"7th Stage: Surrender of the Will | Salah"

Continuous Dhikr and the Purification of the Heart

Whenever continuous dhikr is reached, one becomes the possessor of 4 fundamental factors. The person has eradicated all afflictions in the heart of his nafs. This situation occurs upon becoming a possessor of continuous dhikr. Because of continuous dhikr, none of the afflictions in the heart of the nafs remain. For continuous dhikr means the uninterrupted arrival of Allah's mercy, virtue (fazl), and salawat into the heart of the nafs. When these reach the heart of the nafs in an uninterrupted status, it is impossible for darkness to dwell in the heart of the nafs. There is a constant movement, a constant arrival of lights, and the total elimination of the afflictions in the heart of the nafs by these lights. The lights of mercy and virtue, which are parallel to the attributes of the spirit, take the place of the afflictions. With 2% light of mercy and 98% light of virtue, a person's heart is brought to a standard that invites the person 100% to Allah's commands and prevents him from committing His prohibitions.

Thus, this person is someone who performs all of Allah's commands at the highest level. No affliction remains in his nafs. All negative factors belonging to the afflictions have been eliminated, and virtues, which are the equivalent of the attributes, have settled into the heart of the nafs at a rate of 98%, and mercy, which is also similar to the attributes, at a rate of 2%. Thus, the heart of the nafs has taken all beauties into its content. The person is a happy individual and possesses a world of peace. The fundamental characteristics he possesses are as follows:

1. Continuous dhikr: This person is a possessor of continuous dhikr.
2. Filling with Lights: Because he is a possessor of continuous dhikr and the heart of his nafs is constantly nourished by successive lights, the heart of the nafs is filled 100% completely with lights.

As a natural result of these, Allah Almighty bestows the following favors:

1. He absolutely opens that person's heart’s eye (inner spiritual vision).
2. He opens his heart’s ear (inner spiritual hearing).

That person sees what Allah shows him with his heart’s eye and hears Allah's conversations with him with his heart’s ear. Merely seeing and hearing is to possess the 4 characteristics that Allah has bestowed upon that person. Continuous dhikr is the absence of afflictions in the heart of the nafs and seeing what Allah shows and hearing what He says. This expresses what is given to that person from Allah's side. With these, the person has attained the opportunity to converse with Allah, and the possession of goodness and wisdom.

Results of the Station of Ulul'elbab

As a result of Allah's 4 data, 4 gifts, and 4 rewards, 3 important results emerge:

1. Becoming Ahl al-Tadhakkur (the people of reflection)

That person is ahl al-tadhakkur. He converses with Allah at every moment. That person being ahl al-tadhakkur means he possesses the authority to negotiate with Allah. At any moment, Allah can say something to him. And he possesses the opportunity to say something to Allah. He hears everything Allah says and gives answers to Allah, and makes requests. He speaks of these requests clearly with Allah. He can ask for information on any subject. His horizon is opened by Allah Almighty day by day. That person possesses the quality of being ahl al-tadhakkur, which is far beyond being a person of contemplation (tafakkur). A person who is a person of contemplation thinks; when his horizon closes as a result of this thinking, the only one who can add to it is himself. A person who strives to open a new horizon to this horizon may or may not succeed. But for ahl al-tadhakkur, failure is not in question. At whatever point his horizon has closed, if he has reached the final point of the knowledge he possesses, Allah Almighty will equip him with new knowledge at a new stage. What is at the final point of the subject? There is seeing Allah's Essence (Zat). The final reward Allah gives to a person is to see Allah's Essence. To whom does He give it? He gives it to those who surrender their will to Allah.

2. Becoming a Person of Goodness

This person is a person of goodness. Because he has become a possessor of continuous dhikr. Because he is a possessor of continuous dhikr, he earns degrees uninterruptedly. While others earn 10 times the degree of every good deed they perform, this person receives 700 times the degree when he earns 1 degree of goodness. Every second, others earn 10 degrees of goodness, but they also lose when they lose. This person only earns goodness. Because he is a possessor of continuous dhikr, he earns 700 degrees every second. Thus, he becomes the possessor of an infinite earning of degrees. This leads that person to become the possessor of infinite goodness. Also, because this person possesses the authority to speak about everything with Allah and to converse with Allah, Allah Almighty gives him knowledge. When this person looks at one of the verses of the Holy Qur'ân, he clearly sees how it fits into which of the 28 steps.

3. Becoming a Person of Judgment

Furthermore, this person is a person of judgment. If he assumes the duty of a judge, if he acts with the attribute of a judge, he will possess the correct judgment because he will judge by asking Allah. If he is appointed as an arbitrator, he will judge with justice. Because he will always answer by asking Allah and with the teaching Allah gives at that moment.

