I. 6.
Clearly beholding God is:—
(a) in this world, difficult, because baki is not contained in fani.
(b) in the next world, promised to the faithful (muslim) and denied to the kafir.
The faithful (muslim) seeth God: —
(a) in this world, with the eye of faith and with the glance of vision.
(b) in the next world, with the glance of sight and of vision (as in the Hadis).
In the matter of seeing, the purport of this resemblance is the glance of the next world with the glance of vision in this world — not the (vain) resemblance of God (possessed of glory) to the moon (void of glory) ; because this spectacle resembleth no other spectacle.
The truth of true faith is this: —
In his own belief, the faithful reacheth to the degree of yakin; and as to this, belief is diverse.
In this world, a crowd:-—
(a) know by 'ilm-i-yakin; and the promise of their 'ainu-l-yakin is in the next world.
(b) see with 'ainu-l-yakin; and the promise of their hakku-l-yakin is in the next world.
Hence said he what he said: — “In my heart, my God, I saw.”
This is faith. For Ma'az used to pass by the door of the house of the sahaba and used to say:—
“That I may have faith for an hour,— come.”
When 'ainu-l-yakin reacheth to perfection, it gaineth the degree of beauty of vision wherein he seeth no increase of form as Amiru-l-Muminin 'Ali hath related of this makam —
“If rent were all the veils, not at all would increase my yakin.”
The error of the crowd that denied the seeing (of God) in the next world, two-fold is its error: —
(a) obligation to God's word—“Him, the eye understood not.” (b) the idea of the next world (founded) on this world.
As to (a)—
Seeing is one thing (possible), understanding another (difficult). The sun's form, one can see; it, one cannot comprehend.
As to (b) — with seeing of this world, the seeing of the next world hath no connection. What connection hath fani with baki?
The mistake is this, that the crowd thought that even as in this world so in the next world, for seeing the five following conditions are necessary: a side, a description, a quality, an air, a splendour-light, a surrounding of light.
Vain imaginings, are all these fancies; and great is this error that, in respect of his own hal and makam, a person conjectureth in a degree superior thereto.
To-day, the affairs of the next world gaineth that one, who, from the world and from its delights, shall wholly have turned his inclination.
He is —
(a) in heart, in the next world, in the hidden world, dwelling in kudrat.
(b) in body, in this world, in the world of shahadat and of hikmat.
This crowd performeth deeds for cash and giveth not itself to credit.
What, from beholding the promise, others have to-morrow, is for them the essence of cash to-day.
Despite this, for them also is a promise, which is the cash of another crowd; and for it, cash reacheth the Absolute Banker (whose promise is not the cash of another, and that is, Muhammad, whose cash is the promise of other prophets).
The promise of saints is the cash of prophets; the promise of the faithful muslim) the cash of saints.
According to his own hal, Muhammad hath a promised makam, the signification whereof is the —
Makam-i-Mahmud, the praised makam.
In it, with him none hath partnership. In this sense, the signifier is the word that occurreth in invitation to faith; and thereto the speaker is the word of the Kalam-i-Majld (the Kuran).
1. 8.
Through the witnessing by God and the proving by endless miracles, people of faith have had— faith in Muhammad's mission; and in the demand of the traditions of the Kalam-i-Majid, by the revelation of the faith, whereby all other religious rites and orders are abrogated.
The perfection of prophecy in Muhammad's mission placed, on the door of other prophecy, the seal of decline. After him, closed became the path of prophecy; and all invitations (to faith).
Who from the path of following him turneth his face; and considereth not necessary to himself the rules of his shari'at, is the friend of Shaitan, the enemy of the Merciful, and of the crowd of infidels. — Them, God requite!
If from the miracles other than by the prophets, something becometh apparent, it, they should call deceit, not miracle (of the prophets).
At one time when Fir'aun used to go by the Nil-bank — as he went, the Nil went; as he stood, the Nil stood.
Not of the crowd of miracles (of the prophets) was this, though doubtless to him and to his people it appeared as the essence of power. Nay, it was divine deceit that daily, in his own kufr, he might become more firm; and, from the acceptance of faith, more astray.
Possibly, by the blessing of following Muhammad, some of the miracles other than by the prophets may be revealed to the auliyS (saints) ; and to them they may be a blessing, whereby greater may become their yakin.
Not necessary is it that the truth of the hal of a wali, or of a sincere one, should be manifested by miracles (of the prophets). Because it is possible that the rank and the hal of the master of miracle may be lower than the rank and the hal of him, who is not master of miracle.
