ii. i.
'Ilm is alight from the candle of prophecy in the heart of the faithful slave whereby he gaineth the path —
(a) to God. (b) to the work of God. (c) to the order of God.
'Ilm is the special description of man; from it, is excluded the understanding ot his sense, and 'akl (reason).
'Akl is a natural light, whereby becometh distinguished good from evil. The 'akl that distinguisheth between the good and evil: —
(a) of this world is an 'akl that belongeth to the kafir as well as to the faithful.
(b) of the next world is an 'akl that belongeth only to the faithful.
'Ilm is special to the faithful; 'ilm and 'akl are necessary for each other.
The eye of 'akl (of the next world) is luminous with the light of guidance; and anointed with the kuhl of the sharfat. In its essence, it is one; but it has two forms.
(a) One in respect of the Creator. Its meaning is the 'akl of guidance, special to the faithful.
(b) One in respect of the created. Its meaning is the 'akl of livelihood.
For people of faith and for seekers of God and of the next world, “ the 'akl of livelihood” is obedient to “the 'akl of guidance.”
Whenever these two 'akls agree, they credit “the 'akl of livelihood; ” and according to exigency act: whenever they disagree, they discredit it, and to it pay no attention.
Thus, to the seekers of God, the man of this world ascribe weak 'akl. He knoweth not that outside their 'akl is another 'akl.
'Ilm is of three kinds: —
i. 'ilm-i-tauhid, knowledge of the unity of God.
ii. 'ilm-i-ma'rifat, knowledge of the work of God, in respect of annihilation, creation, propinquity (to God), distance (from God), making alive, and putting to death.
iii. 'ilm of the orders of the shari'at, of orders and of prohibitions, in respect of dispersing, assembling, reward, punishment, and other things.
Each one of these three paths hath a separate traveller. The traveller of (a) the first path is the “ sage of God.” In his 'ilm, are, without opposition, included the other two 'ilms.
(b) the second path is the “ sage of the next world.” In his 'ilm, is, without opposition, included the 'ilm of the shari'at.
(c) the third path is the “ sage of this world.” Of the other two 'ilms, no knowledge is his.
If he had possessed it, he would have brought it into use. For the decline of good deeds is the result of defect of faith. If he had had his heart with God; and belief in the next world, he would not have passed below the doing of good deeds.
The sages of God have, with reason and conviction, faith in the unity of God; in the next world; and in the work of God.
Obedient to the orders of Islam, are:— the first ones (near to God), and the Sufis.
The sages of the next world, despite their belief in the next world, have a share (as much as is needed) of the knowledge of Islam; and employ it. They are:—
(a) the abrar (the pious). (b) the companions of the right hand.
The sages of this world have no share at all except the outward knowledge of Islam, which they have gained by being taught. What they have learned, they use not. Through defect of faith, they are not secure from passing into deeds, prohibited and detested. They are:—
(a) the companions of the left hand. (b) the wicked ones of men.
(c) the sages of sin, upon whom have descended threat upon threat of God's wrath.
In the account of the mi'raj1 (the night-ascent to the highest heaven), it is said of Muhammad: —
I passed by a crowd, whose lips they had cut with fiery scissors. I asked saying:— Who are ye? They cried: - We are those who ordered for goodness, and prohibited from badness; and yet to badness we ourselves proceeded. (Hadis.)
Better than the sage of God and of the next world, is none; worse than the sage of this world, none. (Hadis.)
Than 'ilm, when they seek it for God's sake, naught is more profitable; when for the world's sake, naught greater loss.
'Ilm is like to victuals that essentially have, as regards the healthy, whose temperament is firm and quarters of the body free from humours, the power of nutrition; and that are, as regards the sick, whose temperament is declining and quarters of the body filled with humours, the source of disease.
In its own nafs, 'ilm is a useful food, the cause of the expanding of nafs and of the heart, on the condition,—
that the follower is not infirm of desire, and of temperament; nor in love for the world; nor a turner from God.
When the temperament of the heart turneth in love to the world; and the parts of existence become filled with low humours, 'ilm becometh the cause of increase of desire, of pride, of haughtiness, of hate, and of the rest.
For the destruction of this great deceit, there is naught: (a) save when that 'ilm, which is the guide of salvation, becometh the cause of destruction. (b) save when that sage by whom the captives of the leader of desire gain freedom, becometh foot-bound in the snare of desire.
