ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Light Within Me Part 2.1: Stages of Spiritual Journey by Allamah Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i A materialist passes his life in the dark valley of materialism. He is plunged in the sea of evil desires and always is tossed from this side to that side by the waves of material relations of wealth, wife and children. He cries for help, but in vain and in the end gets nothing but disappointment.

Sometimes in this sea a breath of enlivening breeze (divine impulse) pats him and kindles in him a hope that he may reach the shore safely. But this breeze does not blow regularly. It is only occasional. "In your life you get some pleasant breaths from your Lord.

Make a point of being benefited by them and do not turn away from them." Under the divine impulse the novice decides to somehow or other pass the world of plurality This journey is called by the gnostics sayr wa suluk (spiritual journey). Suluk means to traverse the path and sayr means to view the characteristics and prominent features of the stages and stations on the way. Riyazat and acts of self-mortification are the provisions required for this spiritual journey.

As it is not easy to renounce the material relations, the novice slowly breaks the snares of the world of plurality and cautiously begins his journey from the material world. Before long he enters another world called " Barzakh ". This is the world of his evil desires and inner thoughts. Here he finds that material relations have accumulated a lot of impurities in his heart.

These impurities which are an offshoot of his material relations, are a product of his voluptuous thoughts and sensual desires. These thoughts obstruct the novice in the pursuit of his spiritual journey with a result that he loses peace of mind. He wants to enjoy the recollection of Allah for some time, but these thoughts suddenly interrupt him and foil his efforts Somebody has well said that man is always engrossed in his petty thoughts and haunted by the ideas of gain and loss.

As a result he not only loses his composure and peace of mind, but can also not pay attention to his spiritual journey to a higher world. It is obvious that mental unrest is more harmful than any physical loss or pain. Man can avoid the clash of external relations and interests, but it is difficult for him to get rid of his own ideas and thoughts because they are always with him.