Four Poisons of the Heart

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following are the poisons of the heart, as extracted from the works of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (r.a.), and Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (r.a.). 

The first is unnecessary talking.  Sayyidina Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn al-Khaththab al-Faruq (r.a.) said, “A person who talks too much is a person who often makes mistakes, and someone who often makes mistakes, often has wrong actions.  The Fire has a priority over such a frequent sinner.” 

The second is unrestrained glances.  It has been related that the Prophet (s.a.w.) once said words to the effect, “The glance is a poisoned arrow of Shaythan.  Whoever lowers his gaze for Allah, He will Bestow upon him a refreshing sweetness which he will find in his heart on the day that he meets Him.” 

The third is excessive consumption of food.  Sayyidina al-Miqdam ibn Ma’d Yakrib (r.a.) said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) say, ‘The son of Adam fills no vessel more displeasing to Allah than his stomach.  A few morsels should be enough for him to preserve his strength.  If he must fill it, then he should allow a third for his food, a third for his drink and leave a third empty for easy breathing.’” 

And the last is keeping bad company.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “The example of a good companion in comparison with a bad one, is I like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith’s bellows; from the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either burn your clothes or your house, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof.”


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