Tazkiyah: Purification of the Heart

First PublishedOct 7, 2026Last UpdatedOct 9, 2026ByCallUponHim.com

The path that leads to ihsan: emptying the heart of what corrupts it, and filling it with what brings a person closer to Allah

The Path of Ihsan:

1. Ihsan: Worshipping Allah as Though You See Him
2. Tazkiyah: Purification of the Heart (This page)
3. Tasawwuf: The Science of Ihsan
4. Ihsan and the Human Mind

Ihsan is the destination. Tazkiyah is the path that leads there.

You cannot worship Allah as though you see Him while your heart is clouded by showing off, arrogance, envy, and heedlessness. Those have to be cleared away, and beautiful qualities have to grow in their place. That work is called tazkiyah.

This page is a practical guide. For the scholarly science behind it, see Tasawwuf: The Science of Ihsan. For the destination itself, see Ihsan: Worshipping Allah as Though You See Him.

What Is Tazkiyah?

Tazkiyah (تزكية) comes from the root z-k-y, the same root as zakat. It carries two meanings at once:

1. To purify: cleaning the heart of what corrupts it
2. To make grow: nurturing the good qualities that bring a person closer to Allah

Classical scholars described this as a two-step process:

1. Takhliyah (emptying): removing the diseases of the heart
2. Tahliyah (adorning): filling the heart with virtues

Why Success Depends on the Heart

1. Success depends on it. After a series of oaths, Allah says the one who purifies the soul has succeeded, and the one who corrupts it has failed (Qur’an 91:9-10).
2. Only a sound heart will help on the Last Day. On that Day, neither wealth nor children will benefit anyone, except the one who comes to Allah with a sound heart (qalb salim) (Qur’an 26:88-89).
3. It was part of the Prophet’s ﷺ mission. He was sent to recite Allah’s verses, purify the people, and teach them the Book and wisdom (Qur’an 62:2).
4. The heart controls everything. The Prophet ﷺ said there is a piece of flesh in the body: if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. That is the heart (Sahih al-Bukhari 52).
5. The heart is what Allah looks at. Allah does not look at your appearance or your wealth; He looks at your hearts and your deeds (Sahih Muslim 2564c).

Anyone can begin here. The first step is to take out what stands between the heart and Allah.

Step 1: Remove the Diseases of the Heart

This is takhliyah: emptying. You cannot adorn a heart that is still full of what corrupts it. You do not have to fight all of them at once. Learn to see one clearly, then treat it.

1. Riya (Showing Off)

What it is: Doing good deeds so that people will see and praise you.

Evidence: In a hadith qudsi, Allah says He is the most free of need of any partner. Whoever does a deed for Him and someone else, Allah leaves him with his partner (Sahih Muslim 2985).

How to treat it:

1. Check your intention before every act, remembering that deeds are judged by intentions (Sahih al-Bukhari 1)
2. Keep some good deeds completely secret
3. Remind yourself that people’s praise can neither benefit nor harm you

2. Kibr (Arrogance)

What it is: The Prophet ﷺ defined it as rejecting the truth and looking down on people. He warned that whoever has even an atom’s weight of arrogance in the heart will not enter Paradise. He also clarified that liking nice clothes is not arrogance, because Allah is beautiful and loves beauty (Sahih Muslim 91a).

How to treat it:

1. Accept correction, even from someone younger or less educated than you
2. Serve others in humble ways
3. Remember where you came from and where you are going

3. Hasad (Envy)

What it is: Disliking the blessings Allah has given someone else and wishing they would lose them.

Evidence: The Prophet ﷺ said: do not envy one another, do not hate one another, and be servants of Allah as brothers. Then he pointed to his chest three times and said taqwa is here (Sahih Muslim 2564a). The Qur’an also tells believers not to wish for what Allah has given others over them (Qur’an 4:32).

How to treat it:

1. Make du’a for the person you envy, asking Allah to increase their blessing
2. Ask Allah for His bounty for yourself instead
3. Remind yourself that Allah distributes His gifts with perfect wisdom

4. Ghaflah (Heedlessness)

What it is: Going through life forgetful of Allah, distracted and on autopilot.

Evidence: Allah commands the believer to remember Him morning and evening, humbly and with awe, and not to be among the heedless (Qur’an 7:205).

How to treat it: Regular dhikr, Qur’an, and reflection (see Step 3).

5. Excessive Love of the Dunya (This World)

What it is: When the world moves from your hand into your heart, so that it drives your choices more than Allah does.

Evidence: The Qur’an describes worldly life as play, distraction, adornment, boasting, and competing in wealth and children, which flourishes briefly and then withers (Qur’an 57:20).

How to treat it:

1. Remember death and the Hereafter often
2. Give in charity, especially from what you love
3. Use the world as a tool for the Hereafter, not as the goal

Step 2: Build the Virtues of the Heart

This is tahliyah: adorning. These virtues grow in the space the diseases occupied. Sincerity takes the place of showing off. Humility takes the place of arrogance.

