. J "" (cont.)

As Allah says, Ё Ђ tu\ '-t l , J1 ஗ Â J., ·r JJƌ c: J Ƌ_, -.g , # , , -, ,J :- ȹ if ì ® 0_,......i ) জ i஘ , , , "The Day [of Judgment] whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, except him who comes to Allah with a clean, sound heart" (al-Shuaraa 88-89). Elsewhere, after stating ten different oaths, Allah says, ࣜ; .; fg :Llj QJ L¢=j .; ͅt :Li "Certainly, one who purifies himself has succeeded. And certainly one who corrupts himself has failed" (al-Shams 9-10). The purification of the soul is one of the main reasons for which the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sent. Allah says in the Quran, 1 Al-Shaukaani, Qatr, pp. 433-435. 1 159 Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi "He it is who sent among the unlettered ones a messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the Sunnah. And, verily, they had been in manifest error" (al-Jumuah 2). This purification of the soul is, obviously, for the benefit of the human himself. It does not help or benefit Allah in the least. Since the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sent to purify the souls of the people, there can be no question that his method of purification of the soul is the method that is approved by Allah and that is pleasing to Allah. The path espoused by the Quran and sunnah is very clear and open for every human to follow. It basically is comprised of three components: ( 1) The first step on the road to purification of the soul is to purify one's beliefs and heart from any form of shirk or associating partners with Allah. One's heart must possess the minimum of tauheed as described and discussed in the commentary to Hadith Number 2. Allah has said in the Quran, J. ., >,., :.ii ;',ii,., -;. ,, / /. m Hadith #38: "Whoever Shows Enmity to . . . " As has already been stated, these obligatory acts help purify the person and rectify his behavior. The five daily prayers, the fasting of the month of Ramadhaan and the giving of zakah, for example, all help in purifying the person. Remaining away from adultery, alcohol and interestto remain away from such acts is obligatoryall are necessary steps to keep a person pure and reformed. Al-Toofi stated, The order to perform the obligatory duties is a strict one. The one who does not perform them falls into punishment. On both of these matters, the case of the voluntary deeds is different. They are similar to the obligatory deeds in that in both of them one earns a reward. However, the obligatory deeds are more complete. For that reason, they are more beloved to Allah and take one closer to Him. The obligatory deeds are like the foundation while the voluntary deeds are like the branches and the building. If a person fulfills the obligatory deeds in the way that they are commanded to be fulfilled, with proper respect and esteem by submitting to Him and demonstrating the greatness of His Lordship and submission of His worship, one gets closer to Him in the greatest way. 1 (3) The third step in the purification of one's soul is the performance of the voluntary deeds after one has attended to the deeds that are obligatory upon him. These deeds include all of the deeds that are not strictly obligated and which have some sign that they are praiseworthy acts. These deeds are also at different levels of virtue. Some virtuous deeds were greatly emphasized by the Prophet (peace be upon him) while others were not so emphasized. In other words, some voluntary deeds are much more virtuous than others. The more virtuous a voluntary deed, the closer it takes a person to Allah. Fareed states that one can understand from this hadith that if a person is lacking in his performance of the obligatory deeds-- in the sense that he does not perform them and is lackadaisical with respect to them2but he performs many voluntary deeds, that will not lead him to becoming a beloved of Allah. One only comes closer to Allah by performing voluntary deeds after the person fulfills the obligatory deeds. This is the path of purification according to the ah/ al-Sunnah. 3 In fact, as ibn Hubairah pointed out, 1 Quoted in Ahmad Fareed, Al-Tazkiyah baina Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Soofiyah (no publication information given), p. 22. 2 This portion between the dashes is not from Ahmad Fareed but it must be added. This is because a person's shortcoming with respect to his obligatory deeds is made up by his voluntary deeds, unless, of course, he simply does not perform them or is not keen on performing them. Allah knows best. 3 Fareed, Tazkiyah, p. 24. 1 161 Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi something can only be "extra" if the necessary or obligatory portions are fulfilled.