Part 3 (a): Tazkiyat al- Nafs: Importance and Significance-Heart Therapy

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Read Part 3: Tazkiyah- Concepts and Terms

Seeking to purify one’s soul is important for a number of reasons:

1. Allah swore that the person who purifies himself will be successful: Emphasizing the importance that He assigns to tazkiyat al Nafs, Allah took eleven oaths in Surat al Shams (91) before stating that the one who purifies his soul will be successful and the one who does not will fail:

   By the sun and its morning brightness, (1) and by the moon when it follows it, (2) by the day when it glorifies the sun. (3) by the night when it envelops the sun. (4) by the sky and Him Who built it, (5) by the earth and Him Who stretched it forth, (6) by the soul and Him Who proportioned it, (7) and inspired it with its impurity and purity, (8) surely blissful is he who has cleansed his soul, (9) and miserable is he who has buried it.
   (10) 

2. Precondition to enter Paradise: Purifying one’s soul and prohibiting it from following its desires is a precondition for entering Paradise, and this alone is sufficient reason to seek purification of one’s soul.

   And as for him who dreaded standing before his Lord, and restrained his soul from lust, Verily the Garden! -that shall be his resort. (79: 40-41)

3. Enables one to control and take charge of the soul: The soul is like a riding beast; if a person ignores it and does not train it, it will take charge and rebel against him, he will become one who is constantly seeking the fulfillment of his own desires and his nafs will become his master.

   I do not pretend to be blameless, for man’s very soul incites him to evil unless my Lord shows Mercy: He is most forgiving, most merciful (12:53)

   As such we are instructed to ‘seek refuge in Allah from the evil in our souls and from the sinfullness of our deeds’ (Tirmidhi)

   However, if the person takes control of his nafs and trains it, it will show obedience to that which it is commanded to do, such a soul will lead the person to Paradise. This soul is obedient to Allah, pleased with what He has decreed and relaint on Him alone, Allah called this soul al-nafs- al-mutma’innah in the Qur’an:

    O thou peaceful soul!  Return unto thy Lord, well-pleased and well-pleasing. (89:27-28)

   Have you felt you want to get up for Tahajjud prayer and could not?

   This is because the soul becomes the master and you become the slave of the soul.

   So, TRAIN your soul the way you want it to be!

   Delayed Gratification: If we train our self for tahajjud, initially it is very difficult (pain). As days pass by and we take the pain, slowly we get used to it and then start enjoying the prayer. Then it comes to a point we cannot stop tahajjud. This is called Delayed Gratification. We have tasted the sweetness of Tahajjud and Iman.

   There are 2 problems if we delay to train our soul:

   • No contract with Allah about our time of death. Will we live till we train our soul?
   • The harder it becomes when we delay to train our soul

4. This Life: In this life, the person who purifies his soul will find himself free of grief and depression:

   Lo! verily the friends of Allah! no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve. They who believed and have been fearing God; Unto them is glad tidings in the life of the world and in the Hereafter. No changing is there in the words of Allah. That! it is the mighty achievement. (10: 62-64)

Note: Learning to purify oneself allows one to safeguard oneself against the diseases of the soul and heart and to cleanse and purify against those he is afflicted by. Likewise, it is also important to recognize the good characteristics and virtues of the soul that one might strive to achieve them.

Read the Part 4: Traps of Satan