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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Taharah & 'ismah of the Prophets, Messengers, Awsiya', and Imams (peace Be Upon Them) Research Question no. 1 Let us begin our research by posing this question: What is Taharah? And what is ‘Ismah? Taharah - طهارة , by its linguistic definition, refers to the process of cleansing and the removal of anything that may pollute that object (e.g. dirt, spots, odor, germs) with things that are unwanted or harmful to that person.

As for the religious or spiritual connotation of Taharah, it means the purification and cleansing of the bodies, objects, soul, and heart from the things which Allah (SWT) ordered that they be purified from and with the way that He (SWT) ordered and specified. The process of Taharah (purification) can be carried out by yourself to yourself, or to others just like people can do it on you.

There exists a strong correlation between the efficiency of purification and the proficiency of that person who carries that procedure, who is referred to as the Mutahir - مُطهِر***.*** The more knowledgeable, experienced, and competent that individual is in achieving purification and cleansing, the more efficient and complete the results of purification will be.

In other words, if the proficiency of the Mutahir is approximately 60%, we can also predict that the efficiency of the process of Tat-heer will also be approximately 60%. We have three things three components: Mutahir - مُطهِر, Mutahar - مُطهِر , and the process of Tat-heer - تطهير . Mutahir is the person or thing which attempts to purify, while Mutahar is the person or thing that is sought to be cleansed and purified. Tat-heer is the process by which the purification takes place.

For instance, if you send your clothes to be washed at a laundromat, your clothes are the Mutahar , the laundromat is the Mutahir , and the method or procedure that the Laundromat undertakes to wash the clothes is the process of Tat-heer (purification). Logically-speaking, the cleanliness of your clothes will depend on the proficiency and competence of the Mutahir .

As for the spiritual meaning of Taharah, you can also carry it out on yourself, or someone else could carry it out on you, and the same logic applies to the rules of relationships, as mentioned earlier. Spiritual Tat-heer is of two types: 1) Physical cleansing and purification of materialistic things which you can see and feel, such as clothes or bodies.