It is the maqām (spiritual station) of those who are from the class of the muqarrabīn (those brought near) in a special sense. Their fear does not arise from seeing things obtained out of concern for punishment, but from knowing the attributes because of the One who possesses the attribute. (Küt, I, 241)
Qabḍ (constriction) and basṭ (expansion) are two ḥāl (spiritual states) that the servant attains after passing through the maqāms of khawf (fear) and rajāʾ (hope). The khawf of the novice murīd (aspirant, disciple) entering Sufism corresponds to the qabḍ of the ʿārif (gnostic), and his rajāʾ corresponds to the basṭ of the ʿārif.
The difference between qabḍ and khawf, and between basṭ and rajāʾ, is as follows: Khawf is related to a matter concerning the future. That is, it arises from the anxiety of missing something desired in the future or being exposed to an undesirable situation. The same applies to rajāʾ: it is hope regarding something desired to be attained in the future, or the wish for something undesirable to be removed, or for an unpleasant situation to end.
Qabḍ, on the other hand, is related not to the future but to a meaning occurring at the present moment. The same applies to basṭ. While the possessor of khawf and rajāʾ is in these two ḥāl, his qalb (the heart) is concerned with the future. The possessor of qabḍ and basṭ, however, is a captive of his moment due to the wārid (spiritual influx) that dominates and rules him at that time.
Moreover, the qualities of qabḍ and basṭ vary according to the different ḥāl of the Sufis. For example, some wāridāt (inspirations) require the state of qabḍ, but since the state of qabḍ is not complete and perfect, the sālik (traveler) in this state may also be occupied with things outside of qabḍ. Some sāliks in the state of qabḍ, however, cannot be concerned with anything other than the wārid that caused them to enter the state of qabḍ while in the state of khawf-rajāʾ. For this reason, the sālik is in a state of complete absorption with the wārid that comes to him. (Qushayrī, 35)
Khawf is the lamp of the qalb by which good and evil are seen... Khawf is not to excuse oneself with things like 'Asā... (perhaps)', 'Sawfa... (will, shall)'. The fear of Allah is a dominion that does not reside anywhere but in the qalb of the muttaqī (God-conscious) person. (Qushayrī, 65)
When khawf settles in a qalb, it burns the shahawāt (desires) found there and drives away the greed for the dunyā (worldly life). It is said: Khawf is the strength of knowledge regarding the manner in which divine decrees operate. It has been said that khawf is the movement of the qalb in the face of the ʿaẓama (majesty) of Allah. Abū Sulaymān Dārānī said: 'What befits the qalb is only the dominance of the state of khawf within it. If the state of rajāʾ dominates, the qalb becomes corrupted.' (Qushayrī, 66)
Rajāʾ is the qalb's concern with something that may be attained in the future. Just as khawf is related to the future, so too is rajāʾ hope for something to be attained in the future. The life and independence of the qalbs are through rajāʾ.
The difference between rajāʾ and tamannī (wishful thinking) is as follows: Tamannī leads a person to laziness and does not lead to striving and gayra (effort). The state of the possessor of rajāʾ is the exact opposite. Thus, rajāʾ is good and praiseworthy, whereas tamannī is bad and ugly.
Among those who spoke about tamannī, Shāh Shujāʿ Kirmānī said: 'The sign of rajāʾ is obedience performed in a beautiful manner.'
Ibn Hubayk also said: Rajāʾ is of three kinds: A man performs a good deed and hopes for its acceptance from Allah. A man commits a bad deed, then repents and hopes to attain forgiveness. The third is the liar, who persists in sin and says, 'I hope to be forgiven.' For those who know their nafs (the lower self) to be evil, the state of khawf should dominate over the state of rajāʾ.
It is said: Rajāʾ is to trust in the generosity of Allah, the Most Generous and Most Loving.
It is also said: Rajāʾ is to see majesty with the eye of beauty.
It is narrated that rajāʾ is the nearness of the qalb to the gracious treatment of the Exalted Lord.
It is said: Rajāʾ is the qalb's rejoicing in the beauties of the hereafter.
It is also said: Rajāʾ is to look upon the vastness of Allah's mercy. (Qushayrī, 68)
Dhū'n-Nūn al-Miṣrī said: Tawba (repentance) is of two kinds: tawba of ināba (returning) and tawba of istijāba (being answered). The tawba a servant makes out of fear of Allah's punishment is the tawba of ināba; the tawba made out of shyness from Allah's generosity is the tawba of istijāba.
The tawba of fear arises from the unveiling of majesty; the tawba of shyness arises from the witnessing of beauty. Thus, one is burning in majesty due to the fire of his fear, while the other is shining in beauty due to the light of his shyness. For this reason, one is in the intoxication (sakr) of this, while the other is in the awe (dahsha) of that. The people of shyness are those of sakr; the people of khawf are those of sobriety (ṣaḥw). (Hujwīrī, 356-357)
Allah, Exalted is He, has said: 'They fear their Lord above them...' (al-Naḥl 16:50). Khawf is to withdraw from feeling secure regarding the matter of the Hereafter and the reckoning, by reflecting on the news concerning them, and to avoid becoming complacent. There are three degrees of this: The first degree is fear of punishment. This is the khawf by which iman (faith) is valid, and it is the khawf of the common people. This khawf arises from affirming the threat (of punishment and Hellfire), remembering one's sin, and considering the outcome.
The second degree of khawf is, while in the state of yaqaza (wakefulness), to fear falling into error regarding the flow of breaths in the state of absorption (istighrāq), and to fear stifling the sweetness (ḥalāwa) derived from absorption.
In the maqām of the elite, there is not the dread of khawf, but only the hayba (awe) of majesty. This is the highest degree indicated regarding the aim of khawf. Thus, the state that opposes the one who is a possessor of unveiling (kashf) during times of munājāt (intimate supplication) is hayba. It protects the one in the state of witnessing (mushāhada) during times of companionship (with the Real), in the state of direct perception.