المعنى الاصطلاحي :

Meanings and perceptions that pass in the heart without one's intention or effort and that do not last.

الشرح المختصر :

"Ahwāl" (spiritual states) are levels of perception that Allah creates in man's heart without affectation or pretension on his part. They determine the way one should be in terms of thinking, willing, and feeling. They are a fruit of remembering Allah or of doing righteous deeds. Some of these "ahwāl" are: mindfulness of Allah, love of Allah, fear of Allah, yearning to Allah, and others. These "ahwāl" do not last. If they do, they turn into "maqāmāt" (stations). They are called "ahwāl" because they do not persist. They could also be called "wajd" (derived from "wujood", which means existence) because they exist in the heart. If they become stronger, they may go beyond the heart and show on the senses and body parts, resulting in involuntary movements like weeping and screaming. Sufism adopts false uses of this term to indicate the gradation of the one who follows the path of Sufism from one level to another.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر :

"Ahwāl" (sing. hawl and hāl): anything that changes (from one state to another). Original meaning: the change and transformation of something.