Purification Of The Heart [PATCHED]
The suffering of the world is spoken in terms of wars, starvation, hatred, competition, and the struggle of the survival of the fittest. However, all of this suffering originates in the human heart. The soundest of hearts was that of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) who, through his purity and singularity of intention, transformed the world. His teachings remain, and the challenge is ours to learn them and transform our hearts, thereby transforming the very world we live in.
Purification of the Heart
The collection of gene expression data from human heart biopsies is important for understanding the cellular mechanisms of arrhythmias and diseases such as cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. Many clinical and basic research laboratories conduct gene expression analysis using RNA from whole cardiac biopsies. This allows for the analysis of global changes in gene expression in areas of the heart, while eliminating the need for more complex and technically difficult single-cell isolation procedures (such as flow cytometry, laser capture microdissection, etc.) that require expensive equipment and specialized training. The abundance of fibroblasts and other cell types in whole biopsies, however, can complicate gene expression analysis and the interpretation of results. Therefore, we have designed a technique to quickly and easily purify cardiac myocytes from whole cardiac biopsies for RNA extraction. Human heart tissue samples were collected, and our purification method was compared with the standard nonpurification method. Cell imaging using acridine orange staining of the purified sample demonstrated that >98% of total RNA was contained within identifiable cardiac myocytes. Real-time RT-PCR was performed comparing nonpurified and purified samples for the expression of troponin T (myocyte marker), vimentin (fibroblast marker), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (smooth muscle marker). Troponin T expression was significantly increased, and vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin were significantly decreased in the purified sample (n = 8; P
This exploration of Islamic spirituality delves into the psychological diseases and cures of the heart. Diseases examined include miserliness, envy, hatred, treachery, rancor, malice, ostentation, arrogance, covetousness, lust, and other afflictions that assail people and often control them. The causes and practical cures of these diseases are discussed, offering a penetrating glimpse into how Islam deals with spiritual and psychological problems and demonstrating how all people can benefit from these teachings.
Wealth is in the heart and poverty is in the heart. Whoever is wealthy in his heart will not be harmed no matter what happens in the world. Whoever is impoverished in his heart will not be satisfied no matter how much he has in the world. Verily, he will only be harmed by the greed of his own soul.
O Allah, bring our hearts together, reconcile between us, guide us to ways of peace, and deliver us from darkness into light. Keep us away from immorality, outwardly and inwardly, and bless us in our hearing, our seeing, our hearts, our spouses, and our children. Accept our repentance, for You alone are the Relenting, the Merciful. Make us grateful for Your blessings, praising and accepting them, and give them to us in full.
O Lord, make me grateful to You, remembering of You, fearful of You, obedient to You, humble to You, penitent and repenting. O Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sin, answer my supplication, establish my proof, direct my tongue, guide my heart, and remove the rancor from my chest.
Verily, when the servant commits a sin, a black mark appears upon his heart. If he abandons the sin, seeks forgiveness, and repents, then his heart will be polished. If he returns to the sin, the blackness will be increased until it overcomes his heart. It is the covering that Allah has mentioned: No, rather a covering is over their hearts from what they have earned. (83:14)
Verily, modesty, abstinence, reticence of the tongue but not the heart, and deeds are all part of faith. They bring gain in the Hereafter and loss in the world: what is gained in the Hereafter is much greater than what is missed in the world.
Whoever is concerned about the world, Allah will disorder his affairs, make poverty appear before his eyes, he will not get anything from the world but what has been decreed for him. Whoever is concerned about the Hereafter, Allah will settle his affairs, make him content in his heart, the world will come to him although he reluctant is for it.
O Allah, place light in my heart and light on my tongue. Place light in my hearing and light in my seeing. Place light behind me and light in front of me. Place light above me and light below me. O Allah, grant me light!
