The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 302
302. Essence of Islam II and contentment through the spirit. His personal love surges up like a fountain and waters the plant of his servitude. The fire that hitherto had only possessed a certain degree of warmth blazes up at this stage and burning up all the straw and tinder of the human self brings it under complete control of the Divine and comprehends all the limbs. Then, like a piece of iron which when it is heated in a fierce fire becomes red and looks like fire itself, such a believer manifests Divine signs and actions, as the red hot piece of iron manifests the effects and qualities of fire. . This does not mean that such a believer becomes God. . Only it is a characteristic of Divine love that it bestows its own colour upon that which is manifest, while the inner qualities of servitude and its weakness continue. At this stage God becomes the bread of the believer, which sustains his life, and God becomes the water by drinking which the believer is delivered from death, and becomes the cool breeze that comforts the heart of the believer. At this stage it would not be inappropriate to say metaphorically that God enters into the believer and saturates his whole being and makes his heart His throne; then he beholds not through his own spirit but through the spirit of God and hears through it and speaks through it and walks through it and overcomes his enemies through it inasmuch as at this stage he arrives at the station of nonbeing and the spirit of God bestows upon him a new life through the manifestation of its personal love for him. . Then he becomes the illustration of the verse: ثُمَّ انشانَهُ خَلْقًا أَخَرَ فَتَبرَكَ اللهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ 110 110. . . . Then We develop it into another creation. So blessed be. Allāh, the Best of creators. '-Al-Mu'minun, 23:15 [Publisher]