I've observed a very troubling habit becoming widespread in our community.
There is an extensive body of texts, from both Quran and hadith, confirming that the heart is the master of the body. A healthy heart (qalbun saleem) will direct the person to live a righteous life and will lead to ultimate success in this life and the next. A sick or dead heart will do the opposite. It will direct a person to live a corrupt life and will lead to ultimate failure in this life and the next.
May Allah protect us.
But there is a crucial missing piece that has been all but lost today. Remember, the heart has pathways. The heart has doors.
And I truly believe that much of our suffering today--as individuals, couples, families, and as an ummah collectively, is rooted in the absolute neglect of one of the heart's most crucial doors.
The eyes.
We live in a world today where we are constantly bombarded by visual stimulation. From every direction. From every screen.
And we have completely lost the concept of guarding our eyes. We have completely lost the concept of being selective with what we allow to enter the sacred sanctuary of our inner world. We have given absolute open access.
Can you imagine what would happen if we kept the doors to our home wide open, all day and all night. Can you imagine what would come into our home? The animals, the thieves, the killers, the rapists. Can you imagine giving free access to your sanctuary?
That is what is happening with our hearts. We have no filter, no guard. Just a complete open door policy with the most sacred sanctuary we own: our hearts.
When something inappropriate appears on our social media or laptop or t.v. screen, do we shut the door. Or do we allow it open access to our sanctuary?
Why has pornography addiction become an epidemic in our community? Why are we allowing it to destroy our lives, our marriages, our families? Why has infidelity become rampant? Why are we steeped in sexual indecency? Why have our marriages and our lives lost Baraka (blessing) and contentment? Why are we so dissatisfied with our selves, our lives, our blessings?
Because we've poisoned our hearts. And it all began with the eyes.
Even with those who don't go to the extreme of porn, the concept of lowering the gaze is totally lost in our culture. We live in an Instragram culture of constantly gazing at and "checking out" photos of the opposite sex online. This is totally normalized. And the married folks are often no different.
But this is poison. We are literally *pouring* poison into our own hearts. And into our relationships. We are killing our hearts. Remember that our Creator knows His creation. There is a reason why He has commanded men and women to guard their eyes (Quran 18:30-31). There is a reason He has warned us, not only to *avoid* zinna (unlawful sex), but He has commanded us to not even *come close* to zinna (Quran 17:32).
By: Yaasmeen M.
