Ibn Qayyim's Spiritual Stations Volume 1

By Dr. Muddassir Khan

About this book (summarized translation of Madarijus-Salikin) itself seems to have two visions. One vision in the form of the writings of Ibn Qayyim and another vision is a critique or correction of the contents of the book Manazilus-Sa'irin.

Madarijus-Salikin book was written by Shaykhul-Islam who was diligent in explaining the truth and spreading religion.

Madarijus-Salikin book is one of the best books by Ibn Qayyim. I have referred to its summary in French and Indonesian languages and also its translation in English while preparing this book. Hope it is beneficial.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dr. Muddassir Khan
• Release date: May 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005021429

Book preview

Preface

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His assistance and forgiveness and we seek refuge with Him from the evil of our souls and our misdeeds.

I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone. He has no partner. I also testify that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is His slave and Messenger.

About this book (Madarijus-Salikin) itself seems to have two visions. One vision in the form of the writings of Ibn Qayyim and another vision is a critique or correction of the contents of the book Manazilus-Sa'irin.

Madarijus-Salikin book was written by Shaykhul-Islam who was diligent in explaining the truth and spreading religion.

Madarijus-Salikin book is one of the best books by Ibn Qayyim.

I have referred it’s summary in French and Indonesian languages and also its translation in English while preparing this book. Hope it is beneficial.

All that is righteous (in it) comes from Allah, Alone, and all that is evil (in it) comes from the author and Shaitaan.

Our Deeds are determined by our intentions - whether they are good intentions or bad intentions. Therefore we should always check our intentions before we do or say anything. We must make sure that the action is for the sake of Allah so that it is accepted by Allah and that we will be rewarded for it, In-sha Allah. We ask Allah by His beautiful names and attributes that He unites our hearts upon the truth and that He makes us sincere advisers to one another based on the Quran and Sunnah as understood by the Companions.

I ask Allah to make this effort sincere, seeking His Pleasure, and I ask Him to grant us refuge in Him from the evils within us, and that in our actions. I ask him to grant us success in doing what pleases Him; He is close and responsive (to the prayers of His faithful servants).

Introduction

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most-Merciful

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. The happy end belongs to the pious and the unhappy ending is reserved only for the unjust.

I testify that there is no god but Allah, the one who has no partner, the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of the Messengers, the One who created the heavens and the earth. And I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, the one who is sent with the Clear Book; the Book which distinguishes guidance from error and doubts from certainty. Allah revealed the Quran so that we read it attentively, that we meditate on it with devotion, that we rejoice in it as a reminder, that we interpret it in the good sense; also so that we believe in it.

Indeed, it is His Book that attests to Him for those who desire to know Him. It is the Surest Way that leads the aspirant to Him. It is His dazzling light that illuminates the darkness. It is His mercy which is a pure gift by which all creatures are realized. It is the way that binds Him to His servants when all else fails. This is His greatest door through which one enters because it will not close when all the other doors are closed. It is the righteous path that is unaffected by the opinions of men. It is the Wise Reminder that never leads astray before the hold of passions. It is the Generous Source where scholars draw from without ever being satisfied.

Its wonders never run out. Its Signs never exhaust. The more the spirits meditate on it and reflect on it, the more it fills them with guidance and discernment. The more they delve into its folds, the more it brings forth the sources of wisdom for them. It is because it is a light for the discernments against their blindness, healing for the hearts against their ills, life for the spirits, rejoicing for the souls, a meadow for the hearts, an enchantment for the spirits in their journey to the land of rejoicing; the one who calls morning and evening: O people of success! Come to success! It is the call of faith announcing the straight path:

O our people! Respond to an apostle of Allah! Believe in him! Allah will forgive you some of your sins and He will save you from painful retribution. (Quran: 46 / 31)

The perfection of man is obtained through useful knowledge and good action, both of which represent the right way and true faith. 

