For the forgetting of māsiwā (everything other than Allah) to be possible, what is required is tawḥīd-i shuhūdī (witnessing the oneness of God). Moreover, it is within the realm of possibility that a sālik (spiritual traveler) may traverse the path from bidāya (beginning) to nihāya (end) and yet never manifest any of the sciences or maʿrifa (experiential knowledge of God) of tawḥīd-i wujūdī (the oneness of being) within himself, or even reach a point where he denies these sciences altogether.
According to this humble one, the path of the person whose sulūk (spiritual journey) is possible without the manifestation of these maʿrifa is shorter than the path of the one whose sulūk is accompanied by the manifestation of these maʿrifa. Furthermore, most sāliks on this (shuhūdī) path reach the sought-after goal, while most sāliks on other paths remain stranded along the way. These latter ones see but a drop from the ocean, fall into the illusion of union with the shadow instead of the real, and thus are deprived of this union. I too have understood this matter through various experiences. Allah is the One who inspires what is right. Although this poor one’s journey was along the second path and he derived much pleasure from the manifestation of the sciences and maʿrifa of tawḥīd-i wujūdī, his state was encompassed by the fanāʾ–baqāʾ (annihilation and subsistence in God) of the Real.
Because the ināya (divine favor) of Allah was all-encompassing and the journey was a journey of love (maḥbūbī), by His help and ināya, he crossed the valleys and deserts of this path, surpassed the stages of shadows, and, again by the tawfīq (divine enablement) and help of Allah Most High, reached the ultimate goal.
However, when he became qualified for irshād (spiritual guidance) and began to interact with those seeking guidance, he saw that the other path was closer to union and easier to attain. Praise be to Allah, who has guided us to this hudā (guidance); had it not been for His hudā, we would not have found this path. Our Lord’s messengers have brought the truth. (Maktūbāt, 1, 287)
Note: It has been established through investigation that although existents are many and everything other than Him exists, the realization of fanāʾ and baqāʾ, and the attainment of minor and major walāya (friendship with God), are possible.
Fanāʾ (annihilation) is not the absolute negation or eradication of everything other than Allah, but rather its forgetting. The requirement of fanāʾ is not that māsiwā ceases to exist or is reduced to nothing, but that it is seen as lost. Although this statement is apparent, it has remained hidden from many of the khawāṣṣ (spiritually elite). What, then, of the common people? For they have mistaken tawḥīd-i shuhūdī for tawḥīd-i wujūdī, and have made the maʿrifa of waḥdat al-wujūd (unity of being) a condition of the tariqa (Sufi path). As a result, they have considered those who believe in the multiplicity of existence as both misguided and misguiding. Indeed, the majority of them have thought that the maʿrifa of the Real is exclusive to tawḥīd-i wujūdī, and have imagined that witnessing unity in the mirrors of multiplicity comes from perfection in this matter. (Maktūbāt, I, 288)
Fanāʾ occurs when duality is eliminated in the very essence of aḥadiyya (absolute oneness), and all forms are completely effaced. This is the station of maḥbūbiyya (belovedness). This occurs as follows: At the beginning (bidāya), fanāʾ is from habits and customs by conforming to commands. At the stage of abwāb (doors), it is fanāʾ from natural, egoic states through luminous and heartfelt states. In muʿāmalāt (interactions), it is fanāʾ from human acts through the help of divine acts; in akhlāq (character), it is fanāʾ from egoic faculties through divine attributes; in taṣīl (attainment), it is fanāʾ from desiring anything other than God by seeking His will and desire; in adwiya (remedies), it is fanāʾ from formal sciences and rational wisdoms in exchange for divinely inspired knowledge and wisdom; in aḥwāl (spiritual states), it is fanāʾ from attachment to and love for created things for the sake of the love (maḥabba) of the All-Merciful; in walāya (friendship with God), it is fanāʾ from attributes by turning towards the Essence; in ḥaqāʾiq (realities), it is fanāʾ from forms without even being aware of the luminous selfhoods that necessitate duality, together with the hidden baqāʾ of baqāʾ. This is the station of khulla (intimate friendship). (Jāmiʿ, 300)
Some have said regarding fanāʾ: Fanāʾ is the removal of bad qualities. Others have said: Fanāʾ is to become annihilated from things just as Moses—upon him and our Prophet be ṣalāt (blessings)—became annihilated when the Lord manifested Himself to him on the mountain. Others have said: Fanāʾ is the removal of the pleasures of this world (dunyā) and the hereafter, except for Allah. (Nabhānī, I, 236)
Some have said that baqāʾ means the persistence of praiseworthy qualities after the removal of blameworthy ones, while others have said that baqāʾ, contrary to fanāʾ, occurs in a station where the Real does not veil Himself from creation nor creation from the Real. For the one who possesses it, the Real veils him from creation. (Nabhānī, I, 237)
Absolute fanāʾ (fanāʾ-i muṭlaq) is when the command of Allah Most High overwhelms the servant. Thus, the existence of the Real dominates the existence of the servant. This is divided into two: outward fanāʾ (fanāʾ-i ẓāhir) and inward fanāʾ (fanāʾ-i bāṭin).
