Discover the Types of Hearts in the Quran’s Teachings

Teachings of the Holy Quran

Holy Quran and the Heart

Rashid Ali Attari Madani

The heart is one of the most important parts of the human body. The noble Quran describes the importance, attributes and types of hearts in many places. It also commends a heart with good qualities and criticises the one which possesses evil traits. The attributes of the heart are important because we will be questioned about our hearts on the Day of Judgement, as Allah Almighty states:

اِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَ الْبَصَرَ وَ الْفُؤَادَ  کُلُّ  اُولٰٓئِکَ کَانَ  عَنْہُ  مَسْـُٔوْلًا (۳۶)

Indeed the ear, and the eye, and the heart; all of these will be questioned. [1]

The heart is mentioned more than 70 times in the noble Quran, and in light of these verses, the heart falls under one of three categories:

1.   A sound heart.

2.   A dead heart.

3.   A diseased heart.

Sound heart: One of the meanings of سلیم is safe. So, in this context it refers to the heart which is protected from falling prey to desires and is steadfast in acting upon Allah Almighty’s commands, the blessed Sunnah of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and follows the way of the noble pious predecessors. The noble Quran states:

یَوْمَ لَا  یَنْفَعُ  مَالٌ  وَّ  لَا  بَنُوْنَ (ۙ۸۸) اِلَّا  مَنْ  اَتَی اللّٰہَ  بِقَلْبٍ سَلِیْمٍ (ؕ۸۹) وَ اُزْلِفَتِ  الْجَنَّۃُ   لِلْمُتَّقِیْنَ (ۙ۹۰)

The Day when neither wealth nor sons will be of benefit. Except he who comes to Allah with a sound heart. And Paradise will be brought close to the pious. [2]

The renowned mufti and exegete of the noble Quran, Mufti Aḥmad Yār Khan NaꜤīmī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه writes:

A sound heart is one which is pure from false beliefs. According to the Sufis, a pure heart is the one ‘bitten’ by the ‘snake’ of love for Allah.  In Arabic, the word “سلیم” can also refer to someone bitten by a snake.[3]

Dead heart: This refers to the heart which does not recognise its Lord, Creator, Owner and Sustainer, the One Who is worthy of worship. It neither acts upon the commands of its Lord nor does it refrain from what He prohibited. It is a slave to its desires and worships something other than Allah Almighty.

Diseased heart: This refers to the heart which believes in Allah Almighty, but is afflicted with spiritual diseases like lust, greed, jealousy, arrogance, conceit and ostentation.

Traits of a sound heart[4]

The sound heart which obeys the commands of Allah Almighty and refrains from sin is described in different ways in the noble Quran:

1.   Contented heart: The heart which finds serenity in the remembrance of Allah Almighty is called a contented heart. The noble Quran states:

اَلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ تَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوْبُہُمْ بِذِکْرِ اللّٰہِ ؕ اَلَا بِذِکْرِ اللّٰہِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوْبُ (ؕ۲۸)

Those who believe and their hearts attain contentment through the remembrance of Allah. Pay heed! Only through the remembrance of Allah do hearts attain contentment. [5]

2.   Penitent heart: The heart which fears Allah Almighty is called a penitent heart, as stated in the noble Quran:

مَنْ خَشِیَ الرَّحْمٰنَ بِالْغَیْبِ وَ جَآءَ بِقَلْبٍ مُّنِیْبِۣ (ۙ۳۳)

who fears the Infinitely Gracious unseen and comes with a penitent heart. [6]

It is written in Tafsīr Nūr al-ꜤIrfān:

The fear which leads to awe and respect is called خشیت, and this is a great blessing from Allah Almighty. Fearing Allah Almighty without seeing Him is to believe in the words of the Prophets علیهم السلام and be in awe of Him. It is the heart which is patient when faced with difficulties, grateful in times of ease, and remembers Allah Almighty at all times. The Sufis say a repenting heart is a blessing of Allah Almighty only granted to the fortunate.[7]

The noble Quran also mentions the reward of a penitent heart:

ادْخُلُوْھَا بِسَلٰمٍ ؕ ذٰلِکَ یَوْمُ الْخُلُوْدِ (۳۴) لَہُمْ  مَّا یَشَآءُوْنَ  فِیْہَا وَلَدَیْنَا مَزِیْدٌ (۳۵)

Enter it (Paradise) in peace. This is the day of eternal life.” They will have whatever they desire therein and We have more.[8]

3.   Fearful heart: Another kind of sound heart is a fearful heart. A special sign of the believers is that their hearts become fearful when Allah Almighty is remembered. The noble Quran states:

اِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ الَّذِیْنَ اِذَا ذُکِرَ اللّٰہُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوْبُہُمْ

The believers are the very people whose hearts tremble with fear when Allah is remembered. [9]

Tafsīr Nūr al-ꜤIrfān states:

When we read the verses mentioning Allah Almighty and His Divine Attributes, they should increase our awe of Him. Verses of punishment should lead to fear, and verses of mercy should lead to yearning and love and cause tears to flow. Therefore, whoever does not have love of Allah Almighty in his heart is not a perfect believer. We also learn that we must recite the noble Quran with humility and focus, and that fearing Allah Almighty in this world removes fear in the Hereafter. Allah Almighty states:

لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَیْهِمْ وَ لَا هُمْ یَحْزَنُوْنَ [10]

A verse in Surah al-Hajj gives glad tidings to those with a fearful heart:

