Yaqeen ( ar, یقین) is generally translated as "certainty", and is considered the summit of the many

stations Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

by which the path of '' walaya'' (sometimes translated as Sainthood) is fully completed. This is the repository of liberating experience in

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

. In relation to the

exoteric Exoteric refers to knowledge that is outside and independent from a person's experience and can be ascertained by anyone (related to common sense). The word is derived from the comparative form of Greek ἔξω ''eksô'', "from, out of, outside" ...

religious life, certainty is the sister of religious life in its perfection ('' ehsân''), that is, to say the

adoration Adoration is respect, reverence, strong admiration, or love in a certain person, place, or thing. The term comes from the Latin ''adōrātiō'', meaning "to give homage or worship to someone or something". Ancient Rome In classical Rome, adorat ...

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", a ...

according to the visionary way; through this channel it is the pillar of Islam in the accomplishment of its external practices, as it is the foundation of faith ('' iman'') in its internal dogma. It is, in fact, '' ihsân'' which gives the external religion its true meaning and the domain of faith its real values. It occurs in the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard 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 from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...

about certainty, "And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty". Certainty (''yaqeen'') comprises three degrees.

Stages

Ilm-ul-yaqeen (the knowledge of certainty)

The first degree is referred to by the name ''‘ilm-ul-yaqeen'' (the knowledge of certainty), which means that certainty is the result of knowledge. At this degree the object of certainty is knowledge just as the aim of knowledge is certainty. Both together are in the soul uniquely, such that certainty is the first degree of spiritual life and the last of speculative experience. This particular degree of mystical ''yaqeen'' is the result of divine theophanies in act at the level of existence and also the result of theophanies of lights of nature at the gnostic level.

Ayn-ul-yaqeen (the vision of certainty)

The second degree of ''yaqeen'' is what one calls in Sufi terms ''ayn-ul-yaqeen'' (the vision of certainty), that is, certainty as a consequence of contemplation and vision. At this level, the object of certainty is present in front of the gnostic and is not only a speculative concept. Here knowledge becomes what one calls '' ilm-e-huzuri’’ (knowledge by Presence), and that is the second aspect of Certainty in the spiritual way and in liberating experience. By this kind of knowledge, the man of the Way is distinguished from philosophers and learned men. This particular degree of spiritual Certainty is the result of divine theophanies of Attributes at the level of existence.

Haqq-ul-yaqeen (the final level of certainty gained through experience)

Finally, the last degree of ''yaqeen'' is called ''haqq-ul-yaqeen'' (the level of certainty gained through experience), that is, certainty as supreme truth. Here, certainty has a particular coloring: it is the fruit of an all-embracing experience because the object of certainty is identical to the one who is experiencing it, knowledge being transformed into actual experience and actual experience into knowledge. At this stage, in fact, knowledge is not limited to the intellect, nor to the vision of the one who is contemplating it, it becomes one with the human being. This is the final phase of ''yaqeen'', the apotheosis of the spiritual and intellectual journey. This high degree of

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, r ...

certainty is the effect of the Emanation of the divine Theophanies in Essence at its existential level and that of the diffusion of the Light of lights (Dazzling Irradiations) at the level of the theophanies of the

gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized p ...

References

External links