By time! Man is in Loss, except those who believe, those who do good actions, those who encourage each other to seek the Truth; and those who encourage each other to be patient (Quran: 103 1-2-3).

Allah - may He be glorified - has sworn that every man is lost except one who perfects his spiritual energy by faith and his physical energy by pious actions, then perfect others by recommending to them truth and patience. Truth includes the true Islamic faith of Monotheism (worshipping Allah alone and asking help from Allah alone), as well as acting according to the faith. It is up to man to spend the moments of his life or rather each of his breaths in what allows him to achieve great ambitions and avoid the certain loss. But this can only be achieved by reciting and acting according to the Quran. To do this we should understand the Quran, meditate on its great wisdom, tap into its treasures, harvest its riches, invest fully in it, and put all our energy into it to make the most of it. For it (the Quran) is the guarantor of the interests of creatures in matters of life in this world and the future life and it is the means which allows them to reach the right path. Indeed, the truth, the spiritual path, the tastes, and the authentic spiritual transports can only be drawn from its niche and harvested only from its trees.

We (Ibn Qayyim) are going, by the grace of Allah, to draw attention to these aspects by speaking of the Surah al-Fatiha, the opening of the Book and Mother of the Quran, on some themes among those contained in this Surah, on what it includes as a refutation of all the sects and communities among the lost people and on what it contains as residences of the travelers and spiritual stations of the men who have knowledge. Likewise, we will see the distinction between the means and the ends relating to these stations, what constitutes a gift (blessings of Allah) and what is acquired, while showing that nothing can replace the teachings of this surah. This is why, moreover, Allah did not reveal any similar Surah neither in the Torah nor in the Gospels (al-Injil) nor the Quran.

May Allah grant us His assistance! He is our support. And there is no strength and power except through Allah, The Most High, The Almighty.

The sublime goals in Sura al-Fatiha

Know that Surah al-Fatiha (the Opening Chapter) contains in the most perfect way the most sublime goals. Thus, it contains the definition of Him who is worshiped (the one who is worthy of worship) - Blessed and Exalted - by means of three of His (Allah’s) names which constitute the reference and the fulcrum of the most beautiful divine Names and sublime qualities (noble attributes), namely Allah (Allah), ar -Rab (the Lord), and ar-Rahman (the All-Merciful). This Surah is therefore based on divinity (al-Ilahiyya), lordship (ar-Rububiyya), and mercy (ar-Rahm). Indeed, the first sequence of verse 5: It is You that we worship is based on divinity; the second of the same verse: It is from You that we ask for assistance based on Lordship and the request to be guided on the right path is made thanks to mercy. Then, praise encompasses these three aspects. For He is praised for His divinity, His lordship, and His mercy.

But this Surah also contains the confirmation of the final return (the afterlife), the retribution (accountability) of the servants according to their works (whether good or bad), the unique power that the Lord will have that day to judge the creatures and the fact that His judgment is based on Justice and Equity. All this is found in the verse of this Surah: The King (Master) of Judgment Day.

It must also be said that this Surah contains the confirmation of the prophethood in several respects and the three ways of understanding the Tawhid (affirmation of divine Oneness) around which the Messengers of Allah agree - may Allah grant them grace and peace.

1. The existence of Allah as Rabbul-Alamin (Lord of the Worlds). In other words, it is not proper for Allah to leave His servants in a state of vain and neglect, not introducing what is beneficial to their world and the hereafter, as well as what brings harm in this world and the hereafter.

2. It can be inferred from His Name - Allah, which means the Only God worshiped and deified. The servant has no way of getting to know His worship except through the apostles (prophets that He sent).

3. It can be deduced from His Name - Al-Rahman (The All-Merciful). Allah's Grace and Mercy prevent Him from neglecting His servants and not introducing the perfection they should seek. The Essence given by the name of Al-Rahman certainly has the responsibility to send the apostles and bring down books. This responsibility (of sending Messengers) is greater than the responsibility of bringing down rain, growing crops, and seeds. The consequences and requirement of giving life to the heart and spirit are greater than the consequences of reviving the physical body.

