The Way to Inner and Outer Cleanliness

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

The religion of Islām – “النَّظَافَةُ مِنْ الْإِيمَانِ”, “An-naẓāfatu mina l-īmān”, “Cleanliness is from īmān.” [Hadith]. Islām is based upon cleanliness. Cleanliness is the basis of Islām. If there was no cleanliness, no worship would be accepted. Therefore, in the book of fiqh, the first lesson is Kitabu ṭ-Ṭaharah (The book of Cleanliness). It is based upon ṭahārah, cleanliness. It shows it.

The first thing is that the water must be clean. It shows how the clean water is and how many types of water there are. Everything is made of water. And the cleanliness of water is a must. It’s wrong if it wasn’t clean. When obliged, he can make tayammum. That’s another issue, but the main thing – there will definitely be water later so he can cleanse himself.

This is the outer cleanliness. The inner cleanliness is also needed; for the inside to be clean. How is the inner cleanliness done? The inner cleanliness is done with sincerity and with going on the way of our Holy Prophet ﷺ. His ﷺ way is clear and open. There are persons who show his ﷺ way. There is sharī’ah. There is ṭarīqah. One must follow him ﷺ. Those who follow his ﷺ way continue their lives as clean. After the outer cleansing, the inner cleansing also happens like this. Otherwise, if you don’t do that, your water mixes with dirt. Just as it’s not permissible to perform ablution with that water, you mix with other things while going on that way. Those things you mix will make you lose your īmān. May Allāh ﷻ protect us.

Shayṭān and his helpers have been striving hard with these issues, since after the time of our Holy ‎Prophet ﷺ, to corrupt the religion. They come up with new things every time. But Shukr to Allāh ﷻ, the imāms of Madhhabs and the Mashāyikh of ṭarīqah clean all their dirt. They clean people. People don’t respect them. But now unfortunately, these shayṭāns are causing troubles more and more lately. He tells you something, and all seems good and very beautiful. But in the end, he mixes some dirt in it. It makes you dirty inside. The deeds you do become useless. Those deeds won’t benefit you, but harm you. Therefore, mankind must certainly go on the way shown by our Holy ‎Prophet ﷺ, so that his hereafter is prosperous, so that his hereafter is complete.

Otherwise, there’s a new fashion now, “There’s no need for madhhab. There’s no need for ṭarīqah.” They are the things that are needed first. Ṭarīqah, madhhab, sharī’ah and ṭarīqah are already the same; they are not different. Some people don’t understand that. That’s why they are cheated. Even when they are cheated, the benefit in the deeds they do is very little. It is Islām; it is all complete. But they also have sins then. How is that? They are hating. They hate some companions. They hate Ahlu l-Bayt. “They are like us. They have no importance at all.” They say these kinds of things; and sometimes things lighter than that. Those who are more cunning from the inside say it more gradually. Slowly, slowly in order to make people fall into doubt and destroy their īmān.

Not everyone has īmān. There is Islām, but the rank of those with īmān is higher. A Muslim has a rank, but people with īmān have a higher rank. They have much more importance. They are the beloved servants of Allāh ﷻ. May Allāh ﷻ protect us. May Allāh ﷻ protect us all from badness, evil and dirt, in shā’a Llāh. Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

• Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 

19 January 2025/ 19 Rajab 1446

Lefke, Cyprus