Self-purification

THE core of the Islamic faith is purification of the self (tazkiyah nafs), which
means that human beings must keep both their bodies and souls clean, since one
affects the other directly. A pious person is not one who keeps himself dirty and
unkempt, unaware of his surroundings, dress and bodily needs. In fact, cleanliness
and the concept of purity of both body and nafs has been ingrained in the Muslim
psyche, through instructions of the Quran and ahadith of the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) and his practices (Sunnah).
According to scholar Amin Ehsan Islahi, the ultimate objective of religion and
Sharia and the real purpose of sending prophets was performing and teaching
tazkiyah. It is within the nature (fitrah) of humans that they must keep themselves
physically clean, and in Islam, this cleanliness takes the form of a) ritual washing
or ablutions at the time of prayer; b) keeping the body, clothing and surroundings
clean and c) removing any dirt or grime from the body.
Bodily cleanliness is so significant in Islam that washing or rubbing with clean
stone or dust (tayammum) is compulsory for prayers if no water is available. The
Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said: “Allah is pure and likes purity; He is
clean and likes cleanliness; He is generous and likes generosity; He is hospitable
and loves hospitality, so clean your courtyards.” (Tirmidhi).

We must take practical steps to purify ourselves.

But while dirt and grime is visible and easily removed, it is less obvious for one to
observe the spots on one’s nafs. The word is used in the Quran in the meaning of
desires, attributes, feelings, emotions leading to actions. These exist also within
beasts, such as anger, carnal desire, hunger and thirst.
When human beings submit to their desires without putting any limits or
boundaries, they are using their nafs-i-ammarra. God has given humans the
capacity to do wrong and commit sins as well as to distinguish between right and
wrong and correct themselves. As it is stated in the Quran: “By the soul, and the
proportion and order given to it; And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right
— Truly he succeeds that purifies it, And he fails that corrupts it!” (91:7-10).
When one realises that one has committed a sin and regrets and repents, his nafs
begins to purify itself and evolves into the nafs-i-lawammah. The third and the
most desired type of nafs is the nafs-ul-mutmainnah which is the state reached at
which the person and God are satisfied. The Quran says: “(To the righteous soul
will be said:) ‘O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! ‘Come back thou
to thy Lord — well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him!” (89:27-28)
The evolution of the nafs from one of ammara to mutmainnah is the process of
tazkiyah and is entirely within the power of human beings. One should first
determine one’s own weaknesses and strengths to assess where the inclinations for
sins begin. It is important to recognise that there are several actions or feelings that
may be harbingers of sin.
There are many things that we consider as a way of life, and do not think twice
about their relevance to sin or purification. Eating heavy and late dinners
especially at wedding receptions is a common feature of society: think of how
difficult it becomes to wake up for fajr the morning after, let alone the waste of
food which is strictly forbidden.
We post scandalous stories and comments about other people on social media and
delight in reading these without any proof. Every day, we face incidents of traffic
violations on the road. As shopkeepers, accountants, traders, business owners,
agriculturists, professionals etc, we spend most of our waking hours in trying to
come up with ideas to make a quick buck, even at the cost of the rights of others.
We spend endless hours in gossip, not only wasting precious time but also casting
aspersions on others and making allegations about other people about whom we
know little.
If we are conscious of the temporary nature of our existence and believe that we
are answerable to God, we must think of undertaking some practical steps towards
our tazkiyah. This may involve not only daily prayers and fasting, but also reading
the Quran with understanding, contemplating our daily errors at the end of each
day and repenting, restraining ourselves from negative emotions and adopting a
kind and compassionate attitude towards every living being on earth.
Essentially, this also means a simple lifestyle, using resources only to the extent
that we need and giving as much as we can to others. How dirty our nafs would be
otherwise!
The writer is a freelance contributor with an interest in religion.
nikhat_sattar@yahoo.com
Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2017