Guard the Inroads
Eyes
Ears
Tongue
Stomach
Genitals
Hands
Feet
“There lies within the body a piece of flesh. If it is sound, the whole body is sound; and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted. Verily this piece is the heart.”
Truncated hadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (as narrated on the authority of Abu ‘Abdullah al-Nu’man bin Bashir and collecting in the compilations of Bukhari & Muslim) See full Hadith.
Our spiritual hearts are sensitive organs, turning this way and that. We are very sensitive to our environment and the quality of our thoughts.
Anas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would often say, “O Turner of the hearts, affirm my heart upon Your religion!” I said, “O Messenger of Allah, we believe in you and in that with which you were sent. Do you fear for us?” The Prophet said, “Yes, for the hearts are between the fingers of Allah. He turns them whichever way He wills.”
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2140
Do you want to feel closeness to Allah? I’ll assume the answer to be yes, so let me ask you… what occupies your mind throughout the day? Is it your problems and worldly desires or are you spending your energy in reflection and gratitude over the many blessings Allah has afforded you?
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ
And ˹remember˺ when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’”
Quran 14:7, Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran translation
Guarding the Eyes
Protect the eye from:
- Looking at a marriageable person [of the opposite gender]
- Looking at a beautiful form in a lustful way
- Looking at a Muslim with an eye of disdain
- Looking for faults in others
Guarding the Ears
Protect the ear from:
- Reprehensible innovations
- Backbiting
- Lewd talk
- Delving into falsehood, or talk of the faults of others
Truly the listener shares [in sin] with the speaker, and he is one of the two backbiters.
Guarding the Tongue
Protect the tongue from:
- Lying
- Breaking a promise
- Backbiting
- Disputation, argumentation, and competitive debate with people
- Ascribing goodness to oneself
- Cursing
- Supplication against creation
- Jesting, ridiculing, and making fun of people
People are not thrown into Hell on their faces for anything more than the harvests of their tongues.
Guarding the Stomach
Protect the stomach from:
- Eating the forbidden and even the doubtful, strive to seek out the lawful (What is unlawful is clear, but what is doubtful can include that which is gained from things displeasing to Allah.)
- Eating in excess of one’s needs, gluttony, “for indeed satiety hardens the heart, ruins the intellect, hinders one’s ability to memorize, makes one indolent in worship and seeking knowledge, strengthens one’s carnal appetites, and gives assistance to the soldiers of Satan.”
Al-Miqdam ibn Ma’dikarib reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The son of Adam cannot fill a vessel worse than his stomach, as it is enough for him to take a few bites to straighten his back. If he cannot do it, then he may fill it with a third of his food, a third of his drink, and a third of his breath.”
Guarding the Genitals
Protect the genitals from:
- What Allah ta’Ala has forbidden
To properly guard one’s private parts we must invest in guarding our eyes from looking at that which inspires our lust, our hearts from the contemplation of that which is unlawful for us, the stomach from doubtful food and from satiety, because these things are like weed seeds which will quickly overrun your garden and when left untended grow to bear ruinous fruit.
And those who guard their private parts– except from their spouses or form whom their right hand possesses, for in that case they are not blameworthy
Guarding the Hands
Protect the hands from:
- Striking another Muslim
- Receiving unlawful wealth
- Harming any of Allah’s creation
- Betraying a trust
- Ruining something placed in your care
- Writing anything unlawful, for “indeed, the pen is one of the two tongues. Guard your pen from what you must guard your tongue from.”
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that:
The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe, and the believer is the one from whom the people’s lives and wealth are safe.”
Guarding the Feet
Protect the feet from:
- Walking towards that which is unlawful
- Approaching the door of an oppressive ruler (without necessity or compulsion)
The movement and stillness of your limbs are bounties that Allah Most High bestowed upon you. Do not use these limbs to make the slightest move in disobedience to Him, Mighty and Majestic. Rather you should use them in His obedience.
Every road leads to the heart, and also from the heart. As we strive to guard our extremities from becoming witnesses against us on the Day of Judgment, we must also strive diligently to purify ourselves from within so as to bolster our defenses and rid ourselves of both the sources of internal and external corruption and inclinations toward that which is displeasing to Allah.
“The actions of the outer limbs are the result only of the qualities of the heart. So if you wish to protect your outward limbs, you must purify your heart, for that is the inner aspect of consciousness of Allah.”
This practice is not something in which we can simply set our intention and then sit back in self-contentment at our presumed piety. We must struggle and strive against our lower inclinations and do our utmost to progress along this path.
Would a farmer buy a pack of seeds, leave them unplanted, and then expect to have a full belly at harvest time? No, he must plant the seeds, attend to them carefully, and remain vigilant in their cultivation, harvest, and preservation.
