The scientific world has begun to enter into the metaphysical world, and has been giving explanations based on scientific inquiry with all of the modern technology that is now available to measure things. There has also been a cross between the metaphysical and the religious. The metaphysical is less interested in specific religions as it is in understanding the mystery of existence. The religions, for a long time, in its normative form, have been used as a method to create morals, a moral fiber for society, and to give people a sense of how to act towards each other. We now have all of the different approaches to existence available for us. We now are able to read about quantum mechanics, and to read about mysticism by way of different religions because each of them have their own mystical path in addition to the normative orthodox path. Very often, the mystical path has been excommunicated, removed from being part of religions by the orthodoxy within the religion.
But, for those of us who are not so interested in joining clubs, not so interested in differences and in separations, there is an opportunity to look at things from many different directions. What I have learned in my experience entering onto the mystical path through my shaikh, Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, has been buttressed by all of these findings in religion, in science, and in every other way.
What we need to do is begin to understand what the reality that Sufism is, and try to understand this. We will find that others who have seen some of the truth would buttress the findings that we see from our shaikh. For instance, he tells us that there is sharī‘at, tarīqat, haqīqat, and ma‘rifat, which are the four levels of spiritual ascendance. But he also explains that finally there is sūfiyyat, which is the fifth level. Sūfiyyat is the place beyond religion.
