So, how does the Virtuous Circle encourage personal development and enable the realisation of the purpose of one's creation?

Through mental development, a person will gain self-knowledge and knowledge of God. Such mental awareness will lead one to attain certainty in faith until one reaches the level of certainty by knowledge (ilm-al yakeen). Knowing God with at least mental certainty will, in turn, lead to the flourishing of love of God in a person because we can only love the one we know. Love of God will result in loving the creation for the sake of the Creator.

As the certainty of faith increases and love of God emerge within a person, one will want to please God and exhibit his love in the form of worship. The practice of commandments and staying away from wrongful acts and remembrance of God will purify the heart. A cleansed heart furnishes the person with the will-power and spiritual commitment guiding his or her emotions to a balanced middle ground. Insatiable human desires are now neutralised. Such purification will enable the person to see and read the manifestations of God's names more clearly as they become evident in the self, nature and surrounding life, increasing the certainty of his faith to the level of certainty by seeing (ayn-el yakeen). In time, faith will enter the purified heart and the truths of faith will be felt with the conscience. The state of faith now starts to attain a certainty by feeling (hakk-al yakeen). The practice of the Sunnah as well as patience and thanksgiving will enable the person to adopt the character and virtues of the Prophet Muhammad. He or she is now the walking embodiment of the Qur'an.

A person stripped away from merely physical desires will be more acutely aware of physical and spiritual human suffering in the surrounding world. Hence, one will want to do whatever in one's power to help reduce suffering. Since he or she has tasted the fruits of faith and found rest, he or she will want others to enter the same circle, and hence will try to communicate the existence and unity of God to others. He or she also realises that this can only be done in an environment where there is peace, freedom of speech and order. Order is only maintained by enjoining what is right and preventing what is wrong. Struggle to achieve this will minimise the transgression of people to each other and preserve his or her faith and integrity. This social process will enable the person to test one's knowledge in practice and learn more about humanity and how God acts within life closing the loop in the Virtuous Circle.

In this way, a person traverses the virtuous circle of development to attain increasing wisdom, spiritual growth and an acute sense of humanity.