To the question "How does one attain khawf (fear) and rajāʾ (hope)?", he answered: By esteeming maʿrifa (gnosis, experiential knowledge of God) as highly as waʿd (Allah's promise concerning Paradise and blessings) and waʿīd (Allah's promise concerning Hell and punishment).
When I asked, "How does one reach the secret of regarding maʿrifa as exalted as waʿd and waʿīd?" (see waḥdat-i quṣūd), he replied: The intensity of the punishment...