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COURSE TITLE: ISLAMIC STUDIES

MODERATOR: SIR USMAN NASIM
Submission Date:22 May 2022
Question#1
Why shubhaat (Doubts) and shahwaat (desires) are considered as the major diseases of
the heart? Explain each of them with the help of examples from our daily life.

Answer:
Diseases of Heart
Spiritual diseases of the heart are those sins that are committed by the heart and cannot be
seen. They have an impact on our outer actions because they are often the cause of other sins.
Imam Al-Ghazali once wrote:
“Other sins are like the mosquitoes hatched in swampland and the sins of the heart are like the
swampland itself. Unless the swampland (i.e. sins of the heart) is not eradicated, it would not be
possible to get rid of the mosquitoes (i.e. other sins).”
We cannot completely break the cycle of sin in our private or public life unless we treat these
diseases. As a result, it's critical to detect spiritual disorders and try to rid ourselves of them. It
is a difficult process, but it must be completed for the sake of this world and, more significantly,
the hereafter. Our hearts are a precious gift from Allah, and we must do everything we can to
keep them from rotting. We should take care of our physical and spiritual health in the same
way as we should take care of our physical and nutritional health to avoid heart disease.
Allah in the Qur’an says:
“The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children. But only one who comes to
Allah with a sound heart”. [Qur’an 26:88-89]
A sound heart is that which is free from vices like disbelief, hypocrisy, and other spiritual
diseases.
The Prophet (PBUH) promised us that the price of the entire world is little in comparison to the
true value of Akhira. So all we have to do is comprehend reality and build our character in
accordance with the Prophet (PBUH).
Prophet Muhammad SAW said:
“Nothing will suffice the belly of children of Adam, except for dirt(death)”
Those diseases will have an impact on our hearts. There are many distinct forms of heart
disease, each with its own set of symptoms and treatments. Our hearts, like our bodies, are
susceptible to sickness. These diseases may require various treatments. Greed, wrath, love,
want, and other heart diseases are examples. When we strive to become closer to Allah (SWT),
these ailments prevent us from doing so. This is only a reason for our ignorance. It is also
considered a severe sickness to be preoccupied with anything other than Allah. There are three
different sorts of hearts.
 The right heart that is secure from all wants restricts a person to move toward
Allah(SWT).
 The dead heart is the inverse of the right heart.
 The heart that has some life yet additionally has a deformity. So it contains the love of
Allah(SWT) and confidence in him
The first kind of heart is soft, humble, and gentle. The second kind of heart is dead. And the
third kind of heart is a diseased heart. So we need to find that disease and its solution.

Diseases of the heart under Islamic light:

There are two diseases of the heart under Islamic light is:
1. Shubhaat / Doubts:
2. Shahawaat/ Based Desires

Shubhaat / Doubts:
There are many doubts about Islam. For example, whether we get our rizq or not
or we may say that the doubts about the future. If our heart is in doubt it means, there is some
weakness in our Imaan. And the person may come in a feeling of restlessness. It is a fitnah that
is due to weak vision and lack of knowledge. These kinds of fitnah lead people to kufr.
Allah said that:
“They follow but a guess and that which they desire, whereas there has surely come to them
the guidance from their Lord.”
The fitnah of shubhaat (doubts and misconceptions) is caused by a lack of vision and
knowledge, not to mention whether it is accompanied by corrupt intents and the objective of
fulfilling one's goals, and herein lies the biggest of all fitnah. Whatever you may think of the
diversion of wicked intentions, the most important component in such a person is his hawa
wants, not his huda direction, in addition to his poor eyesight and lack of information with
which the messenger was sent.

