Aḍ-Ḍaghāʾin · Settled Grudges in the Heart

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

وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِى صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ وَقَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى هَدَىٰنَا لِهَـٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِىَ لَوْلَآ أَنْ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ ۖ لَقَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَنُودُوٓا۟ أَن تِلْكُمُ ٱلْجَنَّةُ أُورِثْتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

“And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment,¹ [while] flowing beneath them are rivers. And they will say, "Praise to Allāh, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allāh had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with the truth." And they will be called, "This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do."”

7:43Listen Read 7:43 with tafsir

Svenska: Vi skall rensa bort ur deras hjärtan [alla rester av gammalt] agg. Medan bäckar porlar framför deras fötter, skall de höja sin röst [i bön]: "Vi lovar och prisar Gud som har fört oss hit! Utan Guds vägledning skulle Vi inte ha funnit vägen. Vår Herres sändebud gav oss sanningen." Och [änglarna] skall säga: "Detta är paradiset, arvet som har tillfallit er [som lön] för era handlingar."

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.