Guiding Principles for Following the Way
Allah (al-Ḥaqq) → Tanzīh & Tashbīh → The Five Divine Presences → Dhikr → Tajallī → The Imaginal World → Qalb → Kashf → Asma al Husna → The Realized Person (al-Insān al-Kāmil)
For Ibn ʿArabī, the spiritual Way is not removed from everyday life. It is followed through faithful worship, lawful conduct, disciplined character, compassionate relationships, and continual presence with Allah. The following principles translate his counsel into a practical way of living.
1. Begin with Tawḥīd
Anchor the heart in the certainty that Allah alone is the Creator, Sustainer, and ultimate goal of the journey.
2. Follow Revelation and the Prophetic Way
Let the Qur’an, the Sharīʿah, and the example of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ guide both spiritual understanding and daily conduct. Personal insight should deepen obedience, not replace it.
3. Renew Your Intention
Examine why you seek knowledge, worship, or spiritual experience. Direct every action toward Allah rather than reputation, power, or self-importance.
4. Remain Present with Allah
Remember Allah in movement and rest, worship and work, solitude and companionship. Every ordinary moment can become part of the Way.
5. Recognize the Demand of Each Moment
Ask what Allah requires of you now. The spiritual value of an action depends not only upon its form, but also upon whether it is appropriate to the present situation.
6. Practise Constant Dhikr
Gather the scattered heart through remembrance of Allah, recitation of the Qur’an, and continual seeking of forgiveness.
7. Read the Qur’an as Guidance for Yourself
Do not read only to judge others. Ask what each verse reveals about your own qualities, deficiencies, responsibilities, and relationship with Allah.
8. Examine the Nafs
Keep account of your actions, words, motives, thoughts, and impulses. Honest self-examination protects the seeker from heedlessness and self-deception.
9. Cultivate Inner Sincerity
Let ṣidq—truthfulness with Allah—govern the journey. A sincere heart can discover instruction even through hardship, opposition, and unexpected circumstances.
10. Guard Your Speech
Prefer silence to useless or harmful talk. Speak for remembrance, reconciliation, guidance, justice, compassion, and genuine benefit.
11. Seek Good Companionship and Sound Guidance
Walk with people who strengthen remembrance of Allah and noble conduct. If seeking a spiritual guide, do so with sincerity, discernment, and prayer.
12. Earn and Consume What Is Lawful
Regard lawful livelihood as a foundation of the Way. Avoid exploitation, improper dependence, and doubtful gain.
13. Live with Moderation
Eat, sleep, dress, and possess according to real need. Simplicity frees attention and energy for worship, service, and self-knowledge.
14. Practise Purity
Preserve outward cleanliness and ritual purity while also purifying the heart from resentment, pride, hypocrisy, and harmful intention.
15. Perform Every Good Act as Though It Were Your Last
Do not postpone sincerity or obedience. Complete the present action with full attention, as though it were the act through which you would meet Allah.
16. Cultivate Noble Character
Spiritual realization must appear as patience, humility, honesty, mercy, generosity, and reliability. Extraordinary experiences cannot substitute for good character.
17. Restrain Anger and Transform Injury
Do not answer every offence in kind. Patient restraint creates space for repentance, reconciliation, affection, and Divine mercy.
18. Practise Iḥsān
Worship and serve Allah as though you see Him, knowing that although you do not see Him, He sees you. Carry this awareness into every relationship and responsibility.
19. Show Mercy to All Creation
Treat the poor, children, dependants, animals, and vulnerable persons with compassion. Never impose burdens beyond their capacity. The way you treat creation reflects the condition of your heart before the Creator.
20. Give in Ease and Difficulty
Generosity is not limited to wealth. Give time, attention, knowledge, forgiveness, encouragement, and practical help according to your capacity.
21. Avoid Condemning Others
Withdraw from spiritually harmful influences when necessary, but do not assume that another person is entirely evil. Protect the heart without feeding pride or hatred.
22. Keep a Healthy Distance from Power and Worldly Ambition
Do not allow status, influence, or competition to distract the heart from Allah. When engagement with authority is necessary, offer sincere and truthful counsel.
23. Practice Taqwā and Waraʿ
Remain conscious of Allah inwardly and outwardly. Leave what disturbs the conscience for what brings clarity and peace to the heart.
24. Repent Without Delay
Break the habit of persisting in wrongdoing. Seek forgiveness after failure and after obedience: after failure, it removes darkness; after obedience, it protects against pride.
25. Beware of Spiritual Self-Deception
Do not mistake knowledge, visions, religious activity, or confidence in Allah’s mercy for spiritual maturity. The surest signs of progress are obedience, humility, mercy, and transformed conduct.
26. Practise Zuhd Without Abandoning Responsibility
Non-attachment does not necessarily mean leaving the world. It means preventing possessions, desires, and ambitions from possessing the heart.
27. Turn Everyday Life into Worship
The Way is followed through the manner in which one works, speaks, eats, forgives, serves, teaches, raises children, and responds to difficulty. Nothing is spiritually insignificant when it is approached with awareness of Allah.
The governing principle of the Way is therefore simple but demanding: remain present with Allah in every action and every state of rest. The seeker does not escape ordinary life but learns to live it with remembrance, sincerity, discernment, mercy, and beautiful conduct.
