O Lord! Increase light within me and give me light and illuminate me. - Abu Talib al-Makki

Gnosis means the vision of God, for when the eyes of the soul is stripped of all the veils which hindered it from seeing God, then it beholds the reality of the Divine Attributes by its own inner light, which goes for beyond the light which is given to perfect faith, for gnosis belongs to a sphere quite other then that of faith. Hence, there is no distinction between love of God and knowledge of God.

The servant does not attain to assurance of the doctrine of the Unity except by means of gnosis.

Asceticism concerns the soul for the next world. True asceticism means the thrusting out from the heart of all worldly thoughts reckoning them as vanity. It leads ultimately to friendship with God.