1. Ikhlas (sincerity): doing everything for Allah alone. Believers were commanded to worship Allah, sincere to Him in religion (Qur’an 98:5).
2. Tawadu’ (humility): the servants of the Most Merciful walk on the earth gently and humbly (Qur’an 25:63).
3. Shukr (gratitude): if you are grateful, Allah will give you more (Qur’an 14:7).
4. Sabr (patience): Allah is with the patient (Qur’an 2:153).
5. Tawakkul (trust in Allah): whoever relies on Allah, He is enough for them (Qur’an 65:3).
6. Tawbah (repentance): Allah loves those who turn back to Him often (Qur’an 2:222).
7. Khawf and Raja’ (fear and hope): believers call upon their Lord in fear and in hope (Qur’an 32:16).

Step 3: Practices That Purify the Heart

These are the daily tools of tazkiyah. Start small and stay consistent.

1. Begin with sincere repentance. Allah calls the believers to a sincere tawbah (tawbatan nasuha) (Qur’an 66:8). Turn back to Allah, regret the past, and resolve to change.

2. Set your intention before every act. Before prayer, work, or helping someone, pause and ask: Who is this for? (Sahih al-Bukhari 1)

3. Make dhikr part of every day. Hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah (Qur’an 13:28), and believers are told to remember Him often (Qur’an 33:41). Morning and evening adhkar are a good place to start.

4. Pray with presence (khushu’). Successful are the believers who are humble in their prayer (Qur’an 23:1-2). Pause before Allahu Akbar, slow down, and understand what you recite.

5. Practice muraqabah through the day. When alone, remind yourself: He sees me. Let it shape what you watch, say, and do.

6. Do muhasabah (self-accounting) every night. Allah tells believers to look at what they have sent ahead for tomorrow (Qur’an 59:18). Umar ibn al-Khattab is reported to have said: hold yourselves to account before you are held to account (reported in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2459). Before sleeping, ask yourself:

   1. What did I do well today?
   2. Where did I fall short?
   3. What will I do differently tomorrow?

7. Reflect on the Qur’an. It was revealed so that people would reflect on its verses and take heed (Qur’an 38:29). Read a little with meaning, rather than a lot without it.

8. Keep righteous company. Allah told the Prophet ﷺ to stay patient with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face (Qur’an 18:28). The people around you shape your heart.

9. Do ordinary things beautifully. Finish your work well even when no one will check, and treat people and animals with gentleness (Sahih Muslim 1955a).

10. Ask Allah for a firm heart. The Prophet ﷺ often prayed:

    يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ

    Ya Muqallib al-qulub, thabbit qalbi ‘ala dinik “O Turner of hearts, keep my heart firm upon Your religion.”

    — Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2140 (graded hasan by at-Tirmidhi; see Hadith Grades)

    The Qur’an also teaches: “Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us” (Qur’an 3:8).

A Simple Daily Routine

Time	Practice
Morning	Set your intention for the day; morning adhkar
Before each prayer	Pause, and remember whom you are about to stand before
Through the day	Muraqabah: He sees me. Do your work with excellence
Evening	Evening adhkar; a few verses of Qur’an with reflection
Before sleep	Muhasabah: review the day, repent, and make du’a for a firm heart

Key Takeaways

1. Tazkiyah is the path to ihsan: purifying the heart and growing its virtues.
2. Step 1 removes the diseases of the heart: showing off, arrogance, envy, heedlessness, and excessive love of the world.
3. Step 2 builds its virtues: sincerity, humility, gratitude, patience, trust, repentance, and fear and hope.
4. Step 3 walks the path through daily practices: repentance, intention, dhikr, presence in prayer, muraqabah, self-accounting, Qur’an, good company, and du’a.
5. Start small and stay consistent. Steady effort, and asking Allah for a firm heart, matter more than bursts of intensity.

Sources

Hadith (Sunnah.com)

1. Sahih al-Bukhari 52: The heart as the center of the body
2. Sahih Muslim 2564c: Allah looks at hearts and deeds
3. Sahih Muslim 2985: Showing off (riya)
4. Sahih al-Bukhari 1: Deeds are judged by intentions
5. Sahih Muslim 91a: Arrogance (kibr) and its definition
6. Sahih Muslim 2564a: Envy (hasad), and “taqwa is here”
7. Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2459: Umar’s statement on self-accounting (note: Darussalam grades the Prophetic hadith in this entry as weak; Umar’s statement is quoted as a reported saying)
8. Sahih Muslim 1955a: Allah has prescribed ihsan in everything
9. Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2140: The du’a for a firm heart

Qur’an (Quran.com)

2:153 · 2:222 · 3:8 · 4:32 · 7:205 · 13:28 · 14:7 · 18:28 · 23:1-2 · 25:63 · 26:88-89 · 32:16 · 33:41 · 38:29 · 57:20 · 59:18 · 62:2 · 65:3 · 66:8 · 91:9-10 · 98:5

Further reading

1. Al-Ghazali, Ihya Ulum al-Din (especially the quarter on the destructive and saving qualities of the heart)
2. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madarij al-Salikin