Tazkiah

() 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. 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. 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 .

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. It finds its origin in the Quranic command to: "Take (charity) from their property in order to purify and sanctify them" (: 103). 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 ."

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."

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. 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.

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."

is a continuous process of purification to maintain spiritual health. 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:

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 .
#: unruly animal self or soul that dictates evil.
#: struggling moral self or self-reproaching soul.
#: satisfied soul or the composed God realized self.

=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. In its primitive stage the incites mankind to commit evil: this is the as the lower self or the base instincts. In the eponymous of the Qur'an, the prophet Yusef says "Yet I claim not that my was innocent: Verily the of man incites to evil." 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'', Qur'an (12:30)).

=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.

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."
#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.
#al-ghamm – depression: passion (''hawā'') conduces to anguish (''ghamm'') whenever reason is allowed to represent itself as grievous or painful the loss of the suitable or desirable and is, therefore, a "rational affection" that can cause the soul untold suffering and perturbation.
#al-manhiyat – Eight Hundred Forbidden Acts
#''ghaflah'' – neglect and forgetfulness of God, indifference: those guilty of ''ghaflah'', the ''ghāfilün'', are those who "know only a surface appearance of the life of this world, and are heedless of the hereafter" (30:7).
#kibr – arrogance or regarding one's self to be superior to others. The Prophet states in a ''hadith'': "A person who has an atom's weight of conceit in his heart will not enter Paradise." The opposite of arrogance is ''tawādu’'', which is a feeling of equality.
#hubb ul-dunya – love of the material world: Materialism. According to a hadith, Muhammed has said that "love of the world is the root of all evil." If this ailment is treated and cured, all other maladies flowing from it will also disappear.

The ''sālik'' must purify himself from these bad traits and rid his heart of the underlying ailments that are at their source. Outward adherence to the five pillars of Islam is not sufficient: he must be perfect in behavior. This requires a program of self-evaluation, purification, seclusion and establishing a practice of remembrance and contemplation under the guidance of an authorized Shaykh of Spiritual Discipline (''shaykh at-tarbiyyah''). In this way the seeker is able to achieve a state in which his heart is ready to receive Divine Inspiration and observe Divine Realities.

=The ''nafs'' at peace (''nafs-i-mutma'inna'')

=
The Qur'an explains how one can achieve the state of the satisfied soul in ''sura'' '' Ar-Ra'd'': "Those who believe, and whose hearts find their rest in the remembrance of God – for, verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction (''tatmainnu alquloobu'')." Once the seeker can successfully transcend the reproachful soul, the process of transformation concludes with ''nafs-al-mutma'inna'' (soul at peace). However, for some Sufis orders the final stage is ''nafs-as-safiya wa kamila'' (soul restful and perfected in Allah's presence). The term is conceptually synonymous with ''Tasawwuf'', Islah al-Batini etc. Another closely related but not identical concept is ''tazkiah-al-qalb'', or cleansing of the heart, which is also a necessary spiritual discipline for travelers on the Sufi path. The aim is the erasure of everything that stands in the way of purifying Allah's love (''Ishq'').

The aim of ''tazkiah'' and moral development is to attain ''falah'' or happiness, thus realizing the ''nafs al-mutma'inna''. This is the ideal stage of mind for Sufis. On this level one is firm in one's faith and leaves bad manners behind. The soul becomes tranquil, at peace. At this stage Sufis have relieved themselves of all materialism and worldly problems and are satisfied with the will of God. Man's most consummate felicity is reflecting Divine attributes. Tranquillization of the soul means an individual's knowledge is founded on such firm belief that no vicissitudes of distress, comfort, pain or pleasure can alter his trust in Allah and his expecting only good from Him. Instead, he remains pleased with Allah and satisfied with His decrees. Similarly, the foundations of deeds are laid in such firm character that no temptations, in adversity, prosperity, fear or hope, removes him from the shar'iah, so he fulfills the demands made by Allah and thus becomes His desirable servant.

According to Qatada ibn al-Nu'man, the ''nafs al-mutma'inna'' is, "the soul of the believer, made calm by what Allah has promised. Its owner is at complete rest and content with his knowledge of Allah's Names and Attributes..."

In sura Fajr of the Quran, Allah addresses the peaceful soul in the following words:

89:27 يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ
: ''Yā ayyatuhā alnnafsu almutmainnatu''
: O thou human being that hast attained to inner peace!

