Author – Labib Mahfuj Chisty
The Sufi practice is the practice of the heart, the practice of inner self-realization. The practice of realizing the divine in one’s own existence. In this practice, the Sufi has to cross a vast wilderness of love for God. When the traveler starts walking, he realizes that this path is not just of knowledge; it is rather a path of mystical experience and of acquiring and retaining the divine feeling in its essence. A path of constantly breaking oneself, a path of divine transformation within.
Hal (احوال) – This path, dotted with thorns, is very strange! Just as the fatigue, error, fear, delusion, and all the obstacles on the path are visible, so too, new joys radiate moment by moment. When the bloody pair of feet is tired, and there is terrible aversion ahead, then perhaps the blue sky ahead opens up! All the fatigue of the world seems to disappear in an instant, the heart is filled with eternal peace. The traveler starts his journey again with new enthusiasm. Sometimes that feeling cools the body and mind for a moment like a flash of lightning, sometimes that strange glimmer of joy lingers in the eyes for a while, this unearthly radiance seems to color the traveler’s entire existence. This sudden divine grace, which the Sufis call Hal.
Maqam (Maqamat) – Again, while walking on the path, the traveler or the pilgrim forgets his past, and in the joy of walking on the path of love for the Lord, worldly greed and delusion are removed from the inner world; the inner world always becomes wet with the fountain of the Lord’s special light, the stream of that light never dries up – the Sufis call that eternal achievement of the inner world Maqam. Maqam is gradually achieved as a result of many years of meditation, sadhana, mujahadah, riyaz, crying and devotion. Maqam is the spiritual state of the Sufi.
Hal is like a divine light, which instantly illuminates all the chambers of the heart. Maqam is the divine presence that never fades. Hal is the letter of the beloved, which drives the heart crazy with instant ecstasy; Maqam is the door of the beloved, where the immense glory of the Lord appears before the eyes as soon as you peek in. Hal is a sudden blessing coming from the heart of the Lord, and Maqam is the assurance of the attainment of the Lord and permanence of the devotee who is immersed in the pursuit of the Lord.
Hal – Temporary Bliss
Hal is the fleeting joy of divine feelings which is mainly revealed in the form of divine blessings in the inner world of the devotee/lover. There are many types of Hal. Contraction-expansion of the mind-state (Khawaj-Basat), grief-happiness (Bujan-Tarah), wonder-love (Babat-Uns), intoxication-unconsciousness (Masti-Bekhudi) or the unknown flow of the heart that is suddenly present, which causes an indescribable transformation of feeling throughout. Again, the feeling disappears, quickly. Based on the affection of the aspirant, Hal is of several types. For example, Hal al-Muraqabah (keeping an eye on meditation), Hal Korb (closeness), Hal Wajd (passion), Hal Shukar (intoxication), Hal Sahu (restraint), Hal Udd (oneness). Hal is a source of immense spiritual joy in the heart of the aspirant.
Maqam – Divine Permanence of the Heart
The seeker embarks on an adventurous journey on the path of attaining divine perfection. On the path shown by the murshid. As he follows the path of the path of the seeker, his heart gradually becomes purified and filled with divine perfection. After crossing several stages, the seeker reaches the abode of the Lord, from where there is no more deviation. The seeker forever immerses himself in the ocean of bliss with the companionship of eternal peace. On the way, when stages like Taubah (repentance), Warah (caution), Zuhd (renunciation), Fakhr (poverty), Sabar (patience), Tawakkul (trust), Reda (contentment) are crossed, the body and mind of the seeker become radiant with heavenly beauty. The seeker firmly stays in the maqam of divine love.
This path of attaining the Lord is the path of infinite beauty, the path of Sadhana. On this path, the saint engages in the game of self-sacrifice and self-establishment from time to time. The two important parts of this game are Hal (Ahwal) and Maqam (Maqamat). May the Master bring the infinite beauty of Hal (Hal) to our hearts and grant us a permanent abode in Maqam.
Amen.
Author – Labib Mahfuj Chisty
Date of writing – 10-06/2026