4. It can be concluded from the mention of yaumid-din, namely the day of recompense on which Allah will Judge the deeds. He rewards them for good and torments them for evil and iniquity. Of course, Allah will not torture a person until evidence has been established against him. This evidence was established through the apostles and their books.

5. It can be concluded from iyyaka nabudu which means You alone we worship. Worshiping Allah should not be done except in a way that is pleased and loved by Him. Worshiping Him means giving thanks, loving and fearing Him, based on nature, in line with common sense. This method of worship cannot be known except through the apostles and based on their explanations.

There is only one path leading to Allah, namely the path by which Allah sent the apostles and sent down books. No one can come to Allah except this way.

Some salaf (companions) say, Follow the path of righteousness and do not be afraid because there are few people who follow this path. Stay away from the path of falsehood and do not be deceived because many people follow it. If you follow the path of righteousness, strengthen your heart and harden your steps, do not turn to them even if they call you, because if you turn once, they will hinder your journey.

Sura al-Fatiha also has two forms of healing: healing of hearts and healing of bodies.

Regarding the healing of hearts, it encapsulates it perfectly. Indeed, the axis of the evils which affect the hearts revolves around two principles: the degeneration of knowledge and the degeneration of purpose, which generates two fatal diseases, namely delusion and anger.

Misguidance is the result of the degeneration of knowledge, and anger is the result of the corruption of purpose. And these two evils are the backbone of all evils that affect hearts. However, only the guidance on the right path contains the cure of the disease of the delusion. This is why the request for this guidance was imposed in the form of an invocation on every servant and was made obligatory every day and night (Surah al-Fatiha is recited in every prayer and contains an invocation for guidance), at every prayer, due to its extreme need (of guidance).

There is nothing that can replace this request for guidance.

This remedy is made up of six elements: 1) subjection to Allah and nothing else, 2) on the basis of His order and law, 3) not on the basis of passion, 4) nor on the basis of opinions of men, their situations, their past and their ideas, 5) by resorting to His assistance to worship Him, 6) not by relying on the own means of the servant, on his strength and his power or those of others.

These are the elements contained in the Quranic expression It is You whom we worship. It is from You that we ask for assistance. When they are composed by the benevolent doctor who knows the evil and they are used by the patient, complete healing is then assured. But if it is partial, it is due to the negligence of one or more of these elements.

In addition, the heart is exposed to two very serious diseases. If the servant does not catch up in time, they risk causing his downfall. They are ostentation and pride.

Thus the remedy of ostentation resides in It is You whom we worship and that of pride in It is from You that we ask for assistance. Moreover, I (Ibn Qayyim) have often heard Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya - may Allah sanctify his soul - repeat this:

"The expression It is You that we worship drives out ostentation and the expression It is from You that we ask for assistance drives out pride."

Regarding the healing of the body, let us recall what the Sunnah reports and what is confirmed by the rules of medical art and by experience:

It is reported in an authentic hadith that once the chief of a tribe was bitten by a snake. The people of the camp came to the companions and asked them: Do you have a remedy or is there someone among you who knows how to practice the incantation? They replied: Certainly, yes, but you forgot to invite us. We will only do this if you promise us a reward. So they promised them a certain number of sheep. Then a man of this group began to recite Sura al-Fatiha on the chief of the tribe. The chief stood up as if he was not ill (was cured). We then said to ourselves: Do not hurry until we have received the advice of Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). On our return, we told him what had happened. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us: How did you know it was an incantation?

That straight path mentioned in this chapter is the path of the companions such as the path of Abu Bakr and Umar (Allah be pleased with them).

