Cleansing from the Inside Out

​

Why Quddus Heart?

​

In the Islamic tradition, God is known to have 99 names that reflect His attributes. Among these names are: The Merciful, Healer, All-Knowing, Wise, Forgiver, Just, Gentle, Fair, Giver, Peaceful, and more. The word "Quddus" is also one of His names, meaning the Holy or the Pure. In the Quran, Allah says that the true winner in life is the one who returns to Him with a clean heart, or "qalbun saleem."
 

Should it not then be our goal to rectify the heart, polish it, and make it as pure as possible?   

​​

The outcome of life is not the goal; rather, it is the journey. Is it possible to attain a heart that is absolutely pure?

​

Perhaps.

​​

But maybe reaching perfection is not the purpose. Rather, it's the process of continuously cleansing and renewing the heart, and disciplining the ego.  

​​​​

Oscar Wilde said, "Every sinner has a future and every saint has a past." Often times, the greatest and pure-hearted people are those who have fallen into trouble. Those who have awakened to their faults and made the choice to begin the journey of transformation.

​

That's the significance of our earthly journey. To purify ourselves before returning to heaven. If God wanted perfection, He would never have created humans. Angels are already pure and would have been sufficient. But they have no free will. A human, however, has the ability to surpass the status of an angel only when he or she chooses to exercise that free will and go against human desires. 

​​​​

Every action is simply a thread in the larger web of life to bring us to where we are right now.

​

Life is a journey of long days and short years. We will grow and experience all kinds of changes that make us whole and discover who we are meant to be. In that process is a blend of joy, growth, love, pain, grief, regret, renewal, letting go, resilience, and strength. 

​

If we understand God's attributes and incorporate His names into our life, we will experience transformation. We need to believe in His divine power to transform us, as God appears to us in the reflection that we perceive Him in.

 

Real change is hard and slow. It never happens over night. True transformation begins in the heart by purifying and making it as holy as humanly possibly. In other words, cleansing from the inside out.

​​​

Oh Quddus, give us a pure heart full of peace and calmness. Amen.

​​​

​​​