Stations
Introduction
SECTION I
SECTION II
SECTION III
SECTION IV
SECTION V
SECTION VI
SECTION VII
SECTION VIII
SECTION IX
SECTION X
SECTION I
- 001 Wakefulness - اليَقَظَةُ
- 002 Repentance - التَّوْبَةُ
- 003 Self-Reckoning - المُحَاسَبَةُ
- 004 Returning - الإنَابَةُ
- 005 Reflection - التَّفَكُّرُ
- 006 Remembrance - التَّذَكُّرُ
- 007 Taking Shelter - الاعْتِصَامُ
- 008 Fleeing - الفِرَارُ
- 009 Training - الرِّيَاضَةُ
- 010 Hearing - السَّمَاعُ
SECTION II
- 011 Grief - الْحُزْنُ
- 012 Fear - الْخَوْفُ
- 013 Concern - الإشْفَاقُ
- 014 Submissive Solemnity - الْخُشُوعُ
- 015 Serene Submissiveness - الإخْبَاتُ
- 016 Disinterest - الزُّهْدُ
- 017 Pious Conscientiousness - الْوَرَعُ
- 018 Dedication - التَّبَتُّلُ
- 019 Hope - الرَّجَاءُ
- 020 Desirous Quest - الرَّغْبَةُ
SECTION III
- 021 Caring - الرِّعَايَة
- 022 Observance - المُرَاقَبَةُ
- 023 Veneration - الحُرْمَةِ
- 024 Devotion - الإخْلَاصُ
- 025 Refinement - التَّهْذِيبِ
- 026 Straightness - الِاسْتِقَامَة
- 027 Reliance - التَوَكَّل
- 028 Delegation - التَّفْوِيضِ
- 029 Trust - الثِّقَةِ
- 030 Surrender - التَّسْلِيمِ
SECTION IV
- 031 Patience - الصَّبْرِ
- 032 Contentment - الرِّضَا
- 033 Gratefulness - الشُّكْرُ
- 034 Modesty - الْحَيَاءِ
- 035 Truthfulness - الصِّدْقِ
- 036 Altruism - الإيثَارِ
- 037 Character - الخُلُق
- 038 Humbleness - التَّواضُع
- 039 Pietistic Heroism - الْفُتُوَّةِ
- 040 Affability - الانْبِسَاط
SECTION V
- 041 Intent - الْقَصْدِ
- 042 Resolve - الْعَزْمِ
- 043 Willfulness - الْإِرَادَةِ
- 044 Propriety - الأدَبِ
- 045 Certainty - اليَقِين
- 046 Comforting Intimacy - الْأُنْسِ
- 047 Remembrance - الذِّكْرِ
- 048 Poverty - الْفَقْرِ
- 049 Richness - الْغِنَى
- 050 The Sought - الْمُرَاد
SECTION VI
- 051 Excellence - الْإِحْسَانِ
- 052 Knowledge - العِلْمِ
- 053 Wisdom - الحِكْمَةِ
- 054 Insight - الْبَصِيرَة
- 055 Astuteness - الْفِرَاسَةِ
- 056 Exaltation - التعظيم
- 057 Inspiration - الإلهام
- 058 Tranquility - السَّكِينَةُ
- 059 Serenity - الطُّمَأْنِينَة
- 060 Drive - الْهِمَّةِ
SECTION VII
- 061 Love - المَحَبَّةُ
- 062 Protectiveness - الْغَيْرَة
- 063 Yearning - الشَّوْقُ
- 064 Anxiety - الْقَلَقُ
- 065 Thirst - الْعَطَشُ
- 066 Ecstasy - الْوَجْدُ
- 067 Bewilderment - الدَّهَشُ
- 068 Mystification - الْهَيَمَان
- 069 Lightning - البَرْق
- 070 Taste - الذَّوْقِ
SECTION VIII
- 071 Noting - اللَّحْظ
- 072 Timeliness - الْوَقْتُ
- 073 Clarity - الصَّفَاءُ
- 074 Bliss - السُّرُورُ
- 075 Privacy - السِّرُّ
- 076 Breath - النَّفَسُ
- 077 Stranger-ness - الْغُرْبَةُ
- 078 Submersion - الغَرَق
- 079 Absence - الْغَيْبَةُ
- 080 Establishment - التَّمَكُّنِ
SECTION IX
- 081 Disclosure - الْمُكَاشَفَةِ
- 082 Witnessing - الْمُشَاهَدَةُ
- 083 Beholding - المُعَايَنَةُ
- 084 Life - الْحَيَاة
- 085 Constriction - الْقَبْضٌ
- 086 Expansion - الْبَسْطُ
- 087 Intoxication - السُّكْرُ
- 088 Sobriety - الصَّحْوُ
- 089 Connection - الِاتِّصَال
- 090 Detachment - الِانْفِصَال
SECTION X
Allah, the Almighty, said:
{…And when you have resolved, then rely upon Allah…} [‘Âli ‘Imrân 3:159]
بقَالَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ "فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ"
Resolve is the actualization of the intent (qaṣd), willingly or unwillingly.355 It is of three levels:
الْعَزْمُ هُوَ تَحْقِيقُ الْقَصْدِ طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا؛ وَهُوَ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ دَرَجَاتٍ
The first level is the rebellion of the ḥâl (spiritual state) against (the limitations of) knowledge;356 and this is for:
