The Nature and Importance of the Heart
The heart, being the spiritual center of a person, is the manifestation place of the Exalted Allah. Bodily purification or worship does not provide true benefit if the heart has not been cleansed of sins and from anything other than (Allah), as Geylani emphasizes: “The heart is like a bird in this body cage and resembles a pearl hidden in a bottle. The important thing is not the cage, but the bird inside.” This highlights that the real value lies not in the body, but in the soul and heart. A person who adorns his exterior with worship while filling his interior with worldly love, pride, and hypocrisy is like someone putting a lock on a ruined house.
Purifying the Heart from Idols and Others
In order to open the inner world to Allah, it is necessary to break all hidden idols in the heart. Excessive love for anyone other than Allah, greed for wealth, ambition for status, and the desire to receive praise from people are like idols occupying the heart. The command “Make your heart a mosque; worship Him there and call upon Allah alone” expresses that the heart must be completely purified and placed at the center of tawhid (the oneness of God). If the heart is filled with worldly fears and expectations, the secrets of the spiritual realm and divine wisdom cannot descend into it.
Inner Awakening and the Secret Station
When the heart is cleansed through repentance from sins and remembrance (dhikr), it begins to see not only the material world but also the spiritual realm (secrets). The servant who leaves worldly desires at the door and offers his secret (sirr) in the presence of Allah becomes a recipient of direct divine inspiration. Such a heart is no longer affected by external chaos; for its sustenance is remembrance of Allah, and its companion is Rahman Himself. This divine balance established between the self (nafs), the heart, and the secret transports the servant beyond the limitations of the material world and brings him into communion with the spiritual bliss of paradise while still living in this world.