❀ Correct Interpretation of the Verse “يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ” and the Ruling on Deviant Explanations ❀
In the explanation of the verse:
"وَمَن يُؤْمِنۢ بِاللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ"
(“And whoever believes in Allah – He guides his heart”)
[Surah at-Taghābun: 11],
is it valid to say that “a small house of Allah or a small throne (ʿarsh) forms in a person’s heart”? Kindly provide clarification.
Shaykh Fahd Ansari (ḥafiẓahullāh)
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Salām Bhutvī (رحمه الله), referencing Imām al-Ṭabarī, narrates the saying of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما) in explanation of this verse:
"يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ لِلْيَقِينِ، فَيَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مَا أَصَابَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُخْطِئَهُ، وَمَا أَخْطَأَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَهُ"
“(Allah) guides his heart to certainty (yaqīn), and he understands that whatever afflicted him could never have missed him, and whatever missed him could never have afflicted him.”
[Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: 12/23, Ḥadīth no. 34509]
Similarly, it is narrated by al-Aʿmash from Abū Ẓubyān that:
“We were with ʿAlqamah when this verse was recited and its meaning asked. He said: It refers to the one who, when afflicted by a trial, recognizes it as from Allah, accepts it, and is content with it.”
[Narrated by Ibn Jarīr and Ibn Abī Ḥātim – with an authentic chain]
Such a statement is incorrect and undesirable, because:
✔ It gives the impression of ʿaqīdah ḥulūl – the false belief that Allah resides within His creation, which is a clear deviation from the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah.
✔ Even if the one making the statement does not believe in such a concept, and tries to offer alternative justifications, this terminology resembles the ideologies of ḥulūlīs and waḥdat al-wujūd (pantheistic mystics).
✔ Therefore, such expressions and deviant interpretations must be strictly avoided, as they conflict with the sound and authentic understanding of the pious predecessors (salaf al-ṣāliḥīn).
◈ The correct meaning of “يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ” is that Allah grants certainty and submission in the heart of the believer amidst trials.
◈ Claiming that a “miniature house of Allah” or “small ʿarsh” forms in the heart is baseless, misleading, and closely resembles deviant theological concepts.
◈ Avoiding such phrases and sticking to the interpretations of the righteous predecessors is essential.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
❖ Question:
In the explanation of the verse:
"وَمَن يُؤْمِنۢ بِاللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ"
(“And whoever believes in Allah – He guides his heart”)
[Surah at-Taghābun: 11],
is it valid to say that “a small house of Allah or a small throne (ʿarsh) forms in a person’s heart”? Kindly provide clarification.
❖ Answer by:
Shaykh Fahd Ansari (ḥafiẓahullāh)
❖ Correct Explanation Based on the Salaf
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Salām Bhutvī (رحمه الله), referencing Imām al-Ṭabarī, narrates the saying of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما) in explanation of this verse:
"يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ لِلْيَقِينِ، فَيَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مَا أَصَابَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُخْطِئَهُ، وَمَا أَخْطَأَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَهُ"
“(Allah) guides his heart to certainty (yaqīn), and he understands that whatever afflicted him could never have missed him, and whatever missed him could never have afflicted him.”
[Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: 12/23, Ḥadīth no. 34509]
Similarly, it is narrated by al-Aʿmash from Abū Ẓubyān that:
“We were with ʿAlqamah when this verse was recited and its meaning asked. He said: It refers to the one who, when afflicted by a trial, recognizes it as from Allah, accepts it, and is content with it.”
[Narrated by Ibn Jarīr and Ibn Abī Ḥātim – with an authentic chain]
❖ Ruling on the Statement: “A Small Throne of Allah Forms in the Heart”
Such a statement is incorrect and undesirable, because:
✔ It gives the impression of ʿaqīdah ḥulūl – the false belief that Allah resides within His creation, which is a clear deviation from the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah.
✔ Even if the one making the statement does not believe in such a concept, and tries to offer alternative justifications, this terminology resembles the ideologies of ḥulūlīs and waḥdat al-wujūd (pantheistic mystics).
✔ Therefore, such expressions and deviant interpretations must be strictly avoided, as they conflict with the sound and authentic understanding of the pious predecessors (salaf al-ṣāliḥīn).
❖ Conclusion
◈ The correct meaning of “يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ” is that Allah grants certainty and submission in the heart of the believer amidst trials.
◈ Claiming that a “miniature house of Allah” or “small ʿarsh” forms in the heart is baseless, misleading, and closely resembles deviant theological concepts.
◈ Avoiding such phrases and sticking to the interpretations of the righteous predecessors is essential.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
