed to remembering Allah by first keeping their hearts clean. This leads to the next ayah, the private dua of the people of knowledge.

  رَبَّنَا لَا  تُزِغۡ  قُلُوبَنَا 

O our Lord, don't deviate our hearts

The more you know, the more you realize, the danger you are in. However, for most people, increase in knowledge means increase in legitimacy. The more I know, the better I can argue with others, the better I can put others down in debate. The more I know, the more I can assume to a school. The better I can acquire a teaching position etc.

The people who have fully incorporated knowledge as part of their conscious and personality, are the ones who are most worried about their hearts. They reflect deeply not only in the verses of the Qur'an but at the same time, they also frequently scrutinize their own character and manners. They are not concerned with judging others. The more you know, the more you realize, the danger you are in. However, for most people, increase in knowledge means increase in legitimacy. The more I know, the better I can argue with others, the better I can put others down in debate. The more I know, the more I can assume to a school. The better I can acquire a teaching position etc.

They are scared of becoming deviated at heart (seeking intellectual pursuits which don’t really improve the quality of their obedience to Allah or the amount of their remembrance of Allah). They are scared of appearing or talking like scholars and imams on the outside but internally, their hearts are rotting and chasing after fitnah.

May Allah make us of those who are pure of mind and deeply rooted in knowledge, in a way that He has described and is pleasing to Him aameen.