There are a variety of words which are used in conjunction with the vocabulary of spiritual knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Among these terms are: wahiy (revelation, guidance); ma'rifa (gnosis); baqa (subsistence of the Self in the awareness of Presence), fana (awareness of the Presence to the exclusion of all else); kashf (both worldly and spiritual); maqqam (station); hal (state); ilham (flashes of insight - sometimes referred to as intuition); dreams; dhawk (tasting); ishtikhara, and discursive reason.

The hermeneutical or interpretive unpacking of these terms depends on a variety of factors, and some of these factors distort or veil understanding rather than facilitate it. The key to reliable understanding in such matters depends on Divine Grace for the kernels (Qur'an 39:9) of knowledge are possessed by Divinity and no one else, and Divinity bestows these to whomsoever He pleases, whensoever He pleases, to whatever degree He pleases.

There is, I believe, a problematic understanding among many individuals (and I have no one in particular in mind here) who suppose that suluk or spiritual travel is necessarily marked by instances of gnosis, kashf, dreams, ilham, and so on, and that such experiences provide one, at every juncture of the Path, with a clear spiritual idea of what is going on, or the direction in which one should go, or the significance of events, but I know of nothing in the Sufi literature or which I have heard from authentic shaykhs which would support such an understanding - in fact, almost the opposite is frequently the case.

Yes, there are reports by this or that shaykh, or this or that individual, that there are times when such Divine assistance comes and shows the way to go, or the meaning of things, or helps one avoid difficulties. However, it does not follow that such experiences are the rule, rather than the exception, on the Sufi Path.

Revelation did not come to every nabi, and in the absence of such revelation, although there was guidance, the guidance came as Allah wished. And, even when revelation came - such as to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) - there were many times in the lives of the Prophets when the way forward was not made clear, or no explanation was given as to the significance of events, or they were not always informed of the duplicity of the individuals with whom they were dealing (for example, during the Battle of the Trenches, the Prophet did not appear to know that people who were assigned with the task of guarding certain points of vulnerability would abandon their posts, or that when the Treaty of Hudaibiyah was signed that it would be violated), or, that the siege of the Prophet, his family, and some close Companions by the Meccans would last more than two years, or that the Prophet would be stoned when he invited the people of Taif to Islam.

The stations of repentance, longing, patience, fear, dependence, and love are filled with uncertainties, doubts, struggles, unknowns, puzzlement, trials, and challenges. The significance of dreams is not always understood and is not always correctly interpreted - even by shaykhs (and not all shaykhs are of the same caliber or spiritual capacity, although all enjoy the Divine support that will assist seekers). The hal of mis-guidance may be confused with the hal of guidance. The ilham, or flashes of intuition which come, may be fragmentary and in need of further elucidation. The arrival of essential love often marks the emergence of bewilderment. Gnosis is never all encompassing but is always a function of individual capacity together with the amount of gnosis which is poured by Divinity into the receptacle of our hearts. One can do ishtikhara and no clear indication may come.

To assume that God is going to provide one with spiritual experiences that micro-manage one's life so that one will always be in the know is not only presumptuous, but, this flies in the face of 1400 years of Islamic mysticism. Every traveler of the path (and being initiated or taking ba'yat is not the same thing as suluk, since the latter requires much more commitment and effort) will experience contraction, Dark Nights of the Soul, doubt, uncertainty, and so on. Even the Prophet (peace be upon him) went through an extended period when revelation did not come to him and, as a result, he feared that Divinity had forsaken him and was displeased with him.

It is comforting to suppose one can always know when one is confronted with a spiritual charlatan. The implications of entertaining possibilities which do not conform to such a supposition are very, very disturbing ... the implications of such possibilities leave one feeling very exposed and vulnerable.

The idea that we might not be able to differentiate between authentic and inauthentic shaykhs seems to cast either one's opinion of oneself, or one's conception of how God operates, into question. If one does not know how to distinguish between genuine and non-genuine spiritual guides, then, surely, this is a black mark on one's spiritual being, or it is to throw a critical question in Divinity's direction which asks how could a loving, compassionate God possibly leave His beloved Creation hanging in the wind - even as there is evidence all around and within us that this happens all the time, both now and in the past.

God is beyond our comprehension, and even the people of realization know only what their God-given spiritual capacity permits them to know of Divine manifestation. God understands our ways, but we do not understand the Divine Way - except if, and when, Divinity wishes to disclose this to an individual.

If for Divine reasons, Divinity does not wish us to know the true identity of a spiritual charlatan, then, we will not know. There may be many reasons why this information is hidden, and not all of these reasons necessarily reflect badly on the individual who is being kept out of the loop, so to speak.

There will be many people during the time of the final dajjal who will swear that the dajjal is a spiritual guide of the first order. There are many people today who speak about the superior qualities and knowledge of this or that alleged shaykh, and, apparently, many individuals never stop to consider the possibility that, in some cases, the latter sort of judgment is a prelude to making judgments of the former kind.

We often assume we have a certain kind of relationship with Divinity, yet, subsequent events are constantly raising questions about the character of our understanding concerning precisely what kind of relationship that is. People gain faith, and people lose faith, and no one knows whether he or she will be among the former or the latter at the time of death, or on the Day of Judgment.

Dead Zones (to borrow a phrase from Stephen King) are strewn across our lives. These Dead Zones are existential 'spaces' of unknowing, obscurity, ambiguity, and uncertainty.

We cannot traverse these territories without struggle on our part, as well as without Divine guidance, and even with guidance, we may only come to understand a small part of what is transpiring within these Ontological Dead Zones. The authentic spiritual teacher plays a key role in the absence of the physical presence of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The boundary line between guidance and mis-guidance is a constant battleground and struggle for understanding, and it is a fundamental mistake, I feel, to suppose that one always understands the precise character of that boundary line, or that God will always micro-manage one's interaction with that line, or that one always knows the difference between correct guidance and incorrect understanding with respect to that line.

Evil is not rule governed. It operates according to principles which manifest themselves in ever, new forms and guises.

One can assume, if one likes, that one understands all about evil and that evil can never ambush one or surprise one or that one always will know the face of evil when it shows up, but I think this kind of assumption is precisely the sort of approach which evil loves to attack, undermine, and throw for a loss - with adverse consequences for faith and spiritual travel.

Until Divinity comes and takes us by the hand to show us what must be done, we are stumbling about in the dark. And, unfortunately, Divinity, for Divine purposes, doesn't always take us by the hand, but, instead, lets us experience darkness and ignorance, among other things, so that we may better understand, and appreciate, light and knowledge when, God willing, these emerge.

We are involved in a dance of opposites. There will always be steps of contraction and expansion, knowledge and ignorance, jamal and jalal, and so on.

This is how faith grows. As far as I know, there are no exceptions to this. We cannot out-think Divinity. We are not quick enough, knowledgeable enough, or sufficiently capable.

We are totally dependent on Divine assistance, and when that assistance is not present, one cannot know or understand the nature of what is unfolding ontologically. No one can predict how Divine succor will be distributed or when, and the best defense against leaving oneself open for evil's attack is to learn humility that one what one thinks one knows is often not correct, and, as a result, one needs to be open to many possibilities in a way which requires a great deal of struggle and effort in order to find the appropriate spiritual line through which to proceed.