Dear W,
You ask me what I think of the process leading to illumination and whether it requires isolation or some form of suffering.
First, I must tell you that if you choose to believe there is a path to walk, then there are as many paths as there are pilgrims. Each of us is unique within the One. It’s important not to try to imitate others and to trust the journey Life takes through us. I know it’s more comfortable for the mind to rely on others’ experiences, but we must accept moving forward in faith without a precise idea of how things will unfold.
I say this in case you insist on believing there is a path to follow. A path implies distance, and thus separation. Yet you’ve read in the Quran the verse: ”We are closer to man than his jugular vein”. So there is no distance separating you from where you wish to be. Separation is an illusion created by the mind. I prefer to speak of awakening, for as a prophetic hadith says: ”People are asleep, and when they die, they awaken“.
The death that leads to awakening need not be physical. It can occur during life, as in the other hadith: ”Die before you die”. You’ll have understood, dear W, that this death refers to the ego. The ego is that entity which believes itself separate from all around it, when in reality, all is One.
To be frank with you, I don’t believe we attain illumination. It is the ego that wants to become enlightened — yet it is precisely the ego that blinds you to the fact that you are already light. Consider this analogy: Each of us is like an ice cube floating in water. The water represents divine presence, for God is everywhere, and we cannot exist outside of what is everywhere. The ice cube is made of the same substance it floats in, but because it has a solid form, it mistakenly believes itself to be different.
Over time, the ice melts until it dissolves completely into the water. Its nature hasn’t changed — it was always water; only its form shifted. The same is true for us: We are already light, for it is said we were created by God in His image, and the Quran states that God is ”the Light of the heavens and the earth“.
There is nothing to attain, only to uncover what is veiled by our false beliefs — like dust covering the mirror of our soul, preventing it from reflecting the light within.
And if you cling to the idea of a path, let it be a path of love, walked in the company of the Beloved. The ego is fixated on gaining something for itself, but we were created to live a relationship of love with the Creator, as in this sacred hadith: ”I was a Hidden Treasure and loved to be known, so I created creation that they might know Me“.
Whatever happens on this path, since you are with the Beloved, everything takes on a unique flavor. Even in hardship, His love is there to console you. But don’t focus on suffering — focus on love, and you will live it.
Don’t seek to know in advance what you’ll go through. Let the Beloved surprise you. With Him, it’s better to surrender control, like a dancer trusting her partner to lead.
All that is asked of you is to never doubt His constant presence beside you and to feel the inner caress of the breath that expresses His presence within you. This is the meaning of the verse: ”Remember Me, and I will remember you”. A seed planted in the earth doesn’t struggle — it simply receives nourishment from the soil, rain, and air. Your thirst for truth, love, and freedom will do the rest.