Secret in the Stages of Dzikr

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, (q.s.) said, “At the first stage, one recites the Name of Allah (s.w.t.) with one’s tongue; then when the heart becomes alive, one recites inwardly.  At the beginning, one should declare in words what one remembers.  Then, stage by stage, the dzikr spreads throughout one’s being, descending to the heart then rising to the soul; then still further, it reaches the realm of the asrar; further to the khafi’; to the akhfa’.”