Because the breath of the All-Merciful (al-Raḥmān) reaches all possible existents (mumkin mawjūdāt) without interruption at every moment, these existents continuously persist in their being. Possible existents exist not by virtue of their own essence, but only through the Real (al-Ḥaqq). This existence is realized by the Real's act of re-creating them at every instant. (Kāshānī, 161; Jāmiʿ, 83)
khalwa / "uzla (seclusion; also: jalwa; khalṭa; khalwat al-murīd; ḥayāt al-khalwa)
The murīd (aspirant, disciple) must possess seven qualities: ...the rectitude of will... ...seeking causes for acts of obedience... ...knowing the state of one's nafs (the lower self)... ...befriending those who know Allah... ...performing sincere tawba (repentance)... ...eating from lawful foods not opposed by knowledge... ...acquiring a righteous friend to consult.
khalwa / uzla 317 ..(The murīd) supports these seven qualities with four others, which are the foundation and pillars of his edifice. The first of these is hunger, the others are sleeplessness, silence, and khalwa. These four qualities imprison the nafs and keep it under restraint. Binding the nafs with these qualities weakens its attributes and thereby beautifies its conduct. (Kut, I, 94)
Khalwa is the emptying of the qalb (the heart) from creation, and the directing of all himma (spiritual aspiration) and gayra (zeal) to the command of the Creator. Khalwa strengthens the murīd's resolve in steadfastness, for mingling with people weakens the servant's steadfastness, disperses his himma and gayra, and weakens his intention. Khalwa reduces the servant's nafsani (egoic) desires for worldly pleasures. The servant in khalwa witnesses these much less, for the eyes are the mirror of the qalb. The afflictions of the qalb also enter through the eyes, and both shahwa (lust) and pleasures reside in the eyes. (Kut, I, 97)
Khalwa is the attribute of the people of ṣafwa (purity), while uzla (retreat) is a sign of the people of union (wuṣla). For a murīd at the beginning (bidāya) of the path, it is necessary to live apart from his peers; when he attains the station of intimacy (uns) at the end (nihāya), it is necessary for him to be in khalwa. For one who prefers uzla, the true intention should not be to be safe from the evil of others, but rather to believe that others are safe from his own evil. The second of these two options is the result of seeing oneself as lowly and insignificant; the first is the result of believing oneself to possess a virtue not found among people. One who sees himself as lowly is humble; one who believes himself superior to anyone is arrogant. (Qushayrī, 54-55)
The benefits of khalwa are abandoning distractions of the mind, and gaining mastery over the ear and eye. For the ear and eye are channels to the qalb. The qalb is a pool into which the dirty, filthy, and turbid waters of the rivers of sensation flow. The purpose of spiritual discipline (riyāḍa) is to cleanse this pool from these waters and the mud they create, so that the pool itself becomes manifest and pure water is seen within it. How can one draw water from the pool when the rivers are still flowing into it and polluting it? Thus, through riyāḍa, the pool is renewed by the reduction of excess in every state. (Iḥyāʾ, III, 94)
Khalwa is the key to proximity (qurb). O you who are silent in your khalwa, what do you say about being silent in your jalwa (public presence)? O my son, first khalwa, then jalwa is necessary. First learn to be silent, then to speak! First turn to the dominion, then to the dominated. (Fethī, 293)
Dhu’l-Nūn al-Miṣrī said: I have seen nothing that encourages ikhlas (sincerity) more than khalwa. Whoever loves khalwa has firmly grasped the principles of ikhlas and attained the pillars of truthfulness (ṣidq). Shiblī said to one who sought his advice: Cling to solitude, make people forget your name, and keep your face turned to the qibla wall until you die! Yaḥyā Muʿādh said: Solitude is the ideal of the ṣiddīqūn (the utterly truthful). (ʿAwārif, 125)
Dhikr (remembrance of God) becomes dhikr al-Dhāt (remembrance of the Divine Essence). This dhikr is witnessing (mushāhada)...