(Fana'). Self-annihilation or self-effacement or dissolution or passing away from self. Through being joined to Allah, the Real; man is annihilated from himself - the 'limited existence' of the traveller is overpowered by the 'absolute existence' of Allah, so that the traveller becomes unaware of his own self and the creation. Fana' is the last stage on the ascent to Allah. When travelling to the Source, the seeker passes through different levels of fana', each of which brings him closer to his Goal. There are hundreds, even thousands, of fana's. Every time a form of ignorance is removed to be replaced by knowledge, the murid has experienced fana'. He has tasted the annihilation of an ignorance. And, every moment of existence is in fact a moment which is pregnant with its own particular knowledge. So, for the aware one, each moment can be a fana'. However, within the higher teaching of Tasawwuf there are three major types of fana', through which the murid must travel if he is to reach the Absolute. These are Annihilation in the Murshid/Spiritual Guide, Annihilation in the Messenger and Annihilation in Allah.
(Hayrah). Bewilderment, perplexity or wonderment. Hayrah indicates a moment of utter perplexity, when the mind ceases to function, unable as it is to resolve or find an answer to a particular spiritual impasse. At such a blessed time, for it is by the Grace of Allah that such bewilderment was reached, the murid must attempt not to panic or give up. Out of this knot of bewilderment a spiritual reality is given the opportunity to unravel and reveal itself in shattering clarity. The Ultimate bewilderment is that possessed by the knowers and lovers of Allah. They are utterly bewildered because they have found Allah and in finding Allah they know that He is Unknowable yet in each moment they are opened to a fresh and new Knowledge of Allah! 'So, Glory be to Allah Who is known only through the fact that He is not known!'
(Qudra) is a Divine Attribute which is expressed by His Name The Powerful (al Qadir). The other six Divine Attributes are those which are expressed by His Names, The Living (al Hayy), The Knower (al 'Alim), The Possessor of Wish (al Murid), The All Hearing (al Sami'), The All Seeing (al Basir) and The Speaker (al Mutakallim).
(Mahw). This indicates the annihilation of the slave's actions in the actions of Allah. Effactement is distinct from 'obliteration' in which the slave's very being is annihilated in the Essence Itself. Effacement is the removal of the attributes of habit and the elimination of the cause. The entity itself remains because it is only through one's own entity that one has knowledge of Allah. So, it is impossible for 'you' to be removed because Allah wants 'you' to know Himself. He does not remove you from yourself but rather He obliterates you from yourself so that you do not halt with the existence of your own entity. Then does the slave understand that his actions are in Reality the actions of Allah.
(Mahw fi Ithbat). Obliteration in affirmation. The lover is completely at the behest of Allah. He is effaced in his affirmation. He does not desire anything other than what is desired for him. He is the object of the act not the Agent. His affirmation lies in the fact that the Sacred Law was prescribed for him. He never ceases to follow this prescription. His effacement within that affirmation lies in Allah's words, "Allah created you and what you do" (Qur'an 37:96) and "Nothing of the command belongs to you" (The Qur'an 3:128). The lover is the locus within which affairs take place.
(Khawf). Fear acts as a warning of something terrifying in the future. In the initial stages of the Spiritual Journey the murid experiences great fear of the treachery of his own self, and also the fear of falling short of his Murshid's directions. However, when this fear is complimented with hope the murid finds the courage and the strength with which to attack the inner enemies. Fear of Allah leads to Knowledge of Allah which opens into Love of Allah. The lover who has found Allah fears losing Allah. Such a fear may overcome the lover who has found Allah in ecstasy during the sama'.
(Khashya). This is the type of terror and awe and dread which brings man near to Allah. It is the awe of Allah's Majesty, His Incomparability and Utter Unknowableness.
(Jalal). The Divine Majesty. Jalal indicates Allah's Incomparability. His Qualities of Majesty include His Transcendence, His Inaccessibilty, His Magnificence, His Tremendousness. Awe is experienced when the heart is overwhelmed by jalal.
(Rahbah) is the immediate terror of the threat of punishment being realized. It is also the hidden terror of unstable and valueless knowledge and the secret terror that what was known before will become a certainty.
