Excerpt from Dr. Shaykh Sayyed Muhammad bin Yahya Al-Husayni Al-Ninowy Friday Qutabah.
The path to Allah SWT goes through various stages. They are as follows:
Stage 1: When a person worships and does good deeds only for sake of Allah without any other reasons associated.
Stage 2 : When a person find joy and serenity in spending time alone with Allah (contemplating, praying,remembering and thanking) and keep run back from world towards Allah.
Stage 3 : When a person seeks knowledge of guidance ( Quran and Prophet Muhammad SWS’s sunnah) provided by Allah and follows it to please Allah.
Stage 4 :When a person leaves behind his self and brings himself in worship and service Allah.
Stage 5 : When a person reaches close to Allah he is tested with hardships as a test.