A person’s spiritual life is not a sudden leap to the summit but a systematic journey that must be traversed step by step. Abdülkadir Geylânî (q.s.) likens these stations to the classes of a school and discourages haste: “You are not yet properly Islamic; how will you reach the stage of faith? Your faith has not gained strength; how will you find your certainty? Your certainty is not perfect; how will you attain the state of gnosis and sainthood?” A servant must first strictly fulfill the obligations (Islam) of the Sharia, then internalize these rules in his heart (Faith), and finally reach a certain belief (Certainty) without any doubt.
The servant who perseveres in the station of certainty and disciplines his ego, with the help of God, expands his spiritual breast. “When the believer’s faith gains strength; he is then called a ‘Certain One.’ When his certainty becomes strong, he is called a ‘Gnostic.’ To one whose gnosis is firm, they say ‘Scholar.’ Those who reach the ultimate limit of knowledge are called ‘People of Love’.” After the servant is endowed with divine knowledge, he plunges into absolute love (love).
The lover who dissolves his own existence in the ocean of love subsequently rises to a position of being ‘sought’ and ‘loved’ (Mahbûb). “Then he abandons this too, no longer seeks, but is sought. This servant then is one of perfect attainment, he does not abandon what he has grasped.” The perfect person who reaches this level now acts not through his own efforts but directly by the will and pull (enthusiasm) of God. He has become the most distinguished guest of heaven and earth.