The process of Tazkiyat Al-Nafs
Tazkiyat al-Nafs actually consist of two things, which are Tahliyyah and Takhliyah. Takhliyah means to remove the reprehensible qualities that
exist in human beings while Tahliyyah means to decorate oneself with
praiseworthy qualities. These two important things will not be achieved
perfectly without knowledge and charity.
Tazkiyat al-nafs is actually the implementation of knowledge in other words it is a combination of knowledge and charity. These two
things cannot be separated from each other. Knowledge without charity is a loss
while charity without knowledge is emptiness. However, it is the knowledge that
needs to be prioritized over charity. This is because knowledge is like an imam
that is followed while charity is like a makmum that follows an imam. This is
clearly seen in what is narrated which is:
العِلْمُ اِمَاْمُ الْعَمَلِ وَالْعَمَلُ تَاْبِعُهُ
Meaning: "Knowledge is (like) a priest (follower) for charity
and that charity is (like) one who follows him (makmum)."
Imam al-Ghazali has placed knowledge as the first obstacle
that must be overcome by those who want to return to the path of God and strive
to improve piety and draw closer to Him. This can be seen in his famous work
Minhaj al-Abidin.
Therefore the first step that needs to be taken in the effort
to do tazkiyat al-nafs is to gain knowledge. Acquiring knowledge, as many know,
is an obligation of every Muslim. The knowledge that needs to be learned is the
knowledge that explains the question of knowing God (tawhid/usuluddin), the
knowledge that explains the rules or laws of mu`amalah (fiqh), and the knowledge
that talks about spiritual problems (tasawwuf). All this knowledge needs to be
learned only as required (fard ain). If a person is able to get more knowledge
than the required rate then that is better.
Once the necessary knowledge is obtained, then a person
should try to practice his knowledge as much as he can. What is important is
sincerity in performing charity. This seriousness is called mujahadah in
tasawwuf science. Charity based on mujahadah is what will lead to the opening
of the spiritual door and increase the status of a person's piety. But all this
depends on the grace of Allahﷻ to that person. What is clear is that
mujahadah is the path opener towards piety which is required in the words of Allahﷻ:
وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبَلَنَا وَإِنَّ
اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Meaning: And those who strive in Our (Allah's) path, We will
certainly show (guide) them the paths (that lead to knowing and attaining Our
pleasure), and indeed (help and assistance) God is with the people who tried to
improve his practice.[20]
In doing takziah al-nafs, the charity performed is the charity
mujahadah (charity of rank). The concept of amal mujahadah is different from
amal taklif (amal hasanah). Amal taklif or Amal Hasanah are all actions done
solely to release the responsibility commanded by Allahﷻ. and expect a
reward from Him in the afterlife. While amal mujahadah (degree) is a practice
carried out to purify the heart, remove the hijab, achieve closeness (qurb), and
gain knowledge towards Allahﷻ., in addition to carrying out responsibilities
and expecting rewards from Him.
In summary, there are some characteristics of the practice
described as alms of tazkiyah or alms of mujahadah as presented by tasawwuf
scholars even though there are some similarities with alms of taklif.
Credit
MuftiNSoffМалайзия
