Those seekers who fully support and ardently believe in the Oneness of Allah, affirm and identify themselves with the theory that there is no god except Allah. Their hearts are absorbed in the Reality; and thus placed, they practise self-abnegation. Very unobtrusively and uncommunicatively they visit remote places and delve deep spiritually in quest of the Divine knowledge. But they know no rest, nor do they settle down at a particular place as an evidence of inertia. Abdul Latif says: “these lovers cut themselves into two halves from their shoulders downwards, (i.e. they resort to extreme piety and austerity and are always ready to sacrifice their life. This results in self-abnegation.)
Note: (1) Verses No. 7 to 10 refer اولياءَ الله the friends of Allah who are prompt in the performance of their duties and who are ever ready to lay down their life for the sake of Allah.
The verse No. 8 seems common to the Prophet and the friends of Allah.
(2) Shariat means the knowledge of the Quran, tradition and ijma. Conformity of actions therewith is sine -qua- non for a Muslim.
Tariqat means self abnegation to the exclusion of all worldly desires. It aims at seeing with an inner light.
Maarfat means knowledge of the Divine mysteries and secrets.
Hakikat means knowledge: (a) about Allah that He is Matchless, lmmanent etc. (b) about Allah’s attributes that He hears and sees everything, and (c) about Allah’s potentialities that He creates, fosters and attends to every creature till his death.
The last three stages are complementary to the first stage of Shariat which can not be by-passed.

Seekers severed keep repeating,
The be no other God save Him,
Their souls united in spiritual traits,
With care they tread the sacred ways,
To seek eternal abode with knowledge rare,
No rest they know nor idle sit,
Their being in non-existence reversed.

Slain by the Oneness they chant that there is none but God,
Hearts absorbed in Haqeeqat*, they measure Tariqat*
With silence of Maarfat, they search far places,
Lateef says, the lovers chop off their heads right from their shoulders.

* Here the poet is referring to various stages of Sufi discipline, which are:
1. Shariat: the Islamic Jurisprudence based on Quran and Hadith. This is the first stage of pilgrim's progress.
2. Tariqat: the Divine path.
3. Ma'arifat: The Divine knowledge.
4. Haqeeqat: Reality at the stage, the Sufi seeker of God, becomes one with God.