On the Mureed and the Murad

As for the seeker [murid] and the one who is sought [murad], the seeker is someone who has all this within him, and who fits this description, so that he is always dedicated to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), engaged in worshipful obedience to Him, indifferent to anyone but Him, and responsive to no one but Him. He listens attentively to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), so he acts in accordance with what is in the Book [of Allah] and the Sunna [the exemplary practice of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)], while he remains completely deaf to everything apart from that. He sees by the light of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), so he sees nothing but His action at work, on himself and on the rest of His creatures. He is blind to everything else, for he sees none other than Him (Almighty and Glorious is He) as an effective cause [fa‘il] in reality. He regards anything else as merely an instrument and a means [sabab], that is moved, managed, and put to use [by His action].

The servant does not experience love until he becomes a seeker, and he does not become a seeker until his commitment to the search is absolute. His commitment to the search does not become absolute, until the firebrand of reverent awe [jamrat al‐khashya] has been cast into his heart, and has burned everything it contains.

– Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth, Ch. 15