Islamic philosophy Islamic philosophy is philosophy that emerges from the Islamic tradition. Two terms traditionally used in the Islamic world are sometimes translated as philosophy—falsafa (literally: "philosophy"), which refers to philosophy as well as logic, ...

, the qalb ( ar, قلب), or

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as ca ...

, is the origin of intentional activities, the cause behind all humans' intuitive deeds. While the brain handles the physical impressions, ''qalb'' (the heart) is responsible for deep understanding within the sadr (the chest). Heart and brain work together, but it is the heart where true knowledge can be received. In Islamic thought, the heart is not the seat of feelings and emotions, but of '' rūḥ'' ( ar, روح, links=no): the immortal

cognition Cognition refers to "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, though ...

, the

rational soul ''The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature'' is a non-fiction book by C. S. Lewis. It was his last book and deals with medieval cosmology and the Ptolemaic universe. It portrays the medieval conception of a " ...

. Qalb (قَلْب) literally means to turn about. So what is the connection between “turn about” and “the heart”? When something turns about, it does not remain the same and so does our heart. Our feelings and thoughts change all the time and that is why it is called Qalb (قَلْب). In the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...

, the word ''qalb'' is used more than 130 times.

Stages of taming qalb

Qalb also refers to the second among the six purities or Lataif-e-sitta in Sufi philosophy. To attend Tasfiya-e-Qalb, the Salik needs to achieve the following sixteen goals. # Zuhd or abstention from evil # Taqwa or God-consciousness # War' a or attempt to get away from things that are not related to Allah. # Tawakkul or being content with whatever Allah gives # Sabır or patience regarding whatever

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", a ...

Subhanahu wa ta'âlâ does # Şukr or gratefulness for whatever Allah gives #Raza or seeking the happiness of Allah # Khauf or fear of Allah's wrath # Rija or hope of Allah's blessing # Yaqeen or complete faith in Allah #

Ikhlas Al-Ikhlāṣ ( ar, الْإِخْلَاص, "Sincerity"), also known as the Declaration of God's Unity and al-Tawhid ( ar, التوحيد, "Monotheism"), is the 112th chapter (''sūrah'') of the Quran. According to George Sale, this chapter is ...

or purity of intention # Sidq or bearing the truth of Allah # Muraqabah or total focus on Allah # Khulq or humbleness for Allah #

Dhikr ''Dhikr'' ( ar, ذِكْر}, , also spelled ''Zikr'', ''Thikr'', ''Zekr'', or ''Zikar'', literally meaning "remembrance, reminder" or "mention") is a form of Islamic meditation in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly chanted in order to remem ...

or remembrance of Allah # Khuloot or isolation from everyone except Allah

Stages of taming qalb

References

See also