Presence of the Heart: Difference between revisions

Presence of heart means considering God, peace of mind, giving God<ref>Shahīd al-Thānī, ''Miṣbāḥ al-sharīʿa'', p. 45.</ref> an undivided attention by the heart and feeling His presence everywhere, so that He is believed to be Present everywhere as well as an Intimate.<ref>Hāshimī Shāhrūdī, ''Farhang-i fiqh'', vol. 3, p. 313.</ref> According to some sources, the phrase of "the presence of heart" has been mentioned in [[hadith]]s for the first time. Advising about the presence of heart is also seen in previous religions, including the consultation of Prophet [[Idris (a)]], and [[Luqman the Wise]].<ref>Ibn Fahd al-Ḥillī, ''ʿUddat al-dāʿī'', p. 181; Muḥammadī Riyshahrī, ''Ḥikmatnāma-yi Luqmān'', p. 250.</ref>

According to [[Mulla Ahmad Naraqi]], presence of the heart means freeing up the heart from anything it is occupied with.<ref>Narāqī, ''Miʿrāj al-saʿāda'', p. 844.</ref> In some books of ethics, [[Ikhlāṣ]] has been defined as the presence of heart and it has been considered the [[supplication]] having ikhlāṣ, a supplication recited with the presence of heart.<ref>Anṣārī, ''Natāyij al-afkār'', vol. 3, p. 236; Khwansārī, ''Sharḥ Ghurar al-ḥikam'', vol. 4, p. 286.</ref> To the scholars of ethics, the reality of [[dhikr]] is the presence of heart.

The presence of heart has been emphasized in the acts of worship including prayer,<ref>Malikī Tabrīzī, ''Asrār al-ṣalāt'', p. 300.</ref> [[recitation]] of the [[Qur'an]],<ref>Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, ''al-Maḥajja al-bayḍāʾ'', vol. 2, p. 326.</ref> [[hajj]] rituals<ref>Maḥmūdī, ''Manāsīk-i Ḥajj'', p. 446.</ref> and [[ziyara]].<ref>Majlisī, ''Zād al-Maʿād'', p. 547.</ref> Presence of heart is the spirit of all worships and among its requirements and without it, worships are defective and do not result in perfection and closeness to God.<ref>Majlisī, ''ʿAyn al-ḥayāt'', vol. 1, p. 66.</ref> It is transmitted from [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] that presence of heart is among the requirements of the fulfillment of supplications.<ref>Gulistāna, ''Manhaj al-yaqīn'', p. 287.</ref>

[[Mulla Sadra]] believed that a person who seeks God, need the presence of heart and saying dhikr or performing prayer without the presence of heart does not lead a person to the desirable destination.<ref>ʿAbd Allāhī, "ʿAwāmil-i taḥṣīl-i kamāl", vol. 3, p. 6.</ref> Some scholars believe that the presence of heart for some short moments does not yield any benefits and only constant remembrance of God results in intimacy with God and keeping away from temptations.<ref>Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, ''al-Maḥajja al-bayḍāʾ'', vol. 2, p. 383.</ref> Also, according to [[Imam Khomeini]], the key to all sorts of happiness is the presence of heart. He also believed that supplication means seeking and true quest does not happen without the presence of heart.<ref>Ḥaydarzāda, ''Ikhlāṣ wa ḥuḍūr-i qalb'', p. 92.</ref>

== Presence of Heart in Prayer ==

Among the acts of worship, the presence of heart has been emphasized by the scholars of ethics more. They believe that the presence of heart is the spirit of prayer.<ref>Fāṭimī, ''Ganjīna-yi akhlāq'', vol. 1, p. 320.</ref> The presence of heart means that upon prayer, the heart should be busy with prayer and not busy with anything which turns it away from it.<ref>Malikī Tabrīzī, ''Asrār al-ṣalāt'', p. 186.</ref> Some believe that the person who performs prayer is aware about his performance and the phrases he says is enough for the presence of heart.

Some scholars consider the presence of heart among the requirements for the correctness of the prayer and believe that without the presence of heart, the prayer is not accepted.<ref>Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, ''al-Maḥajja al-bayḍāʾ'', vol. 1, p. 570, 572.</ref> However, some scholars of [[fiqh|jurisprudence]] did not consider the presence of heart a requirement of the prayer and some others considered it enough to have the presence of heart upon saying [[Takbirat al-Ihram]].<ref>Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, ''Tarjumat al-ḥaqāʾiq'', p. 436.</ref> According to [[al-'Allama al-Majlisi]], the prayer without the presence of heart saves the person from [[reward and punishment|punishment]], but does not take him to higher levels of perfection.<ref>Majlisī, ''ʿAyn al-ḥayāt'', vol. 1, p. 76.</ref> He believes that the presence of heart follows the person's disposition. The more perfect a person's knowledge and at a higher level of [[certainty]] is, the more his presence of heart would be.<ref>Majlisī, ''ʿAyn al-ḥayāt'', vol. 1, p. 69.</ref> He also believes that reflecting on another act of worship during prayer does not disagree with the presence of heart.<ref>Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 81, p. 281.</ref>

