"Before Our Hearts Were Hardened..."

Before Our Hearts Were Hardened...

Muhammad ﷺ is his final messenger. We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, the Prophets and Messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him, and those that follow in his blessed path until the Day of Judgment, and we ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma ameen.

The First Shahādah and the Heart That Longs to Return

Dear brothers and sisters, have you ever seen the moment where someone takes shahādah — someone says لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ for the very first time — and the emotion that they display? You look at that and you say, I wish I had that.

SubhanAllah, I remember there was once a young sister that was becoming Muslim, saying لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ, and she struggled to get through it. And there was an elder Muslim sister that had been Muslim her entire life who started to cry very heavily as well. She said: I'm crying because I've been saying لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ for over 60 years and I never cried. لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ never brought me to tears.

And this person is saying it for the very first time, and it's bringing them to tears. And you wonder and you say, subhanAllah, where is that excitement? Or perhaps you are a convert to Islam and you remember those moments and you go back and you think: I want to feel that way again. Or you had moments in Ramadan or moments in your life where you really felt like you peaked in terms of your faith.

Every single one of us in here can at some point look back and feel like there was a time that they felt closest to Allah. Either it was in the midst of a tragedy — and may Allah help all of those that are in the midst of that tragedy right now, Allahumma ameen — or it was during a heightened faith awareness, iman awareness, because of what you were reading or listening to, or the season of khair that you were in. Perhaps umrah or hajj. Perhaps Ramadan.

But there is a time when you felt like your faith peaked — like, I was really where I wanted to be. I felt my heart was soft. I felt that it was easier for me to connect to Allah.

And sometimes you want it back. And to want it back is a good sign. To be okay with not feeling like you are at your full potential in terms of your heart's connection to Allah is a bad sign. To say, well, that's alright — I've already relegated faith to a certain part of my life and I don't care about that part. But to say: I really wish I could feel that way again, I really wish I could connect that way again — that is a sign of a living heart.

Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq and the Hardening of Hearts

I was thinking about a truly incredible narration about Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله تعالى عنه, and I want to preface the narration with reminding all of us about who Abū Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه is.

Abū Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه is the man who would read the Qur'an and would not just be moved so deeply in his own heart that he had a difficult time reading without crying — but he would cause everyone else to cry as well. Two incidents are very famous in this regard.

The first: when Abū Bakr was on his way out to Abyssinia to make hijrah, a non-Muslim chief stopped him and said: a person like you can't be turned out — I will protect you. You should not be treated this way. You're a good man, you do so much good for us. And the elders of Quraysh said: fine, he can stay, but please let him stop reading the Qur'an publicly. It's a problem when he reads the Qur'an publicly because he moves people's hearts too much.

So Abū Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه said: fine, I'll only read it in my house. Then he turned half of his house in Mecca into an open courtyard and he would read the Qur'an there. You can't stop him from praying in his own courtyard, right? And what would happen is the spouses and children of those same tribal chiefs would go out and listen to Abū Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه read the Qur'an — listening to his crying — and they would start to cry too. SubhanAllah. That is how beautiful his recitation was and how connected he was to it.

The second incident: when the Prophet ﷺ was passing away, he ordered that Abū Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه would lead the prayer. Some of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ said: let us instead have 'Umar رضي الله تعالى عنه lead the prayer. Why? Because Abū Bakr has too soft of a heart — he breaks down in his recitation and won't be able to reach the people in terms of his volume the way 'Umar would. And the Prophet ﷺ was upset with that — he commanded that Abū Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه would lead the prayer, because there was something more to it than that.

Now, with those two incidents as preface — imagine later on in his khilāfah. Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله تعالى عنه is watching delegations come from around the world to embrace Islam. A delegation comes from Yemen. The first thing they would do is recite the Qur'an to the delegations that came to visit.

They heard the Qur'an and they all began to cry. And Abū Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه stared at that for a moment. And then he said:

(Narrated in various Islamic historical sources regarding Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه)

"I remember when we used to be like that. But then our hearts became hard."

We got used to it. We got used to the Qur'an. We got used to all of these reminders and all of this beauty that comes with this faith. We got used to it.

