He establishes intimacy (ünsiyet kurar); the one who establishes intimacy (with Him) becomes enraptured (with His love); the one enraptured (with His love) yearns (for Him); the one who yearns (for Him) becomes mad; the one who becomes mad is mocked; the one who is mocked attains union (with Him); the one who attains union (with Him) becomes one (with Him); the one who becomes united (with Him) comes to know Him; the one who knows Him draws near to Him; and the one who draws near to Him never finds rest—he is surrounded by the lightning of sorrow.
In the beginning, I was mistaken about four things: I thought that I was the one who remembered Him, knew Him, loved Him, and desired Him. When I reached the end of the path, I saw, O muhibb (lover),
that His remembrance preceded my remembrance, His maʿrifa (gnosis, experiential knowledge of God) preceded my maʿrifa, His maḥabba (love) preceded my love, and His will preceded my will.
For the muhibb (lover), there are seven fears, each more intense than the last, which are considered nothing by those who have attained the maqām (spiritual station). The first is the fear of being turned away. Greater than that is...