And it is the heart, and in accordance to heart’s level of purity will the knowledge enter, and if its purity increases, then its suitability for accepting knowledge will also increase.
The purity of the heart returns to two major foundations:
(i) One of them: It’s purification from the dirt of doubts, (ii) And the other one: It’s purification from the dirt of desires. And if you feel shy from creation like you looking at the dirt thobe of yours, so be shy from Allah looking at your heart due to the presence of calamities and inflictions, sins and blunders. And in Sahih Muslim is a narration from Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, Allah looks neither at your bodies nor your wealth, rather he looks at your deeds and hearts.”
Knowledge will enter to whoever purifies his heart, and who ever does not purify its dirt, then knowledge will bid him farewell and leave.
Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah rahimahullah said: “It is Haraam (forbidden) for light to enter a heart, whilst in it is something of which Allah hates.”
—Exerpted form Khulasah Ta’dhim al ‘ilm of Shaykh Salih al ‘Usaymee حفظه الله.
(Translated into English by Arshan ibn ‘Umar Ansari
(Translated into English by Arshan ibn ‘Umar Ansari