Four Doors Explained

Four Doors is a concept in Sufism and in branches of Islam heavily influenced by Sufism such as Isma'ilism and Alevism. In this system, there are four paths to God, starting with Sharia, then to Tariqa, then to Marifa, and then finally to Haqiqa.

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.^[1]

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

Notes and References

Sevim. Erdem. Path to the Universal Self in Haji Baktash Walî: Four Doors - Forty Stations. Spiritual Psychology and Counseling. Association for Spiritual Psychology and Counseling. 1. 2. 2016-10-01. 2458-9675. 10.12738/spc.2016.2.0014.