hati-hati menjaga hati

There is this purple bookmark on my desk, it has been lying there for days. I have no time to clean my room, actually, i have lots of time, but all i can do is stare into space. The shine of the metal bookmark caught my eye, the edges done beautifully with ribbons and beads. "Great thoughts come from the heart" is carefully carved into the top. I cried this afternoon, i do not know why. Weak, that is I. I can smile and laugh to others, but my heart is aching inside.

What a power the heart is isnt it? where your emotions hide, where your love blossoms, where memories ache and evolve. Tucked on the left side of our body, it pumps blood through every inch of us. Not stopping for a minute, for a second, it spreads the blood, filled with who we are again and again. When we are born, the heart is clean, pumping innocently, coarsing our veins and arteries. And as we grow older, little dots of sins spot our once pure heart. That same heart will be pumping our every deed through us, as what we think, what we eat, what we do...in the end determines who we are...

Pepatah Melayu Berkata: Ikut Hati Binasa~

I first really took notice about the power of the heart when i drove in Indonesia. The roads are a maze, weaving in and out, they all look the same. But when I am lost, or cant decide which way to turn, I always, always ask my heart which way i should go. And so far, my little heart has never lied to me. Whenever my heart tells me to follow a road, but i end up thinking and contemplating about another and choose that, it turns out, the first thought that came to my heart is always right. Why do I trust my heart, pepatah melayu kata "ikut hati binasa", orang pula kata "fikiran hati itu hanya nafsu, kita harus berfikir dengan otak". I dont think that it is so, as everything all comes down to faith. When you have faith in your creator to guide you somewhere, may it be in life, or in a way, then your heart is the most powerful and reliable tool to have in your body. The heart is the instinct that we were born with~
Do you know what Nafsu or Nafs means?

I do not want to sound like a hypocrite, so, i would just tell the truth. I thought Nafsu was bad, everyone tells me that when I do something bad, it is known as "ikut nafsu". But nafs, actually means SOUL. What you decide to be determines whether your soul is pure, or evil, therefore, nafsu is something that depends wholly on you. I have a friend, who always told me that in whatever I do, I would have to open my heart, free my soul and use it wisely. The secret to life is yearning for something with your soul, and the way to succeed is to put your whole heart into it. So, if you use the right part of your soul, you can then trust your heart into making a decision.

I think that when you want to do something evil, you blame your heart for choosing that way. But what really happens is, everyones heart, no matter how bad it is will always whisper to us the right thing. Setiap detik pertama di hati itu, lahir dari keikhlasan, keikhlasan itu lahir dari jiwa kita. But once we think, we give reasons to doubt our heart, and thus end up doing something that we would regret our whole life. I know, I have been there, done that.~

If you have time, read this, i think it is the most simple to understand.

Qalb- Heart
2 meanings:
1. The pine shaped organ located in the left; it’s a flesh of a particular sort. This is the physical heart. It’s a piece of flesh which is from the seen world and doesn’t have much worth.
2. The spiritual heart, it’s a latifa, subtlety. The spiritual heart can be killed, can die, just like the physical heart. The spiritual heart is from the unseen, but has a connection to the physical heart. Majority of people are bewildered in perceiving its connection.

Ruh- Spirit
This also has 2 meanings:
1. The subtle body- connection to the physical heart.
2. The subtle thing which knows and perceives.
As long as the spirit in your body is there, you are alive

Nafs- Soul
It’s essentially who you are.

Aql- Intellect
2 types:
1. Lower intellect, which is the brain
2. Higher intellect, which is located in the heart

In summary:
Heart- Place which we know Allah
Soul- Who we are
Spirit- The tool in which we love Allah
Aql- That what we know

All actions come from the heart, and all actions come from thought:

Thought- Heart- Action

1. The first thing that comes to the heart is a thought.
2. The second thing that comes to the heart is the natural inclination towards that particular thing.
3. The third thing is the judgement of the heart- if you should do it or not
4. The fourth is having firm resolution and actually having the intention of doing it.

In the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stages, you are not taken into account for it, its only when you get to the 4th stage, you are taken into account for. For example, a thought of stealing something comes to your heart, it then moves onto the next stage which is the inclination of the heart about stealing, then it moves onto the 3rd stage where you judge whether to steal or not, then the last stage is when you actually intend to steal, or don’t intend to steal. And its only at the 4th stage, when you have made that intention to do it, you are held accountable. You can’t control the thoughts that come to your heart. Sometimes they come even if you do not want them to. No matter how many thoughts that come to your heart, you are not accountable as long as you do not intend to do it. With the stealing example, you will only be held accountable if you actually reach the 4th stage and intend on stealing. You can have all the thoughts and inclinations, but its only when you actually intend on stealing, you are held accountable for it.

I know it has been a long time since i have written about all these. Keimanan seseorang itu, kadang kala naik, kadang kala menurun. I as a human being, have these ups and downs, we all do. But we must try to change it, no matter how small or little our effort is. Keep the heart bursting with trust towards the Al-Mighty, and He shall reward you with His most powerful gift, Your Heart.~

ps: To make your heart strong towards all the test that He has given you, add courage, faith and trust to your daily happy meals =)

pps: And I am trying to be strong

Take care