89:28 ارْجِعِي إِلَى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً
: ''Irji'aī ilā rabbiki radiyatan mardiyyatan''
: Return thou unto thy Sustainer, well-pleased ndpleasing im

89:29 فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي
: ''Fāodkhulī fī 'aibādī''
: Enter, then, together with My ther trueservants

89:30 وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي
: ''Wāodkhulī jannatī''
: Yea, enter thou My paradise!"

Sufi views

''Maqamat'' of Tazkiah

The level of human perfection is determined by discipline and effort. Man stands between two extremes, the lowest is below beasts and the highest surpasses the angels. Movement between these extremes is discussed by ''`ilm al-akhlaq'' or the science of ethics. Traditional Muslim philosophers believed that without ethics and purification (''tazkiah''), mastery over other sciences is not only devoid of value, but obstructs insight. That is why the Sufi saint Bayazid al-Bustami has said that, 'knowledge is the thickest of veils', which prevents man from seeing reality (''haqiqah'').

Sufi Brotherhoods ('' ṭarīqa'' pl. ''ṭuruq'') have traditionally been considered training workshops where fundamental elements of ''tazkiah'' and its practical applications are taught. Sufis see themselves as seekers (''murīdūn'') and wayfarers (''sālikūn'') on the path to God. For proper training, murīdūn are urged to put themselves under the guidance of a master (''murshid''). The search for God (''irāda'', ''ṭalab'') and the wayfaring (''sulūk'') on the path (''ṭarīq'') involve a gradual inner and ethical transformation through various stages. Although some have considerably more, most orders adopted seven '' maqāmāt'' (''maqam'' pl. ''maqamat'', a station on the voyage towards spiritual transformation). Although some of these stations are ascetical in nature, their primary functions are ethical, psychological and educational: they are designed as a means for combating the lower-self (''mujāhadat al-nafs'') and as a tool for its training and education (''riyāḍat al-nafs'').

In one of the earliest authoritative texts of Sufism, the ''Kitāb al-luma’'', Abu Nasr al-Sarraj al-Tusi (d. 988), mentions seven ''maqāmāt'' that have become famous in later movements, they include:

*Repentance (''tawbah''): Begins with '' nur-e-ma'rifat'' (light of Divine Recognition) in the heart that realizes sin is spiritual poison. This induces regret and a yearning to compensate for past shortcomings and determination to avoid them in the future. Tawbah means regaining one's essential purity after every spiritual defilement. Maintaining this psychological state requires certain essential elements. The first is self-examination (''muhasabah'') and the other is introversion or meditation (''muraqabah'').
*Abstention (''wara''): Pious self-restraint: the highest level of wara' is to eschew anything that might distract one, even briefly, from the consciousness of Allah. Some Sufis define wara as conviction of the truth of Islamic tenets, being straightforward in belief and acts, steadfast in observing Islamic commandments, and careful in one's relations with God.
*Asceticism ('' zuhd''): Doing without what you do not need and making do with little. It is the emptiness of the heart that doesn't know any other commitment than what is in relation to God, or coldness of the heart and dislike of the soul in relation to the world. Such renowned Sufi leaders as Sufyan al-Thawri regarded ''zuhd'' as the action of the heart dedicated to Allah's approval and pleasure and closed to worldly ambitions.
*Poverty (''faqr''): Poverty, both material and spiritual. This means denial of the nafs demands for pleasure and power, and dedication to the service of others instead of self-promotion. A dervish is also known as a fakir, literally a poor person. Poverty means lack of attachment to possessions and a heart that is empty of all except the desire for Allah.
*Patience (''ṣabr''): Essential characteristic for the mystic, sabr literally means enduring, bearing, and resisting pain and difficulty. There are three types: ''sabr alal amal'' (consistent in practicing righteous deeds); ''sabr fil amal'' (patience in performing a righteous deed); ''sabr anil amal'' (patience in abstaining from ''haram''). In many Quranic verses Allah praises the patient ones, declares His love for them, or mentions the ranks He has bestowed on them: "And Surely God is with the patient ones." (2:153)
*Confidence ('' tawakkul''): At this stage we realize everything we have comes from Allah. We rely on Allah instead of this world. There are three fundamental principles (''arkan'') of tawakkul: ''ma'rifat'', ''halat'' and ''a'mal''. The condition for achieving ''tawakkul'' is sincere acknowledgement of '' tauheed''.
*Contentment (''riḍā’''): Submission to ''qaḍā'' (fate), showing no rancor or rebellion against misfortune, and accepting all manifestations of Destiny without complaint. According to Dhul-Nun al-Misri, ''rida'' means preferring God's wishes over one's own in advance, accepting his Decree without complaint, based on the realization that whatever God wills and does is good. The state where pain is not felt is called ''riḍā-e-tab'i'' (natural): when ''riḍā’'' prevails with pain it is ''riḍā-e-aqli'' (intellectual). The first state is a physical condition and is not incumbent. The second is an intellectual condition, which is required: results from ''muhabbat'' (love for Allah).

