The Stages of the Journey to God: Its Order and System in the Words of the Prophet's Household (AS)

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

PhD in Sufism and Islamic Mysticism, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran

Abstract

The teachings of Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet's Household) regarding the journey to Allah are complete and true. Their recommendations are path-breaking and life-saving due to their complete knowledge of the intricacies of the journey and the condition of the seekers, as well as their divine infallibility. The mystics have always been the harvesters of the knowledge of Ahl al-Bayt (AS). In the traditions and supplications, especially the prayers of the infallible Imams (AS.), subtle mystical points and spiritual states are embedded. In mysticism, expressions such as manazel (stages), halat (moods), darajat (degrees), sollam (ladder), and marghat (stile) are used in the words of the Infallibles, which indicate a kind of order and spiritual system. In this article, according to a tradition, which considers Islam, faith, piety, and certainty to be based on each other and assigns degrees to each, we propose a spiritual system that is completely ijtihadi (based on independent reasoning) and unprecedented in its own way. The importance and place of the journey to Allah and the arrangement of spiritual stages in the teachings of Ahl al-Bayt (AS) are not hidden from anyone. According to this system, the seeker first steps on the journey to God in the stage of Islam by verbally acknowledging God's oneness. In the stage of faith, he goes through the levels of heart acknowledgment and practical faith to reach the stage of piety. Then he observes the piety of the tongue, deed, and heart, so that finally in the stage of certainty, which is granted to a small number of seekers, he attains complete certainty and intuitive knowledge, which is the highest position of existence and closeness to God. This knowledge is the encyclopedia of existential transformation and evolution of the mystic.

Keywords

References

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Journal Of Islamic Denominations
Volume 9, Issue 17 - Serial Number 17
September 2022
Pages 287-312

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