An individual requested for a recitation (wadhifa) to purify the heart (from all that is sinful).

Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) replied,

“The recitations are not adopted for cleansing the heart. The heart is purified by rectifying the actions done, both the outward physical (dhahiri) acts and the inner (batini) thoughts and acts. Recitations provide an auxiliary support in execution of these actions.”

Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 1, page 407