Marifat – When divine grace flows

Time of India

24-04-2025

Affan Yesvi is a Sufi scholar, columnist, and entrepreneur. As a descendant of the 11th-century Sufi saint, Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi - a mystic, poet, and founder of the Yasaviyya Sufi order in Central Asia - Affan carries a rich spiritual legacy. LESS ... MORE
Gnosis, known as ma'rifa in Arabic, has always been one of the most coveted attainments of the Sufis. Gnosis refers to the knowledge of spiritual mysteries – and particularly the knowledge of God. Can gnosis be attained? Can it be acquired through one's own efforts, or is it granted to an individual through the grace of the Almighty? For centuries, this has been a subject of contemplation among Sufi saints.
Hazrat Junayd of Baghdad, one of the most famous of the early Sufi mystics and a central figure in the spiritual lineage of many Sufi orders, said, 'Marifat (gnosis) consists in knowing that whatever may be imagined in thy heart, God is the opposite of it.' His statement is illustrative of the gentle and loving humour of the Sufi saints who explained the most esoteric concepts with simplicity and clarity.
In the spiritual journey of a true seeker, Ma'rifat (ma'rifa) is the pinnacle of achieving the realization, awareness and unhindered experience of the Almighty, beyond all layers and all restrictions of the self. The major stages before an individual reaches Ma'rifat are Sharia (following religious law and ethical conduct), Tariqa (involving spiritual discipline and guidance under a master) and Haqiqa (Mystical truth, where the seeker experiences deeper spiritual realities).
Sufi saints have explained that gnosis could be attained only as an act of divine grace. 'Faqr and gnosis are waves of the sea of Divine mercy. Generosity and benevolence are such traits which cause unitive life,' said Sultan Bahu, a Sufi mystic of the 17th century. Faqr is an inward state of being in which an individual does not have attachment to the material world and does not seek any rewards for his deeds – and seeks closeness only to the Almighty.
Certainly, it is not possible for an individual to achieve this wondrous state of being through his own endeavours. The experiential, mystical apprehension of the Almighty and of His divine mysteries requires constant yearning and persistent effort. It is only through dhikr (continual remembrance of God) and relentless striving that one can attain gnosis.
The mysteries of the world may confound us, but we must always remember that God governs His creation the way He chooses to. There is an old Sufi story that Moses once asked God, 'Why do you destroy the life you have brought forth?' God did not answer the question. Instead, he told Moses, 'Go sow a field with seed, and then you will know.' Moses sowed seeds of wheat, and a lush crop grew there. After some months, the ripe crop gently moved with the wind and was ready for harvest. Moses took a sickle and started harvesting the fully grown crop. As he was harvesting, God asked him gently, 'Moses, what makes you destroy the crop that you took care of with so much love?' Moses answered God, 'I do it because I have to take it to the threshing floor, where I shall separate the straw and grain.' God lovingly responded, 'Yes indeed. And this is the answer for the question that you had asked me.' This deep knowledge of God and His ways is gnosis.
Data Sahib (1009-1072), a highly revered Sufi mystic who authored Kashf al-Mahjub, the earliest treatise on Sufism in the Persian language, said the attainment of gnosis is possible only if one's heart is true. 'Prayer requires purification of the body; gnosis requires purification of the heart,' he said.
Sufis believe that gnosis cannot be attained only through the endless quest of a man even though he may be devotedly and continually engaged in dhikr. Gnosis cannot be attained solely through human endeavour. Through meditation, contemplation, prayer, and sincere self-examination, one may prepare oneself to be a vessel for God's grace. When the heart is pure, an individual is more receptive to divine grace and illumination.
This is the distinction that the Sufi mystics have made between ilm, ordinary knowledge, and ma'rifa (gnosis). Hazrat Bulle Shah (1680-1758), the beloved Sufi mystic of Punjab, mocked the knowledge gained through worldly education and rational inquiry. He sang, 'Padh padh ilm teh fazil hoya, kadey apne aap nu padheya hi nahi…' (You have become a scholar studying all kinds of books, but have you ever studied yourself?)
And further the great mystic sang, 'Ilmoun bas kari o yaar, Eko Alif terey darker…' (Enough of learning, my friend! An alphabet should do for you). Sufi mystics believed that the single constant effort which would make man attain profound experience of the divine was to immerse oneself in the love of God. It is only through love and divine grace that one can aspire to attain to Ma'rifat – the profound and intuitive insight into divine realities.
Hazrat Sahl al-Tustarī (818-896), one of the early Sufi mystics, noted that it was only through the grace and benevolence of God that one could attain God. He wrote, 'The true agent of recollection was not the believer engaged in recollection but God Himself, who commemorated Himself in the heart of the believer. This realisation of God's control over the heart led the believer to the state of complete trust in the Divine.' According to classical Sufi doctrine, gnosis is always a gift (hiba) from God. It flows as His divine grace.
Hazrat Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (1207- 1273), among the most loved Sufi mystics and poets globally wrote thus on the grace of the Almighty:
The wine of divine grace is limitless;
All limits come only from the faults of the cup.
Moonlight floods the whole sky from horizon to horizon;
How much it can fill your room depends on its windows.
Grant a great dignity, my friend, to the cup of your life;
Love has designed it to hold His eternal wine.
Indeed, one may fill one's rooms with divine light if the windows are large and allow light to flow in. Only those may partake of His eternal wine who have prepared their cup to hold it.
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Views expressed above are the author's own.