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Letters from a Sufi Teacher by Shaikh Sharfuddin Maneri, a Project Gutenberg eBook.
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<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 47749 ***</div>
<div>
<p class="center u"><i>THE THEOSOPHY OF ISLAM.</i></p>
<h1>LETTERS<br />
<span class="small">FROM</span><br />
A SÛFÎ TEACHER</h1>
<p class="center p2"><i>SHAIKH SHARFUDDÎN MANERÎ</i><br />
<span class="small">OR</span><br />
<i>MAKHDÛM-UL-MULK</i>.</p>
<hr />
<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Translated from the Persian<br />
by</span><br />
BAIJNÂTH SINGH</p>
<hr class="top1 bottom1"/>
<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Theosophical Publishing Society.<br />
Benares City and London<br />
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<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Printed By Thakur Das Manager,<br />
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<p class="center"><i>All Rights Reserved.</i></p>
<p class="center">Registered under Act XXV of 1867.
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<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i"></a></span></p>
<h2><a name="FOREWORD" id="FOREWORD"></a><i>FOREWORD.</i></h2>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Shaikh Sharf-ud-dîn</em> was the son of
<em class="gesperrt">Shaikh Yahiâ</em>. His birthplace is <em class="gesperrt">Maner</em>, a village
near <em class="gesperrt">Patnâ</em> in <em class="gesperrt">Behâr</em> (India). A love of knowledge
and the religious life, and signs of spiritual
greatness, were found in him from his early childhood.
A strange Being was once seen by the cradle of the
baby. The mother, frightened, reported the matter
to her father, <em class="gesperrt">Shahâb-ud-dîn</em>, a great saint. The
latter consoled her, saying that the mysterious Presence
was no less a Being than the Prophet <em class="gesperrt">Khezar</em><a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a>
Himself, and that the baby was expected to be a man
of great spiritual advancement. He acquired secular
knowledge under <em class="gesperrt">Ashraf-ud-dîn</em>, a famous professor
of those days. He first refused to marry, but
had to yield when, being ill, he was advised by the
physician to take to marriage as the remedy for
his disease. He left home after the birth of a son,
travelled in many places, and was at last initiated (at,
or near <em class="gesperrt">Dehli</em>) by <em class="gesperrt">Najîb-ud-dîn Firdausî</em>.
The latter made him his deputy on earth under a deed
drawn twelve years earlier under the direction of the
Prophet of <em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em> Himself, asked him to leave the
place, and quitted his body shortly after.</p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> A mysterious Personage, according to some, a Prophet; according
to others, a <i>Walî</i> or 'Friend of God'. He is supposed to be
an Immortal Being, an invisible Teacher and Helper of Mankind.
Moses was sent by God to seek His instruction. '<i>Khezar</i>' literally
means 'green', a metaphorical expression for auspiciousness,
blessedness, wholesomeness and fertility.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</a></span></p></div>
<p>On his initiation, <em class="gesperrt">Sharf-ud-dîn</em> lived for many
a long year in the woods of <em class="gesperrt">Bihiâ</em> and the <em class="gesperrt">Râjgiri</em>
Hills. In his later days he adopted <em class="gesperrt">Bihâr</em> (now a
subdivisional town) as his residence, at the request of
some of his friends and disciples. He died on Thursday,
the 6th of Shawwâl, 782 Hijra, in the opening years
of the 15th Century A. D. His titular name is <em class="gesperrt">Makhdûm-ul-Mulk</em>,
'Master of the Kingdom or the
World.' He was equally proficient in secular learning
and esoteric Knowledge, and possessed superhuman
powers. His tomb at <em class="gesperrt">Bihâr</em> is still resorted to as
a place of sanctity by a large number of devout Mahomedans.
He wrote many works, of which three only
have yet been published. These are:—</p>
<p>(1.) <i>Maktûbât-i-Sadî</i>, a 'Series of a Hundred
Letters' (or rather essays on definite subjects) addressed
to his disciple <em class="gesperrt">Qâzî Shams-ud-dîn</em> in 747
Hijra.</p>
<p>(2.) <i>Maktûbât-i-Bist-o-hasht</i>, a 'Series of 28 Letters',
being replies to the correspondence of his senior disciple,
<em class="gesperrt">Mozaffar</em>, the prince of <em class="gesperrt">Balkh</em>.</p>
<p>(3.) <i>Fawâed-i-Ruknî</i>, a number of brief Notes
prepared for the use of his disciple <em class="gesperrt">Rukn-ud-dîn</em>.</p>
<p>The present booklet consists of the translation of
copious extracts from <i>Maktûbât-i-Sadî</i>, the most elaborate
and comprehensive of the three published works,
with Notes occasionally added from the other two
with a view to elucidate or complete the subject<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span>
in hand. These extracts, it is hoped, will cover the
greater part of, if not all, the <i>principles</i> inculcated in
these books, and are expected to give the reader a fair
knowledge of the <i>Teaching</i> of the Author <i>in all its phases</i>.
Matters relating to mere exoteric rites, legends and
traditions have been omitted. The translation does
not pretend to be always very literal, but an
honest attempt has been made to present a faithful
rendering of the original to the English-knowing public,
that they may be able to better appreciate the Teachings
of <em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em>, and that the Brotherhood of Creeds
may have one more advocate to plead its cause before
the tribunal of the human intellect.</p>
<p><span class="smcap">Gayâ</span>, (<span class="smcap">Behâr</span>.)</p>
<p class="right">BAIJNÂTH SINGH.</p>
<p><i>1908.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS.</h2>
<table summary="Table of Contents">
<col class="toc1" />
<col class="toc2" />
<tr>
<th />
<th>Page.</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#FOREWORD">Foreword</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_i">i</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#On_Monotheism_Tauhid">On Monotheism</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Turning_to_God_or_Conversion_Taubah">Turning to God, or Conversion</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#On_Seeking_the_Teacher">On Seeking the Teacher</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_8">8</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#On_the_Qualifications_of_a_Teacher">On the Qualifications of a Teacher</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_12">12</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#On_Discipleship">On Discipleship</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#On_Discipleship_continued"><span class="correction" title="Originally: Discipleship (continued)">On Discipleship (Continued)</span></a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_16">16</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Friend_of_God_The_Wali">The Friend of God</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_19">19</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Brotherhood_of_Friends">The Brotherhood of Friends</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_20">20</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Polytheism_and_the_Friendship_of_God">Polytheism, and the Friendship of God</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_22">22</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Lights">Lights</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_23">23</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Unveiling_of_the_Supersensuous">The Unveiling of the Supersensuous</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#On_the_Same_1">On the Same</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_28">28</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Illumination">Illumination</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Dreams">Dreams</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_30">30</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#On_Misconceptions">On Misconceptions</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Outer_and_Inner_Ailments"><span class="correction" title="Originally: The outer and the inner Ailments">The Outer and Inner Ailments</span></a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_34">34</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Origin_of_Theosophy">The Origin of Theosophy</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_36">36</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Seeking_the_Path">Seeking the Path</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_37">37</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Pillars_of_the_Path">The Pillars of the Path</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Religion_the_Path_and_Truth">Religion, the Path and Truth</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Accessory_to_Prayers">Accessory to Prayers</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Purification">Purification</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_42">42</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Motive">The Motive</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Prayer">Prayer</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Invoking_the_Divine_Help">Invoking the Divine Help</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_46">46</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Divine_Allegiance">The Divine Allegiance</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_47">47</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Sacred_Formula">The Sacred Formula</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Naked_Faith">The Naked Faith</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_49">49</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Inner_Polytheism">The Inner Polytheism</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_51">51</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Divine_Knowledge">The Divine Knowledge</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Love_and_Devotion">Love and Devotion</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Seeking_God">Seeking God</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_58">58</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Way_to_God">The Way to God</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_60">60</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Speech_and_Conduct">Speech and Conduct</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_62">62</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Magnanimity">Magnanimity</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Knowledge">Knowledge</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Steps_of_a_Disciple">The Steps of a Disciple</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_67">67</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Islam">Islâm</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_71">71</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Noble_Qualities">The Noble Qualities</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_73">73</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Contemplation">Contemplation</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_76">76</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Renunciation">Renunciation</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_78">78</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#On_the_Same_2">On the Same</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_80">80</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Clearing_of_the_Path">The Clearing of the Path</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Self-Control">Self-Control</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_83">83</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Truth">Truth</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_84">84</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Descent_from_Adam">The Descent from Adam</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_87">87</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Confidence">Confidence</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_91">91</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Pursuit_and_Renunciation">Pursuit and Renunciation</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_92">92</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Company_of_the_Saints">The Company of the Saints</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_93">93</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Service">Service</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_97">97</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Transmutation_of_Evil_Qualities">The Transmutation of Evil Qualities</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_99">99</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Avarice">Avarice</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_101">101</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Evil_of_the_World">The Evil of the World</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_103">103</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Renunciation_of_the_World">Renunciation of the World</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_104">104</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Final_Doom">The Final Doom</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_106">106</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Soul_Ruh">The Soul</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_108">108</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#The_Heart">The Heart</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_109">109</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Nafs_the_Desire-Nature">The Desire-Nature (<em class="gesperrt">Nafs</em>)</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><span class="correction" title="Originally: 130"><a href="#Page_110">110</a></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Desire">Desire</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_112">112</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Discipline_of_the_Desire-Nature">Discipline of the Desire-Nature</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_114">114</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Discipline_of_the_Desire-Nature_Continued"><span class="correction" title="Originally: The same (Continued)">Discipline of the Desire-Nature</span> (Continued)</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_115">115</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Alienation_from_the_Desire-Nature">Alienation from the Desire-Nature</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_117">117</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Self-Toleration">Self-Toleration</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_118">118</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Hidden_Differences_of_Stages">Hidden Differences of Stages</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_118">118</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Heedlessness">Heedlessness</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_120">120</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Sorrow">Sorrow</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_121">121</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Conduct">Conduct</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_122">122</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Seclusion">Seclusion</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_124">124</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Death">Death</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_126">126</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Hell">Hell</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_128">128</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="#Heaven">Heaven</a></td>
<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_129">129</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1"></a></span></p>
<p class="ph1">LETTERS FROM A SÛFÎ TEACHER.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<h2><a name="On_Monotheism_Tauhid" id="On_Monotheism_Tauhid"></a><span class="smcap">On Monotheism (Tauhîd).</span></h2>
<div><img class="drop-cap" src="images/page009.png" alt="" /></div>
<p class="drop-cap">Masters of the path have divided monotheism
into four stages. The first stage consists
in repeating, vocally, without any inner
conviction, "There is no God save Allâh."<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> This
is hypocrisy, and does not profit on the day of
resurrection. The second stage consists in repeating
the said <i>logion</i> vocally with an inner conviction
based upon conventional imitation (as in the case of
ordinary people), or some form of reasoning (as in
the case of an intellectual theist). This is verily
the visible body of monotheism, frees one from
gross polytheism and from hell, and leads to heaven.
This second stage, though safer than the first, and
less unstable, is for all that a low one, fit for old
women.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> The third stage consists in Light shining
in the heart, which reveals the One Agent alone<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span>
as the root of all phenomena, and the non-agency of
all else. This is quite unlike the conviction
of ordinary people or that of an intellectual
theist. Such a conviction is a fetter to the soul,
whereas the vision of the Light breaks all fetters.
<span class="correction" title="Originally: There must be difference">There must be a difference</span> between one who believes
a certain gentleman to be in his house, on the testimony
of others (as in the case of ordinary people),
another who infers the residence of that gentleman
in the house, because he sees his horses and servants
at the gate (as in the case of the intellectual theist),
and another who actually sees the gentleman in the
house (as in the case of the third stage). In the
third stage one sees the creatures and the Creator,
and distinguishes them from Him. This much of
separation still persists—hence it is not perfect union
in the eyes of the Masters.</p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> <em class="gesperrt">Lâ elâha ill' Allâh.</em></p></div>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> Weak souls.—<span class="correction" title="Originally: Trans."><i>Trs.</i></span></p></div>
<p>The fourth stage consists in the pouring forth of
the Divine Light so profusely, that it absorbs all
individual existences in the eyes of the pilgrim.
As in the case of the absorption of particles floating
in the atmosphere in the light of the sun, the
particles become invisible—they do not cease to
exist, nor do they become the sun, but they are inevitably
lost to sight in the overpowering glare of
the sun—so, here, a creature does not become God,
nor does it cease to exist. Ceasing to exist is one
thing, invisibility is another.... When thou<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span>
lookest through a mirror, thou dost not see the
mirror, for thou mergest it into the reflexion of thy
face, and yet thou canst not say that the mirror has
ceased to exist, or that it has become that reflexion,
or that the reflexion has become the mirror. Such
is the vision of the Divine Energy in all beings without
distinction. This state is called by the Sûfîs,
absorption in monotheism. Many have lost their
balance here: no one can pass through this forest
without the help of the Divine Grace and the
guidance of a Teacher, perfect, open-eyed, experienced
in the elevations and depressions of the Path
and inured to its blessings and sufferings....
Some pilgrims attain to this lofty state only for an
hour a week, some for an hour a day, some for two
hours a day, some remain absorbed for the greater
portion of their time....</p>
<p>Beyond the four is the stage of complete absorption,
<i>i. e.</i>, losing the very consciousness of being
absorbed and of seeking after God—for such a
consciousness still implies separation. Here, the
soul merges itself and the universe into the Divine
Light, and loses the consciousness of merging as
well. "Merge into Him, this is monotheism: lose
the sense of merging, this is unity." Here there
are neither formulæ nor ceremonies, neither being
nor non-being, neither description nor allusion,
neither heaven nor earth. It is this stage alone<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span>
that unveils the mystery: "All are non-existent
save Him;" "All things are perishable save His
Face;" "I am the True and the Holy One." Absolute
unity without duality is realised here. "Do
not be deluded, but know: every one who merges
in God is not God."</p>
<p>The first stage of monotheism is like the outermost
shell of the almond; the second stage is like
the second shell; the third stage is like the core;
the fourth stage is like the essence of the core—the
oil of the almond. All these are known by the
name of the almond, but each differs immensely
from the others in status, result, and use.</p>
<p>This note should be studied patiently and intelligently,
since it deals with the basis of all developments,
activities, and supersensuous phenomena.
It will explain the phraseology and the allusions in
the writings of the saints, and throw light on the
verses on monotheism and the stages thereof.</p>
<p>O brother! though an ant, thou mayest turn out
to be a Solomon. Do not think thou art an impure
sinner: though a gnat, thou mayest become a lion....
God raises the monotheist out of the dualist,
the faithful out of the faithless, and the devotee out
of the sinner.—<i>Letter 1.</i></p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>[The following extracts on monotheism from
<i>The Series of 28 Letters</i>, another work of the
author, may be aptly added.—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p>
<p>According to a tradition of the Prophet, all
beings were created out of Darkness, but each took
in Light according to its capacity, and thus became
luminous. Hence all beings are sparks of the Divine
Light, and their luminosity is derived from It. Now
one can fully understand the sacred verse: "God
is the Light of heaven and earth."—<i>Letter 17.</i></p>
<p>Thou-ness and I-ness pertain to our world. They
do not exist in the region of the Beloved. He is
the one Reality: futile is the assertion of any
existence but His.—<i>Letter 2.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Turning_to_God_or_Conversion_Taubah" id="Turning_to_God_or_Conversion_Taubah"></a><span class="smcap">Turning to God or Conversion (<em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em>).</span></h2>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> literally means to turn back. But the
nature of the turning must be different with different
individuals according to the difference in their
conditions and stages. Ordinary people would
turn from sin with apology in order to escape
punishment; middling ones would turn from their
deeds to secure the regard of the Master; the Elect
would turn from all worlds, here and hereafter, and
feel the insignificance and non-existence thereof in
order to realise the glory of the Maker. The turning
of a beginner cannot be permanent. A saint
says of himself: "I turned back 70 times and failed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>
each time; but my seventy-first turning proved
steady, and I failed no more."</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Khwâjâ</em> (Master) <span class="correction" title="Originally: Zoonoon"><em class="gesperrt">Zunnoon</em></span> of Egypt observes
that the <em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> of ordinary people consists in
turning from sins, that of the Elect in turning
from heedlessness.</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Khwâjâ Sobaid</em> and many others are of opinion
that <em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> consists in remembering one's past
transgressions and being ever ashamed of them, so
that one may not grow proud of one's many virtues.
On the other hand, <span class="correction" title="Originally: Khwâja Junnaid"><em class="gesperrt">Khwâjâ Junnaid</em></span> and many
others hold the view that <em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> consists in
forgetting past transgressions, <i>i. e.</i>, in expunging
their impressions from the heart, so that it may become
as pure as if it had never committed them.</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> is obligatory for all pilgrims at all
times, since for each pilgrim there is always a stage
higher than his present one. If he halts at any
stage, he stops his pilgrimage and commits sin.</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> consists in a firm and sincere resolution
to abstain from sins, so as to assure God of
one's unwillingness to commit them in future; and
in compensating, to one's best ability, those one has
harmed in any way....</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> is the basis of all developments, as
the ground is for the foundation of a building. The
chief requisite is <em class="gesperrt">Îmân</em> (peace, faith, or moral<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span>
sense). <em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> and <em class="gesperrt">Îmân</em> appear together,
and the latter illumines the heart in proportion to
the former.</p>
<p>The real <em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> lies in turning from one's
nature. When the disciple turns from his nature
he becomes another; <i>i. e.</i>, he does not become another
man, but his qualities change. Then he
unfolds true <em class="gesperrt">Îmân</em>, which sweeps away many-ness
and leads to unity. Ere the turning, <em class="gesperrt">Îmân</em> is but
conventional and nominal. "How long will you
worship God with your tongue only? This is no
better than worshipping desires. So long as thou
dost not become a Moslem from <i>within</i>, how canst
thou be a Moslem merely from <i>without</i>?" The lame
ass of conventional faith and the lip-behaviour that
we have cannot help us to tread the Path.</p>
<p>None ought to despair under any circumstance
whatsoever. Here work is without a motive, and
requires no payment. Many are instantly raised
from the level of image-worship to a stage higher
than the angels and heaven. The Lord does whatever
He wishes. "How" and "why" find no
room here. May God make thee a seer of His, and
remove thee from thyself! Do thou aspire high,
though thou art low at present. O brother, human
aspiration should stoop to nothing, either on earth
or in heaven! "Such men are so constituted as to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span>
care for neither hell nor heaven. They seek God
and God only, and spurn what is not He."</p>
<p>Theosophy (<em class="gesperrt">Tasavvuf</em>) is ceaseless motion,
since standing water becomes stagnant. A man
may corporeally be in his closet, yet his spirit
may run to the <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em><a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> and the <em class="gesperrt">Jabrût</em>.<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a>
Rapid motion, like the morning breeze, can neither
be seen <span class="correction" title="Originally: not">nor</span> grasped.—<i>Letters 2-4.</i></p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> The astral and lower mental planes.</p></div>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> The higher mental plane.</p></div>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="On_Seeking_the_Teacher" id="On_Seeking_the_Teacher"></a><span class="smcap">On Seeking the Teacher.</span></h2>
<p>The Saints on the Path—blessed be they—unanimously
declare that it is incumbent upon a
neophyte, after the maturity of his conversion
(<em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em>), to seek a Teacher, perfect, experienced
in the elevations and depressions of the Path, its
joys and sorrows, possessed of balance, and versed
in the internal ailments of a disciple and their
remedies....</p>
<p>Though in the beginning one does not need a
Teacher, and the seed can be sown merely with the
help of Divine Grace, the seed, when sown in the
soil of the heart, does need a Teacher for its further
growth, for the following reasons given in the
books of the saints:</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p>
<p>1. Since one cannot go to the <em class="gesperrt">Kâbâ</em><a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> without
a guide, albeit the way is visible and sensuous,
and the pilgrim possesses eyes and feet, it is
impossible without a guide to tread the occult
Path trodden by 120,000 prophets, which has no
visible track and is supersensuous.</p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> The Sacred Shrine at <span class="correction" title="Orignally: Mecca"><em class="gesperrt">Meccâ</em></span>.</p></div>
<p>2. As there are many thieves and robbers on
a sensuous way, and one cannot travel without a
guide, so on the occult Path there are many
robbers in the guise of the world, the desire-nature
and the elementals, and one cannot travel
without the guidance of a Master.</p>
<p>3. There are many precipices and dangers on
the Path, leading to one or other of the many
heretic schools formed by those who, having entered
the Path without a Perfect Guide, on the
strength of their own intellectual resources, fell
and perished in the forest and deserted the Law.
