The Four Journeys

O human you are struggling towards your Lord and striving until you come to know Him. Quran 84:6

"The notion of the complete human being or the 'Insan al-kamil' was addressed by early Islamic scholars and masters following the model of the Prophet and his exemplary conduct. Prophets, sages, imams and sufi masters have elaborated upon a life fulfilled by enlightenment and God-realisation.

This experience is the outcome of leaving behind self-illusion, identity and duality. Quality life begins when your direction is clear and you accept responsibility and accountability for your actions. Human needs and desires are endless. Acceptance of this fact is the first step. This is followed by a living faith and trust in God's perfect mercy and justice, irrespective of circumstance. Then comes the security, knowledge and experience of divine guidance through one's own soul and purified heart - a desirable destiny.

All prophets and messengers have travelled by trust and witnessed the light of Allah at all times. They lived with inner certainty and contentment. The

illumined being also experiences the presence of Allah's mercy and grace; such beings can only be in ecstatic gratitude at heart, even when responding to earthly challenges. This is the complete person. Those people who have reached that station are the appropriate guides and role models to be followed. Numerous enlightened masters in the past have guided and helped humanity toward higher consciousness and happiness. Mulla Sadra (d.1640 CE) described the journey of the seeker's ascent into higher consciousness in four stages. In this work I have adopted and modified his four journeys to frame the poetry appropriately. " Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri