In Sufi literature, many words have been devoted to describing spiritual states, one of which is `pain', a word that has been given various meanings.

First of all, it must be made clear that `pain' is a psychological force existing within the Sufi. This force guides the Sufi to perfection and to the perception of Reality. This is the meaning of the term when used to describe various states in such expressions as the `pain of seeking', the `pain of love' and the `pain of God'.

Another meaning of pain refers to the pain of `separation from the Beloved', where the one in pain, in separation, seeks union and cure. As Baba Taher expresses it:

One person is content with pain, another with cure;
One is content with union, another with separation.
I am content with whatever the Beloved desires,
Be it cure or pain, union or separation.

True lovers prefer the Beloved's desires to their own, being content with whatever the Beloved desires-"be it cure or pain, union or separation."

Another meaning of pain, the one closest to its common usage, refers to a state causing sadness and suffering. This kind of pain is not present in pure Sufis, for they have no desires and are content with whatever contents God. Thus, the Sufi is always joyful; the one who is truly a Sufi has no reason to be sad. Anyone who is sad and behaves as if he is suffering has not comprehended the true meaning of Sufism, which is surrender to God.

In the words of Hafez:

If there is any profit in this marketplace,
it is with the contented Sufi.
O Lord, grant me the blessing
of Sufism and contentment!

Finally, `pain' has also been employed in yet another context, that of the `pain without cure', an expression certain Sufis have taken to mean love. As Rumi says:

O love, you're known to everyone
under a different name;
Last night I gave you another name,
that of the 'pain without cure'.

In our view, love cannot be said to mean pain without cure, for the love-crazed heart becomes linked to the spirit of unity by the grace of love, which is the commander of the forces of the realm of unity. Hence, insofar as love distances the Sufi from multiplicity and created beings, it constitutes pain for him, while at the same time, by conveying the Sufi to unity and God, it becomes a cure. Thus, love is both pain and cure.