Others, more fortunate, have safely crossed those
dangers under the protection of Masters, and have
seen the victims, and known where and why they
fell. All pilgrims are liable to these dangers. If
one secures the help of a mighty Teacher, one can
be saved and progress with the help of His secret
hints and instructions, else one may fall into
some heresy and lose the fruit of one's <span class="correction" title="Originally: labor">labour</span>.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span></p>
<p>4. The pilgrim may pass, on the way, through
certain spiritual conditions, and the soul may put
off the physical garment, catch the reflection of the
Divine Light, display superhuman powers as a
Divine agent during the continuance of the experiences,
taste the relish of "I am God, the Holy
One," and become proud of having reached the
goal. The pilgrim cannot understand this intellectually:
but if the soul, during the continuance of
these experiences, is not helped by a mighty
Master, he may, it is feared, lose faith, and fall a
victim to a false notion of unity.</p>
<p>5. The pilgrim on the way unfolds supersensuous
powers, and sees supersensuous phenomena—devilish,
passional, and divine. But he cannot
understand them, as they are spoken in a supersensuous
language (<i>i. e.</i> revealed through an unfamiliar
medium).... If, at this stage, he is
not aided by a Teacher, helping him on behalf of
God, and versed in the interpretation of supersensuous
words and symbols, he cannot progress
further....</p>
<p>When God opens the eyes of a man, so that he
distinguishes good from evil, and resolves to follow
the one and avoid the other, but does not know how
to do it, he must betake himself to a Divine Man
and make a firm determination to change his condition.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span>
Then the Divine Man will take him up,
help him to subdue the desire-nature, gently induce
him to abstain from his defects and blemishes, and
keep him away from bad companions. A disciple
can, with the help of a Teacher, do in an hour
what he would do unaided in a year....</p>
<p>It is said: a disciple may reach the goal with
the help of a single Teacher, or of more than one
Teacher. (In the latter case) each Teacher may be
the means of the revelation of one stage only;
yet it is more consistent with decency and politeness
for the disciple to refrain from looking upon
such a stage as the limit of development attained
by his Teacher, ... inasmuch as the Perfect
Ones are not at all concerned with the business of
stages and conditions. But one cannot leave one
Teacher for another without the permission of the
former. Who does so deserts the Path.</p>
<p>It is the practice of the Masters—blessed be
They!—to impose a threefold discipline on a
student. If he observes it, he receives the Robe
(the real one, not the conventional)—else he
is rejected. The threefold discipline consists of:
1. Service of the world for a year. 2. Service of
God for a year. 3. Watching the heart for a year.—<i>Letter
5.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="On_the_Qualifications_of_a_Teacher" id="On_the_Qualifications_of_a_Teacher"></a><span class="smcap">On the Qualifications of a Teacher.</span></h2>
<p>Broadly speaking there are five qualifications:</p>
<p>(1) Devotion to God. One cannot be thus devoted,
unless one is free from servility to all save Him.</p>
<p>(2) Capacity to receive truths direct from God
without any intermediary. One cannot unfold this
capacity without completely getting rid of the
lower human nature.</p>
<p>(3) Nearness to God. One cannot approach God
unless one is equipped with the Divine character,
and one's Spirit reflects the light of the Divine attributes.</p>
<p>(4) Acquisition of knowledge from God without
any intermediary. For this the heart should be
cleansed of all impressions, sensual and intellectual.</p>
<p>(5) Being an Elect of the Heart Doctrine, which
relates to the knowledge of the Divine Essence, the
Divine Qualities, and the Divine Works. One cannot
attain to this stage without a second birth.
"One born of the mother's womb sees this world;
one born of the Self (<i>i. e.</i>, quitting the lower human
nature) sees the supersensuous world."</p>
<p>Nevertheless it is said that the qualifications
of a Teacher are indescribable and innumerable.
A Teacher is not the body, the head, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span>
the beard, visible to man. He is in reality
the inner being by the side of God, in the
region of Truth, clothed in Divine mercy and
glory.... Here is a query: How can a beginner
find out such a Teacher and Guide, know and
follow Him? It is not meet for a beginner
to weigh Divine Men with the balance of his little
intellect and to look at Them with his limited
vision. Nor is it meet to follow another on his mere
assertion. Then how to know if such a one is a
genuine Teacher or a mere pretender?</p>
<p>Answer: Each seeker is furnished with materials
appropriate to his lot. He cannot transcend
them, ... nor can anything hinder him from
using them.</p>
<p>Query: Is there any sign whereby to distinguish
a pretender from a true Teacher, the worthy
from the unworthy?</p>
<p>Answer: There are many signs, but it is impossible
to describe and fix them. For all that,
there is no sign or mood, the presence or absence
of which <i>alone</i> would mark a Teacher or a pretender.
In short, one blessed with the Divine
Grace should set his feet on the Path, turn away
from sensual pleasures and passional gratifications,
and fix his attention on God. Then the glance of
some Perfect Teacher will shine in the mirror<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span>
of the heart.... When a true disciple catches
such a glance, he instantly contracts a love for the
Beauty of His Godly Strength, becomes restless
and uneasy, and comes to the Path. This uneasiness
forbodes fortune and success. Perfect discipleship
consists in perfect love for the Beauty of
the Teacher's Godly Strength. A disciple should
follow the wishes of his Teacher, and not his own
wishes.... In each locality there is a Teacher
who protects men living in that area. The King
of the time is only one, but there is an ordinary
teacher in each town. According to tradition there
are always 365 Friends of God, who are the props
of the world and the channels of the transmission
of blessing and mercy from heaven to earth....
O brother, know for certain that this work has
been before thee and me (<i>i. e.</i>, in bygone ages), and
that each man has already reached a certain stage.
No one has begun this work for the first time. Everything
is according to Divine dispensation. Do you
suppose 100,024 prophets to have ushered any
new work into the world? By no means. They
stirred up what lay already in the bosom, and led
man to what was ordained for him by God....—<i>Letter
6.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="On_Discipleship" id="On_Discipleship"></a><span class="smcap">On Discipleship.</span></h2>
<p>Desire is a craving in the heart for a certain
object. The craving produces a stir in the heart, the
stir arouses a tendency to seek for the object. The
nobler the object, the purer the desire....</p>
<p>Desire is threefold:—</p>
<p>(1) Desire for the world. It consists in the
absorption of a man in the seeking of worldly
objects. Such a desire is a downright danger.
When it clouds the heart of a neophyte, it keeps
him back from all virtues, and lures him to failure.
A life spent in the gratification of such a desire
deprives one of eternal happiness after resurrection.</p>
<p>(2) Desire for heaven. The soul transcends
the previous stage, longs for the heavenly state
and permanent happiness, and practises lifelong
asceticism, so that he may attain his object on the
day of resurrection. The desire for heaven is
nobler than the desire for the world....</p>
<p>(3) Desire for God. A man (at this stage)
unfolds the inner sight, aspires to transcend the
created universe, and considers it disgraceful to
seize anything contained in that area—so that he
develops a longing for the Creator Himself and is
respected in heaven as well as on earth. When a
disciple ceases to hanker after the world and
heaven, and regards everything save his Object as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span>
a hindrance to his (onward) march, he should
heartily endeavour to seek God, come manfully to
the Path, and resort to a compassionate Teacher, so
that the latter may help him in treading the Path,
and tell him of its dangers, thus securing him a safe
journey without any break or failure.</p>
<p>The Teacher cannot turn an unruly candidate
into an earnest disciple.... If the spirit of
the Path lies latent in a candidate, it will unfold
by His company and service. The Divine Law
works in this way.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="On_Discipleship_continued" id="On_Discipleship_continued"></a><span class="smcap">On Discipleship.</span> (<i>Continued.</i>)</h2>
<p>When a man calls himself a disciple, he ought
to justify the title to the fullest extent and firmly
tread the straight Path. He should constantly
use the collyrium of turning back (<em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em>),
put on the robe of detachment from connexions
and from self, drink the wine of Seeking out of the
cup of Purity, draw the sword of Magnanimity
from the sheath of Religion, dismiss the cravings
of the infidel Desire, practise absorption, and not
care for the higher or the lower worlds. When he
has become proficient in the truths of discipleship
and the subtleties of Seeking, has gathered the fruits
of purification and asceticism, begun to tread the
Path and passed through several stages of the
journey—then, if asked whether he is a disciple, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>
can say: "I may be one, God helping." Thus is
discipleship justified, and pretension avoided.</p>
<p>This is the way of those endowed with insight
and divine Wisdom. Not to look to personality
at any stage, nor to depend upon its possessions.
Many saints with a lifelong devotion have slipped
down from dizzy heights.... A disciple who
concentrates in himself the purity of all the angels
and the piety of all men is self-conceited and sure
to fall, if he knows himself to be better than a dog....
The beginner has a tongue, the proficient
scholar is silent.—<i>Letter 54.</i></p>
<p>A disciple is a worshipper of his Teacher. If
his rest and movements are in accordance with His
commands, he is a disciple; if he follows his own
desires, he is a follower of his desires, not of
his Teacher. A disciple is he who loses himself
in the Teacher. He shakes off his desires, as a
serpent casts its slough. If he has even the least
remnant of desire left in him, and doubts and
protests find room in his heart, he is a worshipper
of himself, not of the Teacher.... A disciple
should be a worshipper of the Teacher, [so that he
may become a worshipper of God]. One who obeys
the Messenger verily obeys God.—<i>Fawâed-i-Ruknî.</i></p>
<p>God has concealed precious gifts under the
difficulties He has imposed upon these men (<i>i. e.</i>
the disciples). A disciple should manfully discharge<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span>
his duties without fail, in spite of the hardships
and trials of the Path. God does not work
in one way only, and it is difficult to know which
way will lead the disciple to Him—joy or sorrow,
gifts or privation. There is a divine secret underneath
all sufferings and enjoyments in the world.—<i>The
Series of 28 Letters, Letter 1.</i></p>
<p>"A long journey is needed to ripen the raw."
As a fruit requires both sunshine and shadow for
its maturity, so a pilgrim requires the dual experience—joy
and sorrow, union and separation,
presence and absence,—for his perfection.—<i>Ibid,
Letter 5.</i></p>
<p>There is no bar to the reception of the Divine
Light. If there is any, it is due to lack of capacity.
How can an unpolished mirror reflect an
image?... The pilgrim needs patience and
endurance, not hurry and unrest. God knows
each man as he is, and sheds the Light when
he deserves it.—<i>Ibid, Letter 4.</i></p>
<p>Contentment is a <i>sine quâ non</i>; one without it
should abandon occultism and go to the market.</p>
<p>The performance of duties to the best of one's
abilities cannot be dispensed with, as it is necessary
for the safe passage of the pilgrim. While sane,
he should follow Truth. Truth in words and conduct
is ever beneficial, never harmful.—<i>Ibid, Letter
15.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="The_Friend_of_God_The_Wali" id="The_Friend_of_God_The_Wali"></a><span class="smcap">The Friend of God—(The <span class="correction" title="Originally: Walee"><em class="gesperrt">Walî</em></span>).</span></h2>
<p>The <span class="correction" title="Originally: Walee"><em class="gesperrt">Walî</em></span> (or the Friend of God) is one who
constantly receives the favours of the Deity, which
consist in his being guarded against all troubles,
the hardest of which is the commission of sins. As
a Prophet must be sinless, so must a Friend be
protected. The distinction between the two is
this: The one is beyond the commission of a sin;
the other is liable to commit a sin on rare occasions,
but does not persist therein.... The Friend
is endowed with all possible virtues.... Again,
it is said, the Friend is he who does not fail in his
duties to God and the universe. He does not
serve through hope and fear of agreeable and disagreeable
consequences. He does not set any
value on his individuality....</p>
<p>A Friend may be either known or unknown to
the people. If unknown, he is not affected by the
evils of fame....</p>
<p>A Friend is he who does not long for the world
or for Heaven, who forsakes himself for the Divine
Friendship and turns his heart to the True One.... The
Friends are the special objects of the Love
of God. Owing to their devotion, they have been
chosen as the Governors of His Kingdom, the channels
of His Activities, receive special powers, and
are liberated from the bondage of the desire-nature.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>
They do not desire anything save Him, nor feel
attachment to anything save Him. They have
been before us, are in these days, and will be till
the end of the world....</p>
<p>They are to-day the appointed Agents of God
to serve as channels for the propagation of the
messages of the ancient Prophets, and to govern
the world—so that the rain may pour from heaven
by Their blessings, that plants may grow from the
earth by Their purity, and that the faithful may
prevail over the faithless by Their strength.</p>
<p>Superhuman powers are a kind of idols in this
world. If a saint is content with their possession,
he stops his onward progress. If he turns away
from them he advances the cause of his union with
God. Here is a <span class="correction" title="Originally: subtle">subtile</span> mystery, and it is this: True
Friendship consists in the rejection of all save the
Beloved. But attention to superhuman powers and
reliance upon them means the rejection of the Beloved,
and satisfaction with something other than
Himself.—<i>Letter 8.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Brotherhood_of_Friends" id="The_Brotherhood_of_Friends"></a><span class="smcap">The Brotherhood of Friends.</span></h2>
<p>[There is a passage on the hierarchy of Divine
Friends in <em class="gesperrt">Fawâed-i-Ruknî</em>, another work of
the author, which is translated below as a supplement
to the present subject.—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span></p>
<p>There are 4,000 <span class="correction" title="Originally: Walees"><em class="gesperrt">Walîs</em></span> who are not known to
the world. They do not know one another, nor
are they conscious of their exalted position. They
ever remain veiled from the world, as well as from
themselves.</p>
<p>There are 300 <em class="gesperrt">Akhyâr</em> (the Charitable or the
Benevolent) who solve the difficulties of the world
and keep the gate of the Divine Sanctuary. There
are forty <em class="gesperrt">Abdâl</em> (the Substitutes); 17 <em class="gesperrt">Abrâr</em>
(the Liberated); 5 <em class="gesperrt">Nujabâ</em> (the Pure); 4 <em class="gesperrt">Autâd</em>
(the Pegs); 3 <em class="gesperrt">Nuqabâ</em> (the Watchers); 1 <em class="gesperrt">Qutub</em>
(the Pole), also called <em class="gesperrt">Gaus</em>, the 'Redresser of
Grievances'. All these know one another and
are interdependent for the discharge of their respective
duties. (Total, 370—<i>Trs.</i>)</p>
<p>According to another authority (<em class="gesperrt">Majma-us-Sâerîn</em>)
there are 356 <span class="correction" title="Originally: Walees"><em class="gesperrt">Walîs</em></span> ever working in
the world. When one of them retires, another takes
his place, so that there is never any diminution in
the number 356. They are made up of 300 + 40 +
7 + 5 + 3 + 1. The <em class="gesperrt">One</em> is the <em class="gesperrt">Qutub</em> of the
world, the preservation of which is due to His
holy existence. If He retired without another to
take His place, the world would fall to pieces.
When the <em class="gesperrt">Qutub</em> retires, one of the <i>Three</i> takes
His place; one of the <i>Five</i> fills up the gap in the
<i>Three</i>, one of the <i>Seven</i> fills up the gap in the
<i>Five</i>, one of the <i>Forty</i> fills up the gap in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span>
<i>Seven</i>, one of the <i>Three Hundred</i> fills up the
gap in the <i>Forty</i>, and a man is posted to the vacancy
in the rank of the <i>Three Hundred</i>—so that
356 ever continue working in the world, and every
spot is blessed by Their auspicious Feet. Their
outer life is similar to that of ordinary people, so the
latter cannot know Them. Inwardly, They are
united with God. Love, Friendship, and the
Mysteries have to do with the <i>within</i>, not with the
<i>without</i>. They (the <span class="correction" title="Originally: Walees"><em class="gesperrt">Walîs</em></span>) are too strong to
be hindered by earth, water, fire, air, plains and hills.
Being in the East, They can see and hear men in the
West. They can instantly go from the East to the
West, come from the West to the East, go to and
come back from <em class="gesperrt">Arsh</em> (the Divine Throne). Theirs
are many superhuman powers of like nature.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Polytheism_and_the_Friendship_of_God" id="Polytheism_and_the_Friendship_of_God"></a><span class="smcap">Polytheism, and the Friendship of God.</span></h2>
<p>Polytheism is twofold:—</p>
<p>(1) The outer, which consists in worshipping a
god other than the One Highest God....</p>
<p>(2) The inner, which consists in thinking of a
being, other than God, as a helper at the time of
need.</p>
<p>Some say that to see anything save Him, is
polytheism for an Occultist.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p>
<p>Some say that to refer to any separated self in
any way, to be inclined to do anything with one's
own will, and to resort to one's own schemes and
plans in any emergency, are all forms of polytheism....</p>
<p>The chosen Friend is he who is of God alone,
both without and within. He neither acts nor
thinks against [the Divine Will]. He does not
mix with the desire-nature, forgets his services in
the presence of the Master, and cannot do without
Him.... He is so filled with Him in all respects—both
without and within—that it is impossible
for anything else to enter into him....
He loses his desire, will, and all individual qualities,
and exists merely through God's Desire and Will.
He gets what he wills—not because he wills
anything other than what is God's will, but because
his will is one with God's. Nay God unfolds His
Will in him.—<i>Letter 9.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Lights" id="Lights"></a><span class="smcap">Lights.</span></h2>
<p>When the mirror of the Heart is cleansed of
impurities, it becomes capable of reflecting the supersensuous
lights. They appear in the beginning
as flashes, but gain in power and volume as the
heart becomes purer—manifesting [gradually] as the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span>
lamp, the flame, the stars, the moon, and the sun.
The forms of flashes arise from ablutions and
prayers ...; those of the lamp, the flame and
the stars, from the <i>partial</i> purity of the heart; that
of the full moon, from its <i>perfect</i> purity; that of
the sun, from the Soul reflecting its glory in the
perfectly purified heart. A time comes when [the
inner light] is a thousand times more luminous
than the [external] sun. If [the visions of] the sun
and moon are simultaneous, the latter signifies the
heart reflecting the light of the Soul, the former the
Soul itself. The light of the Soul is <i>formless</i>, but
is seen behind a <i>veil</i> distorting the <i>idea</i> into the
form of the sun.</p>
<p>Sometimes the Light of the Divine Attributes
may cast its reflection in the mirror of the heart
according to the purity of the latter.... This
Light distinguishes itself by a feeling of bliss in the
heart, which shows that it comes from God and not
from others. It is hard to describe this bliss. It is
said that the Light of the Constructive Attributes
is illuminative, but not scorching; that of the Disintegrating
Attributes scorching, but not illuminative.
This is beyond the comprehension of
intellect. Sometimes, when the purity of the heart
is complete, the Seer sees the True One <i>within</i> him,
if he looks <i>within</i>, the True One <i>without</i> him,
if he looks to the universe. When the Divine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>
Light is reflected in the light of the soul, the vision
gives bliss. When the Divine Light shines <i>without</i>
the media of the soul and the heart, the vision
manifests formlessness and infinity, uniqueness and
harmony, the basis and support of <i>all</i> existence.
Here there is neither rising nor setting, neither right
nor left, neither up nor down, neither space nor time,
neither far nor near, neither night nor day, neither
heaven nor earth. Here the pen breaks, the tongue
falters, intellect sinks into nothingness, intelligence
and knowledge miss the way in the wilderness
of amazement.—<i>Letter 12</i>.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Unveiling_of_the_Supersensuous" id="The_Unveiling_of_the_Supersensuous"></a><span class="smcap">The Unveiling of the Supersensuous.</span></h2>
<p>The essence of the Unveiling lies in coming <i>out</i>
of the veils. The seer perceives things not perceived
by him before. The "veils" mean hindrances
keeping one back from the perfect vision of
the Divine Beauty, and consist of the various
worlds—according to some, 18,000 in number,
according to others, 80,600—all present in the constitution
of man. Man has an eye correlated to
each world, with which he observes that world
during the unveiling. These worlds are included
under a twofold division: Light and Darkness,
Heaven and Earth, Invisible and Visible, <span class="correction" title="Originally: Spirtual">Spiritual</span>
and Physical,—each pair expressing the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>
same sense in different words.... When a
sincere pilgrim, impelled by his aspiration, turns
from the lower nature to follow the Law, and begins
to tread the Path under the protection of a Teacher,
he unfolds an eye for each of the veils uplifted by
him, to observe the conditions of the world before
him. First, he unfolds the eye of intellect and
comprehends the intellectual mysteries to the extent
of the uplifting of the veil. This is called the
<i>Intellectual unveiling</i>, and should not be depended
on. Most of the philosophers are at this stage and
take it as the final goal. This stage transcended,
the sincere pilgrim comes to unveil the heart, and
perceives various lights. This is called the <i>Perceptual
unveiling</i>. Next, he unveils the Secrets;
this is the <i>Inspirational unveiling</i>, and the Mysteries
of creation and existence are revealed to him.
Next, he unveils the Soul; this is the <i>Spiritual unveiling</i>,
and he can now view Heaven and Hell, and
communicate with the Angels. When the soul is
completely cleansed of earthly impurities, and is
thoroughly pure, he unveils Infinity and is privileged
to gaze at the circle of Eternity, to comprehend
instantly both Past and Future, getting rid
of the limitations of Space and Time, ... to
see both fore and aft ... to read hearts,
know events, and tread on water, fire, and air. Such
miracles are not to be relied on.... Next comes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span>
the <i>Innermost unveiling</i>, enabling the pilgrim to
enter the plane of the Divine Attributes....
The Innermost is the bridge between the Divine
Attributes and the plane of the Soul, enabling the
Soul to experience the Divine vision, and reflect
the Divine character. This is called the <i>Unveiling
of the Divine Attributes</i>. During this stage, the
disciple unfolds esoteric knowledge, revelation from
God, His vision, His bliss, real absorption, real
existence, or Unity,—according as he unveils the
Divine Attributes of intelligence, audition, sight,
construction, disintegration, stability, or oneness.
Similarly one may think of other qualities.—<i>Letter
13.</i></p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>[The last two extracts tacitly refer to the
following <em class="gesperrt">Sûfî</em> classification of the human constitution:—</p>
<p>1. The Body (<em class="gesperrt">Tan</em>), the brain-consciousness,
or intellect, correlated to the physical plane
(<em class="gesperrt">Nâsût</em>).</p>
<p>2. The Heart (<em class="gesperrt">Dil</em>), the desires and the lower
mind, correlated to the astral and lower mental
planes (<em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>).</p>
<p>3. The Soul (<em class="gesperrt">Rûh</em>), the higher mind, the Ego,
correlated to the higher mental plane (<em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em>).</p>
<p>4. The Spirit (<em class="gesperrt">Sirr</em>, or the <i>Mystery</i>), correlated
to the spiritual planes (<em class="gesperrt">Lâhût</em>)—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="On_the_Same_1" id="On_the_Same_1"></a><span class="smcap">On the Same.</span></h2>
<p>[The following supplementary notes from <i>The
Series of 28 Letters</i> may prove both instructive and
interesting.—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<p>You say you hear certain words, but not from
the organ of speech, or through the organ of sound.
Speech and Sound belong to this world: what you
hear belongs to <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>.—<i>Loc. cit., Letter 10.</i></p>
<p>A pilgrim may hear the <i>sound</i> in his body,
nay, in the minerals, plants, and animals. But if he
hears from them the same <em class="gesperrt">Zikr</em> (<i>i. e.</i>, the sacred
formula) as practised by him, it is but an echo
of his practice—an imaginary phenomenon, not a
real one: whereas, if he hears from them the <em class="gesperrt">Zikr</em>
peculiar to them, the phenomenon is real....
The universe being endless, the phenomena
are endless.—<i>Ibid, Letter 15.</i></p>
<p>Powers and phenomena are trials for a pilgrim.
Regard them as obstacles, and never care for them....
It is a rare boon to pass from the Name to
the Named.... The Vision of the Prophet Khezar
foretells your success on the Path.... The odours,
sacred and unearthly, experienced by you, pertain
to the <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>: how can you find their likeness
on earth?—<i>Ibid, Letter 16.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="Illumination" id="Illumination"></a><span class="smcap">Illumination.</span></h2>
<p>There is a difference between Divine illumination
and Soul-illumination. When the mirror of
the heart is cleansed of all impurities, and has become
thoroughly clear, it may serve to focus the rays
of the Divine Sun and so reflect the Divinity and all
His Attributes. But this boon is not enjoyed by
every clean heart. Every runner does not catch the
game (lit., the antelope), but only he who runs <i>can</i>
catch it....</p>
<p>A clean heart reflects some of the qualities of
the Soul. If thoroughly clean, it may at times
reflect all the qualities. Sometimes the Essence of
the Soul—the Divine Viceroy—may display its nature,
and assert "I am the True One" by virtue
of its viceroyalty. Sometimes the whole universe
may be seen making obeisance at the viceregal
throne, and the soul may mistake the Divine Viceroy
for God.... Such mistakes are common, and
cannot be avoided without the Divine Grace and the
help of the Teacher. Now to come to the difference:</p>
<p>(1) Soul-illumination conquers the lower nature
temporarily, <i>i. e.</i>, so long as the illumination
continues;—Divine illumination conquers it permanently.</p>
<p>(2) Soul-illumination is not inconsistent with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>
the foulness of the heart, does not solve all
doubts, nor does it impart the bliss of Divine
Knowledge;—Divine illumination is the reverse
of this.</p>
<p>(3)—Soul-illumination may induce pride,
self-conceit, and egoism.... Divine illumination
does away with all these, and increases the
fervour of Seeking.</p>
<p>'Illumination' and 'obscuration' are two words
generally used among the <em class="gesperrt">Sûfîs</em>. The former
means the unfolding of God, the latter means the
infolding of God. These expressions do not
apply to His Essence, since It is changeless. As
when one finds the solution of a problem, and
says, "the problem is solved"—the problem is
not solved, but one's mind unfolds so as to
grasp the problem; knowledge being called the
solution of the problem, ignorance its obscuration—so,
when one sees all from God, and not
from self, when Self does away with the lower
nature and sees the Unknowable,—this is designated
Illumination.—<i>Letter 14.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Dreams" id="Dreams"></a><span class="smcap">Dreams.</span></h2>
<p><i>First</i>, a pilgrim passing through the <i>earthly</i>
qualities sees in his dreams heights and depths,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span>
streets and wells, gloomy and deserted sites, waters
and mountains. <i>Secondly</i>, passing through the
<i>watery</i> qualities, he sees greens and pastures, trees
and sown fields, rivers and springs. <i>Thirdly</i>, passing
through the <i>airy</i> qualities, he sees himself
walking or flying in the air, going up the heights.
<i>Fourthly</i>, passing through the <i>fiery</i> qualities, he
sees lamps and flames. <i>Fifthly</i>, passing through
the <i>etheric</i>, he finds himself walking or flying over
the heavens, going from one heaven to another, sees
the circling of the sky, and the angels. <i>Sixthly</i>,
passing through the <i>starry</i> region, he sees the stars,
the sun and the moon. <i>Seventhly</i>, passing through
the <i>animal</i> qualities, he sees the corresponding
animals. If he finds himself prevailing over an
animal, it indicates his conquest over the corresponding
quality. If he finds himself overcome by
an animal, it denotes the predominance of the corresponding
quality, and he should guard himself
against it.</p>
<p>The pilgrim has to pass through thousands of
worlds, and in each world he perceives visions and
experiences difficulties peculiar to it.</p>
<p>O brother, the soul is for the Goal. It should
boldly cry out: "Let me either cease to live, or
reach the Goal."—<i>Letter 16.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="On_Misconceptions" id="On_Misconceptions"></a><span class="smcap">On Misconceptions.</span></h2>
<p>Many men fall from doubt and suspicion. A
class of people say, "God does not need our
worship and services, and has no concern with our
virtues and vices: why <span class="correction" title="Originally: should should">should</span> we restrain
ourselves?" Such a doubt arises from sheer ignorance,
and supposes that the Law enjoins duties
for the sake of God. No. Duties are for the sake of
man alone.... An ignorant man of this sort
fitly compares with a patient who, being prescribed a
certain treatment by his physician, does not follow
it, and says that his abstinence does no harm to the
physician. He speaks truly enough, but works
his own destruction. The physician did not
prescribe to please himself, but to cure him.</p>
<p>A second class of men transgress the Law and
depend on the Divine Mercy. God is both merciful
and a chastiser. We find that there are many
distressed and poor men in this world in spite of
His Mercy and His mountains of Treasure, that
not a single grain of wheat grows without laborious
cultivation, and that no man can be healthy without
food, water and medicine. As He has
ordained means for health and wealth without
which they cannot be had, such is the case in
the moral sphere also. Denial and ignorance are
poisons to the soul, and idleness its disease. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span>
antidotes for the poisons are knowledge and wisdom
alone. The remedies for the disease are prayers
and worship alone. He who takes poison while
depending on the Divine Mercy, kills himself.
The disease of the heart consists in desires. He
who does not restrain his desires risks his life
if he knows them as sinful. But if he does
not regard them as harmful he has no life to
risk, since he is already dead. For such disregard
is denial, and denial poisons faith.</p>
<p>A third set would understand by self-discipline,
as imposed by the Law, complete freedom from lust,
anger and other evils. When they fail after practising
self-discipline for a length of time, they regard
the task as impossible. "Man, as he is constituted,
cannot be pure, just as a black blanket cannot turn
into a white one. Why should we undertake an
impossible feat?" (So they think).—It is ignorance
and vanity to suppose that the Law enjoins complete
freedom from lust and other impulses inherent
in human nature. The Prophet has said, "I am a
man, and may be angry," and signs of anger were
at times visible in him. God praises one who controls
anger, not one who is devoid of anger. Again,
the prophet had nine wives, and a man destitute of
the sexual desire should be medically treated. The
Prophet has countenanced the begetting of progeny
and the perpetuation of the race. But he has instructed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>
that the two (lust and anger) should be
subdued so as to be under the control of the Law,
as a horse under the control of the rider, or a dog
under the control of the hunter. The animals
should be trained, else they will set upon and overthrow
the man. Lust and anger are like the dog
and the horse, and it is impossible to catch the
heavenly Game without them. But they should be
under control, else they will destroy <i>us</i>. In short,
the object of self-discipline is to break and subdue
these impulses, and this is possible.</p>
<p>A <i>fourth</i> set proudly declare that everything is
according to the Divine Will. What is the use of
exertion?—When the Prophet spoke of the Divine
Will, his companions said, "We shall depend upon
it and refrain from exertion." The Prophet replied,
"<i>Ye shall exert</i>, and [then] what has been ordained
will be given." Thus, man should not refrain
from exertion. If he has in the beginning been
ordained to a noble destiny, he will attain to it [by
exertion]. Good and evil destinies hinge upon
virtue and vice, in the same way as health and
death upon food and starvation.—<i>Letter 18.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Outer_and_Inner_Ailments" id="The_Outer_and_Inner_Ailments"></a><span class="smcap">The Outer and Inner Ailments.</span></h2>
<p>Man has been formed of two different substances,
the earthly and the heavenly. As his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span>
earthly frame is liable to ailments, so is the
heavenly; and there are doctors for the treatment
and cure of both. The doctors of the bodily
ailments are the physicians, and those of the moral
ailments are the Prophets and [later on] the Saints
who are their successors. As a sick man would
certainly die if not treated by a skilled physician,
so a soul suffering from the moral diseases would
certainly die, if not helped by a Prophet or a
perfect Saint. As a physician examines the pulse
to ascertain the disease of a patient, and recommends
him to resort to one thing and abstain
from another, with a view to restore physical
equilibrium and health,—so also the Divine
Messenger ascertains the moral ailments of the
disciple, and prescribes different duties based on
the Law according to his receptivity and capacity,
recommending this, disallowing that, so as to
reduce his inner perplexities and desires to a
state of harmony required by the Law, and
bring about moral health in the shortest possible
time. As a sick man going against the instructions
of his physician gets worse and worse and
has to die, so a moral patient disobeying the Law
gets more and more perverse and has to perish
through ignorance.—<i>Letter 19.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="The_Origin_of_Theosophy" id="The_Origin_of_Theosophy"></a><span class="smcap">The Origin of Theosophy</span></h2>
<p>The institution of Theosophy (<em class="gesperrt">Tasavvuf</em>) is
ancient. It has been practised by the Prophets and
the Saints. As evil impulses predominate in the
world, the Theosophist (<em class="gesperrt">Sûfî</em>) is looked down upon
by men. The Theosophist is one who has lost the
self, exists in the True One, is beyond the reach of
the lower nature, and is at one with Truth. A
Theosophical student (<em class="gesperrt">mutasavvif</em>) is he who
seeks to become a Theosophist through asceticism
and purification, and disciplines himself in the
ways of the Theosophist....</p>
<p>The Prophet had a place in his mosque set
apart to discourse privately with his elect companions,
who trod the Path. There were senior
disciples such as <span class="correction" title="Originally: Abubakar"><em class="gesperrt">Abû Bakar</em></span>, <em class="gesperrt">Omar</em>, <em class="gesperrt">Osman</em>, <em class="gesperrt">Alî</em> and
<em class="gesperrt">Salmân</em>; and mediocre ones, such as <em class="gesperrt">Belal</em> and
others. The Arab chiefs and his ordinary companions
were not admitted there. The elect companions
were about 70 in number. When the
Prophet wished to shew his special regard to a
particular companion (<em class="gesperrt">Sûfî</em>), he favoured him
with a piece of his garment (N. B. The word
<em class="gesperrt">Sûfî</em> may be derived either from <em class="gesperrt">Safâ</em>, purity, or
from <em class="gesperrt">Sûf</em>, dress.—<i>Trs.</i>)</p>
<p>The first Theosophist was Adam, and the last
Mohammad; and Theosophy has continued amongst
the followers of Mohammad.—<i>Letter 22.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="Seeking_the_Path" id="Seeking_the_Path"></a><span class="smcap">Seeking the Path.</span></h2>
<p>The aspiration of the Seeker should be such
that, if offered this world with its pleasures, the next
with its heaven, and the Universe with its sufferings,
he should leave the world and its pleasures for the
profane, the next world and its heaven for the faithful,
and choose the sufferings for himself. He turns
from the lawful in order to avoid heaven, in the same
way that common people turn from the unlawful
to avoid hell. He seeks the Master and His Vision
in the same way that worldly men seek ease and
wealth. The latter seek increase in all their works;
he seeks the <span class="smcap">ONE</span> alone in all. If given anything, he
gives it away; if not given, he is content.</p>
<p>The marks of the Seeker are as follows. He
is happy if he does not get the desired object,
so that he may be liberated from all bonds; he
opposes the desire-nature so much, that he would
not gratify its craving, even if it cried therefor for
seventy years; he is so harmonised with God
that ease and uneasiness, a boon and a curse,
admission and rejection are the same to him;
he is too resigned to beg for anything either
from God or from the world; his asceticism
keeps him as fully satisfied with his little all—a
garment or a blanket—as others might be with the
whole world.... He vigilantly melts his desire-nature<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span>
in the furnace of asceticism and does not
think of anything save the True One. He sees
Him on the right and on the left, sitting and standing.
Such a Seeker is called the Divine Seer. He
attaches no importance to the sovereignty of earth
or of heaven. His body becomes emaciated by
devotional aspirations, while his heart is cheered
with Divine Blessedness. Thoughts of wife and
children, of this world and the next, do not occupy
his heart. Though his body be on earth, his soul
is with God. Though here, he has already been
there, reached the Goal, and seen the Beloved with
his inner eye.</p>
<p>This stage can be reached only under the protection
of a Perfect Teacher, the Path safely trodden
under His supervision only.... It is
indispensable for a Disciple to put off his desires
and protests, and place himself before the Teacher
as a dead body before the washer of the dead, so
that He may deal with him as He likes.</p>
<p>Virtue and vice have their uses and evils. Often
a virtue throws one the farther from God, and a
vice leads one the nearer to Him.... The
virtue that begins in peace and ends in pride
throws one the farther from God; the vice that
begins in fear and ends in repentance leads one the
nearer to Him.—<i>Letter 23.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="The_Pillars_of_the_Path" id="The_Pillars_of_the_Path"></a><span class="smcap">The Pillars of the Path.</span></h2>
<p>Their words enliven the heart; their deeds
liberate men; their compassion is universal; they
do not care for feeding and clothing themselves,
but feed and clothe all; they do not look to the
evil of others, but stand as their saviours, return
good for evil, and bless them that curse.
Why?—For they are protected: no gale save the
zephyr of Love can blow over the world from the
horizon of their heart. Their compassion shines as
the sun over friend and foe alike. They are humble
as the earth, trodden by the feet of all. They
are not hostile to any man, nor do they grasp at
anything of the world. All creatures are their
children, they are not the children of any. They
are absolute Compassion for the whole universe,
for east and west,—for they are liberated and see
all from the One Root.... One void of these
qualities cannot tread the Path.</p>
<p>In the case of a Theosophist, the heart goes first,
then comes the tongue. In the case of a worldly-wise
man, the tongue goes first, and then the heart.—<i>Letter
24.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Religion_the_Path_and_Truth" id="Religion_the_Path_and_Truth"></a><span class="smcap">Religion, the Path and Truth.</span></h2>
<p>Religion (<em class="gesperrt">Sharîat</em>), the Path (<em class="gesperrt">Tarîqat</em>), and
Truth (<em class="gesperrt">Haqîqat</em>).</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p>
<p><i>Religion</i> is a way laid down by a Prophet for
his followers, with the help of God. All Prophets
equally call the attention of men to Monotheism
and service. So there is but <i>one</i> Religion, <i>one</i>
appeal, and <i>one</i> God. Their teachings cannot be
contradictory, as they are based on Divine inspiration.
The difference is merely verbal and formal,
but there is no difference in the essentials. They
are the [spiritual] physicians of humanity, and have
prescribed religions for their respective followers
according to their needs. Religion consists of a
series of injunctions and prohibitions, and deals
with monotheism, bodily purification, prayers, fasts,
pilgrimages, the holy war, charity, and so on.</p>
<p>The <i>Path</i> is based on religion, and consists in
seeking the essence of the forms [dealt with by
religion], investigating them, purifying the heart,
and cleansing the moral nature of impurities such
as hypocrisy, avarice, polytheism, and so on.
Religion deals with external conduct and bodily
purification; the Path deals with the inner purification.</p>
<p>Religion is the soundness of external purification.
<i>Truth</i> is the soundness of the inner condition.
The one is liable to alterations, is the work of man
and can be acquired; the other is immutable, the
same from the time of Adam to the end of the
world, and is the Divine Grace. The one is like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>
matter, or the body. The other is like spirit, or the
soul.—<i>Letters 25 and 26.</i></p>
<p>[A higher stage is simply mentioned, in <i>Fawâed-i-Ruknî</i>,
as <em class="gesperrt">Mârfat</em> (the Divine Knowledge),
without any detailed explanation. Thus, <em class="gesperrt">Sharîat</em>
corresponds to the exoteric religion of any given
nation; <em class="gesperrt">Tarîqat</em> to the Lesser Mysteries of the
ancient Western mystic, or the Probationary Path
of the Eastern mystic; <em class="gesperrt">Haqîqat</em> to the Greater
Mysteries of the ancient Western mystic, or the Path
Proper of the Eastern mystic; <em class="gesperrt">Mârfat</em> to the
stage of the Perfect Man, or the Master.—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Accessory_to_Prayers" id="Accessory_to_Prayers"></a><span class="smcap">Accessory to Prayers.</span></h2>
<p>After the morning prayer, the twilight should
be spent in muttering the Divine Names, sacred
recitations, <span class="correction" title="Originally: repentence">repentance</span> and apology. One should
not speak at this time, except to obey an express
injunction or prohibition of the Scriptures, to bless
or benefit the faithful, and to instruct a student in
need of knowledge. The company of a Saint, a
knower of God, or one's own Teacher, if available,
is preferable to mutterings and recitations.</p>
<p>Before the sunset prayer, some time should be
spent in attentively examining the desire-nature <i>i. e.</i>,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span>
reviewing the gains made and the losses incurred
during the day.</p>
<p>One should go to sleep pure, and with holy recitations,
and should not sleep unless overpowered.
One should get up in the latter part of the night
before twilight, and immediately take to the sacred
duties.—<i>Letter 28.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Purification" id="Purification"></a><span class="smcap">Purification.</span></h2>
<p>It is purity which makes man respectable. It is
the storehouse of all boons and virtues....
<em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em> is based on purity, and cannot tolerate the
slightest stain. She does not show her face to the
impure.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><i>First</i>:—the purity of the body, the garment,
and food.</p>
<p><i>Second</i>:—the purity of the senses, <i>i. e.</i>, abstinence
from sins and transgressions.</p>
<p><i>Third</i>:—the purity of the heart, <i>i. e.</i>, renunciation
of all evil qualities, such as
uncharitableness, envy and malice.</p></blockquote>
<p>With the first purity, the disciple takes the first
step on the Path; with the second, he takes the
second step; with the third, the third. This is the
essence of <em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em>—turning from impurity to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>
purity. At first he was a temple of idols; now he
becomes a mosque. At first he was a demon; now
he becomes a man. At first he was dark as the
night; now he becomes bright as day. It is now
that the sun of <em class="gesperrt">Îmân</em> (peace or faith) shines in his
heart, and <em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em> shows her face and leads him to
the Divine Knowledge. Any work whatsoever,
without this purity, is but a ceremony or tradition on
the lines of the forefathers, but is <i>not</i> <em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em>.</p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>Know God as your constant guardian. Living
under His ever-watchful Eye, one ought to be
modest and feel ashamed to bring one's transgressions
to His notice.</p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>As prayers cannot be duly performed without
the outer purity, so the Divine Knowledge is
impossible without the inner purity. As fresh
water—not water already used—is necessary for
the one, so pure Monotheism—not mixed—is
necessary for the other.<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> See "<a href="#On_Monotheism_Tauhid">Monotheism"</a>—<i>Trs.</i></p></div>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>The inner purification is hinted at in the
Prophet's prayer: "O God, purge out hypocrisy
from my heart."—<i>Letters 29 & 30.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="The_Motive" id="The_Motive"></a><span class="smcap">The Motive.</span></h2>
<p>The value of a disciple's act lies in his motive.
The motive is to the act as life is to the body
and light to the eye. As the body without life
or the eye without light is useless, so the acts of
a disciple without a pure motive are mere forms.
With the Seers, forms are denial and destruction,
not faith and salvation. A valid motive arises
from purity, as rays from the sun and sparks
from the flame. When the motive is not biassed
by worldly attractions, it is called <i>ascetic</i> purity
by the Sûfîs. When the motive is not biassed by
heavenly attractions, it is called <i>spiritual</i> purity.
It is said that the motive of a man is according
to his knowledge and wisdom. If desire and love
of the world predominate in the heart of a man,
all his acts will be worldly—even his prayers and
fasts. If desire and love of heaven predominate
in his heart, all his acts will be heavenly—even
his eating and sleeping. Again there are others,
of loftier aspiration, caring neither for earth nor
for heaven, but for God only. All acts done by
such men will be purely divine....</p>
<p>A disciple should always be careful to purify
his motive and to get out of mere forms. For
this, he should obey the instructions of a Teacher,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span>
his motive, though in the beginning mixed with
hypocrisy and insincerity, will ultimately be
purified by obeying His instructions.... The
disciple should act as the earth, so that the Teacher
may act as the sky—wet him with His rains, warm
him with His sun, shade him under His clouds,
perfume him with the fragrant breeze of His
compassion—and thus help his growth.—<i>Letter 31.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Prayer" id="Prayer"></a><span class="smcap">Prayer.</span></h2>
<p>The daily routine of a disciple, in the absence
of his Teacher, should be such as to secure
purity of heart, whether by prayer, sacred study,
mutterings, or meditation.</p>
<p>The secret of prayer is inexpressible. When
the disciple, renouncing separateness, stands for
prayer in a mood of self-surrender, his body
ranks with <em class="gesperrt">Kâbâ's</em> shrine, his heart with
<em class="gesperrt">Arsh</em> (the Divine Throne); and his spirit sees
the Vision Divine....</p>
<p>The devotee mostly prays with the fire of Love
without observing external forms (<i>e. g.</i> kneeling
and prostration), takes all devotees as one, and does
not stigmatise any man with the brand of infidelity
and damnation.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span></p>
<p>In the state of prayer, one merged in the Divine
cannot be conscious of anything else; as Alî, while
praying, was operated upon, and an arrow drawn
out of his thigh, but he did not feel it.—<i>Letter 32.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Invoking_the_Divine_Help" id="Invoking_the_Divine_Help"></a><span class="smcap">Invoking the Divine Help.</span></h2>
<p>Opinions vary as to which is the better course,
invocation of the Divine Help, or self-surrender to
the Divine Will. In some cases the one is preferable,
in others the other, according to the tendency and
condition of each individual. If invocation induces
<i>unfolding</i>, it is good. If it induces <i>infolding</i>,<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a>
it should be stopped. If it induces neither the one
nor the other, its performance and omission are of
equal value. If <i>knowledge</i> preponderates at the
time of invocation, it is to be continued, for
such an invocation is a worship in itself. If <i>Divine
Wisdom</i> preponderates at the time, silence is preferable....</p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> See p. <a href="#Page_30">30</a>.</p></div>
<p>What is the use of invoking the Divine Help, if
the Divine Will is irrevocable?—Answer: The revocation
by invocation is also in accordance with the
Divine Will, the invocation being simply an ordained
means, as a shield is a means to repel an arrow,
and watering is a means to grow seeds.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p>
<p>If one resorts to an invocation, it is to be
repeated three, five or seven times.—<i>Letter 36.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Divine_Allegiance" id="The_Divine_Allegiance"></a><span class="smcap">The Divine Allegiance.</span></h2>
<p>The Divine Allegiance gives freedom and
the sovereignty of the whole world....</p>
<p>God never made anything so precious as the
heart of His Servant, because it is there that He
treasured up the wealth of His Wisdom: "I
cannot be contained in heaven or earth, but I
am contained in the heart of My faithful Servant."</p>
<p>What is Service?—To be resigned to the
Divine Will without a murmur. A Servant is he
who does not think of wages, and has been liberated
from the bonds of desire. He who serves God
for wages is the servant of the wages, not of
God.</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Khwâjâ Hasân Basri</em> says: "Seek the
Knowledge that is revealed by Service, and seek
the Service that is revealed by Knowledge."
