The Muqarrab () is a major spiritual stage (

maqaam Maqaam (also known as ''maqām'') or maqaamat (plural), translating to "''stations''" in Arabic, is the various stages a Sufi's soul must attain in its search for Allah.Gardet, L. "Ḥāl." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. ...

) that the and (novices and followers of

Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

) reach in their ascetic quest within

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic Sufism.

Presentation

Being close to

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

(''

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...

'') is one of the main goals of worship (

ibadah ''Ibadah'' ( ar, , ''‘ibādah'', also spelled ''ibada'') is an Arabic word meaning service or servitude. In Islam, ''ibadah'' is usually translated as "worship", and ''ibadat''—the plural form of ''ibadah''—refers to Islamic jurispru ...

) and mysticism (

) in the religion of

. This proximity accompanied by intimacy and modesty allows the Muslim to escape the idleness of the

ghaflah Ghaflah (غفلة) is the Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P ...

and thus to reach the firmament of fanaa in which personal human attributes are diluted and dissolved in order to leave room for contemplation and the

ishq Ishq ( ar, عشق, ''‘išq'') is an Arabic word meaning "love" or "passion", also widely used in other languages of the Muslim world and the Indian subcontinent. The word ''ishq'' does not appear in the Quran, which instead uses derivatives o ...

accompanying the

baqaa Baqaa ( ar, بقاء '), with literal meaning of subsistence or permanency, is a term in Sufi philosophy which describes a particular state of life with God, through God, in God, and for God. It is the summit of the mystical manazil, that is, ...

state which returns the

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

to the commonality of mortal life while maintaining his radiant

qalb In Islamic philosophy, the qalb ( ar, قلب), or heart, is the origin of intentional activities, the cause behind all humans' intuitive deeds. While the brain handles the physical impressions, ''qalb'' (the heart) is responsible for deep unders ...

in the state of

yaqeen Yaqeen ( ar, یقین) is generally translated as "certainty", and is considered the summit of the many stations by which the path of '' walaya'' (sometimes translated as Sainthood) is fully completed. This is the repository of liberating experien ...

Islamic ethics Islamic ethics (أخلاق إسلامية) is the "philosophical reflection upon moral conduct" with a view to defining "good character" and attaining the "pleasure of God" (''raza-e Ilahi''). It is distinguished from "Islamic morality", which per ...

and deontology of this path of spiritual rapprochement must keep the

murid In Sufism, a ''murīd'' (Arabic مُرِيد 'one who seeks') is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by ''sulūk'' (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title murshid, '' pir'' or ''shaykh''. A '' sālik'' or Su ...

in the wake of the rabbaniyya which does not aim to accomplish fantastic feats as much as it aspires to live

hidayah Hidaayah ( ar, هداية, ''Hidaayah '' ) is an Arabic word meaning "guidance". According to Islamic belief, guidance has been provided by Allah to humans primarily in the form of the Qur'an. Not only through the Quran, but Hidayah, or guidance, ...

and

ma'rifa Maʿrifa (Arabic: “interior knowledge”) is the mystical knowledge of God or the “higher realities” that is the ultimate goal of followers of Sufism. Sufi mystics came to maʿrifa by following a spiritual path that later Sufi thinkers categ ...

in a peaceful and moderate way.

Approach and attraction

The subject related to the situation of the

in his journey towards God (Allah) faces two complementary concepts leading him towards the

of wassil. Indeed, this journey consists on the one hand of an approach (Arabic: اقتراب) emanating from

salik A sālik is a follower of Sufism, from the verb ''salaka'' which means to travel or follow, related to ''sulūk'' "pathway". ''Sulūk'' here specifically refers to a spiritual path, i.e. the combination of the two "paths" that can be followed ...

through his adoration (

dhikr ''Dhikr'' ( ar, ذِكْر}, , also spelled ''Zikr'', ''Thikr'', ''Zekr'', or ''Zikar'', literally meaning "remembrance, reminder" or "mention") is a form of Islamic meditation in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly chanted in order to reme ...

dua In Islam, ( ar, دعاء , plural: ' ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, even asking help or assistance from God. Role in Islam Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. Muhammad is reported to have said ...

, awrad and

wazifa In Sufism, the wazifa ( ar, وَظِيفَة ; ''plural: wazaïf'') is a regular litany practiced by followers and comprising Quranic verses, hadiths of supplication and various Duas. Presentation It is recorded in the various rituals of the Suf ...

, and on the other hand of an attraction (Arabic: تقريب) emanating of God through the anwar and

asrar ''Asrar'' ( fa, اسرار, lit=The Mysteries) is a Persian-language reformist daily newspaper published in Tehran, Iran. Profile ''Asrar'' has a reformist political leaning.

