Islamic Studies

Assignment No.4

Submitted To:
Dr. Muhammad Zubair

Submitted By:
Farhan Anwer

SP17-BPH-007
BS Physics
4th Semester

COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus.

Question 1

“Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the chests that grow
blind”. [Surah Al-Hajj:46]

With reference to above verse, explain the terms “Blind heart” and Blind eyes” in detail.

Answer :
Indeed, it is not the sight that becomes blind, but the hearts in the chest that becomes
blind.”

Muhammad al-Shanqiti, in his tafsir says, "because the blindness of the eyes along with the
heart is not harmful, Allah uses this metaphor in contrast to the opposite.  For one who's eyes are
blind can reflect and benefit from the heart.  Indeed, it is not the sight that becomes blind but the
heart that becomes blind.”

Blind Eyes

In light of the question put forth by God in this verse, we can conclude that the spiritual heart has
an ‘eye’ that ‘sees’, an ‘eye’ that allows a believer to use his intellect (aqal) to recognize and
learn from the obvious and clear signs of God that are there in every day events, happenings and
situations that occur across the world.
It means when someone cannot observe the facts or events happening around him and he cannot
differentiate between wrong & right and his/her eyes says the things he/her seeing are going
alright. They are so deeply involved in the blind following of lusts, greed, ambitions and false
and futile things, that they have become blind in their inner eyes. That is why they do not see the
reality.

Blind Hearts

The sign of the blind heart is negligence of Allah. It is a heart which is full of doubt and a
doubtful heart is negligent of Allah. It is the type of heart which asks questions such as ‘who
created Allah’. This is a ridiculous question to ask because Allah had no beginning, and you
can’t create One that has no beginning. Some people say out of negligence of Allah, ‘I didn’t ask
Allah to create me, so I don’t have to pray and do all these kinds of things. This is negligence of
Allah.

Advice has no effect, whether somebody told you don’t do it or they told you do it, it’s all the
same. You are going to do it anyway. When a person commits a sin or does what is haram, he
doesn’t feel any guilt, instead he feels pleasure committing that sin. Discomfort being in the
company of the righteous and comfort in the company of the corrupt. When you’re invited to be
amongst the good people who talk about Islam, you feel uncomfortable. This is among the signs
of the blind heart.

Question 2

Discuss the diseases of heart and ways to prevent them in the light of Quran.

Answer :
There are two types of diseases of the heart.

Shubuhaat :
 These are diseases that relate to understanding.  For instance, if somebody is fearful of his
provision from Allah, afraid he will not get his food for the day, then there is a disease in his
heart because a sound heart has complete trust in Allah (SWT), and a sick heart has doubt. For
this reason, a sound heart does not worry.
It is the ego, caprice, and the love of this ephemeral world that lead to this state of fear or of
anxiety. The heart in it of itself is an organ designed to be in a state of stillness, but the stillness
will only come about by the remembrance of Allah (SWT). The Quran states,
"Isn't it by the dhikr of Allah that the heart is stilled?"
This is what the heart wants: it wants to remember Allah (SWT). When Allah is not remembered,
the heart goes into a state of agitation: it goes in a state of turmoil, and it becomes diseased
because it is not being fed.

Shahawaat :
The second type of the diseases of the heart is called shahawaat, and these are the base desires of
the self. For instance, food and sex are shahawaat; they are appetites. These become diseases
when they grow out of proportion from their natural states. It also leads to harassing or following
women in shopping malls or with video enhanced networking devices like that are included in
mobile phones and computer cameras.
How To Prevent These Two Diseases In The Light Of Quran :

As for the diseases of shubuhaat this can be prevented and cured by possessing "Al Yaqeen"
certainty, and diseases of shahawaat can be fended off and remedied by "As sabr" patience. This
is why Allah made leadership of this deen by possessing these two qualities.
He says:
And We made from among them leaders, giving guidance under Our Command, when they
were patient and used to believe with certainty in Our Ayât". {As Sajdaah: 24}.

Thus this indicates that by having patience and certainty one achieves leadership in this religion.
Allah has also interlined these two characteristics in surah Al Asr wherein He says: 

"Except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and recommend the truth to each
other and recommend one another to patience." {Al Asr: 3}. 

Therefore, advising each other in truth repels "shubuhaat" and recommending patience to each
other restrains one from his desires. So by having patience and a sound intellect restrains one
from the diseases of "shahawaat", and by possessing a clear vision and certainty repels the
diseases of "shubuhaat".