Knowledge and Service are equally necessary, but
Knowledge is superior, being the root and guide.
Hence it is that the Prophet says: "Knowledge rules
conduct, and conduct follows it." Again, He says
that the sleep of the wise is better than the prayers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span>
of the ignorant, and that the ignorant do more
evil than good by their acts.—<i>Letters 37-39.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Sacred_Formula" id="The_Sacred_Formula"></a><span class="smcap">The Sacred Formula.</span></h2>
<p>The disciple should ever practise the formula:
"There is no God except <em class="gesperrt">Allâh</em>"—vocally or
inaudibly, whether he be alone or in company.
Let him not for a moment step out of this fort.
The fort is made of the negative "no God" and
the affirmative "except <em class="gesperrt">Allâh</em>" phrases; and it
protects the pilgrim entering therein against the
two highway robbers: the desire-nature and Satan.
When the disciple unfolds the inner eye in the
plane of Unity, he transcends affirmation and
denial, as they are inconsistent with Unity. Affirmation
and denial inhere in the nature of man,
and a disciple does not attain to Unity unless he
goes beyond human nature. Affirmation and
denial are in themselves a form of polytheism,
since a valid affirmation and a valid denial each
need three elements—the affirmer, the affirmation
and the affirmed; the denier, the denial and
the denied. When a believer in <i>two</i> is a polytheist,
how can a believer in <i>six</i> be a monotheist?
When the non-God has no existence, what is to
be denied? When thou thyself art not, how canst<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>
thou affirm?... This is the zenith of Unity, and
the stage of the Perfect Ones.... He who sees
with the eye of Unity finds the non-God non-existent....</p>
<p>Whenever Mohammad, transcending the realm
of His mission, looked with the inner eye into the
realm of Unity, He eagerly and yearningly wished
His personality blotted out, the dividing line erased,
and the human limitation cast away. But the
Compassion of the Beloved would ever intervene,
and bring Him back to the realm of His mission
for the delivery of the message.—<i>Letter 40.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Naked_Faith" id="The_Naked_Faith"></a><span class="smcap">The Naked Faith.</span></h2>
<p>Intellect is a bondage; Faith, the liberator.
The disciple should be stripped naked of everything
in the Universe in order to gaze at the
beauty of Faith. But thou lovest thy personality,
and canst not afford to put off the hat of self-esteem
and exchange reputation for disgrace....</p>
<p>All attachments have dropped from the Masters.
Their garment is pure of all material stain. Their
hands are too short to seize anything tainted with
impermanence. Light has shone in Their hearts
enabling Them to see God. Absorbed in His
Vision are They, so that They look not to Their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span>
individualities, exist not for Their individualities,
have forgotten Their individualities in the ecstasy
of His Existence, and have become completely
His. They speak, yet do not speak; hear, yet do
not hear; move, yet do not move; sit, yet do not sit.
There is no [individual] being in Their being, no
speech in Their speech, no hearing in Their hearing.
Speakers, They are dumb; hearers, They are deaf.
They care little for material conditions, and think
of the True One [alone]. Worldly men are not
aware of Their whereabouts. Physically with men,
They are internally with God. They are a boon
to the Universe—not to themselves, for They
<i>are not</i> themselves....</p>
<p>The knowledge that accentuates personality is
verily a hindrance. The knowledge that leads
to God is alone true Knowledge. The learned
are confined in the prison of the senses, since
they but gather their knowledge through sensuous
objects. He that is bound by sense-limitations is
barred from supersensuous Knowledge. Real
Knowledge wells up from the Fountain of Life,
and the student thereof need not resort to senses
and gropings. The iron of human nature must be
put into the melting-pot of discipline, hammered
on the anvil of asceticism, and then handed over
to the polishing agency of the Divine Love, so
that the latter may cleanse it of all material<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>
impurities. It then becomes a mirror capable of
reflecting the spiritual world, and may fitly be
used by the <span class="smcap">King</span> for the beholding of His own
Image.—<i>Letter 41.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Inner_Polytheism" id="The_Inner_Polytheism"></a><span class="smcap">The Inner Polytheism.</span></h2>
<p>The Prophet says, "Polytheism in my followers
is more imperceptible than the motion of an ant on
a black stone on a dark night." Such a polytheism,
though not affecting the [exoteric] faith, injures
the essence and fruit of Faith. Pure gold and an
alloy of gold are both gold, but the latter cannot
be as precious as the former. True Faith consists
in Monotheism, which is the antithesis of polytheism.
Real Monotheism appears only when the root
of polytheism<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> has been destroyed. In order to
secure true Faith or Monotheism, every impurity
that stains it should be cast away. Such impurities
constitute the inner polytheism. Looking to any
save God for help or hindrance; hoping or fearing
from any save Him; hypocrisy, anger and pride,
even in their most subtile forms; pleasure and pain
at being praised and blamed by others; regarding
virtue and vice as means of union with and separation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>
from God—all these come under the <i>inner</i>
polytheism. In short, no one can be established
in Faith unless his character comes up to the standard:
"He is wholly from God, by God, and for
God."</p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> Separateness.</p></div>
<p>Again the Prophet says: "There is no peace
for the faithful except in the presence of God, and
death is anything save His Presence."—<i>Letter 44.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Divine_Knowledge" id="The_Divine_Knowledge"></a><span class="smcap">The Divine Knowledge.</span></h2>
<p>Divine Knowledge is the essence of the faithful
soul. One destitute of it does not really exist. The
Knowledge of the Creator follows from the knowledge
of created objects, and leads to the safety and
permanence of the knower.</p>
<p>One way to the Divine Knowledge is to see the
whole universe as subject to the Divine Will, to
sever connection from all, and to realize the Unity
of God and the Eternity of His Nature and Attributes.</p>
<p>Another is through one's own nature. "He
that knows his own nature, verily knows his God."
God first shewed His Powers in the universe to
enable monotheists to gain Knowledge of Him by
observing it. This way being too long for the Sages,
He placed in Man the essences of the entire creation,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span>
thus making Human Nature the facsimile of
the whole universe and the ladder to His Knowledge.
Pilgrims tread the Path of Divine Knowledge
<i>in</i> themselves, look for the pure and the foul
<i>in</i> themselves, and find the indication and proof
of that Knowledge <i>in</i> themselves.</p>
<p>God engages some men in observation, and
they know Him by pondering over His creation.
He leads others to His knowledge through asceticism.
There is another class of men whose hearts
He illumines at once. Again, some are debarred
from the <i>essence</i> of the Divine Knowledge, others
from the Path itself. "The Divine Beauty has
thousands of aspects, each atom presenting some
peculiar one."</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Noori</em> was asked: "What is the proof of God?"
He replied: "The proof of God is God Himself."
They asked him again: "Then what is the use of intellect?"
He said: "Intellect is a failure, it cannot
lead save to what is a failure like itself." Intellect
can only look upon an entity either as <i>body</i>, <i>essence</i>
or <i>accident</i>; or in Space and Time. It cannot go
beyond those limitations. If it fixes any of those
limitations on God, it sinks to infidelity. If, bewildered,
it exclaims: "I do not find any existence
save with these properties. So, God being without
any of these properties, is perhaps naught,"—it is
still dragged down to infidelity.... In short,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span>
Divine Knowledge depends upon Divine illumination
alone.</p>
<p>Divine Knowledge is the knowledge of God as
He is in His Essence, Attributes, and Works. The
Sage should know God in the same way as God
knows Himself, and as He has described Himself
in the <em class="gesperrt">Qurân</em>. There are two theories as to the
<i>perfection</i> of this Knowledge. Some Intellectualists
hold that the Sage knows God in the same way
as God knows Himself. If he does not know
Him perfectly, he knows a part of Him. But God is
partless. So Sages are equal in Divine Knowledge.
Intellectualists hold to the possibility of perfect
Divine Knowledge. The other theory is held by
the Sûfîs and a few intellectualists as well, <i>viz.</i>,
that no one knows God perfectly. They know Him
to exist, and know it to the extent necessary
for their salvation. They do not hold to the
possibility of perfect Divine Knowledge.</p>
<p>With the Masters of the Path, Divine Knowledge
is the actual and direct perception of God:
with the Intellectualists, it is the sound intellectual
knowledge of God.</p>
<p>It is incumbent on a pilgrim not to be satisfied
and stand still until he reaches the Goal. The
more he knows, the more he should seek.... The
whole world is satisfied with a smell or a word
(<i>i. e.</i> very little), and no one has received even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>
a drop from the holy cup. "I asked Him, 'Whose
art Thou with all this Beauty?' He said, 'I am
My own, for I am verily <span class="smcap">ONE</span>. I am the Lover, the
Beloved, and Love; I am the mirror, the image and
the beholder'."—<i>Letter 45.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Love_and_Devotion" id="Love_and_Devotion"></a><span class="smcap">Love and Devotion.</span></h2>
<p>This world and the next are intended to be
used in seeking God. An objection raised against
such a use of the next world is untenable: for
prayer and fast, pilgrimage and the holy war, and
all the exoteric obligations cease <i>as such</i> in the
next world; but devotion—seeking after God—ever
endures. If you go to heaven, each day of the
heavenly life will open up new vistas of Divine
Knowledge. An endless work is this, may it
never end!</p>
<p>When God loves a man, He inflicts troubles on
him and takes away his wealth, wife and children,
so that he may be bound to naught, and estranged
from all save Him. If he suffers patiently, he
receives boons without toil. If he endures cheerfully,
he is purified of all evils.</p>
<p>Again, God's love for a man makes him aware
of the defects of his desire-nature, so that he
becomes its instructor and censor.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span></p>
<p>The following are the signs of a man's love
for God:—</p>
<p>1. Being given to prayer and seclusion.</p>
<p>2. According to others, preferring the Divine
Word to human words, the Divine Presence to
the sight of man, the Service of God to the service
of the world; and not grieving for any loss save
separation from Him.</p>
<p>3. According to <em class="gesperrt">Junnaid</em>: Not being tired
in His Service.</p>
<p>4. According to a certain Sage: Avoiding
sins.</p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>It is dangerous to assert one's love for God.</p>
<p>The word "<em class="gesperrt">Mahabbat</em>" (love) is derived
from "<em class="gesperrt">Hibba</em>" (a seed.) The seed is the germ of
life, as it is there that lies the real plant. The
seed is put into the soil, lies concealed therein,
and receives sun and rain, heat and cold, without
any [apparent] change. When the time comes,
it sprouts, flowers, and fructifies. So, when Love
takes root in the heart, it bears presence and
absence, joy and sorrow, union and separation,
with equanimity....</p>
<p>Devotion is the perfection of Love. Worship
makes a servant, knowledge makes a knower,
abstinence makes an ascetic, sincere seeking makes
an earnest aspirant, sacrifice of all the world<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span>
makes a Friend, self-sacrifice makes a Lover, losing
the perishable and imperishable elements of self
in the Beloved makes a Devotee.</p>
<p>It has been said: Devotion is born of the
Light of the Presence of the Eternal Beloved. It
is like a flash of lightning, illuminating the eye
of the Devotee, speaking to his ear, enlivening
his movements, and alienating him from all the
world—so that his acts are not for self nor for
others, but are works of impersonal Devotion to
the Beloved.</p>
<p>Devotion is beyond words, intellect, and astral
perception. "I am Devotion, beyond this world
and the next; I conquer all without arrow or bow;
I shine as the sun in every atom, yet my
presence for its very brightness is unperceived;
I speak in every tongue, I hear in every ear; yet,
strange to say, I am tongueless and earless; as
every thing in the Universe is verily Myself, My
like cannot be found therein."—<i>Letters 46 to 48.</i></p>
<p>[The following extract from <i>Fawâed-i-Ruknî</i>
may appropriately find place here.—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<p>As prayers and fasts are the <i>outer</i> duties, so Love
and Devotion are the <i>inner</i> duties. Their ingredients
are pain and sorrow. Devotion leads the devotee
to God. Hence Devotion is necessary to tread
the Path. Know Devotion as Life, its absence as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>
death. The privilege of Devotion is not granted to
every man, nor does every man deserve it. He who
deserves it is worthy of his God; he who does not
deserve it is unworthy of Him. A Devotee alone
can appreciate the value of Devotion. A vast multitude
seek after heaven, while very few seek after
Devotion; for heaven is the lot of the desire-nature,
while Devotion is the lot of the Soul.</p>
<p>Get rid of the notion of selfhood, and give up
thy self to Devotion. When thou hast done so, thou
hast reached the Goal.</p>
<p>Dost thou know why so many obstacles have
been set up on the Path?—In order that the devotee
may gradually <span class="correction" title="Originally: develope">develop</span> strength, and be able to
see the Beloved without a veil.</p>
<p>The boat on the sea [of life] is Devotion; the
Boatman is the Divine Grace.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Seeking_God" id="Seeking_God"></a><span class="smcap">Seeking God.</span></h2>
<p>Nothing is more binding upon you than to seek
God. If you go to market, seek Him. If you come
home, seek Him. If you enter a tavern, seek Him.
If the Angel of Death come to you, take care not to
neglect the Seeking. Tell him, "Do thou thy work,
I do mine." ... If you be taken down to hell,
you shall not neglect the Seeking. Say to the Angel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span>
of Hell, "Strike my useless personality with the
whip of chastisement: I, on my part, tread the Path
of Seeking"—so that the Work may go on. If you
are taken up to Heaven, do not look to the <span class="correction" title="Originally: hooris"><i>houris</i></span>
and palaces, but speed on the Way of Seeking.
"Tho' they offer me both the worlds, I will not
have them without Thy Presence."</p>
<p>The first stage on the Path of Seeking is <i>Humility</i>.
The Great Ones say: 'Humility is the messenger
from God to man.' Sown in the heart, it impels
to God. Practised for some time, it turns into
<i>Courage</i>. Masters unanimously hold that Love
cannot put up save with the Courage of the Disciple.
Practised for some time, Courage turns into <i>Seeking</i>.
This Seeking is led by the Divine Will to the
secrets of [the holy formula], "There is no God
except Allâh." The drum of Seeking proclaims
at the gate of the Divine Sanctuary, "He who seeks
God obtains Him." A cry resounds: "Let neither
sky nor earth, heaven nor hell, hinder the Path of
My Seekers, for they seek Me, and I am their Goal."
These are the steps on the ladder of human progress.
Each pilgrim has his own stage, according to
his aspiration.</p>
<p>The vigilant Seeker should kill out self-conceit
and self-respect with asceticism and purification,
transcend both the worlds, and be ready to lose his
life. It is unlawful for him to aspire after anything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>
in the universe. "One does not unite with the All,
unless one parts with all."</p>
<p>It is said:</p>
<p>When Adam was lodged in Paradise, the
Law commanded him not to approach the Tree,
while the Path dictated to him to turn away from
all. Adam said unto himself. "This Paradise is full
of wonders, and I am its lord. But my heart
longs to visit the abode of sorrow: lordship will not
serve my purpose." A voice spoke to his spirit,
"Adam, wilt thou remove to a foreign country?"
"Yes," answered Adam, "for I have something to
do." The voice said, "Do this work here." Adam:
"The other is more important." The voice: "Heretofore,
Paradise and the angels have been thy servants.
Now thou shalt have to exchange the
home of peace for the abode of condemnation,
the crown for poverty, reputation for disgrace."
Adam: "I accept all these, and will proclaim my
freedom throughout the universe." So it cannot be
said that Adam was deprived of Paradise, but rather
that Paradise was deprived of Adam.—<i>Letter
50.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Way_to_God" id="The_Way_to_God"></a><span class="smcap">The Way to God.</span></h2>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Khwâjâ Bâyazîd</em> was asked, "What is the
way to God?" He replied: "When <i>thou</i> hast
vanished on the Way, <i>then</i> hast thou come to God."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>
Mark this: If one attached to the Way cannot
see God, how can one attached to self see God?</p>
<p>When the Sun of Divine Knowledge rises, all
modes of knowledge become ignorance; when
Divine aspiration appears, all desires melt away....</p>
<p>Whoever is bound to his exterior—his turban,
his robe, the size and colour of his garment—is
still attached to the personality and a worshipper
thereof. Thou canst serve either personality
or the Law: two contraries cannot unite. So long
as you hanker after approbation and dignity,
so long as you become angry at an insult, you
are with your old genius and self-conceit, and have
not been accepted by the Law. You should
sacrifice yourself in the <span class="smcap">SELF</span>. To no purpose do
you change your dress and food. If you eat a
single blade of grass in a lifetime, remain clad in
a single garment for a thousand years, are shut up
in a monastery away from the sight of men,—beware,
lest you should be deluded. All these are
but the subtleties of the desire-nature, its cunning
and craft.</p>
<p>Many pious men are as motionless as a serpent
or a scorpion frozen with cold. Their piety is
not due to rectitude and purity, but to lack of
opportunity. When summer comes in and the
surroundings change, one may behold what they
do.... No one can safely tread the Path without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span>
a Guide.... In the beginning, a disciple is
not a fit recipient of the Divine Light. He is like
a bat, unable to bear the light of the Sun. As
it is dangerous folly to travel in utter darkness,
he needs a light less dazzling than the Sun, in order
to illumine the Path for his safety. Such a light
is that coming from the Masters, who, like the
moon [reflecting the light of the sun], have become
fit reflectors of the Spiritual Light.—<i>Letter
51.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Speech_and_Conduct" id="Speech_and_Conduct"></a><span class="smcap">Speech and Conduct.</span></h2>
<p>All learned men base conduct on speech. They
have gathered their learning through the avenues
of hearing and speaking. The Masters of Truth
have received Their Knowledge through divine
inspiration, which depends on following the Law.