Spiritual Observations: Hell and the Heavenly Floors

To a person who possesses these qualities, Allah Almighty shows the 7 layers of the earth at the station of ulul'elbab. That is, the 7 stages of hell, the 7 layers, the 7 hells are seen one by one by this person. First, his hair stands on end. He says: "O my Lord! Is this the place I am going to?" Allah Almighty answers him: "No! But you must definitely see it." Allah Almighty shows the conditions under which future people are punished and how. This is a series of very sad scenes that make one's hair stand on end. In every lower layer of hell, there is more torture and torment.

After the 7 hells, this person is shown the dargah of the imam of the time, the caliph of the time, on the ground floor. The main dargah of the imam of the time is the ground floor representing the zero level above the hells descending downwards from -1 to -7. Above this, 7 heavenly floors are formed. With the showing of the 1st floor of these 7 heavenly floors, the person has opened the station of ulul'elbab and has passed to the station of ikhlas.

• 1st Heavenly Floor: Prostration in the open.
• 2nd Heavenly Floor: Pools of irrigation.
• 3rd Heavenly Floor: A mosque resembling a 2-story mansion. Then, reaching the 4th floor by flying through the passage between the heavenly floors together with others.
• 4th Heavenly Floor: The original of Bayt al-Maqdis.
• 5th Heavenly Floor: The original of Bayt al-Haram.
• 6th Heavenly Floor: The place of becoming the color of Allah.
• 7th Heavenly Floor: 7 realms; cells of destiny, Umm al-Kitab, ocean of divine power, Maqam-i Mahmud, Divan-i Salihin, Dhikr Realm, and finally in the presence of Allah, Allah's Presence.

The golden thrones in the void in Allah's presence and the imâm of the prayer in Allah's presence, the initial stages of the prayer in Allah's presence, and then thousands of spirits following them... All of these are shown to that person at the station of salah. All the features of the 7th heavenly floor are also seen. But this vision is up to Sidrat al-Muntaha, that is, the highest point of the realm of existence. The station of ikhlas can see this.

Transition from Ikhlas to Salah and Repentance of Nasuh

Beyond that is the person's seeing of Allah's Essence. For this, the person who can see Sidrat al-Muntaha is invited by Allah Almighty to Repentance of Nasuh. This is not the same as the repentance made before a spiritual guide; it is a repentance made in Allah's presence where what Allah says is repeated. From this point on, the person reaches the station of salah.

Stages of the Station of Salah

1. Stage: The covering of that person's sins.
2. Stage: Allah Almighty giving a circular light called "light of salah" over that person's head.
3. Stage: The event of the conversion of sins into rewards. (Sins committed at all stages after following a spiritual guide and before reaching continuous dhikr).
4. Stage: The taking possession of the will. Allah Almighty takes possession of the person's will. And the name of this person who is ahl al-dhikr becomes "ahl al-tasbih".

Now the person has passed to tasbih. Because he has surrendered his will to Allah, he cannot function with his own will. That volitional structure is no longer valid for that person. Allah Almighty has taken possession of his will. For this reason, he is not a possessor of continuous dhikr; he has passed beyond it. He will continue to perform dhikr with his own will, but this dhikr is no longer continuous dhikr; it contains a part of tasbih and has descended to minimum standards.

Surrender of the Will and the Post of Religious Guide

If this person is the imam of the time, he comes to the identity of the person who manages the spiritual journey (sayr-i suluk) that the spirits starting from the ground floor make towards Allah. The spiritual journey takes place with his dhikr. The imam of the time surrenders his will to Allah at the 4th stage of the station of salah, and at the 5th stage, he is appointed to the duty of religious guidance. Only after that does Allah Almighty subject him to a special training that He does not give to others, teaching him how the spiritual journey is to be performed.

Surrender of the will is one thing, being the imam of the time is another. Everyone can perform the surrender of the will. Everyone who reaches continuous dhikr eventually performs the surrender of the will with the help of Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty will already take possession of the will of the person who reaches the station of salah Himself. That person is appointed to religious guidance with the sentence "You have been appointed and authorized for religious guidance!" All the companions (Sahaba) attained this honor. The 100th verse of Surah At-Tawbah confirms that all the companions reached this goal:

9/AT-TAWBAH-100: Those foremost (the competitors in piety and goodness who surrendered their will to Allah at the station of salah and were appointed and authorized for religious guidance): Some of them were from the immigrants (those who migrated from Mecca to Medina), some were from the helpers (the helpers in Medina), and some were those who followed them (the helpers and immigrants) with benevolence. (Because the companions possessed the post of religious guide, they were followed). Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him (Allah). Allah has prepared for them gardens under which rivers flow, and they will remain there eternally. This is the greatest (mighty) reward.

Allah Almighty decrees for them "The competitors in goodness." The Tabi'in are those who followed the companions. We see that the companions gave the authority to be followed to the Tabi'in. That is, the Tabi'in received the hand (spiritual authority) from the companions. The Tebei Tabi'in are those who received the hand from the Tabi'in. The surrender of the will is the last of the surrenders and gathers a whole life within its content. It is not possible for a person who reaches the surrender of the will to fall from there.

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