Tazkiyah

"Sanctification in Islam" redirects here. For the neutral view, seeSanctification.

Tazkiyah(Arabic:تزكية) is anArabic-Islamicterm alluding totazkiyat al-nafs,meaning 'sanctification' or 'purification of the self'. This refers to the process of transforming thenafs(carnal self or desires) from its state of self-centrality through various spiritual stages towards the level of purity and submission to the will ofGod.Its basis is in learning theshariah(Islamicreligious law) and deeds from the known authenticsunnah(traditions and practices of the Islamic prophetMuhammad) 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 ordhikrof him in thoughts and actions).Tazkiyahis considered the highest level ofihsan(religious social responsibility), one of thethree dimensions of Islam.The person who purifies themself is called azaki(Arabic:زكيّ).

Tazkiyah,along with the related concepts oftarbiyah(self-development) andta'lim(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

Tazkiyahoriginally 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 andshariah(Islamic law), and the real purpose of raisingprophetsfrom among mankind, is performing and teachingtazkiyah.

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 wordzakat(alms tax) comes from the sameArabicverbal root,sincezakatpurifies an individual's wealth by recognition of God’s right over a portion of it.It finds its origin in theQuraniccommand to: "Takesadaqah(charity) from their property in order to purify and sanctify them "(At-Taubah:103).Other similarly used words to the term areIslah-iqalb('reform of the heart'),Ihsan('beautification'),taharat('purification'),Ikhlas('purity'),qalb-is-salim('pure/safe/undamaged heart') and lastly,tasawuf(Sufism), which is an ideology rather than a term, mostly misinterpreted as the idea of sanctification in Islam.

In scripture

In Quran

The wordtazkiyahis used in many places in the Qur'an. It is used 18 times in 15 verses of 11surahs;inverses129, 151, 174 ofsurah Al-Baqarah,in verses 77 and 164 ofsura Al-Imran,the verse ofNisa49, verse 103 ofsurah Taubah,verse 76 ofsurah Taha,in the second verse ofsurah Al-Jumm'ah,verses 3 and 7 ofsurah Abasa,in verse 14 ofsurah al-A'la,verse 9 ofsurah Shamsand in verse 18 ofsurah al-Layl.

In hadith

The wordtazkiyahis also found in a fewhadith,also meaning to purify and sanctify.

Importance

Anas Karzoon saidtazkiyah al-nafs:"is the purification of the soul from inclination towards evils and sins, and the development of itsfitrahtowards goodness, which leads to its uprightness and its reachingihsaan."

Al-Khatib al-Baghdadisaid in his "Tarikh" on the authority ofJabirthat 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 greaterjihad?"He replied:" The striving (mujahadat) 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 oftazkiyat al-nafsstarts with "Verily deeds are according to intentions" and ends with the station of perfect character,Ihsan,"Worship Him as though you see Him", the reference being to the first hadith inSahih Bukhariand the oft-referred hadith famously known as the hadith of Gibril inSahih Muslim.Ihsanis the highest level ofimanthat the seeker can develop through their quest for reality. This is referred to asal-yaqin al-haqiqi;the reality of certainty and knowing that it brings true understanding and leads toal-iman ash-shuhudi,the true faith of witnessing the signs of Allah's Oneness everywhere. The only higher level of realization ismaqam al-ihsan.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 oftazkiyahin his book"Islahul Qulub"(reforming the hearts):

1. Shirk
2. RejectingSunnahand followingBid'ah
3. Obeying the instinct and ego (nafs)
4. Doubt
5. Negligence (ghaflah)

Ha also listed eight ways to maintaintazkiyah:

1. Reading theQuran
2. LovingAllah
3. Doingdhikr
4. TawbahandIstighfar
5. Supplicate (dua) forhidayahand purify
6. Remembering afterlife (Akhirah)
7. Reading the biographies of thesalafs
8. Company of good, honest and pious people

Maintaining thenafs

Professor A.J. Arberry, in hisSufismsaid: "themaqāmis 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 thehalis a spiritual mood depending not upon the mystic but upon God. "The Muslim philosopherAbd al-Karīm ibn Hawāzin al-Qushayri(b.986Nishapur,Iran,d.1074) summarized the difference between the two concepts in hisAr-Risāla-fi-'ilm-at-taşawwuf,where he maintained that, "states are gifts, the stations are earnings."

