“And if you are told, ‘Go back,’ then go back; that is purer for you.”
And He says:
“Ask them from behind a screen. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts.”
And He says:
“Give charity before your private consultation. That is better for you and purer.”
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“O Allah, cleanse my heart of my sins with water, snow, and hail.”
And in the funeral supplication he said:
“Wash him with water, snow, and hail, and cleanse him of his sins as a white garment is cleansed of dirt.”
Purity—and Allah knows best—is freedom from sins, which are filth. Spiritual purification encompasses both purity, meaning freedom from sins, and growth through righteous deeds. This is like the pairing of forgiveness with mercy, deliverance from punishment with attainment of reward, and freedom from evil with attainment of good. Purification, then, is from filth and impurities. Allah Most High says:
“Indeed, the polytheists are impure.”
And He says:
“So shun the filth of idols.”
And He says:
“Wine, gambling, stone altars, and divining arrows are nothing but filth from Satan’s handiwork.”
And He says of the hypocrites:
“So turn away from them; indeed, they are filth.”
And He says concerning the people of Lot:
“And We saved him from the town that practised foul deeds.”
Those who practised sodomy said of Lot and his household:
“Expel them from your town! They are people who keep themselves pure.”
Mujāhid said: “They keep themselves pure from anal intercourse with men.” When entering the privy, one says:
“I seek refuge in You from evil and all that is foul,” and from the filthy, impure, wicked