The Difference between Ecstasy and God-Realization

The Difference between Ecstasy and God-Realization Ecstasy and realization appear to be similar in meaning but, in reality, they are quite different from one another. Maarifah or the realization of God is a noble Islamic quality, whereas ecstasy is not related to Islam. Anyone may have this experience of ecstasy. But the truth is that, ecstasy has nothing to do with religion. Even music and dance can bring about a state of ecstasy in a human being. Maarifah relates to conscious discovery. When a person engages in contemplation and discovers his Creator, then at the intellectual level, he discovers something spiritual (rabbani). This is called maarifah. Maarifah, in other words, can be called intellectual development. If intellectual development takes place in a purely natural way, it will inevitably take a person to the discovery of his Creator, and the conscious discovery of the Creator is another name for maarifah. Ecstasy, on the contrary, is not something which takes shape on a conscious plane. It is a feeling or state. Such feelings can be produced by many things. They could be religious or non-religious in nature. Maarifah, on the other hand, awakens the capacity for deep thinking and contemplation in the person concerned, whereas ecstasy