Sufi sheikhs such as 'Alā' al-Dawlah Simnāni have described the ''maqāmāt'' in terms of the 'seven prophets' of one's inner being, with each prophet corresponding to one of man's inner states and also virtues. Others like Khwājah 'Abdallah Ansāri have gone into great detail in dividing the stages of ''tazkiah'' into a hundred stations. Nonetheless, through all these descriptions the main features of the stations marking the journey towards Allah are the same. One of the finest accounts of ''maqāmāt'' in Sufism is the ''Forty Stations'' (''Maqāmāt-i Arba'in''), written by the eleventh century ''murshid'' Abū-Sa'īd Abul-Khayr.

Māmulāt of Tazkiah

In order to combat and train the lower-self, Sufis practice fasting ( ṣawm), food and drink deprivation (jūʿ'), wakefulness at night for the recitation of Quranic passages (''qiyām al-layl''), periods of seclusion (''khalawāt''), roaming uninhabited places in states of poverty and deprivation, and lengthy meditations (murāqaba, jam' al-hamm). The effortful path of self-denial and transformation through gradual maqāmāt is interwoven with effortless mystical experiences (''aḥwāl'').

The Persian murshid Abu al-Najib al-Suhrawardi further described this process by saying that it is only through constancy in action for God (aml li- allāh''), remembrance (''dhikr allāh''), recitation from the Quran, prayers and meditation ('' muraqabah'') that a mystic can hope to obtain his objective, which is ''ubudiyyah'' – perfect obedience to Allah. Another practice that is often associated with Sufism is the spiritual concert, or "listening," samā', in which poetic recitations, music and dances are performed by the participants, sometimes in states of ecstasy and elation. Most Sufi ''ṭuruq'' have established graded programs in which initially every new seeker (murīdūn) is educated in the ritual known as ''zikr-al-lisani'' (''zikr'' with the tongue) and is finally taught ''zikr-al-qalbi'', which is practiced from the onset.

Salafi views

Although highly critical of numerous Sufi practices, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab states:

"We do not negate the way of the Sufis and the purification of the inner self (i.e., tazkiah) from the vices of those sins connected to the heart and the limbs as long as the individual firmly adheres to the rules of Shari‘ah and the correct and observed way. However, we will not take it on ourselves to allegorically interpret (ta’wil) his speech and his actions. We only place our reliance on, seek help from, beseech aid from and place our confidence in all our dealings in Allah Most High. He is enough for us, the best trustee, the best mawla and the best helper."

See also

* Islah
* Istighfar
* Taharat
* Tasawwuf
* Tawbah

Notes

References

Bibliography

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*John Esposito (2003), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Islam''
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* Muhammad Al-Munajjid -
Prophet's Methods Of Correcting People's Mistakes
- (English)
*Anas Karzoon (1997), ''Manhaj al-Islaami fi Tazkiyah al-Nafs''
*Ahmad Farid, ''The Purification of the Soul'': Compiled from the Works of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Ibn al-Qayyim and Al-Ghazali.
*S.D. Goitein (1964), Jews and Arabs
*Annemarie Schimmel (1975), ''Mystical Dimension of Islam''
*G. Böwering (1980), ''The Mystical Vision of Existence in Early Islam''
*C. Ernst (1984), ''Words of Ecstasy in Sufism''
*J.S. Trimingham (1982), ''The Sufi Orders in Islam''
*L. Lewisohn (ed.) (1999), ''The Heritage of Sufism'', 3 vols.
*A. Knysh, Islamic Mysticism. A Short History (2000)
*Khalid bin Abdullah al-Musleh (2004)
Reform of the hearts

*Khondokar Abdullah Zahangir (2007)
Rahe Belayet (The way to friendship of Allah)

*Shaykh Imran ibn Adam
Tasawwuf and Tazkiyah

{{Authority control

Arabic words and phrases
Islamic terminology
Sufi philosophy