Would You Purify Yourself ?

In today's world spare or free time is rare because time passes quickly, the amount of things being sought after have increased, the hearts of the humans have hardened, the availability of knowledge is abundant, but its practice and applicationis almost extinct.

Over the 1400 years, volumes and volumes of Islaamic books have been written and published, yet we find a great deficiency in the Muslim Ummah. There still exists an emptiness which needs to be filled.

Amongst the Muslims who seek the knowledge of Islaam, many busy themselves with the knowledge that is Fard Kefayah (i.e. obligatory on the community and not on every single individual) and neglect the knowledge tha is Fard 'Ayn (i.e. obligatory on every single Muslim).

Many Muslims learn Islaam academically to give Islaamic verdicts to the people, neglecting the internal prerequisite purification of the heart and soul.

Knowledge becomes present in the minds of the people, but its application is rarely seen. For how can one act upon his knowledge properly if the heart and soul has not been purified ?

Every individual needs to exert himself to purify his heart and soul. For this matter was even stressed by Moosa (s) when he said to Fir'awn, "Would you purify yourself?" [Soorat An-Naazi'aat 79:18].

Allaah said about the Messenger of Allaah , "He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His Aayaat, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and Al-Hikmah" (As-Sunnah). [Soorat Al-Jumu'ah 62:2].

Tazkeeyatun-nafs (purification of the soul) is a means to success as Allaah says,
"Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself" [Soorat Ash-Shams 91:9].

It is also a means to Paradise as Allaah says, "Everlasting Gardens under which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever: such is the reward of those who purify themselves(by abstaining from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allaah has forbidden and by doing all that which Allaah has ordained)" [Soorat Ta-Ha 20:76].

Tazkeeyah linguistically means: purification, enrichment, or increase. However, its meaning in the Islaamic context is: the correction and purification of the soul through beneficial knowledge, righteous actions, by doing those actions commanded by Allaah and His Messenger, and abandoning those actions which we were warned about by Allaah and His Messenger [see Mu'alam Fee Sulook Wa Tazkeetun-Nufoos, Abdulazeez ibn Muhammad p.57].

Know that tazkeeyatun-nafs is to be done according to the legislation of Islaam. There is no way of purifying the soul execpt by the way of the Messengers of Allaah.

Tazkeeyatun-nafs is one of the levels of Ihsaan ( the highest position in the Deen: that you worship Allaah as if though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then surely He sees you.[Saheeh Muslim #1].

This was described by the Messenger of Allaah when a man asked him, "What is Tazkeeyatun-nafs ?" So the Prophet said, "That one knows that Allaah, the Magnificent and the Most Sublime, is with him wherever he is (Allaah always sees him, hears him etc) [Collected by At-Tabranee in Al-Mu'jam As-Sagheer 1/201, Bayhaqee in the Sunan 4/95- declared Saheeh by Shaykh Al-Albanee in Saheehah #1046].

There are many ways in the Shariah to purify the soul, however, two main ways will be briefly mentioned: Tazkeeyah through Taweed and Tazkeeyah through Salaah.

TAZKEEYATUN-NAFS THROUGH TAWHEED



Allaah, the Most High, says: "Those who give not the zakaat and they are disbelievers in the hereafter" [Soorat Al-Fussilat 41:7].

Many of the Mufasiroon (commentators of Qur'aan) have stated that zakaat in the above ayaah means: Tawheed, the testification to none being worthy of worship except Allaah, and Imaan by which the heart is purified. For surely it (tawheed) necessitates the negation, from the heart, of all forms of worship that is other than the truth and in that is the purification of the heart and the affirmation of Divinity only for Allaah, the One Who is free from all defects. This is the basis and origin for every purification and enrichment[see Majmooa' Al-Fataawa of Ibn Taymeeyah 10/633].

Tawheed purifies the heart and the soul while its opposite, Shirk, corrupts and pollutes the heart and the soul. Allaah has ascribed filth and impurity to the Mushrikeen: "O you who believe! Verily, the Mushrikoon are impure" [Soorat At-Tawba 9:28].

Through Tawheed an indiviual receives the reward for a righteous action and is blessed due to it. If an action is done with Ikhlaas, only for the pleasure of Allaah, in the manner commanded by Allaah, then the doer will receive the reward from Allaah.

However, if one does an action out of Shirk then it is not accepted by Allaah. Allaah has said "Set not up with Allaah any Ilah (god) or you will sit down reproved, forshaken (in the hell fire) [Soorat Al-Israa 17:22].

Also, if an action is done for other than Allaah or to seek the pleasure of the people then it is not accepted by Allaah.

Therefore, O Slave of Allaah, we should constantly enforce Tawheed in our lives so our hearts and actions may be purified from Shirk, since it is required that our intentions be pure (only for Allaah) before every action.

TAZKEEYATUN-NAFS THROUGH SALAAH



All praises and thanks are for Allaah Who legislated Salaah for the Ummah. For Salaah is a great means of purifying the heart and soul from sins. Allaah, the Most High, said: "Verily, Salaah prevents one from shameful and evil deeds" [Soorat Al-Ankaboot 29:45].

So whoever performs the Salaah properly is the wise one who has benefitted and whoever abandons the Salaah, then upon him is the saying of the Messenger of Allaah, "Between a man and between shirk and kufr there is abandonment of the Salaah" [Muslim #146].

Reflect upon the following texts and its effect on purifying the soul:

a) Aboo Hurayrah (r) heard Allaah's Messenger say, "Do you think that if there was a river at the door of one of you and he bathed in it five times a day, would any dirt remain upon him ? They said: No dirt would remain upon him. He said: That is how it is with the five daily Salaah, through them Allaah washes away the sins" [Al-Bukharee 1/#506, Muslim #1410].

b) The Messenger of Allaah said, "When the worshiper stands up in Salaah all his sins are brought and placed upon his head and shoulders. So whenever he bows and prostrates they fall from him" [Saheehul-Jami #1671].

c) The Prophet said, "The five daily Salaah, and the Jumu'ah to the Jumu'ah are an expiation for what is between them, as long as one is not guilty of major-sins" [Muslim #448]. And Allaah Knows Best.