[[Mirza Jawad Aqa Maliki Tabrizi]] mentioned some levels for the presence of heart in the prayer, the highest of which is the person's reflection on the fact that he is standing before God.<ref>Malikī Tabrīzī, ''Asrār al-ṣalāt'', p. 187.</ref> Also, some scholars considered reflection on the [[secrets of the prayer]] (reflection on the truth behind [[takbir]], [[tasbih]], [[tawhid]] and [[taqdis]]), entering the reality within the words into the heart and [[unveiling and intuition]] (revelation or kashf and shuhūd) among other levels of the presence of heart.<ref>Riḍāyī Ādrīyānī, ''Rāhkārhā-yi ḥuḍūr-i qalb dar namāz'', p. 31.</ref> For the presence of heart, [[Mujtaba Tihrani]] too mentioned some levels including knowledge, [[faith]], intuitional and annihilation (fanā){{enote|According to Webster "fanā" is the annihilation (as in Sufism) of the individual human will before the will of God.}} levels.<ref>Tehranī, "Dill faqaṭ jāyigāh-i khudāst", p. 13.</ref>

Mirza Jawad Aqa Maleki Tabrizi considered efforts and will as the factors to achieve the presence of heart and believed that if a person believes that "worshiping is the cause of his happiness", he would make all his efforts to present his heart before God. In his view, the more a person's efforts are, the more his remembrance of God will be.<ref>Malikī Tabrīzī, ''Asrār al-ṣalāt'', p. 302.</ref> [[Feyd Kashani]] believed that the medicine for the presence of heart is repelling temptations and worldly occupations.<ref>Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, ''al-Maḥajja al-bayḍāʾ'', vol. 1, p. 581.</ref> Some believe that acquisition of the presence of heart is easier in the middle of the night than during the day.<ref>Majlisī, ''ʿAyn al-ḥayāt'', vol. 2, p. 152.</ref>

Observing the self<ref>Motahhari, ''Majmūʿa-yi āthār'', vol. 23, p. 615.</ref> is reflection upon the benefits and harms of ignorance,<ref>Miṣbāḥ Yazdī, "Akhlāq wa ʿirfān-i Islāmī", p. 3.</ref> the knowledge of God, keeping away from sins, repelling the love for the world from the heart, controlling the faculty of imagination,<ref>Ḥusaynī, "Rāhkārhā-yi kasb-i ḥuḍūr-i qalb dar namāz", p. 45-47.</ref> reflecting upon the phrases in the prayer, considering every prayer one's last prayer, observing the requirements of the prayer, reflecting upon the [[hereafter]], and making entreaty to the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]]<ref>Riḍāyī Ādrīyānī, "Rāhkārhā-yi ḥuḍūr-i qalb dar namāz", p. 44-79.</ref> have been mentioned as the methods for acquiring the presence of heart.

[[Imam Khomeini]] believed that a person who seeks to achieve [[faith]], needs to first purify his [[intention]] for acquisition of knowledge, truths and worships at the beginning of the way and then, after [[purification]], in hours such as the middle of the night or before the sunrise, having physical purification, tries to recite [[verse]]s of the [[Qur'an]] such as verse 18 of [[Qur'an 59]] (Sura al-Hashr) with the presence of heart.<ref>Mukhtārī, "Nigāhī bi āthār-i akhlāqī-yi Imām Khomeini", vol. 89, p. 4.</ref>

In [[supplication of Abu Hamza al-Thumali]], [[Imam al-Sajjad (a)]] mentioned some of the obstacles of the presence of heart including the rejection by God, undervaluing God's orders, lying even to God, distancing from godly scholars, not having wariness of God and associating with the people of falsehood.<ref>Riḍāyī Ādrīyānī, "Rāhkārhā-yi ḥuḍūr-i qalb dar namāz", p. 173-175.</ref>

According to some people, occupation of the heart, ignorance toward God and indulgence in the world prevent the presence of heart.<ref>Narāqī, ''Miʿrāj al-saʿāda'', p. 853.</ref> [[Mulla Ahmad Naraqi]] mentioned the causes of the occupation of the heart and ignorance as below:

*'''Inner obstacles''': Issues existing in the heart which cause distress, ignorance and lack of focus keep away the person from the presence of heart.<ref>Narāqī, ''Miʿrāj al-saʿāda'', p. 853.</ref>

Also physical obstacles,<ref>Motahhari, ''Majmūʿa-yi āthār'', vol. 22, p. 801.</ref> Satan's temptations, forbidden daily sustenance, daily routine and habits, inappropriateness of the place of prayer and inappropriateness of spiritual conditions<ref>Riḍāyī Ādrīyānī, "Rāhkārhā-yi ḥuḍūr-i qalb dar namāz", p. 139-170.</ref> are considered among the obstacles of the presence of heart.

*ʿAbd Allāhī, Mahdī. 1389 Sh. "ʿAwāmil-i taḥṣīl-i kamāl az manẓar-i ṣadr al-mutʾallihīn." ''Maʿrifat-i Akhlāqī'' 3:95-118.

*Ḥaydarzāda, ʿAbbās. 1391 Sh. "Ikhlāṣ wa ḥuḍūr-i qalb dar duʿā az dīdgāh-i Imām Khomeini." ''Majala-yi Payām'' 110:92-97.  

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