Manazil al-Sairin

Manazil al-Sairin (The Stations of the Wayfarers) is a treatise on Sufism and spiritual wayfaring authored by the Hanbali scholar and mystic Abu Ismail al-Harawi (481 AH / 1089 CE) Madarij al-Salikin+1. The book maps out the spiritual progression of the seeker toward God across one hundred distinct spiritual stations Madarij al-Salikin.

Composition and Purpose

Al-Harawi composed the work in response to requests from a group of spiritual seekers and travelers in Herat who sought a clear exposition outlining the stations of those traveling toward God Madarij al-Salikin+1. The inquirers asked him to arrange these stations in a sequential order indicating their progression and derivative branches, while keeping the text concise and free of quotations from other authors to facilitate memorization and understanding Manazil al-Sairin. Al-Harawi noted that earlier writers had either focused only on general principles, compiled anecdotes, failed to distinguish between the stations of the spiritual elite and the necessities of common believers, or treated the ecstatic utterances of overcome seekers as permanent stations without elaborating on their gradations Madarij al-Salikin.

Structure and Method

The work is organized into ten overarching sections (aqsam), each comprising ten chapters or stations (abwab), yielding a total of one hundred stations (maqamat) Madarij al-Salikin+1:

1. The Beginnings (al-Bidayat): Awakening (al-Yaqazah), Repentance (al-Tawbah), Self-Examination (al-Muhasabah), Turning to God (al-Inabah), Reflection (al-Tafakkur), Remembrance (al-Tadhakkur), Holding Fast (al-I'tisam), Fleeing to God (al-Firar), Spiritual Discipline (al-Riyadah), and Listening (al-Sama') Madarij al-Salikin.
2. The Gates (al-Abwab): Sorrow (al-Huzn), Fear (al-Khawf), Apprehension (al-Ishfaq), Humility (al-Khushu'), Submissiveness (al-Ikhbat), Asceticism (al-Zuhd), Scrupulousness (al-Wara'), Devotion (al-Tabattul), Hope (al-Raja'), and Yearning (al-Raghbah) Madarij al-Salikin.
3. The Transactions (al-Mu'amalat): Carefulness (al-Ri'ayah), Vigilance (al-Muraqabah), Reverence (al-Hurmah), Sincerity (al-Ikhlas), Refinement (al-Tahdhib), Uprightness (al-Istiqaqamah), Reliance (al-Tawakkul), Consignment (al-Tafwid), Trust (al-Thiqah), and Surrender (al-Taslim) Madarij al-Salikin.
4. The Virtues (al-Akhlaq): Patience (al-Sabr), Contentment (al-Rida), Gratitude (al-Shukr), Modesty (al-Haya'), Truthfulness (al-Sidq), Altruism (al-Ithar), Good Character (al-Khuluq), Humility (al-Tawadu'), Chivalry (al-Futuwwah), and Openness (al-Inbisat) Madarij al-Salikin.
5. The Foundations (al-Usul): Intent (al-Qasd), Determination (al-Azm), Will (al-Iradah), Etiquette (al-Adab), Certainty (al-Yaqin), Intimacy (al-Uns), Invocation (al-Dhikr), Spiritual Poverty (al-Faqr), Spiritual Wealth (al-Ghina), and The Desired Station (Maqam al-Murad) Madarij al-Salikin.
6. The Valleys (al-Awdiyah / al-Adwiyah): Excellence (al-Ihsan), Knowledge (al-Ilm), Wisdom (al-Hikmah), Insight (al-Basirah), Discernment (al-Firasah), Exaltation (al-Ta'dhim), Inspiration (al-Ilham), Tranquility (al-Sakinah), Peace of Mind (al-Tuma'ninah), and High Aspiration (al-Himmah) Manazil al-Sairin+1.
7. The Spiritual States (al-Ahwal): Love (al-Mahabbah), Jealousy (al-Ghayrah), Longing (al-Shawq), Restlessness (al-Qalaq), Thirst (al-Atash), Ecstasy (al-Wajd), Bewilderment (al-Dahah), Infatuation (al-Hayaman), Flash (al-Barq), and Taste (al-Dhawq) Madarij al-Salikin.
8. The Dominions (al-Wilayat): The Glimpse (al-Lahdh), The Spiritual Moment (al-Waqt), Purity (al-Safa'), Joy (al-Surur), The Secret (al-Sirr), The Breath (al-Nafas), Estrangement (al-Ghurbah), Drowning (al-Gharaq), Absence (al-Ghaybah), and Steadfastness (al-Tamakkun) Madarij al-Salikin.
9. The Realities (al-Haqa'iq): Unveiling (al-Mukashafah), Direct Witnessing (al-Mushahadah), Direct Vision (al-Mu'ayanah), Spiritual Life (al-Hayah), Contraction (al-Qabd), Expansion (al-Bast), Intoxication (al-Sukr), Sobriety (al-Sahw), Conjunction (al-Ittisal), and Separation (al-Infisal) Madarij al-Salikin.
10. The Endpoints (al-Nihayat): Gnosis (al-Ma'rifah), Annihilation (al-Fana'), Subsistence (al-Baqa'), Realization (al-Tahqiq), Concealment (al-Talbis), Being (al-Wujud), Stripping Away (al-Tajrid), Isolation (al-Tafrid), Gathering (al-Jam'), and Divine Unity (al-Tawhid) Madarij al-Salikin.

