An Analytical Study on the Concept of Purification; In Philosophical and Ethical Works of Muslim Scholars

The present research aimed to have an analytical study on the concept of "purification" in the philosophical and ethical works of Muslim scholars. The main question this study tried to answer was; in which cases "purification" was used for in the philosophical and ethical works, what did it mean in each case and what are its semantic elements. Through this study, it was shown that the term has started to be used in Ibne-Sina works and there was not any evidence to confirm that the term was common before him. It was by Ibne-Sina which the term appeared. By seventh century (in Islamic calendar), "purification" was a marginal term and it was just after seventh century which had taken as a key term. Four major discourses were attributed to the term; discourses on healing, discourses on ascetic, discourses on happiness and a synthetic one. "purification" was also used in four meaning; elimination of vices and acquiring moral virtues, elimination of moral vices, removing mammonism from soul, putting away moral vices and mammonism. The core meaning of "purification" is eliminating vices. Acquiring virtues is a necessary part of its meaning and not a part only. Elimination of vices and acquiring virtues are two sides of a coin.