Tazkiyatu’n-Nafs

Many Muslims think that cleanliness only consists of material or external cleaning due to hygiene and self-maintenance affecting what is visible on their physical appearance.

Or one may not show the same care for spiritual cleanliness as one does for material cleanliness.

However, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) wants us to clean our outside as well as inside, and keep it clean at all times.

All of us know the importance our religion attaches to cleanliness. When such a vital subject comes up, almost all of us define Islam as a religion of purity. As a matter of fact, it is stated in the Qur’an, “Allah loves those who purify themselves” (At-Tawbah, 108). In the hadith, “Cleanliness is half of faith” (Muslim, Taharah 1), our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) draws attention to the connection between cleanliness and faith; this connection is once again expressed by our elders with the words “Cleanliness comes from iman.”

Yet many Muslims think that cleaning only consists of material or external cleaning, probably because it is visible. Or, one may not show the same care for spiritual cleanliness as one does for material cleanliness. However, Allah the Exalted wants us to clean our outside as well as inside, and keep it clean at all times.

We can deduce this from the fact that the word “taharah,” which is mentioned in ayahs and hadiths and transferred to our language as “cleanliness,” means both material and spiritual cleanliness. In fact, while all the concepts that meet material cleanliness also mean spiritual cleaning, we can conclude that cleaning our inner world is more important and higher in priority, based on the concept of “tazkiyah” specifically expressing spiritual purification. Moreover, the cleanliness of our outside is only meaningful and valuable if it is a manifestation of the purity inside.

In the Qur’an, it is stated that spiritual purification is “falah,” that is, the possibility of salvation (Al-A'la, 14; Ash-Shams, 9) and reaching Heaven (At-Taha, 76). The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) informed us that “Allah will not look at our images, but at our hearts” (Muslim, Birr, 33). That is why Harith al-Muhasibi (quddisa sirruhu) described it as an “inward obligation” to clean ourselves and purify ourselves from spiritual impurities. “Tazkiyatu’n-Nafs” is the name of this implicit obligation.

The Two Meanings of Tazkiyah

Tazkiyah means both “purifying, cleansing” and “enlightening and blessing.” However, these meanings are not mutually exclusive. As seen in the obligation of zakat, fayd (benefit)and abundance emerge naturally as a result of the cleansing that zakat brings. As you may know, the word zakat derives from the same root as tazkiyah and shares the same meaning. As stated in the ayahs and hadiths, zakat cleanses the giver by purifying both the property and the spiritual impurity such as stinginess. This cleansing bears a unique fruit, as the goods out of which zakat is given are blessed, and the person who gives zakat increases the harvest of the Hereafter with the rewards they earn. This is why this obligatory charity is called “zakat.” There are also mufassirs who interpret the word “zakat” in the 4th ayah of Surah Al-Muminun, which states, “(The believers who attain salvation) perform zakat,” as “purification of the nafs.” This is because the surah was revealed in Makkah before zakat was made obligatory.

As a Qur'anic concept, “Tazkiyatu’n-Nafs” refers to the operation of purifying all kinds of impurities, mistakes, wrongs, and evils from our inner world, which directs our behavior, personality, beliefs, mind, emotions and feelings; it is a transformation to make every aspect of our being conform to the divine standards Allah created for us when he brought us into existence. Since it is our heart that determines the quality and orientation of the elements, the purification of the nafs is essentially the purification of the heart. It is said in a hadith, “Beware! In the body there is such a piece of meat that if it is good, right and straight, the whole body will be good, right and straight; If it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted. Be careful! That is the heart”(Bukhari, Iman 39). Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) warns us specifically about the significance of the heart.

On the other hand, if we are talking about inner or spiritual purification, even if the heart is at the center of this purification, it means that we are talking about inner or spiritual contamination as well. Because not only the outside of a person can be stained, but the inside is susceptible to becoming fraught with impurities as well. Just as it is inevitable for us to be covered with the dust and grime of the world on the outside, it is often inevitable for us to become tainted on the inside. The main focus isn’t to not get dirty at all; it is to avoid getting dirty as much as possible, clean up right away and put effort into staying clean.

