Man could attain such nearness to God and be the nearest to...

That is, man can always get nearer to God through recommended prayers.[^8] Obligatory prayer is possibly done on account of fear of hell and the divine wrath, but the optional prayer is a sign of love and the secret of love to the Worshipped Being { ma‘bud }. The degrees of proximity {qurb} The term “ darajat ” {degrees} has been mentioned frequently in the Qur’an and it has appeared with diverse interpretations—a fact which elicits subtle points.

For some, the Qur’an states: “For them, there are degrees.” [^9] For others, however, it says: “They (themselves) are degrees.” [^10] It is like the case of great figures who even if they sit at the lower section of an assembly, that section can become “high”; they are themselves makers of degree and rank, and are not subject to degree and station. This spiritual ranking is not exclusive to human beings; for, there is also hierarchy among the angels.

The Qur’an thus says regarding Jibra’il (Archangel Gabriel) ( ‘a ): “One who is heard and trustworthy as well.” [^11] In any case, the degrees of human beings in obedience to God are not similar: Sometimes man obeys { muti‘ }, but not out of pleasure. At some other times, he obeys { muti‘ } as well as loves { muhibb }; that is, he obeys God based on love and affection.

“I do not see anything except God, before it, after it and with it.”[^12] We have to love God for the sake of God It is said that in order to test the loyalty of his courtiers, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznawi set out with a caravan and placed an unlocked container of jewelry on a camel. Along the way, they reached a valley. He roused the camel and thus the container turned upside down and the jewels fell into the valley.