Khalwa is withdrawal into solitude for intensive remembrance and fasting, often for forty days, following the example of the Prophet’s retreats in the cave of Ḥirāʾ. It is practised under a master’s guidance. The Naqshbandīs speak also of solitude in the crowd.
Khalwa
Seclusion: a spiritual retreat, often of forty days, spent in prayer and remembrance.
Also: Khalwa, retreat