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....”