The master Abū l-Ḥasan al-Shādhilī, may God bless his inner heart, said,
Love is a seizure sent by God to the heart of His believing worshipper, pulling him away from everything except Him. So you see his selfish nature inclining to obey Him, the intellect strengthened with mystical knowledge of Him, the spirit rapt in His presence, and the inner heart submerged in contemplation of Him. The worshipper asks for more, and it is granted as he enters into sweet, delicious love-talk with Him. Then he is clothed in the vestments of proximity on the carpet of nearness,
and he comes to know the virginal realities and mature wisdoms. This is why the saints are called the brides of God, and none may look at the brides except their closest kin!
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The Principles of Sufism
Library of Arabic Literature
by ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah
