He saw things that are absent (ghayb), and the meanings of things were unveiled (kashf) to him. With his qalb (the heart), he became separated from his nafs (the lower self) and from people; he stood firm not by the strength of his nafs, but by his Lord. His secret (sirr) concerning his dunya (this world) was unveiled with his Lord, and he became occupied with his Lord. He preferred Allah to others, for he realized that He is the greatest, the most exalted, the most worthy of veneration, the most noble, the most generous, the most sublime, the best knower, the richest, and the most gracious. The light of his heart became immersed in witnessing (mushāhada) the majesty of Allah. He is drowned in the ocean of divine effusions coming from Allah, whose aid has no end. No one can attain His grace. (Bayān, 85)
Maʿrifa (gnosis, experiential knowledge of God) begins with separation, negation, abandonment, and rejection; it deepens in all the attributes of the Real (al-Ḥaqq) pertaining to the Essence, confirmed with ṣidq (truthfulness) and ta'yīd (divine support), becomes immersed in them, ends in the Necessary Being (al-Wājib), and then stops and finds tranquility. (Ishārāt, IV, 96)
Whoever prefers maʿrifa to maʿrifa has spoken of the second. Whoever claims to have found maʿrifa, it is as if he has not found it. Rather, through it he has found the Known (al-Maʿrūf), and has plunged into the deepest depths of the ocean of union (wuṣla). There, there are degrees no less than the former. Here, we will keep our words brief, for speech cannot express it, expression cannot explain it, and words cannot unveil it without imagination. Whoever wishes to know it should go not to the people of speech (mushāfa), but to the people of witnessing (mushāhada); not to those who listen to reports, but to those who have attained union (waṣil)! (Ishārāt, IV, 99)
The ʿārif (gnostic) has three degrees: The first is to turn away from mā siwā (all besides Allah) and to remove the veils. The one in this ḥāl (spiritual state) is called a zāhid (ascetic). There are three types of veils that conceal the Real from creation: the veil of kufr (disbelief) covers iman (faith), the veil of dunya covers the hereafter. (In this second state, even if the person is a muʾmin (believer), his hereafter is veiled by his dunya.) He is diligent in worldly matters, reliant (mutawakkil) in matters of the hereafter. (The third is) the veil of the common people of Paradise; they forget the Bestower of blessings and become occupied with His blessings. On that Day, the people of Paradise will truly enjoy themselves in blessings (Yā Sīn 36:55). The elect among the people of Paradise tear this veil; Paradise cannot distract them from Allah even for the blink of an eye.
The second is to journey to Allah through ascetic discipline (riyāḍa). The one in this state is called an ʿābid (devotee). The last is to reach Allah. The one in this state is called an ʿārif bi-llāh (gnostic of God). For this reason, the Master (al-Shaykh) said: Maʿrifa begins with separation, negation, abandonment, and rejection; it deepens in all the attributes of the Real pertaining to the Essence, confirmed with ṣidq and ta'yīd, becomes immersed in them, ends in the Necessary Being, and then stops and finds tranquility. (Rawḍa, 435)
(See also: maʿrifa/maʿrifatullāh)