Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech

The Heart

The heart-القلب

1. It is forbidden upon every heart which is inclined to this world that God-wariness should reside in it.

1ـ حَرامٌ عَلى كُلِّ قَلْب مُتَوَلِّه بِالدُّنْيا أنْ يَسْكُنَهُ

2. Wage war against these hearts [and their desires], for indeed they are quick to stumble (or get obliterated).

2ـ حارِبُوا هذِهِ القُلُوبَ فَإنَّها سَريعَةُ العِثارِ (الدِّثار).

3. Sadness of the hearts purges the sins.

3ـ حُزْنُ القُلُوبِ يُمَحِّصُ الذُّنُوبَ.

4. When the heart is empty of God-wariness, it gets filled with the lures of this world.

4ـ خُلُوُّ القَلْبِ مِنَ التَّقْوى يَمْلأُهُ مِنْ فِتَنِ الدُّنيا.

5. Humble your heart with certitude, make it acknowledge the transience of this life, and make it see the calamities of this world.

5ـ ذَلِّلْ قَلْبَكَ بِاليَقينِ، وقَرِّرْهُ بِالفَناءِ، وبَصِّرْهُ

6. The adornment of the hearts is sincerity of faith.

6ـ زينَةُ القُلُوبِ إخْلاصُ الإيمانِ.

7. The worst of hearts is the one that doubts in its faith.

7ـ شَرُّ القُلُوبِ الشّاكُّ في إيمانِهِ.

8. Blessed are those whose hearts are broken for the sake of Allah.

8ـ طُوبى لِلْمُنْكَسِرَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ مِنْ أجْلِ اللّهِ.

9. Blessed is the one who occupies his heart with reflection and his tongue with remembrance [of Allah].

9ـ طُوبى لِمَنْ شَغَلَ قَلْبَهُ بِالفِكْرِ، ولِسانَهُ بِالذِّكْرِ.

10. Blessed is the one whose chest is void of rancour and whose heart is safe from deception.

10ـ طُوبى لِمَنْ خَلا مِنَ الغِلِّ صَدْرُهُ وسَلِمَ مِنَ الغِشِّ

11. Blessed is one in whose heart the coolness [and tranquillity] of certitude is made to enter.

11ـ طُوبى لِمَنْ بُوشِرَ قَلْبُهُ بِبَرْدِ اليَقينِ.

12. Purify your hearts from the filth of evil deeds and your good deeds will be multiplied.

12ـ طَهِّرُوا قُلُوبَكُمْ مِنْ دَرَنِ السَّيِّئاتِ، تُضاعَفْ لَكُمُ

13. The strong muscles of the body and its height are of no benefit if the heart is empty.

13ـ عِظَمُ الجَسَده وطُولُهُ لايَنْفَعُ إذا كانَ القَلْبُ خاوِياً.

14. Then listen attentively, O people, and open the ears of your hearts so that you may understand.

14ـ فَاسْمَعُوا أيُّهَا النّاسُ وَعُوا، وأحْضِرُوا آذانَ قُلُوبِكُمْ

15. So his appearance is [in] the form of a human being but his heart is the heart of a beast.

15ـ فَالصُّورَةُ صُورَةُ إنْسان، والقَلْبُ قَلْبُ حَيَوان.

16. The heart of a fool is in his mouth and the tongue of the intelligent one is in his heart.

16ـ قَلْبُ الأحْمَقِ في فيِهِ، ولِسانُ العاقِلِ فِي قَلْبِهِ.

17. The heart of a fool is behind his tongue, and the tongue of the intelligent one is behind his heart.

17ـ قَلْبُ الأحْمَقِ وَراءَ لِسانِهِ، ولِسانُ العاقِلِ وَراءَ

18. The pure hearts of the servants are places that Allah, the Glorified, looks upon [with His mercy]; so whoever purifies his heart, He will look upon it.

18ـ قُلُوبُ العِبادِ الطّاهِرَةُ مَواضِعُ نَظِرِ اللّهِ سُبْحانَهُ

19. There are some evil thoughts that come into the hearts, but the intellects deter one from [acting upon] them.

19ـ لِلْقُلُوبِ خَواطِرُ سُوء، والعُقُولُ تَزْجُرُ عَنْها.

20. Your heart must submit to Allah, the Glorified, for one whose heart submits, all the other parts of his body also submit.

20ـ لِيَخْشَعْ لِلّهِ سُبْحانَهُ قَلْبُكَ، فَمَنْ خَشَعَ قَلْبُهُ

21. Indeed there is a piece of flesh that has been placed inside this human being which is the most amazing thing in him, and that is his heart; it has sources of wisdom and things contrary to it. If hope enters it, covetousness humiliates it and if covetousness increases in it then greed destroys it. If despair takes control over it, grief kills it. If anger comes over it, its rage intensifies. If it is blessed with pleasure, it forgets precaution. If it is overcome by fear, it becomes preoccupied with caution. If peace prevails around it, it becomes neglectful. If a hardship befalls it, impatience disgraces it. If it gains wealth, affluence makes it oppressive. If it faces indigence, distress overtakes it. If hunger attacks it, weakness disables it. If its eating increases, the heaviness of his stomach pains it. Thus every curtailment is harmful to it and every excess is injurious to it.

