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  This is the first session of a one-day seminar
dedicated to the discussion of refining the self. Sheikh Abdullah
Adhami addresses the college audience by first analyzing the
meaning of "self", its capacities and strengths, as
well as the profound meaning of tazkiah (or "purification")
and the very nature (fitrah) of the human being. This analysis
serves as a precursor to the main topic of elevating the self
and, as the speaker proposes, is essential to the understanding
of tazkiah because Allah has already created the self with a
readiness and a yearning to go forward on this arduous journey
of moving closer to Allah. The sheikh  looks
at the two components of the human being in-depth, the body and
the spirit, and emphasizes the great responsibility upon us since
we were raised above the level of the angels by virtue of the
knowledge granted to us. A wonderful talk meant to establish
a basis of understanding upon which one can build to be successful
in this very important process of purifying the self.
Other topics discussed: humans
created in the "image" of God?, the angels asking Allah
about the creation of humans, and the pre-creation witnessing
by all humans to the existence of God.
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