“Openness (bast) means spreading out, opening up, and unfolding—reaching a state of spaciousness and relief; or rising to the point of becoming a means of mercy within existence, attaining a capacity wide enough to ‘take things in’; the heart expanding and becoming joyful; and the mind reaching a level where it can solve even the most puzzling matters.”¹⁾

“The state of openness manifests as joy, happiness, and at times ecstatic overflow (shatahat), whereas qabd (contraction) comes with melodies of bewilderment, trembling awe, emptiness, and nothingness. For that reason, bast can be deceptive and even ruinous for some frail souls who have not opened to beholding the Beyond and are not yet ‘tuned’ to otherworldly realities. Similar dangers can exist in qabd too—but never as much as in bast.

For the person tightened by qabd keeps saying in the depths of conscience, ‘Hold me tight—hold me, for without You I will fall!’ And just as bodies cross gaps in the air, he crosses the void of heedless drift, joins with divine care, and—within that heavy, constricted stretch—may reach points that cannot be reached in openness.

That is why, while bast can lead some souls into negligence and slackness, qabd is regarded for almost everyone as a season of alertness and wakefulness.

Moreover, a qabd that comes from our own fault or heedlessness may be the beginning of a future bast; and a bast that leads to loose talk and laxity may, in turn, become the cause of certain dangerous qabd states…

A true believer is one who evaluates every state within its own framework and knows how to harvest its fruit.”²⁾

“In Rumi’s words, the heart is the shore of the sea that is the Divine arena of manifestation. The waves of manifestation from that sea continually strike the shoreline of the heart. They come in different forms and ‘wavelengths,’ like bands of light, and wherever they arrive they produce different effects according to their nature. Some of these waves come as manifestations of God’s noble Name al-Basit (the Expander).

Al-Basiṭ is the One Who, for whichever servant He wills, bestows His gifts and favors abundantly—granting a good life, enduring happiness, and expansive provision. Therefore, waves that come as manifestations of the Name al-Basiṭ immerse the heart in openness and inner relief.”³⁾

“God Almighty is both al-Qabiḍ (the Constrictor) and al-Basiṭ (the Expander). Even though human will has a relative role, qabd and bast ultimately depend on God’s power, will, and decree. The verse, ‘God both constricts and expands’ (2:245), expresses this truth. All existence is within His grasp: from the constellations and planets in the heavens down to the human heart—He is the One Who turns all things over as and when He wills.”⁴⁾

“Other kinds of spiritual pain are, in a sense, a Divine lash meant to train a person in patience and striving. For the people of truth consider it a well-known principle of spiritual ascent that—so that one does not fall into the pits of false security or despair—qabd and bast come to the awakened from the manifestations of Divine Majesty and Beauty, to keep them balanced between fear and hope, and steady in patience and gratitude.”⁵⁾

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