SubhanAllah — and I wanted to capture that for a moment. Now first and foremost, is there any doubt in anyone's mind that Abū Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه still used to cry when he would read the Qur'an? Of course he did. Of course, Abū Bakr at his lowest point is better than all of our best points. There's no doubt about that. And people of high standards hold themselves to higher standards than anyone else. So he is holding himself to a standard.

How Do We Return to That Connection?

That sentiment — I really want to get to that place again and feel that connection with Allah — you think about relationships outside of the relationship with Allah. How do people get back to where they want to be? They remember their original purpose and they root out the distractions. They go somewhere together. They spend some time together. They talk very openly. They allocate time to try to peel back to the original place that brought their hearts together.

This is with two people — like, let's get back. Remember when we first met? Remember when we first talked? Remember that time? Let's think together. Let's talk together. Let's go back to what created the initial connection and try to revive that connection.

And the Prophet ﷺ taught us that — to do tajdīd of our em>imān. To constantly revive our faith by getting it back, trying to get it back, trying to get it back. And not just get back to its peak, but push it beyond that — to its full potential, as much as you can. Get beyond where you felt the last time.

How do we do that? And you know what's so beautiful about our deen? It's not rocket science. It's reminding ourselves. This Jumu'ah is a reminder. It's not some fancy medicine or some type of recitation or formula that you have to figure out. It comes back to the nature of who you are as a person. And the closer you are to who you are as a person, the closer you'll be to your Rabb, the closer you'll be to your Lord.

The Prophetic Prescription: Soften Your Heart

You find in the aḥādīth of the Prophet ﷺ — Abū Hurayrah رضي الله تعالى عنه narrates that a man came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and complained of the hardness of his heart:

(Musnad Aḥmad, Hadith 7160; also referenced in al-Mu'jam al-Awsaṭ of al-Ṭabarānī)

The Prophet ﷺ said: "If you want to soften your heart, feed the poor and caress the head of an orphan."

Feed the poor and caress the head of an orphan. Put yourself in proximity of those that are suffering. You know, what do we do when we feel overwhelmed by hardship that's out there? We shut it off because we have the ability to do so. I'm going to watch other things. I don't want to watch this stuff. I don't want to see this stuff. I don't want to know what's going on in the world. I want to enjoy my peace. And while that disrupts your peace of mind — it also disrupts the potential of your faith and the state of your heart.

That doesn't mean overloading yourself with bad news. That means playing a productive role in being part of the solution. If you can find ways to volunteer — subhanAllah — everything that's happening right now: do you know how much hunger is out there? Do you know the state of our refugee brothers and sisters? Do you know how many people are out there struggling? And do you know that all of these agencies are looking for volunteers? Go out there. Volunteer to serve the people. Be in proximity of that. And it will put your heart in a softer place. It'll remind you of your original purpose. It'll take you back to it.

It is not sufficient to just think about it as some faraway thing. So that's one thing the Prophet ﷺ taught us about action — putting ourselves close to it, spending time close to it, is important.

Distracted Hearts, Diseased Hearts, Dead Hearts

But I want to get to another element of this. Before a heart becomes diseased or dead, it becomes distracted. Before a heart becomes diseased or dead, it becomes distracted.

Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه was not talking about: this is how we used to be, then we started to gossip a lot, then we started to backbite, then we started spending time in these groups and we started to sin more. He was talking about distraction.

— their hearts distracted. And of course that is far removed from the sahābah of the Prophet ﷺ, but it is a warning. Distracted hearts. Diseased hearts are when you're actively putting poison — spiritual poison — into your hearts. Distracted hearts are those that don't spend enough time focusing on what truly gives life to the heart. But if you have a distracted heart, you are bound for a diseased heart. And if you let the disease persist, you risk the death of the heart.

And this is something really important because, subhanAllah, in these times, we go back to these ahadith of the Prophet ﷺ:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2411)

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not speak too much without remembering Allah. Because to speak too much without remembering Him is to risk the hardness of the heart. And the furthest of people from Allah are those who have the hardest hearts."

