Shawq
Definition
Shawq is the burning yearning of the soul for what it loves but has not yet fully attained — in the spiritual context, the deep ache of the soul that loves God and longs for greater nearness, greater intimacy, and ultimately the encounter of the afterlife. Al-Ghazali describes shawq as one of the sweetest and most painful experiences on the spiritual path: sweet because it is evidence that the heart has been opened to divine love; painful because the distance between the present state and the longed-for union is felt acutely. The mystics consistently describe shawq as the fuel of the spiritual journey — it is what keeps the seeker moving when the path is long and the destination invisible.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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