This specific heart, the saleem heart, is found in the Quran twice:
إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ
“When the only one who will
be saved is the one who comes before God with a heart devoted to Him” [26:88]
إِذْ جَاءَ رَبَّهُ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ
“He came to His Lord with a
devoted heart” [37:84]
The word saleem in translations is often translated into whole, complete, or devoted. The scholars have differed in the exact meaning behind this heart and the term saleem. Imam Ibn Kathir and Imam AlTabari, in their tafsir (exegesis) state that it is the heart that knows Allah (swt) is the truth, that the Day of Judgement is a certainty, and that Allah (swt) resurrects us after our death. Imam AlRazi says it is a heart that is free from ignorance and poor manners.
There are many sayings that are quoted in the tafsir books from the companions and those that come after them about the meaning of the saleem heart including the heart free from innovation, the heart that fears Allah, the heart that is free from the pain that comes with wealth, the sincere heart. Imam Qurtubi in his tafsir summarizes all of these and explains it as the heart that is free from all negative characteristics and that can be only described positively.
Many of the tafsir scholars also clarify that it is the heart that is free of disbelief but may commit sin, because no one is free of sin [AlTabari, Qurtubi, AlShawkani, Ibn Kathir]. It is important to make this distinction because it would otherwise be an unattainable heart. Although the scholars have differed on the exact definition of the word saleem in this instance, the tafsir scholars conclude that it is a positive heart free of negative characteristics and full of attachment to Allah (swt) that we must try to attain.
And abase me not on the Day when (humanity)
will be raised up. The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, except
for him who comes to Allah with a pure heart. [Sûrat Al-Shuʿarâ’, 26:87-89]
FREQUENTLY, THE TERM “qalbin salîm” is
translated as a “pure heart.” In many of our minds, a pure heart is often
connected to a person who commits no sins, who does not err. For most of us,
it’s impossible to live a sinless, errorless life. This makes some of us feel
like qalbin salîm is somewhat an unattainable goal.
But qalbin salîm wasn’t understood to
relate to perfection by Qur’anic commentators. The masters of Quranic
understanding in fact specified that qalbin salîm does not refer to a person
who commits no sin.
In Tafsîr al-Baghawi, Imam Al-Baghawi
explains the heart in this verse to mean:
Pure from associating partners with God and
doubts. As for sins, not a single person is protected from [not] committing
them. And this is what most Qur’anic commentators have said.
So, if qalbin salîm isn’t specifically for
those who are sinless, perfect believers…to whom is it referring?
As mentioned in Tafsîr ibn Kathîr,
according to Muhammad Ibn Sîrîn:
The qalbin salîm knows that Allah is the
truth, that the Hour is coming without doubt, and that Allah raises the dead
from their graves.
Ibn ʿAbbâs
explains that this type of heart,
Testifies there is no deity worthy of
worship but Allah.
Mujâhid and Al-Ḥasan Al-Baṣri both agree that it refers to being pure
from shirk (associating partners with Allah).
And Saʿîd Ibn
Al-Musayyib said:
It is the heart that is sound; the heart of
the believer. Because the heart of the disbeliever and the hypocrite are sick
(as Allah says, In their hearts is sickness… [Sûrat Al-Baqarah, 2:10])
Imam Jalâl Al-Dîn Al-Ṣûyuṭi mentions in Tafsîr Al-Jalâlayn that
qalbin salîm refers to a heart,
free of shirk and hypocrisy- and that is
the heart of the believer…
Al-Ṭabari
mentions it as the heart being sound from doubt in the Oneness of Allah and
resurrection after death.
Al-Ḍaḥâk mentioned it’s a heart that is sincere.
As we can see from numerous Quranic
commentators, the “pure” heart isn’t referring to a believer who commits no
sins or who is perfect. It is referring to a heart that is free of associating
partners with God, that believes in Him without doubt and that believes in the
Hereafter.
In other words, if you’re a Muslim who
worships Allah directly, have no doubt in His existence or that there is a
Hereafter, then you already have one part of qalbin salîm: a sound, pure heart.
BUT WHAT IF you do have doubts? What if
sometimes, you have a question that festers in your heart and you feel it is
slowly chipping away at your soul? Does that mean your heart is wretched? Does
it mean you aren’t a good enough believer?
No. It’s normal to have questions and to
need reassurance. Ibrahim—the Friend of God, the one who physically was thrown
into a fire that was made cool for him- the Prophet who has seen miracle after
miracle coming from Allah—asked God:
My Lord! Show me how You give life to the
dead.” [Allah] said: “Do you not believe?” [Ibrahim] said: “Yes [I believe],
but to be stronger in faith.” [Sûrat Al-Baqarah, 2:260]
If someone in Ibrahim’s lofty station is
seeking another sign to help his heart feel firm and certain about the truth,
then what about you and me? There will certainly be times where we need our
faith strengthened, need our questions answered, so that our doubts, concerns
and questions can lead us to feel stronger in our own faith as well.
