A Dead Heart

A great reminder about how to protect yourself from a dead heart.

It is reported that Ibrahim bin Adham – Allâh have mercy on him – once passed through the market of Basrah. People gathered around him and asked:

O Abû Ishâq, Allâh the Exalted says in his Book. ‘Call on me, I will answer your prayers’, but we have been calling on Him for a long time and He does not answer our prayers. [Ibrahim] replied, “O people of Basrah, your hearts have died in respect to ten things:

1. First, you know Allâh but you do not give Him His rights;
2. second, you have read Allâh’s Book but you do not act by it;
3. third, you claim to love Allâh’s Messenger – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him – yet you abandon his Sunnah;
4. fourth, you claim to be enemies to Shaytân but you conform to [his ways];
5. fifth, you say you love Paradise yet you do not work for it;
6. sixth, you say you fear The Fire yet you put yourselves closer to it [by sinning];
7. seventh, you say death is true but you do not prepare for it;
8. eighth, you busy yourselves with the faults of others and disregard your own;
9. ninth, you consume the favors of your Lord but are not grateful for them;
10. and tenth, you bury your dead but take no lesson from them.”