الدَّرَجَةُ الْأُولَى إِبَاءُ الْحَالِ عَلَى الْعِلْمِ:
- لِشَيْمِ بَرْقِ الْكَشْفِ
- وَاسْتِدَامَةِ نُورِ الْأُنْسِ
- وَالْإِجَابَةِ لِإِمَاتَةِ الْهَوَى
The second level:
والدَّرَجَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ:
- الِاسْتِغْرَاقُ فِي لَوَائِحِ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ
- وَاسْتِنَارَةُ ضِيَاءِ الطَّرِيقِ
- وَاسْتِجْمَاعُ قُوَى الِاسْتِقَامَةِ
The third level:
- recognizing the flaws of ‘azm (resolve)362
- then resolving to get rid of resolve363
- then getting rid of the aftereffect of the disavowal of resolve,364
for nothing resolve can earn its people is better than showing them its flaws.
والدَّرَجَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ:
- مَعْرِفَةُ عِلَّةِ الْعَزْمِ
- ثم الْعَزْمُ عَلَى التَّخَلُّصِ مِنَ الْعَزْمِ
- ثُمَّ الْخَلَاصُ مِنْ تَكَالِيفِ تَرْكِ الْعَزْمِ
فَإِنَّ الْعَزَائِمَ لَمْ تُوَرِّثْ أَرْبَابَهَا مِيرَاثًا أَكْرَمَ مِنْ وُقُوفِهِمْ عَلَى عِلَلِ الْعَزَائِم.ِ
355When the Muslim army encountered the Romans and their allies in Mu’tah, ‘Abdullâh
ibn Rawâḥah motivated himself by the following lines of poetry:
أَقْسَمْتُ يَا نَفْسُ لَتَنْزِلِنَّهْ لَتَنْزِلِنَّ أَوْ لَتُكْرَهِنَّهْ -- إنْ أَجْلَبَ النَّاسُ وَشَدُّوا الرَّنَّهْ -- مَالِي أَرَاكِ تَكْرَهِينَ الْجَنَّهْ
I swear upon you, O nafs (self), that you shall enter or shall be forced to do so
The people have gathered, and the cries have risen
What is the matter with you? I see that you dislike paradise!
356 That is, not to ignore the Shari‘ah and knowledge of the scriptures. The sheikh is advising us to aspire for more than the requirements of knowledge and not to injudiciously follow concessions and shortcuts or fall into dry technicality or overconfidence in one’s knowledge. There are also cases where knowledge may not be sufficient to guide someone concerning a particular incident. This is where one may need to count on inspiration (ilhâm) and intuitive perception (dhawq), as Imam Ibn Taymiyyah stated, to find guidance. This is not dhawq and ilhâm to counter knowledge, but to complement it.
357 When He discloses to you the way to the various stations, the flaws of your nafs, and most importantly, the meanings of His names and attributes.
358 Because abiding by the technicalities of the knowledge of the intellect will not earn you that comforting intimacy in the presence of your Lord. You will be working hard like a servant, while His friends are welcomed into His presence. This is the condition of those whose hearts are rigid and dry. Their deeds are void of function and purpose. Their prayers do not keep them from lewdness and evil. They abandon food and drink when they fast, but their hearts do not abandon arrogance and rancor.
359 Which bars you from beholding all others (as-siwâالسِّوَى).
360 When you get close enough to your destination, and the lights of the city illuminate your path to it, you see it leading clearly to it while before, you were dependent on the signposts.
361 For now, he/she would have seen the finish line (the gates of the city), so he/she would have all the energy inside him/her recruited to sprint and get to it.
362 That is, ascribing their resolve to themselves.
363 By disavowing the attribution of resolve to oneself and seeing it as a gift from Allah.
364 Continuing to see that you abandoned or disavowed resolve means that you still think you had, at one point, some legitimate claim to it.