() is an Arabic-Islamic term alluding to , meaning 'sanctification' or 'purification of the self'. This refers to the process of transforming the (carnal self or desires) from its state of self-centrality through various spiritual stages towards the level of purity and submission to the will of God.Tazkiyah: Purification of the Soul Its basis is in learning the shariah (Islamic religious law) and deeds from the known authentic (traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad) and applying these to one's own life, resulting in spiritual awareness of God (being constantly aware of his presence, knowledge omniscience, along with being in constant remembrance or of him in thoughts and actions). is considered the highest level of (religious social responsibility), one of the three dimensions of Islam. The person who purifies themself is called a ().
, along with the related concepts of (self-development) and (training and education) does not limit itself to the conscious learning process. It is rather the task of giving form to the act of righteous living itself: treating every moment of life with remembering one's position in front of God.
Etymology originally referred to pruning a plant—to remove what is harmful to its growth. When the term is applied to the human personality, it means to beautify it and remove from it all evil traces and spiritual diseases that are obstacles to experiencing God.Maulana Fazlur Rahman Ansari, Knowledge and the Self In Islam, the ultimate objective of the religion and shariah (Islamic law), and the real purpose of raising prophets from among mankind, is performing and teaching .Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-r-Qur'an: Tafsir of Surah Al-Fatiha and Surah Al-Baqara
The term encompasses two meanings: one is to cleanse and purify from adulterants, while the other is to improve and develop towards the height of perfection. Technically, it conveys the sense of checking oneself for erroneous tendencies and beliefs, turning them to the path of virtue and piety (fear of God's displeasure), and developing them to attain the stage of perfection.
The word (alms tax) comes from the same Arabic verbal root, since purifies an individual's wealth by recognition of God’s right over a portion of it.Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Purification of the Soul, p. 2 It finds its origin in the Quranic command to: "Take (charity) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it" (). Other similarly used words to the term are ('reform of the heart'), ('beautification'), ('purification'), ('purity'), ('pure/safe/undamaged heart') and lastly, (Sufism), which is an ideology rather than a term, mostly misinterpreted as the idea of sanctification in Islam.
In scripture In Quran The word is used in many places in the Qur'an. It is used 18 times in 15 verses of 11 ; in verses 129, 151, 174 of , in verses 77 and 164 of , the verse of 49, verse 103 of , verse 76 of , in the second verse of , verses 3 and 7 of , in verse 14 of , verse 9 of and in verse 18 of .
In hadith The word is also found in a few hadith, also meaning to purify and sanctify.
Importance
Anas Karzoon said : "is the purification of the soul from inclination towards evils and sins, and the development of its towards goodness, which leads to its uprightness and its reaching ."Karzoon (Vol.1 p.12)
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi said in his "Tarikh" on the authority of Jabir that Muhammad returned from one of his campaigns and told his companions: "You have come forth in the best way of coming forth: you have come from the smaller jihad to the greater jihad." They said: "And what is the greater ?" He replied: "The striving () of Allah's servants against their idle desires."A. Schimmel, The Mystical Dimensions of Islam, p. 112
Process The initial awakening to purification refers to recognition that the spiritual search is more important and meaningful than our previously valued worldly goods and ambitions. The process of starts with "Verily deeds are according to intentions" and ends with the station of perfect character, , "Worship Him as though you see Him", the reference being to the first hadith in Sahih Bukhari and the oft-referred hadith famously known as the hadith of Gibril in Sahih Muslim.Al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Qadar, 11/499 is the highest level of that the seeker can develop through their quest for reality. This is referred to as ; the reality of certainty and knowing that it brings true understanding and leads to , the true faith of witnessing the signs of Allah's Oneness everywhere. The only higher level of realization is . At this station of perfection, the seeker realizes that Allah is observing them at every moment.Akbar Husain, Horizons of Spiritual Psychology
Saudi cleric Khalid Bin Abdullah al-Musleh listed seven obstacles in the way of in his book (reforming the hearts):
Rejecting and following Obeying the instinct and ego () Doubt Negligence ()
Ha also listed eight ways to maintain :
Reading the Quran Loving Allah Doing and Supplicate () for and purify Remembering afterlife () Reading the biographies of the Company of good, honest and pious people
Maintaining the Professor A.J. Arberry, in his Sufism said: "the is a stage of spiritual attainment on the pilgrim's progress to God, which is the result of the mystic's personal efforts and endeavor, whereas the is a spiritual mood depending not upon the mystic but upon God." The Muslim philosopher Abd al-Karīm ibn Hawāzin al-Qushayri ( 986 Nishapur, Iran, 1074) summarized the difference between the two concepts in his , where he maintained that, "states are gifts, the stations are earnings."George F. McLean, Deliverance from error and mystical union with the Almighty