Tazkiyahis a continuous process of purification to maintain spiritual health.Similar to the process of maintaining physicalhealth,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 (d.1033) about the major seventeen negative psychological traits ormawāni'(impediments) which thesālikmust avoid in their struggle towards purification. If thesālikdoes not rigorously abstain from these aspects, their efforts will be wasted. Known asal-Akhlaqu 'dh-Dhamimah(the ruinous traits), they are also referred to as the Tree of Bad Manners:

Stages ofnafs(inner-self)

There are three principal stations ofnafsor human consciousness that are specifically mentioned in the Qur'an. They are stages in the process of development, refinement and mastery of thenafs.

1. Nafs-al-ammārah:unruly animal self or soul that dictates evil.
2. Nafs-al-lawwāmah:struggling moral self or self-reproaching soul.
3. Nafs al-mutma'inna:satisfied soul or the composed God realized self.

The animalnafs(nafs-al-ammārah)

The Sufi's journey begins with the challenge of freeing oneself from the influence ofShaytanand thenafs-al-ammara.Al-Kashanidefines it as follows: the commanding soul is that which leans towards the bodily nature (al-tabī'a al-badaniyya) and commands one to sensual pleasures and lusts and pulls the heart (qalb) in a downward direction. It is the resting place of evil and the source of blameworthy morals and bad actions.In its primitive stage thenafsincites mankind to commit evil: this is thenafsas the lower self or the base instincts.In the eponymoussurahof the Qur'an, the prophetYusefsays "Yet I claim not that mynafswas innocent: Verily thenafsof man incites to evil. "^[Quran12:53]Here he is explaining the circumstances in which he came to be falsely imprisoned for the supposed seduction ofZuleikā,the wife of the King's minister (ʻAzīz,Qur'an (12:30)).

The reproachfulnafs(nafs-al-lawwama)

If the soul undertakes this struggle it then becomesnafs-al-lawwama(reproachful soul): this is the stage where "theconscienceis awakened and the self accuses one for listening to one's selfish mind. The original reference to this state is insurahQiyama:

I call to witness the regretful self (the accusing voice of man's own conscience)

— Quran 75:2^[Quran75:2]

The sense of the Arabic wordlawwamais 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

1. Akhlaq-i-Hamidah– goodcharacter
2. As-Sidq–truthfulness

Tree of bad manners

1. 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 calledkāzm.
2. al-hiqd–maliceor having ill-will toward others; grows from lusting for what someone else has. You must replacehiqdwith kindness and look upon your brother with love. There is a tradition that says "give gifts to one another, for gifts take away malice."
3. al hasad–jealousyorenvy;a person inflicted with this disease wants others to lose blessings bestowed on them by Allah.
4. al-'ujb–vanityor having pride because of an action, possession, quality or relationship.
5. al-bukhl–stinginess:The cause ofbukhlis 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.
6. 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 calledtama’.The opposite oftama’is calledtafwiz,which means striving to obtain permissible and beneficial things and expecting that Allah will let you have them.
7. 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 showghayratfor 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).
8. al-batalah– indolence orSloth (deadly sin):batalahis inactivity resulting from a dislike of work.
9. al-riya’–ostentationor 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 theakhirahwhile in fact he wants to attain worldly desires.
10. al-hirsh– attachment and love for the material world, such as desiring wealth and a long life.
11. al-'azamah– superiority or claiming greatness: the cure is to humble oneself before Allah.
12. al-ghabawah wa 'l-kasalah–heedlessnessandlaziness;"the heart needs nourishment, and heedlessness starves the spiritual heart."
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. al-manhiyat– Eight Hundred Forbidden Acts
16. ghaflah– neglect and forgetfulness of God, indifference: those guilty ofghaflah,theghāfilün,are those who "know only a surface appearance of the life of this world, and are heedless of the hereafter" (30:7).
17. kibr–arroganceor regarding one's self to be superior to others. The Prophet states in ahadith:"A person who has an atom's weight of conceit in his heart will not enter Paradise." The opposite of arrogance istawādu’,which is a feeling of equality.
18. hubb ul-dunya– love of the material world:Materialism.According to ahadith,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.