By reason of the manifestation of miracle, is commonly the strengthening of manifestation and the aiding of the faith of the master of miracle.
To the crowd (whose power of yakin is in perfection) is uo need of the effects of kudrat free from hikmat.
For this reason, hath come the tale of karamat, miracle (of the prophets); and the tale of khawarik-i-'adat, miracle (of other than the prophets).
On the part of the sahaba, seldom; on the part of modern shaikhs, often, — despite the fact that superior to their hal, is the hal of the sahaba.
The cause is that, mention whereof hath passed. Nay, in their opinion, through beholding the lights of absolute kudrat through hikmat, the glance of their vision is neither strange nor rare; and, in the strengthening of their yakin, is no excess of effect.
When something became disclosed to those, for whom was no continuance of manifestation, — by it, they become impressed; and the power of their yakin, greater.
As the prophets are special by wahy (revelation), the auliya (saints) are from others of the faithful distinguished, by ilham-i-rabbani (divine inspiration).
To them, either in khwab or in wakefulness, God bestowed good inspiration; a part of the parts of prophecy is true khwab (sleep, dream).
in. 6.
The ma'rifat (knowledge) of the qualities of the heart are difficult, and its signification abstruse —
by reason of the continuance of its power in the forms of hal; and its advancement in the degrees of perfection.
Hence they call it — kalb (the heart); kullab (a cheat).
Since hal is the gift of God and His gifts are boundless, endless are the power and the advance of the heart in degrees of perfection and in ascents of the beauty and of the grandeur of eternity without beginning.
Contained, in the limits of number and in the number of limit, are not its qualities and its hals.
In limiting and numbering it, whoever spake knoweth of very truth, that the establishing of the limit of understanding and the making it dear becometh not the portion of his own capacity.
In the ocean of ma'rifat-i-dil thousands of divers of the seas of ma'arifat have dived; — its abyss, none hath reached, or renounced its rarities and wonders.
Not every one, who found a trace thereof, thereof news gave back to the heart. From it, to whom fell the precious jewel — it, he placed on the platter of desire.
The meaning of dil (the heart) is that point, wherefrom the circle of existence came into motion and wherewith it found perfection. With it, is joined the mystery of eternity without beginning; and in it, the source of sight reached the limit of vision, and therewith glorified became.
The beauty and the grandeur of the aspect of baki; the throne of the Merciful; the stage of the Kuranand of the Furkan; Barzakh,1 between the being absent and the being present; ruh (the soul) and nafs; the seas of the country and of dominion; the observer and the observed of the king; the lover and the beloved of God; the bearer of the load and the load of the mystery of the deposit of God's grace— all are its (the heart's) qualities.
The purport of the marriage of ruh and of nafs (is) the result of its (the heart's) existence; and the object of the links of the country and the dominion of God (is) the reverberation-place of vision and the pasturage of beholding (Him).
Its form (is) pictured with the essence of love; and its vision, illumined with the light of beholding.
When, free from the soul, became nafs, on both sides love and contention appeared. From the marriage of the two loves (ruh and nafs), was born the heart's form; like to Barzakh, it intervened between the sea of ruh and the sea of nafs; to both inclined; and between them became the hinderer of contention.
That the heart's form appeared from love's source is proved thus —
Wherever it seeth a beauty, with it, it allieth itself: wherever it findeth an associate, with it, it intertwineth.
Not without a chosen one, nor a beloved, nor a heart-adorner, — ever is it. Firm is its base on love, and love's existence on it.
In their existence, the heart is like unto the throne of the Merciful. The throne is the heart of the greatest in the great world; the heart is the throne of the least in the least world (Adam).
Included, beneath the sway of the throne's surrounding, are all hearts, — even as in the sway of the greatest ruh (God), are the parts of ruh; and, in the sway of universal nafs, the parts of nafs.
A form and a truth, hath the heart ever as hath the throne. Its form is that piece of cone that, in the left side of the body, is a deposit: its truth is that divine grace mention whereof hath been made.
Between this truth and its form, rational nafs and the animal ruh intervene; because the heart's truth is purely grace, and its form the essence of grossness. Between absolute grossness and grace, resemblance is in no way.
The rational nafs and the animal ruh (which have, each, a face to the world of grace; and a face to the world of grossness) intervene between the heart's form and its truth, — so that every trace (that may issue from the heart's truth) may first reach nafs; may by affinity take its aspect of grace; and may, to the animal ruh, convey its aspect of grossness.
Even so, by affinity, the animal ruh taketh its form of grace; intrusteth to the heart's form the aspect of grossness; and, therefrom, becometh diffused in the quarters of the body.
