The Importance of Saying: “O Turner of the hearts, keep my heart firm on your religion”

[Shehzad Sattar]

Anas bin Malik narrated:

كانَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ علَيهِ وسلَّمَ يُكْثِرُ

أن يقولَ : يا مُقلِّبَ القلوبِ ثبِّت قَلبي على دينِكَ ، فقلتُ : يا

رسولَ اللَّهِ ، آمنَّا بِكَ وبما جئتَ بِهِ فَهَل

تخافُ علَينا ؟ قالَ : نعَم ، إنَّ القُلوبَ

بينَ إصبُعَيْنِ مِن أصابعِ اللَّهِ يقلِّبُها كيفَ شاءَ

The Messenger of Allaah -sallalahu alayhe wa sallam – used to say a lot:

يا مُقلِّبَ القُلُوْبِ

ثَبِّت قَلْبِي عَلَى دِيْنِكَ

“O Turner of the hearts, keep my heart firm upon your religion”

So I (Anas) said: O Messenger of Allaah, we have believed in you and believed in everything you have been sent with, so are you afraid for us? He said: “Yes. Indeed the hearts are between two fingers from the fingers of Allaah – He turns them however He wills”

Shaikh Albanee declared this hadeeth to be Saheeh in Saheeh at Tirmidhee (2140)

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The following translated from:

http://www.binbaz.org.sa/mat/12115

Question: The Prophet – sallallahu alayhe wa sallam – used to say: Allahumma Muqallibal-quloob thabbit qalbee ‘alaa deenik (O Allaah, The Turner of the hearts, keep my heart firm on your religion)1. And he said to ‘Aa’ishah (radiallahu anhaa): Indeed the hearts are between the two fingers of The Most Merciful2. What is the correct way to understand this hadeeth?

A (Shaikh Bin Baz): The hadeeth is clear. He – sallallahu alayhe wa sallam – said:

إن القلوب بين أصبعين من أصابع الرحمن يقلبها كيف يشاء

“Indeed the hearts are between two fingers from the fingers of The Most Merciful – He turns them however He wills”3

The meaning is that Allaah – Lofty and Exalted is He – He is the One in Whose Hand is the giving of firmness in (all) the affairs. So the Believer asks his Lord to keep him firm upon faith and keep him firm upon the truth. The hearts turn and they are between two fingers from the fingers of The Most Merciful – this is according to what is befitting to Allaah. It is established that Allaah has fingers in a manner that is befitting to Allaah4

And that Allaah – Lofty and Exalted is He – in His Hand is the ability to change the affairs and turn the hearts however He wills. He turns the heart of this one, so he apostates from his deen5, He turns the heart of this one and he becomes Muslim, and He turns the heart of this one and he falls into sin.

So the hearts are in the hand of Allaah – Lofty and Exalted is He – He is the One Who changes them however He wills – He is The Most High and Free from all deficiencies and defects. The Believer asks his Lord (by saying):

اللَهُمَّ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِيْنِكَ

‘O Allaah, keep my heart firm upon your religion’

(and by saying):

اللَهُمَّ يَا مُقَلِّبَ القُلُوْبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِيْنِكَ

‘O Allaah, O Turner of the hearts, keep my heart firm upon your religion’

(and by saying):

اللَهُمَّ يَا مُصَرِّفَ القُلُوْبِ صَرِّفْ قَلْبِي عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ

“O Allaah, O Turner of the hearts, turn my heart to your obedience”6

(The Believer) asks his Lord for firmness.

And Allaah – Exalted and Lofty is He – is described as having fingers, and He has a hand – Exalted and Lofty is He – in a manner that is befitting to Him – He is The Most High and Free from all deficiencies and defects.

He does not resemble the things He has created – not in the hand, nor the fingers, nor in speech, nor in being pleased, nor in being angry, nor in other than that just as He – Who is The Most High and Free from all deficiencies and defects – said (translated):

“There is nothing like Him, and He is The All-Hearing, The All-Seeing” (42:11)

and He, The Most High, said (translated):

“To Allaah belongs the most beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them.” (7:180)

Footnotes

1 Anas bin Malik narrated it with this wording:


اللهم يا مُقلِّبَ القلوبِ ، ثبِّتْ قلبي على دينِك

Shaikh Albaanee declared it to be saheeh in Saheeh al Adab al Mufrad (527)

2 ‘Aa’isha narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) used to say a lot:

يامُثَبِّتَ القلوبِ ثبِّتْ قلبي على دينِكَ

“O One Who makes the hearts firm, make my heart firm upon your religion”. So I (‘Aa’ishah) said: “O Messenger of Allaah, you make this du’a a lot, are you afraid?” He said: “Yes. Who would keep me safe, O ‘Aa’ishah, while the hearts of the servants are between two fingers from the fingers of The Most Merciful?”

Shaikh Albaanee declared it saheeh in Takhreej Kitaab wa Sunnah (233)

http://dorar.net/enc/hadith (a hadeeth encyclopedia)

3 With the wording:

إنَّ القُلوبَ بينَ إصبُعَيْنِ مِن أصابعِ اللَّهِ يقلِّبُها كيفَ شاءَ

Narrated by Anas bin Malik. Shaikh Albaanee declared it saheeh in Saheeh at-Tirmidhee (2140). There are various authentic and similar wordings for this dua and hadeeth. And Allaah knows best.

http://dorar.net/enc/hadith (a hadeeth encyclopedia)

4 Translator’s note: we don’t say that Allaah’s Face is like the face of anything from His creation, or that His hearing is like the hearing of any of the creation, or that His fingers are like the fingers of any of the creation. While it is established that He has these attributes, we do not know “how” they are – but we do know that they befit His Majesty. And He has said (translated): “There is nothing like Him, and He is The All-Hearing, The All-Seeing” (42:11) And He said (translated): “So put not forward similitudes for Allâh (as there is nothing similar to Him, nor He resembles anything). Truly! Allâh knows and you know not. (An-Nahl 16:74) (translation of that verse taken from: http://www.thenoblequran.com). For an excellent book on the topic of Allaah’s Names and Attributes and what are the correct beliefs regarding them, see here:

https://sughayyirah.wordpress.com/2012/ ... of-allaah/

5 And Allaah is never unjust.

“Verily! Allâh will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allâh).” (13:11)

“This is because of that (evil) which your hands have sent before you. And certainly, Allâh is never unjust to (His) slaves.” (Aali Imran 3:182)

Translation of both verses taken from: http://www.thenoblequran.com

6 With the wording:

اللَّهمَّ مُصرِّفَ القلوبِ صرِّف قلوبَنا على طاعتِكَ

Narrated by Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘Aas, from Saheeh Muslim, Book of al-Qadr (The Book of Divine Decree)

Source: https://sughayyirah.wordpress.com/2013/ ... -religion/