In nafs profitable 'ilm —
increaseth piety;
inflameth the fire of love and desire;
increaseth humility;
increaseth non-existence.
It is the aid of life; its severance from the heart is putting to death. Thus have spoken Fath-i-Musili and Amiru-l-Muminin, 'Ali.
In nafs, noxious 'ilm increaseth— pride. haughtiness. presumption, desire for the world.
Profit from 'ilm appeareth to that one, who displayeth the service of resolution, not the following of license as Abu Yazid-i-Bistami hath said.
In the midst of men the existence of the sage of God is God's best favour; his being hidden, the absence of God's favour, and the source of the darkness of kufr and of error.
in. i.
Ma'rifat signifieth the recognizing of the abridged 'ulum (knowledge) in detail: — 'ilm-i-nahw: —
is the knowing how each agent (of word or of meaning) acteth. ma'rifat-i-nahw: —
is the recognising of every agent in detail, at the time of reading, without either delay or consideration and its use in its place.
ta'rif-i-nahw: — is the recognising of the agent by thought.
To be careless of this (despite the 'ilm-i-nahw) is a blunder.
The ma'rifat of God is dependent upon and bound up with the ma'rifat of the nafs. Ma'rifat of God signifieth:—
The recognising of the nature and the qualities of God in the form of detailed circumstances, of accidents, of calamities, after that it shall (in the way of abridgment) have become known that He is the True Existence and the Absolute Agent.
The possessor of the 'ilm-i-tauhid seeth in the form (of details, of dreams, and of state) : —
of loss, the causer of loss, who is God;
of profit, the causer of profit, who is God;
of prohibition, the causer of prohibition, who is God;
of gift, the causer of gift, who is God;
of contraction, the causer of contraction, who is God;
of expansion, the causer of expansion, who is God.
And recognizeth them without delay; him, they call Arif.
If at first he be careless of ma'rifat, and soon present (alive to it) becometh; and in the form of different powers, recognizeth the Absolute Agent, — him, they call Mutaarrif.
If he be wholly careless, and (despite his 'ilm) recognizeth not God in form, in means, in links; and to means assigneth the effects of deeds — him, they call: sahi, negligent; or ghafil, careless; lahi, playful; mushrik, secret believer in partnership with God.
For instance, if he explaineth tauhid (the unity of God) and in its sea immerseth himself— and another, in the way of denial, refuseth him, saying: —
Not the essence of hal is this speech; 'tis the result of thought and of consideration.
he grieveth and becometh angered.
He knoweth not that his grieving is a proof of the truth of the denier's speech; otherwise he would have recognized the Absolute Agent in the form of this denial; and against the denier would not have gathered anger.
In ma'rifat of nafs, every unapproved quality (which is known by abridged 'ilm) at the time when at the very beginning in nafs, it appeareth, he recogniseth and as to it exerciseth caution, — him, they call 'arif: otherwise mutaarrif or ghafil.
If in detail the abridged 'ilm he knoweth not,— him, they call ghafil (careless). To him, this 'ilm is a source of loss.
If by 'ilm, he knoweth that pride is a blameable quality in nafs; and when in nafs this appeareth, he fleeth into the screen of humbling himself — so that, recognising this quality in himself, his nafs may not again be with outward pride.
This, they call the ma'rifat of nafs. The portion of — (a) the 'arif, is riza (agreement) with God's decrees. (b) the muta'arrif, is patience in respect of God. (c) the ghafil, is detestation and perturbation. The ma'rifat of God hath degrees: —
i. every effect that he gaineth, he knoweth to be from the Absolute Agent (God).
ii. every effect that appeareth from the Absolute Agent, he knoweth to be the result of a certain quality of His.
iii. in the glory of every quality, he recogniseth God's purpose.
iv. the quality of the 'ilm of God, he recogniseth in his own ma'rifat; and expelleth himself from the circle of 'ilm, of ma'rifat, and of existence.
Greater the degrees of propinquity (to God), — more apparent, the effects of God's grandeur.
By ignorance2 'ilm is generally acquired; the ma'rifat of subtlety becometh greater; astonishment on astonishment increaseth; and from the 'arif ariseth the cry-Increase in me astonishment at Thee.
This is all the 'ilm of ma'rifat, not ma'rifat; because ma'rifat is a matter of rapture the explanation whereof is defective, but its preface is 'ilm.
