81. al-Kawn: Being
By his existence in it, He finds that it is divided into dense and subtle. That moves him to the Spirit.
82. ar-Ruh: the Spirit
He finds it the most extraordinary and immense things which Allah has created. It is one of the most subtle of Allah's creation and the closest creation to Allah. It is the first of Allah's creation, and it is part of the world of the Command. Allah Almighty says, "They will ask you about the Ruh. Say: 'The Ruh comes from the command of my Lord.'" (17:85) His command consists of words and words are His Attribute and the Attribute is not separate from the One Described. That moves him to the Lahut.
82. Lahut
The Divine Nature, which is the Presence which gathers together all the meanings of the Essence, Names and Attributes. Look at Mi'raj at-Tasawwuf ila Haqa'iq at-Tasawwuf by Ibn 'Ajiba.
That moves him to the Jabarut.
83. Jabarut
Is is the Presence of the Unseen which helps everything and has no need of other than what it contains of the Names and Attributes, let alone creatures. Look at Mi'raj at-Tasawwuf ila Haqa'iq at-Tasawwuf by Ibn 'Ajiba.
That moves him to Annihilation in Allah.
Annihilation to everything except Him. There he hears by Allah and sees by Allah and so he hears the squeaking of the pens and witnesses the descent of judgements. That moves him to Prophethood.
85.
Prophethood
Allah informs him about whatever knowledges and secrets He wishes and teaches him wisdom and forbids him to disclose it to others. He preserves him from dispute and that moves him to Sainthood.
86. Wilaya: Sainthood
Allah undertakes to preserve him, and he undertakes to obey Allah fully. That moves him to the Malakut.
87. Malakut
It is that which is the return to subtle Being and so he sees the spirits and angels, and he obtains some intimacy after toil and repose after striving. See Mi'raj at-Tasawwuf ila Haqa'iq at-Tasawwuf by Ibn 'Ajiba.That moves him to Nasut.
88. Nasut
It is the return to dense Being and so he completes his return and descends and goes down to the Mulk. When he has learned what is before of the stations and has taken what they contain of knowledges and secrets, then his return to the Nasut, which is the Mulk, is only a physical return. His spirit proceeds like the spirits of the martyrs who are "alive with their Lord, provided for." That moves him to Witnessing.
89. Shahada: Witnessing
It is the the presence of creation dependent on the Real or the Presence of the Real manifest by creation. So Allah acquaints him with the World of the Unseen and Visible World without the intermediary of a creature or a favour which he owes to any of creation. That moves him to Delusion.
90. Ghurur: Delusion
He is deluded by relying on his lower self, its stations, ascent and its knowledges, secrets and perfections. If he remains there, the hooks of Trial catch him and pull him down from Delusion to Trial and he falls eighty-two stages and in his fall passes by Witnessing, Shari'a, Faith, Showing Off, In the Way of Allah, the Desert, Ruinous Company and Lack of Adab and lands in Trial. He cannot descend or abide in any station through which he passes because the hooks of Trial will do not release him until he falls into Trial, the tenth station.
If he does not stop, that moves him to Israfil.
91. Israfil
The Presence of the Angel who is entrusted with the Preserved Tablet and blowing the Trumpet which is a horn made of light in which are holes according to the number of the souls of those who die. He will blow it twice. The first blast will annihilate all creatures except whomever Allah wishes. There are seven who are excepted: the Throne, the Footstool, the Preserved Tablet, the Pen, the Garden, the Fire and the Spirits. In the second blast creatures will be resurrected. There are forty years between the two blast. So he recognises this angel and recognises some of the knowledges and secrets which he has. That moves him to Jibra'il.
92. Jibra'il
The Presence of the Noble Angel entrusted with knowledge and revelation, meaning the news which comes from Allah to the Messengers and Prophets, peace and blessings be upon them. So he recognises this noble angel and learns a portion of the knowledges and secrets which he has, including the words of Allah, "When I inspired the Disciples to believe in Me and in My Messenger, they said, 'We believe. Bear witness that we are Muslims.'" (5:111)
That moves him to the Muhammadan Domain.
93. The Muhammadan Domain: al-Mulk
al-Muhammadi
It is the fount of mercy and the source of the Message and the place where praise is manifested. So he praises and thanks Allah a lot because the Muhammadan Domain alludes to perfection in since slavedom to Allah, or realisation of slavedom and undertaking the rights of lordship, or undertaking the adab of lordship while witnessing the weakness of humanity. (Look at Mi'raj at-Tasawwuf ila Haqa'iq at-Tasawwuf)
The upshot is that slavedom is the noblest and highest of stations. That is why Allah praised His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with it as He says in His Mighty Book, "Glory be to Him who took His slave on a journey one night." (17:1) He did not call him 'His Prophet' or 'His Messenger'. He also says, "Praise belongs to Allah Who has sent down the Book to His slave." (18:1)
When someone realises and actualises this station and takes on its character, his Lord summons him to His Throne. That moves him to the Throne.
95. The Throne: al-'Arsh
Which is the site of the manifestation of Immensity, the place of prescencing (tajalli) manifestation and the special quality of the Essence. It is the Highest sight and the most radiant place. It contains all types of existents and so it is Absolute existence as the body is for human existence inasmuch as the physical world contains the spiritual, imaginative and logical worlds and other things. We do not know of anything in existence above the Throne except the All-Merciful. So He sees the All-Merciful on the Throne. That moves him to Going-on by Allah.