Even so the grace of mercy first is from God; becometh spread upon the truth of the throne; reacheth from it to all thrones; joineth by their means to the throne's form; and, hence, reacheth the quarters of the material world.
The affinity of the throne's form is to its truth. Because every bounty (whereby truth reacheth the material world) first reacheth its form, and thence penetrateth to other bodies.
So is the affinity of the heart's form to its truth. All hearts find bounty from the throne: —
(a) its truth from the throne's truth. (b) its form from the throne's form.
At a time when, by means of prosperity, opposition as to God between the heart and the throne appeareth, nothing of creation is greater than the throne. Of its greatness God's word speaketh.
Muhammad hath said the hearts are four: —
(i) the heart, pure, luminous, wherein the lamp is kindled. This is the heart of the faithful mushin.
(ii) the heart, dark, head-lowered. This is the heart of the kafir.
(iii) the heart, addicted to hesitation between kufr and faith. This is the heart of the hypocrite.
(iv) the heart, inclined, possessed of sides, whereof one side is the place of faith; and the other, of hypocrisy.
In it, are the aid of faith from the holy world, and the purification like to freshness that increaseth from pure water; and in it, are the aid of hypocrisy from the world of pollution, and a stain like a wound that increaseth from purulence and ichorous pus.
Whichever of these two is superior, ordereth the heart.
The source of contrariety of these four kinds of heart is the result of contention between ruh and nafs.
To its own world, ruh wisheth to draw nafs; and nafs, ruh. Ever in this contention they are. Sometimes ruh prevaileth and draweth nafs from the low centre to the lofty makam, sometimes nafs prevaileth, and draweth ruh from the summit of perfection to the abyss of loss.
Ever obedient to that side that prevaileth is the heart until when dominion becometh established wholly on one. In following it, the heart accepteth contentment.
On these two attractions, are established happiness and misery.
If the happiness of eternity without end and the favour of eternity without begin-ing arrive and give to ruh (the soul) the aid of grace, whereby it gathereth strength; conquereth nafs; escapeth from contention; advanceth from the descending-place of creation to the rising-place of kidam; and, turned wholly away from nafs and kalb (the heart), approacheth to the viewing of God — then dil (the heart) in its following from the makam of kalb (the conversion whereof is necessary) ascendeth to the makam of ruh and in ruh's dwelling resteth.
Then following dil (the heart), nafs issueth from its dwelling (which is the world of nature) and reacheth the makam of dil (whose child it is).
Such is the heart of the faithful wherein is no atom of shirk (partnership with God) and kufr (infidelity).
If, otherwise, be the state and the effect of misery and the hardness of eternity without beginning arrive and make ruh captive to dil and nafs victorious, so that it gathereth strength, and, to its own world, draweth kalb and ruh — ruh descendeth from its own makam to the place of kalb; kalb entereth from its own makam the place of nafs; and, in nature's soil, firm becometh nafs.
Such is the heart of the kafir, who is lowered of heart, black with kufr, — altogether seized.
If, on either side, be not total victory, the inclination of dil is generally: —
(a) to nafs, if nafs be powerful and dil hesitating in the middle.
Such is the heart of the munafik (hypocrite). (b) to ruh (or to both sides), if ruh be powerful.
Such a heart is inclined and hath two faces— one towards faith, the other towards hypocrisy.
Deep knowledge of the murld (the follower, the lover, the disciple), of the murad (the followed, the beloved, the shaikh), of the holy traveller, and of the attracted one.
in. 9.
Sufis assign two meanings:—
to murid, the follower, the lover (the disciple); to murad, the followed, the beloved (the murshid).
The murid (disciple) is called muktadi (the follower) because:—
The eye of his vision becometh, with the light of guidance, the see-er; and gazeth at his own defect. The fire of desire of perfection kindleth in his nature; and never resteth except by the acquisition of the murad (the followed) and of propinquity to God.
Impressed with the travelling of the man of desire, whoever was; and, in the two worlds, hath a desire other than God, or resteth a moment from desire for the murad, -for him, illusory is the name of desire.
Thus say Shaikh 'Abdu-l-lah Hafiz. Abu 'Usman Hairi. The murad is called muktada (the followed) because the power of his sway (over murids) hath reached to the degree of perfecting imperfect ones to the diversity of ways of capacity; to the ways of directing and of instructing with the glance of the eye.
Like this is the person, or the holy traveller, (who is) the attracted one, who, with the foot of travelling, hath traversed all the deserts and the dangerous places of sensual qualities; and then, with the aid of divine attraction, passed from the degrees of the kalb (heart) to the ascents of ruh (the soul) ; reached to the world of kashf (revelation) and of yakln (certainty) ; and is ever in beholding (God).