Sins Stain the Heart

A spiritual stain is one that comes from sins. In the Qur’an, it is stated, “O you who believe! Wine, gambling, altars, and divining arrows are filth, made up by Satan. Therefore, refrain from it, so that you may be successful” (Al-Maidah, 90). Blasphemy and hypocrisy (At-Tawbah, 125), waswasa (Anfal 11) are “rijs,” that is, disgusting filth. Because they ascribe partners to Allah, the polytheists are described as “najis” (At-Tawbah, 28), and the munafiq who do not believe but pretend to, are described as “impure” (At-Tawbah, 95). In his interpretation of the 14th verse of Surah Al-Mutaffifin, which states, “The (sins) that they (those who deny the Day of Judgment) have committed and earned have made their hearts rusty (dirty),” Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“When a servant commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart. If that servant abandons that sin and asks for forgiveness, the stain disappears. If he does not repent and continues to sin, then this black spot will enlarge and cover his whole heart.” (Tirmidhi, Tafsir 75)

We live in an age that leads us to more and more various sins than ever before. It is almost impossible for ordinary people to remain untouched by the tidal wave that is the forces of modern-day corruption that engulf us. Mawlana (quddisa sirruhu) says, “If all sins were as intoxicating as drinking, we wouldn't see a sober person.”

If we restrict our understanding to major sins like blasphemy, polytheism, and similar major sins when we say sin, this statement may seem a bit exaggerated to us. However, there are also minor sins and it must be because they are seen as so insignificant that their taint is not taken into account; the corruption they cause, the stains they leave on human hearts are often brushed away casually as if they are of no consequence.

Dirt, rust and filth have two characteristics: One is that they are seen as karih, that is, they appear unclean and elicit a sense of disgust, which means that even “makruh” things are among the causes of the ailments that our nafs are teeming with. The other is impurities degrading the quality of the thing they pollute and rendering it unable to perform its intended function. This is also a sign of corruption. For example, the eye of the heart loses its quality of seeing the truth if it turns its gaze towards haram. Or the mind of the heart cannot comprehend the truth if it is polluted with useless and false information. Even if we do not incline toward such sins, sometimes even being exposed to them unintentionally is enough for the harmful effects to take hold.

Purification  Starts  With  Iman

The “nafs” in the term “Tazkiyatu’n-Nafs” is the inner self of our human side created from soil, consisting of desires, wishes and needs. In accordance with Allah’s (jalla jalaluhu) test for mankind in this world, this desire was created with a nature that knows no limits and measures in seeking to fulfill its wishes and needs. If not disciplined and purified, it does not shy from turning to evil and sin and giving into their corruption because it is an unruly entity, and what matters is that it wants something no matter how dark and menacing an influence that desire may have on it. It simply doesn't care if that object of desire or the way it is obtained is a sin or not.

Man's surrendering his will to the wishes of the nafs means that he is a subject to it, and now his is a personality consisting entirely of his nafs. While defending an opinion that does not comply with Islamic rules and criteria on the grounds of arguments revolving around the expressions that begin with “I think so,” what he calls "I" is actually his nafs. Or, when he gives an excuse to a behavior prohibited by our religion, he proclaims, “I feel like doing things this way” with the arrogance of one who holds self-gratification above all else in a pseudo-righteous fashion. While doing this, he remains unaware of the fact that what he calls “I” is none other than his nafs—the untamed, viciously selfish being that ruthlessly commands all the suffering and hardships be endured and all the rules and principles be ignored for its benefit. Allah forbid, it takes a person to the point of being a servant to his nafs, which he idolizes without realizing it, and can make him completely najis, that is, unclean.

For this reason, the first condition of self purification is to be a servant to Allah, not to the nafs: to follow Allah and His Messenger in all matters, not the nafs. So purification begins with iman. Allah the Exalted commanded Musa (alayhissalam) to convey his offer of iman to the Pharaoh, who claimed to be divinity, with the question "Do you want to be purified?" (An-Naziat, 18). In four different ayahs of the Qur'an (Baqarah, 129, 151; Ali Imran, 164; Jumuah, 2), the duties of the prophets and especially our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) are listed as “reading the verses of Allah the Most High, purifying them (their people), and teaching them the Book and its wisdom.”

The mufassirs drew particular attention to this order, and considered the mentioning of the ayah of the tazkiyah after the tabligh as a sign of the fact that purification can only be achieved by following the revelation addressed to humanity. The ayahs are mainly aimed at cleaning up people's disposition, hearts and minds, which are polluted by sins and ignorance. Thus, mankind will be able to stay in the blessed position in its creation, in the most excellent form given to its nature, and attain eternal bliss. The fact that the Sahabah poured all alcoholic drinks in their homes immediately and without hesitation when the ayah declaring the prohibition of all intoxicants was revealed, and did not even mention their name again, is also a visible example of tazkiyah.

Purification by Charity, Salah and Dhikr

Islam, without a doubt, is the only means of complete purification in existence. However, for tazkiyah, the observance of some orders and prohibitions as an integral part of the religion has been specifically mentioned. For example, Ibn Abbas (radiyallahu anh) interprets the concept of “tazkiyah,” which means “the servant's effort to purify his soul from the stains of sins,” as “a person's saying la ilaha illallah,” which is mentioned in the ayahs, and draws a parallel between purification and kalima-i tawhid. Because the “la” in “la ilaha illallah” requires a very definite purification. Saying “La” means to be cleansed by removing from our hearts all deities other than Allah the Most High, including the idolized nafs, all superstitions and ideologies, and all desires and whims that pollute our inner world by leading us to sin. Only after this will it be possible to place the belief that the only god is Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), by saying “illallah.”

• In some ayahs and hadiths, giving charity is particularly emphasized as a purifying good deed. The ayah (At-Tawbah, 103) which decrees that sadaqah can be taken from the property of the Bedouins who commited sins but then repented in order to cleanse them, and the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) hadith “Like water extinguishing fire, charity removes sins” (Tirmidhi, Faith 8), are examples of this.
• Since an ayah clearly states, “Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing” (Ankabut 45), salah is also a means of tazkiyah, because it prevents corruption.
• In the ayah, “The one who purifies (his nafs), remembers his Lord and prays, has no doubt attained salvation. However, you prefer the life of this world. Yet what is best (for you) is the eternal life in the hereafter” (Al-A'la, 14-17) dhikrullah is also indicated for tazkiyah, in addition to prayer.
•  Based on the same ayahs, it has been explained by mufassirs that turning towards the world so as to make one forget the hereafter is the cause of the impurities in our lives, and that “zuhd,” that is, prioritizing the hereafter over one’s gains in mortal life in this world, is the cause of purification.
• Eventually, in many ayahs, what people eat and drink that is "halal" is described with the word "tayyib" meaning "clean, beautiful, pleasant" or sometimes "tayyibat" is used instead of halal. This indicates that people are mostly corrupted through the consumption of haram.

Purification by Repentance 

In the Qur'an and hadiths, repentance is mostly emphasized as a means of purification. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) informs us that repentance is an effective means of purification with the hadith: "He who repents from his sins is as if he has never sinned" (Ibn Majah, Zuhd 31). Allah Almighty gives the good news that "Those who repent and do good deeds with a perfect faith will not only have their repentance accepted, but he will also turn their evil into goodness." (Furqan, 70-71)

However, the acceptance of repentance, being immaculate as if you have never committed a sin after repentance, and even the conversion of our sins into hasanah depend on certain conditions. Some of the scholars defined these conditions with the caveat of sincerity in the following definition: “sincere repentance is abandoning sins as soon as one repents and not committing them ever again.”

However, it is always possible for a person to sin again despite their repentance and become tainted again by sins after being purified. In such cases, it is encouraged and recommended to seek repentance again, without losing hope in Allah’s mercy, by taking refuge in the vastness of His endless grace. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Allah accepts the repentance of His servant until his last breath.” (Tirmidhi, Daawat, 98)

However, all this should not keep us from seeing the truth that there is a defect in our repentance if we continue to commit the same sins afterwards. Either there is a deficiency in our sincerity and remorse or the purification has not been realized at its fullest. This is because, whatever the occasion, the sign of perfect purification is a close knowledge of divine truths and a perfect iman.

We mentioned that the duties of the prophets in the Qur'an are listed as "to convey the ayahs to people, purify them, and teach them the Book and wisdom." Mufassirs who say that acting in accordance with the ayahs addressed to the people is a means for achieving tazkiyah, also say that “learning the Book and wisdom” is also the result or barakah (blessing)of tazkiyah. According to some of them, “learning the Book and wisdom” is being aware of the divine will in the evident and veiled aspects of the shariah, which blesses the servant with taqwa.

Claims of Purity 

Of course, taqwa resides in the hearts of people, and only our Rabb knows who truly has taqwa. Just as a person boasting by saying “I have taqwa” is a self-defeating argument, it's also a sign that one has failed to get rid of the taint of boasting, self-conceit, and arrogance, when one says “I have purified my nafs.” For this reason, we are prohibited in the Qur'an from claiming our nafs is pure. It is stated in the ayah:

“Those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, only [committing] slight ones. Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness. He was most knowing of you when He produced you from the earth and when you were fetuses in the wombs of your mothers. So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.” (An-Najm, 32)

Of course, a servant's effort to purify himself is not the same as claiming to be “purified.” The first is a necessity required by iman, and the second is a prohibition. A Muslim will try very hard to be cleansed of the taint of sins and always remain clean, but he will not include the claim “I have been cleansed, I am one of those who have attained salvation,” either in thought or language.

