How Muslims can maintain pure heart

A Muslims cleric and one of the Imams at Starlink Global Mosque, Alhaji Faisal Nasirudeen Bolaji, has enjoined Muslims to maintain a pure heart with frequent remembrance of Allah, consistent prayer and display of righteous deeds.

Bolaji, in his Friday sermon said: “It would then be wise to ask, what is a pure heart? Literally, it is a heart that is free from corruption. Religiously, it is a heart that is filled with nothing but Islam. What then is Islam? It is submission to Allah’s Divinity and obedience to Him by doing all that He has commanded and staying away from polytheism and all other prohibitions.

“A pure heart is attached to Allah Alone and none else, worshipping none but Allah Alone true Islamic Monotheism. Worship in this sense, encompasses both physical (actions of the limbs, like the five daily prayers, fasting, hajj etc.) and incorporeal aspect of worship (actions of the heart such as love, hope, fear, trust, etc.). At this point, you ought to ask yourself, whom do I love more, money or Allah? Whom do I fear more, man or his Creator? In whom do I put your trust; in Allah?!

“Therefore, a pure heart is that which knows for certainty that Allah is the Truth. It knows that the day of reckoning will surely come, and he knows that all that is buried shall be resurrected. When the heart is aware of all these, it is filled with the fear of the punishment of His Lord, because he knows that verily he shall be called to account. He knows that “whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it and whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it” (Zilzalah 7-8).”

Bolaji, who quoted from chapters of the Holy Quran where Allah mentioned pure heart, said: “Allah the Mighty and Sublime mentioned ‘Qalbun Saleem’ twice in the Qur’an. He the Almighty said: “The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)]” (Shu’araa 88-89). He also said, “When he (Ibrahim) came to his Lord with a pure heart” (Saafaat 84). The first verse teaches that nothing will be of benefit to man on the day of reckoning except his deeds. On that day, man will run from his siblings, his mother, father, wives and children. “Everyman, that Day, will have enough to make him careless of others.” (‘Abasa 37). In the second verse however Allah sanctifies Prophet Ibrahim as he describes him with a pure heart.”