With Them, knowledge does not depend upon
words or speech. It has no connection with the
tongue. Knowledge is that which makes a man
follow the Law. Secular learning deals with
words. Knowledge deals with Truth, and is not
to be found save in the region of the Real. The
province of the tongue is letters, and they are
limited. Knowledge comes from the Heart, and
the Heart does not perish. God has not given<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>
Knowledge to all, whereas He has not withheld
speech from any. Knowledge is that which controls
desire and leads to God. That which contributes
to the gratification of desire and leads to the
courts of chiefs and oppressors is not Knowledge,
but a snare. Knowledge makes one humble and
frees from ostentation and disputes.... The
end of all learning is the beginning of Discipleship.</p>
<p>The <i>first</i> robe worn by a Disciple consists in
coming out of the self. The <i>second</i> robe consists in
setting no value on what he heretofore took as
divine, so that the flame of Discipleship burns
all things in him. Then, he begins to see lights and
utter charming words, leading to self-conceit and the
admiration of others. This is a snare of the desire-nature,
and stops his progress. Here comes in the
necessity of a Teacher to help him cross this stage
and bring him from stagnation to motion. Thus
<i>light is a thicker veil than darkness</i>. Hence is it
that the Wise are dumb and blind, unaffected by the
opinion of the people. Hence is it, again, that the
difficulties of a Disciple cannot be solved by a learned
man, as the latter is but versed in religion, while
the difficulties of the former are connected with the
Path. It is useless for a Disciple to follow the
learned, as the dicta of the latter are concerned
<span class="correction" title="Originally: will">with</span> <i>outer</i> conduct, while he has to deal with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>
<i>inner</i> life. The one is preparing for the destruction
of self; the other seeks salvation for the self
through knowledge. The business of the learned
is to gather up what has been left by others, and
store in his bosom the knowledge of the past. The
business of the Disciple is to throw away and
renounce what he has, and to unlearn what he has
learned. So they are opposites and cannot be
reconciled in any way.—<i>Letter 52.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Magnanimity" id="Magnanimity"></a><span class="smcap">Magnanimity.</span></h2>
<p>A disciple lacking in magnanimity makes no
progress at all. One whose aspiration does not
go beyond heaven, is not fit for this battle. The
Wise hold that the desire to have everything in the
world according to one's own wishes, befits a
woman, not a <i>man</i>.... In short, a magnanimous
disciple should first of all tread upon his
own life, and try his sword on his own desire-nature,
not on an infidel. For the infidel can only hurt
the body, and plunder earthly possessions; whereas
the desire-nature injures the very root of religion
and destroys faith....</p>
<p>Be on the alert, and take no step without
due caution, for Time is a penalty to the heedless.</p>
<p>It is said:—When a man wishes to enter the
Path, the Chief of the Evil Ones, Satan, seizes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>
his skirt and says: "I bear the Cross of Curse for
this work, that no unclean fellow may enter the
Path. If any dare come in without the Robe of
Monotheism and sincere Earnestness, I lop off
his feet." ...</p>
<p>"Should thy inner eyes unfold, every atom
would tell thee a hundred secrets. Then wouldst
thou see each atom ever advancing. All are
absorbed in the march—<i>thou</i> art blind—and the
march goes on <i>in thee</i> as well. There is no limit
to the progress of <span class="smcap">LOVE</span>. Such <i>has been</i>, there is
no help." From highest heaven to lowest abyss,
all things are seeking and striving. It is the
wicked man alone who has made peace with the
enemy, and cut himself off from the Beloved.—<i>Letter
53.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Knowledge" id="Knowledge"></a><span class="smcap">Knowledge.</span></h2>
<p>Knowledge is to purification and asceticism
what ablution is to prayer. No practice is possible
without knowledge, as no prayer is possible without
ablution....</p>
<p>Knowledge is of two kinds: that received from
teachers and books, and that unfolded in the
soul. Again the latter kind is twofold:</p>
<p>(1) The Knowledge transmitted from the
Divine Sanctuary into:—</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>(<i>a</i>) The Soul of a Prophet. Such Knowledge
is called <em class="gesperrt">Wahî</em>.<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></p>
<p>(<i>b</i>) The Soul of a Master. Such Knowledge
is <em class="gesperrt">Ilbâm</em> (inspiration).</p></blockquote>
<p>(2) The knowledge transmitted into:—</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(<i>a</i>) The Soul of a Master from a Prophet.</p>
<p>(<i>b</i>) The Soul of a Disciple from a Master.</p></blockquote>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> A revelation received from God through an Angel (mostly
Gabriel).—<i>Trs.</i></p></div>
<p>As a Master sees God in the Soul of a Prophet,
so a Disciple sees God in the Soul of a Master.</p>
<p>"So long as the tablet of thy heart bears the
impression of letters, thou dost not know any of the
secret meanings. When the letters completely
vanish from the tablet of thy heart, then comes
the knowledge of the secret meanings."</p>
<p>Knowledge is the key to all virtues, as ignorance
is the key to all vices. Knowledge ushers in liberation,
ignorance brings in destruction. The celestial
ranks and abnormal sacred powers spring from
knowledge; chastisements in the various grades of
hell result from ignorance. So the faithful should
shun ignorance and the ignorant in the same way
as vice and infidelity. "A wise man is my friend,
and a fool is my foe." As ignorance and the ignorant
are to be avoided, so is it obligatory to seek
knowledge and the company of the wise—not
worldly knowledge, but the moral; not the worldly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span>
wise but the morally wise. "If you acquire knowledge
thoughtlessly, you will use it as a means of
gaining worldly position. True Knowledge is that
which leads to the Divine Sanctuary, not that which
leads to wealth, rank and passional gratifications."
The company of a Sage for a day is more conducive
to progress than purification and asceticism.—<i>Letter
55.</i></p>
<p>[The following note may be added from "<i>The
Series of 28 Letters</i>."—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<p>Real knowledge comes from the Soul, and a
true knower is he in whom lies the original and
final Knowledge. The purer the Soul, the deeper
and more subtile its comprehensions.—<i>Loc. cit.,
Letter 6</i>.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Steps_of_a_Disciple" id="The_Steps_of_a_Disciple"></a><span class="smcap">The Steps of a Disciple.</span></h2>
<p>The first step is Religion (<em class="gesperrt">Sharîat</em>). When
the disciple has <i>fully</i> paid the demand of Religion,
and aspires to go beyond, the Path (<em class="gesperrt">Tarîqat</em>) appears
before him. It is the way to the Heart. When
he has fully observed the conditions of the Path,
and aspires to soar higher, the veils of the Heart are
rent, and Truth (<em class="gesperrt">Haqîqat</em>) shines therein. It is
the way to the Soul, and the Goal of the Seeker.</p>
<p>Broadly speaking, there are four stages: <em class="gesperrt">Nâsût</em>,
<em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>, <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em> and <em class="gesperrt">Lâhût</em>, each<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span>
leading to the next. <em class="gesperrt">Nâsût</em> is the animal nature,
and functions through the five senses—<i>e. g.</i>, eating,
contacting, seeing, hearing and the like. When the
disciple controls the senses to the limit of bare
necessity, and transcends the animal nature by
purification and asceticism, he reaches <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>—the
region of the angels. The duties of this stage
are prayers to God. When he is not proud of these,
he transcends this stage and reaches <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em>—the
region of the Soul. No one knows the Soul but
with the divine help; and Truth, which is its mansion,
baffles description and allusion. The duties
of this stage are love, earnestness, joy, seeking,
extasy and insensibility. When the pilgrim transcends
these by forgetting self altogether, he reaches
<em class="gesperrt">Lâhût</em>, the unconditioned state. Here words
fail.</p>
<p>Religion is for the desire-nature; the Path, for
the heart; Truth for the Soul. Religion leads the
desire-nature from <em class="gesperrt">Nâsût</em> to <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>, and
transmutes it into Heart. The Path leads the
Heart from <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em> to <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em>, and transmutes
it into Soul. Truth leads the Soul from <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em>
to the Divine Sanctuary. The real work is to
transmute the desire-nature into Heart, the Heart
into Soul, and to unify the three into one. "The
Lover, the Beloved and Love are essentially <span class="smcap">ONE</span>."
This is absolute monotheism....</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span></p>
<p>"The motive of the faithful is superior to their
acts." Acts by themselves are of no value: the
importance lies in the heart.</p>
<p>It is said that the traveller on the divine Path
has three states: (1) Action.<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> (2) Knowledge.
(3) Love. These three states are not experienced
unless God wills it so. But one should work
and wait. He will do verily what He has willed.
He looks neither to the destruction nor to the
salvation of any one.</p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> <i>lit.</i>, walking or moving.</p></div>
<p>One who wishes to arrive at the Truth <i>must</i>
serve a Teacher. No one can transcend the bondage
and darkness of desires unless he, with the
help of the Divine Grace, comes under the protection
of a perfect and experienced Teacher. As the
Teacher <i>knows</i>, He will teach the disciple according
to his capacity, and will prescribe remedies
suited to his ailments, so that "There is no God
except <em class="gesperrt">Allâh</em>" be firmly established in his nature,
and the ingress of the evil spirits be cut off
from his heart. All the world seeks to tread the
Divine Path. But each knows according to his
<i>inner</i> purity, each seeks and aspires according to
his knowledge, and each treads the Path according
to his seeking and aspiration.—<i>Letters 56 & 57.</i></p>
<p>[The following extracts from "<i>A Series of 28
Letters</i>" may throw further light on the subject.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>
The <em class="gesperrt">Sûfî Mulk</em> (or <em class="gesperrt">Nâsût</em>,) <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>, <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em>
and <em class="gesperrt">Lâhût</em> severally correspond to,
if they are not identical with, the physical,
astro-mental, causal and spiritual planes of
modern Theosophical literature.—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<p>It is not permitted to give out the knowledge
gained through [supersensuous] vision. This
much only can be recorded:—</p>
<p>The objects of the senses constitute this world
(<em class="gesperrt">Mulk</em>); those cognised by intellect constitute
the plane of <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>; the potentialities of all
beings constitute the plane of <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em>; ...
In other words, this world is visible, the <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>
is supersensuous, the <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em> is super-supersensuous....
The subtlety of this world
cannot bear comparison with that of <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>,
the subtlety of <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em> with that of <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em>,
nor the subtlety of <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em> with that of the Holy
Essence Divine. There is not an atom of this
world but is permeated by <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>; not an
atom of <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em> but is permeated by <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em>;
not an atom of this world, <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em> and
<em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em> but is permeated by God, and conscious
of Him. Being the most subtile, He must
permeate all—for the greater the subtlety, the
greater the quality of permeation. Now you may
understand the meaning of the verse: "God is
with thee wherever thou art, and in thy very being,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>
though thou mayest not see Him; nearer is He to
thee than the nerve of thy neck." Hence is it said
that this world, <em class="gesperrt">Malakût</em>, <em class="gesperrt">Jabarût</em> and God
Himself are all with thee, and that the True Man
is the focus and mirror of all the Mysteries of
the Divine Essence. It is not permitted to go
further lest exotericism may censure. "Utter not
secrets before the mob if thou art a true devotee
Hast thou not seen that <em class="gesperrt">Mansûr</em>, intoxicated
with devotion, uttered a secret and was put to
death?"—<i>Loc. cit., Letter 2</i>.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Islam" id="Islam"></a><span class="smcap">Islâm.</span></h2>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em> is other than the lower nature. So
long as the lower impulses do not yield to purity,
the heart has no affinity with Islâm. The investigators
of Truth give to the bundle of the impulses
the name of 'the desire-nature'. The outer body
with its limbs and joints is not dangerous, but is
simply a horse to carry the directions of the Law.
God says: 'He sent us a horse from His mighty
palace. Let us ride on it and come to the Path'.
So long as it carries His directions we should not
vex it. If it attempts to transgress the Law, let
us punish it with the whip of asceticism, so that it
may come back to the path. This is the discipline
of the body. But if a man pricks his limb<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>
with a pin, saying that he thereby subdues the
desire-nature, he is a sinner. Many ignorant fellows
labour under a delusion and foolishly take self-torture
as an important discipline. By no means
transgress the limit of the Law and common-sense.
The body is a valuable horse, and fit to carry the
divine charges. It is the desire-nature, and not the
body, which deserves rooting out and chastisement.</p>
<p>The world is arrayed into two parties, the
party of God and the party of Satan. Look well
and see to which <i>you</i> belong....</p>
<p>A Knower has said, "No one comes to worship
God, unless promised the bribe of heaven and
threatened with the torture of hell." This indicates
an indifference to Monotheism.</p>
<p>It is said:</p>
<p>On an <em class="gesperrt">Îd</em> day<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> <em class="gesperrt">Shiblî</em> the Saint was seen
mourning and clad in black. He was told: "This
is the <em class="gesperrt">Îd</em> day. Why are you so clad?" He replied:
"I see all men rejoicing and clad in new suits,
but <i>not one</i> of them is aware of God. I mourn
this day over their heedlessness." O brother, thou
hast become inured to heedlessness, hast barred
the gate of Divine Knowledge and art content
with the gratification of desires. Rest assured,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span>
so long as thou dost not put off thy desires,
thou canst not put on the robe of Faith; so long
as thou dost not look upon the desire-nature as
thy foe, Faith cannot come to thee as thy friend;
so long as thou dost not cease thy connection
with Satan, thou canst not see the beauty of
"There is no God save <em class="gesperrt">Allâh</em>"; so long as thou
dost not turn from the world, thou canst not
approach the Path of Purity.</p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> The Muhammadan festival day at the end of the Ramzân
fast.—<i>Trs.</i></p></div>
<p>Since the Lord is thy Origin, thou hast not
come; since the Lord is thy Goal, thou wilt not
go. "There is no God save <em class="gesperrt">Allâh</em>." Nothing
can be separated from the Infinite, and attached
to non-God. Since the Origin is from Him, the
End is verily in Him. Separation and union,
coming and going, are thus unreal. This is a long
story. Discreet silence is here absolutely necessary.—<i>Letter
58.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Noble_Qualities" id="The_Noble_Qualities"></a><span class="smcap">The Noble Qualities</span></h2>
<p>Noble qualities were in the beginning of creation
given to Adam, who left them as a legacy to
other Prophets. Mohammad, the head of the Prophets,
received them in His turn. Similarly, evil
qualities were allotted to Satan who handed them
down to his followers—the proud and the disobedient....
Since the Noble Qualities are the precious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>
legacy of Adam to Mohammad, no garment or decoration
is better for the faithful than that of the
Noble Qualities. They are based upon harmony
with the Divine Will and the Prophet's Life.</p>
<p>One should curb one's temper, lest it should
embitter the life of others. One should ever be
cheerful, and of controlled tongue. One should
always salute others. One should be charitable,
and abstain from slander, abusive words and untruthfulness.
One should adapt one's words and
deeds (<i>e. g.</i> eating and sleeping) to the scriptural
injunctions. One should ever be magnanimous and
free from the taints of miserliness, hatred, greed
and suspicion. One should do one's best to practise
at all times the virtues possessed by the Prophet,
and flee from vices.</p>
<p>The Prophet has said: "Seek him who flees from
thee; forgive him who injures thee; give to him
who does not give to thee."</p>
<p>The Prophet always concealed the defects of
the faithful, and bore injuries and reproaches to propagate
Religion. He was never angry for himself.
He did not tolerate flattery, neglect, or silence in
the service of Truth. He helped the friends when
they were disabled. He worked for a servant in the
family, when the latter was ill. He accepted the
invitations and presents of others. He never
found fault with any unprohibited food. He used<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span>
any garment allowed by the Law—sometimes a
blanket, sometimes a silk wrapper, sometimes
a worn out cotton garment. He rode sometimes
on a horse, sometimes on a camel, sometimes
on an ass. Sometimes he walked on foot,
without shoes, wrapper, turban or cap. He slept
on a mat without bedding.... He had no
miraculous power: His virtues were sufficient
guarantee of His godliness. Many an unbeliever,
just as he saw Him, would exclaim, "This is not
the face of a hypocrite," and swear allegiance to
<em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em> without asking for miracle or argument....</p>
<p>The Noble Qualities are based on knowledge
and insight. He who is fettered by self-conceit
cannot be expected to purify his nature. Hence
the pilgrim should use insight to acquire the
virtues of the Prophet. He should guard the
virtues he has been endowed with, and acquire
those he is lacking in by self-exertion (<i>i. e.</i> asceticism,
service, and the Company of the saints).
Most of the virtues can be acquired, and we have
been ordered [by the Scriptures] to strive therefor
to the limit of our powers. Man is a mirror who,
when trained, perfected, and cleansed of impurities
shows within him all the Divine Attributes of
construction and disintegration. Then he realises
his divinity and the purpose of his life. A Sage
refers to this very fact in these lines: "It is thou<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span>
who art the Divine Scripture; it is thou who
art the mirror of the Royal Beauty. Beyond
thee there is naught in the universe: seek thy
object within thyself, for thou art that."—<i>Letter 59.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Contemplation" id="Contemplation"></a><span class="smcap">Contemplation.</span></h2>
<p>The Prophet has restricted the use of contemplation
to the Works of God, not to His Nature and
Attributes. Thinking on God may soon end in
unbelief. In order that thought may work, its
object must be limited, and the Divine Nature and
Attributes are unlimited. Hence a student should
contemplate on the objects of Creation, noticing
their [relative] permanence and impermanence,
and realising the position and changes of each in
its phenomenal aspect. He will thus be led to
the knowledge of the Creator. Hence the Seeker
should [while not neglecting outward activities,
holy recitations and other duties] contemplate from
time to time on Creation—Seeing the Wisdom
of the Creator therein—, on his desires, on the heart
and the body; he should enquire into his stages
from the beginning of Creation to its end, and study
his own character. His contemplation should be
in conformity with Religion, based upon knowledge
and experience, and irrespective of considerations
of gain and loss, so that he may develop insight.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span>
Right contemplation achieves in a short time the
results of long practice and worship. The Prophet
has said, "Contemplation for an hour is better
than [formal] worship for sixty years."</p>
<p>As the range of the <i>outer</i> vision differs with
different men, so is it the case with <i>insight</i>, or the
<i>inner</i> vision. Some see as far as Heaven, some
as far as the Divine Throne. A few have the
<i>perfect</i> insight which pierces through all Creation
to the Creator.</p>
<p>The end of contemplation is the advancement of
knowledge and the acquisition of wisdom. When
the heart <span class="correction" title="Originally: developes">develops</span> knowledge and wisdom, there
is a change in its condition. With that change,
there comes a change in conduct as well, and the
man <i>turns</i>. With the <i>turning</i>, he begins to tread
the Path. Treading attracts him to God. <i>Then</i> a
current of Divine attraction may carry him to a
stage inaccessible to men and genii by exertion
and asceticism....</p>
<p>If thou longest and dost not succeed, be not
dejected; for, as the Great Lord has said, "Asking
is for men, acceptance for God."—<i>Letter 60.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="Renunciation" id="Renunciation"></a><span class="smcap">Renunciation.</span></h2>
<p>The <i>first</i> duty incumbent upon a Seeker is the
practice of <em class="gesperrt">Tajrîd</em> and <em class="gesperrt">Tafrîd</em>. The one is to
quit present possessions; the other, to cease to
care for the morrow. The <i>second</i> duty is seclusion,
outer and inner. Outer seclusion consists in flying
from the world and turning thy face to the wall,
in order that thou mayest give up thy life on the
Divine threshold; inner seclusion consists in cleansing
the heart of all thoughts connected with the
non-God, whether the non-God be earth or heaven.</p>
<p>The <i>third</i> duty is at-onement in speech and
thought, which consists in ceasing to speak and
think of the non-God. The <i>fourth</i> duty is the
practice of moderation in speech, food and sleep,
since this triad supports the desire-nature. Too
much speaking is a bar to holy recitations; too
much sleep interferes with meditation; too much
food brings on inertia and checks the <span class="correction" title="Originally: preformance">performance</span>
of duties.</p>
<p>Purity of body as well as of mind is necessary
at all times—purity of body <i>alone</i> is not sufficient—in
order that the Divine Attraction may uplift thee
to a stage unattainable by <i>all</i> the efforts and ascetic
practices of <i>all</i> genii and men put together. Very
easy to speak of this, but very hard the practice—since<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>
this practice does not lie with the bodily organs
or elements, but with the Heart and the Soul
which are beyond our control. The gate to the
Path is Knowledge and Wisdom. He who avoids
this gate has to plod on his way through an endless
forest infested by demons, and ends by losing his
life and faith....</p>
<p>Eternal Life is the life in Spirit without a body.
It is attained by Love, not by obedience. Servants
wait for an order and seek remedies for their ailments;
Lovers are impelled by Love and invite ailments
without asking for a remedy. The Beloved
ever cries, "Stay at a distance lest thou shouldst
perish." The Lover answers, "I am prepared from
the very beginning to give up my life. Death is
better than a life without Thee." The life of the
body has no value on the Path. Whoso cares for
the one has no business with the other. Love says
to thee: "Give up a life which must turn into dust,
and I shall instal thee on the throne of Glorious
At-onement. Now the choice is thine."</p>
<p>Although there is no heart <i>without</i> love, yet the
priceless treasure of Divine Love does not fall to
the lot of greedy and mean fellows, who are content
with prayers and fasts, and have but given up their
earthly claims for higher honours.</p>
<p>Be cheerful and hopeful, for the Door of Compassion
is open.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span></p>
<p>God has created doubt interfering with conviction,
the lower nature veiling the face of Truth,
duality warring with monotheism, the alloy claiming
the place of the genuine coin, a thousand foes
arrayed against each friend, a temple of idols facing
every mosque, a suffering balancing each blessing.
"He does all this; but man, awe-stricken, cannot
breathe a sigh: for His Face is like a mirror, and a
mirror is clouded by breathing."—<i>Letter 61.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="On_the_Same_2" id="On_the_Same_2"></a><span class="smcap">On the Same.</span></h2>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Tajrîd</em> and <em class="gesperrt">Tafrîd</em> are indispensable for a
Disciple. The one is the renunciation of the world
and of outer concerns; the other is the renunciation
of self. No impurity in his heart, no burden
on his back, no market in his bosom;—not reckoned
with any class of people, not concerned with
any particular object, his aspirations soaring above
earth, heaven and the Divine Throne,—such a Disciple
rests in his Beloved. The Beloved away, all
the worlds cannot please; their absence leaves no
void when He is there. As said by a noble soul,
"No grief in the company of God; no joy in the
company of the non-God." One away from God is
at the very centre of sorrow and suffering, albeit he
may hold the key of all the treasures of the earth.
One attached to God, however poor, is king of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span>
heaven and earth. <em class="gesperrt">Khwâjâ Sirrî Saqtî</em>
was wont to pray: "O God! punish me, if such be
Thy Will, any way save by veiling Thyself."
This is the only real hell.... As observed by
some one, "With Thee, the heart is a mosque;
without Thee, 'tis but a shrine of idols. With Thee,
the heart is a heaven; the heart without Thee
is a hell."</p>
<p>In short, when the Disciple realises the Greatness
of God, feels the pangs of His seeking, knows
that "Who gains Him gains all, who loses
Him loses all," and finds that he can dispense with
all save Him,—he then overcomes his old habits
and unfolds the vision, "I am from God and for
God." Life and death, acceptance and rejection,
praise and blame, are thenceforth equal in his
eyes. Heaven and earth find no place in his heart.
He bows to none for food, clothes or money. His
Goal being the Divine Sanctuary, he longs for
naught save God.—<i>Letter 62.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Clearing_of_the_Path" id="The_Clearing_of_the_Path"></a><span class="smcap">The Clearing of the Path.</span></h2>
<p>The Path should be cleared of all impurities
inherent in the lower self.... The Great Ones
have declared: "He that takes a step in obedience
to his desire-nature loves it better than God. He
cannot be a believer: how can he be a Saint?"</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span></p>
<p>Nothing but constant <i>turning</i> (<em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em>) can
guard the Path against the onslaughts of the desire-nature.
As the ordinary soul should turn from sensuality,
cruelty and avarice, so should the developed
soul turn from purity, worship and meditation.
The Sages have said: "Thou must acquire all
virtues, such as truth, purity and worship. When
acquired, thou must scatter them in the air of
supreme Indifference. Were all Prophets, Saints
and Angels to sing the hymn of His Unity, their
final chorus would end thus: 'We turn to God from
all we have said.<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a>'"</p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> Or "We retract with repentance what we have said."—<i>Trs.</i></p></div>
<p>Art thou endowed with the purity of all the
Saints, plume thyself not over it; art thou distressed
with a thousand shocks, seek not refuge in
flight.</p>
<p>He that does not burn himself here in the fire of
<em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> certainly deserves the doom of hell-fire.
So burn thou to-day in the fire of <em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em>
whatever thou knowest of thyself, be it merit
or defect. If to-day thou dost not cast aside the
thorns from thy Path, they will hereafter turn into
arrows and pierce thy heart.—<i>Letter 63.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="Self-Control" id="Self-Control"></a><span class="smcap">Self-Control.</span></h2>
<p>The Self-controlled is one who has freed himself
from the bondage of self. The seven hells and the
eight heavens are too narrow to hold him—only
the vast expanse of God is wide enough to receive
him.</p>
<p>If the joy of heaven and the torture of hell
ceased to be, there would be no loss to the spiritual
aspect of God. "What a Vastness! If the worlds
were not, It would not be less by a hair's breadth.
The kingdom of Its Glory is truly without beginning
or end."</p>
<p>Freedom from self leads to freedom from all.
So long as thou art bound to any of the lower qualities,
thou art its slave.... The Path is a jealous
master and will not put up with any partner. So
long as thou art a friend to self, thou art a
stranger to God. Be then estranged from self that
thou mayest unite with Him. The dead wall
of self cannot be pulled down save with the help of
a perfect Teacher.</p>
<p>Self-control will not allow thee to look down upon
any creature, <i>e. g.</i> to tread upon even the lowliest
ant in thy way. Wert thou able to raise the veil
of ignorance from thine eyes, then wouldst thou see
each and every being seeking and adoring God.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p>
<p>The Prophet prayed, "Show me things as they
are." His senior disciple ever prayed: "O God,
show me truth and untruth, and help me to follow
the one and avoid the other." So it is said: "When
God seeks the welfare of a man, He shows his
defects to him," that he may change from a temple
of idols into a mosque.</p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>Rest assured that thou hast nothing but good
to expect, once self has been stripped off from thee.
So long as thy self lies before thee, thou canst but
swell in self-respect. A Satan in very truth is he
that respects self, whether in the guise of angel or
of man, whether on earth, in heaven or in hell.
Self-respect consists in not transcending self. "Endless
as the veils are, none is thicker than self-conceit.
Know its destruction as thy foremost
duty."—<i>Letter 64.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Truth" id="Truth"></a><span class="smcap">Truth.</span></h2>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Khwâjâ Zunnoon</em> of Egypt says: "Truth
is the Sword of God on earth. It may not be laid
on anything without cutting it." Truth consists
in looking to the Actor, and not to His instruments.
True Faith consists in ceasing to desire anything
save Truth....</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span></p>
<p>Once upon a time <em class="gesperrt">Zunnoon</em>, while returning
from Jerusalem, saw a figure loom in the distance,
and desired to question it. On drawing near, it
was found to be an old woman clad in wool, with
a stick in her hand. <em class="gesperrt">Zunnoon</em> said, "Whence
comest thou?" The dame replied, "From God."
<em class="gesperrt">Zunnoon</em> again enquired, "Whither dost thou
go?" The old woman rejoined, "To God."
<em class="gesperrt">Zunnoon</em> then offered her a gold coin. She refused
the gift, saying, "What an illusion has overcome
thee? I work for God and do not receive anything
save what comes from Him. As I worship Him
and Him alone, I cannot receive what is not Himself
and comes from other than Himself." Having
spoken thus, she vanished. Such is to be the ideal
of the aspirant.</p>
<p>Working for God alone is the test of true
devotion. Some think they work for Him, but
they work for Themselves. They have conquered
the desires of this world, but they seek for fruits
in a higher world. A few work irrespective of all
consideration of internal suffering or celestial
joy, in pure love to carry out the Divine Will.
"The earth is a place of suffering, heaven is a
place of joy. We shall not receive the fruits of
either, even to the measure of a barleycorn." It
has been said. The virtuous often prove more selfish
in their virtue than the sinners in their sin.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span>
The gratification of the latter is but transitory, the
joy of the former is permanent. God does not
gain by the self-denial of men, nor does He lose
by their sensual gratifications....</p>
<p>It is an old adage, that the mere description of
a savoury dish only intensifies the misery of hunger.
Take an onward step if you can: lose your head
and give up your life.</p>
<p>As God is essentially <span class="smcap">ONE</span>, a true believer must
be a monotheist. Look for the proof of this in the
holy <i>Logion</i>, one half of which, "There is no God,"
separates [the believer from the non-God], while
the other half, "Save <em class="gesperrt">Allâh</em>," unites [him with
God]. One unites with God in proportion to one's
renunciation of the non-God. He who claims to
have Faith should look at his own heart. If his
heart flies from the non-God, his claim is genuine.
If it longs for anything save God, and shrinks
from the means of Divine Union, let him weep over
his faith. Either he has already lost it, or is about
to do so.</p>
<p>A certain Great One has said: "All men claim
to love, but if the claim is carefully scrutinised,
'loving' turns out to mean 'being loved.'" True
love consists in the complete renunciation of all
desires. If one looks for the gratification of a desire,
one plays the part of the beloved, not of the lover.—<i>Letter
65.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="The_Descent_from_Adam" id="The_Descent_from_Adam"></a><span class="smcap">The Descent from Adam.</span></h2>
<p>The pilgrim justifies his descent from Adam
when he enters the Heart. Now he has finished
the Turning, and begins his Pilgrimage. By the
virtue of his complete Turning, anything coming
in contact with him undergoes a change. This is
the power of Transmutation. This explains the
phenomena of transmutation wrought by many
<span class="correction" title="Originally: Darveshes">Derveshes</span> (<i>e. g.</i> the change of wine into an innocuous
beverage). Such a pilgrim may lawfully lay
his hand on the imperial treasury, and use the
wealth of kings. (Religious injunctions vary with
circumstances. It is reported in the traditions
that a young man came to the Prophet and asked
if he could lawfully take a certain oil in the fast
month of Ramzân. He said, "No." Next followed
an old man who put the same question. He said,
"Yes." The companions of the Prophet were
confused, and asked, "How is it, O Messenger
of God, that you allowed in the one case what
you prohibited in the other." He replied: "The
one was a young man, and I was afraid of the fire
of his youth; the other was an old man, and I did
not apprehend any danger for him.") But those who
take to the <i>outer</i> conduct without having reached
the <i>inner</i> stage, court their own ruin. Such a stage
must have the sanction of Divine Authority.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span></p>
<p>A time comes to the Master of the Heart, when
all His limbs become [as sacred as] the Heart. No
part of his body, <i>e. g.</i>, a nail or a hair, should be
cast aside, as it partakes of the sanctity of the
Heart. The broken hairs of the Prophet were divided
by His companions as a precious gift amongst
themselves.... Hence arose the practice of
sharing among disciples the pieces of the teacher's
worn-out mantle. The practice is a mere sham if
the teacher is not a Master.</p>
<p>He who has completed the Turning and reached
the Heart, is a Master. Only such a one is entitled
to the honour of a leader,—not one who is below
this stage.</p>
<p><i>Question</i>:—How to distinguish the real Master
from a mere pretender?</p>
<p><i>Answer</i>:—The <i>true</i> Seeker has an <i>inner</i> eye
enabling him to recognise a real Master. He would
not be attracted to a pretender. Dost thou not behold
that if different kinds of animals flock together,
and different kinds of food be placed before them,
each will fall to on his own appropriate food and
turn away from what is meant for others?...</p>
<p>The true Seeker also is known as <i>such</i>, as his
inner eye opens to the vision of the Master, and
he receives the nourishment suited to his aspiration.
The Master begins to work on him. He is [as one]<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span>
dead, and the Master gives him a wash<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a>, purifying
him of all undesirable elements. This purification
completes the Turning. Then he begins his journey
on the Divine Path—which is called the Pilgrimage.</p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> This refers to the practice of washing the dead body before
burial or cremation.—<i>Trs.</i></p></div>
<p>This is not devotion as ordinarily understood
(<i>i. e.</i> prayer, fast, almsgiving, etc.). Allegiance to
a Master is in itself Devotion; progress on the Path
is its fruit. A brief prayer, a day's fast, or a simple
charity, performed or given in obedience to a
Master's direction, are more beneficial than long
protracted prayers, or splendid gifts, performed or
given in response to the call of the desire-nature.</p>
<p>As a qualification for the Path, seek to get
rid of old habits. But it is not possible to get rid
of old habits and purify the dross without the service
of a Master, since He alone can, by His Knowledge,
gradually drive out the host of the evil elements,
and help one towards the realisation of
"There is no God save <em class="gesperrt">Allâh</em>."</p>
<p>Continue thy seeking till <i>the</i> Seeking unveils
Itself, and destroys thy self in Thee. Henceforth
the Disciple has nothing to do: the Seeking will
Itself lead him on.</p>
<p>So long as thou seekest any but the Beloved, no
Seeker art thou. How then canst thou be wholly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span>
His? By wholly turning to Him. He can afford
to have thousands of friends, for He can reach
all alike. The Sun is with all—east and west,
Hindu and Turk—for His range is unlimited. But
<i>thou</i> art limited in capacity, and canst not feel the
warmth of His rays unless thou wholly expose
thyself to Him. All the worlds are benefited by
Him, yet He does not lose in the least.</p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>Here one should guard against a possible misunderstanding.
To love a thing as a <i>means</i> does not
interfere with the love for the <i>end</i> or the <i>final</i> object.
Our foes even ought to be loved as connected
with the Lord. This is not a division of love, but
its perfection. Love is a peculiar state: friendship
with foes is possible only here. <span class="correction" title="Originally: Abul Abbas"><em class="gesperrt">Abul Abbâs</em></span>—peace
be on him—said to a party marching to war
against the unbelievers, "Would I might lick the
dust of the feet of the unbelievers whom ye would
kill for His sake." The care of a scholar for pen and
paper cannot be said to divert his attention from
learning. The <i>real</i> object of love ought to be only
one (<i>i. e.</i> God), but loving others as subservient to
the final object (<i>i. e.</i> Divine Love) is by no means
harmful. If a man loves God, he must love the
Prophets and the Masters—nay, if he ponders well,
he must love <i>all</i> as connected with Him. All the
universe is His work and is certainly Himself.
"Duality does not approach Thy Sanctuary: the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span>
whole world is Thyself and Thy Energy. The Universe
is the shadow of Thy Presence; all is the
result of Thy mighty Workmanship."</p>
<p>But if it be the Divine Will to put an end to a
certain work of His, using thee as instrument,
thou as a devotee must destroy it, and none should
accuse thee of lack of respect for His work. This
is a very high stage. If <em class="gesperrt">Mohammad</em> and His
blessed companions killed the unbelievers, they did
so in obedience to the Divine Will. The lover has
not to seek his own pleasure.—<i>Letter 66.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Confidence" id="Confidence"></a><span class="smcap">Confidence.</span></h2>
<p>The <em class="gesperrt">Sûfî</em> trusts in God. <em class="gesperrt">Khwâjâ Yahiâ</em>
observes: "He who does not trust God cannot receive
Divine illumination." <i>Explanation</i>: God deals
with a man according to his expectations. One
who suspects Him cannot receive any light. Again,
it is a friend who is trusted, and it is a foe who is
suspected. Suspicion invites hostility; confidence,
love.</p>
<p>There is a distinction, however, between mere
groundless hope and reasonable expectation. One
who endeavours to obey the Divine Commands
may reasonably expect the Divine Grace; but
it is a vain hope for one guilty of commissions<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span>
and omissions to expect exemption from
hell and enjoyment of heaven.... So it is
wise to check the accounts of the desire-nature,
and prepare for death; and it is foolish to follow
the desire-nature and hope for the remission of
sins.—<i>Letter 67.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Pursuit_and_Renunciation" id="Pursuit_and_Renunciation"></a><span class="smcap">Pursuit and Renunciation.</span></h2>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Sûfîs</em> differ as to whether they should follow or
renounce <span class="correction" title="Originally: wordly">worldly</span> pursuits. Complete renunciation
is only permitted at a very high stage, <i>i. e.</i> that of
absolute unity and perfect trust in God.</p>
<p>Working for a livelihood began with Adam.
He cultivated lands and taught cultivation to his
children. The Prophet <em class="gesperrt">Shoaib</em> was a merchant
and possessed cattle. <em class="gesperrt">Moses</em> served as His shepherd.
If work interfered with the principle of
trust in God, the Prophets would not have worked
for a livelihood. <em class="gesperrt">Mohammad</em> warned his friends
against the abuse of the principle of trust, and
ever kept in store a year's provision for his children.
Work is a duty for him who has to support
another; but he should work so as not to be cut
off from God.</p>
<p>Each should look to his circumstances and
inner attitude, in order to decide whether he should<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span>
resort to work or cease from work. If ceasing
separates him from God, work should be resorted
to; if ceasing leads him to God, work should be
left aside.</p>
<p>Work is as lawful as prayer and fast. The
more you pray, the more you fast, the better; but
to look for your salvation therefrom is dualism.
You should adore for the glorification of God and
the strengthening of your love, but you should
rely on His Grace for your salvation. Similarly,
work is better than renunciation; but it is not
the work, but rather the Divine Grace, which is
to be looked up to as Providence.</p>
<p>A Dervesh should avoid begging as far as possible,
as it is dangerous in many respects. He,
however, may beg (a) to gratify his hunger....
(b) to pull down his personality, ... (c) knowing
the world as the Divine steward. It is more in
keeping with the ceremonious glorification of the
Lord to ask of His steward than of Himself.—<i>Letter
69.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Company_of_the_Saints" id="The_Company_of_the_Saints"></a><span class="smcap">The Company of the Saints.</span></h2>
<p>Holy company is an important discipline for
the pupil. It is very effective in conquering nature
and habit. Hence is it laid down by the holy
Saints as binding upon a disciple. The rationale<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>
of it is this. The desire-nature consists of certain
ingrained tendencies, and is affected by the tendencies
of one's associates. The Prophet says:
"Men follow the religion of their friends, so they
should always be careful of their company." ...</p>
<p>It is said that a man, while going round <em class="gesperrt">Kâbâ</em>,
prayed: "Lord, make my brothers virtuous."
Others asked him, "Why dost thou pray for thy
brothers at this sacred spot, and not for thyself?"
He replied: "I have brothers who, when I return
to them, will elevate me by their virtues if they
are virtuous, and degrade me by their vices if they
are vicious. As my righteousness rests on theirs,
I pray for them, that they may help me in reaching
the Goal."</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Malik</em> (Peace on Him!) says: "Do not associate
with a brother or a friend, unless you would
thereby advance the cause of Religion. To associate
with any other object is absolutely forbidden."
<i>Explanation</i>: If you associate with a superior, he
will benefit you by his presence; if you associate
with an inferior, you should benefit him by teaching
him religion and morality, and yourself too
by learning something useful he may know.</p>
<p>Company is to be sought for the sake of the
Lord, not for selfish gratification.</p>
<p>Nothing is more dangerous for a beginner than
loneliness. A story runs thus. There was a disciple<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span>
of Master <em class="gesperrt">Junnaid</em> who fancied he had made
great progress and could not be harmed by isolation.
So he took to seclusion. Nightly, a procession
appeared before him with a horse for him to
ride, and he was requested to ride up to heaven,—a
delightful place with sweet dishes, running brooks
and fair company—where he enjoyed himself till
morn, and slept. On awakening, he would find
himself at the door of his hermitage. He turned
proud and boastful. On hearing the report, the
Master came to him, asked him and was told
what had happened, and advised him to repeat
three times when he went to the pleasure-haunt:
"There is nothing to be relied upon save God,
and there is no power except His." He refused
to act up to the advice for a few nights more. At
last he wished to test the efficiency of the Master's
lesson and repeated the sentence as advised. The
whole procession fell into confusion and scattered,
and he found himself in a cemetery with the bones
of the dead around him. Then he came to realise
his guilt, repented, and returned to the company
of his fellow-disciples.</p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>The rule of society is to behave with each according
to his position in life. <i>With reference to
elders</i>, to serve them; not to speak before them
save when necessary, and then only with their permission,
and after they have finished if they are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>
speaking; not to sit on an elevated seat in their
presence. <i>With reference to equals</i>, to live in harmony,
and to share one's wealth with them (not
as a loan, but as a free gift). <i>With reference to
the young</i>, to treat them with love and kindness.</p>
<p><i>General</i>: Elders to be treated as one's own
parents, equals as one's own brothers, the younger
ones as one's own children. None to be asked for
anything, but each to be helped. Life to be rendered
agreeable to all. Not to oppose others
except at the call of religious duty. To associate
with those strong in religion, integrity and moderation.
Not to mix with those opposed in religion
and temperament. To avoid the company of a
youth. (The desire in the young for the company
of their elders aids the development of their
intelligence and knowledge. The desire in elders
for the company of youths leads to sin and
folly)....</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Sûfîs</em>, when conversing with one another,
never say, "This is mine," "That is thine;" "I wish
it were so," "I wish it were not so." It is the verdict
of the Masters of Knowledge that God does
not approve of the use of words denoting I-ness.</p>
<p>If thou wouldst know the Unknown, taste the
nectar of Grace and transcend the seven heavens, then
close the five senses, and pass from the perishable
to the Imperishable. They asked Master <em class="gesperrt">Shiblî</em>,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span>
"Who is a Knower, and how is he to be distinguished?"
He said, "He is deaf, dumb and blind."
They replied, "These are the marks of an unbeliever."
He rejoined: "The unbeliever is deaf
to the voice of truth, dumb for the utterance of truth,
and blind to the vision of truth; whereas the
Knower is deaf, dumb and blind to all save Truth."—<i>Letter
70.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Service" id="Service"></a><span class="smcap">Service.</span></h2>
<p>Service is an essential duty for the disciple.
Its gains are superior to those of worship. It kills
the desire-nature; it breeds humility and good
manners; it destroys pride, impurity and inertia,
quickens the soul and illumines the inner and the
outer man.</p>
<p>They asked a Great One, "How many ways
are there to God?" He said: "There are as many
ways as there are atoms in the universe. But the
best and the shortest is Service. I have reached
the Goal by treading this Path, and recommend
it to my disciples." ...</p>
<p><i>Rules of Service</i>: To put aside one's own desires,
to render oneself agreeable to others, ...
and to regard one's powers and possessions as intended
for the use of others....</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p>
<p>As the wealthy are to serve with their wealth
and the learned with their knowledge—so the
disciple is to use <i>all</i> his activities for the service
of others....</p>
<p>All Great Ones began with Service, which
gradually lifted them to the rank of Masters.—<i>Letter
71.</i></p>
<p>[The following Notes gleaned from other works
of the Author are added as bearing on the subject.—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<p>The outer conduct of an occultist should be in
accordance with the mental capacity of the people
surrounding him. He should speak what concerns
them only, and not of his own relations with
God. Master <span class="correction" title="Originally: Yehiâ"><em class="gesperrt">Yahiâ</em></span> observes: "When with others,
I say 'My Lord'; when alone, I say 'My Beloved';
when united, I say 'I'." Obey the Law, whatever
your stage or position. Such is the approved
mode of conduct, as recommended by the
Masters of Wisdom.—<i>The Series of 28 Letters,—Letter
21.</i></p>
<p>A certain Great One was told that the chief of a
certain town spent the whole night in prayers.
He replied that the poor fellow had missed the
way and undertaken the work of others. On being
questioned again, he added that that man's path of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>
duty lay in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked,
comforting the distressed, and fulfilling the wants
of the needy; and that keeping up all night in
prayer was the duty of a recluse. Each man
ought to work according to his position in life.—<i>Fawâed-i-Ruknî.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Transmutation_of_Evil_Qualities" id="The_Transmutation_of_Evil_Qualities"></a><span class="smcap">The Transmutation of Evil Qualities.</span></h2>
<p>The purification of character by the transmutation
of evil qualities into virtues is to be ever
striven for as an essential duty. If neglected, it
must breed dangers and difficulties.</p>
<p>Man has all the qualities found in the animals.
His resurrection will be determined by his predominant
quality, not by his outer body on
earth—<i>i. e.</i>, he will turn into the form of the corresponding
animal. For instance, the predominance
of anger, lust, pride or flattery in earthly life,
produces severally the forms of the dog, the hog,
the lion and the fox, on the day of resurrection.
Similarly of other qualities....</p>
<p>Many men will be seen in bestial form on the
day of resurrection, and many beasts in human form.
The dog of the Cave-Recluses<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> will rise in the form<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span>
of man, owing to his human qualities. Mount
<em class="gesperrt">Ahud</em> will have a rock drawn out of it, and will
stand in the rank of the Pure Ones in human
form.... Those endowed with the inner
eye know that all beings, even the mineral, pray.
"Every particle of dust in the air is full of the
Light of Divine Love. All atoms in the universe
are centres—active or potential—of Divine Love."</p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> The reference is to the seven sages who, with a dog, retired to
a cave to avoid the persecution of a tyrant, awoke after a sleep
of 300 years, and slept again to awake on the day of resurrection.—<i>Trs.</i></p></div>
<p>Such a difficult task lies in front, and none take
to it save the Wise. So thou shouldst not be heedless,
but slowly and steadily discipline thyself so as
to overcome a part of thy animal nature—it is
indeed a mighty achievement to overcome it in
its entirety.</p>
<p>He who wishes to know the nature of his resurrection
should see what is the predominating
quality in his life: his resurrection will be determined
by this quality. It is not difficult to know
thus much.</p>
<p>Similarly, if a man wishes to know whether God
is pleased or displeased with him, he should look
at his life. A life wholly devoted to righteousness
must please God: righteousness is the indication
of His pleasure. A life wholly given to vice must
displease God: vice is the indication of His displeasure.
A life partly righteous and partly vicious
is to be valued according to the predominating
element in it.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p>
<p>If the earthly life is not turned to account,
there shall be no progress on the other side. If a
man who has not transmuted [on earth] the evil
qualities in his nature, is taken to heaven at his
death, and all celestial boons are bestowed upon
him, those qualities will not change. He will have
only the <span class="correction" title="Originally: houries">houris</span>, the palaces, the roast cocks and
the stream of running water, but will be too weak
to realise the real object—the Goal of the <i>inner</i>
man, and the ideal of all the disciples and of the
Master. How insignificant are all other gains
where That is lost! How immaterial is any loss,
where That is gained!</p>
<p>Frequent ablutions and baths remove sloth
and drowsiness.</p>
<p>The Divine Vision on resurrection day depends
on the Divine Grace, not on merit. No
eye deserves His Vision, no ear His Voice, no
intellect His Knowledge, no feet His Path....
Self-reproach is necessary for a seeker.—<i>Letter 72.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Avarice" id="Avarice"></a><span class="smcap">Avarice.</span></h2>
<p>To work for show, and desire the rank of a
saint, is not the mark of piety. Thy deeds are all
tainted with desire. Purity consists in the spirit
of Service, not in avarice. The one is not compatible<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>
with the other. But we want bribes to
serve the Lord.</p>
<p>O brother, cast off avarice. God does not owe
anything to any one, and His gifts on earth or after
death are <span class="correction" title="Originally: gratuitiuos">gratuitous</span>. Do all your works for His
Service, not in the hope of gaining heaven or
shunning hell....</p>
<p>He who aspires to work in His Service should
be careful of the purity of his motives, which is a
function of the heart. An act without pure motive
cannot soar from the region of sham to the sphere
of Service.... A prayer worth the name
is one performed with the fervour of the heart,
and not with the lips only. The motto of monotheism,
"There is no God save <em class="gesperrt">Allâh</em>," if repeated
as a talk at moments of sale and purchase,
can not be regarded as a declaration of Divine
Unity.... God says: "My shrine is not
a place of sale and purchase. Thou goest to
market with the object of gaining something thou
hast not. But if thou comest to My Shrine, come
with the distinct understanding that thou losest all
and returnest a pauper." <em class="gesperrt">Khwâjâ Ahmad</em> had
a vision of God, Who told him: "<em class="gesperrt">Ahmad</em>, all men
ask Me for something, save <em class="gesperrt">Bâyazîd</em><a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> who asks
for Myself alone."—<i>Letter 73.</i></p>
<div class="footnote">
<p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> A great Muhammadan saint.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p></div>
<h2><a name="The_Evil_of_the_World" id="The_Evil_of_the_World"></a><span class="smcap">The Evil of the World.</span></h2>
<p>The world and all things therein are to be
avoided, save as needed for the Lord's sake. The
world may be classed under three groups:—</p>
<p>(1) The first group is purely worldly, and
cannot serve His Cause. It consists of:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(<i>a</i>) Vices. Their commission in the mind
or with the body does not serve His Cause.</p>
<p>(<i>b</i>) Too much of lawful enjoyments. This
is the root of all failures and sins.</p></blockquote>
<p>(2) The second group is purely divine, but
may be turned to selfish use by an impure motive,
<i>e. g.</i>, meditation, prayer and asceticism, if practised
with the object of gaining the respect of the people.</p>
<p>(3) The third group is apparently worldly but
really divine, <i>e. g.</i>, eating for the sake of the Divine
Service; marriage with the object of begetting a
child who shall repeat "There is no God save
<em class="gesperrt">Allâh</em>"; making a small fortune with the object
of peacefully serving God.</p>
<p>In short, the world is that which gratifies the
cravings of desire in the present, and is of no use
after death; that which may help on the other
side of death is not worldly.... He who
appropriates the world to the limit of <i>bare</i> necessity
(food, garment and a dwelling-house) breaks<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>
his bonds; whereas he who seeks luxurious living
exposes himself to endless troubles....</p>
<p>The Great Ones have remarked that the lowest
stage of purity shows itself as an inner craving for
well-being after death and a diminution of <span class="correction" title="Originally: wordly">worldly</span>
desires, ending in a gradual estrangement from
this world, and the realisation of other worlds....</p>
<p>The work is harder than you imagine. All
worldly pleasures are sorrows and sufferings.—<i>Letter
74.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Renunciation_of_the_World" id="Renunciation_of_the_World"></a><span class="smcap">Renunciation of the World.</span></h2>
<p>Service of the Lord is impossible without
renunciation of the world. When thy body works
for the world and thy heart longs for it, how canst
thou serve Him? The heart is one; it cannot attend
to two things at the same time. The world
and the Lord are wide apart as east and west.
The more you approach the one, the farther you
recede from the other....</p>
<p>Renunciation is twofold:—</p>
<p>(1) Human renunciation, <i>i. e.</i> the renunciation
which can be achieved by a man. It consists of
three stages:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(<i>a</i>) Ceasing to seek for the worldly objects
one has not.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p>
<p>(<i>b</i>) Casting off the worldly objects one has.</p>
<p>(<i>c</i>) Ceasing to entertain worldly desires in the
mind.</p></blockquote>
<p>(2) Superhuman renunciation, which consists
in complete indifference to the world. It can
be accomplished, with the help of the Divine Grace,
by one who has achieved success in all the three
stages of Human renunciation. The second is the
true renunciation with many Sages.</p>
<p>The expulsion of worldly desires from the mind
is a most difficult task. You will find many cases
of <i>apparent</i> renunciation, with an <i>inner</i> longing for
the world. But when you cease to seek for what
you have not, and cast off what you have, the
Divine Grace will enable you to drive out worldly
desires from your mind. Relinquishment of the
world will not give <i>real</i> renunciation, so long as the
heart still craves for the world. The Prophets were
master-ascetics. One of Them was Solomon, who
possessed the sovereignty of all the worlds, and was
certainly an ascetic.</p>
<p><i>Conclusion</i>: The separation of the heart from
worldly cravings, in spite of the possession of worldly
objects, is superior to the separation of the body
from worldly objects, in spite of the worldly cravings
that remain in the heart.</p>
<p>Renunciation is the basis of all virtue and progress,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span>
and, as such, is the first condition of discipleship.
<em class="gesperrt">Ahmad Hambal</em> (Peace on Him!) says
that renunciation is threefold:—</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(<i>a</i>) Abstinence from what is forbidden by the
Scriptures. This is the lower renunciation.</p>
<p>(<i>b</i>) Abstinence from over-indulgence in lawful
pleasures. This is the higher renunciation.</p>
<p>(<i>c</i>) Renunciation of that which separates man
from God. This is the highest renunciation.—<i>Letter
75.</i></p></blockquote>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Final_Doom" id="The_Final_Doom"></a><span class="smcap">The Final Doom.</span></h2>
<p>There are two classes of travellers, the noble
and the wicked. Each class has its peculiar speed,
path, and doom.</p>
<p>Noble souls are divided into ordinary noble
ones, and the more advanced. The former
attain heaven and the heavenly ranks by following
the ascetic practices prescribed by Religion. The
more advanced approach Purity by following the
path of Devotion.</p>
<p>The wicked, too, are divided into ordinary
wicked ones, and the more degraded. The former<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>
include some of the believers, leading a sinful life,
disobeying the divine injunctions, and addicted to
sensual pleasures. They tread the path of transgression
and go to hell. The latter are the unbelievers,
solely attending to sensual pleasures and
earthly gains, and wholly disbelieving in Religion
and the disembodied life. They risk the permanent
for the sake of the transient, and finally lose
this world as well as the next. The former suffer
in hell temporarily, but finally escape it by virtue
of their faith, albeit imperfect. The latter eternally
suffer in hell owing to total absence of faith.</p>
<p>There are different gradations in hell, as there
are grades of unbelief or hypocrisy. There are
thinkers and blind followers amongst unbelievers
as well as amongst believers. As the faith of
a thoughtful believer is superior to that of an
ordinary believer, so the sufferings of a thoughtful
unbeliever are intenser than those of an
ordinary unbeliever. Ordinary unbelief is inherited
from ancestors and surroundings, and is punished
in the first infernal region. Intellectual unbelief
does not rest upon tradition, but upon researches
carried on for long years, self-denial and discipline
of the lower nature, all intended for and ending in
scepticism and atheism.—<i>Letter 68.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="The_Soul_Ruh" id="The_Soul_Ruh"></a><span class="smcap">The Soul (<em class="gesperrt">Rûh</em>).</span></h2>
<p>People differ in their opinions on the Soul—some
call it a body, some an essence, some an accident;
some regard it as eternal, others as created.
Orthodox <em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em> declares its existence, but is
silent on its nature and quality. God says: "If
questioned on the Soul, say, 'It is from the Will of
God.'," <span class="correction" title="Originally: Abu Bakr Qahatî"><em class="gesperrt">Abû Bakr Qahatî</em></span>, however, holds that
the Soul is beyond the category of created objects.
[The Author does not subscribe to this view, and
enters on a controversy to show its heresy.—<i>Trs.</i>]—<i>Letter
79.</i></p>
<p>[The following notes from <i>The Series of 28
Letters</i>, may be added as bearing on the subject.—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<p>In search of peace, and fervently longing
for spiritual fragrance, a pilgrim came to the
Soul and said: "Thou art a reflection of the Glorious
Sun, unfading; all the attributes of the Absolute
One lie verily in Thee. Transcending Reason
and understanding, Thou eludest description and
predication. There is no creature above Thee, there is
no Beloved beyond Thee." These lines from Master
<em class="gesperrt">Farîd Attâr</em>, and the hints underlying them,
ought to be carefully pondered over—so that one
may realise that there is no existence outside the
Self, and that whatever one seeks is to be sought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span>
within the Self. If an authority be needed, one may
read from the <span class="correction" title="Originally: Qorân"><em class="gesperrt">Qurân</em></span>: "He is within thee, though
<i>thou</i> mayest not see." Again, this couplet is worth
perusal: "Adam first ran towards all the atoms
of the universe, but he did not find God so long as
he found not the Way within himself."—<i>Loc. cit.,
Letter 24</i>.</p>
<p>The connection of the Soul with the body compares
well with that of God with His universe:
for the Soul is neither within the body nor without
it, neither united with it nor separated from it. Soul
and body belong to two different planes of existence;
yet for all that there is not an atom in the
body but is pervaded by the Soul.... The Soul
retains its innate purity, linked though it be to the
body for myriads of years.—<i>Ibid, Letter 3.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="The_Heart" id="The_Heart"></a><span class="smcap">The Heart.</span></h2>
<p>There is a treasure buried in the heart of the
knower. It is <span class="smcap">LOVE</span>. A single jewel out of it is
worth a thousand heavens. The guardian of heaven
is an angel named <em class="gesperrt">Rizwân</em>, whereas the guardian
of the treasure of Love is <span class="smcap">God</span> Himself.</p>
<p>Know that thy merit is measured by what thou
seekest.... If thou worshippest to obtain heaven<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span>
or avoid hell, thou worshippest thy own desires.
If thou seekest or fearest an object, thou art the
worshipper of that object. Thy real value depends
on what is in thy heart. If thy heart is attached
to <span class="smcap">God</span>, thou art a divine man....</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Junnaid</em>, when ill, prayed for his recovery.
A Voice answered him, "Dost <i>thou</i> come in
between Myself and Thee?"</p>
<p>Thou walkest every morning to office and
comest back at dusk. Where is the difference
between thee and the fire-worshipper and the Jew?
Thy prayers are for increase of wealth, and thy
pilgrimages for popular approbation. All thy
acts are similarly tainted with name and form.
The real end of life is yet veiled from thee.—<i>Letter
80.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Nafs_the_Desire-Nature" id="Nafs_the_Desire-Nature"></a><span class="smcap"><em class="gesperrt">Nafs</em>, the Desire-Nature.</span></h2>
<p>Some say the desire-nature is a substance,
placed in the body, similar to the Soul. Others
say it is a quality of the body, similar to life. But
all take it as the source of evil qualities and acts.
These evils are grouped into: (a) sins, (b) qualities,
<i>e. g.</i> pride, envy, anger. The former pertain more
to the <i>outer</i> man, the latter more to the <i>inner</i> man.
The former are purified by ascetic practices, the
latter by <em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em> (or Turning)....</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span></p>
<p>It is said that the desire-nature and the Soul are
both mysterious entities in the body, corresponding
to demons and angels, hell and heaven in the
macrocosm;—the one being the centre of evil, the
other the centre of Good. There is no help
against the desire-nature save in ascetic practices.</p>
<p>Man is the epitome of the whole Universe, and
is composed of the Soul, the desire-nature and the
body. He bears the characteristics of all the
worlds. The earth, water, fire and air of this
world appear in his body as the four humours:
blood, phlegm, melancholy and bile. Other
worlds are not less vividly marked in him. The
Soul leads him to heaven, being its image; the
desire-nature leads him to hell, being its image.</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Bû Alî</em> saw his desire-nature in the form of a
hog. He wished to kill it, but it said to him, "Do
not trouble thyself: I belong to the Army of God,
<i>thou</i> canst not annihilate me."</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Mohammad Nûrî</em> speaks of his desire-nature
coming out of his throat in the form of a
miniature fox. "I knew it was the desire-nature,
so I put it under my feet and began to trample
upon it. It grew the larger and the stronger. I
said, 'Pain and torture destroy all things, but
they simply aid your growth!' It said, 'This is
due to the fact of my constitution being the other
way: what is pain for others is pleasure for me.'"</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span></p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Abul Abbâs</em> saw it in the form of a yellowish
dog. When he attempted to turn it out, it
came underneath the skirts of his garment, and
disappeared.</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Abul Qâsim</em> saw it in the form of a serpent.</p>
<p>Another Dervesh saw it in the form of a mouse,
and asked who it was. It said, "I am the death of
the heedless and the salvation of the Divine
Friends. If I were not, they would turn proud of
their purity and noble deeds."</p>
<p>These stories go to show that the desire-nature
is a corporeal being—not a quality—albeit it is
endowed with qualities. It should be subdued by
ascetic practices, but it cannot be completely
destroyed in its essential nature. There need not
be any fear from its existence, when it has been
subdued by the disciple.... This dreary
forest cannot be crossed save with the help of the
Divine Grace and under the protection of a Master
of Compassion.—<i>Letter 81.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Desire" id="Desire"></a><span class="smcap">Desire.</span></h2>
<p>'Desire' is a term covering all the qualities of
<em class="gesperrt">Nafs</em>. It prevents union, tortures the disciple, and
stands against the seeker. It is to be opposed and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span>
not to be gratified. "He who follows it is ruined;
he who opposes it attains his object."</p>
<p>Desires are twofold: (<i>a</i>) those connected with
the senses and sex; (<i>b</i>) ambition of power and
fame. The victims of the former resort to brothels
without seriously affecting the well-being of others.
The victims of the latter resort to holy places, and
become the pests of the world. They isolate
themselves from society and mislead others. He
who seeks the allegiance of his desires is far away
from God, be he above the sky; he who renounces
his desires is in close touch with God, be he in a
heathen temple.</p>
<p>Master <em class="gesperrt">Ibrâhîm</em> says: "I went to see a
Jewish monk in Turkey, who had confined himself
in a temple for seventy years. He opened a
window and said he had not shut himself up there
to secure the position of an ascetic, but to break
the dog within him and restrain it from harming
the world at large. I praised God for showing the
right path to his misguided devotee. He went on,
'<em class="gesperrt">Ibrâhîm</em>, how long will you seek men?—Seek
the self, and watch it when found. The desire-nature
constantly puts on many a semblance of
divinity, and invites man to his ruin.'"....</p>
<p>It is said of Master <em class="gesperrt">Abû Alî</em> that he wished to
cut off his genital organ, as the root of lust, when
his eyes fell on it while bathing. A Voice whispered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span>
to his soul, "By My honour, no organ is better or
worse than another in My eyes. If you lop it off,
I can put in each hair of your body the whole lust
of your genital organ." It is no use destroying the
organ: it is a vehicle for carrying the divine
command. But a man can transmute its quality,
God helping.—<i>Letter 82.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Discipline_of_the_Desire-Nature" id="Discipline_of_the_Desire-Nature"></a><span class="smcap correction" title="Originally: The Discipline of the Desire-Nature">Discipline of the Desire-Nature.</span></h2>
<p>The desire-nature is the worst foe. It is very
difficult to be armed against it, since, firstly, it is
an <i>internal</i> foe, and it is almost impossible to
guard the house against a thief co-tenant; and,
secondly, it is a <i>lovely</i> foe, and a man is blind to the
defects of his beloved, whose shortcomings take on
the appearance of merits. Such being the case, the
desire-nature may ere long hurl a man unawares
to the lowest depth of degradation. If you ponder
well, you will find it at the root of all the troubles
that beset man in the past or may beset him in
the future. This being the foe, one should intelligently
strive to overcome it. It is improper
to overcome it <i>all at once</i>, as it is a vehicle and
instrument of the Soul; nor is it proper to let it go
wholly unbridled, in view of the probable dangers.
So the disciple needs a middle course, and it is this:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span>
You should strengthen it to the extent of enabling
it to perform its duties; you should weaken
it to the measure of preventing the chance
of its leading you astray. Anything besides
this rule is objectionable. It is reported in
sacred tradition that on seeing <em class="gesperrt">Abdullâh Masûd</em>,
who had by ascetic practices weakened his
body, his feet having become incapable of motion,
his eyes having sunk in their sockets, <em class="gesperrt">Mohammad</em>
said, "O <em class="gesperrt">Abdullâh</em>, be warned!
Thy desire-nature has claims on thee." So the
conclusion is that the desire-nature should be disciplined
by knowledge, so that it may neither
overcome (nor disobey) thee, nor be itself destroyed.</p>
<p>The middle course consists in restraining the
desire-nature by temperance. There are three ways
of thus subduing it: (<i>a</i>) withholding gratification;
... (<i>b</i>) imposing religious observances; (<i>c</i>)
invoking the Divine help for mastery over it.
If you follow this threefold method, the desire-nature
will be amenable to discipline.—<i>Letter 83.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Discipline_of_the_Desire-Nature_Continued" id="Discipline_of_the_Desire-Nature_Continued"></a><span class="smcap">Discipline of the Desire-Nature.</span> (<i>Continued.</i>)</h2>
<p>The discipline of the desire-nature is recommended
by all creeds and nations, and is
known by Sages as a means of developing the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span>
supersensuous faculties.... But thy business
lies with the discipline only, it is God's to grant
supersensuous faculties. Thy labours cannot bear
fruit without His Grace. Avoid as much as
possible the thought of personality and its activities,
and never follow the promptings of the
desire-nature. It is thy existence that veils
Thee. Had there been the veil of a single activity,
it could be uplifted by another opposite activity.
But <i>the whole</i> of thyself being a veil, thou canst not
be fit for the Divine Vision, unless and until <i>thou</i>
vanish completely. It should not be forgotten in
this connection that the discipline of the desire-nature
means the transmutation of its qualities,
not the destruction of its essential nature—for <i>that</i>
is impossible. But its existence need not be regarded
as dangerous after it has been subdued by the
inner Ruler.</p>
<p>Fasting is recommended by all nations and
creeds. It helps the receptivity of the heart, the
purity of the intellect, and the health of the body.
Regulation of food is an important work. It is
food that imparts strength and weakness, purity
and foulness to all the organs of the body. It must
be pure in quality and moderate in quantity.—<i>Letter
84.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="Alienation_from_the_Desire-Nature" id="Alienation_from_the_Desire-Nature"></a><span class="smcap">Alienation from the Desire-Nature.</span></h2>
<p>Alienation from the personality is the first step
to acquaintance with God. The one is a necessary
condition for the other. All aspirants find fault
with, and impose tasks on, the desire-nature, so that
this wall of separation be pulled down, and a way
be found to the Divine Sanctuary.</p>
<p>So long as thou lookest down upon a single
soul as inferior to thee, thou art self-conceited,
and blind to the Divine Presence. "If thou hast
knowledge, put that knowledge into practice; solve
thy difficulties by knowledge and practice (combined)." ...</p>
<p>The knowledge of all the Sages culminates in
the realisation that they do not know.</p>
<p>There has been a single Master of Woe in each
cycle, protecting others under his charge. On the
path of asceticism, a considerable amount of prolonged
exercises is a necessary preliminary to initial
success, which, too, is doubtful. On the other
hand, he who is trained on the Path of Woe has
for his first stage the Purity of Devotion....</p>
<p>Be of good cheer, in spite of thy lack of devotion
and the heavy weight of thy sins. "Never despair
of the Divine Grace"—it affords protection to
all sinners. Poor as thou art at present, do not be
dejected: "The Lord has created a beautiful form<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span>
for thee," and "made Man after His image."—<i>Letter
85.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Self-Toleration" id="Self-Toleration"></a><span class="smcap">Self-Toleration.</span></h2>
<p>He who is on good terms with the self is dead,
though apparently living; he whose life is in God
is really living, though apparently dead. Death is
not of the body alone: the <i>inner</i> man may die in
the same way as the <i>outer</i>. Men are perishing in
the sea of desires. Their Saviours are the Prophets
who help them to cross the sea of desires and
merge in the Divine Unity.... The ungodly
live in the form only and are dead in the <i>spirit</i>,
since true life consists in human nature responding
to the Divine Life. On the other hand, "Those
who have sacrificed themselves on the Path of God
are not to be considered as dead, but as living with
their Lord." ...</p>
<p>"The Divine treasury is too full of prayers already.
Put in a grain of humble devotion if you
can."—<i>Letter 86.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Hidden_Differences_of_Stages" id="Hidden_Differences_of_Stages"></a><span class="smcap">Hidden Differences of Stages.</span></h2>
<p>Men differ, in the gradations of their progress,
as heaven from hell, though they are so similar in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span>
their outer forms. All men—whether in the past,
the present or the future—are the centres of mysteries.
Each body treasures a Divine Secret; each
Heart feels impelled to the Path; each Soul
radiates a glory unfathomable by human and
angelic intelligences.... The best and holiest
men had an obscure life.</p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>Once upon a time <em class="gesperrt">Zunnoon</em> sent a disciple
of his, to enquire about <em class="gesperrt">Bâyazîd</em>. When the
disciple reached the latter's house at Bustâm,
he found him seated on the floor of his cottage.
But he did not know that he was <em class="gesperrt">Bâyazîd</em>.
<em class="gesperrt">Bâyazîd</em> asked the disciple what he wanted.
He said he wanted to see <em class="gesperrt">Bâyazîd</em>. <em class="gesperrt">Bâyazîd</em>
replied: "Which <em class="gesperrt">Bâyazîd</em> do you want, and
whence? Now I am <em class="gesperrt">Bâyazîd</em>, yet I have been
in search of <em class="gesperrt">Bâyazîd</em> for several years, and to
no effect." The disciple took him for a madcap,
and, returning, reported the matter to <em class="gesperrt">Zunnoon</em>.
<em class="gesperrt">Zunnoon</em> with tears in his eyes exclaimed:
"Our brother <em class="gesperrt">Bâyazîd</em> has gone forth into God
with the true Devotees." ...</p>
<p>There was one <em class="gesperrt">Helâl</em>, a slave to <em class="gesperrt">Mogîra</em>. On
his death the Prophet with his companions went
to the house of <em class="gesperrt">Mogîra</em>. The latter was not even
aware of the death of <em class="gesperrt">Helâl</em>, for none took care of
him, alive or dead, as he was the lowliest in the
household. <em class="gesperrt">Mogîra</em> came to receive the party and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>
kissed the blessed feet of the Prophet. The
Prophet asked <em class="gesperrt">Mogîra</em> what had happened in the
household. He said that all was well. The
Prophet went on: "<em class="gesperrt">Mogîra</em>, the worthiest of your
household has departed, and you do not know of
it." <em class="gesperrt">Mogîra</em>, astonished, remarked "I never supposed
<em class="gesperrt">Helâl</em> to have been so advanced." ...
The Prophet was then (at His request) taken to the
place where the dead body was. He found it in a
stable at the feet of the beasts, clasped the head
and said with tears in His eyes: "<em class="gesperrt">Helâl</em>, thy body
lies on this earth, but thy Soul is with the Lord."
All the saints and chiefs then wished in earnest
devotion to have been the dust of <em class="gesperrt">Helâl's</em> feet.
The Prophet continued: "There are seven men in
each cycle who support the world by their blessings
and lead the faithful to victory by their
magnanimity. <em class="gesperrt">Helâl</em> was the Head of these."—<i>Letter
87.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Heedlessness" id="Heedlessness"></a><span class="smcap">Heedlessness.</span></h2>
<p>Heedlessness is blamed by all creeds and sects.
It is heedlessness that lies at the root of all failures.</p>
<p>It has been said. When a man heedlessly approaches
the Path, the Devil warns him, saying: "I
was the Teacher of the celestial Hosts, but I lost
that post. Now I guard the Gate of the Path.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span>
You may enter with the pass of Devotion only—else
will you have to share my fate, being unfit for
the Path." ...</p>
<p>Everlasting purity is the character of the angel;
lifelong transgression is the character of the devil;
turning with sorrow from sin to purity is the character
of man. Lifelong purity is impossible for
man. He is born imperfect, void of reason, with
desires (the agents of the Devil) in full sway.
Reason (the curb of desires and the light of the angelic
essence) <span class="correction" title="Originally: developes">develops</span> later—<i>i. e.</i>, after the capture
of the heart by desires. Hence the necessity of
Turning and self-discipline, <i>pari-passu</i> with the
development of reason, for the recovery of the heart
from desires and the Devil.—<i>Letter 88.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Sorrow" id="Sorrow"></a><span class="smcap">Sorrow.</span></h2>
<p>No reading is so useful as that of the diary of
sorrows.... The Goal is unattainable save through
the destruction of the desire-nature. Either be ready
to kill it out and tread the Path, or withdraw yourself
from the rank of the seekers—so that others
may pass on (unimpeded by your presence).</p>
<p><i>A Story.</i>—David, when about to pray, saw an
ant, and wished to remove it from the place. The
ant appealed to David against his cruelty. David<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span>
said: "God, how am I to deal with Thy creatures?"
God replied, "Behave with self-restraint, lest thou
shouldst harm any; do not look to the outer body
of a creature, but to the Spirit underlying. An ant,
if permitted, may rend asunder the dark Veil, radiate
the Light of Divine Unity from its bosom, and
put to shame many a monotheist."</p>
<p><i>Another Story.</i>—Once upon a time, Moses prayed
so warmly that the stimulating effect was felt
by him till the succeeding day. He wondered
whether any one could be so blessed as he was the
night before. The angel Gabriel presently came
with this message from God: "There is One, in this
forest, who can cure the ills of My devotees."
Moses hastened to the spot, and found a frog croaking
in a pool. The frog said: "Moses, I
have long been waiting to uproot pride from your
heart. The Divine influence you felt last night
passed through me. I received it first and then
passed it on to you. Be warned against the repetition
of the boast!"—<i>Letter 89.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Conduct" id="Conduct"></a><span class="smcap">Conduct.</span></h2>
<p>An act not permitted by the <em class="gesperrt">Qurân</em> is fruitless;
a desire not sanctioned by the Prophet is
vain. To wish for any help on the Path save that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span>
from the Path is forbidden. The <em class="gesperrt">Qurân</em> permits
nothing save sincere conduct, and sincerity springs
from the heart that has tasted pain....</p>
<p>The Masters of the Path are spiritual beings.
Their word is life; the purity of Their sorrow vitalises
the world; Their character is spotless....</p>
<p>So long as thou dost not unlearn all thy previous
notions, habits and defects, thou canst not
unfold the Eye of Wisdom in the Heart, and feel
the relish of the Science of Truth.... He who
is destitute of Divine Wisdom to-day (<i>i. e.</i>, on
earth) will not have the Divine Wisdom to-morrow
(<i>i. e.</i>, after death).</p>
<p>Acts not based on Knowledge are futile; ascetic
practices not countenanced by religion are misleading
and devilish. It is Knowledge that unfastens
the gate of good luck. It is Knowledge that can
comprehend the greatness of <em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em>, the mysteries
thereof, the glorious character of the Prophets, the
sublimity of Their mission, the different stages of
the advanced souls, the secret of the human constitution,
the evil in the wicked, the respect due to Faith
and the faithful, the injunctions and prohibitions
of religions. Tread zealously the Path of Knowledge
till you get rid of ignorance. Knowledge is
the shortest way to God; and ignorance is the densest
veil between thee and Him. As Knowledge is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>
productive of Good, so is ignorance productive of
evil. It is ignorance which brings in faithlessness,
neglect of religious duties, affinity to the devil, alienation
from the Prophets and the Pure Souls, and
other innumerable evils.</p>
<p>Seek no connexion with the self, lest thou
shouldst be affected with pride.... "Thou
canst not reach Me, so long as 'thy-ness' inheres
in thee: thou shalt reach Me only when thou quittest
thy self." O brother, subdue thy desires with
asceticism tempered by knowledge; cut off the
head of the desire-nature with the sword of self-discipline,
as advised by the Scriptures ... and
(then) put on the robe of <em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em>. If thou art really
in earnest, tread upon thy life—so dear to thee—and
do not fear death; what follows is Life, through
and through. "If thou dependest upon (bodily)
life, thou wilt lag behind. Thou art Life in the
world of Life alone. Grasp well the <span class="correction" title="Originally: subtle">subtile</span> fact—thou
<i>art</i> That which thou seekest." The foremost
duty of the seeker lies in seeing the Beloved as the
only Life, and in eliminating the evil of his own
separated existence.—<i>Letter 90.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Seclusion" id="Seclusion"></a><span class="smcap">Seclusion.</span></h2>
<p>A man not wanted by the world for its intellectual<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span>
or theological education, may isolate himself
from others, and avoid company save on
necessary occasions, such as those of the Friday
and the <em class="gesperrt">Îd</em> prayers, a pilgrimage to <em class="gesperrt">Meccâ</em>, and
other useful meetings. The man who wishes to
avoid company altogether, had better live far
away from human habitation (in a mountain or on
a desert island). Else [let him not isolate himself
altogether] unless he knows for certain that
his gains from attendance at the Friday prayer or
other social gatherings are really outweighed by
the losses he incurs from coming into contact with
human Society....</p>
<p>But there may be a different sort of man, a
Master of Knowledge, needed by others for their
religious enlightenment, the exposition of truths,
the setting aside of heretical arguments, and for
stirring them to live out the teachings of religion.
It is hardly lawful for such a man to absolutely
avoid human society. It is narrated of a Sage
named <em class="gesperrt">Abû Bakar</em> that, as he wandered about
the hills with the object of leading a life of prayer
and worship in seclusion, he heard a voice saying,
"<em class="gesperrt">Abû Bakar</em>, why dost thou desert the creatures
of the Lord when thou hast attained the
position of a Divine Light?" So he returned to the
society of men.</p>
<p>Such a man, though living corporeally in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span>
world and doing his duties to it, has to work for
his own salvation as well. <em class="gesperrt">Omar</em> (peace on him!)
said of himself, "should I sleep at night I would
ruin myself, should I sleep during the day, I would
ruin my subjects." It is exceedingly hard to be
corporeally in the world and to be at the same time
mentally away from it.</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Imâm Gazâlî</em> opines that a learned man
may be excused for isolating himself and burying
his knowledge in days of trouble and degeneration,
when a man may send for a religious teacher, but
declines to learn anything of him—when no man
appreciates the importance of religious duties....</p>
<p>An extremely weak man should not resort to
seclusion....</p>
<p>The real object of seclusion is mental isolation,
not bodily separation.—<i>Letter 95.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Death" id="Death"></a><span class="smcap">Death.</span></h2>
<p>There are three classes of men: (1) The man
of desires. (2) The beginner who is just turning
back. (3) The advanced Knower of God.</p>
<p>The <i>first</i> does not recollect death; or if he
ever does so, he does it in a spirit of sorrow for the
loss of worldly objects, and begins to murmur at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>
it. Recollection of death throws him the further
from God.</p>
<p>The <i>second</i> is given to the practice of recollecting
death, so that he may live fear-stricken, and
accomplish his Turning the more successfully....</p>
<p>The <i>third</i> never forgets death, as it is the
guarantee of his union with the Beloved.</p>
<p>But the highest stage of development is shewn
in the soul that completely surrenders itself to the
Lord, and foregoes all choice of life or death....</p>
<p>The frequent recollection of death is recommended,
as it is calculated to disturb physical enjoyment,
and thereby lead to salvation....</p>
<p>Death is welcome to the faithful, as it sets him
free from the prison of earth-life and its tortures....</p>
<p>As remarked by an esteemed friend, earth-life
is a state of slumber, the after-death life is a state
of waking, and death is an intermediate state....</p>
<p>Death (to an ordinary mortal) is more painful
than a cut with the sword or the axe, or the
extraction of flesh from his body....</p>
<p>A calm look, and the repetition of the Holy
Formula, these are becoming on the part of the
dying man.—<i>Letter 97.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span></p>
<h2><a name="Hell" id="Hell"></a><span class="smcap">Hell.</span></h2>
<p>Every man is liable to suffer in hell, and it is
difficult to be certain of exemption therefrom.
According to the Prophet, there are 70,000 apartments
in hell, each apartment containing 70,000
doors, each door having 70,000 serpents and 70,000
scorpions; and the unbelievers and the evil-minded
cannot help passing through each of them....</p>
<p>Such is the description of hell, and of its
subdivisions which correspond to the number of
earthly desires. The factor seven in the subdivisions
corresponds to the seven organs used in
the commission of sins.</p>
<p>If you wish to know your destiny, you should
look at your character, since your natural inclinations
presage your destiny. If they tend to good,
you are not intended for hell; if they tend to evil,
you are destined therefor. As the <em class="gesperrt">Qurân</em> says,
"The virtuous are to be blessed in heaven, the
vicious are to suffer in hell."</p>
<p>Here is a secret. When death takes away the
earthly veil (the body), the desire-nature is yet
more or less tainted with earthly impurities. In
some cases the mirror of the soul may be too darkened
to admit of any cleansing. Such a soul is
eternally barred from the Divine Presence. In
other cases, (<i>i. e.</i> unrighteous believers), the rust is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span>
capable of being cleansed, and so the desire-nature
is exposed to hell-fire to the extent of the purification
needed. The time varies from a brief moment
to 7,000 years. No man quits this earth without
some impurity, however slight, in him.—<i>Letter 99.</i></p>
<hr class="chap" />
</div>
<div class="chapter">
<h2><a name="Heaven" id="Heaven"></a><span class="smcap">Heaven.</span></h2>
<p>Heaven contains apartments made of various
gems, the outside of which is visible from the inside,
and the inside from the outside. They abound with
pleasures and comforts not tasted or conceived by
men (on earth).... Heaven is a vast palace made
of a single pearl. It contains seven apartments of red
ruby. Each apartment contains seven rooms of green
emerald. Each room is provided with a gorgeous
seat, 70 trays and 70 maid-servants. Each seat
has 70 beddings of different colours, and a Houri
as the bed-maker. Each tray is furnished with 70
dishes.</p>
<p>Heaven is intended for those who salute and
feed others, fast and pray....</p>
<p>When the dwellers of heaven wish to communicate
with their brothers, their seats move the one
towards the other. Thus they meet and talk of
their past relationship on earth. There is procreation
in heaven if so desired: conception, birth,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>
and maturity all taking place instantaneously.</p>
<p>The dwellers of heaven are beautiful as
<em class="gesperrt">Joseph</em>, and well-behaved as <em class="gesperrt">Mohammad</em>.</p>
<p>The duration of the lowest heavenly life is 500
years.</p>
<p>Such is the heaven of the ordinary soul.</p>
<p>Now as to the destiny of the Prophets, the
purest Devotees, and the Saints. Theirs is the
vision of the Divine Face, in the supreme relish
of which the grosser enjoyments of heaven are
forgotten. Orthodox <em class="gesperrt">Islâm</em> does not regard the
Divine Vision as the fruit of human works, but
as the result of Divine Grace. It holds a similar
doctrine as to the Faith in the Lord of human
beings upon earth.—<i>Letter 100.</i></p>
<p>[The following brief Note is added from the
<i>Series of 28 Letters</i>.—<i>Trs.</i>]</p>
<p><em class="gesperrt">Imâm Qasherî</em>, explaining the Secrets of
the <em class="gesperrt">Qurân</em>, says:</p>
<p>"What the faithful will manifestly enjoy after
death in heaven, is inwardly experienced by the
Saints on earth."—<i>Loc. cit., 28</i>.</p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p class="center"><span class="smcap">The End.</span></p>
</div>
<div class="chapter bbox transnote">
<h2>Transcriber's Note.</h2>
<p>
Unusual and archaic spellings have been maintained. Obvious printing
and spelling errors have been fixed. Changes are shown in the text
<span class="correction" title="Original text shown here">this way</span>.
Changes involving the removal of "continuation" titles or removal of square
brackets are only noted here in the Transcriber's Note, not in the text.</p>
<p class="handheld-tn">In this handheld version, gesperrt has been
replaced by bold. Chapter titles are also bold, but the English words in chapter
titles were not gesperrt, whereas non-English words in the titles usually were gesperrt.</p>
<p>The abbreviation "Trs." used throughout the text stands for
"Translator," not "Transcriber."</p>
<p>Details of the changes:</p>
<table summary="Transcriber's changes">
<col />
<col />
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#CONTENTS">Table of Contents</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">Title "Introduction" removed.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#CONTENTS">Table of Contents</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">On Discipleship (Continued)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>Discipleship (continued)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#CONTENTS">Table of Contents</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">The Outer and Inner Ailments</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>The outer and the inner Ailments</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#CONTENTS">Table of Contents</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">The Desire-Nature (<em class="gesperrt">Nafs</em>) 110</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>The Desire-Nature (<em class="gesperrt">Nafs</em>) 130</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#CONTENTS">Table of Contents</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">Discipline of the Desire-Nature (Continued)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>The same (Continued)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_2">Page 2</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">There must be a difference between</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>There must be difference between</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop">Page 2 <a href="#Footnote_3_3">Footnote 3</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">Weak souls.--<i>Trs.</i></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>Weak souls.--<i>Trans.</i></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_6">Page 6</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop"><em class="gesperrt">Zunnoon</em> of Egypt observes that the <em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td><em class="gesperrt">Zoonoon</em> of Egypt observes that the <em class="gesperrt">Taubâh</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_6">Page 6</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">On the other hand, <em class="gesperrt">Khwâjâ Junnaid</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>On the other hand, <em class="gesperrt">Khwâja Junnaid</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_8">Page 8</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">can neither be seen nor grasped.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>can neither be seen not grasped.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop">Page 9 <a href="#Footnote_6_6">Footnote 6</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">The Sacred Shrine at <em class="gesperrt">Meccâ</em>.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>The Sacred Shrine at <em class="gesperrt">Mecca</em>.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_9">Page 9</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">and lose the fruit of one's labour.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>and lose the fruit of one's labor.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_16">Page 16</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">discipleship and the subtleties of Seeking,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>discipleship and the subleties of Seeking,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_17">Page 17</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">A disciple should be a worshipper of the Teacher, [so
that he may become a worshipper of God]. One who obeys
the Messenger verily obeys God.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>A disciple should be a worshipper of the Teacher, [so
that he may become a worshipper of God. One who obeys
the Messenger verily obeys God</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_19">Page 19</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop"><span class="smcap">The Friend of God</span>--(<span class="smcap">The <em class="gesperrt">Walî</em></span>).</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td><span class="smcap">The Friend of God</span>--(<span class="smcap">The <em class="gesperrt">Walee</em></span>).</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_19">Page 19</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">The <em class="gesperrt">Walî</em> (or the Friend of God) is</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>The <em class="gesperrt">Walee</em> (or the Friend of God) is</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_20">Page 20</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">Here is a subtile mystery,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>Here is a subtle mystery,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_21">Page 21</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">There are 4,000 <em class="gesperrt">Walîs</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>There are 4,000 <em class="gesperrt">Walees</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_21">Page 21</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">there are 356 <em class="gesperrt">Walîs</em> ever</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>there are 356 <em class="gesperrt">Walees</em> ever</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_22">Page 22</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">They (the <em class="gesperrt">Walîs</em>) are too strong</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>They (the <em class="gesperrt">Walees</em>) are too strong</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_25">Page 25</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">Invisible and Visible, Spiritual and Physical,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>Invisible and Visible, Spirtual and Physical,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_32">Page 32</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">virtues and vices: why should we restrain</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>virtues and vices: why should should we restrain</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_36">Page 36</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">disciples such as <em class="gesperrt">Abû Bakar</em>, <em class="gesperrt">Omar</em>,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>disciples such as <em class="gesperrt">Abubakar</em>, <em class="gesperrt">Omar</em>,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_41">Page 41</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">sacred recitations, repentance and apology.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>sacred recitations, repentence and apology.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_58">Page 58</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">may gradually develop strength,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>may gradually develope strength,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_59">Page 59</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">do not look to the <i>houris</i></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>do not look to the <i>hooris</i></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_63">Page 63</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">are concerned with <i>outer</i> conduct,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>are concerned will <i>outer</i> conduct,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_77">Page 77</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">the heart develops knowledge and wisdom,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>the heart developes knowledge and wisdom,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_78">Page 78</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">checks the performance of duties.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>checks the preformance of duties.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_87">Page 87</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">transmutation wrought by many Derveshes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>transmutation wrought by many Darveshes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_90">Page 90</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop"><em class="gesperrt">Abul Abbâs</em>--peace be on him--said</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td><em class="gesperrt">Abul Abbas</em>--peace be on him--said</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_92">Page 92</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">renounce worldly pursuits.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>renounce wordly pursuits.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_98">Page 98</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">Master <em class="gesperrt">Yahiâ</em> observes:</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>Master <em class="gesperrt">Yehiâ</em> observes:</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_101">Page 101</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">only the houris, the palaces,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>only the houries, the palaces,</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_102">Page 102</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">after death are gratuitous.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>after death are gratuitious.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_104">Page 104</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">diminution of worldly desires</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>diminution of worldy desires</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_108">Page 108</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop"><em class="gesperrt">Abû Bakr Qahatî</em>, however, holds</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td><em class="gesperrt">Abu Bakr Qahatî</em>, however, holds</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_109">Page 109</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">one may read from the <em class="gesperrt">Qurân</em>:</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>one may read from the <em class="gesperrt">Qorân</em>:</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_114">Page 114</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop"><span class="smcap">Discipline of the Desire-Nature.</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td><span class="smcap">The Discipline of the Desire-Nature.</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_121">Page 121</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">angelic essence) develops later--</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>angelic essence) developes later--</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tntop"><a href="#Page_124">Page 124</a>:</td>
<td class="tntop">Grasp well the subtile fact</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Originally:</td>
<td>Grasp well the subtle fact</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 47749 ***</div>
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