While reflecting upon verse 83 of Surah Ghafir (40), I recalled the words of a great mujahid figure of Afghanistan (martyred in 1989 CE), originally from Palestine, a PhD graduate of Al-Azhar University with the highest distinction Mumtaz Syaraf Ula—the martyr Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Yusuf Azzam.
He wrote:
“It is not your body that performs worship, but your heart. It is the heart that bears the weight of devotion, and it is the heart that keeps you steadfast on the path of jihad. The body plays only a small role in worship.
Patience resides in the heart, perseverance and firmness are in the heart. Courage belongs to the heart, and zeal (ghirah) is only found within the heart. The stronger the faith within it, the greater the zeal, the stronger the spirit, and the bolder the courage. When nourishment for the heart is lacking, it becomes sick; and when it is sick, it can neither worship nor endure hardship.
At times the heart dies, and at other times it hardens. What kills and hardens the heart is sin. Thus, a believer whose heart is alive will tremble when witnessing evil, and his face will redden in anger. But a heart that is hardened and dead will neither condemn evil nor recognize what is good.
The heart is like a lightbulb: when it receives current from its source, it shines, no matter how small. But without that current, it is useless, no matter how large. Indeed! A bulb constantly connected to its power source radiates light, warmth, and brightness to its surroundings.
So too is the human heart. If it is not connected to the Source of Light—the Lord of the Worlds—it remains dark, dead, cold, without warmth, zeal, courage, or spirit. But if the heart remains attached to its Lord, it shines with light, radiance, and fire, illuminating the entire soul. It gives life to the body and strength to the spirit to endure burdens.
The heart is revived by acts of worship and destroyed by sins. Thus, in a hadith it is mentioned:
‘Looking at a woman who is not one’s mahram is one of the poisoned arrows of Satan. Whoever abandons it out of fear of Allah, Allah will replace it with faith whose sweetness he will find in his heart.’ (Weak hadith, narrated by Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak, IV/14).
Imagine arrows piercing your heart, leaving wounds like an injured stomach unable to digest food. No matter how delicious or soft the food, it still feels heavy due to the wound. Likewise is the wounded heart. The more it is struck, the sicker it becomes—until it can no longer endure worship, especially long prayers.
A person may be able to stand for an hour conversing with a friend without fatigue, yet if the imam prolongs the recitation for only five minutes, it feels unbearable—like a mountain on his shoulders. Why? Because it is the heart that bears the burden!”
