The Qur’an indeed lays down that the path of virtue lies between hope
and fear. It is very clear on this point when it says: “And pray to Him with
fear and hope; His mercy is within reach of the righteous.” (7:55). However,
according to the Sufi definition, consciousness of the fact that the Lord is
watching our every movement and knows the innermost recesses of our
hearts corresponds only to the lower level of devotion and prayer.When one
is conscious of God’s ever-watchful eye, one cannot but desist from evil
actions. It is in this sense that prayer keeps us from indecency and evil, as
stated in the Qur’an. (29:45)
However, only a prayer inspired by true intention (
niyat
) can yield the
desired result. Some merely wish to lead a pious life aimed at salvation in the
next life.This is the first level of piety: God is watching us and, as a result, we
desist from sin. Some aim at experiencing Him face to face in this life.This is
the second level of piety according to the Sufis.Thus, when one whose heart
is filled with love of God prostrates himself before Him and at that moment
has the experience of seeing God face to face, this state of total absorption
results in ecstasy.
The Sufis strive for and attest to having the experience of seeing God,
Whom they call their Beloved One, face to face.There are instances of Sufis
falling senseless when possessed by the ecstasy of extreme love.The Sufis say
that the Prophet and some of his companions were totally absorbed in their
prayers every time they prayed and that this complete absorption in prayer
is the foundation of
tasawwuf
.
According to the Sufis this higher level of excellence in worship, which
might lead to ecstasy, may be achieved through
dhikr
.
Dhikr
literally means
remembering God. The Qur’an says “Remember God always so that you
may prosper.” (62:10) At yet another place, it says: “Believers, be ever
Th e Or i g i n a n d E v o l u t i on o f Su f i s m 12
