Annihilation (Fanā) Station: Passing Through the Ego
One of the fundamental goals of the Sufi journey (seyr ü sülûk) is for the servant to completely detach from their own will, personal desires, and egoistic passions, and to merge in the will of God. This state is known as “Fanā” in spiritual language. Great gnostics like Imam Rabbani have named this rank, reached through the station of attraction (cezbe), “Vücud-i adem” (the state of nonexistence). In this station, the individual enters a complete surrender, as if their own independent existence did not exist. However, this initial feeling of annihilation may not always be permanent; there is always a possibility that the traveler on the path may return to human characteristics and the traits of the ego. Therefore, the seeker should not be deceived by these temporary states of attraction and assume they have reached the end of the path.
Subsistence in God (Bekā-Billah): Remaining Eternal in God
The true and unwavering spiritual summit is the “Bekā-Billah” rank, which follows the temporary state of annihilation and is permanent. When Vücud-i fena is completed and a return to human desires will not occur, the servant attains absolute subsistence (remaining eternal with God). Hâce Bahaeddin Nakşibend explained this secret as follows: “The state called Vücud-i adem returns to the natural state of man. But Vücud-i fena does not return to the human body,” 14. Perfect saints who attain this rank are both transient and eternal, eternal and also transient. The divine tranquility in their inner worlds is continuous and no worldly preoccupation can keep them away from this tranquility.
Freedom from the Tyranny of Time
In Sufism, it is praised to be a “Son of Time” (İbnü’l-Vakt), but those who attain the rank of Bekā transcend this level and ascend to the position of “Father/Owner of Time” (Ebu’l-Vakt). The quickly passing and dwindling feelings of annihilation are merely temporary emotions during the sequence of states and changes of the heart. However, the states of those who have attained subsistence do not change; because their work is not with those states or times, but directly with the One Who created those states and times. Passing away and diminishing belong to time; however, the soul that has become one with the Lord of Time is forever freed from these dangers and attains unwavering tranquility in the divine presence.