Labib Mahfuj Chisty
Union with Allah is an eternal aspiration of the human soul and for this reason all human endeavors. The spiritual legacy of Islam gives reality to this aspiration through Sufism, where the soul is a lover, and Allah is the supreme love. Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This love knows no religion, no country, only knows dissolution – in the Lord. Sufis believe that the existence of man, or the soul, is a ‘trust’ of Allah, which has been sent to earth towards a certain destination – to return to the Lord.
The Quran says: Wa nafakhtu fihi mir ruhi. I breathed into him from My spirit. — [Surah Al-Hijr, 15:29]
Love: The Path of the Sufi Path
The word love comes from the Arabic ‘ashaqa’, which means a passion/passion or love that devours the lover. This love depletes the self, burns the ego, and burns the existence to ashes and blows it away in the path of the beloved. Shaykh Ahmad Rifai (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The love that leads to Allah is the real love. All other loves only bind the soul to this world. According to the Sufis, there are two types of love:
Ishq-e-Majazi (symbolic love): external love.
Ishq-e-Haqqiqi (real love): eternal attraction between the soul and Allah.
Self-purification: the first condition of the path to God
The Sufi path to God, i.e. the path to God, is not just about being obsessed with love; It is a continuous journey of self-purification—where the ‘Nafs’ (self-centeredness) has to be suppressed. It has been said—whoever knows his own Nafs, knows his Lord. The stages of this self-purification are—
Nafs-e-Ammara: A soul full of evil desires
Nafs-e-Lawama: A soul ashamed of self-realization
Nafs-e-Mutmainna: A calm soul, a soul united with Allah.
Tariqa: A journey through the path of Sufism
Sufi orders such as—
Chishtia: Love of the heart, dervish, music.
Qaderia: Dedication, piety, the lineage of the saints.
Naqshbandiyya: Silent remembrance, husna-sukhna.
Moulvi/Mevlevi: A whirling meditation inspired by Rumi.
Murshid – Lighthouse of Love
Sufira says that only a Murshid can take the soul to the ocean of Allah’s love. Without a Murshid, this love can be an illusion, a self-deception. Bayezid Bostami (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I was in search of Allah for ten years. Finally, in the presence of a Murshid, I understood that Allah was within me.
Fana and “Anal Haq”: The Unity of the Beloved and the Beloved
At the final stage of love, the soul says – Anal Haq – I am the truth. This utterance is not becoming Allah, but rather the extinction of the ‘I’ entity. Mansur Hallaj (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I am nowhere – You are in everything. I am no more than I am. This is Fanafillah – the separation of the lover and Bakabillah – eternal permanence with the Lord.
Maulana Rumi and the Love Story of the Soul
Jalaluddin Rumi is the poet of Sufi love, who says: You are not a lover, if you are afraid of love. Love is a fire—you have to burn in it. According to Rumi, love is a destruction—where the soul burns, burns itself out, and melts in the light of the Lord. Love means the death of the soul. That death is the beginning of true life.
Sacrifice and the Saint
The Sufis’ path to love or to attaining Allah is not just passion, it is sacrifice. They give up—wealth, fame, ego, and even their own being. Ataullah al-Iskandari (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Whoever wants to get love, he has to be destitute. Because a full heart cannot contain love. The ultimate form of this sacrifice is the saint—an egoless existence.
The fruit of love: Knowledge, Light, and Miracles
The love of the Sufis illuminates their hearts. They receive Ilm-e-Ladunni: knowledge received from the Lord, Nur: spiritual radiance, Karamat: miraculous achievements. However, the saints are restrained in these manifestations, because — those who are absorbed in the love of the Lord, do not shout about love — they know how to burn silently.
The need for love in today’s world
In today’s world, people have lost peace of heart, light of the heart, inspiration of the soul – all this. The love-based spiritual philosophy of Sufism awakens love for God in people, destroys ego, and returns people to their original source.
Love is the only path
Sufi love is a silent journey. This love transforms people from within. There is no force, no advice in it — there is only the light of the heart, the desire of the soul. When the heart burns with love, the soul flies towards Allah. This love saves, protects and takes us to that one eternal lover, who created for love. The Sufi path is not a ‘doctrine’, it is the path of the soul’s light. This path must be walked in love, wept in love, and died within oneself—so that the soul may regain its supreme Lord.