II. The Sūfī Journey

Human life is likened to a journey ( safar ), and the seeker after God to a traveller ( sālik ). The great busine of the traveller is to exert himself and strive to attain that perfect knowledge ( maʿrif ah ) of God which is diffused through all things, for the Soul of man is an exile from its Creator, and human existence is its period of banishment. The sole object of Ṣūfīism is to lead the wandering soul onward, stage by stage, until it reaches the desired goal—perfect union with the Divine Being. The natural state of every human being is humanity ( nāsūt ), in which state the disciple must observe the Law ( sharīʿah ); but as this is the lowest form of spiritual existence, the performance of the journey is enjoined upon every searcher after true knowledge. The various stages ( manāzil ) are differently described by Ṣūfī writers, but amongst those of India (and, according to Malcolm, of Persia also,) the following is the usual journey:— The first stage, as we have already remarked, is humanity ( nāsūt ), in which the disciple must live according to the Law ( sharīʿah ), and observe all the rites, customs, and precepts of his religion. The second is the nature of angels ( malakūt ), for which there is the pathway of purity ( t̤arīqah ). The third is the po e ion of power ( jabrūt ), for which there is knowledge ( maʿrif ah ); and the fourth is extinction ( fanāʾ ) ( i.e . absorption into the Deity), for which there is Truth ( ḥaqīqah ). The following more extended journey is marked out for the traveller by a Ṣūfī writer, ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad Nafasī, in a book called al-Maqṣadu ʾl-Aqṣā , or the “Remotest Aim,” which has been rendered into English by the lamented Profe or Palmer ( Oriental Mysticism , Cambridge, 1867):— When a man po e ing the nece ary requirements of fully-developed reasoning powers turns to them for a resolution of his doubts and uncertainties concerning the real nature of the Godhead, he is called a t̤ālib , “a searcher after God.” If he manifest a further inclination to prosecute his inquiry according to their system, he is called a murīd , or “one who inclines.” Placing himself then under the spiritual instruction of some eminent leader of the sect, he is fairly started upon his journey and becomes a sālik , or “traveller,” whose whole busine in life is devotion, to the end that he may ultimately arrive at the knowledge of God. 1. Here he is exhorted to serve God, as the first step towards a knowledge of Him. This is the first stage of his journey, and is called ʿubūdīyah ( عبودية‎ ), or “service.” 2. When in answer to his prayers the Divine influence or attraction has developed his inclination into the love of God, he is said to have reached the stage called ʿIshq ( عشق‎ ) or “love.” 3. This Divine Love, expelling all worldly desires from his heart, leads him to the next stage, which is zuhd ( زهد‎ ), or “seclusion.” 4. Occupying himself henceforward with contemplations and investigations of metaphysical theories concerning the nature, attributes, and works of God, he reaches maʿrif ah ( معرفة‎ ), or “knowledge.” 5. This a iduous contemplation of startling metaphysical theories is exceedingly attractive to an oriental mind, and not unfrequently produces a state of mental excitement. Such ecstatic state is considered a sure prognostication of direct illumination of the heart by God, and constitutes the next stage, called wajd ( وجد‎ ), or “ecstasy.” 6. During this stage he is supposed to receive a revelation of the true nature of the Godhead, and to have reached the stage called ḥaqīqah ( حقيقة‎ ), or “truth.” 7. He then proceeds to the stage of waṣl ( وصل‎ ), or “union with God.” 8. Further than this he cannot go, but pursues his habit of self-denial and contemplation until his death, which is looked upon as fanāʾ ( فناء‎ ), “total absorption into the Deity, extinction.” To develop this quasi “spiritual life” the Ṣūfī leaders have invented various forms of devotion called ẕikr ( ذكر‎ ), or “recitations.” These eccentric exercises have generally attracted the notice of travellers in the East, and have been described by Lane, Vambéry, Burton, and other Orientalists. For an account of these ceremonies of Ẕikr the reader is referred to the article under that head. [ ZIKR .]