The "Tazkiyah": Where have we gone wrong?

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

🌟DEFINITION:

The word Tazkiyah is the verb of: "Zakkaa, Yuzakkee", meaning: Purification.

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🌟TYPES:

In the Qur'aan, Allaah تعالى mentioned two types (or ideas) regarding Tazkiyah: 

1) Praiseworthy 

2) Disparaged

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🌟1) PRAISEWORTHY:

The Praiseworthy Tazkiyah is where a person works on purifying his self (Tazkiyatun-Nafs - self-purification).

As Allaah تعالى says:

جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ

{(For the Believers will be) `Adn Paradise (everlasting Gardens), under which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever: such is the reward of those who purify themselves.}

📚 [Surah Taha (20): 76]

🔽 This Purification is done in several ways:

💠A ) Purification of the self by doing good deeds (Tawheed, Salaah, Dhikr, Istighfaar, and all that which Allaah has ordained); and Purification (freeing oneself) from acts of evil (Shirk, Bid`ah, Disobedience, and everything which Allaah تعالى has forbidden).

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَـٰكِنَّ اللَّـهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاءُ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

{O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Shaitaan. And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaitaan, then, verily he commands al-Fahshaa' [i.e. to commit indecency (illegal sexual intercourse, etc.)], and al-Munkar [Kufr, Shirk, and other evil deeds]. And had it not been for the Grace of Allaah and His Mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure from sins. But Allaah purifies (guides to Islaam) whom He wills, and Allaah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.} 

📚 [Surah al-Noor (24): 21]

💠B ) Purification through Tarbiyah and Ta`leem (training and education), i.e. by learning and teaching the Ahkaam of the Deen:

كَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولًا مِّنكُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُم مَّا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ

{Similarly (to complete My Blessings on you) We have sent among you a Messenger (Muhammad) of your own, reciting to you Our Aayaat and sanctifying you, and teaching you the Book (the Qur'aan) and the Hikmah (the Sunnah), and teaching you that which you used not to know.} 

📚 [Surah al-Baqarah (2): 151]

💠C ) Purification of wealth. Since the Fitnah of this Ummah is wealth, then the purity of wealth (from hoarding) and the Nafs (from niggardliness) is through paying Zakaah and Sadaqah.

خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ إِنَّ صَلَاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

{Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allaah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them, and Allaah is All-Hearer, All-Knower} 

📚 [Surah al-Tawbah (9): 103]

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🌟2) DISPARAGED:

This is when a person claims purity/sanctity for himself. As Allaah تعالى said:

فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ

{So ascribe not purity to yourselves. He knows best who fears Allaah and keep his duty to Him} 

📚 [Surah al-Najm (53): 32]

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يُزَكُّونَ أَنفُسَهُم ۚ بَلِ اللَّـهُ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاءُ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا

{Have you not seen those (the People of the Book) who claim sanctity for themselves. Nay - but Allaah sanctifies whom He pleases, and they will not be dealt with injustice even equal to the extent of a Fateela (a scalish thread in the long slit of a date-stone).} 

📚 [Surah al-Nisaa (4): 49]

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🌟PURPOSE:

The aim of Tazkiyah is the moral development through which one tries to be firm in one's faith and leaves bad manners behind, and to attain success and happiness in both the worlds. It is a continuous process of Purification to maintain spiritual health. As the body needs physical maintenance, so does the soul need spiritual maintenance.

The Nafs needs to be purified from Shirk, Bid`ah, Riya (showing-off), telling lies, greediness, malice, jealousy and envy, pride etc.

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🌟 WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING:

The ultimate purpose of Tazkiyah is for seeking Allaah's pleasure through self-purification. But now, the main purpose of Tazkiyah has become to seek commendations from scholars, and acceptance of the peers. The scholars give Tazkiyah to individuals based on their outer display of character. One might be truthful in the eyes of a scholar, but with Allaah he might be a liar.

And example from the Sunnah, as reported in the Saheehain: a person fought bravely in a battle and the people praised him. When this was informed to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, he said that that man is from the people of the Fire. And when the people investigated the matter, they came to know that he got wounded in the battle and because he could not bear the pain, he committed suicide and hence in the Fire.

📚 [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (3062, 4203, 6606) and Saheeh Muslim (205)]

🚫 How many have degrees from the Universities but perhaps the ones without a degree has better understanding of the Deen than them.

🚫 Time and again we have seen many receiving Tazkiyah (commendation) and high praises from the scholars, only to be criticized by the same scholars later on.

🚫 How many receive Ijaazah (permission) to transmit narrations from a scholar who game him the Ijaazah, yet he might be the most ignorant of people.

As Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Haadee had said: "One may sit with a scholar and read to him a few Ahaadeeth and receive Ijaazah from him, yet he won't be able to distinguish one Hadeeth from the other, and can't even pronounce the words properly."

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🌟 CONCLUSION:

Concentrate on fixing your relation with Allaah and Allaah will fix the relation between you and the people. But if you will try to please the people, you will never be successful and end up wasting your time and effort. And when we seek to please the people while displeasing Allaah, Allaah will be abandon him and people will still not be pleased with. And this is what is happening around us.

Mu`aawiyah رضي الله عنه wrote a letter to `Aaishah, that: "Write a letter to advise me , and do not overburden me (with a long piece of advice)." So `Aaishah رضي الله عنها wrote to Mu`aawiyah, saying: “Assalaamu `Alaik. To proceed… I heard the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم saying: “Whoever seeks the pleasure of Allaah while the people are displeased; then Allaah will protect him from the troubles caused by the people. And whosoever seeks the pleasure of the people while displeasing Allaah; then Allaah will leave his matter for the people (i.e. Allaah will not protect him from the harms of the people)” Wassalaamu Alaik.”📚 [Sunan al-Tirmidhee (2414) and graded as "Saheeh" by Shaikh al-Albaanee]

اللهم إنا نسألك العفو والعافيه والمعافاة الدائمة في الدين والدنيا والآخرة