is a continuous process of purification to maintain spiritual health.Abdur-Rashid Siddiqui, Tazkiyah: Self Purification and Development Similar to the process of maintaining physical health, any lapse in the regimen can cause one to lose their previous gains, and thus caution must always be used to not deviate from the path. Regarding this, it has been related that Imam Muhammad al-Busayri asked Shaykh Abul-Hasan 'Ali ibn Ja'far al-Kharqani ( 1033) about the major seventeen negative psychological traits or (impediments) which the must avoid in their struggle towards purification. If the does not rigorously abstain from these aspects, their efforts will be wasted. Known as (the ruinous traits), they are also referred to as the Tree of Bad Manners:Muhammad Hisham Kabbani (2006), Sufi Science of Self-Realization: Guide to the Seventeen Ruinous Traits, Ten Steps to Discipleship, and Six Realities of the Heart, Fons Vitae of Kentucky
Stages of (inner-self) There are three principal stations of or human consciousness that are specifically mentioned in the Qur'an. They are stages in the process of development, refinement and mastery of the .I. Shah, The Sufis, Octagon Press 2001 : unruly animal self or soul that dictates evil. : struggling moral self or self-reproaching soul. : satisfied soul or the composed God realized self.Muhammad Kabbani, Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition: Daily Practices and Devotions
The animal () The Sufi's journey begins with the challenge of freeing oneself from the influence of Shaytan and the . Al-Kashani defines it as follows: the commanding soul is that which leans towards the bodily nature () and commands one to sensual pleasures and lusts and pulls the heart () in a downward direction. It is the resting place of evil and the source of blameworthy morals and bad actions.Istilāhāt al-sufiyya, pp. 77–8 In its primitive stage the incites mankind to commit evil: this is the as the lower self or the base instincts.A. Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions of Islam In the eponymous of the Qur'an, the prophet Yusef says "And I do not seek to free myself from blame, for indeed the soul is ever inclined to evil, except those shown mercy by my Lord." (Q ) Here he is explaining the circumstances in which he came to be falsely imprisoned for the supposed seduction of Zuleikā, the wife of the King's minister (ʻAzīz).
The reproachful () If the soul undertakes this struggle it then becomes (reproachful soul): this is the stage where "the conscience is awakened and the self accuses one for listening to one's selfish mind. The original reference to this state is in :
The sense of the Arabic word is that of resisting wrongdoing and asking God's forgiveness after becoming conscious of wrongdoing. At this stage, one begins to understand the negative effects of a habitual self-centered approach to the world, even though they do not yet have the ability to change. One's misdeeds now begin to become repellent to them, and one enters a cycle of erring, regretting mistakes, and then erring again.Robert Frager, Sufi Psychology of Growth, Balance and Harmony
Tree of good manners – good character – truthfulness
Tree of bad manners al-ghadab – anger: considered the worst of all the negative traits. It may easily be said that anger is the source from which the others flow. The Prophet states in a hadith: "Anger (ghadab) blemishes one's belief." Controlling anger is called kāzm. al-hiqd – malice or having ill-will toward others; grows from lusting for what someone else has. You must replace hiqd with kindness and look upon your brother with love. There is a tradition that says "give gifts to one another, for gifts take away malice." al hasad – jealousy or envy; a person inflicted with this disease wants others to lose blessings bestowed on them by Allah. al-'ujb – vanity or having pride because of an action, possession, quality or relationship. al-bukhl – stinginess: The cause of bukhl is love of the world, if you did not love it, then giving it up would be easy. To cure the disease of miserliness, one must force oneself to be generous, even if such generosity is artificial; this must be continued until generosity becomes second nature. al-tama – greed: excessive desire for more than one needs or deserves. Having no limit to what one hoards of possessions! Seeking to fulfill worldly pleasures through forbidden means is called tama’. The opposite of tama’ is called tafwiz, which means striving to obtain permissible and beneficial things and expecting that Allah will let you have them. al-jubn – cowardice: the necessary amount of anger (ghadab) or treating harshly is called bravery (shajā'at). Anger which is less than the necessary amount is called cowardice (junb). Imam Shafi says, "a person who acts cowardly in a situation which demands bravery resembles an ass." A coward would not be able to show ghayrat for his wife or relatives when the situation requires it. He would not be able to protect them and thus will suffer oppression (zulm) and depreciation (ziliat). al-batalah – indolence or Sloth (deadly sin): batalah is inactivity resulting from a dislike of work. al-riya’ – ostentation or showing off: riya’ means to present something in a manner opposite to its true nature. In short, it means pretension, i.e., a person's performing deeds for the next world to impress the idea on others that he is really a pious person with earnest desire of the akhirah while in fact he wants to attain worldly desires. al-hirsh – attachment and love for the material world, such as desiring wealth and a long life. al-'azamah – superiority or claiming greatness: the cure is to humble oneself before Allah. al-ghabawah wa 'l-kasalah – heedlessness and laziness; "the heart needs nourishment, and heedlessness starves the spiritual heart."Shaykh Muhammad Maulud, Alchemy of the Heart, Translated by Hamza Yusuf al-hamm – anxiety: this develops from heedlessness. The seeker must first understand that Allah is al-Razzaq (the Provider), and submit and be content with the will of Allah.