**Obsession Of The Heart **
*By Sheikh-ul-Islaam ibn Taymiyyah *
By way of introduction it should be pointed out, both to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, that this treatise was originally written in Arabic to an audience consisting predominantly of men. Furthermore, it was presented to a culture which did not analyse human behaviour on the basis of “sexism”, or “feminism”, but to an environment which was free of these modern day innovations. This is, perhaps, why the discussion is referred primarily to men. It should be pointed out that whenever the sheikh (scholar) refers to “men” that the discussion can be extended to incorporate a similar, if not the same, observation for women. Although during his life the great sheikh was taught by at least eleven female scholars of religion and would often refer specifically to women in many of his essays, perhaps, on the occasion of this dissertation, he was mainly involved in the sphere of men. Nevertheless, when one is involved in understanding Islam one should never allow anything to enter into discussion
which does not have a basis within the Qur’an and the Sunnah (authentic narrations).
Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah says:
When a man’s heart becomes attached to a woman, even though she is lawful for him, his heart will be her captive. She controls him and manipulates him as she wills. In appearance he is her lord because he is her husband or her possessor. However, in reality, he is her captive and is possessed by her especially when she knows his need and his passion for her. Then she will control him in the same way in which a conquering, aggressive master controls an overpowered slave who cannot escape from his master. Even worse than this is the captivity of the heart; this is more severe than the captivity of the body, and enslavement of the heart is much more severe than the enslavement of the body. Verily, whoever’s body is subdued, enslaved and captivated will not care so long as his heart is reassured and is serene. In this way, it is possible for him to escape.
In the other case though, when the heart, which dominates the body; is subdued, enslaved and enthralled by love for other than Allah, then, this is indeed mere humiliation and captivity. It is the humiliating 'Uboodiyah (enslavement/obsession) that has subdued the heart.
The 'Uboodiyah of the heart and its captivity form the basis on which good reward or bad punishment will be incurred. If a Muslim is captivated by a kafir or is enslaved by a profligate and given no rights, it will not harm him so long as he can fulfil his duties to Allah Azzawajal. Whoever is lawfully subdued and fulfils the rights of Allah Azzawajal and the rights of his master will be rewarded twice. Even if he is forced to pronounce Kufr (disbelief), pronouncing it with his tongue but keeping Eemaan (conviction, faith) in his heart, the utterance will not harm him. But the one whose heart is subdued and becomes an 'abd (slave) for other than Allah will be harmed by that even if he is a king. Freedom is the freedom of the heart and al-'Uboodiyah (enslavement) is the 'Uboodiyah of the heart. Similarly, well-being is the well-being of the soul. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu-alaihi-wasallam) said “Well being is not how much wealth you have; but it is the well-being of the soul.”
This, by Allah, is the case when a lawful image has enslaved one’s heart. But whoever’s heart is enslaved by an unlawful image will earn a torment more severe than any known torment.
These people who are obsessed by images are of the most severely punished and the least rewarded. For if one is obsessed by an image and his heart remains attached to it and subdued by it, he will be surrounded by so many kinds of evils and corruption that they cannot be counted but by the Lord of al-'Ibaad (the servants) even if he were safe from committing the greatest Faahisha (obscenity i.e. az-Zina - fornication). Continuous attachment of the heart [1] without committing al-Faahisha is more harmful for him than it is for the person who commits a sin and repents of it. Since, after true repentance the attachment and affection vanishes from his heart [2]. These people are likened to drunk people or the insane. It has been said:
“They said you were driven insane by that which you have a passion for.
I replied to them that passion causes more harm than insanity.”
As for this passion, the one who is obsessed by it will never awake until the end of time. However, the insane only exhibit their madness during certain periods.
Of the greatest causes of this affliction is the heart’s turning away from Allah for when the heart senses the taste of worshipping Allah and sincerity towards Him, nothing will be more tasty to it than that; and nothing will be more delightful and enjoyable than that. A human being will not leave a lover except to replace him with another lover more beloved to him than the former, or he can leave a lover fearing some harm. Verily, the heart will turn from a corrupt love to a righteous love, or from fear of imparting harm.
Allah Ta’ala said concerning Yusuf:
Thus (did We order) that We might turn away from him evil and al-Fahshaah (illegal sexual intercourse)… [3]
Thus, Allah turns away from His 'abd (servant) that which could be evil for him from the inclination towards images and the attachment to them. He also turns al-Fahshaah (the blatant sin) away from him when he is sincere to Allah. Hence, before he tastes the sweetness of al-‘Uboodiyah (Enslavement) to Allah and sincerity for Him, he will be forced by his soul to follow it’s own passion. But once he obtains the taste of sincerity and becomes strong in his heart, then his passion will submit to Him (Allah) without any effort. Allah Ta’ alaa said:
Verily, As-Salaat (the prayer) prevents the committing of Al-Fahshaah (the obscene, blatant sin) and al- Munkar (the evil) and the Remembrance of Allah is the greatest.[4]
Indeed, in As-Salaat (the prayer) there is repulsion of harmful things, i.e. Al-Fahshaah (the obscene blatant sin) and Al-Munkar (the evil conduct) and there is attainment of a beloved thing, the remembrance of Allah. The attainment of this beloved thing is greater than the repulsion of the harmful things. Verily, the remembrance of Allah is, by itself, a worship of Allah; and the heart’s worship of Allah is sought for itself, whereas the repulsion of evil from the heart is sought for other than itself. Instead, it is needed for something else. The heart has been created loving the truth, seeking it and striving for it; but when the will of evil confronts it, then the heart demands the repulsion of the evil will because the latter spoils the heart as a plantation is spoiled with weeds. That is why Allah Ta’ alaa said:
Indeed he succeeds who sanctifies it (his own soul) and indeed he fails who corrupts it (his own soul). 5
And He, Azzawajal, said
Indeed he shall achieve success who sanctifies himself and brings to mind the name of Allah and performs Salaat (prayer). [6]
And He, Azzawajal, said:
Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and to protect their private parts from sin. That is more sanctifying for them…[7]
And He, Azzawajal, said:
…and had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy upon you, not one of you would ever have been sanctified…[8]
Thus Allah Ta’ alaa made the lowering of the gaze and the protection of the sexual organs from Az-Zinaa (fornication) as the strongest sanctification of the soul.
He also showed that avoiding blatant sins is a part of the sanctification of the soul. The sanctification of the soul comprises keeping away from all evils including blatant sins, injustice, shirk (associating partners with Allah Azzawajal) and lying.
The same is true for one who is seeking leadership and dominion on earth. His heart is a slave to those who help him with his aim although he, in appearance, is their leader and the obeyed one among them. In reality he has hope in them and fears them. He would offer them wealth and countries, and would overlook what they have wrongly committed so that they would obey and help him with his aims. In appearance he is an obeyed leader while in fact he is their obedient slave.
The fact of the matter is that both of them manifest worship for each other and both of them have gone away from the actual worship of Allah. Moreover, if their mutual help is for an unjust dominion on earth, then they are on the level of those who mutually help each other to commit al-Faahishah (the blatant sins) or to cut off the way. Hence, each one of them, who originally was a slave and obsessed by his passion, becomes subdued by the other.