Imâm-ý Rabbânî (rahmat-Allâhu ’alaih) in his book Ma’ârif-i
Ladunniyya, in the Twenty-sixth Ma’rifat[1], explains ‘fanâ’ as follows:
Fanâ means to forget everything except
Allahu ta’âlâ. Each of the five lâtifas in âlam-i amr has a picture, a likeness
in man. These five lâtîfas have been given the names of heart, soul, sir, khafî
and akhfâ. The majority of Awliyâ, being unable to differentiate between them,
called all of them “the soul.” When referred to as “the soul,” these five
things are understood. [We are made of matter, and live among material beings.
Beings that are made of matter consist of the seven skies and the kursî and
arsh. These nine classes of beings are one within the other, like the layers of
an onion. The outermost one is the arsh. Each layer is very much larger than
the one within it. It is like the greatness of the ocean in comparison to a
drop of water. There is no matter outside the ninth layer, which is the arsh.
These beings which are not material are called “âlam-i amr” (beings of command)
because they were created with the single command “Be!” Classes of material
beings that consist of the nine layers are called “âlem-i khalq.” ‘Khalq’ means
‘dimension,’ that is, matter. Âlam-i khalq
was created in seven days. The building stone of âlam-i khalq is matter.
The building stone of âlam-i amr is called “latîfa.” Âlam-i amr is made of
various lâtîfas. Out of these, samples of five of them were given to men.
Profound Islâmic savants were able to understand these lâtifas and even their
originals in the âlam-i amr. Today there is no such profound savant left on the
earth. These five lâtîfas existing in men were given the names of heart, sir,
soul, khafî, and akhfâ. Even the great savants such as Imâm-i Ghazâlî were
unable to differentiate them from one another and called all of them “the
soul.” Very few savants, such
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[1] Religious knowledge that cannot be comprehended through the five senses or through the intellect can be learned from the Prophet’s words. Within religious information there is such knowledge which cannot be recorded in books or which cannot be explained through words. No words can be found to explain them. They are called ma’rifats. The owner of these ma’rifats is called “Murshid.” They can be obtained only as a result of flowing from the murshid’s heart or from the dead ones’ souls into the hearts of those who desire them. There are some conditions to be fulfilled for attaining this.
as Imâm-i Rabbânî, were able to recognize
them one by one.] The soul, that is, the lâtifas, used to know Allahu ta’âlâ
before it united with this body. It used to have a little inclination,
knowledge and love towards Allahu ta’âlâ. It had been given the strength and
potential to become exalted and promoted. But it could not improve before
uniting with this body; to improve it had to unite with the body. For this
reason, first the soul was given an affection towards this body. Then, it was
allowed to go towards the body. It threw itself upon the body. Being very fine
and very expansive, it sank and penetrated all parts of the body. It became
unrecognizable, unknown in the body. It forgot about itself. It came to think
of itself as the body. It lost itself in the body. Thus, most people consider
themselves only as bodies. Being unaware of the existence of the soul, they
disbelieve it.
Allahu ta’âlâ, being very merciful, sent
messages to men, that is, to souls, through prophets (’alaihimussalawâtu
wattaslîmât). He invited them to Himself. He prohibited them from being
dependent upon this dark body. He who was predestined to be good in eternity
obeys Allahu ta’âlâ’s commandments and puts an end to his dependence upon the
body. He bids farewell to it and goes back up to his former heights. His love
towards his asl (origin), which he used to feel before uniting with the body,
increases gradually. His love towards a transient being decreases. When he
thoroughly forgets about this dark and obscure darling of his, that is, when
there is no love left, he will have attained the Fanâ of the body. Thus he will have
passed beyond one of the two basic steps on the way of tasawwuf. From then on,
if Allahu ta’âlâ favours and blesses him, he will make progress and henceforth
will begin to forget about himself, too. As this oblivion increases, he will
forget himself thoroughly. No longer will he know of any being besides Allahu ta’âlâ.
Thus, he will also attain the Fanâ of the soul. He will thus pass beyond the
second step. The soul’s coming to this world is intended to attain this second
fanâ. It could not attain this without coming to this world.
If the lâtifa of the heart, which is
called “Haqîqat-i
Jâmîa,” [see fn. (40) of article 31] passes beyond these
two steps together with the soul, it will attain its own fanâ together with the
soul. If the nafs accompanies the heart in this way, it will be purified too.
That is, it will attain its own fanâ. But, when the nafs reaches the heart’s
grade, if it remains there instead of getting exalted and passing beyond these
two steps, it will not attain oblivion. It will not become mutma’inna.
A person who has attained the fanâ of the
soul may not attain the heart’s fanâ. The soul is like a father to the heart.
And the nafs is like a mother to the heart. If the heart has an inclination
towards the soul, who stands for its father, and turns away from the nafs who
stands for its mother, and if this inclination increases and draws the heart
towards its father, it will reach its grade. That is, it will pass beyond these
two steps. When the heart and the soul attain fanâ, the nafs does not
necessarily attain fanâ. If the nafs has an affection, an inclination towards
her son, and if this inclination increases and makes her reach near her son,
who has reached his father’s grade, she will be like them. The case is the same
with attaining fanâ for the lâtifas of sir, khafî, and akhfâ.
The memories and thoughts being rubbed out
and removed from the heart signify the fact that it has forgotten the things
other than Allahu ta’âlâ. Not to be able to remember anything means that
knowledge and everything else is gone. In fanâ, knowledge has to be wiped out.