consists in the
development of those gifts of discrimination and ecstacy which are born
out of struggles with natural inclinations, and which then become for
the disciple stations of progress.

The Sufis possess some rules of conduct peculiar to themselves, and make
use of certain technical expressions. Of these Ghazzali has treated in
_Ihya-ul-ulum_ ("Revival of the Religious Sciences"). He speaks of the
laws regulating devotion, he explains the rules and customs of the Sufis
and the technical terms which they use. Thus the system of the Sufis,
which was at first only a special way of carrying on worship, and the
laws of which were only handed on by example and tradition, was
methodised and reduced to writing, like the exegesis of the Koran, the
Traditions, Jurisprudence, and so forth.

This spiritual combat and this habit of meditation are usually followed
by a lifting of the veils of sense, and by the perception of certain
worlds which form part of the "things of God" (knowledge of which He has
reserved for Himself). The sensual man can have no perception of such
things.

Disentanglement from the things of sense and consequent perception of
invisible things takes place when the spirit, giving up the uses of
exterior senses, only uses interior ones; in this state the emotions
proceeding from the former grow feebler, while those which proceed from
the spirit grow stronger; the spirit dominates, and its vigour is
renewed.

Now, the practice of meditation contributes materially to this result.
It is the nourishment by which the spirit grows. Such growth continues
till what was the knowledge of One absent becomes the consciousness of
One present, and the veils of sense being lifted, the soul enjoys the
fullness of the faculties which belong to it in virtue of its essence,
_i.e._, perception. On this plane it becomes capable of receiving divine
grace and knowledge granted by the Deity. Finally its nature as regards
the real knowledge of things as they are, approaches the loftiest heaven
of angelic beings.

This disentanglement from things of sense takes place oftenest in men
who practise the spiritual combat, and thus they arrive at a perception
of the real nature of things such as is impossible to any beside
themselves. Similarly, they often know of events before they arrive; and
by the power of their prayers and their spiritual force, they hold sway
over inferior beings who are obliged to obey them.

The greatest