Sufi Classics · July 8, 2026

haste (Sufism Glossary)

Haste is a ḥāl (spiritual state) in the qalb (the heart) that drives one to bring an action to completion swiftly, at the first prompting, without pause or becoming acquainted with the matter. Its opposite is …

Haste is a ḥāl (spiritual state) in the qalb (the heart) that drives one to bring an action to completion swiftly, at the first prompting, without pause or becoming acquainted with the matter. Its opposite is deliberation (taʾannī), which is a ḥāl in the qalb that causes one to act with caution, to investigate matters, and to proceed calmly in fulfilling what is required. (Minhāj, 36)

incapacity / people of incapacity (ʿajz / ahl al-ʿajz) The incapable person neither endures patiently nor falls into anxiety. The powerful person, however, is patient in times of ease and, in the face of calamity, remains patient without succumbing to anxiety, protecting his limbs (actions) from excesses. He is patient because he has accustomed his nafs (the lower self) to hunger. (Bad, 39)

The people of incapacity (ahl al-ʿajz, the incapable) are of three kinds. The first are those incapable of knowing Him without seeing or desiring to see; the second are those incapable of knowing Him even after investigation and observation; the third are those incapable of comprehending their own comprehension. These are ones who have emerged as pure light, which cannot be conceptualized. In that light, there is no confusion, nor is there anything that can take its place. (Rawḍa, 439)