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magazine for Muslim Women of all ages and backgrounds
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FAITH
Illness of the heartsWhat is Ghafla?The Arabic word Ghafla, coming from
ghayn-fa-laam (غ ف ل) explains an illness that
is prevalent in many of our hearts today.
It gives the meaning of being unmindful,
neglectful, heedless, and is many times
referred to as an intentional turning away.
So in the case of Islaam, what does one turn
away from, and what symptoms, causes and
losses arise from such a state?
When a person is described to be in a state
of Ghafla in Islaam, it means that he or she is
turning away from and being heedless and
negligent of the duties towards Allah and
the requirements of a Muslim. Also referred
to in the Qur’aan, it also implicates those
who are heedless of the remembrance of
Allah. They contain no dhikr (remembrance)
of Allah in their hearts, be it Qur’aan or any
general form of dhikr. In a broader scope, it
includes those wh e Ayaat (signs) of Allah.
Allah describes them in the Qur’aan as even
worse than cattle, as they have hearts yet
they do not understand; they have eyes yet
they cannot see what’s right, and they have
ears yet they do not hear the truth.
And surely, We have created many of the
jinns and humankind for Hell. They have
hearts wherewith they understand not,
they have eyes wherewith they see not, and
they have ears wherewith they hear not (the
truth). They are like cattle, nay even more
astray; those! They are the heedless ones.
[7:179]
Just as there are physical illnesses of the
body, Ghafla is a type illness of the heart.
This illness may not be tangible to the
human sight but has great affect on a
person’s spiritual health. It creates love and
attention only of the life of this world and
removes the striving towards the Akhirah.
It prompts people into becoming unaware
of the accounting to come and the sins
they are committing. Ghafla is thus, for the
human heart, one of the worst types of
diseases to contract.
Why is this so? Because even a person
who is a sinner may commit sins day and
night and at one point become tired of
sinning. They may see the reality of their
wrongdoings and return to Allah with
Tawbah (repentance), and by that, become
better then they were before, out of fear
of their sins. But a person -- when they are
heedless, will never become sick of their
sins, as they do not see them or believe they
are doing them. Due to their condition of
neglect for themselves, they have no idea of
right and wrong in their actions!
And what a dangerous situation this
becomes. As when a person does not see
their sins, they will of course not repent of
them. And to compound upon their state
of sinning and neglect, is the seal is placed
upon their hearts, ears, and eyes.
Allaah says in the Qur’aan: They are those
upon whose hearts, hearing (ears) and sight
(eyes) Allah has set a seal. And they are the
heedless! [16:108]
This seal now prevents any good from
coming in and a person increasingly inclines
towards wrong. Despite this, since they can
no longer make use of their most important
faculties, they are not able to realize the
direction they are heading. Thus, Ghafla
is what leads a person to sinning and also
a cause for a person to continue in that
direction as well.
Amazingly, though this disease has such ill
effects and is so prevalent in our societies-
so little do we do to prevent it. When
physical diseases come out into notice, we
rush to find their symptoms, causes and
cures. Yet often when we are told of such
a disease of the heart, we do not seem to
take the same precautions. Therefore, to
counteract this act of heedlessness – Let’s
look a bit more into this disease of Ghafla
and check ourselves as well:
Certain Symptoms of GhaflaWhen doing an action, you neglect the
intentions or are devoid of them – Imam
Ahmad rahimahullah before doing any
action would advise to pause for a few
moments before doing it, simply to bring
about the right intentions.
Shaytaan freely enters your house/area
(though this cannot be seen, its effects may
manifest). Being devoid of dhikr within your
life.
CausesBelief in the longevity of life – The `ulama
would say that one of the big soldiers of
Shaytan is “Future” (i.e. believing that a
person will do something in the future, that
they will do good actions/repent at some
point later).
Being Away from Gatherings of Rememberance/KnowledgeNot remembering Death and its reality.
Being immersed in the enjoyments of Life.