. The spiritual approach and attraction allow the

to remain rigorous in the practice of the

five pillars of Islam The Five Pillars of Islam (' ; also ' "pillars of the religion") are fundamental practices in Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree on ...

and the precepts of

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...

and

sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

, and this while transcending his worldly life by aspiring to the taste (

dhawq In Sufism, dhawq (tasting) is direct, first-hand experience. It refers, principally, to the Gnosis Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and phil ...

) of truth (

haqiqa Haqiqa (Arabic "truth") is one of "the four stages" in Sufism, '' shari’a'' (exoteric path), ''tariqa'' (esoteric path), ''haqiqa'' (mystical truth) and '' marifa'' (final mystical knowledge, ''unio mystica''). The four stages Shariat Shar ...

). At no time during the ahwal of his spiritual life can the

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

discharge himself from the religious obligations which lead him to approach the divine veil (

hijab In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...

), even if he experiences along the way manifestations of attraction to the like khawatir, ilham, kashf, and even more

karamat In Sunni Islam, ''karamat'' ( ar, کرامات ''karāmāt'', pl. of ''karāmah'', lit. generosity, high-mindedness) refers to supernatural wonders performed by Muslim saints. In the technical vocabulary of Islamic religious sciences, the sin ...

and

tajalli Tajalli ( fa, تجلی, divine self-manifestation) is the appearance and disclosure of God as truth in Islamic theoretical mysticism. Tajalli is a process by which God reveals Himself in concrete forms. Meaning Tajalli literally means "manifestat ...

Precautions

Even if the ascetic doubts that he evolves in the sphere of the

wali A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...

, he must not forget that the ihsan consists in perfecting his rite and dogma in order to please God, and this because the

irfan In Islam, ‘Irfan (Arabic/Persian/Urdu: ; tr, İrfan), literally ‘knowledge, awareness, wisdom’, is gnosis. Islamic mysticism can be considered as a vast range that engulfs theoretical and practical and conventional mysticism, but the co ...

, the ishrak, the

wilayah A wilayah ( ar, وَلاية, wālāya or ''wilāya'', plural ; Urdu and fa, ولایت, ''velâyat''; tr, vilayet) is an administrative division, usually translated as "state", "province" or occasionally as "governorate". The word comes fr ...

are not an end in themselves, but it is the acceptance of the servant by his creator that is central to Muslim spirituality. Even though the ecstasy of this spiritual advancement and this celestial solicitation allows the salik to feel the

barakah In Islam, ''Barakah'' or ''Baraka'' ( ar, بركة "blessing") is a blessing power, a kind of continuity of spiritual presence and revelation that begins with God and flows through that and those closest to God. Baraka can be found within physi ...

of the blessed views of the

basirah The following list consists of notable concepts that are derived from Islamic and associated cultural (Arab, Persian, Turkish) traditions, which are expressed as words in Arabic or Persian language. The main purpose of this list is to disambi ...

, he must not allow himself to be drawn into the extreme and radical dogmatic modes of isloltrianist rahbaniyyah, wanton

shath A ''shath'' ( ar, شطح ''šaṭḥ'', plural: ''šaṭaḥāt'' or ''šaṭḥiyyāt''), in the Islamic mystical tradition of Sufism, is an ecstatic utterance which may be outrageous in character. The word is derived from the root š-ṭ-ḥ, w ...

, and the depraved and perverse

zandaqa Zindīq (pl. zanādiqa) is a medieval Islamic term applied by Muslims to individuals who are considered to hold views or follow practices that are contrary to central Islamic dogmas.. Zandaqa is the noun describing these views. Zanadiqa is usuall ...

, for righteousness () remains the hallmark that describes the pious and humble Muslim.

Texts

Quran

The term Muqarrab was mentioned as a verb in the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

96 of

Al-Alaq Al-ʻAlaq or The Clot ( ar, العلق, ''al-ʻalaq'', also known as "The Clinging Thing" or "The Embryo"), is the 96th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an. It is composed of 19 '' āyāt'' or verses. It is sometimes also known as Sūrat Iqrā (, ...

(

surah A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah ('' Al-K ...

19):

Hadiths

Sahih Muslim Sahih Muslim ( ar, صحيح مسلم, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim), group=note is a 9th-century ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (815–875). It is one of the most valued bo ...

: The term Muqarrab was mentioned as a superlative noun in

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control Sufism Spiritual practice Language and mysticism Arabic words and phrases Islamic belief and doctrine Islamic terminology