قسوة ← لين
From Hardness to Softness
Hardness → Softness
You are here. Allah's guidance reaches you here.
Qur'an
أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ
“Has the time not come for those who believe that their hearts should become humble at the remembrance of Allah and what has been sent down of the truth, and not be like those who were given the Scripture before, for whom the time became prolonged so their hearts became hard? Many of them are defiantly disobedient.”
Sūrat al-Ḥadīd (57:16)
Personal Reflection
Hearts rarely become hard all at once. More often, they become quiet. A verse that once moved us no longer lingers. A reminder passes by unnoticed. We continue praying, reading, and living... yet something within us feels less responsive than before. Then Allah asks a question that is both gentle and deeply personal: "Has the time not come...?" It is not a question meant to shame us. It is an invitation to return. The heart was created to soften at the remembrance of Allah. No matter how long it has felt distant, distracted, or weighed down, Allah's words still have the power to awaken it.
This is the author's own contemplation. It is not tafsīr.
Insight from Tafsīr al-Mīzān
Allamah Tabataba'i explains that this verse is addressed to believers, reminding us that faith is not something to possess once, but something that must continually be renewed.
The humility (khushūʿ) of the heart is its natural response to the remembrance of Allah and His revelation. When the heart remains connected to Divine truth, it becomes receptive, humble, and alive.
The verse also warns against allowing long periods of heedlessness to pass, for a heart that repeatedly turns away from Allah's remembrance can gradually become hardened. This hardening is not sudden, but the result of neglect over time.
Allah's question, "Has the time not come...?", is therefore not a condemnation, but a merciful invitation to let the heart soften once again through His remembrance.
Tafsīr al-Mīzān, commentary on Sūrat al-Ḥadīd (57:16)
almizan.orgGuidance from the Ahlulbayt
“There is nothing that corrupts the heart like sin. The heart continues committing sin until it overcomes it, and then its upper side becomes its lower side.”
— Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him)
Al-Kāfī, Volume 2, Book of Faith and Disbelief, Chapter Sins, Hadith 20 · https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/2/1/39/20
Du'a
رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي ۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ
“My Lord, make me one who establishes prayer, and from my descendants. Our Lord, accept my supplication.”
Sūrat Ibrāhīm (14:40)
One step forward
Before your next prayer today, pause for a few moments. Ask Allah to soften your heart before you begin. Then pray with the intention of listening to His words, not simply reciting them.
Journal Reflection
When was the last time my heart was deeply moved by the remembrance of Allah... and what helped bring it back to life?
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