What are the causes of the hardness of the heart, and what is the treatment for it?

The questioner : He says: What are the causes of the hardness of the heart and the treatment for it? May you be rewarded.

The Shaykh : The causes of the hardness of the heart are turning away from Allah (Mighty and Majestic), distancing oneself from reciting the Qur'an, and being preoccupied with this world, such that this world becomes the greatest of one's concerns and one does not care about the matters of one's religion. This is because obedience to Allah the Exalted causes the heart to become soft and tender, and to return to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). The cure for this is to turn toward Allah, to repent to Him, to frequently remember Him, to frequently read the Qur'an, and to frequently perform acts of obedience to the extent of one's ability. We ask Allah for us and for our brothers to soften our hearts to His remembrance and to fill them with His obedience. Indeed, He is capable of all things.

The questioner : O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with the best reward for us and for the Muslims.