The Seven Obstacles
The following brief description of the path that the devotee travels in his journey to Jannah (Paradise) is taken from the introduction of Imam al-Ghazali’s Minhaj al-‘Abidin ila Jannati Rabb al-‘Alamin (The Path that the Devotee has to traverse in order to reach the Garden of the Lord of the Universe). This path to Jannah is no more than the devotee’s actual worship and servitude of Allah, the Almighty. However, in undertaking this journey the devotee is confronted with Seven Obstacles which he needs to overcome if he is to accomplish his goal and reach his destination. These Seven Obstacles are:
- the Obstacle of Knowledge
- the Obstacle of Repentance
- the Obstacle of the Barriers
- the Obstacle of the Four Distractions
- the Obstacle of the Forces
- the Obstacle of the Nullifiers
- the Obstacle of Praise and Gratitude