Nearness means that a man transcends his corporeality to acquire perfect spirituality and proximity to God. Although some interpret nearness as the proximity of God to His servants, this is not true. God is actually near to His servants but not in terms of any quantity or quality whatsoever. Nearness in the terminology of Sufism pertains to and is acquired by 'mortal beings' created in any phase or part of time and undergoing different forms and stages of existence. God's nearness to His creatures or making them near to Him is eloquently summed up in the illuminating Divine declaration
"He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and is moreover firmly established on the Throne (of authority). He knows what enters within the earth and what comes forth out of it what comes down from heaven and what mounts up to it. And He is with you wheresoever ye may be. And Allah sees well all that ye do. (Chapter Hadid, .4)
The nearness mentioned in this verse is not the particular nearness acquired through belief and good deeds; it is God's being near to His servants, His being nearer to them than their selves, including every created thing or being, whether it be a living or non-living one, a believer or unbeliever, or a good or evil one.
While the general nearness God's nearness to the creation encompasses every thing and every person, the particular nearness depends on belief and can be acquired by doing whatever God has decreed as good and right. This is the particular nearness to the Almighty of those who have discovered the way of nearness and, having entered the corridor leading to eternity, reach every morning and evening with a new deep dimension of belief, and are included in the meaning of
“For Allah is with those who restrain themselves and those who do good” (Chapter Nahl, 128) .
Those who have obtained this rank recite "(Moses said: "By no means! my Lord is with me! Soon will He guide me! (Chapter Shuara, 62) " while breathing in, and "If ye help not (your Leader) (it is no matter): for Allah did indeed help him: when the unbelievers drove him out: he had no more than one companion: they two were in the cave and he said to his companion "have no fear for Allah is with us": then Allah sent down his peace upon him and strengthened him with forces which ye saw not and humbled to the depths the word of the unbelievers. But the word of Allah is exalted to the heights: for Allah is exalted in might Wise. (Chapter Tewbe, 40) " while breathing out.
In the particular nearness, consciousness of belief and perfect goodness has the same worth and significance as light in seeing and soul in a body. Doing both the obligatory and supererogatory religious duties with this consciousness is like wings of light to rise toward the 'skies' of infinitude. The safest and the most acceptable and direct of the ways leading to nearness to God is doing the obligatory religious duties. And one can acquire true nearness and the rank of being loved by God Almighty through supererogatory religious duties, which have no limits and show one's loyalty and devotion to God. A traveler to God finds himself in new corridors leading to eternity on the wings of supererogatory duties and feels that he is rewarded with new Divine gifts. This causes him to be more desirous to do the obligatory duties and more zealous to do the supererogatory ones. Every seeker awakened to this truth feels in his conscience that God loves him proportionately to his love of God.
As it is declared in a sacred hadith, the hearing, seeing, holding and walking of such a person started to happen in a special kind of living.
In other words, nearness with obligatory duties is another rank for man's attaining to the degree of being loved, being one of the people whom Allah likes and pleased about them, nearness with supererogatory religious duties is the degree of the attribute of one's behaviors to Lord that is a special kindness and honor mentioned in the verse:
“It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah: when thou threwest (a handful of dust) it was not thy act but Allah's: in order that He might test the believers by a gracious trial from Himself: for Allah is He who heareth and knoweth (all things).” (Chapter Enfal, 8/17)
It is will be a mistake to explain nearness which is a special favor, with deeds and behaviors of man by neglecting the point of favor. Nearness is the deed of His Greatness and a dimension of His Compassion, remoteness is the hole of our situation, reality and emptiness. The writer of Gulistan said:
“My friend is nearer to me than myself, how strange that I am remote from him. What can I do and say that my friend is near me but I am a way from him.” By saying so he explains beautifully that to whom nearness and remoteness belongs to.