Alhamdulillah, Tabarakallah
As we've learned the purpose of heart is to know things, we understand that its function is to ponder upon the knowledge within the inner thoughts and express them into the outer action as in accordance to guidance, while staying alert with the alarms and warnings that would deviates one's heart.
True Knowledge
It is the rights of the heart to have true knowledge. The right of the heart is to have true knowledge and as a Muslim (and every human would agree that), we knew for a fact that the ultimate truth is none other than Allah SWT. Matching the algorithm, Allah being the ultimate truth and the rights of heart is to know the truth, it is by human discoveries that we accept nothing but the truth.
Everything (except Allah SWT) is from non-existence to existence, and everything are heading back to non-existence. In the Quran states that:
قَالَ رَبُّنَا ٱلَّذِيٓ أَعۡطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيۡءٍ خَلۡقَهُۥ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ
He said, “Our Lord is the One Who gave everything its form, then guided it.”.[ Taa-Haa 20:50]
It is the rights of the heart to know the truth, and one should never left the heart unattended. Leaving it all alone, not attending to it, might make it remain in thoughts and aspirations, with no appropriate actions to be applied accordingly.
Should we serve the heart as it should, fulfilling its rights, the heart will return to the knowledge and it will be manifest in one's actions. It shall get manifest in such ways that it would returns to the truth rightaway, either by repenting, or worst (regretting it) in the next life.
While the body is being nourished with good healthy food, the heart is nourished by dhikr, remembrance of Allah. Dhikr is not just through verbal and words, but, it should drive oneself to constantly be mindful and obedience of Allah. It is an action that would bring one's heart to be aware of the knowledge, instead of living and total unawareness and being oblivious and ignorance. It would allow self to reflect on known and gathered knowledge rather than forgetting and abandoning knowledge. Insyaallah, by dhikr, remembering Allah would put one's heart of the right and true knowledge in the correct place or location as it should. It could avoid oneself from being lost, misguided or being thrown into falsehood.
By accepting true knowledge would free oneself from being ignorance and guide us to see the clear path. One should have an 'open' heart and mind that make the soul ready to accept knowledge. An occupied soul would block a heart from true knowledge which in return make oneself to be clueless, or even worse, get distracted and deviates.
The Vessels
We should constantly reflects and think through every knowledge we are accepting. True knowledge would free our hearts from being clueless or even get distracted and deviates.
Have a clear correct thoughts as dark thoughts would prevent the hearts from seeking the truth, or worst denying the truth. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote that hearts are the container for knowledge being the filler of the container. Having knowledge without knowing where to place them in a right place is a waste of time and could even be damaging and dangerous to oneself. Heart are vessels and the best of them is the most retentive, anti-leak vessels.
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Should the heart is used for knowing the truth, it has two sides with effects to it. A person would be attracted to the truth and would definitely advance towards the truth. Or, the person would turns away from falsehood. Being attracted to the truth is an existing, affirmative characteristic; just as much as the non-existing, negation characteristic should the heart decides to turn away from the falsehood. Both characteristics are the advantage should we make the effort to fill our 'container' with true knowledge.
Having not the true knowledge being retain in the right place would bring to a lost heart. It would bring oneself to falsehood which ended up with the heart being distracted with the truth or even being blocked from knowing the truth. A heart that is being blocked from the truth are those that craves and stay devoted for falsehood. On the other hand, a distraction from truth would make oneself swerves from truth or even unwilling to accept the truth.
Location of the Heart
It is the rights of the heart to ensure that we put our heart in the right location where it should be. If you put the heart in other than its location, with no container it is for the heart ruination.
Placing the heart at its right location is when one accepts true knowledge, and firmly rooted it. This would results in pure and healthy condition of the heart which would let it grow and bear benefits from it. It would also turn away from anything besides true knowledge.
Consequently, a heart that is place in a wrong location is the one that is neither used for true knowledge nor aware of the truth. The soul becomes occupied with temptations and the heart being blocked by desires. Whims and desires intervene oneself before truth reveals itself. It would oppose oneself from becoming acquainted with the truth. The ignorant pride prevents the heart from seeking the truth. The harder and harsher the heart becomes, it is more difficult to accept truth. Worst is when it accepts knowledge, it will corrupt it.
May we all be guided from not having our heart in a wrong location and may our passion for the truth will always grow for the benefit of the deen, Lillahitaallah.
Allahumma ameen.
Disclaimer: A Book Review & Notes Sharing of "The Commentary on Ibn Taymiyyah's Essay on the Heart by Dr Bilal Philips"
