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:
{…Hast thou not turned thy vision to thy Lord? —How He doth prolong the shadow!...}708[al-Furqân 25:45]
قَالَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: "أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى رَبِّكَ كَيْفَ مَدَّ الظِّلَّ"
There are three types of beholding:
The first is the beholding of the eyesight.709
الْمُعَايَنَةُ ثَلَاثٌ:
إِحْدَاهَا: مُعَايَنَةُ الْأَبْصَارِ.
The second is the beholding of the eye of the heart,710 and this is the realization of the essence of things in accordance with their attributes, a realization that ends doubt and that is unaccompanied by ambivalence. This is the beholding through the indicants of knowledge.711
الثَّانِيَةُ: مُعَايَنَةُ عَيْنِ الْقَلْبِ، وَهِيَ مَعْرِفَةُ عَيْنِ الشَّيْءِ عَلَى نَعْتِهِ، عِلْمًا يَقْطَعُ الرَّيْبَةَ، وَلَا تَشُوبُهُ حَيْرَةٌ،وهذه مُعَايَنَةٌ بِشَوَاهِدِ الْعِلْمِ.
The third is the beholding of the eye of the spirit, and this is the eye that beholds the reality712 with complete clarity. In fact, the spirits become pure and honored with subsistence713 only to behold the light of the [Divine] presence and witness the splendor of the [Divine] might and pull the hearts714 to the vicinity of the [Divine] presence.715
الثَّالِثَةُ: مُعَايَنَةُ عَيْنِ الرُّوحِ، وَهِيَ الَّتِي تُعَايِنُ الْحَقَّ عِيَانًا مَحْضًا، وَالْأَرْوَاحُ إِنَّمَا طَهُرَتْ وَأُكْرِمَتْ بِالْبَقَاءِ لِتُعَايِنَ سَنَاءَ الْحَضْرَةِ، وَتُشَاهِدَ بَهَاءَ الْعِزَّةِ، وَتَجْذِبَ الْقُلُوبَ إِلَى فِنَاءِ الْحَضْرَةِ.
708 Yusuf Ali’s translation. It is possible that the sheikh alludes to seeing the Lord through the manifestations of His actions and attributes.
709 This would be the beholding of the external realities of the shahâdah with our eyes. This empirical knowledge is at the bottom because unless it leads to the following levels, it will not avail us.
710This is the insight of the heart versus the sight of the eye in the previous level. This is more important because it sees the realities behind the forms. Allah said:
{…For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.} (al-Ḥajj 22:46)
711 This is a realization that is based on guided reflection and al-khabar aṣ-ṣâdiq (truthful reports). It is the fruit of knowledge of the created signs of Allah (in the universe) and His spoken signs (in the Book).
712 This is the reality (with a small ‘r’) in reference to the realities of existence, according to most commentators. If this is in reference to God, then it refers to the purified souls who have such ultimate certainty and strong connection that they behold the Lord with their spiritual eyes in the dunyâ.
713 As Ibn al-Qayyim states in Madârij, this subsistence (after thorough purification) is the highest of stations and ontological self-annihilation is neither possible nor required, even though some aspects of self-annihilation (fanâ’) may be a required bridge to this sanctified subsistence (baqâ’).
714 ‘Nafs’ and ‘spirit’ have been used interchangeably in the Revelation, but in the terminology of the sulook scholars, when they say the nafs becomes a heart and the heart becomes a spirit, they mean that when the nafs is purified from its flaws, it is referred to as a heart; when that is also purified, it is referred to as a spirit, making the spirit the seat of the highest stations and grants.
715The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Be well informed that none of you will see their Lord until they die.” (Muslim)
All forms of witnessing and beholding refer to the increased certainty and the vividness of the mental¬¬, then spiritual, representation of one’s object of attention, worship, and adoration.