Changing States and Divine Disposition
The journey of Sufism (taṣawwuf) is never a straight, monotonous, or easy path. Allah, in order to mature the qalb (the heart) of His beloved servant, subjects him to a continuous process of discipline between the states of "qabḍ" (constriction, distress, spiritual tightness) and "basṭ" (expansion, relief, spiritual elation). al-Jīlānī (may Allah sanctify his secret) summarizes this Divine law as follows: "All states are 'qabḍ'... Everything that is commanded to be preserved except for what is decreed in destiny is 'basṭ'." A believer may one day feel extremely eager for worship, light as a bird and elated (basṭ); yet the next day, he may experience a spiritual heaviness and reluctance (qabḍ) as if mountains have collapsed upon him. These changes are entirely under Allah's disposition.
Patience in Constriction, Gratitude in Expansion
The greatest test for the servant in the face of these changing states is not to lose his adab (spiritual etiquette). When the moment of constriction (qabḍ) arrives, it is essential not to rebel, not to cry out "Why have I fallen into this state, has mercy been cut off from me?", and to continue worship with sabr (patient endurance). When the moment of expansion (basṭ) comes, one must not become spoiled or arrogant, not fall into the delusion of "I have arrived, I have attained," and instead show shukr (gratitude). For "If you are in a state of expansion, it too can turn into a difficult form." Adjusting the sails according to the changing spiritual winds, but never deviating from the course (istiqāma), is the quality of the perfect believer.
The Only Unchanging Thing: Obedience
Whether in a state of qabḍ or basṭ, the servant's duty is to cling tightly to the outward commands of the religion (sharia—the sacred law). To abandon prayer in times of distress or to incline toward the forbidden in times of relief is to fail the test of these states. The qalb, in this spiral of constriction and expansion, is tempered and purified like iron forged in fire. The servant who displays riḍā (contentment with God's decree) without losing his adab and submits to his Lord's decree ultimately attains that absolute tranquility and intimacy (unsiyya) beyond the states of qabḍ and basṭ.