THE WAY OF PURIFYING ONE’S INNER-SELF

Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala bless him) said;

“The way of improving one’s actions and one’s inner-self is to resist the desires of one’s Nafs and to make it get used to hardships.”

Improving one’s actions in this context means improving those acts of worship which are carried out physically, for example, praying Salah, fasting, giving Zakat and performing Hajj. Improvement of one’s inner-self in this context refers to those acts of worship which are carried out mentally or internally, for example, Sabr (patience), Shukr (gratefulness to Allah Ta’ala), Tawakkul (placing one’s trust in Allah Ta’ala), Tawazu (humility, modesty), etc. Hazrat says that the way of improving both external and internal acts of worship is to oppose one’s innate drives, resisting the innate urge to perform sins, and to make one’s inner-self used to experiencing hardships.

SHAYKH CAN’T PURIFY ANYONE WITHOUT THEIR EFFORT
Some people believe that when someone goes to a Waliullah (people of Allah), establishes an Islahi Ta’alluq (a mentoring relationship to purify one’s inner-self) with a Shaykh, or does Bayt, then that Shaykh will just cast an eye on him and his inner-self will get purified instantly. Please understand carefully that it usually doesn’t work that way. A person has to make the effort himself, he has to work hard, and has to oppose his inner wishes and desires no matter how much distress that causes him. The role of the Shaykh is to guide him, to show him the way, and to tell him ways that make treading on this path a bit easier. But the person has to make the effort himself. No one can else can make the effort on his behalf. Otherwise, the Prophets of Allah Ta’ala wouldn’t have had to go through such hardships to convey the message of Allah. They could have just cast an eye on everyone and everyone would have become a Muslim.

This is not Allah Ta’ala’s way because in Aakhirah (Hereafter) every person will be rewarded or punished according to the voluntary actions they have performed. That is why every individual needs to make an effort by himself, and to make this effort he needs to make a firm commitment that no matter how much hardship he faces he will keep following the path of Allah Ta’ala. Therefore, for improving the deeds of both one’s body and one’s inner-self, it is necessary that a person practices resisting the impermissible desires arising in his heart, strives not to act on them, and makes himself used to persevering with this hardship for the rest of his life.

THE CRUX OF TASAWWUF
Hazrat Dr Abdu Hai (may Allah Ta’ala bless him) used to frequently quote a saying by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala bless him);

“The crux of Tasawwuf is that when a person is finding it difficult to perform a commandment of Shariah because of a lack of motivation, he should fight that lack of motivation to obey that commandment, and when a person is finding it difficult to resist temptations to commit a sin because of lack of motivation, then he should fight that lack of motivation to refrain from that sin. This is what gives rise to a closer relationship with Allah, this is what makes that relationship stronger, and this is what sustains it.”

This is the person who spent all his life learning about and then teaching Tasawwuf, and he is saying that the primary lesson of Tasawwuf is to battle your procrastination and lack of motivation. For example, you are feeling lazy in going to the Masjid for Jama’at, and your heart is telling you to just pray at home, or not pray at all. At that time, there is no treatment for that procrastination and lack of motivation besides forcing yourself to do it. To combat this procrastination, use the fortitude, the determination, that Allah Ta’ala has granted you. If you keep using your determination, your procrastination will gradually get weaker. If you do not use your determination, your resolve, then this procrastination will get stronger and stronger. Today it will make you miss one Fard (compulsory act of worship), tomorrow it will make you miss another. Today it will make you commit one sin, tomorrow it will make you commit another sin. But you if decide within your mind that you will not bow to this procrastination, this lack of motivation, then it will get weaker and weaker.

A PERSON’S NAFS (INNER-SELF) IS LIKE AN INFANT
Allama Buseri has said in Qaseeda Burda that a person’s Nafs is like an infant. If you keep feeding milk to an infant and never wean him off it, then he will become an adult but would still be drinking only milk. However, if you realize that a child should not be drinking milk alone, he should be eating other things too, so he should be weaned off milk, then whenever you start doing it, there will be an initial difficult period. He will cry, he will scream, there will be some sleepless nights, but eventually he will be weaned off milk. However, if you get scared of this whole process and think that this is too difficult, he will never sleep at night himself and nor will he let me sleep, lets just keep feeding him milk, then that child will grow up but will still be drinking milk alone.

Similarly, a person’s Nafs (inner-self) is like an infant. It is addicted to sins. It likes to seek pleasures, regardless of whether the activities it is trying to obtain pleasure through are permissible or not. It does not like to perform Ibadah (acts of worship) because there is no pleasure for it in Ibadah. Now, if you leave your Nafs to its own devices and let it decide which activities it wishes to pursue, then it will never give up sins. If you wish to make it give up sins, it will require a lot of effort but eventually it will give up sins. You just have to switch the pleasures of your Nafs, and retrain it to seeking pleasure through Ibadah, rather than sins. This is the message of Allama Buseri (may Allah Ta’ala bless him). And Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala bless him) is also saying that the crux of Tasawwuf is that a person uses his willpower to keep performing Ibadah and in abstaining from sins.

