of Nokounam, May His Soul Rest in Peace (Session 595)
In the mystical journey of spiritual wayfaring, Bab al-Sahw represents an exalted stage whereby the seeker, having traversed the valley of bewilderment and the oblivion of ecstasy (sakr), attains awakening, serenity, and expansive existential relief. This station, akin to a polished mirror, cleanses the seekers heart from the dust of ego and residual carnal inclinations, thereby guiding him towards the direct vision (shuhd) of Divine Beauty. In the present treatise, relying on the detailed expositions of Nokounam, may his sanctified memory endure, delivered in session 595, alongside rigorous academic analyses, the concept of sahw and its distinctive characteristics are examined within a scholarly framework.
Sahw denotes the state in which the seeker, having emerged from sakr, achieves full consciousness and awareness, apprehending that all affairs lie within the Divine power. This station resembles awakening from the slumber of heedlessness, leading the seeker from the astonishment and negligence of ecstasy towards tranquillity and existential freedom. During sakr, the seeker is ensnared in forgetfulness and the collapse of self-possession, as though his volition has slipped from his grasp; however, in sahw, like a traveller who has laid down a heavy burden, he attains serenity and expansion of being.
There is no power and no strength except with God
(Surah Al-Kahf, 18:39, : "No power and no strength except through [the might of] God.")
This verse manifests the seeker's total submission to Divine Will, wherein he perceives himself annihilated in the Truth and freed from all forms of egoism and self-conceit.
Sakr is analogous to intoxication that plunges the seeker into bewilderment and oblivion. In this condition, residual carnal elements and existential stains act as a veil upon the hearts mirror, obstructing clear vision. The seeker in sakr is as if caught in a tempest of astonishment and negligence, uncertain whether his volition rests with himself or with the Truth. Conversely, in sahw, this dust settles; the seeker, akin to one awakened from a deep sleep, gains full awareness and apprehends that all things are under Divine control. This awareness, accompanied by tranquillity and detachment, liberates the seeker from the fetters of ego and the self.
The fundamental difference between sakr and sahw lies in their existential qualities: sakr is characterised by contraction and constriction of being, whereas sahw culminates in the expansion and dilation of existence. Sakr is akin to the narrowness of bewilderment and negligence; sahw, by contrast, resembles a vast plain that guides the seeker to freedom and peace.
Sahw is defined by acute intellect and serenity. The seeker at this stage is like one who has set down a heavy burden and attained calm. This serenity does not imply stagnation or neglect of responsibility but rather release from carnal attachments and complete surrender to Divine Will. The seeker in sahw recognises himself to be in the Divines custody and is freed from desire and longing, having attained his objective.
This serenity resembles a breeze bringing calm after a storm. The seeker, in this state, is freed from the anxiety and astonishment of sakr and, under the shadow of Divine grace, attains tranquillity and expansion.
During sakr, residual carnal stains act like rust upon the hearts mirror, preventing clear vision. However, in sahw, these residues are entirely removed and the seeker achieves the unveiling (kashf al-ghita)the lifting of the veil. This removal is akin to polishing a mirror until no dust remains, reflecting the Divine Light in its entirety.
At this station, ego and self are utterly annihilated, leaving nothing but the Truth. This complete annihilation leads the seeker to a state where no will other than Divine will subsists within him. As the Quran states:
And you did not throw when you threw, but it was Allah who threw
(Surah Al-Anfal, 8:17, : "And you [did] not throw when you threw, but Allah threw.")
This verse signifies that all the seekers actions are attributed wholly to the Divine.
In Islamic mysticism, passion (shawq) denotes the desire to acquire the lost, while love (ishq) indicates the preservation of the existent. In sakr, the seeker is aflame with yearning for the desired; in sahw, having reached the Truth, he is freed from passion and immersed in love for preservation. This distinction resembles the difference between thirsting in a desert and quenching ones thirst at a clear spring.
The seeker in sahw is like a lover reunited with the beloved, no longer in pursuit. This union guides him from passion to love, where no lack exists to be sought after.
Because of its serenity and intellect, sahw is consonant with the station of expansion (bast). While in sakr the seeker is confined and constricted in being, in sahw, like a bird released from its cage, he reaches the vastness of expansion and freedom. This expansion is the fruit of attaining the joy of union, guiding the seeker from the narrowness of bewilderment to the broad plains of tranquillity.
