A journey begins when a person decides to strive towards their ultimate destination. In the physical world, we prepare for a journey by gathering essentials and mustering the courage to tread the path. Similarly, the spiritual journey is the quest to move closer to Allah, attain His vision, and achieve annihilation in Him, leading to immortality with Allah.
Every journey starts outward and ends inward. The spiritual journey progresses through several realms:
- The Physical World
- The Realm of Angels
- The Realm of Power
- The Realm of Divinity
- The Realm of First Manifestation
- The Incomparable and Unknowable Realm
The journey ultimately culminates in the Incomparable and Unknowable Realm.
To embark on this journey, a person must take an oath of allegiance (bay’ah) at the hands of a perfect spiritual guide (Murshid Kamil). This initiation includes practicing the remembrance of Allah’s personal name (Ism-e-Allah Zaat) and contemplating upon it. Without starting this spiritual journey and attaining the presence of the Mohammadan Assembly, a person dies a life of ignorance.
Furthermore, one cannot eliminate inner lusts—whether for wealth, land, or other desires—without beginning the spiritual journey. This makes the journey essential for self-purification and closeness to Allah.
If you hesitate to start the journey due to fear of failure, remember the teachings of Sultan ul Ashiqeen:
“Struggle constantly and never get lazy. In the path of Faqr, constant effort and struggle is the biggest achievement and the key to success. After joining the path of Faqr, if you do not alter your ways of life and remain lazy as before, then you have not truly undergone any transformation.”
To start your journey, seek the perfect spiritual guide of your era. In this era, visit Khanqah Sultan ul Ashiqeen and take the oath of allegiance at the hands of Sultan ul Ashiqeen, the 31st spiritual guide of the Sarwari Qadri order of Sultan Bahoo (RA).