The other day, when I have placed the lid over the fragrant candle, it happened that I was sitting right there, and I watched that flame shrink, flicker, and then completely off, which was very obvious to happen as I have cut the oxygen supply by placing the lid over it. SubhanAllah! It reminded me of the qalb, yes of our own heart. The candle did not go out violently, it struggled first, reached for what little air remained, and then simply faded and went off entirely.
And this is exactly what happens when we let ghaflah (heedlessness) creep in, when the Quran Al-Hakeem gets set aside, when dhikr grows numb, the beneficial reminders are no more pursued. Nobody takes the flame away, it is always we placing a lid over it ourselves, slowly, subconsciously or unknowingly, and then wonder why there is no warmth, no fragrance, no light.
The oxygen of our hearts is the remembrance of Allah Al-Khaaliq – The Creator of all that exists, and without it the heart first dims, flickers, and then fades away, entirely diminishing to darkness, it becomes cold and dead.
But the good point is our hearts can be relit again inshaAllah. We Just have to remove the lid of heedlessness and return to Him – ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ (The Acceptor of repentance, The Most Merciful). He is Allah Al-Hayy (The Giver of life). He gives life to barren ardh (land), then why do we think our dead hearts cannot be revived again by Him – ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ?
Holy Quran (13:28)
ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ
“…Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.”