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Book Review: Purification of the Heart

By Hafiz Mohammed Zahid

A review of 'Purification of the Heart' By Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Signs, symptoms and cures of the spiritual diseases of the heart Translation and Commentary of Imam al-Mawlud's Matahart al-Qulub

They do say 'don't judge a book by its cover', however, in this case, please do. The wonderfully appropriate picture on the cover is just perfect and draws the reader into the book.

In an increasingly image-driven world, where we are led to believe that to look good is to feel good, we resort to extreme measures to change our outward appearances in order to conform to perceived stereo-types. Furthermore, our love of life in this world induces us to hoard wealth and neglect the rights of the poor and the needy. All this in detriment to our poor hearts which become magnets for diseases like vanity, greed, envy and the like.

This book by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf offers an insightful introduction to one of the most ancient of religious concerns: spiritual purification of the heart. It takes the reader through a well-known text from the Muslim tradition, and gives important commentary that is relevant to our day and to people of a variety of religious experiences. It presents a deep analysis on the core of human spirituality, character, and morality.

The text of the book is based on a poem titled 'Matharat al-Qulub', by a great scholar Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud, who mastered all of the Islamic Sciences, including the inward sciences of the soul. The spiritual diseases of the heart addressed in this volume include: miserliness, wantonness, hatred, iniquity, envy, ostentation, vanity, fraud, and more. Imam Mawlud directs his attention to each of these diseases, discusses their causes, and offers cures. His teachings imply that purification is a life-long process, not something that is applied once and then forgotten. Purity of heart never survives a passive relationship. Rather, it requires constant consideration. This book hopes to introduce to readers how that is done.

Each chapter starts with the translation of a portion of the poem covering a particular disease. The writer then proceeds to explain the definition, cause, and treatment of each disease.

Having read many modern non-Islamic books on self-development and confidence-building, I found this book to be refreshingly innovative in suggesting spiritual methods of nourishing one's heart with the remembrance of the almighty and at the same time improving one's self-confidence. Unsurprisingly, it is a highly motivating book, which truly captivates you from the beginning to the end. Once you have read this book, it will stay with you for a long time.

About Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is the founder of the Zaytuna Institute, which is committed to inspiring a traditional understanding and study of the core Islamic sciences. A dynamic speaker, and educated and dedicated da'ee, Hamza Yusuf's methods of conveying traditional Islamic scholarship are gaining wide popularity in the Ummah.