The 365 · Tazkiyah · Day 58 · Envy
Aḍ-Ḍaghāʾin · Settled Grudges in the Heart
The disease
الضَّغَائِن
Aḍ-Ḍaghāʾin
The story
The Anṣārī of Paradise (Aḥmad 12697, cited Day 53) is the worked example again. ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr observed him and found that his distinguishing practice was that he slept without rancor against any Muslim. The man's secret was the deliberate clearing of the heart before sleep. The discipline is structural: every night before sleep, scan the heart for ḍaghāʾin against specific names; release each one verbally. The morning forgiveness then becomes accessible.
Why it's named first
Aḍ-ḍaghāʾin (singular: ḍaghīnah) is settled rancor or grudges that the heart accumulates against another person. It is distinct from a single moment of anger; it is the residue of accumulated anger that the heart refuses to release. The disease is named in the Quran and explicitly linked to the gates of Paradise. The Prophet ﷺ said that the gates of Paradise are opened on Mondays and Thursdays, and every Muslim is forgiven, except the one who has a ḍaghīnah against his brother; their judgment is delayed. The disease therefore does not just damage the soul; it actively blocks the daily forgiveness Allah offers.
In the Qur'an
Q 7:43: وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِي صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمُ الْأَنْهَارُ. Abdel Haleem: 'We shall remove any bitterness from their hearts; streams will flow at their feet...' The verse describes the people of Paradise: among the first acts done for them is the removal of ghill (bitterness, rancor) from their hearts. The implication: ghill is incompatible with Paradise's interior state. Q 59:10 (cited Day 55) is the believer's prayer against ghill in the heart toward fellow believers.
In the Sunnah
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'The gates of Paradise are opened on Mondays and Thursdays, and every Muslim servant who does not associate anything with Allah is forgiven, except a man who has rancor between himself and his brother. It is said: Wait for these two until they reconcile; wait for these two until they reconcile.' (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2565, narrated by Abū Hurayrah.) The hadith is severe: the daily forgiveness is universal, with one exception: the one with a ḍaghīnah.
The cure
1. Every night, scan the heart for ḍaghāʾin against specific names. Release each one verbally: 'I forgive [name] for [grievance], for the sake of Allah.' 2. Recite Q 59:10 with intention, asking Allah to remove ghill from the heart. 3. If the rancor is too deep to release internally, take operational steps: send a message of reconciliation, give a sadaqah on the person's behalf, ask a third party to mediate. 4. Make the duʿāʾ 'Allāhumma anqi qalbī min al-ghill wa-l-ḥasad' (O Allah, purify my heart of bitterness and envy).
What is at stake
Muslim 2565: the daily forgiveness is delayed for the one with ḍaghīnah. The implication is operational: every Monday and Thursday, the believer with rancor in his heart is bypassed by the divine pardon that other Muslims receive. The accumulation across years is severe.
A du'a for this day
Q 59:10 (full verse, recited at sleep). The duʿāʾ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْقِ قَلْبِي مِنَ الْغِلِّ وَالْحَسَدِ (O Allah, purify my heart of bitterness and envy). The verbal forgiveness practice: غَفَرْتُ لِفُلَانٍ (I have forgiven so-and-so), said before sleep.
The door of mercy
The cure is verbal and daily. The Anṣārī of Paradise practiced this discipline lifelong; the modern Muslim can begin tonight. Within forty days of conscious practice, the heart's accumulated ḍaghāʾin lighten. Mondays and Thursdays then become accessible.
A reflection to carry
Aḍ-ḍaghāʾin are settled grudges: not just momentary anger but consolidated heart-attachments to past harms. The diseased state structurally blocks the heart's reception of mercy and the answering of duʿāʾ.
Read the longer reflection
The Prophet ﷺ described the heart's grudge-state as one that closes the angelic doors of forgiveness on Mondays and Thursdays (Muslim 2565): 'Allah forgives all servants on Monday and Thursday except a man who has enmity with his brother. It is said: leave these two until they reconcile.' The cure: structural heart-cleaning. Each evening, before sleep, ask: is there anyone in my heart against whom I hold a grudge? If yes, work to release it; make duʿāʾ for them; reconcile if possible. The Companions practiced this nightly clearing. The Prophet ﷺ called the heart-cleansing slept upon a paradise-condition.
Sources: Quran, Sahih Muslim, Ahmad. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
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