THE LAWS OF THE HEART: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SPIRITUAL PATH IN ISLAM

Know that there are three terms that the ignorant conflate, such that confusion arises about their meanings. And these are Law, Way, and Realization.

Concerning the Law: This refers to the rulings and judgments revealed to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. The scholars came to understand them from the Book and Sunnah, not directly, but through inference. This refers to the rules encompassed by theology, jurisprudence, and , which together comprise the Law.

Concerning the Way: It is to abstain from forbidden actions, outwardly or inwardly, and from those that are reprehensible, and from those that are permissible but useless; and it is to fulfill the obligatory duties, and as much as possible from among the voluntary prayers. This is done under the discipline of a person of gnosis.

Concerning Realization: It is thinning the curtain of separation between a person and what he believes from the  until  he becomes like a witness of the unseen. Certain states ensue from this, such as , and pious caution, and renunciation of the world and one’s worldly status, and intoxication, and effusive passion, and so forth.