There are four kinds of hearts: a polished heart as shiny as a radiant lamp, a sealed heart with a knot tied around it, a heart that is turned upside down, and a heart that is wrapped. As for the polished heart, it is the heart of the believer and its lamp is the light of faith. The sealed heart is the heart of the unbeliever. The heart that is turned upside down is the heart of a pure hypocrite, for he had knowledge but he denied it. As for the heart that is wrapped, it is the heart that contains both faith and hypocrisy. The parable of faith in this heart is the parable of the herb that is sustained by pure water, and the parable of the hypocrisy in it is the parable of an ulcer that thrives upon puss and blood; whichever of the two is greater will dominate.
This subject will explain the development of Islamic Spirituality from Prophet Muhammads time until now to help students understand the importance and the role of purification of the heart within the discipline of Islamic spirituality. This will provide the opportunity to critically evaluate spiritual orders of the past and the present. The subject will then discuss the common spiritual diseases of the heart, which act as a hindrance to developing a close relationship with God and also negatively impact on ones relationship with others. Diseases such as arrogance, pride, anger, heedlessness and vanity will be explained with their symptoms, causes and implications in ones life, followed by the treatment for each of the diseases. Overall comprehensive treatment of the heart will also be covered. The spiritual diseases will be analysed in the context of the contemporary circumstances.
It has been said by our illustrious predecessors that the intellect lies in the heart [1]. A verse of the Noble Quran states, "In this is a lesson for every man who has a heart or gives ear with full attention" [2]. In a sound tradition, Muhammad stated while pointing his fingers towards the heart, "Verily, God looks not at your bodies nor at your faces but He looks at your hearts" [3].
Consequently, the scholars of Islam wrote countless texts on how to cleanse and purify one's heart from 'spiritual diseases' that may cause one to defy the sacred law, or at least lead one to do so. Purification of the Heart by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is one such book that deals with the Islamic science of tasawwuf. Although this is literally translated as sufism, a more meaningful interpretation would be 'purification'. In fact, one of the great saints of Islam, Sidi Ahmad Zarruq defined Sufism as 'sincerity in turning to Allah' [4]. The book is actually a translation of a poem called "Matharat al-Qulub" (literally 'purification of the hearts') written by Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud, a great scholar from Mauritania.
One may ask what the purpose is of such a book. The author of the original poem felt that society's weakness was due to weakness in the heart. Shaykh Hamza powerfully elaborates, "If we examine the trials and tribulations, wars and other conflicts, every act of injustice all over the earth, we'll find they are rooted in human hearts. Covetousness, the desire to aggress and exploit, the longing to pilfer natural resources, the inordinate love of wealth and position, and other maladies are manifestations of diseases found nowhere but in the heart... So if you want to change our world, do not begin by rectifying the outward" [7].
Does the book fulfil the objectives? It certainly presents all types of feelings and emotions that humankind suffers with to such an extent it would be surprising if one could not find a single chapter relevant to oneself. Having said that, it is an incredibly difficult science to study alone yet this is a perfect introduction. The commentary is excellent and definitely highlights the prevalence of diseased hearts in the modern world, not restricting it to any particular community.
Also included is a short text on the importance of purification in the month of Ramadan and finally a wonderful excerpt from the work of Sidi Ahmad Zarruq to have one reflect for a long time to come. The book is well presented and easy to read. It is also sufficiently 'non-Muslim friendly' in the choice of words and style of language, important because there is no reason why non-Muslims should not benefit from this work. A relevant and necessary book for modern times.
A new method is described that allows the parallel purification of the pyruvate dehydrogenase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complexes from ox heart without the need for prior isolation of mitochondria. All the assayable activity of the 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes in the disrupted tissue is made soluble by the inclusion of non-ionic detergents such as Triton X-100 or Tween-80 in the buffer used for the initial extraction of the enzyme complexes. The yields of the pyruvate dehydrogenase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes are many times greater than those obtained by means of previous methods. In terms of specific catalytic activity, banding pattern on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, sedimentation properties and possession of the regulatory phosphokinase bound to the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, the 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes prepared by the new method closely resemble those described by previous workers. The greatly improved yield of 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes occasioned by the use of Triton X-100 or Tween-80 as solubilizing agent supports the possibility that the bulk of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is associated in some way with the mitochondrial inner membrane and is not free in the mitochondrial matrix space. 041b061a72