Then without 'ilm, ma'rifat is impossible; 'ilm without ma'rifat, disaster.
'Ilm and ma'rifat have some forms. i. 'ilm-i-ma'rifat. ii. ma'rifat-i-'ilm. iii. 'ilm-i-ma'rifat-i-ma'rifat. The last form is the perfection of form.
IV. i.
In the opinion of Sufis, hal signifieth a hidden event that, from the upper world, sometimes descendeth upon the heart of the holy traveller and goeth and cometh, until the divine attraction draweth him from the lowest to the loftiest stage.
Makam signifieth a degree of the Path that cometh in the way of the holy traveller's foot; becometh the place of his staying; and declineth not.
Hal (which relateth to the zenith) cometh not in the traveller's sway; in its sway, is the traveller.
Makam (which relateth to the nadir) is the place of the traveller's sway.
The Sufis have said: —
The hal is a gift (mauhab) ; the makam an acquisition (kasb).
Void of the entrance of hal, is no makam; separate from union with makam, is no hal.
As to hal and makam, the source of contention of holy shaikhs is that some call this hal; and some makam. For all makams are at the beginning hal, and at the end makam, as:—
tauba, penitence. muhasiba, calling one's self to account. murakaba,3 fearful contemplation.
Each one is at the beginning a hal in change and in decline; and when by propinquity to kasb (acquisition), it becometh makam, all the hal are lightened by makasib (acquisitions) and all the makam by mawahib (gifts).
In hal, the gifts are outward, the acquisitions inward: in makam, the acquisitions are outward, the gifts inward.
The shaikhs of Khurasan have said: — Hal is the heritage of deeds.
Hence the word of 'Ali ibn-i-Abi Talib:—
The path of union with hal (which through superiority relateth to the heavens) ask not of me.
The makams are: —
tauba, penitence, sabr, patience,
zuhd, austerity, and others.
These are the means of the descent of hal.
Some shaikhs urge: —
(a) that hal is that which findeth neither resting nor confining. Like lightning it appeareth, and effaced becometh. If it be left, it becometh the hadisu-n-nafs.
(b) that so long as it is not left, it is not hal. Because resting demandeth permanency; that which like lightning flasheth and expireth is not truly hal.
This is the religious order of Shaikh Shahabu-d-Din-i-Sahrwardi.
It is said that if hal be left, it is not the source of hadisu-n-nafs. Its source is a weak hal, which, at the time of glittering, strong nafs seizeth; to nafs, strong hal never becometh accustomed.
Every event that like lightning glittereth, and in hal expireth, — they call in Sufi idiom
la'ih, evident;
lamih, glittering;
tali', arising;
tarik, exploding;
badih, apparent.
Its manifestation is followed by concealment. Thus hath said Abu 'Usman Hairi.
This hinteth at perpetual riza (contentment), and doubtless riza is of all hals then perpetual hal is unnecessary for hadisu-n-nafs.
Is the amending of a makam (which is his foot-place) before ascending to a higher stage, possible or not?
Junid hath said: —
Possible it is before the first hal is finished for a slave to advance to a higher hal. Thence he gaineth information of the first hal and amendeth it.
Abdu-l-lah Ansari hath said: —
Impossible is the amending of any makam till from a higher makam the holy traveller looketh into the lower makam, of it gaineth information, and it amendeth.
Shaikh Shahabu-d-Din-i-Sahrwardi hath said: —
Impossible is advance to a higher makam before amending the makam (which is his foot-place). But before advancing, there descendeth from the higher makam, a hal whereby his makam becometh true. Hence his advance from makam to makam is by God's sway and of His gift— not of his own acquisition.
So long as from the low to the lofty, advance approacheth not; from the lofty to the low, no hal descendeth.
In the Hadis, is the imputing of the slave's approach to God; and of God's approach to the slave.
I. 2.
The 'Ulama of Sufism who through being detached from affairs, have gained union with the wine of 'ilm; the step of whose souls and hearts hath become firm; the eye of whose vision by the light of beauty of eternity without beginning hath become anointed, — know, see and find by the path of 'ilm-i-yakin, established proof, of kashf (revelation), of seeing, of zauk (delight), and of wajd (ecstasy).
Witness, do they bear that no person nor thing is worthy of being worshipped save the one God, the God of unity, the Eternal, pure (void) of parent, of offspring, of aid; pure (void) of resemblance, of equal, of wazir and of counsellor.
Neither in opposition to His order, is an opposition; nor in the government of His realm, an enemy.
Ever is described His ancient existence by unity; and known by singularity.
Expelled from His holiness and purity, are the qualities of accidents, — of form, similitude, union, separation, association, descent, issue, entrance, change, decline, alteration, and translation.
From the understanding of the reading of men's thoughts, the perfection of His beauty and the beauty of His perfection (un-connected with the beauty of His singularity) — free; from the trouble of the clothing of zikrs, the grandeur of His eternity — free.
In description of Him, narrow is the power of the warriors of the plain of eloquence; in praise of Him, lame is the foot of the chiefs of the plain of ma'rifat.
Than the offering of the senses, than the discussion of conjecture, loftier is the column of understanding Him; of the passing of imaginings and the happening of understandings, void is the honour-plain of His ma'rifat.
In the beginning of His ma'rifat, is no guide save astonishment and perturbation to the pure ones of Lordship, who are at the limit of reason; in the splendour of the light of His grandeur is no path save blindness and ignorance to the vision of the possessors of Sight.
If thou say: — He hath created His abode, — where? The answer is: — (In the place of)— He. If thou say: — (Visible) to the eye, brought He time,— when? The answer is:— (At the time of)— He. If thou say Resemblance and sufficiency made He— how? The answer is: — (By means of) — He.
No limit hath He. Within this limit, are comprehended — eternity without beginning and eternity without end; folded in the fold of His plain, are existence and dwelling (the universe) ; in His beginning, all beginnings — the end; in His ending, all endings, the beginning; in His outwardness, the outward manifestation of things, the inward; in His inwardness, the inward parts of worlds, the outward; in His eternity without beginning, the collection of eternities without beginning only an accident (hadis) ; in His eternity without end, all eternities without end, only an event (muhdas).
From whatever is contained in reason, in understanding, in the senses, in conjecture, — exempted and free is the nature of the Lord.
For these all were muhdasat (accidents); save understanding muhdas (accident), muhdas can do naught.
The argument of His existence is His existence; the proof of His witnessing is His witnessing.
Naught save the beauty of eternity without beginning is the bearer of the beauty of eternity without beginning. In this stage the limit of understanding is weakness.
To the substance of the understanding of Wahid (unity of God), save Wahid-no muwahhid (professor of unity) can reach.
Where his understanding is ended, there is the limit of his understanding not of Wahid (God).
Who considereth Wahid comprehended in his knowledge, is verily deceived and presumptuous.
Tauhid is the negation of separation; and the affirmation at the limit of collection.
In the beginning of the tauhid of hal (mention whereof will presently be made), this description is necessary.
But, possibly, at its end, one in separation may be immersed in collection; and in collection, the spectator (with the eye of collection) of separation— as each collection, or separation, is not a forbidder of the other. In this is the perfection of tauhid.
Tauhid hath degrees: — i. tauhid-i-imani, the tauhid of faith. ii. tauhid-i-'ilmi, the tauhid of knowledge. iii. tauhid-i-hali, the tauhid of hal. iv. tauhid-i-ilahi, the tauhid of Godship. Tauhid-i-imani is: —
When (according to the urgency of the order of Kuranic verse 'and of the Hadis) the slave verifieth to his heart, and confesseth with the tongue, as to the singularity of the description of Godship and to the unity of rights of the adored Lord.
This tauhid is the mukhbir (news-bringer) and the belief of sincerity is the kha-bar (news). Profit from outward 'ilm and holding thereto is freedom from open partnership; turning in the thread (entering the circle) of Islam giveth profit.
Through necessity, with muslims, Sufis believe in this tauhid; but, in other degrees, are separate. Tauhid is:—
An 'ilm of benefit from the heart of 'ilm which they call the 'ilm-i-yakin (the knowledge of certainty).
This 'ilm-i-yakin is such that, in the beginning of the path of Sufism, the slave knoweth, from the desire of yakin (certainty), that the true existence and absolute Penetrator is none save the Lord of the world.
In His zat (nature) and qualities, effaced and naught he (by 'ilm) regardeth his own zat and qualities.
The splendour of every nature, he recogniseth from the light of Absolute Existence; and every ray, from the light of the quality of the Absolute (God).
When he gaineth:— Thus for all qualities and deeds.
This degree is of the first degrees of tauhid of the man of speciality and of Sufism; its preface is joined to the column of tauhid-i-'amm; and the semblance of this degree, those short of sight call tauhid-i-'ilmi, but verily it is the tauhid-i-rasmi, mutilated of the rank of credit.
This tauhid-i-rasmi is such as a person, with desire of intelligence and of understanding, might through reading and hearing, conjecture as the meaning of tauhid. In his mind, a rasm (impression) of the form of 'ilm-i-tauhid becometh painted; thence, in the midst of argument, — since, in him is no effect from the hal-i-tauhid— he uttereth brainless words.
Tauhid-i-'ilmi, although it is a low degree of the tauhid-i-hali, wherefrom fellow-traveller with it is a temperament:
“ Its temperament is one of tasnim, a fountain wherefrom those near to God drink,” is the description of the wine of this tauhid.
Hence, its possessor is often in zauk and joy; because, by the effects of the temperament of hal, some of the darkness of his impressions becometh lifted. As in some changes, he worketh according to the demand of his own 'ilm, and bindeth up, in the midst, the existence of causes which are the links of the deeds of God; but, in many a hal, by reason of the residue of the darkness of existence, he becometh veiled from the demand of his own 'ilm.
In this tauhid, some of the hidden shirk (the giving companions to God) departeth.
Tauhid-i-hali is when the hal of tauhid becometh the necessary description of the nature of the muwahhid (professor of unity).
Save a little residue in the superiority of the rising of the light of tauhid, all the darknesses of impressions of His existence vanish, and, in the light of his hal, veiled and included (like to the being rolled together the light of the constellations and the light of the sun) becometh the light of 'ilm-i-tauhid.
an 'ilm; a kudrat; a desire; a hearing; a seeing — he knoweth them to be the effects of: an 'ilm of God; a kudrat of God; a desire of God; a hearing of God; a seeing of God.
In the stage of existence, in viewing the beauty of the existence of Wahid (unity), the muwahhid becometh so immersed in jam' (union) that, in the vision ot his witnessing, naught cometh save the nature of the qualities of Wahid — so much so that he regardeth tauhid the quality of Wahid not his own quality. This (act of) regarding (of his) he regardeth His quality.
In this way, his existence falleth like a drop in the power of the dashing waves of the ocean of tauhid; and in jam' (union) becometh immersed.
The source of: — (a) tauhid-i-hali is the light of manifestation. (b) tauhid-i-'ilmi is the murakaba (fearful contemplation).
By tauhid-i-hali, (like to the light of the sun in whose superiority of manifestation, most parts of darkness rise up and disappear from earth's surface) become repulsed many of the impressions of humanity.
By tauhid-i-hali most of the hidden shirk (giving companions to God) ariseth (to disappear); and from the truth of pure tauhid (wherein all at once the effects and the impressions of existence vanish) to the special muwahhids in the hal of life sometimes the flash like unto flashing lightning becometh bright, and immediately is extinguished.
The residue of other circumstances aideth; in this state, the residue of hidden shirk becometh wholly repulsed; outside this degree of tauhid, is possible no other
By tauhid-i-'ilmi (like to the light of the moon in whose manifestation, parts of darkness become repulsed and some are left), become up-lifted (to disappear) some of the impressions of humanity.
The cause of existence of some of the residue of impressions in tauhid-i-hali is this:—
On the muwahhid's part not possible is the issuing of the arranging of deeds and the purifying of words; for this reason in the hal of his life, the right of tauhid (as is necessary) becometh not discharged.
Tauhid-i-ilahi is: —
That whereby in the eternity without beginning of eternities without beginning by His own nafs, not by the tauhid of another, — God is ever described with singularity and qualified with praise.
Now, in praise of eternity without beginning He is wahid and one; and thus, to the eternity without end of the eternities without end, is.
So that to-day it became known that in His own existence, the existence of the beauty of things vanish.
For the veiled ones, is the promise of beholding this hal (of God) till to-morrow (the judgment-day). But for the Lords of vision and for the companions of degree.
beholding (who have obtained freedom from the restricted places of time and of abode), this promise is cash indeed (immediate).
The honour of His singularity and the wrath of His unity gave not power in His existence, to other existence.
The right of tauhid is this: this is the tauhid that is free from the reproach of defect.
By reason of defect of existence, the tauhid of angels and of man is defective. Thus, Shaikh Abu 'Abdu-l-lah Ansari hath said.
I. 10.
The preface to pure 'ilm is true faith.
So long as increase of faith descendeth not into the stages of the hearts of will, the kafila of 'ilmu-l-yakin (the knowledge of certainty) taketh not down its chattels of staying in the heart; the treading of the path by verification and by seeking the traces of the prophets, is impossible save by the foot of faith and of submission and by the guide of love and of reverence; and the effort in desire of advance, without preserving one's self from sin by the rope of God and by the sunnat of prophecy, is error and disaster.
If, with the foot of defective reason and understanding, a person wisheth to advance from the abyss of ignorance to the summit of 'ilm, although he may put forward great effort, he seeth himself in the end, at the first place, momently descending into degrees of loss.
For when the path with lofty degrees becometh closed, and yet the motive of desire is left, — nafs turneth to decline and rolleth about in the seventh hell to the lowest of the low.
As to the hidden world and the circumstances of the next world (as by the Kuran-i-Majid, and by the Hadis of prophecy have arrived), it is incumbent on every one to have faith—
In the torment of the grave, in the questioning of munkir and nakir, in the assembling and dispersing, in the account and the balance, in the bridge and sirat, in paradise and hell, in the issuing of nations (through the intercession of the prophet) from fire.4 and, not with weak reason and fine understanding, to begin for one's self upon its interpretation; and not to wander about the sufficiency and the wherefore.
Because in respect to 'ilm-i-imani (the knowledge of faith), the limit is not the degree of human understanding. In it, even the prophets have not exercised power.
What from revelation they have seen, in it with certainty, they have had faith the faith, which (from the prophets) to the hearts of nations (according to their purity) hath reached.
Reason hath a limit beyond which when it passeth, into error it falleth.
The limit of the five senses is: — When things felt by them are apparent and existing, as things seen, things heard, things smelt, things tasted, things touched.
[A short fragment following this list, appearing in the source scan as "-d" and "its entering," could not be reliably reconstructed and has been omitted.]
When out of these something issueth and the understander is in his senses, true is the understanding of it: —
When he perceiveth something not existing (as things comprehended by the distraught),— not true is the understanding of it.
The limit of khiyal (fancy) is: —
When, after effacement, it regardeth things comprehended of the outward senses. When it passeth its limit and trieth to comprehend things not perceived, — the fancy is error.
A person heareth the name of one whom he hath never seen; he evoketh a form purely imaginary. When the hidden becometh present, the imaginary form may, or may not, be concordant with his (real) form.
The limit of wahm (imagination) is—
When out of a form of things perceived he gaineth in part a sense of things not perceived; as a sheep from seeing the wolf comprehendeth the sense of enmity not perceived.
When he transgresseth, and imagineth things sensible and spiritual, he falleth into error.
Thus he cannot imagine ruh (the soul) merely from the form of the body as to its separation, its issuing, its union. He cannot find the limit of the world of bodies.
When beyond it he beginneth imagining, he falleth into error.
The limit of 'aki (reason) is:—
the understanding of the world of hikmat; no path into the world of kudrat is its.
The world of hikmat signifies: —
The existence of cause. For to a cause, the absolute Wise One hath bound every existing thing in the world of dominion and of witnessing (the world material); and by means of that cause, hath caused to pass the sunnat (the creation of that existence)— not in this sense that, without that cause, existence is impossible in God's power. For the arrangement of the world of hikmat, God hath joined existence to cause. Guardian over the world of hikmat, they have made reason; to it not true (is) a power in the world of kudrat (the creating of something without the means of a cause).
Whenever out of the world of kudrat, he heareth something, he saith it is not reasonable; or ordereth as to its alteration.
He knoweth not that — not inexcused is what is un-reasonable.
Not reasonable, is the existence of the child. Without the seed of the father, the acceptance of it by the mother, its settlement in the womb, and the passing of the appointed time in the world of hikmat — it existeth not.
[A short fragment reading "nearness, farness" appears in the source scan at this point; its connection to the surrounding sentence could not be reliably reconstructed and it has been omitted from the main text.]
But, in the world of kudrat, it is possible and doth occur. As the existence of Adam, of Hawwa (Eve), of 'Isa (Jesus).
When to the world of kudrat, reason findeth no path, and desireth sway in it, — it falleth into error.
To explanation, he hasteth saying, the meaning is such and such.
