"Therefore, do not justify yourselves"

suggests, it is to not purify the soul. For on account of his nature and innate disposition, man loves him­self. Indeed, he loves himself before anything else, and only himself. He sacrifices everything other than himself to his own soul. He praises himself in a manner befitting some object worthy of worship. He absolves and exonerates himself from faults in the same way. As far as he possibly can, he does not see faults as being appropriate for him, and does not accept them. He defends himself passionately as though worshipping himself. Even, using on himself the members and faculties given him as part of his nature in order to praise and glorify the True Object of Worship, he displays the meaning of the verse,

"Who takes as his god his own desires."^[5]

He considers himself, he relies on himself, he fan­cies himself. Thus, his purification and cleansing at this stage, in this step, is to not purify himself; it is not to absolve himself.

As the verse.

"And be not like those who forget God, and He therefore makes them forget their own selves"

teaches, man is oblivious of himself and not aware of himself. If he thinks of death, it is in relation to others. If he sees transience and decline, he does not attribute them to himself. His evil-commanding soul demands that when it comes to inconvenience and service of others, he forgets himself, but when it comes to receiving his recompense, and to benefits and enjoyment, he thinks of himself and takes his own part fervently. His purification, cleansing, and training at this stage is the reverse of this. That is to say, when oblivious of himself, it is not to be oblivi­ous. That is, to forget himself when it comes to pleasure, and ambition and greed, and to think of himself when it comes to death and service of others.
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[5]Quran, 25:43:45:23.