Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Mysticism, Faculty of Religions and Islamic Denominations, University of Islamic Denominations, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/icwj.2026.594688.1053
Abstract
Contemporary psychology has produced an extensive body of research on resilience and psychological well-being, yet this literature has rarely engaged classical Islamic sources of spiritual formation. This article offers a contemporary reading of Khwājah ʿAbd Allāh Anṣārī's Manāzil al-Sāʾirīn (d. 481/1089), a foundational text of practical Sufism structured as an ordered sequence of "stations" (manāzil) marking the wayfarer's inner transformation. Rather than treating the text as a purely devotional document, this study asks what resources it offers for understanding resilience, emotion regulation, and meaning-making in the face of adversity. Using a conceptual-mapping method that places the classical stations in dialogue with constructs from resilience psychology—cognitive reappraisal, distress tolerance, locus of control, and post-traumatic growth—the article argues that Anṣārī's schema constitutes an implicit model of psychological hardiness grounded in surrender (tawakkul), patience (ṣabr), and meaning derived from transcendence. Particular attention is given to the station of ṣabr as an anticipation of contemporary resilience theory, and to the advanced stations of love (maḥabbah) and subsistence (baqāʾ) as resources for meaning-making beyond hedonic well-being. The article concludes by considering applications and limits of this model for pastoral counseling and mental-health practice, cautioning against conflating spiritual surrender with maladaptive passivity or "spiritual bypass." The study contributes to an emerging conversation between Islamic contemplative traditions and positive psychology.
Mostajaboldavati,S A . (2026). Resilience and the Cultivation of the Self: A Contemporary Reading of Khwājah ʿAbd Allāh Anṣārī's Manāzil al-Sāʾirīn. (e250430). Islam and the Contemporary World, (), e250430 doi: 10.22034/icwj.2026.594688.1053
MLA
Mostajaboldavati,S A . "Resilience and the Cultivation of the Self: A Contemporary Reading of Khwājah ʿAbd Allāh Anṣārī's Manāzil al-Sāʾirīn" .e250430 , Islam and the Contemporary World, , , 2026, e250430. doi: 10.22034/icwj.2026.594688.1053
HARVARD
Mostajaboldavati S A. (2026). 'Resilience and the Cultivation of the Self: A Contemporary Reading of Khwājah ʿAbd Allāh Anṣārī's Manāzil al-Sāʾirīn', Islam and the Contemporary World, (), e250430. doi: 10.22034/icwj.2026.594688.1053
CHICAGO
S A Mostajaboldavati, "Resilience and the Cultivation of the Self: A Contemporary Reading of Khwājah ʿAbd Allāh Anṣārī's Manāzil al-Sāʾirīn," Islam and the Contemporary World, (2026): e250430, doi: 10.22034/icwj.2026.594688.1053
VANCOUVER
Mostajaboldavati S A. Resilience and the Cultivation of the Self: A Contemporary Reading of Khwājah ʿAbd Allāh Anṣārī's Manāzil al-Sāʾirīn. ICW. 2026;():e250430. doi: 10.22034/icwj.2026.594688.1053