Sanitizing Your Nafs

Sanitizing Your Nafs

By Haqqseeker

What is ‘sanitizing’?

According to most dictionaries sanitizing means ‘to make (something) free from dirt, infection, disease, etc., by cleaning it’.

In the present Coronavirus pandemic era, much emphasis is laid on sanitization. Wherever you go you have to sanitize yourself. In most cases the sanitizers used are alcohol based.

Cleanliness is one of the fundamental teachings of Islam, emphasized in both the Qur’an and Hadith. Most cultures and doctrines do have a regard for cleanliness. However, Islam goes one step further by not only prescribing cleanliness upon its followers, but declaring it to be a component of faith, as Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam said,

“Cleanliness is half the faith.” (Muslim)

Hence, the person who disregards cleanliness cannot actually possess more than half the faith, thus making cleanliness the most significant ethical valued quality. A love for cleanliness earns the love of Allah, as He says,

“Verily Allah loves those who repent excessively and those who stay pure” (Qur’an 2:222)

However, this is all about external purity. Together with external purity, Islam greatly emphasizes the aspect of internal purity or the purity of our Nafs (our soul or our inner-self). In the Qur’an Allah Ta‘ala has said:

“Indeed successful is the one who purifies his soul.” (Qur’an 91:9) 

Therefore, when people currently sanitize at every juncture, be it on entry or on exit, or when giving or receiving something, in order to eliminate any potential virus, then imagine how much more we should be sanitizing our Nafs!

For every deed we do to please Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, He multiplies the rewards ten times.

However, to do these deeds we have to have a very clean and pure (sanitized) Nafs.

Given below are some of the ways in which we can sanitize our Nafs:

• Recite istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah) in abundance.
• Make profound Dhikr of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.
• Make plenty of recitation of the Qur’an.
• Recite Durood Shareef (salutations on Nabi Sallallahu alaihi wasallam), as much as possible
• Allah has kept a very strong ‘sanitizing’ power in five-time daily Salah, provided that the Salahs are performed with all their Sunnah and etiquettes.
• Cultivate Sabr in your nature.
• Strictly keep away from the vices of backbiting and gossiping.
•        Kick out pride and arrogance from your nature.
• Settle your disputes and clean the heart from jealousy, malice and hatred.
• Try your best to restore severed family ties.
• Avoid telling lies and always speak the truth.
• Obey your parents and never hurt their feelings.
• Always try to be good to your spouse.
• Maintain good relationship with your neighbours.
• Give plenty of Sadaqah and Zakat to the poor and the needy.
• Restrain your glances.
• Avoid unnecessary talking.
• Keep away from bad company.
• Prevent eating excessive food.
• Avert attachment to digital devices, especially the Smartphone.

Sanitizing your Nafs will not only clean you of so many Nafsani ailments (ailments connected with to the Nafs), but it will let you gain proximity to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala and also raise the level of your Taqwa to a new height.