30 - There are seven grades in following Rasulullah (sall Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam). The first one is to learn, believe and do the rules of Islam. All Muslims, savants, zahids [Those who do not set people their hearts on worldly possessions.] and, abids [People who try to perform all kinds of worships. ] following Rasulullah (sall Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) are in this grade. Their nafs [A malignant power in man that forces him to do what Allah prohibits and not to do what Allah commands.] haven't fully believed or surrendered to Allah. Allahu ta'ala, with His great pity, accepts only the belief in their hearts.

The second grade, together with doing the commands, is to follow all the instructions and habits of Rasulullah (sall Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and to purify the heart from evil inclinations. Those who walk on the path of tasawwuf are in this grade.

The third grade involves conforming oneself to all the states, spiritual pleasures, and things that come to the heart which occurred to Rasulullah (sall Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam). This grade is obtained in the rank which tasawwuf calls wilayat-i hassa. Here, the nafs, too, believes and obeys and all worships become real and perfect.

The fourth level consists of being real and faultless in all auspicious deeds as well as in all acts of worship. This is peculiar to the great ones who are called 'Ulama-i Rasikhin. These savants with perfect knowledge understand the deep meanings and denotations in the Qur'an and hadiths. Such were the Ashab (radi Allahu ta'ala anhum ajmain) of all the Prophets. The nafs of all of them believed and became obedient. Blessings of this sort falls to the lot of either those who advance in the way of tasawwuf and wilayat or those who obey all the sunnats and abstain from all the bidats. Today, bidats have invaded the whole world, and sunnats have been lost; so much so that it is beyond possibility to recover the sunnats and adhere to them and to save oneself from this ocean of bidats. However, customs cannot build up the religion or the Shariat, no matter how widely they have settled and spread or how beautiful they look. Things that are haram or cause disbelief can never be halal or jaiz (permitted), even if they are customarily done or used. [This means that to reach this grade it is obligatory today to advance on the way of tasawwuf. In the early centuries of Islam it was easy to follow all the sunnat. There was no specific need for tasawwuf then.]

The fifth grade is to adapt oneself to the perfect, high qualities peculiar to Rasulullah (sall Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam). These qualities cannot be obtained through knowledge or worshipping. They come only through Allah's blessing. In this grade are great Prophets (salawatullahi ta'ala 'alaihim ajmain) and very few great ones of the ummat of Rasulullah (sall Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam).

The sixth grade is to adapt oneself to the perfect qualities of mahbubiyyat [To receive the hidden blessings that are given to the darling himself, Rasulullah.] and ma'shuqiyyat [To receive the hidden blessings that are given to the darling himself, Rasulullah.] in Rasulullah (sall Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam). This is peculiar to those whom Allahu ta'ala loves very much; it cannot be obtained through blessings, muhabbat (love) is necessary.

The seventh grade involves all the motes of a man's body adapting themselves to him. The follower is so similar to the one followed that a state of imitation no longer exists. He, too, as if like Rasulullah, takes everything from the same source.