The Man With No Heart

A letter between Imam Hasan al-Banna and one of his students:

My sir and teacher,

Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmatuAllah wa barakatuh,

Has the news of the man with no heart reached you? As for the heart which is that red muscle that pumps blood, then he has it with no doubt as the man is alive. However as for the heart which flows with emotions, vivid sensations, and living consciousness, then regrettably he doesn't have it!

That man recognizes fine beauty with a simple glance, as much as he identifies hidden ugliness with that quick passing glance, and he is able to read the news of a man from his facial expressions and gestures with good accuracy. But despite all that, the man has no heart.

He meets a long gone friend with handshakes and hugs, but his heart feels hard and does not resonate. He asks people to be this and to be that, and he debates and protests, but his heart just feels like a rock. He receives good news with a smile, and bad news with a frown, but his happiness and sadness are mechanical, and his heart is silent of emotions. He declares his love or hate to someone, and then when he looks into his own heart he finds it still with no signs of being affected. He stands up ready for prayer with determination, and he reads the Qur'an with focus, and he prays and people say that his tone is full of reverence and emotions, but when he looks into his heart, he finds it deaf, with no signs of reverence (khushoo') even though it grasped the meaning of the prayer.

This description is true my sir, I didn't add to nor did I omit anything from it, so are you still able to admit that this heart is like the rest of hearts?

I was given intellect, but my heart was taken away from me, and I've always felt my intellect glowing, alive and vividly working, proving its presence all the time, but in vain have I tried to prove the same for my heart.

And finally, the news of the man with no heart has reached you.

He is a youth who pledged allegiance to you, and you took from him a solemn covenant, so would you be satisfied if one of your soldiers has no heart? Would you try to revive my heart so that it reflects what the tongue says with feelings and emotions? This is the agony of one of your soldiers, you would be pained to know who he is, that is why I will hold off from mentioning his name until the day when I congratulate you with his cure,

wa Alaikum assalam wa rahmatuAllah wa barakatuh.

The answer from Imam Al Banna

My brother,

Wa Alaikum assalam wa rahmatuAllah wa barakatuh,

I was very touched by reading your letter because of the sincerity in your tone and your amazing courage…and because of the delicacy of your mental awareness and the life in your heart. You are not, my dear, dead hearted as you claim, but you are a sensitive young man, with a clear soul and accurate senses, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to blame yourself or deny your feelings, but your strong resolve and high sense of purpose makes you belittle yourself and ask more of your conscience, and that is alright as that's how you're supposed to be. I will go along with your claims and will try to present to you some advice, and if they benefit you and you find in them a cure then all praise is due to Allah for His accommodation. Otherwise I would be happy to meet with you so we can work together on diagnosing the illness and finding for it a cure.

Accompanying the people of reverence (khushoo') and contemplation, and the people of intellect and devotion and staying with this kind of righteous God-fearing people that are full of wisdom, and whose faces shine with light, and whose hearts emanate with knowledge – and how rare are they – is a successful medication. So work hard on finding for yourself such people that you befriend and accompany, and connect your soul with theirs, and your nafs with theirs, and spend with them most of your free time. Beware of the fake ones, but rather seek those whose actions reflect goodness, and those whom when you see, you remember Allah. Such company is the best of medications, for traits and characters rub on each other, and the heart is affected by the heart, and the soul takes from another soul, so work hard on finding for yourself a friend of those good souls.

Reflection and contemplation in the times of seclusion and tranquility, and whispering to Allah and contemplating in this amazing and extraordinary universe, and investigating the secret of beauty and its magnificence, and looking deep into the heart, and tongue affecting them with this magical glory and supreme wisdom. All of that, my dear, is something that extends life to the heart, and will enlighten the nafs with belief and certainty: "Most surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day there are signs for those of understanding" (Qur'an 3:190).

Reflecting upon the human community, and trying to understand its sources of happiness and sorrow, its ill-being and bliss, visiting the sick, comforting those who are faced with misery, and trying to understand the psychological causes of ungratefulness and disbelief, of oppression and aggression, of favoritism and selfishness, and of the deceit in things that are bound to vanish. All those are hits on the chords of the hearts and they have the power of bringing life to the heart. So work hard on making your presence a comfort for those who are in despair, and a condolence to those who are in affliction as there is no stronger impact on our senses like helping out those who are in need, and coming to the rescue of the heartbroken and comforting those who are in misery.

And finally my dear, hearts are in the hands of Allah alone, He directs it as He wills, so be insisting and persistent in making Du'ah to Allah that He fills your heart with life, and expands your chest with belief (Eman), and bestows upon you the coolness of certainty - a blessing and favor from Him. And focus your Du'ah during the selected times that are most due for Allah's answer, and the early hours (Sahar - before dawn) as making Du'ah during that time is an arrow that reaches the throne of Allah, and I have no doubt that you are sincere in your purpose and devoted in your daa'wah. "…indeed Allah does accept of those who are righteous." (Qur'an 5:27)

Your brother,
Hassan Al Banna