Ishq: A Treacherous Heart Disease | HEARTIFY | Ustadh Mohamad Baajour | EPIC Masjid

Ishq: A Treacherous Heart Disease

So we continue with the diseases of the heart, begging Allah to purify our hearts and make us from the people who will meet him with a qalb saleem. Ameen. Tonight is the night of Jumu'ah, so it's a blessed night.

So when we make a dua, say Ameen from the bottom of your heart. I'm going to try to make it a short talk due to the time change. This is our first time having the halaqa when Isha became a 10 p.m. So tonight, disease of the heart is ishq.

What is Ishq?

What does ishq mean? Ishq is an Arabic term refers to an infatuation or passionate love in general for women. It's an excessive love to the level that we can easily call it a disease. Why it is a disease? Because the person who is inflicted with ishq, whatever he looks at, wherever he goes, whenever he sleeps, all he thinks about is the mashuq.

24-7, he looks at the stop sign, he sees her picture. He looks at the chicken, he sees her picture. Whatever is 100% occupied, he will never be happy until he hears from her.

I'm giving an example of a female, but there are women also who have ishq with a man also, but the man is usually more into this. Now, before I continue, I don't know if it is the same meaning in Urdu. I found out that in Urdu, they use this term with Allah and with the Nabi, and that is prohibited.

That's why I thought it's a different meaning, because otherwise, it is haram to say ishq ilahi. It's haram to say. Why? Because this love, it's not just a love. It's a love with lust.

And I cannot have that istighfirullah with Allah or with his Nabi. That's why I asked before, because I thought like, when we use the word for example, alim. In Urdu, alim, a person who went two or three years and he got a course and he became alim.

In Arabic, there are maybe a hundred of them on earth. And when you say alim, he's a scholar who spent all his life, literally. Or similarly, when you call, the other day, somebody introducing me, mufti, so and so.

He was 19 years old. In Arabic, if you tell someone, mufti, 19 years old, it's like, it's impossible. For someone to become a mufti in the Arabic meaning, this man has mastered the Arabic language, has mastered the hadith, mastered the Qur'an.

And you know what I mean. He spent all his life in getting to that. And then he, the sahaba, when he used to seek a fatwa, there's a very famous story.

One, he went to Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, asked him, he said, go to Abdullah ibn Umar. And then Abdullah ibn Umar said, go to this, go to that, and came back to Abdullah ibn Mas'ud. Everybody scared to give a fatwa.

So how can I have a mufti at 20? The word fatwa is big. So I thought the word ishq is different, because it is used a lot with ilahi or with nabi and all that. And that is prohibited.

Because the word here, love, it's not just pure love for Rasulullah ﷺ. We all love him. And we beg Allah to gather us with him. But here, this word ishq is a sickness.

It's a disease. I cannot say I have a disease of loving Rasulullah ﷺ. No, that is one of the best ibadat to get close to Allah is by loving Rasulullah ﷺ. But you cannot call it, I'm talking linguistically, you cannot call it ishq. Okay, it's clear? Before we continue.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he called his love hubb in the Quran. Right?

And if you leave Islam, Allah will bring forth people who love him, whom he loves, and they love him.

And the believers, they have more love to Allah than everybody else.

So the word that we use with Allah, with his messenger is hubb, is hubb. As a matter of fact, the du'a that we know:

Ya Allah, provide for me your love and everything that you love and everyone that will bring me closer to your love.

So the word is used is hubb.

Reasons for Falling Into Ishq

Now why would people fall into, what are some of the reasons for someone to fall into ishq? One of the main reasons, is abandoning the remembrance of Allah Azza wa Jal. All kinds of remembrance.

And when we say remembrance of Allah, when we say dhikr of Allah, I know the first thing that comes to mind is subhanAllah walhamdulillah, this is part of the dhikr. But dhikr of Allah, salat is dhikr of Allah. Is there anything that has more dhikr than salat? It has quran, it has tasbih, it has takbir, it has alhamdulillah, it has ruku, it has sujood, it is the best form of dhikr, right? Reading the quran is dhikr.

