RAS question
Sufi concept of 'fana' means:
Correct answer: (D) Annihilation of self/ego in the divine (union with God).
In Sufism, fana means the annihilation or passing away of the self and individual will in the love and realisation of God, leading towards union with God.
Explanation
Fana is a core Sufi mystical idea, not a social or political term. Britannica defines it as the complete denial of self and the realisation of God, a step taken by the Sufi mystic towards union with God. In Sufi vocabulary, the self or nafs is annihilated in the divine. The stress is on ego-loss and surrender of individual will, not on literal bodily death. This also distinguishes fana from related Sufi terms: baqa is subsistence in God after fana, sama is listening to music for spiritual ecstasy, and khanqah is a Sufi hospice.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Wealth accumulation is the opposite register: fana concerns denial of the self and earthly attachments, not the gathering of material wealth.
- (B) Physical death is too literal; fana means mystical annihilation of ego or individual will in relation to God, not bodily death.
- (C) Political power is outside the concept, because fana describes an inward Sufi spiritual state rather than authority over people or territory.
Concept
This tests medieval Indian History vocabulary around Sufi thought, especially the ability to distinguish mystical states from Sufi practices and institutions. Such terms recur because a one-word concept like fana can separate rote recognition from real understanding of the Bhakti-Sufi cultural theme.