The Wash Cycles for the Heart
by Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (rahmatullah ‘alayh)
Once, on viewing the Mataf from one of the upper levels of Masjidul Haram, the scene of thousands of people engaged in Tawaf brought to my mind the following analogy:
Seeing thousands of people moving around the Baitullah reminded me of the wash cycles of the washing machine.
Indeed, we find that we can draw parallels between the Tawaf and the work of the washing machine.
The purpose of the washing machine is to wash our clothes clean. We place dirty clothes into the drum of the machine, and we add the detergent, bleach and softener. With a press of the Start button, the drum starts to spin, water pours in, and the machine does its work of extracting the dirt repeatedly until the final rinse.
Once the drum stops, the clothes are taken out, hung up to dry, and when dry, they are ironed —with the result being well-pressed, crease-free, clean clothing.
Tawaf resembles the purpose and work of the washing machine, except that we are not washing dirty clothes; instead, we are washing our hearts —our spiritual hearts
Like how dirty clothes are placed into the washing machine, we put our dirty hearts into the Tawaf —hearts which are stained with all kinds of sins, including the ‘tough’ stains of major sins.
What is not found in this heart? So much has soiled and spoilt our hearts: Pride, Jealousy, Malice, Vanity, Hubbe Dunya, Hubbe Jah, and the deep, dirty stains of lustful gazes, backbiting, and other such evils have blotted our hearts, smeared and blackened them.
Before washing badly stained clothing, a stain remover is used.
Accordingly, we apply to our hearts the stain remover of regret and remorse over our sins and earnest intention that what has passed has indeed passed.
The Hajre Aswad can be likened to the ‘START’ button. The intention of Tawaf and the raising of the hands with ‘Bismillah Allahu Akbar wa- lillahil Hamd’ signify the commencement of the Tawaf. Simultaneously the washing of the heart commences. The detergents of Istighfar, Durud Sharif, and Zikrullah then contribute to the cleansing of the heart.
Just as water gushes into the drum, Allah Ta’ala’s Tajalli, special mercy, and noor cascading onto the Baitullah drench those in Tawaf. These are the ones who are the first to benefit, and they benefit more than all others. Their hearts, too, are soaked with this Noor, similar to how dirty clothes become soaked with water.
The detergent of sincere Istighfar and Taubah wash the heart. The amount of detergent a person needs for washing his clothes depends on the load size. So if our hearts are heavily loaded with sins, then naturally, the demand will be of plenty of Taubah and Istighfar.
If we want our hearts to be white, the bleach of Zikrullah is added to the Tawaf, just as bleach is used when a person wants his white clothes to be as white as possible.
If we want our hearts to be soft, then the softener of Durood Shareef is also released into the washing of our hearts.
Each round of the Baitullah is similar to the wash and rinse the dirty clothing goes through for a good wash. Round and round, each cycle is completed with Istighfar and Taubah, Durud Sharif, Dua and Zikrullah. Together with that Tajalli, the dirt of the heart is extracted until the final rinse and —the 7th round. Now the heart is clean and purified.
If we enter the Tawaf with total concentration on Allah Ta’ala and complete focus on the great privilege of Tawaf of Baitullah – which is, in reality, Tawaf of Rabbul-Bait, then we will experience that beautiful Noor and that Tajalli.
Naturally, for the full benefit of Tawaf, the gaze has to be controlled. If a person has ‘khauf-e-Khuda’ and ‘Azmat’ of Baitullah, he will not raise his glance towards strange women; he will not cast an evil gaze – in the Tawaf and out of Tawaf. If during Tawaf, the person is engaging in lustful gazes and other sins, there will be just an accumulation of darkness and dirt.
Once the heart is washed, it is taken out of the Tawaf – clean, bright, and white. After completing the 2 Rakats of Wajib Salah after Tawaf, the person proceeds to the Multazam, where he places his chest against the wall. That pressing of his chest is akin to pressing and ironing the “creases” of his heart, similar to how clothes are ironed, making them ‘crease-free’.
The tears shed at the Multazam are like droplets of sweet musk which now fragrance that heart. SubhanAllah, what a sparkling heart, emitting the sweetest of scents. Whilst we will sense it – Insha Allah – we will have to thereafter look after this cleanliness and this sparkle.
We have to make sure that we fulfil the rights of Taubah by making amends for our shortcomings in Huququllah (the rights of Allah Ta’ala) and Huququl Ibad (the rights of the servants of Allah Ta’ala). Whatever is outstanding of Salah, Zakah, and fasts will have to be made up for, and whatever is due to people will have to be returned to them, or forgiveness secured from them.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us all the Taufiq of making such Tawafs, which only increase our hearts in purity and whiteness and increase that Qurb (proximity) to the Owner of the House, Aameen.