The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 83
82 Ā'ĪNA-E-KAMĀLĀT-E-ISLĀM―DĀFI‘UL-WASĀWIS after bringing about death upon the ego, physical existence and its desires, and by extinguishing the personal will. AUTHOR'S MARGIN NOTE Stages of perfect bliss in Islam At this juncture, it should also be borne in mind that the verse mentioned above, namely: بَلَى مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَلَةٌ أَجْرُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ) alludes to all the three essential grades of perfect bliss—namely: fanā, baqā, and liqā—because, as I have just mentioned, the phrase [submits himself completely to Allah] teaches that all faculties and organs and whatever belongs to oneself should be sur- rendered to God Almighty and dedicated to His cause. This is the condition which is described in other words as fanā [self-annihila- tion]. The reason is that when a person, conforming to the meaning of this noble verse, submits the whole of his being and his faculties to God Almighty and dedicates himself to His cause, and completely abandons his carnal drives and desires, then, undoubtedly, a kind of death overtakes him, and this is the very 'death' that the Sufis desig- nate as fană. 499191 Then, after this, the expression, [and he is the doer of good] points to the stage of baqā [revival]. When a person, after complete and perfect annihilation of the self and abandonment of all lustful pas- sions, is prompted by Divinely inspired passion and urging, and after the cessation of all lustful activities, he is filled with Divine inspira- tion and begins to move again, then, that is the second life, which should be called baqa. 1. Nay, whoever submits himself completely to Allah, and is the doer of good, shall have his reward with his Lord. No fear shall come upon such, neither shall they grieve (Sūrah al-Baqarah, 2:113). [Publisher]