Mundane or Mystical: Journeying from an Islamic Perspective

Abstract

Within Islam generally, and Sufism in particular, journeying (safar) takes on a great importance. From the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) to the vertical night journey (almiraj), the well-trodden path (shari’ah) to the narrow path (tariqa), there are many kinds of journeying, all of which are ultimately understood as being in the path of Allah (fi sabillillah). Common to all types of journeying is an engagement with Allah’s signs (ayat) ‘on the horizons and within themselves’ so that, correctly understood, this will support the realisation of Truth (Qur’an 41: 53). For this to occur the traveller (salik) can be seen to need to develop a soteriological semiotic that shifts their engagement from the forms of the world to the meaning these forms contain as signs of/from Allah. From an Islamic perspective, this is not considered an ontological shift, for the Truth of Allah alone is an immutable truth, rather it is understood to require an epistemological shift that realigns the traveller’s perception with the Reality that is. A key aspect of understanding, and developing, such a shift comes through a realignment of intention (niyya), as the hadith informs ‘actions are based on intention’ and everyone will receive what they journeyed for according to their intentions. This furnishes the individual with a choice, to journey amongst the mundane or to engage a transformative mystical journey through the world of forms in pursuit of the realisation of Truth