Awareness of the mystic journey

The Sufi conception of the mystic journey (Suluk) is the conscious intent to seek God under the direction of a shaikh. In the journey the disciple makes himself perfect in each of the stations (maqamat). The mystic is aware at all times that he is on the path, using recollection (dhikr) and practising all the virtues his moral strength will allow. In a wider sense, a number of religious philosophies in and outside Islam, recognize that all humanity is on the journey to God-realization, but people's consciousness of this fact varies enormously.