This is the third article in a series entitled “Under the Throne of Allah: Dua and Dhikr.”
There can be seasons in life when, outwardly, you may be doing everything “right.” You’re praying five times a day, reciting your morning and evening adhkār, and perhaps even rising for tahajjud. Yet, despite this consistency, you don’t feel the inner sweetness of iman your heart longs for.
This gap between practice and experience often comes from our heart’s inner blockages we avoid confronting, including fear, unresolved pain, pride, grudges, or even simple heedlessness. All of these issues can prevent us from tasting the depth of our worship. That’s why taking time to pause, reflect, and ask ourselves honestly, “What is blocking my heart today?” is necessary. Once the question is posed, we must be honest with in our answer if we hope to grow.
When we face these blockages, we begin the work of purification, known as tazkiyah of the nafs. Acknowledging our flaws, shortcomings, and struggles is not a sign of weakness but a true expression of sincerity, which softens the heart, aligns our intentions, and draws us closer to Allah (SWT). Religious rituals are meaningful and essential, but they reach complete fullness when infused with renewed intentionality and mindfulness. Otherwise, what are we truly seeking? What are we truly doing? Are we only going through the motions?
The Healing Power of Dua
Dua is among the most intimate acts of worship and the most effective way to cleanse the heart from forgetfulness, transforming the mundane into remembrance. You could be washing dishes, folding laundry, or any everyday chore and your heart may slip into heedlessness. But the moment you raise your hands, even if for a small request – you reconnect with Allah, and in an intimate moment, you bar yourself to Him and let go of whatever is causing blockages in your heart. Dua acts like a soothing balm on the unseen wounds of the soul, and just as ointment heals a cut, sincere supplication nourishes the heart and restores its vitality. It also recalibrates the heart’s compass back to Allah (SWT) and heals the blockages, reminding us Allah is near, attentive, and constantly shining His mercy on us.
Nourishing Through Dhikr and Tazkiya
Many of us are so careful about what we put inside our bodies, striving to eat clean, healthy foods while staying away from toxins and preservatives. This same level of care should be applied to our hearts. Are we protecting them from fitnah? Are we nourishing our souls with dhikr? Are we properly processing emotions that come up that threaten to impede our spiritual growth? Neglecting this care has the same impact as neglecting a plant; without nourishment, it will die. Proper purification means caring for the heart as if it were a plant in a garden; watering it, tending to it, ensuring there are no pests or bugs that harm it, and providing the right environment for it to grow. Our hearts are like that plant. We should tend to the it with dhikr, reflection, dua, and sincere intention.
When we treat our hearts as something tangible, worthy of care and protection, we begin to see that spiritual purification is not abstract, rather it is as real and necessary as eating well, resting, or keeping our bodies clean or our plants alive. This is true nourishment.
When we remember Allah (SWT), not only are we nourished but also our heart blockages are removed. The pain, the guilt, and frustration we feel, we give it to Allah to heal. However, sitting with our emotions, free from judgment, and ultimately moving through them, stems from remembering Allah. Being with Allah in everything we do and doing it for His sake is the mindset of “with Allah” that comes when we remember Him. This remembrance of His beautiful names will help to melt away whatever heart blockages our keeping us from attainting the spiritual closeness we desire with the Lord.
Returning to Presence
Over the course of our lives, we will inevitably experience frustration, conflict, worries, and stressors. We were not meant to have a perfect life, but we were meant to perfect our characters, values, morals, and mindset. When our hearts are centered with Allah, these moments of weakness can’t define us. Instead, we define them as opportunities to return to Allah, to seek His aid, and to refresh our connection and recalibrate our hearts. We view the struggle through the lens of taqwa and tawakkul, using these moments to cleanse our hearts, turn to Allah, remember Him, and make dua to Him.
We should not let the worries of tomorrow keep us up at night, nor should the regrets of yesterday weigh us down. We must choose thankfulness for our blessing and remember that no fear, despair, or grudge should keep us from accessing the mercy and compassion Allah bestows on us.
Closeness to Allah is gained through actions we take to draw near to Him such as behaving with intention, being mindful, not listening to the nafsani waswas, and letting go of things which hold us back. We do the inward work of sincerity, purification, and remembrance. Truly, the more we purify our intentions, the more our worship becomes a source of nourishment that reconnects our hearts back to the Creator.
I leave you with the same ayah that has been the foundation of this series, Ayah 28 of Surah Ar-Ra’d: “Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find contentment.”
