Four Doors is a concept in

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

and in branches of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

heavily influenced by Sufism such as

Isma'ilism Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (Imamate in Nizari doctrine, imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the ...

and

Alevism Alevism (; ; ) is a syncretic heterodox Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from shamanism. Differ ...

. In this system, there are four paths to

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

, starting with

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

, then to

Tariqa A ''tariqa'' () is a religious order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking , which translates as "ultimate truth". A tariqa has a (guide) who plays the ...

, then to Marifa, and then finally to

Haqiqa Haqiqa (Arabic "truth") is one of "the four stages" in Sufism, (exoteric path), (esoteric path), (mystical truth) and (final mystical knowledge, ''unio mystica''). The four stages Shariat is Islamic law or Islamic jurisprudence as revea ...

. In Alevism, ten stations are listed for each of the Foor Doors. Hence, in full, the Four Doors are also known as the ''Four Doors and Forty Stations'' (Turkish: '' Dört Kapı Kırk Makam''). These Forty Stations are listed below.

The Door of Shari'ah

;1. The Door of Sharîʻah/Divine Law # to believe # to learn knowledge ('' ‘ilm'') # to worship # to earn only what sustenance is permitted ('' halâl'') by its creator in a way that is also permissible # abstaining from that which one's creator has forbidden ('' harâm'') # to perform marriages # to marry oneself # to abstain from sexual relation during inappropriate times # to be a member of the community following the tradition of Muhammad # to be compassionate, to dress simply and to consume simple foods # to enjoin that which is right and for abstain from that which is wrong

The Door of Tariqah

;2. The Door of Tarîqah/Sufi Path # taking the hand of a Sufi sheikh and repenting # willfully becoming a disciple ('' murîd'') of a Sufi

sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

# keeping one's clothes, hair: beard both clean and in order # struggling against the desires of one's flesh (''

nafs ''Nafs'' () is an Arabic word occurring in the Quran, literally meaning "self", and has been translated as " psyche", " ego" or "soul".Nurdeen Deuraseh and Mansor Abu Talib (2005), "Mental health in Islamic medical tradition", ''The Internationa ...

'') # serving others # being in a state between excessive fear and hope # taking lessons from and providing guidance to others # distributing God's bounties to others # reaching a state of intense love and a high level of enthusiasm # seeing his inner essence as poor

The Door of Ma'rifah

;3. The Door of

Ma'rifa In Sufism, maʿrifa ("experiential knowledge" or " gnosis") is the mystical understanding of God or Divine Reality. It has been described as an immediate recognition and understanding of the true nature of things as they are. Ma'rifa encompasses a ...

h/Divine Knowledge # proper morals (''adab'') # fear # abstinence # patience and frugality # feeling embarrassment # generosity # knowledge ('' ‘ilm'') # intense poverty # maʻrifah # knowing oneself

The Door of Haqiqah

;4. The Door of Haqîqah/Truth # becoming earth # not scorning the 72 nations of humanity # being as merciful and compassionate as possible # not seeing anyone's faults # to be in agreement with the principles of singleness, uniqueness: oneness of God ('' tawhîd'') # speaking of the secrets of truth with others # following a specific spiritual path (''sayr-i sulûk'') # secret (''sirr'') # beseeching God (''munâjât'') # witnessing God's manifestation in creation (''mushâhadah'')

References

{{Sufism terminology Sufi philosophy Islamic terminology Alevism