Death (ajal) will certainly come. Shawq (longing) is the qalb's (the heart's) orientation toward the unseen (that which is not presently with one). On the path of this community (the Sufis), it is established only through mushāhada (direct witnessing). In the Qur'an, the name of this malady is not mentioned.
There are three degrees of shawq: The first degree is the shawq of the ʿābid (devotee) for Paradise. This shawq is for the one who fears to find safety, for the sorrowful to find joy, and for the one with aspirations to attain their goal.
The second degree of shawq is the longing for Allah, Exalted is He. This shawq is a love that grows at the furthest reaches of ihsan (spiritual excellence). As this love grows, the qalb becomes attached to His sacred attributes, yearning to witness with the eye the subtleties of His generosity, the signs of His ihsan, and the news of His bounty. This shawq envelops the seeker in the valley of ihsan, accompanies him on his journey, and strengthens his endurance. The third degree of shawq is a fire kindled by the purity of mahabba (love). When this fire is ignited, it becomes so intense that it disrupts life and eliminates all solace. Nothing can bring this shawq to rest except union (wusla). (Manāzil, 33)
The first shawq (shawq-i awwal) ends in the Hereafter after ruʾya (the vision of God), union (wusla), and mushāhada. Its ending in this world is inconceivable. Ibrāhīm Adham was among the people of shawq and used to say: One day I said to myself, 'O Allah, if You are to grant to one of those who love You, before reaching You, something that will bring tranquility to his qalb, then grant it to me, for my qalb cannot bear it.' That night, in my dream, I saw myself standing in His presence. He said, 'O Ibrāhīm, are you not ashamed to ask Me to give you something that will bring tranquility to your qalb before you reach Me? Can the one who longs ever find rest before meeting the Beloved?' Thereupon I said, 'O Allah, I am intoxicated with Your love, I do not know what I am saying, forgive me and teach me what I should say!' He told me: 'O Allah, make me among those who are content with Your decree (riḍā), patient in affliction (sabr), and constantly grateful for Your blessings (shukr)!' Thus, this shawq is only quenched in the Hereafter.
The second shawq (shawq-i thānī) is such that it has neither an end in this world nor in the Hereafter. Its end comes only after the servant is granted the unveiling of Allah's majesty, attributes, wisdom, and acts in the Hereafter. These are known only to Allah; their not being known is itself shawq.
This is muḥāl (impossible), for it has no end. The servant knows that the beauty and majesty are everlasting, and that nothing has been fully disclosed to him, so his shawq never ceases. Especially for those who see degrees above their own, their shawq never ceases. However, these people yearn to complete their union (wusla) in order to reach the essence of union. (Iḥyāʾ, 38-39)
Of the (spiritual states), shawq is when the qalb is overwhelmed and overflows upon remembering the Beloved. (Ādāb, 21)
The nafs (the lower self) became so spiritually elated that its initial state is the divine luminous influx which the brethren call bast (expansion) and tajrīd (isolation). (Hayākil, 95)
When Antāki was asked what shawq is, he replied: 'Shawq is only felt for the unseen. Since I found Him, I have never been absent from Him. I see no reason to deny shawq, for the degrees of gifts and ihsan are among the shares of nearness (qurb), and these have no end. Thus, how can the lover deny shawq? He is not absent, nor does one feel shawq for what one has found. Rather, it is the longing for what has not been attained from the shares of nearness. If this is so, why oppose the state of shawq?'
Another aspect is as follows: A person has certain necessary tasks. These arise due to his humanity and nature, and because he cannot grasp the limits of the ruling of the state. The existence of these tasks kindles the fire of shawq within us. By shawq, we mean the inner seeking and pursuit of the highest shares of the maqām (spiritual station) of nearness (qurb). This seeking exists among the lovers, so the denial of shawq is impossible.
Shawqs surrounded him
they watched, passing the rampart
to protect him
The poet says: Shawqs (longings) surrounded this lover completely; he was affected by the states of distance (buʿd) and nearness (qurb), and in some of his states, beautiful forms from the world of similitudes manifested, so it was described as shawq. (Tercümān, 26)
Shawq reached Najd, but sabr (patience) to Tihāma
And I remained between Najd and Tihāma
In this poem, it is indicated that just as the lower and upper cannot come together, so too shawq and sabr cannot be united. I am in the isthmus of difficulties between these two. Sometimes I am at the point of sabr and must be patient, for there is no way to union (wusla).
But shawq wants me to abandon composition. Composition is this visible natural body. This body prevents the reception of the subtlety coming from the higher realm, for what is decreed...