The Spiritual Ascent

 

The various paths of taṣawwuf share the same goal, i.e. Allah and His good pleasure. However, they have different approaches and conceptualisations of the spiritual ascent and thus express how a murīd will traverse the path to their eventual goal in different ways. Here in summary fashion, Shaykh Salih al-Jaʿfari lays out the ladder of ascent for the murīd from the text, al-Ilhām al-Nāfiʿ, pg. 105.

“Know that the awrād of the shaykh has many bounties of goodness in them. The most important of them is the secret (al-sirr) and spiritual support (al-madad). The spiritual support means the lights (anwār) of the dhikr of the one who has been given permission, which supports the soul in order to strengthen it and prepare it for epiphanies (al-tajalliyāt).

The secret is the obtainments from spiritual unveilings after the (madad).

The madad in the awrād are dependent on two things: the Shaykh and permission.

Two things follow from them: Persistence and Striving

Then two things follow from them: Love of the Shaykh and not taking any other shaykh alongside him.

Then two things are produced from that: Spiritual support and the Secret

Then two things are produced from them: Detachment (infiṣāl) and Attachment (ittiṣāl)

Then two things are produced from them: Removal of bad character traits and Adornment with good character traits

Then two things are produced from them: Unveilings and Witnessing

Then two things are produced from them: Ecstasy and States

Then two things are produced from them: Nearness and Sweetness

Then two things are produced with them: (The state of realisation that) “Allah was and nothing with Him and He is now as He was” and with that the murīd’s fragrances will diffuse, his lights will shine, his affair will become manifest, his visitations will multiply, his subtleties will increase and his spiritual realities will overflow. He will speak with wisdom and he will benefit the umma.”