Verily the imputation of ignorance he accepteth not; and knoweth not whence is the source of error. If in his own limit (the world of hikmat) he had stood, into this error he would not have fallen; evident it would have been that from the garment of hikmat one cannot find the world of kudrat save by faith.
Possibly if words like these reach the ear of hypocrites, they will in the way of jest laugh at the speaker's reason; and name it delirium.
No knowledge have the helpless ones. At them, the man of vision and the Lords of explanation look with pity; and, at the lowness of their reason and at the poverty of their understanding, laugh. Like a captive, they are in the world of hikmat veiled from the world of kudrat.
Like this is the confining of the embryo in the narrow place of the womb. If, by chance, to it a person were to say: —
Outside the narrow place of the womb is another world, a great space, a great breadth, a sky, a land, a sun, a moon, and other things.
Never would the imagining and the reasoning of it appear true save by faith.
Even so the dwellers of the narrow world of hikmat cannot save by faith gain the circumstances of the world of kudrat until man's soul from the narrow place of the womb of the world of hikmat cometh to the space of the world of ghaib and of kudrat; or by the death of nature and of will which they call “ the second birth,”5 even as 'Isa hath written.
Before faith, whatever they have accepted, only by the eye, they see; so long as the veil of humanity is not uplifted, only the eye revolveth.
To-day save by the power of inward taste (which meaneth faith), one cannot find the zauk (delight) of the limit of (this given by) the prophets.
There is a crowd in whom that power is not created; and whose directing is impossible; and a crowd in whom this power is created.
But, by the power of sickness of desire, they have been ruined; and in their palate, the food of truths, like the 'ilm of faith, appeareth bitter. On all men of faith, it is incumbent to aid God: —
by raising the faith of Mustafa (Muhammad); by destroying the vain; by repelling the deceit of men of error; and by prohibiting the power of shaitans, man-in-form.
The shari'at of Muhammad and his creed is the straight path and trodden highway; the seal (last) of the sent ones (prophets), trusted one of the Lord of both worlds with so many thousands of troops of nations (holy ones, pure ones, martyred ones) hath gone on that highway and swept it of thorn, of rubbish, of doubt, and of suspicion; hath established knowledge of it and of its stages; hath left behind a trace of every pace; hath established an alighting place at every stage; hath for the repelling of the robbers of the path sent the guide of resolution as fellow-traveller.
If a strange surveyor claimeth that the path is not straight, and inviteth the people to another path, — his word should not be regarded; and for its repelling, the aid of the true faith is of the number of ordinances and of requisites.
The men of deceit and of error are a crowd who outwardly wear the robe of Islam; and towards Islam inwardly keep concealed kufr and hate; outwardly mix with the men of Islam; show themselves to the people as verified 'ulama and confirmed hukama; instruct in the eternity of this world and in the denial of the resurrection; regard the 'ulama and the shaikhs of Islam as the enemy; and (because by the light of their 'ilm, their own hiding and dark places become discovered) render contemptuous their form.
The God-like 'ulama are the stars of the sky of shari'at; it, they ever keep preserved from the sway of shaitans of men. Their luminous breath like to the penetrating meteor pelteth those (the shaitans of men) concealing and carrying off the mysteries of the shari'at; keepeth them on every side perturbed and restless; and repelleth from the people their deceitful wickedness.
Wherever these men of deceit gain sway, they make the people shun the 'ulama; begin in the souls of those ready, satanic sway, and (by iniquity of faith, and by the cutting off of the link of Islam from the order of man) the ruining of their faith; turn the pure simple heart from the purity of nature; conceal themselves behind the shield of Islam; make sure the arrow of treachery and of loss at the butt of faith and of religion; and secretly, with courteous glance, call man to destruction.
They are the enemies of faith, the brothers of shaitan; ignorant of rules, the causer of injuries.
Before the Lord of both worlds, no devotion hath such a lofty degree as the repelling of this crowd and the uplifting of the foundations of their deceit and hypocrisy.
The men of submission (to repel these men of deceit and error) are: —
(a) men of kudrat (power). (b) men of 'ilm (knowledge). The men of kudrat act:—
by way of slaughter and of rapine; of chastisement and punishment; of denial and of banishment.
The men of 'ilm act: — by manifesting deceit, hypocrisy and heresy.
Who, on one of these two ways, hath power, is by it ordered; by accepting it, rewarded; and by abandoning it, requited.
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