Remembering Allah before you make a major decision in your life, that's dhikr, that's a major dhikr, right? That's true. This is all of that is to get to that level that I remember Allah whenever I'm going to make a major decision in my life. So a person who's away from the remembrance of Allah azza wa jal, it is easier.

One of the reasons why they fall into this sickness, this is because they're away from the remembrance of Allah. What is the dalil from the quran?

And I'm so ever stay away from my dhikr, again Allah used the word dhikr, he has, she has a miserable life, miserable life. This person, have you ever, anybody here met anyone that is any falling into ishq? Anyone? Somebody is really, I'm not going to ask you if you did yourself because you're not going to raise your hands, obviously.

Have you ever met someone? Anybody? Really, you met somebody with ishq, right? He was in hajj, he was performing hajj and he saw a person, his bone, his skin is sticking to the bone, very very very thin. So he asked what's wrong with this man and he's not normal. He, they told him he is ishq, he is ishq.

He said, listen to this, he said I spent that arafah, all of arafah which we wait the whole year for that day to be in arafah to make dua. I made all my dua in arafah, ya Allah do not test me with ishq. I just want you to feel how dangerous this is.

This is not a joke. The person is is blind, no matter what you say about the habib, the mashuq, they cannot comprehend. You will be and the enemy, if you say one word about them, there's nothing that will please them except being in their company, hearing their voice, seeing their image.

So the first is the reason is being away from the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Second, there's a vacancy in the heart because if the heart is full with the love of Allah, real love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, there's no way it will be occupied by someone more than Allah. Is it clear? If no, that does not mean I don't love anybody else except Allah.

No, I love my family, I love my children, I love my parents, I love no problem. But when the love becomes more than the love of Allah, then this becomes extremely dangerous. That is ishq.

How could it be more than the love of Allah? Give me an example, anybody? The person that he loves will tell him, stop praying. He will stop praying. Don't go to Jumu'ah.

He will not go to Jumu'ah. This is how obsessed a ashiq is with his mashuq. He will put that person above Allah azza wa jal.

That's why it is extremely dangerous. They actually, we and we have no ishq and we are having a problem focusing on salat. Can you imagine a ashiq, Allahu Akbar, he's gone somewhere else.

So imagine, all the ibadat are a mess, literally, right? So the love of Allah is weak. Third reason, a lot of leisure time. The person has a lot of free time.

When he has a free time, a lot of free time, the shaitan comes and makes everybody very beautiful. That's why it's always, always be occupied. Get yourself busy.

You lost your job, get yourself busy learning something online, coming and helping, volunteering. Do not be alone. When you're alone, the shaitan is your partner.

Fourth, I'm just going quickly. One of the main reasons for falling into ishq is letting your gaze wander. Letting your gaze wander.

You do not apply lowering the gaze. It's an order from Allah.

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze.

After a couple of ayah, tell the believing women to lower their gaze. When you let your gaze go, Rasulallah salallahu alayhi wa sallam, let's say you're walking. Especially now these days, we are living in a time of the year that the concept, the motto is, if you got it, flaunt it, show it.

And I think many people have no mirrors at home. They leave the house without looking at the mirror. And many of them, they forgot to get dressed before they leave.

So if I am walking, if I'm driving, if I'm in the market, and one of those shayateen of a human is in front of me, my eyes fell into that. Immediately, I should not stare and lower my gaze. I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan.

(Narrated by At-Tirmidhi)

Rasulallah salallahu alayhi wa sallam told Ali, he said, O Ali, do not follow a look with another look. The first, it's excused, but the second is not. I saw something immediately, astaghfirullah, by accident.

So that first look is okay. But don't make the first look 15 minutes. Shaykh, leave me alone, it's my first look, I'm still there, ya habibi.

No, no. So the first look, you're excused. The second look is dangerous.

It's recorded a sin.

The Cure for Ishq

Okay, so as we are mentioning the reasons, obviously you are concluding the cure. Lower your gaze.

