{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_47749/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_47749","id":"gutenberg_47749","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47749","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Sufism -- Early works to 1800"],"text":"_THE THEOSOPHY OF ISLAM._\n\n  LETTERS\n  FROM\n  A S\u00dbF\u00ce TEACHER\n\n  _SHAIKH SHARFUDD\u00ceN MANER\u00ce_\n  OR\n  _MAKHD\u00dbM-UL-MULK_.\n\n  TRANSLATED FROM THE PERSIAN\n  BY\n  BAIJN\u00c2TH SINGH\n\n  THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING SOCIETY.\n  BENARES CITY AND LONDON\n  THEOSOPHIST OFFICE, AYDAR; MADRAS, S.\n\n\n  PRINTED BY THAKUR DAS MANAGER,\n  AT THE TARA PRINTING WORKS, BENARES.\n\n  _All Rights Reserved._\n\n  Registered under Act XXV of 1867.\n\n\n\n\n_FOREWORD._\n\n\n=Shaikh Sharf-ud-d\u00een= was the son of =Shaikh Yahi\u00e2=. His birthplace is\n=Maner=, a village near =Patn\u00e2= in =Beh\u00e2r= (India). A love of knowledge\nand the religious life, and signs of spiritual greatness, were found\nin him from his early childhood. A strange Being was once seen by\nthe cradle of the baby. The mother, frightened, reported the matter\nto her father, =Shah\u00e2b-ud-d\u00een=, a great saint. The latter consoled\nher, saying that the mysterious Presence was no less a Being than the\nProphet =Khezar=[1] Himself, and that the baby was expected to be a man\nof great spiritual advancement. He acquired secular knowledge under\n=Ashraf-ud-d\u00een=, a famous professor of those days. He first refused\nto marry, but had to yield when, being ill, he was advised by the\nphysician to take to marriage as the remedy for his disease. He left\nhome after the birth of a son, travelled in many places, and was at\nlast initiated (at, or near =Dehli=) by =Naj\u00eeb-ud-d\u00een Firdaus\u00ee=. The\nlatter made him his deputy on earth under a deed drawn twelve years\nearlier under the direction of the Prophet of =Isl\u00e2m= Himself, asked\nhim to leave the place, and quitted his body shortly after.\n\n[1] A mysterious Personage, according to some, a Prophet; according to\nothers, a _Wal\u00ee_ or 'Friend of God'. He is supposed to be an Immortal\nBeing, an invisible Teacher and Helper of Mankind. Moses was sent by\nGod to seek His instruction. '_Khezar_' literally means 'green', a\nmetaphorical expression for auspiciousness, blessedness, wholesomeness\nand fertility.\n\nOn his initiation, =Sharf-ud-d\u00een= lived for many a long year in the\nwoods of =Bihi\u00e2= and the =R\u00e2jgiri= Hills. In his later days he adopted\n=Bih\u00e2r= (now a subdivisional town) as his residence, at the request\nof some of his friends and disciples. He died on Thursday, the 6th of\nShaww\u00e2l, 782 Hijra, in the opening years of the 15th Century A. D.\nHis titular name is =Makhd\u00fbm-ul-Mulk=, 'Master of the Kingdom or the\nWorld.' He was equally proficient in secular learning and esoteric\nKnowledge, and possessed superhuman powers. His tomb at =Bih\u00e2r= is\nstill resorted to as a place of sanctity by a large number of devout\nMahomedans. He wrote many works, of which three only have yet been\npublished. These are:--\n\n(1.) _Makt\u00fbb\u00e2t-i-Sad\u00ee_, a 'Series of a Hundred Letters' (or rather\nessays on definite subjects) addressed to his disciple =Q\u00e2z\u00ee\nShams-ud-d\u00een= in 747 Hijra.\n\n(2.) _Makt\u00fbb\u00e2t-i-Bist-o-hasht_, a 'Series of 28 Letters', being replies\nto the correspondence of his senior disciple, =Mozaffar=, the prince of\n=Balkh=.\n\n(3.) _Faw\u00e2ed-i-Rukn\u00ee_, a number of brief Notes prepared for the use of\nhis disciple =Rukn-ud-d\u00een=.\n\nThe present booklet consists of the translation of copious extracts\nfrom _Makt\u00fbb\u00e2t-i-Sad\u00ee_, the most elaborate and comprehensive of the\nthree published works, with Notes occasionally added from the other\ntwo with a view to elucidate or complete the subject in hand. These\nextracts, it is hoped, will cover the greater part of, if not all,\nthe _principles_ inculcated in these books, and are expected to give\nthe reader a fair knowledge of the _Teaching_ of the Author _in all\nits phases_. Matters relating to mere exoteric rites, legends and\ntraditions have been omitted. The translation does not pretend to be\nalways very literal, but an honest attempt has been made to present a\nfaithful rendering of the original to the English-knowing public, that\nthey may be able to better appreciate the Teachings of =Isl\u00e2m=, and\nthat the Brotherhood of Creeds may have one more advocate to plead its\ncause before the tribunal of the human intellect.\n\n  GAY\u00c2, (BEH\u00c2R.)\n\n  BAIJN\u00c2TH SINGH.\n\n  _1908._\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n                                            PAGE.\n  Foreword\n\n  On Monotheism                                 1\n\n  Turning to God, or Conversion                 5\n\n  On Seeking the Teacher                        8\n\n  On the Qualifications of a Teacher           12\n\n  On Discipleship                              15\n\n  On Discipleship (Continued)                  16\n\n  The Friend of God                            19\n\n  The Brotherhood of Friends                   20\n\n  Polytheism, and the Friendship of God        22\n\n  Lights                                       23\n\n  The Unveiling of the Supersensuous           25\n\n  On the Same                                  28\n\n  Illumination                                 29\n\n  Dreams                                       30\n\n  On Misconceptions                            32\n\n  The Outer and Inner Ailments                 34\n\n  The Origin of Theosophy                      36\n\n  Seeking the Path                             37\n\n  The Pillars of the Path                      39\n\n  Religion, the Path and Truth                 39\n\n  Accessory to Prayers                         41\n\n  Purification                                 42\n\n  The Motive                                   44\n\n  Prayer                                       45\n\n  Invoking the Divine Help                     46\n\n  The Divine Allegiance                        47\n\n  The Sacred Formula                           48\n\n  The Naked Faith                              49\n\n  The Inner Polytheism                         51\n\n  The Divine Knowledge                         52\n\n  Love and Devotion                            55\n\n  Seeking God                                  58\n\n  The Way to God                               60\n\n  Speech and Conduct                           62\n\n  Magnanimity                                  64\n\n  Knowledge                                    65\n\n  The Steps of a Disciple                      67\n\n  Isl\u00e2m                                        71\n\n  The Noble Qualities                          73\n\n  Contemplation                                76\n\n  Renunciation                                 78\n\n  On the Same                                  80\n\n  The Clearing of the Path                     81\n\n  Self-Control                                 83\n\n  Truth                                        84\n\n  The Descent from Adam                        87\n\n  Confidence                                   91\n\n  Pursuit and Renunciation                     92\n\n  The Company of the Saints                    93\n\n  Service                                      97\n\n  The Transmutation of Evil Qualities          99\n\n  Avarice                                     101\n\n  The Evil of the World                       103\n\n  Renunciation of the World                   104\n\n  The Final Doom                              106\n\n  The Soul                                    108\n\n  The Heart                                   109\n\n  The Desire-Nature (=Nafs=)                  110\n\n  Desire                                      112\n\n  Discipline of the Desire-Nature             114\n\n  Discipline of the Desire-Nature (Continued) 115\n\n  Alienation from the Desire-Nature           117\n\n  Self-Toleration                             118\n\n  Hidden Differences of Stages                118\n\n  Heedlessness                                120\n\n  Sorrow                                      121\n\n  Conduct                                     122\n\n  Seclusion                                   124\n\n  Death                                       126\n\n  Hell                                        128\n\n  Heaven                                      129\n\n\n\n\nLETTERS FROM A S\u00dbF\u00ce TEACHER.\n\n\n\n\nON MONOTHEISM (TAUH\u00ceD).\n\n\nMasters of the path have divided monotheism into four stages. The first\nstage consists in repeating, vocally, without any inner conviction,\n\"There is no God save All\u00e2h.\"[2] This is hypocrisy, and does not profit\non the day of resurrection. The second stage consists in repeating the\nsaid _logion_ vocally with an inner conviction based upon conventional\nimitation (as in the case of ordinary people), or some form of\nreasoning (as in the case of an intellectual theist). This is verily\nthe visible body of monotheism, frees one from gross polytheism and\nfrom hell, and leads to heaven. This second stage, though safer than\nthe first, and less unstable, is for all that a low one, fit for old\nwomen.[3] The third stage consists in Light shining in the heart, which\nreveals the One Agent alone as the root of all phenomena, and the\nnon-agency of all else. This is quite unlike the conviction of ordinary\npeople or that of an intellectual theist. Such a conviction is a fetter\nto the soul, whereas the vision of the Light breaks all fetters. There\nmust be a difference between one who believes a certain gentleman to be\nin his house, on the testimony of others (as in the case of ordinary\npeople), another who infers the residence of that gentleman in the\nhouse, because he sees his horses and servants at the gate (as in the\ncase of the intellectual theist), and another who actually sees the\ngentleman in the house (as in the case of the third stage). In the\nthird stage one sees the creatures and the Creator, and distinguishes\nthem from Him. This much of separation still persists--hence it is not\nperfect union in the eyes of the Masters.\n\n[2] =L\u00e2 el\u00e2ha ill' All\u00e2h=.\n\n[3] Weak souls.--_Trs._\n\nThe fourth stage consists in the pouring forth of the Divine Light so\nprofusely, that it absorbs all individual existences in the eyes of\nthe pilgrim. As in the case of the absorption of particles floating\nin the atmosphere in the light of the sun, the particles become\ninvisible--they do not cease to exist, nor do they become the sun,\nbut they are inevitably lost to sight in the overpowering glare of\nthe sun--so, here, a creature does not become God, nor does it cease\nto exist. Ceasing to exist is one thing, invisibility is another....\nWhen thou lookest through a mirror, thou dost not see the mirror, for\nthou mergest it into the reflexion of thy face, and yet thou canst not\nsay that the mirror has ceased to exist, or that it has become that\nreflexion, or that the reflexion has become the mirror. Such is the\nvision of the Divine Energy in all beings without distinction. This\nstate is called by the S\u00fbf\u00ees, absorption in monotheism. Many have\nlost their balance here: no one can pass through this forest without\nthe help of the Divine Grace and the guidance of a Teacher, perfect,\nopen-eyed, experienced in the elevations and depressions of the Path\nand inured to its blessings and sufferings.... Some pilgrims attain to\nthis lofty state only for an hour a week, some for an hour a day, some\nfor two hours a day, some remain absorbed for the greater portion of\ntheir time....\n\nBeyond the four is the stage of complete absorption, _i. e._,\nlosing the very consciousness of being absorbed and of seeking\nafter God--for such a consciousness still implies separation. Here,\nthe soul merges itself and the universe into the Divine Light, and\nloses the consciousness of merging as well. \"Merge into Him, this is\nmonotheism: lose the sense of merging, this is unity.\" Here there are\nneither formul\u00e6 nor ceremonies, neither being nor non-being, neither\ndescription nor allusion, neither heaven nor earth. It is this stage\nalone that unveils the mystery: \"All are non-existent save Him;\" \"All\nthings are perishable save His Face;\" \"I am the True and the Holy One.\"\nAbsolute unity without duality is realised here. \"Do not be deluded,\nbut know: every one who merges in God is not God.\"\n\nThe first stage of monotheism is like the outermost shell of the\nalmond; the second stage is like the second shell; the third stage is\nlike the core; the fourth stage is like the essence of the core--the\noil of the almond. All these are known by the name of the almond, but\neach differs immensely from the others in status, result, and use.\n\nThis note should be studied patiently and intelligently, since it deals\nwith the basis of all developments, activities, and supersensuous\nphenomena. It will explain the phraseology and the allusions in the\nwritings of the saints, and throw light on the verses on monotheism and\nthe stages thereof.\n\nO brother! though an ant, thou mayest turn out to be a Solomon. Do not\nthink thou art an impure sinner: though a gnat, thou mayest become a\nlion.... God raises the monotheist out of the dualist, the faithful out\nof the faithless, and the devotee out of the sinner.--_Letter 1._\n\n[The following extracts on monotheism from _The Series of 28 Letters_,\nanother work of the author, may be aptly added.--_Trs._]\n\nAccording to a tradition of the Prophet, all beings were created out of\nDarkness, but each took in Light according to its capacity, and thus\nbecame luminous. Hence all beings are sparks of the Divine Light, and\ntheir luminosity is derived from It. Now one can fully understand the\nsacred verse: \"God is the Light of heaven and earth.\"--_Letter 17._\n\nThou-ness and I-ness pertain to our world. They do not exist in the\nregion of the Beloved. He is the one Reality: futile is the assertion\nof any existence but His.--_Letter 2._\n\n\n\n\nTURNING TO GOD OR CONVERSION (=TAUB\u00c2H=).\n\n\n=Taub\u00e2h= literally means to turn back. But the nature of the turning\nmust be different with different individuals according to the\ndifference in their conditions and stages. Ordinary people would turn\nfrom sin with apology in order to escape punishment; middling ones\nwould turn from their deeds to secure the regard of the Master; the\nElect would turn from all worlds, here and hereafter, and feel the\ninsignificance and non-existence thereof in order to realise the glory\nof the Maker. The turning of a beginner cannot be permanent. A saint\nsays of himself: \"I turned back 70 times and failed each time; but my\nseventy-first turning proved steady, and I failed no more.\"\n\n=Khw\u00e2j\u00e2= (Master) =Zunnoon= of Egypt observes that the =Taub\u00e2h= of\nordinary people consists in turning from sins, that of the Elect in\nturning from heedlessness.\n\n=Khw\u00e2j\u00e2 Sobaid= and many others are of opinion that =Taub\u00e2h= consists\nin remembering one's past transgressions and being ever ashamed of\nthem, so that one may not grow proud of one's many virtues. On the\nother hand, =Khw\u00e2j\u00e2 Junnaid= and many others hold the view that\n=Taub\u00e2h= consists in forgetting past transgressions, _i. e._, in\nexpunging their impressions from the heart, so that it may become as\npure as if it had never committed them.\n\n=Taub\u00e2h= is obligatory for all pilgrims at all times, since for each\npilgrim there is always a stage higher than his present one. If he\nhalts at any stage, he stops his pilgrimage and commits sin.\n\n=Taub\u00e2h= consists in a firm and sincere resolution to abstain from\nsins, so as to assure God of one's unwillingness to commit them in\nfuture; and in compensating, to one's best ability, those one has\nharmed in any way....\n\n=Taub\u00e2h= is the basis of all developments, as the ground is for the\nfoundation of a building. The chief requisite is =\u00cem\u00e2n= (peace, faith,\nor moral sense). =Taub\u00e2h= and =\u00cem\u00e2n= appear together, and the latter\nillumines the heart in proportion to the former.\n\nThe real =Taub\u00e2h= lies in turning from one's nature. When the disciple\nturns from his nature he becomes another; _i. e._, he does not become\nanother man, but his qualities change. Then he unfolds true =\u00cem\u00e2n=,\nwhich sweeps away many-ness and leads to unity. Ere the turning, =\u00cem\u00e2n=\nis but conventional and nominal. \"How long will you worship God with\nyour tongue only? This is no better than worshipping desires. So long\nas thou dost not become a Moslem from _within_, how canst thou be a\nMoslem merely from _without_?\" The lame ass of conventional faith and\nthe lip-behaviour that we have cannot help us to tread the Path.\n\nNone ought to despair under any circumstance whatsoever. Here work is\nwithout a motive, and requires no payment. Many are instantly raised\nfrom the level of image-worship to a stage higher than the angels and\nheaven. The Lord does whatever He wishes. \"How\" and \"why\" find no room\nhere. May God make thee a seer of His, and remove thee from thyself!\nDo thou aspire high, though thou art low at present. O brother, human\naspiration should stoop to nothing, either on earth or in heaven! \"Such\nmen are so constituted as to care for neither hell nor heaven. They\nseek God and God only, and spurn what is not He.\"\n\nTheosophy (=Tasavvuf=) is ceaseless motion, since standing water\nbecomes stagnant. A man may corporeally be in his closet, yet his\nspirit may run to the =Malak\u00fbt=[4] and the =Jabr\u00fbt=.[5] Rapid motion,\nlike the morning breeze, can neither be seen nor grasped.--_Letters\n2-4._\n\n[4] The astral and lower mental planes.\n\n[5] The higher mental plane.\n\n\n\n\nON SEEKING THE TEACHER.\n\n\nThe Saints on the Path--blessed be they--unanimously declare that it\nis incumbent upon a neophyte, after the maturity of his conversion\n(=Taub\u00e2h=), to seek a Teacher, perfect, experienced in the elevations\nand depressions of the Path, its joys and sorrows, possessed of\nbalance, and versed in the internal ailments of a disciple and their\nremedies....\n\nThough in the beginning one does not need a Teacher, and the seed can\nbe sown merely with the help of Divine Grace, the seed, when sown in\nthe soil of the heart, does need a Teacher for its further growth, for\nthe following reasons given in the books of the saints:\n\n1. Since one cannot go to the =K\u00e2b\u00e2=[6] without a guide, albeit the way\nis visible and sensuous, and the pilgrim possesses eyes and feet, it is\nimpossible without a guide to tread the occult Path trodden by 120,000\nprophets, which has no visible track and is supersensuous.\n\n[6] The Sacred Shrine at =Mecc\u00e2=.\n\n2. As there are many thieves and robbers on a sensuous way, and\none cannot travel without a guide, so on the occult Path there are\nmany robbers in the guise of the world, the desire-nature and the\nelementals, and one cannot travel without the guidance of a Master.\n\n3. There are many precipices and dangers on the Path, leading to one\nor other of the many heretic schools formed by those who, having\nentered the Path without a Perfect Guide, on the strength of their own\nintellectual resources, fell and perished in the forest and deserted\nthe Law. Others, more fortunate, have safely crossed those dangers\nunder the protection of Masters, and have seen the victims, and known\nwhere and why they fell. All pilgrims are liable to these dangers. If\none secures the help of a mighty Teacher, one can be saved and progress\nwith the help of His secret hints and instructions, else one may fall\ninto some heresy and lose the fruit of one's labour.\n\n4. The pilgrim may pass, on the way, through certain spiritual\nconditions, and the soul may put off the physical garment, catch the\nreflection of the Divine Light, display superhuman powers as a Divine\nagent during the continuance of the experiences, taste the relish of \"I\nam God, the Holy One,\" and become proud of having reached the goal. The\npilgrim cannot understand this intellectually: but if the soul, during\nthe continuance of these experiences, is not helped by a mighty Master,\nhe may, it is feared, lose faith, and fall a victim to a false notion\nof unity.\n\n5. The pilgrim on the way unfolds supersensuous powers, and sees\nsupersensuous phenomena--devilish, passional, and divine. But he cannot\nunderstand them, as they are spoken in a supersensuous language (_i.\ne._ revealed through an unfamiliar medium).... If, at this stage, he is\nnot aided by a Teacher, helping him on behalf of God, and versed in the\ninterpretation of supersensuous words and symbols, he cannot progress\nfurther....\n\nWhen God opens the eyes of a man, so that he distinguishes good from\nevil, and resolves to follow the one and avoid the other, but does not\nknow how to do it, he must betake himself to a Divine Man and make a\nfirm determination to change his condition. Then the Divine Man will\ntake him up, help him to subdue the desire-nature, gently induce him\nto abstain from his defects and blemishes, and keep him away from bad\ncompanions. A disciple can, with the help of a Teacher, do in an hour\nwhat he would do unaided in a year....\n\nIt is said: a disciple may reach the goal with the help of a single\nTeacher, or of more than one Teacher. (In the latter case) each Teacher\nmay be the means of the revelation of one stage only; yet it is more\nconsistent with decency and politeness for the disciple to refrain from\nlooking upon such a stage as the limit of development attained by his\nTeacher, ... inasmuch as the Perfect Ones are not at all concerned with\nthe business of stages and conditions. But one cannot leave one Teacher\nfor another without the permission of the former. Who does so deserts\nthe Path.