FANA FILLAH (I)

Allâhu ta’âlâ, the most compassionate, has pitied His slaves and sent to men or, rather, to their souls, messages though His Prophets ‘’alaihim-us-salawâtu wa-t-teslîmât’. He has summoned them to Himself. He has prohibited them to attach themselves to this dark body. People who, in the eternal past, were predestined to be good people, will answer this call and put an end to their attachment to the body. They will bid farewell to it and orient themselves upward, towards heights. Once the soul regains its bearings towards its origin, so will its love for its origin that it had had before uniting with this body, gradually getting strength, and its amour with the ephemeral being gradually losing its grip. When that gloomy and inglorious paramour is completely forgotten and love felt for it is completely gone, physical fanâ (fanâ of the body) will be attained. Thus the first one of the two basic phases in the way of ‘Tasawwuf’ will have been passed. Thereafter, if Allâhu ta’âlâ blesses (the owner of) that soul with His Favour and Kindness, the progress will continue further ahead, a phase of self-oblivion will commence. This oblivion will gradually grow, until the self is completely forgotten about. Awareness of all beings, except that of Allâhu ta’âlâ, will be completely gone. Hence the spiritual fanâ (fanâ of the soul). The second phase also has been passed now. The soul’s coming to this world has been intended for its attaining this second fanâ. It cannot attain it without coming to the world.