The return of the human being to his original home, by three stages.
There are two aspects to the human being: the physical [jusmani] and the spiritual [ruhani]. The physical aspect is common to ordinary human beings, while the spiritual aspect is peculiar to special human beings.
For the ordinary human being, the return to his home proceeds by stages, based on the practical implementation of knowledge of the sacred law [shari'a], the spiritual path [tariqa] and direct experience [ma'rifa]. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) has said:
Comprehensive wisdom is direct experience of the Truth, so long as it is practiced without hypocritical display and the pursuit of fame.
The stages are on three levels:
1. The Garden in the realm of Dominion [Mulk], that being the Garden of Shelter [Ma'wa].
2. The Garden in the realm of Sovereignty [Malakut], that being the Garden of Bliss [Na'im].
3. The Garden in the realm of Omnipotence [Jabarut], that being the Garden of Paradise [Firdaws].
That is why the Prophet (blessing and peace be upon him) once said:
The sleep of the scholar is better than the worship of the ignoramus.
This state is experienced after the heart has been enlivened by the light of the affirmation of Oneness, and after constant repetition of the Names of Unity by the tongue of the secret being, without letters and without sound. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said in the Sacred Tradition [Hadith Qudsi]:
The human being is My secret, and I am his secret.
He has also said (Almighty and Glorious is He):
Knowledge of the inner being is one of My secrets. I have installed it in the heart of My servants, and no one is aware of it, apart from Me.
-and He has said (Exalted is He):
I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in private, I remember him within Myself. If he remembers me in company, I remember him in better company.
The practice of reflection [tafakkur] is essential in this context. As the Prophet said (blessing and peace be upon him):
A moment of reflection is worth more than a year of worship.
A moment of reflection is worth more than a seventy years of worship.
A moment of reflection is worth more than a a thousand years of worship.