Cheering Up A Sinful, Sorrowful Heart

Being conscious of the sins that we commit is a great ni’mat and bounty of Allah Ta’ala. We all commit sins on a regular basis and we all see these sins in different ways. However, recognition of a sin is a great characteristic a Muslim should have within himself. By being able to recognise one's disobedience, a person builds up a desire inside of himself to correct things. One of the worst feelings a Muslim can feel is the sorrow of a heart which has disobeyed the commands of Allah Ta’ala. Thus, a concious Muslim will always want to cheer his heart up.

Our hearts have a deep connection with Allah Ta’ala. It is a connection which is deeper and stronger than anything else. Our bodies have been created and fashioned by Allah Ta’ala and naturally there is a connection between the two. The body consciously or subconsciously immediately recognises Allah Ta’ala. For example, a person can be the biggest sinner in the world but when he hears the Qur’an, his heart will immediately be impacted in some way. This impact can be of different degrees. Some people will hear the recital and be wonderstruck; others may hear the Qur’an and may pause for a few seconds before continuing with their day to day matters. The basic point made here is that the body which was created by Allah Ta’ala will always recognise Allah Ta’ala whether we like it or not.

Our every limb has a connection with its Creator and at different times they begin to recognise this. When we are running away from something frightening and come to a dead end, our legs then turn to run towards the safety of Allah Ta’ala. When tears are pouring out of our eyes due to helplessness, we immediately raise these eyes towards the heavens in order to attract the mercy of Allah Ta’ala. When our hands are failing to provide us with good food, we cup our hands in order to supplicate to Allah Ta’ala. When our hearts are in panic and are restless due to various difficulties, we let our hearts be fed with the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala by which it then finds tranquillity. The reality is, deep down inside, our body knows only Allah azza wa jal and our intellect only comprehends this when we are in times of need.

The greatest organ in the body which recognises Allah Ta’ala is the heart. It feels sorrow when we disobey Allah Ta’ala and it feels great joy when we obey Him. In the same manner, Allah Ta’ala has a connection with our hearts. When we do good deeds, He sends mercy down upon it and when we disobey Him, He stains it with a dark dot as mentioned in Surah Mutafiffeen, “But on their hearts is the stain of the (ill) which they do!” When we commit many sins, our hearts become heavy and tainted. This is the reason to the sorrow that we feel. This staining that Allah Ta'ala has given itself is a ni'mat from him. When we see a person doing something wrong, we may tap him on the shoulder by which he understands his actions are incorrect. In the same way, Allah Ta'ala taps us on our heart by which we feel and recognise our actions are wrong.

This sorrow is one of the worst feelings a person can feel. It is such a feeling which can drive a person into depression if he does not understand how to fight it away with good deeds. In turn, this depression leads a person into a state of hopelessness. Allah Ta’ala is so close to His slaves that He comforts the believers in the Qur’an and consoles them so that they do not fall into despair. He says, “Say to those believers of Mine who have transgressed against themselves, despair not the mercy of Allah. Verily, Allah forgives all sins.” In this verse, Allah Ta’ala has indicated that the cause of hopelessness is transgression and disobedience of Allah Ta’ala. And the remedy of this hopelessness is in the forgiveness of Allah Ta’ala. Therefore, if a person would like to wipe away the sorrow of his heart, he must make sincere repentance to Allah Ta’ala and in this way, his heart will begin to polish away the darkness which it accommodates.

Other ways to cheer the heart up:

• Read Qur'an regularly.
• Pray on time and avoid missing prayers intentionally.
• Do not spend too much time watching th TV.
• Make use of time by reading good Islamic books.
• Spend time in the Masjid, go regularly for prayers and build a connection with the Masjid.
• Make dua to Allah Ta'ala, pouring out the contents of your heart.
• Make constant zikr. Zikr gives the heart peaces as mentioned in the Qur'an and cleans up any filth therein.
• Most importantly, ask Allah Ta'ala for forgiveness.

May Allah Ta'ala grant us all the ability to rectify ourselves and may He grant our hearts eternal happiness. Ameen.