Doubting Leads to Disbelief:

Doubt is the polar opposite of confidence and is a dangerous
heart illness. It damages the Muslim's spirit by instilling uncertainty, skepticism, and compulsive
diffidence. It also stops the Muslim from reaching his goals by making him unable to make
decisions or take positions; rather, it leaves him perplexed and hesitant. When Allah the
Almighty sent Messengers to their peoples, some of these people were overwhelmed by
doubts, and they even acknowledged. Their doubt and hesitation caused them to disbelieve in
Allah the Almighty and in His message; hence, He, the Exalted commanded the Prophet,
Sallallahu `Alayhi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), to declare to such doubting people
that he was following the truth and was certain of what The Allah Almighty had sent him with.
Allah.
The Almighty Says:
“Say, [O Muhammad], “O people, if you are in doubt as to my religion - then I do not worship
those which you worship besides Allah; but I worship Allah, who causes your death. And I have
been commanded to be of the believers.” [Quran 10:104]

Conditions of the doubtful in their graves:

When such people are buried, they will be able
to view some of the things about which they had doubts. This will occur when the two angels
arrive to question them.
As the Prophet(PBUH) described: 
“‘What was your creed in life?’ He would reply, ‘I do not know.’ Then he will be asked, 'Who is
this man [i.e., the Prophet(PBUH)]?’ Therefore, he would say, ‘I heard people saying something
so I said it too.’ A place will then be opened for him so that he can see Paradise and its bliss.
Then it will be said to him, ‘Look at the bliss which Allah The Almighty has deprived you of.’
Another place will be opened for him so that he can see Hell while it is crushing itself. Then, it
will be said to him, ‘This is your place. You have lived in doubt, you died in it and will also be
resurrected doubtful.’”

Shahawaat/ Based on desires:

 This is also known as fitnah, and it refers to a person's impulses to
feed themselves, have a relationship with other people, or seek riches, among other things. This
illness is caused by a lack of faith.
“And we send down from the Qur’an that which is a healing and mercy to those who believe,
and it increases the wrong-doers in nothing but loss”. (Surah al-Isra (17): 82)
Some examples of this type of fitnah are the desire for wealth, immoralities, amusement, food
and drink, clothes, and the desire to imitate the kuffar and sinners. For example, the lust for
wealth leads to falling into numerous sins like the bloodshed which emanates between warring
countries or between tribes, breaking into people’s homes and businesses or their cars,
embezzling people’s money by unlawful means or prohibited means like fraud or selling things
which are prohibited.

“Like those before you, they were mightier than you in power and more abundant wealth and
children. They had enjoyed their portion awhile, so enjoy your portion awhile as those before
you enjoyed their portion awhile, and you indulged in play and pastime (and in telling lies
against Allah and His Messenger Muhammad) as they indulged in play and pastime. Such are
they whose deeds are in vain in this world and in the Hereafter. Such are they who are the
losers”. {At Tawbah: 69}.

Lust for immoralities leads to illegal activities such as rape, fornication, or adultery, and
seducing minors or weak-minded people into conducting immoral acts. It may also lead to the
viewing of films, websites, or magazines. It also leads to women being harassed or followed in
shopping malls or using video-enhanced networking devices such as those found in mobile
phones and computer cameras. In addition to these vices, this sort of fitnah leads to laziness
when it comes to executing the necessary deeds, as well as leniency, and finally abandoning
them entirely, without performing them at all. someone may be pure, fearful of Allah, and
pious, but open the door to this form of fitnah, becoming corrupt and ultimately ruined.

The Cure for These Two Diseases:

Our hearts are not purified. It needs some purification. And now
we are going to discuss the process of purification and this process remains continuous till the
last day of our lives. Tazkiyah is simply the procedure of sanitization of the heart. In the Quran,
Allah (SWT) has sworn on different occasions, which demonstrates the significance of His
case/proclamation which comes after swearing. The solution is key to success near Allah as
mentioned in Quran:

“Those who believed, and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, verily, in the
remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest,”
As for the fitnah of shubuhaat, this can be prevented and cured by possessing “Al Yaqeen”
certainty, and the fitnah of shahawaat can be fended off and remedied by “As sabr” patience.
This is why Allah made the leadership of this deen by possessing these two qualities,

Hence Allah (SWT) 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 Aal-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}.