21ـ لَقَدْ عُلِّقَ بِنياطِ هذا الإنْسانِ بَضْعَةٌ هِيَ أعْجَبُ ما فيهِ

22. One whose heart is dead enters the fire [of hell].

22ـ مَنْ ماتَ قَلْبُهُ دَخَلَ النّارَ.

23. Whoever keeps knowledge about Allah in his heart has accommodated independence from the creation of Allah in it.

23ـ مَنْ سَكَنَ قَلْبَهُ العِلْمُ بِاللّهِ سَكَنَهُ الغِنى عَن خَلْقِ

24. Deaf is the heart that does not have an attentive ear.

24ـ وُقِرَ قَلْبٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ أُذُنٌ واعِيَةٌ.

25. Nothing comes forth from a sound heart except the direct meaning.

25 ـ لايَصْدُرُ عَنِ القَلْبِ السَّليمِ إلاّ المَعْنَى المُسْتَقيمُ.

26. There is no good in a heart that does not surrender, an eye that does not shed tears and knowledge that does not benefit.

26ـ لاخَيْرَ في قَلْب لايَخْشَعُ، وعَيْن لاتَدْمَعُ، وعِلْم

27. Verily there are evil thoughts that come into the hearts but the intellects deters one from [acting upon] them.

27ـ إنَّ لِلْقُلُوبِ خَواطِرَ سَوْء، والعُقُولُ تَزْجُرُ مِنْها.

28. Verily these hearts are receptacles, and the best of them are those that are most receptive to good.

28ـ إنَّ هذِهِ القُلُوبَ أوْعِيَةٌ، فَخَيْرُها أوْعاها لِلْخَيْرِ.

29. Verily these hearts grow weary just like bodies become weary, so seek out wise sayings for them.

29ـ إنَّ هذِهِ القُلُوبَ تَمِلُّ كَما تَمِلُّ الأبْدانُ، فابْتَغُوا

30. Verily hearts have desire and aversion, an advancing and a retreating, so approach them from whence they advance and desire, for indeed when the heart is forced [to do anything] it becomes blind.

30ـ إنَّ لِلْقُلُوبِ شَهْوَةً وكِراهَةً، وإقْبالاً وإدْباراً، فَأتُوها

31. The heart is a spring of wisdom and the ear is the place where it sinks [and enters] in.

31ـ اَلقَلْبُ يَنْبُوعُ الحِكْمَةِ، والأُذُنُ مَغِيضُها.

32. Enliven your heart with exhortations and kill it with asceticism, strengthen it with certitude and humble it with the remembrance of death, make it see the transience of this life and show it the calamities of the world.

32ـ أحْيِ قَلْبَكَ بِالمَوْعِظَةِ، وأمِتْهُ بِالزَّهادَةِ، وقَوِّهِ

33. Indeed destitution is an affliction, and worse than destitution is sickness of the body, and worse than bodily ailment is the sickness of the heart.

33ـ ألا وإنَّ مِنَ البَلاءِ اَلفاقَةَ، وأشَدُّ مِنَ الفاقَةِ مَرَضُ

34. Where are the hearts that have been presented to Allah and have been bound to the obedience of Allah?

34ـ أيْنَ القُلُوبُ الَّتي وُهِبَتْ لِلّهِ وعُوقِدَتْ عَلى طاعَةِ

35. The most rancorous heart is the heart of the spiteful.

35ـ أشَدُّ الْقُلُوبِ غِلاًّ قَلْبُ الحَقُودِ.

36. The best of hearts is a heart that has been filled with understanding.

36ـ أفْضَلُ القُلُوبِ قَلْبٌ حُشِيَ بِالفَهْمِ.

37. Verily the heart has an advancing and a retreating, so when it advances then make it bear the [performance of] supererogatory acts, but when it retreats then make it suffice with the obligatory acts.

37ـ إنَّ لِلْقُلُوبِ إقْبالاً وإدْباراً، فَإذا أقْبَلَتْ فَاحْمِلُوها

38. The heart is the treasurer of the tongue.

38ـ اَلْقَلْبُ خازِنُ اللِّسانِ.

39. The heart is the book of reflection.

39ـ اَلقَلْبُ مُصْحَفُ الفِكْرِ.

40. The hearts are locks and their keys are inquiry.

40ـ اَلْقُلُوبُ أقْفالٌ مَفاتِحُهَا السُّؤالُ.

41. Verily the heart of a youth is like an empty [cultivation] land, it accepts anything that is sown in it.

41ـ إنَّما قَلْبُ الحَدَثِ كَالأرْضِ الخالِيَةِ، مَهْما أُلْقِيَ فيها

42. The hearts of men are wild, so whoever shows them affection [and tames them], they turn towards him.

42ـ قُلُوبُ الرِّجالِ وَحْشِيَّةٌ، فَمَنْ تَألَّفَها أقْبَلَتْ