Thesālikmust purify himself from these bad traits and rid his heart of the underlying ailments that are at their source. Outward adherence to thefive pillars of Islamis 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.

Thenafsat peace (nafs-i-mutma'inna)

The Qur'an explains how one can achieve the state of the satisfied soul insuraAr-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). "^[Quran13:28]Once the seeker can successfully transcend the reproachful soul, the process of transformation concludes withnafs-al-mutma'inna(soul at peace). However, for some Sufis orders the final stage isnafs-as-safiya wa kamila(soul restful and perfected in Allah's presence). The term is conceptually synonymous withTasawwuf,Islah al-Batini etc.Another closely related but not identical concept istazkiah-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 oftazkiahand moral development is to attainfalahor happiness, thus realizing thenafs 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 allmaterialismand 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 toQatada ibn al-Nu'man,thenafs al-mutma'innais, "the soul of the believer, made calm by what Allah has promised. Its owner is at complete rest and content with his knowledge ofAllah's Names and Attributes... "

In suraFajrof the Quran, Allah addresses the peaceful soul in the following words:^[Quran89:27]

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 [and] pleasing [Him]:

89:29 فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي

Fāodkhulī fī 'aibādī

Enter, then, together with My [other true] servants

89:30 وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي

Wāodkhulī jannatī

Yea, enter thou My paradise! "

Sufi views

Maqamatof 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 theangels.Movement between these extremes is discussed by`ilm al-akhlaqor the science ofethics.TraditionalMuslimphilosophersbelieved that without ethics and purification (tazkiah), mastery over other sciences is not only devoid of value, but obstructs insight. That is why the Sufi saintBayazid al-Bustamihas said that, 'knowledge is the thickest of veils', which prevents man from seeing reality (haqiqah).

Sufi Brotherhoods (ṭarīqapl.ṭuruq) have traditionally been considered training workshops where fundamental elements oftazkiahand 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 sevenmaqāmāt(maqampl.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, theKitāb al-luma’,Abu Nasr al-Sarraj al-Tusi (d. 988), mentions sevenmaqāmātthat have become famous in later movements, they include:

• Repentance(tawbah): Begins withnur-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 asSufyan al-Thawriregardedzuhdas 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. Adervishis 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 fromharam). 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,halatanda'mal.The condition for achievingtawakkulis sincere acknowledgement oftauheed.
• Contentment(riḍā’): Submission toqaḍā(fate), showing no rancor or rebellion against misfortune, and accepting all manifestations of Destiny without complaint. According toDhul-Nun al-Misri,ridameans 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 calledriḍā-e-tab'i(natural): whenriḍā’prevails with pain it isriḍā-e-aqli(intellectual). The first state is a physical condition and is not incumbent. The second is an intellectual condition, which is required: results frommuhabbat(love for Allah).

Sufi sheikhs such as 'Alā' al-Dawlah Simnāni have described themaqāmātin 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 likeKhwājah 'Abdallah Ansārihave gone into great detail in dividing the stages oftazkiahinto 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 ofmaqāmātin Sufism is theForty Stations(Maqāmāt-i Arba'in), written by the eleventh centurymurshidAbū-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 murshidAbu al-Najib al-Suhrawardifurther 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 isubudiyyah– 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 Sufiṭuruqhave established graded programs in which initially every new seeker (murīdūn) is educated in the ritual known aszikr-al-lisani(zikrwith the tongue) and is finally taughtzikr-al-qalbi,which is practiced from the onset.

Salafi views

Although highly critical of numerousSufipractices,Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhabstates:

"We do not negate the way of theSufisand 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 inAllahMost High. He is enough for us, the best trustee, the best mawla and the best helper. "

See also

• Islah
• Istighfar
• Taharat
• Tasawwuf
• Tawbah

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