[It is] the fire of God, kept kindled,That is, it will not die down through consuming the skin and flesh, but [will go on burning] until its heat reaches the very hearts.Fire is of four kinds: the fire of lust (shahwa), the fire of wretchedness (shaqāwa), the fire of alienation [lit. being cut off, qaṭīʿa], and the fire of love (maḥabba). The fire of lust consumes acts of obedience (ṭāʿāt), the fire of wretchedness consumes the profession of God’s oneness (tawḥīd), the fire of alienation consumes hearts, but the fire of love consumes all fires. It has been related of ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn y that once he entered a cave with some of his companionsand found a woman alone there. He asked her who she was, and she answered, ‘I am one of God’s bondswomen. Get away from me so that this love (ḥubb) does not leave me!’ Then ʿAlī asked her, ‘What is love?’ She replied, ‘It is too hidden (akhfā) to be seen and too evident (abyan) to be concealed. Its concealment within a person’s interior is like the concealment of fire within a stone. When you strike it can be seen but when you leave it alone it remains hidden. Then she started to recite the following:Verily the lovers are preoccupied with their Master,Like the young men of the Cave, they know not how long they tarried! His words, Exalted is He:
asked her, ‘What is love?’ She replied, ‘It is too hidden (akhfā) to be seen and too evident (abyan) to be concealed. Its concealment within a person’s interior is like the concealment of fire within a stone. When you strike it can be seen but when you leave it alone it remains hidden. Then she started to recite the following:Verily the lovers are preoccupied with their Master,Like the young men of the Cave, they know not how long they tarried! His words, Exalted is He: