28 Steps in the Holy Qur'an
28th step: The person is at the post of salad (righteousness); their will has also surrendered to Allah. (7th stage, 4th surrender.)
ALL THE SECRETS OF THE HOLY QUR'AN ARE HIDDEN IN SURAH AL-ASR
Surah al-Asr contains the entirety of the 28 steps.
Surah al-Asr is one of the shortest yet the most important surah of the Holy Qur’an. The 28-step ladder of Islam, consisting of four sets of seven steps, is contained within this surah. Imam al-Shafi‘i said: “The Qur’an will never be lost. But even if, hypothetically, it were lost, Surah al-Asr alone would suffice.”
Ofcourse, in terms of literal meanings, the entirety of the Holy Qur’an is not found in Surah al-Asr. Yet the entirety of the Holy Qur’an, consisting of seven stages and four surrenders, is present in spirit within Surah al-Asr.
Allah Almighty says in Surah Al-Asr as follows:
Al-Asr-1: By the Time.
Al-Asr-2: Most surely man is indeed in Loss.
Al-Asr-3: Except those who are Amenu (who wish their spirits to reach Allah while they are alive, those who have passed through the first 7 stages) and do righteous acts (do the soulâs cleansing, those who have passed through the second 7 stages) and recommend the Truth (as their spirits have already reached Allah; those who have passed the third 7 stages) and recommend the Patience (who have passed the fourth 7 stages).
Being a true believer (Amenu); the first 7 steps.
To begin the righteous deeds; the second 7 steps.
27th step: The person is at the post of ikhlas (sincerity)(6th stage.)
To advise the Truth; the third 7 steps.
This is the design of Allah in the Holy Qur’an, expressed through these four sets of seven steps. Those who are true believers (amenu) are the ones who wish to deliver their spirit to Allah before death. Beginning the righteous deeds signifies the cleansing of the soul, which comes into effect with repentance and pledging allegiance to the murshid (spiritual guide). Advising the Truth necessarily means the surrender of the spirit to Allah, while advising patience requires the surrender of the will to Allah as well.
Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Be a scholar, or a learner; or a hearer, or one who loves. Do not be the fifth, for you will be destroyed. The fifth are those who harbor hatred toward knowledge and the people of knowledge.” (S: al-Tabarani, Majma‘ al-Zawa’id wa Manba‘ al-Fawa’id, vol. 1, p. 122; vol. 1, p. 75/9; al-Jami‘ al-Saghir, vol. 1, part 1, hadith no. 318)
The Sultan of the Prophets, our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), referred in this hadith to Surah al-Asr, which encompasses the entirety of the Holy Qur’an. The hadith perfectly corresponds to the 28-step design in the Holy Qur’an.
In a similar hadith, it is stated: “Hayrukum men teâlleme elkur’âne ve âllemehu: The best among you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it.” (Bukhari, Fadā’il al-Qur’an, 21.)
The Relationship Between Surah al-‘Asr and the Hadith of Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Surah al-Asr – Its Meaning – Its Place in the Noble Hadith “Ve tevâsav bis sabrı.” Those who advise patience → They are the scholars, the ones who teach. “Ve tevâsav bil hakkı.” Those who advise the Truth → They are the learners. “Ve amilûs sâlihâti.” They are the ones who repent and pledge allegiance to the spiritual guide (religious guide-murshid). “İllâllezîne âmenû.” Those who are believers (amenu) → They are the ones who love. “innel insâne le fî husrin” Indeed, mankind is in loss → They are those who hate knowledge and the people of knowledge, the ones who do not love.
In the hadith: “Be a scholar or a learner,” the message conveyed is: “Either be among those who advise patience or those who advise the Truth. Either be among those who repent and pledge allegiance to the spiritual guide (murshid) and begin the righteous deeds (purification of the soul), or be among those who are believers/amenu (believers whose faith increases, who wish to reach Allah).”
What transformed the Arab Bedouins living in the Age of Ignorance into companionship (sahabah) was their application of the entirety of Surah Al-Asr to their lives. In Surah Al-Imran, verse 119, Allah Almighty says the following about the noble companions (sahabah):
Al Imran-119: You (believers) are like this; you love them while they do not love you, and you believe in the Book as a whole; and when they meet you they say: âWe believeâ. And when they are alone, they bite the tips of their fingers with rage. Say: âDie in your rage!â Surely Allah knows what is in their hearts.