SO, IS THAT IT? Is that all there is to
having a ‘pure’ and ‘sound’ heart?
There’s another aspect mentioned by
Qur’anic commentators and encompassing qalbin salîm: that of character.
Ibn ʿÂshûr
explains in his tafsîr that the second part of qalbin salîm refers to actions
that are righteous. In Ṭantâwi’s Al–Tafsîr Al-Waṣîṭ, he includes that this term refers to purity from committing ugly
actions. Imam Al-Qurṭubi explains that the second part of the
meaning of this term refers to a heart that is free from reprehensible
characteristics and that is described with beautiful ones.
A number of mufasirûn cite the words of the
Prophet ﷺ:
There lies within the body a piece of
flesh. If it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupted, the whole
body is corrupted. Verily, this piece is the heart. (Bukhari)
Thus, they posit that righteous deeds begin
with a heart that is salîm as this is the center from which all other actions
stem.
A heart that is free of jealousy, free of
hating a fellow believer without valid reason, free of arrogance, free of
self-awe and arrogance, are amongst the qualities which we must all work on if
we are to achieve qalbin salîm.
How can we achieve a qalbin salîm? Here are
a few suggestions:
As related to the faith in God and
certainty of the Hereafter:A. Find aspects of Islam that help our hearts feel
firm on the reality of Allah and the reality of the Hereafter. For example, the
natural world miracles of the Quran and the prophesies of the Prophet ﷺ.— How could the Prophet ﷺ, someone who was illiterate, who had no formal
study and who certainly did not have any present-day technologically advanced
tools in the middle of the desert over 1400 years ago, state
scientifically-sound concepts that range from astronomy to botany to embryology
and so much in-between as related in the Quran?
— How could he ﷺ have predicted what would happen after his death,
only for those prophecies to come true not only once, but over and over? These
are not the actions of a human who was [God forbid] crazy or simply passionate
about a cause. These are signs from the Divine.
B. Contemplation: Spending time in nature,
considering the vastness of the power of Allah and the greatness of His
creation.— Contemplating the incredible and complex nature of the human body
and brain.
— Contemplating the miracle of life: how a
human is born out of combined liquid!
How could any of this exist randomly,
without His perfect power?
C. Self-reflection: Considering all the
miracles, the bounties and the blessings that He has bestowed upon us.
— How many times have we been saved from
something, only to realize it was undoubtedly by Allah’s mercy?
— How can we deny His special attention to
each and every one of us when we reflect on the intricacies of our lives?
D. Questions: If a person has a question
that’s plaguing the heart and blocking the ability to feel certain of Allah and
the Hereafter, seek the answer from those who are qualified to respond. If the
answer isn’t satisfying, continue to search. Sometimes the way one person
explains something to us might not make sense, whereas the words of another may
click.
E. Always make duʿâ’ for Allah to keep our hearts firm. Amongst the most voiced duʿâ’ of the Prophet ﷺ was: Yâ muqalib
al-qulûb, thabbit qalbî ʿala dînik. Oh Turner of hearts, keep my
heart firm on Your religion. (Tirmidhi)
As related to character:
Improving our characters is an
ever-evolving process; this is a journey that takes a lifetime. Here are just
two ideas on how to begin the process of character purification:
— Write a list of beneficial
characteristics we believe we have, as well as characteristics we need to
improve on. Take one characteristic in each category and develop a plan for
enhancing one positive characteristic and working on one negative
characteristic over a specific time period. What are ways I can be a better
parent to my children when they irritate me? What are ways I can be a better
child when my parents frustrate me? How can I work on the arrogance that creeps
into my heart? How can I want for my brother or sister that which I want for
myself, without being jealous of what Allah has blessed them with?
— Increase in my duʿâ’ and dhikr, asking God to purify my heart, hoping that purification
will affect my character. When the Prophet ﷺ would look in the mirror, he would say: Allâhuma,
‘aḥsanta khalqi, fa’aḥsin khuluqi. Oh Allah, You have perfected
my creation, so perfect my character. (Ahmad)
OUR HEARTS DON’T NEED to be perfect for us
to validly expect that we can come on the Day of Judgment with qalbin salîm.
Instead, qalbin salîm means having certainty in Him and in the Hereafter,
worshipping Him directly and without partner, and striving to improve our
characters throughout our lives by doing righteous deeds that are pleasing to
Him. And when we mess up: go back to Him, repent and seek His forgiveness and
help in improving. It’s a lifelong process, but inshâ’Allah in the end, if we
strive, we will all be counted as those who spent their lives seeking to attain
qalbin salîm.
