Stage 1: "To Wish to Reach Allah"

The Decree for Not Wishing to Reach Allah

The Holy Qur'ân clearly reveals the situation of those who do not wish to reach Allah in Surah Yunus:

10/YUNUS-7: Verily, they do not wish to reach Us (to deliver their spirits to Allah while alive). They are content with the life of this world and have reached satisfaction with it, and they are those who are heedless of Our verses.

10/YUNUS-8: Their abode is the fire (hell) because of what they have earned (deeds).

As stated in the verses, those who do not wish to meet Allah are content with the life of this world and remain heedless of Allah's verses. The result of this heedlessness and not wishing is hell, based on the deeds earned.

Loss and the Balance of the Scales

Those who go to hell are "those whose lost deeds are more than those they have earned," that is, those who are in a state of loss. Surah Al-Mu'minun explains this balance as follows:

23/AL-MU'MINUN-102: Then, whoever's scales (of good deeds) are heavy, they are the ones who attain salvation.

23/AL-MU'MINUN-103: And whoever's scales (of good deeds) are light, they are the ones who have caused their own nafs to be in a state of loss. They are those who will remain in hell forever.

Everyone who does not wish to reach Allah is in a state of loss. However, whoever becomes the owner of this wish, that person is saved from loss and opens the door to paradise.

Allah's Promise: He Will Surely Deliver

The exact opposite of the decree in Surah Yunus is given as glad tidings in Surah Al-Ankabut, verse 5:

29/AL-ANKABUT-5: Whoever wishes to meet Allah (to reach Allah while alive), then surely the time appointed by Allah will certainly come (their spirit will surely reach Allah while alive). And He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

Allah Almighty guarantees that He will surely deliver the spirit of His servant who wishes to reach Him to Himself at the appointed time. The active subject in this process is Allah. The servant only requests, and it is our exalted lord who delivers. This truth is detailed in Surah Ash-Shura:

42/ASH-SHURA-13: (Allah) has ordained for you the same sharia (divine law) that He enjoined upon Prophet Nuh, and that which We have revealed to you, and that which We enjoined upon Prophet Ibrahim, Prophet Musa, and Prophet Isa, saying: "Establish the religion and do not be divided into sects in it." That which you call them to (wishing to reach Allah) is difficult for the idolaters. Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills, and He delivers to Himself (delivers their spirit to Himself while alive) the one who turns to Him.

The key concept here is the expression "Men yunib" (the one who turns to Him). Whoever turns to Allah, Allah delivers them to Himself.

Becoming Amenu and the Reward of the Pious

Those who wish to reach Allah are those who are amenu in the literature of the Qur'ân. In Surah Hud, verse 29, Prophet Nuh emphasizes that those who are amenu will surely meet their Lord. This is a process, and in this process, the person fulfills the misak (covenant) they made with Allah.

3/ALI IMRAN-76: No, (it is not so)! Whoever fulfills their covenant (with Allah) and becomes pious (owner of taqwa), then surely Allah loves the pious.

The place promised for the pious is paradise (Ali Imran-15, 198; Qaf-31).

Seven Stages, Guidance (hidayah), and Becoming Amenu

The process of guidance and becoming amenu is a gradual ascent:

• 3rd Step: The first becoming amenu (wishing to reach Allah).
• 14th Step: Submission to the spiritual guide (2nd becoming amenu).
• 21st Step: The spirit reaching Allah (3rd becoming amenu - Guidance).
• 25th Step: Submission of the physical body.
• 27th Step: Submission of the nafs.
• 28th Step: Reaching the post of religious guide and submission of the will.

Divine Processes That Occur at the Moment of the Wish

The moment a person wishes to reach Allah, Allah hears, knows, and sees the request in that person's heart. He immediately manifests with the name Rahim and performs 7 spiritual processes upon the person:

1. The hijab-i mastura (covering) on the eyes is removed.
2. The vakra (spiritual deafness) in the ears is removed.
3. The ekinnah (the seal that prevents comprehension) on the heart is removed.
4. Ikhbat (divinely granted cognition) is placed into the heart.
5. The heart's gate of light is turned towards Allah.
6. The path of light is opened from the chest to the heart.
7. The person becomes an owner of khushu (reverence).

With these processes, the person's past sins are covered. When sins are covered, the person's good deeds automatically become more than their sins. Even if this person were to pass away at that moment, because their good deeds outweigh their sins (as per Al-Mu'minun-102), they become eligible for paradise.

The Regret of Those in Hell: Hearing and Reasoning

In Surah Al-Mulk, the dialogue between the keepers of hell and those there reveals the importance of this mechanism:

67/AL-MULK-8: (Hell) almost bursts with rage. Every time a group is thrown into it, its (hell's) keepers ask them: "Did a warner not come to you?"

67/AL-MULK-9: They (those thrown into hell) say: "Yes, a warner had come to us. But we denied him and said, 'Allah has not sent down anything; you are only in great darkness (misguidance).'"

67/AL-MULK-10: And they say: "If we had heard or reasoned, we would not have been among the companions of the blazing fire."

The fact that those in hell say "if we had heard or reasoned" shows that because they did not wish to reach Allah while in the world, the vakra in their ears and the ekinnah on their hearts were not removed. They saw the warners (spiritual guides) as being in darkness and denied Allah's verses.

Conclusion: The Religion Made Easy and Salvation

Allah Almighty decrees in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 185, "Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship." There is nothing easier than religion and salvation; for the only condition is a sincere wish. A servant who says, "My Lord, I also wish to reach You, to deliver my spirit to You," has taken the key to the 1st level of paradise into their hand. All remaining stages (reaching the spiritual guide, submission of the spirit, cleansing of the nafs) are under Allah's help and guarantee.

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