One establishes intimacy; the one who establishes intimacy (with Him) becomes enraptured by (His) love; the one enraptured by (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) (becomes radiant); 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.
The meaning of the letter ‘ayn in the word ‘arafa (he knew) is like that of ‘alima (he knew). It means: he recognized Allah’s majesty, greatness, exaltedness, and knowledge. When the nafs (the lower self) of the ‘arif (the one who knows) beholds His majesty, it submits; when it recognizes His greatness, it becomes humble; before His exaltedness, it is annihilated. The meaning of the letter rā’ in the word ‘arafa is as follows: Allah’s lordship…