the Lectures of Nokounam, May His Secret Be Sanctified (Session 518)
The station of Haymn in Manzil al-Sirn represents a mystical rank whereby the travellers soul is irresistibly drawn into a state of ecstatic abandonment before the grandeur and overpowering might of the Divine. This rank, elucidated in Nokounams sacred lecture (session 518) with reference to the verse And Moses fell down unconscious
(Srah al-Arf, 7:143), depicts a state in which the seeker, overwhelmed by the intensity of witnessing divine manifestations, loses his composure and self-possession.
Haymn is contingent upon and yet transcends dahshat (terror), embodying a deeper and more enduring experience that leads the seeker towards sublime and super-sensory perceptions. This treatise, employing a refined academic language and an exacting scientific framework, aims to explicate the nature and degrees of Haymn and to examine the narrative of Moses (alayhi al-salm) as the paradigmatic exemplar of this station, thereby illuminating this lofty mystical stage for a specialised scholarly audience.
Haymn is a mystical state derivative of dahshat, yet it constitutes a more profound and enduring condition within the seekers spiritual journey. Whereas dahshat manifests as a sudden spark that momentarily disrupts the apparent and intellectual equilibrium of the seeker, it quickly subsides. In contrast, Haymn is akin to a burning flame whose intensity and duration prolong this state of abandonment.
At this rank, the seeker transcends the confines of sensory and intellectual faculties, attaining exalted perceptions that do not belong to the realm of outward senses.
Owing to its relative permanence and greater perfection, Haymn is superior, more complete, higher, and more refined than dahshat. Whereas in terror the seeker swiftly returns to equilibrium, in Haymn this state of loss of self-possession endures longer, placing the seeker in a loftier spiritual status. This station substitutes spiritual cognitions for sensory perceptions, bringing the seeker nearer to the witnessing of heavenly realities.
Haymn is explicated by reference to the verse And Moses fell down unconscious
(Srah al-Arf, 7:143), implying that Moses was struck into a state of stunned ecstasy. The iqah (lightning) in this verse does not connote death, annihilation, or mere unconsciousness, but rather Haymn: a loss of composure resulting from confronting the Divine Majesty and Sovereignty. The iqah is a tremendous sound or a powerful impact of divine manifestation which may produce effects such as unconsciousness or death; however, in the mystical terminology, its meaning is Haymn.
Lightning, in its lexical sense, does not mean death; death or unconsciousness may be consequent effects. Some interpret lightning as annihilation, yet this is erroneous since annihilation precludes revival, whereas Haymn is accompanied by revival. Haymn is neither coma (disease) nor mere fainting, but an ecstatic mystical swoon occasioned by the intensity of divine witnessing.
Haymn literally means the loss of composure, whereby the seeker loses self-control yet retains his essence. This condition resembles a rider whose horse has bolted: the rider remains mounted but has lost control. Haymn arises from amazement or awe; amazement pertains to the realm of knowledge, whereas awe is a loftier state surpassing intellectual perceptions.
The narrative of Moses (peace be upon him) provides the foundational context for the explication of Haymn. The Qurn states in verse 142 of Srah al-Arf: And We appointed for Moses thirty nights, and perfected them by ten; so the term of his Lord was completed as forty nights
, indicating that this forty-night term was the prelude to divine communication and the petition for vision that culminated in Haymn.
In verse 143 of Surah Al-Arf, it is stated: And when Musa came to the appointed time for Our meeting and his Lord spoke to him, he said, My Lord, show Yourself to me so that I may look upon You.
This signifies that when Moses arrived at Our appointed covenant and his Lord spoke to him, he implored, O my Lord, reveal Yourself to me that I may behold You. The Divine address elevated Moses to a station wherein he requested to witness the Divine Presence. This request did not stem from any corporeal understanding of God, but from an ardent yearning for the transcendent vision which manifested within the capacity of haymn.
God responded to Moses: He said, You shall not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me.
Upon the Divine manifestation, the mountain was shattered: When his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He made it crumble to dust.
This trial demonstrated the incapacity of the material vessel to endure the Divine manifestation and resulted in Moses haymn.
Following the thunderous manifestation, Moses was overwhelmed, then regained consciousness: When he recovered, he said, Glory be to You! I repent to You, and I am the first of the believers.
Recovery signifies a return to balance after the state of haymn. Moses repentance was not due to a flawed request, but rather due to the incapacity to endure the Divine manifestation. The phrase the first of the believers indicates his complete faith following the experience of haymn.
Subsequent to haymn, God granted Moses divine expansion: He said, O Moses, indeed I have chosen you above the people with My messages and My words. So take what I have given you and be among the grateful.
This expansion guided Moses towards his mission and divine gratitude.
Within haymn, the seeker undergoes perceptions that transcend the sensory faculties. These perceptions are neither fragrant aromas, nor the sound of spiritual music, nor visual sight; rather, they are the witnessing of celestial realities. For instance, during dhikr, the seeker may sense a fragrant odour that is neither floral nor a conventional scent, but a manifestation of spiritual perfume within the soul. Such states commonly appear during the mid-stages of the path and are particularly evident in the station of haymn.
Haymn is a grave station demanding endurance and fortitude. The seeker must abandon fear and confront the Divine manifestations. Fearwhether inspired by the beauty or the majestyhinders the reception of this station. The seeker ought to resemble a steadfast rider who resists the bolting of the horse of manifestation, refraining from flight.
Some have misinterpreted Moses thunderbolt as fan (annihilation), yet this is erroneous because fan entails complete dissolution within the Divine Essence and lacks recovery, whereas haymn involves a return to equilibrium (afqah). Haymn is a station inferior to annihilation yet surpassing awe, whereby the intensity of witnessing causes the seeker to lose composure.
Some exegetes have taken iqah literally as death, but this too is inaccurate. The thunderbolt is a tremendous sound or severe impact that may induce death or unconsciousness, yet its literal meaning is not death. Death and unconsciousness are external concomitants of the thunderbolt, not its essential signification. Lexicons define iqah as a powerful impact or loud sound, not death.
The commentator asserts that whether the thunderbolt signifies haymn or fan, it is a figurative or allusive expression, not the apparent meaning of the Qurn. This perspective is flawed because the phrase and Moses fell down unconscious
denotes literally and manifestly the station of haymn and requires no allegorical or metaphorical exegesis. Haymn is the literal meaning of the verse and its direct reference to this mystical state.
The chapter on al-Haymn within the stages of the travellers is a station which, like a burning flame, irresistibly draws the seeker into a state of self-effacement before Divine Majesty. Haymn derives from awe but is deeper and more enduring, encompassing extra-sensory perceptions that lead the seeker to witness celestial realities. The thunderbolt of Moses in the verse and Moses fell down unconscious
offers an unparalleled paradigm of this stationsignifying not death, annihilation, nor mere unconsciousness, but an esoteric loss of self induced by Divine manifestation. Moses narrativefrom the forty-night covenant to the Divine address, vision request, and recoverymaps the pathway of haymn. This station demands courage and endurance, restraining the seeker from fear and flight, and securing steadfastness before the Divine. Critiquing incorrect interpretations affirms the stations distinguished status apart from annihilation and death. Like a gateway to the celestial realm, haymn elevates the seeker beyond sensory and rational confines towards Divine proximity.
Supervised by Sdiq Khdami
