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Concept in Sufism
Four Spiritual Stations in
Alevi
tariqat :
Sharia ,
tariqa ,
haqiqa , and
marifa .
Marifa is considered "unseen", and is actually the center of the
haqiqa region.
Marifa is the essence of all four stations.
Four Doors is a concept in
Sufism and in branches of
Islam heavily influenced by Sufism such as
Isma'ilism and
Alevism . In this system, there are four paths to
God , starting with
Sharia , then to
Tariqa , then to
Marifa , and then finally to
Haqiqa .
In Alevism, ten stations are listed for each of the Foor Doors. Hence, in full, the Four Doors are also known as the Four Doors and Forty Stations (Turkish:
Dört Kapı Kırk Makam ). These Forty Stations are listed below.
[1]
The Door of Shari'ah
1. The Door of
Sharîʻah /Divine Law
to believe
to learn knowledge (
‘ilm )
to worship
to earn only what sustenance is permitted (
halâl ) by its creator in a way that is also permissible
abstaining from that which one's creator has forbidden (
harâm )
to perform marriages
to marry oneself
to abstain from sexual relation during inappropriate times
to be a member of the community following the tradition of Muhammad
to be compassionate, to dress simply and to consume simple foods
to enjoin that which is right and for abstain from that which is wrong
The Door of Tariqah
2. The Door of
Tarîqah /Sufi Path
taking the hand of a Sufi sheikh and repenting
willfully becoming a disciple (
murîd ) of a Sufi
sheikh
keeping one's clothes, hair: beard both clean and in order
struggling against the desires of one's flesh (
nafs )
serving others
being in a state between excessive fear and hope
taking lessons from and providing guidance to others
distributing God's bounties to others
reaching a state of intense love and a high level of enthusiasm
seeing his inner essence as poor
The Door of Ma'rifah
3. The Door of
Ma'rifah /Divine Knowledge
proper morals (adab )
fear
abstinence
patience and frugality
feeling embarrassment
generosity
knowledge (
‘ilm )
intense poverty
maʻrifah
knowing oneself
The Door of Haqiqah
4. The Door of
Haqîqah /Truth
becoming earth
not scorning the 72 nations of humanity
being as merciful and compassionate as possible
not seeing anyone's faults
to be in agreement with the principles of singleness, uniqueness: oneness of God (
tawhîd )
speaking of the secrets of truth with others
following a specific spiritual path (sayr-i sulûk )
secret (sirr )
beseeching God (munâjât )
witnessing God's manifestation in creation (mushâhadah )
References