What Are the Rulings of Outward and Inward Purification in Islam?
Answered by Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib
Question
What are the rulings of purification (tahara) in Islam, both outwardly and inwardly?
Answer
In the name of Allah, and all praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, his Family, his Companions, and those who follow him.
Outward Purification
Purification in Islam holds a great status, as it is a prerequisite for the validity of worship. Without it, neither prayer nor circumambulation of the Ka‘ba (tawaf) is valid. Allah (Most High) says:
“Purify your garments.” [Quran, 74:4]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) also said,
“Purification is half of faith.” [Muslim]
Purification includes ablution (wudu), the ritual bath (ghusl), and what substitutes ablution, such as dry ablution (tayammum). It also encompasses cleansing oneself of impurities, whether by using water (istinja’) or by using solid materials like stones (istijmar), and the general washing of impurities. All these acts are part of the ritual purification (tahara) in Islam.
Inward Purification
There is also a spiritual purification, which is referred to in the question as inward purification. This refers to cleansing the heart from spiritual impurities and diseases, such as envy, backbiting, slander, malice, tale-bearing, vanity, arrogance, and other vices acquired through one’s actions.
Imam Ghazali (Allah have mercy on him) elaborated on this topic in his beneficial book “Bidayat al-Hidaya” (The Beginning of Guidance), and those seeking more knowledge and understanding should refer to it. He also discussed it in detail in his major and remarkable work, “Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din” (The Revival of the Religious Sciences).
We ask Allah to grant us both outward and inward purification and to cleanse our hearts from every illness and impurity that brings about the displeasure and wrath of Allah. Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.
[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib
Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib is a prominent Islamic scholar from Yemen. He was born in Shibam, Hadhramaut, in 1976. He received his degree in Shari‘a from Al-Ahqaf University, a master’s degree from the Islamic University of Beirut, and a PhD in Usul al-Din from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
He studied under great scholars such as Shaykh al-Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad, Shaykh Fadl Ba‘ fadl, Habib Salim al-Shatiri, Habib Ali Mashhur bin Hafeez, and others. He has served as the Director of Publications at Dar al-Fiqh, the former Deputy Director of Cultural Relations at Al-Ahqaf University, a former Assistant for Employee Affairs at Atiyah Iron Company, a researcher at the Sunna Center affiliated with the Dallah al-Baraka Foundation, and a researcher at Al-Furqan Foundation’s Makka al-Mukarrama and Madina al-Munawwara Encyclopedia branch.
Currently, he is a researcher at Al-Furqan Foundation’s Makka al-Mukarrama and Madina al-Munawwara Encyclopedia branch, teaches traditionally through the Ijaza system at Dar al-Fuqaha in Turkey, supervises the Arabic department at Nur al-Huda International Institute (SeekersGuidance), and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Manuscript House in Istanbul.
His works include “The Efforts of Hadhramaut Jurists in Serving the Shafi‘i School,” “Contributions of Hadhramaut Scholars in Spreading Islam and its Sciences in India,” “Hada’iq al-Na‘im in Shafi‘i Fiqh,” in addition to verifying several books in Fiqh, history, the art of biographies, and Asanid (chains of narration).