Outward fanāʾ (fanāʾ-i ẓāhir) occurs when Allah manifests Himself through His acts and takes away the servant’s will and volition, so that he sees no act from himself or others except from Allah. Whoever deals with Allah, Allah suffices him. I have heard that some in this station of fanāʾ did not eat or drink for days until Allah caused them to eat and drink as He wished and loved. By my life, this is fanāʾ, for by observing Allah’s acts, one abandons the acts of all others, thus becoming annihilated from both himself and others.
Inward fanāʾ (fanāʾ-i bāṭin), on the other hand, sometimes occurs through witnessing the attributes, sometimes through witnessing the traces of the Essence’s majesty. Thus, the command of Allah Most High overwhelms his inner being, so that nothing remains to cause doubt or whisperings. The loss of the senses is not a requirement of fanāʾ. It is agreed that although the loss of senses may be observed in some individuals, it is not a condition of fanāʾ. (Nabhānī, I, 395)
The perfection (kamāl) of iḥsān (spiritual excellence) is to purify one’s actions from seeking reward, ulterior motives, or ostentation. This is the meaning of ikhlāṣ (sincerity). The perfection of iḥsān is attained only by witnessing the Divine Presence in all acts of worship with the light of insight... This iḥsān is the iḥsān that is realized for the continuity of the state of presence, which is the persistence of servitude without the onslaught of stray thoughts and without attachment to others. According to them, this presence is the connection that reaches the Prophet and is called ḥaqq al-yaqīn (certainty of truth), and in reality, the attribute of the sālik is interpreted as fanāʾ in the attribute of the Real and its baqāʾ, not only in knowledge but also in witnessing and in state. (Bughyat, 26)
Fanāʾ of the servant’s attributes (fanāʾ-i ṣifāt al-ʿabd) is the disappearance of bad qualities and the persistence of good ones. Whenever the servant is annihilated from bad qualities, praiseworthy qualities manifest in him. Contrary to what those who fall into the pit of ittihād (union) and stray from the right path imagine, what is truly annihilated in the servant is not his essence but his attributes. (Bughyat, 26)
Fanāʾ is truly difficult. For one in whom fanāʾ has not become established is at risk of falling into the pit of ittihād. For on the path of fanāʾ, the sālik may encounter harm and distress. Only the insight of knowledge that accompanies him on his journey can save him from that state. Otherwise, he will follow the path of those who are destroyed.
Fanāʾ is used in three senses: fanāʾ-i wujūd al-siwā (annihilation from the existence of māsiwā); fanāʾ-i shuhūd al-siwā (annihilation from witnessing māsiwā); and fanāʾ-i irāda al-siwā (annihilation from desiring māsiwā).
Fanāʾ-i wujūd al-siwā (annihilation from the existence of māsiwā) is the fanāʾ of those who are established in waḥdat al-wujūd (unity of being) such that nothing else remains. The aim of the gnostics and sāliks is to find fanāʾ in absolute unity and to negate all increase and multiplication of existence in every respect. Thus, he sees no otherness at all. Rather, he sees the existence of the servant as identical to the existence of the Lord. According to them, in reality, there is neither Lord nor servant. The fanāʾ of this group is to witness all existence—which is Allah, whose existence is from Himself—on account of there being two existents, the possible and the necessary. They, mah...