Ibn Daud - A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine

HARD-HEARTEDNESS
CHAPTER 13
Hard-Heartedness
قَسْوَةُ‏ القَلْب al-Qalb] [Qaswat
The hard heart is that which contains a mixture of harshness and
toughness, a heart that is continually void of submission and a sense of
turning to Allāh in repentance. Possessing a hard heart is in fact the
severest of punishments because one is oblivious to the consequences
of committing sins, and therefore neither repents nor experiences an
ounce of guilt. His immune system, so to speak, shuts down to all other
diseases of the heart. This is why the disbelievers are punished with
having a hard and harsh heart.
The Prophet said, “When a slave (a person) commits a sin (an evil
deed) a black dot appears on his heart. Then if that person gives
up that evil deed (sin), begs Allāh to forgive him, and repents, then
his heart is cleared (from that heart-covering dot); but if he repeats
the evil deed (sin), then that covering is increased till his heart is
completely covered with it. And this is ar-rān that Allāh mentioned (in
the Qur’ān), ‘But no! In fact, their hearts have been stained by all (the
evil) they used to commit!’ [Al-Mu{affifīn 83:14]” [At-Tirmidhī 3334]
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