How To Clean Our Dirty Hearts

For my first blog post, I want to write about this thoughtful analogy in which Dr. Haifaa Younis compares the human heart to a wound. Listening to her podcast opened my eyes to the importance of self-purification. When you have an open wound, the first thing you should do is clean it—which also goes for your heart. Just as a wound, the heart can become severely infected if left untreated for too long. Anger, jealousy, backbiting, as well as hate are some among many forms of sin that plague people and blacken their hearts. But they can be cleaned: purification of the heart, or tazkiyah, is an individual obligation for every person. It is a chance given from Allah to remove the virus within oneself. However, sanctification is a process that does not happen over night: purification is earned through a process of recognization, remembrance, and repentance. I must first identify my problems before I beg Allah to forgive me for them. Remembrance of Allah is just as important to put an end to these issues for good, such as dhikr, which serves as a cleaning agent. Practicing these three things will allow me to be the best khalifa I can be. And just as a wound heals gradually over time, we should believe that our hearts will too.