Nafs

Nafs is an Arabic word meaning self or psyche. It is first among the six Lataif (cleanliness) or Lataif-e-sitta.

In Sufi teachings, it means more of false ego. When Sufis talk about opposing Nafs, they mean Nafs Ammara that is explained later. For psychological interpretations of Nafs, see Islamic psychological thought.

Nafs-i-ammara (The Commanding Self)

The Quran refers to "the Nafs commanding to evil" (^{[Qur'an 12:53]}). In its primitive stage, the ego tells one to commit evil. This is what Sufis refer to when they speak of fighting Nafs. The prophet Muhammad said after returning from a war, "We now return from the small struggle (Jihad Asghar) to the big struggle (Jihad Akbar)". His companions asked, "Oh prophet of God, what is the big struggle?". He replied, "The struggle against Nafs". However, this hadith has been graded as weak^.

It has seven heads that must be defeated:

1. False Pride (Takabbur)

2. Greed (Hirs)

3. Envy (Hasad)

4. Lust (Shahwah)

5. Back Biting (Gheebah)

6. Stinginess (Bokhl)

7. Malice (Keena)

Nafs-i-lawwama (The Regretful Self)

The Quran refers to "the regretful Nafs" (^{[Qur'an 75:2]})This is the stage of awakening. On this level the conscience is awakened and the self accuses one for listening to one’s ego. One repents and asks for forgiveness. Here the Nafs is inspired by your heart, sees the results of your actions, agrees with your brain, sees your weaknesses, and aspires to perfection.

Nafs-i-mulhama (The Inspired Self)

This is the stage of action. On this level one becomes more firm in listening to one’s conscience, but is not yet surrendered. Once you have seen your weaknesses and have set your targets, this ego inspires you to do good deeds and to be on the plus side. Sufi says that it is important that whenever you think of good, you must immediately act upon it. Abbas Bin Abdul Muttalib lays down three rules:

1. Ta'Jeel or Swiftness. A good deed must be done immediately and there should be no laziness

2. Tehqeer or Contempt. You must look at your good acts with contempt otherwise you will become self-righteous

3. Ikhfa or Secrecy. You must keep your good acts secret otherwise people will praise you and it will make you self-righteous

Nafs-i-mutma'inna (The Contented Self)

The Quran refers to "the Nafs at peace" (^{[Qur'an 89:27]}). This is the ideal stage of ego for Sufis. On this level one is firm in one’s faith and leaves bad manners behind. The soul becomes tranquil, at peace. At this stage Sufis have relieved themselves of all materialism and worldly problems and are satisfied with the will of God.

Nafs-i-radiyya (The Pleased Self)

On this level one is pleased with whatever comes from Allah and doesn’t live in the past or future, but in the moment. One thinks always: ‘Ilahi Anta Maqsudi wa ridhaka matlubi’. One always sees oneself as weak and in need of Allah.

Nafs-i-mardiyya (The Pleasing Self)

On this level the two Ruhs in man have made peace. One is soft and tolerant with people and has good Akhlak, good manners.

Nafs-i-safiyya (The Pure Self)

On this level one is dressed in the attributes of the Insan Kamil, the perfected man, who is completely surrendered and inspired by Allah. One is in full agreement with the Will of Allah.

Note-The excerpts are translations from the Persian text Shahid ul Wojood, written two hundred years ago.

Spritual Stations

Haqiqa

Haqiqa is a stage in Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam. Sufism is an ancient form of Islam that emphasizes extreme asceticism, obedience of God’s will in the form of the Shari’a, and purification of the body and soul by prayer and repentance. The followers of Sufism strive to perfect themselves and come into the presence of God while still living^. They recognize four stages in their pursuit of this: shari’a, tariqa, haqiqa, and marifa.

1. Shari’a: Shari’a is Islamic law as revealed in the Qur’an and Sunna^]. The first step in Sufism is following every aspect of the law perfectly. The purpose of this is to prove their love for God, by rigorous self-discipline and constant attention to their conduct. When the Sufi fully lives his or her life according to the Shari’a he or she is ready to progress to the second stage. This conformity to earthly rules is important because it recognizes that the spirit of a man or woman is affected by the actions of the body. In this way, bringing the body under the will of God also purifies the spirit and a pure spirit is essential for the second step^.

