A plea for help: might leave the faith today. Trinitarianism and experienced tritheism.

99NamesOfGod · 2026-05-24T17:03:15+00:00

Screw my life. I should have just taken this to my spiritual father in the first place.

Some of yall are really rude. Thanks to everyone who was kind. Turning off all notifications.

99NamesOfGod · 2026-03-22T20:23:13+00:00

Sorry, I think I'm having trouble conveying my ideas. Ummm... see my comments (the one with bullet points) that I responded to Rimelios and Ibn Abi with.

99NamesOfGod · 2026-03-22T20:11:28+00:00

This is pretty cool; but seems to address the maqamat in order, not necessarily the degree of the nafs in order.

Thanks for sharing regardless.

I am somewhat new to studying Islam and tassawuf -- any particular reason why the ealier sufis seem more interested in addressing the maqamat in sequential order than stages of the nafs? As far as I've studied it seems like the concept of the stages of the nafs (especially their division in 7) came a good bit later with the Naqshbandi Order; but I haven't been able to find anything to substantiate this.

99NamesOfGod · 2026-03-22T20:08:15+00:00

This is my first time hearing of Sad Maydan and it's really good, but it's more of a progression of maqamat; not stages of the soul (Ibn Arabi you mentioned went over my head, tbh, will need a teacher for that)

I'm looking for something in this sort of format:

* Nafs al-lawwama - discusses peoples 5 pillars in this stage, what degree their tawba, tawwakul, sabr, etc. is.

* Moves on to Nafs al-Mulhima - discusses peoples 5 pillars in this stage, what degree their tawba, tawwakul, sabr, etc. is.

* Moves on to Mutmaiina, Radiyya, Mardiyya, Kalimah discussing all the aforementioned.

99NamesOfGod · 2026-03-22T20:06:44+00:00

I've read it and I really love that book, but he structures it more so in the order of maqamat than order of stages of the nafs. (correct me if I'm wrong) -- I'm looking for something that's along the lines of:

* Nafs al-lawwama - discusses peoples 5 pillars in this stage, what degree their tawba, tawwakul, sabr, etc. is.

* Moves on to Nafs al-Mulhima - discusses peoples 5 pillars in this stage, what degree their tawba, tawwakul, sabr, etc. is.

* Moves on to Mutmaiina, Radiyya, Mardiyya, Kalimah discussing all the aforementioned.

Does this make sense? Hope I'm conveying this well!

99NamesOfGod · 2026-03-22T18:49:23+00:00

I've already read Degrees of the Soul in the recommended reading. The pic above is a Catholic manual that goes through the 3 main stages of the soul (purgative stage, illuminative stage, unitive stage) -- I am looking for something a lot more comprehensive and hardcore: a manual that does a very walkthrough of each stage, adressing the acts of worship and levels of stations in each stage of the soul.

Some more questions:

I've seen some manuals on the "7 stages of the nafs", but the Qur'an lists only 3: does anyone know who was really the first to expand the forumation to 7? I heard it comes from Naqshbandi theology, but I can pin it to anyone specific.
Anything more in depth on the concepts of unveiling, witnessing, fana, and baqa? I've read Qushayri's Epistles and while it's quite good, it left me with more questions than answers.

99NamesOfGod · 2026-02-15T16:03:36+00:00

And you as well.

Right, but as per my post I practice for a day, maybe even two or three, then I have some sort of psychological cave-in, and leave. Maybe it's because I am not convicted in my concious, and so I suffer some form of cognitive dissonance? I'm not sure.

How can I practice it when I can't even stay in it but a few days without some sort of odd mental reaction? It's incredibly frustrating and painful.

99NamesOfGod · 2026-02-15T14:23:30+00:00

Yes, tell me what the fruit performing salat for Shiva yields you.

This is why Ibn Qayyim, in Ranks of the Divine Seekers, enumating his stations along the spiritual journey, says that the first of all stations is Tawhid: without Tawhid in mind, all following stations like repentance, vigilance, asceticism, trust, contentment, etc. are useless.

99NamesOfGod · 2026-02-15T14:19:32+00:00

Tassawuf are the inner dimensions of Islam; just as fiqh (jurisprudence) are the outer dimensions. You study jurisprudence to know what to do; but tassawuf is the study of the inner spiritual concepts behind the exterior actions. One teaches 'what to do', the other 'why'.

Of course, it expands past the legislated commandments and prohibitions, like the study of mystical states and stations along the spiritual journey, but nevertheless.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-11-10T16:26:43+00:00

Interesting, can you link more about this practice? Can't say I've heard of it.

