Exploring the spiritual pathways and practices that enhance inner peace and connection with the divine

Islam is one of the largest religions, followed by approximately 1.9 billion people worldwide, known as Muslims. They respect all other religions but believe in one God and His prophets sent over time with the Holy books. Islam is a religion with extensive ideologies and knowledge of spirituality, self-purification, and good deeds. It encompasses a wide range that expands as you delve into it, allowing you to gain more knowledge and spirituality. This is possible only through the acceptance of our Qalb (heart) because the Quran—a holy book for the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad (saw)—portrays the heart as the centre of human personality. In the same Holy book, Almighty Allah has used the word ‘Qalb’ several times in various forms, such as Qalb e Salim, Qalb e Munib, Qalb e Gafil, and Qalb e Qasiya. According to science, the heart is the main organ of our body, and without it, nothing is possible in the human body, nor can the systems function properly. Similarly, Allah (SWT) clearly states that the heart is the centre for spiritual functioning, personality development, and proper devotion to God.

Before understanding the concept of self-purification, we need to understand the true meaning of spirituality. However, the word spirituality is a broad concept with various aspects, but for us, it is a connection with something greater than oneself. It seems like a religious aspect, but besides this, there are various other related meanings we can associate with spirituality. Another perspective of spirituality is finding the deeper or real purpose of life, seeking inner peace, a sense of well-being, and making life more productive. For the sense of self-purification, it is necessary to achieve the concept of spirituality in life because it reminds us that there is an Almighty power over this world.

Self-Purification: Its Practices and Challenges:

The word self-purification comprises two words: self, which means a person’s own nature, and purification, which means the process of removing contaminants from something, which means purifying or cleaning something. According to Islam, it is the process of purifying the heart as well as the mind, which involves some methods like prayers, fasting, and charity, and one of the important purifying practices is the remembrance of Almighty Allah. The process of self-purification is very easy but requires resistance, courage, and consistency. The whole process involves some terms which are important and full of knowledge:

Tazkiyah: It is a term related to cleansing or purifying the soul (self) from bad habits and bad deeds and replacing them with beautiful qualities which a human being should have. This process aims to purify the heart (Qalb) from the darkness of sins.

Tasawwuf: It is the secondary method of spiritual self-purification which states that a person has an obligatory knowledge of Islam, especially about Ikhlas, worshipping Allah only for His consent, and sacrificing worldly desires only for Allah. Sufism is also known as the spiritual dimension of Islam that focuses on the same terminology, but some people wear long caps and dance, which is not the real task of Sufism; instead, they are on the wrong path.

Role of the Heart: The holy Quran states that the hereafter life is dependent on purifying our hearts in this life. So, the purification of the heart is very important for self-purification and is the process of removing greed, arrogance, and sins from the Qalb and replacing them with beautiful habits like respect for others, thanking Almighty Allah for the things He provides, and indulging in the pathway of God.

There are various spiritual and physical practices by which we can purify our nature. The process of dua in which we can talk or share all the problems with Almighty Allah is stated in the Holy Quran: “I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon me” (Al-Baqarah, 2:186).

Similarly, Salat is necessary for self-purification, especially for the mind, because it provides peace to our restless minds and also refreshes our thoughts. Salat is mandatory for all mature Muslims as it is one of the mandatory 5 pillars of Islam. One of the powerful practices is Dhikr (remembrance of Allah). In this practice, we have to vocalize the ‘greatness of God’ several consecutive times. By doing this practice, we can achieve a higher level near Almighty Allah. Fasting and Hajj are also pathways to self-purification. While performing Hajj, we are at the holy place and in the city of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and during fasting in the month of Ramadan, we flourish with patience and the prayers after Isha bestow us with self-purification as we get greater opportunities for worship and prayer.

Some physical self-purification measures are composed of cleanliness, personal hygiene, and seeking differences between Halal and Haram. Cleanliness can be done by Tahara, which includes the cleanliness of urine excretion organs, mouth, nose, face, arms, head, and feet with water. Similarly, Ghusl is also a purification ritual depending on the circumstances. Halal and Haram is also a wider concept in Islam; some animals and birds are categorized as edible for Muslims and some are not. Corruption and interest given by banks are also Haram as it is a subcategory of self-purification practices.

Sometimes, it becomes challenging to be on the path of self-purification due to various modern-time distractions. Due to social media platforms, we are not aware of what we are going to see on our displays. These modern-time distractions can be challenging for a person to be consistent with spirituality. These distractions can be overcome by avoiding various non-useful platforms and selecting beneficial apps. We should listen to the sermons of our religious speakers on a routine basis and also be in contact with religious scholars, who will inspire or motivate us from time to time.

The Ultimate Goal – Nearness to Allah (SWT):

When a person purifies their heart, they develop a final connection with Almighty Allah. After the process of self-purification, they feel inner peace, and gratitude, and become a follower of truth. For good deeds, they read and follow the Quran and Hadith. The main proof of self-purification is that a person excels in worship and never disagrees with the giving of God. Spirituality in such a person is accompanied by moral values, justice, charity, and avoiding ignorance. A self-purified person never participates in sins or evils; they always want to purify wealth through charity. Such a person is full of knowledge, moral ethics, and religious spirituality. They are valued in this life and have a refined and elevated level in the life hereafter.

My Own Experience and Phrases for Dhikr:

To purify myself from bad deeds, I perform Dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Whenever I do this, it creates an energetic and refreshed feeling. I prefer to act after the Maghrib Salah. According to my experience, the most powerful practice is the remembrance of the Almighty because, at the time of Dhikr, you are expressing the majesty of Allah (SWT). You can perform this practice at any time, and it will provide inner peace, and spirituality, and purify your heart. Some phrases that describe the majesty of Allah (SWT) are SubhanAllah, which means ‘Glory be to Allah’; Alhamdulillah, which means ‘All praise to Allah’. You can recite various other phrases that generally describe the greatness and majesty of Almighty Allah.

Ayaan Saroori is the author of the book “Drug: A Risk for Teens”. He advocates for youth issues. 

Ayaan Saroori