TARBIYYA & TAZKIYYA ACCORDING TO THE FAYDA TIJANIYYA:
The purpose of Tarbiyya, or spiritual training, is Tazkiyya. Without the proper training there is no hope of purifying the lower-self or ego (Nafs). According to Thierno Hassan Dem al-Futi (ra), a great scholar and Khalifa of the Faydatu Tijaniyya:
"As for Tarbiyya, it is the purification (Tazkiyya) of the nafs and its rectification. This is what is meant by the term 'tarbiyya'. People do not realize that tarbiyya is something which every human being needs. A man is a murabbi in his home, as he properly educates and trains his family and his children. A ruler or head of state is a murabbi in his country, training the citizens in his land. A Shaykh is a murabbi of his students, training them by commanding their egos purification and its rectification. This (purification) is what has been commanded in the Qur'an and Hadith and this is what is meant by the term 'tarbiyya'.
It is impossible for anyone to discharge the rights (Huquq) of Allah, in reality, until the nafs has been purified and rectified. Without purification it is impossible. The Messenger of Allah (Sal Allahu alayhi wa Salam) has mentioned this in a authentic narration reported in the Sahih of al-Bukhari:
'Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (purified) the whole body becomes good, but if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt. It is the heart.'
So, this piece of flesh has been identified as the heart, which is the place/abode of passionate lusts and lower desires (Hawa). To attempt its purification is very arduous and difficult. This is why it has been ordered to wage war against these Hawa. Jihad is of two types:
1. The struggle against the unbelievers.
2. The struggle against the passionate lusts.
The Jihad against the kufar is finished at the point he says, 'There is no god but Allah'. They enter into the sanctity of this Noble Kalima and thereby saves himself, his children, his property and attains complete freedom within Islam from the moment he says 'There is no god but Allah'. The Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi wa Salam) said:
'I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Apostle, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform that, then they save their lives and property from me, except for the Islamic laws and then their reckoning will be done by Allah."
(Sahih al-Bukhari)
This is the extent of jihad with the unbelievers, but it is not sufficient for the purification of the nafs because many people say the Kalima with their tongues while faith (Iman) has not yet entered into the hearts. In the city of the Prophet – Medina al-Munawwara – there were over 300 hypocrites present. They said 'La ilaha il Allah' with him, they prayed with him, they fasted with him, they gave charity with him, they performed the pilgrimage with him, etc., but they only did these things out of fear of the sword and not due to true faith.
However, the Sacred Law (Shari'a) does not investigate into peoples state of heart, as its rulings are only concerned with the outward state of people. This is why after returning from the Battle of Tabuk, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
'We have returned from Jihad al-Asghar to Jihad al-Akbar.’ The companions asked: ‘What is Jihad al-Akbar, O Messenger of Allah?’ He answered: ‘The Jihad of someone against his desires.’
This is something truly amazing! The struggle against ones own passions and lower desires (Hawa) is more difficult than the struggle against unbelievers, which may involve extreme hunger, thirst or even the possibility of losing ones physical life!
For this reason the ego/soul (Nafs) has been likened to a wild beast, the passionate desires (Hawa) has been likened to a leash, Satan has been likened to the one walking the wild beast, and the Dunya has been likened to its pasture field of grazing. But when a person comes to a Shaykh, they are in effect giving the reins of the leash to him."
—THIERNO HASSAN DEM AL-FUTI (ra) in "Kashif al-Ghita" (The Lifting of the Veils)
Interpreted from the Arabic by Muhammad Abdullahi al-Tijani al-Ibrahimi
The purpose of Tarbiyya, or spiritual training, is Tazkiyya. Without the proper training there is no hope of purifying the lower-self or ego (Nafs). According to Thierno Hassan Dem al-Futi (ra), a great scholar and Khalifa of the Faydatu Tijaniyya:
"As for Tarbiyya, it is the purification (Tazkiyya) of the nafs and its rectification. This is what is meant by the term 'tarbiyya'. People do not realize that tarbiyya is something which every human being needs. A man is a murabbi in his home, as he properly educates and trains his family and his children. A ruler or head of state is a murabbi in his country, training the citizens in his land. A Shaykh is a murabbi of his students, training them by commanding their egos purification and its rectification. This (purification) is what has been commanded in the Qur'an and Hadith and this is what is meant by the term 'tarbiyya'.
It is impossible for anyone to discharge the rights (Huquq) of Allah, in reality, until the nafs has been purified and rectified. Without purification it is impossible. The Messenger of Allah (Sal Allahu alayhi wa Salam) has mentioned this in a authentic narration reported in the Sahih of al-Bukhari:
'Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (purified) the whole body becomes good, but if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt. It is the heart.'
So, this piece of flesh has been identified as the heart, which is the place/abode of passionate lusts and lower desires (Hawa). To attempt its purification is very arduous and difficult. This is why it has been ordered to wage war against these Hawa. Jihad is of two types:
1. The struggle against the unbelievers.
2. The struggle against the passionate lusts.
The Jihad against the kufar is finished at the point he says, 'There is no god but Allah'. They enter into the sanctity of this Noble Kalima and thereby saves himself, his children, his property and attains complete freedom within Islam from the moment he says 'There is no god but Allah'. The Prophet (Sal Allahu alayhi wa Salam) said:
'I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Apostle, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform that, then they save their lives and property from me, except for the Islamic laws and then their reckoning will be done by Allah."
(Sahih al-Bukhari)
This is the extent of jihad with the unbelievers, but it is not sufficient for the purification of the nafs because many people say the Kalima with their tongues while faith (Iman) has not yet entered into the hearts. In the city of the Prophet – Medina al-Munawwara – there were over 300 hypocrites present. They said 'La ilaha il Allah' with him, they prayed with him, they fasted with him, they gave charity with him, they performed the pilgrimage with him, etc., but they only did these things out of fear of the sword and not due to true faith.
However, the Sacred Law (Shari'a) does not investigate into peoples state of heart, as its rulings are only concerned with the outward state of people. This is why after returning from the Battle of Tabuk, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
'We have returned from Jihad al-Asghar to Jihad al-Akbar.’ The companions asked: ‘What is Jihad al-Akbar, O Messenger of Allah?’ He answered: ‘The Jihad of someone against his desires.’
This is something truly amazing! The struggle against ones own passions and lower desires (Hawa) is more difficult than the struggle against unbelievers, which may involve extreme hunger, thirst or even the possibility of losing ones physical life!
For this reason the ego/soul (Nafs) has been likened to a wild beast, the passionate desires (Hawa) has been likened to a leash, Satan has been likened to the one walking the wild beast, and the Dunya has been likened to its pasture field of grazing. But when a person comes to a Shaykh, they are in effect giving the reins of the leash to him."
—THIERNO HASSAN DEM AL-FUTI (ra) in "Kashif al-Ghita" (The Lifting of the Veils)
Interpreted from the Arabic by Muhammad Abdullahi al-Tijani al-Ibrahimi
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