Although the majority of the Sufi orders have adopted convenient 7 maqāms (maqāms are permanent stages on the voyage towards spiritual transformation), and some still operate with 3 stages, the picture is clear: the Sufi's journey begins with an-nafs al-ʾammārah (commanding soul), an-nafs al-lawwāmah (self-accusing soul), and ends in an-nafs al-mutṭmaʾinnah (satisfied soul) - although some Sufi's final stage is, in their technical vocabulary, an-nafs aṣ-ṣāfīyah wa-al-kāmilah (soul restful and perfected). In essence, this is almost identical to Christian paradigm of the via purgativa encompassing the various stages through which the spiritual aspirant passes in the journey toward God[citation needed].