We see that the noble companions (ashab al-kiram) adhered to the entirety of the Book. By embodying all four elements of salvation found in Surah Al-Asr, each of them became a walking Surah Al-Asr. Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the author of our National Anthem, in one of the poems of his collection Safahat, expressed it as follows:
“Allah has 99 names. At the very beginning is Al-Haqq (The Truth). How great it is for a servant to uphold and carry the Truth. It is said that when the noble companions parted from one another, they would certainly recite Surah Al-Asr—why is that? Because within this Surah are hidden the secrets of salvation. First comes true faith, Then righteous deeds, Then truth, then perseverance (patience), and that, my dear, is humanity. If these four come together within you, then loss shall never touch you again.”
To advise patience; the fourth 7 steps.
26th step: The person is at the post of ulûl al-bab (one who has wisdom); they have surrendered their soul to Allah. (5th stage, 3rd surrender.)
25th step: The person reaches the post of muhsinun (good doers); they have surrendered their physical body to Allah. (4th stage, 2nd surrender)
24th step: The person has attained the post of zuhd; they have proven to Allah that they prefer Him over the life of this world.
1st step: The experience of events.
2nd step: The evaluation of events.
3rd step: Wishing to reach Allah (1st stage of Islam).
4th step: The manifestation of Allah through His name, "the Merciful" (Raheem).
5th step: The removal of the invisible veil (hijaab an-mastoora) between the person and the post of guidance.
6th step: The removal of heaviness that prevents hearing from a person’s ears.
7th step: The removal of the covering (ekinnah) from the heart and replacing it with divine computer system that provides cognition (ikhbat).
8th step: Allah reaching the person’s heart with hidayah (guidance).
9th step: The turning of the heart towards Allah.
10th step: The opening of the path of Noor (divine light) to the heart.
11th step: The person beginning to repeat the name of Allah (dhikr) and the heart begins to soften.
12th step: The person attains humility (khushu-filled with awe).
13th step: Asking Allah for the murshid (spiritual guide) through the special prayer of need (salat al-hajat).
14th step: Repentance (pledging allegiance) in front of the murshid (guide). (2nd stage of Islam).
After repentance in front of the murshid (spiritual guide), the person cleanses his soul in seven steps, and at each step of cleansing (tazkiyyah), the spirit ascends one heavenly floor closer to Allah.
15th step: The person is at the step of Nafs Al-Ammarah (the soul that commands 100% evil).
16th step: The person is at Nafs Al-Lawamah (the self-reproaching conscience), and has begun to condemn his own soul.
17th step: The person is at Nafs Al-Mulhimah (the inspired self). At this point, the instigations of Satan and the inspiration of Allah reach the person.
18th step: The person is at Nafs Al-Mutmainnah (The self at peace and satisfied), they have started to see what Allah has given as sufficient.
19th step: The person is at Nafs Ar-Radhiyah, they are consent with Allah.
20th step: The person is at Nafs Al-Mardhiyyah, and Allah is consent with them.
21st step: The person is at Nafs At-Tazkiyah (51% cleansed soul). The lights of Allah have now dominated the heart of his soul. The spirit has reached the Essence of Allah. (3rd stage, 1st surrender.)
With the completion of the steps of cleansing (tazkiyyah), the spirit has now reached Allah. After this, the maqams (posts) of walayah (sainthood) begin.
22nd step: The person has attained the post of fana (union with Allah), and their spirit has been annihilated in the Essence of Allah.
23rd step: The person reaches the post of baqa (everlastingness); a throne is bestowed upon the spirit of the person in the Presence of Allah.
As Mehmet Akif Ersoy also expressed, the design consisting of 28 steps, 7 stages, and 4 surrenders was made obligatory in the Holy Qur’an. Although the noble Companions fulfilled all of these obligations 14 centuries ago, unfortunately, in today’s practice of Islam there is no trace of the 7 stages and 4 surrenders. Surah al-Asr, which encompasses the entirety of the Qur’an, has been forgotten and made to be forgotten. At this point, our duty is to learn Islam in the Holy Qur’an from the men of wisdom (ahl al-dhikr)and to put it into practice without delay.
So then, let us together examine the hadith of our Prophet (PBUH) as a whole in the light of Surah al-Asr.