Fana (Sufism)

Views

Similar to other Sufi doctrines, Fana is based on first-party Islamic teachings. Specifically, the Quran says:

Fana as Vision

Mystics such as Al-Junayd al-Baghdadi, Al-Ghazali and Al-Sarraj maintained that this ultimate goal of Sufism was the vision (mushahadah) of the divine.

Fana was defined by Abu Nasr as-Sarraj thus:

Al-Hujwiri states the following:

So according to these early Sufis, Fana was interpreted as a recognition of the will of God, or the abandonment of being conscious of one's self, replacing this with contemplation on God alone.

However, according to Al-Hujwiri, vision of the divine can not occur without hard work on the part of the seeker. Such vision is combined with "ilm al-yaqin", or knowledge of certainty. This station leads to "ayn al-yaqin" (vision of certainty) and then the station of "ma'rifah" (gnosis), until one arrives at haqq al-yaqin (reality of certainty), the stage of the friends of God (Wali Allah). This stage of haqq al-yaqin is what Al-Ghazali expressed as fana' kulli and fana fi al-tawhid. For Al-Ghazali, as with Al-Junayd before him, this meant recognition of God as the sole agent of the Universe. However Fana fi al-Tawhid does not mean 'fusion', 'identification', 'incarnation' etc. Rather, for Al-Ghazali, God could not be known through speculation in the manner of the philosophers, nor through the claims of union brought by al-Bistami and al-Hallaj, rather God could be known through his self-unveiling (khasf) through the personal process of observation (mushahadah).

Al-Sarraj condemned the idea of incarnation and fusion (the unionist interpretation below):

This visionary interpretation has been qualified by some thinkers as a "moderate form of Islamic mysticism", whereas the next interpretation is considered an "extravagant form of mysticism".

Fana as union

Another interpretation is that of Fana as being united with the One or the Truth. The two famous exponents of this who contended that fana is total union (ittihad) were Al-Bistami and Al-Hallaj.

The interpretation of Fana ascribed to Rumi is as follows:

When a man's 'I' is negated (and eliminated) from existence, then what remains? Consider, O denier. }}

In his book, Ain-ul-Faqr, Sultan Bahoo gives his interpretation of Fana:

Hossein Nasr holds that this interpretation is the highest spiritual truth.

Similar concepts in eastern religions

The idea of fanāʾ in Sufism has been compared to Samadhi in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Others compared fanāʾ to the Buddhistic concept of Śūnyatā "emptiness of all things" beyond reality. In contrast, according to Sufism, the reality behind the world is not emptiness, but God. However, if fana refers to the realization of no-self, then it bears strong resemblance to Anattā, the Buddhist view of no-self.Scott, D. (1995). Buddhism and Islam: Past to Present Encounters and Interfaith Lessons. Numen, 42(2), 147. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3270172 In this regard, some scholars have noted a distinction between Western and Eastern Sufism, the former focusing on love and the latter of emptiness, possible influenced by Christian and Buddhist thoughts respectively.

References

References

1. Harmless, William. ''Mystics''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008
2. Rumi, Raza. (2008-09-17). "Fana: When the ego gets annihilated".
3. Yaran, Cafer. Muslim religious experiences. Alister Hardy Religious Experience Research Centre, 2004.
4. "Fana in Sufism". Britannica.
5. "Al-Ḥallāj {{!}} Islamic Mystic, Sufi Martyr & Poet {{!}} Britannica".
6. "Surah Ar-Rahman (55), 165".
7. Mat, Ismail. "[en] The Concept of Fana'in Sufism." Islāmiyyāt 2 (1978).
8. NICHOLSON, REYNOLD ALLEYNE, ed. ''The Mathnawí of Jalálu'ddín Rúmí''. Poetry Soup. p.132, verses 2095-2096. https://archive.org/details/Masnavi1Faen
9. Clinton Bennett, Charles M. Ramsey ''South Asian Sufis: Devotion, Deviation, and Destiny'' A&C Black {{ISBN. 978-1-441-15127-8 page 23
10. Reza Aslan: Kein Gott außer Gott: Der Glaube der Muslime bis zur Gegenwart. Verlag C.H. Beck, 2006, ISBN 3-406-54487-8, p. 235 (German)
11. Scott, D. (1995). Buddhism and Islam: Past to Present Encounters and Interfaith Lessons. Numen, 42(2), 144