This expansion resembles the opening of a window through which the Divine Light shines upon the seekers heart. At this station, the seeker is freed from all constriction and limitation, attaining peace and freedom under the canopy of Divine Beauty.
In sahw, the seeker attains the vision (shuhd) of Divine Beauty, in contrast to preceding stages wherein he might have confronted Divine Majesty and, like Moses (peace be upon him), been overwhelmed. This vision of Beauty resembles the reunion with the beloved after a long separation, freeing the seekers heart from yearning and desire.
This characteristic may be elucidated with a beautiful metaphor: like a father who, smiling upon his child, opens his arms and embraces him. In this state, the seeker, beneath the splendour of Divine Beauty, attains serenity and expansion, liberated from constriction and bewilderment.
The saints in the station of sahw achieve complete freedom from all but the Truth. This freedom is not anarchy but rather liberation from carnal attachments and total submission to Divine Will. They are like birds soaring in the boundless sky of the Truth, unrestrained by any bonds or fetters.
This state of freedom is elucidated through the exemplary lives of the Prophets and Imams (peace be upon them). In all their statesranging from worship to jihadthey remained firmly within the grasp of the Divine and bore no attachment to anything besides Him. To borrow the expression of Nekounam , the saints pursue the Yamust (the Beloved) and seek nothing other than Him.
In the station of aw, the nourishment of the saints is the Truth itself, and they are satiated through the direct witnessing of Divine Beauty. This nourishment is akin to crystal-clear water that quenches their hearts without any need for the dregs of worldly existence. As the Holy Quran states:
Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
(Surah Al-Anam, 6:162; )
This verse manifestly demonstrates the complete surrender of the saints to the Truth, where their entire beingfrom life to deathis dedicated to Him. They are like lovers who perceive no one but the Beloved; they anchor all existence in the Divine and are wholly self-sufficient, free from any need for what is other than Him.
In the station of aw, the saints of God are entirely free from hypocrisy and egotism. As the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said regarding the conquest of Khaybar: By the power of the Merciful, not by the power of the corporeal. This statement indicates that all actions are attributed solely to the Truth, with no ego or self-aggrandisement involved. This purity and sincerity resemble a mirror reflecting the light of the Truth without any obscurity. Even in their greatest acts, the saints do not perceive themselves; rather, they attribute all to the quwwat al-Rahmaniyyah (the power of the Merciful).
aw represents the ultimate degree of sul (disengagement from ardent longing), whereas sakr (spiritual intoxication) is the final stage of love. These two states, owing to their shared characteristic of release and expansion, are intrinsically interconnected and both culminate in the station of bast (spiritual expansion). aw, akin to sul, guides the seeker from yearning for union to love, and from desire to passion.
This interconnection is like two wings that enable the traveller to soar toward the heavens of the Truth. At this station, the seeker moves from the constriction and bewilderment of intoxication to the expansion and tranquility of sobriety, attaining existential perfection in the shadow of Divine Beauty.
At the station of aw, the seeker, having attained union with the Truth, becomes freed from ardent yearning and immerses in the delight of witnessing Divine Beauty. This union is comparable to reaching a pristine spring after a long thirst in the desert, rendering the seeker self-sufficient from desire and longing. This characteristic is beautifully illustrated through an allegory: like a man who, after a laborious journey, finally carries his burden home and is liberated from fatigue and yearning. Similarly, in aw, the seeker is released from desire for the beloved and rests peacefully in the joy of union.
The chapter on aw within the manzil al-sirn (stations of the travellers) stands as a lofty pinnacle in the mystical journey and spiritual progress, guiding the seeker from the realms of bewilderment and constriction characteristic of intoxication to the vastness of expansion and the direct witnessing of Divine Beauty. This station, marked by insight, detachment, and the eradication of residual carnal inclinations, leads the traveller to total submission to the Divine Will and to the attribution of all actions solely to Him. Saints of God, at this stage, find their nourishment solely in the Truth and through witnessing Divine Beauty, thereby relinquishing all forms of egotistical and worldly attachment. aw, as the final station of sulk, by uniting the seeker with the Truth and releasing them from longing, culminates in an existential freedom and expansion where nothing remains but the Divine.
