or whether it is united with the other or not, it makes no difference. Thus, along with this need and upon this need, there is a bestowal and an ihsan (spiritual excellence).
Isar (selfless preference) without delicacy and need is when the servant is characterized by the divine names in the matter of akhlaq (moral character), and when the Real (God), in His descent, is characterized by the attributes of beings. (Futūḥāt, II, 176)
Isar means preference. Its first subtlety is to prefer others to oneself in matters that are not forbidden. Its second subtlety is to prefer Allah's riḍā (contentment with God's decree) over the contentment of others, even if it would lead one to attain the stations (maqām) one seeks. The third is to prefer Allah. Then, it is to abandon seeing one's own isar. After that, it is to be absent even in this abandonment, so that one does not see that one has abandoned isar. (Rawda, 484)
The essence of isar in moral character is to prefer others to oneself while one is in need. Bi