Hadith: Seek a ruling from your heart

It is reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

Have you come to ask about righteousness?

Ask your own heart!

Righteousness is what calms the soul and reassures the heart. Sin is what troubles the soul and makes your heart restless - even if people give you ruling after ruling (to justify it).

In Arabic:

أَتَيْت  رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ: جِئْتَ تَسْأَلُ عَنْ  الْبِرِّ؟ قُلْت: نَعَمْ فقَالَ: استفت قلبك، الْبِرُّ مَا اطْمَأَنَّتْ  إلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ وَاطْمَأَنَّ إلَيْهِ الْقَلْبُ وَالْإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ  فِي النَّفْسِ وَتَرَدَّدَ فِي الصَّدْرِ وَإِنْ أَفْتَاك النَّاسُ  وَأَفْتَوْك

Notes

This hadith is included in the famous "Forty Hadith" compilation made by the Syrian ascetic, hadith scholar & jurist Muhyi al-Din al-Nawawi (d. 1277). The report is found in many collections, including those of Ibn Abi Shayba, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Darimi and more.

The part about asking your heart literally says to seek a fatwa (religious opinion / ruling) from your heart. The verb is related to other Arabic words like ifta’ (the act of issuing a fatwa) and mufti / muftiya (a person who issues fatwas)

Arabic vocabulary

• birr (بر) – righteousness, piety
• husn (حسن) – goodness, beauty
• khulq (خلق) – character, morals
• ithm (إثم) – offense, sin
• haka (حاك) – to weave, knit
• sadr (صدر) – chest
• karihta (كرهت) – you hate, you don't want
• yattali‘ (يطلع) – they examine, scrutinize
• nafs (نفس) – soul, self
• itma’annat (اطمأنت) – be calm, reassured
• qalb (قلب) – heart
• taraddada (تردد) – feel hesitant, have doubts