#001 How to Connect Your Heart to Allah

HoIn this episode, we focus on how to connect the heart to Allah (swt).

The heart is mentioned repeatedly in the Quran, highlighting its significance as the control centre of our actions, emotions, and intentions.

What You’ll Learn in this Podcast:

1. How to connect your heart to Allah.
2. The depth of your heart and how it works. 
3. The path to becoming the best version of yourself. 

Mentioned on the Podcast: (Click on Links)

• Nafs Coaching School
• Mind Health & Relationship training (Free Training & Newsletter)

How to Foster a Connected Heart to Allah

The Prophet (saw) said, “Indeed, in the body, there is a piece of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Verily, it is the heart”

So the Messenger of Allah (saw) pointed us towards the heart because this heart plays a crucial role in our body. It’s not just the physical function of pumping blood around the body. It has a spiritual function that affects our soul.

Not only does it affect our soul but it also drives our behaviours and decisions and everything we do in your life. 

The heart is the place where all the real power comes from. It overrides our intellect, as we can see evident from the advertising industry, which caters adverts based on consumer behaviour. One example we can refer to is the tobacco industry. 

Despite the health and danger warnings clearly labelled on packaging, the heart dominates the intellect, hence we see a large number of smokers in the world. 

The “smoking kills” warning appeals to the intellect, instructing people to be reasonable because cigarettes are harmful. However, it doesn’t appeal to their emotions which come from the heart. 

The truth is, if you feel like it, you’ll do it. Even if you know it’s not good for you. 

Whereas if you don’t feel like it, you won’t do it, even if you know it’s good for you. 

Allah addresses the heart because the heart is the thing that controls our behaviour. 

If you want to change and improve your behaviour, working on your heart is the path to this change. If there’s something you don’t like about your behaviour, work on your heart, and Insha’Allah Ta’ala, you will see a solution. 

In the Quran, Allah (swt) talks to us about the different types of hearts. Hearts that gush forth with mercy and compassion, hearts with a mix of mercy and fear of Allah, hearts that fear Allah, and hearts that have hardened due to persistent sins.

The question that we should be asking ourselves is, which heart do we have right now? It’s also just as important to know that Allah wouldn’t tell us about the different types of hearts, just for the sake of it, and some kind of idle talk.

Allah is instructing us so that we can make the choices and take the actions to acquire the type of heart we want. We can change our hearts, this is a God-given power Allah has given us all.

For example, a hardened heart leads to negative behaviours, arrogance, and corruption. But, the solution to soften the heart comes from repentance and seeking forgiveness.

If you focus on your heart, you can change your behaviour. 

And if you do that, then Allah (swt) will aid you as He, (SWT has promised us.

Turning to Allah with remorse and consistently seeking forgiveness can transform even the hardest of hearts.

In Surah Nuh, Allah promises an abundance of blessings and an outpouring of mercy in return for sincere repentance. 

The first stage of fixing our affairs is to be aware of our situation, to be aware of what our condition is. 

So, it’s imperative we assess the condition of our hearts regularly, and then have absolute hope in Allah (swt). 

In Surah Nuh, verse 10 Allah (swt) says, 

فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا ‎

And said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver.

For every mistake we make, Allah (swt), the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate will forgive us, and this is something that we should be working towards on a daily basis. 

We know that this life is a journey, and we have a standard that has been taught to us through Revelation. We have a goal that we should be seeking to attain. 

That is, to become the very best that we can be. We should be on a continual path of self-development and self-growth journey throughout our lives.

You don’t have to be better than someone else, just the best that you can be. This requires that we take daily steps towards purifying our hearts, towards purifying our behaviour, and becoming better and better day by day.

The most effective way to do this is to follow the greatest of role models, the Messenger of Mercy, Muhammed (saw).

Also, through Dhikr; remembrance of Allah.  Dhikr is the tools that connects the hearts to Allah. However, it goes beyond simply utterances, but involves reflecting on Allah’s verses, yearning for His mercy, and striving to foster a deep connection to Allah (swt) 

Our hearts hold the key to our spiritual well-being and the quality of our actions and behaviours. 

Just as a healthy heart is essential for our physical well-being, a sound heart is essential for our spiritual well-being.

About the Author: Abdul Shahid – Master Coach Trainer & Therapist of Professional Life Coaches, using The Science of the Nafs Psychology model for healing, transformation and peak performance. Specialist in Mind health, wealth and mastery using this Quran and sunnah based Spiritual Psychology.