The True Meaning of the Journey to Allah
The
journey to Allah means moving from an unpurified soul to a purified one, from
an unsound mode of reasoning to sound reasoning guided by the Shari`ah, from a
heart tainted by disbelief, hypocrisy, sin, or spiritual illness to a heart
that is tranquil and at peace, from a soul estranged from Allah and heedless of its
servitude to Him to a soul that recognizes Allah, is certain of the rights of
worship due to Him, and fulfills them.
It also
means moving from a body undisciplined by the limits of the Shar`iah to one
governed by Allah’s law, becoming increasingly perfected in righteousness and
in following the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in word, deed, and state.
All of
this falls within the meaning of the journey to Allah. Indeed, the entire
religion is a journey toward Allah, the Exalted.
Common Misconceptions About the Journey
to Allah
Some
people, however, reduce this journey to a single spiritual state: the
transition from imitative faith (Iman At-Taqlid) to faith born of direct
spiritual experience (Iman Adh-Dhawq), or from awareness of Allah’s
actions to awareness of His attributes, or to what they call the station of
spiritual annihilation (fana’), followed by the station of subsistence (baqa’).
In
reality, these are merely manifestations or stages of the journey, not the
journey in its entirety.
One of
the greatest confusions surrounding this subject, and one of the most
widespread misconceptions among people, is the tendency to confuse the essence
with its outward manifestations and to mistake the reality for something else.
That is why speaking about this subject has always been difficult yet
essential. Many means eventually become treated as though they were the
ultimate ends, while what is merely philosophical reflection on what comes
afterward is mistaken for the whole of religion.
For
example, some consider attaining a peaceful and tranquil heart to be the
highest point of the journey to Allah and regard it as the ultimate objective,
neglecting many other obligations in the process.
A Sound Heart Is a Means, Not the Final
Goal
In truth,
reaching a tranquil heart is itself only a means toward a greater goal. The
sound heart is one that receives Allah’s commands with complete submission and contentment and carries them out with full strength and
sincerity. Among Allah’s commands are striving in His cause and raising His
word above all else.
Yet one
may find a Sufi who spends his entire life preoccupied with the pursuit of
inner serenity while forgetting obeying Allah by upholding His religion and
exalting His word. At the same time, he may consider himself spiritually
complete despite neglecting many religious obligations.
Such an
understanding is a serious mistake, if not an even greater one.
True Knowledge of Allah Produces Greater
Obedience
The
distinction between the possessor of a sound heart and others lies not only in
the state of the heart itself, but also in the righteousness of one’s actions
and in firm adherence to the Book of Allah and its rulings. Historically,
claims of intimate knowledge of Allah have at times served as a pretext for
abandoning wara`—scrupulous God-consciousness. But what sort of
knowledge is it that causes a person’s wara` to fade away?
The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
was the one who knew Allah better than anyone else, and therefore feared Him
more than all of creation. Yet he said: “By
Allah, I am the most God conscious among you and I fear Him most among you.”
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Taken from “Tarbiyatuna
Ar-Ruhia (Our Spiritual Upbringing)” by Sheikh Sa`id Hawwa
