In Islamic thought, the concept of nafs (self) and its purification, or tazkiyatun nafs, has multiple interpretations, including:

• Stages of the nafs
  The nafs has multiple stages, or levels, that represent different aspects of the self: 

  • Nafs al-ammara: The ego, or selfish desires 
  • Nafs al-lawwama: The conscience, or the ability to recognize and feel remorse for wrongdoing 
  • Nafs al-mutma’inna: The highest level of the nafs, characterized by inner peace, contentment, and spiritual fulfillment 

• Nurturing the nafs
  The nafs is not inherently good or evil, but rather something that can be nurtured and self-regulated to become “good” and “inwardly meaningful”. 

  • Educational application
    In an educational setting, tazkiyatun nafs can help students cleanse their souls of internal disturbances that can hinder their moral and academic growth. 

  • Core of the faith
    The purification of the self is a core principle of Islam, and is ingrained in the Muslim psyche by the Quran, ahadith, and Sunnah. 

  Self-purification
  Tazkiyatun nafs is the process of cleansing the soul by purifying the heart and removing stains and lusts that hinder spiritual connection with God.