A seeker wrote,
‘My routine is to shut the eyes and contemplating about the Entity being named in the form of light, sometimes being attentive towards the qalb, imagine the voice emanating from it of the Supreme Name: ALLAH. Mostly it is audible (with jahar) especially when ecstatic. At that time it is audible without my volition.

Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) replied,
همجنين ميرو كه زيبا مي روي
Indeed, confining (The Entity being remembered) intentionally in the form of light though without belief (‘eiteqad) is detrimental.

The seeker continued,
‘The count (of dhikr) twelve thousand is completed every day.

Sometimes a ecstatic state is felt in various parts of the body and I feel like letting out a loud noise. Occasionally this happens during salah.

At other times there is no (unusual) state felt.

Often the remembrance of Allah is replacing the mental speech (hadith e nafs) until I sleep. However, this vanishes while talking and interacting with others.

In remembrance (of Allah) the perfect imagination does not stay for long at one level. The desire (for perfect, sustained and prolonged imagination) remains.

Hakim al-Umma replied,
‘These changes of states are from the norms. Do not pay attention to them. However, it is essential to inform your mentor about them regularly.’

Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 3, page 92