By Ml Hakeem Akhtar Shb

Whatever grace we see of His on the heart,

the heart becomes independent of all wealth.

Our hearts are not in need of all the money of the rich due to the torrential downpour of mercy that we see Allah sending down on our hearts. Whoever makes friends with the elephant trainer has to enlargen his door because the former comes with his elephant. Thus Allah also makes the heart of the person very large who He grants a special radiance and proximity.

Moulana Rumi (Rahimahullâh) says: "The exterior of a saint can be so weak that he dances around due to a mosquito bite, but his interior contains the revolution of the seven heavens."

Dr. Abdul Hayy (Khalifah of Hadhrat Thanwi) says: "When he passes here, how many worlds pass one's sight."

Jigar Muradabadi expresses the same sentiments in the following words: "Sometimes the seven heavens circulate this handful of soil."

In short, there is so much delight in the name of Allah, that the tongue cannot express it in words. There was a saint, who used to say that he experienced so much pleasure in taking the name of Allah that his mouth would become sweet. He would take an oath that his mouth had indeed become sweet.

Sheikh Muhiuddeen Zakariyya Nawawi (Rahimahullâh) has explained under the term 'Halâwat Iman' that Allah grants sweetness of Iman to every person who adopts those practices on which there is promise for it e.g. loving the saints, protecting the gaze etc. However, some people are granted a physical sweetness that can be perceived in the mouth. This is the grace of Allah and is granted to whoever He wishes. This sweetness can be perceived in the heart by everyone. Every person receives an immediate tranquility in the heart.

We should be more concerned about reforming our hearts than our external features if we want to live with peace. Otherwise notwithstanding the air conditioners, we may possess, we will be engrossed in worry and anxiety. The heart will be engulfed in the worries of the kicks and punches of the thousands of rands. The contentment of the interior is not dependent on the contentment of the exterior.