10 Comprehensive Characteristics of Purification of the Soul

Formally in Islam, all sciences are first introduced by looking at their 10 defining characteristics, what in Arabic are called “al-mabaadi al-ashara” (The 10 Principles). For the science of Tazkiyat-un-nafs or Purification of the Soul they are as follows:

1. Name – تزكِيَّة النفس (Tazkiyat-un-Nafs = Purification of the Self), also known by the following terms:  تسَوُّف (Tasawwuf), سُلوك (Suluk),  تربيَّة (Tarbiya),  أخلاق (Akhlaq).
2. Definition – The discipline of cleaning and beautifying the inner character of the human being in compliance with the divine commands.
3. Subject – The inner character of the human being: قلب (Qalb/Heart),  نفس (Nafs/Self), and  روح (Ruh/Soul)
4. Topics – Diseases of the Heart and their Cures, Stations (maqaamaat) on the path to Spiritual Excellence (Ihsaan)
5. Classification – One of the Primary Islamic Sciences, not Secondary or Ancillary
6. Fruits – Happiness in this life and the hereafter
7. Virtue – يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ    The Day when neither sons nor wealth shall avail, except he who comes to Allah with a sound heart (Surah 26: Ayah 88, 89)
8. Legal Value – Fard ‘Ayn – The basics must be known by every adult sane Muslim: Diseases, Cures, Importance. Fard Kifaaya – The details should be known by some to guide and answer questions.
9. Codifiers – Harith al-Muhasibi (d. 243/857) author of Risalat al-Mustarshideen
10. Sources – Quran, Sunnah, and Practices of the Salaf.

10 Characteristics

As is usually the case with all traditional sources of knowledge, Muslim scholars used to use poetry to help people memorize important information. In this case, the names of these 10 Characteristics were turned into a poem to enable easy memorization, by Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Ṣabbān (d. 1206/1791). You can download the Poem here, or visit the original source at academia.edu.

إنّ مبادئ كَلَ فن عشرة                         الحدّ والموضوع ثم الثمرة

For every science there are truly ten essentials at its roots:

Its defining limits, structured contents, then its mastery’s fruits

ونسبة وفضله والواضغ                والاسم واستمداد حكم الشارع

Its relationships, its virtues, and an original framer

Its name, its sources, and status according to the Lawgiver

مسائل والبعض بالبعض اكتف          ومن درى الجميع حاز الشرفا

And its issues. Some will content themselves to learn just some of these

But whosoever knows them all has attained true nobility.

Copyright © 2016 by Brendan Newlon
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