Al-Tazkiyah (Inner-Self Purification)

Allah (SWT) said:

“And whoever purifies himself does so for the benefit of his soul; and the destination (of all) is to
Allah.”

(Al-Fatir: 18)

Introduction
Allah (SWT) created man from three elements: mind, body and spirit. The most noble of these three
elements is the spirit which is a hidden secret from Allah, “They question you about the Spirit. Say, 'The
Spirit is at my Lord's command, and you have been granted but little knowledge.'" (Al-Isra: 85). Allah
gave us a religion fit for all these three elements; Islam for the body, faith for the mind and excellence
for the spirit. Hence, a full integration is essential between these three elements so as to have an
“aligned” human being and this alignment can never be achieved except through achieving balance
between all three elements. This alignment and balance is the only way to help us walk in a straight line
(which is the shortest distance between two points) and with this humanity can be set straight. If we
become inclined to one element more than the others we instantly become unaligned and we fall out of
balance. Al Tazkiyah, the purification of the heart and soul is the most important and crucial element of
these three without which a Muslim can never be complete. The object of this Islamic fundament is the
cultivation of the conscious and character of people, spirituality and morality. The traits of compassion,
mercy, generosity, piousness, trustworthiness and more are consequential of tazkiyah and purified
hearts.

The concept of self-purification

Lexically, the Arabic word `tazkiyah' means purification and development—of anything—to the level of
perfection. As a Quranic term, it expresses a way of ridding ourselves of flawed tendencies and leanings
as well as providing one with the means to attain piety and to help our souls develop to become as
perfect as humanly possible. Idiomatically it can be summarized just the way Imam Al-Ghazali put it,

“Complementing the human self through suppressing its baser instincts and releasing its higher
characteristics.”

The Place of al Tazkiyah in the Sight of Allah

Allah swears by self-purification in His Book eleven times and He swears that those who miss it will be
the losers. He says,

“By the sun and its rising brightness"

(Ash-Shams: 1)
The Place of al Tazkiyah in the Sight of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)
Abdullah ibn Mu’awiyah reported: A man said, “What is purification of the soul?” The Messenger of
Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “That one knows Allah Almighty is with him wherever he
is.”

The Place of al Tazkiyah in the Sight of Scholars

Ibn-ul-Qayem, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “The scholars, as different in their methods as they
were, have all agreed that the soul can stand between the heart and reaching Allah, and that no one
will reach Allah unless he vanquishes his soul and wins it over.”

Why do we need self-purification?

Looking quickly at the condition of the Muslims today we realize how badly they need self-purification
and self-building so we could rear ourselves on fearing Allah. Our need for this is ever more pressing
than our need for food, drink and dress for so many reasons:

 First: We are fraught with tests and temptations from every direction. So our need for self-
building and purification is more pressing than the need of the past Muslims because the
corruption in our time is much stronger and tougher than theirs. Also because we have much
less support and help from others!
 Second: Because we have so many incidents of relapses and recidivism even among those
working for Islam. So we must all be careful not to fall into the same fate.
 Third: Because responsibility is subjective and liability is individual. Each one will be held
accountable for what he/she did so we must be ready for this day, “On the Day when every soul
will come disputing for itself…”
 Fourth: We never know what is coming next? Tribulation or empowerment! In both cases we
need to build and purify ourselves so that we could stay steadfast.
 Fifth: Because we need to help others build themselves and those who cannot build themselves
will not be able to help others build themselves.

How to perform self-purification

1. Monotheism
Allah calls it in His Book, “And woe to those who associate others with Allah - Those who do not give
zakat, and in the Hereafter they are disbelievers."

(Al-Fussilat: 6-7)

2. Praying
One of the best acts of worship that help with self-purification. The Prophet (SAWS) told us that
purifying our souls through prayer is just like purifying our bodies with water. Abu-Huraira narrated that
the Prophet said, “Imagine that there was a river at your doorstep and that you bathed in it five times
a day, would that leave any dirt in your body?” They answered, “No, nothing at all!” So he said, “This
is exactly like the prayers you perform five times a day. They wash out your sins the very same way.”
 3. Charity
Allah says, “Take alms out of their wealth to cleanse them and purify them, and pray for them; your
prayer will be a comfort to them…" (At-Tawbah: 103). This means that no one can be purified until he
pays the zakat that purifies him and nothing else but the zakat can accomplish this part because the
purification that comes by the zakat can never be accomplished unless we pay it.

4. Abandoning sins and forbidden acts

Ibn-ul-Qayem said, “So the cleansing of hearts hinges on their purity just the same way the cleansing
of bodies hinges on expelling everything corrupted and bad.”

5. Calling Allah
We must call Allah and implore Him to help us purify ourselves. The Prophet (SAWS) used to pray, “O
Allah! Grant me the sense of piety and purify my soul as You are the Best to purify it. You are its
Guardian and its Protecting Friend.”