disciplined training that purifies the soul of entrenched natural tendencies
General Technical Meaning
In ethical and mystical usage, riyāḍa is disciplined training of the soul that purifies character from entrenched natural tendencies.
In ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s Works
Chapter 14 refers to practitioners of riyāḍāt while classifying extraordinary effects whose inward cause is not known. Chapter 11 warns that bare discipline or disciplining the soul, when separated from the path of truth and from the soul’s proper perfections, may yield experiences without final perfection.
Source: Risālat al-Manāmāt wa-l-Nubuwwāt
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