8. SOUND HEART

Among the du‘ā’ (supplication) of Prophet Abraham (Ibrāhīm, p.b.u.h.) mentioned in the Qur’ān is:
وَلَا تُخْزِنِي يَوْمَ يُبْعَثُونَ. يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ. إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ
(الشعراء : ٧٨-٨٩).
“And let me not be in disgrace on the day when
(men) will be raised up;--the day whereon neither wealth
nor sons will avail, but only he (will prosper)
that brings to Allah a sound heart;” 29
According to Qur’ānic commentators “sound heart” means “free from shirk (associating Allah with anything), hypocrisy, and envy”. Imām al-T.abarī said that “sound heart” means "free from doubt of Allah’s oneness and of the resurrection”. On the Judgement Day wealth and children would not avail, and those who have “sound heart” is the person mentioned in the following h.adīth:
رَوَى أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ قَالَ كُنَّا جُلُوسًا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
فَقَالَ يَطْلُعُ عَلَيْكُمْ الْآنَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَطَلَعَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ الْأَنْصَارِ تَنْطِفُ لِحْيَتُهُ
مِنْ وُضُوئِهِ قَدْ تَعَلَّقَ نَعْلَيْهِ فِي يَدِهِ الشِّمَالِ فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْغَدُ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ فَطَلَعَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ مِثْلَ الْمَرَّةِ الْأُولَى فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْيَوْمُ الثَّالِثُ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ
وَسَلَّمَ مِثْلَ مَقَالَتِهِ أَيْضًا فَطَلَعَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى مِثْلِ حَالِهِ الْأُولَى فَلَمَّا قَامَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
تَبِعَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ فَقَالَ إِنِّي لَاحَيْتُ أَبِي فَأَقْسَمْتُ أَنْ لَا أَدْخُلَ عَلَيْهِ ثَلَاثًا فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ أَنْ
تُؤْوِيَنِي إِلَيْكَ حَتَّى تَمْضِيَ فَعَلْتَ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ أَنَسٌ وَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يُحَدِّثُ أَنَّهُ بَاتَ مَعَهُ تِلْكَ اللَّيَالِي
الثَّلَاثَ فَلَمْ يَرَهُ يَقُومُ مِنْ اللَّيْلِ شَيْئًا غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ إِذَا تَعَارَّ وَتَقَلَّبَ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَكَبَّرَحَتَّى
يَقُومَ لِصَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ غَيْرَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَسْمَعْهُ يَقُولُ إِلَّا خَيْرًا فَلَمَّا مَضَتْ الثَّلَاثُ لَيَالٍ وَ كِدْتُ
أَنْ أَحْتَقِرَ عَمَلَهُ قُلْتُ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي لَمْ يَكُنْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ أَبِي غَضَبٌ وَلَا هَجْرٌ ثَمَّ وَلَكِنْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ
اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ لَكَ ثَلَاثَ مِرَارٍ يَطْلُعُ عَلَيْكُمْ الْآنَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَطَلَعْتَ أَنْتَ
الثَّلَاثَ مِرَارٍ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ آوِيَ إِلَيْكَ لِأَنْظُرَ مَا عَمَلُكَ فَأَقْتَدِيَ بِهِ فَلَمْ أَرَكَ تَعْمَلُ كَثِيرَ عَمَلٍ فَمَا الَّذِي
بَلَغَ بِكَ مَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ مَا هُوَ إِلَّا مَا رَأَيْتَ قَالَ فَلَمَّا وَلَّيْتُ دَعَانِي
فَقَالَ مَا هُوَ إِلَّا مَا رَأَيْتَ غَيْرَ أَنِّي لَا أَجِدُ فِي نَفْسِي لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ غِشًّا وَلَا أَحْسُدُ أَحَدًا
عَلَى خَيْرٍ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ إِيَّاهُ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ هَذِهِ الَّتِي بَلَغَتْ بِكَ وَهِيَ الَّتِي لَا نُطِيقُ
(رواه أحمد و النسائي و البيهقي)
“Anas b. Mālik related that while he and other companions
were sitting with the Prophet, the Prophet said: ‘A man promised with
Paradise (Heaven) will come suddenly upon you’. Then a man among the
ansar [lit. “the helpers”, i.e., the people of Madīnah who helped the muhājirīn,
the Muslim emigrants from Mecca] appeared, his beard was clean from wud.ū'
ablution) and his sandals were hung at his left hand. The next day the Prophet said
the same thing, and the same person appeared. The third day the Prophet said the
same thing, and the same person appeared. When the Prophet left Abdullah b.‘Umar
b.‘Umar followed the man and said to him: ‘I am on bad terms with my father and I have sworn that I would not come to him for three days. I wish you would let me be
your guest for that period.’ The man agreed. Anas said that then Abdullah b.‘Umar reported what he had seen from his host. In these three nights said that the man did
not even perform night sunnah (recommended) prayers other than that he mentioned Allah whenever he turned in his bed until he got up for fajr (dawn) prayer. ‘Abd Allāh said further that the man had never said anything except good things [i.e., never said bad things]. After the third night ‘Abd Allāh almost looked down on what the man
had done. He asked him: ‘Abd Allāh, [it was common among the Arabs in the past
to call anybody whose name was unknown “‘Abd Allāh” which means“the servant
of Allah”, like what ‘Abd Allāh did to this person] I heard the Messenger of Allah
said three times that a person promised with Paradise would appear suddenly, and
and you appeared each time. So I would like to know what you did so that I could
follow it, but I have not seen you doing something great. What makes you reach
this high honour which has been mentioned by the Prophet?’ the man said:
‘Nothing but what you have seen.” ‘Abd Allāh said: ‘When I turned away
he called me and said: “Nothing except what you have seen. Only that I
never cheat any Muslim, and I never envy anybody of what Allah has
given him”. ‘Abd Allāh b. ‘Umar said: ‘That is what makes you
attain what the Prophet had said which we are unable to stand.” 30

Footnotes:
29. Qur’ān, al-Shu‘arā’ [26]:87-89
30. Reported by Amad, al-Nasā’ī, and al-Bayhaqī