Or like this, is the (God) attracted one, (who is) the holy traveller, who first, with the power of attractions, hath traversed the plain of the makams, reached to the world of revelation and of beholding; and then, with the foot of travelling, beheld the stages and the halting-places; and found, in the form of 'ilm, the truth of hal.
To these two, is preserved the rank of being a shaikh, or of being a muktada (a followed).
Neither of the two following hath the right of the dignity of being a shaikh.
(a) The imperfect holy traveller, who from the strait place of effort to the plain of manifestation, hath not reached.
(b) The imperfect attracted one, who, in respect to the subtleties of holy travelling and to the truths of makams, of stages, and of dreadful places, — hath not gained knowledge.
To them, becometh not committed: —
The ruling over the capacity of the murid and the instructing him in the rules of tarikat.
For this reason, more than its good is the evil of every control that they exercise
The existence of the murid and his capacity of perfection is like unto an egg, wherein is existent the capacity of being a bird.
If it be worthy of the power and of the impressing of the blessing and of the protection of a matured bird (wherein the vehemence of the power of begetting is overpowering), — while in the egg, the power of the spiritual life and the specialities of its perfection of flying penetrate. At last, off from itself the egg pulleth the egg-garment; putteth on the honour-robe of being a bird; and conveyeth itself to the perfection of capacity.
On the contrary, if he place the egg beneath a (young, immature) bird, that hath not the power of flying, — a time lapseth, and in the egg the capacity of the existence of flying becometh corrupted. Then the egg is not worth restoring.
Even so, if — beneath the sway of a perfect shaikh (who shall have attained to the degree of perfecting imperfect ones; and in whom, are joined together the travelling on, and the flying on, the Path, and attraction) the sincere murid make obedient his own existence — the bird of truth, “God created Adam in His own form,” issueth from the egg of his existence; flieth in the liquid air of divine essence; and reacheth the degree of producing.
If beneath the sway of the imperfect holy traveller, or of the imperfect attracted one, the murid come, corrupt in him becometh the capacity of the perfecting of humanity; and he reacheth neither to the perfection of man, nor to the stage of perfection.
Even so, in the material world, the demand of God's mature hikmat and current sunnat is this—
that, despite the capacity for producing, appeareth not the permanency of species, except after union of the two producers with the bond of lust, by the means of the deed, active and passive; and by the impressing and the impression.
So, in the spiritual world, the mystery of the hakikat of man (which is purely service) cometh not into existence —
except after the union of the murid and of the murad with the bond of love; and the murid's acceptance of the murad's sway. This is “ the second birth.”2
Though in the kudrat of God, possible is the existence of the son without the father, — yet, in hikmat, it is prohibited just as is prohibited the spiritual birth without the union of the murid and of the murad.
In kudrat it is possible (as is shown by the existence of some attracted ones) ; in hikmat, difficult.
Further, in birth without the father, calamity may be expected as in the birth of 'isa, who (in divinity and in humanity) became the source of error of the Christians — Him, they called — “ the Son of God.”
If an attracted one become master of revelation, not through the directing of a consummately perfect shaikh, — not secure are others from calamity.
In the sense of lover, murid is: — the traveller, who is (God-) attracted.
In the sense of beloved, murad is: — the (God-) attracted one, who is the traveller.
Among them, restricted is the sense of shaikh.
Whose labour (as to revelation and manifestation) is preceding is lover; whose revelation (as to the form of effort) is preceding is beloved. In this way, the sense of murid and murad is the essence of murad.
The Kuranic verse comprehendeth the explanation of the hal of the lover and of the beloved.
Divine will, not the slave's acquisition, is the cause of choice: the condition (of acceptance) of guidance is the forerunner of repentance (which is the slave's deed)
In this form, the choice is the hal of the beloved. Only by arrangement and by degrees, are the guidance of the hal of the lover, and the travelling of lovers in the regions of makams.
Until he fulfilleth the lowest makam, he reacheth not to the lofty makam. They ascend:—
Thus, by arrangement, they travel all the makams. Then, changeth, travelling to attracting; endeth, travelling in flight; joineth, labour with manifestations; and reacheth, the being absent to beholding (God) face to face.
By degrees they advance: from the 1st degree to the 2nd; from the 2nd to the 3rd; from the 3rd to the 4th.
In this makam, do they write for the lovers the mandate of khilafat; give the honour of being a shaikh; and order power over the murid.
For this degree is the middle makam: — (a) between the hidden and the manifest. (b) between God and man.
In this makam, like to the throne of the merciful is the slave's existence that hath one side towards the hidden world; and the other towards the material world.
With the former, he taketh the bounty of God's mercy from the hidden world; with the latter, he conveyeth it to the material world and to the people.
When at the beginning of hal, beloved ones take the path by the aid of attraction they traverse the regions of makam with a single attraction, and, therein, are comprehended the acquisition of all deeds of beloved ones.
Included in the purity of their hal, is the purifier of the crowd of makams.
The binding by makams is for common lovers, who have not yet reached the world of kashf; whose travelling is in the removing of the darkness of the qualities of nafs; and from whom, in every makam, becometh effaced the darkness of a certain quality till that time when by this effacing, their nafs gaineth, with divine light, full refulgence.
As in nafs the inclination of nature is a darkness (which, in the makam of sincere penitence, becometh effaced) ; and delight in the world is a darkness (which, in the makam of austerity, becometh effaced) ; and poverty of trust on the surety of provision of God is a darkness (which, in the makam of riza, ariseth and departeth) — accordingly, in every makam, a darkness becometh effaced till all the darknesses of nafs (by the travelling of the crowd of the crowd of makams) arise and depart; and from the veil of darkness, becometh revealed the beauty of the face of yakin.
By reason of the preceding of revelation on the path, when all the quarters of existence and of the interior (before the travelling of the stages of makams, of travelling, of effort) are, with the light of yakin, illumined; and cut off from them are the dark-nesses of the qualities of nafs.
In them, is existing the abstract of all makams; separate from all zahids they are despite delight (in the world) ; reliant on God, despite attention to the chattels of the world; and contented with God, despite abhorred sins of nature. Because on God is their existence; not on themselves.
The absolute murad (the followed, the beloved, the murshid) and the absolute mahbub (beloved) is Muhammad, the Sayyid of created beings —
The purpose of creation was his existence; created beings are all his offspring.
To none save to him, did they give the honour robe of being “a beloved.” Even to the tabi'in advance from the makam of being a lover to being a beloved is only by implicitly following Muhammad,
Then from Muhammad came the address in respect of Musa, who had the degree of being “a lover (of God)” and who wished to be “a beloved (of God).”
When isa desired this degree, at a time when He was desirous of Muhammad God kept him detained some years in the sky, till after the mission of Muhammad, so that—
by God's order He might descend (to earth), and (by reviving the faith of Muhammad and by following the sunnat of prophecy) reach the makam of being “a beloved (of God).”
God, none reacheth by being a lover, — only by being a beloved: God, none reacheth save by God.
Abu 'Ali Dakkak hath said: —
As Musa was a murid (lover), he said:— “O God! open me my heart.”
As Muhammad was a murad (beloved), to him, God said: — “Thy heart, opened we not?”
Musa said: — “Let me see.” Came the answer — “Me, thou shalt never see.” To Muhammad, God said: — “At thy God, shalt thou not look?” (Yea, thou shalt).
In the attraction of truth, the similitude of the love of the Ancient One (God) Is Muhammad — even as, in the attraction of iron, is the quality of the magnet.
As the magnet giveth its own quality (the attraction of iron) to its own attracted and beloved one, so that it can attract another (piece of) iron — so, in its own attracted one, the speciality of every attracter permeateth.
From the magnet of love for the Ancient One (God), the ruh (soul) of Muhammad (which is the first attracted and beloved one) acquired the speciality of the attraction of the souls of the faithful (muslims).
From the quarters and regions of the world, to himself Muhammad drew thousands of souls of the sahaba, each one of whom found a portion of that speciality suitable to his capacity.
To himself, he drew the souls of the tabi'in.
[A short fragment is illegible in the source scan at this point.]
So, aeon after aeon, womb after womb, from the souls of the tabi'in to the souls of the shaikhs and of the firm 'ulama, — that speciality became transported; of the murid to the murad, the chain (of attachment) became arranged; and every murid, a murad
Such is the effect of following Muhammad.
By perfection of following and by the link of union with the souls of shaikhs, whoever gained union with the soul of Muhammad — in him, appeared love for God; and the degree of being a beloved (of God) and of being a murad.
For, according to arrangement, the souls of shaikhs are united with the soul of Muhammad; thereby, in all permeate — love, following (the followed), and love for God.
The murid, whose soul with the soul of the consummately perfect shaikh, (who shall have slipped out from his own desire; and gained from another shaikh, the heritage of love for God) uniteth not, — never reacheth the degree of being a beloved (of God), nor gaineth the makam of sway over another (the murid).
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