STATIONS OF THE SEEKER (TZK 301)

“My Lord, don’t disgrace me on the Day when all will be resurrected: a day in which neither wealth nor children shall be of any benefit, except one who comes to God with a sound heart.” (Shuara’, 26:87-89)

“Within the body there is a lump of flesh, when it is sound the entire body is sound, but when it is corrupted the entire body is corrupted: it is the heart.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

Drawing from the famous “Ḥadith of Jibril,” Muslim scholars have classified the Islamic Sciences into three spheres:

1. The sphere of islam: This is represented by the legal sciences, which are studied under the umbrella of Fiqh (Jurisprudence)
2. The sphere of īmān: This is represented by the theological sciences, which are studied under the umbrella of Aqida (Creed)
3. The sphere of iḥsān: This is represented by the spiritual sciences, which are studied under the umbrella of Tazkiya (Self-Purification)

Tazkiya is the discipline that is concerned with cleansing [takhliya] and adorning [taḥliya] the inner character [baṭin] of the human being, in compliance with the divine commands. Have you ever wondered:

• How do you reach the level where you can “worship Allah as though you see Him, for if you don’t see Him, He sees you?”
• How do you reach the level of mushāhada (witnessing), where you witness Allah in everything that happens within you, to you, and around you?
• How do you reach the level of muraqaba (watchfulness), where you are acutely aware of Allah’s watch over your inner states and outer actions?

The science of Tazkiya teaches us about those levels, how to reach them, and the stations that we must traverse before we can get to them.