96. Going-on by Allah: Baqa' billah
So it seems to him that the Going-on which he obtains after annihilation in Allah until this point has been by himself and now he goes on by Allah. So the Perfect Guide contradicts him by saying, "Your going-on is by yourself and you have obtained this going-on by Allah in knowledge, not tasting. Knowledge cannot dispense with tasting. Return to the Muhammadan Domain and stop there and be content with what Allah has allotted you and do not go forward. There is immense danger before you. If you now enter the station of Going-on by Allah by only the knowledge of what the station gives you, when you leave it and enter the stations beyond it, you will enter by yourself alone. It is feared that now your going-on by Allah is in order to draw you on and delude you. Allah says, "Allah is the best of the plotters."
If he obeys him and returns, he enters under his teaching and Divine Concern embraces him, and his annihilation in Allah in completed as his going-on by Allah. Then he is preserved, at the beginning and end, by that by which Allah preserves His Awliya'.
If he admires his own opinion and prefers to be independent, he tells him, "I am more perfect than you. I have more gnosis than you and I am closer to Allah than you. Here I am speaking of realities of which you are incapable to speaking. If I were to listen to your words, I would have listened when I passed by you. So how can I listen to you when you are lower than me in the stations?" That moves him to the Domain of Ibrahim.
The Friend, peace and blessings be upon him. So the All-Merciful takes him as a close friend and the bounty of the Noble, Ever-Giving, Bestower appears on him and he is overcome by submission, entrustment and generosity. That moves him to Mika'il.
98. Mika'il
It is the presence of the Angel entrusted with the rains, seas and provision, and the formation of of the foetuses in the wombs. He has no effect in that and he pours forth the blessings and goodness to all the slaves of the All-Merciful with no distinction between believer and unbeliever, pious and impious. Mika'il recognises him and obeys him. He may think that he has an effect on Mika'il and his giving since he is ignorant of the station of Mika'il and he has come to him by himself. Some people who receive blessing there are the noble who are thankful for the blessing, and the base who are ungrateful for them. One of them said:
When You are good to the
noble, you hold sway over him.
When
You are good to the base, he is rebellious.
The souls which command to evil refuse to leave this world until they are bad towards the One who was good to them. That moves him to 'Azra'il.
99. 'Azra'il
He is the Angel who is entrusted with taking the spirits of creatures, i.e. all of those who have a spirit, even a flea, a gnat, or a louse. He has no effect in that. 'Azra'il recognises him and obeys him while he is ignorant of the station of 'Azra'il since he has entered by himself. The traveller see how few are thankful and sees the great number of unbelievers and so jealousy impels him to say as Allah Almighty recounts that the Prophet Nuh said, "My Lord, do not leave a single one of the rejectors on the earth!" (71:26) So he commands 'Azra'il to take the souls of the unbelievers when Allah has commanded 'Azra'il to obey His command in taking the souls of some of them according to what is in His knowledge. That is designed to draw him on and delude him. Allah says, "Allah is the best of plotters." That moves him to Shaytan.
100. Shaytan
We seek refuge with Allah! He whispers to him things like "You are everything and all creation are your slaves. You have absolute free disposal and no one can avert what you desire. So do whatever you wish. Command whatever you wish and desire. Your words will be heard and your command obeyed.
Time obeys you and people
are slaves.
Live every
day of your time as a festival.
So he likes this situation and finds it pleasant and inclines to it. He stops in it and Shaytan completely overpowers him and he forgets to remember Allah Almighty. He sells him, "The gnostics say, 'Is it not by dhikr of Allah that sins increase and the eyes and hears are obliterated?' You have become one of the great gnostics of Allah who have been brought near to Allah who are annihilated to all that is other than Allah and go on by Allah and nothing of them remains for other than Him. They are described by the qualities of Allah and their human attributes have completely left them. So leave all the stations, human limitations and legal obligations because they are only for those who are veiled and now you are not veiled. Pay attention to what occurs to your heart. It is inspiration from Allah Almighty, and inspiration is one of the forms of Revelation. You should not disobey it."
So he leaves the circle of the slave of slavedom entirely and then the hooks of Appetite catch him and pull him down to it, leaving all the stages and the stations. He falls through ninety-six stages and falls into Appetite, which is the fourth stage. His appetite becomes immense and his passion strong. He commands but his words are not heard nor is he obeyed. He asks for help but there is no help. We say that he leaves the circle of the slave of slavedom entirely, indicating that he cannot leave the circle of the slave of bringing-into-existence.
The slave is the slave however much he
rises.
The Lord is Lord, even if
he descends.
If Shaytan makes him imagine that he has left it in order to misguide him and confuse him. That which he does is to make him leave the stations of the slave of slavedom and put him into the station of being a slave of this world, passion and appetites. That is why slavedom appears on him when he fells to the station of Appetite which is the lowest of the low. He looks ahead from Appetite to Abasement and what is beyond it, whether he likes that or not because this type of travel is compulsory.
He must not despair of the mercy of Allah nor despair of the Spirit of Allah. He must renew his repentance and set out on his journey again. He must renew his aspiration and resolve and ask Allah Almighty for success in what He loves and what pleases Him. He must take note of the tricks of the self and shaytan and strive hard to be careful not to fall into what he fell into the first time since 'the believer is not stung from the same stone twice'. He should learn fiqh in the deen by the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "If Allah desires good for someone, He gives him understanding in the deen and inspires him to right guidance."
So he must perform a lot of actions to expiate sins which will be mentioned in the conclusion. He should seek the help of Allah and put all his trust in Allah Almighty and he should proceed according to his weakness. Whoever travels on the Road arrives.
Praise belongs to Allah for His blessing which perfects righteous deeds. May Allah bless the master of the masters, our master Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Messengers, and his family and Companions, the guiding stars of those who are guided, and bless those who follow them, wit the best until the Day of Rising. Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Conclusion
