Hearts of Birds A Path to Paradise
📖Sahih Muslim 2840
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger ﷺ as saying: “There would enter Paradise people whose hearts would be like those of the hearts of birds.”
Description:
This hadith is metaphorical, highlighting the purity, gentleness, trust, and reliance on Allah found in the hearts of certain believers. Like birds that neither hoard wealth nor worry excessively about the future, these people live with sincere tawakkul (reliance upon Allah), humility, and innocence. Their hearts are free from malice, pride, arrogance, and hatred — characteristics that block people from Paradise.
How to Be Like Them:
- Trust Allah completely in all matter, like a bird that flies out every morning not knowing what it will eat.
- Avoid arrogance, envy, grudges, and other spiritual diseases.
- Keep your heart soft, quick to forgive, quick to return to Allah.
- Live simply, and avoid greed and obsession with worldly gains.
A Warning About Misunderstanding This Hadith:
Many people may commit sins, even major sins – and assume that just saying “sorry” is enough. While Allah’s mercy is vast, major sins require proper repentance and sometimes worldly punishment or reconciliation.
For example:
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Murder, theft, or fornication are not excused by mere verbal regret.
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They may require punishment in this world, or seeking forgiveness from the victims or their families, not some priest, church, or “Vatican” authority.
In Islam, no priest, imam, or scholar can “forgive” you on behalf of Allah. Forgiveness comes directly from Him, if you are sincere and fulfill the proper steps of Tawbah (repentance):
- Stop the sin.
- Feel genuine regret.
- Ask Allah sincerely for forgiveness.
- Fix the damage (if others were harmed).
Quranic Context:
📖Quran 39:53
Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
📖Quran 4:17
Allah only accepts the repentance of those who do evil ignorantly or carelessly and then repent soon after. It is they to whom Allah will turn in forgiveness. And Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.
📖Quran 4:18
But repentance is not accepted from those who continue to do evil until death comes to one of them and he says, “Indeed, I repent now,” nor for those who die while they were disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment.