Self-purification and giving charity
In Islam, what we need to do first is to resist our temptations and control ourselves so that we only do things when we have already checked carefully that they are acceptable. We should stand at the gate of our heart and not allow anything to come in or go out unless it has been checked.
Then the next step is to transform our soul into one that no longer has any desire for bad things and is thus a soul which does not need to be controlled. For this to happen self-purification has to take place and one of the best ways of purifying the soul is to rid oneself of love for the dunya by giving charity. Prayer and all types of worship (ibadah) are important but are not enough. We need both prayer and zakah. These are two pillars and the upright religion is the one which has both. This is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an in Chapter 98, verse 5.