PURIFICATION OF THE SELF
Purification (Tazkiyah) covers a number of Islamic imperatives: purifying oneself of the temptations of the self and Satan; refraining from negative reaction when faced with unpleasant experiences caused by others; and remaining resistant to such temptations that cause man to deviate from the straight path etc.

Tazkiyah literally means growth, one example of which can be seen in a tree. A tree is the result of the growth of a seed. When a seed finds a favourable environment, it starts growing till it becomes a green, verdant tree. The same is true of the purification of man. In this sense tazkiyah also conveys intellectual development.

Man has been created by God with an upright nature. But it happens that various weaknesses and temptations cloud the essential upright nature. Man ought to make unremitting efforts to keep himself away from them.

The task of the Prophet was to make people aware of this principle of purification and lead them towards attaining it.