Lower your gaze. Just again, because of the time, I'm going to go straight to the cure. One of the cure is to have ikhlas with Allah azza wa jalla, have sincerity with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

What's the evidence, Walid? What is the evidence that sincerity will save you from ishq? The story of Yusuf, she had the definition of ishq with Yusuf, right? Lady with her authority and status and wealth and you know, and you know, and she fell in love with Yusuf. And Yusuf, look, subhanAllah, it's not our topic, but by nature, by nature, we men are created by default, loving women. By default, it's in our heart, in our system, the attraction to women.

She wanted him and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, and he wanted her. But because nature, naturally, he also is a human being. But what happened? Because he is a mukhlis, Allah said, I prevented him from falling into fahsha and sin.

He was from ibadina almukhlasin. He was a sincere abd. And he was willing to do anything to keep her away from him.

Rabbi, as-sijnu ahabbu ilayya mimma yad'oonani ilayya. Ya Allah, I would rather be in jail than do whatever they're asking me to do. He is mukhlis to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and ikhlas in your ibadah to Allah will protect you from falling into this, this disease.

Second, which is the logical one, if you are having ishq with someone, marry them. Marry them. If that's a possibility, that is the best solution.

But most of the time, the ishq is not with someone that is available. You have ishq with someone who's married. And that's very, very dangerous.

So what should I do? Ibn Mas'ud radiyallahu anhu, he said, start thinking about her faults. Start thinking and telling yourself that she's not a perfect person. She still goes to the restroom.

She still gets sick. She's still you because you are attracted to the image. Tell yourself if she was 200 pounds extra, am I still attracted to her? So that infatuation and that addiction that you have, tell yourself that it could disappear with her losing 200 or adding 200 or getting into an accident and getting amputated or whatever it is.

Are you still going to be in love or are you just in love with that image, with that voice? So remind yourself of her faults. That's another one of the cures. Convincing themselves that it is impossible and you tell yourself that this what I'm looking for is impossible to achieve.

This is impossible to achieve. As if someone, I want to go and live on Mars. You are thinking and occupied with something impossible, impossible and that will only call you a majnoon.

That will make you a crazy and insane person. So remind yourself that I'm asking for something impossible. This woman is happily married.

She has five children. This man is happily married. It's not going to happen and I'm only wasting my time.

I'm asking for something impossible. Another cure. Dedicate and this is one of the most important cures.

Dedicate a certain amount of time or a certain ayat that you study on a daily basis to keep yourself connected with the words of Allah because when you are connected with the words of Allah, you are connected with Allah and Allah will protect you from falling into these sicknesses. Always you're reciting the Quran and you're contemplating and pondering upon these ayat and that will bring you closer to Allah and the closer you are to Allah, the higher the possibility of Allah protecting you. A lot of dua asking Allah to protect you from falling just like Ibn Abbas did in Arafah, in falling into the sin and don't ever ever say this will never happen to me.

Put me in front of this, in front of that. I will never do anything. Many people said that before you and they failed.

And finally, increase as much as you can from لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ. 100, 200, 300, 1000 times a day la hawla wa la quwata illa billah. What does that mean? There's no way I will be able to leave this addiction.

I will not be able to leave this ishq without Allah's help because he is the Qadir and he is the only one who controls my heart. The hearts of the of all of us are between two fingers of the Rahman. He switches them the way he wanted.

So ya Allah, switch my heart to loving you, not to fall into this ishq. I try to cut it down as much as I can, hoping that the message got through. We beg Allah azawajal in this blessed night of Jumaa to protect us all from any evil.

Du'a

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, ya Allah, I beg you the best of your names for everybody who attended today, brothers and sisters and everybody who's watching us. Ya Allah, ya Kareem, fill their home with love and mercy and tranquility. Ya Allah, protect their children.

Ya Allah, protect their children from the evil people and from the evil jinn. Ya Allah, make their last deeds, their best deeds and their last words, la ilaha illallah. Tomorrow's Fajr is at 5:30. Please come, pray with us in Jumaa and make a lot