The Opening Chapter surah embraces all the meanings of the Quran: The secret of creation, order, the Books and revealed laws, retribution and punishment also come down to these two sequences of the Opening Chapter Surah which constitute the pivot of servitude (al-'Ubudiyya) and the affirmation of divine Oneness (at-Tawhid). It has been said that Allah sent down one hundred and four revealed Books, the meanings of which are condensed in the Torah, the Gospels, and the Quran; the meanings of these are condensed in the Quran; those of the Quran are condensed in the Mufassal of the Quran; in turn, the meanings of the Mufassal are condensed in the Fatiha (the Opening Chapter Surah) and in the verse: It is You whom we worship. It is from You that we implore assistance. These are two sentences shared equally between the Lord and His servant: The Lord's part is It is You that we worship and that of the servant is It is from You that we implore assistance.

That said, worship (al-Ibada) brings together two essential principles: extreme love with the maximum of humility and submission. The Arabs say of a way that it is mu'abbada, that is to say, flattened and made practicable. And the Arabic word at-ta'abbud means humility and submission. Thus, when you love someone without submitting to him you cannot worship him, and if you submit to him without love, you do not worship him either.

This is why those who deny that the servants can love their Lord, in fact, deny the fundamental reality of the servile condition of the created being (al-'ubudiyya); and those who deny that he can be their Beloved deny that he is Allah, even though they otherwise recognize Him as Lord of the worlds and their Creator. This is the limit of their Tawheed (affirmation of Tawheed) which is the Tawheed of Lordship, already recognized by the polytheistic Arabs of the pre-Islamic period, as specified in the Quran about:

"(If you ask them who created them, they say: It is Allah! ..." (Quran: 43 - 87)

These verses (the above verse and many other verses in the Quran) constitute a proof that attests to the uniqueness of His divinity and which shows that one should worship none other than Him and that there is no other Creator and other Lord besides Him.

Likewise, assistance (seeking of Help from Allah) combines two principles: trust in Allah and relying on Him. Indeed, it happens to the man to have confidence in a particular individual among the men but without relying on him for his business (despite all the confidence placed in him) because he can do without him. On the other hand, he can count on him although he does not trust him because he needs him and cannot find the one who could replace him. So, he needs to lean on this person even though he doesn't trust him.

However, tawakkul (relying on it with confidence) has two elements of meaning: trust and support, and it constitutes the very reality of verse It is You whom we worship. And it is from You that we implore assistance.

You should know that these two principles, namely tawakkul and worship have been mentioned in several passages of the Quran where they are often combined, in particular in the following verse:... Help comes to me only from Allah. I entrust myself to Him and I return repentant to Him (Quran: 11 - 88).

The servant cannot realize It is You whom we worship except by virtue of two main principles:

- following the Envoy of Allah (the Messengers)

- sincerity towards the One who is worshipped.

People are divided by virtue of these two principles into four categories.

- The first category: these are the people of sincerity and obedience to Him who is worshipped. They are the true followers of It is You that we worship. In fact, everything about them is dedicated to Allah: their works, their words, their gifts, their deductions, their love, and their hatred. Their way of treating others is internally and externally are for Allah alone. They do not want any reward or compliment from people for this, nor to have a good reputation with them, nor to seek their praise, nor consideration in their hearts, nor to shy away from their blame.

This is because they consider people as inhabitants of the graves: they cannot bring them harm, profit, death, life, or resurrection.

This means that working for people, seeking reputation and consideration with them, and hoping for their service or fear of their nuisance, are all attitudes that cannot come from a man who knows men perfectly. For he who knows men puts them in their rightful place; and he who knows Allah sincerely, dedicates his works and his words, his gifts, and his deductions, what he loves and what he detests to Him. This means that a man does not favor the treatment of creatures in relation to Allah unless he ignores Allah and the reality of creatures. Because if he knew Allah and if he knew men, he would give his preference to the treatment of Allah to the detriment of that of men. 

This is the only kind of work that Allah accepts. For He tested His servants by life and death only for this. Indeed, Allah - may He be exalted - said: He who created life and death to test you and thus know which of you