Purification of the self - Nafs

Suluk consists of

1. cleansing of the heart - removing the love of the ephemeral world
2. purification of the self - embellishing the self with laudable and angelic attributes
3. emptying the sirr - emptying it of all thoughts that would divert it from God
4. illuminating the soul - filling the soul with the effulgence of the vision of God and the fervor of His love.

Attributes of the "imperious self" (nafs-i ammara) as listed by Mahmud ibn Ali al-kashani:

1. slavery to carnal desires
2. hypocrisy
3. ostentation or dissimulation (riya)
4. Claim to godship (uluhiyya)
5. parsimony and avarice

From "Contemplative disciplines in sufism" by Dr. Mir Valiuddin