Madarij al-Salikin

Madarij al-Salikin (Madārij al-Sālikīn bayna Manāzil Iyyāka Na‘budu wa-Iyyāka Nasta‘īn, lit. "Ranks of the Seekers Between the Stations of 'You Alone We Worship and You Alone We Ask for Help'") is a comprehensive treatise on spiritual wayfaring (sulūk), inner purification (tazkiyat al-nafs), and the stations of the heart by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (691–751 AH / 1292–1350 CE) Madarij al-Salikin+1. Written as an extensive critical commentary on Manāzil al-Sā’irīn by Abu Isma'il al-Harawi (d. 481 AH / 1089 CE), the work grounds the classical stages of the spiritual path within the framework of the Quran and the Sunnah Madarij al-Salikin+1.

Background and Purpose

Al-Harawi composed Manāzil al-Sā’irīn to outline one hundred spiritual stations across ten categories for seekers in Herat Madarij al-Salikin. The manual gained widespread popularity and generated numerous commentaries, but it also became associated with pantheistic interpretations; al-Dhahabi observed that proponents of existential monism (waḥdat al-wujūd) claimed the text as support for their philosophical mysticism Madarij al-Salikin+1. Ibn al-Qayyim was particularly motivated to respond to the commentary of 'Afif al-Din al-Tilimsani, who interpreted al-Harawi through a monistic lens Madarij al-Salikin.

Through Madārij al-Sālikīn, Ibn al-Qayyim sought to vindicate al-Harawi from pantheistic doctrines, critique al-Tilimsani's interpretations, and provide a systematic exposition of spiritual wayfaring anchored in orthodox scriptural prooftexts rather than esoteric speculation Madarij al-Salikin+1.

Structure and Method

The work is organized around the central theme of servitude (‘ubūdiyya) as encapsulated in the verse إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ("It is You we worship and You we ask for help") from Surat al-Fatiha Madarij al-Salikin+1. Rather than following a conventional line-by-line commentary from the outset, Ibn al-Qayyim devotes roughly the first 170 pages to an extensive exegesis of Surat al-Fatiha, the grades of worship, and the fundamentals of devotional life before engaging directly with al-Harawi's text Madarij al-Salikin+1.

In treating al-Harawi's manual, Ibn al-Qayyim omitted al-Harawi's introduction and modified the opening sequence of stations: he began with awakening (yaqẓa), followed by contemplation (fikra), insight (baṣīra), intent (qaṣd), and resolve (‘azm), before proceeding to self-reckoning (muḥāsaba) and an exposition of repentance (tawba) spanning over 380 pages Madarij al-Salikin. He then commented on turning to God (ināba) and remembrance (tadhakkur), after which he followed the remaining stations in al-Harawi's order Madarij al-Salikin.

Throughout the work, each station is analyzed into three hierarchical tiers, supported by scriptural evidence, linguistic clarifications, statements of early ascetics like al-Junayd al-Baghdadi, and reflections drawn from his mentor Ibn Taymiyya Madarij al-Salikin+2. While acknowledging al-Harawi's high standing, Ibn al-Qayyim openly evaluated and corrected his formulations where he found them ambiguous or conflicting with traditional theology Madarij al-Salikin+1.

Title Variants and Transmission

The book's title appears in manuscripts and biographical sources with slight variations, including Madārij al-Sālikīn fī Manāzil al-Sā’irīn and Marāḥil al-Sā’irīn bayna Manāzil Iyyāka Na‘budu wa-Iyyāka Nasta‘īn Madarij al-Salikin+1. Its attribution to Ibn al-Qayyim is affirmed in early biographical dictionaries, including Ibn Rajab's Dhayl Ṭabaqāt al-Ḥanābila and Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani's al-Durar al-Kāmina Madarij al-Salikin.

Numerous early manuscripts survive, including:

• A copy preserved at the Koyunoğlu Library in Konya containing the first half of the work, transcribed during the author's lifetime and read back to him Muallafat Ibn Qayyim al-J…+1.
• A two-volume manuscript at al-'Uthmaniyya Library in Aleppo copied before 773 AH, bearing collation notes against an original read before Ibn al-Qayyim Muallafat Ibn Qayyim al-J…+1.
• A complete eighth-century AH copy preserved at the Chester Beatty Library Muallafat Ibn Qayyim al-J…+1.

Reception and Influence

Madārij al-Sālikīn received praise from contemporaries and later scholars. The Hanafi jurist Ibn Abi al-'Izz (d. 792 AH) inscribed poetic verses in praise of the work on manuscript copies and incorporated passages from it into his commentary on al-‘Aqīda al-Ṭaḥāwiyya without naming the source Madarij al-Salikin+1. Later commentators on al-Harawi, such as Abu 'Abd Allah al-Shuttaybi (d. 963 AH) in ‘Uyūn al-Nāẓirīn, relied on it as an essential reference Madarij al-Salikin.

Some later reviewers noted that Ibn al-Qayyim's extensive engagement with complex Sufi terminology occasionally mirrored the subtle discourse he sought to clarify Fatawa wa Istisharat al-I….

Abridgments and Printings

Several scholars have produced abridgments and condensations of the work, such as Tahdhīb Madārij al-Sālikīn by 'Abd al-Mun'im Salih al-'Ali al-'Izzi, Tuḥfat al-Muqtaṣidīn by 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Sahman, and Bughyat al-Qāṣidīn by 'Abd Allah al-Sabt Muallafat Ibn Qayyim al-J…+1.

The earliest partial prints appeared as lithographs in Delhi (1312 AH / 1894 CE) and Amritsar (1314 AH / 1896 CE) Madarij al-Salikin. Rashid Rida serialized select chapters in the journal al-Manār before publishing a complete edition in Cairo in 1331 AH Madarij al-Salikin+1. Later editions include those edited by Muhammad Hamid al-Fiqi, 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Nasir al-Julayyil, and multi-volume critical editions based on early manuscript witnesses Muallafat Ibn Qayyim al-J…+1. Sections on repentance and spiritual wayfaring have also been translated into English Muallafat Ibn Qayyim al-J….