In its linguistic sense, iradah means to will, to desire, to seek, or to incline toward something. In the context of Sufism, however, it is defined as the servant’s firm determination to forsake the inclinations and whims of the lower self ( hawa ) in pursuit of Allah’s divine pleasure. At its core, iradah is a conscious intent and a deliberate turning of one’s being. This journey—moving from sin to virtue, from darkness to light, from the material to the spiritual—is ultimately undertaken in pursuit of the love of the Divine. The one who sets out on this path with resolute will is called a murid (seeker).
Sufis often refer to the verse:
"Do not turn away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure." (Al-An‘am 52)
This verse describes a group of Companions who devoted themselves to the remembrance of Allah, yearning solely for His acceptance. In his commentary on this verse, Imam Qushayri [quddisa sirruhu] explains that iradah arises within the heart, drawing a person toward the Divine, until the heart finds tranquility and remains steadfast in Him alone.
Imam Qushayri [rahimahullah] further elaborates:
" Iradah is the abandonment of what is customary. The general habit of people is to remain in heedlessness, to follow their base desires, and to be engrossed in trivial pursuits. The murid has severed himself from all such inclinations. This departure from worldly habits is a sign of his sincerity and a proof of his true iradah . It is for this reason that the term irādah, meaning 'to forsake customs,' has been applied to it."
Abu Ali al-Daqqaq [quddisa sirruhu] describes iradah as:
"A burning within the soul, a flame igniting in the heart, an unease in the conscience, a longing that consumes the spirit."
Similarly, Murta‘ish [rahimahullah] defines it as:
"To restrain the soul from its desires, to turn entirely toward the commands of Allah, and to be content with whatever He decrees."
Muhammad ibn Hafif [quddisa sirruhu] states:
" Iradah is the heart’s aspiration to ascend toward that which it seeks. The essence of iradah is to persist in striving and to abandon comfort."
These definitions reveal that iradah is not a passive inclination but a force that brings about transformation, driving the seeker to act in accordance with divine pleasure. In its simplest sense, iradah is the power of human will that manifests itself through action—sometimes by performing righteous deeds, sometimes by abstaining from sin, and sometimes by embracing divine decree with contentment. A person who remains in the clutches of comfort and idleness cannot be said to possess true iradah .
Khwaja Abdullah al-Ansari [rahimahullah] classifies iradah into three categories:
- Iradah solely for the world:
- Being willing to sacrifice one’s faith for worldly gain.
- Avoiding the company of ascetics and seekers of truth.
- Seeking refuge in Allah only for worldly benefits.
- Iradah solely for the Hereafter:
- Being content with worldly loss for the sake of religious integrity.
- Keeping close companionship with the devout.
- Seeking Allah’s refuge solely for the rewards of the Hereafter.
- Iradah solely for Allah:
- Renouncing attachment to both worlds.
- Freeing oneself from dependency on creation.
- Attaining liberation from the self.
The iradah directed toward the world enslaves a person to his own desires and attachments. The irādah for the Hereafter seeks to exchange this world for the next, with the aim of entering Paradise. But the iradah directed toward the Divine liberates a person from both the fear of Hell and the desire for Paradise, so that he sees nothing but the True Doer (al-Fa‘il al-Haqiqi). When the veil of intermediaries is lifted, he fixes his gaze solely upon the Divine Reality.
In sum, iradah is the heart’s firm resolve to seek Allah, the Exalted. It is the sincere inclination toward the truth, the active effort to turn away from the habitual tendencies of the lower self. This spiritual station may also be described as "standing guard at the door of the heart," ever watchful, ever yearning for the Divine Presence.