2. Tariqa Tariqa in Arabic means “path” and it denotes a Sufi brotherhood or order The orders are governed by shaykhs, spiritual leaders that mentor Sufis. Shaykhs are identified by the signs of God’s grace that are evident, such as the ability to perform miracles. They take on people, usually male, that are committed to the Sufi lifestyle and want to progress further in their spiritual education. It is common for the shaykh to test a new disciple by ignoring them, assigning humiliating tasks or being rude to them^[, When the disciple has passed these tests, he is introduced to the awrad, a series of prayers particular to that order. These prayers must be studied before they are recited, because mistakes made in the prayer are sins. When the disciple has studied and recited the awrad for an undeterminable amount of time, he is expected to experience visions and revelation from God. The Sufis believe that at this point, the disciple is able to see spiritual things that are veiled from most people. This is the third stage, haqiqa.

3. Haqiqa Haqiqa is a difficult concept to translate. The book Islamic Philosophical Theology defines it as “what is real, genuine, authentic, what is true in and of itself by dint of metaphysical or cosmic status”, which is a valid definition but one that does not explain haqiqa’s role in Sufism. Haqiqa may be best defined as the knowledge that comes from communion with God, knowledge gained only after the tariqa is undertaken. For instance, a shaykh that has advanced through tariqa has haqiqa and can see into the lives of his disciples in a spiritual sense. He has knowledge of pregnancies and sicknesses before his disciples tell him. He can see beyond the physical world because of his proximity to God and possession of haqiqa. Haqiqa is less a stage in itself and more the marker of a higher level of consciousness, which precedes the next and final stage, marifa.

4. Marifa Marifa has been defined as “knowledge” but this again falls short and does not address marifa’s place in Sufism. Marifa is “gnosis”, knowledge obtained in God’s presence that has no relation to earthly knowledge and which can only be obtained by personal experience. Marifa is gained from direct illumination from God and thus is only available to those who have progressed through the stages of Sufism and have entered into God’s presence^[.

Marifa (Arabic: المعرفة‎) literally means knowledge. The term is used by Sufi Muslims to describe mystical intuitive knowledge, knowledge of spiritual truth as reached through ecstaticexperiences rather than revealed or rationally acquired. M. Fethullah Gulen in his book on Sufism describes Marifa ("knowledge of God") as a special knowledge that is acquired through reflection, sincere endeavor, using one's conscience and inquiring into one's inner world. It is different from scientific knowledge or "ilm" based on study, investigation, analysis, and synthesis. The opposite of knowledge (scientific) is ignorance, while the opposite of marifa is denial. Marifa is the substance of knowledge attained through reflection, intuition, and inner perception. A person realizing marifa (divine being) is imperceptible to others, who are without such knowledge. The following words are narrated in books concerning Sufism as a hadith qudsi-saying inspired by and received from God.

In one of the earliest and finest accounts of the maqamat (stations) in Sufism, the Forty Stations (Maqamat-l arba'in), Sufi master Abu Said ibn Abi'l-Khayr lists marifa as the 25th station: "Through all the creatures of the two worlds and through all the people they perceive Allah, and there is no accusation to be made of their perception."

It is preceded by the truth of certainty (haqq al-yaqin)and followed by effort (jahd), where the traveller worships Allah in their hearts and souls with no doubt in their obedience.

Marifa in the Four Spiritual Stations

The stage of Ma'rifat is a station unperceivable by minds and hearts, and therefore, this situation can not be communicated to anyone, or through anything and not even through any corporeal means. It can be attained by a person with normal order of life or anybody for that matter. However, it's a privilege of one in a million who attains it. If what the sufis are saying that men can only attain ma'rifat through their way of doing it, this world must not have changed its civilization and development, but it will just stock up in a mountainous ranges as it was during the time of Adam.

But to define ma'rifat in order to suit its implication to all that strives for, let it be this way. Let the subject be in a form of a divine oath, "There is no God but Allah".

SHARI'AT : There is no God but Allah (you are affirming that Allah is the only one God. What does God means? meaning the only one and whose command of to be followed, not even of your own desire)

TARIQAT : The application of such oath is to follow all what God said in the Holy Qur'an. What is the result when one follows the Qur'an, definitely a man will become a law abiding citizen of this universe and becomes harmless.

HAQIQA : The stage of haqiqa is the station of men whereby all his affairs in life has been in consistent with all what God commanded in the Holy Qur'an. Meaning all his movements are in accordance with what God requires of him. And that is the time that all his person reflects nothing but the truth.

MA'RIFAT : Ma'rifat is not a station of excellence in men, but it is a destination. This destination is the ultimate objective of men's existence. This is the goal wherein God wants men to reach and reach their true potential.