وَ  بَشِّرِ  الْمُخْبِتِیْنَ (ۙ۳۴) الَّذِیْنَ اِذَا ذُکِرَ  اللّٰہُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوْبُہُمْ

And give glad tidings to the humble. Those whose hearts tremble when Allah is remembered. [11]

Surah al-Muˈminūn describes the people who fear the might of Allah Almighty when spending in His way:

وَ الَّذِیْنَ یُؤْتُوْنَ مَاۤ  اٰتَوْا وَّ قُلُوْبُہُمْ وَجِلَۃٌ  اَنَّہُمْ   اِلٰی رَبِّہِمْ  رٰجِعُوْنَ (ۙ۶۰) اُولٰٓئِکَ یُسٰرِعُوْنَ فِی الْخَیْرٰتِ وَ ہُمْ لَہَا سٰبِقُوْنَ (۶۱)

And those who give whatever they give while their hearts are in awe that they will return to their Lord. It is they who hasten towards good actions and they surpass in reward.[12]

Mufti Aḥmad Yār Khan NaꜤīmi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه said:

Performing a good deed and fearing Allah Almighty is a sign of complete faith. Fearing Allah Almighty after sinning is not perfection. The devil also said اِنِّیْۤ اَخَافُ اللّٰهَ رَبَّ الْعٰلَمِیْنَ, but remained firm upon sin. However, fearing Allah and intending to refrain from sin after sinning is commendable, and not fearing Allah Almighty after sinning is despicable.[13]

4.   Soft heart: The noble Quran states that the hearts which contain the fear of Allah Almighty are soft:

اَللّٰہُ  نَزَّلَ  اَحْسَنَ الْحَدِیْثِ کِتٰبًا مُّتَشَابِہًا  مَّثَانِیَ * تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْہُ جُلُوْدُ الَّذِیْنَ یَخْشَوْنَ  رَبَّہُمْ ۚ ثُمَّ  تَلِیْنُ جُلُوْدُھُمْ وَ قُلُوْبُہُمْ  اِلٰی ذِکْرِ اللّٰہِ ؕ ذٰلِکَ ھُدَی اللّٰہِ یَہْدِیْ بِہٖ مَنْ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَ مَنْ یُّضْلِلِ اللّٰہُ  فَمَا لَہٗ مِنْ ہَادٍ (۲۳)

Allah sent down the best Book, similar and repeatedly recited; the skins of those who fear their Lord tremble due to it. Then their skins and their hearts soften for the remembrance of Allah. This is the guidance of Allah, He guides, with it, whomsoever He wills.  And whomsoever He leaves to stray, so there is no guide for him. [14]

5.   Humble heart: These are the hearts which humble themselves in the remembrance of Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty states:

اَلَمْ یَاْنِ  لِلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا  اَنْ  تَخْشَعَ قُلُوْبُہُمْ  لِذِکْرِ اللّٰہِ  وَ مَا  نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ

Has the time not come for those who believe that their hearts submit to the remembrance of Allah and the truth which was sent down? [15]

6.   Tranquil heart: The hearts which have been granted tranquillity have been given glad tidings of elevated certainty in Allah Almighty and earning His pleasure. It is stated in Surah al-Fatḥ:

ھُوَ الَّذِیْۤ  اَنْزَلَ السَّکِیْنَۃَ  فِیْ  قُلُوْبِ الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ  لِیَزْدَادُوْۤا  اِیْمَانًا مَّعَ اِیْمَانِہِمْ ؕ

It is He who sent down tranquillity into the hearts of the believers, increasing their conviction with even more certainty. [16]

لَقَدْ رَضِیَ اللّٰہُ  عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ  اِذْ یُبَایِعُوْنَکَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَۃِ  فَعَلِمَ  مَا فِیْ قُلُوْبِہِمْ  فَاَنْزَلَ السَّکِیْنَۃَ  عَلَیْہِمْ وَ اَثَابَہُمْ  فَتْحًا  قَرِیْبًا (ۙ۱۸)

Allah was pleased with the believers when they were pledging allegiance to you beneath the tree, so Allah knew what was in their hearts, then He caused tranquillity to descend upon them and rewarded them with an imminent victory [17]

7.   Strengthened heart: Allah Almighty strengthens the hearts of those who praise, glorify and worship Him alone, as stated in Surah al-Kahf:

وَّرَبَطْنَا عَلٰی قُلُوْبِہِمْ اِذْ قَامُوْا فَقَالُوْا رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ لَنْ نَّدْعُوَا۠ مِنْ دُوْنِہٖۤ  اٖلٰـہًا لَّقَدْ قُلْنَاۤ  اِذًا  شَطَطًا (۱۴)

And We granted strength to their hearts when they stood up and said, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, we shall never worship a god other than Him. If we did, we would certainly be uttering a shocking lie”. [18]

8.   Submissive heart: The noble Quran describes a submissive heart as a requirement of faith:

وَّ لِیَعْلَمَ الَّذِیْنَ اُوْتُوا الْعِلْمَ اَنَّہُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَّبِّکَ فَیُؤْمِنُوْا بِہٖ فَتُخْبِتَ لَہٗ قُلُوْبُہُمْ ؕ وَ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَہَادِ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا  اِلٰی  صِرَاطٍ  مُّسْتَقِیْمٍ (۵۴)

And so that those who were endowed with knowledge come to know that it (the Quran) is the truth from your Lord so they believe in it, and so their hearts become submissive to it—and Allah guides those who believe to the straight path. [19]