What is achieved through Tazkia
Building Character Through Tasawwuf
Allah ﷻ says:
وَ اِنَّكَ لَعَلٰى خُلُقٍ عَظِیْمٍ
And indeed, you (ﷺ) are of the highest standard of (good) character. (Al-Qalam, 4)
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِیْ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ اُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ ۔
The truth is that in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example. (Al-Ahzab, 21)
قُلْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّوْنَ اللّٰهَ فَاتَّبِعُوْنِیْ یُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّٰهُ
(O Prophet! Tell people:) "If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you." (Al Imran, 31)
These three blessed verses make it clear that the character of the Prophet ﷺ is the highest among all creation, that for anyone to follow, his person is the best example, and that Allah ﷻ has clearly commanded us to follow him. In other words, it is necessary for all of humanity to shape their character and conduct after him ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ said: "I have been sent to perfect good character" (Muwatta Malik), and he said: "The best of you are those with the best character" (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim).
The role of desires, emotions and reason in shaping human behaviour and morality has been a subject of philosophical and religious debate for centuries, and now there is also a lot of research on it in modern psychology and neuroscience. According to Plato, the human soul is a combination of these three forces: desires fuel our basic needs and emotions push us to react instantly, but if they are not controlled, they can lead to moral decline. Aristotle explained that morality does not mean eliminating emotions, but bringing them to moderation (the Golden Mean) through reason, because it is reason that helps us understand the difference between good and bad and sets the right moral rules.
In modern psychology, Jonathan Haidt's "Elephant and Rider" metaphor shows that although the powerful emotional elephant often sets the direction of our decisions, the rider of reason is essential to show it the right path; while according to Daniel Goleman's research on Emotional Intelligence, when reason manages emotions and desires through self-control, a person adopts the best social behaviour. So when these three forces work in balance under the rule of reason, high morality is born, while conflict between them leads a person into confusion and moral decline.
Tasawwuf is a very deep and integrated practical system for reforming the inner self and building character. However, there are two extremely important and clear differences between the system of Tasawwuf and other fields (philosophy, science, etc.):
The first and most important difference is one of purpose. In Tasawwuf, the purpose of character-building is to shape one's character according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, so that the love and pleasure of Allah ﷻ can be attained.
The second difference is that Tasawwuf is a practical field, with little theory and a lot of practice.
Imam Ghazali (may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him) divided the process of reforming the inner self into two stages:
Takhliyah (emptying the heart of evils): Cleansing the inner self of bad habits and bad character traits (such as greed, envy, showing off, arrogance, self-admiration and love of the world) is an individual obligation (fard ayn) on every Muslim.
Tahliyah (adorning the heart with good character): After the heart has been purified, it is necessary to adorn it with good character and qualities (such as sincere repentance, patience and gratitude, fear and hope, detachment from the world (zuhd), trust in Allah ﷻ, and right intention and sincerity).
In other words, tazkiyah is not only about developing good qualities; recognising bad qualities and getting rid of them is also tazkiyah.
Tazkiyah changes a person's inner self; character-building makes that change visible in their lasting behaviour and conduct. In truth, real spirituality is what shows up in a person's character.