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The
Sublime Revelation
– –
[Al-Fath. ar-Rabbani]
A COLLECTION OF SIXTY-TWO DISCOURSES
ii
The
Sublime Revelation
– –
[Al-Fath. ar-Rabbani]
A COLLECTION OF SIXTY-TWO DISCOURSES
– – – –
‹
SHAIKH ABD AL-QADIR AL-JILANI
TRANSLATED FROM THE ARABIC BY MUHTAR HOLLAND
Body text set in Ghazali and Jilani fonts by Al-Baz Publishing, Inc.
Library of Congress
Catalog Card Number: 92-73635
First Edition November 1992
Second Edition October 1998
Third Edition March 2009
ISBN: 1-882216-02-4
Contents
Publisher’s Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Translator’s Introduction xiii
Genealogy of Shaikh Mu¥yi’d-dºn [‹Abd al-Qådir] 5
Author’s Prologue 7
The Sixty-two Discourses 9–463
Concerning the Author, Shaikh ‹Abd al-Qådir al-Jºlånº 465
About the Translator 471
vi
Dedication
This edition of Al-Fat¥ ar-Rabbånº is dedicated to
the Holy Prophet Mu¥ammad
(may Allåh bless him and give him peace),
the Saints of Allåh [the awliyå›],
the Righteous [ƒåli¥ºn] and the Believers [mu›minºn],
may the good pleasure and mercy of Allåh be upon them all.
vii
viii
Publisher’s Preface
Ruslan Moore
Al-Baz Publishing, Inc.
November, 1992
ix
Acknowledgments
All praise is due to Allåh, the Beneficent, the Merciful!
xi
xii
Translator’s Introduction 1
titles of Shaikh ‹Abd al-Qådir, a short account of his life in Baghdåd, and a brief survey
of his literary works, please refer to“Concerning the Author” (p. 465), where the editor
has reproduced a slightly modified version of the Translator’s Introduction to Revelations
of the Unseen, a companion volume in this series.
xiii
xiv
The
Sublime Revelation
– –
[Al-Fath. ar-Rabbani]
A COLLECTION OF SIXTY-TWO DISCOURSES
Author’s Prologue
In the Name of Allåh, the All-Merciful and Compassionate!
First Discourse
in the hereafter are without reckoning. As Allåh (Exalted is He) has said:
Surely the patient will be paid their wages in full without reckoning.
(39:10)
Nothing is hidden from Allåh, especially not the burdens borne by
those who suffer for His sake. Be patient with Him for an hour and you
will see His grace and favor for years. Courage is an hour’s patience.
Surely Allåh is with those who are patient. (2:153)
He gives them succor and success. Be patient with Him. Wake up to
Him, do not be unaware of Him, and do not leave your awakening till
after death, for it will not profit you to wake up at that moment. Wake
up to Him before the meeting with Him. Wake up before you awaken
involuntarily, and then feel remorse at a time when remorse will not
avail you. Improve your hearts, for when they are improved you will
experience improvement in all your circumstances. This is why the
Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
In the son of Adam there is a morsel of flesh; when it is in good order,
the rest of his body will match its fitness, and when it is unsound, the
rest of his body will match its unsoundness. This, of course, is the heart.
The fitness of the heart is maintained through pious devotion,
absolute trust in Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), the affirmation
of His Oneness, and sincerity in practice, while its unsoundness is due
to the absence of all this. The heart is a bird in the cage of the physical
body, like a pearl in a casket, like money in a safe, so value must be
attached to the bird and not to the cage, to the pearl and not to the
casket, to the money and not to the safe.
O Allåh! Employ our limbs and organs in Your obedient service, and
our hearts in Your intimate knowledge. Employ us throughout our lives,
by night and by day. Join us with our predecessors among the righteous.
Provide us with sustenance as You provided them with sustenance, and
be for us as You were for them. Ámºn.
O my people! Be for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) as the
righteous ones have been for Him, so that He may be for you as He has
been for them. If you want the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) to be for you, devote yourselves to His obedient service, to
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11
service to Him alone at all times, heeding His words (Almighty and
Glorious is He):
And they have been commanded only to serve Allåh, making the religion
His sincerely, as men of pure faith. (98:5)
Desist from idolizing creatures [khalq] and affirm the Oneness of the
Lord of Truth [ªaqq] (Almighty and Glorious is He), for He is the
Creator [Khåliq] of all things whatsoever, and in His hand are all things
whatsoever. O seeker of things from others, you must be out of your
mind! Is there anything that is not within the storerooms of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He)? As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
has said:
And naught there is, but with Us are the stores thereof. (15:21)
O young man! Sleep beneath the roof gutter of destiny, using patience
as a pillow, girding yourself with willing compliance, serving in expec-
tation of happy relief. For if you behave like this, He who determines
destiny will shower you with His grace and favor beyond what you are
capable of seeking or desiring.
O my people! Conform to the divine power [qadr], and take
instruction from the Servant of the All-Powerful [‹Abd al-Qådir], the
expert [mujtahid] in conformity with the divine power. My conformity
with the divine power leads me forward to the All-Powerful.
O my people! Come, let us humbly submit to Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), and to His power and His action. Let us bow our heads
low, both outwardly and inwardly, as we comply with the decree and
walk in the footsteps of him who is the Messenger of the King, and
whom we honor for the sake of the One who sent him. For if we do this
with him, he will transport us in his company to the All-Powerful.
There, protection belongs only to Allåh, the True. (18:44)
He will delight you with drink from the ocean of His knowledge, with
food from the spread cloth of His favor, with companionship in His
intimacy and shelter in His mercy. This is for only a few individuals, one
in a thousand out of all the clans and tribes.
O young man! You must observe your religious duty. You must
observe the rules of the sacred law, and practice opposition to the self,
12
the passions, the devil and bad companions. In doing battle [jihåd] with
these, the believer always keeps his helmet on his head, his sword is
never sheathed, and his horse’s back is never bare of the pommel of its
saddle. He sleeps like the people of the Lord, only when sleep is
irresistible. Their food is meager fare. They talk when absolutely
necessary, but silence is their habit. Only their Lord’s power will make
them speak; it is the action of Allåh that causes them to speak, that sets
their faculty of speech in motion in this world, as it will make limbs and
organs speak in time to come, on the Day of Resurrection. It is Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) who makes them speak, He who causes
the speaking of every being endowed with speech. He makes them
speak as He may cause inanimate matter to speak. He equips them with
the means by which to speak, so speak they do. When He wishes them
to carry out some purpose, He makes them ready for it. He wished to
convey both warning and good tidings to His creatures, that they might
bear the burden of proof, so He caused the Prophets and Messengers to
speak. Then when He had taken these back unto Himself, He
appointed scholars who put their learning into practice, making them
speak in their turn about things of benefit to people. As the Prophet
(Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said: “The scholars are the
heirs of the Prophets.”
O my people! Give thanks to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
for His blessings, and recognize them as being from Him, for He has said:
Whatever blessing you have, it is from Allåh. (16:53)
Where is your gratitude, O you who enjoy His blessings, O you who
see His blessings as coming from others? Sometimes you see a blessing
as being from another. Sometimes you set little store by it, and wait
expectantly for something you have not received. Sometimes you make
use of it in order to sin against Him.
O young man! In your solitude you need piety to extricate you from
sins and mistakes, and vigilance to remind you that the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) is watching you. You are in need and
in want of having this with you in your solitude. Then you need to make
war on the self, the passions and the devil. The ruination of the majority
of people is through mistakes. The ruination of the ascetics is through
carnal desires. The ruination of the Abdål [spiritual deputies] is through
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14
upon him). How can you rely on him and take instruction from him,
when between you and him there is a blood-feud and an ancient
enmity? You cannot feel safe from him, because he is the murderer of
your father and your mother, so if he gets you in his power he will kill
you as surely as he killed both of them.
Take pious devotion as your weapon, and let your troops be affirma-
tion of the Oneness of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), vigilance
for His sake, abstinence in periods of seclusion, honesty, and seeking
the help of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). This weapon, these
troops are what will put him to flight, crush him and smash his army.
How can you fail to vanquish him, when the Lord of Truth is with you?
O young man! Combine this world with the hereafter, and put them
in one place. Then be alone with your Master (Almighty and Glorious
is He), naked as far as your heart is concerned, with neither this world
nor the hereafter. Do not approach Him unless stripped bare of all that
is apart from Him. Do not bind yourself to creatures instead of the
Creator. Sever these connections and repudiate these masters. Then,
when you have gained control, let this world be for your self, the
hereafter for your heart, and the Master for your secret being [sirr].
O young man! Do not be caught up with the self, nor with the
passions, nor with this world, nor with the hereafter. Do not go off in
pursuit of anything apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), when you have alighted upon the treasure that will
never be exhausted. Then you will receive guidance from the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), after which there will be no
going astray.
Turn from your sins, and walk quickly away from them toward your
Master (Almighty and Glorious is He). When you repent, let it be both
your outer and your inner that repent. Repentance is a coup d’état.
Divest yourself of sinfulness through sincere repentance and a sense of
shame before Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)—in reality, not as
a figure of speech. This is one of the actions to be performed by the
heart, after the purification of physical limbs and organs through the
actions prescribed by the sacred law. The outer vessel [qålab] has its
work, and the heart [qalb] has its work. When the heart has experienced
the desert wastes of dependency and attachment to created beings, it
15
16
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and that which is His. This world has
a recompense, namely the hereafter, and the creation has a recompense,
namely the Creator (Almighty and Glorious is He). Whenever you
give up something belonging to this transitory life, He creates its
equivalent and better in the life to come.
Reckon that all you have left of your life is today and no more. Make
ready for the hereafter. Go to meet the arrival of the angel of death.
This world is mere froth to the people of the Lord, while the hereafter
is to them a pleasant abode. Then when jealousy comes from Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), it separates them therefrom, and
creation is made equivalent to the hereafter, for they need neither this
world nor the hereafter.
O liar! You love Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) in a state of
good fortune, but when misfortune comes you run away, as if Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) were not your beloved. The servant
shows his true character only when put to the test. If afflictions come
from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and you are constant, then
you are indeed a lover. But if you change, the falsehood is revealed, and
the one-time lover has disappeared and gone.
A man once came to the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) and said: “O Messenger of Allåh, I love you!” So he replied:
“Prepare to dress for poverty!”
Another man came to the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) and said: “I love Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)!” So he
replied: “Get dressed for misfortune!”
Love of Allåh and love of His Messenger are linked to poverty and
misfortune. This is why some of the righteous have said: “Misfortune
is assigned to friendship, lest it be merely pretended.” If it were not so,
everyone would claim to love Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), so
He has made constancy in the face of misfortune and poverty an
indication of such love.
Our Lord, give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and
guard us against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
17
Second Discourse
18
19
it little or much. Concur with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) in His love of giving, and be grateful to Him for how He has
equipped you and enabled you to give. Woe unto you! The beggar is
the gift of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and you are capable of
giving to him, so how can you send the gift back to its Giver? In my
presence you listen and shed tears, but when the poor person comes
along, your heart turns hard. This goes to show that your tears and your
attention were not sincerely for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Paying attention to me is first with the inner being [sirr], then with
the heart [qalb], then with the limbs and organs [jawåri¥]—in doing
good. When you enter my presence, do so having set aside your
knowledge, your work, your speech, your lineage and your noble
descent, as well as forgetting your money and your family. Stand before
me with your heart naked of everything apart from the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), until He clothes it with His nearness,
His grace and His favors. If you act like this on entering my presence,
you will come to be like the birds that go out in the morning hungry and
return in the evening satisfied.
The light of the heart is from the light of the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He). This is why the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give
him peace) said:
Beware of the penetrating insight [firåsa] of the believer, [mu›min] for he
sees by the light of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
O transgressor [fåsiq], beware of the believer, and do not enter his
presence while you are stained with the pollution of your sins, for he will
see by the light of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) what condition
you are in. He will see your idolatry [shirk] and your hypocrisy [nifåq].
He will see your evil deed tucked away beneath your clothing. He will
see your shameful behavior and your disgraceful conduct. He who does
not see a successful person will not succeed. You are crazy, and you
belong among crazy folk.
20
patiently suffer the bitterness of His medicine. Only then will the
blindness depart from your eyes. Humbly submit to Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), and set your needs down before Him. Do not credit
yourself with any good deed, but dismiss it as a failure. Lock the doors
of creatures, and open the door between you and Him. Acknowledge
your sins, and apologize to Him for your shortcomings. Be convinced
that there is no cause of harm, no benefactor, no giver and no
withholder apart from Him. Only then will the blindness depart from
the eye of your heart, and sight and insight will be set in motion.
O young man! This business [sha›n] is not about the coarseness of
your clothing and your diet. It concerns the abstinence [zuhd] of your
heart. When the genuine aspirant [aƒ-ƒådiq] takes to wearing rough
wool [ƒ«f], he first clothes his inner [bå£in], then proceeds to his outer
[όhir]. Thus he clothes his innermost being [sirr], then his heart [qalb],
then his personal self [nafs], then his physical limbs and organs [jawåri¥],
until, when the whole of him has become roughened, along comes the
hand of compassion, mercy and grace. It transforms the condition of the
person so afflicted, by divesting him of the dark attire of mourning and
re-clothing him in the garb of happiness, converting misfortune into
blessings, detestation into delight, fear into security, distance into
closeness, and poverty into wealth.
O young man! Accept the allotments of destiny [al-aqsåm] with the
hand of abstinence, not with the hand of desire [raghba]. He who eats
and weeps is not like one who eats and laughs. Consume the allotted
shares while your heart is with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), for you will then be safe from their bad effects. It is
better for you to eat from the hand of the Physician, than to eat
something on your own, not knowing where it may have come from.
How hard are your hearts! Fidelity [al-imåna] is gone from amongst
you. Compassion is gone from your midst. You should be faithful to the
rules of the sacred law [a¥kåm ash-shar‹], but you have abandoned them
and been disloyal to them. Woe unto you! If you do not make a practice
of fidelity, the water will soon be up to your eyes, while the cord is tied
around your hands and your legs. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) will lock the door of His mercy against you, He will fill
the hearts of His creatures with harshness toward you, and He will
prevent them from giving to you.
21
Mind your heads with your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Beware of Him, for His grasp is excruciatingly painful, snatching you
from your place of safety, from your good health, from your high spirits,
from your fun and games. Watch out for Him, for He is the God [ilåh]
of heaven of the God of the earth. Take care of His blessings by giving
thanks. Respond to His command and His prohibition by heeding and
obeying. Respond to hardship with patience, and to ease with thanks.
Such was the practice of your predecessors, the Prophets [nabiyy«n], the
Messengers [mursal«n] and the righteous [ƒåli¥«n], who were ever
grateful for blessings and patient in suffering misfortunes.
Get up and leave the tables of rebellion against Him, and eat from the
tables of obedience toward Him. Keep within His guidelines [¥ud«d]
when ease comes your way, and be thankful to Him. When hardship
comes your way, repent of your sins, and be self-critical, for the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) is not a cruel tyrant to His slaves
[‹abºd]. Be mindful of death and what lies beyond it. Remember the
Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), His reckoning, and the fact that
He is watching you. Wake up! Till when this sleep? Till when this
ignorance and dallying with vanities, this attachment to the self [nafs],
desire [hawå] and habit [‹åda]? Why do you not make a practice of
worshipful service [‹ibåda] to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and obedience to His sacred law? ‹Ibåda [worshipful service]
means giving up ‹åda [familiar habit]. Why do you not cultivate the
good practices recommended by the Qur›ån [ådåb al-Qur›ån] and the
words of the Prophet? [kalåm an-nubuwwa: lit., the speech of Prophecy].
O young man! Do not associate with people in blindness, in ignorance,
in negligence and sleep. Relate to them with insight, knowledge and
alertness. When you see them behaving in a way you can approve, then
go along with it, but when you see their behavior as harmful to you, you
must avoid it and get them to give it up. You are all in a state of total
indifference toward the Lord of Truth (Glorified and Exalted is He).
You must wake up to Him. You must frequent the mosques [masåjid] and
pronounce many benedictions on the Prophet (Allåh bless him and
give him peace), for he has said:
If a fire came down from the sky, no one would escape from it except
the people of the mosques.
22
If you are lazy in performing the ritual prayer [ƒalåt], your prayer will
be disconnected by the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
This is why the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) said:
The closest a servant can be to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself
[såjid] [in the ƒalåt-prayer].
Woe unto you! You spend so much time seeking convenient
interpretations and special concessions. The muta›awwil [one who
seeks interpretations to suit his own convenience] is deceitful. If only
we would make a firm commitment, stick to the consensus [ijmå‹], and
be sincere in our actions, we would then be safe from [incurring the
displeasure of] the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). So
how is it when we look for convenient interpretations and special
concessions? Firm commitment [‹azºma] is gone, and gone are its
practitioners. This is the age of compromises [rukhaƒ], not the age of
commitments. This is the age of pretense [riyå›], of hypocrisy [nifåq],
and of the unjustified usurpation of property. Many are those who
perform the prayers, keep the fast, go on pilgrimage, pay the alms-due,
and do good works—for the sake of creatures [khalq], not of the Creator
[khåliq]. For the majority in this world have become creatures in a
creation without a Creator.
You are all dead at heart [mawtå’l-qul«b], alive to the lower self and
the passions [a¥yå›u’n-nuf«s wa’l-ahwiya], seeking only this world. The
life of the heart requires separation from creatures [al-khalq] and
residence with the Lord of Truth [al-ªaqq] (Almighty and Glorious is
He)—in the spiritual sense [min ¥aithu’l-ma‹nå], because the outer form
[ƒ«ra] is irrelevant at this stage. The life of the heart requires obedience
to the commandment of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), avoidance of His prohibition, and patience with Him through His
trials, His judgments and His decrees.
O young man! Submit to Him in what is decreed by Him, then stay
with Him after that. This business [amr] needs a foundation, then a
superstructure, and constant maintenance at every moment of night
and day. Woe unto you! You must ponder over your business.
Pondering is a matter for the heart. So when you see yourself as having
done something good, give thanks to Allåh (Exalted is He), and when
you see yourself as having done something bad, repent of it through this
23
pondering. Thus your religion [dºn] will live, and your devil [shai£ån] will
die. This is why it has been said that an hour of pondering [tafakkur] is
better than a whole night’s vigil.
O Community of Mu¥ammad! Give thanks to Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), for He is content with a small amount of work from you,
in relation to work from your predecessors. You are the latecomers, but
you will come first on the Day of Resurrection. When one of you is all
he should be, none is so complete. You are the leaders [umarå›], while
the members of other communities are the common herd [ra‹iyya]. As
long as you remain a resident in the house of your own self [nafs], your
desire [hawå] and your ordinary nature [£ab‹], you are not all you should
be. As long as you keep struggling with people for what they have in
their possession, trying to win it with your pretense and your hypocrisy,
you have no proper fitness. As long as you continue to be greedy for this
world, you have no proper fitness. As long as you continue to rely in
your heart on anything apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), you have no proper fitness. O Allåh, bless us with true
fitness in Your company, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
24
Third Discourse
25
26
27
sake of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). They are wholly His;
none other than He has any share in them. When someone has
achieved this completely, Friendship [ƒu¥ba] is complete for him and he
attains salvation and success. He is loved by humankind, by the jinn
and the angels, by the earth and by heaven.
O hypocrite [munåfiq]! O worshipper of creatures and secondary
causes, forgetful of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)!
You want all this to drop into your hands, while you are in the state you
are in! You have no honor and no dignity. Submit, then repent, then
learn and work and be sincere, otherwise you will not be guided aright.
Woe unto you! There is no animosity between me and you; it is just
that I speak the truth, and treat you impartially for the sake of the
religion [dºn] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). I got my own
training in the rough style of speech of the old masters [mashåyikh], and
in the tough school of exile and poverty. If a statement appears to come
from me to you, receive it from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
because it is He who has caused me to utter it.
When you enter my presence, come in naked of you, naked of your
own self [nafs] and your desires [hawå]. If you had any power of
perception [baļra], you would see me naked too. Your infirmity,
however, is your sickly understanding.
O you who wish to enjoy my friendship and to spend all your time in
my company, there is no space in my condition for any creature, no
room for anything of this world or the hereafter. So if someone repents
at my hands, befriends me, thinks well of me, and acts on what I have
to say, then so be it, if such be the will of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He).
The Prophets receive their training from the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) through His direct speech [kalåm], while
the saints [awliyå›] are trained by Him through His indirect speech
[¥adºth]. This indirect speech is an inspiration [ilhåm] within their
hearts, because they are the caretakers [awƒiyå›], the deputies [khulafå›]
and the servants [ghilmån] of the Prophets.
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has used direct speech. He spoke
to Moses (peace be upon him). It was indeed He who spoke to him, not
any created being. It was the Knower of all invisible mysteries [‹Allåm
al-ghuy«b] who spoke to him. He spoke to him using a form of speech
29
When a certain wise man was asked the meaning of kinship [qaråba],
he said: “Loving friendship [mawadda].”
Refrain from seeking what has been assigned to your lot and what has
not been assigned to it, because looking for what has already been
allotted is a waste of energy, while the quest for the other can only lead
to disgust and disappointment. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and
give him peace) has said:
One of the many punishments Allåh (Exalted is He) may inflict on His
servant is the quest for that which has not been allotted to him.
O young man! Take the handiwork of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) as your signpost to Him. Reflect on the work of art and you may
attain to the Artist. The fully convinced and experienced believer
[al-mu›min al-m«qin al-‹årif] possesses two external eyes and two inner
eyes. With the external pair of eyes he sees what Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) has created on the earth, and with the inner pair he sees
what Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has created in the heavens.
Then the veils are removed from his heart, so that he sees Him without
ambiguity [tashbºh] and without qualification [takyºf], and thus comes to
be drawn near [muqarrab] and beloved [ma¥b«b]. From the beloved
nothing is kept hidden. The veils are removed only from a heart that
is stripped bare of creatures, as well as of the self, of natural inclination,
of desire and of the devil. Then the keys to the treasures of the earth
are flung from his hand, and the deserts and civilization [al-¥ajar wa’l-
madar] are all the same to him.
Be sensible! Consider what I am saying and try to understand, for I
am speaking about the essence [lubb] of the subject, its substance
[jawhar], its inner content [bå£in], its true significance [naƒº¥a ma‹ånºhi].
O young man! Do not complain about the Creator to creatures; it is
rather to Him that you should complain. He is the One who has the
power to act, as none but He can.
The treasures of piety [birr] include the concealment of secrets [sirr],
of misfortunes, of illnesses and of charitable giving [ƒadaqa]. Give
charity with your right hand, and try to make sure that your left hand
knows nothing about it. Beware of the sea of this world, for many folk
have drowned in it, and only a few individuals have come out of it safe.
31
It is a deep ocean, which would drown one and all, were it not that Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) delivers from it whomever He will
among His servants, just as He will deliver the believers from the Fire
[an-når] on the Day of Resurrection [yawm al-qiyåma]. All must pass
through it, and Allåh delivers whomever He will among His servants.
As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
There is not one of you but shall approach it; that is a fixed decree of your
Lord. (19:71)
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will say to the Fire: “‘Be
coolness and peace’ (21:69), so that My servants may pass through—
those who believe in Me, who are sincerely devoted to Me, who long
for Me and who abstain from all that is other than Me.” He will speak
to it like this, as He spoke to the fire which Nimrod lit, intending to burn
Abraham (peace be upon him) therein.
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will say: “O sea of the lower
world! O water, do not drown this sought and beloved servant,” so that
he will be rescued from it and will find himself on dry ground, just as He
delivered Moses (peace be upon him) and his people from that sea. He
grants His favor to whomever He will.
Allåh sustains whomever He will without reckoning. (2:212)
All good is in His hand. Giving and withholding are in His hand.
Wealth and poverty are in His hand. Honor and disgrace are in His
hand. No one has anything to match Him. The sensible person is
therefore one who sticks to His door, and turns away from anyone
else’s door.
O backslider! I see you pleasing creatures and vexing the Creator.
You are ruining your life hereafter to construct your life in this world.
Soon you must pay the penalty. You will be chastised by Him whose
chastisement is excruciatingly painful. His chastisement takes many
forms. He may chastise you with dismissal from your position of
authority. He may chastise you with sickness, humiliation and poverty.
He may chastise you with overwhelming hardships, sorrows and cares.
He may chastise you with subjection to the tongues and hands of other
people. He may give all His creatures the upper hand over you.
Wake up, O sleeper! O Allåh, make us alert to You and for Your
sake! Ámºn.
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33
34
Fourth Discourse
35
36
go to waste. You have been so busy accumulating things you will never
use, making plans you will never accomplish, and building places you
will never live in. All of this hinders you from access to the station
[maqåm] of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Remembrance [dhikr] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) sets up
camp in the hearts of those who know by experience [al-‹årif«n],
encircling them all around and making them forget to remember any
other object of remembrance [madhk«r]. When this is fully accom-
plished, Paradise [al-janna] is the place of refuge [ma›wå]. Paradise is the
place of refuge: Paradise paid in cash [manq«da], and Paradise promised
[maw‹«da]. The one that is paid in cash, here in this world, is cheerful
acceptance of the [Lord’s] decree, nearness of the heart to Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), its intimate conversation [munåjåt]
with Him, and the removal of the veil between it and Him. The owner
of this heart comes to be privately [fº khalwatihi] with the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) in all his states [a¥wål], without
qualification [takyºf] or ambiguity [tashbºh].
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-
Seeing. (42:11)
The promised Paradise is the one which Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) has promised to the believers, together with the vision
of His noble countenance, without impediment and with no doubt. All
goodness belongs to Allåh, and evil belongs to others apart from Him.
Goodness consists in advancing toward Him, and evil in backing away
from Him. Whenever you do a good deed for the sake of a return, it is
yours, while any good deed you do for the sake of Allåh belongs to Him.
When you act and look for the return, your reward will be in the form
of something created. When you act for the sake of Allåh (Exalted is
He), your reward will be your nearness to Him and the sight of Him, so
then you will not not look for the return on any of your deeds at all.
What is this world, what is the hereafter, and what is everything apart
from Allåh (Exalted is He) in comparison with Him? Seek the Benefac-
tor [mun‹im], not the benefit [ni‹ma]. Seek the Neighbor [jår], rather
than the house [dår]. He is the One existing [al-kå›in] before all things,
the Bringer-into-being [al-mukawwin] of all things, and the One still
existing after all things.
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38
bind, and leaves the execution to the hand of your heart, and the signal
to the hand of your innermost being.
There is nothing to be said until this is all in good order. If it is not
yet so, be sensible. Do not get foolishly carried away. You are blind, so
try and find someone to guide you. You are ignorant, so try and find
someone to teach you. Then when you come across him, hold on to him
tight, accept his words and his views, and take him as your guide to the
highroad. Once you have reached it, stay there until you get to know
it really well, for then everyone who has lost his way will seek refuge
with you, and you will become a food-station [£abaq: lit., “large tray”]
for the poor and the needy.
One feature of chivalry [futuwwa] is keeping the secret of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and molding one’s behavior [takhalluq]
with people on a good moral character [khulq ¥asan]. Where do you
stand in the quest for the Lord of Truth, and in being content with Him
to the exclusion of all else? Have you not heard His words (Almighty
and Glorious is He):
There are some of you who desire this world, and there are some of
you who desire the hereafter. (3:152)
In another place He adds:
...desiring His countenance. (18:28)
If your luck [bakht] is good, the hand of [divine] jealousy will come and
save you from the hand of everyone aart from the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and it will take you to the gate of
nearness to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), for:
There, protection belongs only to Allåh, the True. (18:44)
When you have achieved this completely, both this world and the
hereafter will come to you as servants [khådimatain], with no trouble or
inconvenience. Knock on the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), and stand fast at his door, because if you stay there you
will learn to distinguish the various notions [khawå£ir] that arise in you:
The selfish notion [khå£ir an-nafs]; the notion prompted by passion
[khå£ir al-hawå]; the notion arising from the heart [khå£ir al-qalb]; the
diabolical notion [khå£ir Iblºs]; and the angelic notion [khå£ir al-malak].
39
You will be told: “This notion is valid [¥aqq], and this one is false [bå£il].”
You will learn to recognize each one by its distinguishing characteristic.
When you have reached this stage [maqåm], you will receive a notion
from the Lord of Truth [khå£ir mina’l-ªaqq] (Almighty and Glorious is
He), which will train you, stabilize you, make you stand up and make
you sit down, set you in motion and bring you to rest, and tell you what
you must and must not do.
O my people! Seek neither addition nor subtraction, neither advance-
ment nor postponement, because destiny [qadar] has already encom-
passed each one of you as a separate individual. There is not one of you
who does not have a record [kitåb] and a time frame [ta›rºkh] peculiar to
himself. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
Your Lord has finished the work of creation [khalq], providence [rizq]
and timing [ajal]. The pen has run dry on what is to be.
Allåh has already settled everything. His decree [qaæå›] is eternally
predetermined [såbiq]. Yet the law [¥ukm] has come, and commandment,
prohibition and obligation have been superimposed, so it is not permis-
sible for anyone to use predestination as an argument against the law.
One should rather say:
He shall not be questioned as to what He does, but they shall be
questioned. (21:23)
O my people! Act in accordance with this outer aspect, this black-
on-white, until it brings you to act in accordance with the inner aspect
of this matter. If you act on this outer [zåhir] it will lead you to
understanding of the inner [bå£in]. The first to grasp it will be your
innermost being [sirr], then your heart [qalb] will convey it to your
personal faculties [nafs]. Your personal faculties will convey it to your
tongue, and your tongue will convey it to the people, to whom it will
be transmitted for their welfare and benefit.
How good it would be for you, if you complied with the wishes of the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and loved Him! Alas for
you, you merely pretend to love Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Surely you know that such love has preconditions? These preconditions
include compliance with His wishes regarding yourself and other
people. Further preconditions are that you must not rely on anyone but
40
Him, and that you feel comfortable with Him and not ill at ease in His
presence. When the love of Allåh takes up residence in a servant’s
heart, he delights in His company and hates everything that distracts
him from it. Repent your false claim! This is not something that comes
about through pious seclusion, making wishes, lying, hypocrisy and
artificial show. Repent, and stick to your repentance, because the
important thing is not your mere repentance, but your sticking to it.
The important thing is not that you plant a seed, but that it should take
root, put out branches and yield fruit.
41
Fifth Discourse
42
you know Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) by experience, yet you
turn away and deny Him! Do not turn away from Him, because then
you will be deprived of all that is good. Be patient with Him; do not lose
patience with Him. Do you not know that he who has patience has
power [man ƒabara qadara]? What sense does this make? What is this
haste in aid of? Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
O you who believe, be patient, and vie in patience; be steadfast, and
observe your duty to Allåh, in order that you may succeed. (3:200)
On the subject of patience we find many verses [åyåt] in the Qur›ån,
all pointing out what goodness and blessings it contains, what fine
rewards and gifts and comforts, for both this world and the hereafter.
You must make a practice of it, and then you will see the benefit,
here and now as well as in the future. You must visit the tombs [qub«r],
pay calls upon the righteous [ƒåli¥«n], and perform deeds of charity
[fi‹l al-khair], then your affairs will get on the right track. Do not be
among those who take no notice of good advice, and who fail to practice
what they do hear. Four things make your religion disappear:
First: That you do not practice what you know [lå ta‹mal«na bimå
ta‹lam«n];
Second: That you practice what you do not know [ta‹mal«na bimå lå
ta‹lam«n];
Third: That you do not learn what you do not know [lå tata‹allam«na
må lå ta‹lam«n], and so remain ignorant;
Fourth: That you prevent people from learning what they do not
know [min ta‹allumi må lå ya‹lam«n].
O my people! When you attend sessions dedicated to the practice of
divine remembrance [majålis adh-dhikr], you go there for the pleasant
entertainment, not for the spiritual therapy [mudåwåt]. You contradict
the exhortation of the preacher [wå‹iœ] and come to the defense of sin
and error, as you ridicule, mock and poke fun at him. You are playing
a risky game. You are each on your own with Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Repent and mend your ways. Do not imitate the
enemies of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). Use what you hear
to good advantage.
43
47
of Him, you have no security in this world or the hereafter. The dread
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) is the very essence of knowledge.
This is why Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Only those of His servants fear Allåh who have knowledge. (38:28)
No one fears Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) except for those
who have knowledge and put that knowledge into practice [al-‹ulamå›u’l-
‹ummålu bi’l-‹ilm], those who both know and act, and do not expect any
reward for their deeds from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Rather do they seek His countenance and nearness to Him.
They wish for His love [ma¥abba] and to be delivered from His
remoteness and separation. They wish to have no door, worldly or
otherworldly, shut in their faces. They care nothing for this world, for
the hereafter, or for anything apart from Him. This world belongs to
one set of people, the hereafter belongs to another set of people, and the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) belongs to yet another set
of people, namely to the truly convinced believers who really know and
love Him [al-mu›min«n al-m«qin«n al-‹årif«n al-mu¥ibb«n], who are
dutiful and humbly submissive toward Him [al-muttaq«n al-khåshi‹«n],
and who are grief-stricken and contrite [al-ma¥z«n«n al-munkasir«n] for
His sake. These are a set of people who fear Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) in the unseen [bi’l-ghaib]. He is invisible [ghå›ib: lit.,
absent] to their external eyes, but present [¥ådir] in front of the eyes of
their hearts. How can they fail to fear Him, when He is every day about
some awesome business, effecting change and transformation, helping
this one and disappointing this other, bringing this one to life and
causing this other to die, accepting this one and rejecting this other,
drawing this one near and keeping this other at a distance?
He shall not be questioned as to what He does, but they shall be
questioned. (21:23)
O Allåh, bring us near to You, do not send us far away from You, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
49
Sixth Discourse
clothed. I rejoice at how someone like him has turned out under my
instruction.
O young man! My goal is you, not I; that you should be transformed,
not I. I have already made the crossing. The affection you feel for me
is really for your own sake. Hang on to me, so that you can make the
crossing swiftly.
O my people! Cut out that arrogance toward Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and His creatures. Recognize what you actually amount
to, and be modest about yourselves. You started out as a sordid drop of
a nasty-looking liquid, and you will end up as a corpse to be discarded.
Do not be the kind of person who is driven by greed and chased by
desire, the type whose desires will carry him to the doors of potentates
[sal壺n], in the hope of getting something from them which is not his
allotted share, or to get from them through groveling and degradation
that which has already been destined for him. The Prophet (Allåh bless
him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
The harshest punishment Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) inflicts
on His servant is the quest for what has not been destined for him.
Woe unto you, so ignorant of destiny [qadar] and of the Pre-ordainer
[Muqaddir]! Do you imagine that the sons of this world are capable of
giving you that which has not been allotted to you? This must be
the whispering [waswasa] of Satan, who has taken possession of your
heart and your head. You are no servant of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). You are merely the servant of your lower self [nafs], your
passions [hawå], your devil [shai£ån], your natural instincts [tab‹], your
cents and your dollars [lit., your dirham and your dºnår]. Endeavor to
observe a successful person [mufli¥], so that you may succeed by applying
his method [£arºq].
According to one of the wise (may Allåh have mercy upon him):
“He who has not seen a successful person will never succeed.”
You do see one who is successful, but you see him with the eyes in your
head, not with the eyes of your heart, your innermost being and your
faith. Faith you do not possess, so you will surely have no insight with
which to examine someone other than yourself. As Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) has said:
For indeed it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts
within the bosoms. (22:46)
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52
Him to grant you certitude [al-yaqºn] and delight your heart therewith,
and to employ all your limbs and organs in obedience to Him. Apply
to Him for everything, not to anyone other than Him. Do not submit
to a creature like yourself, but to Him and to Him alone, and let all your
dealings be with Him and for His sake, not the sake of any other.
O young man! Literal learning [fiqh al-lisån] without the action of the
heart will not advance you by a single step toward the Truth. The
journey is the journey of the heart. Nearness is the nearness of the
innermost beings [al-asrår]. The work [‹amal] is the work of meanings
and intentions [al-ma‹ånº], together with physical observance of the
rules of the sacred law [¥ud«d ash-shar‹], and humility toward Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and His servants. He who attaches
importance to himself, has no importance. He who shows off his deeds
to other people, has no deed to his credit. Good deeds must be done in
private, not performed in public situations, apart from those obligatory
religious duties [farå›iæ] which are necessarily exposed to view.
Since you have long neglected to consolidate the foundation, what
will it profit you to consolidate the superstructure above it? If the
building is altered when the foundation has been secured, you can still
explore the building. The foundation of good deeds is the affirmation
of Unity [taw¥ºd] and sincerity [ikhlåƒ], so no good deed can be credited
to someone who has neither taw¥ºd nor sincerity. Give your work a firm
foundation by practicing taw¥ºd and sincerity, then build your deeds
with the power and strength of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
not with your own power and strength. The hand of Unity [yad
at-taw¥ºd] is the builder, not the hand of polytheism [shirk] and hypocrisy
[nifåq]. The affirmer of Unity [muwa¥¥id] is the one whose work acquires
high value, not so the hypocrite [munåfiq].
O Allåh, keep us far removed from hypocrisy in all our circum-
stances, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Seventh Discourse
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55
His decisions does not win His approval. One who does not give does
not receive. One who does not carry burdens does not get to ride.
O ignoramus! You want everything changed and turned around.
What you want is a second God [ilåh]. You want Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) to comply with your wishes, but you have this back to
front. Turn it the other way and you will get it right.
But for the decrees of destiny [al-aqdår], false claims would not be
recognized for what they are. When practical tests [tajårib] are conducted,
essential natures are revealed. Deny your own self its denial of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). If you were self-critical, you
could be critical of others. To the extent that your faith is strong, you
may eliminate abuses [munkaråt], and to the extent that it is weak, you
should sit at home and pretend you have lost your tongue on the subject
of their elimination. The feet of faith are those that stand firm in the
encounter with the devils among men and jinn; they are those that
stand firm when trials and tribulations befall. The feet of your faith are
unsteady, so do not lay claim to faith. Hate all things and love the
Creator of all things, then if He makes you love one of the things you
have hated, you may do so in safety, because He is the One giving rise
to the love, not you. This is why the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give
him peace) said:
I have been made to love three things belonging to this world of yours:
perfume, women and my chief comfort [lit., the cooling of my eye], the
ƒalåt-prayer.
He was made to love them after disliking, forsaking, renouncing and
shunning them. You must now rid your heart of everything aside from
Him, until He makes you love whatever part thereof He will.
56
Eighth Discourse
and His blessing and benefit will clothe you and enfold you in their
embrace. Flee to Him. Dedicate yourself wholly to Him, naked, with
no you and no one other than you. Move toward Him in isolation,
distinct from any other than Him. Move toward Him separately, apart,
until He joins and connects you to your inner and outer forces [quwå
œåhirika wa-bå£inika]. Even if He were to close the whole universe [al-
akwån] against you, and make you carry all its burdens, this would do you
no harm; not at all, for He would protect you throughout.
When someone blots out creatures by virtue of his realization of
Unity [taw¥ºd], blots out this world by virtue of his renunciation [zuhd],
and blots out everything else apart from his Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He) by virtue of his longing, that person is completely
prepared for righteousness [ƒalå¥] and success [najå¥], and he will enjoy
the all the blessings of this world and the hereafter. You must
experience the mortification of your lower selves, your desires and your
devils, before you die. Experience the special death [al-mawt al-kh僃]
before the common death [al-mawt al-‹åmm].
O my people! Respond to me, for I am the crier of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), calling you to His door and His obedient service.
I am not calling you to myself. The hypocrite does not call the people
to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He); he is a self-promoter. He is
looking for favors and acceptance, seeking worldly gain.
O ignorant one, you give up listening to words like these, and sit there
in your cell, with only your own self and your passions for company!
What you need first is the fellowship of the Shaikhs [shuy«kh], and the
slaying of the lower self, the natural instincts and everything apart from
the Master (Almighty and Glorious is He). You must stay by the door
of their houses, I mean the Shaikhs’, then after that you may go off by
yourself, and sit in your cell alone with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). When this has been fully accomplished by you, you will
come to be a remedy for the people, a rightly guided guide [hådº mahdº]
by permission of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
As you are now, your tongue is pious [wari‹], but your heart is immoral
[fåjir]. Your tongue praises Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), while
your heart resists Him. Your outer being is a Muslim, but your inner is
an unbeliever [kåfir]. Your outer is a monotheist [muwa¥¥id], but your
inner is a polytheist [mushrik].
58
Your asceticism [zuhd] is part of your facade. Your religion [dºn] is part
of your facade. Inwardly, you are a mess. It is like whitewash on the
water closet, i.e. the toilet, or a lock on the garbage can. Since this is
how you are, Satan has set up camp in your heart and made it a place
for him to live in.
The believer starts with the development of his inner being, then
tackles the development of his outer being. Someone who is constructing
a house will spend large sums of money on its interior while the gateway
is just rubble; he will leave fixing the entrance until after he has
completed the main building. One must likewise begin with Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and earning His good pleasure [riæå], and
then pay attention to creatures with His permission. The first stage is
to acquire [ta¥ƒºl] the hereafter, and only then to obtain one’s allotted
shares [aqsåm] in this world.
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Ninth Discourse
60
61
aware of Himself, taking them by the hand and saving them from
disasters, looking into their hearts and providing them with sustenance
from sources beyond their imagination?
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said in one of His Books:
O son of Adam, be as unassuming with Me as you would be with your
good neighbor.
The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
If the servant locks his doors, pulls down his shutters and hides away
from people, then commits sins against Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) in private, Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will say: “O son
of Adam, you treat Me as the least significant of those who are watching
you!”
62
Tenth Discourse
63
64
65
Paying court to creatures is the very same thing as turning one’s back
on the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). You will find no
salvation [falå¥] until you break off relations with people of influence
and means, and stop regarding creatures as the source of benefit and loss.
You are healthy yet sick, rich yet poor, alive yet dead, existent yet
nonexistent. Till when this running away from the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and avoidance of Him? Till when the
cultivation of this world and the devastation of the hereafter? Each one
of you has but a single heart, so how can he love both worlds with it?
How can it contain both the Creator and the creation [al-khåliq wa’l-
khalq]? How can this be achieved as a simultaneous condition in a single
heart? This is a falsehood, and as the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give
him peace) says:
Falsehood holds itself aloof from faith [al-kadhibu mujånibu’l-ºmån].
Each earthenware pot exudes its own contents. Your deeds are clues
to the firmness of your belief [i‹tiqåd]. Your outer is a clue to your inner.
This is why a certain wise man said: “The outer is the address of the
inner [aœ-œåhir ‹unwån al-bå£in].” Your inner is outwardly apparent to
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and to His special
favorites [khaw僃] among His servants. If one of these should ever come
your way, you must behave decently in his presence. Repent your sins
before meeting with him, consider yourself insignificant beside him,
and relate to him with humility. If you humble yourself for the sake of
the righteous [aƒ-ƒåli¥«n], you are likely to be humble toward Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Humble yourself, therefore, because
when a person humbles himself, Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
will raise him up high. Be on your best behavior with anyone who is
senior to you, because the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace)
has said:
Blessed grace [baraka] resides in your seniors [akåbir].
The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) was not intending
to refer to seniority in age alone, but to advanced age combined with
pious dedication [taqwå] to fulfilling the commandments and observing
the prohibitions [of the sacred law], and constant adherence to the
66
Book and the Sunna [i.e., the Qur›ån and the Prophet’s exemplary
practice]. Of course not, because there is many an elder [shaikh] who
deserves neither respect nor salutation, and in seeing whom there is no
blessed grace. The Seniors [al-akåbir] are the devout [al-muttaq«n], the
righteous [aƒ-ƒåli¥«n], the pious [al-mutawarri‹«n], who put their knowl-
edge into practice [al-‹åmil«na bi’l-‹ilm] and who are sincere in their
practice [al-mukhliƒ«n fi’l-‹amal]. The Seniors are the pure hearts that
turn away from everything apart from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He). The Seniors are the wise hearts with experience of Allåh [al-‹årifa
bi’llåh] (Almighty and Glorious is He), that know and are close to Him.
Whenever hearts abound in knowledge, they draw nearer to their
Master (Almighty and Glorious is He). Whenever a heart contains
love of this world, it is screened from Allåh, and whenever a heart
contains love of the hereafter, it is barred from nearness to Allåh. To
the degree of your longing [raghba] for this world, your longing for the
hereafter is diminished, and to the degree of your longing for the
hereafter, your longing for the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) is diminished. Be aware of your degrees, and do not assign
yourselves to a level [manzil] on which Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) has not placed you. This is why a certain wise man said: “If
someone is not aware of his own degree, the decrees of destiny will make
him aware of it [man lam ya‹rif qadrahu ‹arrafat-hu’l-aqdåru qadrahu].”
Do not sit in a place from which you will be made to get up. When you
enter a house, do not sit in a place in which the master of the house has
not invited you to sit, because you may be told to move. If you refuse,
you will be forced to get up, suffer humiliation, and be obliged to leave.
O young man! You have been wasting your life on the study of books
and memorizing the knowledge in them without putting it into practice.
What good will it do you? As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) has said:
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will say to the Prophets and the
scholars on the Day of Resurrection: “You were the shepherds of the
people, so how did you care for your flocks?” And He will say to the
kings and the rich folk: “You were the custodians of my treasures. Did
you reach out to the poor? Did you educate the orphans? Did you refund
My due, which I prescribed to you?”
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Follow the group [qawm] who understand none but the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), who listen to none but Him, and who
see none but Him. Suffer with patience the harm done by people, as you
seek the good pleasure [riæå] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Patiently endure the various trials by which He puts
you to the test.
This is the normal practice [da›b] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) in dealing with His humble chosen servants [ma‹a ‹ibådihi’l-
muƒ£afaina’l-mukhbitºn]. He cuts them off from everything, and tests
them with various misfortunes, disasters and ordeals. He makes things
cramped for them in this world and the hereafter, and everywhere from
the heavenly throne [al-‹arsh] to the earth below. Thus He annihilates
their existence. Then, when He has annihilated their present exist-
ence, He brings them into being for Him and for no other. He makes
them reside with Him and not with any other. He produces them as
another creation. In His own words (Almighty and Glorious is He):
Then We produced it as another creation. So blessed be Allåh, the
Best of Creators! (23:14)
The first creation was generic [mushtarak], but this creation is uniquely
individual [mufrad]. He makes him distinct from his brethren and all
other members of the human race. He changes his former character
[ma‹nå] and replaces it. He makes what was his high point become his
low point. He makes him a holy [rabbånº: lit., belonging entirely to the
Lord], spiritual [r«¥ånº] being, whose heart has no room for contem-
plating creation, and the door of whose innermost being [sirr] is barred
to creatures. He makes this world and the hereafter, the Garden [of
Paradise] and the Fire [of Hell], and all created things and entities,
appear to him as one single thing. Then He hands this thing over to his
innermost being, and he swallows it whole, although there is no sign of
his having done so.
Thus He manifests His power, as He manifested it in the staff of Moses
(peace be upon him). Glory be to the One who manifests His power in
whatever He wishes to whomever He wishes! The staff of Moses
swallowed many bulky objects, such as ropes and other things, without
any change in its shape and size. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and
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Glorious is He) wished to teach them that this was divine power [qudra]
at work, not philosophical wisdom [¥ikma], because what the magicians
[sa¥ara] did on that day was philosophy and mechanical engineering
[handasa], whereas what was manifested in the staff of Moses (peace be
upon him) was power from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He), a preternatural phenomenon [kharq ‹åda] and a miracle [mu‹jiza].
This is why the leader of the magicians said to one of his companions:
“Take a look at Moses. What condition is he in?” and the man replied:
“His complexion seems to have altered, and the staff is doing its work.”
Then he said: “This is through the action of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), not of his own doing, because a magician is not afraid
of his own magic [si¥r] and the craftsman does not fear his own work.”
Then he believed in Him, and his companions followed his lead.
O young man! When will you move up from wisdom to power? When
will your putting wisdom into practice lead you to the power of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He)? When will your sincerity [ikhlåƒ] in
your actions lead you to the door of nearness to your Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He)? When will the sun of direct knowledge [ma‹rifa]
let you see the faces of the hearts of the common folk [al-‹awåmm] and
the élite [al-khaw僃]?
Do not flee from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) on
account of His trials. He is only testing you to find out whether or not
you will go back to material concerns [as-sabab] and leave His door.
Will you revert to the outer or to the inner? To the perceptible or to
the imperceptible? To the visible or to the invisible?
O Allåh, do not put us to the test! O Allåh, bless us with nearness
to You without a trial! O Allåh, [grant us] nearness and kindness!
O Allåh, [grant] nearness with no remoteness! We lack the strength to
bear remoteness from You, and to suffer tribulation, so bless us with
nearness to You, as well as not having to go through the fire of
misfortunes. But if there is to be no escape from the fire of misfortunes,
let us experience it like the salamander, which is born and bred in the
fire, and is neither harmed nor burned by it. Let it be for us like the fire
of Abraham, Your special friend [khalºl]. Cause herbs to grow all around
us, as You caused them to grow around him. Enable us to need nothing
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at all, as You enabled him. Befriend us and take care of us, as You took
care of him, and protect us as You protected him. Ámºn.
Abraham (peace be upon him) found the companion [rafºq] before
the road [£arºq], the neighbor [jår] before the house [dår], the close friend
[anºs] before the loneliness, the healthy diet [¥imya] before the sickness,
patience before the affliction, and cheerful acceptance before the
verdict. Learn from your father Abraham (peace be upon him). Take
him as your model in his words and his deeds. Glory be to the One who
treated him kindly in the sea of his misfortune; the One who set him the
task of swimming in the sea of affliction and helped him through it; the
One who set him the task of charging against the enemy, while He was
by the horse’s head; the One who set him the task of climbing to a lofty
spot, while His hand was at his back; the One who set him the task of
inviting the people to his meal, while He took care of the expense! This
is the inner, hidden kindness.
O young man! Be with Allåh in silence at the advent of His decree
and His action, so that you may experience many kindnesses from Him.
Have you not heard of young Galen the philosopher [Jålºn«s al-¥akºm],
and how he pretended to be dumb and stupid and speechless, until he
became the store of all knowledge? The wisdom of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) will not come toward your heart because of your
frequent raving, your quarreling and finding fault with Him.
O Allåh, bless us with harmony and the abandonment of discord, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Eleventh Discourse
72
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Restrain the tongue of your lower self from its tendency to complain
to fellow creatures. Be an adversary for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) against it and against all creatures. You must command
them to obey Him and forbid them to sin against Him. You should
prevent them from going astray, introducing heretical innovations
[ibtidå‹], following the passions and indulging the lower self. You should
instruct them to follow the Book of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
and the Sunna of Allåh’s Messenger (Allåh bless him and give him peace).
O my people! Respect the Book of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He) and take it as the guide to your behavior. It is the link between you
and Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). Do not consider it to be a
thing created [makhl«q]. Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) says:
“This is My speech [kalåm],” and you are saying “No!” Anyone who
contradicts Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and maintains that
the Qur›ån is a created object, is guilty of unbelief [kufr] in Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and this Qur݌n is quit of him. This
Qur݌n which is recited, which is read, which is heard, which is seen,
which is written down in copied texts [maƒå¥if], this is His speech
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Imåm ash-Shåfi‹i and Imåm A¥mad
[ibn ªanbal] (may Allåh be well pleased with them both) maintain that
the pen [al-qalam] is created, but what is written with it is uncreated, and
that the heart [qalb] is created, but what is learned by heart is uncreated
[ghayr makhl«q].
O my people! Prove the sincerity of your respect for the Qur݌n by
putting its teachings into practice, not by arguing about it. Firm belief
[i‹tiqåd] is a matter of few words and many deeds. You must have faith
in it. Accept its truth in your hearts, and act upon it with your physical
limbs and organs. Concentrate on what is beneficial to you. Pay no
attention to defective and inferior intellects.
O my people! That which is handed down by tradition [manq«l]
cannot be arrived at by mental deduction, and the received text [naƒƒ]
cannot be superseded by analogical reasoning [qiyås]. Do not pass over
the clear evidence [bayyina] and settle for the unsubstantiated claim.
People’s property is not confiscated on the strength of a claim for which
there is no proof. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace)
has said:
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If people had only to make their claims to have them accepted, one
group would claim the blood and property of another. But the burden
of proof rests on the plaintiff, and the oath on the one who denies
[the claim].
It is useless to have a learned tongue but an ignorant heart. The
Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
There is nothing I am more afraid of for my Community [umma] than
a hypocrite with a learned tongue.
O learned ones! O ignoramuses! O you who are present and you who
are absent! Feel a sense of shame before Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Pay attention to Him with your hearts. Humbly submit to Him.
Let yourselves be forged beneath the hammers of His decree. Be
constantly thankful for His blessings. Shed light on the darkness in
obedience to Him. Then, when this has become real as far as you are
concerned, you will receive the grace [karåma] of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), His honor and His Paradise in this world and the
hereafter.
O young man! Try hard to make sure that nothing remains in this
world that you still love. When this is fully accomplished as far as you
are concerned, you will not be left to your own devices for the twinkling
of an eye. If you become forgetful, you will be reminded, and if you
become careless you will be brought to your senses. He will not allow
you to take notice of anything whatsoever apart from Himself. Those
who have tasted this will know all about it from experience. Members
of this category are a few unique individuals who do not accept reliance
upon creatures.
O hypocrites! Misfortunes and afflictions are uppermost in your
hearts. Whenever the [Lord’s] people look with the eyes of their hearts
at anything other than the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), they are being hypocritical. Their salvation [salåma] lies in placing
their trust in Him, throwing themselves down before Him, blinding
themselves to His creation, and preventing their tongues from raising
objections against Him. Then the days and nights may roll by them,
and the months turn into years, but their condition will be one and the
same, as they remain unchanging with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). They are the most intelligent of all the creatures of
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Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). If you were to see them, you
would call them lunatics [majånºn], and if they saw you they would say:
“These folk do not believe in the Day of Judgment [yawm ad-dºn].” They
are sad and broken-hearted in the presence of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and they are always fearful and
apprehensive. Whenever the veil is lifted to reveal His Majesty and His
Splendor to their hearts, their fear grows all the greater. Their hearts
almost stop beating and their joints nearly come apart. Then, when He
sees them in this condition, He opens up to them the gates of His Mercy
[ra¥ma], His Beauty [jamål] and His Grace [lu£f], giving them hope, so
that their feelings are reassured.
The only people I like to look after are seekers of the hereafter and
seekers of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). As for the
seeker of this world, of creatures and self and desire, what can I do with
him? Of course I would like to give him treatment, because he is sick,
but only a physician has the patience to treat the sick.
Woe unto you! You are trying to keep your condition hidden from
me, but it will not be concealed. You represent yourself to me as a seeker
of the hereafter, although you are actually a seeker of this world. This
delusion in your heart is written on your forehead. Your secret is public
knowledge. That dºnår [gold coin] in your hand is a fake; it has a tiny
fraction of gold, but the rest is silver. You cannot palm it off on me,
because I have seen a lot just like it. Hand it over and let me keep it,
so that I can melt it down, extract the gold it contains, and throw the
rest away. A little bit of good stuff is better than a load of rubbish. Let
me take charge of your dºnår, because I am a coin-minter and I have the
right tools for the job.
Repent your showy pretense [riyå›] and hypocrisy [nifåq], and do not
hesitate to confess yourself guilty of it. The majority of sincere people
[mukhliƒ«n] have been hypocrites in their time. This is why a certain
wise man (may Allåh’s mercy be upon him) said: “Only the hypocrite
[mur固] really knows the meaning of sincerity [ikhlåƒ].” Rarest of the
rare is one who is sincere from the first stage of his career through to the
last. Youngsters at an early stage are given to telling lies and playing
with mud and dirt. They get themselves into dangerous predicaments,
steal from their fathers and their mothers, and spread scandalous rumors
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Twelfth Discourse
80
who are known for it enjoy little respect. You must also beware of the
lustful gaze [an-naœar bi’sh-shahwa], because it plants the seeds of sin in
your hearts, and its outcome is unworthy in this world and the next.
Beware of the false oath [al-yamºn al-kådhiba], because it leaves houses
in ruins and takes away blessings both material and religious.
Woe unto you! You squander your material assets by swearing false
oaths, and lose your religion as well. If you had any sense, you would
realize that this is the very essence of loss. You say: “By Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), there is nothing in this city to compare
with this piece of property, and no one else has anything like it! By
Allåh, it is worth so-and-so much, and it cost me so-and-so much!”
Everything you say is a lie, but then you bear false witness and swear by
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) that you are telling the truth.
Blindness and age will soon come upon you. Correct your behavior—
may Allåh the Exalted have mercy upon you!—in the presence of the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Those who do not
discipline themselves to follow the rules of conduct [ådåb] prescribed by
the sacred law [shar‹], will be disciplined by the Fire [an-når] on the Day
of Resurrection [yawm al-qiyåma].
(Someone spoke up with the question: “If a person is guilty of these
five bad habits, or some of them, do you declare his fast [ƒawm] and his
ritual ablution [wuæ«›] invalid?” He said in reply: “His fast and his ritual
ablution are not invalidated. These remarks are intended rather as an
admonition, to give warning and alarm.”)
O young man! Perhaps when tomorrow comes you will be missing
from the face of the earth, nowhere to be found. Or maybe at some other
hour this will be so. What is this negligence? Your hearts are so hard!
You are all rocks! I tell you, and others tell you too, but you are always
the same way. The Qur›ån is recited to you. The traditions [akhbår] of
the Messenger and the life stories [siyar] of our forebears [al-awwal«n]
are read to you, but you pay no attention. You neither change course
nor mend your ways. If someone is present in a place where warning is
given, but he does not heed that warning, he is in the best of places but
he is the worst of men.
O young man! Your contempt for the friends [awliyå›] of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) results from your having so little direct
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They prefer the desert, the shores of the oceans, the open spaces and
the wastelands, not civilization. They eat the herbs and drink from the
pools to be found in the deserts. They become like the beasts of the wild.
In this situation, He draws their hearts near to Him and delights them
with His company. He lodges their frames with the frames of the
Messengers [mursal«n], the champions of truth [ƒiddºq«n] and the
martyrs [shuhadå›], and He lodges their inner natures with Himself.
They always stand ready to serve, all night and all day, in private. Such
is the comfort of those who yearn, and the pleasure of those who seek
intimacy with Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
O young man! Sweetness is inevitably paired with bitterness,
righteousness [ƒalå¥] with corruption [fasåd], and turbulence [kadar]
with serenity [ƒafå›]. If you wish for total serenity, therefore, you must
detach your heart from creatures and connect it to the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). You must part company with this
world. Leave your family and entrust them to the safekeeping of your
Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Strip your heart bare of every-
thing, approach the door of the hereafter and then enter it. If you do
not find your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) in there, come out
of it and flee in quest of nearness to Him. When you find Him, you will
find complete serenity in His presence. What has the lover [mu¥ibb] of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) to do with anything other than
Him? Paradise is the home of those who seek spiritual status [darajåt],
the home of merchants who have traded this world for it. This is why
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And therein is all that selves [anfus] desire and eyes delight in. (43:71)
He does not mention the heart [qalb]. He does not mention the
innermost being [sirr]. He does not mention spiritual content [ma‹nå].
Paradise belongs to upright keepers of the fast, to those who renounce
and abstain from the desires and pleasures of the flesh. They have
traded one kind of food for another kind of food, a garden for a garden,
an abode for an abode.
From you I want deeds without talk. The gnostic [‹årif] who works for
the sake of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) is an anvil that gets
hammered on, but never says a word; a plot of land that gets trodden
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over, changed and altered, but stays quite dumb. The [Lord’s] people
see none other than Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and none but
Him do they hear. They have an inner core [janån] but no tongue [lisån].
They become extinct [fån«n] to themselves and to others, and they
remain in this condition. When Allåh wishes, He resurrects them
[ansharahum]. He makes the inner core a tongue, as if they were drugged
[mubannaj«n]. The King takes them to Himself with the hand of His
compassion [ra›fa] and mercy [ra¥ma]. He shapes them for Himself and
creates them for Himself, not for any other. He fashions them for
Himself as He fashioned Moses (peace be upon him), for as He told him:
“I have fashioned you for Myself” (20:41).
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-
Seeing. (42:11).
He brings into being a rest with no weariness, a friendship with no
alienation, a blessing with no pain, a joy with no unpleasantness, a
sweetness with no bitterness, a dominion with no damnation.
There, protection belongs only to Allåh, the True. (18:44)
When someone has attained this state, comfort [rå¥a] is made
available to him here and now. In the condition you are in, however,
you will not find comfort in this world, because it is the abode of
turbulence, the abode of disasters. You are bound to leave it, so you
should expel it from your heart and from your hand. If you cannot
manage this, then keep it in your hand, but expel it from your heart.
Then, when you get stronger, let it go from your hand and give it to the
poor. The needy are the dependents of the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He). Besides, what is meant for you will not pass you
by; it is bound reach you whether you be rich or poor, an ascetic [zåhid]
or one with an appetite for things [råghib].
The central point is the soundness and purity of your heart and your
innermost being, both of which become pure through the acquisition
of knowledge, its application in practice, sincerity in that practice, and
honesty in seeking the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
O young man! Have you not heard the saying: “Study jurisprudence,
then retire [tafaqqah thumma-‹tazil]”? Study the external jurisprudence
[al-fiqh aœ-œåhir], then retire to the inner jurisprudence [al-fiqh al-bå£in].
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Follow this outer practice until it brings you close to a knowledge you
have not been applying. This outer knowledge is the light of the outer
being, and the inner is the light of the inner. It is a light [æiyå›] between
you and your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Whenever you put
your knowledge into practice, your path [£arºq] to the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) is shortened, the door between you and
Him is widened, and He raises the panel of the door that is specially for
you.
Our Lord, give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and
guard us against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Thirteenth Discourse
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“Not for anything other than Me. Not for passions and pleasures and
vanities. Not for the earth and not for the heavens. Not for Paradise
and not for the Fire [of Hell]. Not for dominion [mulk] and not for
damnation [hulk]. Nothing shall keep you from Me. No other interest
shall hold your attention apart from Me. No image [ƒ«ra] shall distract
you from Me, and no created object [khalºqa] shall block you off from
Me. No desire of the flesh [shahwa] shall satisfy you as a substitute
for Me.”
O young man! Do not despair of the mercy of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) because of any sin you have committed, but wash away
the dirt from the garment of your religion [dºn] with the water of
repentance [tawba], of sustained and sincere repentance. Then perfume
and disinfect that garment with the fragrance of direct experience
[ma‹rifa]. Beware of this situation you are in at present, because
whichever way you turn there are beasts of prey all around you, and
harmful influences are at work upon you. Extricate yourself from it, and
restore your heart to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Do not live to suit your natural impulses [£ab‹], your lust [shahwa] and
your passion [hawå], but to meet the standards of two impartial wit-
nesses [shåhidån ‹adlån], namely the Book [of Allåh] and the Sunna [of
the Prophet]. Then look for two other witnesses, namely your heart and
the working [fi‹l] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). If the Book,
the Sunna and your heart have given you permission, wait for the
fourth, meaning the working of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Do not be like one who gathers wood at night, who gathers without
knowing what he may be picking up. [Wait] for it to be Creator-and-
creature [al-Khåliq wa’l-khalq]. This is not something that comes with
self-flattery, wishful thinking, affectation and artificiality. Rather is it
something that resides within the breast [ƒadr], and is confirmed by
work [‹amal]. Which work? The work that is done for the sake of Allåh
(Exalted is He).
O young man! Good health lies in giving up the quest for good health.
Affluence lies in giving up the quest for affluence. The remedy lies in
giving up the quest for the remedy. The whole of the remedy consists
in submission [taslºm] to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), in cutting material ties [asbåb] and repudiating overlords [arbåb] as
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impulse [£ab‹] and desire [hawå]. He will return you to [the fulfillment
of] your destiny so that the principle [qån«n] of His foreknowledge
concerning you shall not be annulled. You will experience all that has
been allotted to you, while your heart remains with the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He).
Hear and become aware, O ignorant ones, of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and His saints [awliyå›]. O you who
disparage the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His
saints! The truth is the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He),
and falsehood is you, O creatures. The truth [al-¥aqq] resides in the
hearts [qul«b], the innermost beings [asrår] and the spiritual contents
[ma‹ånº], while falsehood [al-bå£il] resides in the lower selves [nuf«s], the
passions [ahwiya], the natural impulses [£ibå‹], the habitual modes of
behavior [‹ådåt], the ways of the world and all that is apart from the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
This heart cannot prosper until it is connected to the close presence
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), the Everlasting
from All Eternity [al-Qadºm al-Azalº], the Enduring for All Eternity
[ad-Då›im al-Abadº]. Do not try to compete, O hypocrite, for you have
nothing better than this. You are the slave [‹abd] of your bread and
butter and your candies, of your clothes and your horse and your worldly
authority. The sincere heart [al-qalb aƒ-ƒådiq] travels away from crea-
tures toward the Creator. When it sees things along the way, it salutes
them and passes by.
Those men of learning who put their learning into practice [al-‹ulamå›
al-‹åmil«na bi-‹ilmihim] are the deputies of the venerable forefathers
[nuwwåb as-salaf]. They are the heirs [waratha] of the Prophets [al-anbiyå›]
and the remnants of the worthy successors [al-khalaf]. They are paraded
before these noble predecessors, who command them to build construc-
tively in the city [madºna] of the sacred law [shar‹], and forbid them to
let it go to ruin. They shall be assembled on the Day of Resurrection,
they and the Prophets (peace be upon them) together, to receive their
reward in full from their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
As for the scholar who does not put his knowledge into practice,
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has compared him to a donkey,
for He has said:
Their likeness is as the likeness of a donkey carrying tomes. (62:5)
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The “tomes” [asfår] are the books of knowledge. Can a donkey derive
any benefit from such books? It gets nothing from them but a weary
burden and fatigue. When a person acquires more knowledge, he must
also acquire more fear of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and
greater obedience to Him. O you who lay claim to knowledge, where
is your connection with the fear of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He)? Where are your caution and your dread? Where is your acknowl-
edgment of your sins? Where is your link with the light in the darkness,
through obedience to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)? Where is
your self-discipline, your struggle with the self and your hostility against
it on the side of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)? The
only things you aspire to are the robe and the turban, food and sexual
intercourse, houses and shops, spending time with people and enjoying
their company. Turn your attention away from all of these things,
because if any share in them is destined for you, it will come to you in
its own good time. Meanwhile, your heart can be relieved of the strain
of anticipation and the burden of greed, residing with the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). So why exhaust yourself over some-
thing that requires no effort?
O young man! Your seclusion [from the world] is corrupt, not
genuine. It is polluted, not purified. What am I to do with you? In your
heart there is no genuine affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd], no true sincerity
[ikhlåƒ]. O sleepy ones who are not sleepily neglected! O rejecters who
are not rejected! O forgetful ones who are not forgotten! O abandoners
who are not abandoned! O you who are ignorant of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and His Messenger (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) and those who came in earlier or later times, you are like sawn-
off lengths of wood that are fit for no useful purpose!
Our Lord, give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and
guard us against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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and the earth and everything between them fade into insignificance in
comparison with their hearts and their innermost beings [asrår]. He
makes them extinct to any but Himself, and makes them exist in Him.
Then, if they still have allotted shares in this world, He restores them
to their humanity [ådamiyya], to their human condition [bashariyya], to
fulfill their destinies [aqsåm], so that there shall be no alteration of the
[divine] foreknowledge [‹ilm], preordination [såbiqa] and decree [qaæå›].
Thus they behave correctly in relation to the knowledge of Allåh, His
decree and His predestination [qadar]. They receive what they are
given in a spirit of abstinence and resignation, not selfishly, passion-
ately and willfully. With them, the external law [al-¥ukm aœ-œåhir] is
faithfully observed under all circumstances. They are not miserly in
worldly dealings with people. If they could, they would bring them all
close to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). No item of
things created and temporal retains an atom’s weight in their hearts.
As long as you stay with this world, you have no connection with the
hereafter. As long as you stay with the hereafter, you have no connec-
tion with the Master [al-Mawlå]. Be an active practitioner [‹åmil]. Do
not feign ignorance. You are one of those whom Allåh has allowed to
go knowingly astray.
Getting in touch with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He) is partly a matter of putting the poor in touch with some of your
possessions. Do you not realize that charity [ƒadaqa] is a transaction
[mu‹åmala] with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), who
is both Rich [Ghanº] and Generous [Karºm]? And does one lose in doing
business with the rich and generous? Spend one speck of dust for the
sake of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and He will give you a
mountain. Spend one drop of water, and He will give you an ocean. In
this world and also in the hereafter, He will give you your recompense
and your reward in full.
O my people! If you do business with the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) your crops will thrive, your rivers will flow, and your
trees will put forth leaves and branches and fruit. Command what is
right and proper [al-ma‹r«f], and forbid what is wrong and improper
[al-munkar]. Help the religion [dºn] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) to be victorious, and fight against its foes. The truly loyal friend
[aƒ-ƒiddºq] is one whom you befriend for good. His faithful friendship
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The champion of truth constantly devotes the greater part of his days
and his nights to the service [‹ibåda] of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious
is He). He goes beyond the ordinary customs [‹awå›id] of people, so the
customary order of things [al-‹åda] will certainly be rearranged for his
benefit. He will receive provision from sources he could never imagine,
which he will be offered and ordered to accept. Things will be his free
and clear, because for so long he was deprived. His feelings of need were
broken in his breast, and he bore his disappointments with patience.
He suffered rejection in all his situations. He used to pray, but his
prayers would go unanswered. He used to ask, but his request would not
be granted. He used to offer thanks, but would only get more of what
he had to complain of. He would seek relief, but never found it. He
would do his pious duty, but never saw a way out of his difficulties. He
would affirm the Divine Unity and do his work sincerely, but never
experienced nearness to the One for whose sake he was working, as if
he were neither a believer [mu›min] nor a monotheist [muwa¥¥id]. Yet
in spite of all this, he was always polite and patient in the face of these
provocations. He knew that his patience was a remedy for his heart, and
a means by which to calm it and bring it nearer [to the Lord]. He knew
that good would come to him after this testing experience [ikhtibår],
because this test would distinguish the believer from the hypocrite, the
monotheist from the polytheist [mushrik], the sincere man [mukhliƒ]
from the pretender [mur固], the courageous hero from the coward, the
steadfast from the fickle, the patient from the impatient, the truthful
from the false, the honest man from the liar, the lover from the hater,
and the faithful follower [muttabi‹] from the heretical innovator [mubtadi‹].
Hear the words of one of the wise (may the mercy of Allåh be upon
him), who said: “Be in this world like one who licks his wounds and
takes his bitter medicine patiently, hoping the affliction will pass
away.” All misfortunes and sicknesses are due to your idolatrous
association [shirk] with creatures, and your regarding them as the source
of injury and benefit, of giving and withholding. The whole remedy for
misfortune, the only way to get rid of it, lies in the departure of creatures
from your heart, in the firmness of your resolve when the decrees of
destiny are handed down, in your not seeking to lead the people and lord
it over them, in the total devotion of your heart to your Lord (Almighty
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and Glorious is He), the pure dedication of your innermost being [sirr]
to Him, and the loftiness of your aspiration toward Him.
When this becomes real for you, your heart will raised up to join the
ranks of the Prophets [an-nabiyy«n], the Messengers [al-mursal«n], the
martyrs [ash-shuhadå›], the righteous [aƒ-ƒåli¥«n], and the angels brought
near [al-malå›ika al-muqarrab«n]. As long as it lasts for you, you will be
magnified, glorified, exalted, promoted, and entrusted with authority
and command. You will receive what you are to receive. You will be
entrusted with what is to be entrusted to you. You will be given what
you are to be given. The one who is deprived is he who is deprived of
hearing these words, of faith [ºmån] in them, and of respect for those to
whom they apply.
O you who are too preoccupied with your livelihoods to give me your
attention! The [true] livelihood is with me. The profits are with me.
The goods of the hereafter are with me. I am sometimes an advertising
agent [munådin], at other times a broker [simsår], and the owner of the
goods at yet another time. I give everything its due. If I come by
something from the hereafter, I do not consume it all by myself, because
a generous person does not eat alone. You will never find any
miserliness in anyone who has become aware of the generosity of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Whenever someone has come to know
Allåh (Exalted is He) by experience, everything apart from Him seems
trivial in his sight. Miserliness is from the self, and the self [nafs] of one
who knows from real experience [‹årif] is dead in comparison with the
selves of ordinary people. It is tranquil [mu£ma›inna], trusting in the
promise [wa‹d] of Allåh (Exalted is He), fearful of His threat [wa‹ºd].
O Allåh, grant us the blessings you have bestowed upon Your people,
and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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cage of your appetite for things with the hand of your abstinence from
them. Fly away with your heart until you alight on the shore of the
ocean of your nearness to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Then the sailor of Preordination [as-såbiqa] will come to you. He will
have with him the ship of Providence [al-‹inåya], and so he will take you
across to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
This world is an ocean, and your faith [ºmån] is its ship. This is why
Luqmån the Wise [al-¥akºm] (may Allåh’s mercy be upon him) said:
“O my dear son, this world is an ocean. Faith is the ship. The sailor is
your obedient worship [£å‹åt]. The shore is the hereafter.”
O you who persist in sinful disobedience! Coming to you very soon
are blindness and deafness, old age and poverty, and the hardening of
people’s hearts toward you. Your possessions will all be gone because of
losses, confiscations [muƒådaråt] and thefts. Be sensible. Repent to your
Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Do not make idols of your
possessions and put your trust in them. Do not become attached to
them. Evict them from your hearts. Keep them in your houses and your
pockets, and with your servants [ghilmån] and your agents [wukalå›]. Be
ready for death. Diminish your appetite and reduce your expectations.
Ab« Yazºd al-Bis£åmº (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) is
reported as having said: “The experienced believer [al-mu›min al-‹årif]
seeks nothing of this world and nothing of the hereafter from Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). All he seeks from his Master is his
Master [innamå ya£lubu min Mawlåhu Mawlåhu].”
O young man! Return with your heart to Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). One who is repentant [tå›ib] to Allåh is one who is
returning [råji‹] to Him, and His words (Almighty and Glorious is He):
“Repent unto your Lord,” (39:54) i.e., “Return to your Lord,” mean:
“Turn back and surrender everything to Him.” Surrender your own
selves to Him, and cast them down in submission before His decree, His
destiny, His commandment, His prohibition and His transformative
workings [taqlºbåt]. Cast your hearts down in submission before Him,
without tongues, without hands, without legs, without eyes, without
“How?”, without “Why?”, without argument and without contradiction,
but rather with agreement and confirmation. Say: “The commandment
[al-amr] is true. Destiny [al-qadar] is true. Preordination [as-såbiqa] is true.”
102
If you are like this, your hearts will surely be repentant unto Him and
witness Him directly. They will not take a liking to anything, but rather
feel distaste for everything beneath the heavenly Throne [al-‹arsh]
down to the surface of the earth. They will flee from all created things,
and remain separate and cut off from all temporal phenomena [mu¥dathåt].
No one knows how to behave correctly with the Shaikhs unless he has
served them and become aware of some of the spiritual states [a¥wål]
they experience with Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). The people
[of the Lord] have learned to treat praise and blame like summer and
winter, like night and day. They regard them both as from Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), because no one is capable of bringing
them about except Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). When this
has become real for them, therefore, they do not place their confidence
in those who praise them, nor do they fight with their critics, and they
pay no attention to them. Their hearts have been emptied of both love
and hate for creatures. They neither love nor hate, but rather feel
compassion.
What benefit can you derive from knowledge without sincere belief
[ƒidq], since Allåh may allow you to go knowingly astray? You acquire
learning and do the ƒalåt-prayers and keep the fast, all for the sake of
people, to get them to be well disposed toward you, to lavish their goods
on you, and to sing your praises in their homes and their social
gatherings. Suppose you do get all this from them; when death comes
to you, and torment and anguish and terror, you will be cut off from
them and they will do nothing to help you. The goods you got from
them will be consumed by others, while you must suffer punishment and
face the final reckoning. O deserter! O outcast! You are one of those
who are “toiling, weary” (88:3) in this world, and weary tomorrow in the
Fire [of Hell].
Worshipful service [‹ibåda] is a skilled craft, and its experts are the
saints [al-awliyå›] and the sincere Abdål [spiritual deputies] who are
brought close to the presence of the Lord of Truth (Glorious and
Exalted is He). Those scholars who put their knowledge into practice
are the deputies [nuwwåb] of Allåh upon His earth, and of His Envoys
[rusul]; they are the heirs of the Prophets [al-anbiyå›] and the Messenger
[al-mursal«n]. Not you, O deluded fools, O you who are preoccupied
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is He). Leave good and evil to your outer, and concentrate on your
inner together with the Creator of good and evil. When someone
knows Him directly [‹arafahu], he submits to Him. His tongue grows
weary in His presence. He behaves humbly toward Him and toward His
righteous servants. His cares, his grief and his weeping are multiplied.
His fear and his dread increase, as well as his sense of shame and his
remorse for previous shortcomings. He becomes intensely wary and
afraid of losing the direct experience [ma‹rifa], the knowledge [‹ilm] and
the nearness he has attained, because the Lord of Truth (Glorious and
Exalted is He) is:
Doer of what He will, (11:107) and: He shall not be questioned as
to what He does, but they shall be questioned. (21:23)
He fluctuates between two prospects. Looking back over his negli-
gence, his impudence, his ignorance and his indulgence in pleasure, he
melts with shame and fears chastisement. Then he looks toward the
future, wondering whether he will be accepted or rejected, whether he
will be stripped of all he has been given or allowed to keep it, and
whether on the Day of Resurrection he will be in the company of the
believers or that of the unbelievers. This is why the Prophet (Allåh
bless him and give him peace) has said:
I am the one amongst you who knows Allåh best, and I am the one
amongst you who fears Him most.
The most extraordinary and rare of all those who have real experience
[‹årifºn] is one who receives safe conduct [amn]. What has been
preordained for him is read out to him, so he knows his refuge and how
he will come to arrive there. His innermost being [sirr] reads what is
destined for him on the Preserved Tablet [al-law¥ al-ma¥f«œ]. Then it
informs his heart of this, telling it to keep it a secret and not to make it
known to the lower self [nafs].
The first stage of this business is Islåm, compliance with the com-
mandments and avoidance of the prohibitions, and patient endurance
of misfortunes. Its final stage is the renunciation [zuhd] of everything
apart from the Lord of Truth (Glorious and Exalted is He), and an
attitude of indifference toward gold and dirt, praise and blame, gifts and
the withholding of gifts, Paradise and the Fire [of Hell], blessing and
suffering, affluence and poverty, and the presence and absence of
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meet Him with your heart, your innermost being and your spiritual
content [ma‹nå], provided you always follow the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He), His Messengers [rusul] and His righteous servants.
If you are capable of serving the righteous [aƒ-ƒåli¥«n], then do so,
because it will be good for you in this world and the hereafter. Even if
you possessed the whole of this world, but your heart was not like their
hearts, you would not really possess a single atom. If someone’s heart
is fit for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and is with Him in this
world and the hereafter, he will arbitrate between people of all classes
in accordance with the judgment [¥ukm] of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He).
Woe unto you! You must know your own worth. What are you in
comparison with them? All you are interested in is food, drink, clothes,
sexual intercourse, accumulating worldly goods and wanting more. You
are active in worldly affairs, but lazy in affairs of the hereafter. You are
stuffing your flesh and preparing it for the worms and insects of the
earth. The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is reported
as having said:
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has an angel who cries out every
day, both morning and evening: “O sons of Adam, give birth [to off-
spring] for the sake of death, build for the sake of destruction, and
accumulate [wealth] for the sake of your enemies!”
The believer has a correct intention in all his undertakings. He does
not work in this world for this world’s sake. He builds in this world for
the sake of the hereafter. He constructs mosques [masåjid], bridges,
schools and guesthouses, and mends the roads of the Muslims. If he
builds anything else, it is for the benefit of those who cannot look after
themselves, for widows and the poor, and to meet essential needs. He
does this so that its equivalent will be built for him in the hereafter. He
does not build to satisfy his natural impulse [£ab‹], his desires [hawå] and
his lower self [nafs]. When a human being [ibn Ádam] is truly fit, he is
with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) in all his
circumstances. He comes to be such that his absence [faqd] is because
of Allåh and his presence [wuj«d] is because of Allåh. His heart is linked
to the Prophets [an-nabiyy«n] and the Messengers [al-mursal«n]. He
accepts what they have brought by word and deed, with faith and
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soon be taken from you. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He) has lent you life, so that you may use it to obey Him, but you have
treated it as your own property, and have done with it whatever you
wished. Good health is likewise on loan to you. Affluence is likewise
on loan to you. Likewise security and social status [jåh] and all your
blessings are on loan to you. Do not misuse these loans, because you will
be required to repay them, and will be asked to account for them and
for every detail of them. All the blessings at your disposal are from Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), so use them to help you to obey Him.
To the [Lord’s] people, all the things you like so much are mere
distractions, since they wish for nothing but well-being [salåma] with
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) in this world and the
hereafter.
A certain wise man is reported as having said: “Conform to the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) in respect of creatures, and
do not conform to creatures [al-khalq] in respect of the Lord of Truth
[al-ªaqq]. Those who are broken are broken, and those who are mended
are mended. Learn conformity to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) from His righteous and conforming servants.”
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O ignorant one, where do you stand in all this? You are the slave of
your own self [nafs], your worldly interests [dunyå] and your passions
[hawå]. You are the slave of creatures, idolizing them [mushrik bihim]
because you regard them as the source of harm and benefit. You are next
to the Garden [of Paradise], hoping to enter it, and you are next to the
Fire [of Hell], afraid of entering it.
Where are you, all of you, in relation to the Transformer of hearts and
eyes [Muqallib al-qul«b wa’l-abƒår], the One who says to a thing “Be!”
and it is [kun fa-yak«n (2:117)]?
O young man! Do not delude yourself about your obedient worship
[£å‹a] and pride yourself on it. Beg the Lord of Truth (Glorified and
Exalted is He) to accept it, and be wary and fearful lest He transfer you
to some other condition. What guarantee do you have that your
obedience will not be told to turn into disobedience, and your serenity
to turn into confusion? When someone really knows Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), he does not get attached to anything and has no
illusions about anything. He does not feel secure until he leaves this
world with his religion intact and having preserved his relationship
with Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
O my people! You must activate your hearts and dedicate them
sincerely. Perfect sincerity [ikhlåƒ] is that which precludes everything
apart from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and direct knowledge
[ma‹rifa] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) is the basic principle
[aƒl]. I see most of you as no more than liars in word and deed, in private
and in public. You have no constancy. You have words without deeds,
and deeds with neither sincerity nor affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd].
If you consult the touchstone [mi¥akk] that is in my hands, and it is
favorable to you, what good will this do you? You need to be accepted
and approved by the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Your chips must soon be exposed to smelting and the kindling of fire,
and it will be said: “This is silver, this is ore, this is brass.” Then the
whole lot will be extracted, sorted in preparation for the Day of
Judgment [yawm al-qiyåm]. The same will be said of all your deeds in the
performance of which you behaved hypocritically. Every deed done for
the sake of any other than Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) is null
and void. Let your work, your love, your friendship and your quest be
for the One who has told us:
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-
Seeing. (42:11)
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for him there, because he gave it up for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). He gives His friends [awliyå›] their shares in things
while they are keeping their distance from them. The comforts of the
heart are internal [bå£ina], and the comforts of the self are external
[όhira]. The comforts of the heart come only after the self has been
deprived of its comforts, so when the self is deprived, the gates of the
heart’s comforts are opened. Then, when the heart has received all the
comforts it needs from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), mercy will come to the self. This servant will be told: “Do not kill
your own self,” for its share of comforts will then come to it, and it will
receive them in a state of meekness [wa-hiya mu£ma›inna].
Leave the company of those who excite your interest in this world,
and seek the company of those who encourage you to turn away from
it. Like inclines toward like, each revolving around the other. The
lover gravitates toward lovers, until he finds his beloved among them.
Those who are lovers of Allåh love one another for His sake. He surely
loves them and supports them, and they give one another strength.
They help one another to summon the people, inviting them to faith
[ºmån], affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd] and sincerity [ikhlåƒ] in action.
They take them by the hand and set them on the path of the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). He who serves is served, he who
acts well is treated well, and he who gives will receive. If you act to
deserve the Fire, the Fire [of Hell] will be yours tomorrow.
As you pay allegiance, so shall you receive allegiance [kamå tadºnu
tudånu]....
and:
According to how you are, so shall authority be conferred upon you.
Your deeds are your agents [a‹målukum ‹ummålukum]. You act like
people fit for the Fire, yet you hope for Paradise from Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He). How can you wish for Paradise without doing the
work of those to whom Paradise belongs? The masters of the heart
[arbåb al-qul«b] in this world are those who work with their hearts, not
with their limbs and organs only. Work without the inner feeling
[muwå£a›a] of the heart, what does it accomplish? The showy pretender
[mur固] works with his physical organs, while the sincere person
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[mukhliƒ] works with his heart as well as his physical organs; he works
with his heart before his physical organs. The believer [mu›min] is alive,
while the hypocrite [munåfiq] is dead. The believer works for the sake
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), while the hypocrite works for
the sake of creatures, and looks to them for praise and reward for his
work. The work of the believer is in both his outer and his inner, in both
his private and his public life, in good times and in bad. The work of
the hypocrite is in his public life only. His work is there when times are
good, but when hardship comes along he does no work. He has no
friendship for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). He has no faith in
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), His Messengers or His Books. He
does not remember the Gathering [¥ashr], the Resurrection [nashr] and
the Reckoning [¥isåb]. His Islåm is to keep his head and his property safe
[li-yaslama] in this world, not to keep him safe in the hereafter from the
Fire that is the chastisement of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). He keeps the fast [yaƒ«mu], performs the prescribed
prayers [yuƒallº], and studies religious knowledge in the presence of
people, but when they are not around he reverts to his own business and
his unbelief [kufr].
O Allåh, we take refuge with You from this condition. We beg You
for sincerity in this world and sincerity tomorrow. Ámºn.
O young man! You must practice sincerity in your actions. Look
beyond your work and the expectation of recompense for it from
creatures [al-khalq] and Creator [al-Khåliq]. Work for the sake of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), not for His blessings. Be one of those
who long for His countenance. Seek His countenance until He grants
your wish. Then, when He grants you this, you will obtain Paradise in
this world and the hereafter: nearness to Him in this world, and in the
hereafter the vision of Him. The fulfillment of His promise is a contract
and guarantee [bai‹ wa-æamån].
O young man! Deliver your own self and your property into the hand
of His destiny [qadar], His decree [¥ukm] and His judgment [qaæå›].
Deliver the purchase [al-mushtarå] to the Purchaser [al-mushtarº] and
tomorrow He will pay you the price.
Servants of Allåh! Deliver your own selves to Him, the price and the
object of value. Say: “The self, property, Paradise and everything apart
116
from You, all are Yours. We wish for nothing apart from You.” The
neighbor [jår] before the house [dår]. The companion [rafºq] before the
road [£arºq]. O you who desire the Garden [of Paradise], its purchase and
cultivation must be today, not tomorrow. Increase its irrigation channels
and let water flow in them today, not tomorrow.
O my people! On the Day of Resurrection, hearts and eyes will be
turned inside out. On that day when feet will stumble, every one of the
believers will stand upon the footing of his faith and his pious devotion
[taqwå]. The steadiness of their feet will depend on the degree of their
faith. On that day:
The wrongdoer will bite his own hands. (25:27)
[That is,] for having done wrong, and the pervert [mufsid] will bite his
own hands for having caused corruption and not having put it right, for
having run away from his Master.
O young man! Do not overestimate the value of a deed, for deeds are
valued according to their ultimate outcomes. You must beg the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) to make your outcome good, and
to restrict you to those actions that He likes best. Beware, then again
beware, when you repent, lest you undo your repentance and lapse back
into sin. Do not lapse from your repentance because of something
someone may say. Do not conform to your lower self [nafs], your
passions [hawå] and your natural impulses [£ab‹], while opposing your
Master (Almighty and Glorious is He). The sin is committed today,
and tomorrow, since you have disobeyed the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He), He will leave you in the lurch and will not help you.
O Allåh, help us to be obedient to You, and do not desert us because
of disobedience toward You.
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Eighteenth Discourse
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to him as far as his heart [qalb] is concerned, contrary to the rest of his
fellow creatures, contrary to the hypocrites [munåfiq«n], the enemies of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His Messenger. Because of
their ignorance of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and
their hostility toward Him, they shall enter the Fire [of Hell]. How
should they not enter it, since in this world they have been opposing the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), conforming to their
lower selves [nuf«s], their passions [ahwiya], their natural impulses
[£ibå‹], their habits [‹ådåt] and their devils [shay壺n], and preferring their
worldly interests to their interest in the hereafter? How should they not
enter the Fire, since they have heard this Qur݌n but have not believed
in it, have not acted upon its commandments and have not avoided its
prohibitions?
O my people! Believe in this Qur݌n, put it into practice, and be
sincere in your actions. Do not pretend and do not be hypocritical in
your conduct. Do not seek praise from people, or look to them to reward
you for your deeds. Only a few individuals among the people believe in
this Qur›ån and put it into practice for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). This is why the sincere are so few and the hypocrites
are so many. How lazy you are in obeying Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), and how energetic you are in obeying His enemy and
your own enemy, Satan the accursed! The people [of the Lord] wish
never to be free of obligations imposed by the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He), since they know that in patience with His
obligations [takålºf], His judgments [aqæiya] and His decrees [aqdår]
there lies much good for this world and the hereafter. They harmonize
with Him in His operations [taƒårºf] and transformations [taqålºb],
sometimes in patience and sometimes in gratitude, sometimes in
nearness and sometimes in remoteness, sometimes in weary labor and
sometimes in repose, sometimes in affluence and sometimes in poverty,
sometimes in health and sometimes in sickness. Their entire aspiration
is to keep their hearts safe with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). This is the most important thing of all to them. They
wish for their own salvation [salåma] and the salvation of all creatures
[al-khalq] with the Creator [al-Khåliq] (Almighty and Glorious is He).
They never cease begging the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He) for the benefit of all creatures.
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and your devils [shay壺n] at your back, it cannot be easy for you to do
charitable work. You are accompanied by a greedy drive, many
expectations and love of this world, but little pious devotion [taqwå]
and faith [ºmån]. You are an idolatrous worshipper [mushrik] of yourself,
your property and other creatures, and there is nothing good about you.
When a person is very fond of this world and his greed for it is intense,
so that he forgets about death and meeting the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He), and fails to distinguish between what is lawful
[¥alål] and what is unlawful [¥aråm], he comes to resemble the unbelievers
[kuffår] who said:
There is nothing but our life in this world; we die, and we live, and
nothing but Time can destroy us. (45:24)
You would seem to be one of them, but you have adorned yourself
with Islåm, you have spared your blood by declaring the twofold
profession of faith [ash-shahådatån], and you have joined the Muslims in
the prescribed prayer [ƒalåt] and fasting [ƒawm], though as a habit [‹åda],
not as an act of worship [‹ibåda]. You give people the impression that
you are devout [taqº], though your heart is wicked [fåjir], and no benefit
can come to you from this.
O my people! What benefit can you derive from going hungry and
thirsty during the day, then breaking fast on forbidden food [al-¥aråm]
at night? You are fasting [taƒ«m«na] by day and sinning [ta‹ƒ«na] by
night. O consumers of forbidden food, you restrain yourselves from
drinking water by day, then break your fast on the blood of the Muslims.
There are some among you who fast during the day, and then behave
immorally at night. The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace)
is reported as having said:
My Community [ummatº] will not be left in the lurch, as long as they
honor the month of Ramaæån.
The way to honor it is to observe it with pious devotion [taqwå], and
to keep its fast for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
while complying with all the rules [¥ud«d] of the sacred law [ash-shar‹].
O young man! Fast, and, when you break your fast, share part of your
breakfast meal [if£år] with the poor. Do not eat alone, because when
someone eats alone, and does not feed others, it is to be feared that he
will have to experience poverty and beggary.
121
O my people! You eat your fill while your neighbors go hungry, yet
you claim to be believers. Your faith is not genuine. One of you has
plenty of food in front of him, more than enough for himself and his
family, while the beggar is standing there at his door, only to be sent
away disappointed. All too soon you shall see your report. All too soon
you must become like him, and be rejected as you rejected him,
although it was in your power to give him something.
Woe unto you! If only you would get up, take what you have in front
of you and give him some of it! You would thereby combine the two
virtues of humility in getting up from your place and of giving away part
of your wealth. Our Prophet Mu¥ammad (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) used to give to the beggar with his own hand, and feed his camel,
and milk his sheep, and stitch his shirt. How can you claim to follow
him, when you are opposing him in word and deed? You are making a
sweeping claim with no evidence to back it up. It is said in the proverb:
“Either you are a sincere Jew, or if not, do not show enthusiasm for the
Torah.” Thus I say to you, either you fulfill the prerequisites [sharå›i£]
of Islåm, or do not say: “I am a Muslim.” You must fulfill the prerequisites
of Islåm. You must practice the reality [¥aqºqa] of Islåm, which is
obedient submission [istislåm] before the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Comfort His creatures [al-khalq] today, so that the Lord
of Truth [al-ªaqq] (Almighty and Glorious is He) may comfort you with
His mercy tomorrow. Be merciful to those who are upon the earth, so
that He who is in Heaven may be merciful to you.
A fter some discussion, the Shaikh] (may Allåh be well pleased with
him) went on to say:
As long as you remain stuck with your own self, you will not attain to
this station [maqåm]. As long as you are supplying it with its luxury
items, you are subject to its control. Provide it with its rightful due, but
refuse to pamper it. Providing its rightful due will ensure its survival,
while supplying it with luxuries will lead to its destruction. Its rightful
due [¥aqq] means what is indispensable to it in the way of food, clothing,
drink, and a place in which to live. Its luxuries [¥aœœ] are the delights
and pleasures of the flesh. Take its rightful due from the hand of the
sacred law [ash-shar‹], and entrust its luxuries to destiny [al-qadar] and
what is preordained [as-såbiqa] in the foreknowledge of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He). Give it permissible [mubå¥], not forbidden [¥aråm]
122
food to eat. Sit at the gate of the sacred law, and bind it [the self] to the
service thereof, then you will prosper. Have you not heard the words
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He):
So whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and from whatever he
forbids you, abstain. (59:7)
Be satisfied with very little, and make your lower self [nafs] get
accustomed to it, then if abundance comes to you from the hand of
preordination and foreknowledge, you will be ready for it. Since you
have been satisfied with very little, your lower self will not be destroyed,
and what has been allotted to it will not pass it by.
Al-ªasan al-Baƒrº (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) used to say:
“Sufficient for the believer is what is sufficient for a young she-goat: A
handful of poor-quality dates [¥ashaf] and a drink of water.” The
believer eats to live [yataqawwatu], while the hypocrite lives to eat
[yatamatta‹u]. The believer eats to live because he is on the road and has
not yet reached the inn, where he knows he will find everything he
needs. The hypocrite has no inn to look forward to, since he has no
destination.
How wasteful you are of the days and the months! You spend your
lives to no good purpose. I notice that you are not wasteful in your
worldly affairs, but you do neglect your religious obligations. Turn this
around and you will be on target! This world has never lasted for
anyone, and neither will it last for you.
O my people! Do you hold a title deed [tawqº‹] to life, signed by the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)? How lacking you are in
good management! When someone cultivates the worldly interests of
another, to the ruination of his life hereafter, he is accumulating
worldly goods for another while scattering his own religion. He is
driving a wedge between himself and the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), and earning His displeasure for the sake of pleasing a
creature like himself. If he realized and knew for certain that he must
soon be dead, present before the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He), and that he will be called to account for all his dealings, he would
surely refrain from many of his actions.
Luqmån the Wise (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) is reported
as having said to his son: “O my dear son, just as you are sick without
knowing how sick you are, so you shall die without knowing how you
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die.” I am warning you and telling you what not to do, but you ignore
my warning and do not desist. O you exiles from goodness, so
preoccupied with this world, all too soon this world will rear up against
you and strangle you. Far from deriving any benefit from what you have
gathered from its hand and found so enjoyable, all this will prove to be
a curse upon you.
O young man! You must be prepared to suffer and overcome evil.
Words have sisters. Someone speaks a word to you, then you respond
to it, so along come its sisters, and then there is evil present between
you. Only a few individuals among the people are competent to invite
their fellow creatures to the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), and they bear witness against them if they do not heed
the call. They are a blessing [ni‹ma] for the believers and a disaster
[niqma] for the hypocrites, the enemies of the religion of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He).
O Allåh, make us fragrant with the affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd], and
perfume us with the incense of extinction [fanå›] to creatures and
everything whatsoever that is apart from You.
O monotheists [yå muwa¥¥idºn]! O polytheists [yå mushrikºn]! Nothing
is in the power of any creature. They are all powerless, be they kings,
mamelukes, sultans, rich or poor. They are all prisoners of the Power
[qadr/qadar] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). Their hearts
[qul«b] are in His hand, and He molds them [yuqallibuhum] as He will.
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-
Seeing. (42:11)
Do not fatten your lower selves [nuf«s], for they will devour you. Just
as when someone takes a wild dog, looks after it and fattens it, the beast
will surely devour him when he is with it alone. Do not give free rein
to your lower selves, or sharpen their knives, because they will throw
you into the ravines of perdition and betray you. Deprive them of the
things they love, and do not give them scope for their desires.
O Allåh, help us against our own selves!
Our Lord, give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and
guard us against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Nineteenth Discourse
anyone apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
The eyes of your heart have gone blind, the serenity of your innermost
being has become disturbed, and you are now screened off from your
Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) without a clue [to your situation].
This is why some of the wise (may the peace of Allåh be upon them)
have said: “Alas for those who are screened off without knowing that
they are screened off [ma¥j«b«n]!”
Woe unto you! There is broken glass in your meal of crumbled bread,
and you are eating it unawares, because of the force of your gluttony, the
overwhelming urge of your appetite and desire, and the intensity of
your greed. After a while your stomach will be cut and you will perish.
Your misfortune is due entirely to your remoteness from your Master
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and your preference for others. If you
examined creatures [khalq] carefully, you would hate them and love
their Creator [Khåliq]. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) has said: “Examine carefully, and you will loathe [taqlu] them,”
meaning you will hate [tubghiæu]. But you love and hate without
searching examination. The intellect [‹aql] can probe, but you have no
intellect. The heart [qalb] can probe, but you have no heart. The heart
ponders, reflects and takes notice. As Allåh (Exalted is He) has said:
Surely in that there is a reminder for anyone who has a heart, or who
gives ear with full attention. (50:37)
Let the mind [‹aql] be transformed into a heart [qalb]. Let the heart
be transformed into an inmost core [sirr]. Let the inmost core be
transformed into annihilation [fanå›], and let annihilation be trans-
formed into being [wuj«d].
Adam (peace be upon him) and the Prophets [al-anbiyå›] had desires
and appetites, although they used to oppose their lower selves [nuf«s]
and would seek the good pleasure of their Lord (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Adam (peace be upon him) felt one desire [shahwa] in Paradise.
He made one mistake [zalla] while he was in Paradise. Then he
repented, but there was no going back for him. Yet his desire was a
praiseworthy one, because he wished that he might not have to leave
the vicinity of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). The
Prophets (peace be upon them) never ceased to oppose their lower
selves, their natural impulses [£ibå‹] and their desires [shahawåt], until
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they became affiliated with the angels [malå›ika] from the perspective
of reality [¥aqºqa], because of the abundance of their struggles and
strivings with their own selves [anfus]. The Prophets, the Messengers
[al-mursal«n] and the saints [al-awliyå›] are patient, and you also must
emulate them in patience [ƒabr].
O young man! Endure with patience the blows of your enemy, for you
shall very soon strike him, kill him and seize his booty. Then you shall
receive the robe of honor and the fief [iq£å‹] from the King.
O young man! Try hard not to injure anyone, and to have a good
intention toward everybody, unless it be someone to whom the sacred
law [shar‹] commands you to cause injury, in which case your causing
him injury is an act of worship [‹ibåda].
As for the wise, the noble ones, the champions of truth , their Trumpet
[ƒ«r] has been sounded. They have roused the Resurrection [al-qiyåma]
for their own selves. They have turned away from this world through
their aspirations. They have crossed over the Bridge [aƒ-ƒirå£] through
their affirmation of the truth [taƒdºq]. They have traveled with their
hearts until they came to a halt at the gate of Paradise. They have
stopped in their tracks and said: “We shall neither eat nor drink by
ourselves, because the generous person [al-karºm] does not eat by himself
alone.” They have therefore beaten a retreat back to this world, that is
to say, they have come to invite mankind to the obedient service of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and to inform them of what is over
there, thus making matters easy for them.
When a person’s faith [ºmån] is strong, and he is firm in his conviction
[ºqån], he sees with his heart all the details of the Resurrection about
which Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has informed him. He sees
the Garden [of Paradise] and the Fire [of Hell] and what they contain.
He sees the Trumpet and the angel in charge of it. He sees these things
as he sees this world and its passing away, and the downfall of empires
and their people. He sees creatures as if they were walking graves, and
when he passes by the graves he can feel the blessing and torment
within them. He sees the Resurrection and what it contains in the way
of resistance and compliance. He sees the mercy of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and His chastisement. He sees the angels standing
erect, and the Prophets [al-anbiyå›], the Messengers [al-mursal«n], the
Abdål and the Saints [al-awliyå›] in their ranks. He sees the people of
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Paradise paying visits to one another, and the people of the Fire at war
with one another in the Fire [of Hell].
When a person’s vision is sound, he views creatures with the eye of
his head, and with the eye of his heart he views the working of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) amongst them. He sees how He causes
them to move and brings them to rest. Such is the noble vision of the
saints [awliyå›] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), of those who,
when they look at a person, see his outer form [όhir] with the eyes of
their heads and his inner being [bå£in] with the eyes of their hearts, and
who see their Master (Almighty and Glorious is He) with the eyes of
their inmost core [sirr].
He who serves, is served [man khadama khudima]. When destiny
[al-qadar] comes to him, he goes along with it, letting it carry him toward
land or sea, toward the shore or toward the mountain, as it feeds him
sweet or bitter fare. He readily complies with it in honor and humili-
ation, in affluence and poverty, in health and sickness. He walks
alongside destiny until, when destiny recognizes that he is quite
exhausted, it alights and lets him ride in its place. It then becomes a
vehicle for him, serves him and treats him with humility, because of his
nearness to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His esteem for
him. This is all due to his opposition to his lower self [nafs], his passions
[hawå], his natural impulses [£ab‹], his habitual tendencies [‹ådåt], his
devils [shay壺n] and his evil companions [aqrån as-s«›].
O Allåh, grant us the blessing of compliance with Your destiny under
all circumstances.
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
129
Twentieth Discourse
130
131
repenting them, and supposing that they have been forgotten. In fact,
they are written in your records with their dates and times. Be they few
or many, they must all be accounted for and punished. Come to your
senses, O heedless ones! Wake up, O sleepy ones! Turn to the mercy
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)! If someone is guilty of serious
sins and errors, and if he persists in them and fails to repent and show
remorse, he may be labeled with unbelief [kufr] unless he makes amends
in time. O world with no hereafter! O creatures without a Creator! You
fear nothing except poverty. You hope for nothing except affluence.
Woe unto you! Sustenance [rizq] is allotted by destiny [maqs«m].
It is never too much nor too little, never brought forward and never
postponed. You are skeptical about the guarantee of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), greedily seeking what has not been
assigned to your portion. Your greed has prevented you from attending
meetings of the scholars and other beneficial occasions. You are afraid
that your profits may be diminished, and that you may have too few
customers!
Woe unto you! Who fed you when you were a baby in your mother’s
womb? You are reliant on yourself, on creatures, on your dollars and
cents, on your buying and selling, and on the ruler [sul£ån] of your
country. Anyone you rely upon is your god [ilåh]. Anyone whom you
fear, and on whom you pin your hopes, is your god. If you regard anyone
as the source of injury and benefit, without recognizing that it is the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) who actually empowers
him, then he is your god. In a little while you shall see your report. The
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) will deprive you of your
hearing and your sight, of your vigor and your property and everything
you have relied on instead of Him. He will sever your relations with
people, harden their hearts against you, and snatch their helping hands
away from you. He will dismiss you from your occupation and close all
doors in your face. He will send you away from door to door, and will
give you neither morsel nor crumb. If you pray to Him, He will not
answer you.
All this will be due to your associating partners [shirk] with Him, your
reliance on others instead of Him, your seeking His blessings from
others instead of Him, and your availing yourself of those blessings to
132
sin against Him. You must have seen this happen to many people of
this type, since it is the usual outcome for sinners. There are some,
however, who make amends. When someone does so, the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) accepts his repentance, looks upon him
with mercy, and treats him with generosity and kindness.
O creatures of Allåh, repent! O scholars [‹ulamå›], O jurists [fuqahå›],
O ascetics [zuhhåd], O servants [‹ibåd], there is not one among you who
is not in need of repentance! I have your reports concerning your life
and your death. While the beginnings of your affairs may be obscure to
me, their later stages to the time of your death have been disclosed to
me. If the origin of your wealth is hidden from me, I wait to see what
comes of it. If what is forthcoming is expenditure on children and
family, on the paupers [fuqarå›] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), and on the welfare of His creatures, I know that it
originates from something legitimate [¥alål]. If it is used for the benefit
of the champions of truth [aƒ-ƒiddºq«n], who are the special favorites
[khaw僃] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), I know
that its origin and the way it was obtained can be ascribed to total trust
[tawakkul] in the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and that
it must be absolutely lawful [¥alål £ilq]. I am not there with you in your
markets, yet the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) describes
your merchandise to me by this and other methods.
O young man! Beware in case the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) should see any other than Himself within your heart.
Beware in case He should see in your heart the fear of any other, or hope
pinned on any other, or love of any other than Him. Purify your hearts
of all apart from Him. Regard none but Him as the source of injury and
benefit. You are in His house and enjoying His hospitality.
O young man! You see and fall in love with all those pretty faces, but
this is a defective love, for which you will be punished. Genuine love
[al-¥ubb aƒ-ƒa¥º¥], the one that never changes, is the love of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). He is the One you behold with the eyes
of your heart, and this is the love of the spiritual champions of truth
[aƒ-ƒiddºq«n ar-r«¥åniyy«n]. You must love not just with faith [ºmån], but
with conviction [ºqån] and direct perception [al-‹ain]. The veils have
been removed from the eyes of your hearts, so they have seen what is in
133
the invisible realm [al-ghaib]; they have seen what they cannot possibly
explain.
O Allåh, grant us the blessing of Your love [ma¥abba], as well as pardon
[‹afw] and well-being [‹åfiya].
Your allotted shares [aqsåm] are placed on deposit with this world
until times already known to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). No one can prevent them from being delivered to you at the
moment when permission arrives from the One who assigns their
ownership. They laugh at people, devastate their minds, and treat them
with derision. They make fun of anyone who tries to get any part of
them that has not been allotted to him, and of anyone who tries to get
his own portion without permission from the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He).
O my people! If you turn away from their door and approach the door
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), they [your allotted
shares] will come out and follow you. Apply to Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) for intelligence [‹aql]. When this world approaches the
saints [awliyå›] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), they say to it:
“Go off and try your deception on others. We know you very well, for
we have seen through you. Do not put us to the test, for we know all
about you. Do not offer us your fake attractions, for your ‘gold’ coin is
merely gilded. Your glamor is the superficial coating of a hollow
wooden idol, with no spirit [rǴ] inside it. You are an exterior [όhir]
with no significant content [ma‹nå], a spectacle with no meaningful
message. It is the hereafter that has the real spectacle and meaningful
message to offer.”
When the faults [‹uy«b] of this world become apparent to the people
[of the Lord], they flee from it. When the faults of creatures become
apparent to them, they stay away from them, flee from them and avoid
their company. They frequent the deserts and wastes, ruins and caves,
and the jinn and angels that roam the earth. The jinn and angels come
to them in various forms of disguise. They appear to them at certain
times in the guise of bearded ascetics [zuhhåd] and monks [ruhbån], and
sometimes in the shape of wild animals. They appear in any form they
wish. The disguises used by the angels and jinn are just like the clothes
anyone of you may have hanging in his wardrobe at home, to be worn
as he may see fit.
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At the outset of his quest for the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), the genuine seeker [murºd] cannot bear the sight of
creatures or the sound of their voices. He cannot bear the sight of the
tiniest fragment of this world, and cannot bring himself to look at any
created entity. His heart becomes distracted, his mind absent and his
eyes glazed. He remains like this until the Hand of Mercy [ra¥ma]
alights on the head of his heart, bringing him tranquillity. He remains
inebriated [sakrån] until he inhales the perfume of nearness to his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He), whereupon he recovers consciousness.
When he is firmly established in his affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd], his
sincerity [ikhlåƒ], his direct experience [ma‹rifa] of his Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and his knowledge [‹ilm] and love [ma¥abba] of Him,
he acquires stamina and a broad tolerance of creatures. Strength comes
to him from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), so he carries their
burdens without strain. He approaches them and seeks them out.
While his work is wholly devoted to their welfare, he is not distracted
from his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) for the twinkling of an eye.
The apprentice ascetic [mutazahhid], who is a novice in his ascetic
practice [al-mubtadi› fº zuhdihi], will run away from creatures. As for the
ascetic who has completed his training [az-zåhid al-kåmil fº zuhdihi], far
from worrying about them and running away from them, he will
actually go looking for them, because he has become a real knower [‹årif]
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and one who really knows
[‹arafa] Allåh neither flees from nor fears anything apart from Him. The
novice [mubtadi›] flees from offenders and sinners, while the accom-
plished master [muntahº] seeks them out. How could he not go looking
for them, when he is in possession of all their remedies? This is why a
certain wise man (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) has said: “No
one may laugh in the face of the sinful offender [fåsiq], except the ‹årif
[one who really knows Allåh].”
When a person’s direct knowledge [ma‹rifa] of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) is complete, he becomes a guide toward Him. He
becomes a net with which He fishes creatures from the ocean of this
world. He is given the strength to put Iblºs and his armies to flight. He
takes people by the hand.
O you who have withdrawn into asceticism in ignorance of Him,
come forth and hear what I have to say! O ascetics of the earth, come
135
forth, demolish your monastic cells and draw near to me! You have
been sitting in your places of retreat for no real reason. You have gained
nothing. Come forth and gather the fruits of wisdom. May Allåh have
mercy on you! It is not for my sake that I want you to come, but rather
for your own sakes.
O young man! You need to labor until you have learned the craft.
You must build up and pull down a thousand times, until you can build
something so well that it will not collapse. When you cease to exist
[fanaita] in the construction and demolition, the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) will build you a structure that cannot fall down.
O my people! When will you understand? When will you grasp what
I am pointing out? Go around looking for the seekers of the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), then, when you meet up with
them, serve them with your goods and your persons. Genuine seekers
have their own peculiar fragrances. They have shining signs apparent
in their faces. But there is a blight on you, on your perceptive faculties
and on your diseased intellects. You cannot distinguish between the
champion of truth [ƒiddºq] and the heretic [zindºq], between the lawful
[¥alål] and the unlawful [¥aråm], between the toxic [masm«m] and the
nontoxic, between the polytheist [mushrik] and the monotheist
[muwa¥¥id], between the sincere [mukhliƒ] and the hypocrite [munåfiq],
between the disobedient [‹åƒº] and the obedient [£å›i‹], between the
seeker of the Lord of Truth [al-ªaqq] (Almighty and Glorious is He)
and the seeker of creatures [al-khalq].
Serve the Shaikhs [shuy«kh] who put their knowledge into practice,
so that they may acquaint you with things as they really are. Strive for
real knowledge [ma‹rifa] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He), because when you really know Him [‹araftum«hu], you will really
know what is apart from Him. Get to know Him, then love Him. If you
do not see Him with the eyes in your heads, behold Him with the eyes
of your hearts. If you recognize Him as the source of blessings, you must
love Him of necessity. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him end give him
peace) has said:
Love Allåh for providing you with His blessings, and love me because
of the love Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has for me.
O my people! He provided you with His blessings while you were still
in your mothers’ wombs and after your emergence therefrom. Then He
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gave you vital energies and strengths and vigor. He blessed you with
obedience to Him, and made you Muslims, followers of His Prophet
(Allåh bless him and give him peace), gratitude and love for whom are
like gratitude and love for Him. When you recognize Him as the source
of blessings, the love of creatures will vanish from your hearts.
The real knower [‹årif] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), who
loves Him and beholds Him with the eyes of his heart, is he who
recognizes Him as the source of all benefit and harm. He no longer pays
any attention to creatures who treat him well or badly. If beneficial
action [i¥sån] is seen to emanate from one of them, he ascribes it to the
power of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) to exact
forced labor [taskhºr], and if harmful action is seen to emanate from one
of them, he ascribes it to His power to inflict painful experiences [taslº£].
Thus his focus is shifted from creatures to the Creator. At the same
time, he must give the sacred law [shar‹] its due, and not annul its
binding force [¥ukm].
The heart of the knower [‹årif] moves from state to state [¥åla], so that
he is fortified in his abstinence from creatures and his abandonment and
renunciation of them, so that he prefers the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and his absolute trust [tawakkul] in Him grows
stronger. He loses the sense of getting things from creatures, and is left
with the awareness of receiving them from creatures with the helping
hand of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). The
understanding [‹aql] he has in common with fellow creatures is consoli-
dated and confirmed, and he is equipped with another understanding,
namely the understanding that comes from Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He).
O poor dependant of creatures! O idolizer [mushrik] of them! Beware
in case death should come upon you while you are in your present
condition! Allåh will not open His door to your spirit [r«¥]. He will not
view it with favor, because He is angry with everyone who associates
partners with Him and relies on any but Him. You must go into
isolation from the self [nafs], then into isolation from creatures, then
into isolation from this world, then into isolation from the hereafter,
then into isolation from everything apart from the Master [al-Mawlå].
If you wish to be secluded together with the Master, you must become
137
isolated from your existence [wuj«d], your planning [tadbºr] and your
crazy nonsense [hadhayån].
Woe unto you! You sit there in your monastic cell [ƒawma‹a], while
your heart is in people’s houses, awaiting their arrival and their gifts.
Your time has been wasted, and you have imagined the form with no
meaningful content. You cannot make yourself fit for something for
which Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has not made you fit.
Unless the aptitude comes from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
neither you nor other creatures are capable of it. If He wants you for
some purpose, He will prepare you for it. Unless you have a sound inner
[bå£in ƒa¥º¥] and a heart devoid of everything apart from the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), mere solitude will do you no good.
O Allåh, may I benefit from what I have to say, and let them benefit
from what I am saying and they are hearing!
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Twenty-first Discourse
139
Anyone seeking true success [falå¥] should humbly submit his own
self and his property to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), and extract his heart from creatures and this world, as a hair is
extracted from dough or yogurt. Likewise from the hereafter, and
likewise from everything apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Then you will give everything that has a rightful claim
its due in His presence. You will consume your own allotted portions
of this world and the hereafter while you are at His door, and the two
of them [this world and the hereafter] are standing by as servants. Do
not consume your share of this world while it is seated and you are
standing. You must consume it at the King’s door, while you are seated
and the world is standing, with the tray on its head, serving anyone who
is stationed at the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He), and humiliating anyone who is stationed at its own door.
Consume it as a tribute to the boundless wealth and glory of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
The people [of the Lord] are happy to accept bankruptcy in this world
for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and to be drawn
close to Him is more pleasing to them than the [rewards of] the
hereafter. They seek nothing from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) apart from Allåh. They know that [the things of] this world have
been allotted, so they have abandoned the quest for them. They also
know that the degrees of the hereafter and the bliss of Paradise have
been allotted, so they have given up seeking for this and working to earn
it. They wish for nothing apart from the countenance of the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). When they enter Paradise they
will not open their eyes until they see the light of the face of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
You must love detachment [tajrºd] and solitude [tafrºd]. If a person’s
heart is not detached [mujarrad] from creatures and material concerns
[asbåb], he cannot travel the highroad of the Prophets [nabiyy«n], the
champions of truth [ƒiddºq«n] and the righteous [ƒåli¥«n], until he is
satisfied with a tiny fraction of this world and surrenders the greater part
to the hand of destiny. Do not get involved in the quest for much,
because you will perish. If much does come to you from the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), not of your own volition, you will
be entitled to it.
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141
Twenty-second Discourse
consists in its taking instruction from the heart, complying with the
wishes of the innermost being [sirr], obeying both of these in all they
may command or forbid, and being satisfied when they give and patient
when they withhold. Once it has become tame, it will become attached
to the heart and will rely upon it. You will see the crown of pious
devotion [taqwå] on its head, and the robes of nearness clothing it.
You must develop faith [ºmån] and belief [taƒdºq], and give up disbe-
lieving the people [of the Lord] and quarreling with them. Do not
dispute with them, for they are kings in this world and the hereafter.
They possess the nearness of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He), so they possess everything that is apart from Him. The Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) has enriched their hearts. He has
filled them with His nearness [qurb] and intimate friendship [uns] with
Him, and with His radiant lights [anwår] and His gracious favor
[karåma]. They are not impressed by the power of those who belong to
this world and of those who exploit it. They do not pay attention to its
beginning, but concentrate on its final outcome [‹åqiba] and its passing
away [fanå›]. They focus the eyes of their innermost beings [asrår] on
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). They worship
neither from fear of destruction [hulk] nor in hope of dominion [mulk].
He has created them for His own sake and to perpetuate His friendly
company [ƒu¥ba], and “He creates that which you do not know” (16:8),
for He is “Doer of what He will” (85:16).
“When the hypocrite talks, he lies. When he makes a promise he
breaks it, and when he is trusted he betrays.” If a person is innocent of
these vices mentioned by the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him
peace), he is innocent of hypocrisy [nifåq]. These characteristics are the
touchstone and the distinction between the believer [mu›min] and the
hypocrite [munåfiq]. Take this touchstone and this mirror, and use it to
examine the face of your heart. Look to see whether you are a believer
or a hypocrite, a monotheist [muwa¥¥id] or a polytheist [mushrik].
Everything in this world is a temptation [fitna] and a distraction,
except what is taken with a worthy intention [niyya ƒali¥a] for the sake
of the hereafter. If one’s intention is worthy in dealing with this world,
it becomes otherworldly. Any blessing [ni‹ma] that is received without
gratitude to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) is a curse
143
144
Woe unto you! You tell people to be honest, while you are false. You
tell them to affirm the divine Unity [taw¥ºd], while you are a polytheist
[mushrik]. You tell them to be sincere, while you are a hypocrite. You
tell them to give up sins, while you are committing them. The sense of
shame [¥ayå›] has departed from your sight. If you had any faith, you
would feel ashamed. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) has said:
The sense of shame is part of faith [al-¥ayå’u mina’l-ºmån].
You have no faith [ºmån], no conviction [ºqån] and no loyalty [imåna].
You have betrayed knowledge [‹ilm], so your loyalty has vanished and
you been recorded with Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) as a
traitor. I know of no remedy for you except repentance and persistence
therein. When a person has genuine faith in Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and His decree, he surrenders all his affairs to Him, and
makes no one a partner [sharºk] to Him where they are concerned. Do
not associate creatures or material means [asbåb] with Him, and do not
be obliged to them instead of to Him! Once the person has really
achieved this, He delivers him from misfortunes in all his spiritual states
[a¥wål], and he now progresses from faith [ºmån] to conviction [ºqån].
Then saintship [wilåya] will come to him, [then] Badaliyya, and then
Ghawthiyya. Perhaps Qu£biyya will come in the last of his spiritual
states. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) will glory in
him [yubåhº bihi] in the presence of all His creatures, be they jinn, human
beings, angels or spirits [arwå¥]. He will promote him and draw him
near. He will give him authority over His creatures. He will grant him
sovereignty and power. He will love him and cause His creatures to
love him.
The basis and starting point of all this is faith and belief [taƒdºq] in Him
and His Messengers. The foundation of this business is Islåm, then
faith, then putting into practice the Book of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and the law [sharº‹a] of His Messenger (Allåh bless him
and give him peace), then sincerity [ikhlåƒ] in action, together with the
heart’s affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd]. With the perfection of faith, the
believer becomes extinct [yafnå] to himself, to his work, and to
everything apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He),
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146
147
dance in store for you, however, you can do without things through your
abstemiousness [zuhd] and frugality [qanå‹a].
When a frugal believer has some worldly need, he enters the presence
of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) with the feet of his begging,
his entreaty, his humble submission and his repentance. Then, if He
gives him what he wishes, he thanks Him for His gift, and if He does not
grant his request, he concurs with the refusal and patiently accepts His
will, with neither protest nor argument. He does not seek enrichment
through his religion [dºn], his pretense [riyå›], his hypocrisy [nifåq] and
his underhand dealings [tanammus], as you do, O hypocrite [munåfiq]!
Pretense, hypocrisy and sins are the cause of poverty, humiliation and
dismissal from the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). The hypocritical pretender gets the things of this world through
his religion, and by assuming the guise of the righteous [aƒ-ƒåli¥«n]
without being worthy of it. He adopts their way of speaking and their
style of dress, but he does not behave as they behave. He claims to be
related to them, though he is no kin of theirs. Your saying: “There is
no god but Allåh [lå ilåha illa’llåh]” is a mere claim [da‹wå]. The hard
evidence [bayyina] is your total trust [tawakkul] in Him, your confidence
[thiqa] in Him, and your heart’s rejection of any other than Him.
O liars, tell the truth! O fugitives from your Master, return! Direct
your hearts toward the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), become reconciled with Him and apologize to Him.
In the state of faith [ºmån], you take from this world by permission of the
sacred law [shar‹]. In the state of saintship [wilåya] you receive by virtue
of the commandment of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), with
both of them bearing witness to it, meaning with the testimony
[shahåda] of both the Book and the Sunna. In the state of Badaliyya and
Qu£biyya, you receive through the action [fi‹l] of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), as you leave things up to Him.
O young man! Have you no sense of shame? Weep for yourself,
because you have been deprived of right direction [ƒawåb] and the help
you need to succeed [tawfºq]. Are you not ashamed? One day you are
obedient, then disobedient the next. One day you are sincere [mukhliƒ],
but the next you are a polytheist [mushrik]. The Prophet (Allåh bless
him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
If both days are the same for a person, he is defrauded [maghb«n], and
if someone’s yesterday was better than his today, he is deprived [ma¥r«m].
148
O young man! You cannot make something happen, but you must
play your part. Exert yourself and help will come from your Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Get moving in this ocean in which you
are immersed, then the waves will lift you up and roll you toward the
shore. The prayer [du‹å›] is from you, and the response is from Him. The
effort [ijtihåd] is from you, and the aid to success [tawfºq] is from Him.
The renunciation [tark] is from you, and the protective zeal [¥amiyya] is
from Him. Be sincere in your quest and He will show you the entrance
to His nearness. You will see the hand of His mercy reaching out toward
you, and His kindness [lu£f], His generosity [karam] and His love
[ma¥abba] all yearning for you. This is the goal of the quest of the
[Lord’s] people.
What am I to do with you, O slaves of the lower selves [nuf«s], the
natural impulses [£ibå‹], the passions [ahwiya] and the devils [shay壺n]?
I have nothing at my disposal except a truth within a truth [¥aqq fº ¥aqq],
an understanding within an understanding [lubb fº lubb], a purity within
a purity [ƒafå› fº ƒafå›], a separation [qa£‹] and a connection [waƒl]—a
separation from everything apart from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and a connection with Him.
I shall not yield to your deluded folly, O hypocrites, O pretenders, O
liars! I am not ashamed to confront you. How can I feel any sense of
shame before you, when you have no shame before your Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He), but behave insolently toward Him, and have so
little respect for His care and for His angels appointed as your guardians?
I possess a candid sincerity [ƒidq], with which I shall cut off the head of
every unbeliever [kåfir] and lying hypocrite [munåfiq] who does not
repent and return to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) on the feet
of his repentance and his apology. A certain wise man (may the mercy
of Allåh be upon him) is reported as having said: “Candid sincerity is
the sword of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) upon His earth. It
cuts through anything on which it is brought to bear.”
Take instruction from me, because I am a true counselor [nåƒi¥] for
you. I seek you for your own sakes. I am dead to you and alive in the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Those who trust me in
friendship will benefit and prosper, but if anyone treats me as a liar and
distrusts my friendship, he will be deprived and punished both now and
in the future.
149
allowed by the sacred law [shar‹]. The saint [walº] is ordered to eat, or
forbidden to do so, as indicated by his heart [qalb]. The Badal does not
concern himself with anything; things just work within him, while he
is in his absence [ghaiba] with his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He)
and his annihilation [fanå›] in Him. Thus the Walº stands by the [inner]
commandment, while the Badal is stripped of personal volition [ikhtiyår],
and all of this is accompanied by observance of the rules of sacred law
[¥ud«d ash-shar‹]. One who becomes extinct [fånº] to himself and to all
creatures still observes the rules of sacred law. Then he is cast adrift in
the ocean of divine power [qudra]. Its waves lift him up at one moment,
and plunge him down at another. Sometimes they roll him toward the
shore, and at other times they let him fall to the depths of the sea. He
comes to resemble the Companions of the Cave [Aƒ¥åb al-Kahf],
concerning whom Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And we turned them over to the right, then over to the left. (18:18)
They had no faculties with which to think or plan or feel. They were
in the House of Grace and Nearness, with their eyes closed outwardly
[œåhiran] and inwardly [bå£inan]. In like manner, therefore, this nearness
will have closed the eyes of his heart to everything apart from his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He), so that he sees only for His sake and
through Him, and hears only from Him.
O Allåh, make us extinct to everything apart from You! Cause us to
exist in You, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Twenty-third Discourse
152
You must always go to hear sermons, because the heart turns blind
when it is absent from sermons.
The real meaning [¥aqºqa] of repentance [tawba] is respect for the
commandment of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)
under all circumstances. This is why a certain wise man (may the mercy
of Allåh be upon him) has said: “All goodness can be summed up in two
words: respect [ta‹œºm] for the commandment of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), and sympathy [shafaqa] for His creatures.” If someone
does not respect the commandment of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He), and is not sympathetic toward Allåh’s creatures, he is distant
from Allåh. Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) told Moses (peace
be upon him) through inspiration:
Show compassion, then I shall treat you with compassion. I am indeed
Compassionate [Ra¥ºm]. When someone shows compassion, I have
compassion for him and I admit him to My Paradise.
What bliss for the compassionate [ar-ru¥amå›], therefore!
You have wasted your life on “they were eating… and we were
eating…; they were drinking… and we were drinking...; they were
wearing... and we were wearing...; they acquired... and we acquired....”
If someone wishes for salvation [falå¥], let him exhort his lower self
[nafs] to abstain with patience from forbidden things [mu¥arramåt],
dubious things [shubuhåt] and pleasures of the flesh [shahawåt], and let
him patiently carry out the commandments of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), observe His prohibitions, and comply with His decree
[qadar]. The people [of the Lord] were patient with [ƒabar« ma‹a] Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and did not patiently abstain from Him
[lam yaƒbir« ‹anhu]. They were patient for His sake and in His cause.
They exercised patience that they might be with Him. They sought to
obtain nearness to Him. They left the houses of their lower selves
[nuf«s], their passions [ahwiya] and their natural impulses [£ibå‹], took
the sacred law [shar‹] along with them as their escort, and journeyed
toward their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). They had to face
calamities, terrors, misfortunes, sorrows and cares, hunger and thirst,
nakedness, humiliation and contempt, but they were undeterred by
them and did not turn back and abandon their journey. They did not
waver in pursuit of their purpose. And forward they still march! Their
153
progress does not slacken. Thus they will continue, until eternity
becomes real for them, inwardly and outwardly [¥attå yata¥aqqaqa lahum
baqå›u’l-qalbi wa’l-qålab]. (More literally: until the perpetuity of the
heart and the mold is realized for them.)
O my people! Prepare for the meeting with the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and feel ashamed before Him prior to
that meeting. The believer’s sense of shame [¥ayå›] belongs first before
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), then before His creatures, except
in matters of religion [dºn] and violation of the rules of sacred law [¥ud«d
ash-shar‹]. In such cases he is not permitted to be shy; indeed he
should be quite brazen in defence of the religion of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), and must uphold His rules and carry out His
commandment (Almighty and Glorious is He).
And let not pity for the two of them take hold of you, when it is a
matter of Allåh’s religion. (24:2)
When someone’s allegiance to the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give
him peace) is genuine, he gives this follower a suit of armor and a helmet
to wear, girds him with a sword, adorns him with some of his own good
manners [adab], noble qualities [shamå›il] and traits of character [akhlåq],
and invests him with some of his robes of honor. He is intensely happy
to have such a person as a member of his Community [umma], and he
gives thanks for this to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Then
he makes him a deputy [nå›ib] within his Community, one who will
guide and summon its members to the door of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). He used to be the summoner [d勺] and
guide [dalºl], and when the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)
took him to Himself, He showed him those among his Community who
would succeed him in these capacities. They were a very few individuals,
one out of too many millions to count, who would guide the people and
patiently suffer their abuse, while constantly giving them good counsel.
They would smile in the faces of the hypocrites [munåfiq«n] and sinners
[fussåq], while scheming against them with every device, in order to
deliver them from their situation and carry them to the door of their
Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). This is why a certain wise man
(may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) has said: “No one can laugh in
154
the face of the sinner [fåsiq], except one who really knows [al-‹årif].”
The latter may laugh in his face, and give him the impression that he
does not really know him, while he is actually well aware of the ruined
state of the house of his religion [dºn], of the dirtiness of the face of his
heart, and of his many sore and confused feelings. The sinner and the
hypocrite imagine that they are concealed from him and that he does
not really know them. No, and they deserve no respect. They are not
concealed from him. He can recognize them by a glance, a look, a word
or a gesture. He knows them outwardly and inwardly, without a doubt.
Woe unto you! You imagine that you are concealed from the wise and
knowing champions of truth [aƒ-ƒådiq«n al-‹årif«n al-‹ålim«n]. How long
will you go on wasting your lives for nothing? Look for someone who
can guide you to the path of the hereafter, O you who have gone astray
from that path! “Allåhu Akbar [Allåh is Supremely Great]” to you, O dead
of heart, O idolatrous worshippers of material means [yå mushrikºna bi’l-
asbåb]! Alas for those who worship the idols [aƒnåm] of their own power
and strength, their livelihoods, their capital assets, the rulers [sal壺n] of
their countries, and the objectives they are pursuing! They are screened
off from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). If any person sees the
source of injury and benefit in any other than Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), that person is no servant of His, but is the servant of
whomever he views that way. So today he is in the fire of abomination
and separation, and tomorrow in the Fire of Hell [når jahannam]. None
shall be saved from the Fire of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
except those who are truly devout [muttaq«n], the monotheists
[muwa¥¥id«n] who are sincere [mukhliƒ«n] and repentant [tå›ib«n].
Repent with your hearts, then with your tongues. Repentance is a
coup d’état, overthrowing the regime of your lower self [nafs], your
passions [hawå], your devils [shay壺n] and your wicked companions.
When you repent, you transform your hearing and your sight, your
tongue, your heart, and all your limbs and organs. You purify your food
and drink from contamination by the unlawful [¥aråm] and the dubious
[shubha]. You become piously restrained in your livelihood and your
buying and selling. You devote all your attention to your Master
(Almighty and Glorious is He). You give up your usual habits [‹åda] and
let worship [‹ibåda] take their place. You give up sinful disobedience
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and let obedience take its place. Then you become confirmed in reality
[¥aqºqa], together with correct observance of the religious law [sharº‹a]
and its supporting testimony [shahåda], because any ‘reality’ not certified
by that law is atheistic heresy [zandaqa].
When this has become real for you, you will experience becoming
extinct [fanå›] to blameworthy characteristics and to noticing other
creatures. Your outer [όhir] will now be protected, while your inner
[bå£in] is preoccupied with your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Then, when you have attained this completely, even if this world
should come along and give you control of all it has to offer, lock, stock
and barrel, and if people of every age should all become your followers,
none of this would do you any harm. It would not take you away from
the door of your Master (Almighty and Glorious is He), because you are
resident with Him, dedicated to Him, preoccupied with Him, beholding
His Majesty [jalål] and His Beauty [jamål]. When you behold His
Majesty, you disintegrate, and when you behold His Beauty you become
integrated. You feel fear at the sight of His Majesty, and hope at the
sight of His Beauty. You are obliterated at the sight of His Majesty, and
established at the sight of His Beauty. What bliss for those who taste
this food!
O Allåh, let us eat of the food of Your nearness, let us quench our
thirst with the drink of Your intimate friendship, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Twenty-fourth Discourse
157
good advice I offer you for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He), not for my own sake.
Harmonize with destiny [qadar], or it will break you. Walk along with
it in its chosen course, or it will slaughter you. Kneel before it until it
takes pity on you and lets you ride behind it.
The starting point for the people [of the Lord] is earning a livelihood.
They take from this world according to the need, with the hand of the
sacred law [shar‹], until their constitutions become incapable of earning,
and absolute trust [tawakkul] comes to seal their hearts and bind their
limbs. Then they receive their allotted shares of this world, readily
available and sufficient, with neither toil nor trouble. One of those
drawn near [to Allåh] in the hereafter will experience the bliss of
Paradise with no volition on his part. He will simply comply with the
will of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) in the matter,
as he complied with His will in the enjoyment of the shares allotted to
him in this world. Their Lord gives them their shares in full, in this
world and the hereafter, because He is “no tyrant to His servants”
(3:182).
O young man! According to the extent of your aspiration [himma] you
will receive. Keep your heart far removed from everything apart from
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), so that you may draw
near to Him. Die to yourself and to creatures, and the veils between you
and your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) will be removed.
(Someone asked: “How shall I die?”). Die to adherence to your lower
self, your passions, your natural impulses and your habits. Die to
adherence to people and their material means [asbåb], despair of them
and give up idolizing them [ash-shirk bihim]. Die to the quest for
anything apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Let all your deeds be for the sake of the countenance of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), not to seek His blessings. Be happy to accept His
management [tadbºr], His decree [qaæå›] and His workings [af‹ål]. If you
do this, you will die to yourself and be brought to life in Him. Your heart
will become His abode. He will transform it as He may wish. It will
come to be within the Ka‹ba of His nearness, clinging to its drapes,
remembering Him and forgetting everything apart from Him.
The key to Paradise is saying: “There is no god but Allåh; Mu¥ammad
is Allåh’s Messenger [lå ilåha illa’llåh; Mu¥ammadun ras«lu’llåh],” today
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worship renders these invalid. The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give
him peace) is reported as having said:
Practice seclusion [‹uzla], for it is a form of worship [‹ibåda], and it was
the habit of the righteous before you.
You must achieve faith [ºmån], then conviction [ºqån], then annihi-
lation [fanå›] and existence [wuj«d] through Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), not through you and not through others, together with
observing the rules [of sacred law], with pleasing the Messenger (Allåh
bless him and give him peace), and with the approval of the [Qur݌n
which has been] recited [matl«w], heard [masm«‹] and read [maqr«›]. No
respect is due to anyone who says otherwise. This is what is in the Books
[maƒå¥if] and on the Tablets [alwå¥]—the speech of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He)—one end in His hand and one end in our hands.
You must turn to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), dedicate
yourself to Him and devote yourself to Him, for He will provide you with
all you need in this world and the hereafter. He will keep you safe in
life and death, and protect you under all circumstances with this black-
on-white [text of the Qur݌n]. Serve it so that it may serve you. It will
take your heart by the hand and install it in the presence of its Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Putting it into practice will feather the
wings of your heart, so it can use them to fly to its Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He).
O you who have taken to wearing wool [ƒ«f], clothe your innermost
being [sirr] in wool, then your heart [qalb], then your lower self [nafs],
then your body. Asceticism [zuhd] starts from here, not from the outer
[œåhir] toward the inner [bå£in]. When the innermost being is pure, the
purity [ƒafå›] will spread to the heart, the self, the limbs and organs, the
food and the clothing, and will extend to all your states [a¥wål]. The
interior of the house must be constructed first. Then, when its
construction has been completed, go outside to build the entrance.
There would be no outer without an inner. There would be no creation
without a Creator. There would be no entrance without a house. There
would be no lock on a ruin. O world with no hereafter! O creation with
no Creator! All that you are involved in will be not merely useless to
you on the Day of Resurrection, but positively harmful to you. This
merchandise you have with you will not be purchased from you. Here,
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your wares are pretense [riyå›], hypocrisy [nifåq] and sins [ma‹åƒº], but
such things are not traded in the market of the hereafter.
Acquire genuine Islåm, then you can do business. Islåm is derived
from istislåm [obedient submission]. It means that you must surrender
[an tusallima] what concerns Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) to
Allåh. You must surrender yourself to Him, rely on Him and forget your
own power and strength. Whatever worldly wealth you possess, you
must spend it in obedient service to Him. You must perform acts of
obedience, then submit them to Him and forget about them. All your
work is but an empty nutshell. All your work is devoid of sincerity
[ikhlåƒ], so it is a shell in which there is no kernel, an excess length of
wood, a body with no spirit [r«¥], a form without meaning, and this is
the work of the hypocrites.
O young man! All creatures are instruments, and Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) is the One who fashions them and operates them.
Anyone who recognizes this is released from bondage to the instrument
and sees the One who is operating it. Attachment to creatures is an
abomination, trouble and pain, while attachment to the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) is a joy, a delight and a blessing. You are
cut off from the highroad of those whose have gone on ahead. There
is no kinship between you and them. You have been satisfied with your
own speculative thinking [ra›y] and have not found yourself a master
[ustådh] to teach you and train you. O you who are cut off from the path!
O you who have become a plaything for the devils among men and jinn!
O slave of the self, the passions and natural urges!
Woe unto you! You have nothing to say for yourself. Seek help from
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Return to Him with
the feet of remorse and apology, so that He may deliver you from the
hands of your enemies and rescue you from the depths of the sea of your
destruction. Ponder the consequences of what you are now involved in,
then it may be easy for you to give it up. You are shaded by the tree of
forgetfulness. Get out of its shadow, then you may see the light of the
sun and recognize the path. The tree of forgetfulness is nourished by the
water of ignorance, while the tree of wakefulness is nourished by the
water of repentance [nadåma], and the tree of love [ma¥abba] is nour-
ished by the water of compliance [muwåfaqa].
161
O young man! You may have had some excuse until now, since you
were a boy and a youth, but you are approaching forty or have passed it
already, yet you are still playing with the toys that little children play
with. Beware of mixing with ignorant fools and consorting with women
and boys. Make friends with devout Shaikhs [ash-shuy«kh al-muttaqºn]
and avoid the company of ignorant youngsters. Stay aloof from the
people, then if any of them come to you, treat them as their physician
would. Be for all creatures like a father who is kind to his children.
Practice regular obedience to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), for
obedience to Him is remembrance [dhikr] of Him. The Prophet (Allåh
bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
He who obeys Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) remembers Him,
even if he does little in the way of prayer [ƒalåt], fasting [ƒiyåm] and
reading of the Qur݌n, while anyone who disobeys Him forgets Him,
even if his praying, fasting and Qur݌n-reading are frequent.
The believer is obedient to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He),
compliant with His wishes, and patient with Him, careful in his
pleasures, his words, his eating, his dressing and all his activities. As for
the hypocrite, he pays no attention to such things under any circum-
stances.
O young man! Ponder the state of your affairs, and call yourself to
account for what is lacking in you. You are neither honest [Čdiq] nor
a champion of truth [ƒiddºq], not loving [mu¥ibb], not compliant [muwåfiq],
not ready to accept [råæin] and not knowing [‹årif]. You claim to have
real knowledge [ma‹rifa] through Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Tell me, what is the sign of such knowledge? What wisdom [¥ikam] and
light [anwår] do you see in your heart? What is the sign [‹alåma] of the
saints [awliyå›] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and the deputies
[abdål] of His Prophets [anbiyå›]? You suppose that anyone who claims
something will have it handed over to him, without being required to
show proof, and that his dºnår [gold coin] will not be rubbed on the
touchstone. One of the attributes of the real knower [‹årif] of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) is that he is patient in suffering
misfortunes, and readily accepts all the decisions and decrees of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) under all circumstances, concerning
himself, his family and all other creatures.
162
O young man! The love of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and the love of others cannot be combined within a single heart.
As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Allåh has not assigned to any man two hearts within his body. (33:4)
This world and the hereafter cannot be combined. The Creator and
creatures cannot be combined. Give up fleeting things, so that you may
receive something that will never pass away. Expend yourself and
your property generously, so that you may obtain Paradise. As Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Allåh has bought from the believers their persons and their goods,
Paradise being theirs for the price. (9:111)
Then empty your heart of all desire for anything apart from Him, so
that you may obtain nearness to Him and be in His company in this
world and the hereafter. O lover of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), turn with His destiny [qadar] whichever way it may
turn. Purify your heart, which is the abode of the nearness of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Sweep it clean of everything
apart from Him. Stay at its door with the sword of the affirmation of
Unity [taw¥ºd], sincerity [ikhlåƒ] and truthfulness [ƒidq], and do not open
it for anyone other than Him. Do not devote any corner of your heart
to anything but Him. O sportsmen, there is no sport [la‹b] here with me.
O shells, there is nothing here with me except the kernel [lubb]. Here
with me there is sincerity without hypocrisy and honesty without
falsehood. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) wants
pious devotion [taqwå] and sincerity from your hearts. He pays no
attention to the external appearance of your deeds. As Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) has said:
Their flesh and blood do not reach Allåh, yet your devotion reaches
Him. (22:37)
O sons of Adam, all that exists in this world and the hereafter has been
created for you, so where is your gratitude, and where are your devotion,
your signs of acknowledgment to Him and your services rendered? Do
not falter and perform deeds without spirit. Deeds have spirits [arwå¥],
namely sincerity [ikhlåƒ].
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Twenty-fifth Discourse
164
this so that you will not reject it because of your ignorance. Everyone
who is ignorant of true knowledge [‹ilm] is satisfied with his own opinion
[ra›y], ready to accept the words of his own self, his passions and his
devil, for he is the servant and disciple of Iblºs, whom he has taken as
his Shaikh.
O ignorant fools, O hypocrites, how dark are your hearts, what foul
odors you emit, and how your tongues do prattle! Turn in repentance
from all you are wrapped up in. Stop reviling Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and His saints [awliyå›], whom He loves and who love
Him. Do not object to their receiving shares [of worldly goods], for they
are receiving at the [Lord’s] command, not through desire. There is an
intensity about them in their love for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He), their yearning for Him, their abstinence from everything apart
from Him and their outer and inner renunciation of it all. They do have
their predestined shares, however, which they are bound to receive.
The most painful trial for them is their having to reside and remain in
this world, their involvement with their allotted shares, and the sight
of those who disbelieve Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and call
them liars.
O young man! Avoid discussion about creatures, as long as you are
caught up with your lower self and your passions. Die to discussion,
because when the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) wants
you for some purpose, He will equip you for it. When He wishes, He will
resurrect you, prepare you and confirm you. He will be the Demonstrator
[Muœhir], not you. Surrender your own self, your speech and everything
about you to His power, and devote yourself to working for Him. Be
work without words, sincerity without pretense, affirmation of Unity
[taw¥ºd] without polytheistic association [shirk], obscurity without repu-
tation, privacy without publicity, an inner with no outer. Concentrate
on the inner by making it unnecessary to formulate the intention
[niyya]. You are addressing the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) directly, as you indicate by saying:
You alone do we worship, and of You alone do we seek help. (1:5)
This is addressing One who is present: “O Present with me, O Aware
of me, O Near to me, O Witness to me!” You must address Him directly
165
in your prayer [ƒalåt] and other acts of worship, with this intention and
in this fashion. This is why the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) said:
Worship Allåh as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He surely
sees you.
O young man! Purify [ƒaffi] your heart by eating lawful food [¥alål],
then you may get to know [‹arafta] your Lord (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Purify your morsel [luqma], your ragged cloak [khirqa] and your
heart, then you may become pure [ƒåfº]. The term taƒawwuf [spiritual
culture] is derived from ƒafå› [purity]. O you who wear coarse wool [ƒ«f],
the heart of the »«fº who is sincere in his taƒawwuf is pure [yaƒf«] of
everything apart from his Master (Almighty and Glorious is He). This
is not something that comes about through changing cloaks, making
faces look pale, rubbing shoulders, wagging the tongue with tales of the
righteous [aƒ-ƒåli¥«n], and moving the fingers [over prayer-beads] in
tasbº¥ [repetition of “Sub¥åna’llåh”, meaning “Glory be to Allåh!”] and
tahlºl [repetition of “Lå ilåha illa’llåh”, meaning “There is no god but
Allåh.”] It comes about only through sincerity [ƒidq] in seeking the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), abstinence from this world,
expelling creatures from the heart and stripping it bare of everything
apart from its Master (Almighty and Glorious is He).
A certain wise man (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) is reported
as having said: “One night I said: ‘My God, do not prevent me from
getting what is useful to me and does no harm to You.’ I repeated this,
then I fell asleep. In my dreams, I saw a person who seemed to be saying
to me: ‘And you too, do not refrain from doing what is useful to you,
but do refrain from doing what is harmful to you.’ ”
Authenticate your lines of descent [ansåb] from your Prophet (Allåh
bless him and give him peace). If a person’s allegiance to him is
authentic, then his pedigree [nasab] is authentic. As for your saying,
“I belong to his Community [umma],” without following in his foot-
steps, it will do you no good. If you follow him in his words and his deeds,
you will be together with him among his companions in the abode of
the hereafter. Surely you have heard the words of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He):
And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it. And whatever he
forbids you, abstain [from it]. (59:7)
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Carry out what he has commanded you to do, and avoid what he has
forbidden to you, then you may draw near to your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He), in this world with your hearts and in the hereafter with
your persons and your physical bodies. O ascetics, you do not practice
asceticism properly! You practice it to please your own selves and your
passions, and you follow your own ideas. You must follow and befriend
the Shaikhs who are familiar [al-‹årif«n] with Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), who know [al-‹ålim«n] and practice [al-‹åmil«n], and
who approach the people with the tongue of good counsel and the
absence of greed, turning their hearts away from you and directing them
toward the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). On Him they
focus and from all others they are detached.
O young man! Take your heart back to your Lord, before it is left
behind you. Where the states [a¥wål] of the righteous [ƒåli¥«n] are
concerned, you have been satisfied with talking about them and
wishing for them, just like someone who grasps at water, then opens his
hand and sees nothing in it.
Woe unto you! Wishful thinking [tamannº] is the Valley of Folly. As
the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
Beware of wishful thinking, for it is the Valley of Folly.
You act like the people of evil, yet you wish for the ranks of the people
of goodness. If a person’s hope predominates over his fear, he may
become guilty of atheistic heresy [tazandaqa]. If a person’s fear predomi-
nates over his hope, he may despair. Salvation [salåma] lies in an even
balance between the two. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give
him peace) has said:
If the believer’s fear and his hope were to be weighed, they would be
evenly balanced.
A certain wise man (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) is reported
as having said: “I saw Sufyån ath-Thawrº (may the mercy of Allåh be
upon him) in a dream, after his death, so I said to him: ‘What has Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) done with you?’ He said: ‘He has put
one of my feet on the Bridge [ƒirå£] and the other in Paradise.’ ” May
Allåh’s peace be upon him, for he was a pious and ascetic jurist [faqºh],
who acquired knowledge and put it into practice. He gave knowledge
167
its due by practicing it, and he gave practice its due by doing it with
sincerity. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) gave him
His approval for aspiring to Him, and the Prophet (Allåh bless him and
give him peace) gave him his approval for following him. May the
mercy of Allåh be upon him and upon all of the righteous, and upon us
along with them. Anyone who does not follow the Prophet (Allåh bless
him and give him peace), taking his Law [sharº‹a] in one hand and the
Book that was revealed to him in the other hand, and who does not
attain by his path [£arºq] to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), will
perish and perish, will go astray and go astray. They are two guides to
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). The Qur݌n is your
guide to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and the
Sunna is your guide to the Messenger (Allåh bless him and give him
peace).
O Allåh, cause a separation between us and our lower selves [nuf«s], and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Twenty-sixth Discourse
I t was in the guesthouse, on the 20th of Dhu’l-ªijja, A.H. 545, that the
Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with him) said:
The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is reported as
having said:
Among the treasures of the Throne is the concealment of misfortunes.
O you who complain to people about your misfortunes, what good
will it do you to complain to creatures? They can bring you neither
benefit not harm. If you rely on them and associate partners with the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), they will make you
distant from Him, cause you to fall into His displeasure, and screen you
from Him. As for you, O ignorant fool, you lay claim to knowledge. Part
of your folly is your seeking this world without its Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). You seek deliverance from hardships by complaining
to mere creatures.
Woe unto you! If this ravenous dog can learn to protect the game on
which it would naturally prey, and if this bird can also be taught to go
against its natural instinct and give up its habit of eating its normal prey,
all the more reason for teaching your own self [nafs]. Teach it and make
it understand, so that it will not devour your religion [dºn] and tear you
to pieces, and will not betray the charges [amånåt] of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) entrusted to it. To the believer, his
religion is his flesh and blood. Do not befriend the self before you have
given it this teaching. Once it has learned its lesson, acquired
understanding and become tame, then you must take it as your companion
whichever way you turn, not parting from it under any circumstances.
Once it is tame, it will become moderate [¥alºma], knowledgeable
[‹ålima] and content [råæiya] with the allotted shares brought to it by
destiny [qadar]. It will not distinguish between wheat germ and barley
169
bread. It will be indifferent to what may fall to its lot, because it will
prefer not to eat rather than to eat, in order to help you to do good, to
be obedient and to behave altruistically. Its nature will be transformed.
It will become openhanded, generous, abstemious in this world and
desirous of the hereafter. Then, when you abstain from the hereafter
and seek the Master [al-Mawlå], it will seek Him with you and travel
with your heart toward His door. At this point, predestination [as-
såbiqa] will come and say to it: “Eat, O you who have not eaten, and
drink, O you who have not drunk!”
The sensible invalid eats only from the hand of the physician or on
his orders, while continuing to behave appropriately, accepting his
advice, and giving up his gluttony whether the doctor is present or
absent. O glutton! O hasty one! If a meal has been created for you, who
else will be able to eat it? If a garment, a dwelling, a vehicle or a spouse
has been created for you, who else will be able to acquire or wear the
same? What ignorance is this? Have you no constancy [thabåt], no
intelligence [‹aql], no faith [ºmån] and no belief [taƒdºq] in the promise
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)?
O handyman, if you work with a decent man, behave properly and do
not demand a fortune and remuneration, you will obtain both without
making demands and behaving badly. When he sees that you have
given up greedy demands and bad behavior, he will favor you above your
fellow workers, promote you and appoint you to be a supervisor over
them. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) does not keep
company with opposition and contention. He only keeps company
with good conduct, composure of the outer [œåhir] and the inner [bå£in],
and constant compliance. Anyone who complies with the decree of
destiny will enjoy lasting friendship [ƒuhba] with the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). He who really knows Allåh [al-‹årif
bi’llåh] and is truly aware of Him [al-‹ålim bihi] is resident with Him and
not with any other, in harmony with Him and with no other, alive in
Him and dead to all others.
O young man! When you speak, speak with a good intention [niyya
ƒåli¥a], and when you are silent, be silent with a good intention. If
anyone does not make the intention before the deed, he is not credited
with the deed. As for you, whether you speak or are silent, you are in
170
sin, because you do not get your intention right. Your silence and your
speech are not in accordance with the Sunna. When you experience
a change in circumstances and a shortage of provisions, you change your
tune for the sake of a bite to eat, and when honor is offended you become
ungrateful for every blessing, on account of the loss of one single favor.
You behave like tyrants, dictating to Him: “Do...”, and “Don’t...”, and
“Why did you..., when it ought to be like so?” This is remoteness,
hatefulness and repulsiveness. Who are you, O son of Adam? You have
been created from a nasty liquid. Abase yourself before your Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and humbly submit to Him. If there is
no pious devotion [taqwå], you are not honorable in the sight of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), nor in the sight of His righteous
servants. This world is [divine] wisdom [¥ikma], and the whole of the
hereafter is [divine] power [qudra].
O my people! Overseers [ruqabå›] have you under surveillance. You
are in the agency [tawkºl] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He), but you have nothing to report. Be sensible! Open the eyes of
your hearts. When a group [jamå‹a] visits one of you at home, do not
be the one to start the conversation, but speak only in response, and do
not ask about things that do not concern you.
The affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd] is an obligatory duty [faræ]. The
quest for what is lawful [¥alål] is an obligatory duty. The quest for
indispensable knowledge is an obligatory duty. Sincerity in practice is
an obligatory duty. It is also an obligatory duty to forgo recompense for
one’s good deeds. Flee from sinners and hypocrites, and join the
righteous [ƒåli¥«n], the champions of truth [ƒiddºq«n]. If you find things
confusing, and you cannot tell the difference between the righteous and
the hypocrite, you must stay awake at night and perform two cycles of
prayer [ƒalli rak‹atain], then say: “O my Lord, guide me to the righteous
among Your creatures. Guide me to those who will guide me to You. Let
me eat of Your food, and let me drink of Your drink. Anoint the eye of
my nearness with the light of Your nearness, and inform me through
what it sees by direct observation, not through hearsay [taqlºd].”
The people [of the Lord] have eaten of the food of the grace of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). They have drunk of the drink of His
intimate friendship [uns], and have witnessed the door of His nearness.
171
They have not been satisfied with second-hand information, but have
struggled, exercised patience, and moved away from themselves and
from creatures, until they got their information by seeing for them-
selves. When they had attained to their Lord, He instructed them,
trained them, and taught them all kinds of wisdom and knowledge
[al-¥ikam wa’l-‹ul«m]. He showed them His kingdom, and made them
aware that there is none other in heaven and earth, that there is no giver
but He and no withholder but He, no cause of movement or rest but He,
no ordainer [muqaddir] and no judge [qåæº] but He, no exalter and no
abaser but He, no controller and no subjugator but He, and no
conqueror [qåhir] but He. He shows them what belongs to Him, and
they see it with the eyes of their hearts [qul«b] and their inner beings
[asrår], so this world and its realm retain no value or weight in their
sight. O Allåh, let us see as you have let them see, with pardon [‹afw]
and well-being [‹åfiya], and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
O my people! Repent for having abandoned pious devotion [taqwå].
Pious devotion is a remedy [dawå›], and giving it up is an illness [då›].
Repent, because repentance is a remedy and sins are an illness. The
Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) said to his companions
one day: “Shall I not tell you what is your remedy and what is your
sickness?” They said: “Oh yes, O Messenger of Allåh!” So he said:
“Your sickness is sins and your remedy is repentance.” Sins make faith
ill, and a cure for them is regular attendance at sessions of remembrance
[dhikr] and obedience to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Repent with the tongue of faith [ºmån], then salvation [falå¥]
may come to you. Speak with the tongue of the affirmation of Unity
[taw¥ºd] and sincerity [ikhlåƒ], then salvation may come to you. Make
faith your weapon when misfortunes arrive from your Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He).
T he Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with him) used to say at the
beginning of every session [majlis]: “Praise be to Allåh, Lord
of All the Worlds!” [Al-¥amdu lillåhi rabbi’l-‹ålamºn (1:1)]. He would
repeat these words three times, pausing for a moment of silence after
172
each repetition. Then he would say: “To match the number of His
creatures, the weight of His Throne, His own good pleasure, the scope
of His words, the extent of His knowledge, and all that He has created,
fashioned and made. The Knower of the unseen and the visible [‹Álim
al-ghaibi wa’sh-shahåda], the All-Merciful [ar-Ra¥mån] and Compas-
sionate [ar-Ra¥ºm], the King [al-Malik], the Most Holy [al-Qudd«s], the
Mighty [al-‹Azºz], the Wise [al-ªakºm]. And I bear witness that there
is none worthy of worship but Allåh [wa-ashhadu an lå ilåha illa’llåh],
Alone without partner [wa¥dahu lå sharºka lah]. His the kingdom and
His the praise [lahu’l-mulku wa-lahu’l-¥amd]. He brings to life and
causes to die [yu¥yº wa-yumºt], while He is Living [ªayy] and never dies
[lå yam«t]. In His hand is all good [bi-yadihi’l-khair]. He is Powerful over
all things [wa-Huwa ‹alå kulli shay›in Qadºr], and to Him is the journey
home [wa-ilaihi’l-maƒºr]. And I bear witness that Mu¥ammad is His
servant and His Messenger [wa-ashhadu anna Mu¥ammadan ‹abduhu
wa-ras«luh], whom He has sent with guidance and the religion of truth
[arsalahu bi’l-hudå wa-dºni’l-¥aqq]:
That He may cause it to prevail over all religion, however much the
idolaters may be averse. (9:33)
“O Allåh, bless Mu¥ammad and the family of Mu¥ammad, and
protect the Imåm and the Community [umma], and the shepherd and
the flock. Reconcile their hearts in good deeds. Ward off the evil that
one may do to another.
“O Allåh, You are the Knower of our secret souls [sarå›ir], so correct
them. You are the Knower of our needs, so fulfill them. You are the
Knower of our sins, so forgive them. You are the Knower of our faults,
so conceal them. Do not see us where You have forbidden us [to be], and
do not fail to find us where you have commanded us [to be]. Let us not
forget Your remembrance. Let us not feel safe from Your cunning wiles,
and let us have no need of any but You. Do not include us among the
heedless.
“O Allåh, inspire us [alhimnå] with our right guidance, and grant us
refuge from the evil of our own selves. Make us preoccupied with You
to the exclusion of everyone apart from You. Separate us from every
separation that separates us from You. Inspire us to remember You, to
be grateful to You, and to worship You well.”
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Then he would turn to his right and say: “There is none worthy of
worship but Allåh. Whatever Allåh wills [må shå›a’llåh]. We have no
power and no strength except through Allåh, the High [al-‹Alº], the
Splendid [al-‹Aœºm].” Then he would say the same facing to his front.
Then he would say: “Do not publish our reports, do not rend our veils,
and do not chastise us for the evil of our deeds. Do not revive us
unawares, and do not take us by surprise.”
Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget, or miss the mark. Our Lord,
do not lay upon us such a burden as You laid upon those before us.
Our Lord, do not lay upon us more than we have the strength to bear.
Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector,
so help us against the disbelieving folk. (2:286)
Then he would start speaking about whatever revelations of the
Unseen [fut«¥ al-ghaib] Allåh might cause his tongue to utter [yafta¥u
‹alå lisånihi], without notes or prepared text. In a few sessions, he would
have memorized a saying [khabar] attributed to the Messenger of Allåh
(Allåh bless him and give him peace), or one of the many wise
statements that were read to him from the words of the sages [¥ukamå›],
so he would begin by mentioning this to invoke its blessing, and start
by basing his talk upon it.
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Twenty-seventh Discourse
evils and the sly tricks of the corrupt. Protect us however You may wish
and as You will. We beg You for pardon and well-being in religion and
in all matters of this world and the hereafter. We beg You for help
[tawfºq] in doing righteous deeds [al-a‹mål aƒ-ƒåli¥a], and for sincerity
[ikhlåƒ] in the performance of those deeds. Ámºn.
A man once came into the presence of Ab« Yazºd al-Bis£åmº (may the
mercy of Allåh be upon him), then kept looking to right and left, so Ab«
Yazºd asked him: “What is the matter with you?” The man replied: “I
want to find a clean spot where I can perform my ƒalåt-prayer.” Ab«
Yazºd then said to him: “Purify your heart and pray wherever you wish!”
The real meaning of pretense [riyå›] is known only by the sincere
[mukhliƒ«n]. They used to be involved in it and have been delivered
from it. It is a steep pass on the road of the people [of the Lord], which
they are obliged to cross over. Pretense, vanity and hypocrisy are among
the arrows of Satan, which he shoots at their hearts. Take instruction
from the Shaikhs, and learn from them how to journey on the path that
leads to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), for it is a path
they have already traveled. Ask them about the afflictions of lower
selves [nuf«s], passions [ahwiya] and natural urges [£ibå‹], for they have
borne the pain of their own afflictions, and have experienced their own
perils and pitfalls. They remained in that situation for quite some time,
making progress bit by bit, until they got the upper hand over it and
gained control and mastery of themselves.
Do not be deluded by what Satan insinuates into you, and do not be
defeated by the arrows of the self, for it will shoot his arrows at you,
because he cannot get at you except by such means. The devil of the
jinn can do nothing against you except through the human devil,
meaning the self and bad companions. Seek help from Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and count on His support against these enemies, for
He will assist you. Then, when you have found Him, when you have
seen what belongs to Him and have obtained His favor, you must return
from His presence to your dependents and fellow creatures, and take
them to Him. You must say to them: “Come to me with all your folk.”
When Joseph (peace be upon him) had gained possessions [milk] and
power [mulk], he said to his people:
Come to me with all your folk. (12:93)
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The person who suffers real privation is he who is deprived of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and who misses the opportu-
nity of nearness to Him in this world and the hereafter. As Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has said in one of His Books:
O son of Adam, if I escape you, everything has escaped you.
How can the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) not escape
you, since you are avoiding Him and the believers among His servants,
offending them by your words and your deeds, rejecting them outwardly
and inwardly? The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is
reported as having said:
Offending the believer is fifteen times more serious in Allåh’s sight
than violating the Ka‹ba and the Frequented House [al-Bait al Ma‹m«r].
Take heed! Alas for you, O you who are always offending the paupers
[fuqarå›] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), namely those who
believe in Him [al-mu›min«na bihi], those who are righteous for His sake
[aƒ-ƒåli¥«na lahu], those who really know Him [al-‹årif«na bihi] and those
who put all their trust in Him [al-mutawakkil«na ‹alaihi]. Alas for you,
you will soon be a corpse, dragged out and carried away from your own
home. The wealth you boast about will be plundered, useless and of no
avail to you.
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Twenty-eighth Discourse
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179
[falå¥], be an anvil for my rod, so that I may thump the skull of your lower
self [nafs], your passions [hawå], your natural urges [£ab‹], your devil
[shai£ån], your enemies and your bad companions. Seek help from your
Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) against these enemies. The victor
[manƒ«r] is he who perseveres against them, and the failure [makhdh«l]
is he who falls under their control.
Misfortunes are many, but He who sends them down is One. Sick-
nesses are many, but their physician is One. O you whose selves [nuf«s]
are sick, put those selves of yours in the care of the Physician. Do not
doubt His competence to treat what is wrong with you, for He is Gentler
with you than you are with yourselves. Hold your tongues in His
presence and do not resist Him, then you will see all that is good in this
world and the hereafter. The people [of the Lord] are in total silence,
total stillness and total awe. When they attain this state completely,
and maintain it permanently, He makes them speak as He will cause
inanimate objects to speak on the Day of Resurrection. They speak only
when they are made to speak. They take only when they are given
something. They feel happy only when they are made to feel happy.
Their hearts are attached to the hearts of the angels [malå›ika]. As Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
They do not disobey Allåh in what he commands them, but do what
they are commanded. (66:6)
They have overtaken the angels, exceeding them in rank and
exceeding them in familiarity [ma‹rifa] with Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and in knowledge [‹ilm] of Him. The angels are their
servants and their attendants, from whom they derive benefit. Because
wisdom [¥ikam] pours into their hearts, their hearts are preserved from
all misfortunes. These may affect their limbs and organs, their physical
constitutions and their lower selves [nuf«s], but not their hearts. If you
wish to attain to their stations [manåzil], you must experience the reality
[ta¥qºq] of Islåm, then the giving up of sins, both those that are external
and those that are internal, then healing restraint [wara‹], then absti-
nence [zuhd] from worldly things, even those that are permissible
[mubå¥] and lawful [¥alål], then satisfaction with the grace [faæl] of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), then abstinence from His grace and
satisfaction with His nearness. When you are genuinely satisfied with
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His nearness, He will shower His grace upon you and He will open unto
you the doors of His allotments [aqsåm], the door of His kindness [lu£f],
His mercy [ra¥ma] and His favor [minna]. He will make this world
narrow for you, then He will expand it to an extreme. This is how it will
be for a few individuals among the saints [awliyå›] and the champions
of truth [ƒiddºq«n], because of His knowledge of their pious devotion
[taqwå], for they let nothing distract them from Him. As for the
majority, this world is kept back from them, because He wants them to
concentrate on Him, to enter His presence and to put their requests to
Him. If He were to grant them this world, they might well become
preoccupied with it to the neglect of His service, and might become
attached to it. This is the usual case, while the former is extraordinary,
and no rule can be based on the extraordinary. Our Prophet (Allåh
bless him and give him peace) is one of those to whom this world has
been offered, and who have not let it distract them from His service. He
paid no attention to allotted benefits, due to the completeness of his
abstinence and detachment. He was offered the keys to the treasures of
the earth, but he rejected them and said:
My Lord, let me live poor [miskºn], let me die poor, and resurrect me
together with the poor!
Abstinence [zuhd] is a righteous intention [niyya ƒåli¥a], otherwise no
one can renounce his allotted portion. The believer is relieved of the
burden of cupidity [¥irƒ]. He is not greedy and does not want things in
a hurry. He abstains from things with his heart, turning away from them
and devoting himself to what he is commanded to do. He knows that
his allotted portion will not pass him by, so he does not go looking for
it. He leaves his allotments to run after him and humbly beg him to
accept them.
O young man! You need a faith [ºmån] that will lead you along the
path of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and a
conviction [ºqån] that will keep you firmly upon it. At the start of your
journey on this road you need a purse [himyån], and further along it you
need a faith [ºmån], contrary to the road to Mecca. Some say that the
road to Mecca requires a faith and a purse, while this road I have
indicated needs a purse and a faith at the beginning and at the end. It
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is said of Sufyån ath-Thawrº (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) that
the first thing he sought was knowledge [‹ilm]. At his waist he had a
purse containing five hundred dºnårs, from which he paid for his studies.
He used to pat it with his hand, saying: “But for you, they would use us
as a towel!” When he had acquired learning and really got to know
[‹arafa] the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), he spent
everything he had left on the poor, in one single day, and said: “Even
if the sky were a sheet of iron that gave no rain, and the earth a rolling
stone, if I worried about seeking my sustenance, I would be an unbe-
liever [kåfir].”
You must earn your way and depend on material means, until your
faith becomes strong. Then shift from the means [sabab] to the Cause
[Musabbib]. The Prophets (peace by upon them) all earned and borrowed
and depended on material means at the start of their careers, and later
on they trusted [in Allåh]. They combined earning [kasb] and absolute
trust [tawakkul], beginning and end, law [sharº‹a] and reality [¥aqºqa]. O
you who are deprived, do not let go of earning in exchange for reliance
on what people possess, and what you can beg from them. For then you
will be ungrateful for the blessings of destiny [al-aqdår], and Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) will be displeased with you and keep you
at a distance. To give up earning and go begging from people is a
punishment from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) for His servant.
When Solomon (peace be upon him) lost his kingship, He inflicted
several punishments upon him, including having to beg from people. In
the days of his reign he used to earn and eat well, but when the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) harrassed him, He expelled him
from his kingdom and made it so hard for him to find sustenance that
he resorted to begging from people. The reason for this was the fact that
a woman worshipped a statue [timthål] in his palace for forty days, so he
remained subject to punishment for forty days, a day for a day.
The people [of the Lord] have no joy to relieve their sorrows, no
respite from bearing their burdens, no comfort to cool their eyes and no
solace for their misfortune, until they meet their Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). This meeting takes two forms: The meeting in this
world, experienced by their hearts [qul«b] and their innermost beings
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[asrår], which is quite rare, and the meeting in the hereafter. When they
meet their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), they receive happiness
and joy, but before this their misfortunes are constant.
T he Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with him) also said, after
speaking about the self [nafs]:
O young man! Do not satisfy its cravings and lusts, but feed it with
pure food that is not contaminated. What is pure [£åhir] is the lawful
[¥alål], and the unlawful [¥aråm] is that which is unclean [najis].
Then he said:
Nourish it with lawful food, so that it will not be arrogant, haughty
and badly behaved.
O Allåh, let us get to know You so that we really know You [‹arrifnå
bika ¥attå na‹rifaka]! Ámºn.
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Twenty-ninth Discourse
184
before them, Allåh has let you go knowingly astray. The virtue [baraka]
of your knowledge has departed. Its kernel has disappeared and only the
shell remains. As for you, O you who lay claim to worship while
your heart worships creatures, fears them and pins its hopes on them,
the exterior [œåhir] of your worship is for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He), but its interior [bå£in] is for creatures. Your whole quest and
concern is for the money and worldly vanities in their possession. You
hope for their praise and commendation, and you fear their blame
and rejection. You fear their refusal, while hoping to win their gifts
by hanging around their doors with a lot of confidence tricks and
smooth talk.
Woe unto you! You are an idolater [mushrik], a hypocrite [munåfiq],
a pretender [mur固], a meddler [mudåkhil], an atheist [zindºq]. Woe unto
you! Whom are you trying to deceive?
He knows the treachery of the eyes, and what the breasts conceal.
(40:19)
Woe unto you! You stand in the ƒalåt-prayer and say: “Allåhu Akbar
[Allåh is Supremely Great],” but you are lying when you say these
words. In your heart, creatures are greater than Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Repent to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). Do
not perform a good deed for the sake of anything other than Him,
neither for this world nor for the hereafter. Be one of those who seek
His countenance. Give Lordship [rub«biyya] its due. Do not work for
praise and commendation, and neither for giving nor withholding.
Woe unto you! Your sustenance [rizq] will neither increase nor
diminish. Whatever He has decreed for you, be it good or bad, is bound
to come your way. So do not concern yourself with something that is
already settled, but devote yourself to His obedient service. Reduce
your greed, curtail your expectations and keep death in front of your
eyes, then you may prosper. You must comply with the sacred law [shar‹]
under all circumstances.
O my people! Have you no remnant of compliance with the sacred
law? You have dropped it from the hands of your outer and inner beings,
and taken to following your lower selves [nuf«s] and your passions
[ahwiya]. You have deluded yourselves because of the forbearance [¥ilm]
185
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) toward you. Day after day He
is sparing you punishment and chastisement, but in the hereafter He
will bring it down upon you from all directions, seizing you and smiting
you. Then death will come to you, and the descent into the grave, so
you will experience its oppression and its torment and must remain
therein until the Day of Resurrection. Then your physical structure will
be restored to you and you will be assembled for the Greatest Review
[al-‹aræ al-akbar]. You will be called to account for the tiniest details and
for everything you have done at every moment. You will be asked about
everything, little or much.
You are an idol with no spirit [r«¥], a dry skin with neither meaningful
content nor force, useless except for the fire. Your worship is devoid of
sincerity [ikhlåƒ], so, since there is no spirit within it, you and your
worship are fit only for the Fire [of Hell]. You need not exert yourself;
if you are not sincere in your labors, nothing useful can come of them.
You are one of the “toiling, weary (88:3)”—toiling in this world and
weary in the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, unless you repent and
make amends before the advent of death. Return to Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) through the renewal of surrender [islåm] and proper
repentance, in which there is sincerity, before death comes and the door
is shut in your face, for you will then be unable to enter the doorway of
repentance. Return to Him with the feet of your heart, so that He will
not shut the door of His favor in your face, leaving you in the care of your
own self, your own power and strength and wealth, without His blessing
on your entire situation.
Woe unto you! You have no sense of shame before Him (Almighty
and Glorious is He). You have made your dºnår [gold coin] your lord and
your dirham [small silver coin] your concern, and you have utterly
forgotten Him. All too soon you must see your report.
Woe unto you! Assign your shop and your wealth to your dependents.
You must earn for their sake as the sacred law [shar‹] commands, while
your heart should be trusting [mutawakkil] in Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Look to Him for your sustenance and theirs, not to the
money and the shop, then He will channel your sustenance and theirs
through your hands, and will bestow His grace, His nearness and His
friendship on your heart. He will make your dependents independent
186
of you, and He will enrich you with Himself. He will enrich them with
whatever He may wish, and however He may will. Your heart will be
told: “This is for you, and this is for your dependents.” But how can you
attain to this proposition, when you are a lifelong polytheist [mushrik],
shut out and banished? Do not satisfy your appetite for this world and
its stuff. Lock the door of your heart and make everything despair of
getting inside, then let in the remembrance [dhikr] of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and nothing else. Repent again and
again for your deeds. Feel remorse again and again for your recklessness
and your bad conduct. Shed many tears for the way you have behaved.
Comfort the poor with part of your wealth. Do not hoard it, for you will
have to part with it quite soon. The believer who is convinced of
compensation in this world and the hereafter will never be a miser.
Jesus (blessings and peace be upon him) is reported as having said to
Iblºs: “Who is the creature you like best?” Iblºs replied: “The miserly
believer.” Then Jesus asked: “And who is the one you hate the most?”
“The generous sinner,” said Iblºs, so Jesus asked: “Why is that?” Iblºs
explained: “Because I am hopeful that the stinginess of the miserly
believer may cause him to fall into sin, and I am afraid that the
generosity of the generous sinner may wipe out his bad deeds.”
Deal with this world for worldly purposes. The sacred law has
prescribed earning only as a means of helping oneself to obey the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). In your case, however, you use
what you earn to help you to disobey, to abandon the ƒalåt-prayer, acts
of charity and payment of the alms-due [zakåt]. You are therefore
interested in disobedience, not obedience. Your earning comes to
resemble highway robbery. Death will come soon, so the believer will
rejoice in it and the unbeliever [kåfir] and the hypocrite [munåfiq] will
grieve at it. The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is
reported as having said:
When the believer dies, he will wish that he had not been in this world
for a single moment, because of the gracious favor he will experience
from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Where is the penitent who is firmly committed to his repentance?
Where is he who feels a sense of shame before his Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He), and is aware of Him under all circumstances? Where
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189
creatures, while you did not. They were likewise patient in the face of
bitterness, so for their sakes it was converted into sweetness. They
knives of destiny [qadar] cut their flesh, but they did not mind and did
not feel the pain. This was because they could see the One who inflicted
the suffering and were in awe of Him. All creatures can be at ease with
them; no pain is transmitted from them to anyone. It is said that the
virtuous [abrår] are those who do not hurt ‘grubs’ [dharr], i.e., tiny ants
that are almost invisible. They relate to the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) through obedience, to people through friendly
social intercourse, and to family members through the bond of kinship
[ƒila]. They are in a state of bliss [na‹ºm] in this world and the hereafter.
In this world it is the bliss of nearness [to their Lord], and in the hereafter
the bliss of Paradise, their vision of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He) and their closeness to Him, hearing His speech and wearing His
robes of honor. You need not worry about them!
You must concentrate on repenting your sins and your impudence
and insolence toward your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Alas
for you, shame should be felt before Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He), not before creatures. He is the One Existing [Kå›in] before all
things, yet you behave modestly with the new-fashioned [mu¥dath] and
insolently toward the Eternal [Qadºm]! He is the Noble [Karºm] while
others are vile [la›ºm]. He is the Rich [Ghanº] while others are poor
[faqºr]. His custom is to give, while the custom of others is to withhold.
Resort to Him with your needs, for He is Worthier [Awlå] than any
other. Find guidance to Him in His workmanship. Observe the rules
of His law [shar‹] and practice pious devotion [taqwå] to Him, because
if you keep up that pious devotion it will guide you to Him, and you will
be preoccupied with Him to the exclusion of the products of creation.
Be guided to Him, seek Him and let go of this world and the hereafter,
because what belongs to you in both will come to you and will not pass
you by. Your letting go of everything apart from Him will clear away
confusions. If your heart does not guide you to Him, you are like
mindless cattle. Stand clear of this world and come forward to join the
intelligent folk, whose intelligence guides them to Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He). Then learn intelligence from them, and use it to
get to know your own self and your Lord.
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Woe unto you! Your life is dwindling away and you do not have a
clue. How long will this indifference to the hereafter and interest in this
world continue?
Woe unto you! Your sustenance will not be consumed by anyone but
you. Your place in Paradise or the Fire [of Hell] will not be occupied by
anyone but you. Negligence has possessed you and desire has taken you
prisoner. Your concern is wholly devoted to eating and drinking, sexual
satisfaction, sleep, and the achievement of your selfish goals. Your
concern is that of the unbelievers [kuffår] and the hypocrites [munåfiq«n].
After you have satisfied your appetite with that which is lawful [¥alål]
or with that which is [unlawful], what is on your heart will or will not
be a liability for you.
O you poor wretch, you should weep over yourself! Your son dies and
you react as if the end of the world had come. Your religion dies and you
do not care; you do not shed a tear over it. Your guardian angels weep
over you when they see your losses in the commodities of your religion.
You have no intelligence. If you had any intelligence you would weep
over the loss of your religion. You have capital at your disposal, but you
do no trading with it. This intelligence and life constitute capital, but
you are no good at doing business with them. Knowledge you do not put
into practice, intelligence you do not use to good advantage, and life
you derive no benefit from, are like a house that is uninhabited, a
treasure that is undiscovered, and a meal that is left uneaten.
If you are unaware of your situation, I am aware of it. I have with me
the mirror of the sacred law [shar‹], which is the external rule [al-¥ukm
aœ-œåhir], and the mirror of the knowledge of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), which is the inner knowledge [al-‹ilm al-bå£in]. Wake
up from the sleep of heedlessness, and wash your face with the water of
alertness. Then look and see what you are: Muslim or unbeliever [kåfir],
believer [mu›min] or hypocrite [munåfiq], monotheist [muwa¥¥id] or
polytheist [mushrik], pretender [mur固] or sincere [mukhliƒ], compliant
[muwåfiq] or conflicting [mukhålif ], pleased [råæº] or displeased [såkhi£].
The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) does not worry about
you, whether you are pleased or displeased. The harm or benefit of this
will accrue to you. Glory be to the Generous One [al-Karºm], the Gentle
One [al-ªalºm], the Gracious One [al-Mutafaææil]! Everything is subject
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to His kindness [lu£f] and His grace [faæl]. If He did not treat us kindly,
we would perish. If He were to requite each one of us according to what
we really deserve for our actions, we should perish every one.
O young man! You offer your worship to Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) despite your absent-mindedness, your pretense and your
hypocrisy, and you seek His gracious favor. You try to compete with the
righteous despite your faultiness. How dare you mention them and
claim familiarity [ma‹rifa] with them? O fugitive, O deserter, O exile
from the circle of the sincere, Unity-affirming [muwa¥¥id«n] members
of this Community [umma]!
Woe unto you! Weep until others weep with you. Sit in your
misfortune and wear the costume of mourning, until others come and
sit with you. You are an outcast [ma¥j«b], but you do not have a clue.
As one of the righteous [ƒåli¥«n] (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him)
has said: “Alas for the outcasts who do not know that they are outcasts!”
Woe unto you! What is your heart? What do you understand? To
whom do you complain? To whom do you turn for help? With whom
do you feel completely at ease? When you experience hardship, whom
do you rely on? Tell me. I know when you are lying and being
hypocritical. You and your fellow creatures are like mosquitoes in my
sight. As for the honest [Čdiq] one among you, I am his little slave
[ghulaim] and his servant. If he wishes to take me to the market to put
me up for sale, or to make a contract with me under which I can
purchase my own freedom, let him do so. If he wishes to take my clothes
and all I have in hand, or to order me to go begging, let him do so. You
have no honesty [ƒidq], no affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd] and no faith
[ºmån]. What am I to do with you? I may use you to plug a hole. You
are sawdust, fit only for the fire.
O my people! This world must pass away and lifetimes come to an
end. The hereafter is close to you, but you take no interest in it. No,
you are interested only in this world and what you can get out of it. You
are hostile to the blessings of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
If you get something bad from Him, you expose it, but if you get
something good from Him, you keep it hidden. If you conceal the
blessings of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and do not thank Him
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for them, He will strip them from you. The Prophet (Allåh bless him
and give him peace) is reported as having said:
When Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) bestows a blessing on His
servant, He likes it to be plain to see.
The people [of the Lord] have set themselves but one concern. They
have expelled all things from their hearts, then installed in it a single
thing unlike [ordinary] things. They have performed all their acts of
worship [‹ibådåt] sincerely, without pretense, hypocrisy and desire to
attract attention. They have truly devoted their servitude [‹ub«diyya]
to their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). As for you, you are the
slaves [‹abºd] of creatures, slaves of pretense and hypocrisy, slaves of
creatures, of the passions [ahwiya], of fortune [¥uœ«œ] and of popular
acclaim [thanå›]. There are none amongst you whose servitude is really
devoted to Him, except those whom Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He) wants, just a few individuals. This person worships this world,
would like it to go on forever, and fears its passing away. This one
worships creatures, fears them and pins his hopes on them. This
one worships Paradise, hoping for its bliss and not for its Creator. This
one worships the Fire [of Hell], fearing it and not its Creator. What are
creatures? What is Paradise? What is the Fire? What is everything apart
from Him? As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And they were commanded only to serve Allåh, making the religion
His sincerely, men of pure faith [¥unafå›]. (98:5)
Those who really know and are aware [al-‹årif«n al-‹ålim«n] of Him
serve Him for His sake, not for the sake of anything other than Him.
They give Lordship [rub«biyya] and servitude their due. They serve
Him in obedience to His commandment and out of love for Him, not
for any ulterior motive. They are interested in Him to the exclusion of
all others, and they give up everything apart from Him. You are images
[ƒuwar] without spirits [arwå¥]. You are external [œåhir], while the
people [of the Lord] are internal [bå£in]. You are forms [mabånº], while
the people [of the Lord] are contents [ma‹ånº]. You are a public spectacle
[jahr], while they are a secret [sirr]. The people [of the Lord] are the
footmen of the Prophets [anbiyå›], to their right and to their left, in front
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of them and behind them, entitled to the leftovers of their food and
drink. They put their knowledge into practice, so inheritance from
them is rightly theirs. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) has said:
The scholars [‹ulamå›] are the heirs of the Prophets.
Since they put their knowledge into practice, they are the deputies
[khulafå›], heirs [wurråth] and representatives [nuwwåb] of the Prophets.
Woe unto you! Do not offer mere knowledge and nothing else. Just
as a claim is useless without proof, knowledge [‹ilm] is useless without
practice [‹amal]. The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is
reported as having said:
Knowledge calls out to practice, and if the latter responds [well and
good]; otherwise it departs.
Its blessedness [baraka] departs and the study of it remains. Its shell
remains, but its kernel is gone. O you who neglect to put knowledge
into practice, one of you may be clever at poetry as far as his expression,
fluency and eloquence are concerned, yet be lacking in practical action
and sincerity [ikhlåƒ]. If you would correct your heart, your limbs and
organs would also be corrected, because it is the king of the physical
body, so when you correct the king, the subjects get to be corrected too.
Knowledge is a shell and practice is a kernel. The shell is protected only
to protect the kernel, and the kernel is protected only so that the oil can
be extracted from it. So what use can be made of the shell if it has no
kernel inside it? And what use can be made of the kernel if there is no
oil in it? Knowledge goes away because, once it has ceased to be
practiced, it departs. What good can it do you to memorize and study
it without practice? O scholar, if you wish for the good of this world and
the hereafter, you must put your knowledge into practice and teach
other people. O rich man, if you wish for the good of this world and the
hereafter, you must comfort the poor with part of your wealth. The
Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
Human beings are the dependents of Allåh, and the dearest of human
beings to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) is he who is most
beneficial to his dependents.
Glory be to Him who makes one need another! He has wise reasons
for this. O rich man, are you running away from me? I am taking from
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you for your own sake. Good will come to me from Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). He will enable me to do without you, and He will make
you need me.
When Abraham (peace be upon him) noticed how little patience the
poor man had, he used to say: “O Allåh, treat us generously in this
world, but cause us to have little appetite for it. Do not keep it from us
and make us greedy for it, so that we perish in seeking it.”
O Allåh, treat us kindly in Your judgments and Your decrees!
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Thirtieth Discourse
196
outer and inner beings. The fieriness [nåriyya] of their natures has been
extinguished. Their passions [ahwiya] have been broken. Their lower
selves [nuf«s] have been tamed and their greediness [sharah] has been
transformed.
O young man! This abstinence [zuhd] is not a skill you can practice.
It is not a thing you can take in your hand and throw. It is rather a series
of steps, the first of which is to look this world in the face, so that you
see it in the form it assumed for the Prophets [anbiyå›] and Messengers
[rusul] who have preceded you, and in which it is viewed by the saints
[awliyå›] and Abdål, who are not lacking in any era. Your view of it will
only be correct if you follow the words and deeds of your predecessors.
If you follow them, you will see what they saw. If you are in the footsteps
of the people [of the Lord], in word and in deed, in private and in public,
in knowledge and in practice, in form and in content, you must fast as
they kept the fast [ƒiyåm], pray as they performed the prayer [ƒalåt], take
as they took and let go and they let go, and love them. Then Allåh will
grant you a light by which you can see yourself and others. It will show
you your own faults and the faults of your fellow creatures, so you will
abstain from your own self and from creatures altogether. Then, when
you have truly reached this stage, the lights of nearness will come to
your heart. You will come to be a believer [mu›min] who is fully
convinced [m«qin], knowing [‹årif] and aware [‹ålim], so you will see
things according to their outer forms [ƒuwar] and their inner contents
[ma‹ånº]. You will see this world as it was seen by the detached
abstainers who have gone before you. You will see it in the form of a
misshapen old hag, ugly to look at, for such is its character in the sight
of these people [of the Lord]. To kings she appears like a bride decked
out in the finest fashion, but to the people [of the Lord] she is a mean
and vulgar wretch. They burn her hair, tear her clothes, scratch her
face, and grab their shares from her by force and coercion, in spite of her
objections, while they are in the company of the hereafter.
O young man! When your abstinence from this world is all it should
be, you will abstain from your self-will [ikhtiyår], from creatures, so that
you neither fear them nor pin your hopes on them, and from everything
your own self [nafs] commands you to do, so that you refuse to obey it
except after receiving the commandment of Allåh (Almighty and
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them. He has returned to the root and left the branch. He knows that
the branches are many, while the root is but one, so he clings to it. He
has looked into the mirror of contemplation and seen that standing by
one door is better than standing by many, so he stands by it and sticks
to it. The sincere and convinced believer is sensible. He has been
endowed with common sense [‹aql al-ma‹q«l] and so he flees from people
and gives them a wide berth.
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Thirty-first Discourse
201
202
dence, of Him they are afraid and on Him they pin their hopes. His
Oneness they affirm and on him they depend, for they do not associate
[partners with Him] and this they denounce. Their affirmation of Unity
[taw¥ºd] is in their hearts, while their affability toward creatures is in
their outer beings. When they are treated foolishly, they do not respond
in kind. Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said concerning
them:
And when the ignorant address them, they say: “Peace!” (25:63)
You must keep silent and be tolerant of the foolishness of the
ignorant, of their excitability of their natural urges [£ibå‹], their lower
selves [nuf«s] and their passions [ahwiya]. But when they are guilty of
disobeying the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) there can
be no keeping silence, because it is then unlawful. Speaking out
becomes a religious duty [‹ibåda], and to refrain from doing so is a sin.
When you are capable of commanding what is right and proper [al-amr
bi’l-ma‹r«f] and forbidding what is wrong and improper [an-nahy mina’l-
munkar], you must not stop short of it, because it is the door of goodness
that has been opened up in front of you, so go straight on in.
Jesus (blessings and peace be upon him) used to eat the herbs of the
desert and drink from pools of water left by the rain, and he would seek
shelter in caves and ruins. When he lay down to sleep, he would use a
rock or his own arm as a pillow. The believer must do likewise, and must
be determined to meet his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) on this
footing. If he has any allotted shares in this world, they must come to
him, so his outer being will deal with them and he will receive them all
with his lower self, while his heart is with Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) on the footing previously described. Its condition will
not change, because, when abstinence is firmly established in the heart,
it is not altered by the advent of this world and the receipt of allotted
shares.
If the believer had been fond of this world, its people, its pleasures and
delights, he would not have renounced it for an instant, being preoccu-
pied with it by night and by day. He would not have practiced worship
and devotion. He would not have remembered Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and would not have obeyed Him. Allåh therefore made
him aware of his own faults, so he turned from them in repentance and
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remorse, regretting the mistakes he made in days gone by. Allåh also
made him aware of the faults of this world, by means of the Book and
the Sunna and the Shaikhs, so he began to abstain from it. Every time
he noticed one fault, he would recognize other faults, so he realized that
this world is transitory, its life a short span only, its happiness fleeting,
its beauty liable to alteration, its morals depraved, its influence lethal,
its speech a blast of hot air. It is quick to marry [dhawwåqa] and quick
to divorce [mi£låqa]. It lacks responsibility, principle and commitment.
As a residence it is like a building on water, so he will not take it as a
dwelling and home for his heart. Then he progresses to a further stage
and his mastery is strengthened. Now he really knows [ya‹rifu] the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), so neither will he accept the
hereafter as an abode for his heart. He would rather choose his nearness
to his Master as an abode for it in this world and the hereafter. There
he builds a home for his innermost being [sirr] and for his heart.
At this stage it can do him no harm to undertake worldly construc-
tion, even if he were to build a thousand houses, because he is building
for the sake of others, not for his own sake. In doing so he is carrying
out the commandment of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and
complying with His judgment and decree. Allåh will appoint him to
serve His creatures and to bring them comfort. He brings light to bear
on darkness in cooked food and bread, but he does not eat a single crumb
thereof. He receives his own special food, which no one else shares with
him, so he will be breaking fast [muf£ir] at his own meal, but fasting
[ƒå›im] and going hungry when others are eating their food. The
abstainer [zåhid] fasts from food and drink, while the knower [‹årif] fasts
from everything but the One he knows [‹an ghairi ma‹r«fihi], for he goes
hungry rather than eat from the hand of anyone except his Physician.
His sickness is remoteness and his remedy is nearness. The fast [ƒawm]
of the abstainer is during the day, but the fast of the knower is by day and
by night; there is no breaking fast [fi£r] for him until he meets his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He). The knower is always fasting, constantly
in a fever; always fasting in his heart, feverish in his innermost being.
He knows that his cure is meeting his Lord and being near to Him.
O young man! If you wish for salvation [falå¥], you must expel
creatures from your heart. You must neither fear them nor pin your
hopes on them. Do not cultivate their friendship and do not rely on
204
them. Hurry away from them all and recoil from them with a shudder,
as if they were lifeless corpses. Once you are genuinely capable of
this, you will truly experience tranquillity when remembering Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and disturbance when remembering
any other.
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Thirty-second Discourse
206
for an assistant? Let anyone who is capable approach me and risk his
head. Praise be to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), I need the
assistance of no one apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Be sensible, and be on your best behavior with the
[Lord’s] folk, for they are the strangers of the tribes [nuzzå‹ al-‹ashå›ir],
the prefects of the provinces and people [shi¥an al-bilåd wa’l-‹ibåd]. By
them the earth is kept safe. Were this not so, what would be kept safe
by your pretense, hypocrisy and idolatry [shirk]? O hypocrites, O enemies
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His Messenger, O logs for
the Fire [of Hell]!
O Allåh, relent toward me and toward them! O Allåh, awaken me
and awaken them, and have mercy on me and have mercy on them! Let
our hearts and our physical bodies be devoted entirely to You, or at least,
if the body must belong to one’s dependents in matters of this world, and
the lower self [nafs] to the hereafter, let the heart [qalb] and the
innermost being [sirr] belong to You.
O young man! Nothing will come of you, but you can only be you.
Nothing will come of you, but you cannot escape your own presence.
Keep applying for work until He gives you constructive employment.
This is how it is with you and helpful guidance: You are a job seeker and
helpful guidance [tawfºq] is an employer [musta‹mil], while the Owner
of the work [ƒå¥ib al-‹amal] is Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
He orders you to be quick to obey Him, and it is He who provides the
helpful guidance.
Woe unto you! You have shackled your lower self [nafs] with the fear
of creatures and hope pinned on them. Release these shackles from your
legs, so that it [the self] may go about the service of its Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and become tame [mu£ma›inna] in His presence.
Reduce its appetite for this world, for its lusts, its women and everything
else it contains. If anything of the kind is held in store for it by
preordination [as-såbiq], it will come to it without your bidding or
seeking, while your reputation with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) will be that of a pious abstainer [zåhid], and He will look
upon you with the eye of respect. Your worldly share will not pass you
by, but as long as you continue to rely on your own power and strength
207
and possessions, you will receive nothing from the invisible realm
[al-ghaib]. A certain wise man said: “As long as there is anything left in
the purse [jaib], nothing will come from the unseen world [ghaib].”
O Allåh, we seek refuge with You from reliance on material means
[asbåb] and attachment to fantasy [hawas], desires [ahwiya] and habits
[‹ådåt]. With You we seek refuge from evil under all circumstances.
Our Lord, give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and
guard us against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Thirty-third Discourse
210
Thirty-fourth Discourse
T he Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with him) said, after some
discussion:
The people [of the Lord] are in the business of spending freely and
making life easier for their fellow creatures. As professional robbers and
givers, they plunder the grace and mercy of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and give it to the poor and the needy who are in
straitened circumstances. They settle the debts of debtors who are
unable to pay what they owe. They are the kings, but not the kings of
this world, because the latter rob and do not give. The [Lord’s] people
make the most of what is available, and wait for what is lacking. They
take from the hand of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He),
not from the hands of creatures. What they acquire with their physical
bodies is for other creatures, and what they acquire with their hearts is
their own. They spend for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He), not to satisfy desire and selfish interest, and not to gain praise
and acclaim.
Give up your attitude of arrogance [takabbur] toward the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His creatures, for it is one of
the characteristics of tyrants [jabåbira], whom Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) will throw down flat on their faces in the Fire of Hell
[når al-ja¥ºm]. When you anger the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), you are behaving arrogantly toward Him. When the
muezzin [mu›adhdhin] gives the call [adhån] and you do not respond to
it by getting ready to perform the prayer [ƒalåt], you are behaving
arrogantly toward Him. When you wrong one of His creatures, you are
behaving arrogantly toward Him. Repent to Him and be sincere in your
repentance, before He destroys you by means of the weakest of His
creatures, as He destroyed Nimrod and other kings. When they
behaved arrogantly toward Him, He caused them to suffer degradation
after honor, poverty after wealth, agony after bliss, and death after life.
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212
yourself with those who can be broken and restored, destroyed and
controlled. Attend to the private business of your own self [nafs] until
it is tamed and really knows its Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He),
then you may pay attention to others. Take the highway of His purpose.
Seek His company in this world and the hereafter. Make a practice of
pious devotion [taqwå], of detachment and isolation from all apart from
Him. You must always practice self-effacement [ma¥w]. Do not let
yourself be certain of anything except the [divine] commandments and
prohibitions, for He has made you certain of them.
O men and O women! Saved would be any among you who had with
him [or her] one atom of sincerity [ikhlåƒ], one atom of devotion [taqwå],
one atom of patience [ƒabr] and gratitude [shukr]. I see that you are
bankrupt!
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Thirty-fifth Discourse
T he Shaikh (may Allåh the Exalted be well pleased with him) said:
Woe unto you, O arrogant ones! Your acts of worship [‹ibådåt] do not
enter the earth; they only ascend to heaven. As Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) has said:
To Him good words ascend, and the righteous deed He does exalt.
(35:10)
Our Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) has mounted the Throne
and encompassed the Kingdom. His knowledge is comprehensive of all
things. He is the Author [Mubdi‹] of seven verses [åyåt] in the Qur›ån
to this effect. I cannot erase them for the sake of your ignorance and
stupidity, however much you terrify me with your sword or excite my
desire for your money. I fear only Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
and of none but Him am I afraid. On Him I pin my hope, and to none
but Him do I look in hope. I worship Him and I worship none but Him.
I work for His sake, and I do not work for the sake of any but Him. My
sustenance is with Him and in His hand. Everything belongs to Him.
The slave [‹abd] and all he possesses belong to his Master.
(He mentioned that as many as five hundred souls had come to Islåm
at his hand, and that more than twenty thousand had repented, and
he said:)
This is among the blessings [barakåt] of our Prophet Mu¥ammad
(Allåh bless him and give him peace).
[Allåh is] the Knower of the Unseen [‹Álimu’l-ghaib], and He reveals
His secret to no one, except to every Messenger whom He has chosen.
(72:26,27)
The Unseen is in His presence, so draw near to Him until you see Him
and see what is in His presence. Leave your family, your property, your
214
town, your wife and your children, and move away from them with your
heart. Leave everything and travel to His door.
When you arrive at His door, you must pay no attention to His
attendants, His dominion and His kingdom. If they offer you a meal,
you must not eat it. If they install you in a chamber, you must not make
yourself at home in it. If they offer you a wife, you must not marry her.
You must accept none of these things until you meet Him, just as you
are, in your ordinary clothes, your weariness, the dust of your journey
and your disheveled state. Then it will be He who transforms you, gives
you food and drink, dispels your loneliness, comforts you, refreshes your
weariness and calms your fear. In His nearness you will have your
satisfaction, and in beholding Him you will have your food and drink
and clothing.
What is the meaning of the patronage [tawallº] of creatures? It is
making them the object of one’s fear and hope, relying on them and
putting one’s trust in them. This is the meaning of the patronage of
creatures.
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Thirty-sixth Discourse
217
218
the nearness of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), the exhausting
work is over. Intimate friendship [uns] with Him is now established in
your heart, and you will develop until you experience it completely. At
first you will be small, then you will grow bigger, and when you are fully
grown the heart will be filled with Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He). There will thus be no means of access to it, and no corner within
it, for anyone but Him.
If you wish to reach this stage, you must make it your practice to carry
out His commandments, to observe His prohibitions and to submit to
Him in good and bad, in affluence and poverty, in honor and disgrace,
when ambitions are achieved and when they are disappointed, in the
affairs of this world and the hereafter. You must work for Him without
claiming the tiniest remuneration. You must work, and your object
must be the Employer’s approval and His nearness. Your recompense
will therefore be His approval of you and your nearness to Him in this
world and the hereafter—in this world for your heart [qalb] and in the
hereafter for your outer form [qålab]. Work, and seek not a speck nor a
seed in return. Rather than focus your attention on your work, you
should let your limbs and organs make the necessary movements, while
your heart stays with the Employer.
When you have accomplished this fully, your heart will come to have
eyes with which it can see. Meaning [ma‹nå] will become form [ƒ«ra],
what was absent [ghå›ib] will be present [¥åæir], and what was known
only by report [khabar] will be witnessed directly [mu‹åyana]. When the
servant is worthy of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), He will be
with him under all circumstances, changing him, transforming him and
moving him from state to state. The whole of him will become a
meaningful entity [ma‹nå]. The whole of him will become a faith
[ºmån], a conviction [ºqån], a real knowledge [ma‹rifa], a nearness [qurb]
and a direct perception [mushåhada]. He will become a day with no
night, a light with no darkness, a clarity with no confusion, a heart with
no lower self [nafs] and an innermost [sirr] with no heart, an extinction
[fanå›] with no existence [wuj«d], an absence [ghaiba] with no presence
[¥uæ«r]. He will become absent from them and from him.
The basis of all this is intimate friendship [uns] with Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). There is nothing to be said until this
219
intimate friendship between you and Him is complete. You must take
a step away from creatures. They cause neither harm nor benefit, so you
must pass beyond them. You must also take a step away from the self
[nafs]. Do not comply with its wishes, but oppose it for the sake of
pleasing your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), for you must pass
beyond it. Creatures and the self are two perilous oceans, fires, ravines.
Be firm in your resolve and pass beyond this deadly peril [hulk], so that
you may alight in the Kingdom [mulk]. The first is a sickness [då›] and
the second is a remedy [dawå›]. Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
has sent down both the sickness and the remedy. For all diseases there
are remedies in His presence and in His hand, which no one apart from
Him possesses. If you endure solitariness [wa¥da] with patience, you will
receive the intimate friendship of the Solitary One [al-Wå¥id]. If you
endure poverty with patience, you will receive wealth. Abandon
this world, then seek the hereafter, then seek nearness to the Master
[al-Mawlå]. Abandon creatures [al-khalq], then return to the Creator
[al-Khåliq].
Woe unto you! Creatures and Creator cannot be combined. Things
of this world and things of the hereafter cannot be combined within the
heart. It is inconceivable, it is inadmissible, and nothing can come of
it. Either creatures or the Creator. Either this world or the hereafter.
Of course it is conceivable that you might have creatures in your outer
self [œåhir] and the Creator in your inner being [bå£in], this world in your
hand and the hereafter in your heart. In the heart, however, the two
cannot be combined. Look at your own self and choose on its behalf:
If you want this world, you must expel the hereafter from your heart.
If you want the hereafter, you must expel this world from your heart. If
you want the Master, you must expel this world, the hereafter and
everything apart from Him from your heart, because as long as there
remains in your heart one atom of that which is apart from the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), you cannot recognize His
nearness to you and cannot really experience intimate friendship and
peace with Him. As long as there remains in your heart one atom of this
world, you cannot see the hereafter right in front of you, and as long as
there remains in your heart one atom of the hereafter, you cannot see
the proximity of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
220
Be sensible! You cannot come to His door except with the feet of
sincerity [ƒidq], for the assayer has a sharp eye [for picking out counterfeit
coins].
Woe unto you! You may have concealed yourself from creatures, but
not from the Creator. Why try to hide? Your honor will soon be
violated in people’s sight, and the cash will be seized from your pocket
and your house. O you who leave broken glass beside your food, the
consequences will be apparent to you in your vomiting. O you who eat
poison, the effect of it will soon show up in your body. Eating forbidden
food is poison to the body of your religion [dºn]. Neglecting to give
thanks for blessings is poison to your religion. The Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) will soon punish you with poverty,
obliging you to beg from people while removing all compassion for you
from their hearts. As for you, O you who fail to put your knowledge into
practice, He will soon cause you to forget that knowledge and make the
virtue of it leave your heart. O ignorant fools, if you really knew Him,
you would be familiar with His punishments. Be on your best behavior
with Him and with His creatures. Refrain from saying too much about
things that do not concern you. One of the righteous [ƒåli¥«n] is
reported as having said: “I noticed a young man begging, so I said to
him: ‘It would be better for you to do a job of work.’ I was then punished
[for this meddling interference] by being prevented from keeping night
vigil [qiyåm al-lail] for six months.”
O young man! In that which does concern you there is plenty to keep
you busily distracted from that which does not concern you. Expel your
lower self [nafs] from your heart so that good may come to you, for it is
the troublesome cause of confusion; once it has made its exit, pure
serenity [ƒafå›] will come. Change, that you may be changed. As Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Allåh does not change what is in a people, until they change what is in
themselves. (13:11)
O human being, hear! O human beings, hear! O you who are
considered responsible people [mukallaf«n]! Hear, O you who are
mature, O you who are sane, the words of the Maker [al-Bårº] (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and His communications, for He is the Most
Truthful [aƒdaq] of speakers. For His sake, change that in your own
selves which He dislikes, so that He may bring you that which you love.
221
The path is wide, so what is the matter with you? O chronic invalids,
get up and take a firm hold. Work and do not slacken. As long as you
are holding the rein at both ends, make use of it to your advantage. You
must ride your lower selves, otherwise they will ride you. It [the self] is
an inciter to evil [ammåra bi’s-s«›] in this world, a stern critic [lawwåma]
in the hereafter. You must flee from those who might distract you from
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), as you would flee from a savage
beast. Do business with Him, for those who do business with Him will
show a profit. He loves those who love Him. He wishes for those who
wish for Him. He is near to those who draw near to Him. He makes
Himself known to those who seek to know Him.
Listen to me and accept what I have to say, for there is no one else on
the face of the earth who speaks about what the text [naƒƒ] means in a
given case. I want people for their sake, not for my own, and if I seek
the hereafter, I seek it for them. With every word I utter, I have nothing
in mind but the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). What
do I care about this world and the hereafter and what they contain? He
is aware of my sincerity [ƒidq], because He is Well Aware of all secrets
[‹Allåmu’l-ghuy«b].
Come here to me! I am the touchstone [mi¥akk]. I am the master of
the smelting furnace and the mint. O hypocrite, what are you raving
on about? Your raving is futile. So often you say “I”, but who are you?
Woe unto you! You see someone other than Him, yet you say: “I see
Him!” You befriend someone other than Him, yet you say: “I am
befriending Him!” You call your lower self [nafs] content, but this is a
contradiction. You call it patient, yet a flea can disturb you and prove
you an unbeliever.
There is nothing to be said until your flesh becomes dead to all its
many agonies and sufferings, so that the scissors of misfortune do not
cause it pain. The whole of you will then become a retreat in which your
heart can withdraw from this world and the hereafter, so that it will be
in a state of nonexistence [‹adam] in relation to them both and to all
they contain. Your existence [wuj«d] will then consist in the carrying
out of the commandments and the observance of the prohibitions [of
the Lord], for He will cause you to exist and to act, setting you in motion
and bringing you to rest, while you are in His invisible realm [ghaiba]
with Him.
222
No station [maqåm] will be secured for you until you have truly
attained this station. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)
does not seek from His servant his outer form [ƒ«ra]; He seeks only his
inner content [ma‹nå], meaning his affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd], his
sincerity [ikhlåƒ], the removal of the love of this world and the hereafter
from his heart, and that all things should be in a state of separation from
him. When he has accomplished this completely, He loves him, draws
him near [to Himself] and exalts him above others.
O Unique One [Wå¥id], make us uniquely Yours! Deliver us from
creatures and choose us for Yourself. Certify our claims with the proof
of Your grace and Your mercy. Gladden our hearts and ease our affairs.
Let our companionship be with You and our loneliness with those who
are apart from You. Let our concerns be but one concern, namely our
concern with You, and grant us nearness to You in this world and the
hereafter.
Our Lord, give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and
guard us against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
223
Thirty-seventh Discourse
224
225
226
appoint you [to high office], make you a sultan and a king, and let you
go freely among the rest of His creatures. He will make you the guardian
of your heart, assign His angels to your service and show you the spirits
[arwå¥] of His Prophets [anbiyå›] and His Messengers [rusul], so nothing
will be kept secret from you in the whole of creation.
O young man! You must seek this station [maqåm], aspire to it and
make it your ambition. You must give up your preoccupation with the
quest for this world, for it will never satisfy you. Nor will you be satisfied
with anything apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), so concentrate on Him, for He will satisfy you. When you have
Him, you have everything you need in this world and the hereafter. O
heedless one, wish for Him who wishes for you, seek Him who seeks you,
love Him who loves you, and yearn for Him who yearns for you. Surely
you have heard His words (Almighty and Glorious is He):
He loves them and they love Him. (5:54)
And His saying [not in the Qur݌n]:
Surely I am yearning to meet you.
He has created you for His worshipful service [‹ibåda], so do not play
about. He wants you for His companionship, so do not pay attention
to others. In loving Him you must love no one together with Him.
If you love someone other than Him with the love of compassion [ra›fa]
and mercy [ra¥ma] and kindness [lu£f], this is permissible. With the
love of the ordinary feelings [¥ubb an-nuf«s] it is permissible. With the
love of hearts [¥ubb al-qul«b], however, it is not permissible. With the love
of the innermost being it is not permissible. When the heart of Adam
(peace be upon him) became preoccupied with the love of Paradise, and
he loved to dwell therein, His Lord parted him from it and expelled him
from it by way of the eating of the fruit. When his heart inclined toward
Eve, He parted him from her and set between the pair of them a distance
of three hundred years, he being in Sarandºb [the island now called Sri
Lanka] and she in Jidda.*
When Jacob became very attached to his son Joseph (peace be upon
them both), He brought about a separation between them. And when
*[Footnote supplied by the editor of the printed Arabic text (Damascus edition):]
“A distance of three hundred years”—thus in the manuscript in my hands, but it bears
examination since Sarandºb is in the Indian Ocean, on an island called the Island of
Sarandºb, and it is no secret that the distance between India and Jidda is not great.
227
our Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) developed a certain
kind of affection for ‹Á›isha (may Allåh be well pleased with her), she
suffered an experience that exposed her to calumny and slander, and he
went for several days without seeing her.
You must therefore devote all your attention to Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and to no other. You must not be intimately friendly
with anyone but Him. Set creatures outside of your heart, away from
Him. Keep it empty for Him.
O idler, O lazybones, O unreceptive one! If you would take instruction
from me and learn from what I have to say, you would put it into practice
for your own sake. If you do not take action, you will bring displeasure
and deprivation upon your own self. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) has said:
To its credit is what it is what it has earned, and against it is what it
has deserved. (2:286)
He has also said (Exalted is He):
If you do good, it is your own selves you do good to, and if you do evil
it is to them likewise. (17:7)
Tomorrow they will encounter the reward for their deeds in the
Gardens [of Paradise] and the punishment for their deeds in the Fires
[of Hell]. The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is reported
as having said:
Feed the pious devotees [atqiyå] with your food, and give your cloaks to
the believers.
228
Thirty-eighth Discourse
conviction [ºqån]. Do not listen to the talk of these affected and fanciful
hypocrites, for the natural inclination is to let oneself be taken in by
fanciful, foolishly pretentious talk. Just like unleavened dough without
salt, it will hurt the stomach of one who eats it, and wreck his physical
fitness.
Knowledge is taken from the mouths of men, not from the pages of
books. Among these men are the men of the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He), the piously devoted ones [muttaq«n], the abstinent
ones [tårik«n], the inheritors [wårith«n], the knowers [‹årif«n], the
practicing ones [‹åmil«n], the sincere [mukhliƒ«n]. Apart from pious
devotion [taqwå] there is only delusion and vanity. Sovereignty belongs
to the piously devoted, in this world and the hereafter. The foundation
and the building belong to them in this world and the hereafter. Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) loves only those of His servants who are
piously devoted, beneficent [mu¥sin«n] and patient [ƒåbir«n]. If you had
the right idea [khå£ir ƒa¥º¥], you would know them, love them and
befriend them. One gets the right ideas only when the heart is illumined
by direct knowledge [ma‹rifa] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
You should not trust an idea that occurs to you until you really have that
knowledge, and the goodness and soundness of it are clearly apparent
to you.
Lower your eyes from the sight of forbidden things, and restrain
yourself from carnal desires. Accustom yourself to eating lawful food
[¥alål]. Safeguard your inner [bå£in] by maintaining an awareness of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and your outer [œåhir] by following
the Sunna. Then you may receive a sound and correct idea, and have
true knowledge through Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
I educate only intellects [‹uq«l] and hearts [qul«b]. As for lower selves
[nuf«s], natural impulses [£ibå‹] and habits [‹ådåt], no, they are not my
business.
O young man! You must acquire knowledge and practice sincerity
until you escape the net of hypocrisy and its bonds. Seek knowledge
[‹ilm] for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), not for the
sake of His creatures and not for the sake of this lower world of His. The
token of your seeking knowledge for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) is your fear and trembling at the advent of His command
230
231
as people seeking this world and desirous of it, putting all their trust in
creatures and forgetting the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He). Confidence in any other than the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) is the cause of damnation. The Prophet (Allåh bless
him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
Accursed, accursed is he whose trust [thiqa] is in a creature like himself.
He also said (blessing and peace be upon him):
Anyone who glories in a creature is worthy of contempt.
Woe unto you! When you take your leave of creatures you will come
to be with the Creator. He will make you aware of what is due to you
and what you owe, so you will be able to differentiate between what
belongs to you and what belongs to others. You must stick with firmness
and constancy to the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and must sever attachments from your heart, then you may
experience goodness both here and now and in the future. This is
something that cannot be accomplished as long as creatures and
pretence [riyå›] are within your heart, and as long as the hereafter and
things apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) are
in your heart, even in the tiniest quantity. If you are not patient, you
have no religion [dºn]. Your faith has no head. As the Prophet (Allåh
bless him and give him peace) has said:
Patience is to faith as the head is to the body.
The meaning of patience is that you should not complain to anyone,
should not be attached to any material means [sabab], should not hate
the existence of misfortune and should not love to have it go away.
When the servant behaves humbly toward Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) while his state is one of poverty and neediness, when he
is patient with Him in compliance with His will [muråd], is not too
proud to conduct himself in the manner permitted [mubå¥], and brings
light to bear on the darkness through worshipful service [‹ibåda] and
earning [kasb], He looks upon him with the eye of mercy [ra¥ma],
enriches him and enriches his dependents from a quarter that was never
within his reckoning. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Whoever is dutiful toward Allåh, He prepares a way out for him, and
provides for him from sources he could never imagine. (65:2,3)
232
You are like the cupper [¥ajjåm; blood-letting physician]. You extract
the sickness from others, but there is a full-blooded sickness in you
which you do not extract. I see you increasing in outer knowledge and
inner ignorance. As it is written in the Torah:
He who increases in knowledge, let him also increase in suffering.
What is this suffering? It is fear of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He) and humility toward Him and His servants. If you have no
knowledge, you must study. If you have no knowledge, no practice, no
sincerity, no good manners and no good opinion of the Shaikhs, how
is anything going to come of you? You have focused your interest on this
world and its rubbish. Very soon you will be separated from it. Where
do you stand in relation to the people [of the Lord] whose interest is but
one, who remain aware of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
inwardly [fº bawå£inihim] as they remain aware of Him outwardly [fº
œawåhirihim] ? They train the heart as they train the physical body, until,
when this process of development is complete, He relieves them
entirely of all interest in carnal desires, so there remains in their hearts
but one single desire, namely the quest for Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), nearness to Him and His love; that is all.
It is related that the Children of Israel were afflicted by a calamity, so
they went together to meet one of their Prophets [anbiyå›] and said to
him: “Tell us how to win the good pleasure of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), so that we may follow it through as a
means by which to rid ourselves of this calamity.” So he asked the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) about this, and Allåh told him
by inspiration [aw¥å ilayhi]:
Say to them: “If you wish for My good pleasure, you must please the
needy, for if you please them I shall be well pleased, and if you displease
them I shall be displeased.”
Take heed, O intelligent ones! You are always displeasing the needy,
yet you wish for the good pleasure of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Far from obtaining His good pleasure, you live and move in His
displeasure. You must be steadfast despite the harshness of my speech,
then you may succeed. Steadfastness [thubåt] is a growing plant [nabåt].
I would never run away from the coarseness and harshness of the
Shaikhs; I just held my tongue and shut my eyes. As blasts from them
233
descended on me, I would just keep quiet. As for you, you cannot
endure what they have to say, yet you wish to succeed. No, of course
not! You will not succeed until you conform to the decree of destiny
[qadar], for you and against you. You must keep company with the
Shaikhs, while discarding speculations about your fortune and fate, and
you must follow them and remain in harmony with them under all
circumstances, then success [falå¥] will come to you in this world and
the hereafter.
Understand what I am saying and put it into practice! Understanding
without practice does not amount to anything. Practice without
sincerity [ikhlåƒ] is empty ambition [£ama‹]. All the letters in [the word]
£ama‹ [as written in the Arabic script] are empty and hollow; there is
nothing inside them! The general public may not recognize your
counterfeiting, but the money changer will recognize it, then he will
inform the general public so they will be on their guard against you. If
you were patient with Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), you would
see the marvels of His grace. When Joseph (peace be upon him)
patiently endured captivity, enslavement, imprisonment and degrada-
tion, and complied with the working of his Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He), his nobility was confirmed and he became a king,
passing from degradation to glory, from death to life. Thus it can be for
you. If you will follow the sacred law [shar‹], be patient with Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), look to Him in fear and hope, and
oppose your lower self [nafs], your passions [hawå] and your devil
[shai£ån], you will move on from this present situation of yours to one
quite different. You will progress from what you dislike to what you
love. Struggle and work hard, for although you cannot get there on your
own, you must play your part. Work hard, then good may come to you.
He who seeks and makes a serious effort will surely find [man £alaba
wa-jadda wajada]. You must try hard to eat lawful food [¥alål], for it will
enlighten your heart and bring it out of its dark shadows. The most
useful intelligence is that which makes you aware of the blessings of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), prompts you to give thanks for
them, and helps you to acknowledge them in due measure.
O young man! When someone becomes aware, through the eye of
certainty [‹ain al-yaqºn], that Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has
234
allotted all things and has finished with them, he will feel too ashamed
to seek anything from Him. He will be too preoccupied with remem-
bering Him to go making requests of Him. He will not ask Him to speed
up his own allotment, nor to give him the portion allotted to another.
His normal mode of conduct will be unobtrusiveness, taciturnity, good
manners and nonconfrontation. He will not complain to creatures, be
it about little or much. Begging from creatures with the heart is like
begging from them with the tongue; in my view there is no difference
between them from the standpoint of reality [¥aqºqa].
Woe unto you! Do you not feel ashamed to seek things from any other
than Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), when He is nearer to you
than any other? You seek from creatures things of which you have no
need. You have with you a buried treasure, yet you compete with the
poor for a grain and a seed. When you die you will be exposed. All that
you have kept secret and concealed will be put on display, and
damnation will seize you from every side. If you were sensible, you
would acquire an atom of faith [ºmån] with which to meet Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). You would keep company with the
righteous [ƒåli¥«n] and let yourself be guided by them, by their words and
their deeds, so that, when your faith matured and your conviction [ºqån]
became fully developed, Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) would
select you for Himself and take charge of your education, instructing
you what you must do and must not do as far as your heart is concerned.
O worshipper [‹åbid] of the idol [ƒanam] of pretence, you cannot detect
the scent of the nearness of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), not
in this world and not in the hereafter. O idolater [mushrik] of creatures,
devoting your heart to them, you must turn your back on them, because
from them comes neither harm nor benefit, neither giving nor with-
holding. Do not claim to affirm the Oneness [taw¥ºd] of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) while polytheism [shirk] is clinging to your heart,
for you will gain nothing from it.
235
Thirty-ninth Discourse
I have counseled you well, although I am not scared of your sword and
I do not want your gold. He who is with Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) is not scared of anyone at all, not of jinn, not of human beings,
not of the vermin, wild beasts and reptiles of the earth, and not of all
creatures put together. Do not belittle the Shaikhs who put knowledge
into practice. You are ignorant of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
His Messengers [rusul] and the righteous [ƒåli¥«n] among His servants,
who comply with His wishes and gladly accept His workings [af‹ål]. All
salvation [salåma] lies in ready acceptance of the [divine] judgment
[qaæå›], curtailment of expectation [qaƒr al-amal], and abstinence [zuhd]
from this world. When you notice some weakness in yourselves,
therefore, be sure to remember death and curtail your expectation. As
the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) said, quoting
[¥ikåyatan] Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He):
Those who draw near do not draw near to Me with anything more
excellent than the fulfillment of that which I have established as a
duty for them. And My servant continues to draw near to Me through
supererogatory acts of worship [nawåfil] until I love him; and when
I love him, I become for him a hearing and an eyesight, a hand and
a support, so through Me he hears, through Me he sees and through
Me he grasps.
He perceives all his actions through Allåh (Exalted is He) and through
Him he abandons his own power and strength and his regard for himself
and others. His movements, his power and his strength come to be
through Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), not through him and not
through other creatures. He becomes detached from his own self [nafs]
and his worldly and otherworldly interests. The whole of him is
obedience, so his obedience will surely bring him near [to Allåh]. It will
be a reason for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) to love him.
Through obedience one is loved and brought near, while through
disobedience one is hated and kept at a distance. Through obedience
intimate friendship is gained, while through disobedience lonely isola-
tion is obtained, because he who acts badly must suffer alienation.
Through following the sacred law [shar‹] one obtains a good result,
while the consequence of violating it is bad. If a person does not have
the sacred law as his companion under all circumstances, he will perish
with those who perish.
237
You must work and make efforts, but do not rely upon work, for he
who neglects work is too ambitious [£åmi‹], while he who relies on work
is conceited and deluded. One set of people are poised between this
world and the hereafter. One set of people are poised between the
Garden [of Paradise] and the Fire [of Hell]. And one set of people are
poised between creatures and the Creator. If you are abstinent [zåhid],
you are poised between this world and the hereafter. If you are fearful,
you are poised between the Garden and the Fire. And if you are one who
really knows [‹årif], you are poised between creatures and the Creator,
looking toward creatures at one moment and toward the Creator at
another. You notify the people and acquaint them with the conditions
of the hereafter, its reckoning and everything it contains. No, you just
report what you have witnessed and seen; getting a report is not like
seeing with one’s own eyes. The people [of the Lord] are waiting for the
meeting with Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), longing for it at
their every moment. They do not fear death, because it is a means to
meeting their Beloved. Leave before you are left. Relinquish before you
are relinquished. Part company before your family and all other
creatures part company with you. They will not do you any good once
you have arrived in the tomb. You must give up taking permissible food
with passionate appetite [shahwa].
O my people! You must practice restraint under all your circum-
stances. Pious restraint [wara‹] is the garment of religion. Seek from me
a garment for your religion. Follow me, for I am on the highway of the
Messenger (Allåh bless him and give him peace). I am a follower of his
in his eating, his drinking, his sexual conduct [nikå¥], his states [a¥wål]
and everything he used to indicate. I shall continue like this until it falls
from me by the wish [muråd] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
for I am on that course without seeking praise from Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He). I do not consider your praise or your blame, your
giving or withholding, your goodness or your evil, your acceptance or
your rejection. You are ignorant and one pays no attention to the
ignorant. If you succeeded in worshipping Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), your worship would be thrown back at you, because it
is worship combined with ignorance, and all ignorance is a cause of
corruption. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has
said:
When someone worships Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) in a
state of ignorance, what he corrupts is more than what he improves.
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There is no salvation [falå¥] for you until you follow the Book and the
Sunna.
One of the wise (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) is reported as
having said: “When a person has no Shaikh, Iblºs is his Shaikh.” You
must follow the Shaikhs who are learned in the Book and the Sunna and
who put them into practice. Think well of them, learn from them, be
on your best behavior in their presence and their company, then you
may succeed. If you do not follow the Book and the Sunna, nor the
Shaikhs who know them well, you will never succeed. Surely you have
heard the saying: “He who is satisfied with his own subjective thinking
[ra›y] will go astray.” You must train your lower self [nafs] by keeping
company with those who are more learned than you. Concentrate on
correcting it, then move on to others. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him
and give him peace) has said:
Start with yourself, then with those you have to support.
He also said:
There is no giving charity [ƒadaqa] while a close relative [dh« ra¥im] is
in need.
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Fortieth Discourse
241
conflict with Him over His judgments and decrees, and hostile to Him
by night and by day, so you are an abomination to Him and subject to
His curse.
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said in one of His utterances:
When I am obeyed, I am well pleased, and when I am well pleased,
I bless; and My blessing has no end. But when I am disobeyed, I become
angry, and when I become angry, I curse; and My curse reaches down
to the seventh son.
This is the age when religion [dºn] is traded for figs [tºn]; the age of tall
expectations and powerful greed. You must take pains to ensure that
you are not among those about whom Allåh has said:
And We shall advance upon the work they have done, and make it
into scattered particles of dust. (25:23)
Whenever a work is intended to please anyone other than Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), it is merely scattered dust.
Woe unto you! If your business is hidden from the common folk, it
is no secret to the élite [khaw僃]. Your counterfeiting may be concealed
from the ordinary person, but not from the money changer. It may be
hidden from the ignorant, but not from the learned. You must work and
do your work sincerely. Concentrate on Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and give up paying attention to that which does not concern you.
Other people are part of that which does not concern you, so do not
focus your attention on them. Mind the business of your own lower self
[nafs], until you can control it, subdue it, hold it captive and make it
serve as your riding animal. Then you will be able to ride it across the
deserts of this world in order to reach the hereafter. It will carry you past
creatures until you reach the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Then, when you have accomplished this and have gained
strength, you will be able to give rides to others. Out of this world you
will take them, to their Master [Mawlå] you will convey them, and with
morsels of wisdom you will feed them.
You must accept the ªadºth without giving it a forced interpretation,
for he who interprets to suit his own purpose [al-muta›awwil] is a
deceiver. Do not be afraid of creatures and do not pin your hopes on
them, for this constitutes weakness of faith. Let your aspiration be lofty
and you will rise high. Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will surely
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angels were building a house there. Then the angel of death came to
her to take her spirit [r«¥], and he said to her: “This house belongs to
you!” So she laughed as the agony of the torture left her, and she said:
My Lord, build for me, in Your presence, a house in Paradise. (66:11)
This is what you will come to be like, because you will look with the
eye of your heart and your certitude [yaqºn] at what is over there, and will
therefore endure with patience the trials and tribulations existing here.
You will forsake your own power and strength, and you will neither take
nor give, neither move nor keep still, except through the power and
strength of Allåh. You will be annihilated in His presence. You will
surrender your affair to Him. You will comply with His wishes
concerning you and concerning His creatures. You will therefore make
no plan beside His plan, no decision beside His decision, and no choice
beside His choice. When someone has really experienced [‹arafa] this
state, he will seek no other. He will have no desire for anything else.
How can any intelligent person fail to desire this state [¥ål], when it is
only through this that one may fully enjoy the companionship of the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)?
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Forty-first Discourse
T he Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with him) said, after some
discussion:
Know that all things are set in motion by His dynamic action, and
rendered motionless by His immobilizing action. When this is predi-
cated of him, He is relieved of the burden of partnership [shirk] with
creatures, and creatures are also relieved of it, because He cannot find
fault with them or hold them accountable for anything consequent on
such a relationship. He demands of them only what the sacred law
[shar‹] demands of them, and that is all. He holds them accountable
with respect to sacred law, and absolves them with respect to knowledge,
by integrating the rule [¥ukm] and the knowledge [‹ilm]. Recognition
of the working of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) in creation is a
tenet of belief [‹aqºda], by which the rule of law is not infringed. He is
the One who ordains [al-Muqaddir] and He is the One who calls to
account [al-Mu£ålib].
He shall not be questioned as to what He does, but they shall be
questioned. (21:23)
This is this the firm belief [mu‹taqad] of every Muslim who is fully
convinced [m«qin], who affirms the Unity [muwa¥¥id], who is well pleased
with Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and in accord with Him in
regard to His judgments, His decrees and His working in him and in
others. He has no need of your person and your patience, but He watches
how you operate. Are you honest about your claim, or are you lying?
The lover [mu¥ibb] keeps nothing in his own possession; he hands
everything over to his beloved. Loving and possessing are incompatible.
The lover of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), who is
sincere [Čdiq] about his love, will surrender to Him his own self, his
wealth and his future [‹åqiba], and will give up his freedom of choice
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O young man! Anyone who does not put what I say into practice
cannot understand what I say. When he puts it into practice, he will
understand. If you do not have a good opinion of me, do not believe in
what I am saying and do not put it into practice, how can you
understand? You are hungry as you stand there face to face with me, but
you do not eat my food, so how can you satisfy your hunger? Ab«
Huraira (may Allåh the Exalted be well pleased with him) is reported
as having said: “I heard Allåh’s Messenger (Allåh bless him and give
him peace) say:
If a person is sick for a single night, and he is well pleased with Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and patient in bearing what has afflicted
him, he will emerge from his sins as he was on the day when his mother
gave him birth.
Nothing can come of you, yet you are indispensable. Mu‹ådh (may
Allåh the Exalted be well pleased with him) used to say to the
Companions [aƒ-»a¥åba]: “Come on, let us believe for a moment! Yes,
come on, taste for a moment! Come on, enter the door for a moment!”
He meant this in a spirit of friendliness toward them. He was hinting
at an insight into enigmatic things, hinting at looking with the eye of
certainty [‹ain al-yaqºn]. Not every Muslim is a believer [mu›min], nor
is every believer convinced [m«qin]. This is why, when the Companions
(may Allåh be well pleased with them) said to the Prophet (Allåh bless
him and give him peace): “Mu‹ådh is telling us: ‘Come on, let us
believe for a moment!’ Are we not believers?” he replied:
Leave Mu‹ådh to do his business [da‹« Mu‹ådhan wa-sha›nahu]!
O slave of your lower self [nafs], your passions [hawå], your natural
impulses [£ab‹], your devil [shai£ån] and your worldly interests [dunyå],
you have no value in the sight of Allåh and in the sight of His righteous
servants. He who worships the hereafter does not merit attention, so
why should he who worships this world?
Woe unto you! What can you accomplish through tongue-wagging
without work? You are lying when, according to you, you are telling the
truth. You are guilty of idolatry [tushriku] when, according to you, you
are affirming the [divine] Unity [tuwa¥¥idu]. You are sick, yet firmly
believe that you possess good health. You have a fake, yet believe it to
be a jewel. My task with you is to make you stop lying and instruct you
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249
Forty-second Discourse
The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is reported as
having said:
He who would like to be the noblest of all people, let him devote
himself piously to Allåh. He who would like to be the strongest of
all people, let him put all his trust in Allåh. And He who would like
to be the richest of all people, let him be reliant on what is in the hand
of Allåh, rather than relying on what is in his own hand.
If a person wishes to enjoy prestige in this world and the hereafter, he
must devote himself piously to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
because He has said (Almighty and Glorious is He):
Surely the noblest among you in the sight of Allåh is the most devout
[atqå] of you. (49:13)
Nobility resides in pious devotion to Him, while degradation lies in
disobedience to Him. If someone wishes for strength in the religion
[dºn] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), he must put all his trust
in Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), because total trust [tawakkul]
will make the heart sound, strengthen it, train it, guide it and let it have
marvelous experiences. Do not rely on your coins of silver and gold and
your material means [asbåb], for this will incapacitate and weaken you.
Put all your trust in Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), for He will
strengthen you, help you, treat you kindly, grant you opportunities
from sources you could never imagine, and fortify your heart. Pay no
attention to this world as it comes and goes, nor to the movement of
creatures to and fro, then you will be the strongest of all people. If you
put all your trust in your wealth, your social status, your family and your
material means, however, you will be exposed to the detestation of
250
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and the loss of all these things,
because He is very jealous and does not like to see your heart containing
anything other than Him.
If a person would like to have riches in this world and the hereafter,
he must devote himself piously to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
to the exclusion of all else. He must stand at His door and feel too
ashamed before Him to approach the door of any other. He must lower
his eyes from looking at anyone but Him; I mean the eyes of his heart
[qalb], not the eyes of his outer form [qålab].
How can you rely on what you have in your hands, when it is liable
to fade away, and abandon reliance on Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He), when He will never fade away? Your ignorance of Him leads you
to reliance on others instead of Him. Your confidence in Him is total
enrichment. Your confidence in others is total impoverishment.
O you who abandon pious devotion, you have been deprived of honor
in this world and the next. O you who put all your trust in creatures and
material means, you have been deprived of strength and empowerment
through Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) in this world and the
next. O you who rely on what you have in your hands, you have been
deprived of enrichment through Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
in this world and the hereafter.
O young man! If you wish to be devout, trusting and confident, you
must learn patience, for it is a basis for all that is good. If your intention
to be patient is genuine, and you practice patience for the sake of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), His reward to you will be that His love
and His nearness will enter your heart in this world and the hereafter.
Patience is conformity to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) in compliance with His judgment and His decree of destiny
[qadar], of which He has foreknowledge and which none of his creatures
is able to erase. This is established fact in the view of the convinced
believer, so he bears with patience whatever He has decreed for him, of
his own volition and not from sheer necessity. In the first stage, patience
is a compulsory obligation, but in the second stage it is a voluntary choice.
How can you lay claim to faith [ºmån], when you have no patience?
How can you claim real knowledge [ma‹rifa], when you have no
willingness to accept? This not something that comes about through
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of this world and importance due to creatures, for they can in no way
enable you to dispense with Allåh. Your heart is defiled by idolatry
[shirk], doubtful about Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), suspicious
of Him and antagonistic toward Him under all circumstances, and since
He recognizes this about you, He will hate you and sow hatred of you
in the hearts of His righteous servants.
A certain wise man (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) would only
go out of his house with his eyes blindfold, guided by his son. When
asked about this, he said: “[I do it] so that I shall not set eyes on an
unbeliever [kåfir] in Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).” When he
did go out one day with his eyes unbandaged, he saw one and collapsed
in a faint. How intense was his zeal for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He)! How is it that you serve others besides Him, and worship them
idolatrously? How is it that you consume His blessings, but are
ungrateful to Him? Far from noticing this paradox, you go dining with
the unbelievers and sit in their company, because there is no faith in
your hearts and no zeal for the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). You must practice repentance [tawba], praying for forgiveness
[istighfår], and feeling a sense of shame [¥ayå›] before Him. Cast off the
clothing of insolence toward Him and of impudence in His presence.
Avoid the things of this world that are unlawful [¥aråm] and dubious
[shubuhåt], then avoid making passionate and lustful use of those that
are permissible [mubå¥åt], because taking them with passion [hawå] and
lust [shahwa] will distract you from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace)
has said:
This world is the believer’s prison.
How can the prisoner be happy in his prison? He cannot be happy.
His face may look cheerful, but there is sadness in his heart. He wears
cheerfulness on his exterior [όhir], while agonies are tearing him apart
in his interior [bå£in], in his private experience [khalwa] and in his inner
content [ma‹nå]. His wounds are bandaged beneath his clothing. His
wounds are covered by the shirt of his smile. This is why his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He) takes pride in him, as do His angels,
pointing him out with their fingers. Every single one of these is a brave
hero in the empire [dawla] of the religion [dºn] of Allåh (Almighty and
253
Glorious is He) and His secret realm [sirr]. They never cease being
patient with Him and swallowing the bitterness of His decrees, until He
loves them. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Allåh loves those who are patient. (3:146)
It is only because of His love for you that He puts you to the test.
Whenever you carry out His commandments and observe His prohibi-
tions, you are loved all the more, and whenever you bear His tribulation
with patience, you are drawn all the closer to Him. A certain wise man
(may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) is reported as having said: “Allåh
has declined to punish His loved one [¥abºb], but He puts him to the test
and tries his patience.” And the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) used to say:
It is as if this world never was, and as if the hereafter had never ceased
to be.
O seekers of this world, O lovers of this world, come closer to me so
that I can make you aware of your faults, guide you to the path of the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and put you in touch with
those who seek the countenance of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He). You are in a crazy situation. You must listen to what I have to say
to you, put it into practice, and be sincere in your practice. If you learn
what I have to tell, and then die in the practice of it, you will be raised
up to the highest heaven [al-‹illiyy«n]. You will look up there and see
that my words originate from there, so you will pray for me, salute me
with peace, and experience the reality [¥aqºqa] of what I am alluding to.
O my people! Dispel suspicion of me from your hearts, for I am not
playing games or pursuing worldly interests. I am merely stating the
truth and pointing out the truth. Never in my entire life have I stopped
thinking well of the righteous [ƒåli¥«n] and serving them, and this is
what stands me in good stead. I want no fee from you for giving you my
advice and speaking to you. The price of my words is paid by putting
them into practice, for they are words that lend themselves to private
application [khalwa], to sincerity [ikhlåƒ]. Hypocrisy [nifåq] ceases with
the cessation of cunning schemes [¥iyal] and expedients [asbåb]. My
words are intended to develop faith [ºmån] and conviction [ºqån], not
the lower selves [nuf«s] and the passions [ahwiya]. They are meant for
the believer [mu›min], not for the hypocrite [munåfiq].
254
O my people! You must give up crazy notions and futile desires, and
devote your attention to the remembrance of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Talk about what can bring you benefit, and be silent
about that which can do you harm. If you wish to speak, you should
reflect on what you want to speak about, bring a good intention [niyya
ƒåli¥a] to bear upon it, and then do your talking. This is why it has been
said that the tongue of the ignorant person is in front of his heart, while
the tongue of the intelligent person is behind his heart. You should stay
mute, for if Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) wants speech from you
He will cause you to speak. When He wants you for some purpose, He
will prepare you for it. To keep His company is to be totally mute. Then,
when the muteness is complete, speech will come from Him if He so
wills, or He may keep it this way until the time of arrival in the hereafter.
This is the significance of the saying of the Prophet (Allåh bless him
and give him peace):
When someone really knows Allåh, his tongue becomes weary.
The tongue of his outer [œåhir] and of his inner [bå£in] becomes too
weary to protest to Him about anything at all. There is now only
agreement with no argument. He makes the eyes of his heart blind to
the sight of any but Him. His innermost being [sirr] is torn to shreds, his
business is ruined, his wealth is scattered, he leaves his existence
[wuj«d], his worldly and otherworldly interests depart, and away go his
name and address.
Then, when He wills, He resurrects him. (80:22)
He brings him into existence after nonexistence. He creates him
anew. He annihilates him with the hand of annihilation [fanå›],
then restores him with the hand of survival [baqå›], so that he may
seek reunion [liqå›]. Then he sends him back to summon people
from poverty to wealth; wealth meaning enrichment through Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and being in contact [ittiČl] with Him,
and poverty meaning remoteness from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and making do with others. The rich man is one whose heart wins
the nearness of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), while the poor
man is one who fails to achieve this.
If a person wishes for this wealth, he must renounce this world and the
hereafter and all that they contain, as well as everything whatsoever
255
that is apart from Him. He must evict all things from his heart, one
thing after another. You must not be restricted to this trifling amount
you have at your disposal. This trifling amount you have here has been
made available as travel rations, so stock yourselves with it in the course
of your journey toward Him. He has provided you with blessings, so that
you may ascribe them to Him and use them as pointers to Him. He has
provided you with knowledge, so that you may put it into practice and
be guided by His light.
O Allåh, guide our hearts toward You, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Forty-third Discourse
257
you should offer them your gratitude and worship? If you do acknowl-
edge that the blessings you have are from the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He), where are His thanks? If you do acknowledge that
He has created you, where is His worship, expressed in the carrying out
of His commandments, the observance of His prohibitions and the
patient endurance of His trials? You must struggle with your lower self
until it is guided aright. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has
said:
As for those who strive in Our cause, surely We shall guide them to
Our paths. (29:69)
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has also said:
If you help Allåh, He will help you and He will make your foothold
firm. (47:7)
Do not indulge the self and do not obey it, then you may prosper. Do
not smile in its face, and for every thousand words give it one word in
reply, until it is disciplined and becomes tame and undemanding.
When it wants you to satisfy carnal desires and provide sensual
pleasures, you must make it accept delay and postponement, telling it:
“Your appointed time and place is Paradise!” You must train it to
endure with patience the bitterness of being denied, until the giving
comes. If you teach it to be patient, and it does become patient, Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) will be with it, because He has said:
Surely Allåh is with those who are patient. (2:153)
Do not allow it to have any say, for it will command only evil. If you
do respond to it, you must contradict it, for it derives benefit from being
contradicted. O you who claim to wish for the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) while staying put with your own self, you are lying
when you make your claim. The self [nafs] and the truth [¥aqq] are
incompatible. This world and the hereafter are incompatible. When
a person sticks with his own self, he misses the opportunity of sticking
with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). When a person
sticks with this world, he misses the opportunity of sticking with the
hereafter. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has
said:
He who loves his interest in this world damages his interest in the
hereafter, and he who loves his interest in the hereafter damages his
interest in this world.
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260
will forbid you to do what He has forbidden you to do. Your counseling
has been entrusted to them, so they will discharge the trust in this respect.
You must work in the domain of Wisdom [dår al-¥ikma] until you
reach the domain of Power [dår al-qudra]. This world is [the domain of]
Wisdom, while the hereafter is [the domain of] Power. Wisdom needs
tools and instruments and means, while Power has no such need. The
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) has only made it so in
order to distinguish the domain of Power from the domain of Wisdom.
In the hereafter there is immediate causation [takwºn bi-lå sabab],
through which your limbs and organs will be made to speak and testify
against you concerning the sins you have committed in disobedience to
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). On the Day of
Resurrection [yawm al-qiyåma] the veils will be lifted and secrets will be
revealed, whether you wish it so or not. No creature will enter the Fire
[of Hell] except with a heart stunned by the impact of the evidence
against it.
You must read out your records with the tongues of your reflection
upon them, then repent the evil deeds and give thanks for the good
deeds. Compile the records of sins and strike out their lines with
repentance.
O young man! You have repented at my hand and become my
companion. If you do not take instruction from what I have to say to
you, what benefit will you derive from this? You are interested in the
outer form, but not in the inner content. If someone wishes to be my
companion, he must accept what I have to say to him and put it into
practice. He must turn as I turn. Otherwise he should not try to
accompany me, for he will lose more than he gains. I am a large food-
table and no one eats a thing off me; an open door that no one enters.
What am I to do with you? How much can I tell you, when you do not
listen? I want you for your sakes, not for my own. I neither fear you nor
hope for anything from you. I make no distinction between ruination
and prosperity, between the survivor and the dead, between the rich
and the poor, between the king and the slave [maml«k]. The matter is
not in your hands. When I expelled the love of this world from my
heart, this became genuine for me. How can your affirmation of Unity
[taw¥ºd] be genuine, when your heart contains the love of this world?
261
Surely you have heard the saying of the Prophet (Allåh bless him and
give him peace):
The love of this world is the chief part of every error.
As long as you are a novice [mubtadi›], a follower [muqtadº], a seeker
[£ålib], a traveler [sålik], the love of this world will be the chief part of
every error as far as you are concerned. When your heart comes to the
end of its journey and attains to the nearness of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), He will cause you to love your own
allotted share of this world and to feel dislike for the portion of another.
He will make your own allotments attractive to you, so that you will use
them to the full, in consummation of His foreknowledge concerning
you. Thus you will be satisfied with them and pay no attention to
others. Your heart [qalb] will reside in His presence, even as it moves
about [yataqallabu] in this world, just as the people of Paradise move
about in the Garden. Everything that comes your way from the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) will be dear to you, because you
wish through His wishing [iråda], choose through His choosing [ikhtiyår],
move with His destiny [qadar], separate your heart from everything
apart from Him, and detach this world and the hereafter from you. Your
acquisition of your allotted shares, and your fondness for them, will thus
come about through Him, not through you.
The pretentious hypocrite, who thinks so highly of his own deeds,
may prolong his daytime fasting and his night-time vigil, and he may eat
and dress rough, but he is in darkness inwardly [bå£inan] and outwardly
[όhiran]. Where his heart is concerned, he does not move forward by
a single step toward his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), so he is one
of those who are “toiling, weary” (88:3). His hidden agenda [sarºra] is
clearly apparent to the champions of truth [ƒiddºq«n], the saints [awliyå›]
and the righteous [ƒåli¥«n] who have attained to the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Today he is well known to the élite
[khaw僃] among creatures, and tomorrow all the common folk will also
know him well. When the élite see him they detest him with their
hearts, but they screen him with the veil of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He).
Do not try to match the people [of the Lord] with your hypocrisy
[nifåq], for you are not fit. There is nothing to be said until you cut the
waistband [zunnår; worn by non-Muslims], renew your Islåm, truly
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repent with your heart, and leave the house of your natural urges [£ab‹],
your passions [hawå], your existence [wuj«d], and your efforts to attract
benefit to you and repel harm from you. There is nothing to be said until
you depart from you, leaving your lower self [nafs], your passions and
your natural urges at the door, leaving your heart in the lobby, and
leaving your innermost being [sirr] in the closet with the King.
Make haste to tackle the foundation; then, when you have it firmly
laid, make haste to tackle the building. The cement for the foundation
is profound knowledge [fiqh] of religion—the knowledge of the heart,
not the knowledge of the tongue. The knowledge of the heart will bring
you close to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), while the
knowledge of the tongue will bring you close to creatures and their
kings. The knowledge of the heart will leave you in the forefront of the
assembly [majlis] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
It will move you to the fore, promote you, and bring your steps near to
your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Woe unto you! You are wasting your time in the pursuit of knowledge
[‹ilm] and failing to put it into practice, so you are in a state of ignorance
within folly. You are serving the enemies of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and worshipping them idolatrously. He
is beyond needing you and those you idolize. He will accept no partner
[sharºk] of you. Do you not realize that you are the slave [‹abd] of anyone
who holds your reins? If you wish for success [falå¥], you must leave the
reins of your heart in the hand of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), really put all your trust [tawakkul] in Him, serve Him
outwardly and inwardly, and harbor no suspicion of Him, for He is
beyond suspicion. He is More Aware [a‹raf] of what is in your best
interest than you are, for He knows and you know not. You must
observe silence in His presence, and practice unobtrusiveness, keeping
your eyes down, your head bowed and your tongue still, until you
receive permission from Him to speak. Then you will speak because of
Him, not because of you, so your speech will be a remedy for the diseases
of hearts, a healing for innermost beings [asrår], and a light for intellects
[‹uq«l].
O Allåh, illumine our hearts and guide them to You. Purify our
innermost beings and bring them near to You, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Forty-fourth Discourse
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prominent figures. The reason for this is their attachment to their lower
selves [nuf«s] and their passions [ahwiya]. This world is the darling of
lower selves, the hereafter is the darling of hearts, and the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) is the darling of innermost beings [asrår].
The elements of wisdom [¥ikam] are cast into your hearts only after
strict observance [i¥kåm] of the rule of law [¥ukm], because the rule of
law is the basis of this business. If a person claims to have any part in
it, in the absence of strict observance of the rule of law, he must be lying,
because every ‘fact’ that is not attested to by the Sharº‹a [the sacred law
of Islåm] constitutes atheism [zandaqa]. Fly to the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) on the wings of the Book and the Sunna.
Enter His presence with your hand in the hand of the Messenger (Allåh
bless him and give him peace). Take him as your minister [wazºr] and
your teacher. Let his hand beautify you, groom you and introduce you
to Him. He is the governor [¥åkim] of the abode of spirits [bait al-arwå¥],
the educator of seekers, the expert [jahbadh] of the sought, the prince of
the righteous [amºr aƒ-ƒåli¥ºn], the distributor of states [a¥wål] and
stations [maqåmåt] amongst them, because the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) has delegated this task to him. He has appointed
him commander of all. When robes of honor are issued to the soldiers
on the orders of the king, they can be distributed only by the hand of
their commander.
The affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd] is an act of worship [‹ibåda], while
the idolizing [shirk] of creatures is a habit [‹åda], so you must practice the
worship and give up the habit. When you go beyond the ordinary, you
will be granted extraordinary experiences [idhå kharaqta’l-‹åda khuriqat
fº ¥aqqika’l-‹åda]. You must work for change, until Allåh effects change
for you. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Allåh does not change what is in a people, until they change what is in
themselves. (13:11)
You must expel your lower self and creatures from your heart, and fill
it with their Creator [Mukawwin], until He assigns creative power
[takwºn] to you. This is something that comes about not through fasting
by day and keeping vigil by night, but through the purity of hearts and
the serenity of innermost beings [asrår]. A certain wise man (may the
mercy of Allåh be upon him) is reported as having said: “Fasting [ƒiyåm]
and vigil [qiyåm] are vinegar and salad on the table, but the meal is
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something else.” He spoke the truth. These two are the initial appetizer,
then comes the serving up of dish after dish of food, then the eating,
then the washing of hands. Then comes the meeting with Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), then the robes of honor, the granting
of fiefdoms [iq£å‹], appointment to high command, the delegation of
authority, and the handing over of towns and citadels. When the
servant’s heart is worthy of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and established in His nearness, he is granted dominion and
sovereignty in the countries of the earth. He is charged with spreading
the message [da‹wa] among the people, and with patient endurance of
the trouble they cause. He is charged with changing what is false and
manifesting the truth. The Lord gives to him and makes him free from
want, because when He gives, He enriches. He fills his inside with
elements of wisdom [¥ikam]. Throughout the lands of the hearts of His
servants who are worthy of Him [ƒåli¥«n lahu] and who really know Him
[‹årif«n bihi], the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) has
placed rivers of wisdom. Springing from the river bed of His knowledge
[‹ilm], from the presence of His Throne [‹arsh] and His Tablet [law¥],
they flow into the lands of dead hearts that are ignorant of Him and
disposed to avoid Him.
O young man! Eating unlawful food [¥aråm] will kill your heart, while
eating lawful food [¥alål] will bring it to life. One mouthful will
enlighten your heart, while another mouthful will obscure it. One
mouthful will cause you to concentrate on this world, while another
mouthful will make you focus on the hereafter. One mouthful will make
you abstain from both worlds, while another mouthful will arouse
your interest in their Creator. Unlawful food will cause you to be
preoccupied with this world and make you fond of committing acts of
disobedience, while permissible [mubå¥] food will focus your attention
on the hereafter and make you fond of performing acts of obedience,
and completely lawful [¥alål] food will bring your heart near to the
Master [al-Mawlå].
These foods can be distinguished only through real knowledge
[ma‹rifa] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and real
knowledge of Him resides only in the heart, not in the archives [dafåtir].
It comes from Him, not from His creatures. Real knowledge of Allåh
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(Almighty and Glorious is He) is obtained only after putting His rules
[¥ukm] into practice, after accepting the truth [taƒdºq] and being truthful
[ƒidq], after affirming the Oneness [taw¥ºd] of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and having trust [thiqa] in Him, and after departing from
creatures altogether. How can you really know the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), when all you really know is what you
eat, drink, wear and have sexual intercourse with, and when you do not
care what quarter it comes from? Surely you have heard the saying of
the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace):
If a person does not care about the source of his food and drink, Allåh
will not care about which gate of the Fire [of Hell] He makes him enter.
A fter some discussion, the Shaikh (may Allåh the Exalted be well
pleased with him) went on to say:
So do not care about things at all, do not wish for anything and let
nothing distract you from Him. You must not let creatures hold you
from Him, although you should talk to them in terms they can
understand, and treat them charitably through gentle courtesy, acting
in accordance with the saying of the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give
him peace):
To treat people with gentle courtesy is an act of charity [ƒadaqa].
You must give them part of the gift of your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Be generous with them in sharing some of His
generosity toward you. Treat them kindly and graciously and be
tolerant toward them. Your moral character [khulq] should be based on
the ethics [akhlåq] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He),
and your conduct on His commandment.
There are two types of Shaikh: The Shaikh of legality [shaikh al-¥ukm]
and the Shaikh of knowledge [shaikh al-‹ilm]. The Shaikh of legality will
guide you to the door of the creation, while the Shaikh of knowledge
will guide you to the door of the nearness of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Two doors, both of which you are
obliged to enter: The door of the creation [khalq] and the door of the
Creator [Khåliq]; the door of this world and the door of the hereafter.
One of them follows the other. The door of the creation comes first, and
the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) comes
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second. You cannot see the latter door until you pass through the first
door. You must go out of this world with your heart in order to enter
the other world. You must serve the Shaikh of legality until he
introduces you to the Shaikh of knowledge. You must leave creatures
behind until you really know the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). These are stages, one stage after the other, and the two are
opposites that cannot be combined. These things are opposites, so do
not try to lump them together, because you will not succeed. Empty
your heart, which is the house of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Leave nothing in it besides Him. Since the angels
(peace be upon them) will not enter a house in which there is an image
[ƒ«ra], why should the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)
enter into your heart while it contains images and idols [aƒnåm]?
Everything apart from Him is an idol [ƒanam], so smash the idols and
purify this house, then you may experience the presence of its Owner
[ƒå¥ib] within it. You will experience wonders the like of which you
never experienced before.
O Allåh, help us to achieve what will make You well pleased with us!
Our Lord, give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and
guard us against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Forty-fifth Discourse
The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is reported as
having said:
Accursed, accursed is he whose trust is in a creature like himself.
How many are those who have come under this curse! Out of very
many people there is but one who trusts in Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), and someone who trusts in Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He)
has grasped the most secure handle. (2:256)
As for someone who trusts in a creature similar to himself, he is like
a person clutching at water; he opens his hand and sees nothing in it.
Woe unto you! Creatures may fulfill your needs for a day or two or
three, for a month, for a year or two, but they eventually get bored with
you. You must seek the companionship of the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and lay your needs down before Him, for He will
never get bored with you, nor will He grow weary of your needs in this
world and the hereafter.
When his affirmation of Divine Unity [taw¥ºd] becomes strong, he
who affirms it [al-muwa¥¥id] is left with no father, no mother, no family,
no friend, no foe, no wealth, no social status and nothing at all to rely
on. He is left with nothing apart from clinging to the door of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His gracious favors. O you
who trust in the dºnår [gold coin] and the dirham [small silver coin] in
your hand, they will very soon leave your possession, as a punishment
for you. It seems you wanted them badly when they were held by
someone else, so they were taken away from him and handed over to
270
you, in order that you might use them in obedience to your Master
(Almighty and Glorious is He); but then you made them your idol
[ƒanam].
O ignorant one, you must acquire knowledge for the sake of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and put it into practice, for He will
educate you. Knowledge [‹ilm] is life and ignorance [jahl] is death.
When the champion of truth [ƒiddºq] has finished studying common
knowledge, he is introduced to the study of special knowledge, the
knowledge of hearts and innermost beings [asrår]. Then, when he has
mastered this knowledge, he becomes the ruler [sul£ån] of the religion
[dºn] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), commanding and
prohibiting, giving and withholding on the authority of the One who
has installed him in power [musal£in]. He becomes a ruler over the
people, commanding what Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
commands and forbidding what He forbids, taking from them as He
commands and giving to them as He commands. Thus he is with them
in regard to the rule of law [¥ukm], and with the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) in regard to knowledge [‹ilm]. The rule
of law is a doorman [bawwåb] at the door [båb], while knowledge is inside
the house. The rule of law is general [‹åmm], while knowledge is specific
[kh僃]. The knower [‹årif] applies at the door of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and he is granted intimate knowledge
[‹ilm al-ma‹rifa] and information [i££ilå‹] concerning matters about
which others are uninformed. He is ordered to give, so he gives. He is
ordered to withhold, so he withholds. He is ordered to eat, so he eats.
He is ordered to go hungry, so he goes hungry. He is ordered to approach
one individual and to avoid another. He is ordered to take from one
person and to give back to another. Successful are those who support
him, and failures are those who let him down.
The people [of the Lord] will come to you, and for your benefit, not
because of their needs. They have no need of any creature. The ropes
of creatures they splice, their buildings they construct, and toward them
they are sympathetic. They are the experts [jahåbidha] of the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) in this world and the hereafter.
Whatever you take from them is for your benefit, not theirs. Their job
is to offer good counsel to people and to persist in doing so, because
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272
in what these two contain. If people are receptive, they let them know
that they appreciate this response. But if people deviate from these two
standards, no friendship or courtesy can remain between them; they
may treat people impolitely where the commandments and prohibi-
tions of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) are at stake. You must
make your heart a place of worship [masjid]. Do not pray to anyone
along with Allåh. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And the places of worship [masåjid] belong to Allåh, so do not pray to
anyone along with Allåh. (72:18)
When the level of this servant’s development has progressed from
Islåm to belief [ºmån], from belief to conviction [ºqån], from conviction
to experience [ma‹rifa], from experience to knowledge [‹ilm], from
knowledge to loving [ma¥abba], from loving to being loved [ma¥b«biyya],
from his seeking [£alab] to his being sought [ma£l«biyya], he is now at the
stage where if he is careless he is not forsaken, if he forgets he is
reminded, if he falls asleep he is awakened, if he is absent-minded he is
brought to his senses, if he turns back he is brought forward, and if he
is silent he is made to speak. Thus he always stays awake and clear [ƒåfº],
because the vessel of his heart has become so clear that its inner [bå£in]
can be seen from its outer [όhir].
He has inherited wakefulness [yaqœa] from his Prophet (blessings and
peace be upon him), whose eyes would go to sleep but not his heart, and
who used to see what was behind him just as he could see what was in
front of him. The wakefulness of each individual is commensurate with
his spiritual state [¥ål]. As for the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him
peace), no one attains to his degree of wakefulness, and no one is
capable of sharing his special characteristics [khaƒå›iƒ] with him, although
the Abdål and Awliyå› among his Community [umma] do receive the
leftovers of his food and drink. They are granted a drop from the oceans
of his spiritual stations [maqåmåt] and an atom from the mountains of
his charismatic gifts [karåmåt], because they are his heirs [wurråth], the
tenacious adherents and supporters of his religion [dºn], to which they
are the guides. They are the propagators of knowledge of his religion
and his sacred law [shar‹]. May the peace of Allåh and His salutations
[ta¥iyyåt] be upon them and upon their inheritors [wårith«n] until the
Day of Resurrection.
273
O young man! Be the page boy of the people [of the Lord], for this
world and the hereafter are at their service. At any time they wish, they
take from them with the permission of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). They will give you outer form [ƒ«ra] from this world and
inner meaning [ma‹nå] in the hereafter.
O Allåh, distinguish [‹arrif] between us and them in this world and
the hereafter!
275
Forty-sixth Discourse
I t was in the early morning of Sunday, the 28th of Rajab, A.H. 545,
that the Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with him) said:
This world is a market that will soon be closed. You must lock the
doors of the contemplation of creatures, and open the door of the
contemplation of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
You must close the doors of acquisition and material means [asbåb], [and
enter] into the state of purity of heart and nearness of the innermost
being [sirr], into that which is special to you, not that which is
commonplace for others among your relatives and attendants. The
earning should therefore be for others, the benefit should be for others
and the income should be for others. You must seek what is specially
for you from the tray of His bountiful favor. Seat your lower selves
[nuf«s] with this world, your hearts with the hereafter, and your
innermost beings [asrår] with the Master [al-Mawlå]. Surely you know
what you wish for.
276
actions. They have heeded the words of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He):
Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it. Whatever he forbids you,
abstain from it. And keep your duty to Allåh. (59:7)
They have followed the Messenger [Ras«l] (Allåh bless him and give
him peace) until he conveyed them to the Sender [Mursil]. They have
drawn near to him, so he has brought them near to the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). He has issued them with titles, robes
of honor and command over creatures. O hypocrites, you reckoned that
the religion was a spent force and that the [divine] commandment was
to no effect. No respect is due to you, nor to your devils and your wicked
comrades.
O Allåh, relent toward me and toward them, and deliver them from
the degradation of hypocrisy [nifåq] and the chain of idolatry [shirk]!
You must worship Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and support
that worship through earning a lawful [¥alål] livelihood. Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) loves an obedient, believing servant who eats of
what He has made lawful. He loves those who eat and work, while He
hates those who eat but do not work. He loves those who eat because
of what they earn, while He hates those who eat because of their
hypocrisy and their reliance on creatures. He loves the person who
affirms His Oneness [muwa¥¥id bihi] and hates the one who associates
partners with Him [mushrik bihi]. He loves anyone who submits to Him
[musallim ilaihi] and hates anyone who quarrels with Him. One of the
prerequisites of love is compliance, and one of the prerequisites of
enmity is contradiction. You must submit to your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and gladly accept His management [tadbºr] in this
world and the hereafter.
A few days ago I suffered an affliction, so I begged Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) to take it away. He thereupon gave me an extra trial
on top of it. I was perplexed by this, but then there was someone saying
to me: “Did you not tell us: ‘In the state you are in as a novice, your case
is the case of submission [taslºm]?’” So I learned my lesson and held
my tongue.
Woe unto you! You claim to love Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He), but you love others besides Him. He is purity [ƒafå›], while all the
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rest is murky confusion [kadar], so if you muddy that purity with the love
of others, He will be vexed with you. He will do to you what He did to
His friend Abraham [Ibråhºm al-Khalºl] and to Jacob (peace be upon
them both). When each devoted part of his heart to his son, He
inflicted trials on them both in connection with their offspring. Also
our Prophet Mu¥ammad (Allåh bless him and give him peace)—when
he became attached to his daughter’s two sons, al-ªasan and al-ªusain,
Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to him and said: “Do you love the
two of them?” “Yes,” he replied, so Gabriel told him: “As for one of the
pair, he will be given poison to drink, and as for the other, he will be
slain.” They therefore went out of his heart, as he emptied it for his
Master (Almighty and Glorious is He), and his delight in his two
grandsons turned into sadness over them. The Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) is very Jealous [Ghay«r] of the hearts of His Prophets
[anbiyå›], His saints [awliyå›] and His righteous servants [‹ibåd ƒåli¥«n].
O you who seek to grasp this world with your hypocrisy, open your
hand and you will see that there is nothing in it! Woe unto you! You
have abstained from earning and have settled down to consume
people’s goods on the strength of your religion [dºn]. Earning [kasb] has
been the practice of all the Prophets. There was never one of them who
did not have a craft or trade [ƒan‹a], and where otherworldly interests
were concerned, they accepted things from people with the permission
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
O you who are drunk on the wine of this world, its lusts and its follies,
you will soon sober up in your grave!
278
Forty-seventh Discourse
279
280
are slain by the swords of the unbelievers, as a trial for their bodies, so
how about the martyrs who are slain by the swords of love [ma¥abba]?
It is only because of sins that buildings and structures are over-
whelmed by devastation. Just look at places in ruin. The sins of their
inhabitants have laid them waste, because sins ruin cities [bilåd] and
destroy human beings [‹ibåd]. Likewise in your own case, your physical
structure is a city; if you commit sins within it, devastation will befall
it. If you sin, ruin will come to your physical body, then to the body of
your religion [dºn]. Blindness will come to you, as will chronic illness,
deafness and the loss of strength. Various diseases will come to you.
Poverty will come to you, wrecking your storehouse and making you
turn in need to your friends and your foes.
Woe unto you, O hypocrite! Do not try to deceive the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). You do a good deed and pretend that
it is for His sake, when it is actually done to impress people. You put on
a show for them, treat them with hypocrisy and flatter them, while you
forget your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). You will very soon
leave this world as a bankrupt. O you who are inwardly sick, you must
take your medicine, and this medicine is to be found only with the
righteous [ƒåli¥«n] among the servants of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Get the medicine from them and use it, then you will acquire
permanent well-being and everlasting health for your character [ma‹nå],
your heart, your innermost being [sirr] and your private relationship
[khalwa] with your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). The eyes of
your heart will open, and with them you will behold your Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He). You will come to be one of the lovers
who are always standing at His door, paying no attention to anything
apart from Him. As for a heart containing heresy [bid‹a], how can it
contemplate the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)?
O my people! Follow [the Book and the Sunna] and do not introduce
heretical innovations. Conform and do not contradict. Obey and do
not sin. Be sincere and do not attribute partners [to Allåh]. Affirm the
Oneness of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and never
leave His door. Beg of Him and do not beg of anyone other than Him.
Ask Him for help and do not seek help from anyone other than Him.
Trust in Him and do not trust in anyone other than Him. And as for
you, O special few [khaw僃], you must submit your lower selves [nuf«s]
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to Him, gladly accept His plan for you, and concentrate on remembering
Him rather than asking Him for things. Surely you have heard His
saying (Almighty and Glorious is He) in one of His Books:
When someone is too busy remembering Me to ask Me for anything,
I give him the best of what I give to those who ask.
O you who are preoccupied with His remembrance [dhikr], and whose
heart is broken on account of Him, are you not well satisfied with His
giving Himself to you as your boon companion [jalºs]? As Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) has said in one of His utterances:
I am the boon companion of one who remembers Me.
He has also said:
I am with those who are broken-hearted on account of Me.
O young man! Through your remembrance of Him your heart draws
near to Him. You enter the house of His nearness and become a guest
of His. The guest is treated with honor, especially the guest of the King.
How long will you go on being distracted from this King [Malik] by
power [mulk] and possessions [milk]? Soon you must part with your
power and your possessions. Soon you will arrive in the other world, and
it will seem to you as if this world never was, while the hereafter has
never ceased to be. Do not run away from me because of my personal
poverty, for I have all I need without you and without all the folk of the
East and the West. I want you only for your sake. I am splicing your ropes.
Do not be heretical, and do not introduce unprecedented innova-
tions into the religion [dºn] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Follow the two honest witnesses, the Book and the Sunna, for they will
escort you to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). If you are guilty
of heretical innovation [mubtadi‹], however, your witnesses are your
mind [‹aql] and your passions [hawå], so they will certainly escort you to
the Fire [of Hell] and team you up with Pharaoh and Håmån and their
cohorts. Do not cite destiny [qadar] as a pretext, because this will not
be accepted of you. You simply must enter the abode of knowledge [‹ilm]
and learning [ta‹allum], then of practice [‹amal], then of sincere devotion
[ikhlåƒ]. Nothing comes about because of you, yet you are indispensable.
You must apply your energy to the pursuit of knowledge and practice,
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and not to the pursuit of this world. Your energy will soon be spent, so
use it to strive for that which is beneficial to you.
O young man! Venture forth and find your way to the good pleasure
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), for when He
is well pleased with you He will love you. Dispel anxiety about
sustenance [rizq] from your heart, then sustenance will come to you
from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) without toil or trouble on
your part. Dispel concerns from your heart and let there be but one,
namely the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), for if you do
this He will satisfy all concerns. Your concern is what is important to
you [hammuka må ahammaka]. If your concern is this world, then you
are with it. If your concern is the hereafter, then you are with it. If
creatures are your concern, then you are with them. And if your
concern is the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), then you
are with Him in this world and the hereafter.
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Forty-eighth Discourse
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In the case of the believer the very opposite is true. His remembrance
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) is with his tongue and with his
heart, although most of the time his heart is remembering while his
tongue is silent. His indignation is for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and His Messenger, not for the sake of his lower self, his
passions, his natural impulses and his worldly interests. He does not
envy and he does not incite envy, and he does not quarrel with lucky
people over their good luck.
O young man! Beware! Beware of quarreling with a lucky person, for
he will be saved and promoted, while you will be wiped out, go down,
suffer humiliation and be disgraced. How can you change his luck by
contesting it, when his situation is predetermined by Allåh’s fore-
knowledge? If you challenge the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) over His foreknowledge concerning you and others, you will fall
from His sight and your knowledge will be useless to you. As Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Toiling, weary. (88:3)
You must repent right now to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
The innocent is clever. Do not turn back from aspiring to Him on
account of some trial He has inflicted upon you. Wait for it to be lifted
from you and do not despair, for relief may come at any moment.
Every day He is about some awesome business. (55:29)
He transfers things from one set of people to another. You must be
patient with Him and willingly accept His ordainment [taqdºr], because:
You do not know, it may be that Allåh will afterward bring some new
thing to pass. (65:1)
If you are patient, He will alleviate your misfortune and bring about
a new state of affairs, one that is to His liking and also to your liking.
If you are impatient and uncooperative, however, He will cause
misfortune to weigh more heavily upon you. He will give you still more
of it, as a punishment for your obstructive attitude toward Him. What
causes your obstructive and contentious attitude toward Him (Almighty
and Glorious is He) is your attachment to your lower selves [nuf«s], your
passions [ahwiya] and your personal inclinations [aghråæ], your love of
this world and your greedy desire to amass what it has to offer.
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O my people! If there is nothing else for it, let your lower selves be
at the door of this world, your hearts at the door of the hereafter, and
your innermost beings [asrår] at the door of the Master [al-Mawlå], until
such time as your lower self [nafs] is transformed into a heart [qalb] and
tastes its experience, your heart is transformed into an innermost being
[sirr] and tastes its experience, and your innermost being is transformed
into a state of annihilation [fanå›] in which there is nothing to taste or
be experienced. Then He will bring you back to life for His sake, not
for the sake of any other than Him. At this stage an alchemy [kºmiyå›]
will occur, so that every dirham [small coin] from Him turns into a
thousand weights of brass, which He converts into gold. This is the
ultimate objective, total, fundamental and permanent. Blessed is he
who grasps what I am saying and believes in it! Blessed is he who puts
it into practice and is sincere about it! Blessed is he who takes the work
in hand, for it will bring him near to the One for whose sake the work
is done!
O young man! When I die you will see me and recognize me. You will
see me to your right and to your left, taking up your case, defending you
and pleading on your behalf. How long will you go on idolizing and
relying on creatures? You ought to know that not one of them can bring
you benefit or cause you harm, be he rich or poor, distinguished or
humble. You must turn to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Do not rely on creatures, nor on your earnings and your power and
strength. Rely on the gracious favor of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Rely on the One who has enabled you to earn and provided you
with the means to do so. When you act like this, He will let you travel
in His company and He will show you the marvels of His power [qudra]
and His preordainment [såbiqa]. He will conduct your heart to Him,
then, when it has attained to Him, He will cause it to remember its
bygone days, just as the inhabitants of Paradise remind one another in
the Garden of the days spent in this lower world.
If you break through the net of secondary cause [sabab], you will arrive
at the Prime Cause [al-Musabbib]. If you break through the ordinary,
you will experience the extraordinary [idhå kharaqta’l-‹åda khuriqat
laka’l-‹åda]. He who serves, is served. He who obeys, is obeyed. He who
honors, is honored. He who draws near is drawn near. He who humbles
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in worldly matters, it will be recorded but not read out, because this
world is the domain of Wisdom [dår al-¥ikma], while the hereafter is the
domain of Power [dår al-qudra]. This world needs material means [asbåb]
and instruments [ålåt], while the hereafter has no need of these. If one
of you should try to deny what his records contain, his physical limbs
and organs will speak about what is in them. Each organ will speak
emphatically about everything it ever did in this world. You have been
created for a momentous purpose, but you do not have a clue. As Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
What, did you suppose that We had created you only for sport, and
that you would not be brought back to Us? (23:115)
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Forty-ninth Discourse
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one that has been purified of murky confusion, is nobly generous. How
could either of them not be so, when they have been treated generously
by the Most Generous of the most generous [Akram al-akramºn]?
O my people! You must practice generosity [karam] and altruism
[ºthår] in obedience to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), not in disobedience to Him. Any blessing that is used for a sinful
purpose is liable to be lost. Keep busy earning a livelihood, while
practicing constant obedience, until nearness to Him comes to you, so
your concerns will be connected with Him and in His company, not
connected with others and not in the company of others. For then your
eating will come to be from the tray of His gracious favor and generosity,
in a way that is beyond your knowledge and understanding.
The self [nafs] is what keeps you screened from Him, so when it fades
from the scene, the obstacle disappears. This is why Ab« Yazºd al-
Bis£åmº (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) once said: “I saw my
Lord in a dream, so I said to Him: ‘How is the way to You, O Creator
God [Båri› Khudå] ?’ He replied: ‘Leave your own self and come hither!’
So I sloughed it off as a snake sloughs off its skin.” The eye of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) was only on the self, not on
anything else, and He ordered him to leave it behind because this world
and what it contains, as well as everything whatsoever apart from the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), is subordinate to the self.
This world belongs to it and is its darling [ma¥b«ba], and the hereafter
belongs to it too, for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And therein is all that selves [anfus] desire and eyes find sweet. (43:71)
A fter some discussion, the Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with
him) went on to say:
By day they [the people of the Lord] are occupied with the welfare of
creatures and dependents, and by night they are devoted to the service
of their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) and are in seclusion with
Him. In similar fashion, kings spend the whole day in the company of
their attendants and retinue, dealing with the needs of the people; then,
when night comes, they retire in privacy with their ministers [wuzarå›]
and favorites [khaw僃].
Listen to what I have to say—may Allåh (Exalted is He) have mercy
upon you! —with the ears of your hearts, and commit it to memory and
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put it into practice. I am stating only the truth from the Truth. I am
simply stating the nature of the way of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). I am describing it so that you may travel along it.
It does not satisfy me just to hear you tell me: “You have done well!”
You must say to me with the tongues of your hearts: “You have done
well!” Then you must act on what I am telling you, and be sincere in
your actions, until I see this about you and I can say to you: “You have
done well!”
How long will you go on worshipping your lower self [nafs], your
worldly and otherworldly interests, creatures, and anything at all apart
from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)? Creatures are
the veil of your lower self, your lower self is the veil of your heart, and
your heart is the veil of your innermost being [sirr]. As long as you
remain attached to creatures, therefore, you cannot see your own lower
self. If you renounce them, you will see it. You will see it as an enemy
to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) and to you, so you must
wage war against it without ceasing, until it meekly accepts its Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He), feels assured of His promise [wa‹d] and
is afraid of His threat [waܼd], carries out His commandment and
observes His prohibition, and yields to Him in compliance with His
decree [qadar]. Then the veils will disappear from the heart and the
innermost being, and they will see what they could never see before.
They will come to know their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
They will take refuge with Him and will not become attached to
anything apart from Him.
The knower [‹årif] does not get attached to any thing, but sticks with
the Creator of all things. He neither slumbers nor sleeps, and no tie
keeps him from his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). The beloved
[of Allåh] has no ordinary existence [wuj«d]. He is in the valley of
destiny [qadar] and knowledge [‹ilm] of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious
is He). The waves of knowledge lift him up and set him down; they lift
him up into the air, then set him down in the ends of the earth, while
he is at a loss, perplexed, uncomprehending, deaf and dumb. He can
hear from no one but the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)
and can see no one but Him, for he is a corpse in His presence. If He
so wills, He resurrects him. If He so wishes, He brings him into being.
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They [the people of the Lord] are always in the pavilion [surådiq] of
nearness [to Him]. Thus, when the time for judgment [¥ukm] comes
around, they are there in the court of judgment. When it is time to go
out, they are there at the door, taking people’s cases and acting as
mediators [waså›i£] between them and the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). These are their spiritual states [a¥wål], although part
of their condition is kept secret.
O my people! What is this? You are in delusion. You are involved
in a useless waste of time. Be patient with Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and you will experience good things in this world and
the hereafter. If you wish to make Islåm a reality, you must practice
obedient submission [istislåm], and if you wish for nearness to Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), you must fall prostrate before His
decree [qadar] and His action [fi‹l]—with no “Why?” and no “How?”—
for thus you will draw near to Him. You must not will anything, for it
can do you no good. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
But you will not, unless Allåh wills. (76:30)
Since you cannot accomplish what you will, do not will! Do not
challenge Him in His workings [af‹ål]. If He takes away your honor,
your property, your health and your children, and destroys your repu-
tation, you must smile in the face of His decree [qadar], His will [iråda]
and His transformative action [tabdºl]. This is how you must be, if you
wish for His nearness, if you wish for pure serenity [ƒafå›] in His
company. If you wish your heart to attain to Him while you are still in
this world, you must hide your sorrow and let your cheerfulness show.
You must be good-natured in your treatment of people. As Allåh’s
Messenger (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
The believer wears his cheerfulness on his face, while his sadness stays
in his heart.
Do not complain to anyone, for when you complain about the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) you fall from His sight, while
whatever you are complaining of does not go away and leave you. Do
not take pride in any of your deeds, for pride corrupts the deed and
destroys it. When a person recognizes the help [tawfºq] he is receiving
from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), it becomes impossible for
him to be conceited about any of his deeds. You must direct your every
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aspiration toward Him, for He will bestow His mercy upon you and
equip you with the means to reach Him. But how can you direct your
aspiration toward Him, when you are false in everything you say and do,
looking for praise from creatures and fearing their criticism? The path
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) is honesty [ƒidq] all
the way. The people [of the Lord] have honesty without any falsehood,
honesty with no pretense. Their actions are more frequent than their
words. They are the deputies [nuwwåb] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) among His creatures, His vicegerents [khulafå›] in
charge of them, His experts [jahåbidha] and His prefects [shi¥an] on His
earth. They are those He has singled out as His special favorites
[khaw僃]. As for you, O hypocrite [munåfiq], you bear no comparison
with them. You cannot match them with your hypocrisy. This is not
something that comes about through inaction, wishful thinking and
idle talk.
O Allåh, include us among the truthful ones [ƒådiq«n], and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
T he Shaikh (may Allåh the Exalted be well pleased with him) also
said:
You must not content yourself with knowing their spiritual states
[a¥wål] by name alone, with adopting their style of dress and affecting
their manner of speech. You will derive no benefit from this, as long as
you contradict their actions. You are a murky confusion with no pure
clarity, a creature with no Creator, a lower world with no hereafter, a
vanity with no reality, an outer with no inner, a word with no deed, a
deed with no sincerity, a sincerity with no adherence to the Sunna.
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will surely not accept a word
without a deed, or a deed without sincerity. Nor will He accept
anything whatsoever that is not in conformity with His Book and the
Sunna of His Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace).
You are making a claim without evidence, so it is certain that nothing
will be accepted of you. You may gain the acceptance of creatures with
your falsehood, but you will never gain the acceptance of the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). He is the Knower [‹Álim] of what
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the hearts contain. Do not offer counterfeit coin, for the Assayer
[Nåqid] has a very sharp eye. Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) looks
into your heart, not at your outer form. He looks at what lies behind the
clothes and the skin and bones. He looks into your private room, not
at your public show.
Have you no sense of shame? You have made what is visible to
creatures look pretty, and what is visible to the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) unclean. If you wish for salvation [falå¥], you must
repent all your sins and be sincere in your repentance. Repent your
idolatrous worship [shirk] of creatures. Do nothing except for the sake
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). I see that you are wholly in
error, because you are involved with the self, the passions, worldly
interests, carnal desires and pleasures. A bug will annoy you; a trifle will
make you angry. You are pleased because your lower self is pleased, and
unhappy because of its unhappiness, for you are its slave and it holds
your reins.
Where do you stand in relation to the servants [‹ibåd] of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), for whom servitude [‹ub«diyya] to Him
and contentment with His workings have become realities? Adversities
descend upon them, while they sit firm like the unshakable mountains.
Misfortunes come at them and befall them, while they view them with
the eye of patience and compliance. They have abandoned their
physical bodies to the afflictions, and have flown to the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) with their hearts, so they are tents
without men, cages without birds. Their spirits [arwå¥] are with Him
and their bodies lie before Him.
O you who turn away from your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He)!
O you who are isolated from Him! Come toward me, so that I may
reconcile you with Him. Let me appeal to Him on your behalf. Let me
obtain protection for you from Him. Let me offer humble entreaty
in His presence, that He may waive in your favor the rights He has
against you.
O Allåh, bring us back to You! Keep us stationed at Your door! Let
us be Yours, in You and with You! Let us rejoice in serving You! Let
our taking and our giving be for Your sake! Purify our inner beings
[bawå£in] of everything but You! May You not see us where You have
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forbidden us to be, and may You not fail to find us where You have
commanded us to be. Do not let our outers [œawåhir] commit sins against
You, or our inners [bawå£in] be guilty of attributing partners [shirk] to
You. Take us from our own selves unto You. Let us belong wholly to
You, rich in You beyond need of any other. Arouse us from heedlessness
of You. Choose us for Your obedient and confidential service. Delight
our hearts and our innermost beings [asrår] with Your nearness. Keep
us as far from disobedience to You as You have kept the sky far from the
earth, and let us be as near to obedience to You as You have put the iris
near to the white of the eye. Keep us apart from what displeases You,
as you kept Joseph and Zulaikhå from disobeying You.
T he Shaikh (may Allåh the Exalted be well pleased with him also
said:
You must dissolve your lower selves [nuf«s], your passions [ahwiya] and
your natural impulses [£ibå‹] through constant fasting [ƒawm], constant
prayer [ƒalåt] and constant patience [ƒabr]. When the servant has truly
accomplished the dissolution of his lower self, his passions and his
natural impulses, he survives with his Patron [Mawlå], free from the
pressure of the crowd. He survives as heart and innermost being and
protégé [mawlå], as ease without discomfort, as good health without
sickness. Be sensible! Learn, practice and be sincere.
O young man! You must learn from creatures, then from the Creator.
As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
When someone puts into practice what he knows, Allåh endows him with
knowledge of what he never knew.
It is necessary first of all to learn from creatures, to acquire the
elements of wisdom [¥ikam], then secondly from the Creator, to acquire
esoteric knowledge [‹ilm ladunº], a knowledge that is specially relevant
to our hearts, a secret [sirr] that is specially relevant to our innermost
beings [asrår]. But how can you study something without a master
[ustådh]? You are in the domain of wisdom [dår al-¥ikma]. You must seek
knowledge [‹ilm], for to seek it is a compulsory religious duty [farºæa]. As
the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
Seek knowledge, even in China!
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O young man! You must keep company with those who will support
you in the struggle with your lower self, not with those who will support
it against you. If you keep company with an ignorant, hypocritical
Shaikh, one who is motivated by natural impulse and passion, he will
be supportive of the self against you. The company of the Shaikhs
should not be sought for worldly purposes, but for the sake of the
hereafter. If a Shaikh is motivated by natural impulse and passion, his
friendship has only worldly value. If he is a man of heart [Čhib qalb], his
friendship is for the sake of the hereafter, and if he is a man of innermost
being [ƒåhib sirr], his friendship is for the sake of the Master [Mawlå].
O you who pose as a Shaikh and a leader, trying to match the genuine
Shaikhs in their spiritual states [a¥wål]! As long as you go on pursuing
this world with your lower self and your desires, you are no more than
a boy! This is mere natural inclination [£ab‹]. It is very rare indeed for
the self to shun this world and renounce it voluntarily, not under
compulsion, or for the self to be so tranquil that it becomes a heart.
Rarest of the rare! Unlikeliest of the unlikely! This can really happen
to it only when it is blind to this world and the hereafter, and to
everything apart from the Master.
The nearer the servant gets to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is
He), the greater his peril and the more intense his fear. This is why the
person who is most in danger from the king is his chief minister [wazºr],
because he is the closest to him. The believer cannot attain to Him
except through sincerity [ikhlåƒ]. He is therefore in a risky situation.
The people [of the Lord] are in dire peril; their fear does not subside until
they meet their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). When a person
really knows [‹arafa] Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), his fear
becomes intense. This is why the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give
him peace) has said:
I am the one among you who knows Allåh best, and the one among
you who fears him most intensely.
The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) puts His saints
[awliyå›] to the test in order to purify them, so they are always in a state
of fearing change and transformation. They are fearful even though
their condition is one of safety. They feel uneasy, despite the fact that
they have been given reassurance. They criticize themselves because of
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the tiniest detail [“a speck and a mustard seed”], a random glance or the
slightest absence of mind. As often as He calms them down, they fly
into a panic. As often as He makes them rich, they become poor again.
As often as He reassures them, they become afraid. As often as He
makes things possible for them, they find something impossible.
As often as He makes them laugh, they cry. As often as He makes them
happy, they turn sad. They dread the vicissitudes of fate [taqallub
al-aghyår] and a bad outcome, for they know that their Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He)
shall not be questioned as to what He does, but they shall be questioned.
(21:23)
As for you, O heedless one, you challenge the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) with disobedience and contradiction, then you rely
on His safekeeping. Soon your sense of security will turn into fear, your
comfort into hardship, your good health into sickness, your dignity into
humiliation, your elevated status into degradation, and your wealth
into poverty. You should know that your safety from the chastisement
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) on the Day of Resurrection will
be in proportion to your fear of Him in this world, while your fear in the
hereafter will be in proportion to your sense of security in this world.
But you are all immersed in the ocean of this world, dwelling at the
bottom of the well of heedless folly, so it is no wonder that your way of
life is like that of the animals. You are familiar with nothing apart from
eating, drinking, sexual intercourse and sleep. Your spiritual states are
apparent to the masters of hearts [arbåb al-qul«b]. Greed for this world,
for the accumulation of its goods and the pursuit of possessions, has kept
you away from the path of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and from His door.
O you whom greed has disgraced, even if you conspired with all the
people on earth in order to procure for yourself something not allotted
to you, you would not be able to obtain it. So give up greediness in the
pursuit of what has been allotted to you, and in the pursuit of what has
not been allotted to you. How can a sensible person regard it as worth
his while to waste his time on a foregone conclusion?
You must expel creatures from your heart and pay no attention to
them in matters of injury and benefit, giving and withholding, praise
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and blame, honor and insult, ups and downs. You must firmly believe
that harm and benefit are from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
and that good and evil are in His hand, channeled by Him through the
hands of creatures. Then, when you are fully convinced, you will come
to be an ambassador between creatures and the Creator, taking them by
the hand toward His door. You will see them as being deficient in
relation to you. You will view those who are disobedient to their Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He) in terms of insanity and ignorance, so
you will handle them gently, giving them medical treatment and
putting up patiently with their annoying and ignorant behavior.
Those who are obedient to their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He)
are the learned and the intelligent ones, while those who are disobedient
to their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) are the ignorant and the
insane. The disobedient sinner is ignorant of his Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He), so he disobeys Him and follows his devil [shai£ån], with
whose wishes he complies. If he were not so ignorant, he would not
disobey. If he really knew [‹arafa] his lower self [nafs], and realized that
it incites him to evil, he would not yield to its demands.
How often do I warn you about Iblºs and his assistants? Yet you
befriend him and accept instruction from him. His assistants are the
lower self, this world, the passions, natural impulses and bad companions.
Beware of them all, for all of them are your enemies. You have no loving
friend [mu¥ibb] apart from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), for He
wants you for your sake, while everyone else wants you for his own sake.
When you lose your own self in your state of seclusion [khalwa], and seek
it together with the seekers, then does your seclusion become an
intimate friendship [uns] with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). When you leave your lower self with this world, your
heart with the hereafter, and your innermost being [sirr] with the
Master [Mawlå], then does your seclusion become an intimate friend-
ship with Allåh. As for the situation where your own self is present, and
other selves are also present, here you have no seclusion. Seclusion with
Him is possible only in isolation from all others. You can only find Him
after hating all others.
When will you be pure enough to recognize purity [ƒafå›] and its
people? When will you be honest enough to recognize honesty [ƒidq]
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and its people? When will you be sincere enough to recognize the door
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and its people?
When you rectify your spiritual condition, you will recognize the men
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). When you see the
door of the King, you will see His servants standing there. You have not
trodden the steps to the King’s door. You have not even noticed it, so
how can you see its attendants? There is nothing to talk about until you
see the door, for only then will you see the attendants. There is nothing
to be said until you see Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), for at that
point you will truly see. There you will recognize truthfulness, which
lifts you up, carries you forward and keeps you awake, whereas falsehood
sets you back and puts you to sleep.
You must be with the truthful [ƒådiq«n] in order to be treated as they
are treated. Be truthful in all that you say and do, and be patient under
all circumstances. Truthfulness [ƒidq] means affirming the Divine
Unity [taw¥ºd], being sincere [ikhlåƒ] and having total trust [tawakkul] in
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). The reality [¥aqºqa] of total trust
is detachment from material means [asbåb] and influential people
[arbåb], and the abandonment of your own power and strength as far as
your heart and innermost being [sirr] are concerned. If you wish to be
connected with Him, you must break off all other connections and turn
away from you and from them. You must turn away from the product
[mu¥dath] in order to reach the Producer [Mu¥dith]. As long as you stay
with you and with them, you cannot succeed. The nearness of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) does not tolerate overcrowding.
Barely one in a million of you can understand what I am saying and
put it into practice. The rest of you enter into the flow of it and enjoy
being present to participate. I wish all of you well in this world and the
hereafter. This world is the believer’s prison, so when he forgets his
prison he obtains a feeling of release. The believers [mu›min«n] are in
a state of imprisonment, while the knowers [‹årif«n] are in a state of
intoxication, so they are out of the prison. Their Lord let them drink
the wine of longing [shawq] for Him, the wine of intimate friendship
[uns] with Him, the wine of the quest for Him, the wine of forgetting
creatures and waking up to Him. He gave them these wines to drink,
so they lost consciousness [tabannaj«] of creatures and woke up to Him
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and in His company. They are out of the prison and away from the
prisoners. They have been allowed to experience their Fire [of Hell] and
their Paradise in advance, here in this world. Contention is their Fire,
and cheerful acceptance of the judgment [of the Lord] is their Paradise.
Heedlessness is their Fire, and vigilant awareness [yaqaœa] is their
Paradise. In the case of ordinary people [‹awåmm], the Resurrection
[al-qiyåma] is a reckoning [mu¥åsaba], but in the case of the élite [khaw僃]
it is a reprimand [mu‹åtaba]. How could it be otherwise for them, since
they have experienced their personal resurrection while still in this
world? They have wept in advance of the beating, so their weeping will
stand them in good stead when the time for the beating has arrived.
Sufyån ath-Thawrº (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) appeared
in someone’s dream, so he was asked: “What has Allåh done with you?”
He replied: “He made me stand before Him and He said to me:
‘O Sufyån, did you not know that I am All-Forgiving [Ghaf«r],
All-Compassionate [Ra¥ºm] ? You did all that weeping from fear of Me.
Did you not feel embarrassed in front of Me?’ ”
You must part company with your natural impulses [£ab‹], your
passions [hawå] and your devil [shai£ån], and have no confidence in
them. Once this has been firmly established, you must put an enmity
in place between you and bad companions. You must not relate to them
in a friendly way until they harmonize with you in your spiritual state.
Repentance is a coup d’état [qalb dawla]. If a person repents, but does not
change the condition he was in before repenting, he is being dishonest
about his repentance. If you bring about change, change will be brought
about for you. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Allåh does not change what is in a people, until they change what is in
themselves. (13:11)
You must do no wrong to anyone in this world, for it will be held
against you in the hereafter. Act justly [i‹dil] in this world, so that He
will not cause you to deviate [ya‹dila bika] from the path to Paradise.
Since tyrants abandon justice [‹adl], He causes them to stray [‹adala
bihim] from the path to the abode of the people of justice. You must
leave everything in its proper place, so there will be a place for you in
the presence of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
303
This is the end of the age. I would like to see you already changed and
transformed, for I am afraid on your behalf of change and transformation.
Of course there must be that which changes and transforms things, but
part of the process is kept secret. O creatures of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He), I seek your welfare and your best interests in general.
I wish for the closing of the gates of the Fire [of Hell], for it to cease to
exist altogether, and that not one of the creatures of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) may enter it. I wish for the opening [fat¥] of the
gates of Paradise, and that not one of the creatures of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) may be prevented from entering it. I wish these
wishes because of my awareness of the mercy [ra¥ma] of Allåh (Al-
mighty and Glorious is He) and His compassion [shafaqa] for His
creatures.
My commitment is to the welfare of your hearts and their refinement,
not to the modification and refinement of speech. Do not be put off by
the roughness of my speech, for I got all my training in the religion [dºn]
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) from rough men. My speech
is rough and my food is rough, so anyone who runs away from me and
the likes of me will not succeed. When you are badly behaved in matters
of religion, I do not abandon you, and I am not saying I shall do so. I
do not mind whether you are present with me or whether you are absent.
I seek ways and means only from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
not from you. I am outside of your calculation and your reckoning.
What I am involved in does not bring about change through the tongue,
but only through the inner core [janån]. No right, no left and no behind,
but only straight ahead. A front without a back. As a follower of the
Prophets [anbiyå›], the Messengers [mursalºn] and our predecessors
[salaf], I never part company with them in running a total course to the
abode of His nearness.
You must repent your sins and your bad behavior. This repentance
is my plant in the ground of your hearts; a building I shall build with
you. I shall demolish Satan’s building and build the building of the
All-Merciful [ar-Ra¥mån]. I shall connect you with your Master and
your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). I am dealing with the kernel,
not with the shell. This outer [όhir] is a shell, which I do not bother
to train. I train only your kernels [albåb], and I set your shells aside. I
shall train you until the eye of your Prophet finds you a soothing sight.
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305
O young man! You must remember the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), first with your heart [qalb], then secondly with your
outer form [qålab]. Remember Him a thousand times with your heart
and once with your tongue. On the advent of misfortunes, remember
Him with patience; on the advent of this world, with renunciation; on
the advent of the hereafter, with acceptance; on the advent of the Lord
of Truth, with affirmation of His Oneness [taw¥ºd]; and on the advent
of anything else whatsoever, with rejection. If you slacken the reins of
your lower self, it will bolt with you and throw you. You must control
it with the bridle of pious restraint [wara‹] and give up tittle-tattle [qål
wa-qºl]. Remembering death will purify your heart and make you hate
this world and creatures. The veil will be lifted from your heart, so
you will see that creatures are transitory, lifeless, perishable, feeble,
containing neither harm nor benefit.
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Fiftieth Discourse
their preference for Him. They are not greedy in pursuit of their own
allotted shares [aqsåm], nor do they covet the shares allotted to others.
If you wish to enjoy the companionship of the people [of the Lord] in
this world and the hereafter, you must yield to Him in compliance with
His words, His workings [af‹ål] and His will [iråda]. But I see that you
have taken the opposite approach, and have made it your regular habit
to contradict Him and challenge Him by night and by day. He says to
you: “Do!” and you do not do, as if He were the servant [‹abd] and you
the one to be served [ma‹b«d]. Glory be to Him [sub¥ånahu]! How much
He tolerates! Were it not for His tolerance [¥ilm], you would experience
the opposite of what you have now.
If you wish for success [falå¥], you must practice quietness in His
presence—quietness of the outer [œåhir] and also of the inner [bå£in].
Asking constitutes bad manners in my opinion, and I consider it
acceptable only as a special concession [rukhƒa]. You must carry out His
commandment, observe His prohibition, comply with His decree, and
keep your outer and your inner calmly speechless in His presence, then
you will experience what is good in this world and the hereafter. Do not
ask creatures for anything, for they are weak and poor, incapable of
bringing harm or benefit to themselves or anyone else. Be patient with
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). Do not try to make Him hurry
things up or hold them back. Harbor no doubts about Him, for He is
More Compassionate [Ashfaq] toward you than you are [‹alaikum
minkum]—than you are to you [minka ‹alaika]. This is why one of the
wise said: “What is more to me than I am [aish ‹alayya minnº] ?” You must
practice conformity to Him (Almighty and Glorious is He), for He
knows you better than you do [Huwa A‹lamu minkum bikum]. He does
not make you aware of everything in which there is some benefit. As
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
But it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you, and
it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. Allåh knows
and you know not. (2:216).
He has also said:
And He creates that which you do not know. (16:8)
And then He has said:
And of knowledge you have been given only a little (17:85)
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If someone wishes to set out along the path of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), he must correct his own lower self [nafs]
before he embarks on the journey. The self is badly behaved, because
it is “always inciting to evil [ammåra bi’s-s«›] ” (12:53). What would
it do in the presence of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He)? How can it accompany you on your journey toward Him? You
must struggle with it until it becomes tame, then, once it is tame, take
it along with you to His door. You must not harmonize with it before
giving it training and instruction, teaching it to be well behaved and to
have confidence in the promise [wa‹d] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and His threat [waܼd]. It is blind, dumb, deaf, confused, ignorant
of its Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) and an enemy to Him. But
through unrelenting efforts its eyes will be opened, its tongue will be
loosened, its ear will begin to hear, and it will be rid of its confusion, its
ignorance and its hostility to its Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
This calls for muscles and manpower [¥ibål wa-rijål], and for persever-
ance hour after hour, day after day, year after year. This does not come
about through the effort of just one hour, one month or one year. You
must beat it with the whip of hunger, deprive it of its luxury and give
it all that it really deserves. Attack it aggressively, and do not be afraid
of its sword and its knife. Its sword is wood, not iron. It has words with
no actions, lies with no honesty, commitment with no fulfillment.
It has no love [mawadda]. A retreat with no counter-attack [jawla bi-lå
dawla]. Iblºs, who is its commander, has no stamina in his hostility and
opposition when faced with sincere believers [mu›min«n ƒådiq«n], so
how can it have any? You must not imagine that he entered Paradise
and evicted Adam (peace be upon him) from it with his own strength,
when it was actually the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)
who empowered him to do that, making him a means [sabab] and not
a cause [aƒl].
O you of little understanding, do not flee from the door of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) because of some trial with
which He afflicts you, for He is More Aware [A‹raf] of your best interest
than you are. He would not put you to the test except for some good
reason and wisdom. When He tests you, therefore, you must be steadfast,
review your sins, do a lot of seeking forgiveness [istighfår] and repenting
309
[tawba], and beg Him to grant you the patience and perseverance to see
it through. You must stand before Him and cling to the hem of His
mercy, as you beg Him to remove the affliction from you and to
demonstrate the beneficial aspect of it.
If you wish for success [falå¥], you must make friends with a Shaikh
who is learned in the rules [¥ukm] and knowledge [‹ilm] of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), one who can teach you, educate you
and acquaint you with the path to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He). The seeker [murºd] cannot do without a leader [qå›id] and guide
[dalºl], for he is in a desert where there are scorpions, snakes, perils,
thirst, and savage beasts. He therefore needs someone to warn him of
these dangers and guide him to the oasis of water and fruit-bearing trees.
If left to himself without a guide, he would stumble into a wild terrain,
a rugged area abounding in lions, scorpions, snakes and all kinds of peril.
O traveler on the path of this world, you must not get separated from
the caravan, the guide and your fellow travelers, otherwise you will lose
your property and your breath of life [r«¥]. As for you, O traveler on the
path of the hereafter, you must be together with the guide until he leads
you to the camp site [manzil]. You must serve him along the way, be on
your best behavior with him, and never leave his sight. He will teach
you and draw you close to him, then he will delegate responsibility to
you as his lieutenant on the path, as he comes to recognize your nobility,
your honesty and your skillfulness. Thus you will become a commander
[amºr] on the path, and an authority [sul£ån] in charge of its people. He
will make you his deputy in charge of his retinue of escorts, and you will
continue to hold this position until he brings you to your Prophet
(Allåh bless him and give him peace). He will deliver you safely to him,
and he will be delighted to see you. Then he will delegate responsibility
to you for hearts and spiritual states [a¥wål] and inner contents [ma‹ånº],
so you will come to be an ambassador between Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and His creatures, an errand boy [ghulåm] in the service
of your Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace), running time
after time to creatures and Creator.
This is not something that comes about in a vacuum and through
wishful thinking, but through something that becomes established
within the breast, and which is verified in action. The people [of the
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Lord] are the odd ones out [nuzzå‹ al-‹ashå›ir]; they are fewer than one
in a million. They hear the word of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He) with their hearts and their inner contents [ma‹ånº], and they
confirm the truth of what they hear through the actions of their
physical bodies.
O ignorant ones, repent to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
return to the highway of the champions of truth [ƒiddºq«n] and follow
them in all that they say and do. You must not follow the side roads
with the hypocrites who are seeking this world, turning away from
the hereafter, abandoning the highway [jådda] of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), which was the road taken by our
predecessors. They turn to right or left or backwards, seeking the lazy
folk’s path, but the way they take does not lead them through to the
genuine highway, which is the path to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He).
O young man! You may have social relations with these folk in this
world, for worldly purposes, but tomorrow you will not see them; you
will be separated from them. How could you not be separated from your
bad companions, your relations with whom have not been for the sake
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)? Since you will inevitably have
social relations with creatures, develop them with the pious and the
abstinent, those who have real knowledge and put it into practice, those
who seek the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and those
who are sought by Him. Cultivate those who will take creatures from
you and give you the nearness of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He); those who will take error from you and set you upon the
highway; those who will blindfold your eyes against this world, then
open them to the hereafter; those who will remove the tray of this world
from in front of you, and replace it with the tray of the hereafter; those
who will relieve you of having to go barefoot, and give you socks to wear
instead; those who will lift you out from the midst of snakes and
scorpions and lions, and set you down in a place that is safe, comfortable
and pleasant. Associate with people of this caliber, listen patiently to
what they have to say, and accept what they tell you to do or not to do,
then you will soon experience good results, although the span of
courage [shajå‹a] is an hour’s patience [ƒabr].
311
Nothing can come about because of you, yet you must play your part.
You must buy a laborer’s tools and a basket made of palm-leaves, then
sit at the gate of employment. If your working is preordained, you will
have work to do. Give the material means [sabab] its due, have trust
[tawakkal], and sit at the gate of employment. If they take casual
laborers, but do not take you, you must not budge from your spot until
you despair of having anyone invite you to work for him. At this point,
you must throw yourself into the ocean of total trust [tawakkul], so that
you link the means [sabab] with the Cause [Musabbib].
You must be well behaved in the presence of your teacher, and let your
silence be more frequent than your speaking out, for this will be
conducive to your learning and your being close to his heart. Good
behavior will bring you near, while bad manners will keep you at a
distance. But how can your manners improve, when you do not mix
with people of refinement [udabå›]? How can you learn, when you are
not satisfied with your teacher and do not have a good opinion of him?
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Fifty-first Discourse
O n the 20th of Sha‹bån, A.H. 545, the Shaikh (may Allåh be well
pleased with him) said:
This world is all about wisdom [¥ikma] and work [‹amal]. The hereafter
is all about power [qudra]. The former is based on [divine] Wisdom,
while the latter is based on [divine] Power, so do not give up work in the
domain of wisdom, and do not underestimate His Power in the domain
of power. You must work in the domain of wisdom in accordance with
His Wisdom, and not depend upon His Power. Do not make destiny
[qadar] an excuse for your lower self [nafs], for it will try to use it as a
pretext and give up work. Laying the blame on destiny is the pretext
of the lazy. Destiny can only count as an excuse outside the sphere of
the [divine] commandments and prohibitions.
A fter some discussion, the Shaikh (may Allåh the Exalted be well
pleased with him) went on to say:
The believer does not rely on this world, nor on what it contains.
He takes from it his allotted share [qism] and turns away with his heart
toward the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). There he
stays until He relieves him of the fierce heat of this world and instructs
his heart to enter His presence through the mediation of his innermost
being [sirr], sending the innermost being out to the heart, and the heart
to the tranquil self [an-nafs al-mu£ma›inna] and the obedient limbs and
organs of the physical body. Then while he is like this, lo and behold,
his dependants are enabled to manage without him, and a separation
comes between him and them. His Lord protects him from the evils of
creatures and makes them subservient to him. He sets a barrier between
his heart and their hearts, and he remains all alone with his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He). It is as if creatures had never been
created, as far as he is concerned; as if his Lord (Almighty and Glorious
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is He) had no creatures apart from him. His Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He) continues to be active [få‹il], while he is acted upon
[maf‹«l fºh]; He continues to be the object of his quest, while he is His
seeker; He continues to be his root, while he is His branch. None but
Him does he know, and none but Him does he see. His Lord hides him
away from creatures:
Then, when He wills, He resurrects him. (80:22)
He resurrects him for their benefit, causing him to exist among them
for their welfare and guidance, and he endures their trouble for the sake
of the good pleasure of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
The people [of the Lord] are the guardians of hearts and innermost
beings [asrår], standing with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and with none but Him, working for Him and for none but Him.
O hypocrite, you do not have a clue about these people, nor do you have
a clue about faith [ºmån], nor a clue about intimate friendship [uns] with
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). Soon you must die, and you will
be sorry after death. You have been satisfied to speak eloquently with
the tongue and incoherently with the inner core [janån], and this will
not stand you in good stead. Eloquence belongs to the heart, not to the
tongue. Weep a thousand times for yourself, and for others but once.
O you who are dead at heart! O you who are absent from the people [of
the Lord]! O backslider! O you who are screened by you and by creatures
from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)!
My God [Ilåhº], I was mute and You made me speak, so bring benefit
to creatures through my speech, and perfect their righteousness [ƒalå¥]
at my hand, or else return me to the state of muteness!
O my people! I summon you to violent death [al-mawt al-a¥mar],*
that is to say, to combat with the lower self [nafs], the passions [hawå],
the natural impulses [£ab‹] and the devil [shai£ån], to the abandonment
of creatures, and to the renunciation of everything whatsoever apart
from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Do battle
[jåhid«] on these terms and do not despair, for as the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has told us:
Every day He is about some awesome business. (55:29)
Ask of Him in accordance with His power [qudra]. Ask of Him with
regard to Power, not with regard to Wisdom [¥ikma]. Ask of Him in
terms of His knowledge [‹ilm], not in terms of your knowledge. Ask of
*Lit.,
314 “red death”—as opposed to “white death” [al-mawt al-abyaæ], meaning
death by natural causes.
Him with your hearts and your innermost beings [asrår], not with the
babbling of the tongue. Ask of Him beyond the scope of your knowledge
and your power. Stand in His presence in a state of bankruptcy [iflås]
in relation to all things. Do not try to outmaneuver Him. Do not try
to outdo him. Do not try to outwit Him. Do not make fools of
yourselves by rejecting His management [tadbºr] in favor of your own
management. Anyone who does not put his knowledge into practice
is an ignorant fool, even if he has memorized it perfectly and knows it
inside out. The acquisition of knowledge without practice will throw
you back on creatures, while putting your knowledge into practice will
restore you to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). It will
make you abstain from this world and let you perceive with your inner
[bå£in]. It will shift your focus away from the improvement of the outer
[όhir], and inspire you [yulhimuka] with the improvement of the inner,
and at this stage the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) will
befriend you, because you will now be worthy of Him. As Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And He befriends the righteous. (7:196)
He befriends them outwardly and inwardly [œawåhirahum
wa-bawå£inahum]. He trains them outwardly with the hand of His
wisdom, and inwardly with the hand of His knowledge [‹ilm], so they
fear none but Him and pin their hopes on none but Him. They take only
from Him and give only in His cause. They become estranged from all
others, enjoy His intimate companionship and feel at home with Him.
These are the latter days [åkhir az-zamån], a time of much change and
transformation. This is the age of indifference [fatra], the age of
hypocrisy [nifåq] and its general circulation [nafåq]. O hypocrite, you
are the slave of this world and of creatures. You put on a show for them
and work to please them, but you forget that you are under the
supervision of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). You
make a display of working for the sake of the hereafter, when all your
work and aspirations are actually for this world. The Prophet (Allåh
bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
If a servant [‹abd] puts on a fine show of working for the hereafter,
although he does not wish for it and is not seeking to attain it, he will
be cursed in the heavens by his personal name [ism] and his patronymics
[nasab].
315
You must not be distracted from the service of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) by the service of your own lower self
[nafs], by the greedy desire to achieve its personal ambitions. The saints
[awliyå›] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) must go through the
motions of seeking from creatures, not because they have any need of
them, but because He inspires [yulhimu] them to do so, as a mercy
[ra¥ma] to His creatures. Such a person does not seek anything from
them because of his own self. His own self has become tame and no
longer has any will or desire [shahwa] in relation to this world. You
suppose that his own self is like your ignorant self, which has made you
devoted to its service and which makes you act according to its will and
its desires. If you had any sense, you would not get involved in its service
and distracted from the service of its Lord (Almighty and Glorious is
He), for it is an enemy to you. The right course for you is to respond to
it with silence, and to throw what it says overboard. You should listen
to it as you would listen to a madman [majn«n] who has lost his mind.
Pay no attention to its words and its demands for the satisfaction of
carnal desires and pleasures and vanities. Your destruction and its
destruction lie in your heeding it, and your well-being [ƒalå¥] and its
well-being lie in your contradicting it. If the self [nafs] is obedient to
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), its sustenance [rizq] will come to
it in plenty from everywhere, but if it is disobedient and throws its
weight around, it will have its material means [asbåb] cut off and
troubles will overwhelm it. Thus it will perish, losing both this world
and the hereafter.
As for the self that is obedient and contented, its owner is served
whichever way he may turn. He collects his allotted share with a feeling
of satisfaction. He discharges the religious duties [faræ] that are
incumbent upon him, with a willing heart, with no sense of inconve-
nience. His heart is empty of everything apart from Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), while his physical body is free from strain in the
process of obtaining this world and its bounties. O recipient of blessings,
give thanks for those blessings, otherwise they will be snatched from
your hand. Clip the wing of blessings with gratitude, otherwise they will
fly away from you. Dead is he who dies to his Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He), even if he be alive in this world. What good can his
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Its blessedness [baraka] departs, and its case against you remains to be
answered. You become a scholar seduced by his knowledge. Its tree
stays with you, but you lose its fruit.
You must beg Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) to grant you a
state [¥ål] and a station [maqåm] in His presence, then if He grants you
this, beg Him to keep it a secret and not let you feel like disclosing any
part of it. If you like to make public what is between you and the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), it will be for you a cause of your
destruction. Beware of taking pride in states [a¥wål] and works [a‹mål],
for it is a provocation causing the person guilty of it to lose the favor of
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Beware of a fondness
for talking about creatures and winning their acceptance, for this will
do you more harm than good.
Do not utter a single word until you put your own affairs in order and
a definite instruction comes to you from the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He). How can you invite people to your home without
having prepared any food for them? This is a business that needs a
foundation; only then can there be a building. You must dig the ground
of your heart until the water of wisdom [¥ikma] wells up in it, then build
with sincerity [ikhlåƒ], struggles [mujåhadåt] and righteous works [a‹mål
ƒåli¥åt], until your castle is erected. Then invite people to it after this
has been done.
O Allåh, enliven the bodies of our deeds with the spirit [r«¥] of sincere
devotion to You!
What benefit can you derive from seclusion from creatures, when you
have creatures within your heart? None; and no honor is due to you or
to your seclusion [khalwa]. If you practice seclusion while there are
creatures within your heart, then you are sitting all alone without the
presence of the intimate companionship [uns] of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Or rather, your companions are the lower self [nafs],
the devil [shai£ån] and the passions. When your heart enjoys the
intimate friendship of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), you are
secluded from creatures even if you are in the midst of your family and
your kinsfolk. Once this intimacy is firmly established in your heart, He
will demolish the walls of your existence [wuj«d] and give insight to your
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perception, so that you can recognize His gracious favor and His action
[fi‹l]. Thus you will be content with Him to the exclusion of everything
but Him.
When someone is in a particular spiritual state [¥åla mina’l-a¥wål],
while at the same time keeping to the sacred law [shar‹], and desires
neither what is above it nor what is below it, neither that it should pass
away nor that it should be permanent, then he has met the precondition
of contentment [riæå], compliance [muwåfaqa] and servitude [‹ub«diyya].
Woe unto you! Do not tell a lie! You lay claim to contentment, yet you
can be put out by a flea, a crumb, a word or an insult. Do not tell a lie!
I will not listen to your lies. I will not act upon them, nor will I give
them credence.
Among all creatures there are a few individuals whose hearts receive
inspired revelation [y«¥å ilå qul«bihim]. Words meant specially for them
are cast into their hearts. They recognize what is good and stand by it.
How could it not be so, since they are following the example of the
Messenger in his sayings? He (blessings and peace be upon him)
received inspired revelation outwardly [όhiran], while they receive it
inwardly [bå£inan] in their hearts, because they are his heirs [wurråth]
and his followers in all that he has commanded them to do. If you
genuinely wish to be such a follower, you must frequently remember
death, for the recollection of it will support you against your lower self
[nafs], your passions [hawå] and your devil [shai£ån], and help you to get
rid of your attachment to your worldly interests. If someone will not
take a lesson from death, there is no way to preach him a lesson. As the
Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
Death is sufficient as a preacher [wå‹iœ].
Your allotted share will come to you, whether you are prepared to do
without it or have a craving for it. If you are prepared to do without it,
your allotted share will come to you and you will be worthy of respect.
It will also come to you if you have a craving for it, but then you will not
be worthy of respect. The hypocrite [munåfiq] shows modesty toward
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) as long as creatures are present
around him, but behaves impudently toward Him when he is in his
private space.
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Woe unto you! If your faith [ºmån] in Him were genuine, as well as
your firm belief [i‹tiqåd] that He is Watching [Nåœir] you, Near [Qarºb]
to you, Supervising [Raqºb] you, you would feel a sense of shame in His
presence. I am telling you the truth [¥aqq], and I neither fear you nor
pin my hopes upon you. In my sight you and all the people of this earth
are like fleas, like specks of dust, because I see that harm and benefit
come from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), not from any of you.
Slaves [mamålºk] and kings [mul«k] are all the same to me.
You should criticize yourselves and others on account of the sacred
law [shar‹], not because of the passions [hawå], the lower self [nafs] and
natural inclinations [£ab‹]. When the sacred law is silent on a subject,
you must observe a corresponding silence, and where it has something
to say, conform to it in respect of what it has to say. O young man!
Do not criticize others because of your lower self and your passions;
criticize them rather on account of your faith. Faith is the critic
[munkir], while certitude [yaqºn] is the eliminator [of faults], and the
Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) is the Helper [Nåƒir] who helps you
to succeed and glories in your success. As Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) has said:
If Allåh helps you, none can overcome you. (3:160)
If you help Allåh, He will help you and will make your foothold firm.
(47:7)
If you are critical of something blameworthy out of zeal for Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), He will assist you to get rid of it,
supporting you against those responsible for it and making them submit
to you. But if you are critical of it because of your own lower self, your
passions, your devil and your natural impulses, He will disappoint you
and fail to support you against the people concerned, and you will not
be able to get rid of it. Faith is what is entitled to criticize [al-ºmån
huwa’l-munkir], so any critic whose criticism does not stem from faith
is no critic at all. Criticism, regardless of your personal wishes, must be
for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), not for the sake
of His creatures; for the sake of His religion [dºn], not for your own sake;
for Him, not for you.
Abandon your crazy delusion and be sincere in your actions. Death
is waiting in ambush for you. There is no way for you to avoid crossing
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its bridge. Give up this greediness that has put you to shame. Whatever
belongs to you must surely come your way, and whatever belongs to
others will not come to you, so devote your attention to Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and stop chasing after what belongs to
you and what belongs to others. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He) has said to His Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace):
Strain not your eyes toward that which We have given you for some
pairs among you to enjoy—the flower of this world’s life, that We may
thereby put them to the test. (20:131)
There is nothing harder on those who really know [‹arafa] Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) than having to talk with creatures and
sit in their company. This is why there might be a thousand knowers
[‹årif] but only one speaker [mutakallim] among them—and he would
need the strength of the Prophets (peace be upon them)! How could
he not need their strength, when he is intending to sit among people of
all types, mingling with those who who are capable of understanding
and those who cannot understand, when he will sit in the company of
both hypocrite and believer? He must experience enormous hardship,
patiently enduring things that are so hateful to him. Yet in spite of this,
he enjoys protection and receives assistance with what he is involved
in, because he is carrying out the orders of the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) in speaking to the people. He does not speak
from his own lower self and his passions, nor of his own choice and will.
He is simply compelled to speak, so he is surely protected in the process.
If you really wish to know Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), you
must rid your heart of attaching importance to creatures where harm
and benefit are concerned, for only thus will you really get to know Him.
Woe unto you! This world in the hand is permissible. In the pocket
it is permissible. To store it up for some practical purpose, with a
righteous intention [niyya ƒåli¥a], is permissible. In the heart, however,
it is not permissible. For it to stand waiting at the door is permissible,
but for it to enter into what lies behind the door—no, and you deserve
no respect [if you permit it to pass that point]!
When this servant becomes extinct to himself and to all creatures, he
becomes as if nonexistent [mafq«d], obliterated [mam¥«w]. His inner
[bå£in] does not undergo change with the advent of misfortunes. He is
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The believer [mu›min] keeps his heart detached from creatures, and
from family, property and children. While he is attending to their
needs, his heart is always on the lookout for the arrival of the King’s
Messenger [Ras«l al-Malik]. He has reached the gate of the city, and has
said goodbye to his family even while still sitting in their midst. The
believer is always taking his leave. He is among creatures, yet he has said
goodbye to them. His seeding is with the creation, but his fruition is
with the Creator. When the affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd] becomes
established in the heart, action becomes correct where the outer is
concerned, because there is no difference between your outer [όhir] and
your inner [bå£in]; it is all the same to you whether you be rich or poor,
whether people come or go, and whether they give you blame or praise.
How can you fail to spit them both out, when you have no space in
which to digest them, since your heart is filled with Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), with remembrance of Him and longing for Him?
For at this stage:
There, protection belongs only to Allåh, the True. (18:44)
You become a true lover [mu¥ibb ¥aqq], a scholar imbued with
knowledge, a sage confirmed in wisdom, a cultured person of refined
education, independent of creatures, meaning able to do without them.
O ignorant one, you should learn from your ignorance! You have
given up learning and taken it upon yourself to teach. Spare yourself
the trouble! Nothing can come of you and nobody can succeed at your
hands, because if a person is incapable of being his own teacher, how
can he be the teacher of others?
O my people! Do not underestimate the power of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), so that you join the unbelievers [kuffår]. You must
work in accordance with the rule of law [¥ukm], until this leads you to
work in accordance with knowledge [‹ilm]. Once you can really work,
you will experience the [divine] power [qudra]. Then He will put
creative energy [takwºn] into the hands of your hearts and your inner-
most beings [asrår]. When there is no longer any barrier between you
and Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) as far as your heart is
concerned, He will empower you with creative force. He will show you
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the stores of His secret treasure, feed you with the food of His gracious
favor and let you drink the wine of His intimate friendship [uns]. He will
seat you at the table of nearness to Him.
All this is the fruit of knowledge of the Book and the Sunna. Put them
both into practice and do not depart from them, until the Master of
Knowledge [»å¥ib al-‹ilm], Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), comes
to you and takes you to Him. When the teacher of the law [¥ukm] attests
that you are proficient in his book, he will move you on to the book of
knowledge. When you have mastered this, your heart and your inner
content [ma‹nå] will be set straight, with the Prophet in their company,
holding their hands and leading them into the presence of the King,
saying to them: “Here you are with your Lord!”
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part; it is the pretext of the lazy. We do not concern ourselves with fate.
We gird our loins, exert ourselves and set about our work. We do not
say, “he said this and we said that, and why and how....” We do not probe
into the foreknowledge of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). We
make our best effort, and He does whatever He wills. As Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
He shall not be questioned. (21:23)
When your business is concluded and the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) draws you close to Him—and when you are truly
ready for this, He will make you recoil from this world and awaken your
interest in the hereafter—you will find your name inscribed on the door
of your nearness to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He): “X son
of Y, one of the emancipated slaves of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He).” This is something that is not subject to change or alteration,
to reduction or increase, so now your gratitude to your Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He) will be multiplied, as will your performance of good
deeds and acts of obedience in His presence. At the same time, you
must not cease to hold fear in the hand of your heart, nor must you
underestimate His power, and you must recite His words (Almighty and
Glorious is He):
Allåh erases what He will, and establishes (what He will), and with
Him is the original source of the Book [ummu’l-kitåb]. (13:39)
Do not stick at that inscription, for He who wrote it is the One who
has the power to erase it. He who erected it is the One who has the
power to demolish it. You must always be in a state of obedience, fear,
dread and caution, until death comes to you and you pass from this
world to the hereafter in a state of safety, for then you will be immune
to change and alteration.
O you who try to compete, with your ignorance and hypocrisy, your
desire for this world and your clamoring for it! O you who devour
unlawful food [¥aråm]! How can you aspire to the light of the heart,
purity of the innermost being [sirr] and the utterance of wisdom [¥ikma]?
As for the people [of the Lord], their speech is of necessity and their
sleep is the sleep of the drowned. Their diet is the diet of the sick, for
such is their condition until the prescription expires. They may be
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[uns], their nearness to their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) and
their vision of Him. They have traded this world for the hereafter,
then they have traded the hereafter for their nearness to their Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He), the Lord of both this world and
the hereafter. Those who are truthful [ƒådiq«n] in their love of Him,
have traded both this world and the hereafter in exchange for His
countenance. They wished to have Him to the exclusion of all else, so
when the buying and selling was over, generosity prevailed, and He
returned this world and the hereafter to them as a gift. He commanded
them to take the pair, so they accepted them just because of the
commandment, although they were already well satisfied—suffering
from indigestion, indeed!—without them. They did so in compliance
with the decree [qadar] and to be well-mannered in the company of the
Ordainer [Muqaddir]. They accepted and received, saying:
Surely you know what we want. (11:79)
“You know that we are well content with You to the exclusion of all else,
and we are content with hunger and thirst, nakedness, humiliation and
degradation, and to be prostrate at Your door.” Once they have come
to be content with this and have made an agreement with their lower
selves [nuf«s] to accept it calmly, He looks upon them with mercy, so He
gives them dignity after their humiliation, enriches them after their
poverty, and allows them to draw near to Him in this world and
the hereafter.
The believer abstains from this world, so his abstinence [zuhd]
removes the dirt and filth and murky confusion from his inner [bå£in].
Then the hereafter comes and settles in his heart. But then comes the
hand of zeal, to remove it from his heart and teach him that this is an
obstacle to the nearness of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). So now he gives up all interest in creatures whatsoever, carries
out the commandments of the sacred law [shar‹] and observes its rules
as they apply equally to him and to the common folk. The eyes of his
insight are opened, so that he perceives his own personal faults as well
as the faults of all created beings. He therefore relies on none but his
Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), listens to none but Him, takes no
understanding from any but Him, puts no trust in anything but His
promise [wa‹d] and is not afraid of anything but His threat [wa‹ºd]. He
gives up all preoccupation with anything but Him and devotes his
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been deposed, so they have nothing left apart from the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). They have no speech, no movement
and no joy in anything until they have genuinely experienced this, so
when this really comes about the matter is settled where they are
concerned. First they leave the slavery [riqq] of this world and servitude
[‹ub«diyya] to it, then they leave behind everything whatsoever apart
from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). They do not
cease having dealings with Him and in His house they are put to the test:
That We may see how you behave. (10:14)
The innermost being [sirr] is the king, the heart [qalb] is his chief
minister, while the lower self, the tongue and the other organs are
servants in the presence of these two. The innermost being draws its
water from the ocean of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He). The heart draws its water from the innermost being. The tranquil
self [nafs mu£ma›inna] draws its water from the heart. The tongue draws
its water from the lower self, and the other limbs and organs draw their
water from the tongue. If the tongue is sound, the heart will be sound,
but if the one is corrupt the other will also be corrupt. Your tongue
needs the bridle of pious devotion [taqwå] and turning in repentance
from irrational speech and hypocrisy. If you persevere in this, the
eloquence of the tongue will be transformed into the eloquence of the
heart. Then when this process is completed, it will be enlightened and
the light will be transmitted from it to the tongue and the other parts
of the body. At this stage, speaking with the tongue brings nearness,
and one who is in the state of nearness [qurb] has no language, no prayer
of supplication [du‹å›] and no remembrance [dhikr]. Prayer, remembrance
and speech are in distance [bu‹d]. In nearness there is only silence,
quietness, contentment and enjoyment of the vision.
O Allåh, let us be among those who see You in this world with the eyes
of the heart, and in the hereafter with the eyes of the head, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Fifty-third Discourse
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Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) belongs to them. They are not
stingy with anything. If worldly things are sought from them, and they
happen to have them, they give them freely. If they are asked for the
reward of the hereafter, they give it freely. They give worldly goods to
the poor among them, and give the reward of the hereafter to those who
fall short in seeking it. They leave the created [mu¥dath] to the created,
and leave the Creator [Mu¥dith] for themselves. They leave the shell,
because everything apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) is a shell, while the quest for Him and nearness to Him
is the kernel.
One of the wise (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) is reported as
having said: “No one except the knower [‹årif] can laugh in the face of
the sinner.” Yes, he gives him commands and prohibitions and tolerates
his insulting behavior, and it is only the knowers [‹årif«n] of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) who are capable of this; not so the
abstinent [zuhhåd], the servants [‹ibåd] and the aspirants [murºd«n].
How could they fail to treat sinners with compassion, when they are the
site of mercy, the station of repentance and apology? The character
[khulq] of the knower partakes of the characteristics [akhlåq] of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), for he works hard for the
deliverance of the sinner from the control of Satan, the lower self [nafs]
and the passions [hawå]. If one of you saw his own son a prisoner in the
hands of an unbeliever [kåfir], would you not make every effort to secure
his release? Well, that is how it is with the knower [‹årif]. All creatures
are like his children. He addresses people in the language of the rules
of law [¥ukm], then he feels compassion for them because of his
familiarity with knowledge [‹ilm], for he sees the workings [af‹ål] of the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) within them. He observes
the emergence of the [divine] judgments and decrees from the door of
the law [¥ukm] and of knowledge [‹ilm], but he keeps this hidden. He
addresses people in terms of the law, which is commandment and
prohibition, and not in terms of knowledge, which is secret [sirr].
The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) has sent the
Messengers and revealed the Books. He has given caution and warning,
in order to assemble the evidence against creatures. His knowledge
concerning them you must neither probe nor question. In the sphere
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of the rules of law [¥ukm] there is room for maneuver [karr wa-farr], while
in the sphere of knowledge [‹ilm] there is steadfastness. You need the
rules that apply to you and others in common, and you also need the
knowledge that is special [kh僃] to you alone. If one of you puts the
outer knowledge [‹ilm œåhir] into practice, the Messenger (Allåh bless
him and give him peace) will feed him with some inner knowledge [‹ilm
bå£in]. He will feed him the inner law [¥ukm bå£in] as a bird feeds its
young. He will treat him like this because he believes and practices his
[the Messenger’s] outer words, namely his Sharº‹a.
When the human being is sound, there is none so sound as he. When
he is pure, there is none so pure as he. When he is near [to his Lord],
there is none so near as he. The ignorant person sees with the eye of his
head, the intelligent person sees with the eye of his mind, and the
knower [‹årif] sees with the eye of his heart, possessed of the essence of
knowledge [mujawharan ‹åliman]. All creatures are given to him to
swallow, so they are swallowed up in him. He has nothing left apart
from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), so at this point
he says: “He is the First and the Last, the Outer and the Inner” (57:3).
The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) becomes his outer
and his inner, his first and his last, his form and his content. He has
nothing but Him, so now he establishes his love permanently with Him
in this world and the hereafter, complying with His wishes under all
circumstances. He prefers His good pleasure and the displeasure of
others. No blame attaches to him. As one of the wise (may the mercy
of Allåh be upon him) has said: “Agree with Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) concerning creatures, and do not agree with creatures
concerning Allåh (Exalted is He). Broken is he who gets broken, and
mended is he who gets mended.”
Your devil, your passions [hawå], your natural inclinations [£ab‹] and
your bad companions are your enemies, so beware of them in case they
make you fall into perdition. Acquire knowledge so that you will know
how to combat them and be on your guard against them, then you will
know how to worship your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). From
the ignorant person no worship is accepted. The Prophet (Allåh bless
him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
If someone worships Allåh in ignorance, what he does wrong is more
than what he does right.
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When Allåh and His angels love you, all creatures will love you, apart
from the unbelievers and the hypocrites, for they will not go along with
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) in loving you. Everyone who has
faith [ºmån] in his heart will love the believer [mu›min], and everyone
who has hypocrisy [nifåq] in his heart will hate him, so do not feel the
kind of hatred felt by the unbelievers [kåfir«n], the hypocrites [munåfiq«n],
devils [shay壺n] and evil spirits [abålisa]. The hypocrites and unbelievers
are the devils of mankind.
The believer who is truly convinced [m«qin] and experienced [‹årif]
is in isolation from creatures with his heart, his innermost being [sirr]
and his spiritual content [ma‹nå]. He reaches a state where he is
incapable of either shielding his own self from harm or procuring
benefit for it. He becomes prostrate before the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He), retaining no power or strength of his own. Then
when he is genuinely at this stage, good comes to him from all directions.
Do not try to match the people [of the Lord] with mere claims and
pretensions and wishful thinking. Nothing will come of this. There is
nothing to be said until you are blind to material means [asbåb]. There
is nothing to be said until your legs are crippled and desist from running
to people’s doors. There is nothing to be said until your heart and your
mind and your face turn away from creatures and toward the Creator,
so that your back is toward creatures and your face toward the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Your outer being and your
physical form must go toward creatures, and your inner being, your
kernel [lubb] and your spiritual content [ma‹nå] toward the Creator.
Then your heart will come to be like the hearts of the angels and the
Prophets [nabiyy«n]. Your heart will eat and quench its thirst from their
food and drink. This is a matter that relates to hearts and innermost
beings and spiritual contents, not to physical forms.
O Allåh, delight our hearts, clothe our innermost beings with robes
of honor, and set our minds on what is between us and You, beyond the
understanding of creatures and our own understanding.
O you who are present and you who are absent, on the Day of
Resurrection you will see a surprise from me. I shall argue on behalf of
the hypocrites, so how about on behalf of the believers?
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O my people! All that cuts you off from real knowledge [ma‹rifa] of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and of his saints [awliyå›] is
your love of this world, your greed for it and your desire to have plenty
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of what it has to offer. You must remember the hereafter and leave this
world alone.
O Allåh, perfect generosity and perfect liberality are among Your
attributes [ƒifåt], and we are Your slaves, so grant us a tiny speck of them!
Ámºn.
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A fter some discussion, the Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with
him) went on to say:
Knowing through information [khabar] comes to be seeing with
direct vision [mu‹åyana], through a transformation that concerns your
heart and the purity of your innermost being [sirr]. This is why the
Commander of the Believers, ‹Alº ibn Abº ¡ålib (may Allåh the
Exalted ennoble his countenance and be well pleased with him), said:
“Even if the veil were removed, my certitude [yaqºn] would be no
greater.” He also said: “I do not worship a Lord I cannot see,” and, “My
heart has let me see my Lord.”
O ignorant ones! You must mingle with the scholars, serve them and
learn from them. Knowledge is received from the mouths of men. You
must attend the sessions of the scholars on your best behavior, and
refrain from contradicting them. Try to benefit from them, in order to
acquire some of their knowledge, receive their blessings, and learn
many useful lessons from them. In the company of the knowers [‹årif«n]
you must sit in silence, and in the company of the abstinent [zåhid«n]
adopt a favorable attitude toward them.
The knower [‹årif] is one who at every moment comes closer to
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) than he was the moment before.
At every moment his humility toward his Lord (Almighty and Glorious
is He) is renewed, as is his submissiveness toward Him. He humbles
himself to One who is present, not absent. His humility increases in
proportion to his nearness to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He),
and his dumbness increases in proportion to his witnessing [mushåhada].
When someone really knows [‹arafa] Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He), muteness overcomes the tongue of his lower self [nafs], his natural
impulses [£ab‹], his passions [hawå], his habits [‹åda] and his existence
[wuj«d]. As for the tongue of his heart, his innermost being [sirr], his
spiritual state [¥ål], his station [maqåm] and his gift [‹a£å›], it speaks to
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declare the blessings he enjoys. This is why they sit with them in
silence, to benefit from them and to drink the wine that matures in their
hearts. If someone mingles frequently with the knowers [‹årif«n] of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), he comes to know his own self
and becomes submissive to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
This is why it has been said that: “He who really knows his own self,
knows his Lord [man ‹arafa nafsahu ‹arafa rabbahu].” It [the self] is the
obstacle between the servant [‹abd] and his Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). He who really knows his own self becomes humble
toward Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His creatures. When
he knows it well, he becomes wary of it and devotes himself to giving
thanks to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) for the knowledge
[ma‹rifa] of it. He realizes that He would not have given him that
knowledge unless He wished him well in this world and the hereafter,
so his outer [όhir] is devoted to giving Him thanks [shukr] and his inner
[bå£in] to giving Him praise [¥amd]. His outer is fragmented, but his
inner is united. His happiness is within him, while his sorrow is on the
surface to veil his spiritual state.
Thus the knower’s condition is the reverse the believer’s, since the
latter keeps his sadness in his heart and wears his cheerfulness on his
face. The believer [mu›min] is an informed person [‹alºm] standing at the
door, not knowing what is in store for him: Will he be accepted, or will
he be rejected? Will the door be opened for him, or will it stay shut in
his face? One who really knows his own self is therefore in contrast to
the believer in every respect. The believer is the owner of a spiritual
state [ƒå¥ib ¥ål], but the state is subject to change, while the knower is
the owner of a spiritual station [ƒå¥ib maqåm] and the station is firmly
established. The believer is afraid of the alteration of his state and the
loss of his faith [ºmån], so his sadness is always in his heart and his
cheerfulness is always on his face, concealing his sadness. He may smile
in your face when he speaks to you, but his heart is separated by his
sadness. As for the knower, his sadness shows on his face, because he
presents creatures with the face of warning. He cautions them and gives
them commandments and prohibitions on behalf of the Messenger
(Allåh bless him and give him peace).
The people [of the Lord] put into practice what they have heard, so
their practice brings them near to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
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Glorious is He), for Whose sake they make the effort. They hear His
admonitions without intermediary, with the ears of their hearts. This
happens when they are in a state of absence [ghaiba] and sleep in relation
to creatures, but of presence and wakefulness with the Creator. When
your heart is truly sound, you will always be in a state of absence and
sleep in relation to creatures, but of wakefulness with the Creator, for
it will not be distracted from its privacy, even when you are in a public
situation. Thus you will never lose the intimations [mawårid] of the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and His wise advice
[¥ikam] will reach you through the innermost being [sirr]. The inner-
most being will inform the heart, the heart will inform the tranquil self
[nafs mu£ma›inna], the self will inform the tongue, and the tongue will
inform the people. One should either speak to the people in this
manner, or not speak at all.
The ‘insanity’ [jun«n] of the people [of the Lord] consists in giving up
habits based on natural inclination [‹ådåt £abº‹iyya] and actions moti-
vated by the lower self and the passions [af‹ål nafsiyya hawå›iyya], and
in becoming indifferent to carnal desires and pleasures. It is not that
they are insane in the same way as those maniacs who have lost their
rational minds. Al-ªasan al-Baƒrº (may the mercy of Allåh be upon
him) once said: “If you saw them you would call them insane, and if they
saw you they would say: ‘These folk have not believed in Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) for the twinkling of an eye.’”
Your seclusion [khalwa] is not genuine, because seclusion means being
detached as far as your heart is concerned from all things. Your inner
[bå£in] becomes so detached that it is stripped naked, left with neither
this world nor the hereafter and with nothing whatsoever apart from
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). This is the highroad
of our predecessors, the Prophets [anbiyå›], the Messengers [mursal«n],
the saints [awliyå›] and the righteous [ƒåli¥«n]. To command what is
right and proper and forbid what is wrong and improper [al-amru bi’l-
ma‹r«f wa’n-nahyu ‹ani’l-munkar] is dearer to me than a thousand
hermits in their cells. The gaze of the lower self must be lowered,
curtailed and averted, so that it does not become a cause of your
destruction, unless the self becomes subservient to the heart and the
innermost being [sirr] along with its own servants. It must not go off to
follow its own whim, but be united with them both [the heart and the
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T he Shaikh (may Allåh the Exalted be well pleased with him) also
said:
The believer is one who parts company with his own self [nafs] and
befriends a Shaikh who will train him and teach him. He never stops
learning from being small until he dies. At the first stage of his
education, the Qur›ån-teacher [muqri›] gets him to memorize the Book
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only be achieved after abstinence [zuhd] from them, from this world, the
lower self [nafs], the passions [hawå], the natural impulses [£ab‹] and the
will [iråda]. Leadership comes down from heaven, not from the earth.
Saintship [wilåya] comes from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He), not from creatures. You should always be a follower, not one who
is followed; an adherent, not one who attracts adherents. Be content
with lowliness and obscurity, then if the opposite is intended for you by
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), it will come to you
at the proper time.
You must practice surrender [taslºm] and delegation [tafwºæ] and the
renunciation of your own power and strength, your stubbornness and
your idolatrous worship [shirk] of creatures and your own self. You must
become accustomed to servitude [‹ub«diyya], which means carrying out
the [divine] commandments, observing the prohibitions, and bearing
misfortunes with patience. The foundation on which this rests is the
affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd], and the superstructure consists of righ-
teous deeds [a‹mål ƒåli¥a]. You need to lay a firm foundation for
anything you build.
Your intention is not clearly formed, so how can you express yourself?
Your silence is not complete, so how can you begin to speak? This kind
of speech is addressed to the people on behalf of the Messengers [rusul],
because they were the people’s preachers [khu£abå›] and then, when
they had departed, the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)
appointed as their deputies the scholars who put their learning into
practice, making them their heirs. Anyone who wishes to be in the
position of the Messengers must be the purest of all the people of his
time, and the most learned of them in the law [¥ukm] and knowledge
[‹ilm] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). You consider this to be
a simple matter, you who are so ignorant of Allåh, His Messengers, His
saints [awliyå›] and the righteous ones [ƒåli¥«n] among His servants!
O you who are ignorant of your lower selves [nuf«s], your natural
impulses [£ibå‹], your situation in this world and the hereafter, woe unto
you! You must stay dumb and quiet until you are made to speak, raised
from the dead, resurrected and brought forth.
When a person’s knowledge prevails over his passions [hawå], that is
useful knowledge. How could it not be useful, when it locks the doors
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of creatures and opens the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), which is the greatest door of all? When the servant has
accomplished this shutting and opening, the crowd departs from him
and seclusion comes to him. Robes of honor come to clothe his heart.
The keys come to him. The outer shells fall away from him and the
kernel [lubb] remains. The way of passion is blocked, barred and
suppressed, while the way to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) is opened and the highroad becomes plainly visible to him; the
highroad of his purpose, which is the highroad of the Prophets [anbiyå›],
Messengers [mursal«n] and saints [awliyå›] who have gone before. What
is this highroad? The highroad of pure clarity with no murky confusion.
The highroad of the affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd] with no idolatrous
association [shirk]. The highroad of submissive obedience [istislåm] with
no contention. The highroad of truthfulness [ƒidq] with no falsehood.
The highroad of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)
without creatures. The highroad of the Originator [Musabbib] without
secondary cause [sabab]. This is the highroad taken by the commanders
of the religion [umarå› ad-dºn], the sultans and kings of real knowledge
[ma‹rifa], who are the men of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He), His close friends [aƒfiyå›] and noblemen [nujabå›], the supporters
of His religion, fighters in His cause and lovers in His cause.
Woe unto you! How can you claim to follow the road of these people
[of the Lord], when you are an idolatrous worshipper [mushrik] of
yourself and other creatures? You have no faith [ºmån] while your fears
and hopes are attached to those who inhabit the face of the earth. You
have no abstinence while there is anything in this world that you desire.
You have no affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd] while you see any but Him
on your path toward Him. The knower [‹årif] is a stranger in this world
and the hereafter, and an abstainer [zåhid] from them both and from
everything whatsoever apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He); he has no interest in anything but Him.
O my people! Listen to me and dispel suspicion of me from your
hearts. How can you be suspicious of me and gossip about me behind
my back, when I am so compassionate toward you? I bear your burdens.
I stitch up the holes in your deeds. I intercede with the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) to grant acceptance of your good deeds
and tolerance of your bad deeds. Anyone who really knows me will stay
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in seeking it. Whenever you run away from your allotted shares [aqsåm],
they cling to you and come chasing after you, so it is not really possible
to abstain from them. It is nevertheless essential to avoid them before
they are due to arrive.
Learn from me about abstinence and acquisition. Do not sit in your
corner with your ignorance for company. Apply yourself to study, then
go into seclusion. Apply yourself to the study of the law [¥ukm] of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and put it into practice, then isolate
yourself from everyone, with the exception of a few individuals who are
learned [‹ulamå›] in Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). That you
should mingle with them and hear from them is better for you than
secluding yourself. When you encounter one of them, you should stick
to him and learn from him how to acquire knowledge [‹ilm] and
experience [ma‹rifa] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). You must
acquire this learning by hearing it from their mouths. Knowledge is
received from the mouths of men, from these men who are learned in
the law [¥ukm] and knowledge [‹ilm] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Once you have accomplished this, you should go into solitary
seclusion, without self [nafs], devil [shai£ån], passion [hawå], natural
inclination [£ab‹], ordinary habit [‹åda] and attention to creatures.
When you have truly attained this isolation, you will be surrounded by
the angels and by the spirits [arwå¥] of the righteous [ƒåli¥«n] and their
noble influences [himam]. If you isolate yourself from creatures in this
manner, well and good. Otherwise, your isolation is a form of hypocrisy
and you are wasting your time for nothing. You will be in hellfire in this
world and the hereafter; in this world in the hellfire of misfortunes, and
in the hereafter in the hellfire prepared for hypocrites [munåfiq«n] and
unbelievers [kåfir«n].
O Allåh, grant pardon, forgiveness, tolerance, forbearance and
renewed grace. Do not expose us to disgrace. Do not chastise us for our
sins. O Allåh, O Generous One [Karºm], You have said:
And He it is who accepts repentance from His servants, and pardons
evil deeds. (42:25)
Relent toward us and pardon us! Ámºn.
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Woe unto you! You lay claim to knowledge, yet your joy is the joy of
the ignorant, and your anger is like theirs. Your happiness lies in this
world and the attention you receive from creatures, so it makes you
forget the [divine] wisdom [¥ikma] and hardens your heart. The believer
[mu›min] rejoices only in Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), not in
anything other than Him. If rejoicing is inevitable, rejoice. If it is
because of something worldly, dedicate it to the obedient service of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). Let it be useful to the servants
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and help them to
perform their works of obedience. You must continue to feel fear, until
your heart and your innermost being are told, as He told Moses and
Aaron [Hår«n] (peace be upon them both):
Fear not, for I am with you both. I hear and I see. (20:46)
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Fifty-fifth Discourse
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power and disobeys, do not forget the One who does not forget you! Do
not be heedless of the One who is never heedless of you! Remember
death, for the Angel of Death [malak al-mawt] is entrusted with your
spirits [arwå¥]. Do not be deluded by your youth, your property and
everything you have around you. All that you now have around you will
soon be taken from you, and you will recall how you squandered and
wasted these days in futile pursuits. You will feel remorse, but remorse
will do you no good. Soon you will die. You will recall my words and
the wise advice I gave you, and in your grave you will wish you were with
me and taking instruction from me. Try hard to accept my words and
to put them into practice, so that you may be with me in this world and
the hereafter. Think well of me, so that you may derive benefit from my
words. You must think well of others, but have a poor opinion of
yourself. If you do this, you will benefit and others will benefit by you.
As long as you are with anyone but Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He), you are in the midst of sorrow and care, idolatry [shirk] and burdens.
You must take your heart away from creatures and establish a connec-
tion with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), then you
will see that which no eye ever saw, which no ear ever heard of, and
which never occurred to any human heart.
What you are now involved in is not correct, and it will not come to
completion, because its foundation is unstable. It is not firmly estab-
lished. It is a garbage dump, and it has been built on a hill. You must
repent to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and beg Him
to change your present state and your habit of seeking this world and
turning away from the hereafter.
Woe unto you! Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has chosen
poverty for you, but you wish for wealth! Do you not realize that He is
choosing for your sake, and you are disapproving? What disapproves
of His choice is nothing but your lower self [nafs], your passions
[hawå], your natural inclination [£ab‹], your devil [shai£ån] and your bad
companions. All of these disapprove of the choice made by Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), so you must not go along with them.
Pay no attention to them, their recalcitrance and their displeasure with
your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). You must listen to what the
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heart and the innermost being [sirr] are telling you to do, for they are
commanding what is good and forbidding what is evil. You must be
content with your poverty, for your willingness to accept it actually
constitutes wealth.
Your powerlessness is a kind of protection, because if He empowered
you, the probable and most likely outcome would be that you would
perish through disobeying Him, while if He makes you poor and
incapable, it is probable and most likely that He will keep you safe from
sins of disobedience. If you are patient with His choice, you will have
with Him a reward such as neither you nor anyone on earth could
calculate. You are impatient, and the impatient person never succeeds
in getting anything he wants. Haste is from the devil, while an
unhurried pace [tu›ada] is from the All-Merciful [ar-Ra¥mån]. If you are
hasty, you are one of the soldiers of Satan and in his company, while if
you are slow but sure, well behaved and patient, you are one of the
soldiers of the All-Merciful and in His company.
The reality [¥aqºqa] of pious devotion [taqwå] is doing what Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has commanded you to do, forsaking
what He has forbidden you to do, and being patient with His workings
[af‹ål], His decrees of destiny [maqd«råt] and all the rest of His trials and
tribulations. You are total creature, total self, total passion, total
slander, total impulse. You do not have a clue about Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and those who really know Him [al-‹årif«n]. You
are all insane in relation to them, for they are the sane ones. When the
madness [jun«n] of the madman [majn«n] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) is complete, the time has come for him to leave
madness behind. There is movement at the beginning and stillness at
the end. The sickness departs and wisdom follows in its wake.
O young man! You are empty of the hereafter and full of this world.
Your condition grieves me, as I am grieved by your separation from the
righteous [ƒåli¥«n] and the saints [awliyå›], and by the way you avoid
their company and find satisfaction in your own whimsical ideas. Do
you not realize that those who are satisfied with their personal opinions
are sure to go astray? There is no one so learned that he does not need
more knowledge. There is no scholar who cannot find another more
learned than himself. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And of knowledge you have been given only a little. (17:85)
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You must stay with the broad mass [jumh«r]. Stay with the great
majority [as-sawåd al-a‹œam]. Stick to the highroad [jådda]. You must
stay the course and stop splitting off, in order to follow the path to the
end. [As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:]
Follow [the Book and the Sunna], and do not introduce heretical
innovations, for you have been given everything you need.
This path is not traveled in company with the lower self [nafs] and the
passions [hawå], but rather with the rule of law [¥ukm] and the practice
thereof, the abandonment of one’s own power and strength, patient
endurance, the acceptance of submissive obedience [istislåm] and resig-
nation, the forsaking of haste and the adoption of a steady pace. This
is not something you can get in a hurry. It requires proper preparations
[¥ibål wa-ri¥ål; “ropes and camel-saddles”], patience, effort and striving,
and that you have the companionship of one of the kings of knowledge
[mul«k al-ma‹rifa] to guide you, instruct you and relieve you of your
burden. You must walk in his train, then when you are exhausted he will
give orders for you to be carried, or let you ride behind him. If you are
a lover [mu¥ibb], he will let you ride behind him, and if you are a beloved
[ma¥b«b], he will mount you in his saddle while he rides behind you.
Anyone who has tasted this will know it from experience. To be in the
company of truly competent people [ahl al-ahliyya] is a blessing [ni‹ma],
while being with liars and hypocrites is a curse [niqma].
You must practice vigilant awareness of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and oblige your lower self [nafs] to observe the rights [¥uq«q] of
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His creatures. If
you wish for all that is good in this world and the hereafter, you must be
keenly aware of the fact that Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
knows all about you. You must oblige your lower self to work. You must
oblige it to carry out the commandments of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and forbid it to commit sins against Him. You must
train it to endure with patience when misfortunes come your way, to be
ready to accept the [divine] judgements and decrees when they come,
and to be grateful when blessings arrive. If you do this, the obstacles will
disappear from your path. You will be guaranteed the companionship
of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). You will meet the Escort [rafºq]
on the road and you will meet the Helper [muܼn]. You will find the
Treasure [kanz] that will follow you whichever way you turn. You need
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not worry about where you are, or where you have stopped, because
wherever you alight you will glean [ainamå saqa£ta laqa£ta]. You will
have at your service the law [¥ukm], knowledge [‹ilm], destiny [qadar],
humans [ins], jinn and angels. All things will fear you, because of your
fear of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and all things will obey
you, because of your obedience to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
When someone fears Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), all things
are afraid of him, and when someone does not fear Him, He makes that
person afraid of everything. When someone serves Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), He makes everything serve him, because He does
not allow one atom of the work of any servant of His to go to waste.
As you pay allegiance, so shall allegiance be paid to you. According
to how you are, so shall you be treated.
O Allåh, treat us with Your generosity, Your beneficence, Your
tolerance and Your grace, in this world and the hereafter, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Fifty-sixth Discourse
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O you who do not understand this and do not believe in it, you are a
shell with no kernel, rotten wood that is fit only for the fire, unless you
repent, have faith and believe.
O young man! If you repent, have faith and believe, then in your
physical constitution [binya] you will find well-being, sound health and
sweetness, but if you do otherwise, you will find it contains glass that
will cut your tongue, your tonsils and your liver. Accept what I have to
say, for I am twisting your ropes. Accept, and do not treat me as an
enemy, for why should there be any enmity between you and me? I am
a mosque [masjid] for you to perform your prayers [ƒalåt] in, and to
remove your impurities and dirt. I tread the path for you, and provide
you with food and drink along the way. I do this together with you, and
I want no remuneration for it from you. My payment is not your
responsibility. My task is to serve those who are seeking the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). If your quest is genuinely for the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), then I am employed in
your service. When the servant is fully committed to seeking the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), all things are at his disposal.
O young man! You must be your own preacher [wå‹iœ] and not depend
on me or on anyone else. My preaching [wa‹œ] is directed at your outer
[œåhir], while your own preaching is directed at your inner [bå£in].
Admonish yourself to remember death constantly, and to sever all
dependent ties and material connections [asbåb]. Depend on the
Lord of lords [Rabb al-arbåb], the Almighty and All-Knowing Creator
[al-Khallåq al-‹Aœºm al-‹Alºm]. Cling to the hem of His mercy [ra¥ma]
and rely on His kindness [ra›fa]. Let nothing else distract you from Him,
for it will screen you from Him.
When one of you succeeds with my help, I feel happy for his sake, and
when I tell him something but he does not accept it, I feel sorry for him.
The believer [mu›min] comes close to me, while the hypocrite [munåfiq]
runs away from me. O hypocrites, I concur with the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) in His anger toward you. He has made
me a blazing fire against you. But if you repent, accept what I have to
say to you, and bear with patience the harshness of my speech, I shall
be coolness and peace for you.
Woe unto you! Have you no sense of shame? Your obedience is
external, while your sins of disobedience are internal. You will soon be
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seized by the hand of death and disease, then you will be locked up in
the prison of the Fire of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). And you,
who are deficient in deeds, have you no sense of shame? You are content
to spend your days and nights in idleness, yet you want what belongs to
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), in spite of your shortcomings.
You must set to work and let your lower selves [nuf«s] become accus-
tomed to it. Everybody gets a shock when he starts out, but you become
clear in the end, and murky confusions disappear. When you repent,
the process is bound to have a beginning and an end.
O fugitives from the service of your Master [sayyid]! O you who prefer
your own opinions to the opinion of the pure [aƒfiyå›], the Prophets
[anbiyå›], the Messengers [mursal«n] and the righteous [ƒåli¥«n]! O you
who put your trust in creatures and not in the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He), surely you have heard that the Prophet (Allåh bless
him and give him peace) has said:
Cursed is he whose trust lies in a creature like himself.
Do not seek this world and do not get angry over worldly things,
because this will spoil your heart, just as vinegar spoils honey.
Woe unto you! You have combined love of this world with arrogant
pride [takabbur], and the owner of these two vices will not succeed,
unless he repents and gives them up. Be sensible! Who are you? What
are you? Of what were you created, and for what have you been created?
Do not be arrogant, because to be arrogant one must be ignorant of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), His Messenger and His righteous
servants. O you of little understanding, you seek to rise to high rank
through arrogance. Try the opposite and you will achieve your goal!
For as the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
If someone behaves with humility toward Allåh, Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) will raise him up, and if someone behaves with arrogant
pride, Allåh will abase him.
If someone is content with the hereafter, he will find that he has made
the better choice. If someone is content with little, much will come to
him. If someone is content with lowliness, honor will come to him.
Be content with less, until your condition is transformed. If someone
humbly submits to the divine decree [qadar] and is content with it, he
will be raised up by Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), the One who
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has power [al-Qådir] over all things. Humility and good behavior will
draw you close [to Him], while arrogance and bad conduct will keep you
at a distance. Obedience will improve you and bring you close, while
disobedience will spoil you and drive you away.
O young man! Do not trade religion [dºn] for figs [tºn]! Do not trade
your religion for the figs of sultans, kings and wealthy people, or for a
morsel of forbidden food [¥aråm]. If you eat at the expense of your
religion, your heart will turn black. And how could it not turn black,
when you are worshipping creatures? O wretched failure, if you had any
light in your heart you would be able to distinguish between what is
unlawful [¥aråm], what is legally dubious [shubha] and what is indiffer-
ently permissible [mubå¥]; between that which blackens your heart and
that which illuminates it; between that which brings your heart near [to
your Lord], and that which keeps it at a distance.
O ignorant one, I am familiar only with earning [kasb] or total trust
[tawakkul] in the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Acquiring by earning comes at the beginning of faith [ºmån], then with
strength of faith comes acquisition from the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He), after the disappearance of intermediaries between
you and Him. When the heart becomes strong, acquisition is from the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) by way of the hands of
creatures, at the command of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). What I mean when I say “the disappearance of intermediaries”
is the disappearance of the heart’s attachment to intermediaries and the
idolatrous worship [shirk] of those who are merely carrying out the
commandment of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), so that one
takes from them but turns a deaf ear to their praise and their blame, their
acceptance and their rejection. If they give, one sees the working of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) in them, and likewise if they
refuse to give.
The people [of the Lord] are deaf, dumb and blind to any but Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). They have only Him as their Supporter
[Nåƒir] and Deserter [Khådhil], their Giver [Mu‹£º] and Withholder
[Måni‹], their Source of Harm [Œårr] and their Source of Benefit [Nåfi‹].
Kernel without shell, purity upon purity, goodness upon goodness—
such are they who expel all created beings [khalå›iq] from their hearts.
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if you wish to have Him as Lord [Rabb], Helper [Muܼn] and Savior
[Musallim]. You must be calm in His presence, if you wish to attain to Him.
The believer [mu›min] has all his notions [khawå£ir] and aspirations
[himam] united as one. He has nothing left except a notion [khå£ir] that
occurs [yakh£uru] to his heart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), while he is waiting at the door of his nearness to his
Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Then, when his knowledge
[ma‹rifa] of Him is well established, the door is opened in front of him
and he passes beyond it, to see that which he could never describe.
A notion is for the heart, while an indication [ishåra] is secret speech
[kalåm khafº] to the innermost being [sirr], when it has transcended one’s
lower self [nafs], passions [hawå], blameworthy characteristics [akhlåq
madhm«ma] and all creatures, into well-being, goodness and bliss. One
is turned and moved about therein, like the Companions of the Cave
[aƒ¥åb al-kahf], concerning whom Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
has said:
And we turned them over to the right, then over to the left. (18:18)
O young man! Hear this, believe this and do not consider it untrue.
Do not deprive yourself completely of all that is good.
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Fifty-seventh Discourse
The harshest of all the punishments that Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) inflicts on His servant in this world, is having him go in search
of that which has not been allotted to him.
T he Shaikh (may Allåh the Exalted be well pleased with him) went
on to say:
You come to me, but you do not have a good opinion of me, so you
cannot profit from my words.
Woe unto you! You claim to be a Muslim, yet you are antagonistic
toward Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His righteous servants,
so you must be lying when you make such a claim. Islåm is derived from
istislåm [submissive obedience] to the judgment and decree of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and means being content to accept His
workings [af‹ål], while observing the rules [¥ud«d] laid down by His
Book and the Sunna of Allåh’s Messenger (Allåh bless him and give
him peace). Only then can your Islåm be genuine.
The unfortunate thing about entertaining expectations [£«l al-amal]
is that this is what makes you fall into sins of disobedience and
opposition to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). Good will come
to you whenever you curtail your expectations, so make a practice of
doing so, if you wish for success [falå¥]. Whatever comes to the Muslim
from destiny [qadar], he accepts it from its hand and is content with it,
while readily complying with the sacred law [shar‹]. He has no lower
self, no passion, no natural impulse and no devil. I mean, he receives
assistance against them. Not so in your case! You are lacking in every
respect. We have no one immune to sin [ma‹ƒ«m] since the passing of
the Prophets (peace be upon them). The lower self [nafs] of such a
person is tranquil [mu£ma›inna], his passions [hawå] have been subdued,
the turmoil of his natural urges [£ab‹] has been stilled, and his devil has
been imprisoned, so it gets nothing from him and finds no access to him.
In total trust [tawakkul] there is no attachment to material means
[sabab], and in the affirmation of Unity [taw¥ºd] there is no question of
regarding anybody as the source of harm or benefit. You are total self
[nafs kulliyya], total passion [hawå kullº], total habit [‹åda kulliyya]. You
do not have a clue about total trust and the affirmation of Unity.
Bitterness then sweetness; then breaking then mending; then death
then everlasting life. Humiliation then honor. Poverty then wealth.
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370
creatures, for you will come to be like Adam (peace be upon him),
commanding things to bow down in prostration before him. A person
like this is beyond the minds of people, of all the common folk [‹awåmm]
and many of the élite [khaw僃], for he is a particle of Adam, from his
very essence [lubb].
O you who have little knowledge, you must study [tafaqqah] and then
seek seclusion. The people [of the Lord] have studied, then secluded
themselves from creatures with their hearts [qul«b]. Their outer selves
[œawåhir] are in the company of creatures for the sake of improving
people, while their inner beings [bawå£in] are together with the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) in His service and His fellowship.
Thus they are both existent [kå›in«n] and remote [n囫n]—existent in
the company of creatures in accordance with the law [¥ukm], but remote
from them with their hearts. Their hearts are remote, secluded from
things altogether. Their concern in the outer [όhir] is observance of the
rules of law [a¥kåm al-¥ukm]. Whenever their clothes get dirty, they
wash them and freshen them with perfume and incense. Whenever
they get torn, they patch and stitch the holes. They are the heads of the
people. An atom of them is like the towering mountains. Their hearts
are together with their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), prostrate
before Him, vigilantly aware of Him, immersed in His knowledge [‹ilm].
O Allåh, let our nourishment be Your remembrance and let our
wealth be Your nearness. Ámºn.
Y ou are dead at heart, and your companions are also the dead at
heart. You need those who are alive, the noble ones, the deputies
[budalå›]. You are a tomb, coming to a tomb like you; a corpse, coming
to a corpse like you. You are an invalid, led by an invalid like you; a blind
man, led by a blind man like you.
You must make friends with the believers [mu›min«n], the convinced
[m«qin«n], the righteous [ƒåli¥«n]. Listen patiently to what they have
to say, take instruction from it and put it into practice, then you will
prosper. You must hear the words of the Shaikhs and put them into
practice. You must have respect for them, if you wish for success [falå¥].
I once had a Shaikh. Whenever I had a problem and it weighed upon
my heart, he would talk to me about it without requiring me to say
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anything. This was due to my respect for him and my good behavior in
his company. I never behaved in the company of the Shaikhs with
anything but respectfulness and good manners.
The »«fº cannot be stingy, because he has nothing left to be stingy
with, since he claims to have renounced everything. If he is given
something, he accepts it on behalf of someone else, not on his own
behalf. His heart has become pure, free from all things existing
[mawj«dåt] and formed [muƒawwaråt]. To be stingy one must have
possessions, but where the »«fº is concerned all things have become the
property of others, so how can he be stingy with what belongs to
someone else? He has neither enemy nor friend, and he pays no
attention to either praise or blame. He does not recognize giving and
withholding, harm and benefit, as being from any other than Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). He is not happy about life and he is not
sad about death. Death for him is the displeasure of his Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He), and life for him is enjoying His good pleasure.
Loneliness for him is being in a crowd, while intimate friendship [uns]
is being in seclusion. His food is the remembrance [dhikr] of his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and his drink is from the wine of
intimate friendship with Him. He certainly cannot be stingy with the
vain trifles of this lower world and what it contains, because he has
wealth transcending it altogether.
Our Lord, give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and
guard us against the torment of the fire! (2:201).
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Fifty-eighth Discourse
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374
are distracted from all your other goals. When He has become your
whole aim and purpose, He will put the keys to the treasure houses of
sovereignty into the hand of your heart.
When someone loves Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), that
person can love no one but Him. He removes from your heart the love
of all that is apart from Him. When the love of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) takes control of a servant’s heart, the
love of all others departs from his heart. Have you no mind with which
to consider and understand? Have you never been in the presence of
someone at the moment of death? Your turn will come, and the Angel
of Death will knock on the door of your life. He will snatch that life
away and part you from your family and your loved ones. You must try
not to be taken while you are reluctant to meet Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). You must forward your goods to the hereafter and wait
for death, for in the presence of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
you will see something better than anything you have seen in this lower
world.
Our Lord, give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and
guard us against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
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Fifty-ninth Discourse
I t was on Friday, the 9th of Rajab, A.H. 546, that the Shaikh (may
Allåh be well pleased with him) said, after some discussion:
The speech of one who is greedy with ambition is not free from
confusion and dissimulation. He is incapable of presenting the truth.
His speech is an empty shell with no kernel [lubb] inside it, just outer
form with no inner content. One who is greedily ambitious [£åmi‹] is
empty like greedy ambition [£ama‹] itself, because all the consonant
letters in [the Arabic word] £ama‹ are empty—the £å›, the mºm and the
‹ain [all have a hollow shape as they are written in the Arabic script].
O servants of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), be truthful and
you will prosper. The aspiration of the truthful person [Čdiq] rises sky-
high. He is not badly affected by anything anyone may say. Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) is in control of his affairs. If He wants
him for some business, He will make him ready for it.
Something that was said arose from bad manners, and this is the
response to it. The honesty [ƒidq] of your spiritual states will induce me
to speak, while your dishonesty will make me fall silent. To the extent
that you will buy, I am selling.
O young man! If you were in possession of the fruit of knowledge [‹ilm]
and its blessed grace [baraka], you would not go running to the doors of
potentates [sal壺n] in order to indulge your lower self [nafs] and its
desires. The learned person [‹ålim] has no legs on which to run to the
doors of creatures. The abstinent person [zåhid] has no hands with
which to take people’s goods. The lover [mu¥ibb] of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) has no eyes with which to look at any other than
Him. Even if he were to meet all the creatures there are, the lover who
is sincere [Čdiq] in his love would take no pleasure in looking at them.
He looks at no one but his Beloved [ma¥b«b]. This world does not seem
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important to the eyes in his head, the hereafter does not seem important
to the eyes of his heart, and to the eyes of his innermost being [sirr]
nothing seems important but the Master [Mawlå].
Be sensible! You are getting nowhere. Most of you will follow anyone
who makes a noise or clamor. What most speakers have to say comes
from their tongues, not from their hearts. The noises made by the
hypocrite [munåfiq] come from his tongue and his head, while the noises
made by the honest person come from his heart and his innermost being
[sirr]. His heart is at the door of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He),
while his innermost being is entering His presence. He goes on
shouting at the door until he enters the house. You are a liar, by Allåh,
under all circumstances! You do not recognize the path to the door of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), so how can you point it out? You
are blind, so how can you guide others? You have been blinded by your
passions [hawå] and your natural inclinations [£ab‹], by following your
lower self [nafs] and by your love of this world, your prominent position
and your desires.
Come closer to me, while sins of disobedience [ma܌ļ] are still on your
outer being [όhir], before they reach your heart and so become persis-
tent. That persistence will then go further and develop into unbelief [kufr].
When someone’s obedience and servitude [‹ub«diyya] to Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) are truly confirmed, that person will be
able to hear His speech.
H
said:
e mentioned the seventy who were chosen from the people of
Moses (peace be upon him) to hear the speech [of the Lord], and
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Do not borrow the words of the righteous [ƒåli¥«n] and then utter
them pretending that they are your own! The borrowing will not be
concealed. You must clothe yourself from what belongs to you, not from
something borrowed. Plant the cotton with your own hand, water it
with your own hand and cultivate it with your own effort, then weave
it, sew it and wear it. Do not be happy with someone else’s property and
someone else’s clothes. If you take another person’s words and utter
them, pretending they are your own, the hearts of the righteous will
despise you. If you have no deed to show for yourself, you have nothing
to say. The crux of the whole matter is actual practice [‹amal]. As Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Enter the Garden [of Paradise] because of what you used to do. (16:32)
You must exert yourselves to obtain experience [ma‹rifa] of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), for it is kept hidden [ghaiba]
with Him and resides with His destiny [qadar], His power [qudra] and His
knowledge [‹ilm]. It is total annihilation [fanå›] in His workings [af‹ål]
and His affairs [qaæåyå].
Your speech is indicative of what is in your heart. The tongue is the
heart’s interpreter, so if the heart is mixed, what is said will sometimes
be correct and sometimes invalid; there will be times when you are
incapable of expressing something properly, and others when you can
do so. When the heart stops causing it to be confused, the tongue will
function properly. When the heart ceases to be guilty of idolatry [shirk],
the tongue will report correctly, but when it has an idolatrous attach-
ment to creatures, the tongue will keep changing, altering, stammering
and telling lies. There are some speakers who speak from the heart,
there are some who speak from their innermost being [sirr], and then
there are those who speak from the lower self [nafs], from their passions
[hawå], their devil [shai£ån] and their habitual custom [‹åda].
O Allåh, make us believers [mu›min«n] and do not make us hypocrites
[munåfiq«n]!
When you happen to feel love for one person and hatred for another,
you must neither love the former nor hate the latter because of your
lower self [nafs] and your natural inclination [£ab‹]. You must rather
judge between the two of them on the basis of the Book and the Sunna.
380
Then, if these criteria are favorable to the one whom you have regarded
with affection, you must continue to feel that affection, but if they are
unfavorable, you must abandon the affectionate feeling. If they prove
favorable to the one you disliked, however, you must give up the feeling
of hate, while if they are unfavorable you must continue to hate the
person. Should this procedure fail to be useful to you, so that you do not
get a clear result, you must consult the hearts of the champions of truth
[ƒiddºq«n] and ask them about the two people concerned. Consult their
hearts, for they are sound, because when the heart is sound it is the
nearest of things to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). When the
heart acts in accordance with the Book and the Sunna, it draws near [to
Allåh], and when it draws near it learns and sees what it has to its credit
and what it has against it, what is due to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and what is due to others, what is due to the truth and what is due
to falsehood. Since the believer [mu›min] has a light to see by, how
could it be otherwise for the champion of truth [ƒiddºq] and the one
brought near [muqarrab]? The believer has a light by which he can see,
and this is why the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has
warned us to beware of his gaze, for he said:
Beware of the penetrating insight [firåsa] of the believer, for he sees by
the light of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
The knower [‹årif] brought near [to Allåh] is also given a light by
which he can see how near he is to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is
He), and can see the nearness of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He)
to his heart. He can see the spirits [arwå¥] of the angels [malå›ika] and
the Prophets [nabiyy«n], and the hearts and spirits of the champions of
truth [ƒiddºq«n]. He can see their spiritual states [a¥wål] and stations
[maqåmåt]. All of this is in the deepest folds of his heart [suwaidå› qalbihi]
and the pure clarity [ƒafå›] of his innermost being [sirr]. He is always in
blissful happiness with his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). He is
a mediator, receiving from Him and distributing to the people.
There are those who are erudite [‹alºm] with both tongue and heart,
while some are erudite at heart but clumsy with the tongue. As for the
hypocrite, he is clever with the tongue but incoherent at heart. All his
erudition is in his tongue, and this is why the Prophet (Allåh bless him
and give him peace) has said:
What I fear most of all for my Community [umma] is a hypocrite with
a clever tongue.
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You must not let yourself be dazzled by anything, for Allåh is “Doer
of what He will” (11:107). This is why the story is told about a certain
righteous man and how he once paid a visit to his brother in Allåh
(Exalted is He). “O my brother,” he said to him, “come, let us weep over
Allåh’s foreknowledge [‹ilm] about us!” How excellent is the saying of
this righteous man [ƒåli¥]! He was one who had experience [‹årif] of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and who had heard the words of
the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace):
One of you may act in accordance with the practice of the people of
the Garden [of Paradise], until nothing remains between him and it
but the distance of a cubit or a span, then misfortune overtakes him
and he becomes one of the people of the Fire [of Hell]. And one of
you may act in accordance with the practice of the people of the Fire,
until nothing remains between him and it but a cubit or a span, then
good fortune befalls him and he becomes one of the people of the
Garden.
A certain righteous man was asked: “Have you seen your Lord?”
He replied: “If I had not seen Him, I would be at my wit’s end.” If
someone should say: “How can you see Him?” I would say: “When
creatures have departed from the servant’s heart and nothing is left in
it apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), He will
let him see and draw him as close as He will. He will let him see inwardly
[bå£inan], as He lets others see outwardly [œåhiran]. He will let him see
as He showed Himself to our Prophet Mu¥ammad (Allåh bless him and
give him peace) on the Night of the Heavenly Ascension [mi‹råj], just
as He shows Himself to this servant, draws him near and talks to him
in his sleep. Sometimes his heart will tell him in a moment of
wakefulness to close the eyes of his physical being, so he sees Him with
his inner eyes, just as he is accustomed to seeing things on the outside
[œåhir]. He gives him a different inner content [ma‹nå], so he can see
Him with it; he sees His nearness; he sees His attributes [ƒifåt]; he sees
His miracles [karåmåt], His grace and beneficence and kindness toward
him; he sees His bountiful goodness and His protecting wing.”
When a person’s servitude [‹ub«diyya] and direct experience [ma‹rifa]
are fully realized, he will say neither “Let me see” nor “Do not let me
see”; neither “Give me” nor “Do not give me.” He becomes nonexistent
[fånº], wholly absorbed [mustaghriq]. This is why one of those who have
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attained to this station [maqåm] says: “What do I care about me?” Well
spoken indeed! I am His slave [‹abd], and the slave in His master’s
company has neither choice nor will of his own.
A man once bought a slave [maml«k], and that slave happened to be
one of the people of religion [dºn] and righteousness [ƒalå¥].
“O slave,” the man said to him, “what would you like to eat?”
“Whatever you give me to eat.”
“What kind of clothes would you like to wear?”
“Whatever you give me to wear.”
“Where would you like to lodge in my house?”
“In whatever place you lodge me.”
“What jobs would you prefer to work at?”
“Whatever you order me to do.”
The man then burst into tears, as he said: “What a blessing it would
be for me, if I could be with my Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) as
you are with me!”
“O my master,” said the slave, “does the servant [‹abd] in the company
of his master [sayyid] have any will [iråda] or choice [ikhtiyår] of his own?”
Then the master said to him: “You are a free man [¥urr] for the sake
of Allåh, and I would like you to stay with me, so that I may serve you
with my person [nafs] and my property.”
Anyone who really knows [‹arafa] Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He) is left with no will or choice of his own, and he says: “What do I
care about me?” You must not challenge destiny [qadar] concerning his
affairs or the affairs of any other.
Among the servants of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) there are
a few individuals who abstain from the company of creatures and find
intimate friendship in places of seclusion [khalawåt]. They enjoy such
intimacy in reading the Qur݌n and in reading the words of the
Messenger (Allåh bless him and give him peace), so they surely come
to have hearts that are very familiar with creatures and close to them,
and with which they see their own lower selves [nuf«s] and the lower
selves of other people. Their hearts are sound, so nothing of what you
are up to is concealed from them. They can speak about what you are
thinking and feeling, and they can tell you about your domestic situations.
383
Woe unto you! Be sensible! Do not try to compete with the people
[of the Lord] in your ignorance. After you have emerged from [the study
of] the Book, you will get up and speak to the people. This is a matter
that requires proficiency of the outer [όhir] and proficiency of the inner
[bå£in], then freedom from all attachment. Then it requires that two
necessities apply in your case: The first is that there is no one else left
in your town, so you speak to the people out of necessity. The other is
that you are commanded to speak by the feeling within your heart. You
will then advance to this station [maqåm], in order to bring creatures
[khalq] back to the Creator [Khåliq].
Woe unto you! You claim to be a »«fº, but you are disturbed and
confused. The »«fº is one whose inner and outer have been purified
[ƒafå] by following the Book of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
and the Sunna of His Messenger. The more his purity [ƒafå›] increases,
the more he emerges from the ocean of his existence [wuj«d] and
abandons his own will and choice and volition [mashº›a] because of the
purity of his heart. The foundation of goodness is following the Prophet
(Allåh bless him and give him peace) in his word and his deed. The
more the servant’s heart is purified, the more he will see the Prophet
(Allåh bless him and give him peace) in his sleep, commanding him to
do something and forbidding him to do something else. The whole of
him becomes a heart [qalb] and his physical form is separated off. He
becomes a secret [sirr] with no publicity [jahr], pure clarity with no
muddy confusion. The shell of his outer being withdraws aside from
him, and he remains as a kernel [lubb] without a shell. He comes to be
with the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) as far as his inner
content [ma‹nå] is concerned. His heart is trained with him and in his
presence. His hand comes to be in his hand. The Prophet (Allåh bless
him and give him peace) is the one to be consulted about Him, as the
doorkeeper before His presence.
To extract everything from the heart is to uproot the unshakable
mountains. It calls for the pickaxes of strenuous effort and patient
endurance of suffering and disastrous events. Do not go looking for that
which does not fall into your hands. Good for you if you put into
practice this black-on-white, and are Muslims! Good for you, on the
Day of Resurrection you will be in the company of the Muslims and not
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Sixtieth Discourse
I t was in the late evening of Tuesday, the 13th of Rajab, A.H. 546, that
the Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with him) said:
The Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) is reported as
having said:
Part of the excellence of a man’s Islåm is paying no attention to that
which does not concern him.
The more excellent and truly confirmed a person’s Islåm becomes,
the more he devotes his attention to that which concerns him, and
avoids getting involved in things that are none of his business. To busy
oneself with that which is irrelevant is the distraction of idle fools.
Deprived of the good pleasure of his Master [Mawlå] is he who fails to
put into practice what He commands, and who occupies himself with
things he has not been instructed to deal with. This is deprivation its
very self, death its very self and banishment its very self.
Your involvement in this world requires that you have a righteous
intention [niyya ƒåli¥a], otherwise you deserve to be viewed with disgust.
You must concentrate first of all on the cleanliness [£ahåra] of your
heart, for this is an obligatory duty [farºæa]. Then turn your attention
to deeper knowledge [ma‹rifa]. If you miss the root, your preoccupation
with the branch will not be accepted of you. There is no benefit in
cleanliness of the physical parts of the body combined with defilement
of the heart. You must cleanse your physical limbs and organs by
following the Sunna, and your heart by putting the Qur݌n into
practice. Take care of your heart, so that your physical body will be
taken care of. Every vessel exudes its own contents. Whatever is in your
heart will ooze out from you through your physical parts.
Be sensible! This is not the behavior of one who believes in death and
is convinced of it. This is not the behavior of one who is looking forward
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The other interpretation is: “Put so and so to sleep, for I dislike the
sound of his voice, and make that other person get up, for I love to hear
his voice.”
The lover becomes a loved one only when his heart is purified of
everything apart from his Master (Almighty and Glorious is He).
When his realization of the Divine Unity [taw¥ºd] is complete, as well
as his absolute trust [tawakkul], his faith [ºmån], his conviction [ºqån] and
his direct knowledge [ma‹rifa], that is when he becomes a loved one. His
suffering then departs and comfort comes to him.
Suppose someone loved a certain king, but was separated from him by
a great distance, so love overwhelmed him and he set out in a daze,
heading in the direction of the king’s country. He travels by day and
by night, enduring all kinds of hardship and danger. He enjoys neither
food nor drink until he reaches the door of his palace. The king has had
news about his condition, so he sends his servants out to welcome him.
They take him to the bath [¥amåm] to get him cleaned up, dress him in
the finest clothes and make him fragrant with perfumes. Then they
bring him into the presence of the king, who entertains him, talks to
him, asks him about his condition, marries him to the most beautiful of
his slave girls and grants him a portion of his kingdom. He becomes the
beloved favorite of the king, so what reason could he have, after all this,
to be afraid or weary or to wish to go back to his own country? Why
should he wish to part from him, when he has come to be established
and trusted in his presence?
This heart, when it has attained to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), comes to be endowed with His nearness and His
intimate conversation, secure in His presence, so it has no desire to
leave Him again and go back to any other. The way for the heart to
reach this station [maqåm] is through the performance of the obligatory
religious duties [farå›iæ], patient renunciation of unlawful things [¥aråm]
and carnal desires [shahawåt], obtaining things that are permissible
[mubå¥] and lawful [¥alål] without passion [hawå] and lust [shahwa] and
involvement [wuj«d], and the practice of salutory restraint [wara‹ shåfº]
and perfect abstinence [zuhd kåmil]. It is the giving up of everything
apart from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), opposition to the
lower self [nafs], the passions [hawå] and the devil [shai£ån], the cleansing
of the heart from all creatures whatsoever, and equal indifference to
390
to the people as an expert [jahbadh], a mediator [safºr] who points the way
to the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Now
he is called great in the spiritual kingdom [malak«t]. All creatures are
under the feet of his heart and find protection in his shade.
You are not rightly guided. You lay claim to that which does not
belong to you, and to what you do not possess. Your lower self [nafs] is
in control of you, and creatures and all of this world are in your heart.
In your heart they are greater than Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He). You are outside the limit of the people [of the Lord] and their
estimation. If you wish to attain to what I have hinted at, you must
devote your attention to the purification of your heart from all things.
You must obey the commandments and observe the prohibitions [of the
Lord], be patient with destiny [qadar], and expel this world from your
heart. After all this, come here to me, so that I may talk with you and
tell you about what lies beyond all that. If you do this, you will obtain
what you wish, but anything said beforehand would be senseless jabber.
Woe unto you! You need a bite to eat, you lose some trivial little
thing, or you suffer an insult to your honor—and it is the end of the
world for you! You protest against Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He). You vent your rage by beating your wife and children. You curse
your religion [dºn] and your Prophet [nabº]. If you were a sensible person,
one of the people of wakefulness and vigilant awareness, you would hold
your tongue in the presence of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
You would look upon all of His actions [af‹ål] as a blessing for your
benefit and in your interest. If you pause and do not quarrel, if you are
thankful and not ungrateful, if you are content and not dissatisfied, if
you are quiet and do not complain, you will be told:
Will not Allåh defend His servant? (39:36)
O hasty one, be patient and you will have good and wholesome food
to eat. You do not know Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). If you
really knew [‹arafta] Him, you would not complain about Him to others.
If you really knew Him, you would hold your tongue in His presence.
You would not demand things of Him and would not pester Him with
your supplication [du‹å›]. No, you would rather comply with His wishes
and be patient with Him. Be sensible! You do not need any justification.
Everything He does is beneficial. He puts you to the test to see how you
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will behave. He examines you to find out whether you are confident of
His promise, whether you realize that He is Watching you and Aware
of you.
Surely you must realize that if the day-laborer [r«zkårº] were to beg for
a handout while inside the king’s palace, this would amount to impu-
dence and greediness on his part. He would be evicted at once from the
palace, and would be told: “This fellow needs to go begging.” The faith
[ºmån] of the believer [mu›min] cannot be complete as long as his heart
still contains any cupidity, greed or importunate demand, or any
creatures on whom his fears and hopes are pinned. To achieve this
completeness he must practice constant reflection [fikr] and studiously
examine the basic sources [uƒ«l: ‘roots’] and the practical applications
derived from them [fur«‹: ‘branches’]. He must reflect upon the spiritual
states [a¥wål] of the Prophets [nabiyy«n], the Messengers [mursal«n] and
the righteous [ƒåli¥«n], on how the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) delivered them from the hands of their enemies and
helped them to triumph over their foes, and on how He gave them relief
and a way out of their problems.
It is through genuine reflection that absolute trust [tawakkul] becomes
truly established. This world disappears from the heart and it forgets
about jinn, human beings, angels and all creatures, while it remembers
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). The owner of this
heart comes to be as if no one else had been created. He comes to be
as if he were the only one subject to the [divine] commandments, there
being no other creatures; as if he were the only one subject to the
[divine] prohibitions, likewise, and as if he were the sole recipient of the
[divine] blessings. It seems to him that all obligations rest on the neck
of his innermost being [sirr] and his heart. He sees the mountains of
obligations, in all their variety of forms, as a mission [risåla] from the
One who imposes obligations [al-Mukallif], so he undertakes it in
order to prove the reality of his servitude [‹ub«diyya] and his readiness
to obey [£awå‹iyya]. He becomes a carrier for creatures, while the
Creator carries him. He becomes a physician for them, while his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He) is his own physician. He becomes the
door for creatures to reach the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He), and a mediator [safºr] between them and Him. He becomes a sun
from which they receive light on their path toward Him. He becomes
393
the food and drink of creatures, for he is never absent from them. He
becomes their interest and welfare entirely, and forgets about himself.
He comes to be as if he had no lower self [nafs], no natural inclinations
[£ab‹] and no passions [hawå]. He forgets about his own food and drink
and clothing. He becomes forgetful of himself, mindful of his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He). He takes his heart away from his own
self and from creatures, but remains with his Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). All he seeks is the well-being of other creatures. He
has committed his own self [sallama nafsahu] to the hand of the
judgment [qaæå›] of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), letting go
of it completely.
Such is the character of one who is willing to undertake the task of
conducting people to the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). As for you, you are a crazy fool, ignorant of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), His Messengers [rusul], His saints
[awliyå›] and His special favorites [khaw僃] among His creatures. You
claim to practice abstinence [zuhd], yet you are always craving [råghib].
Your abstinence is a cripple with no feet. Your only yearning is for this
world and creatures. You have no yearning for your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Be careful how you stand in front of me! Come with
good thoughts and good manners, so that I may guide you to your Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and make you familiar with the path to
Him. You must take off the clothes of arrogance and dress yourself in
the clothes of humility. You must be put to shame, so that you may
receive honor. You must humble yourself so that you may grow in
stature. All that you are now engaged in and involved with is crazy
foolishness. Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) pays no attention to
it. This business does not come about through the actions of the
physical body. Our Prophet Mu¥ammad (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) used to say:
Abstinence is in here. Pious devotion [taqwå] is in here. Sincerity [ikhlåƒ]
is in here.
—and he would be pointing at his breast.
If someone wishes for success [falå¥], let him become a piece of ground
beneath the feet of the Shaikhs. What is the character of these Shaikhs?
They are those who give up this world and creatures, who bid them
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395
Do not disobey Him, for He will dishonor those who disobey Him.
Triumph and failure are in His hand. He honors with triumph
whomever He will, and dishonors with failure whomever He will. He
honors with knowledge [‹ilm] whomever He will, and dishonors with
ignorance whomever He will. He honors with nearness whomever He
will, and dishonors with remoteness whomever He will.
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Sixty-first Discourse
I t was in the schoolhouse, on the 20th of Rajab, A.H. 546, that the
Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with him) said, after some
discussion and in response to a question someone put to him about
notions [khawå£ir]:
How to explain to you what notions are? Your notions come from the
devil [shai£ån], natural impulses [£ab‹], the passions [hawå] and this
world. Your interest or concern [hamm] is whatever is most important
to you [ahammaka]. Your notions correspond in kind to your interest
while it is active. A notion [khå£ir] inspired by the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) comes only to the heart, free from
anything apart from Him. As He has said:
Allåh forbid that we should seize anyone except him with whom we
found our property. (12:79)
If Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His remembrance [dhikr]
are present with you, your heart will certainly be filled with His
nearness, and the notions suggested by the devil, the passions and this
world will all avoid your company. There is a kind of notion belonging
to this world, and a notion belonging to the hereafter. There is a notion
belonging to the angels, a notion belonging to the lower self [nafs], and
a notion belonging to the heart. There is also a notion belonging to the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). It is therefore necessary
for you, O truthful one [Čdiq], to get rid of all those other notions and
to rely on the notion of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He). If you reject the notion of the lower self, the notion of the passions,
the devil’s notion and the notion of this world, the notion of the
hereafter will come to you. Then you will receive the angel’s notion,
then finally the notion of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). This is the ultimate stage.
397
When your heart is sound, it will pause to ask each notion as it arises:
“What kind of notion are you? From what source do you come?” So they
will tell him in turn: “I am the notion of such and such.” “I am a true
notion from the Truth [khå£ir ¥aqq min al-ªaqq].” “I am a loving
counselor; the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) loves you,
so I love you too.” “I am the ambassador [safºr].” “I am your portion of
the spiritual state [¥ål] of Prophethood [nubuwwa].”
O young man! You must devote your attention to real knowledge
[ma‹rifa] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), for it is the root of all
that is good. If you are constant in obedience to Him, He will grant you
real knowledge of Himself. This is why the Prophet (Allåh bless him
and give him peace) has said:
When the servant obeys his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), He
grants him real knowledge of Himself. Even if he then ceases to obey
Him, He will not deprive him of it. Rather will He let it remain in
his heart, so that He may bring it in evidence against him on the Day
of Resurrection, when He will say to him: ‘I honored you with real
knowledge of Me, and I granted it to you as a privilege, so why did you
not put into practice what you learned?’
O young man! Nothing will fall into your hand from the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) because of your hypocrisy [nifåq],
your smooth talk and your eloquence, making your face look pale,
stitching patches on your tattered cloak, hunching your shoulders and
pretending to weep. All that stuff comes from your lower self [nafs], your
devil, your idolatrous attitude [shirk] to creatures and trying to gain
worldly advantage from them.
A fter some discussion, the Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with
him) went on to say:
You must look down on your lower self [nafs] and exercise restraint.
Keep this up until you are told: “Speak about the blessings of your
Lord!” The son of Simeon [Sham‹«n] (may the mercy of Allåh be upon
him) used to say, whenever he received a charismatic gift [karåma]:
“This is a deception. This is from the devil [shai£ån].” He kept on doing
this until he was told: “Who are you, and who is your father? Speak
about Our blessings upon you!”
398
Moses (peace be upon him) said to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious
is He) in the course of his intimate conversation [munåjåt] with Him:
“O my Lord, advise me!” So He said in reply: “I advise you to trust in
Me and to seek Me.” This exchange was repeated four times, with the
same request being made and the same reply being given each time. The
Lord did not tell him to seek this world, nor to seek the hereafter. It was
as if He were telling him: “I advise you to obey Me and give up
disobeying Me. I advise you to seek My nearness. I advise you to affirm
My Unity [taw¥ºdº] and to work for My sake. I advise you to turn away
from everything apart from Me.”
When the heart is sound and really knows [‹arafa] the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), it refuses to acknowledge any other. It
finds intimate friendship with Him and feels estranged from all others.
It feels at ease in His company and uncomfortable with anyone besides
Him.
O Allåh! Bear witness for me that I am doing my utmost in delivering
exhortations [mawå‹iœ] to Your servants, making every effort for the
sake of their well-being.
I am detached from everything I am involved in. I keep myself
separate from it, just as the rest of you separate yourselves from it as far
as the inner content [ma‹nå] and the innermost being [sirr] are con-
cerned. There is no mark of honor for me, if I happen to be together
with Him in some aspect of His management [tadbºr] and operations
[taƒårºf]. O you hermits and recluses, come here and get a taste of my
words, be it only a single letter! Spend a day or a week in my company,
and maybe you will learn something that will bring you benefit. The
majority of you are governed by a delusion within a delusion, worship-
ping creatures in your cells [ƒawåmi‹]. This business is not something
that comes about merely through sitting in secluded places [khalawåt]
with ignorance for company.
Woe unto you! You must walk forth in search of knowledge [‹ilm] and
scholars who put their knowledge into practice [‹ulamå› ‹ummål], until
you can walk no farther. You must keep walking until your legs will no
longer obey you. Then, when you have no strength left, you may sit
down. Travel with your outer [όhir], then with your heart and your
inner content [ma‹nå]. When you are utterly exhausted both outwardly
399
amongst them receive from Allåh His gracious favors and His blessings,
so their hearts enter the door of His nearness. They are permitted to
enter into His presence. He befriends them and takes care of them.
He causes them to be included among His saints [awliyå›], the deputies
[abdål] of His Prophets [anbiyå›] and the leaders [a‹yån] of His creatures.
He causes them to be numbered among the Shaikhs [shuy«kh] and
Sultans [sal壺n] of His servants. He appoints them as His delegates
[yastanºbuhum] on the earth and as His representatives [yastakhlifuhum]
upon it. He makes them some of the few He has singled out [mufrad«n].
He teaches them from His knowledge [‹ilm], makes them speak by His
decree [¥ukm], generously bestows His grace [karåma] upon them, assists
them with His support [imdåd], makes them aware of what is to their
credit and what they owe, puts faith [ºmån] on a firm footing within their
hearts, and sets the crown of real experience [ma‹rifa] upon the head of
their faith. Destiny [qadar] serves them, while human beings, the jinn
and the angels are standing at the ready in their presence. Their hearts
and their innermost beings [asrår] receive the seals of authority [tawåqº‹].
Each one of them is a king within himself, occupying the seat of the
throne of his kingdom, dispatching his army into the land for the
welfare of the people, to counter the work of Iblºs.
O my people! Follow in the footsteps of the people [of the Lord].
Do not let your main concern be with food and drink, clothes, sex and
the amassing of worldly goods. Your main concern should be worshipful
service [‹ibåda] and giving up old habits [‹åda]. Seek His door and pitch
your tent beside it. Do not run away from the door of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He) on account of adversities, for He uses
trials and tribulations, sicknesses and ailments, to alert you to look for
Him and never to leave His door. Do not be counted among those who
fumble about, not knowing what the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) wants from them. Worship Him, and then become
sincerely devoted [akhliƒ«] to His worshipful service. Surely you must
have heard Him, how He has said:
And I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship
Me. (52:56)
You realize this and know it to be true, so why do you abandon His
worshipful service and stumble about on the path toward Him? Anyone
401
who does not serve Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) must be one
of those who do not know why they have been created. As for those who
are based on a footing of recognizing the truth [ta¥qºq] and being realistic
[¥aqºqa], they acknowledge that they have been created for worshipful
service, and that they will die and then be brought back to life, so they
put servitude [‹ub«diyya] into actual effect.
O young man! There are certain inner matters [um«r bå£ina] that
come to be disclosed only after one has attained to the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), stood at His door, and met the specially
selected individuals [mufrad«n] and delegates [nuwwåb] who are there
at their posts. When you attain to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and stand waiting with good manners and with head
bowed in silence, the door will be opened in front of your heart. It will
be drawn in by the One who draws it in. It will be brought near by the
One who brings it near. It will be lulled to sleep by the One who lulls
it to sleep. It will be prepared for marriage by the One who prepares it
for marriage. It will be anointed by the One who anoints it. It will be
adorned by the One who adorns it. It will be delighted by the One who
delights it. It will be kept safe by the One who keeps it safe. It will be
conversed with by the One who converses with it, and talked to by the
One who talks to it.
O you who are heedless of bliss [naܼm], where are you? Your hearts
are so far from the state of affairs I am hinting at. You imagine this to
be such a simple matter that it can come about for you through artificial
pretense [taƒannu‹], affected simulation [takalluf] and hypocrisy [nifåq].
In fact, it requires honesty [ƒidq] and patient endurance of the hammer-
blows of destiny [qadar].
If you are a rich and healthy person, engaged in disobedience to the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), but you turn in repen-
tance from all your sins and errors, both those that are obvious and those
that are concealed, and you go off into the deserts and the wastelands
and seek the countenance of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), you
will have to experience being put to the test. You will have to
experience trials and tribulations. Your lower self [nafs] will demand
the worldly goods and the well-being to which it has been accustomed,
but you must not agree to let it have what it wants. If it can exercise
patience, you will obtain the dominion of both this world and the
hereafter, but if it does not exercise patience all this will pass it by.
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to suffer. Trials and tribulations are the grappling hooks of the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
The eager longing of the abstinent worshipper [‹åbid zåhid] is for
charismatic gifts [karåmåt] in this world and for the gardens [of Paradise]
in the hereafter. The eager longing of the knower [‹årif] is for his faith
[ºmån] to remain intact in this world, and for salvation [khalåƒ] from the
Fire of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) in the hereafter. His eager
longing and desire for this will not cease until his heart is told: “What
is this? Be confident and steadfast. Faith is firmly established in you.
From you the believers [mu›min«n] can obtain a light for their own faith,
and tomorrow you will be a successful intercessor [mushaffa‹], whose
word is accepted. You will be the cause of salvation from the Fire [of
Hell] for many people. You will be in the presence of your Prophet, he
who is the chief of the intercessors [sayyid ash-shåfi‹ºn]. This is not
something you need to be concerned about.”
Here we have a sealed declaration [tawqº‹] to the effect that he is
permanently assured of faith [ºmån], knowledge [ma‹rifa] and safety
[salåma] in the afterlife [‹åqiba], and of walking in the company of the
Prophets [nabiyy«n], the Messengers [mursal«n] and the champions of
the truth [ƒiddºq«n], they who are the élite [khaw僃] among creatures.
Every time this assurance is reiterated to him, he becomes more fearful,
more careful to behave properly, and more grateful than ever. The
people [of the Lord] have grasped the meaning of His words (Almighty
and Glorious is He):
He does whatever He will. (2:253)
He shall not be questioned as to what He does, but they shall be
questioned (21:23)
But you will not, unless Allåh wills, the Lord of the Worlds. (81:29)
They have understood that He is “Doer of what He wishes” (11:107),
not of what creatures wish, and that “every day He is about some
awesome business” (55:29), advancing and deferring, promoting and
demoting, honoring and disgracing, dismissing and appointing, causing
to die and bringing to life, enriching and impoverishing, giving and
withholding. The hearts of the people [of the Lord] have no fixed
condition in relation to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), for He
changes them and alters them, brings them near and sets them at a
404
distance, honors them and puts them to shame, gives to them and
withholds from them. Spiritual states [a¥wål] are always changing for
the people [of the Lord], while their basic attitude is the actual practice
[ta¥qºq] of servitude [‹ub«diyya], good behavior and respectful silence.
O Allåh, grant us the grace of good behavior in Your company and in
the company of Your special favorites [khaw僃] among Your creatures.
Do not afflict us with dependence on material means [asbåb] and
reliance thereon. Make us secure in our affirmation of Your Oneness
[taw¥ºd], our absolute trust [tawakkul] in You, our total satisfaction with
You and reliance on You for all our needs. Do not put us to the test in
our words and our deeds, and do not take us to task because of them.
Treat us with Your generous kindness, Your tolerance [tajåwuz] and
Your forgiveness [musåma¥a]. Ámºn.
On the Path of Truth [£arºq al-¥aqq] there are no creatures [khalq]. On
it there are no material means [sabab]. On it there is no known quantity
[ma‹l«m]. On it there is no direction and no entrance gate. On it the
creation has no existence [wuj«d].
The physical constitution [binya] goes together with this world, the
heart [qalb] goes together with the hereafter, and the innermost being
[sirr] goes together with the Master [Mawlå]. The innermost being
should have authority over the heart, the heart should have authority
over the tranquil self [nafs mu£ma›inna], the tranquil self should have
authority over the physical constitution, and the limbs and organs
[jawåri¥] should have authority over created things. When the servant
has all this in the right and proper order, jinn and human beings and
angels will come to be beneath his feet. They will all have to stand while
he is seated on the throne of nearness [to the Lord].
O hypocrite, you will never achieve this through your hypocrisy
[nifåq] and pretense [taƒannu‹]. You cultivate your personal dignity
[nåm«s]. You cultivate your acceptance in the hearts of creatures. You
cultivate the kissing of your hand. You are bad luck for yourself in this
world and the hereafter, as well as for those you cultivate and whom you
persuade to follow you. You are an impostor [murå›in], a charlatan
[dajjål], a swindler of people’s property. Surely no prayer [da‹wa] of yours
will be answered, and there can be no place for you in the hearts of the
champions of truth [ƒiddºq«n]. Allåh has let you go knowingly astray.
405
Once the dust has cleared away, you will see whether that is a horse
underneath you, or a donkey. Once the dust has cleared, you will see
the men of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) riding fine
horses and camels, while you are behind them on a broken donkey,
falling into the clutches of corrupt Satans [shay壺n] and devils [abålisa].
You must work hard to ensure that your hearts are not locked out of
the door of His nearness. Be sensible! You are getting nowhere. You
must seek the company of a Shaikh who is learned in the law [¥ukm] and
knowledge [‹ilm] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and who will
show you the way toward Him. Without seeing the successful [mufli¥],
one cannot succeed. If a person does not seek the company of scholars
who put their knowledge into practice [‹ulamå› ‹ummål], he is a chicken
from an egg abandoned by the rooster and the mother hen. Seek the
fellowship of those who enjoy fellowship with the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). What each one of you should do, when
the night has grown dark and people have gone to bed and their voices
are silent, is get up, take an ablution [yatawaææa›], perform two cycles
of ritual prayer [yuƒalli rak‹atain] and say: “O my Lord, guide me to one
of Your righteous servants near to You, so that he may guide me toward
You and make me familiar with Your path.” The instrument [sabab] is
necessary. Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) was quite capable of
guiding [His servants] to Him without the Prophets [anbiyå›]. Be
sensible! You are getting nowhere. You must awaken from your
heedless folly. As the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has
said:
If someone relies entirely on his own subjective judgment, he will go
astray.
Try to find someone who will be a mirror for the face of your religion
[dºn], just as you look in the mirror to check the appearance of your outer
face, your turban and your hair. Be sensible! What is this crazy
foolishness? You say, “I don’t need anyone to teach me,” and yet the
Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
The believer is the believer’s mirror [al-mu›minu mir›åtu’l-mu›min].
When the believer’s faith is sound, he comes to be a mirror for all
creatures. They behold their religious faces [wuj«h adyånihim] reflected
in the mirror of his speech, every time they see him and get close to him.
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in your hermits’ cells [ƒawåmi‹], while creatures fill your hearts, can you
not hear me shouting at you and calling out to you? Are you deaf and
dumb? Get up and come here! It’s all right! I shall not deal with you
or speak to you in accordance with your own bad manners and behavior.
No, I shall treat you kindly, with the gentle kindness [rifq] of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), with His permission. You must not be
put off by the roughness of my way of speaking, for that is not because
of me. I only utter what He makes me utter.
O young man! The people [of the Lord] work day and night in the
worshipful service of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He),
and their attitude is one of fear and caution, for they are afraid of a bad
outcome. They were ignorant of the foreknowledge [‹ilm] of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) about them and the outcome of their
business, so they spent their days and nights in sorrow and sadness and
weeping. As well as faithfully performing the prayer [ƒalåt], the fast
[ƒiyåm], the pilgrimage [¥ajj] and all other acts of obedience, they
remembered their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) with their hearts
and their tongues, so when they reached the hereafter they entered the
Garden [of Paradise] and saw the face of the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and His generous favor toward them. They praised
Him in gratitude for this, and said:
Praise be to Allåh who has put grief away from us. (35:34)
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has servants [‹ibåd], and these
are their teachers [asåtidha], their Shaikhs, their chiefs, their leaders
and their kings. They say: “Praise be to Allåh who has put grief away
from us, in this world before the hereafter.” When their hearts have
reached the door of their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), they are
surprised to find it open, with escorts arrayed to meet them, a select
band standing at the ready, expecting their arrival, saluting them and
bowing before them in respectful silence. Thus they enter the palace
of nearness [to the Lord] and witness that which no eye has ever seen,
which no ear has ever heard of, and which has never occurred to any
human heart. They say: “Praise be to Allåh who has put away from us
the grief of remoteness, the grief of separation. Praise be to Allåh, for
not having made us preoccupied with this world, the hereafter and
creatures. Praise be to Allåh who has chosen us for Himself, selected us
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for His nearness and put away from us the grief of withdrawal from Him,
the grief of preoccupation with anything other than Him. Praise be to
Allåh who has granted us the blessing of withdrawal toward Him.”
Our Lord is indeed Forgiving, Bountiful. (35:34)
O young man! When you have firmly established your faith [ºmån],
you will reach the abode of experience [ma‹rifa], then the valley of
knowledge [‹ilm], then the valley of extinction [fanå›] to you and to all
creatures. Then you will come to existence [wuj«d] through Him, not
through you and not through them. At this stage your grief will
disappear, for preservation will serve you, protection will surround you,
helpful guidance [tawfºq] will stand respectfully before you, the angels
will walk around you, the spirits [arwå¥] will come forward to salute you,
and the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) will proudly
display you to His creatures. His attentive glances will watch over you
and draw you toward the abode of His nearness and intimate friendship
[uns] and conversation [munåjåt] with Him.
A failure is he who holds back from me with no good excuse. Woe
unto you! You try to compete with me in this station [maqåm] of mine
in which I am installed. You cannot do it. You will get nothing by trying
to compete with me. This is something that is sent down from heaven
to the earth. As Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And naught there is, but with Us are the stores thereof, and We send
it down only in a known measure. (15:21)
The rain comes down out of the sky onto the earth, from which the
plants then sprout. This business comes down from heaven to the
ground of hearts, so they tremble and sprout with every kind of
goodness. They bring forth mysteries [asrår], the elements of wisdom
[¥ikam], the affirmation of Divine Unity [taw¥ºd], absolute trust [tawakkul],
intimate conversation and nearness to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He). This heart comes to have within it various kinds of trees and
fruits. It comes to have within it wastelands and desert regions, oceans
and rivers and mountains. It comes to be the gathering place of human
beings, jinn, angels and spirits [arwå¥]. This is something beyond
mental comprehension—sheer power [qudra ma¥æa] and will [iråda] and
knowledge [‹ilm]. Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) appropriates it
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whatever you want it to carry. Do not spare the rod, for it is liable to fall
asleep and let its burdens drop. Do not show it the white of your teeth
and the white of your eyes! It is a bad servant, reluctant to do any work
unless it gets the stick. Do not allow it to eat its fill, unless you know
for sure that having a full belly will not make it turn mischievous, and
that it will work in exchange for having its appetite satisfied.
Sufyån ath-Thawrº (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) was given
to much work of pious obedience [£å‹a] and also to much eating. When
he had eaten his fill, he would coin the analogy: “Give the slave [zanjº]
as much as he can eat, and make him work flat out. The slave is just a
donkey.” Then he would set about his worshipful service [‹ibåda] and
take a plentiful helping of that.
A certain righteous man is reported as having said: “I saw Sufyån
ath-Thawrº eating so much that I was disgusted at him. Then he prayed
[ƒallå] and wept so much that I felt compassion for him.”
You should not try to emulate Sufyån’s capacity for all that eating, but
do follow his example where his great capacity for worshipful obedience
is concerned. For you are not Sufyån. Do not satisfy your lower self as
he used to satisfy his, for you are not in control of it as he was in control
of his lower self.
You must make a serious effort to keep well away from things that are
unlawful [¥aråm], and to be sparing in your use of those that are lawful
[¥alål]. Abstain from everything in accordance with the strength of
your faith [ºmån] and your conviction [ºqån], then you will become one
of the servants of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). When your
abstinence is confirmed, He will bestow His gifts and blessings upon
you, either through indirect means or by putting creative power [takwºn]
at the disposal of your heart.
There is nothing worth discussing until you become one of the
servants of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), not a servant of
creatures and material means [asbåb], not one of those who are slaves to
this world, to pleasures, desires and devils, nor one of those who are
slaves to the love of prestige [jåh] in the eyes of creatures and attachment
to their favor and disfavor, their praise and their blame. This is
something of which no good can come. Your heart will not take one
single step toward the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
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Glorious is He) as long as you are stuck with your lower self [nafs] in the
house of your natural inclinations [£ab‹] and your passions [hawå].
It seems to me that you are permanently attached to creatures and
material means. How long will this go on? You must learn from me how
to escape from your attachments. O ignorant one, how can your heart
see the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) when it is full of
creatures? How can you see the door of the congregational mosque
[jåmi‹], while you are sitting there at home? When you go out of your
house, away from your wife and children, that is when you will see the
door of the mosque. When you leave everything behind you, to your
successors, then you will see.
So it is that as long as you are stuck with creatures you cannot see the
Creator. As long as you are stuck with this world you cannot see the
hereafter. As long as you are stuck with the hereafter you cannot see the
Lord of both this world and the hereafter. When you move away from
everything, your innermost being [sirr] will meet your Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He), not in terms of outer form [ƒ«ra] but rather in terms
of inner content [ma‹nå]. The work is for our hearts, while the inner
contents [ma‹ånº] are for our innermost beings [asrår]. The people [of
the Lord] have turned away from their works [a‹mål]. They have
forgotten all their good deeds [¥asanåt], seeking no recompense for
them, so He has surely lodged them in the secure abode of His abundant
favor, where toil touches them not and no weariness can affect them,
nor any cessation or weakness, and where there is no having to earn a
livelihood and provide sustenance.
According to one of the commentators [mufassir«n] on the Qur›ån,
the meaning of His words (Exalted is He): “where toil does not touch
us” (35:35), is [that there we are free from] concern over bread and how
to come by it, and having to make provision for our dependants.
The Garden [of Paradise] is total abundance, total goodness, total
comfort, giving without counting the cost. Everything revolves around
the fact that your heart is in the presence of Allåh. There is no cause-
and-effect connection with this world, the hereafter or any of His
creatures. Your heart can be truly present to Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) only after death and the real experience [ta¥qºq] of
remembering it. If you look, you are looking at death. If you hear, you
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was preordained that the people should receive benefits at his hands?
It is the same with you, O hypocrites of this day and age. You would like
to destroy me, but you are fit for nothing and your hands are incapable
of doing such a deed. Were it not for the rule of law [¥ukm], I would pick
you off one by one. The rule of law is the fundamental consideration,
whether one is operating in the sphere of the law or in the sphere of
knowledge [‹ilm].
The people [of the Lord] are not afraid of creatures, because they are
next to the safekeeping of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), His
care and His protection. They do not worry about their enemies,
because they will soon be seeing them with their hands and feet
amputated and their tongues cut out. They realize and know for a fact
that creatures are feeble and incompetent, with no destructive power
[hulk] or dominion [mulk] at their disposal, no power to enrich or to
impoverish, no power to cause harm or bring benefit. As far as they
[the people of the Lord] are concerned, there is no king except Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), no one possessing power or strength
apart from Him, no giver and no withholder, no one harmful or
beneficial apart from Him, no one who gives life and causes death apart
from Him. They enjoy relief from the burden of idolatry [shirk]. They
are in a state of having been chosen and selected, of enjoying intimate
friendship [uns] with Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and relaxation
in His company. Delighting in His refreshing atmosphere [raw¥], His
gentle kindness [lu£f] and His confidential conversation [munåjåt], they
do not care whether this world exists or does not exist, whether the
hereafter exists or does not exist, whether good and evil exist or do
not exist.
At the first stage of their career, they had to make efforts to practice
abstinence from this world, creatures and the desires of the flesh
[shahawåt]. Then, when they had made this their regular practice,
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) turned their effort-making into
a natural inclination [£ab‹] and talent [mawhiba]. Abstinence became
second nature. You must learn from them. Make the effort to practice
acts of worshipful obedience [£å‹åt], and give up acts of sinful disobedience
[ma‹åƒº] and reprehensible behavior [munkaråt], then effort-making will
become a natural inclination. You must try to understand the words of
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your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), put them into practice and
be sincere in your actions.
O young man! You are nothing but lower self [nafs], natural inclination
[£ab‹] and passion [hawå]. You spend time in the company of strange
women and boys, then you say: “I am not interested in them.” You are
lying. Neither sacred law [shar‹] nor reason [‹aql] will agree with you.
You are adding fire to fire, firewood to firewood, so the house of your
religion [dºn] and your faith [ºmån] will surely be set ablaze. Disapproval
of this by the sacred law is universally applicable, with no one being
exempt from it.
You must acquire faith, experience [ma‹rifa] of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and the strength of nearness, then become a physician
to creatures, acting on behalf of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He).
Woe unto you! How can you touch and handle snakes, when you are
not expert in the art of snake-charming and have not taken the antidote
[to their poison]? Blind, how can you treat people’s eyes? Dumb, how
can you teach people? Ignorant, how can you practice the religion [dºn]?
If someone is not a chamberlain, how can he conduct people to the
king’s door? You are ignorant of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He)
and of His power, His nearness and His way of governing [siyåsa] His
creatures. What is not reasonable for me and what is reasonable for you,
what is not correct for me and what is correct for you, these are matters
the explanation of which is known only to Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He).
Hear and take note, for I am the herald of the King, the delegate
[nå›ib] of His Messenger in your midst. The most brazen of creatures on
behalf of the religion [dºn], I feel no inhibition toward you beside Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and beside His Messenger (may Allåh
the Exalted bless him and give him peace). I am their employee, a day-
laborer [r«zkårº] at their disposal, a subordinate of theirs.
This world is fleeting, transitory. It is the abode of disasters and
misfortunes. It can offer no one a life free of care, especially if he is a wise
man [¥akºm]. As the saying goes, it offers no solace for the eye of the wise
man, the eye of one who remembers death. If someone finds himself
close up against a lion with its jaws wide open, how can he feel nice and
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cozy and drop off to sleep? O heedless ones, the grave has its jaws open
wide. The lion of death and its serpent have their jaws open wide. The
executioner of the Sultan of Destiny [qadar] has his sword in his hand,
as he awaits the command. Only one in a million has this kind of
wisdom [¥ikma], vigilant without a trace of negligence.
In the initial stage of your career, you cannot do without some craft
by which to make a living and earn your daily bread, while your faith
is gaining strength. Then, if you keep this up and remain steadfast, the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) will promote you to
absolute trust [tawakkul], so that He feeds you without material means
[sabab]. O you who idolatrously associate His material means with Him
[yå mushrik bi-sababihi]! If only you could experience eating because of
absolute trust, you would not be guilty of idolatrous association. You
would sit at His door, trusting in Him and relying upon Him. As far as
I am aware, there are only two ways of getting food and drink: either
through working to earn them, while observing the requirements of the
sacred law [shar‹], or through absolute trust [in the Lord].
Woe unto you! Are you not embarrassed in the presence of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He)? You give up the effort to earn your
living and you go begging from other people. Earning is a starting point
and absolute trust is a final stage, so I do not see you having either a
beginning or an end. I am telling you the truth and I can face you
without embarrassment. Hear and take heed, and do not quarrel with
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). No creature is more
detached than I am from you and your possessions, from your praise and
your blame. If I accept anything from you, I take it for the sake of others,
not for my own sake. My speaking to you is a necessary shock. I am
commanded to do it through a channel I am familiar with. I am certain
of its validity. The decree of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has
no one to abrogate it or prevent it.
Woe unto you! You must not be misled by the things people say. You
are well aware of what you are involved in and what you need to do. As
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Oh, but man is a telling witness against himself. (75:14)
How fine you appear in the sight of the common folk [‹awåmm], and
how ugly you are in the eyes of the élite [khaw僃]. O you who are so
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desirous of this world and take such pleasure in it, while laying claim to
intelligence and accurate perception! Surely you have heard the words
of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He):
Know that the life of this world is only play, and idle talk, and pageantry.
(57:20)
Play and idle talk and pageantry are for ignorant youngsters, not for
intelligent adults. He has let you know that they are for ignorant people
who are mentally deficient. He has let you know that He did not create
you for play. Anyone who is preoccupied with this world is merely
playing games. Anyone who is satisfied with it, without regard for the
hereafter, is satisfied with a nonentity. This world has nothing to
offer you but snakes, scorpions and poisons, which you take with the
hands of your lower selves [nuf«s], the passions [ahwiya] and carnal
desire [shahwa].
You must devote your attention to the hereafter. Bring your hearts
back to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) and devote your
attention to Him, then take what He offers you from the hand of His
gracious favor. You must consider this world and the hereafter and
weigh them in the balance. If you were to acquire knowledge, whatever
knowledge you acquired, there would be more than that with me.
My seed has ripened and blossomed, while your seed has sprouted only
to shrivel up. Be sensible! Leave your important position and come and
sit over here, like a member of the group [jamå‹a], so that my words can
be planted in the ground of your heart. If you had any sense, you would
sit in my company and be satisfied with a morsel from me every day,
while putting up with my rough way of speaking. All those who have
faith [ºmån] will take root and develop, while those who have no faith
will run away from me.
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Sixty-second Discourse
421
[tawfºq], and wielding the spear of sacred struggle [mujåhada], the shield
of pious devotion [taqwå] and the sword of certitude [yaqºn], so as to
engage it sometimes in thrusting and at other times in cutting action.
You must keep this up until it submits to you humbly and you become
its rider, holding its reins in your hand as you travel with it over land and
sea. At this stage your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) will point
to you with pride. Then you will be put in charge of those who remain
stuck with their lower selves and have failed to escape from their control.
When someone really knows his own self [man ‹arafa nafsahu] and has
gained mastery over it, it becomes a beast of burden for him, a camel that
does not disobey his command. There is nothing good in you until you
really know your lower self, restrain it from indulgence and give it its
proper due. Only then will it become tame in relation to the heart,
while the heart becomes tame in relation to the innermost being [sirr],
and the innermost being becomes tame in relation to the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). You must not spare your lower selves
the rod of dedicated struggle. Do not be deceived by their cunning
wiles. Do not be deceived by their pretending to be asleep. You must
not be taken in by the apparent sleep of the predatory animal, for he is
only letting you think he is asleep, while waiting to pounce upon his
prey. This lower self will make a show of tameness, submissiveness,
humility and compliance with what is good, while secretly contradicting
all this. Beware of what it may get up to later on!
The people [of the Lord] are not really interested in ordinary crea-
tures, but they go to the trouble of keeping an eye on them and spending
time in their company, in order to instruct them in what they should
and should not do. In their relationship to ordinary creatures, the
people [of the Lord] may be likened to a set of people who wished to cross
an ocean and reach a certain king. Some of them discovered a way
through and made the passage, but when they had arrived in his
presence, the king saw the rest of the people floundering about and
almost drowning. They had not discovered the path which the first
group had followed, so the king commanded those who had already
reached him to go back to the others, in order to teach them the way
by which they themselves had come. So they went and stood at the
water’s edge, and called out to them: “The way through is over here!”
Thus they set about giving them directions, and once they got close
422
enough they took them by the hand. The basis of this can be found in
His words (Exalted is He):
And he who believed said: “O my people! Follow me. I will guide you
to the way of right conduct.” (40:38)
The intelligent person amongst you will therefore not seek happiness
in this world, nor in children, family, wealth, foodstuffs, articles of
clothing, vehicles, or sexual opportunities. All of this is mere delusion.
The believer [mu›min] finds happiness in the strength of his faith [ºmån]
and certitude [yaqºn], and in the arrival of his heart at the door of the
nearness of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Surely the true
kings of this world and the hereafter must be those who really know
[‹årif«n] Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and who work for His sake.
O young man! When will your heart become pure and serene, and
when will your innermost being become pure and serene, as long as you
are guilty of associating partners with Allåh [mushrik]? How can you
prosper, as long as you spend every night picking on someone or other
to chase after, complain to and beg from? How can your heart become
pure and serene, as long as it is so devoid of the affirmation of Divine
Unity [taw¥ºd] that it does not contain the slightest trace of it? The
affirmation of Divine Unity is a radiant light, while the idolatrous
worship [shirk] of creatures is a gloomy darkness. How can you prosper,
as long as your heart is so devoid of pious devotion [taqwå] that it does
not contain the slightest trace of it? You are screened off from the
Creator by creatures, screened off by material means [asbåb] from the
Originator [Musabbib], screened off by trust [tawakkul] in creatures
and reliance on them. You are merely an unsubstantiated claim. No
bouquet of sweet herbs is awarded on the strength of a claim with no proof.
This business can only be accomplished in one of two ways: The first
is by dedicated struggle and exertion, by enduring things that are very
difficult and very exhausting. This is the more usual way, as experienced
by the righteous [ƒåli¥«n]. The second is a talent [mawhiba] that requires
no effort, a rare gift belonging to a few individuals only. To such an
individual He grants direct knowledge [ma‹rifa] and love for Him. He
takes him from the midst of his family and his occupation, and manifests
His power [qudra] within him. He takes him away from highway robbery
[qa£‹ a£-£arºq] and promotes him to the hermit’s cell [ƒawma‹a]. He
expels all creatures from his heart and opens unto him the door of His
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T he Shaikh (may Allåh the Exalted be well pleased with him) also
said:
There was a time when I did not sit in anyone’s company. Then, if
I did so at all, I would sit with two or three of those who were agreeable
to me. You must seek the fellowship of the people [of the Lord], for one
of their attributes is that when they look at a person and focus their
425
spiritual influence [himma] upon him, they love him, even if the
recipient of their attention happens to be a Jew [Yah«dº] or a Christian
[Naƒrånº] or a Zoroastrian [Maj«sº]. If he happens to be a Muslim, he will
grow in faith [ºmån] and certitude [yaqºn] and firmness of conviction
[tathbºt].
If the heart is sound, the vision will be sound. If the heart is sound,
it must have drawn near to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He). When someone looks with the eye of nearness and direct
knowledge [ma‹rifa], his gaze comes to be from Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He). The nearness becomes a cloud within his heart, while
the gaze is its lightning flash, and the transmitted teaching [wa‹œ] is its
rain. His tongue gives expression to what is in his heart. His tongue
becomes a pen, dipped in the inkwell of direct experience [ma‹rifa] and
the ocean of knowledge [‹ilm]. His speech and his gaze become the
lightning flash of that which is in his heart. Both of them become
manifest from a powerful source in the presence of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He). If someone genuinely carries out the [divine]
commandments, observes the [divine] prohibitions and earns the good
pleasure of the Messenger (Allåh bless him and give him peace), he will
truly experience this. As he continues to feel the effects of it, he will
wander about in a daze, searching for the source that gave rise to the
experience, until the immediate effects of it wear off and his knowledge
[‹ilm] and his nearness are greater than ever.
Sincerity [ƒidq] in the quest for the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) is the fruit of righteous deeds [a‹mål ƒåli¥a]. Righteous
work is that which is performed purely for the sake of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), with no one else associated [sharºk] in it. Righteous
work will set you on the highroad of His will for you. Then you must
travel straight along it, turning off neither to right nor left, with the
footsteps of your heart, your innermost being [sirr] and your spiritual
content [ma‹nå]. You must travel entirely without company; not with
creatures, not with this world and not with the hereafter. You will
become one of those who seek only His countenance, and you will say,
as Moses said:
And I hastened unto You, my Lord, that You might be well pleased.
(20:84)
When someone seeks the good pleasure of Allåh (Almighty and
Glorious is He) and His countenance, he comes to be as Allåh
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You should eat as someone about to take his leave would eat. You
should be with your family as someone about to take his leave of them
would be. When you meet with your brethren [ikhwån] you should do
so like one who is about to take his leave of them. You must therefore
instill in your heart: “I am someone who is about to take his leave.”
How can it not be like this for a person whose business is in the control
of someone Other than himself?
Only a very few individuals among all creatures are given to know
what will happen to them, what will become of them and at what time
they will die. This is all stored within their hearts and they can see it
as plainly as you can see the sun up there, but their tongues give no
expression to it. The first to become aware of this is the innermost being
[sirr]. Then the innermost being informs the heart, and the heart
informs the tranquil self [an-nafs al-mu£ma›inna], as a confidential
secret. It is made aware of this after it has received its education and
spent time in the service of the heart. One becomes qualified for this
after dedicated struggles and sufferings. A person who has attained to
this station [maqåm] is the deputy [nå›ib] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) on the earth and His vicegerent [khalºfa] upon it.
He is the door to the mysteries [båb al-asrår]. He holds the keys to the
treasure houses of the hearts, they being the treasure houses of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). This is something beyond the
comprehension of creatures. All that is visibly apparent about him is
merely a speck of dust from his mountain, a drop of water from his ocean
and a lamplight from his sun.
O Allåh, I beg pardon of You for speaking about these mysteries,
although You know that I am overwhelmed [maghl«b].
As one of the righteous has said: “Beware of that for which one needs
to apologize.” But when I get up on this platform I vanish from you all,
and there is no one left in front of my heart for me to apologize to, or
to make me wary of speaking to you. I ran away from you one time, only
to fall into your midst. I made up my mind to spend each night in a
different place, to travel from town to town and from village to village,
and to be an exile in disguise until I died. This was what I wanted, but
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) wanted the very opposite, so I fell
right into the middle of what I was trying to run away from.
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When this heart is sound, and one’s feet are firmly planted at the door
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), he falls into the
trackless wilderness of origination [takwºn], into its valleys and into its
ocean. He will have his being sometimes in his speech, sometimes in
his spiritual influence [himma] and sometimes in his gaze. He becomes
the action [fi‹l] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and is personally
detached; he ceases to exist [yafnå], while He remains in being [yabqå].
There are just a few of you who believe in this. The majority of you are
those who deny the truth of it. To believe in this and to put it into
practice is an ultimate degree [nihåya].
No one would negate the spiritual states [a¥wål] of the righteous
[ƒåli¥«n], except a hypocrite [munåfiq], an impostor [dajjål] riding on his
passions [hawå]. This business is built on genuine conviction [i‹tiqåd],
then on practice [‹amal]. If someone practices the outer form [œåhir] of
the law [¥ukm], that practice will result in his having experience
[ma‹rifa] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) and knowledge [‹ilm]
of Him. The law will come to be between him and creatures, and
knowledge between him and his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
His outer actions [a‹mål œåhira] will come to be a mere speck in relation
to his inner actions [a‹mål bå£ina]. His physical organs may be in repose,
but his heart will not rest. The eyes in his head may fall asleep, but his
heart will not slumber. His heart will go on working and remembering
while he is asleep.
The story is told of how a certain righteous man was handling a string
of prayer-beads [sub¥a], using them to count his praises of the Lord
[yusabbi¥u bihå], until at some point he dozed off. Then he woke up
again, and saw that the beads were circulating in his hand, while his
tongue was still remembering his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
This heart receives a command, so it acts, and this innermost being
[sirr] receives a command, so it performs inner actions.
And they have other works, besides that, which they are doing. (23:63)
Outer actions are appropriate for ordinary servants [‹ibåd], since they
relate to the limbs and organs of the physical body, while inner actions
are appropriate for the élite [khaw僃], since they relate to hearts and
innermost beings [asrår]. The innermost of the innermost being [sirr
as-sirr] is between them and Him, in a condition of fear despite their
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from his sins. Drive trouble and sleep away from him. And put that
other person to sleep, for he is a hypocritical liar. He is falsehood within
falsehood, a curse within a curse, so cast the spell of slumber upon him,
so that I shall not see his face among those who stand upright.”
The other way of taking it would be: “Make so and so get up, for he
is a lover [mu¥ibb] who is still seeking, and a necessary part of the lover’s
condition is weary toil. And put that other person to sleep, because he
is a beloved [ma¥b«b], and a necessary part of the beloved’s condition
is restful comfort. He must be allowed to sleep and rest, because he has
been working night and day in order to fulfill his covenant and to
prove himself true in his love. Since he has fully accomplished this,
the moment has come for the fulfillment of the covenant of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), because He has guaranteed rest in His
company to all who are weary from toil on His behalf.”
As for the people [of the Lord], when the footsteps of their hearts have
finally led them to their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), they will
see in their sleep what they never saw in their state of wakefulness.
Their hearts and their innermost beings [asrår] will see something they
cannot see while they are awake. They have fasted [ƒåm«] and prayed
[ƒallaw], they have fought their lower selves by subjecting them to
hunger and disgrace, and they have labored night and day to perform
all kinds of worshipful service [‹ibådåt], until the Garden [of Paradise]
has come to be theirs. But now that it is theirs, they will be told: “The
way is not this. It is the quest for the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He).” Their work must come to be performed in the sphere
of their hearts, then when it reaches Him it will be confirmed and
authenticated in His sight.
When someone knows what he is looking for, he attaches little
importance to the energy and effort he devotes to the obedient service
of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). The believer [mu›min] never
ceases to labor until he meets his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Woe unto you! You claim to be my disciple, yet you keep your
property hidden from me. You are lying when you make such a claim.
The disciple [murºd] has neither shirt nor turban, neither gold nor
money to his name in relation to his Shaikh. He just eats at his table
whatever he tells him to eat. He has no existence of his own [huwa fånin
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‹anhu], as he waits for his Shaikh to tell him what he must do and what
he must not do, because he acknowledges that this comes from Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). His best interests are being looked after
by his Shaikh, and he is held on a tight rein.
If you harbor any doubts about your Shaikh, you should not stay in his
company, for it will do you no good to share his fellowship or become
his disciple. When a sick person has doubts about his physician, he
cannot be cured by his treatment.
A fter some discussion, the Shaikh (may Allåh be well pleased with
him) went on to say:
When someone has achieved genuine detachment [zuhd] from crea-
tures, it is correct for them to feel attracted to him. They can derive
benefit from hearing what he has to say and from paying attention
to him.
When you know creatures through knowledge [‹ilm] of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and experience them through experi-
ence [ma‹rifa] of Him, their attributes will disappear from you. Jinn and
human beings and angels will vanish from you. Your heart will assume
a different character, as will your innermost being [sirr]. The shell of
your existence [wuj«d] will be removed from you, the shell of the usual
custom [‹åda] of the children of Adam (peace be upon him). The law
[¥ukm] will come and form a gown for you to wear, so you will go about
the earth clothed, commanding yourself and all fellow creatures of your
Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) to obey His commandment.
Knowledge Lordly and Divine [al-‹ilm ar-rabbånº al-ilåhº] will come and
form a garment over your heart and your innermost being [sirr].
You must hold fast to what the Messenger [ras«l] has brought you,
namely the Book and the Sunna, for anyone who abandons these two
is guilty of atheism [tazandaqa] and has strayed from the fold of Islåm.
The fire and torment [of Hell] will therefore be his resort in the long
term, while in the short term he is treated as an abomination.
The heart that knows by experience [qalb ‹årif] has something else in
its relationship with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He),
after implementing the law [i¥kåm al-¥ukm] and actually standing at the
door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Such then
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is he who deserves to be followed and to have his words heeded, and this
is why it is forbidden to follow those who do not implement the law,
because it is something that cannot be dispensed with. It is fundamental
to this business that one must implement the [divine] commandment
in practice and in all sincerity [ikhlåƒ], and must teach it to other people.
This makes one great in the sight of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He), and this is why the Prophet (Allåh bless him and give him peace)
has said:
If someone learns [ta‹allama], practices [‹amala] and teaches [‹allama],
he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven [malak«t].
You must not retire to your hermit’s cell with ignorance for company,
because to isolate yourself from your fellow creatures in a state of
ignorance is a great and total perversion. This is why the Prophet
(Allåh bless him and give him peace) has said:
Complete your studies [tafaqqah], then you may retire.
It is not appropriate for you to withdraw into the hermit’s cell, as long
as there is anyone upon the face of the earth whom you fear and on
whom you pin your hopes. There should be no one left as far as you are
concerned, apart from One who is feared and One who is looked to in
hope, namely Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). I recognize only
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), and the observance of His
religion [dºn] as the way to draw near to Him. I observe His religion and
I support it for His sake, not for the sake of any other.
The champion of the truth [ƒiddºq] has heard the crier of the religion
calling out to summon his heart and his innermost being [sirr]. When
the common folk [‹awåmm] transgress its limits, when they ignore its
prohibitions, give up following its commandments and turn their backs
upon it, he can hear how that voice is crying out and appealing to Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) for assistance. So he sets to work with
a will and stands ready in his presence, helping him to command what
is right and fair [ma‹r«f] and to forbid what is wrong and unfair [munkar],
giving him good advice and coming to his defence. He does this with
the strength of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), not with the
strength of his own lower self [nafs], his passions [hawå], his natural
impulses [£ab‹], his recklessness [ru‹«na], his stupidity [jahåla] and his
hypocrisy [nifåq].
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gifts I give them. They surrender [yusallim«na] their own selves, their
goods, their children and their reputations into the hand of My
preordainment, while their hearts are timorous, afraid of Me.”
When the knower [‹årif] abstains from the hereafter, he says to it:
“Get out of my way, for I am seeking the door of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Both you and this world are one as far
as I am concerned. This world used to screen me off from you, and now
you are screening me off from my Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
No respect is due to anyone who tries to screen me off from Him.”
You must hear what is being said to you now, for it is the essence [lubb]
of the knowledge [‹ilm] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), the
essence of what He wishes from His creatures and for His creatures,
namely the spiritual state [¥ål] of the Prophets [anbiyå›], the Messengers
[mursal«n], the saints [awliyå›] and the righteous [ƒåli¥«n]. O slaves of
this world, O slaves of the hereafter, you are ignorant of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He), of this lower world of His and of His
other world. You are solid walls. Each of you has an idol [ƒanam]. You
there, your idol is this world. And you, your idol is the hereafter. As
for you, creatures are your idol. Then in your case, the desires and
pleasures of the flesh are your idol, while in yours the idol is praise
and applause and popular acceptance. Everything apart from Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) is an idol. The people [of the Lord] wish
only for His countenance.
This world and the hereafter should be partaken of at the door of the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). They should be
consumed in the clinic of the physician, who will take what he needs
from each to feed the invalid. O hypocrites, you do not have a clue
about this. The hypocrite is incapable of hearing a single word of this.
It is the end of the world for him, because he cannot hear the truth
[¥aqq]. My words are true, and I am in the right [‹alå ¥aqq]. What I am
saying comes from Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), not from me;
from the sacred law [shar‹], not from fantasy. But you are sadly lacking
in the faculty of understanding!
Woe unto you! You have acquired knowledge, but you have failed to
put your knowledge into practice, so how can your knowledge bring you
any benefit? You have not served the Shaikhs in your youth, so how can
you serve them now that you are adults?
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blessings, then you have no Lord. You may try to find some other Lord
instead of Him, but there is no other Lord besides Him. If you wish [for
Him], you must be willing to accept the decree [qaæå›] and believe in
destiny [qadar], both the good parts of it and the bad, both the sweet
parts of it and the bitter. You must also believe that what has fallen to
your lot could not have been avoided by taking precautions, and that
what has passed you by could not have been made to come your way,
however diligently you sought to acquire it.
When faith [ºmån] has become a reality [ta¥aqqaqa] for you, you will
move forward to the door of saintship [wilåya], for at this stage you will
have come to be one of those servants of Allåh who really carry out their
servitude [‹ub«diyya] to Him. The distinctive feature of the saint [walº]
is that he is ready to comply with the wishes of his Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He) under all circumstances. He becomes total compliance
[muwåfaqa], with no question of why or how, while always carrying out
the commandments and observing the prohibitions [of the sacred law].
There can be no doubt that he will always enjoy His fellowship. He will
proceed in the company of His nearness, turning neither to right nor left
and never going backwards, but only straight ahead. He will come to
be a front without a back, a nearness with no remoteness, a pure serenity
with no murky confusion, a goodness with no evil.
As for you, your hopes are pinned on creatures and they are the object
of your fear. This makes you guilty of associating partners [shirk] with
your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Your praise goes to creatures
when you are given things, and your blame is directed at them when
things are withheld from you. This also amounts to attributing partners
to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Woe unto you! No part of this should be directed toward them. There
is nothing good about you. You are quite without realization of the
Divine Unity [taw¥ºd]. All things are brought into being by Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and are received from Him, not from His
creatures. They are received on the return journey to His door, after the
way to Him had been blocked. The material means [sabab] is at the
initial stage, the Originator [Musabbib] at the final stage. The novice
expects to get what he wants from the material means, just as a baby bird
will look to the father or mother bird to provide it with food. When it
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has grown and learned to fly, however, it can manage without them. It
relies on the strength of its own wings and goes looking for food all by
itself. Has any one of you ever taken a a bite to eat from the hand of his
absolute trust [tawakkul] in his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He),
without resorting to his own power and strength or to creatures and his
reliance on them?
Woe unto you! You claim to possess what you do not have in you.
How can you lay claim to Islåm, faith [ºmån], conviction [ºqån] and the
affirmation of Divine Unity [taw¥ºd], as long as you have such confidence
in your own power and strength and in your material means? Be sensible!
This business does not come about through mere claims.
Woe unto you! You sit up here and preach to the people, then you
mingle with them to laugh and tell funny stories. There can be no doubt
that neither you nor they will prosper. The preacher [wå‹iœ] is an
instructor and an educator, while those in his audience are like young
children. A youngster will not study unless one is tough with him and
treats him firmly and sternly. There are no more than a few individuals
among them who can keep up their studies without this kind of
treatment, being gifted with a special talent [mawhiba] from Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He).
Many of those who profess Islåm outwardly will actually say, as the
unbelievers [kuffår] have said:
Surely there is nothing but our life in this world; we die and we live,
and nothing destroys us but time. (45:25)
This is what they said, and many of those I am referring to would say
the same. They make it obvious by the actions that mark their
behavior, so in my estimation they amount to nothing and they have
less than the weight of a mosquito’s wing to show in the presence of the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). They have no intelligence
and possess no faculty of discrimination by which to tell the difference
between what is harmful and what is beneficial.
[Let us consider] what He (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said in
the story of Joseph (peace be upon him):
Allåh forbid that we should seize anyone except him with whom we
found our property. (12:79)
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[ma‹b«d], from the art [ƒan‹a] to the artist [ƒåni‹], from the incompetent
[‹åjiz] to the capable [qådir], from poverty to affluence, from weakness
to strength, from little to much.
Do not adopt a superior attitude toward me. Most of you have hearts
that are devoid of faith [ºmån], and each and every one of you has some
pressing need in his lower self [nafs], so let him rein it in with the bridle
of silence and good behavior, and let him arm it with the armor of pious
devotion [taqwå], for this is the means by which it can achieve
tranquillity [£ama›nºna] and attain to its Lord (Almighty and Glorious
is He). Attainment [wuƒ«l] is of two kinds, the common [‹åmm] and the
special [khaƒƒ]. The common kind is attainment to Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) after death, while the special kind is the attainment
of the hearts of a few rare individuals to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) even before death. These are the ones who struggle to combat
their own lower selves [anfus] by opposing them in every way, and who
become detached from creatures in all that relates to harm and benefit.
If they make a constant practice of this, they attain to Him [in this life],
just as the common folk [‹awåmm] attain to Him after death. When
someone has truly experienced this, he will obtain mastery [tamakkun]
and ease [bas£], and will enjoy mutual conversation [mu¥ådatha] and
entertainment [mu݌nasa] [in the presence of the Lord]. Then he who
has attained to this [hådha’l-wåƒil] will say:
And come to me with all your folk. (12:93)
When Joseph (peace be upon him) had emerged from the well and the
prison, and had borne those hardships with patience, and when he had
acquired authority and everything was at his disposal, he said to his
brothers:
And come to me with all your folk. (12:93)
[This was] when wealth and dominion had come to him, when
hardship [qabæ] had departed and ease [bas£] had arrived. Prior to that
he had been speechless in the well and the prison; it was only after he
emerged that he acquired fluency of speech.
O my people! You must seek everything from the Creator of all
things. You must devote the whole of you to the quest for Him. The
people [of the Lord] have sacrificed their spirits [arwå¥] in the quest for
the nearness of their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). They realized
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Who it was they were seeking, so they attached little importance to the
sacrifice of their spirits. When a person knows what he is seeking, he
attaches little importance to what he must sacrifice for it.
There is a story about a man who once happened to be passing by the
private quarters of a slave trader [nakhkhås], where he caught sight of a
very attractive slave girl. She so captivated his heart that he was quite
unable to press on and leave the place behind. Well, he had beneath
him a horse worth a hundred dºnårs [gold coins], he had beautiful
clothes on his person, he had in his belt a sword embellished with gold,
and he had a black slave in his service to carry the trappings. So he
approached the girl’s owner and asked him to make a deal.
“Without a doubt,” her owner said to him, “you have fallen in love
with my slave girl. The lover will sacrifice all that he possesses in the
quest for his beloved, and I shall only sell her to you in exchange for
everything you have in your possession at this very moment.”
The man at once dismounted from his horse, stripped off all the
clothes he was wearing, borrowed a shirt from the slave trader, and
handed the whole lot over to him, together with the slave he had in his
own service. Then he took the slave girl and made his way home,
barefooted and bareheaded. Having paid the price, he took what was
valued at that price. He really knew [‹arafa] what he was looking for,
so he attached little importance to what he would have to sacrifice.
When someone is sincere [Čdiq] about love, he will not stick with
anyone but his beloved. Suppose some creature were to say: “I have
heard tell of the Garden [of Paradise] and the bliss it contains, through
the words of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He):
And therein is all that souls desire and eyes find sweet. (43:71)
—So what does it cost?” Our reply to him would be: “Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Allåh has bought from the believers their persons and their goods, the
Garden [of Paradise] being theirs for the price. (9:111)
—You must surrender [sallim] self [nafs] and property, then it will
come to be yours.”
Suppose someone else were to say: “I wish to be one of those who seek
His countenance. My heart has caught a glimpse of the door of His
nearness, and has seen the lovers going into it and coming out of it
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wearing the robes of honor conferred by the King. So what is the price
of entry?” To him we would reply: “You must sacrifice the whole of you.
You must give up your carnal appetites and pleasures. You must become
so absorbed in Him that you cease to exist [wa›fna fºhi ‹anka]. You must
say goodbye to the Garden [of Paradise] and all that it contains, and
leave it behind. You must say goodbye to the lower self [nafs], to
passions [hawå] and natural inclinations [£ab‹]. You must say goodbye
to desires both worldly and otherworldly. You must say goodbye to
everyone and leave them all behind the back of your heart. Then you
may enter, and then you will see things that no eye has ever seen, that
no ear has ever heard of, and that have never occurred to any human
heart.” When someone has fully experienced this, and the feet of his
heart are firmly planted in it, both this world and the hereafter will
belong to him. He will have them both as a sheer blessing [ni‹ma] with
no curse [niqma]. They will receive him as a welcome guest, and his
reward will be nearness [to the Lord] and the sight [of Him]. The
nearness he will experience in this world, with his heart, and the sight
he will experience on the Day of Resurrection [yawm al-qiyåma], with
his eye.
O young man!
Say “Allåh!,” then leave them to their idle prattling. (6:97)
Say:
He who created me, and He guides me. (26:78)
O you who abstain from this world, when your heart moves away from
it, seeking the hereafter, say:
He who created me, and He guides me. (26:78)
And you, O seeker of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), you who are longing for Him and abstaining from everything apart
from Him, when your heart moves away from the door of the Garden
[of Paradise] to go looking for its Master [Mawlå], say:
He who created me, and He guides me. (26:78)
You must pay close attention to His guidance [hidåya] over the rugged
stretches of the path. O you who wish to travel by these two paths [the
one of this world and the other of the hereafter], you must seek
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directions from those who have trodden them both and are very familiar
with the danger spots along them. I am referring to those Shaikhs who
put their knowledge into practice and are sincere [mukhliƒ«n] in all
their deeds.
O young man! You must be the attendant servant of the guide.
Follow him and leave your itinerary in his hands as you travel together
with him, sometimes on his right, sometimes on his left, sometimes
behind him and sometimes out in front of him. You must never go
beyond his sight, and never contradict what he tells you, for then you
will arrive at your destination and will not wander off and lose your way.
You must affirm the Oneness [wa¥¥id] of your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He), then you will be shielded from worries, and cares will
no longer trouble you. When Abraham (peace be upon him) was placed
in the catapult [manjanºq], to be slung into the fiery furnace, he ignored
all intermediaries and would not turn to anyone other than his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Of course He said to the fire:
O fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham. (21:69)
[In other words:] “O fire, away with you! Change and be transformed.
Get rid of your heat and your malice. Get rid of your spear and your
sword, your heat and your anger. You must dissipate and dissolve.
Become a coolness and a chill that can do no harm.”
All of this was possible through the blessed grace of the affirmation
of Divine Unity [taw¥ºd] and sincerity [ikhlåƒ], in making that affirmation.
When the servant affirms the Oneness of his Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He), and is sincere in doing so, it sometimes happens that
He exercises His creative power on his behalf [yukawwinu lahu], so that
the servant enters into His creative action [takwºn]. At other times He
will put the creative power at His servant’s disposal, so that he can
exercise it on his own behalf [yukawwinu huwa li-nafsihi]. This He does
only for His special favorites [khaw僃] among His creatures. Everyone
who enters the Garden [of Paradise] will experience saying to a thing
“Be!”—and having it come into being. Our present discussion is about
the exercise of creative power in the here and now, not in the future.
Abraham (peace be upon him) always had an attitude of absolute trust
[tawakkul], both when he was little and in his adult life.
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When people are holding themselves aloof from their neighbors and
others, when you have more mouths to feed at the same time as you are
facing poverty and straitened circumstances, while prices are becoming
inflated and your brothers are shutting their doors in your faces, you are
going to remember what I am saying to you now. You will remember
and you will be sorry. Listen and learn from me, for I am an agent [nå›ib]
acting on behalf of the Messenger [ras«l] and the One who gave him his
mission [man arsalahu].
O my God [yå ilåhº], I beg You for pardon [‹afw] and well-being [‹åfiya]
in performing this agent’s task [niyåba]. Help me to carry out this
business I am engaged in. You have taken the Prophets [anbiyå›] and
Messengers [rusul] unto Yourself and You have left me standing in the
front rank. I must bear the brunt of Your creatures, so I beg You for
pardon and well-being. Shield me from the evil of all devils among
human beings and jinn, and from the evil of all created beings. Ámºn.
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he cannot avoid them, because they are sick and he is their physician.
He cares neither for life in this world nor for life in the hereafter, but
glories in the nearness of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), for
He is all that he longs for and would willingly choose. The Prophet
(Allåh bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
On the Day of Resurrection, Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) will
say to His believing servants: “You have preferred your life hereafter to
your worldly life, and you have preferred My worship to your carnal
desires. By My Glory [‹izzatº] and My Majesty [jalålº], I did not create My
Garden [of Paradise] for anything but your benefit!”
This is what He will say to these [believing servants]. As for those who
are his lovers [mu¥ibb«n], this is what He will say to them: “You have
preferred Me to all My creatures, to My lower world and to My other
world. You have dismissed all creatures from your hearts and banished
them from your innermost beings [asrår], so this My countenance is for
you, My nearness is for you, and you are My servants in very truth.”
Among the saints [awliyå›] there are some who partake in their own
day of the food and drink of the Garden [of Paradise] and who see
everything that it contains. Then there are those who pass beyond
eating and drinking, become detached from creatures and invisible to
them, and continue to inhabit the earth without dying, like Ilyås and
Khiær. Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has a considerable number
of such invisible ones on the earth, able to see people while people
cannot see them. The saints [awliyå›] among them constitute a majority,
while the eminent figures [a‹yån] among them are a small minority, just
a few isolated individuals, whose favor everyone comes seeking. It is
through their agency that the earth becomes fruitful, that rain falls from
the sky, and that creatures are shielded from disaster.
The food and drink of the angels [malå›ika] is the remembrance [dhikr]
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), the proclamation
of His Glory [tasbº¥] and the declaration of His Uniqueness [tahlºl]: the
utterance of the words lå ilåha illa’llåh, [meaning “There is none worthy
of worship except the One Almighty God.”] For a few individuals
among the saints [awliyå›] this comes to be their food also.
What do you get out of listening to this? Most of you are the slaves
of Iblºs and the delight of his eye. No respect is due to you or to him!
O monk [dairº], you and the rest of you must leave his service and part
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company with him. Enter the presence of the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He) with the feet of your hearts, and beg Him to show
you how you can earn His good pleasure. Beg Him to employ you in His
service. Beg Him to show you the way to a treasure that can never be
exhausted, to a spring that will never run dry. Beg Him to make this
world hateful to you, and to make you love the hereafter. Then, when
He has granted you these blessings, beg Him to make the hereafter
hateful to you, and to grant you the blessings of working for His sake,
of loving Him and of shunning everything apart from Him.
You are the slave of creatures, the slave of the material means [sabab].
If you were the slave of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), all your affairs would be delegated to Him and all your needs would
be left in His charge. Why do you say things when your actions give the
lie to what you say? Surely you must have heard the words of your Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He):
O you who believe, why do you say that which you do not do? It is
most hateful in the sight of Allåh that you say that which you do not
do. (61:2,3)
Your angels must be astonished at your impudence. They must be
amazed at the extent to which you lie about your actual condition.
They must be shocked at the insincerity in your affirmation of Divine
Unity [taw¥ºd]. All you ever talk about is the rise and fall of the cost of
living, the lifestyles of the rulers and the rich, what so and so likes to eat,
what so and so is wearing, how so and so got married, how so and so
struck it rich and how so and so lost his fortune. All this stuff is crazy
delusion, an abomination and a torment. You must repent, give up your
sins and resort to your Lord and to no one but Him. You must remember
Him and forget about all others.
Steady adherence to what I say is a sign of faith [ºmån], while running
away from it is a sign of hypocrisy [nifåq]. O you who try to discredit me,
come over here so that we can rub my condition and yours on the
touchstone of the sacred law [shar‹]! Then, if the true condition of one
of us turns out to be merely brass and silver, it will be right and proper
for him to be discredited and to go off and die in exile. In the Name of
Allåh (Exalted is He), come forward and let yourself be seen. Do not
play hide and seek like those effeminate types [makhånºth]. That is no
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If you are dutiful toward your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He),
you will receive happiness from Him whatever your circumstances may
be. Surely you must have heard Him say:
Whoever is dutiful toward Allåh, He prepares a way out for him, and
provides for him from sources he could never imagine. (65:2,3)
This verse [åya] of the Qur›ån has locked the door of reliance on
material means [asbåb]; it has locked the door of rich men and kings,
and it has opened the door of absolute trust in the Lord [tawakkul].
If someone is dutifully devoted to Him, He will reward that servant by
granting him a relief and a way out of the difficulties that people usually
have to suffer. What am I to do with you? How many times do I have
to tell you? [In the words of the poet:]
You might make yourself heard if you called to a living soul,
but there is no life at all in the one to whom you are calling.
Your heart is devoid of Islåm, of faith [ºmån] and of conviction [ºqån].
You have no real experience [ma‹rifa] and no knowledge [‹ilm], so
you are nothing but fantasy, and talking with you is a waste of time.
O hypocrites, you are content to use your tongues for talking about
absolute trust [in the Creator], while your hearts are making idols of
creatures [mushrika bi’l-khalq]. My heart is full of fury toward you, out
of zeal for the sake of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He). You had
better hold your tongues and stop trying to compete, or else I may burn
down your houses on top of you!
O You who keep the salt waters separate from the fresh, keep us
separate from causing You displeasure and from protesting to You about
Your decrees [aqdår]. Let Your mercy form an isthmus [barzakh] to keep
us separate from sinful disobedience toward You! Ámºn.
O young man! If you are dutifully devoted to your Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He), remembering Him, affirming His Oneness
[muwa¥¥id] and looking to Him for guidance before you suffer misfor-
tune, then, when misfortune does befall you, He will say to it:
O fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham. (21:69)
O Allåh, treat us like this, even if we do not deserve it! Treat us with
Your generous kindness. Do not demand of us all that we owe. Do not
put us out of Your sight and do not set Yourself against us. Ámºn.
452
In the case of one who has real experience [‹årif], polite behavior
[adab] is as much an obligatory duty [farºæa] as is repentance in the case
of the servant in trouble. How can he fail to be highly refined, when
he is the nearest of all creatures to the Creator? If someone behaved
with ignorant discourtesy in the society of kings, his rudeness might
well result in his being put to death. Anyone who lacks good manners
is despised by Creator and creatures alike. Any occasion on which good
manners are lacking is an abomination. It is absolutely essential to be
well behaved in the company of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).
You must cultivate good behavior. Devote your attention to your life
in the hereafter. Turn your interest away from your life in this world,
not toward it like the unbelievers [kuffår], who find it so interesting and
attractive because they know so little about it.
The servant must repent and give up his sins of disobedience, his
errors and his mistakes. He must devote himself to fasting [ƒawm] during
the day and to prayer [ƒalåt] during the night. He must eat from what
he earns, but only that which is obtained by means that are permissible
[¥alål] according to the sacred law [shar‹]. Then, to make further progress,
he must become one who practices cautious restraint [mutawarri‹], so he
will reduce his profit-making activity for fear of becoming involved in
things that are unlawful [¥aråm]. Then, as he continues to progress, he
will become intensely scrupulous [munazzah]. Then he will advance to
the point where he becomes a pious abstainer [zåhid]. Then he will
advance even further, to become one who knows from real experience
[‹årif], one whose heart is so needy for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He) that it will sit in His company and engage in conversation with
Him. His heart is empty of creatures, able to do without them but sorely
in need of Him. It sits in His company together with the spirits [arwå¥]
of His Prophets [anbiyå›] and His chosen friends [aƒfiyå›], becoming
intimately friendly with Him and near to Him. But this is beyond you—
and how far beyond you!
Woe unto you! You have no real knowledge of the spiritual states
[a¥wål], so why do you talk about them? You have no real knowledge
of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), so why do you
invite other people to come to Him? You are really familiar only with
this rich man and this worldly ruler [sul£ån]; you have experienced
neither a Messenger [ras«l] nor One who sends forth Messengers
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I see you playing with the Book of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He), the Sunna of Allåh’s Messenger (Allåh bless him and give him
peace) and the words of the righteous [ƒåli¥«n]. You are playing with all
this because of your ignorance. If only you would follow the Book and
the Sunna, you would see something marvelous.
[The people of the Lord] never ceased to bear patiently with Him as
long as His wishes were being fulfilled, until He eventually granted
them what they had been wishing for. To suffer poverty and misfortune
with a lack of patience is sheer torment, but when patience is present
it is a gracious favor [karåma]. Even while the believer is being put to
the test, he rejoices in the nearness of his Lord (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and in his intimate conversation [munåjåt] with Him, and he feels
no desire to get away from his situation.
The market of my words is so sluggish because it does not cater to
people’s lower selves [nuf«s] and their passions [ahwiya]. This is the end
of the age. The market of hypocrisy [s«q an-nifåq] is set up in business,
while I am trying hard to re-establish the religion [dºn] as it was practiced
by our Prophet (may Allåh the Exalted bless him and give him peace)
and by the Companions [aƒ-ƒa¥åba] and those who followed them in his
footsteps [at-tåbi‹«n]. This is the end of the age. As things are now, the
object of worship [ma‹b«d] for most of you has come to be the dºnår [gold
coin] and the dirham [silver coin]. You have come to be like the people
of Moses (peace be upon him):
[Worship of] the calf was made to sink into their hearts. (2:93)
The calf of this era is the dºnår and the dirham.
Woe unto you! How is it that you go seeking prestige [jåh] and wealth
from this king, and why do you rely so much on him in matters of
importance to you, when he will very soon be either deposed or dead?
His wealth, his kingship and his prestige will all disappear and he will
be carried to his tomb, to the grave that is the home of darkness,
desolation, loneliness, sorrow and sadness—and of the worms. He will
pass from dominion [mulk] to destruction [hulk], unless he has to his
credit some righteous deed [‹amal ƒåli¥] and righteous intention [niyya
ƒåli¥a] for the benefit of his fellow creatures, in which case Allåh will
enfold him in His mercy [ra¥ma] and make his reckoning light. You
must not place your trust in someone who may be deposed or die, for if
you do so your hopes will be dashed and your support will be lost.
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As for the believer [mu›min], his aspiration [himma] rises above the
earth, beyond this world and its sons, and even beyond the hereafter
and its sons. He has learned that his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is
He) loves those who set their aspirations high, so his own aspiration
soars until it finally reaches Him and alights in His presence, where it
falls in prostration. Then He does not allow it to rise from prostration
[suj«d] until the believer makes an appeal with the heart and the
innermost being [sirr], whereupon He grants them deputyship [niyåba],
leadership [riyåsa], commanding authority [imåra] and control over His
creatures. From then on, he lives in this world as a chief, and as a chief
in the hereafter, in this world as a king, and as a king in the hereafter.
O my people! Give thanks to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious
is He) for His blessings, and do not attribute them to anyone other than
Him. Surely you must have heard Him say:
And whatever blessing you enjoy, it is from Allåh. (16:53)
You must seek out the poor and give them presents. You must also try
hard to ensure that you are not taken in by the cunning trick of some
dishonest, sneaky hypocrite, posing as a beggar when he is actually rich,
imitating the poor in his public behavior, his pretended weeping and his
abject humility. If one of this sort should ask you for something, you
must pause for a moment and seek a ruling from your heart. Perhaps he
is in fact a rich man pretending to be poor. See what suggests itself to
you. Consult your own opinion, even if the legal experts offer you their
opinions [istafti nafsaka wa-in aftåka’l-muft«n].
The believer [mu›min] is well aware of his fellow creatures. He has
ways of reading their signs. His heart is very perceptive [¥assås]. He can
see by the light of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), which He has
lodged within his heart.
Woe unto you! You are too lazy, so it is certain that nothing will fall
into your hand. Your neighbors, your brothers and your close relatives
all went off on their travels. They went exploring and digging and they
discovered buried treasures. They made a profit of ten or twenty on the
dirham and returned successful, while you were just sitting at home.
This trifling amount you have in hand will soon be gone, and after that
you will be begging from other people.
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Woe unto you! You must make serious efforts on the way of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and not just rely on His destiny
[qadar]. You have surely heard Him say:
As for those who strive in Our cause, We shall guide them to Our paths.
(29:69)
You must make a start, then others will come along to complete the
work you have begun. Everything is in the hand of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), so do not go seeking anything from anyone but
Him. Surely you must have heard Him say:
And naught there is, but with Us are the stores thereof, and We send
it down only in a known measure. (15:21)
This verse [åya] of the Qur›ån leaves one with nothing more to say.
O you who go chasing after the dºnår and the dirham, each of them is
a thing, and they are both in the hand of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He), so do not expect to get them from creatures. Do not try to get
them with the tongue of your idolatrous worship [shirk] of creatures and
your reliance on material means [asbåb].
O Allåh! O Creator of all creatures [yå Khåliqa’l-khalq] ! O Originator
of all material means [yå Musabbiba’l-asbåb]! Deliver us from the snare
of associating [shirk] Your creatures and Your material means with You,
and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us
against the torment of the fire! (2:201)
457
You have been content to serve your own lower selves [nuf«s] and to
follow your own whims [ahwå›] and natural tendencies [£ibå‹]. I have a
better moral character than any of you, and I am more impertinent than
any of you when the interests of the religion [dºn] of Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) are at stake. You must not take instruction from
those who indulge their lower selves, groveling for the favor of worldly
kings and waiting on them patiently like insignificant specks of dust.
They neither tell people to obey His commandments nor order them to
observe His prohibitions. If they ever do so, they do it hypocritically
and artificially. May Allåh cleanse the earth of them and of every
hypocrite there is, unless He relents toward them and guides them to
His door!
I feel jealous rage whenever I hear someone saying “Allåh, Allåh,”
while he can see anything other than Him. O you who practice
remembrance [yå dhåkir], remember Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is
He) while you are in His presence! Do not chant His name with your
tongue, while your heart is otherwise engaged. Whether a person is
hostile toward me or feels affection for me, it makes no difference as far
as I am concerned. I no longer have any friend or any foe on the face
of the earth. This is in the context of genuinely affirming the Divine
Unity [taw¥ºd] and regarding creatures as essentially powerless. As for
anyone who is dutifully devoted to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious
is He), of course he is my friend, just as anyone who disobeys Him is my
enemy; the former is the friend of my faith [ƒadºq ºmånº], while the latter
is its enemy.
O Allåh, make this a reality for me, make it demonstrably true,
confirm me in it and make it a gift, not a loan!
This not something that comes about merely through pretentious
claims, ascetic behavior and wishful thinking, through dropping names
and titles and wagging one’s tongue. It can only come about through
honesty [ƒidq] and sincerity [ikhlåƒ], through giving up pretense [riyå›]
and opposing the lower self [nafs], the passions [hawå] and the devil
[shai£ån]. Be sensible! As far as I can see, you have neither hearts nor
any real knowledge [ma‹rifa] of the heart. Your lower selves [nuf«s] are
undisciplined and uneducated; they are full of pride and haughty
arrogance.
458
On the path of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) there
is no ‘I’ or ‘mine’ or ‘belonging with me’ [lå anå wa-lº wa-ma‹º]. The
whole of this path is annihilation [ma¥w] and extinction [fanå›] [of the
self]. At the outset, while faith [ºmån] is still weak, it is lå ilåha illa’llåh
[“There is none worthy of worship except the One Almighty God”], but
at the end, when faith is strong, it is lå ilåha illå Anta [“There is none
worthy of worship except You”], because He is now being addressed
directly, face to face in His own presence.
Anyone who looks to creatures to supply his needs is blind to the door
of the Creator. He has neither served Him nor sought to befriend Him.
If only he had served Him during his youth, He would have enriched
him in his adult life. He gives even to those who fail to serve Him, so
how could He not give to those who do serve Him? As the believer
grows older, his faith [ºmån] grows stronger and he becomes independent
of creatures because of his nearness to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). He becomes independent of them even if he never had
the tiniest thing, neither a morsel nor a rag to call his own.
Sit up and take notice of what I have to say! Do not shrug it off your
shoulders. I am really very real indeed [innº a¥aqqu ¥aqqan fº ¥aqq]. I am
speaking from experience [‹an tajriba]. I can see that most of you are out
of touch with reality. You lay claim to Islåm, yet you have no idea of
its real nature [¥aqºqa]. Woe unto you! The name of Islåm sits upon you,
and that is all there is to it. It does you no good. You practice its
requirements outwardly [œåhiran], not inwardly [bå£inan]. Your practice
does not amount to anything.
The Night of Power [lailatu’l-qadr] has a distinctive sign that can be
recognized by the righteous [ƒåli¥«n] among the servants of Allåh
(Almighty and Glorious is He). For some of them the veil is lifted from
their eyes, so they can see the light of the banners that are held in the
hands of the angels, the light of their faces, the light of the gates of the
heavens and the light of the countenance of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), because on that night He manifests
Himself [yatajallå] to the people of the earth.
When the servant really knows [‹arafa] the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), He draws his heart completely near,
gives him all He has to give, accords him every mark of intimate
459
friendship [uns], and confers upon him every honor. Then, when he has
come to take all this for granted, He takes it away from him, reduces him
to empty-handed poverty, sends him back to his ordinary self and sets
up a screen between Himself and his servant. He is testing him to see
how he will act, whether he will run away or stand firm. Then, if he
stands firm, He removes the obstacles from him and restores him to the
situation he had once enjoyed.
Al-Junaid (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) never tired of
saying: “What do I care about me? The slave and all he possesses belong
to his Master [Mawlå].” He had surrendered [sallama] his own self [nafs]
to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Having given up his
freedom to choose and compete, he was content to be governed by his
Lord’s destiny [qadar] for him. His heart was righteous and his lower self
had been tamed, so he put into practice the words of his Lord:
My Protecting Friend is Allåh, who has revealed the Book, and He
befriends the righteous. (7:196)
Al-Fuæail ibn ‹Iyåæ (may the mercy of Allåh be upon him) would say
to Sufyån ath-Thawrº whenever he met him: “Come, let us weep over
the foreknowledge [‹ilm] that Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) has
about us!” What an excellent saying this is. These are the words of one
who has real experience [‹årif] of Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He),
one who has knowledge [‹ålim] of Him and His ways of operating
[taƒårºf]. What is the foreknowledge of Allåh to which he referred? The
reference is to His words:
These are bound for the Garden [of Paradise] and I do not care, and
these are bound for the Fire [of Hell] and I do not care.
Having mingled the whole of this together as a single statement, he
was left wondering which of the two parties he might belong to. The
people [of the Lord] are not dazzled by the appearance of their deeds,
because deeds are valued according to the seals that are ultimately fixed
upon them.
Worldly kings have come to be gods [åliha] for many people. This
world, riches, good health, power and abilities have all become gods.
Woe unto you! You have mistaken the branch for a root, the recipient
of nourishment for a provider, the possession for an owner, the poor
beggar for someone who is rich, the weakling for someone who is strong,
460
the corpse for a living being. You are quite unworthy of respect, and we
shall neither follow you nor accept your doctrine [madhhab]. Far from
it! We shall keep well away from you, on the hill of safety [salåma], on
the hill of the Sunna and the renunciation of heretical innovations
[bida‹], on the hill of the affirmation of Divine Unity [taw¥ºd], of
sincerity [ikhlåƒ], of the renunciation of pretense and hypocrisy, of
regarding creatures as essentially powerless, weak and subject to coer-
cion. When you glorify the tyrants [jabåbira] of this world, its Pharaohs,
its kings and its men of wealth, and when you forget Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He) and do not glorify Him, then the verdict [¥ukm] on
you will be the verdict that applies to those who worship idols [aƒnåm].
You cause what you glorify to become your idol.
Woe unto you! You must worship the Creator of the idols, then the
idols will appear contemptible to you. Draw near to Allåh (Almighty
and Glorious is He), then creatures will draw near to you. In proportion
to your reverence for Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He), His
creatures will revere you. In proportion to your love for Him, His
creatures will love you. In proportion to your fear of Him, His creatures
will be afraid of you. In proportion to your respect for His command-
ments and His prohibitions, His creatures will treat you with respect. In
proportion to your proximity to Him, His creatures will move close to
you. In proportion to your service to Him, His creatures will serve you.
Remembering death is a remedy for the diseases of the lower selves
[nuf«s] and it is a trainer’s staff [miqma‹a] over their heads. I have spent
many years practicing the frequent remembrance of death, by night and
by day. I have prospered through my remembrance of it, and I have
brought my lower self [nafs] under control through practicing that
remembrance. There have been certain nights when I would remember
death and would weep from the beginning of the night right through to
the early morning [sa¥ar]. During one such a night I was weeping as I
said: “My God [ilåhº], I beg You not to let the Angel of Death [malak
al-mawt] take my spirit [r«¥] away, but to deal with its removal Yourself.”
Then, although my eyes were closed, I saw an old man with handsome
features. As he came in through the door, I said to him, “Who are you?”
and he replied, “I am the Angel of Death.” So I said to him, “But I have
asked Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) to take charge of the
removal of my spirit Himself, instead of letting you remove it.” Then
461
he said, “Why did you ask Him for that? What sin am I guilty of? I am
just a servant under orders. I am commanded to go gently with some folk
and to handle some folk roughly.” He gave me a hug and wept, and I
wept with him. Then I woke up and found myself shedding tears.
A¥mad ibn ªanbal (may the mercy of Allåh the Exalted be upon
him) used to say: “Dear to me are hearts that have been scorched by the
love of this world, and yet their breasts have compiled more of the
Qur݌n than righteous brethren who stand and bow and prostrate
themselves [in prayer], and who command what is right and fair [ma‹r«f]
and forbid what is wrong and unfair. [They are dear to me because] these
are the ones whose pious caution [wara‹] has restrained their hands from
worldly acquisition, and whose aspiration [himma] has been the quest
for their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Spend your money on
them, for they will have an empire [dawla] tomorrow in the presence of
Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He).”
S omeone asked him: “Which is more intense, the fire of fear or the
fire of yearning [shawq]?”
To this he replied:
“The fire of fear in the case of the seeker [murºd], and the fire of
yearning in the case of the sought [muråd]. The former is one thing, and
the latter is something else. Which of the two fires do you experience,
O questioner?”
462
S omeone who is sincere [Čdiq] in his practice will take his leave of
the Shaikhs and pass on beyond them. He will signal to them:
“Stay there where you are, while I move on to the place you have shown
me how to reach.” The Shaikhs are a doorway. Can it be a good thing
to stay put at the door and never enter the house?
And Allåh coins parables for mankind. (14:25)
Have faith in Allåh and His Messenger. Believe the words of Allåh
and what His Messenger has conveyed. The foundation of attainment
[wuƒ«l] to Allåh (Almighty and Glorious is He) is faith [ºmån]. The
foundation of all goodness is faith. Sincerity [ikhlåƒ] is the foundation
of Prophethood [nubuwwa] and Prophethood is the foundation of
Messengership [risåla]. It [sincerity] is also the foundation of the degrees
of Walº, Badal, Ghawth and Qu£b [wa-huwa asås al-wilåya wa’l-badaliyya
wa’l-ghawthiyya wa’l-qu£biyya].
463
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south of the Caspian Sea, in A.H. 470/1077-8 C.E. (In some texts, the
Persian spelling Gºlånº is used instead of the arabicized form al-Jºlånº.
The abbreviated form al-Jºlº, which may also be encountered, should
not be confused with the surname of the venerable ‹Abd al-Kar‚m
al-Jºlº, author of the celebrated work al-Insån al-Kåmil, who came from
Jºl in the district of Baghdåd.)
Let us now consider a slightly longer version of the Shaikh’s name, as
it occurs near the beginning of Al-Fat¥ ar-Rabbånº [The Sublime Revelation]:
Sayyidunå ’sh-Shaikh Mu¥yi’d-Dºn Ab« Mu¥ammad ‹Abd al-Qådir
(Raæiya’llåhu ‹anh).
Sayyidunå ’sh-Shaikh: “Our Master, the Shaikh.” A writer who
regards himself as a Qådirº, a devoted follower of Shaikh ‹Abd al-Qådir,
will generally refer to the latter as Sayyidunå [our Master], or Sayyidº
[my Master].
Mu¥yi’d-Dºn: “Reviver of the Religion.” It is widely acknowledged by
historians, non-Muslim as well as Muslim, that Shaikh ‹Abd al-Qådir
displayed great courage in reaffirming the traditional teachings of
Islåm, in an era when sectarianism was rife, and when materialistic and
rationalistic tendencies were predominant in all sections of society.
In matters of Islamic jurisprudence [fiqh] and theology [kalåm], he
adhered quite strictly to the highly “orthodox” school of Imåm A¥mad
ibn ªanbal.
Ab« Mu¥ammad: “Father of Mu¥ammad.” In the Arabic system of
nomenclature, a man’s surnames usually include the name of his first-
born son, with the prefix Ab« [Father of—].
Raæiya’llåhu ‹anh: “May Allåh be well pleased with him!” This
benediction is the one customarily pronounced—and spelled out in
writing—after mentioning the name of a Companion of the Prophet
(Allåh bless him and give him peace). The preference for this particular
invocation is yet another mark of the extraordinary status held by
Shaikh ‹Abd al-Qådir in the eyes of his devoted followers.
Finally, we must note some important elements contained within this
even longer version: al-Ghawth al-A‹œam Sul£ån al-Awliyå› Sayyidunå
’sh-Shaikh Mu¥yi’d-Dºn ‹Abd al-Qådir al-Jºlånº al-ªasanº al-ªusainº
(Raæiya’llåhu ‹anh).
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He was over fifty years old by the time he returned to Baghdåd, in A.H.
521/1127 C.E., and began to preach in public. His hearers were
profoundly affected by the style and content of his lectures, and his
reputation grew and spread through all sections of society. He moved
into the school [madrasa] belonging to his old teacher al-Mukharrimº,
but the premises eventually proved inadequate. In A.H. 528, pious
donations were applied to the construction of a residence and guest-
house [ribå£], capable of housing the Shaikh and his large family, as well
as providing accommodation for his pupils and space for those who
came from far and wide to attend his regular sessions [majålis].
He lived to a ripe old age, and continued his work until his very last
breath, as we know from the accounts of his final moments recorded in
the Addendum to Revelations of the Unseen.
In the words of Shaikh Muzaffer Ozak Efendi: “The venerable ‹Abd
al-Qådir al-Jºlånº passed on to the Realm of Divine Beauty in A.H. 561/
1166 C.E., and his blessed mausoleum in Baghdåd is still a place of pious
visitation. He is noted for his extraordinary spiritual experiences and
exploits, as well as his memorable sayings and wise teachings. It is
rightly said of him that ‘he was born in love, grew in perfection, and met
his Lord in the perfection of love.’ May the All-Glorious Lord bring us
in contact with his lofty spiritual influence!”
Muhtar Holland
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