Treatment of the Rust of the Heart: Qur’an Recitation and Remembrance of Death – Verification and Documentation of Hadith
Taken from: Fatawa ‘Ilmiyyah, Vol. 1 — Principles, Documentation, and Verification of Narrations — Page: 626
❖ Verification of the Hadith Concerning Remembrance of Death
❀ Hadith Text
The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
“Indeed, the heart and the sight become tarnished just as iron becomes rusted when exposed to water.”
It was asked: “O Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم! What removes this rust?”
He said: “To frequently remember death and to recite the Qur’an abundantly.”
(Mishkat al-Masabih, Kitab Fada’il al-Qur’an, Hadith 2168)
A questioner (Muhammad Mohsin Salafi, Karachi) asked for a detailed takhreej (documentation) of this Hadith.
❖ Answer
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد:
① Original Source
This narration is found under Shu’ab al-Iman (Imam al-Bayhaqi), Hadith No. 2014.
② Status of the Chain (Isnad)
The narration is very weak (da‘eef jiddan). Two narrators appear in different chains:
i. Abu Hisham ‘Abd al-Rahim ibn Harun al-Ghassani al-Wasti
- This narrator has been declared a liar (kadhdhāb).
ii. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Abi Rawad
- This narrator is considered very weak (da‘eef jiddan).
③ Mention in Hilyat al-Awliya
In Hilyat al-Awliya (Vol. 8, p. 197), there is a typographical error: Hisham al-Ghassani is mentioned, but it should be ‘Abd al-Rahim ibn Harun al-Wasti.
④ Comment by the Author of of Hilyat al-Awliya
Imam Abu Nu‘aym al-Isbahani clarified:
“It was narrated solely by Abu Hisham, whose real name is ‘Abd al-Rahim ibn Harun al-Wasti.”
This indicates that the narration is single-chain (mutfarid) and cannot be considered strong.
⑤ Supporting Narration
A narration in Sunan al-Tirmidhi (Hadith 2307) reports:
“Abu Huraira said: The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: ‘Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures (death).’”
- This emphasizes remembrance of death but does not mention rust of the heart or Qur’an recitation.
- Hence, it does not fully corroborate the first narration.
⑥ Comment in Taqniḥ al-Ruwat
Taqniḥ al-Ruwat (Vol. 1, p. 56) states:
“This is supported by Abu Huraira’s Hadith in Tirmidhi on the remembrance of death with a good chain (hasan).”
- This is not accurate, because Tirmidhi’s Hadith only encourages remembrance of death, not the full treatment for rusted hearts.
❖ Conclusion
✔ The Hadith in Shu’ab al-Iman is weak to very weak, with one liar and another very weak narrator.
✔ The Hadith in Tirmidhi about death’s remembrance does not confirm the treatment of rusted hearts.
✔ Therefore, the narration stating that the rust of the heart is removed by Qur’an recitation and remembrance of death is not authentic.
ھذا ما عندي، واللہ أعلم بالصواب
(This is what I have in knowledge, and Allah alone knows the correct view.)