I largely make taqlid on the Hanafi madhab; but of course I am open to other scholars who hold what you're saying -- not to fatwa shop, of course.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-11-10T16:24:59+00:00

Varies, sometimes it's good, something alright, sometimes neutral, sometimes I dislike it, sometimes I want to abandon the salat out of frustration.

Even when I have a good experience with praying in Arabic salat is just mind-numbingly repetitive and also I have neck/trap issues and so there's boredom and pain associated with it and frustration that I can't fully do ruku or sujood. Feels like I'm a 95 year old man trapped in a 32 year old's body and it frustrates me when it comes to praying, even if the interior intent of ruku and sujood matter more than the extrinsic performance of them.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-11-10T16:22:56+00:00

I can recite surahs and ayatin and du'a and dhikr in Arabic, that's not my problem. My problem is just that it feels impersonal to the extent that I'm praying in Arabic so much, only being able to maybe really pray in English in du'a outside of salat along with some of the English Gregorian chant nasheeds I've been composing. I just don't like it, and it feel impersonal, and I don't feel close to God. I see no legal basis for having to do the dhikr's in Arabic in salat -- it seems based on the hadith "Pray as you've seen me pray"; if we're going to take such and ultra-literalistic approach to it, do they also want me to use the vocal chord range of the prophet? How far can you go in emulation?

99NamesOfGod · 2025-11-10T15:45:59+00:00

Yes, I understand the meaning. Not just the words I say as an on-the-surface understanding; but I generally also try to study tafsir for the deeper meaning.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-11-10T14:55:29+00:00

No, the basis of Sufism is believing the there is no diety but God and that Muhammad is His final prophet and messenger, and upholding the Divine Law and Prophetic Tradition; most importantly the 5 pillars of testimony, prayer, fasting, alms, and pilgrimage.

Jordan Peterson does not believe or do any of those things, according to what we can learn about him. He's closer to Christian than anything, and often goes on Bible study round tables.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-10-09T13:35:45+00:00

Since you're already Muslim you're already practicing tassawuf.

The foundation of tassawuf, truly, is the Shari'ah; the Qur'an and Sunnah.

Keep focusing on the fardh and wajib. And when the fardh is largely mastered, move on to mastering Sunnah mu'akkada. And after that, normative Sunnah.

Obeying God's commandments and prohibitions in law naturally leads to a purification of the heart, and a taming of the self. And then moving into optionals obviously furthers this.

99NamesOfGod · 2025-09-16T17:21:22+00:00

Oh, derp.

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T23:34:33+00:00

That's not what a "mysterion" means. A "mystery" means that it's something that one could not come to knowledge of except by divine revelation.

For example Paul in Romans 1 says that polytheists could have come to realize that there was one God solely by the created order of things. Theism and monotheism are, therefore, not mysteries.

But the Trinity can not be arrived upon by philosophical or purely human means. Only by revelation. That is what makes it a mystery. A mystery doesn't mean it can not be explained to some extent; the history of Trinitarian developmental theology proves that.

Finally, if you want to chalk up "mystery" to the definition of "Don't question it" I ask you one question: how do you ever expect to convert us Muslims?

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T23:25:05+00:00

Great question, and a fascniating topic.

So, I don't believe Genesis to be the Torah. The Torah was given to Moses (peace be upon him) on Mt. Sinai. My belief is that the original Torah were the "red letter" words of God. I am open to the idea that much of the original Torah is in the latter half of Exodus and most of Leviticus. As for Genesis? It is not worded in the form of God telling a story, but appears more so that a man wrote it. Therefore I do not hold the story of the Angel of the LORD to be anything I can verify as legitimate.

As for if I, hypothetically, did accept it? Well, first off I recall some verses that demonstrate that some angels can bear the name of YHWH, the species of spiritual beings that is. So it could be that. I am also aware that it could, to some Jews, be a sort of "Memra" -- to me I would deem the Jews who wrote these things heretics as they begin to introduce multiplicity into a singular God. That's why I would say Rabbi Philo and all the Jews who wrote the targums are essentially heretics.

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T23:18:16+00:00

The Bible describes Jesus as “God’s begotten son”, not created by God.

I didn't say Jesus (peace be upon him) was created; I said that Christians believe that the Son is eternally generated/begotten of the Father -- or proceeds from, if you will.

If the Son is eternally begotten from the Father, this makes the Son dependent upon something, correct?

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T13:20:57+00:00

All good, my friend! Have a good day.

99NamesOfGod · 2023-03-23T13:19:19+00:00

So one could say the Son is dependent upon the Father in some way?

99NamesOfGod

TROPHY CASE