Stations
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 be patient, [O Muhammad], and your patience is not but through Allah…} [an-Naḥl 16:127]
قَالَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ {وَاصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ}.
Ṣabr is forcing oneself to endure hardship and keeping the tongue from complaining. It is one of the hardest stations for the common people, the most alien to the path of love, and the most reprehensible on the path of tawḥeed.288 It is of three levels:
الصَّبْرُ: حَبْسُ النَّفْسِ عَلَى الْمَكْرُوهِ وَعَقْلُ اللِّسَانِ عَنِ الشَّكْوَى، وَهُوَ مِنْ أَصْعَبُ الْمَنَازِلِ عَلَى الْعَامَّةِ، وَأَوْحَشِهَا فِي طَرِيقِ الْمَحَبَّةِ، وَأَنْكَرِهَا فِي طَرِيقِ التَّوْحِيدِ.وَهُوَ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ دَرَجَاتٍ.
The first level: to restrain oneself from sin by beholding the warnings, and to preserve one’s eemân and avoid the consequences of falling into that which is ḥarâm; but better yet, it is to refrain from sin out of shyness.289
الدَّرَجَةُ الْأُولَى: الصَّبْرُ عَنِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ، بِمُطَالَعَةِ الْوَعِيدِ، إِبْقَاءً عَلَى الْإِيمَانِ، وَحَذَرًا مِنَ الْحَرَامِ؛ وَأَحْسَنُ مِنْهَا الصَّبْرُ عَنِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ حَيَاءً.
The second level: persevering in obedience by worshiping Allah with consistency, guarding one’s worship with devotion, and enhancing it with knowledge.290
الدَّرَجَةُ الثَّانِيَة: الصَّبْرُ عَلَى الطَّاعَةِ بِالْمُحَافَظَةِ عَلَيْهَا دَوَامًا، وَبِرِعَايَتِهَا إِخْلَاصًا، وَبِتَحْسِينِهَا عِلْمًا.
The third level: endurance through trials, by noticing the great reward, and awaiting the relief and belittling (putting in perspective) the calamity by counting the favors and remembering the previous bounties.
And the weakest patience is the patience for Allah, and that is the patience of the masses. Above this is the patience by Allah, and that is the patience of the seekers. Above this is the patience with Allah, and that is the patience of the wayfarers.291
الدَّرَجَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ: الصَّبْرُ فِي الْبَلَاءِ، بِمُلَاحَظَةِ حُسْنِ الْجَزَاءِ، وَانْتِظَارِ رَوْحِ الْفَرَجِ وَتَهْوَيْنِ الْبَلِيَّةِ بِعَدِّ أَيَادِي الْمِنَنِ وَبِذِكْرِ سَوَالِفِ النِّعَم.
وَأَضْعَفُ الصَّبْرِ الصَّبْرُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ صَبْرُ الْعَامَّةِ. وَفَوْقَهُ الصَّبْرُ بِاللَّهِ وَهُوَ صَبْرُ الْمُرِيدِينَ. وَفَوْقَهُ الصَّبْرُ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَهُوَ صَبْرُ السَّالِكِينَ.
288Imam al-Harawi is trying to point out a valid concept, which is that riḍâ (contentment) will prevail on the path of love and complete disregard of the self will prevail on the path of tawḥeed. However, it may be contended that concepts like patience, contentment, and grief are not mutually exclusive. As humans, feeling the pain of loss is only natural. When his son died, the best of mankind ﷺ said, “…and we are saddened by your departure, O Ibrâheem.” He ﷺ was commanded by Allah to show ṣabr:
{And be patient, [O Muhammad], and your patience is not but through Allah.}(an-Naḥl 16:127)
Allah praised another one of the elite of mankind, Prophet Ayoob, because of his patience. He said:
{…Indeed, We found him patient, an excellent servant. Indeed, he was one repeatedly turning back [to Allah].} (Şâd 38:44)
Finally, ṣabr is not only about enduring hardship gracefully, but it is also about persevering on the path of righteousness, which requires great resolve.
289
Being too shy to commit sin knowing that your Lord sees you and being fully aware that you are exposing yourself to His displeasure. This is certainly higher than the station of fear, but it does not negate it and they are not mutually exclusive. Allah praised his prophets for fearing him:
{…they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive.} (al-Anbiyâ’ 21:90)
290 For the good deeds to be accepted, they must be for the sake of Allah alone and they must follow the knowledge (of the Sunnah).
291 Being patient for Allah is patience in anticipation of His reward. Being patient by Allah is considered higher by Imam al-Harawi because it is about the state (ḥâl) of those who disavow any ḥawl (influence) or quwwah (power) of their own. Being patient with Allah is about enduring acceptingly His decrees. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim contends in Madârij that being patient for Allah by compliance with His commands and conforming to His will should be the highest of the stations. The complete believers will do this while disavowing any ḥawl (influence) and quwwah (power) of their own.