Today's lecture focused on how to diagnose the condition of the heart and how to cure and safeguard it from disease.

Dr. Ghazala Qadri explains the process of Tazkiya as purifying your inner self, working to attain the Qalb ul Saleem (a pure heart) while moving away from the Qalb ul Mareez (a diseased heart).

She states that each one of us has the power to choose between good and evil and the acts we perform. One of the biggest threats to having a pure heart is Shaytaan and his promise of leading people astray. Shaytaan especially tempts those who are on the right path, particularly those who are not grateful to Allah SWT.

Dr. Ghazala Qadri mentioned that Shaytaan is attacking us from every angle, including the usage of social media. We need to become aware of new risks and understand all types of attacks that are being thrown our way.

She reminded the sisters that we must live in this world; however, we must not let the world live within our hearts. We must live as travelers and understand the true reality of the impermanence of this world.

If you don't have Sabr (patience), you won't have Shukr (gratefulness), and if you don't have Shukr, you cannot create the environment required for a purer inner self.

Dr. Ghazala Qadri also explained the classification of different types of thoughts derived from a Hadith: negative thoughts from Shaytaan and positive groups of thought from the effects of Angels.

There are 10 stages of a thought entering the mind and becoming an intention. When you get a bad thought, a window of your heart opens. If you are not vigilant, it can influence you. If the bad thought is not negated straight away, the Nafs will know there is a weakness, and it will develop. This is likened to how social media feeds can work to influence and leave footprints in our mind, becoming more powerful.

Dr. Ghazala stressed to participants to become guardians of their hearts and to do Muhasiba (accountability) for themselves. You must do whatever act is needed to eradicate bad thoughts as soon as you can, whether that is online or offline. This is the true process of Tazkiya.