Introduction
The Spiritual Ascent: A Journey Towards the Realized Person
For Shaykh Muḥyiddīn Ibn ʿArabī, the spiritual life is not a series of isolated beliefs or practices but a continuous journey of transformation. It begins with recognizing the absolute Oneness of Allah (Tawḥīd) and gradually unfolds through remembrance, purification of the heart, spiritual insight, and the cultivation of noble character. Each stage deepens the seeker’s awareness of Allah and brings the inner and outer dimensions of life into greater harmony.
The diagram below presents this journey in a simplified form. It is not intended to describe separate steps that every person experiences in exactly the same order. Rather, it offers a conceptual map of how Ibn ʿArabī understood the path of spiritual growth. Each stage prepares the way for the next, while all remain rooted in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
The journey reaches its fulfilment in al-Insān al-Kāmil—the Realized Person—one whose knowledge, worship, and character have become aligned with the Divine Reality. Such a person does not withdraw from the world but lives within it with wisdom, compassion, justice, humility, and service, reflecting the Beautiful Names of Allah according to human capacity. This spiritual ascent is not reserved for saints or scholars alone. It is an invitation to every believer to move beyond outward practice towards a deeper realization of faith, where knowing Allah transforms both the heart and the way one lives among His creation. The readers are invited to read these concepts in detail in the following pages. The sequence runs as follows:
Allah (al-Ḥaqq) → Tanzīh & Tashbīh → The Five Divine Presences → Dhikr → Tajallī → The Imaginal World → Qalb → Kashf → The Realized Person (al-Insān al-Kāmil)
These 9 steps can be called stations in Ibn Arabi’s spiritual journey. I have derived this progressive order from writings of Ibn Arabi and about Ibn Arabi. They may or may not comply with other Sufi teachings recommended by various spiritual orders.
Your sequence naturally divides into three movements:
I. Knowing Reality
- Allah (Al-Ḥaqq)
- Tanzīh & Tashbīh
- Five Divine Presences
These answer:
What is reality?
II. Experiencing Reality
- Dhikr
- Tajallī
- ʿĀlam al-Mithāl
These answer:
How does Allah make Himself known?
III. Becoming Transformed
- Qalb
- Kashf
- Al-Insān al-Kāmil
These answer:
How is the seeker changed?
On this journey the person first understands, then experiences, and finally becomes.
Let us begin…!
