Hearts rust. The Sufi’s say that hearts become clouded, and darkened. They become covered with impurities, and they literally rust-like silver that has been exposed to the elements. We’ve all seen silver that is shiny and new, loose it luster, becoming dull and gray, unless it is polished. You have to rub silver firmly, repeatedly, applying lots of elbow grease to remove that tarnish and take off the film of impurities that builds up over time.
Our hearts are like silver. When we are born our hearts are all shiny and new. As human beings we come into the world with pure hearts. We are created in the image of God. The unabashed wonder and innocence of a child reflects our divine inner nature. Yet, over time the process of life changes the pristine nature of our hearts. Our innocence evaporates. We learn negativity. We say and do things that move us away from our creator’s image. Slowly over time our hearts become filled with- other than God.
We call this process veiling the heart. It is how we begin to feel lost or disconnected. The pain and suffering that troubles our hearts is a direct result of veiling. It has been written that 70,000 veils of both light and dark separate us from the divine light. Veils of light are there for our protection. The majesty and might of Allah is more brilliant that a thousand millions suns. His light is all encompassing.
When Moses asked Allah to reveal himself directly, Allah replied that He could not. When Moses persisted, Allah relented and said for Moses to look at the mountain. Allah said He would reveal himself to the mountain and then Moses could see him directly. But when, Allah, praised and exalted is He, revealed His majesty to the mountain, it crumbled disintegrating in a thunderous heap. The shock wave was so tremendous it knocked Moses unconscious. Veils of light are there to protect us from the overwhelming majesty and might of our Lord.
Our dark veils come from actions that separate us from love. Lying, stealing, hatred, greed, or envy- any thing we do that we know is morally wrong that is unloving leads to dark veiling of our heart. Often this isn’t conscious. People don’t consciously choose to be isolated from God’s love. It just happens. When we separate ourselves from the love of Allah, hearts begin to close themselves off from the oil of the love of God. They are unable to open, becoming rigid and brittle. Hence we say they rust.
The Sufi Path is the journey to remove the veils, to lift them away from the heart step by step. The word, Sufi, comes from the Arabic root safa- which means purity. Developing inner purity is the means to oil the heat and abolish the rust. This is accomplished through the practice of Dhiker (pronounced- thiker). Dhiker means remembrance of God. The seeker on the path to Allah is asked to remember God’s Name over and over.
Remembrance has many forms. One particular form of remembrance practiced by Shadhuli Sufi’s is the repetition of the word Allah over and over. A person will sit with their prayer beads and say the Name- Allah hundreds of times. Anyone who has engaged in this form of Dhiker knows the power and beauty that come from continually repeating this sacred Name. An opening, a loosening of the crude that clogs the heart happens with Dhiker in this fashion. Some people experience it as a softening of the heart. Other people describe heat or expansion in the chest. For still others, the experience of Dhiker comes in the form of rapture. They experience a beauty beyond words. Regardless of the manifestation, the vast majority of people have a heart experience when doing remembrance. (For an explanation and practical examples go to www.drlaman.com and look in the bookstore for the CD- Practicing Remembrance.)
Other forms of remembrance are also effective in purifying the heart. The daily five times prayer, salat, is a compelling method of remembrance. Muhammad, s.a.w.s., has said that the salat is like a washing for the whole body. By praying five times everyday a tremendous purification occurs within a person’s whole being. Their heart, mind, and physical body becomes clean- washed by the love.
Another technique of remembrance involves repeating one of the ninety-nine names for God. For example, the quality of God’s truth is al-Haqq. Repeating this name over and over is useful for finding object that have been lost. Other qualities of Allah can be repeated as well. Each of these qualities allows for a different form of healing. For further information regarding using the Names of Allah in prayer look for the book, Meanings of the Names of Our Lord, by Muhammad al-Jamal.
Yet, remembrance isn’t limited to what we commonly think of as prayer. Our actions can also be forms of remembrance. If a person is surrendered to God, truly surrendered, then all of their actions are forms of remembrance. The work they do is remembrance. Their interactions with others are a method of remembering. Eating, walking, talking- every action is a glorification of God.
By performing remembrance is all its various forms refinement of the heart begins to occur. Slowly, love works its way into the crags and crevices. It seeps down into the dark and forbidden parts of us that need healing. The anger, hopelessness, and despair that congest us and choke our hearts become oiled. The lifelong pains and traumas that held our hearts captive loosen their grip, as their rust melts away. More and more we find peace and solace. As our master Muhammad, said, “Prayer becomes the cooling of the eyes.” It becomes the balm of the soul.
Kirk Habib Laman
