Realizations on the Path

The investigations of those who travel the Sufis path are practical and personal, not
theoretical, and the resulting realizations are difficult to convey in words.

Among students’ first realizations is the awareness of a transcendental dimension.

Glimpsing aspects of the universe that are inaccessible to intellect, they receive a
taste of something beyond material phenomena. A new vision of reality begins to
influence their lives and thoughts.

As students awaken the heart and other lata’if (subtle centers of consciousness),
their understanding of self deepens. The rational mind expands, and seekers acquire
the illumination necessary for the possibility of seeing all aspects of existence in
proper perspective.

Students who continue to do the practices diligently may gain personal experience of
the following assertions:

 The phenomenal world of matter and individual consciousness is only a partial

reality.

 The human being has a self other than the empirical self: the eternal self.

 One can have direct experience of the Divine through a carefully nurtured
interior which is superior to reason and intellect alone.

 Through faithfully pursuing a discipline with an authorized guide, one can

identify one’s limited self with the true self.

Beyond a certain point, realizations become inseparable from a person’s way of

being. It becomes clear to students that human beings are not merely slaves to
instinct, but have an urge to express higher values and a will capable of controlling
their actions. As students begin to see the Divine Presence in everything, they
become better able to grasp the meaning of human life – both of their personal lives,
and of the collective destiny of humanity. Narrow, ego-centered points of view give
way to a broader perspective, encouraging students to make every thought, word,
and act a form of ‘ibddah (worship) and khidmah (service). They approach a state of
consciously desiring good, even in situations involving no personal advantage or
external pressure.
Knowing with certainty that everything is governed by the will of God, seekers learn
to depend on God, to be patient and accepting. Through the practices they may also
receive confirmation that there is life after death. As they recognize that this world is
preparation for the next, they are further inspired to adopt a more pious, virtuous
lifestyle.

Sufism is a journey from the inner to the outer. Through realizing the self, the seeker
realizes God. Through realizing God, the seeker becomes selfless. Step by step, his
or her former being becomes transformed, until by the grace of God he or she may
attain fana’ and baqa’: the experience of unity, of being annihilated or consumed in
the Divine, of abiding in and with the Almighty.

The experience of unity is not the final realization of the Sufi journey. Those who
attain this stage return from it to assist their fellow beings. They are with God and in
this world simultaneously, translating the nearness that they feel to the Creator into
service to creation. They keep themselves attuned, ready to fulfill the duties and
responsibilities that God presents in day-to-day life. The world is like a workshop run
by God, and the Sufi at the highest stage of realization is a worker, striving to fill his
or her role in the best way possible, relying always on the mercy and blessings of
God.