“Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself (i.e. obeys and performs all that Allâh ordered, by following the true Faith of Islâmic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds). And indeed he fails who corrupts his ownself (i.e. disobeys what Allâh has ordered by rejecting the true Faith of Islâmic Monotheism or by following polytheism or by doing every kind of evil wicked deeds).”
[Qur’an; 91:9-10]
Heart&soul Work; A journey to tazkiyah.
the word tazkiyah means to purify or to cleanse.
The journey of those who seek Allah ends with them overcoming their selves, because whoever triumphs over his self succeeds and wins, & whoever has his self triumph over him loses.
“As for whoever exceeded the limits and preferred the life of this world, surely his abode will be the Fire; and as for whoever feared to stand before His Lord and restrained the desires of his self, surely his abode will be the Garden.” [Qur’an; 79:39-40]
Reflective Prompts…
What are some diseases that may be affecting your heart? (no not cardiovascular disease, please google ‘spiritual’ diseases of the heart/soul’ if you’re not sure)
How do these diseases manifest in your daily life?
How are these diseases sabotaging your relationship with The Creator & the creation?
What measures can you take to get rid of them?
Duas From The Sunnah:
Allahumma ati nafsi taqwaha, wa zakkiha Anta khairu man zakkaha, Anta waliyyuha wa maulaha.
اللهمَّ آتِ نفسي تقواها، وزكِّهَا أنت خيرُ من زَكَّاهَا، أنت وَلِيُّهَا ومولاها
O Allah! Grant my soul its Taqwa (piety), and purify it. You are the best of those who purify it. You are its Walee (Supporter) and its Mawla (Guardian/Patron).
Allahumma inni a'udhu bika min 'ilmin la yanfau', wa min qalbin la yakhsha'u, wa min nafsin la tashba'u, wa min da'watin la yustajabu laha'
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلمٍ لا يَنْفَعُ، ومِنْ قَلْبٍ لاَ يخْشَعُ، وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ لاَ تَشبَعُ، ومِنْ دَعْوةٍ لا يُسْتجابُ لهَا
O Allah! I seek refuge in You from Ilm (knowledge) which does not benefit, from a Qalb (heart) which does not fear (You), from a Nafs (soul) which is never satisfied, and from a Da’wah (supplication) which is not answered.
[Source: Sahih Muslim]
A Heartfelt Dua:
Ya Allah, Al-Quddus (The Most Pure), purify me from my sins.
Ya Allah You are The Most pure. You are The source of all purity, The One Who is completely spotless and free from any impurity or imperfection. And then there is me, the imperfect, the one with flaws, the sinful and the impure.
Ya Allah, You know my dark secrets, You know those moments of disobedience, You know those struggles I face, and You know how badly I fall into those sins, even after regretting it every time.
Ya Allah, I seek forgiveness for all my transgressions and for all those moments of disobedience. Ya Allah You have witnessed all those dark sins that I am ashamed to even confess.
Ya Allah You know how bad I have fallen and how those regrets still haunt me.
Ya Allah I know I have caused enough damage to myself, but yet I have hopes in your forgiveness. I still seek the purification of my soul.
Ya Allah, help me purify my soul, in such a way that it helps me to obey You and Your commands in the best way possible. Ya Allah, help me purify my nafs, from all those sins, and help me fight and resist those evil temptations.
Ya Allah, I often find myself complaining, that I lack peace in my life, and that I feel empty but I forget the fact that I have darkened my heart by sinning. I seek peace in the wrong places, I seek pleasure in going against Your commands, I get lazy with what You have made obligatory, and then I wonder why I feel uneasy and why I don’t feel that sense of purity within me.
Ya Allah help me to seek the pure for purity and help me to seek the perfect for perfection.
Ya Allah, Al-Quddus, help my heart to heal from every impurity, from everything that drags me towards sins.
More reflective prompts:
Fasting trains us to control our behaviors and emotions. What three things do you think you need to better control or change? Choose one of these three things and control/ change it today.
Close your eyes. Imagine it is 6 months from now and you have learnt how to control or change these three behaviors/emotions. What does your life and the lives of those around you look like now?
A Random Ramadan Revelation:
“Oh whole time it’s not shaytaan? So I’m the problem?”
“It’s not shaytaan, it’s me.”
Yeah guys, let’s do our homework, i.e, the heart/soul work.
And please remember me & the entire ummah in your duas.
XoXo, AR.