Journey from Outside to Inside
A person’s spiritual life is not a sudden leap to the summit; it is a systematic journey that must be traversed step by step. Abdülkadir Geylânî (q.s.) compares these stations to the construction of a building or the classes of a school. A person is first obligated to fulfill the outward rules of Sharia; this initial step is “Islam.” However, it is not enough to simply correct outward appearances or verbally say “I believe.” Geylânî (q.s.) strongly warns those who try to jump from one stage without properly passing the previous one, saying, “You are not yet truly Muslim; how will you reach the stage of faith? Your faith has not gained strength; how will you attain the state of certainty?” A person must first submit their external limbs to divine commands and then cleanse their heart of polytheism and hypocrisy.
Ascending from Faith to Certainty
When a person fulfills the conditions of Islam and distances themselves from sins, true “faith” begins to sprout in their heart. Faith is not merely knowing; it is about imprinting that knowledge on the heart and purifying it from doubts. When a believer with faith gains full strength, they are then called a “person of certainty” (yakîn ehli). Certainty is an absolute belief that cannot be shaken by any doubt, suspicion, or satanic whispers. A person of certainty believes so definitively that sustenance comes only from Allah, and that benefit and harm are in His powerful hand, that no worldly calamity or fear of death can disturb them. They have abandoned the transient world and clung firmly to the Absolute Creator of everything.
The State of Gnosis and Sainthood
When a servant perseveres in the station of certainty, disciplines their ego, and completely purifies their heart, they ultimately attain the stations of “gnosis” (divine knowledge and cognition) and “sainthood” (friendship with Allah). The one whose insight is firm is called an “scholar,” and the one who has taken knowledge to its utmost limit is called a “lover.” He who possesses perfect love becomes the “Beloved.” This complete person now lives not only through their acts of worship but also through the “secret knowledge” bestowed upon them by Allah and with “wisdom.” They learn the knowledge of passing into the realm of essence, the mysteries of command and destiny. A servant who reaches this station completely detaches their heart from the world of creation, is always present with God, and attains eternal tranquility in this life while still in the world.