Following all whims and desires. Associating
and being friends with those who are
in Ghafla. Failing to judge/interrogate
ourselves. Not doing dhikr. Treatments
Constantly interrogate your Nafs, and see
GHAFLA
“Call upon Allaah when you are certain of receiving a response, and remember that Allaah does not answer
a du’aa’ that comes from a heedless heart.”
Turning Away from…
by Samiha Islam
what it is doing wrong. Question yourself:
What is preventing me from doing better?
Remember to be engaged in Dhikr. Although
recommended throughout the day,
specifically remember to do the morning
and evening adkhaar. And in doing so, try to
understand it is you are saying, rather than
reciting by rote memorization.
Visit Graves to remember death (according
to most opinions, this is only allowed for
men). Seek refuge within your Duas from
falling in ghafla. Praying Qiyaam ul-Layl
with at least 10 ayaat: The Prophet sallahu
`alayhi wa sallam said, “Whoever spends the
night by reciting 10 ayahs is not deemed to
be among the heedless…” [Sihah Sita, Vol.
9, Hadith no: 3003; Abu Dawoud, Salat 326
(1398)] Seek repentance after sinning, and
even if you have not sinned constantly stay
in a state of repentance: “Truly Allah loves
those who turn [to Him] in repentance,
and He loves those who keep themselves
in purity.” (2:222) Make friends with those
who keep you in the remembrance of Allah.
Read the Qur’aan with understanding. It is a
cure for the heedless hearts, but only when
they take the time to understand it. Losses
(while in Ghafla) Inability to understand the
Qur’aan. Loss of the mercy of Allaah subhana
wa ta`ala. Prevention from the acceptance of
Du`aa The Prophet sallahu `alayhi wa sallam
said: “Call upon Allaah when you are certain
of receiving a response, and remember that
Allaah does not answer a du’aa’ that comes
from a heedless heart.” [Narrated by al-
Tirmidhi] Shaytaan is with the those who are
heedless. Regret in the Aakhirah (hereafter)
of what they missed while in Ghafla.
The above is by no means a complete list
of all causes and conditions of this disease.
It is only a small outlines some certain
characteristics. Ultimately it is up to us to
look towards our states and critically judge
ourselves. Are we in a state of heedlessness?
Can we see some of these symptoms in our
lives? Have our hearts been touched by
these outcomes? And in the end, it is up to
us to rectify our situations, if and when we
fall into heedlessness, before it is too late.
Imagine this ParableA man passes by a forest while travelling
on a journey. On his way, he finds himself
confronted by a lion, which begins to race
towards the man in order to attack him. The
man, seeing this, begins to run for his life but
soon gets tired. At that point, he notices a
tree and quickly climbs it. However the lion,
refusing to give up, is still present beneath
the tree waiting for the man to fall.
Concentrating during SalatThe man feels himself losing strength, but
knows if he falls that he will be eaten, so
he turns to the other side to jump off the
tree. Yet there, beneath him, he finds a pit
of snakes. There are now two things which
could happen. Looking further down, the
man realizes that there are two beavers
eating away at the trunk of this tree, one
black and one white, and notices his tree is
about to fall. In the midst of this all, the man
spots some bees and a honeycomb near his
branch and begins to draw out and eat the
honey.
The question might come out now… what
is this parable supposed to mean? Well quite
simply, the man represents us as individuals.
The lion is our fate- whatever accidents,
events, or sicknesses which may cause our
life to end abruptly. The tree is our life, and
the beavers of the two colors are the day and
night, meaning the time which eats away at
our period of living. The snakes and the hole
represent our graves; thus, even if a person
is not afflicted by sudden death, their graves
still wait for them at the end of their lives.
And lastly, the bees and the honey represent
the sweetness of life. It represents all that
causes us to forget our surroundings and the
situation we are in. It represents the Ghafla
which causes us to become so concentrated
on its sweetness, that we forget reality.
The real question then is – will we be able
to stop eating that honey quickly enough to
realize the reality of our lives? Or by then…
will it be too late?
May Allah protect us from all that which
makes us heedless. Ameen
“Have our hearts been touched....”