# Ep. 3: Shaky Foundations | The Faith Revival **Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman **Series:** The Faith Revival **Published:** 2017-05-29 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/sIRputUepWU **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-3-shaky-foundations **Topics:** Allah, Faith ## Description There is a direct correlation between the actions of the tongue with the condition of the heart. If you want to receive faith, you must first settle your heart – and if you wish to settle your heart, you must settle your tongue. ## Transcript **[0:01]** As-Salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuhu. Welcome back to the Faith Revival. So we're talking about how to be able to receive that iman and how to be able to build it. And there's a very interesting concept that we find in the Qur'an and the sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. **[0:16]** Allah mentions, هو الذي أنزل السكينة في قلوب المؤمنين ليزدادوا إيمانا مع إيمانهم That he is the one who sent down tranquility to the hearts of the believers so that their faith can be increased upon increased. Meaning the existing faith can continue to increase. **[0:34]** Now, if you notice in this verse, the scholars point out that it's iman that settles the heart. It's faith that settles the heart. So when the heart is going all over the place and it's inconsistent and it's constantly moving in different places, **[0:49]** Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sends down that faith to settle it. And nothing can settle it and bring it that tranquility except for faith and to really put it at ease. So faith is not supposed to make you erratic. Faith is not supposed to make you unstable. **[1:04]** Faith is supposed to settle you on the inside. Now, there's a hadith from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that connects that settling, that foundation that's required of the heart to be able to receive faith in a very interesting way. He says sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in a hadith that's narrated by Muslim Imam Ahmad, **[1:22]** he said, لا يستقيم إيمان عبد حتى يستقيم قلبه that a person's faith will not settle until their heart settles. So in order for faith to settle, the heart has to settle. But then he says, ولا يستقيم قلبه حتى يستقيم لسانه **[1:39]** and his heart will not be able to settle unless his tongue settles. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is saying if you want your heart to settle and to be able to receive faith, then you need to make sure that your tongue will settle as well. And that's very interesting because typically we don't connect the actions of the tongue with faith in the heart. **[1:59]** But Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim rahimahullah, he said that the tongue to the heart is like a spoon in food. So if it tastes bad, then you know that the entire plate is spoiled. Your tongue is an entrance into your heart. **[2:14]** The way that your tongue speaks shows the condition of your heart. That's why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when he was told about this woman that was abusive to her neighbors, you know that used to be verbally abusive to them, despite the fact that she prayed and fasted extra and she used to, you know, do all of these extra ibadat, **[2:31]** these extra acts of worship, he said, لا خير فيها She has no goodness inside of her. The fact that her tongue is abusive is a sign that her heart is abused. Her heart is void of faith. Therefore, her tongue does not speak in a faithful manner. **[2:46]** And so the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is saying, if you want to work, you've got to work backwards. So من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر Whoever believes in Allah in the last day, whoever has iman, فليقل خير أو ليصمت Speak well or be quiet. Don't say anything if you have nothing positive to say. **[3:03]** And Imam Hassan al-Basri rahimahullah, he said, because a person who sins frequently with the tongue is reckless with the tongue. They're not conscious of Allah when they speak. They're not thinking when they speak. So a person cannot, cannot have a heart that is pure if they're constantly corrupting their heart with the sins of the tongue. **[3:22]** And the tongue is the medium by which most of us constantly commit sin. So if you want to protect your heart, you need to protect your tongue. You cannot have faith settle in your heart if you cannot have your tongue settle with faith. **[3:37]** And this is interesting because I remember when I was reading an article on dental hygiene and how sometimes, you know, if a person has bad dental hygiene, it can lead to some heart disease or some of the buildup in the mouth can actually lead to the corruption of the heart. And you think about that in the spiritual way and what the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is saying to us **[3:56]** that we could be building plaque around the heart and hurting our heart. And Allah will not put iman in a heart that's like that. So you want a very practical way to build your iman? Start with your tongue. When you speak, everything that you say, ask yourself, how is this going to affect my iman? **[4:15]** How is this going to affect my faith? How is this going to affect my heart? And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, أَلَا بِذِكْرِ لَا تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبِ Is it not with the remembrance of Allah, which is with the tongue, that the hearts find tranquility? The heart becomes then a worthy vessel to be able to receive that iman. **[4:33]** Watch your tongue, take account of it, and that's where inshaAllah ta'ala you'll find that faith can settle. May Allah purify our tongues and then purify our hearts and allow iman to settle in our hearts. Allahumma ameen. See you all next time inshaAllah. Asalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. ## Other Episodes in "The Faith Revival" - [Ep. 30: The End of the Journey of Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-30-the-end-of-the-journey-of-faith.md) - [Ep. 29: Yaqeen is Full Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-29-yaqeen-is-full-faith.md) - [Ep. 28: The Ultimate Gift | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-28-the-ultimate-gift.md) - [Ep. 27 Bend Don't Break | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-27-bend-dont-break.md) - [Ep. 26: Friends of Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-26-friends-of-faith.md) - [Ep. 25: Fortress of Faith| The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-25-fortress-of-faith.md) - [Ep. 24: Quran: The Guardian of Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-24-quran-the-guardian-of-faith.md) - [Ep. 23: Unreasonable Goals | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-23-unreasonable-goals.md) - [Ep. 22: Why Do People Leave Faith? | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-22-why-do-people-leave-faith.md) - [Ep 21: They Don't Believe Until... | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-21they-dont-believe-until.md) - [Ep. 20: Sweetness of Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-20-sweetness-of-faith.md) - [Ep. 19: Faith in Hardship | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-19-faith-in-hardship.md) - [Ep. 18: Envy and Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-18-envy-and-faith.md) - [Ep. 17: Poverty Leads to Disbelief | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-17-poverty-leads-to-disbelief.md) - [Ep. 16: Two Hungry Wolves | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-16-two-hungry-wolves.md) - [Ep. 15: The Faith of the Prophets Before | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-15-the-faith-of-the-prophets-before.md) - [Ep. 14: Allah Rewards You for Your Doubts If... | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-14-allah-rewards-you-for-your-doubts-if.md) - [Ep. 13: Guidance After Iman | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-13-guidance-after-iman.md) - [Ep. 12: Omar Was Always In The Zone | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-12-omar-was-always-in-the-zone.md) - [Ep. 11: Remembers His Place in Front of Allah | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-11-remembers-his-place-in-front-of-allah.md) - [Ep. 10: Move Beyond the Catalyst | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-10-move-beyond-the-catalyst.md) - [Ep. 9: Ammar's Heart and Omar's Shirt | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-9-ammars-heart-and-omars-shirt.md) - [Ep. 8: Two Supplications of the Prophet | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-8-two-supplications-of-the-prophet.md) - [Ep. 7: You're No Angel | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-7-youre-no-angel.md) - [Ep. 6: Healthy Fluctuations | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-6-healthy-fluctuations.md) - [Ep. 5: Even If Abu Dharr Doesn’t Like It | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-5-even-if-abu-dharr-doesnt-like-it.md) - [Ep. 4: He is Not a Believer When... | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-4-he-is-not-a-believer-when.md) - [Ep.2: Your Faith Wears Out | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-2-your-faith-wears-out.md) - [Ep. 1: Faith is Refuge | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-1-faith-is-refuge.md)