Two Levels Of Realization (Maarifah

TWO LEVELS OF REALIZATION (MAARIFAH) The second level of maarifah is that in which God grants His mercy to someone by putting him in a compulsive situation and then owing to the exigencies of such a situation, that person experiences spontaneous praise and thanksgiving. It is perhaps this point which is mentioned in this tradition: “When God loves anyone, He puts him on trial.” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi; Hadith No. 2396) It is as if the realization of the Prophet is at a voluntary level, while the realization of others is a matter of compulsion. Fani Badayuni (d. 1941) was an Urdu poet and a truth seeker. One of his couplets expresses this level of God-realization: “Meri hawas ko aishe du Alam bhi tha qubul tera karam ke tu ne diya dil dukha hua.” (My desire sought all the luxuries of both the worlds. But it is Your Grace that is kind enough to grant me the grieving heart.)