The Cure for the Hardness of the Heart

Question : May Allah reward you. Honorable Shaykh, may He benefit us with your knowledge. The questioner says: I listen to the verses of Allah in prayer, and I try to be moved and to cry, but I am unable to do so. What is your advice for treating the hardness of hearts, and how do we make our hearts soften for the remembrance of Allah?

Answer : Yes. The treatment for the hardness of the heart is frequent recitation of the Qur'an with reflection. Frequent recitation of the Qur'an with reflection softens the heart. Allah the Exalted said: . In this regard, Ibn 'Abd al-Qawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said, "And maintain the recitation of the Qur'an, for it softens a hard heart, just like a rock." This is the first point. Second, reading about the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), such as Ibn Hisham's biography, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, and Zad al-Ma'ad by Ibn al-Qayyim. For reading the authentic Prophetic biography increases a person's faith, increases the humility of the heart, increases the love for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and increases the knowledge of his methodology (peace and blessings be upon him) in calling to Allah and enlightening the servants of Allah. Third, the path of the righteous Salaf, who were granted knowledge of asceticism, scrupulousness, and desire for the Hereafter, such that when a person reads about it, he is moved by it. And the fourth is being free from attachment to this world, for this world occupies the heart. If the heart attaches itself to it, it dies. Why? Because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: , meaning that wealth is intense. And He said: . So if a person fills his heart with the love of wealth, the heart is like a vessel. It is known that if you fill a vessel with milk, can you pour water into it? Answer: No. If you drink water, the milk comes out. And it increases the fullness of the vessel. If you fill the heart with the love of wealth and attachment to this world, it becomes full of the fear of Allah Mighty and Majestic.
Sometimes you find yourselves having presence of heart, as if you are seeing the Hereafter with your own eyes. And you find humility and love for meeting Allah Mighty and Majestic, and longing for Him Blessed and Exalted is He, is that not so?
And sometimes you lose this, because the heart is between two fingers of the fingers of the Most Merciful Mighty and Majestic, and He turns it however He wills and directs it however He wills. So we ask Allah to keep our hearts firm upon His obedience. Sometimes, when heedlessness takes hold of the heart, a person remembers the taste of the presence of heart and its clarity in that night or that day, and then he returns and is present. The causes are many; this is what came to my mind now from them. So we ask Allah to soften our hearts for His remembrance and to fill them with His obedience.