In the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful

What are the causes for attaining hardness of the heart?

By Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-’Uthaymeen may Allah have mercy on him 

Question: What are the causes for attaining hardness of the heart? Is eating and sleeping too much causes for attaining hardness of the heart?

Answer: There are many reasons why the heart becomes hard and from them are:

Turning away from the remembrance of Allah – and many people do this except for a few. You find individuals even in the obligatory prayer who do not remember Allah with attentive hearts. Although they are reciting, bowing, prostrating, glorifying Allah and supplicating – their hearts are heedless of what they are doing. This is a reason for attaining hardness in the heart.

Also from the causes is laughing, amusements, and playing too much with friends and family. As a result, some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) said to the Prophet (peace be upon him), “Surely when we are with you we become so fearful until it is as if we are witnessing the Paradise and Fire, and when we become busied with our families and children we forget.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “The Hour, The Hour.”

From the causes of attaining hardness of the heart is occupying oneself in pursuing the worldly life, preferring it over the Hereafter, and making one’s aim to gather wealth. And there are many other reasons.

When one sees their heart becoming hard then it is required to rush forth in finding the cure before the heart becomes hard like concrete and unable to cure.

The Questioner: Is eating too much food a means of attaining hardness of the heart?

The Shaykh: Perhaps this can be a reason if an individual makes his only care to fill his stomach. And perhaps it is not a reason, sometimes a person can fill themselves up and not find the heart becoming hard.

Source: Silsilah al-Liqaa’aat al-Baab al-Maftooh #76

Translated by: Abu Awzaa’ee AbdusSalaam

الفقير الى الله