Tazkiyah literally means purification. In the extended sense it means growth. In this respect, tazkiyah means intellectual development. The mind is not something stagnant, it is ever-growing, like a tree. It is this process which is called ?adding faith to their faith? (48:4) in the Quran. Adding faith to faith means development in consciousness, which is another name for intellectual development. The real faith is one which does not stagnate, but grows continuously in its conviction about God.How does tazkiyah or intellectual development take place? The path to this is contemplation. Contemplation is in itself a continuous process ? contemplating the Quran and Hadith, the life of the Prophet, the lives of the Companions, the various human disciplines, the universe, the earth and the heavens. There is also the kind of contemplation which takes place during serious discussions. In this process of contemplation, new ideas emerge, deeper meanings come to light, new aspects hitherto unexplored of different events and realities are discovered, and every experience will bring him closer to God.

This book forms a collection of inspiring thoughts, stories, quotes, sayings, and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, which have been presented in a simple and straightforward style. Besides being an aid to personal study and individual training, this book will be of great benefit when read out at gatherings, as it is valuable for congregational recitations

The book aims at developing a spiritual bent of mind in its reader. The author believes that to attain spirituality one does not need to retire to the jungles, rather one must live in the midst of all the activities of the world and develop the ability to convert material events into non-material or spiritual events. According to the author, “If you want to live as a spiritual person, learn the art of extraction. That is, you have to be able to extract spiritual content from material things. This will give you spiritual food, and thus you will be able to develop yourself as a spiritual person.”Spiritual living is the greatest need of the day and in the various chapters of the book, the author enlightens the reader on how to deal with day-to-day problems of failure, stress, unhappiness and conflict.

According to the Quran, a person’s life has been divided into two phases: the pre-death period and the post-death period. The present life is only temporary and is meant as a test. Depending upon our performance in this test, we shall be judged in the eternal life after death. The Quran aims to make one aware of this reality and help one lead one’s life in this world in such a way that one is rewarded with Paradise in the life Hereafter

The author, through his study of science, religion, psychology and the experiences of his own life, enlightens about the path to discovery of God through one’s journey of life. A discovery of this kind involves pondering on the word of God, converting one’s material experiences into spiritual insights, constant introspection, and contemplating on the numerous phenomena of the universe. This kind of spiritual and intellectual endeavour of remembering God and recognizing His majesty and glory in everything around provides nourishment to the soul. Such a person develops strong affection for His Creator, Sustainer and Benefactor, a feeling which reflects in his character and behaviour. Discovery of the noble and merciful God makes a person rise above negative thinking; his heart becomes free of hatred, anger, and vengefulness. He develops the ability to engage in positive thinking even in unpleasant situations. The personality that undergoes this spiritual process is deserving of being settled in Paradise in the Hereafter

This anthology of articles by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is designed to illustrate the science of life which the author has derived from one of the basic principles of the Quran: "Every hardship comes with ease." (94:5-6). In his view, failure in life is a common occurrence, but that coupled with a positive attitude, it can be transformed into success. Failure, on the other hand, coupled with a negative attitude is again failure. The author gives examples from the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, to show that there is no end to the possibilities of success life for the individual who can take a lesson from failure. He also cautions that life's tribulations must be faced patience, perseverance and compassion