ii) According to the people of tariqah The purification of...

ii) According to the people of tariqah The purification of this group occurs after their performance of the above‑mentioned ablution; it is an expression for the purifi­cation of the self from any base aspects of behaviour, the purifi­cation of the intellect from the impurity of wicked thoughts or ideas of a dubious nature which lead one or other astray, purifi­cation of the inner heart and mind of envy or rivalry and the purification of the limbs from actions unacceptable to the intellect or the code of the shari`ah.

The intention of this kind of wudhu’ is that the person intends with his heart and innermost secret not to do any action which would conflict in any way with the plea­sure of Allah and to make all his acts of worship purely for Allah and no other; this is referred to in His words, `Say surely my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Lord of the worlds; no associate has He; and this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who submit.' As for the washing of the face, it is that the person washes the face of his heart clean of any impurity connected to the world and that contained therein, for `Surely the world is carrion and those who seek it are dogs.' It is for this reason that the Prophet has also said, `Love of this world is the source of all wrong action and abandonment of the world is the source of all worship'.

'Ali, may peace be upon him, has said, `O world! Go and deceive other than me for I have pronounced divorce on you three times and there is thus no possibility of a remarriage.' As for the washing of the hands, it refers to washing them free of whatever is in their grasp ‑ of money and the like and of the world and the hereafter; indeed the reality of this purification is nothing but the dismissal of whatever is at their disposal.

As for the wiping of the head, it means wiping over one's `true' head, namely one's intellect or perceiving self, that is one inspects it to ascertain whether there remains any trace of love of this world (and all this implies of wealth and honour). As for the wiping of the feet, it means preventing them from walking anywhere that is not for the pleasure of Allah and in obedience to Him, whether outwardly or inwardly.

As for what the two feet means according to the inner dimension, then, according to some, they symbolize man's perceptive faculty and his ability to carry out actions; according to others, they symbolize the sexual instinct and the power of anger.