Baqa

Baqaa, with literal meaning of permanency, is a term in Sufi philosophy which describes a particular state of life with God, through God, in God, and for God. It is the summit of the mysticalmanazil, that is, the destination or the abode. Baqaa comprises three degrees, each one referring to a particular aspect of the divine Theophanies as principle of existence and its qualitative evolution, comprising of faith, knowledge, and grace.

Aspects

First aspect: the level of acts

The first aspect of the Sufi permanency is situated at the level of acts. The action of the Sufi is here united with the divine action acquiring its order, harmony and durability. This specific degree of Sufi ‘’baqâ'’’ is the result of the shooting forth of the divine theophany as existential principle and the lights of nature as source of knowledge.

Second aspect: the level of qualities and attributes

The second aspect of permanency is situated at the level of qualities and attributes. Here human virtues are raised to the level of the divine Attributes, acquiring their perfection, dignity and durability: such that the man's heart attains to a spiritual abode where it is the pure and clear mirror on which the characteristics of the supreme Creator are engraved. In its turn, the power of acts in the abode of permanence becomes a docile instrument by which the divine plans in the world and within the living person are realized. This particular form of ‘’baqâ'’’ is a reflection of the divine existential theophanies at the level of the Attributes and Qualities, and the effect of the lights of the intellect as principle of knowledge.

Third aspect: the level of the essence

The last degree of baqâ' is permanency of the essence. In this domain the essence of the servant is raised to the height of the divine Essence in its Unity, Sublimity and Universality. He is totally absorbed by the divine Life. It is through God that he sees, through Him that he hears, through Him that he expresses his will, through Him that he contemplates. This is the most perfect form of Sufi ‘’baqâ'’’, the final stage of the hero's quest. This particular abode is in its turn acquired by the effect of the theophanies of the Essence on the existential plane and by the effect of the theophanies of Light at the gnostic level.

Fana

Fanaa (فناء) Context, origin: The concept of fanā was originally coined by the Sufi Abū Sa’id Karrāz, and is often attributed to Abū L-Qāsim al-Junayd. Fanā comes from a doctrine that has been developed since the execution of Mansur Al-Hallaj in 922 A.D. The terms fanā and baqa are drawn from the Koranic passage (55:26-27): “All that dwells upon the earth is perishing (faāen), yet still abides (yabqā) the Face of thy Lord, majestic, splendid”

Definition: Fanā is a Sufi term meaning passing away that refers to a stage of mystical development in the path of gnosis. Since this is an experiential concept, there is no one perfect definition of fanā. Two allied definition have been offered of fanā the passing away from the consciousness of the mystic of all things, including himself, and even the absence of the consciousness of this passing away and its replacement by a pure consciousness of God, and the annihilation of the imperfect attributes (as distinguished from the substance) of the creature and their replacement by the perfect attributes bestowed by God

Connection to Sufism: After the death of its founder, Islam (like other religions) crystallized into differentiated exoteric and esoteric institutional forms: the exoteric “religious” or “outer” practice and the esoteric “spiritual” or “inner” practice. The exoteric crystallization within Islam became popularly known as the Sharia, Divine Law or Canon, and the esoteric crystallization as the Tariqa, the Way. The Tariqa’s focus and praxis became known as tasawwuf, or Sufism in English ^.

It means to annihilate the self, while remaining physically alive. Persons having entered this state are said to have no existence outside of, and be in complete unity with, Allah.

It is a sort of mental, yet real, death. The person of the "Way" experiences it freely; it is the final passage which leads to the summit of the Stages. It liberates one from all contingency outside of their spiritual quest; the ultimate aim is the Truth. Three degrees may be distinguished here: fanâ' of acts, attributes and essence.

The Sufi fanâ in its triple manifestation does not have an exclusively negative effect or action; it is the annihilation of everything contingent, whether this be in the form of action, attribute or essence; more precisely, it is the annihilation of everything that is not God, and God is the supreme object of all good, all beauty.

Fanâ' thus conceived is an internal state which requires from the Sufi a sustained and permanent effort of concentration to break ones fetters and take on the demands and calls of truth, by ones acts, ones moral virtues, ones whole being. That implies perfect control of oneself: in words, deeds and thoughts.

It is at this price that one attains an interior spiritual state where one becomes the pure and clear mirror in which the lights of Truth are reflected in all their splendour.

There are three ways in ones journey towards God.

