It is its fruit. This is when the servant, seeing that he subsists with his Lord, the Ever-Sustaining (al-Qayyūm), becomes annihilated from every form, and becomes absent from himself, since he used to consider himself self-subsisting. This also means that the servant is freed from the intoxication of perceiving his own works and from the stain of concealing (his acts of worship). This state is the disappearance of the Sufi ḥāl (spiritual state). The malāmatī is one who is at the station of ikhlas (sincerity), but cannot grasp the reality of ikhlas. This is the clear distinction between the malāmatī and the Sufi.
The necessary duties of the sufiyya (the Sufis) are to preserve the state of union (jamʿ) within their inner worlds (bāṭin), and to remove inner confusion by eliminating division. For they, in relation to the rūḥ (the spirit), have attained the state of union, and have become united through the bond of divine intimacy. Through the witnessing of hearts (qalb), they have joined hands, and in order to adorn the nafs (the lower self) and purify the qalb, they have stationed themselves in spiritual outposts (ribāṭ). For this reason, they must be those who are in harmony and who love one another (one who loves).
Abandoning affectation (takalluf) is part of Sufi akhlaq (ethics). Takalluf means to act artificially, to perform deeds with difficulty, and to incline, in performing deeds, toward the desires of the nafs for the sake of people. This state is contrary to the state of the sufiyya (i.e., not acting as they do). Some forms of takalluf imply objection to divine decree (qadar) and lack of riḍā (contentment with God's decree) regarding God's determination. However, it has been said that Sufism (taṣawwuf) is to abandon takalluf. It is also said that takalluf is to fall behind, that is, to fall short of the goal of the truthful (ṣādiqūn).
The sufiyya have no fixed number; they increase and decrease. They possess noble character (makārim al-akhlaq). It is said: one who is ahead of you in akhlaq is also ahead of you in Sufism (taṣawwuf). Their station is to unite upon a single heart by abolishing the three "yā's" (by). They never say "mine," "according to me," or "my property." That is, they attribute nothing to themselves. In other words, apart from what belongs to Allah's creation, they possess nothing of their own. While acknowledging that what is in the hands of people belongs to them, they also recognize that whatever is in their own hands is, in the same way, something that distances from Allah; thus, in this station, they do not seek ownership. This group, in cases deemed necessary, are those from whom miraculous states (karāmāt) are manifested involuntarily, in order to establish a proof related to the religion and its soundness. (Futūḥāt, II, 19; Nabhānī, I, 46)
sufi-mutaṣawwif-mustaṣwif/sufiyya
We have seen similar groups in the debates of philosophers. Among them are those who perform these extraordinary acts just as they do ordinary acts. For them, this is not extraordinary. For the common people, things at the level of the ordinary are considered extraordinary. Just as we and all living beings walk on the earth, they walk on water and in the air. Generally, in this matter, except for the malāmī and the fuqara (dervishes), there is no need for a specific intention or presence. For each of the malāmī and fuqara does not walk, take a single step, or even sit without intention and presence, because it is not known where Allah will seize His servants. (Futūḥāt, II, 19)
The qurrāʾ (reciters) are the people of Allah and His chosen, leading individuals. They have no fixed number. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The people of the Qur'an are the people of Allah and His chosen ones." Those who are people of the Qur'an are those who preserve it by acting upon it. They memorize its verses and act upon them. Mūsā Dili said that he did not die without expounding the Qur'an (bayān). One whose character is the Qur'an is among its people, and the people of the Qur'an are among the people of Allah, for the Qur'an is the speech (kalām) of Allah. His kalām is His knowledge, and His knowledge is His Essence. Sahl ʿAbdullāh Tustarī attained this station at the age of six. For this reason, his beginning on this path was the prostration of the heart (qalb). Many of Allah's exalted and long-lived friends (awliyāʾ) died without attaining the state of prostration of the qalb, even though they realized the station of walāya and were steadfast in it, without ever knowing that the qalb could prostrate. When the qalb comes to prostrate, it never lifts its head from prostration. The prostration of the qalb is to remain steadfast (thabāt) upon that single station which is above them and the source of many stations. (Futūḥāt, II, 22-23)
They see all acts as belonging to Allah. They never attribute any act to themselves. From them, ostentation (riyāʾ) is removed in an instant. If you ask them about something that the people of the tariqa avoid, they will say: "Do you supplicate to other than Allah?" They are truthful.