A Map of the Divine Subtle Faculty

Mehmet Yavuz Seker
Paperback
9781597843409

The Concept of the Heart in the World of Ghazali, Said Nursi, and Fethullah Gulen

The heart, in the Islamic understanding, is the expression of a human being's spiritual existence. It is a Divine gift and Divine subtle faculty bestowed upon humanity. It is a polished mirror reflecting God. This mirror opens onto truth and reality, projects the realms beyond the corporeal world, and
creates a bridge between the visible realm with the world of the unseen.

Like a general, the heart commands all other bodily organs and faculties, which are its troops. Everything that comes from a human being, whether good or bad, is a product of the heart. It is perhaps by virtue of this delicate position that the Quran teaches Muslims the supplication, 'Our Lord, do not let our hearts swerve after You have guided us.' The Messenger of God ﷺ reminds them of this vital safeguard with the words, 'O God, O Converter of hearts! Establish our hearts firmly on Your religion.'

Moreover, in its descriptions, the Quran approaches the heart as though it were a living being, attributing to it such positive and negative qualities as malady, heedlessness, tenderness,
hardness, and repose.