DETERMINATION IS A BLESSING
Just like Allah Ta’ala has created attributes of laziness and procrastination in human beings, similarly Allah Ta’ala has created another attribute in human beings which is determination. This determination is a remarkable attribute. Allah Ta’ala has created determination in human beings in such way that a person can extend it as much as he wants and can reach whatever height he wants. Whatever accomplishments any human being has ever made has been through use of his determination.

USE YOUR DETERMINATION TO REFRAIN FROM SINS
What happens in reality is that a person tries once or twice to give up a sin. Then when he slips again, he gives up hope and starts thinking that he is helpless. But Shariah says that a person is not helpless. Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’an;

“Allah does not obligate anyone beyond his capacity. (2:286)

Human beings have not been commanded to perform any actions that are beyond their capacity, beyond their control. Whatever they have been commanded to do is within their capacity, it is only a matter of making a vow to oneself and Allah Ta’ala to keep making those efforts. That is why Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala bless him) says that the summary of whole of Tasawwuf is that a person utilizes his determination to keep following Allah Ta’ala’s commandments and protect himself from committing sins. This is a lifelong commitment. There will be times when a person will slip up but do not give up hope. Just renew your vow and determination and start doing the same thing all over again.

HOW DOES A CHILD LEARN TO WALK?
Our Hazrat (Dr Abdul Hai – may Allah Ta’ala bless him) used to say that have you ever observed how does a child learn to walk? When a child first learns to walk, he takes a step and then falls down. If that child then loses hope that he will never learn to walk because he fell down, then he will never learn to walk. But if he gets up and starts walking, then he will fall again, and again, and again. But in this process of walking and falling over and over again, one day he will learn to walk. Therefore, if you have fallen down after embarking on the path of Allah Ta’ala, and after trying to abstain from sins, do not lose hope. Use your determination and start walking again. If you fall again, then get up and start walking again. Slowly and gradually you will learn to walk on the way of Allah Ta’ala. The primary message here is that a human being makes progress only through determination, and no one can achieve anything worthwhile without using his determination.

THERE IS A LIMIT TO GOOD MANNERS
Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala bless him) further said;

“It has been narrated in a hadith that when you have explained three times to a person asking for financial help why you can’t help him at that time, and he still keeps insisting to the point that it starts becoming distressing for you, then one is allowed to decline firmly. It tells us that there is a limit to good manners too, and a person has not been obligated to keep tolerating distress being caused by others beyond his limits.”

Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala bless him) explained that this tells us that Shariah has also set limits on being kind to people. The commandment of being nice to people is not limitless, to the extent that it places that person in great difficulty. A person is not obligated to continue to be nice if another person keeps hurting him over and over and over again. Then he is allowed to set boundaries. Allah Ta’ala has not obligated us for things which are beyond our limits. Shariah has clearly set boundaries on to what extent we are obligated, and not after that.

INITIALLY DO NOT EXPRESS EVEN JUSTIFIED ANGER
Having said that, a person should try not to express their anger at all. Our Shaykh Hazrat Maulana Maseehullah Khan sahib (may Allah Ta’ala bless him) used to say that even though expressing anger in appropriate circumstances is permitted, but expressing it where it is not justified to do so is a sin. To stop oneself from expressing anger unjustly, when a person first embarks on the path of self-improvement he has to practice not expressing and suppressing his anger even in circumstances where it may have been justified to express it. Therefore, a beginner on this path should not express anger at all, either justly or unjustly. Then once his anger has come under his control, then he is allowed to express it in appropriate circumstances.

Telling the difference between up until which point a person is not allowed to get angry, and beyond which he can get angry, is a very delicate matter and many people make mistakes about it. This is what a person learns through Suhbat (companionship, mentorship) of wise elders. This is not something which a person can learn just by reading a cookbook that you can express your anger in situation A but not in situation B. This is what one learns through discussing different situations he comes across with his Shaykh and then developing an understanding of which kind of situations it is okay to express one’s anger in. It is generally not possible to develop this understanding without Suhbat.

WHAT IS MEANT BY PURIFICATION OF INTERNAL ATTRIBUTES
Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala bless him) said;

“It has been narrated in a Hadith that if you hear that a mountain has moved from its place then accept it, but if you hear about a person that his internal attributes have changed then do not accept it. This tells us that with Riyazat (sustained effort) a person’s internal attributes do not subside totally, they just become attenuated.”

What it means is that in the Hadith it has been negated that if you hear that a person’s anger has subsided completely, do not accept it, because a person’s internal attributes do not change completely. However, through Riyazat (sustained effort) and Suhbat (companionship) this anger can be brought under control. Then a person doesn’t get angry all the time. He may get angry but only in situations where Shariah permits him to get angry, and even in that anger he does not cross limits set by Shariah.

The purpose of quoting this Hadith here is to contradict those people who claim on the basis of this Hadith that a person’s inherent internal attributes cannot change. Some people feel hopeless upon hearing this that if my internal attribute can’t change, then what is the point of going through Tazkiyah (purification of inner-self). Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta’ala bless him) has clarified that this Hadith means that a person’s inherent attributes do not subside completely, but they can be attenuated with effort, and as a result of that attenuation they are less likely to influence a person’s behaviour to the extent of committing sins.

وآخر دعوا ان الحمد ﷲ رب العالمين