How can we get rid of the spiritual distress called qabd (contraction)?

- Does everybody enter the state of qabd?

- Can we get rid of it by repeating the name of Allah, AL-QABID?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The state of qabd (contraction): As a Sufi term, qabd, which means convulsion, restrain and compaction, is the opposite of “bast (expansion)”, which means spreading out, opening up, feeling relieved. Qabd is a spiritual state corresponding to the state of fear (khawf). It is accepted that it is Allah who creates this state of distress in man. As-Sarraj defines those two terms as follows:

“Qabd and bast are two sublime and spiritual states peculiar to arifs (spiritually knowledgeable people). When Allah squeezes them, this state becomes effective in preventing them from some of the permissible things and foods, such as eating, drinking and having fun. And when He opens the hearts of arifs, He returns those permissible things back to them by undertaking to protect them. Qabd is such a state of the arif that there is no suitable place left for him in this state other than marifatullah (knowledge of Allah).” (Kitab al-Luma’, ed. Nicholson, p. 342).  (Kitabul-Luma’, published by Nicholson, p. 342).

The term for qabd in medieval Christian mysticism is the French word “desolation”. It lexically means ruin, devastation, great sorrow, great distress. (İ. Hami Danişmend, Grand Dictionnaire Francais Translation., Istanbul nd. I, 361).

AL-QABID: It means that Allah is the supreme being who takes everything under His infinite power, encompasses and grasps everything with this power, and keeps everything under His command. Praying with this name is certainly beneficial for a person in a state of qabd.

The states of qabd and bast lexically mean spiritual distress, contraction and expansion, distress and relief. Badiuzzaman Said Nursi explains those states in Kastamonu Lahikası as follows:

“...And the other spiritual pains are a divine whip to accustom them to patience and struggle because so as not to fall into the vortex of safety and despair, in order to be patient and thankful in the balance of fear and hope, the states of qabd-bast going to the people of insight from the manifestation of jalal (majesty) and jamal (beauty) is a famous maxim - a maxim of progress - according to the people of truth.”

Let us explain the statement above a little: some of our spiritual troubles are divine whips given by Allah Almighty to accustom us to patience and struggle with the nafs (soul). If we focus on the expression whip here, a whip is used to move a creature that has become lazy and sluggish. In the same way, a person who is lazy and in a state of monotony is whipped by those states of qabd and bast, and is encouraged to be serious in his duty.

However, at this point, the phrase “the vortex of safety and despair” in the statement above should not be overlooked. The state of safety should not be a consequence of the state of bast. In other words, the comfort that follows hardship should not harm the seriousness of the duty. However, the believer should not fall into despair as a result of the state of qabd because, as our poet of independence puts it, “Despair is a hindrance to every good deed.” Every achievement is blocked by despair.

Those states occur due to the manifestation of the names of Jalal and Jamal of Allah Almighty. Disease is the result of the manifestation of the name Shafi of Allah Almighty; similarly, distress is the result of the names of Allah Almighty such as ad-Darr = the Distresser (a name of Jalal), and the state of comfort and breadth is the result of the names of Allah Almighty such as al-Wasi = the All-Encompassing (a name of Jamal).

It is necessary to make it a habit to walk around with wudu, and to read the Holy Quran and Jawshan frequently in order to get rid of this state.

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