\n\nIt is the practice of the Masters--blessed be They!--to impose a\nthreefold discipline on a student. If he observes it, he receives\nthe Robe (the real one, not the conventional)--else he is rejected.\nThe threefold discipline consists of: 1. Service of the world for\na year. 2. Service of God for a year. 3. Watching the heart for a\nyear.--_Letter 5._\n\n\n\n\nON THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A TEACHER.\n\n\nBroadly speaking there are five qualifications:\n\n(1) Devotion to God. One cannot be thus devoted, unless one is free\nfrom servility to all save Him.\n\n(2) Capacity to receive truths direct from God without any\nintermediary. One cannot unfold this capacity without completely\ngetting rid of the lower human nature.\n\n(3) Nearness to God. One cannot approach God unless one is equipped\nwith the Divine character, and one's Spirit reflects the light of the\nDivine attributes.\n\n(4) Acquisition of knowledge from God without any intermediary. For\nthis the heart should be cleansed of all impressions, sensual and\nintellectual.\n\n(5) Being an Elect of the Heart Doctrine, which relates to the\nknowledge of the Divine Essence, the Divine Qualities, and the Divine\nWorks. One cannot attain to this stage without a second birth. \"One\nborn of the mother's womb sees this world; one born of the Self (_i.\ne._, quitting the lower human nature) sees the supersensuous world.\"\n\nNevertheless it is said that the qualifications of a Teacher are\nindescribable and innumerable. A Teacher is not the body, the head, or\nthe beard, visible to man. He is in reality the inner being by the side\nof God, in the region of Truth, clothed in Divine mercy and glory....\nHere is a query: How can a beginner find out such a Teacher and Guide,\nknow and follow Him? It is not meet for a beginner to weigh Divine Men\nwith the balance of his little intellect and to look at Them with his\nlimited vision. Nor is it meet to follow another on his mere assertion.\nThen how to know if such a one is a genuine Teacher or a mere pretender?\n\nAnswer: Each seeker is furnished with materials appropriate to his lot.\nHe cannot transcend them, ... nor can anything hinder him from using\nthem.\n\nQuery: Is there any sign whereby to distinguish a pretender from a true\nTeacher, the worthy from the unworthy?\n\nAnswer: There are many signs, but it is impossible to describe and fix\nthem. For all that, there is no sign or mood, the presence or absence\nof which _alone_ would mark a Teacher or a pretender. In short, one\nblessed with the Divine Grace should set his feet on the Path, turn\naway from sensual pleasures and passional gratifications, and fix\nhis attention on God. Then the glance of some Perfect Teacher will\nshine in the mirror of the heart.... When a true disciple catches\nsuch a glance, he instantly contracts a love for the Beauty of His\nGodly Strength, becomes restless and uneasy, and comes to the Path.\nThis uneasiness forbodes fortune and success. Perfect discipleship\nconsists in perfect love for the Beauty of the Teacher's Godly\nStrength. A disciple should follow the wishes of his Teacher, and not\nhis own wishes.... In each locality there is a Teacher who protects\nmen living in that area. The King of the time is only one, but there\nis an ordinary teacher in each town. According to tradition there are\nalways 365 Friends of God, who are the props of the world and the\nchannels of the transmission of blessing and mercy from heaven to\nearth.... O brother, know for certain that this work has been before\nthee and me (_i. e._, in bygone ages), and that each man has already\nreached a certain stage. No one has begun this work for the first time.\nEverything is according to Divine dispensation. Do you suppose 100,024\nprophets to have ushered any new work into the world? By no means.\nThey stirred up what lay already in the bosom, and led man to what was\nordained for him by God....--_Letter 6._\n\n\n\n\nON DISCIPLESHIP.\n\n\nDesire is a craving in the heart for a certain object. The craving\nproduces a stir in the heart, the stir arouses a tendency to seek for\nthe object. The nobler the object, the purer the desire....\n\nDesire is threefold:--\n\n(1) Desire for the world. It consists in the absorption of a man in the\nseeking of worldly objects. Such a desire is a downright danger. When\nit clouds the heart of a neophyte, it keeps him back from all virtues,\nand lures him to failure. A life spent in the gratification of such a\ndesire deprives one of eternal happiness after resurrection.\n\n(2) Desire for heaven. The soul transcends the previous stage,\nlongs for the heavenly state and permanent happiness, and practises\nlifelong asceticism, so that he may attain his object on the day of\nresurrection. The desire for heaven is nobler than the desire for the\nworld....\n\n(3) Desire for God. A man (at this stage) unfolds the inner sight,\naspires to transcend the created universe, and considers it disgraceful\nto seize anything contained in that area--so that he develops a longing\nfor the Creator Himself and is respected in heaven as well as on\nearth. When a disciple ceases to hanker after the world and heaven,\nand regards everything save his Object as a hindrance to his (onward)\nmarch, he should heartily endeavour to seek God, come manfully to\nthe Path, and resort to a compassionate Teacher, so that the latter\nmay help him in treading the Path, and tell him of its dangers, thus\nsecuring him a safe journey without any break or failure.\n\nThe Teacher cannot turn an unruly candidate into an earnest\ndisciple.... If the spirit of the Path lies latent in a candidate, it\nwill unfold by His company and service. The Divine Law works in this\nway.\n\n\n\n\nON DISCIPLESHIP. (_Continued._)\n\n\nWhen a man calls himself a disciple, he ought to justify the title\nto the fullest extent and firmly tread the straight Path. He should\nconstantly use the collyrium of turning back (=Taub\u00e2h=), put on the\nrobe of detachment from connexions and from self, drink the wine of\nSeeking out of the cup of Purity, draw the sword of Magnanimity from\nthe sheath of Religion, dismiss the cravings of the infidel Desire,\npractise absorption, and not care for the higher or the lower worlds.\nWhen he has become proficient in the truths of discipleship and the\nsubtleties of Seeking, has gathered the fruits of purification and\nasceticism, begun to tread the Path and passed through several stages\nof the journey--then, if asked whether he is a disciple, he can say:\n\"I may be one, God helping.\" Thus is discipleship justified, and\npretension avoided.\n\nThis is the way of those endowed with insight and divine Wisdom. Not to\nlook to personality at any stage, nor to depend upon its possessions.\nMany saints with a lifelong devotion have slipped down from dizzy\nheights.... A disciple who concentrates in himself the purity of all\nthe angels and the piety of all men is self-conceited and sure to fall,\nif he knows himself to be better than a dog.... The beginner has a\ntongue, the proficient scholar is silent.--_Letter 54._\n\nA disciple is a worshipper of his Teacher. If his rest and movements\nare in accordance with His commands, he is a disciple; if he follows\nhis own desires, he is a follower of his desires, not of his Teacher.\nA disciple is he who loses himself in the Teacher. He shakes off his\ndesires, as a serpent casts its slough. If he has even the least\nremnant of desire left in him, and doubts and protests find room in\nhis heart, he is a worshipper of himself, not of the Teacher....\nA disciple should be a worshipper of the Teacher, [so that he may\nbecome a worshipper of God]. One who obeys the Messenger verily obeys\nGod.--_Faw\u00e2ed-i-Rukn\u00ee._\n\nGod has concealed precious gifts under the difficulties He has imposed\nupon these men (_i. e._ the disciples). A disciple should manfully\ndischarge his duties without fail, in spite of the hardships and\ntrials of the Path. God does not work in one way only, and it is\ndifficult to know which way will lead the disciple to Him--joy or\nsorrow, gifts or privation. There is a divine secret underneath all\nsufferings and enjoyments in the world.--_The Series of 28 Letters,\nLetter 1._\n\n\"A long journey is needed to ripen the raw.\" As a fruit requires\nboth sunshine and shadow for its maturity, so a pilgrim requires the\ndual experience--joy and sorrow, union and separation, presence and\nabsence,--for his perfection.--_Ibid, Letter 5._\n\nThere is no bar to the reception of the Divine Light. If there is any,\nit is due to lack of capacity. How can an unpolished mirror reflect\nan image?... The pilgrim needs patience and endurance, not hurry and\nunrest. God knows each man as he is, and sheds the Light when he\ndeserves it.--_Ibid, Letter 4._\n\nContentment is a _sine qu\u00e2 non_; one without it should abandon\noccultism and go to the market.\n\nThe performance of duties to the best of one's abilities cannot be\ndispensed with, as it is necessary for the safe passage of the pilgrim.\nWhile sane, he should follow Truth. Truth in words and conduct is ever\nbeneficial, never harmful.--_Ibid, Letter 15._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FRIEND OF GOD--(THE =WAL\u00ce=).\n\n\nThe =Wal\u00ee= (or the Friend of God) is one who constantly receives the\nfavours of the Deity, which consist in his being guarded against all\ntroubles, the hardest of which is the commission of sins. As a Prophet\nmust be sinless, so must a Friend be protected. The distinction between\nthe two is this: The one is beyond the commission of a sin; the other\nis liable to commit a sin on rare occasions, but does not persist\ntherein.... The Friend is endowed with all possible virtues.... Again,\nit is said, the Friend is he who does not fail in his duties to God\nand the universe. He does not serve through hope and fear of agreeable\nand disagreeable consequences. He does not set any value on his\nindividuality....\n\nA Friend may be either known or unknown to the people. If unknown, he\nis not affected by the evils of fame....\n\nA Friend is he who does not long for the world or for Heaven, who\nforsakes himself for the Divine Friendship and turns his heart to the\nTrue One.... The Friends are the special objects of the Love of God.\nOwing to their devotion, they have been chosen as the Governors of\nHis Kingdom, the channels of His Activities, receive special powers,\nand are liberated from the bondage of the desire-nature. They do not\ndesire anything save Him, nor feel attachment to anything save Him.\nThey have been before us, are in these days, and will be till the end\nof the world....\n\nThey are to-day the appointed Agents of God to serve as channels for\nthe propagation of the messages of the ancient Prophets, and to govern\nthe world--so that the rain may pour from heaven by Their blessings,\nthat plants may grow from the earth by Their purity, and that the\nfaithful may prevail over the faithless by Their strength.\n\nSuperhuman powers are a kind of idols in this world. If a saint is\ncontent with their possession, he stops his onward progress. If he\nturns away from them he advances the cause of his union with God.\nHere is a subtile mystery, and it is this: True Friendship consists\nin the rejection of all save the Beloved. But attention to superhuman\npowers and reliance upon them means the rejection of the Beloved, and\nsatisfaction with something other than Himself.--_Letter 8._\n\n\n\n\nTHE BROTHERHOOD OF FRIENDS.\n\n\n[There is a passage on the hierarchy of Divine Friends in\n=Faw\u00e2ed-i-Rukn\u00ee=, another work of the author, which is translated below\nas a supplement to the present subject.--_Trs._]\n\nThere are 4,000 =Wal\u00ees= who are not known to the world. They do not\nknow one another, nor are they conscious of their exalted position.\nThey ever remain veiled from the world, as well as from themselves.\n\nThere are 300 =Akhy\u00e2r= (the Charitable or the Benevolent) who solve the\ndifficulties of the world and keep the gate of the Divine Sanctuary.\nThere are forty =Abd\u00e2l= (the Substitutes); 17 =Abr\u00e2r= (the Liberated);\n5 =Nujab\u00e2= (the Pure); 4 =Aut\u00e2d= (the Pegs); 3 =Nuqab\u00e2= (the\nWatchers); 1 =Qutub= (the Pole), also called =Gaus=, the 'Redresser of\nGrievances'. All these know one another and are interdependent for the\ndischarge of their respective duties. (Total, 370--_Trs._)\n\nAccording to another authority (=Majma-us-S\u00e2er\u00een=) there are 356\n=Wal\u00ees= ever working in the world. When one of them retires, another\ntakes his place, so that there is never any diminution in the number\n356. They are made up of 300 + 40 + 7 + 5 + 3 + 1. The =One= is the\n=Qutub= of the world, the preservation of which is due to His holy\nexistence. If He retired without another to take His place, the world\nwould fall to pieces. When the =Qutub= retires, one of the _Three_\ntakes His place; one of the _Five_ fills up the gap in the _Three_,\none of the _Seven_ fills up the gap in the _Five_, one of the _Forty_\nfills up the gap in the _Seven_, one of the _Three Hundred_ fills\nup the gap in the _Forty_, and a man is posted to the vacancy in the\nrank of the _Three Hundred_--so that 356 ever continue working in the\nworld, and every spot is blessed by Their auspicious Feet. Their outer\nlife is similar to that of ordinary people, so the latter cannot know\nThem. Inwardly, They are united with God. Love, Friendship, and the\nMysteries have to do with the _within_, not with the _without_. They\n(the =Wal\u00ees=) are too strong to be hindered by earth, water, fire, air,\nplains and hills. Being in the East, They can see and hear men in the\nWest. They can instantly go from the East to the West, come from the\nWest to the East, go to and come back from =Arsh= (the Divine Throne).\nTheirs are many superhuman powers of like nature.\n\n\n\n\nPOLYTHEISM, AND THE FRIENDSHIP OF GOD.\n\n\nPolytheism is twofold:--\n\n(1) The outer, which consists in worshipping a god other than the One\nHighest God....\n\n(2) The inner, which consists in thinking of a being, other than God,\nas a helper at the time of need.\n\nSome say that to see anything save Him, is polytheism for an Occultist.\n\nSome say that to refer to any separated self in any way, to be inclined\nto do anything with one's own will, and to resort to one's own schemes\nand plans in any emergency, are all forms of polytheism....\n\nThe chosen Friend is he who is of God alone, both without and within.\nHe neither acts nor thinks against [the Divine Will]. He does not\nmix with the desire-nature, forgets his services in the presence of\nthe Master, and cannot do without Him.... He is so filled with Him\nin all respects--both without and within--that it is impossible for\nanything else to enter into him.... He loses his desire, will, and all\nindividual qualities, and exists merely through God's Desire and Will.\nHe gets what he wills--not because he wills anything other than what is\nGod's will, but because his will is one with God's. Nay God unfolds His\nWill in him.--_Letter 9._\n\n\n\n\nLIGHTS.\n\n\nWhen the mirror of the Heart is cleansed of impurities, it becomes\ncapable of reflecting the supersensuous lights. They appear in the\nbeginning as flashes, but gain in power and volume as the heart becomes\npurer--manifesting [gradually] as the lamp, the flame, the stars,\nthe moon, and the sun. The forms of flashes arise from ablutions\nand prayers ...; those of the lamp, the flame and the stars, from\nthe _partial_ purity of the heart; that of the full moon, from its\n_perfect_ purity; that of the sun, from the Soul reflecting its glory\nin the perfectly purified heart. A time comes when [the inner light] is\na thousand times more luminous than the [external] sun. If [the visions\nof] the sun and moon are simultaneous, the latter signifies the heart\nreflecting the light of the Soul, the former the Soul itself. The light\nof the Soul is _formless_, but is seen behind a _veil_ distorting the\n_idea_ into the form of the sun.\n\nSometimes the Light of the Divine Attributes may cast its reflection\nin the mirror of the heart according to the purity of the latter....\nThis Light distinguishes itself by a feeling of bliss in the\nheart, which shows that it comes from God and not from others. It\nis hard to describe this bliss. It is said that the Light of the\nConstructive Attributes is illuminative, but not scorching; that of\nthe Disintegrating Attributes scorching, but not illuminative. This\nis beyond the comprehension of intellect. Sometimes, when the purity\nof the heart is complete, the Seer sees the True One _within_ him,\nif he looks _within_, the True One _without_ him, if he looks to the\nuniverse. When the Divine Light is reflected in the light of the\nsoul, the vision gives bliss. When the Divine Light shines _without_\nthe media of the soul and the heart, the vision manifests formlessness\nand infinity, uniqueness and harmony, the basis and support of _all_\nexistence. Here there is neither rising nor setting, neither right\nnor left, neither up nor down, neither space nor time, neither far\nnor near, neither night nor day, neither heaven nor earth. Here the\npen breaks, the tongue falters, intellect sinks into nothingness,\nintelligence and knowledge miss the way in the wilderness of\namazement.--_Letter 12_.\n\n\n\n\nTHE UNVEILING OF THE SUPERSENSUOUS.\n\n\nThe essence of the Unveiling lies in coming _out_ of the veils. The\nseer perceives things not perceived by him before. The \"veils\" mean\nhindrances keeping one back from the perfect vision of the Divine\nBeauty, and consist of the various worlds--according to some, 18,000 in\nnumber, according to others, 80,600--all present in the constitution of\nman. Man has an eye correlated to each world, with which he observes\nthat world during the unveiling. These worlds are included under a\ntwofold division: Light and Darkness, Heaven and Earth, Invisible\nand Visible, Spiritual and Physical,--each pair expressing the same\nsense in different words.... When a sincere pilgrim, impelled by his\naspiration, turns from the lower nature to follow the Law, and begins\nto tread the Path under the protection of a Teacher, he unfolds an\neye for each of the veils uplifted by him, to observe the conditions\nof the world before him. First, he unfolds the eye of intellect and\ncomprehends the intellectual mysteries to the extent of the uplifting\nof the veil. This is called the _Intellectual unveiling_, and should\nnot be depended on. Most of the philosophers are at this stage and\ntake it as the final goal. This stage transcended, the sincere pilgrim\ncomes to unveil the heart, and perceives various lights. This is called\nthe _Perceptual unveiling_. Next, he unveils the Secrets; this is the\n_Inspirational unveiling_, and the Mysteries of creation and existence\nare revealed to him. Next, he unveils the Soul; this is the _Spiritual\nunveiling_, and he can now view Heaven and Hell, and communicate with\nthe Angels. When the soul is completely cleansed of earthly impurities,\nand is thoroughly pure, he unveils Infinity and is privileged to\ngaze at the circle of Eternity, to comprehend instantly both Past\nand Future, getting rid of the limitations of Space and Time, ... to\nsee both fore and aft ... to read hearts, know events, and tread on\nwater, fire, and air. Such miracles are not to be relied on.... Next\ncomes the _Innermost unveiling_, enabling the pilgrim to enter the\nplane of the Divine Attributes.... The Innermost is the bridge between\nthe Divine Attributes and the plane of the Soul, enabling the Soul to\nexperience the Divine vision, and reflect the Divine character. This is\ncalled the _Unveiling of the Divine Attributes_. During this stage, the\ndisciple unfolds esoteric knowledge, revelation from God, His vision,\nHis bliss, real absorption, real existence, or Unity,--according as\nhe unveils the Divine Attributes of intelligence, audition, sight,\nconstruction, disintegration, stability, or oneness. Similarly one may\nthink of other qualities.--_Letter 13._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n[The last two extracts tacitly refer to the following =S\u00fbf\u00ee=\nclassification of the human constitution:--\n\n1. The Body (=Tan=), the brain-consciousness, or intellect, correlated\nto the physical plane (=N\u00e2s\u00fbt=).\n\n2. The Heart (=Dil=), the desires and the lower mind, correlated to the\nastral and lower mental planes (=Malak\u00fbt=).\n\n3. The Soul (=R\u00fbh=), the higher mind, the Ego, correlated to the higher\nmental plane (=Jabar\u00fbt=).\n\n4. The Spirit (=Sirr=, or the _Mystery_), correlated to the spiritual\nplanes (=L\u00e2h\u00fbt=)--_Trs._]\n\n\n\n\nON THE SAME.\n\n\n[The following supplementary notes from _The Series of 28 Letters_ may\nprove both instructive and interesting.--_Trs._]\n\nYou say you hear certain words, but not from the organ of speech, or\nthrough the organ of sound. Speech and Sound belong to this world: what\nyou hear belongs to =Malak\u00fbt=.--_Loc. cit., Letter 10._\n\nA pilgrim may hear the _sound_ in his body, nay, in the minerals,\nplants, and animals. But if he hears from them the same =Zikr= (_i.\ne._, the sacred formula) as practised by him, it is but an echo of his\npractice--an imaginary phenomenon, not a real one: whereas, if he hears\nfrom them the =Zikr= peculiar to them, the phenomenon is real.... The\nuniverse being endless, the phenomena are endless.--_Ibid, Letter 15._\n\nPowers and phenomena are trials for a pilgrim. Regard them as\nobstacles, and never care for them.... It is a rare boon to pass from\nthe Name to the Named.... The Vision of the Prophet Khezar foretells\nyour success on the Path.... The odours, sacred and unearthly,\nexperienced by you, pertain to the =Malak\u00fbt=: how can you find their\nlikeness on earth?--_Ibid, Letter 16._\n\n\n\n\nILLUMINATION.\n\n\nThere is a difference between Divine illumination and\nSoul-illumination. When the mirror of the heart is cleansed of all\nimpurities, and has become thoroughly clear, it may serve to focus\nthe rays of the Divine Sun and so reflect the Divinity and all His\nAttributes. But this boon is not enjoyed by every clean heart. Every\nrunner does not catch the game (lit., the antelope), but only he who\nruns _can_ catch it....\n\nA clean heart reflects some of the qualities of the Soul. If thoroughly\nclean, it may at times reflect all the qualities. Sometimes the Essence\nof the Soul--the Divine Viceroy--may display its nature, and assert\n\"I am the True One\" by virtue of its viceroyalty. Sometimes the whole\nuniverse may be seen making obeisance at the viceregal throne, and\nthe soul may mistake the Divine Viceroy for God.... Such mistakes are\ncommon, and cannot be avoided without the Divine Grace and the help of\nthe Teacher. Now to come to the difference:\n\n(1) Soul-illumination conquers the lower nature temporarily, _i. e._,\nso long as the illumination continues;--Divine illumination conquers it\npermanently.\n\n(2) Soul-illumination is not inconsistent with the foulness of the\nheart, does not solve all doubts, nor does it impart the bliss of\nDivine Knowledge;--Divine illumination is the reverse of this.\n\n(3)--Soul-illumination may induce pride, self-conceit, and egoism....\nDivine illumination does away with all these, and increases the fervour\nof Seeking.\n\n'Illumination' and 'obscuration' are two words generally used among\nthe =S\u00fbf\u00ees=. The former means the unfolding of God, the latter means\nthe infolding of God. These expressions do not apply to His Essence,\nsince It is changeless. As when one finds the solution of a problem,\nand says, \"the problem is solved\"--the problem is not solved, but\none's mind unfolds so as to grasp the problem; knowledge being\ncalled the solution of the problem, ignorance its obscuration--so,\nwhen one sees all from God, and not from self, when Self does away\nwith the lower nature and sees the Unknowable,--this is designated\nIllumination.--_Letter 14._\n\n\n\n\nDREAMS.\n\n\n_First_, a pilgrim passing through the _earthly_ qualities sees in his\ndreams heights and depths, streets and wells, gloomy and deserted\nsites, waters and mountains. _Secondly_, passing through the _watery_\nqualities, he sees greens and pastures, trees and sown fields, rivers\nand springs. _Thirdly_, passing through the _airy_ qualities, he sees\nhimself walking or flying in the air, going up the heights. _Fourthly_,\npassing through the _fiery_ qualities, he sees lamps and flames.\n_Fifthly_, passing through the _etheric_, he finds himself walking or\nflying over the heavens, going from one heaven to another, sees the\ncircling of the sky, and the angels. _Sixthly_, passing through the\n_starry_ region, he sees the stars, the sun and the moon. _Seventhly_,\npassing through the _animal_ qualities, he sees the corresponding\nanimals. If he finds himself prevailing over an animal, it indicates\nhis conquest over the corresponding quality. If he finds himself\novercome by an animal, it denotes the predominance of the corresponding\nquality, and he should guard himself against it.\n\nThe pilgrim has to pass through thousands of worlds, and in each world\nhe perceives visions and experiences difficulties peculiar to it.\n\nO brother, the soul is for the Goal. It should boldly cry out: \"Let me\neither cease to live, or reach the Goal.\"--_Letter 16._\n\n\n\n\nON MISCONCEPTIONS.\n\n\nMany men fall from doubt and suspicion. A class of people say, \"God\ndoes not need our worship and services, and has no concern with our\nvirtues and vices: why should we restrain ourselves?\" Such a doubt\narises from sheer ignorance, and supposes that the Law enjoins duties\nfor the sake of God. No. Duties are for the sake of man alone.... An\nignorant man of this sort fitly compares with a patient who, being\nprescribed a certain treatment by his physician, does not follow it,\nand says that his abstinence does no harm to the physician. He speaks\ntruly enough, but works his own destruction. The physician did not\nprescribe to please himself, but to cure him.\n\nA second class of men transgress the Law and depend on the Divine\nMercy. God is both merciful and a chastiser. We find that there are\nmany distressed and poor men in this world in spite of His Mercy and\nHis mountains of Treasure, that not a single grain of wheat grows\nwithout laborious cultivation, and that no man can be healthy without\nfood, water and medicine. As He has ordained means for health and\nwealth without which they cannot be had, such is the case in the moral\nsphere also. Denial and ignorance are poisons to the soul, and idleness\nits disease. The antidotes for the poisons are knowledge and wisdom\nalone. The remedies for the disease are prayers and worship alone. He\nwho takes poison while depending on the Divine Mercy, kills himself.\nThe disease of the heart consists in desires. He who does not restrain\nhis desires risks his life if he knows them as sinful. But if he does\nnot regard them as harmful he has no life to risk, since he is already\ndead. For such disregard is denial, and denial poisons faith.\n\nA third set would understand by self-discipline, as imposed by the Law,\ncomplete freedom from lust, anger and other evils. When they fail after\npractising self-discipline for a length of time, they regard the task\nas impossible. \"Man, as he is constituted, cannot be pure, just as a\nblack blanket cannot turn into a white one. Why should we undertake\nan impossible feat?\" (So they think).--It is ignorance and vanity to\nsuppose that the Law enjoins complete freedom from lust and other\nimpulses inherent in human nature. The Prophet has said, \"I am a man,\nand may be angry,\" and signs of anger were at times visible in him. God\npraises one who controls anger, not one who is devoid of anger. Again,\nthe prophet had nine wives, and a man destitute of the sexual desire\nshould be medically treated. The Prophet has countenanced the begetting\nof progeny and the perpetuation of the race. But he has instructed\nthat the two (lust and anger) should be subdued so as to be under the\ncontrol of the Law, as a horse under the control of the rider, or a\ndog under the control of the hunter. The animals should be trained,\nelse they will set upon and overthrow the man. Lust and anger are like\nthe dog and the horse, and it is impossible to catch the heavenly Game\nwithout them. But they should be under control, else they will destroy\n_us_. In short, the object of self-discipline is to break and subdue\nthese impulses, and this is possible.\n\nA _fourth_ set proudly declare that everything is according to the\nDivine Will. What is the use of exertion?--When the Prophet spoke of\nthe Divine Will, his companions said, \"We shall depend upon it and\nrefrain from exertion.\" The Prophet replied, \"_Ye shall exert_, and\n[then] what has been ordained will be given.\" Thus, man should not\nrefrain from exertion. If he has in the beginning been ordained to\na noble destiny, he will attain to it [by exertion]. Good and evil\ndestinies hinge upon virtue and vice, in the same way as health and\ndeath upon food and starvation.--_Letter 18._\n\n\n\n\nTHE OUTER AND INNER AILMENTS.\n\n\nMan has been formed of two different substances, the earthly and the\nheavenly. As his earthly frame is liable to ailments, so is the\nheavenly; and there are doctors for the treatment and cure of both.\nThe doctors of the bodily ailments are the physicians, and those of\nthe moral ailments are the Prophets and [later on] the Saints who are\ntheir successors. As a sick man would certainly die if not treated by\na skilled physician, so a soul suffering from the moral diseases would\ncertainly die, if not helped by a Prophet or a perfect Saint. As a\nphysician examines the pulse to ascertain the disease of a patient, and\nrecommends him to resort to one thing and abstain from another, with a\nview to restore physical equilibrium and health,--so also the Divine\nMessenger ascertains the moral ailments of the disciple, and prescribes\ndifferent duties based on the Law according to his receptivity and\ncapacity, recommending this, disallowing that, so as to reduce his\ninner perplexities and desires to a state of harmony required by the\nLaw, and bring about moral health in the shortest possible time. As a\nsick man going against the instructions of his physician gets worse and\nworse and has to die, so a moral patient disobeying the Law gets more\nand more perverse and has to perish through ignorance.--_Letter 19._\n\n\n\n\nTHE ORIGIN OF THEOSOPHY\n\n\nThe institution of Theosophy (=Tasavvuf=) is ancient. It has been\npractised by the Prophets and the Saints. As evil impulses predominate\nin the world, the Theosophist (=S\u00fbf\u00ee=) is looked down upon by men.\nThe Theosophist is one who has lost the self, exists in the True One,\nis beyond the reach of the lower nature, and is at one with Truth.\nA Theosophical student (=mutasavvif=) is he who seeks to become a\nTheosophist through asceticism and purification, and disciplines\nhimself in the ways of the Theosophist....\n\nThe Prophet had a place in his mosque set apart to discourse privately\nwith his elect companions, who trod the Path. There were senior\ndisciples such as =Ab\u00fb Bakar=, =Omar=, =Osman=, =Al\u00ee= and =Salm\u00e2n=;\nand mediocre ones, such as =Belal= and others. The Arab chiefs and his\nordinary companions were not admitted there. The elect companions were\nabout 70 in number. When the Prophet wished to shew his special regard\nto a particular companion (=S\u00fbf\u00ee=), he favoured him with a piece of\nhis garment (N. B. The word =S\u00fbf\u00ee= may be derived either from =Saf\u00e2=,\npurity, or from =S\u00fbf=, dress.--_Trs._)\n\nThe first Theosophist was Adam, and the last Mohammad; and Theosophy\nhas continued amongst the followers of Mohammad.--_Letter 22._\n\n\n\n\nSEEKING THE PATH.\n\n\nThe aspiration of the Seeker should be such that, if offered this world\nwith its pleasures, the next with its heaven, and the Universe with\nits sufferings, he should leave the world and its pleasures for the\nprofane, the next world and its heaven for the faithful, and choose\nthe sufferings for himself. He turns from the lawful in order to avoid\nheaven, in the same way that common people turn from the unlawful to\navoid hell. He seeks the Master and His Vision in the same way that\nworldly men seek ease and wealth. The latter seek increase in all their\nworks; he seeks the ONE alone in all. If given anything, he gives it\naway; if not given, he is content.\n\nThe marks of the Seeker are as follows. He is happy if he does not\nget the desired object, so that he may be liberated from all bonds;\nhe opposes the desire-nature so much, that he would not gratify\nits craving, even if it cried therefor for seventy years; he is so\nharmonised with God that ease and uneasiness, a boon and a curse,\nadmission and rejection are the same to him; he is too resigned to beg\nfor anything either from God or from the world; his asceticism keeps\nhim as fully satisfied with his little all--a garment or a blanket--as\nothers might be with the whole world.... He vigilantly melts his\ndesire-nature in the furnace of asceticism and does not think of\nanything save the True One. He sees Him on the right and on the left,\nsitting and standing. Such a Seeker is called the Divine Seer. He\nattaches no importance to the sovereignty of earth or of heaven. His\nbody becomes emaciated by devotional aspirations, while his heart is\ncheered with Divine Blessedness. Thoughts of wife and children, of this\nworld and the next, do not occupy his heart. Though his body be on\nearth, his soul is with God. Though here, he has already been there,\nreached the Goal, and seen the Beloved with his inner eye.\n\nThis stage can be reached only under the protection of a Perfect\nTeacher, the Path safely trodden under His supervision only.... It is\nindispensable for a Disciple to put off his desires and protests, and\nplace himself before the Teacher as a dead body before the washer of\nthe dead, so that He may deal with him as He likes.\n\nVirtue and vice have their uses and evils. Often a virtue throws one\nthe farther from God, and a vice leads one the nearer to Him.... The\nvirtue that begins in peace and ends in pride throws one the farther\nfrom God; the vice that begins in fear and ends in repentance leads one\nthe nearer to Him.--_Letter 23._\n\n\n\n\nTHE PILLARS OF THE PATH.\n\n\nTheir words enliven the heart; their deeds liberate men; their\ncompassion is universal; they do not care for feeding and clothing\nthemselves, but feed and clothe all; they do not look to the evil of\nothers, but stand as their saviours, return good for evil, and bless\nthem that curse. Why?--For they are protected: no gale save the zephyr\nof Love can blow over the world from the horizon of their heart. Their\ncompassion shines as the sun over friend and foe alike. They are humble\nas the earth, trodden by the feet of all. They are not hostile to any\nman, nor do they grasp at anything of the world. All creatures are\ntheir children, they are not the children of any. They are absolute\nCompassion for the whole universe, for east and west,--for they are\nliberated and see all from the One Root.... One void of these qualities\ncannot tread the Path.\n\nIn the case of a Theosophist, the heart goes first, then comes the\ntongue. In the case of a worldly-wise man, the tongue goes first, and\nthen the heart.--_Letter 24._\n\n\n\n\nRELIGION, THE PATH AND TRUTH.\n\n\nReligion (=Shar\u00eeat=), the Path (=Tar\u00eeqat=), and Truth (=Haq\u00eeqat=).\n\n_Religion_ is a way laid down by a Prophet for his followers, with\nthe help of God. All Prophets equally call the attention of men to\nMonotheism and service. So there is but _one_ Religion, _one_ appeal,\nand _one_ God. Their teachings cannot be contradictory, as they are\nbased on Divine inspiration. The difference is merely verbal and\nformal, but there is no difference in the essentials. They are the\n[spiritual] physicians of humanity, and have prescribed religions for\ntheir respective followers according to their needs. Religion consists\nof a series of injunctions and prohibitions, and deals with monotheism,\nbodily purification, prayers, fasts, pilgrimages, the holy war,\ncharity, and so on.\n\nThe _Path_ is based on religion, and consists in seeking the essence of\nthe forms [dealt with by religion], investigating them, purifying the\nheart, and cleansing the moral nature of impurities such as hypocrisy,\navarice, polytheism, and so on. Religion deals with external conduct\nand bodily purification; the Path deals with the inner purification.\n\nReligion is the soundness of external purification. _Truth_ is the\nsoundness of the inner condition. The one is liable to alterations, is\nthe work of man and can be acquired; the other is immutable, the same\nfrom the time of Adam to the end of the world, and is the Divine Grace.\nThe one is like matter, or the body. The other is like spirit, or the\nsoul.--_Letters 25 and 26._\n\n[A higher stage is simply mentioned, in _Faw\u00e2ed-i-Rukn\u00ee_, as =M\u00e2rfat=\n(the Divine Knowledge), without any detailed explanation. Thus,\n=Shar\u00eeat= corresponds to the exoteric religion of any given nation;\n=Tar\u00eeqat= to the Lesser Mysteries of the ancient Western mystic, or\nthe Probationary Path of the Eastern mystic; =Haq\u00eeqat= to the Greater\nMysteries of the ancient Western mystic, or the Path Proper of the\nEastern mystic; =M\u00e2rfat= to the stage of the Perfect Man, or the\nMaster.--_Trs._]\n\n\n\n\nACCESSORY TO PRAYERS.\n\n\nAfter the morning prayer, the twilight should be spent in muttering\nthe Divine Names, sacred recitations, repentance and apology. One\nshould not speak at this time, except to obey an express injunction or\nprohibition of the Scriptures, to bless or benefit the faithful, and\nto instruct a student in need of knowledge. The company of a Saint, a\nknower of God, or one's own Teacher, if available, is preferable to\nmutterings and recitations.\n\nBefore the sunset prayer, some time should be spent in attentively\nexamining the desire-nature _i. e._, reviewing the gains made and the\nlosses incurred during the day.\n\nOne should go to sleep pure, and with holy recitations, and should\nnot sleep unless overpowered. One should get up in the latter part\nof the night before twilight, and immediately take to the sacred\nduties.--_Letter 28._\n\n\n\n\nPURIFICATION.\n\n\nIt is purity which makes man respectable. It is the storehouse of all\nboons and virtues.... =Isl\u00e2m= is based on purity, and cannot tolerate\nthe slightest stain. She does not show her face to the impure.\n\n     _First_:--the purity of the body, the garment, and food.\n\n     _Second_:--the purity of the senses, _i. e._, abstinence from sins\n        and transgressions.\n\n     _Third_:--the purity of the heart, _i. e._, renunciation of all\n        evil qualities, such as uncharitableness, envy and malice.\n\nWith the first purity, the disciple takes the first step on the Path;\nwith the second, he takes the second step; with the third, the third.\nThis is the essence of =Taub\u00e2h=--turning from impurity to purity. At\nfirst he was a temple of idols; now he becomes a mosque. At first he\nwas a demon; now he becomes a man. At first he was dark as the night;\nnow he becomes bright as day. It is now that the sun of =\u00cem\u00e2n= (peace\nor faith) shines in his heart, and =Isl\u00e2m= shows her face and leads\nhim to the Divine Knowledge. Any work whatsoever, without this purity,\nis but a ceremony or tradition on the lines of the forefathers, but is\n_not_ =Isl\u00e2m=.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nKnow God as your constant guardian. Living under His ever-watchful Eye,\none ought to be modest and feel ashamed to bring one's transgressions\nto His notice.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nAs prayers cannot be duly performed without the outer purity, so the\nDivine Knowledge is impossible without the inner purity. As fresh\nwater--not water already used--is necessary for the one, so pure\nMonotheism--not mixed--is necessary for the other.[7]\n\n[7] See \"Monotheism\"--_Trs._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe inner purification is hinted at in the Prophet's prayer: \"O God,\npurge out hypocrisy from my heart.\"--_Letters 29 & 30._\n\n\n\n\nTHE MOTIVE.\n\n\nThe value of a disciple's act lies in his motive. The motive is to the\nact as life is to the body and light to the eye. As the body without\nlife or the eye without light is useless, so the acts of a disciple\nwithout a pure motive are mere forms. With the Seers, forms are denial\nand destruction, not faith and salvation. A valid motive arises from\npurity, as rays from the sun and sparks from the flame. When the motive\nis not biassed by worldly attractions, it is called _ascetic_ purity by\nthe S\u00fbf\u00ees. When the motive is not biassed by heavenly attractions, it\nis called _spiritual_ purity. It is said that the motive of a man is\naccording to his knowledge and wisdom. If desire and love of the world\npredominate in the heart of a man, all his acts will be worldly--even\nhis prayers and fasts. If desire and love of heaven predominate in his\nheart, all his acts will be heavenly--even his eating and sleeping.\nAgain there are others, of loftier aspiration, caring neither for earth\nnor for heaven, but for God only. All acts done by such men will be\npurely divine....\n\nA disciple should always be careful to purify his motive and to\nget out of mere forms. For this, he should obey the instructions\nof a Teacher, his motive, though in the beginning mixed with\nhypocrisy and insincerity, will ultimately be purified by obeying His\ninstructions.... The disciple should act as the earth, so that the\nTeacher may act as the sky--wet him with His rains, warm him with His\nsun, shade him under His clouds, perfume him with the fragrant breeze\nof His compassion--and thus help his growth.--_Letter 31._\n\n\n\n\nPRAYER.\n\n\nThe daily routine of a disciple, in the absence of his Teacher, should\nbe such as to secure purity of heart, whether by prayer, sacred study,\nmutterings, or meditation.\n\nThe secret of prayer is inexpressible. When the disciple, renouncing\nseparateness, stands for prayer in a mood of self-surrender, his body\nranks with =K\u00e2b\u00e2's= shrine, his heart with =Arsh= (the Divine Throne);\nand his spirit sees the Vision Divine....\n\nThe devotee mostly prays with the fire of Love without observing\nexternal forms (_e. g._ kneeling and prostration), takes all devotees\nas one, and does not stigmatise any man with the brand of infidelity\nand damnation.\n\nIn the state of prayer, one merged in the Divine cannot be conscious of\nanything else; as Al\u00ee, while praying, was operated upon, and an arrow\ndrawn out of his thigh, but he did not feel it.--_Letter 32._\n\n\n\n\nINVOKING THE DIVINE HELP.\n\n\nOpinions vary as to which is the better course, invocation of the\nDivine Help, or self-surrender to the Divine Will. In some cases the\none is preferable, in others the other, according to the tendency and\ncondition of each individual. If invocation induces _unfolding_, it is\ngood. If it induces _infolding_,[8] it should be stopped. If it induces\nneither the one nor the other, its performance and omission are of\nequal value. If _knowledge_ preponderates at the time of invocation, it\nis to be continued, for such an invocation is a worship in itself. If\n_Divine Wisdom_ preponderates at the time, silence is preferable....\n\n[8] See p. 30.\n\nWhat is the use of invoking the Divine Help, if the Divine Will\nis irrevocable?--Answer: The revocation by invocation is also in\naccordance with the Divine Will, the invocation being simply an\nordained means, as a shield is a means to repel an arrow, and watering\nis a means to grow seeds.\n\nIf one resorts to an invocation, it is to be repeated three, five or\nseven times.--_Letter 36._\n\n\n\n\nTHE DIVINE ALLEGIANCE.\n\n\nThe Divine Allegiance gives freedom and the sovereignty of the whole\nworld....\n\nGod never made anything so precious as the heart of His Servant,\nbecause it is there that He treasured up the wealth of His Wisdom: \"I\ncannot be contained in heaven or earth, but I am contained in the heart\nof My faithful Servant.\"\n\nWhat is Service?--To be resigned to the Divine Will without a murmur. A\nServant is he who does not think of wages, and has been liberated from\nthe bonds of desire. He who serves God for wages is the servant of the\nwages, not of God.\n\n=Khw\u00e2j\u00e2 Has\u00e2n Basri= says: \"Seek the Knowledge that is revealed by\nService, and seek the Service that is revealed by Knowledge.\" Knowledge\nand Service are equally necessary, but Knowledge is superior, being the\nroot and guide. Hence it is that the Prophet says: \"Knowledge rules\nconduct, and conduct follows it.\" Again, He says that the sleep of the\nwise is better than the prayers of the ignorant, and that the ignorant\ndo more evil than good by their acts.--_Letters 37-39._\n\n\n\n\nTHE SACRED FORMULA.\n\n\nThe disciple should ever practise the formula: \"There is no God except\n=All\u00e2h=\"--vocally or inaudibly, whether he be alone or in company.\nLet him not for a moment step out of this fort. The fort is made of\nthe negative \"no God\" and the affirmative \"except =All\u00e2h=\" phrases;\nand it protects the pilgrim entering therein against the two highway\nrobbers: the desire-nature and Satan. When the disciple unfolds the\ninner eye in the plane of Unity, he transcends affirmation and denial,\nas they are inconsistent with Unity. Affirmation and denial inhere in\nthe nature of man, and a disciple does not attain to Unity unless he\ngoes beyond human nature. Affirmation and denial are in themselves a\nform of polytheism, since a valid affirmation and a valid denial each\nneed three elements--the affirmer, the affirmation and the affirmed;\nthe denier, the denial and the denied. When a believer in _two_ is\na polytheist, how can a believer in _six_ be a monotheist? When the\nnon-God has no existence, what is to be denied? When thou thyself art\nnot, how canst thou affirm?... This is the zenith of Unity, and the\nstage of the Perfect Ones.... He who sees with the eye of Unity finds\nthe non-God non-existent....\n\nWhenever Mohammad, transcending the realm of His mission, looked with\nthe inner eye into the realm of Unity, He eagerly and yearningly wished\nHis personality blotted out, the dividing line erased, and the human\nlimitation cast away. But the Compassion of the Beloved would ever\nintervene, and bring Him back to the realm of His mission for the\ndelivery of the message.--_Letter 40._\n\n\n\n\nTHE NAKED FAITH.\n\n\nIntellect is a bondage; Faith, the liberator. The disciple should\nbe stripped naked of everything in the Universe in order to gaze at\nthe beauty of Faith. But thou lovest thy personality, and canst not\nafford to put off the hat of self-esteem and exchange reputation for\ndisgrace....\n\nAll attachments have dropped from the Masters. Their garment is pure of\nall material stain. Their hands are too short to seize anything tainted\nwith impermanence. Light has shone in Their hearts enabling Them to see\nGod. Absorbed in His Vision are They, so that They look not to Their\nindividualities, exist not for Their individualities, have forgotten\nTheir individualities in the ecstasy of His Existence, and have become\ncompletely His. They speak, yet do not speak; hear, yet do not hear;\nmove, yet do not move; sit, yet do not sit. There is no [individual]\nbeing in Their being, no speech in Their speech, no hearing in Their\nhearing. Speakers, They are dumb; hearers, They are deaf. They care\nlittle for material conditions, and think of the True One [alone].\nWorldly men are not aware of Their whereabouts. Physically with men,\nThey are internally with God. They are a boon to the Universe--not to\nthemselves, for They _are not_ themselves....\n\nThe knowledge that accentuates personality is verily a hindrance.\nThe knowledge that leads to God is alone true Knowledge. The\nlearned are confined in the prison of the senses, since they but\ngather their knowledge through sensuous objects. He that is bound\nby sense-limitations is barred from supersensuous Knowledge. Real\nKnowledge wells up from the Fountain of Life, and the student thereof\nneed not resort to senses and gropings. The iron of human nature must\nbe put into the melting-pot of discipline, hammered on the anvil of\nasceticism, and then handed over to the polishing agency of the Divine\nLove, so that the latter may cleanse it of all material impurities.\nIt then becomes a mirror capable of reflecting the spiritual world,\nand may fitly be used by the KING for the beholding of His own\nImage.--_Letter 41._\n\n\n\n\nTHE INNER POLYTHEISM.\n\n\nThe Prophet says, \"Polytheism in my followers is more imperceptible\nthan the motion of an ant on a black stone on a dark night.\" Such\na polytheism, though not affecting the [exoteric] faith, injures\nthe essence and fruit of Faith. Pure gold and an alloy of gold are\nboth gold, but the latter cannot be as precious as the former. True\nFaith consists in Monotheism, which is the antithesis of polytheism.\nReal Monotheism appears only when the root of polytheism[9] has been\ndestroyed. In order to secure true Faith or Monotheism, every impurity\nthat stains it should be cast away. Such impurities constitute the\ninner polytheism. Looking to any save God for help or hindrance;\nhoping or fearing from any save Him; hypocrisy, anger and pride, even\nin their most subtile forms; pleasure and pain at being praised and\nblamed by others; regarding virtue and vice as means of union with and\nseparation from God--all these come under the _inner_ polytheism. In\nshort, no one can be established in Faith unless his character comes up\nto the standard: \"He is wholly from God, by God, and for God.\"\n\n[9] Separateness.\n\nAgain the Prophet says: \"There is no peace for the faithful except in\nthe presence of God, and death is anything save His Presence.\"--_Letter\n44._\n\n\n\n\nTHE DIVINE KNOWLEDGE.\n\n\nDivine Knowledge is the essence of the faithful soul. One destitute of\nit does not really exist. The Knowledge of the Creator follows from the\nknowledge of created objects, and leads to the safety and permanence of\nthe knower.\n\nOne way to the Divine Knowledge is to see the whole universe as subject\nto the Divine Will, to sever connection from all, and to realize the\nUnity of God and the Eternity of His Nature and Attributes.\n\nAnother is through one's own nature. \"He that knows his own nature,\nverily knows his God.\" God first shewed His Powers in the universe to\nenable monotheists to gain Knowledge of Him by observing it. This way\nbeing too long for the Sages, He placed in Man the essences of the\nentire creation, thus making Human Nature the facsimile of the whole\nuniverse and the ladder to His Knowledge. Pilgrims tread the Path of\nDivine Knowledge _in_ themselves, look for the pure and the foul _in_\nthemselves, and find the indication and proof of that Knowledge _in_\nthemselves.\n\nGod engages some men in observation, and they know Him by pondering\nover His creation. He leads others to His knowledge through asceticism.\nThere is another class of men whose hearts He illumines at once. Again,\nsome are debarred from the _essence_ of the Divine Knowledge, others\nfrom the Path itself. \"The Divine Beauty has thousands of aspects, each\natom presenting some peculiar one.\"\n\n=Noori= was asked: \"What is the proof of God?\" He replied: \"The proof\nof God is God Himself.\" They asked him again: \"Then what is the use\nof intellect?\" He said: \"Intellect is a failure, it cannot lead save\nto what is a failure like itself.\" Intellect can only look upon an\nentity either as _body_, _essence_ or _accident_; or in Space and\nTime. It cannot go beyond those limitations. If it fixes any of\nthose limitations on God, it sinks to infidelity. If, bewildered, it\nexclaims: \"I do not find any existence save with these properties. So,\nGod being without any of these properties, is perhaps naught,\"--it\nis still dragged down to infidelity.... In short, Divine Knowledge\ndepends upon Divine illumination alone.\n\nDivine Knowledge is the knowledge of God as He is in His Essence,\nAttributes, and Works. The Sage should know God in the same way as\nGod knows Himself, and as He has described Himself in the =Qur\u00e2n=.\nThere are two theories as to the _perfection_ of this Knowledge. Some\nIntellectualists hold that the Sage knows God in the same way as God\nknows Himself. If he does not know Him perfectly, he knows a part of\nHim. But God is partless. So Sages are equal in Divine Knowledge.\nIntellectualists hold to the possibility of perfect Divine Knowledge.\nThe other theory is held by the S\u00fbf\u00ees and a few intellectualists as\nwell, _viz._, that no one knows God perfectly. They know Him to exist,\nand know it to the extent necessary for their salvation. They do not\nhold to the possibility of perfect Divine Knowledge.\n\nWith the Masters of the Path, Divine Knowledge is the actual and\ndirect perception of God: with the Intellectualists, it is the sound\nintellectual knowledge of God.\n\nIt is incumbent on a pilgrim not to be satisfied and stand still until\nhe reaches the Goal. The more he knows, the more he should seek.... The\nwhole world is satisfied with a smell or a word (_i. e._ very little),\nand no one has received even a drop from the holy cup. \"I asked Him,\n'Whose art Thou with all this Beauty?' He said, 'I am My own, for I am\nverily ONE. I am the Lover, the Beloved, and Love; I am the mirror, the\nimage and the beholder'.\"--_Letter 45._\n\n\n\n\nLOVE AND DEVOTION.\n\n\nThis world and the next are intended to be used in seeking God. An\nobjection raised against such a use of the next world is untenable:\nfor prayer and fast, pilgrimage and the holy war, and all the exoteric\nobligations cease _as such_ in the next world; but devotion--seeking\nafter God--ever endures. If you go to heaven, each day of the heavenly\nlife will open up new vistas of Divine Knowledge. An endless work is\nthis, may it never end!\n\nWhen God loves a man, He inflicts troubles on him and takes away his\nwealth, wife and children, so that he may be bound to naught, and\nestranged from all save Him. If he suffers patiently, he receives boons\nwithout toil. If he endures cheerfully, he is purified of all evils.\n\nAgain, God's love for a man makes him aware of the defects of his\ndesire-nature, so that he becomes its instructor and censor.\n\nThe following are the signs of a man's love for God:--\n\n1. Being given to prayer and seclusion.\n\n2. According to others, preferring the Divine Word to human words, the\nDivine Presence to the sight of man, the Service of God to the service\nof the world; and not grieving for any loss save separation from Him.\n\n3. According to =Junnaid=: Not being tired in His Service.\n\n4. According to a certain Sage: Avoiding sins.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nIt is dangerous to assert one's love for God.\n\nThe word \"=Mahabbat=\" (love) is derived from \"=Hibba=\" (a seed.) The\nseed is the germ of life, as it is there that lies the real plant. The\nseed is put into the soil, lies concealed therein, and receives sun\nand rain, heat and cold, without any [apparent] change. When the time\ncomes, it sprouts, flowers, and fructifies. So, when Love takes root\nin the heart, it bears presence and absence, joy and sorrow, union and\nseparation, with equanimity....\n\nDevotion is the perfection of Love. Worship makes a servant, knowledge\nmakes a knower, abstinence makes an ascetic, sincere seeking makes\nan earnest aspirant, sacrifice of all the world makes a Friend,\nself-sacrifice makes a Lover, losing the perishable and imperishable\nelements of self in the Beloved makes a Devotee.\n\nIt has been said: Devotion is born of the Light of the Presence of the\nEternal Beloved. It is like a flash of lightning, illuminating the eye\nof the Devotee, speaking to his ear, enlivening his movements, and\nalienating him from all the world--so that his acts are not for self\nnor for others, but are works of impersonal Devotion to the Beloved.\n\nDevotion is beyond words, intellect, and astral perception. \"I am\nDevotion, beyond this world and the next; I conquer all without\narrow or bow; I shine as the sun in every atom, yet my presence for\nits very brightness is unperceived; I speak in every tongue, I hear\nin every ear; yet, strange to say, I am tongueless and earless; as\nevery thing in the Universe is verily Myself, My like cannot be found\ntherein.\"--_Letters 46 to 48._\n\n[The following extract from _Faw\u00e2ed-i-Rukn\u00ee_ may appropriately find\nplace here.--_Trs._]\n\nAs prayers and fasts are the _outer_ duties, so Love and Devotion are\nthe _inner_ duties. Their ingredients are pain and sorrow. Devotion\nleads the devotee to God. Hence Devotion is necessary to tread the\nPath. Know Devotion as Life, its absence as death. The privilege of\nDevotion is not granted to every man, nor does every man deserve it.\nHe who deserves it is worthy of his God; he who does not deserve it is\nunworthy of Him. A Devotee alone can appreciate the value of Devotion.\nA vast multitude seek after heaven, while very few seek after Devotion;\nfor heaven is the lot of the desire-nature, while Devotion is the lot\nof the Soul.\n\nGet rid of the notion of selfhood, and give up thy self to Devotion.\nWhen thou hast done so, thou hast reached the Goal.\n\nDost thou know why so many obstacles have been set up on the Path?--In\norder that the devotee may gradually develop strength, and be able to\nsee the Beloved without a veil.\n\nThe boat on the sea [of life] is Devotion; the Boatman is the Divine\nGrace.\n\n\n\n\nSEEKING GOD.\n\n\nNothing is more binding upon you than to seek God. If you go to market,\nseek Him. If you come home, seek Him. If you enter a tavern, seek\nHim. If the Angel of Death come to you, take care not to neglect the\nSeeking. Tell him, \"Do thou thy work, I do mine.\" ... If you be taken\ndown to hell, you shall not neglect the Seeking. Say to the Angel of\nHell, \"Strike my useless personality with the whip of chastisement: I,\non my part, tread the Path of Seeking\"--so that the Work may go on. If\nyou are taken up to Heaven, do not look to the _houris_ and palaces,\nbut speed on the Way of Seeking. \"Tho' they offer me both the worlds, I\nwill not have them without Thy Presence.\"\n\nThe first stage on the Path of Seeking is _Humility_. The Great Ones\nsay: 'Humility is the messenger from God to man.' Sown in the heart,\nit impels to God. Practised for some time, it turns into _Courage_.\nMasters unanimously hold that Love cannot put up save with the Courage\nof the Disciple. Practised for some time, Courage turns into _Seeking_.\nThis Seeking is led by the Divine Will to the secrets of [the holy\nformula], \"There is no God except All\u00e2h.\" The drum of Seeking proclaims\nat the gate of the Divine Sanctuary, \"He who seeks God obtains Him.\" A\ncry resounds: \"Let neither sky nor earth, heaven nor hell, hinder the\nPath of My Seekers, for they seek Me, and I am their Goal.\" These are\nthe steps on the ladder of human progress. Each pilgrim has his own\nstage, according to his aspiration.\n\nThe vigilant Seeker should kill out self-conceit and self-respect with\nasceticism and purification, transcend both the worlds, and be ready to\nlose his life. It is unlawful for him to aspire after anything in the\nuniverse. \"One does not unite with the All, unless one parts with all.\"\n\nIt is said:\n\nWhen Adam was lodged in Paradise, the Law commanded him not to approach\nthe Tree, while the Path dictated to him to turn away from all.\nAdam said unto himself. \"This Paradise is full of wonders, and I am\nits lord. But my heart longs to visit the abode of sorrow: lordship\nwill not serve my purpose.\" A voice spoke to his spirit, \"Adam, wilt\nthou remove to a foreign country?\" \"Yes,\" answered Adam, \"for I have\nsomething to do.\" The voice said, \"Do this work here.\" Adam: \"The other\nis more important.\" The voice: \"Heretofore, Paradise and the angels\nhave been thy servants. Now thou shalt have to exchange the home of\npeace for the abode of condemnation, the crown for poverty, reputation\nfor disgrace.\" Adam: \"I accept all these, and will proclaim my freedom\nthroughout the universe.\" So it cannot be said that Adam was deprived\nof Paradise, but rather that Paradise was deprived of Adam.--_Letter\n50._\n\n\n\n\nTHE WAY TO GOD.\n\n\n=Khw\u00e2j\u00e2 B\u00e2yaz\u00eed= was asked, \"What is the way to God?\" He replied: \"When\n_thou_ hast vanished on the Way, _then_ hast thou come to God.\" Mark\nthis: If one attached to the Way cannot see God, how can one attached\nto self see God?\n\nWhen the Sun of Divine Knowledge rises, all modes of knowledge become\nignorance; when Divine aspiration appears, all desires melt away....\n\nWhoever is bound to his exterior--his turban, his robe, the size and\ncolour of his garment--is still attached to the personality and a\nworshipper thereof. Thou canst serve either personality or the Law: two\ncontraries cannot unite. So long as you hanker after approbation and\ndignity, so long as you become angry at an insult, you are with your\nold genius and self-conceit, and have not been accepted by the Law.\nYou should sacrifice yourself in the SELF. To no purpose do you change\nyour dress and food. If you eat a single blade of grass in a lifetime,\nremain clad in a single garment for a thousand years, are shut up in\na monastery away from the sight of men,--beware, lest you should be\ndeluded. All these are but the subtleties of the desire-nature, its\ncunning and craft.\n\nMany pious men are as motionless as a serpent or a scorpion frozen\nwith cold. Their piety is not due to rectitude and purity, but to lack\nof opportunity. When summer comes in and the surroundings change, one\nmay behold what they do.... No one can safely tread the Path without\na Guide.... In the beginning, a disciple is not a fit recipient of\nthe Divine Light. He is like a bat, unable to bear the light of the\nSun. As it is dangerous folly to travel in utter darkness, he needs a\nlight less dazzling than the Sun, in order to illumine the Path for his\nsafety. Such a light is that coming from the Masters, who, like the\nmoon [reflecting the light of the sun], have become fit reflectors of\nthe Spiritual Light.--_Letter 51._\n\n\n\n\nSPEECH AND CONDUCT.\n\n\nAll learned men base conduct on speech. They have gathered their\nlearning through the avenues of hearing and speaking. The Masters of\nTruth have received Their Knowledge through divine inspiration, which\ndepends on following the Law. With Them, knowledge does not depend\nupon words or speech. It has no connection with the tongue. Knowledge\nis that which makes a man follow the Law. Secular learning deals with\nwords. Knowledge deals with Truth, and is not to be found save in the\nregion of the Real. The province of the tongue is letters, and they are\nlimited. Knowledge comes from the Heart, and the Heart does not perish.\nGod has not given Knowledge to all, whereas He has not withheld speech\nfrom any. Knowledge is that which controls desire and leads to God.\nThat which contributes to the gratification of desire and leads to\nthe courts of chiefs and oppressors is not Knowledge, but a snare.\nKnowledge makes one humble and frees from ostentation and disputes....\nThe end of all learning is the beginning of Discipleship.\n\nThe _first_ robe worn by a Disciple consists in coming out of the self.\nThe _second_ robe consists in setting no value on what he heretofore\ntook as divine, so that the flame of Discipleship burns all things in\nhim. Then, he begins to see lights and utter charming words, leading\nto self-conceit and the admiration of others. This is a snare of the\ndesire-nature, and stops his progress. Here comes in the necessity of\na Teacher to help him cross this stage and bring him from stagnation\nto motion. Thus _light is a thicker veil than darkness_. Hence is it\nthat the Wise are dumb and blind, unaffected by the opinion of the\npeople. Hence is it, again, that the difficulties of a Disciple cannot\nbe solved by a learned man, as the latter is but versed in religion,\nwhile the difficulties of the former are connected with the Path. It\nis useless for a Disciple to follow the learned, as the dicta of the\nlatter are concerned with _outer_ conduct, while he has to deal with\nthe _inner_ life. The one is preparing for the destruction of self;\nthe other seeks salvation for the self through knowledge. The business\nof the learned is to gather up what has been left by others, and store\nin his bosom the knowledge of the past. The business of the Disciple\nis to throw away and renounce what he has, and to unlearn what he\nhas learned. So they are opposites and cannot be reconciled in any\nway.--_Letter 52._\n\n\n\n\nMAGNANIMITY.\n\n\nA disciple lacking in magnanimity makes no progress at all. One whose\naspiration does not go beyond heaven, is not fit for this battle. The\nWise hold that the desire to have everything in the world according\nto one's own wishes, befits a woman, not a _man_.... In short, a\nmagnanimous disciple should first of all tread upon his own life,\nand try his sword on his own desire-nature, not on an infidel. For\nthe infidel can only hurt the body, and plunder earthly possessions;\nwhereas the desire-nature injures the very root of religion and\ndestroys faith....\n\nBe on the alert, and take no step without due caution, for Time is a\npenalty to the heedless.\n\nIt is said:--When a man wishes to enter the Path, the Chief of the Evil\nOnes, Satan, seizes his skirt and says: \"I bear the Cross of Curse for\nthis work, that no unclean fellow may enter the Path. If any dare come\nin without the Robe of Monotheism and sincere Earnestness, I lop off\nhis feet.\" ...\n\n\"Should thy inner eyes unfold, every atom would tell thee a hundred\nsecrets. Then wouldst thou see each atom ever advancing. All are\nabsorbed in the march--_thou_ art blind--and the march goes on _in\nthee_ as well. There is no limit to the progress of LOVE. Such _has\nbeen_, there is no help.\" From highest heaven to lowest abyss,\nall things are seeking and striving. It is the wicked man alone\nwho has made peace with the enemy, and cut himself off from the\nBeloved.--_Letter 53._\n\n\n\n\nKNOWLEDGE.\n\n\nKnowledge is to purification and asceticism what ablution is to prayer.\nNo practice is possible without knowledge, as no prayer is possible\nwithout ablution....\n\nKnowledge is of two kinds: that received from teachers and books, and\nthat unfolded in the soul. Again the latter kind is twofold:\n\n(1) The Knowledge transmitted from the Divine Sanctuary into:--\n\n     (_a_) The Soul of a Prophet. Such Knowledge is called =Wah\u00ee=.[10]\n\n     (_b_) The Soul of a Master. Such Knowledge is =Ilb\u00e2m=\n     (inspiration).\n\n(2) The knowledge transmitted into:--\n\n     (_a_) The Soul of a Master from a Prophet.\n\n     (_b_) The Soul of a Disciple from a Master.\n\n[10] A revelation received from God through an Angel (mostly\nGabriel).--_Trs._\n\nAs a Master sees God in the Soul of a Prophet, so a Disciple sees God\nin the Soul of a Master.\n\n\"So long as the tablet of thy heart bears the impression of letters,\nthou dost not know any of the secret meanings. When the letters\ncompletely vanish from the tablet of thy heart, then comes the\nknowledge of the secret meanings.\"\n\nKnowledge is the key to all virtues, as ignorance is the key to all\nvices. Knowledge ushers in liberation, ignorance brings in destruction.\nThe celestial ranks and abnormal sacred powers spring from knowledge;\nchastisements in the various grades of hell result from ignorance. So\nthe faithful should shun ignorance and the ignorant in the same way as\nvice and infidelity. \"A wise man is my friend, and a fool is my foe.\"\nAs ignorance and the ignorant are to be avoided, so is it obligatory to\nseek knowledge and the company of the wise--not worldly knowledge, but\nthe moral; not the worldly wise but the morally wise. \"If you acquire\nknowledge thoughtlessly, you will use it as a means of gaining worldly\nposition. True Knowledge is that which leads to the Divine Sanctuary,\nnot that which leads to wealth, rank and passional gratifications.\"\nThe company of a Sage for a day is more conducive to progress than\npurification and asceticism.--_Letter 55._\n\n[The following note may be added from \"_The Series of 28\nLetters_.\"--_Trs._]\n\nReal knowledge comes from the Soul, and a true knower is he in whom\nlies the original and final Knowledge. The purer the Soul, the deeper\nand more subtile its comprehensions.--_Loc. cit., Letter 6_.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STEPS OF A DISCIPLE.\n\n\nThe first step is Religion (=Shar\u00eeat=). When the disciple has _fully_\npaid the demand of Religion, and aspires to go beyond, the Path\n(=Tar\u00eeqat=) appears before him. It is the way to the Heart. When he has\nfully observed the conditions of the Path, and aspires to soar higher,\nthe veils of the Heart are rent, and Truth (=Haq\u00eeqat=) shines therein.\nIt is the way to the Soul, and the Goal of the Seeker.\n\nBroadly speaking, there are four stages: =N\u00e2s\u00fbt=, =Malak\u00fbt=, =Jabar\u00fbt=\nand =L\u00e2h\u00fbt=, each leading to the next. =N\u00e2s\u00fbt= is the animal nature,\nand functions through the five senses--_e. g._, eating, contacting,\nseeing, hearing and the like. When the disciple controls the senses\nto the limit of bare necessity, and transcends the animal nature by\npurification and asceticism, he reaches =Malak\u00fbt=--the region of the\nangels. The duties of this stage are prayers to God. When he is not\nproud of these, he transcends this stage and reaches =Jabar\u00fbt=--the\nregion of the Soul. No one knows the Soul but with the divine help;\nand Truth, which is its mansion, baffles description and allusion. The\nduties of this stage are love, earnestness, joy, seeking, extasy and\ninsensibility. When the pilgrim transcends these by forgetting self\naltogether, he reaches =L\u00e2h\u00fbt=, the unconditioned state. Here words\nfail.\n\nReligion is for the desire-nature; the Path, for the heart; Truth for\nthe Soul. Religion leads the desire-nature from =N\u00e2s\u00fbt= to =Malak\u00fbt=,\nand transmutes it into Heart. The Path leads the Heart from =Malak\u00fbt=\nto =Jabar\u00fbt=, and transmutes it into Soul. Truth leads the Soul from\n=Jabar\u00fbt= to the Divine Sanctuary. The real work is to transmute the\ndesire-nature into Heart, the Heart into Soul, and to unify the three\ninto one. \"The Lover, the Beloved and Love are essentially ONE.\" This\nis absolute monotheism....\n\n\"The motive of the faithful is superior to their acts.\" Acts by\nthemselves are of no value: the importance lies in the heart.\n\nIt is said that the traveller on the divine Path has three states:\n(1) Action.[11] (2) Knowledge. (3) Love. These three states are not\nexperienced unless God wills it so. But one should work and wait. He\nwill do verily what He has willed. He looks neither to the destruction\nnor to the salvation of any one.\n\n[11] _lit._, walking or moving.\n\nOne who wishes to arrive at the Truth _must_ serve a Teacher. No one\ncan transcend the bondage and darkness of desires unless he, with the\nhelp of the Divine Grace, comes under the protection of a perfect\nand experienced Teacher. As the Teacher _knows_, He will teach the\ndisciple according to his capacity, and will prescribe remedies suited\nto his ailments, so that \"There is no God except =All\u00e2h=\" be firmly\nestablished in his nature, and the ingress of the evil spirits be cut\noff from his heart. All the world seeks to tread the Divine Path. But\neach knows according to his _inner_ purity, each seeks and aspires\naccording to his knowledge, and each treads the Path according to his\nseeking and aspiration.--_Letters 56 & 57._\n\n[The following extracts from \"_A Series of 28 Letters_\" may throw\nfurther light on the subject. The =S\u00fbf\u00ee Mulk= (or =N\u00e2s\u00fbt=,) =Malak\u00fbt=,\n=Jabar\u00fbt= and =L\u00e2h\u00fbt= severally correspond to, if they are not\nidentical with, the physical, astro-mental, causal and spiritual planes\nof modern Theosophical literature.--_Trs._]\n\nIt is not permitted to give out the knowledge gained through\n[supersensuous] vision. This much only can be recorded:--\n\nThe objects of the senses constitute this world (=Mulk=); those\ncognised by intellect constitute the plane of =Malak\u00fbt=; the\npotentialities of all beings constitute the plane of =Jabar\u00fbt=; ... In\nother words, this world is visible, the =Malak\u00fbt= is supersensuous, the\n=Jabar\u00fbt= is super-supersensuous.... The subtlety of this world cannot\nbear comparison with that of =Malak\u00fbt=, the subtlety of =Malak\u00fbt= with\nthat of =Jabar\u00fbt=, nor the subtlety of =Jabar\u00fbt= with that of the Holy\nEssence Divine. There is not an atom of this world but is permeated by\n=Malak\u00fbt=; not an atom of =Malak\u00fbt= but is permeated by =Jabar\u00fbt=; not\nan atom of this world, =Malak\u00fbt= and =Jabar\u00fbt= but is permeated by God,\nand conscious of Him. Being the most subtile, He must permeate all--for\nthe greater the subtlety, the greater the quality of permeation. Now\nyou may understand the meaning of the verse: \"God is with thee wherever\nthou art, and in thy very being, though thou mayest not see Him;\nnearer is He to thee than the nerve of thy neck.\" Hence is it said that\nthis world, =Malak\u00fbt=, =Jabar\u00fbt= and God Himself are all with thee, and\nthat the True Man is the focus and mirror of all the Mysteries of the\nDivine Essence. It is not permitted to go further lest exotericism may\ncensure. \"Utter not secrets before the mob if thou art a true devotee\nHast thou not seen that =Mans\u00fbr=, intoxicated with devotion, uttered a\nsecret and was put to death?\"--_Loc. cit., Letter 2_.\n\n\n\n\nISL\u00c2M.\n\n\n=Isl\u00e2m= is other than the lower nature. So long as the lower impulses\ndo not yield to purity, the heart has no affinity with Isl\u00e2m. The\ninvestigators of Truth give to the bundle of the impulses the name of\n'the desire-nature'. The outer body with its limbs and joints is not\ndangerous, but is simply a horse to carry the directions of the Law.\nGod says: 'He sent us a horse from His mighty palace. Let us ride on it\nand come to the Path'. So long as it carries His directions we should\nnot vex it. If it attempts to transgress the Law, let us punish it with\nthe whip of asceticism, so that it may come back to the path. This\nis the discipline of the body. But if a man pricks his limb with a\npin, saying that he thereby subdues the desire-nature, he is a sinner.\nMany ignorant fellows labour under a delusion and foolishly take\nself-torture as an important discipline. By no means transgress the\nlimit of the Law and common-sense. The body is a valuable horse, and\nfit to carry the divine charges. It is the desire-nature, and not the\nbody, which deserves rooting out and chastisement.\n\nThe world is arrayed into two parties, the party of God and the party\nof Satan. Look well and see to which _you_ belong....\n\nA Knower has said, \"No one comes to worship God, unless promised\nthe bribe of heaven and threatened with the torture of hell.\" This\nindicates an indifference to Monotheism.\n\nIt is said:\n\nOn an =\u00ced= day[12] =Shibl\u00ee= the Saint was seen mourning and clad in\nblack. He was told: \"This is the =\u00ced= day. Why are you so clad?\" He\nreplied: \"I see all men rejoicing and clad in new suits, but _not one_\nof them is aware of God. I mourn this day over their heedlessness.\" O\nbrother, thou hast become inured to heedlessness, hast barred the gate\nof Divine Knowledge and art content with the gratification of desires.\nRest assured, so long as thou dost not put off thy desires, thou canst\nnot put on the robe of Faith; so long as thou dost not look upon the\ndesire-nature as thy foe, Faith cannot come to thee as thy friend; so\nlong as thou dost not cease thy connection with Satan, thou canst not\nsee the beauty of \"There is no God save =All\u00e2h=\"; so long as thou dost\nnot turn from the world, thou canst not approach the Path of Purity.\n\n[12] The Muhammadan festival day at the end of the Ramz\u00e2n fast.--_Trs._\n\nSince the Lord is thy Origin, thou hast not come; since the Lord is thy\nGoal, thou wilt not go. \"There is no God save =All\u00e2h=.\" Nothing can be\nseparated from the Infinite, and attached to non-God. Since the Origin\nis from Him, the End is verily in Him. Separation and union, coming and\ngoing, are thus unreal. This is a long story. Discreet silence is here\nabsolutely necessary.--_Letter 58._\n\n\n\n\nTHE NOBLE QUALITIES\n\n\nNoble qualities were in the beginning of creation given to Adam, who\nleft them as a legacy to other Prophets. Mohammad, the head of the\nProphets, received them in His turn. Similarly, evil qualities were\nallotted to Satan who handed them down to his followers--the proud\nand the disobedient.... Since the Noble Qualities are the precious\nlegacy of Adam to Mohammad, no garment or decoration is better for the\nfaithful than that of the Noble Qualities. They are based upon harmony\nwith the Divine Will and the Prophet's Life.\n\nOne should curb one's temper, lest it should embitter the life of\nothers. One should ever be cheerful, and of controlled tongue. One\nshould always salute others. One should be charitable, and abstain from\nslander, abusive words and untruthfulness. One should adapt one's words\nand deeds (_e. g._ eating and sleeping) to the scriptural injunctions.\nOne should ever be magnanimous and free from the taints of miserliness,\nhatred, greed and suspicion. One should do one's best to practise at\nall times the virtues possessed by the Prophet, and flee from vices.\n\nThe Prophet has said: \"Seek him who flees from thee; forgive him who\ninjures thee; give to him who does not give to thee.\"\n\nThe Prophet always concealed the defects of the faithful, and bore\ninjuries and reproaches to propagate Religion. He was never angry\nfor himself. He did not tolerate flattery, neglect, or silence in\nthe service of Truth. He helped the friends when they were disabled.\nHe worked for a servant in the family, when the latter was ill. He\naccepted the invitations and presents of others. He never found\nfault with any unprohibited food. He used any garment allowed by\nthe Law--sometimes a blanket, sometimes a silk wrapper, sometimes a\nworn out cotton garment. He rode sometimes on a horse, sometimes on\na camel, sometimes on an ass. Sometimes he walked on foot, without\nshoes, wrapper, turban or cap. He slept on a mat without bedding....\nHe had no miraculous power: His virtues were sufficient guarantee of\nHis godliness. Many an unbeliever, just as he saw Him, would exclaim,\n\"This is not the face of a hypocrite,\" and swear allegiance to =Isl\u00e2m=\nwithout asking for miracle or argument....\n\nThe Noble Qualities are based on knowledge and insight. He who is\nfettered by self-conceit cannot be expected to purify his nature. Hence\nthe pilgrim should use insight to acquire the virtues of the Prophet.\nHe should guard the virtues he has been endowed with, and acquire\nthose he is lacking in by self-exertion (_i. e._ asceticism, service,\nand the Company of the saints). Most of the virtues can be acquired,\nand we have been ordered [by the Scriptures] to strive therefor to the\nlimit of our powers. Man is a mirror who, when trained, perfected,\nand cleansed of impurities shows within him all the Divine Attributes\nof construction and disintegration. Then he realises his divinity and\nthe purpose of his life. A Sage refers to this very fact in these\nlines: \"It is thou who art the Divine Scripture; it is thou who art\nthe mirror of the Royal Beauty. Beyond thee there is naught in the\nuniverse: seek thy object within thyself, for thou art that.\"--_Letter\n59._\n\n\n\n\nCONTEMPLATION.\n\n\nThe Prophet has restricted the use of contemplation to the Works\nof God, not to His Nature and Attributes. Thinking on God may soon\nend in unbelief. In order that thought may work, its object must be\nlimited, and the Divine Nature and Attributes are unlimited. Hence a\nstudent should contemplate on the objects of Creation, noticing their\n[relative] permanence and impermanence, and realising the position and\nchanges of each in its phenomenal aspect. He will thus be led to the\nknowledge of the Creator. Hence the Seeker should [while not neglecting\noutward activities, holy recitations and other duties] contemplate from\ntime to time on Creation--Seeing the Wisdom of the Creator therein--,\non his desires, on the heart and the body; he should enquire into his\nstages from the beginning of Creation to its end, and study his own\ncharacter. His contemplation should be in conformity with Religion,\nbased upon knowledge and experience, and irrespective of considerations\nof gain and loss, so that he may develop insight. Right contemplation\nachieves in a short time the results of long practice and worship. The\nProphet has said, \"Contemplation for an hour is better than [formal]\nworship for sixty years.\"\n\nAs the range of the _outer_ vision differs with different men, so is\nit the case with _insight_, or the _inner_ vision. Some see as far as\nHeaven, some as far as the Divine Throne. A few have the _perfect_\ninsight which pierces through all Creation to the Creator.\n\nThe end of contemplation is the advancement of knowledge and the\nacquisition of wisdom. When the heart develops knowledge and wisdom,\nthere is a change in its condition. With that change, there comes a\nchange in conduct as well, and the man _turns_. With the _turning_,\nhe begins to tread the Path. Treading attracts him to God. _Then_ a\ncurrent of Divine attraction may carry him to a stage inaccessible to\nmen and genii by exertion and asceticism....\n\nIf thou longest and dost not succeed, be not dejected; for, as the\nGreat Lord has said, \"Asking is for men, acceptance for God.\"--_Letter\n60._\n\n\n\n\nRENUNCIATION.\n\n\nThe _first_ duty incumbent upon a Seeker is the practice of =Tajr\u00eed=\nand =Tafr\u00eed=. The one is to quit present possessions; the other, to\ncease to care for the morrow. The _second_ duty is seclusion, outer and\ninner. Outer seclusion consists in flying from the world and turning\nthy face to the wall, in order that thou mayest give up thy life on the\nDivine threshold; inner seclusion consists in cleansing the heart of\nall thoughts connected with the non-God, whether the non-God be earth\nor heaven.\n\nThe _third_ duty is at-onement in speech and thought, which consists\nin ceasing to speak and think of the non-God. The _fourth_ duty is\nthe practice of moderation in speech, food and sleep, since this\ntriad supports the desire-nature. Too much speaking is a bar to holy\nrecitations; too much sleep interferes with meditation; too much food\nbrings on inertia and checks the performance of duties.\n\nPurity of body as well as of mind is necessary at all times--purity of\nbody _alone_ is not sufficient--in order that the Divine Attraction may\nuplift thee to a stage unattainable by _all_ the efforts and ascetic\npractices of _all_ genii and men put together. Very easy to speak of\nthis, but very hard the practice--since this practice does not lie\nwith the bodily organs or elements, but with the Heart and the Soul\nwhich are beyond our control. The gate to the Path is Knowledge and\nWisdom. He who avoids this gate has to plod on his way through an\nendless forest infested by demons, and ends by losing his life and\nfaith....\n\nEternal Life is the life in Spirit without a body. It is attained by\nLove, not by obedience. Servants wait for an order and seek remedies\nfor their ailments; Lovers are impelled by Love and invite ailments\nwithout asking for a remedy. The Beloved ever cries, \"Stay at a\ndistance lest thou shouldst perish.\" The Lover answers, \"I am prepared\nfrom the very beginning to give up my life. Death is better than a life\nwithout Thee.\" The life of the body has no value on the Path. Whoso\ncares for the one has no business with the other. Love says to thee:\n\"Give up a life which must turn into dust, and I shall instal thee on\nthe throne of Glorious At-onement. Now the choice is thine.\"\n\nAlthough there is no heart _without_ love, yet the priceless treasure\nof Divine Love does not fall to the lot of greedy and mean fellows, who\nare content with prayers and fasts, and have but given up their earthly\nclaims for higher honours.\n\nBe cheerful and hopeful, for the Door of Compassion is open.\n\nGod has created doubt interfering with conviction, the lower nature\nveiling the face of Truth, duality warring with monotheism, the alloy\nclaiming the place of the genuine coin, a thousand foes arrayed against\neach friend, a temple of idols facing every mosque, a suffering\nbalancing each blessing. \"He does all this; but man, awe-stricken,\ncannot breathe a sigh: for His Face is like a mirror, and a mirror is\nclouded by breathing.\"--_Letter 61._\n\n\n\n\nON THE SAME.\n\n\n=Tajr\u00eed= and =Tafr\u00eed= are indispensable for a Disciple. The one is\nthe renunciation of the world and of outer concerns; the other is the\nrenunciation of self. No impurity in his heart, no burden on his back,\nno market in his bosom;--not reckoned with any class of people, not\nconcerned with any particular object, his aspirations soaring above\nearth, heaven and the Divine Throne,--such a Disciple rests in his\nBeloved. The Beloved away, all the worlds cannot please; their absence\nleaves no void when He is there. As said by a noble soul, \"No grief in\nthe company of God; no joy in the company of the non-God.\" One away\nfrom God is at the very centre of sorrow and suffering, albeit he may\nhold the key of all the treasures of the earth. One attached to God,\nhowever poor, is king of heaven and earth. =Khw\u00e2j\u00e2 Sirr\u00ee Saqt\u00ee= was\nwont to pray: \"O God! punish me, if such be Thy Will, any way save by\nveiling Thyself.\" This is the only real hell.... As observed by some\none, \"With Thee, the heart is a mosque; without Thee, 'tis but a shrine\nof idols. With Thee, the heart is a heaven; the heart without Thee is a\nhell.\"\n\nIn short, when the Disciple realises the Greatness of God, feels the\npangs of His seeking, knows that \"Who gains Him gains all, who loses\nHim loses all,\" and finds that he can dispense with all save Him,--he\nthen overcomes his old habits and unfolds the vision, \"I am from God\nand for God.\" Life and death, acceptance and rejection, praise and\nblame, are thenceforth equal in his eyes. Heaven and earth find no\nplace in his heart. He bows to none for food, clothes or money. His\nGoal being the Divine Sanctuary, he longs for naught save God.--_Letter\n62._\n\n\n\n\nTHE CLEARING OF THE PATH.\n\n\nThe Path should be cleared of all impurities inherent in the lower\nself.... The Great Ones have declared: \"He that takes a step in\nobedience to his desire-nature loves it better than God. He cannot be a\nbeliever: how can he be a Saint?\"\n\nNothing but constant _turning_ (=Taub\u00e2h=) can guard the Path against\nthe onslaughts of the desire-nature. As the ordinary soul should turn\nfrom sensuality, cruelty and avarice, so should the developed soul turn\nfrom purity, worship and meditation. The Sages have said: \"Thou must\nacquire all virtues, such as truth, purity and worship. When acquired,\nthou must scatter them in the air of supreme Indifference. Were all\nProphets, Saints and Angels to sing the hymn of His Unity, their final\nchorus would end thus: 'We turn to God from all we have said.[13]'\"\n\n[13] Or \"We retract with repentance what we have said.\"--_Trs._\n\nArt thou endowed with the purity of all the Saints, plume thyself not\nover it; art thou distressed with a thousand shocks, seek not refuge in\nflight.\n\nHe that does not burn himself here in the fire of =Taub\u00e2h= certainly\ndeserves the doom of hell-fire. So burn thou to-day in the fire of\n=Taub\u00e2h= whatever thou knowest of thyself, be it merit or defect. If\nto-day thou dost not cast aside the thorns from thy Path, they will\nhereafter turn into arrows and pierce thy heart.--_Letter 63._\n\n\n\n\nSELF-CONTROL.\n\n\nThe Self-controlled is one who has freed himself from the bondage of\nself. The seven hells and the eight heavens are too narrow to hold\nhim--only the vast expanse of God is wide enough to receive him.\n\nIf the joy of heaven and the torture of hell ceased to be, there would\nbe no loss to the spiritual aspect of God. \"What a Vastness! If the\nworlds were not, It would not be less by a hair's breadth. The kingdom\nof Its Glory is truly without beginning or end.\"\n\nFreedom from self leads to freedom from all. So long as thou art bound\nto any of the lower qualities, thou art its slave.... The Path is a\njealous master and will not put up with any partner. So long as thou\nart a friend to self, thou art a stranger to God. Be then estranged\nfrom self that thou mayest unite with Him. The dead wall of self cannot\nbe pulled down save with the help of a perfect Teacher.\n\nSelf-control will not allow thee to look down upon any creature, _e.\ng._ to tread upon even the lowliest ant in thy way. Wert thou able to\nraise the veil of ignorance from thine eyes, then wouldst thou see each\nand every being seeking and adoring God.\n\nThe Prophet prayed, \"Show me things as they are.\" His senior disciple\never prayed: \"O God, show me truth and untruth, and help me to follow\nthe one and avoid the other.\" So it is said: \"When God seeks the\nwelfare of a man, He shows his defects to him,\" that he may change from\na temple of idols into a mosque.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nRest assured that thou hast nothing but good to expect, once self has\nbeen stripped off from thee. So long as thy self lies before thee,\nthou canst but swell in self-respect. A Satan in very truth is he that\nrespects self, whether in the guise of angel or of man, whether on\nearth, in heaven or in hell. Self-respect consists in not transcending\nself. \"Endless as the veils are, none is thicker than self-conceit.\nKnow its destruction as thy foremost duty.\"--_Letter 64._\n\n\n\n\nTRUTH.\n\n\n=Khw\u00e2j\u00e2 Zunnoon= of Egypt says: \"Truth is the Sword of God on earth.\nIt may not be laid on anything without cutting it.\" Truth consists in\nlooking to the Actor, and not to His instruments. True Faith consists\nin ceasing to desire anything save Truth....\n\nOnce upon a time =Zunnoon=, while returning from Jerusalem, saw a\nfigure loom in the distance, and desired to question it. On drawing\nnear, it was found to be an old woman clad in wool, with a stick in her\nhand. =Zunnoon= said, \"Whence comest thou?\" The dame replied, \"From\nGod.\" =Zunnoon= again enquired, \"Whither dost thou go?\" The old woman\nrejoined, \"To God.\" =Zunnoon= then offered her a gold coin. She refused\nthe gift, saying, \"What an illusion has overcome thee? I work for God\nand do not receive anything save what comes from Him. As I worship Him\nand Him alone, I cannot receive what is not Himself and comes from\nother than Himself.\" Having spoken thus, she vanished. Such is to be\nthe ideal of the aspirant.\n\nWorking for God alone is the test of true devotion. Some think they\nwork for Him, but they work for Themselves. They have conquered the\ndesires of this world, but they seek for fruits in a higher world.\nA few work irrespective of all consideration of internal suffering\nor celestial joy, in pure love to carry out the Divine Will. \"The\nearth is a place of suffering, heaven is a place of joy. We shall not\nreceive the fruits of either, even to the measure of a barleycorn.\"\nIt has been said. The virtuous often prove more selfish in their\nvirtue than the sinners in their sin. The gratification of the latter\nis but transitory, the joy of the former is permanent. God does not\ngain by the self-denial of men, nor does He lose by their sensual\ngratifications....\n\nIt is an old adage, that the mere description of a savoury dish only\nintensifies the misery of hunger. Take an onward step if you can: lose\nyour head and give up your life.\n\nAs God is essentially ONE, a true believer must be a monotheist. Look\nfor the proof of this in the holy _Logion_, one half of which, \"There\nis no God,\" separates [the believer from the non-God], while the other\nhalf, \"Save =All\u00e2h=,\" unites [him with God]. One unites with God in\nproportion to one's renunciation of the non-God. He who claims to\nhave Faith should look at his own heart. If his heart flies from the\nnon-God, his claim is genuine. If it longs for anything save God, and\nshrinks from the means of Divine Union, let him weep over his faith.\nEither he has already lost it, or is about to do so.\n\nA certain Great One has said: \"All men claim to love, but if the claim\nis carefully scrutinised, 'loving' turns out to mean 'being loved.'\"\nTrue love consists in the complete renunciation of all desires. If one\nlooks for the gratification of a desire, one plays the part of the\nbeloved, not of the lover.--_Letter 65._\n\n\n\n\nTHE DESCENT FROM ADAM.\n\n\nThe pilgrim justifies his descent from Adam when he enters the Heart.\nNow he has finished the Turning, and begins his Pilgrimage. By the\nvirtue of his complete Turning, anything coming in contact with him\nundergoes a change. This is the power of Transmutation. This explains\nthe phenomena of transmutation wrought by many Derveshes (_e. g._ the\nchange of wine into an innocuous beverage). Such a pilgrim may lawfully\nlay his hand on the imperial treasury, and use the wealth of kings.\n(Religious injunctions vary with circumstances. It is reported in the\ntraditions that a young man came to the Prophet and asked if he could\nlawfully take a certain oil in the fast month of Ramz\u00e2n. He said, \"No.\"\nNext followed an old man who put the same question. He said, \"Yes.\"\nThe companions of the Prophet were confused, and asked, \"How is it, O\nMessenger of God, that you allowed in the one case what you prohibited\nin the other.\" He replied: \"The one was a young man, and I was afraid\nof the fire of his youth; the other was an old man, and I did not\napprehend any danger for him.\") But those who take to the _outer_\nconduct without having reached the _inner_ stage, court their own ruin.\nSuch a stage must have the sanction of Divine Authority.\n\nA time comes to the Master of the Heart, when all His limbs become\n[as sacred as] the Heart. No part of his body, _e. g._, a nail or a\nhair, should be cast aside, as it partakes of the sanctity of the\nHeart. The broken hairs of the Prophet were divided by His companions\nas a precious gift amongst themselves.... Hence arose the practice of\nsharing among disciples the pieces of the teacher's worn-out mantle.\nThe practice is a mere sham if the teacher is not a Master.\n\nHe who has completed the Turning and reached the Heart, is a Master.\nOnly such a one is entitled to the honour of a leader,--not one who is\nbelow this stage.\n\n_Question_:--How to distinguish the real Master from a mere pretender?\n\n_Answer_:--The _true_ Seeker has an _inner_ eye enabling him to\nrecognise a real Master. He would not be attracted to a pretender. Dost\nthou not behold that if different kinds of animals flock together, and\ndifferent kinds of food be placed before them, each will fall to on his\nown appropriate food and turn away from what is meant for others?...\n\nThe true Seeker also is known as _such_, as his inner eye opens to the\nvision of the Master, and he receives the nourishment suited to his\naspiration. The Master begins to work on him. He is [as one] dead,\nand the Master gives him a wash[14], purifying him of all undesirable\nelements. This purification completes the Turning. Then he begins his\njourney on the Divine Path--which is called the Pilgrimage.\n\n[14] This refers to the practice of washing the dead body before burial\nor cremation.--_Trs._\n\nThis is not devotion as ordinarily understood (_i. e._ prayer, fast,\nalmsgiving, etc.). Allegiance to a Master is in itself Devotion;\nprogress on the Path is its fruit. A brief prayer, a day's fast,\nor a simple charity, performed or given in obedience to a Master's\ndirection, are more beneficial than long protracted prayers, or\nsplendid gifts, performed or given in response to the call of the\ndesire-nature.\n\nAs a qualification for the Path, seek to get rid of old habits. But\nit is not possible to get rid of old habits and purify the dross\nwithout the service of a Master, since He alone can, by His Knowledge,\ngradually drive out the host of the evil elements, and help one towards\nthe realisation of \"There is no God save =All\u00e2h=.\"\n\nContinue thy seeking till _the_ Seeking unveils Itself, and destroys\nthy self in Thee. Henceforth the Disciple has nothing to do: the\nSeeking will Itself lead him on.\n\nSo long as thou seekest any but the Beloved, no Seeker art thou. How\nthen canst thou be wholly His? By wholly turning to Him. He can afford\nto have thousands of friends, for He can reach all alike. The Sun is\nwith all--east and west, Hindu and Turk--for His range is unlimited.\nBut _thou_ art limited in capacity, and canst not feel the warmth of\nHis rays unless thou wholly expose thyself to Him. All the worlds are\nbenefited by Him, yet He does not lose in the least.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nHere one should guard against a possible misunderstanding. To love\na thing as a _means_ does not interfere with the love for the _end_\nor the _final_ object. Our foes even ought to be loved as connected\nwith the Lord. This is not a division of love, but its perfection.\nLove is a peculiar state: friendship with foes is possible only here.\n=Abul Abb\u00e2s=--peace be on him--said to a party marching to war against\nthe unbelievers, \"Would I might lick the dust of the feet of the\nunbelievers whom ye would kill for His sake.\" The care of a scholar for\npen and paper cannot be said to divert his attention from learning. The\n_real_ object of love ought to be only one (_i. e._ God), but loving\nothers as subservient to the final object (_i. e._ Divine Love) is by\nno means harmful. If a man loves God, he must love the Prophets and the\nMasters--nay, if he ponders well, he must love _all_ as connected with\nHim. All the universe is His work and is certainly Himself. \"Duality\ndoes not approach Thy Sanctuary: the whole world is Thyself and Thy\nEnergy. The Universe is the shadow of Thy Presence; all is the result\nof Thy mighty Workmanship.\"\n\nBut if it be the Divine Will to put an end to a certain work of His,\nusing thee as instrument, thou as a devotee must destroy it, and none\nshould accuse thee of lack of respect for His work. This is a very high\nstage. If =Mohammad= and His blessed companions killed the unbelievers,\nthey did so in obedience to the Divine Will. The lover has not to seek\nhis own pleasure.--_Letter 66._\n\n\n\n\nCONFIDENCE.\n\n\nThe =S\u00fbf\u00ee= trusts in God. =Khw\u00e2j\u00e2 Yahi\u00e2= observes: \"He who does not\ntrust God cannot receive Divine illumination.\" _Explanation_: God deals\nwith a man according to his expectations. One who suspects Him cannot\nreceive any light. Again, it is a friend who is trusted, and it is a\nfoe who is suspected. Suspicion invites hostility; confidence, love.\n\nThere is a distinction, however, between mere groundless hope and\nreasonable expectation. One who endeavours to obey the Divine Commands\nmay reasonably expect the Divine Grace; but it is a vain hope for one\nguilty of commissions and omissions to expect exemption from hell and\nenjoyment of heaven.... So it is wise to check the accounts of the\ndesire-nature, and prepare for death; and it is foolish to follow the\ndesire-nature and hope for the remission of sins.--_Letter 67._\n\n\n\n\nPURSUIT AND RENUNCIATION.\n\n\n=S\u00fbf\u00ees= differ as to whether they should follow or renounce worldly\npursuits. Complete renunciation is only permitted at a very high stage,\n_i. e._ that of absolute unity and perfect trust in God.\n\nWorking for a livelihood began with Adam. He cultivated lands and\ntaught cultivation to his children. The Prophet =Shoaib= was a\nmerchant and possessed cattle. =Moses= served as His shepherd. If work\ninterfered with the principle of trust in God, the Prophets would not\nhave worked for a livelihood. =Mohammad= warned his friends against\nthe abuse of the principle of trust, and ever kept in store a year's\nprovision for his children. Work is a duty for him who has to support\nanother; but he should work so as not to be cut off from God.\n\nEach should look to his circumstances and inner attitude, in order to\ndecide whether he should resort to work or cease from work. If ceasing\nseparates him from God, work should be resorted to; if ceasing leads\nhim to God, work should be left aside.\n\nWork is as lawful as prayer and fast. The more you pray, the more you\nfast, the better; but to look for your salvation therefrom is dualism.\nYou should adore for the glorification of God and the strengthening\nof your love, but you should rely on His Grace for your salvation.\nSimilarly, work is better than renunciation; but it is not the work,\nbut rather the Divine Grace, which is to be looked up to as Providence.\n\nA Dervesh should avoid begging as far as possible, as it is\ndangerous in many respects. He, however, may beg (a) to gratify\nhis hunger.... (b) to pull down his personality, ... (c) knowing\nthe world as the Divine steward. It is more in keeping with the\nceremonious glorification of the Lord to ask of His steward than of\nHimself.--_Letter 69._\n\n\n\n\nTHE COMPANY OF THE SAINTS.\n\n\nHoly company is an important discipline for the pupil. It is very\neffective in conquering nature and habit. Hence is it laid down by the\nholy Saints as binding upon a disciple. The rationale of it is this.\nThe desire-nature consists of certain ingrained tendencies, and is\naffected by the tendencies of one's associates. The Prophet says: \"Men\nfollow the religion of their friends, so they should always be careful\nof their company.\" ...\n\nIt is said that a man, while going round =K\u00e2b\u00e2=, prayed: \"Lord, make\nmy brothers virtuous.\" Others asked him, \"Why dost thou pray for thy\nbrothers at this sacred spot, and not for thyself?\" He replied: \"I\nhave brothers who, when I return to them, will elevate me by their\nvirtues if they are virtuous, and degrade me by their vices if they are\nvicious. As my righteousness rests on theirs, I pray for them, that\nthey may help me in reaching the Goal.\"\n\n=Malik= (Peace on Him!) says: \"Do not associate with a brother or\na friend, unless you would thereby advance the cause of Religion.\nTo associate with any other object is absolutely forbidden.\"\n_Explanation_: If you associate with a superior, he will benefit you\nby his presence; if you associate with an inferior, you should benefit\nhim by teaching him religion and morality, and yourself too by learning\nsomething useful he may know.\n\nCompany is to be sought for the sake of the Lord, not for selfish\ngratification.\n\nNothing is more dangerous for a beginner than loneliness. A story runs\nthus. There was a disciple of Master =Junnaid= who fancied he had made\ngreat progress and could not be harmed by isolation. So he took to\nseclusion. Nightly, a procession appeared before him with a horse for\nhim to ride, and he was requested to ride up to heaven,--a delightful\nplace with sweet dishes, running brooks and fair company--where he\nenjoyed himself till morn, and slept. On awakening, he would find\nhimself at the door of his hermitage. He turned proud and boastful. On\nhearing the report, the Master came to him, asked him and was told what\nhad happened, and advised him to repeat three times when he went to the\npleasure-haunt: \"There is nothing to be relied upon save God, and there\nis no power except His.\" He refused to act up to the advice for a few\nnights more. At last he wished to test the efficiency of the Master's\nlesson and repeated the sentence as advised. The whole procession fell\ninto confusion and scattered, and he found himself in a cemetery with\nthe bones of the dead around him. Then he came to realise his guilt,\nrepented, and returned to the company of his fellow-disciples.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe rule of society is to behave with each according to his position\nin life. _With reference to elders_, to serve them; not to speak\nbefore them save when necessary, and then only with their permission,\nand after they have finished if they are speaking; not to sit on an\nelevated seat in their presence. _With reference to equals_, to live in\nharmony, and to share one's wealth with them (not as a loan, but as a\nfree gift). _With reference to the young_, to treat them with love and\nkindness.\n\n_General_: Elders to be treated as one's own parents, equals as one's\nown brothers, the younger ones as one's own children. None to be asked\nfor anything, but each to be helped. Life to be rendered agreeable to\nall. Not to oppose others except at the call of religious duty. To\nassociate with those strong in religion, integrity and moderation. Not\nto mix with those opposed in religion and temperament. To avoid the\ncompany of a youth. (The desire in the young for the company of their\nelders aids the development of their intelligence and knowledge. The\ndesire in elders for the company of youths leads to sin and folly)....\n\n=S\u00fbf\u00ees=, when conversing with one another, never say, \"This is mine,\"\n\"That is thine;\" \"I wish it were so,\" \"I wish it were not so.\" It is\nthe verdict of the Masters of Knowledge that God does not approve of\nthe use of words denoting I-ness.\n\nIf thou wouldst know the Unknown, taste the nectar of Grace and\ntranscend the seven heavens, then close the five senses, and pass from\nthe perishable to the Imperishable. They asked Master =Shibl\u00ee=, \"Who\nis a Knower, and how is he to be distinguished?\" He said, \"He is deaf,\ndumb and blind.\" They replied, \"These are the marks of an unbeliever.\"\nHe rejoined: \"The unbeliever is deaf to the voice of truth, dumb for\nthe utterance of truth, and blind to the vision of truth; whereas the\nKnower is deaf, dumb and blind to all save Truth.\"--_Letter 70._\n\n\n\n\nSERVICE.\n\n\nService is an essential duty for the disciple. Its gains are superior\nto those of worship. It kills the desire-nature; it breeds humility and\ngood manners; it destroys pride, impurity and inertia, quickens the\nsoul and illumines the inner and the outer man.\n\nThey asked a Great One, \"How many ways are there to God?\" He said:\n\"There are as many ways as there are atoms in the universe. But the\nbest and the shortest is Service. I have reached the Goal by treading\nthis Path, and recommend it to my disciples.\" ...\n\n_Rules of Service_: To put aside one's own desires, to render oneself\nagreeable to others, ... and to regard one's powers and possessions as\nintended for the use of others....\n\nAs the wealthy are to serve with their wealth and the learned with\ntheir knowledge--so the disciple is to use _all_ his activities for the\nservice of others....\n\nAll Great Ones began with Service, which gradually lifted them to the\nrank of Masters.--_Letter 71._\n\n[The following Notes gleaned from other works of the Author are added\nas bearing on the subject.--_Trs._]\n\nThe outer conduct of an occultist should be in accordance with the\nmental capacity of the people surrounding him. He should speak what\nconcerns them only, and not of his own relations with God. Master\n=Yahi\u00e2= observes: \"When with others, I say 'My Lord'; when alone, I\nsay 'My Beloved'; when united, I say 'I'.\" Obey the Law, whatever your\nstage or position. Such is the approved mode of conduct, as recommended\nby the Masters of Wisdom.--_The Series of 28 Letters,--Letter 21._\n\nA certain Great One was told that the chief of a certain town spent\nthe whole night in prayers. He replied that the poor fellow had missed\nthe way and undertaken the work of others. On being questioned again,\nhe added that that man's path of duty lay in feeding the hungry,\nclothing the naked, comforting the distressed, and fulfilling the\nwants of the needy; and that keeping up all night in prayer was the\nduty of a recluse. Each man ought to work according to his position in\nlife.--_Faw\u00e2ed-i-Rukn\u00ee._\n\n\n\n\nTHE TRANSMUTATION OF EVIL QUALITIES.\n\n\nThe purification of character by the transmutation of evil qualities\ninto virtues is to be ever striven for as an essential duty. If\nneglected, it must breed dangers and difficulties.\n\nMan has all the qualities found in the animals. His resurrection will\nbe determined by his predominant quality, not by his outer body on\nearth--_i. e._, he will turn into the form of the corresponding animal.\nFor instance, the predominance of anger, lust, pride or flattery in\nearthly life, produces severally the forms of the dog, the hog, the\nlion and the fox, on the day of resurrection. Similarly of other\nqualities....\n\nMany men will be seen in bestial form on the day of resurrection, and\nmany beasts in human form. The dog of the Cave-Recluses[15] will rise\nin the form of man, owing to his human qualities. Mount =Ahud= will\nhave a rock drawn out of it, and will stand in the rank of the Pure\nOnes in human form.... Those endowed with the inner eye know that all\nbeings, even the mineral, pray. \"Every particle of dust in the air\nis full of the Light of Divine Love. All atoms in the universe are\ncentres--active or potential--of Divine Love.\"\n\n[15] The reference is to the seven sages who, with a dog, retired to a\ncave to avoid the persecution of a tyrant, awoke after a sleep of 300\nyears, and slept again to awake on the day of resurrection.--_Trs._\n\nSuch a difficult task lies in front, and none take to it save the Wise.\nSo thou shouldst not be heedless, but slowly and steadily discipline\nthyself so as to overcome a part of thy animal nature--it is indeed a\nmighty achievement to overcome it in its entirety.\n\nHe who wishes to know the nature of his resurrection should see what\nis the predominating quality in his life: his resurrection will be\ndetermined by this quality. It is not difficult to know thus much.\n\nSimilarly, if a man wishes to know whether God is pleased or displeased\nwith him, he should look at his life. A life wholly devoted to\nrighteousness must please God: righteousness is the indication of His\npleasure. A life wholly given to vice must displease God: vice is the\nindication of His displeasure. A life partly righteous and partly\nvicious is to be valued according to the predominating element in it.\n\nIf the earthly life is not turned to account, there shall be no\nprogress on the other side. If a man who has not transmuted [on earth]\nthe evil qualities in his nature, is taken to heaven at his death, and\nall celestial boons are bestowed upon him, those qualities will not\nchange. He will have only the houris, the palaces, the roast cocks and\nthe stream of running water, but will be too weak to realise the real\nobject--the Goal of the _inner_ man, and the ideal of all the disciples\nand of the Master. How insignificant are all other gains where That is\nlost! How immaterial is any loss, where That is gained!\n\nFrequent ablutions and baths remove sloth and drowsiness.\n\nThe Divine Vision on resurrection day depends on the Divine Grace, not\non merit. No eye deserves His Vision, no ear His Voice, no intellect\nHis Knowledge, no feet His Path.... Self-reproach is necessary for a\nseeker.--_Letter 72._\n\n\n\n\nAVARICE.\n\n\nTo work for show, and desire the rank of a saint, is not the mark of\npiety. Thy deeds are all tainted with desire. Purity consists in the\nspirit of Service, not in avarice. The one is not compatible with the\nother. But we want bribes to serve the Lord.\n\nO brother, cast off avarice. God does not owe anything to any one, and\nHis gifts on earth or after death are gratuitous. Do all your works for\nHis Service, not in the hope of gaining heaven or shunning hell....\n\nHe who aspires to work in His Service should be careful of the purity\nof his motives, which is a function of the heart. An act without pure\nmotive cannot soar from the region of sham to the sphere of Service....\nA prayer worth the name is one performed with the fervour of the heart,\nand not with the lips only. The motto of monotheism, \"There is no God\nsave =All\u00e2h=,\" if repeated as a talk at moments of sale and purchase,\ncan not be regarded as a declaration of Divine Unity.... God says: \"My\nshrine is not a place of sale and purchase. Thou goest to market with\nthe object of gaining something thou hast not. But if thou comest to My\nShrine, come with the distinct understanding that thou losest all and\nreturnest a pauper.\" =Khw\u00e2j\u00e2 Ahmad= had a vision of God, Who told him:\n\"=Ahmad=, all men ask Me for something, save =B\u00e2yaz\u00eed=[16] who asks for\nMyself alone.\"--_Letter 73._\n\n[16] A great Muhammadan saint.\n\n\n\n\nTHE EVIL OF THE WORLD.\n\n\nThe world and all things therein are to be avoided, save as needed for\nthe Lord's sake. The world may be classed under three groups:--\n\n(1) The first group is purely worldly, and cannot serve His Cause. It\nconsists of:\n\n     (_a_) Vices. Their commission in the mind or with the body does\n     not serve His Cause.\n\n     (_b_) Too much of lawful enjoyments. This is the root of all\n     failures and sins.\n\n(2) The second group is purely divine, but may be turned to selfish use\nby an impure motive, _e. g._, meditation, prayer and asceticism, if\npractised with the object of gaining the respect of the people.\n\n(3) The third group is apparently worldly but really divine, _e. g._,\neating for the sake of the Divine Service; marriage with the object\nof begetting a child who shall repeat \"There is no God save =All\u00e2h=\";\nmaking a small fortune with the object of peacefully serving God.\n\nIn short, the world is that which gratifies the cravings of desire in\nthe present, and is of no use after death; that which may help on the\nother side of death is not worldly.... He who appropriates the world\nto the limit of _bare_ necessity (food, garment and a dwelling-house)\nbreaks his bonds; whereas he who seeks luxurious living exposes\nhimself to endless troubles....\n\nThe Great Ones have remarked that the lowest stage of purity shows\nitself as an inner craving for well-being after death and a diminution\nof worldly desires, ending in a gradual estrangement from this world,\nand the realisation of other worlds....\n\nThe work is harder than you imagine. All worldly pleasures are sorrows\nand sufferings.--_Letter 74._\n\n\n\n\nRENUNCIATION OF THE WORLD.\n\n\nService of the Lord is impossible without renunciation of the world.\nWhen thy body works for the world and thy heart longs for it, how canst\nthou serve Him? The heart is one; it cannot attend to two things at the\nsame time. The world and the Lord are wide apart as east and west. The\nmore you approach the one, the farther you recede from the other....\n\nRenunciation is twofold:--\n\n(1) Human renunciation, _i. e._ the renunciation which can be achieved\nby a man. It consists of three stages:\n\n     (_a_) Ceasing to seek for the worldly objects one has not.\n\n     (_b_) Casting off the worldly objects one has.\n\n     (_c_) Ceasing to entertain worldly desires in the mind.\n\n(2) Superhuman renunciation, which consists in complete indifference\nto the world. It can be accomplished, with the help of the Divine\nGrace, by one who has achieved success in all the three stages of Human\nrenunciation. The second is the true renunciation with many Sages.\n\nThe expulsion of worldly desires from the mind is a most difficult\ntask. You will find many cases of _apparent_ renunciation, with an\n_inner_ longing for the world. But when you cease to seek for what you\nhave not, and cast off what you have, the Divine Grace will enable you\nto drive out worldly desires from your mind. Relinquishment of the\nworld will not give _real_ renunciation, so long as the heart still\ncraves for the world. The Prophets were master-ascetics. One of Them\nwas Solomon, who possessed the sovereignty of all the worlds, and was\ncertainly an ascetic.\n\n_Conclusion_: The separation of the heart from worldly cravings,\nin spite of the possession of worldly objects, is superior to the\nseparation of the body from worldly objects, in spite of the worldly\ncravings that remain in the heart.\n\nRenunciation is the basis of all virtue and progress, and, as such,\nis the first condition of discipleship. =Ahmad Hambal= (Peace on Him!)\nsays that renunciation is threefold:--\n\n     (_a_) Abstinence from what is forbidden by the Scriptures. This is\n        the lower renunciation.\n\n     (_b_) Abstinence from over-indulgence in lawful pleasures. This is\n        the higher renunciation.\n\n     (_c_) Renunciation of that which separates man from God. This is\n        the highest renunciation.--_Letter 75._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FINAL DOOM.\n\n\nThere are two classes of travellers, the noble and the wicked. Each\nclass has its peculiar speed, path, and doom.\n\nNoble souls are divided into ordinary noble ones, and the more\nadvanced. The former attain heaven and the heavenly ranks by following\nthe ascetic practices prescribed by Religion. The more advanced\napproach Purity by following the path of Devotion.\n\nThe wicked, too, are divided into ordinary wicked ones, and the more\ndegraded. The former include some of the believers, leading a sinful\nlife, disobeying the divine injunctions, and addicted to sensual\npleasures. They tread the path of transgression and go to hell. The\nlatter are the unbelievers, solely attending to sensual pleasures and\nearthly gains, and wholly disbelieving in Religion and the disembodied\nlife. They risk the permanent for the sake of the transient, and\nfinally lose this world as well as the next. The former suffer in hell\ntemporarily, but finally escape it by virtue of their faith, albeit\nimperfect. The latter eternally suffer in hell owing to total absence\nof faith.\n\nThere are different gradations in hell, as there are grades of\nunbelief or hypocrisy. There are thinkers and blind followers\namongst unbelievers as well as amongst believers. As the faith of a\nthoughtful believer is superior to that of an ordinary believer, so\nthe sufferings of a thoughtful unbeliever are intenser than those of\nan ordinary unbeliever. Ordinary unbelief is inherited from ancestors\nand surroundings, and is punished in the first infernal region.\nIntellectual unbelief does not rest upon tradition, but upon researches\ncarried on for long years, self-denial and discipline of the lower\nnature, all intended for and ending in scepticism and atheism.--_Letter\n68._\n\n\n\n\nTHE SOUL (=R\u00dbH=).\n\n\nPeople differ in their opinions on the Soul--some call it a body,\nsome an essence, some an accident; some regard it as eternal, others\nas created. Orthodox =Isl\u00e2m= declares its existence, but is silent on\nits nature and quality. God says: \"If questioned on the Soul, say, 'It\nis from the Will of God.',\" =Ab\u00fb Bakr Qahat\u00ee=, however, holds that\nthe Soul is beyond the category of created objects. [The Author does\nnot subscribe to this view, and enters on a controversy to show its\nheresy.--_Trs._]--_Letter 79._\n\n[The following notes from _The Series of 28 Letters_, may be added as\nbearing on the subject.--_Trs._]\n\nIn search of peace, and fervently longing for spiritual fragrance,\na pilgrim came to the Soul and said: \"Thou art a reflection of the\nGlorious Sun, unfading; all the attributes of the Absolute One lie\nverily in Thee. Transcending Reason and understanding, Thou eludest\ndescription and predication. There is no creature above Thee, there is\nno Beloved beyond Thee.\" These lines from Master =Far\u00eed Att\u00e2r=, and the\nhints underlying them, ought to be carefully pondered over--so that\none may realise that there is no existence outside the Self, and that\nwhatever one seeks is to be sought within the Self. If an authority\nbe needed, one may read from the =Qur\u00e2n=: \"He is within thee, though\n_thou_ mayest not see.\" Again, this couplet is worth perusal: \"Adam\nfirst ran towards all the atoms of the universe, but he did not find\nGod so long as he found not the Way within himself.\"--_Loc. cit.,\nLetter 24_.\n\nThe connection of the Soul with the body compares well with that of God\nwith His universe: for the Soul is neither within the body nor without\nit, neither united with it nor separated from it. Soul and body belong\nto two different planes of existence; yet for all that there is not\nan atom in the body but is pervaded by the Soul.... The Soul retains\nits innate purity, linked though it be to the body for myriads of\nyears.--_Ibid, Letter 3._\n\n\n\n\nTHE HEART.\n\n\nThere is a treasure buried in the heart of the knower. It is LOVE. A\nsingle jewel out of it is worth a thousand heavens. The guardian of\nheaven is an angel named =Rizw\u00e2n=, whereas the guardian of the treasure\nof Love is GOD Himself.\n\nKnow that thy merit is measured by what thou seekest.... If thou\nworshippest to obtain heaven or avoid hell, thou worshippest thy own\ndesires. If thou seekest or fearest an object, thou art the worshipper\nof that object. Thy real value depends on what is in thy heart. If thy\nheart is attached to GOD, thou art a divine man....\n\n=Junnaid=, when ill, prayed for his recovery. A Voice answered him,\n\"Dost _thou_ come in between Myself and Thee?\"\n\nThou walkest every morning to office and comest back at dusk. Where is\nthe difference between thee and the fire-worshipper and the Jew? Thy\nprayers are for increase of wealth, and thy pilgrimages for popular\napprobation. All thy acts are similarly tainted with name and form. The\nreal end of life is yet veiled from thee.--_Letter 80._\n\n\n\n\n=NAFS=, THE DESIRE-NATURE.\n\n\nSome say the desire-nature is a substance, placed in the body, similar\nto the Soul. Others say it is a quality of the body, similar to life.\nBut all take it as the source of evil qualities and acts. These evils\nare grouped into: (a) sins, (b) qualities, _e. g._ pride, envy, anger.\nThe former pertain more to the _outer_ man, the latter more to the\n_inner_ man. The former are purified by ascetic practices, the latter\nby =Taub\u00e2h= (or Turning)....\n\nIt is said that the desire-nature and the Soul are both mysterious\nentities in the body, corresponding to demons and angels, hell and\nheaven in the macrocosm;--the one being the centre of evil, the other\nthe centre of Good. There is no help against the desire-nature save in\nascetic practices.\n\nMan is the epitome of the whole Universe, and is composed of the Soul,\nthe desire-nature and the body. He bears the characteristics of all the\nworlds. The earth, water, fire and air of this world appear in his body\nas the four humours: blood, phlegm, melancholy and bile. Other worlds\nare not less vividly marked in him. The Soul leads him to heaven, being\nits image; the desire-nature leads him to hell, being its image.\n\n=B\u00fb Al\u00ee= saw his desire-nature in the form of a hog. He wished to kill\nit, but it said to him, \"Do not trouble thyself: I belong to the Army\nof God, _thou_ canst not annihilate me.\"\n\n=Mohammad N\u00fbr\u00ee= speaks of his desire-nature coming out of his throat\nin the form of a miniature fox. \"I knew it was the desire-nature, so I\nput it under my feet and began to trample upon it. It grew the larger\nand the stronger. I said, 'Pain and torture destroy all things, but\nthey simply aid your growth!' It said, 'This is due to the fact of my\nconstitution being the other way: what is pain for others is pleasure\nfor me.'\"\n\n=Abul Abb\u00e2s= saw it in the form of a yellowish dog. When he attempted\nto turn it out, it came underneath the skirts of his garment, and\ndisappeared.\n\n=Abul Q\u00e2sim= saw it in the form of a serpent.\n\nAnother Dervesh saw it in the form of a mouse, and asked who it was. It\nsaid, \"I am the death of the heedless and the salvation of the Divine\nFriends. If I were not, they would turn proud of their purity and noble\ndeeds.\"\n\nThese stories go to show that the desire-nature is a corporeal\nbeing--not a quality--albeit it is endowed with qualities. It should be\nsubdued by ascetic practices, but it cannot be completely destroyed in\nits essential nature. There need not be any fear from its existence,\nwhen it has been subdued by the disciple.... This dreary forest cannot\nbe crossed save with the help of the Divine Grace and under the\nprotection of a Master of Compassion.--_Letter 81._\n\n\n\n\nDESIRE.\n\n\n'Desire' is a term covering all the qualities of =Nafs=. It prevents\nunion, tortures the disciple, and stands against the seeker. It is to\nbe opposed and not to be gratified. \"He who follows it is ruined; he\nwho opposes it attains his object.\"\n\nDesires are twofold: (_a_) those connected with the senses and sex;\n(_b_) ambition of power and fame. The victims of the former resort to\nbrothels without seriously affecting the well-being of others. The\nvictims of the latter resort to holy places, and become the pests of\nthe world. They isolate themselves from society and mislead others. He\nwho seeks the allegiance of his desires is far away from God, be he\nabove the sky; he who renounces his desires is in close touch with God,\nbe he in a heathen temple.\n\nMaster =Ibr\u00e2h\u00eem= says: \"I went to see a Jewish monk in Turkey, who had\nconfined himself in a temple for seventy years. He opened a window\nand said he had not shut himself up there to secure the position of\nan ascetic, but to break the dog within him and restrain it from\nharming the world at large. I praised God for showing the right path\nto his misguided devotee. He went on, '=Ibr\u00e2h\u00eem=, how long will you\nseek men?--Seek the self, and watch it when found. The desire-nature\nconstantly puts on many a semblance of divinity, and invites man to his\nruin.'\"....\n\nIt is said of Master =Ab\u00fb Al\u00ee= that he wished to cut off his genital\norgan, as the root of lust, when his eyes fell on it while bathing.\nA Voice whispered to his soul, \"By My honour, no organ is better or\nworse than another in My eyes. If you lop it off, I can put in each\nhair of your body the whole lust of your genital organ.\" It is no use\ndestroying the organ: it is a vehicle for carrying the divine command.\nBut a man can transmute its quality, God helping.--_Letter 82._\n\n\n\n\nDISCIPLINE OF THE DESIRE-NATURE.\n\n\nThe desire-nature is the worst foe. It is very difficult to be armed\nagainst it, since, firstly, it is an _internal_ foe, and it is almost\nimpossible to guard the house against a thief co-tenant; and, secondly,\nit is a _lovely_ foe, and a man is blind to the defects of his beloved,\nwhose shortcomings take on the appearance of merits. Such being the\ncase, the desire-nature may ere long hurl a man unawares to the lowest\ndepth of degradation. If you ponder well, you will find it at the\nroot of all the troubles that beset man in the past or may beset him\nin the future. This being the foe, one should intelligently strive to\novercome it. It is improper to overcome it _all at once_, as it is\na vehicle and instrument of the Soul; nor is it proper to let it go\nwholly unbridled, in view of the probable dangers. So the disciple\nneeds a middle course, and it is this: You should strengthen it to\nthe extent of enabling it to perform its duties; you should weaken it\nto the measure of preventing the chance of its leading you astray.\nAnything besides this rule is objectionable. It is reported in sacred\ntradition that on seeing =Abdull\u00e2h Mas\u00fbd=, who had by ascetic practices\nweakened his body, his feet having become incapable of motion, his\neyes having sunk in their sockets, =Mohammad= said, \"O =Abdull\u00e2h=, be\nwarned! Thy desire-nature has claims on thee.\" So the conclusion is\nthat the desire-nature should be disciplined by knowledge, so that it\nmay neither overcome (nor disobey) thee, nor be itself destroyed.\n\nThe middle course consists in restraining the desire-nature by\ntemperance. There are three ways of thus subduing it: (_a_) withholding\ngratification; ... (_b_) imposing religious observances; (_c_) invoking\nthe Divine help for mastery over it. If you follow this threefold\nmethod, the desire-nature will be amenable to discipline.--_Letter 83._\n\n\n\n\nDISCIPLINE OF THE DESIRE-NATURE. (_Continued._)\n\n\nThe discipline of the desire-nature is recommended by all creeds\nand nations, and is known by Sages as a means of developing the\nsupersensuous faculties.... But thy business lies with the discipline\nonly, it is God's to grant supersensuous faculties. Thy labours cannot\nbear fruit without His Grace. Avoid as much as possible the thought of\npersonality and its activities, and never follow the promptings of the\ndesire-nature. It is thy existence that veils Thee. Had there been the\nveil of a single activity, it could be uplifted by another opposite\nactivity. But _the whole_ of thyself being a veil, thou canst not be\nfit for the Divine Vision, unless and until _thou_ vanish completely.\nIt should not be forgotten in this connection that the discipline of\nthe desire-nature means the transmutation of its qualities, not the\ndestruction of its essential nature--for _that_ is impossible. But its\nexistence need not be regarded as dangerous after it has been subdued\nby the inner Ruler.\n\nFasting is recommended by all nations and creeds. It helps the\nreceptivity of the heart, the purity of the intellect, and the health\nof the body. Regulation of food is an important work. It is food that\nimparts strength and weakness, purity and foulness to all the organs of\nthe body. It must be pure in quality and moderate in quantity.--_Letter\n84._\n\n\n\n\nALIENATION FROM THE DESIRE-NATURE.\n\n\nAlienation from the personality is the first step to acquaintance with\nGod. The one is a necessary condition for the other. All aspirants\nfind fault with, and impose tasks on, the desire-nature, so that this\nwall of separation be pulled down, and a way be found to the Divine\nSanctuary.\n\nSo long as thou lookest down upon a single soul as inferior to thee,\nthou art self-conceited, and blind to the Divine Presence. \"If\nthou hast knowledge, put that knowledge into practice; solve thy\ndifficulties by knowledge and practice (combined).\" ...\n\nThe knowledge of all the Sages culminates in the realisation that they\ndo not know.\n\nThere has been a single Master of Woe in each cycle, protecting others\nunder his charge. On the path of asceticism, a considerable amount of\nprolonged exercises is a necessary preliminary to initial success,\nwhich, too, is doubtful. On the other hand, he who is trained on the\nPath of Woe has for his first stage the Purity of Devotion....\n\nBe of good cheer, in spite of thy lack of devotion and the heavy weight\nof thy sins. \"Never despair of the Divine Grace\"--it affords protection\nto all sinners. Poor as thou art at present, do not be dejected: \"The\nLord has created a beautiful form for thee,\" and \"made Man after His\nimage.\"--_Letter 85._\n\n\n\n\nSELF-TOLERATION.\n\n\nHe who is on good terms with the self is dead, though apparently\nliving; he whose life is in God is really living, though apparently\ndead. Death is not of the body alone: the _inner_ man may die in the\nsame way as the _outer_. Men are perishing in the sea of desires. Their\nSaviours are the Prophets who help them to cross the sea of desires\nand merge in the Divine Unity.... The ungodly live in the form only\nand are dead in the _spirit_, since true life consists in human nature\nresponding to the Divine Life. On the other hand, \"Those who have\nsacrificed themselves on the Path of God are not to be considered as\ndead, but as living with their Lord.\" ...\n\n\"The Divine treasury is too full of prayers already. Put in a grain of\nhumble devotion if you can.\"--_Letter 86._\n\n\n\n\nHIDDEN DIFFERENCES OF STAGES.\n\n\nMen differ, in the gradations of their progress, as heaven from hell,\nthough they are so similar in their outer forms. All men--whether in\nthe past, the present or the future--are the centres of mysteries.\nEach body treasures a Divine Secret; each Heart feels impelled to the\nPath; each Soul radiates a glory unfathomable by human and angelic\nintelligences.... The best and holiest men had an obscure life.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nOnce upon a time =Zunnoon= sent a disciple of his, to enquire about\n=B\u00e2yaz\u00eed=. When the disciple reached the latter's house at Bust\u00e2m,\nhe found him seated on the floor of his cottage. But he did not know\nthat he was =B\u00e2yaz\u00eed=. =B\u00e2yaz\u00eed= asked the disciple what he wanted. He\nsaid he wanted to see =B\u00e2yaz\u00eed=. =B\u00e2yaz\u00eed= replied: \"Which =B\u00e2yaz\u00eed=\ndo you want, and whence? Now I am =B\u00e2yaz\u00eed=, yet I have been in search\nof =B\u00e2yaz\u00eed= for several years, and to no effect.\" The disciple took\nhim for a madcap, and, returning, reported the matter to =Zunnoon=.\n=Zunnoon= with tears in his eyes exclaimed: \"Our brother =B\u00e2yaz\u00eed= has\ngone forth into God with the true Devotees.\" ...\n\nThere was one =Hel\u00e2l=, a slave to =Mog\u00eera=. On his death the Prophet\nwith his companions went to the house of =Mog\u00eera=. The latter was not\neven aware of the death of =Hel\u00e2l=, for none took care of him, alive or\ndead, as he was the lowliest in the household. =Mog\u00eera= came to receive\nthe party and kissed the blessed feet of the Prophet. The Prophet\nasked =Mog\u00eera= what had happened in the household. He said that all was\nwell. The Prophet went on: \"=Mog\u00eera=, the worthiest of your household\nhas departed, and you do not know of it.\" =Mog\u00eera=, astonished,\nremarked \"I never supposed =Hel\u00e2l= to have been so advanced.\" ... The\nProphet was then (at His request) taken to the place where the dead\nbody was. He found it in a stable at the feet of the beasts, clasped\nthe head and said with tears in His eyes: \"=Hel\u00e2l=, thy body lies on\nthis earth, but thy Soul is with the Lord.\" All the saints and chiefs\nthen wished in earnest devotion to have been the dust of =Hel\u00e2l's=\nfeet. The Prophet continued: \"There are seven men in each cycle who\nsupport the world by their blessings and lead the faithful to victory\nby their magnanimity. =Hel\u00e2l= was the Head of these.\"--_Letter 87._\n\n\n\n\nHEEDLESSNESS.\n\n\nHeedlessness is blamed by all creeds and sects. It is heedlessness that\nlies at the root of all failures.\n\nIt has been said. When a man heedlessly approaches the Path, the Devil\nwarns him, saying: \"I was the Teacher of the celestial Hosts, but I\nlost that post. Now I guard the Gate of the Path. You may enter with\nthe pass of Devotion only--else will you have to share my fate, being\nunfit for the Path.\" ...\n\nEverlasting purity is the character of the angel; lifelong\ntransgression is the character of the devil; turning with sorrow from\nsin to purity is the character of man. Lifelong purity is impossible\nfor man. He is born imperfect, void of reason, with desires (the\nagents of the Devil) in full sway. Reason (the curb of desires and\nthe light of the angelic essence) develops later--_i. e._, after the\ncapture of the heart by desires. Hence the necessity of Turning and\nself-discipline, _pari-passu_ with the development of reason, for the\nrecovery of the heart from desires and the Devil.--_Letter 88._\n\n\n\n\nSORROW.\n\n\nNo reading is so useful as that of the diary of sorrows.... The Goal is\nunattainable save through the destruction of the desire-nature. Either\nbe ready to kill it out and tread the Path, or withdraw yourself from\nthe rank of the seekers--so that others may pass on (unimpeded by your\npresence).\n\n_A Story._--David, when about to pray, saw an ant, and wished to remove\nit from the place. The ant appealed to David against his cruelty.\nDavid said: \"God, how am I to deal with Thy creatures?\" God replied,\n\"Behave with self-restraint, lest thou shouldst harm any; do not look\nto the outer body of a creature, but to the Spirit underlying. An ant,\nif permitted, may rend asunder the dark Veil, radiate the Light of\nDivine Unity from its bosom, and put to shame many a monotheist.\"\n\n_Another Story._--Once upon a time, Moses prayed so warmly that the\nstimulating effect was felt by him till the succeeding day. He wondered\nwhether any one could be so blessed as he was the night before. The\nangel Gabriel presently came with this message from God: \"There is One,\nin this forest, who can cure the ills of My devotees.\" Moses hastened\nto the spot, and found a frog croaking in a pool. The frog said:\n\"Moses, I have long been waiting to uproot pride from your heart. The\nDivine influence you felt last night passed through me. I received it\nfirst and then passed it on to you. Be warned against the repetition of\nthe boast!\"--_Letter 89._\n\n\n\n\nCONDUCT.\n\n\nAn act not permitted by the =Qur\u00e2n= is fruitless; a desire not\nsanctioned by the Prophet is vain. To wish for any help on the Path\nsave that from the Path is forbidden. The =Qur\u00e2n= permits nothing save\nsincere conduct, and sincerity springs from the heart that has tasted\npain....\n\nThe Masters of the Path are spiritual beings. Their word is life;\nthe purity of Their sorrow vitalises the world; Their character is\nspotless....\n\nSo long as thou dost not unlearn all thy previous notions, habits and\ndefects, thou canst not unfold the Eye of Wisdom in the Heart, and feel\nthe relish of the Science of Truth.... He who is destitute of Divine\nWisdom to-day (_i. e._, on earth) will not have the Divine Wisdom\nto-morrow (_i. e._, after death).\n\nActs not based on Knowledge are futile; ascetic practices not\ncountenanced by religion are misleading and devilish. It is Knowledge\nthat unfastens the gate of good luck. It is Knowledge that can\ncomprehend the greatness of =Isl\u00e2m=, the mysteries thereof, the\nglorious character of the Prophets, the sublimity of Their mission,\nthe different stages of the advanced souls, the secret of the human\nconstitution, the evil in the wicked, the respect due to Faith and\nthe faithful, the injunctions and prohibitions of religions. Tread\nzealously the Path of Knowledge till you get rid of ignorance.\nKnowledge is the shortest way to God; and ignorance is the densest\nveil between thee and Him. As Knowledge is productive of Good, so\nis ignorance productive of evil. It is ignorance which brings in\nfaithlessness, neglect of religious duties, affinity to the devil,\nalienation from the Prophets and the Pure Souls, and other innumerable\nevils.\n\nSeek no connexion with the self, lest thou shouldst be affected with\npride.... \"Thou canst not reach Me, so long as 'thy-ness' inheres in\nthee: thou shalt reach Me only when thou quittest thy self.\" O brother,\nsubdue thy desires with asceticism tempered by knowledge; cut off the\nhead of the desire-nature with the sword of self-discipline, as advised\nby the Scriptures ... and (then) put on the robe of =Isl\u00e2m=. If thou\nart really in earnest, tread upon thy life--so dear to thee--and do\nnot fear death; what follows is Life, through and through. \"If thou\ndependest upon (bodily) life, thou wilt lag behind. Thou art Life in\nthe world of Life alone. Grasp well the subtile fact--thou _art_ That\nwhich thou seekest.\" The foremost duty of the seeker lies in seeing\nthe Beloved as the only Life, and in eliminating the evil of his own\nseparated existence.--_Letter 90._\n\n\n\n\nSECLUSION.\n\n\nA man not wanted by the world for its intellectual or theological\neducation, may isolate himself from others, and avoid company save on\nnecessary occasions, such as those of the Friday and the =\u00ced= prayers,\na pilgrimage to =Mecc\u00e2=, and other useful meetings. The man who wishes\nto avoid company altogether, had better live far away from human\nhabitation (in a mountain or on a desert island). Else [let him not\nisolate himself altogether] unless he knows for certain that his gains\nfrom attendance at the Friday prayer or other social gatherings are\nreally outweighed by the losses he incurs from coming into contact with\nhuman Society....\n\nBut there may be a different sort of man, a Master of Knowledge, needed\nby others for their religious enlightenment, the exposition of truths,\nthe setting aside of heretical arguments, and for stirring them to live\nout the teachings of religion. It is hardly lawful for such a man to\nabsolutely avoid human society. It is narrated of a Sage named =Ab\u00fb\nBakar= that, as he wandered about the hills with the object of leading\na life of prayer and worship in seclusion, he heard a voice saying,\n\"=Ab\u00fb Bakar=, why dost thou desert the creatures of the Lord when thou\nhast attained the position of a Divine Light?\" So he returned to the\nsociety of men.\n\nSuch a man, though living corporeally in the world and doing his\nduties to it, has to work for his own salvation as well. =Omar= (peace\non him!) said of himself, \"should I sleep at night I would ruin myself,\nshould I sleep during the day, I would ruin my subjects.\" It is\nexceedingly hard to be corporeally in the world and to be at the same\ntime mentally away from it.\n\n=Im\u00e2m Gaz\u00e2l\u00ee= opines that a learned man may be excused for isolating\nhimself and burying his knowledge in days of trouble and degeneration,\nwhen a man may send for a religious teacher, but declines to learn\nanything of him--when no man appreciates the importance of religious\nduties....\n\nAn extremely weak man should not resort to seclusion....\n\nThe real object of seclusion is mental isolation, not bodily\nseparation.--_Letter 95._\n\n\n\n\nDEATH.\n\n\nThere are three classes of men: (1) The man of desires. (2) The\nbeginner who is just turning back. (3) The advanced Knower of God.\n\nThe _first_ does not recollect death; or if he ever does so, he does it\nin a spirit of sorrow for the loss of worldly objects, and begins to\nmurmur at it. Recollection of death throws him the further from God.\n\nThe _second_ is given to the practice of recollecting death, so\nthat he may live fear-stricken, and accomplish his Turning the more\nsuccessfully....\n\nThe _third_ never forgets death, as it is the guarantee of his union\nwith the Beloved.\n\nBut the highest stage of development is shewn in the soul that\ncompletely surrenders itself to the Lord, and foregoes all choice of\nlife or death....\n\nThe frequent recollection of death is recommended, as it is calculated\nto disturb physical enjoyment, and thereby lead to salvation....\n\nDeath is welcome to the faithful, as it sets him free from the prison\nof earth-life and its tortures....\n\nAs remarked by an esteemed friend, earth-life is a state of slumber,\nthe after-death life is a state of waking, and death is an intermediate\nstate....\n\nDeath (to an ordinary mortal) is more painful than a cut with the sword\nor the axe, or the extraction of flesh from his body....\n\nA calm look, and the repetition of the Holy Formula, these are becoming\non the part of the dying man.--_Letter 97._\n\n\n\n\nHELL.\n\n\nEvery man is liable to suffer in hell, and it is difficult to be\ncertain of exemption therefrom. According to the Prophet, there are\n70,000 apartments in hell, each apartment containing 70,000 doors, each\ndoor having 70,000 serpents and 70,000 scorpions; and the unbelievers\nand the evil-minded cannot help passing through each of them....\n\nSuch is the description of hell, and of its subdivisions which\ncorrespond to the number of earthly desires. The factor seven in the\nsubdivisions corresponds to the seven organs used in the commission of\nsins.\n\nIf you wish to know your destiny, you should look at your character,\nsince your natural inclinations presage your destiny. If they tend to\ngood, you are not intended for hell; if they tend to evil, you are\ndestined therefor. As the =Qur\u00e2n= says, \"The virtuous are to be blessed\nin heaven, the vicious are to suffer in hell.\"\n\nHere is a secret. When death takes away the earthly veil (the body),\nthe desire-nature is yet more or less tainted with earthly impurities.\nIn some cases the mirror of the soul may be too darkened to admit\nof any cleansing. Such a soul is eternally barred from the Divine\nPresence. In other cases, (_i. e._ unrighteous believers), the rust\nis capable of being cleansed, and so the desire-nature is exposed to\nhell-fire to the extent of the purification needed. The time varies\nfrom a brief moment to 7,000 years. No man quits this earth without\nsome impurity, however slight, in him.--_Letter 99._\n\n\n\n\nHEAVEN.\n\n\nHeaven contains apartments made of various gems, the outside of which\nis visible from the inside, and the inside from the outside. They\nabound with pleasures and comforts not tasted or conceived by men (on\nearth).... Heaven is a vast palace made of a single pearl. It contains\nseven apartments of red ruby. Each apartment contains seven rooms of\ngreen emerald. Each room is provided with a gorgeous seat, 70 trays and\n70 maid-servants. Each seat has 70 beddings of different colours, and a\nHouri as the bed-maker. Each tray is furnished with 70 dishes.\n\nHeaven is intended for those who salute and feed others, fast and\npray....\n\nWhen the dwellers of heaven wish to communicate with their brothers,\ntheir seats move the one towards the other. Thus they meet and talk\nof their past relationship on earth. There is procreation in heaven\nif so desired: conception, birth, and maturity all taking place\ninstantaneously.\n\nThe dwellers of heaven are beautiful as =Joseph=, and well-behaved as\n=Mohammad=.\n\nThe duration of the lowest heavenly life is 500 years.\n\nSuch is the heaven of the ordinary soul.\n\nNow as to the destiny of the Prophets, the purest Devotees, and the\nSaints. Theirs is the vision of the Divine Face, in the supreme relish\nof which the grosser enjoyments of heaven are forgotten. Orthodox\n=Isl\u00e2m= does not regard the Divine Vision as the fruit of human works,\nbut as the result of Divine Grace. It holds a similar doctrine as to\nthe Faith in the Lord of human beings upon earth.--_Letter 100._\n\n[The following brief Note is added from the _Series of 28\nLetters_.--_Trs._]\n\n=Im\u00e2m Qasher\u00ee=, explaining the Secrets of the =Qur\u00e2n=, says:\n\n\"What the faithful will manifestly enjoy after death in heaven, is\ninwardly experienced by the Saints on earth.\"--_Loc. cit., 28_.\n\nTHE END.\n\n\n\n\nTRANSCRIBER'S NOTES.\n\n\nUnusual and archaic spellings have been maintained. Obvious printing\nand spelling errors have been fixed. In the original text, Persian and\nArabic transliterations, some proper names and locations were printed\nin gesperrt (g e s p e r r t). Such words have been rendered surrounded\nby == (=gesperrt=).\n\nThe abbreviation \"Trs.\" used throughout the text stands for\n\"Translator,\" not \"Transcriber.\"\n\nDetails of the changes:\n\n  ToC Page 1: Title \"Introduction\" removed.\n\n  ToC Page 1: On Discipleship (Continued)\n  Originally: Discipleship (continued)\n\n  ToC Page 1: The Outer and Inner Ailments\n  Originally: The outer and the inner Ailments\n\n  ToC Page 3: The Desire-Nature (=Nafs=) 110\n  Originally: The Desire-Nature (=Nafs=) 130\n\n  ToC Page 3: Discipline of the Desire-Nature (Continued)\n  Originally: The same (Continued)\n\n  Page 2:     There must be a difference between\n  Originally: There must be difference between\n\n  Page 2 footnote 3: Weak souls.--_Trs._\n  Originally:        Weak souls.--_Trans._\n\n  Page 6:     =Zunnoon= of Egypt observes that the =Taub\u00e2h=\n  Originally: =Zoonoon= of Egypt observes that the =Taub\u00e2h=\n\n  Page 6:     On the other hand, =Khw\u00e2j\u00e2 Junnaid=\n  Originally: On the other hand, =Khw\u00e2ja Junnaid=\n\n  Page 8:     can neither be seen nor grasped.\n  Originally: can neither be seen not grasped.\n\n  Page 9 footnote 6: The Sacred Shrine at =Mecc\u00e2=.\n  Originally:        The Sacred Shrine at =Mecca=.\n\n  Page 9:     and lose the fruit of one's labour.\n  Originally: and lose the fruit of one's labor.\n\n  Page 16:    discipleship and the subtleties of Seeking,\n  Originally: discipleship and the subleties of Seeking,\n\n  Page 17:    A disciple should be a worshipper of the Teacher, [so\n              that he may become a worshipper of God]. One who obeys\n                        the Messenger verily obeys God.\n  Originally: A disciple should be a worshipper of the Teacher, [so\n              that he may become a worshipper of God. One who obeys\n                        the Messenger verily obeys God\n\n  Page 19:    THE FRIEND OF GOD--(THE =WAL\u00ce=).\n  Originally: THE FRIEND OF GOD--(THE =WALEE=).\n\n  Page 19:    The =Wal\u00ee= (or the Friend of God) is\n  Originally: The =Walee= (or the Friend of God) is\n\n  Page 20:    Here is a subtile mystery,\n  Originally: Here is a subtle mystery,\n\n  Page 21:    There are 4,000 =Wal\u00ees=\n  Originally: There are 4,000 =Walees=\n\n  Page 21:    there are 356 =Wal\u00ees= ever\n  Originally: there are 356 =Walees= ever\n\n  Page 22:    They (the =Wal\u00ees=) are too strong\n  Originally: They (the =Walees=) are too strong\n\n  Page 25:    Invisible and Visible, Spiritual and Physical,\n  Originally: Invisible and Visible, Spirtual and Physical,\n\n  Page 32:    virtues and vices: why should we restrain\n  Originally: virtues and vices: why should should we restrain\n\n  Page 36:    disciples such as =Ab\u00fb Bakar=, =Omar=,\n  Originally: disciples such as =Abubakar=, =Omar=,\n\n  Page 41:    sacred recitations, repentance and apology.\n  Originally: sacred recitations, repentence and apology.\n\n  Page 58:    may gradually develop strength,\n  Originally: may gradually develope strength,\n\n  Page 59:    do not look to the _houris_\n  Originally: do not look to the _hooris_\n\n  Page 63:    are concerned with _outer_ conduct,\n  Originally: are concerned will _outer_ conduct,\n\n  Page 77:    the heart develops knowledge and wisdom,\n  Originally: the heart developes knowledge and wisdom,\n\n  Page 78:    checks the performance of duties.\n  Originally: checks the preformance of duties.\n\n  Page 87:    transmutation wrought by many Derveshes\n  Originally: transmutation wrought by many Darveshes\n\n  Page 90:    =Abul Abb\u00e2s=--peace be on him--said\n  Originally: =Abul Abbas=--peace be on him--said\n\n  Page 92:    renounce worldly pursuits.\n  Originally: renounce wordly pursuits.\n\n  Page 98:    Master =Yahi\u00e2= observes:\n  Originally: Master =Yehi\u00e2= observes:\n\n  Page 101:   only the houris, the palaces,\n  Originally: only the houries, the palaces,\n\n  Page 102:   after death are gratuitous.\n  Originally: after death are gratuitious.\n\n  Page 104:   diminution of worldly desires\n  Originally: diminution of worldy desires\n\n  Page 108:   =Ab\u00fb Bakr Qahat\u00ee=, however, holds\n  Originally: =Abu Bakr Qahat\u00ee=, however, holds\n\n  Page 109:   one may read from the =Qur\u00e2n=:\n  Originally: one may read from the =Qor\u00e2n=:\n\n  Page 114:   DISCIPLINE OF THE DESIRE-NATURE.\n  Originally: THE DISCIPLINE OF THE DESIRE-NATURE.\n\n  Page 121:   angelic essence) develops later--\n  Originally: angelic essence) developes later--\n\n  Page 124:   Grasp well the subtile fact\n  Originally: Grasp well the subtle fact","title":"Letters from a S\u00fbf\u00ee Teacher","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":28846}