has witnessed Allah’s sustaining and governing of all things. They regard absorption in witnessing Allah’s oneness in lordship as the ultimate goal. They may call this unitive awareness, absorption, istilām, or similar names. Many shaykhs have stumbled at this point.

It was concerning “this station” that disagreement arose between al-Junayd ibn Muhammad and a group of his Sufi companions. They agreed upon witnessing Allah’s oneness in lordship—that Allah is the Creator, Lord, and Sovereign of everything—which is witnessing the divine decree. They called this “the station of unitive awareness,” because through it a person moves beyond the first differentiation: the natural differentiation that consists in desiring one thing and disliking another, and seeing this person act and that person refrain.

Before witnessing this oneness, a person sees created beings as acting, and his heart becomes scattered as he observes their various actions. He also follows his whims in what he desires. When he seeks Allah, that desire takes him beyond the desires of whim and natural inclination. Then he witnesses that Allah is the Creator of everything, and through witnessing this unitive awareness he moves beyond that differentiation.

Once they had agreed upon this, al-Junayd ibn Muhammad explained to them “the second differentiation,” which follows this unitive awareness: differentiation according to the revealed law. Do you not see that you desire what you have been commanded to do, and do not desire what you have been forbidden? You witness that Allah alone deserves worship, and that worshipping Him consists in obeying His messengers. Thus, you distinguish between what is commanded and what is forbidden, and between His allies and His enemies, and you witness that Allah alone is to be worshipped. They disputed this “differentiation” with him.