Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ismail (ra) — Page 36
36 " Ahl - e - q ā l " [pronounced ah - lay - qaal] and " Ahl - e - h ā l " [pronounced ah - lay - haal] are Persian terms used in various Persian and Urdu writings on Islamic Mysticism, which require a brief introduct ion. " Ahl - e - qaal " refers generally to the religious clergy whose knowledge of t he Divine does not go beyond mere words, and " Ahl - e - Ḥā l " refers to the people who have actually experienced The Divine. The Ahl - e - q ā l , referred to in this poem of Ḥaḍrat Mir Sahib ra , is the conventional clergy of his time. The Ahl - e - Ḥā l , in this case, of course, were the Companions of the Promised Messiah, all of whom were unquestionably true saints. Allah says in the Holy Qur’ān : "And those who strive in seeking Us, We do i ndeed, guide them to the paths leading to Us" 25. In Arabic, Sabīl [pronounced sa - beel] means “ path ” , its plural Subul means “ paths ” , and Subulanā , the term used in the above verse, means "Our paths", referring collectively to the paths that lead to God. The "paths of God" would include all such ways of worship, adoration, love and remembrance of God that bring man closer to God. People are naturally born with different aptitudes, and are therefore, prone to pursue different pathways, depending upon their natural inclinations. And this diversity of paths can flourish even within the fold of a single religion. Some people are temperamentally suited to one pathway, while others have an innate predilection for another; yet, remaining within the broader path o f a single religion. Taṣawwuf or Mysticism is simply a religious attitude, among a variety of religious