How to reform the heart?

Let’s see the methods to reform the heart. First method Look at this world with its impermanence and transitory nature in mind.  This world is the house of the house-less.  The one who loves it is a fool of the first order.  Great kings and emperors whose name awed a major part of the world are lying in what state of terrible helplessness and forlornness. This perfidious world showed them what green pastures and laid them under the earth.  Their thrones, crowns are lying on the ground.  On the kings themselves, a mound of soil has been raised, famous as their grave.  Alas!  This untrustworthy world has fanned away even that mound with its wings of oppression and has rendered them nameless and obscure. Alas, alas!  You must have neither seen such oppression anywhere nor heard of it.  Millions of kings have been destroyed.  Now, there is nobody to even mention them.  If at all, there is someone in their progeny, even they are seen begging at others doors. O heartless world!  Does someone treat ones friends like this, they way you have done?  How many beauties have you laid waste?  Didn’t their glowing beauty entice you to be merciful?  Their unhindered beauty is peeping out from their broken down graves and is making people weep.  On one side, their tresses are piled up.  On the other, ……..  their delicate wrists and each and every joint of the body has been separated from the other and is lying around.  Their delicate body which even flowers would bear hesitatingly because of their own roughness.  Today, they are the food for insects and rodents.  If these people couldn’t do anything to you, why wonder because they weren’t created to combat anyone.  Of course, it is really surprising when you overwhelm great warriors.  Those whose fame extended from one corner of the world to another, those whom a great section of the populace believed in, how they are lying in their graves, broken. What is surprising here is that we understand everything, say everything, hear it, but not even a few moments pass that everything is dissipated.  Then we are the same again and our heedlessness also remains the same.  What can one say about this situation?  Whatever has passed has passed.  Now we should get a hold on ourselves and lovingly rear these thoughts in our heart in such a manner that it is not forgotten even for a single moment. Second method Doing away with the darkness of the base desires and shortcomings and developing a special connection of the heart and soul with Almighty Allah and being blessed with (mystical) knowledge depends on being regular in Dhikr, striving in the path of Almighty Allah and in staying away from the populace.  The advice of Hadhrat Jami (May Allah shower His mercy on him) is also almost similar to this.  He says that Almighty Allah can do anything.  It is proven by experience that becoming the friend (Wali) of almighty Allah is not possible without these 4 things.  If the desire to become a friend of Allah tickles someone’s heart, then that person should put all he/she has got in behind these 4 things.  First is seclusion, which saves one from many sins.  This is the least benefit of this.  The second is silence.  Someone has put this beautifully that we haven’t seen somebody regret with saying something and when we have seen someone in regret, they have regretted saying something.  The third is hunger, i.e. fasting a lot and whenever one eats, to eat less than what is customary. Translation of couplet: You are empty of wisdom because you have filled your stomach right to your nose with food. The fourth is night vigil, i.e. spending the night in worship. Translation of couplet: The treasures of gnosis (Ma’arifah) which Allah Most High gives to Hafiz are because of supplications of the night and recitations (Wazifa) in the last part of the night Eating and sleeping take you away from the station of love.  You will get the closeness of Allah when you forego eating and sleeping too much.  Third method Almighty Allah has concealed three things in three other things. (1) His pleasure is concealed in obeying Him.  Thus, no obedience should be considered insignificant.  It may be Allah Most High will be pleased with that. (2) His displeasure in concealed in His disobedience.  Thus, no disobedience should be considered insignificant.  It may be that the displeasure and wrath of Allah lies in that. (3) He has concealed His friendship in His slaves.  Thus, don’t consider any slave of His as unimportant.  It may be that he/she is the friend of Allah. Fourth method My master, may Allah Most High illuminate his soul and fill his blessed grave with radiance, has told me repeatedly that a disciple should love his/her spiritual mentor (Murshid) with all his heart and with all sincerity. Loving one’s spiritual mentor is one of the conditions of traversing the path to Almighty Allah (Sulook).  The face of the master should be always before the eyes of the disciple.  A master among his disciples is like a Prophet among his Ummah.  This Hadith is in Mirsaad Ul ‘Ibaad and the famous Hadith, “Scholars of my Ummah are like the Prophets of the Nation of Israil” also suggests this.  I even heard from my master that if you see a pauper (Faqeer, a person who depends only on Allah) who is steadfast on following the Shariah……….then consider his company and serving him as a great opportunity and love him sincerely because the Word of Almighty Allah (Koonu Ma’as Sadiqeen) is true.  The company of the pious will have its effect.  For this reason, the Holy Quran and Hadith exhort one to keep good company in moving terms. Translation of a couplet: Sit with the lovers and develop love in oneself.  Those who are not lovers, don’t even approach them. If one is far from the spiritual mentor, no problem.  Having the face of the master in one’s thoughts and being regular in the recitations that he has given will give the pleasure of actual company. To be continued…………. [Excerpted from Gulzaar-e-Auliya by Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan (May Allah shower His mercy on him)]