REVIEWING YASMIN MOGAHED’S ‘RECLAIM YOUR HEART’
_— SHEHU, Abdus-Salam Aladodo._
“Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.”
— Sahih Al-Bukhari (Excerpt from a long hadith narrated by An-Nu’man bin Bashir).
The heart remains an individual’s most important treasure, and for a Muslim, the heart is a sanctuary of ravishing ambiance — if taken care of. Life on the other hand is just what it is — life. Life is a fleeting place of enjoyment, a place where hopes are dashed, where disappointments are spread far and wide for all to see, where aspirations are cut short, where love is nothing but a speckle of dust, where betrayal is rubbed on the face of many, where cravings are just another mirage, a reflection of the ephemeral nature of life.
Reclaim your heart is a book which teaches its readers how to swim through the ocean of life, knowing it is nothing but a place of delusion. How to weather the unfavorable storm, knowing that the hereafter is the Muslims’ final abode. It teaches perseverance, patience, hope in no one but in Allah alone, it teaches the purification of one’s heart from material elements that are poised towards staining and swaying the heart away from the remembrance of the creator. It is a book which allows the reader to clearly distinguish between their cravings, needs, desires, and the biddings of the Lord of the worlds.
In making it to the world beyond, we must see life as a fleeting enjoyment, not a final destination, for it is the means, not the end. We must place life in our hands, not in our hearts, for whatever is placed in the hand can be dropped with ease, while what we hold dear in our heart is always difficult to let go.
Greatness is for those who purify their hearts, waiting for the Divine call. Greatness is for those who see life as a fleeting moment. Greatness is for those who see love, betrayal, disappointments, cravings, desires, needs, and wants, as materials of this world. For true love lies in sanctifying one’s heart for the one whose love was the first and will be the last — Allah!
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