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QALB-E-SALEEM
By: Syed Shujathullah Hussaini

Allah says in the Quran,

ْ ٌ
ْ ‫﴾ ِا ََل م‬۸۸﴿ ‫ال و َل بن ۡون‬ ۡ
﴾۸۹﴿ ‫ب س ِل ۡی ٍم‬
ٍ ‫ل‬ ‫ق‬
َ ‫ب‬
ِ ‫اہلل‬ ‫َت‬
َ َ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬ َ ‫م‬ ‫ع‬‫ف‬َ ‫ن‬ ‫ی‬ ‫َل‬
َ ‫م‬‫و‬ْ‫ی‬
َ َ َ َ َُ َ َ ُ َ َ َ
“The day when wealth and children will not
benefit anyone except, he who will come to
Allah with a pure heart (Qalb-e-Saleem).”
(Surah Shu’ara 26, Aayah 88-89).
Our beloved Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam) used to say in his Duaa: “O Allah! I
ask you for a pure heart (Qalb-e-Saleem).”
(Tirmidhi: On the authority of Shaddad bin
Aws.)
Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) says:
َ َ‫سدَتْ ف‬
‫س َد‬ َ َ‫صلَ َح ال َجس ُد ُكلُّهُ وإذا ف‬ َ ‫ضغَةً إذا‬
َ ْ‫صلَ َحت‬ ْ ‫س ِد ُم‬ ّ ‫أال‬
َ ‫وإن في ال َج‬
‫لب‬ُ َ‫ي الق‬َ ‫س ُد ُكلُّهُ أال و ْه‬
َ ‫ال َج‬
“Indeed, there is a piece of flesh in the body
when that stays right, the whole body stays
right, when that goes astray, the whole body
goes astray! Listen carefully, that is the Qalb
(the Heart)” (Bukhâri)
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'Saleem' is a word derived from 'Salaamat'. It is

a broad term but we can translate it as 'safe
and sound'.
The 'Qalb e Saleem' means that all the qualities
(latent or manifest) that have been given to it,
are not wasted. The immense potential, which
Allah Ta’ala has bestowed to the human Qalb is
intact and well used and not disused.
It was already mentioned that man has been
selected for expression of all the Attributes of
Allah Ta’ala. Man's Qalb is designed to
accommodate the faculties of quite different
and opposing nature, as man is a mixture of
opposites.
If each faculty of Qalb remains in its right
proportion and limits and each does its job in a
just manner, it can be called as 'Saleem' (safe,
sound and healthy). What is safe, is sound and
healthy as well. If it is not safe, it is not sound
and healthy i.e., it is diseased.
When it is diseased, it stops doing its function.
It is the king of all parts of the body and when
the king becomes defunct one can imagine the
fate of the nation (the man).
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Mentioned below are the different ways in

which the Imams and scholars of early
Muslims (Ulema-e-Salaf) have interpreted and
explained the phrase 'Qalb-e-Saleem':
1. Abdullah bin Abbas, Mujaahid, Qataadah,
Ibn Sirin and many others (R.A.A.) are of the
opinion that Qalb-e-Saleem is a heart that is
absolutely free from Kufr (disbelief) and Nifaaq
(hypocrisy).
Ibn Sirin said, "The clean heart knows that
Allah is true, that the Hour will undoubtedly
come and that Allah will resurrect those who
are in the graves.'' [Ruh-ul-Ma’aani, Ibn Kathir,
etc.]
2. It is heart that is free from Kibr (pride),
Hasad (jealousy) and Hiqd (hatred). In the
words of Qurtubi (R.A.A.) it is a Khaalis
(sincere) heart. This opinion is supported by
the following:
i.) Rasoolullah (SAWS) said: “None of you can
(truly) believe until he loves for his brother
what he loves for himself.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
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ii.) He (SAWS) also said: “A group of people will

enter Jannah – their hearts are like the hearts
of the birds.” (Muslim)
iii.) Anas bin Maalik (R.A.) used to say that:
“Most of the dwellers of Jannah are AL-Bulh.”
According to one interpretation Al-Bulh are
people who have clean hearts and who always
entertain good thoughts regarding others
(Qurtubi). Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib said, "The
clean heart is the sound heart.''
3. It is the heart which, due to extreme love for
Allah and His Rasool (SAWS), leads to total
obedience to Allah and his Rasool (SAWS). This
opinion is supported by the following:
i.) Rasoolullah (SAWS) said: “…. There is a
piece of flesh in the body; if it is good, the
whole body is good. And if it is bad, the whole
body is bad. Listen! That piece of flesh is the
heart.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
ii.) The Salaf (pious predecessors or early
Muslims) used to say: “The heart is the king of
the limbs and the rest of the limbs are its
soldiers; they always obey him by implementing
his instructions and they never disobey him in
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any regard. (Remember) when the king is

pious, his soldiers will also be pious. Similarly,
when the king is sinful, his soldiers will also be
sinful.” (Jaami-ul-Uloom wal-Hikam by Ibn
Rajab Hanbali)
iii.) According to one interpretation the
statement of Anas (RA) that: “Most of the
dwellers of Jannah are Al-Bulh” refers to
people who “don’t know sin”. (Qurtubi)
4. Sa’id bin Musayyib (RA) explains that the
Arabs very often used the word 'Saleem' in the
meaning of 'Ladeegh' (one who was bitten by a
snake or scorpion) and this is exactly the case
in the phrase Qalb-e-Saleem. (Ruh-ul-Ma’aani,
etc.).
Thus Qalb-e-Saleem is the heart which, due to
extreme fear for Allah, is like the heart of a
person who has just been bitten by a scorpion.
(Qurtubi). In the words of Abu Bakr ibn-ul-
Arabi (R.A.A.) it is a heart that is “burnt and
stung with fear (for Allah)" [Ahkaam-ul-Qur’an].
Some commentators of Hadith claim that the
group of people who will enter Jannah because
“their hearts are like the hearts of the birds”
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(Muslim) refer to people whose hearts are

overwhelmed with fear for Allah.
It is our duty to make an effort to inculcate this
Qalb-e-Saleem. May Allah guide us all to make
such an effort and may He bless us all with the
Qalb-e-Saleem. Aameen