The first is the way of ignorance, through which each must travel. It is like a person walking for miles in the sun while carrying a heavy load on your shoulder, who, when fatigued, throws away the load and falls asleep under the shade of a tree. Such is the condition of the average person, who spends ones life blindly under the influence of ones senses and gathers the load of their evil actions; the agonies of their earthly longings creating a hell through which one must pass to reach the destination of ones journey. With regard to this person the Qur'an says, 'One who is blind in life, shall also be blind in the hereafter.'

The next way is that of devotion, which is for true lovers. Rumi says, 'one may be the lover of people or the lover of God; after perfection one is taken before the Majesty of love.' Devotion is the heavenly wine, which intoxicates the devotee until the heart becomes purified from all infirmities and there remains the happy vision of the Beloved, which lasts to the end of the journey. 'Death is a bridge, which unites friend to friend' (Sayings of Mohammed).

The third is the way of wisdom, accomplished only by the few. The disciple disregards life's momentary comforts, unties oneself from all earthly bondages and turns their eyes toward God, inspired with divine wisdom. One gains command over ones body, thoughts and feelings, and is thereby enabled to create ones own heaven within oneself, that one may rejoice until they merged into the eternal goal. 'We have stripped the veil from thine eyes, and thy sight today is keen', says the Qur'an.

All must journey along one of these three paths, but in the end they arrive at one and the same goal. As it is said in the Qur'an, 'It is God who multiplied you on the earth, and to God you shall be gathered.'==Grades==Perfection is reached by the regular practice of concentration, passing through three grades of development: *Faná -fi-Shaikh, annihilation in the astral plane, **Faná-fi-Rasul, annihilation in the spiritual plane, and ***Faná-fi-Allah, annihilation in the abstract. After passing through these three grades, the highest state is attained of Baqaa-bi-Allah, annihilation in the eternal consciousness.

Yaqeen

Yaqeen (یقین) is generally translated as "certainty", and is considered the summit of the many stations by which the path of walaya (sometimes translated as Sainthood) is fully completed. This is the repository of liberating experience in Islam. In relation to the exoteric religious life Certainty is the sister of religious life in its perfection (ehsân), that is to say the adoration ofAllah according to the visionary way; through this channel it is the pillar of Islam in the accomplishment of its external practices, as it is the foundation of faith (iman) in its internal dogma. It is in fact ihsân which gives the external religion its true meaning and the domain of faith its real values. Certainty (al-yaqîn), comprises three degrees.

Stages

Ilm al-yaqîn (the knowledge of Certainty)

The first degree is referred to by the name ‘ilm al-yaqîn (the knowledge of Certainty), which means that Certainty is the result of knowledge. At this degree the object of Certainty is knowledge just as the aim of knowledge is Certainty. Both together are in the soul uniquely, such that Certainty is the first degree of spiritual life and the last of speculative experience. This particular degree of mystical yaqîn is the result of divine theophanies in Act at the level of existence and also the result of theophanies of lights of nature at the gnostic level.

Ayn al-yaqîn (the Eye of Certainty)

The second degree of yaqîn is what one calls in Sufi terms ayn al-yaqîn (the Eye of Certainty), that is, Certainty as a consequence of contemplation and vision. At this level, the object of Certainty is present in front of the gnostic and is not only a speculative concept. Here knowledge becomes what one calls 'ilm-e-huzuri’’ (Presence of knowledge), and that is the second aspect of Certainty in the spiritual way and in liberating experience. By this kind of knowledge, the man of the Way is distinguished from philosophers and learned men. This particular degree of spiritual Certainty is the result of divine theophanies of Attributes at the level of existence, just as it is the result of theophanies of lights of the intellect at the level of gnosis.

Haqq al-yaqîn (the total reality of Certainty)

Finally, the last degree of yaqîn is called haqq a1-yaqîn (the total reality of Certainty), that is, Certainty as supreme truth. Here, Certainty has a particular coloring: it is the fruit of an all-embracing experience because the object of Certainty is identical to the one who is experiencing it, knowledge being transformed into actual experience and actual experience into knowledge. At this stage, in fact, knowledge is not limited to the intellect, nor to the vision of the one who is contemplating it, it becomes one with the human being. This is the final phase ofyaqîn, the apotheosis of the spiritual and intellectual journey. This high degree of Sufi Certainty is the effect of the Emanation of the divine Theophanies in Essence at its existential level and that of the diffusion of the Light of lights (Dazzling Irradiations) at the level of the theophanies of the gnostic.