Types of fanāʾ (annihilation)

Fanāʾ is spoken of in three distinct senses:

1. The first—and it is the religious, lawful fanāʾ conveyed by the messengers and set down in the scriptures—is to efface oneself from everything that Allah has not commanded by doing that which He has commanded. Thus one effaces himself from worshipping anything besides Him by worshipping Him alone; from obeying anyone besides Him by obeying Him and His Messenger; from relying on any other by relying on Him; from loving anything else by loving Him and His Messenger; and from fearing anyone else by fearing Him. In this state the servant never follows his own desire apart from guidance from Allah, and Allah and His Messenger become dearer to him than all else, as He, Exalted be He, says: “Say, ‘If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, your clan, the wealth you have acquired, merchandise whose slump you fear, or dwellings you cherish are dearer to you than Allah, His Messenger, and striving in His path, then wait until Allah brings about His command’” (Qur’an 9:24). All of this falls under what Allah and His Messenger have enjoined.

2. The second fanāʾ—mentioned by some of the Sufis—is to become effaced from witnessing anything other than Allah Most High, so that one is absorbed in the One worshipped to the point of being unaware of his very act of worship,