Al-Harawi states that all these stations fall under three overarching ranks: setting out on the path, entering into spiritual estrangement, and attaining the witnessing that draws the seeker into the essence of divine unity Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. He begins each chapter with an anchoring verse from the Quran and divides every station into three ascending tiers: the level of the general seeker (al-ammah), the level of the traveler (al-salik / al-khassah), and the level of the realized master (al-muhaqqiq / khassat al-khassah) Manazil al-Sairin+1. The text is written in highly compressed, rhymed, and allusive prose Madarij al-Salikin.

Reception and Commentaries

Manazil al-Sairin gained wide acceptance in Sufi and scholarly circles, leading to memorization, classroom instruction, and numerous written commentaries exceeding twenty-eight works Madarij al-Salikin+1. The earliest known commentary is by Abd al-Mu'ti al-Lakhmi al-Iskandari (d. after 638 AH) Madarij al-Salikin+1. Afif al-Din al-Tilimsani (d. 690 AH) wrote an influential commentary interpreting the book through the lens of monism (wahdat al-wujud), which prompted subsequent debate Madarij al-Salikin+1. Al-Dhahabi recorded that proponents of monism revered and claimed the work, while Ibn Taymiyya criticized difficult expressions found within it despite holding al-Harawi in high regard Madarij al-Salikin+1.

Other notable commentaries include:

• Kamal al-Din Abd al-Razzaq al-Kashani (d. 730 AH), who verified his commentary against a manuscript read back to al-Harawi bearing his handwritten authorization from 475 AH Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1.
• Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751 AH), who authored Madarij al-Salikin, refuting al-Tilimsani's interpretations, evaluating al-Harawi's formulations, and anchoring each station in the Quran and the Sunnah Madarij al-Salikin+1.
• Mahmud ibn al-Hasan al-Farkawi al-Qadiri (8th century AH) Madarij al-Salikin+1.
• Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Tabadkani al-Tusi (d. 891 AH), titled Tasnim al-Muqarrabin, which includes Persian commentary Madarij al-Salikin.
• Muhammad ibn Ali al-Shatibi (d. 963 AH), titled Uyun al-Nazirin Madarij al-Salikin.
• Abd al-Ra'uf al-Munawi (d. 1031 AH) Madarij al-Salikin.
• Muhammad Mu'min al-Jaza'iri (d. 1118 AH), titled Maqamat al-Arifin Madarij al-Salikin.

Abridgments and Translations

The text was abridged in prose by Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Farhun al-Ya'mari (d. 746 AH) under the title Tuhfat al-Raghibin fi Ikhtisar Manazil al-Sairin (also recorded as Ghinyat al-Raghibin) Madarij al-Salikin. It was also versified in an urjuzah poem titled al-Isharat al-Khafiyya fi al-Manazil al-Aliyya by Aisha bint Yusuf al-Ba'uniyya (d. 922 AH) Madarij al-Salikin. A Turkish translation was produced by Muslih al-Din, known as Ibn Nur al-Din (d. 981 AH) Madarij al-Salikin.