From Hal - Momentary Epiphany or States of Grace to Al-Halim, the Divine Quality of Tranquility

The mystics say, "God never reveals Himself / Herself twice in the same manner." As God is Unique, each of His / Her expressions, epiphany is unique.

In his book titled "The Sufi Book of Life", Neil Douglas-Klotz wrote, "Suddenly, without warning, an expanded state of awareness can come upon us. Many people have experienced this when walking in nature, being in love or playing a sport. If we shrug off this experience or push it away, we've missed a door into another world."

In reality perhaps in that moment we may miss a particular Wajh or 'Face of God' in which He/She wishes to Reveal Itself to us, an unique and supra-limited edition of Self Disclosure of God, so to speak.

The classical Sufis called this momentary epiphany by the name of hal. They distinguished these "states of grace" from the awareness that we gain by effort or practice (which are called maqam or stations). However, the division is not so neat. Something that passes away may be just as valuable as what remains, if it shows us a new possibilities or unties the knots of the moment. The eleventh century Sufi Al-Qushayri compared these states to:

First, flashes of lighting

          from an unknown horizon,

then rays of light

          showing the path ahead

finally light all around,

          the full brilliance revealed

only to those who

          turn their senses within.

Al-Halim 

Al-Halim is a Divine Name, one of the Beauteous Names of God in the Abrahamic Tradition. Traditionally Al-Halim is translated as "Forbearing" and "Clement." Its main root is with the word hal, which can mean an accommodation for something, a tent or a spiritual state. A spiritual state can hold us and release us; its nature is to come and go. A state that descends upon us in tune with the purpose of our lives can free us from a rigid view of who we think we are.

Al-Halim (pronounced as AAL HA-LEEM) is the Great Stillness, the Cosmic Stillness.

The Name Al-Halim, and each Name of God being a Pathway that leads to a particular aspect of the Reality, reveals a part of our inner being through which the Holy One dissolves tension and frees us from our conceptions of the past. This is why the mystics, sufis emphasise unlearning.

Those who are full of information and useless knowledge but never applies them in their life, those who don't internalize or practice - are compared with donkey who carries book at its back in the Qur'an (Surah 62:5).

We seek refuge from God the All Powerful from being included among such category of people. There is no power and transformation except by and with God. La haowla wa la quwwata illa bi-Llah.

What we need is not more information, but a deeper knowledge of ourselves. And if our way of knowing ourselves is faulty, all the teachers and books in the world can't help us.

Perhaps life is calling you, us, me right now to relax into the Divine Hands that can loosen the knots in your, our, my muscles, whether emotional, physical, mental or psychic. These hands can knead forever. All we need is to remember that they are always there, ready and waiting.

Sami Allah Huliman Hamida - the Beloved Listens Ever So Intently. Ever so readily ready to lend His Hand to us.

Perhaps you and me are called upon to release and forgive another person. 

In one of his poems, the twentieth-century Sufi Samuel L. Lewis recounts a vision of the heaven of Isaac, over the doorway of which was written, "ABANDON TENSION ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE."

To become a person of Paradise on this very earth which was Paradise (Our Original Home) before and will be transformed into a Paradise again, its important we strive to abandon all tension, worries and elements of bondage that binds us and become worthy of those who shall be invited to enter the Garden, the Paradise again. It requires unlearning of all that robs us from the innocence of trust and faith in God, which is birthright of all children of God.

Ya Halimu, Ya Halimu, Ya Halim - O The Most Clement, The Most Serene, The Most Kind and Gentle - please guide us towards dissolving all tensions and worries and ropes and chains until they all dissolve and fall away and we return to tranquility and serenity which comes from You alone, Ya Halimu, Ya Halimu, Ya Halim. O Beloved God, please grant tranquility and serenity in our hearts and minds.


So Be It.




# Reference:

Adopted from THE SUFI BOOK OF LIFE by Neil Douglas-Klotz