The reason these individuals are called abdāl is that they have been endowed with an entirely different nature and a unique purification by their sâhib (possessor/master). (Ikhwān, 377)
The stations of fanāʾ (annihilation in God), munā, mubtaghā, and muntahā are the final points that the walī / awliyāʾ (friend[s] of God) may reach. This station is the station of uprightness. The awliyāʾ and abdāl of the past sought to reach this station by surrendering their will to the will of the Real (al-Ḥaqq), desiring to act according to His will until their death. For this reason, they are called abdāl. May Allah be pleased with them.
Their sin consists of, by mistake, forgetfulness, being overcome by a spiritual ḥāl (state), or by being overwhelmed by dehşet (overwhelming awe), losing themselves and associating their own will with the will of the Real. In such cases, Allah, through His mercy, assists them with remembrance (tadhkira) and...