(By Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi)

THE SAALIKEEN (Mureeds pursuing the path of moral reformation and spiritual progress) experience two kinds of conditions: Roohaani and Nafsaani. The Roohaani conditions are such attributes which remain with the soul even after death and separation from the physical body, e.g. tawakkul, sabr, shukr, ikhlaas, sidq, etc. These attributes do not weaken in consequence of the weakness of the physical body. They remain inherent with the soul after separation from the body. The Nafsaani attributes such as emotion, anger, vengeance, etc., are eliminated after the separation of the soul from the body, and they become weak with the weakening of the physical body.

Generally, the Nafsaani Haalaat occur to people of little intelligence. These conditions occur with rarity in people of perfect intelligence. The reason for this is that these haalaat require mental tranquillity (i.e. mental inactivity). An intelligent person’s mind is generally not in the state of tranquillity. Precisely for this reason did the noblest personalities of the Ummah, viz., the Sahaabah, not experience such haalaat. They were men of the highest level of intellectual perfection.

Furthermore, the Nafsaani Haalaat develop generally during the age of youth. They occur rarely during old age. However, even in the Nafsaani Haalaat there are some such spiritually subtle conditions which occur to even men of perfect intelligence, e.g. cryinHadhrat Maulana Gangohi (rahmatullah alayh) had a mureed who was maghloobul haal (a person who is overwhelmed by emotional states which are beyond his volitional control). This mureed would laugh very loudly. When some people questioned about his loud laughter (loud laughter is prohibited in the hadith), Hadhrat Gangohi said: “He is maghloobul haal.” Such states do occur to the Saalikeen. Then, they asked Hadhrat Gangohi: “Did you also experience such states at any time?” Hadhrat Gangohi responded: “Was I some moron to experience such a state?”g in profusion which even the Sahaabah experienced abundantly.

This response of Hadhrat Gangohi confirms that generally Nafsaani Haalaat occur to persons of little intelligence, and do not as a rule occur to people of intelligence and wisdom. Regarding these Nafsaani conditions Hadhrat Junaid Baghdaadi (rahmatullah alayh) said: “These are such imaginations by means of which the infants of Tareeqat (Tasawwuf) are nurtured.” These emotional states aid the weaklings. However, the Auliya had no care whatsoever for such conditions.