Baqa (بقاء) is subsistence in God after the annihilation of the nafs — the salik returns to the world of khalq (creation) but now abides through divine attributes rather than personal ones. Al-Junayd of Baghdad insisted that the complete spiritual realization requires both fana and baqa: annihilation without reconstitution is incomplete, for the servant must return to fulfill their role as khalifah (vicegerent) in the world. Annemarie Schimmel in Mystical Dimensions of Islam describes baqa as 'living in God' — the Sufi sees with God's sight, hears with God's hearing, as expressed in the hadith qudsi of voluntary devotions. Baqa is the most demanding station because the one who has tasted fana must now walk among forms while knowing their transparency.