The claim of having a purified nafs is not always expressed by saying, “I have cleansed my nafs.” The ubiquitous excuse “my heart is pure,” mostly embraced by those who neglect their obligations, is also a way of claiming to be pure. Even trying to justify ourselves in the event that someone tells us about a mistake or fault we have to correct, in a way, can be considered as an effort to prove ourselves pure.

It reminds us that we should be discouraged from trying to prove ourselves clean and be in constant vigilance in order not to become marred with corruption. It also warns us that our nafs may have hidden flaws that we are not yet aware of. Rather than trying to prove ourselves clean, it is wiser for us to clean up the stains that we have overlooked by questioning our nafs often. Ibn Ataullah Iskandari (quddisa sirruhu) says: “The real kashf and karamah is to discover the faults of the nafs because it is better to discover the hidden faults and disgraceful characteristics of the nafs than to be privy to the secrets of the ghayb.”

Who Is the One That Purifies?

 Even if a person has truly and fully purified himself, claiming to be pure is seen as an unbefitting and crude behavior because, by making the claim alone, the person attributes this process to himself. This is because Allah Almighty is the absolute maker in every matter. It is He who informs and teaches what is right and wrong, what is clean and what is unclean. It is He who guides and creates the means for tazkiyah.

In order to let us know these things and be grateful, the Noble Qur'an says, "If it were not for the grace and mercy of Allah upon you, none of you would ever be purified" (An-Nur, 21). In other words, it is only Allah Almighty Who can both cleanse and purify His servants. For this reason, a servant's purification of himself should not lead to boasting, but to expressing further gratitude to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

Tazkiyah also means “to exonerate, acquit someone.” In this sense, the purification of the nafs belongs entirely to Allah Almighty. What is usually meant by “Allah's tazkiyah” in ayahs is “it is only for Him to decide who is truly purified, or to justify and exonerate some of His servants on the Day of Judgment with his pardon and forgiveness.”

Another means of tazkiyah is the prophets with their explanations, practices and examples. The timeless divine tradition of having the prophets as agents of guidance is considered as evidence that the purification of the nafs cannot be without a guide, or that it will be done in a healthier way through their principles. Indeed, a person can cause great harm to himself rather than better his nature by saying “I am purifying my nafs” without the supervision of a competent guide. His efforts may be fruitless because the way that person chooses is not prudent or proper. He may be deceived by the tricks of his nafs and Shaytan and think of himself as purified.

As a result, we can say the following about tazkiyah; it is a human act in terms of directing, wanting and striving to realize. In terms of method, order and training, it is attributed to the prophets, and in terms of its ordainment and creation, it is attributed to Allah the Most High. After our Prophet, who is Khatamu'l-Anbiya (the seal of prophets), the duty of the prophets is carried on by the Rabbani scholars, who are their heirs, within the framework of tasawwuf education.

Tazkiyatu’n-nafs In Tasawwuf

Tasawwuf can also be described as “a system of education in which the purification of the nafs is based on certain methods centered on the Qur’an and Sunnah.” The journey in tasawwuf is a journey of purification. This journey begins with sincere repentance and surrender to a worthy and competent guide, a kamil murshid. It is covered with dhikr, sohbah, periods of seclusion to dedicate one’s days only to worship, performing services to Islam and Muslims, full adherence to the Sunnah and nafilah (supererogatory)acts. With every milestone covered, the initial purification gained through repentance gradually turns into true, inherent purity. It is hoped that one reaches Allah Almighty at the end of this road.

Different methods applied by tariqahs and murshids of different dispositions within the limits of the shariah are essentially aimed at purifying the servant and turning our existence in the world we live in into the existence of purity we had when we were together with our creator in the world of souls. Purifying the heart not only from its spiritual diseases but also from all things other than Allah is either the cause or the result of tazkiyatu’n-nafs. But in any case, it requires the guidance and supervision of a kamil murshid. Just as it is necessary to consult a competent physician for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, it is also necessary to consult a kamil murshid for the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases that corrupt our inner world such as selfishness, arrogance, pride, envy, hypocrisy, and love of prestige, power, and material wealth.

Tazkiyah is not only the cleansing oneself of spiritual polluters within one’s nafs, but also the effort to stay clean. This is because it is not possible to be sure of the nafs’ and Shaytan’s evil. Tasawwuf education is based on purifying the nafs as much as possible and keeping it under control at all times, with abstinence from all forms of excess and struggle against the whims of the nafs. Even deciding which of the nafs’ wishes one should oppose and to what extent is the work of rabbani scholars, who are the experts in these matters and possess an in-depth understanding of these issues.

In conclusion, possibly the most difficult and arduous but also the safest and most effective way of achieving tazkiyatu’n-nafs, which is an “inward obligation,” is to go through tasawwuf education.

Ali Yurtgezen