I want you to think about, very objectively — it's been almost a full year since things really shifted the way that they shifted. How much time, objectively, are you spending in your groups now? How much time, objectively, are you spending on your social media? How much time are you spending talking to people through devices? And is there a healthy proportion of how much you're talking about Allah or talking about beneficial things?

And I'm not even talking about wasting away in gossip — subhanAllah, to sin and to do harm in times where we should be reminded of Allah on an extra level, that's a bad place to be. May Allah protect us all. I'm talking about wasting a lot of time, wasting a lot of discussion, having long conversations that are of no benefit whatsoever. Proportionally — how do I shift that now?

The Qur'an: The Greatest Dhikr

SubhanAllah — we know that Allah's best reminder, the best dhikr, the best remembrance of Allah is what? Al-Qur'an. It is the Qur'an itself.

Ramadan is right around the corner. It will hit us quicker than we know, subhanAllah. It is right around the corner.

Of course, another janāzah today. Janāzahs almost every week. Who knows if we make it. May Allah allow us to make it.

And you're talking about the Qur'an. How much time are you spending with the Qur'an? It's not rocket science, dear brothers and sisters. If you want to know the state of the softness of your heart, spend time reading alone, reflecting on the Qur'an. If you want to know where you are in regards to your connection with Allah, then look at the love your heart has for the Qur'an.

Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه held himself to a standard. Does anyone really think that those people he saw loved the Qur'an more than him? No — he saw a freshness. He saw a connection. And he said: I want to be that way. I want to have that. I want to always capture that fresh feeling of the Qur'an.

Are you reading Qur'an more than you were before? Are you spending more time with the book of Allah, reflecting on that dhikr? Because I guarantee you — and I guarantee myself — because Allah guaranteed all of us: if we were to reduce the time we spend in pointless conversation, and spend more time with that recitation, our hearts will be alive. Our hearts will be alive.

And you know they talk about social media addiction. People wake up in the morning — may Allah protect us all —

We all have problems — I don't want to project on you, I have a problem. Sometimes you start checking and it's like we're addicted to these devices. Let me check and see what's going on.

What about a Qur'an addiction? What about a heart addiction to the Qur'an? To where you wake up and it's 5 or 6 o'clock, and you feel really uncomfortable because you haven't opened the Qur'an yet today. That app on your phone hasn't opened yet today. That book didn't open yet today. And you feel uneasy — because your heart is alive, fully alive, connected.

Now, dear brothers and sisters, I'm not projecting here. We all need to get there — I need to get there. And it's something that takes constant work. But to feel disturbed and uneasy because I need to read the Qur'an, I need to remember Allah, I need to read what's beneficial, I need to reflect — in the same way that when you see pain, poverty, and hardship, you feel uneasy not actively doing something about it. I need to go and do it. I need to go feed the poor. I need to go out there and help the orphans. I need to do something productive. I can't just ignore it.

These are the two streams to the heart that the Prophet ﷺ is talking about.

Setting Higher Standards

Set higher standards. Set higher standards for yourself. Objectively, how much more Qur'an are you reading with contemplation now than you were before? Carve out a time of the day. Be uncomfortable if the clock hits a certain hour and you haven't started your recitation. May Allah revive our hearts constantly, and may Allah let our hearts be in the best state when we die.

O Allah, Turner of Hearts, make our hearts firm on Your Deen, and let the best state of our hearts be on the last day of our lives. May Allah connect our hearts to His words and to the deeds that are pleasing to Him. Allahumma ameen.

Aqūlu qawlī hādhā wa astaghfiru Allāh, wa alaykum wa alayhi salām, wa lil muslimīn, wa astaghfiru innahu huwa al-Ghafūr al-Raḥīm.

Du'ā' (Second Khuṭbah Supplication)

Alḥamdulillāhi Rabbil 'ālamīn. Wa ṣalātu wa salāmu 'alā Rasūlihi al-Karīm, wa 'alā ālihi wa ṣaḥbihi ajma'īn.

عِبَادَ اللهِ، إِنَّ اللهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ، وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ. يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ. فَاذْكُرُوا اللهَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ. وَاشْكُرُوهُ عَلَى نِعَمِهِ يَزِدْكُمْ. وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ.