From Our Wilayah

“Beware of the intuition of the believer. Verily, he sees with the light of Allah.” Then, the Prophet recited the verse, “Verily, in that are signs for those of discernment.” (15:75)

851) From The Hikmah Of Allah: Jesus (saws) said…actually the great Saint of Allah Shaykh Abdul Qadir al Jilani (q) said it, He (q) is one of the five major Saints of Islam, but it is all from the teachings of Jesus (q), an explanation to His words in the Bible, so Understand, this is where we began our path to sainthood with the Shaykhs words and so should you; Step out of your own self and keep your distance from it. Practice detachment from your possessiveness, and surrender everything to Allah. Become His doorman at the door of your heart, obeying His command by admitting those He instructs you to admit, and respecting His prohibition by shutting out those He instructs you to turn away, so that you do not let passion back into your heart once it has been evicted. Passion is expelled from the heart by resistance to it and refusal to follow its urges, whatever the circumstances, while compliance and acquiescence allow it to gain entry. So do not exert any will apart from His will, for anything else is your own desire, and that is the Vale of Folly, where death and destruction await you, and falling from His sight and becoming secluded from Him. Always keep His commandments, always respect His prohibitions, and always submit to what He has decreed. Do not associate Him with any part of His creation. Your will, your passions and your carnal appetites all belong to His creation, so refrain from indulging any of them lest you become a polytheist. Allah (Exalted is He) has said: Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none sharer in the worship due unto his Lord. (18:110). Polytheism [shirk] is not merely the worship of idols. It is also polytheism to yield to your own passionate desire, and to equate with your Lord anything whatsoever besides Him, be it of this world and its contents or of the Hereafter and what is contained therein. What is besides Him (Almighty and Glorious is He) is other than He, so when you rely on anything other than Him you are associating something else with Him (Almighty and Glorious is He). Therefore be wary and do not relax your guard, be fearful and do not develop a sense of security, and keep your wits about you so that you do not become careless and complacent. Do not attribute any state or station to yourself, and have no pretensions to such things. If you are granted a special state, or elevated to some station, do not become identified with that in any way at all, for Allah is every day about some business, effecting change and transformation. He may intervene between a man and his heart, thereby separating you from what you had professed to be your own, and making you different from what you had imagined to be your fixed and permanent condition. You will then be embarrassed in the presence of those to whom you made such claims, so you had better keep these things to yourself and not convey them to others. If something does prove stable and lasting, acknowledge it as a gift, pray for the grace to be thankful, and keep it out of sight. But even if it turns out otherwise, it will still bring progress in knowledge and understanding, enlightenment, alertness and discipline. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said: Such of Our revelations as We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We replace with one better or as good. Do you not know that Allah has power over all things? (2:106). So do not underestimate the extent of Allah’s power, have no misgivings about His planning and His management, and never doubt His promise. Take as your model the fine example set by Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). He experienced the abrogation of verses and chapters revealed to him, adopted in practice, recited in the niches [of the mosques], and written down in books; as they were withdrawn and changed and replaced by others, the blessed Prophet was moved to accept the new revelations. This applies to the external dispensation of the law. As for the inner aspect, the knowledge and spiritual state experienced in his own relationship with Allah, he used to say: “My heart gets coated with rust, so I beg Allah’s forgiveness seventy times each day” (“a hundred times,” according to another report). The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would be moved from one state of being to another, and made to traverse the stations of divine proximity and the spheres of the unseen. The robes of light conferred upon him were changed as he progressed, so that each new stage would make the previous one seem dark, marred by shortcomings and inadequate observance of the guidelines. Thus he was trained to practice praying for forgiveness, because that is the best state for a servant, and constant repentance, because this involves acknowledgment of sin and shortcoming–properties of human nature inherited from Adam (peace be upon him), the father of mankind. When the purity of Adam’s spiritual state was stained by forgetfulness of the promise and covenant, he wished to dwell forever in the abode of peace, in the vicinity of the All-Merciful and Beneficent Friend, visited by the noble angels with greeting and salutation, but his self-will had come to be associated with the will of the Truth. That will of his was therefore broken, that state disappeared, that intimacy became remote, that station was degraded, those lights were dimmed, and that purity was spoiled. Then this chosen one of the All-Merciful recovered his awareness and was reminded. After being instructed in the acknowledgment of sin and forgetfulness, and trained in confession, he said: “Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us, and have mercy on us, we shall surely be among the lost!” (7:23). Then came to him the light of guidance, the knowledge and inner understanding of repentance and its hidden benefits, but for which something formerly mysterious would not have become manifest. That old will was replaced by a different one, and the original state by another. He received the supreme consecration, and repose in this world and then in the hereafter, for this world became a home for him and his offspring, and the hereafter their refuge and eternal resting place. In Allah’s Messenger and favorite friend, therefore, as in his father Adam, the Chosen of Allah, ancestor of all dear and loving friends, you have an example to follow in confessing faults and praying for forgiveness under all circumstances  (from Futuhat al Ghayb, the path of opening the Unseen to the self).

852) From The Hikmah Of Jesus (q); Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani (q) said; There is Allah, and there is your own self [nafsuka], and you must address the situation. The self is the opponent and enemy of Allah. All things are subordinate to Allah, and the self really belongs to Him as a creature and a possession, but the self entertains presumptions and aspirations bound up with carnal appetite and sensual desire. So if you ally yourself with the divine Truth in opposition and hostility toward the self, you will be for Allah’s sake an adversary to your own self. As Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) said to David (peace be upon him): “O David, I am your indispensable support, so hold fast to your support. True servitude means being an adversary to your own self.” It is then that your friendship and servitude to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) will be confirmed in reality. All that is allotted to you will then come to you for your enjoyment and pleasure. You will be held in honor and esteem, and all things will be ready to serve you with dignity and respect, for they are all subordinate to their Lord and in conformity with Him, since He is their Creator and Originator and they acknowledge their servitude to Him. Allah (Exalted is He) has said: There is not a thing that does not celebrate His praise, and yet you do not understand their celebration. (17:44) [Then He turned to the heaven when it was smoke] and said to it and to the earth: “Come both of you, willingly or unwillingly.” They said: “We come, obedient.” (41:11) Thus servitude-all servitude-consists in opposing your own self. Allah (Exalted is He) says: Follow not desire, lest it lead you astray from Allah’s path. (38:26) To David (on him be peace) He said: Renounce your passionate desire, for it is vexatious. There is also the well-known story of Abu Yazid al-Bistamii (may Allah have mercy upon him). When he saw the Almighty Lord in a dream, he asked Him: “How can I find the way to You?” The Lord said: “Abandon your self and come here!” In response, the Saint tells us: “I shed my self as a snake sloughs off its skin.” Thus all good lies in waging total war against the self under all circumstances. If you are in a state of true devotion, therefore, you must oppose the self by not getting involved with people, whether their behavior be unlawful, merely dubious or even well-intentioned, not depending or relying on them, neither fearing them nor pinning any hopes on them, and not coveting any worldly advantages they may enjoy. Do not solicit gifts from them in the form of presents, of alms or charity, or of votive offerings. Get rid of all interest in them and in material concerns to the point where, if you had a wealthy relative, you would not want him to die so that you could inherit his wealth. Separate yourself from creatures in all earnestness. Regard them as a door that swings open and shut, or as a tree that sometimes bears fruit and at other times is barren, all in accordance with the action of a Doer and the management of a Planner, namely Allah (Glorious and Exalted is He), so that you may be one who affirms the Unity of the Lord. At the same time, however, we must not forget the proper role of human endeavor, to avoid subscribing to the fatalistic doctrine of the Jabariyya. Believe that no human action is accomplished without Allah. Do not worship His creatures and forget Allah, and do not maintain that our actions are independent of Allah, for that will make you an unbeliever, a subscriber to the [extreme free-will doctrine of the] Qadariyya.* You should rather assert that our actions belong to Allah in point of creation, and to His servants in point of ‘acquisition’ [kasb], this being the traditional Islamic statement on the subject of requital by reward or punishment. Obey Allah’s command in dealing with your fellow creatures. Keep from them what is your allotted share by His command, but do not go beyond this limit. Allah’s verdict in this matter will be imposed on you and on them, so do not be the judge yourself. Your being with them is a decree of destiny, and destiny is shrouded in darkness, so expose that darkness to the Lamp, meaning the Book of Allah and the exemplary practice [Sunna] of His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). Do not step outside these two. If some idea occurs to you, or if you receive an inspiration, check it against the Book and Sunna. By this criterion, you may find that your idea or inspired notion is declared unlawful. Suppose, for instance, you have received an indication to commit fornication, to practice usury, to consort with dissolute and immoral characters, or to behave in some other sinful manner. This you must repudiate, renounce, refuse to accept and refrain from acting out. Be convinced that it is from Satan the accursed. Perhaps what you find there will be a license, such as that granted to normal appetites for food, drink, clothing or matrimony. This you should also refuse and decline to accept, recognizing that the suggestion stems from the lower self and its animal cravings, which you are under orders to oppose and combat. It may also happen that you find nothing in Book and Sunna to show that what has occurred to you is under either prohibition or license. Maybe it is something you are at a loss to understand, like an urge prompting you to go to such-and-such a place to meet a certain good man, although you have nothing to gain there or from the good person concerned, since your needs are already taken care of through the knowledge and wisdom Allah has graciously bestowed on you. In a case like this, you should pause and not react immediately. Instead of saying, “This is an inspiration from the Truth [al-Haqq] (Glorious and Exalted is He) so I shall act upon it,” prefer to wait for the full potential benefit. The divine Truth works in such a way that the inspiration [ilham] will be clarified through repetition, and you will be told what steps to take. To people with knowledge [‘ilm] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), a sign will be revealed, intelligible only to saints of mature understanding and confirmed Abdal. The reason for not being in great haste to act is that you do not know the consequences and the ultimate purpose of the affair, nor the snares and pitfalls it contains, with cunning tests devised by Allah. So be patient until He is the one at work within you. When the action is absolutely stripped of self, and you are borne toward that destination, you will be carried safely through any trial that may still confront you, because Allah (Exalted is He) will not chastise you for His own doing; no penalty can apply to you unless you get personally involved. If you are in the state of reality [Haqiqa], which is the state of sainthood [wilaya], you must oppose your passions and obey the commandments in their entirety. Obedience to the commandments is of two kinds: One kind means taking just enough from this world to supply your genuine personal needs, forsaking extravagant indulgence, performing your religious duties, and making efforts to get rid of your sins, both outwardly and inwardly. The second kind is obedience to an inner command, one by which the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) orders or forbids His servant to do something. Such commands apply only in the sphere of ‘neutral’ matters, which are not covered by any positive injunction in Islamic law, in the sense that they belong neither to the category of prohibited things, nor to the category of things that are obligatory; since they are legally indifferent, the servant being at liberty to handle them according to his own discretion, they are called mubah [neutral/indifferent/permissible]. Rather than taking any initiative in this area, the servant should wait to receive instructions, then obey the order when it comes. He will thus be with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) in all his doings, whether in movement or at rest, through his respect for the rules of sacred law where they apply, and that inner commandment in other cases. At this stage he genuinely belongs among the People of Reality [ahl al-Haqiqa]. In the absence even of this inner commandment, there is nothing for it but spontaneous action in a state of surrender. If you are in touch with the truth of truth, this is the state of obliteration [mahw] and annihilation [fana’], the state of the Abdal who are broken-hearted on account of Him, the state of pure monotheists, men of enlightened wisdom, endowed with knowledge and power of understanding, the commanders-in-chief, the wardens and guardians of mankind, the vicegerents of the All-Merciful, and His intimates and helpers and friends, peace be upon them. To obey the commandment in such matters means going against your own self, emptied of any power or strength, utterly devoid of all will and ambition for anything of this world or the hereafter. You come to be the servant of the King, not of the Kingdom, of His commandment and not of whim and passion. You come to resemble a babe at his nurse’s breast, a corpse receiving its ritual wash, a patient lying sprawled for treatment by the doctor, in all that is not subject to the injunctions and prohibitions [specified by the sacred law]. Only Allah is All-Knowing! (from Futuhat al Ghayb, the path of opening the Unseen to the self).

853) From The Hikmah of Jesus (q): Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani (q) said; When you attain the contact with Allah and get close to Him through His attraction and His helpful guidance–what is meant by attaining the contact with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) is that you make your exit from the sphere of creation, from passion and will and desire, and become securely linked to His action, so that no movement of yours affects either you or His creation unless by His decree, at His command and through His action this is the state of annihilation [fana’], which is another term for that contact. But attaining to the contact with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) is not like what we ordinarily understand by making contact with one of His creatures. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. (42:11) The Creator is far above comparison with His creatures or analogy with His artifacts. When someone attains to the contact with Him (Almighty and Glorious is He), that person becomes known, through His introduction, to others who have already experienced the contact. In each case the experience is unique and peculiar to the individual concerned. With each of His Messengers, Prophets and Saints, Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) shares a secret to which no one else is privy. It may even be that a pupil holds a secret with which his Shaikh is not acquainted, just as the Shaikh may hold a secret unknown to a pupil whose progress has brought him to the very threshold of his Shaikh’s spiritual state. When the pupil does reach the spiritual state of his Shaikh, he is separated from the Shaikh and his connection with him is severed. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) becomes his guardian, and weans him from creatures altogether. The Shaikh is therefore like a wet nurse. Just as the foster-mother’s suckling does not continue beyond two years, dependence on creatures does not outlast the cessation of passion and self-will. The Shaikh is needed as long as passion and self-will are still there to be broken, but not after these have been eradicated, leaving no stain or blemish. When you have attained to the contact with the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) in the way we have explained, you must always feel safe from whatever is besides Him, for you will not see anything other than Him as having any existence at all. Whether in loss or in profit, in giving or withholding, in fear or in hope, you will see only Him (Almighty and Glorious is He), who is worthy of pious devotion and deserves to be begged for forgiveness. You must therefore be ever alert to His action, ready for His command, employed in His obedient service, aloof from all worldly or otherworldly beings of His creation. Do not attach your heart to any kind of creature. Regard the entire created universe as a man who has been clapped in irons by a ruler of vast authority and stern command, of terrifying might and power. He has had the man shackled by the neck and legs, then crucified him on a cedar tree on the bank of a very turbulent river, of great width and depth and with a rapid current. Now the ruler is seated on his colossal throne, which towers high beyond reach. Stacked by his side are piles of darts, spears, bows and arrows and all sorts of weapons, in quantities that only he could estimate. He starts pelting the crucified victim with anything he fancies from that arsenal … Well, let me ask you: Would it make good sense for a person witnessing all this to stop paying attention to the ruler as the focus of his fears and hopes, and to direct his attention, with all his fears and hopes, toward the crucified victim instead? Surely the sensible verdict on someone who acted like that would be to call him mentally deficient, idiotic, crazy, more animal than human? We seek refuge with Allah from blindness after sight, from separation after contact, from alienation after closeness and proximity, from error after guidance, and from unbelief after true faith. This world is like the great swift-flowing river referred to above. Each day it carries more water, symbolic of the carnal appetites of mankind, their indulgence of those appetites, and the disasters that befall them in consequence. As for the arrows and assorted weapons, these represent the trials that destiny brings their way. For the most part, what human beings experience in this world is a series of misfortunes and woes, sufferings and adversities. Any comforts and pleasures they happen to find there are subject to pernicious contaminants. The lesson drawn from this by any intelligent observer must be that he has no real life or relaxation except in the hereafter–provided he is a believer [mu’min], for this applies exclusively to believers. As the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “There is no life except the life of the hereafter.” He also said: “There is no comfort for the believer this side of meeting his Lord.” This has relevance for believers, like another saying of his (Allah bless him and give him peace): “This world is the believer’s prison and the unbeliever’s paradise.” He also said: “The virtuous man is bridled.” In the light of all these traditions and our own direct experience, how can a case be made in favor of life in this world? The only true comfort lies in exclusive contact with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), in being in harmony with Him, and in casting oneself down in absolute surrender before Him. This is how the servant can find freedom from this world, to bask thenceforth in compassion and mercy, kindness and charity and gracious favor. Only Allah is All-Knowing! (from Futuhat al Ghayb, the path of opening the Unseen to the self).

854) From The Hikmah Of Islam: Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani Said; Allah is always testing His believing servant in proportion to his faith. Thus if a person’s faith is very great and steadily increasing, his trial will be great as well. The trial of a Messenger is greater than that of a Prophet, because his faith is greater. The trial of a Prophet is greater than that of a Badal, and the trial of a Badal is greater than that of a Wali. Each is tried according to his faith and certitude, on the basis of this saying of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace): “We, the Community of Prophets, are the people most severely tried, then others according to the perfection of their faith.” Allah (Exalted is He) subjects these honorable masters to incessant testing, so they will always stay in His presence and never relax their vigilance, for He loves them. They are the people of love, who love the Lord of Truth, and the lover never likes to be far from his beloved. Affliction serves as a clamp for their hearts and a noose for their selfish natures, checking their tendency to drift away from their true goal and to place their confidence and trust in others instead of their Creator. As this becomes a permanent condition for them, their passions melt, their selves are broken, and truth is distinguished from falsehood. Then cravings, willful desires, and the appetite for pleasure and comfort in this world and the hereafter, all retract toward the sphere of the self, while toward the sphere of the heart come trust in the promise of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), cheerful acceptance of His decree, satisfaction with His gifts, patient endurance of His trials, and the feeling of safety from the evil of His creatures. Thus the power of the heart is strengthened, and it acquires control over all the limbs and organs of the body. Tribulation fortifies the heart and certitude, verifies faith and patience, and weakens the self and the passions, because whenever suffering comes, and what it meets with in the believer is patience, cheerful acceptance, and surrender to the action of the Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), the Exalted Lord is pleased with him and thanks him. Then he also receives help, additional blessings and success. Allah (Exalted is He) has said: If you are thankful, I will give you more. (14:7) When the self is moved to apply to the heart [qalb] for satisfaction of some carnal appetite or indulgence in some pleasure, and the heart agrees to this request without authorization and permission from Allah (Exalted is He), the result is disregard for the Lord of Truth, polytheism and sinful rebellion. Allah (Exalted is He) will therefore condemn them both to disappointment, trouble, subjection to other people, sickness and disease, injury and disorder. Both the heart and the self will get a share of this. If the heart will not give the self what it wants, however, until it receives permission from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) through inspiration [ilham] in the case of Saints, or explicit revelation [wahy] in the case of Envoys and Prophets (blessing and peace be upon them) and acts accordingly in giving or withholding, then Allah rewards them both with mercy and blessing, well-being and contentment, light and wisdom, nearness to Himself, affluence, security from disasters and help against enemies. This you must know and remember it well! Be ready for trouble if you rush to respond to the self and to passion! Far better to pause in such cases, and await the Lord’s consent (Glorious is His Majesty), so that you may remain safe in this world and the hereafter, if Allah (Exalted is He) so will. (from Futuhat al Ghayb, the path of opening the Unseen to the self).

855) From The Hikmah Of Jesus (q): Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani (q) said; How great is your resentment against your Lord, your suspicion of Him (Almighty and Glorious is He) and your resistance to Him. How often you attribute injustice to Him (Almighty and Glorious is He), and charge Him with delay in providing sustenance and sufficiency and in removing troubles and tribulation. Do you not know that every term has a prescribed duration, and that for every increase in trouble and woe there is an end, a termination and a conclusion, which can neither be brought forward nor deferred? [Until they have run their prescribed course, therefore] times of trials do not change and turn into conditions of well-being, the time of misfortune does not change into prosperity, and the state of poverty is not converted into affluence. Be well-behaved, practice patience, contentment and harmony with your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and repent for your resentment against Him and your suspicion of Him where His action is concerned. In the Lord’s presence there is no room for demanding payment in full and exacting retaliation where there is no offence, nor for recourse to natural instinct, as is usual in mutual relations between His servants. He (Almighty and Glorious is He) is absolutely alone from all eternity, existing before all things. He created them, and He created their benefits and disadvantages. He knows their beginning, their end and their fulfillment. He (Almighty and Glorious is He) is wise in His working and sure in His craftsmanship. There is no inconsistency in what He does. He does nothing uselessly and creates nothing as a futile game. There can be no question of criticizing or reproaching Him for His deeds. You should therefore wait for relief, if you are too weak to comply with Him and to submit to His action gladly, until the prescript of destiny expires. Then the situation will yield to its opposite with the passage of time and the consummation of the course of events, as winter runs its course and yields to summer, and as night comes to an end and yields to day. If you ask for the light of day between the first two watches of the night, it will not be given to you. Indeed, the night will get even darker, until the darkness reaches its climax, then dawn breaks and the day comes with its light, whether you ask for this and want it, or say nothing about it and even dislike it. Should you now ask for the night to be brought back, your request will go unanswered and you will not get what you want, because you have asked for something at the wrong moment and time. You will therefore be left sorry, deprived, resentful and disappointed. So give all this up and practice compliance, thinking well of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and graceful patience. For what is yours will not be snatched from you, and what is not yours will not be given to you. By my life, you pray and make supplication to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), offering humble entreaties as an act of worship and obedience in keeping with His commandment (Exalted is He): “Call upon Me and I will answer you” (40:60), and His words (Exalted is He): “Ask Allah of His bounty” (4:32), as well as other verses and traditions. You pray, and He will answer you at the appropriate moment and appointed time, when He wills, when it is to your advantage in this world and the hereafter, and when it coincides with His decree and the end of the term set by Him. Do not become suspicious of Him when He delays the response, and do not weary of making supplication to Him, for while you may not be gaining, neither are you losing. If He does not respond to you immediately, He will reward you later on. According to an authentic tradition, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “On the Day of Resurrection the servant will see in his records some good deeds which he does not recognize. He will then be told that these are compensation for requests he made in this world, but which were not destined to be fulfilled therein,” or something to that effect. Well then, the least of your spiritual states is that you should be remembering your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), affirming His Oneness, inasmuch as you address your requests to Him and not to any other than Him, and do not submit your need to anyone but Him (Exalted is He). You are in one or the other of two conditions at all times, by night and by day, in health and in sickness, in adversity and in prosperity, in hardship and in ease: 1. You refrain from asking, gladly accept the decree of destiny, reconcile yourself and go along with His action (Almighty and Glorious is He) in a relaxed fashion, like a corpse in front of the ritual washer of the dead, like a suckling babe in its nurse’s arms, or like a ball waiting for the polo-player to knock it around with his mallet. Destiny will then turn you about as it wishes. If it happens to be a blessing, thanks and praise are forthcoming from you, and from Him (Almighty and Glorious is He) comes increase in the gift. As He has said (Exalted is He): “If you are thankful, I will give you more” (14:7). If it is an adversity, however, you respond with patience and compliance, through His help, while from His side (Almighty and Glorious is He) come reassurance, support, blessing and mercy, through His favor and generosity. As He says (Almighty and Glorious is He): “Allah is with those who patiently persevere” (2:153). That is to say, through His support and reassurance, since He is supportive of His servant against his lower self, his passion and his devil. He says (Exalted is He): If you help Allah, He will help you and make your foothold firm. (47:7) When you help Allah by opposing your own self and your passion by giving up resistance to Him and resentment of His action within you, when you become an enemy and an executioner to your lower self for Allah’s sake, so that whenever it moves with its unbelief and polytheism you behead it with your patience, your compliance with your Lord and your satisfaction with His working and His promise, and your contentment with them both, then Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) will be a helper to you. As for blessing and mercy, consider His words (Almighty and Glorious is He): And give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, who say, when a misfortune strikes them: “To Allah we belong, and to Him we are returning.” Such are they on whom are blessings from their Lord, and mercy. Such are the rightly guided. (2:155-157) 2. The other condition is that in which you make supplication to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) with prayer and humble entreaty, honoring His majesty and obeying His commandment. Now things are where they truly belong, for He has urged you to put your requests to Him and to resort to Him, and has made that a comfort for you, a messenger from you to Him, a contact and means of access to Him, provided that you give up suspicion and resentment toward Him in the event of postponement of the answer to your prayer until the time appropriate. Take note of the difference between the two conditions, and do not be one of those who overstep the bounds of both, because there is no other condition besides these two. Beware of being among the wrong-doing transgressors, for He will then destroy you (Almighty and Glorious is He) without caring, as He has destroyed former peoples in times past, by intensifying His affliction in this world and by His painful torment in the hereafter. (from Futuhat al Ghayb, the path of opening the Unseen to the self).

856) From The Hikmah Of Jesus (q): Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani (q) said; The self [nafs] has two conditions and no third: The state of wellbeing and the state of tribulation. When it is undergoing tribulation, the signs are anxiety, complaining, resentment, protest and suspicion toward the Lord of Truth (Glorious and Exalted is He), and lack of patience, contentment and compliance. Indeed, there is likely to be ill-mannered behavior, the association of creatures and material objects with the Creator, and unbelief. When, on the other hand, it is in the state of well-being, the signs are greed, impetuosity, and the pursuit of carnal lusts and pleasures. As soon as it gratifies one desire, it goes after another, belittling the blessings it already possesses, such as food, drink, clothing, spouse, dwelling and means of transport. It finds faults and defects in each one of these blessings, wanting something superior and finer that is not part of its destined lot, while shunning what has been allotted to it. Thus the person gets into all kinds of trouble, and wades into many perils in a long and weary process that has no end or termination in either this world or the hereafter. As the saying goes: “Truly the harshest of punishments is the desire to have what is not one’s allotted share.” When the self is undergoing tribulation, it wishes only to see it removed, forgetting all about enjoyment, lust and pleasure, and wanting none of them. Once relieved of suffering, however, it reverts to its frivolity, greed and impetuosity, to its recalcitrant disobedience of its Lord and its dedication to sinful rebellion against Him. It forgets all the trouble and pain, all the misfortune it went through previously. Now it is afflicted with even harsher trials and tribulations, because of the major sins it has perpetrated and committed, to wean it away from these and to restrain it from sinful acts in future, since well-being and comfort had failed to reform it, and its safekeeping lay rather in tribulation and pain. If the self had behaved itself well when the affliction was removed, and had practiced obedience, gratitude and contentment with its lot, things would have been better for it in this world and the hereafter. It would have experienced increasing comfort, well-being, approval from Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), pleasure, and help toward success. Anyone who wishes for safety in this world and the hereafter must therefore cultivate patience and contentment. He must give up complaining to people, submit his needs to his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), practice obedience to Him, wait for happiness to come from Him, and be devoted exclusively to Him (Almighty and Glorious is He), since He is better than any other and than His entire creation. His deprivation is actually a gift, His punishment a blessing, His trial a remedy, His promise ready cash, His word a deed, His will a state of being. Surely His word “and His command when He intends a thing, is to say to it ‘Be,’ and it is” (36:82). All His deeds are good and wise and beneficial, although He keeps knowledge of the benefits concealed from His servants and reserves it to Himself alone. For His servants, therefore, it is most fitting and proper to be in a state of contentment and submission, to be dedicated to servanthood by fulfilling commandments, observing prohibitions, and submitting to the decree of destiny, to abandon preoccupation and combat with Lordship, which is the source of destiny’s decrees, to be silent on questions of why and how and when, and to give up suspicion of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) in all His phases of movement and repose. All of this rests on the authority of the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him and his father), from whom it is transmitted by ‘Ata’. Ibn ‘Abbas said: “I was riding behind the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) when he said to me: ‘My boy, take care of Allah and He will take care of you. Take care of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. So when you have something to ask, ask Allah, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah. The pen has already run dry from writing all that is to be, so if His servants were to strive to bring you some benefit not decreed for you by Allah, they would not be capable of it, and if His servants were to strive to cause you some injury not decreed for you by Allah, they would not be able to do it. So if you can relate to Allah with honesty and certitude [yaqin], do so; and if you cannot, there is much good in being patient with what you dislike. Know that help resides in patience, joy with sorrow, and “with hardship comes ease” (94:5).’ ” It behooves every believer to make this hadith a mirror for his heart, to wear it as his undergarment and his outer garb, to treat it as his own hadith, on which he should act in all conditions, be he in motion or at rest, so that he may be safe in this world and the hereafter, and receive honor in both domains through the mercy of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). (from Futuhat al Ghayb, the path of opening the Unseen to the self).

857) From Our Hikmah: If you exist Allah doesn’t, when Allah exists you exist above all. وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ

858) From Our Wilayah: Far too many criminals think strength is what they do to people, the only real strength is the inner strength you display when your self is being killed from the inside out and there is nothing left of it, yet you look at what is responsible and see they are incapable of reaching what they want. If you have no inner strength to resist evil you have no strength, because the strength of criminals comes from their devils not themselves, the strength of Saints comes from them because God is not in the business of possessing people. So what is real and what is illusion? The Saints died long before they where ever killed, open the works of Sh. Abdul Qadir al Jilani and read them, they will kill you long before the Angels of death reach you, “Step out of your own self and keep your distance from it”, “do not exert any will apart from His will, for anything else is your own desire, and that is the Vale of Folly, where death and destruction await you”. ..If you exist Allah doesn’t. وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

859) From Our Wilayah; Today I testified to the higher Angels of the darkness of space that they are stronger than the Dajjal and commanded them not to let him win, the Angels are in charge of the power of mans intellect and will, if man falls to him everything will fall and so they will give man strength to survive him. I then showed them this reality in my self to prove it to them, I surpassed him long before reaching them on my path to Allah. The Dajjal does not have the strength to reach these Angels, they exist in a place that the self needs to reach which is far above him. The Prophet (saws) taught us what the Dajjal is like in life, he is not what people think, yes he does have power but his standards are not much, by analogy people think he is like a god when in reality he is like Donald Trump, except very serious. The prophet (saws) said to me the Dajjal is like a loose businessman, this is in terms of his standards and self, the business people of this world have achieved more than him in their standards, he could not achieve British strictness and standards for order, most CEO’s (etc) and leaders of large corporations are already above in him in what they achieved to be able to run these companies from such positions. But the Dajjal does have the power to do what he wants to do, when he emerges the Jinn and devils wont be able to withstand him, he will wipe all of their personalities entirely, the prophet (saws) told us this, so anyone relying on devils or jinn for power will lose that power and they will only have their self to help them. The infrastructure of his system exists today look at what China is doing now to its population and Muslims especially, the people of Allah used this analogy for him. Its prominent in China but more subtle around the world, that will change, the occultists built it but the reality of his world which they will have to live under, that does not exist yet. They will see its horrors when he emerges, no one knows the reality of their own strength until they lose what supports them and realize the reality of their own self and its state. (Maybe he will have satellites that will do that to the world for him affecting all Jinn…the reality is always worse than the sales pitch). الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ

860) From Our Wilayah: Despite the technology the Dajjal will have with him to take this world the spiritual power of Jesus (saws) is stronger than it, that is the reality of Jesus (q), “The Lamb that was slain (who died before his death to receive prophet hood) is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction”. (Divinity, in Hebrew the word is osher which means wealth, in this context it means Jesus (q) in his prophet hood reached further than anyone else to receive the wealth of divinity, and here divinity means control over the universe, thus we saw Jesus (q) raise the dead unlike any prophet before him, walk on water, Moses (saws) part an entire Ocean and the Prophet Muhammad (saws) split the Moon, “The Hour has come near, and the moon has split, And if they see a miracle, they turn away and say, “Passing magic” (54:1-2). This is the reality of prophet hood it reaches into divinity, but nothing can make a person divine because those who lose themselves to semantics do not understand that the reality of Allah is not bound by the creation of the universe, borrowing someones power does not make you its originator, sustainer and source). فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

861) From Our Wilayah: If I was to ask you which is the greater miracle, raising the dead, parting an entire Ocean or splitting a moon in two, what would you say? most likely you will answer based on which prophet you follow, the answer has nothing to do with the station of a prophet with Allah, but science and the forces they are controlling to achieve that miracle. In terms of magnitude raising the dead is the smallest miracle, smaller than parting an Ocean or splitting a Planet in two, but it is the greatest. This is because the forces required to control the soul exist at the depth/bottom of subatomic space where the particles of the soul exist while those required to control “water” and “rocks” are not the same as those that control life, and to be master of that you need to be Master at this depth of the soul, this is why the distinction is made in the Bible that Jesus (saws) received the power and divinity from the labors of His (saws) prophet hood. وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ (another of Allah’s verses).

862) From Our Wilayah: The Prophets Moses (saws) and Muhammad (saws) displayed miracles that controlled the vastness of creation while Jesus (saws) displayed miracles that controlled the depths of the universe. This is because the prophets (saws) Moses (saws) and Muhammad (saws) where originators of an entire religion while Jesus (saws) was not, He (saws) became that at the end but Allah did not intend that had people followed Him (saws). The power of each prophet from Allah is not only related to the prophets lifetime but all time because Allah’s reality is not bound by time, but encompasses it, therefor because Jesus (saws) would be long lived He has more finite control while because the message of Moses (saws) and Muhammad (saws) would spread and sustain the world and universe they had wider control over the universe. (We are describing the reality, semantics can turn any fact but at the end it is sophistry, it isn’t describing what exists…something the Jinn reminded us of, neither Moses (q) or Muhammad (q) where “crucified”, Allah intended for the followers of Jesus (q) to be part of Judaism). وَقَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ يُكْفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلَا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِّثْلُهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَامِعُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ جَمِيعًا

863) From Our Hikmah: Religion places on each person three types of responsibility, responsibility for your self, your family and society. It is all mixed in with the obligations one carries, a person need not be aware what it relates to but the wisdom of religion balances the health and well being of all three parties. Today governments have to spend billions to achieve the same in their societies while it is all innate in religion. Today you are given the illusion of freedom and then made to face the reality of modern society, thus people are blind expounding the benefits of their prison. الَّذِينَ يَتَرَبَّصُونَ بِكُمْ فَإِن كَانَ لَكُمْ فَتْحٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ قَالُوا أَلَمْ نَكُن مَّعَكُمْ وَإِن كَانَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ نَصِيبٌ قَالُوا أَلَمْ نَسْتَحْوِذْ عَلَيْكُمْ وَنَمْنَعْكُم مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَاللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَن يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا

864) From Our Wilayah: Jinn an Analogy; Because of the amount of folly that comes Jinn Allah was merciful and kind to them so He said, I am going to place you in charge of laughter, humor, music, dancing, parties and festivals but happiness is an option, the Jinn said to Allah, No, we want to work, thus the modern world was created, wasn’t Iblis in Heaven before he fell. إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَىٰ يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

865) From The Hikmah of the Buddha: Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani said; There are two aspects to the human being: the physical [jusmani] and the spiritual [ruhani]. The physical aspect is common to ordinary human beings, while the spiritual aspect is peculiar to special human beings. For the ordinary human being, the return to his home proceeds by stages, based on the practical implementation of knowledge of the sacred law [shari’a], the spiritual path [tariqa] and direct experience [ma’rifa]. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) has said: Comprehensive wisdom is direct experience of the Truth, so long as it is practiced without hypocritical display and the pursuit of fame. The stages are on three levels: 1. The Garden in the realm of Dominion [Mulk], that being the Garden of Shelter [Ma’wa]. 2. The Garden in the realm of Sovereignty [Malakut], that being the Garden of Bliss [Na’im]. 3. The Garden in the realm of Omnipotence [Jabarut], that being the Garden of Paradise [Firdaws]. These are the bounties of the physical aspect, so the body can only reach its goal by means of three corresponding forms of knowledge: the sacred law, the spiritual path and direct experience. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) has said: Comprehensive wisdom is direct experience of the Truth and putting it into practice, and recognizing falsehood and forsaking it. He also said (peace be upon him): O Allah, let us see the Truth as true, and enable us to follow it. Let us see falsehood as false, and enable us to avoid it. -and: If someone knows himself, he knows his Lord and his Creator and complies with His command. In the case of the special human being, his destination is nearness [to Allah], and his return is by means of knowledge of Reality [Haqiqa], that being the affirmation of Oneness [Tawhid] in the realm of Divinity [Lahut]. By means of his regular practice, he can experience this nearness during his life in this world, whether he be asleep or awake. When the body is asleep, the heart finds an opportunity to escape to its original home, either wholly or in part. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: Allah receives souls at the time of their death, (Allahu yatawaffa ‘l-anfusa hina mawti-ha) and that which has not yet died in its sleep. (wa ‘llati lam tamut fi manami-ha): He keeps that for which He has ordained death, (fa-yumsiku’llati qada ‘alai-ha ‘l-mawta) and dismisses the rest till an appointed term. (wa yursilu ‘l-ukhra ila ajalin musamma). (39:42) That is why the Prophet (blessing and peace be upon him) once said: The sleep of the scholar is better than the worship of the ignoramus. This state is experienced after the heart has been enlivened by the light of the affirmation of Oneness, and after constant repetition of the Names of Unity by the tongue of the secret being, without letters and without sound. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said in the Sacred Tradition [Hadith Qudsi]: The human being is My secret, and I am his secret. He has also said (Almighty and Glorious is He): Knowledge of the inner being is one of My secrets. I have installed it in the heart of My servants, and no one is aware of it, apart from Me. -and He has said (Exalted is He): I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in private, I remember him within Myself. If he remembers me in company, I remember him in better company. The practice of reflection [tafakkur] is essential in this context. As the Prophet said (blessing and peace be upon him): A moment of reflection is worth more than a year of worship. A moment of reflection is worth more than a seventy years of worship. A moment of reflection is worth more than a a thousand years of worship. These sayings convey the implicit meaning: If someone reflects on the details of the branches [of knowledge], a moment of reflection is worth more than a year of worship. If someone reflects for a moment on the true significance of the worship incumbent upon him, that is worth more than seventy years of worship. If someone reflects for a moment on intimate knowledge of Allah (Exalted is He), that is worth more than a thousand years of worship. Through intimate knowledge [‘irfan], meaning the realization of Oneness, the ‘arif [intimate knower] attains to his Ma’ruf [the One he knows intimately] and his Beloved, so he flies with spiritual wings to the realm of Nearness. The worshipful servant walks on foot to the Garden of Paradise, while the intimate knower flies on wings to the Nearness [of the Lord]. In the words of a poet: The hearts of lovers have eyes. They see what other watchers fail to see. With featherless wings they fly to the Realm of the Lord of the Worlds. This soaring flight takes place in the inner core of the intimate knower, who is the real human being, the dear friend of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), as sacred to Him as a bride. According to Abu Yazid al-Bistami: “Allah’s people are the brides of Allah.” Allah’s saints [awliya’] have also been described as the brides of Allah. The point is that these “brides” are secluded by the veil of intimacy, visible to no one but Allah (Exalted is He). In the Sacred Tradition [Hadith Qudsi], He has said (Almighty and Glorious is He): My saints are underneath My gown. No one is aware of them apart from Me. All that people notice about the bride is the beauty of her outward appearance. According to Yahya ibn Mu’adh ar-Razi: “The saint [wali] is the perfume of Allah upon the earth. The champions of the Truth detect its fragrance.” Its scent reaches their hearts, so it makes them yearn for their Master. Their devotion to worship increases in proportion to the annihilation of their ordinary natures, because nearness increases as extinction increases. The saint becomes extinct to his worldly condition, and survives in witnessing the Truth. He retains no personal volition, and has no residence with anyone other than Allah. He has charismatic powers at his disposal, but he stays aloof from them, because he sees what others do not see, and regards divulging the secret of Lordship as an act of infidelity [kufr]. As we read in the book called al-Mirsad: “All those endowed with charismatic powers are veiled from sight. For such men, the charismatic marvel is a form of menstruation. The saint has a thousand stages to traverse, the first of them being the gate of charismatic marvels. If he passes beyond it safely, he can reach the other stages, but if not, he can make no further progress.” (The Book of the “Secret of Secrets and the Manifestation of Lights” to a person).

866) From The Hikmah of the Buddha: Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani said; Allah created the holy spirit in the finest formation in the realm of Divinity [Lahut]. Then He wished to reduce it to the lowest of the low, for the purpose of increasing intimacy and nearness: in a sure abode, in the presence of a King All-Powerful (54:55). That is the station of the saints and the Prophets. He sent it down first to the realm of Omnipotence [Jabarut], and with it He sent the seed of the affirmation of Oneness [Tawhid]. He endowed it with the radiance of that realm, and clothed it with the appropriate attire. Then, when He sent it down to the realm of Dominion [Mulk], He created for it a material raiment, meaning this coarse body, so that the realm of Dominion would not be scorched by it. In the context of the realm of Omnipotence [Jabarut], the spirit is called a royal spirit. In the context of the realm of Sovereignty [Malakut], it is called a traveling and freely moving spirit. In the context of the realm of Dominion [Mulk], it is called a physical spirit. The purpose of its coming to the lowest realm is that it should gain extra nearness and degree of progress, by means of the heart [qalb] and the mold [qalab]. The seed of the affirmation of Oneness is planted in the ground of the heart, so that the tree of Oneness will grow there, with its root firmly established and it branches bearing the fruits of Oneness in the atmosphere of joy, for the good pleasure of Allah (Exalted is He). The seed of the Sacred Law is also planted in the ground of the heart, so that the tree of the Sacred Law will grow there, bearing the fruits of the degrees of progress. Allah (Exalted is He) commanded all the spirits to enter the physical body, so He allotted each one of them a place therein. The place of the physical spirit is between the flesh and the blood. The place of the holy spirit is the innermost being. Each of them has a shop [hanut] in the town of existence, as well as goods, profits, and a commerce that is always lucrative, both secretly and openly. They hope for a commerce that will never be unprofitable. yarjuna tijaratan lan tabur. (35:29) It is therefore incumbent on every human being to know and understand his business in the sphere of his existence, because whatever he acquires here will be fastened to his neck. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: Does he not know when the contents of the tombs are poured forth: and that which is in the breasts is brought out? (100:9,10). And We have fastened every man’s bird of omen to his own neck (17:13). (The Book of the “Secret of Secrets and the Manifestation of Lights” to a person).

867) From The Hikmah of the Buddha (do you now understand): Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani said; The number of the sciences [‘ulum]. Explanation of the Sacred Law [Shari’a], the Spiritual Path [Tariqa], Direct Knowledge [Ma’rifa] and Reality [Haqiqa]. Exoteric science [al-‘ilm az-zahir] consists of twelve branches, and esoteric science [al-‘ilm al-batin] likewise has twelve branches. These branches are divided among the common folk and the special élite, in proportion to their capability. The sciences [‘ulum] are grouped in four sections: 1. The outer aspect of the Sacred Law [Shari’a], meaning the commandments, prohibitions, and other rules and regulations. 2. The inner aspect of the Sacred Law, which I have called the Science of the Inner and the Spiritual Path [Tariqa]. 3. Esotericism, which I have called the Science of Direct Knowledge [Ma’rifa]. 4. The innermost of inner factors, which I have called the Science of Reality [Haqiqa]. It is essential to acquire knowledge of all these sciences, for, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The Sacred Law is a tree, the Spiritual Path is its branches, Direct Knowledge is its leaves, and Reality is its fruit. The Qur’an contains them all, explicitly and by implication, by commentary or by interpretation. According to the author of al-Majma’: “Commentary [tafsir] is for the common folk, while interpretation [ta’wil] is for the élite, because they are the scholars who are rooted [rasikhun] in knowledge. The meaning of ‘rootedness [rusukh]’ is ‘firmness, establishment and commitment’ to knowledge, just as the root of the palm tree is firmly established in the earth, while its branches reach up into the sky. This rootedness is the result of the profession [that there is no god except Allah] that is planted in the core of the heart after purification. [In the following Qur’anic verse] Allah (Exalted is He) has referred to ‘those who are rooted in knowledge’ immediately after His saying (Almighty and Glorious is He) ‘except Allah [illa ‘llah]’: He it is who has sent down to you the Book wherein are clear signs-they are the substance of the Book-and others allegorical: But those in whose hearts is doubt pursue that which is allegorical, seeking dissension by seeking its interpretation: None knows its interpretation except Allah: And those who are rooted in knowledge say: We believe therein; the whole is from our Lord.’: But only men of understanding really heed. (3:7)” According to the author of at-Tafsir al-Kabir [The Great Commentary]: “If this door were opened, the doors of the inner mysteries would open too.” The servant is also commanded to observe the commandment and the prohibition, and to oppose the lower self [nafs] in each of the four spheres. In the sphere of the Sacred Law, the lower self insinuates contradictions. In the sphere of the Spiritual Path, it insinuates deceptive conformities, like the claim to Prophethood and sainthood. In the sphere of Direct Knowledge, it insinuates concealed polytheism [shirk khafi] in the guise of luminous revelations, like the claim to Lordship. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: Have you seen him who chooses for his god his own lust? (25:43) As for the sphere of Reality, the devil has no access to it, nor does the lower self, nor do the angels, because anyone other than Allah is (Exalted is He) is burned to ashes therein. As Gabriel (peace be upon him) said: “If I had drawn nearer by a fingertip, I would surely have burned to ashes.” [In this sphere] the servant is therefore uninfluenced by two opponents [the devil and his own lower self], and he is sincerely devoted [to Allah]. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: [Satan] said: “Then, by Your might, I shall surely beguile them every one. except Your sincerely devoted servants among them.” (38:82,83). So long as he has not attained to Reality, the servant cannot be sincerely devout, because the disloyal human attributes will only be annihilated by the manifestion of the Divine Essence, and ignorance will only be removed by direct knowledge of the Divine Essence (Glory be to Him and Exalted is He). Allah (Exalted is He) will teach him an esoteric knowledge from His Presence, without intermediary, so he will come to know Him through His instruction, and worship Him through His teaching, as in the case of al-Khidr (peace be upon him). Once he has reached this stage, the servant will witness the holy spirits. He will come to know his Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), who will tell him about everything from the beginning to the end, and all the other Prophets will give him glad tidings of the eternal communion. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, they are in the company of those to whom Allah has granted gracious favor-the Prophets, the champions of truth, the martyrs and the righteous-and the best of company are they!” (4:69). If someone has not acquired this knowledge, he is not a scholar in reality, even if he has read a million books. Inasmuch as he does not reach the spiritual level, though he performs physical work in accordance with the outer aspects of the sciences, his recompense will be the Garden of Paradise, and that alone. Only the reflection of the [Divine] attributes will be manifest there. The scholar does not gain access, by exoteric knowledge alone, to the Holy Sanctuary and nearness [to the Lord], because that is the realm of flight, and birds do not fly without wings. If the servant acts in accordance with both exoteric and esoteric knowledge, he will reach that realm. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said in the Sacred Tradition [Hadith Qudsi]: O My servant, if you wish to enter My sanctuary, you must pay no attention to the dominion [of this world], the realm of Sovereignty [Malakut] and the realm of Omnipotence [Jabarut], because the dominion [of this world] is the devil of the scholar, the realm of Sovereignty is the devil of the direct knower, and the realm of Omnipotence is the devil of the overseer. If someone takes notice of any one of these temptations, he is an outcast in the sight of Allah (Exalted is He), meaning an outcast from nearness, not an outcast from the abode. Such are those who seek nearness, but fail to reach it, because they are distracted by desire, and because they only have one wing. As for the people of nearness, they receive that which no eye has ever seen, of which no ear has ever heard, and which has never occurred to a human heart. That is the Garden of Nearness, in which there are no houries and no palaces. The human being needs to recognize his true value, and he must not claim for himself what is not his right and proper due. It was ‘Ali (may Allah ennoble his countenance) who said: “May Allah have mercy on a man who knows his own worth, who does not go beyond his limit, who guards his tongue, and who does not waste his life.” The scholar must therefore comprehend the meaning of the reality of the human being, called the child of inner meanings. He must train that child to practice constant affirmation of the Names of Oneness, and to leave the realm of physicality for the realm of spirituality, which is the realm of mystery, where there are no abodes except Allah. That realm is like a desert of light, to which there is no end. The child of inner meanings flies over it, and beholds its strange and marvelous wonders, but they are impossible to describe. It is the place of those affirmers of Oneness who lost their own identity in the eye of Singularity. The sight of Allah’s Beauty left them with no existence in the meantime, just as staring at the sun makes everything else invisible. Without a doubt, the human being cannot see himself at the same time as Allah’s Beauty, because of the overwhelming astonishment and fascination. As Jesus (peace be upon him) said: “The human being does not enter the Kingdom of the Heavens, unless he is born twice, as the birds are born twice.” This refers to the birth of the child of spiritual meanings from the reality of human capability. That is the secret of the human being. It is conceived and born from the union of the science of the Sacred Law and the science of Reality, just as the ordinary child results from the union of the two sperms from the man and the woman. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: We created the human being from a sperm-drop, a mingling, in order to try him: and We made him hearing, seeing. (76:2) After the manifestation of this inner meaning, it becomes a simple matter to pass from the surface of the oceans of creation to the depths of the commandment. In comparison with the realm of the spirit, every other realm is like a drop of water. After that [manifestation], the spiritual and esoteric sciences are communicated without a letter [of the alphabet] and without a sound. (The Book of the “Secret of Secrets and the Manifestation of Lights” to a person).

868) From Our Wilayah: Every day we speak to the Mala’ikah, often we ask them to record things that happen, at this the devils complained that it wasn’t important enough for them, the Mala’ikah responded to them saying “it is mostly space out there even the Angels on Saturn love to hear what Rami says”.  مُّذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ لَا إِلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَلَا إِلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ سَبِيلًا

869) From The Hikmah Of Moses (q): Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani said; The pious pretender [mura’i] wears clean clothes, but his heart is filthy. He abstains from permissible things, and is too lazy to earn a livelihood. He eats off his religion, and exercises no self-restraint at all. He consumes things that are explicitly forbidden [haram]. His game may be hidden from the common folk [‘awamm], but it is not concealed from the Elite [khawass]. His asceticism [zuhd] and obedient worship [ta’a] are all superficial. His external facade is splendidly fashioned, but his interior is a ruin. Woe unto you! Obedient service to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) is performed by the heart [qalb], not the outer mold [qalab]. All these things are connected with hearts, innermost beings and spiritual qualities [ma’ani]. Strip yourself bare of what you now have on, so that I may get for you from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) an outfit that will never wear out. Get undressed so that He may clothe you. Take off the garment of your indifference to the rights [huquq] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). Take off the garment of your attachment to creatures and your idolization [shirk] of them. Take off the garment of lust, frivolity, conceit and hypocrisy, of your love of being acceptable to people and having them approach you and bring you gifts. Take off the clothing of this world, and put on the clothing of the hereafter. Divest yourself of your power, your strength and your very existence [wujud], and throw yourself down before the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) without power, without strength, without attachment to material means [sabab], and without idolatrous worship of any created thing. Then, if you do this, you will see His gracious favors all around you. His mercy will come to join you, 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 [quwa zahirika wa-batinika]. Even if He were to close the whole universe [al-akwan] 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 [tawhid], 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 [salah] and success [najah], 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-khass] before the common death [al-mawt al-‘amm]. O my people! Respond to me, for I am the crier of Allah (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 Allah (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 [shuyukh], 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 [hadi mahdi] 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 [fajir]. Your tongue praises Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), while your heart resists Him. Your outer being is a Muslim, but your inner is an unbeliever [kafir]. Your outer is a monotheist [muwahhid], but your inner is a polytheist [mushrik]. Your asceticism [zuhd] is part of your facade. Your religion [din] 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 Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) and earning His good pleasure [rida], and then pay attention to creatures with His permission. The first stage is to acquire [tahsil] the hereafter, and only then to obtain one’s allotted shares [aqsam] in this world. (From Al Fath Al Rabbani, “The Sublime Revelation” of Allah to man).

870) From The Hikmah Of Moses (q): Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani said; The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said: I and the truly devout members of my Community [umma] are free from affectation [takalluf]. One who is truly devout [taqi] does not perform his worship of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) in an affected manner, because it has become quite natural to him, so he worships Allah both outwardly and inwardly without any affectation on his part. As for the hypocrite [munafiq], he is always pretending, wherever he may be and whatever he may be doing, especially when it comes to the worship of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), which he fakes on the surface and inwardly neglects. He is incapable of experiencing the conduct of the truly devout. Every place has its motto [li-kulli makan maqal], and every job has men who are right for it [li-kulli ‘amal rijal]; for war some men are naturally suited. O hypocrites, repent your hypocrisy! Come back from your fugitive exile! How can you let Satan laugh at you and vent his malice on you? You may perform the salat-prayers and keep the fast, but you do this for the sake of creatures, not for the sake of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and the same is true if you give charity [tasaddaqtum], pay the alms-due [zakkaitum] and go on pilgrimage [hajajtum]. You are: “Toiling, weary” (88:3). Soon you will be exposed to the heat of a scorching fire, if you do not come to your senses, repent and make amends. You must follow [the traditional Islamic practices] without heretical innovation [ibtida’]. You must follow the teachings [madhhab] of the righteous predecessors [as-salaf as-salih]. Walk on the straight highroad [al-jadda al-mustaqima]. No extremes of religious doctrine! [la tashbih wa-la ta’til : lit., no ascription of human characteristics (to Allah), and no denial of all attributes (to Him)]. Just follow the Sunna [exemplary practice] of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) without affectation and artificiality [tatabbu’], without bigotry [tashaddud], without bragging [tamashduq] and intellectual pretentiousness [tama’qul]. You should be capable of what was possible for those who have gone before you. Woe unto you! You learn the Qur’an by heart, but you do not put it into practice. You memorize the Sunna of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), but you do not practice it. So what do you do this for? You tell other people what they must do, but you do not do it yourself. You tell them what they must not do, but you do not refrain from it. As the Almighty and Glorious One has said: It is most hateful in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do. (61:2) Why do you say things and then contradict them? Have you no sense of shame? Why do you lay claim to faith, when you do not believe? Faith [al-iman] is the opponent of disasters. It is the patient bearer of our burdens. It is the wrestler. It is the fighter. Faith is the generous distributor of its worldly fortune. Faith behaves generously for the sake of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), while desire acts generously for the sake of the devil and for selfish purposes. He who has missed the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) sits at the doors of His creatures. He who has lost the path [tariq] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and gone astray from it, stays on the path of creatures. When Allah wishes someone well, He shuts the doors of creatures in his face, and cuts him off from their gifts, in order to bring that person back to Himself. He directs him away from the inland creeks toward the river bank. He directs him away from nothing toward something. Woe unto you! You are happy to be dwelling beside the creeks in [the cool rainy season of] winter, but soon the [fiercely hot] summer will come and your water will all dry up. So you will die, unlike the man who lives on the bank of the great river, because his supply of water is not exhausted in the summer, and in the winter it increases and becomes very plentiful. Be with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), then you will become a rich man [ghani], a noble [‘aziz], a leader [amir], a commander [mu’mir], a guide [dalil]. When someone has no need of anything but Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), everything has need of him. This is something that does not come about through passive resignation [takhalli] and mere wishing [tamanni], but through something that becomes settled in the bosom [fi’s-sudur] and is confirmed by active work [‘amal]. O young man! Let dumb silence be your custom, unobtrusiveness your habit, and fleeing from creatures your whole aim and purpose. If you can dig yourself a den in the earth to hide away in, do it. This should be your regular practice until your faith has matured, your certitude [iqan] has gained a firm footing, the wing of your truthfulness [sidq] has grown all its feathers, and the eyes of your heart have both opened. Then you may rise up from your home in the ground and fly into the air of the knowledge of Allah. You will roam through the East and the West, over land and sea, across the plains and the mountains. You will tour the heavens and the regions of the earth, in the company of the Guide [Dalil], the Guardian [Khafir], the Companion [Rafiq]. So now set your tongue free to speak. Cast off the habit of unobtrusiveness. Stop running away from people, and come out of your den to meet them, since you can be a remedy for them without detriment to yourself. Never mind how few they may happen to be, or how many, and whether they come forward or back away. Be indifferent to their praise and their blame alike. Never mind. Wherever you alight, you will glean what you can [aina saqatta laqatta]. And you are with your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). O my people! Be aware of this Creator, and practice good behavior in His presence. As long as your hearts are remote from Him, you will behave toward Him badly, but when they draw near, your conduct will improve. The pages at the palace gate indulge in foolish banter before the royal procession, but when the king rides by, a dumb silence falls upon them and they start to behave correctly, because they are now close to him. Each of them scurries to his corner. 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 [falah] 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-khaliq wa’l-khalq]? How can this be achieved as a simultaneous condition in a single heart? This is a falsehood, and as the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) says: Falsehood holds itself aloof from faith [al-kadhibu mujanibu’l-iman]. Each earthenware pot exudes its own contents. Your deeds are clues to the firmness of your belief [i’tiqad]. Your outer is a clue to your inner. This is why a certain wise man said: “The outer is the address of the inner [az-zahir ‘unwan al-batin].” Your inner is outwardly apparent to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and to His special favorites [khawass] 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 [as-salihun], you are likely to be humble toward Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). Humble yourself, therefore, because when a person humbles himself, Allah (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 (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said: Blessed grace [baraka] resides in your seniors [akabir]. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was not intending to refer to seniority in age alone, but to advanced age combined with pious dedication [taqwa] to fulfilling the commandments and observing the prohibitions [of the sacred law], and constant adherence to the Book and the Sunna [i.e., the Qur’an 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-akabir] are the devout [al-muttaqun], the righteous [as-salihun], the pious [al-mutawarri’un], who put their knowledge into practice [al-‘amiluna bi’l-‘ilm] and who are sincere in their practice [al-mukhlisun fi’l-‘amal]. The Seniors are the pure hearts that turn away from everything apart from Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). The Seniors are the wise hearts with experience of Allah [al-‘arifa bi’llah] (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 Allah, and whenever a heart contains love of the hereafter, it is barred from nearness to Allah. 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 Allah (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-aqdaru 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 (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said: Allah (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?” O my people! Take warning from the admonitions of the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) and accept what he tells you. Your hearts are so hard! Glory be to the One who has made me capable of putting up with creatures! Whenever I yearn to fly away, along come the scissors of destiny to clip my wings, and yet I find consolation, of course, in the fact that I am residing in the parklands [barah] of the King. Woe unto you, O hypocrite, you wish I would leave this town. If I did move on, the situation would be altered, the members would split up, and it would be a different story. But I fear the punishment of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) on account of the undue haste. I do not chart my own course; no, I cannot match the skill of destiny, so I comply with His wishes and submit to Him. O Allah, [grant] peace and salvation [salaman wa-tasliman]!” Woe unto you! You scoff at me while I am standing by the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Summon the people to Him; you will see your response. I build one cubit upward and thousands downward. O hypocrites, you will see the torment of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His punishment in this world and the hereafter. The time is pregnant [hubla]; you will see what comes of it. I am subject to the transformative power [taqlib] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Now He makes me become a mountain, then He turns me into a speck of dust. Now He makes me become an ocean, then He turns me into a drop of water. Now He makes me become a sun, then He turns me into a spark and a flash of lightning. He switches me around, as He switches night and day. Every day He is about some awesome business. (55:29) At every moment, indeed. You have all day, while others have this moment. O young man! If you wish to breathe easy and feel good at heart [in aradta sa’ata’s-sadri wa-tiba’l-qalb: lit., if you wish for expansiveness of the breast and goodness of the heart], do not listen to what people say, and pay no attention to their talk. Surely you know that many of them are neither intelligent nor perceptive, and that they have no faith [la yu’minun], but actually disbelieve and do not accept the truth? 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 [rida] 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 Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) in dealing with His humble chosen servants [ma’a ‘ibadihi’l-mustafaina’l-mukhbitin]. 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 existence, 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 Allah, 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’na] and replaces it. He makes what was his high point become his low point. He makes him a holy [rabbani: lit., belonging entirely to the Lord], spiritual [ruhani] being, whose heart has no room for contemplating 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 Glorious is He) wished to teach them that this was divine power [qudra] at work, not philosophical wisdom [hikma], because what the magicians [sahara] 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 preter-natural phenomenon [kharq ‘ada] 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 Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), not of his own doing, because a magician is not afraid of his own magic [sihr] 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 Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He)? When will your sincerity [ikhlas] 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-‘awamm] and the elite [al-khawass]? 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 Allah, do not put us to the test! O Allah, bless us with nearness to You without a trial! O Allah, [grant us] nearness and kindness! O Allah, [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 [khalil]. Cause herbs to grow all around us, as You caused them to grow around him. Enable us to need nothing 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. Amin. Abraham (peace be upon him) found the companion [rafiq] before the road [tariq], the neighbor [jar] before the house [dar], the close friend [anis] before the loneliness, the healthy diet [himya] 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 Allah 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 [Jalinus al-hakim], and how he pretended to be dumb and stupid and speechless, until he became the store of all knowledge? The wisdom of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) will not come toward your heart because of your frequent raving, your quarreling and finding fault with Him. O Allah, 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). (From Al Fath Al Rabbani, “The Sublime Revelation” of Allah to man).

871) From The Hikmah Of Moses (q): Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani said; O young man! Your wish [irada] for the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) is not genuine. You are not really wishing for Him, because when someone claims to wish for the Lord of Truth (Glorious and Exalted is He) while he is actually seeking something other than Him, his claim is null and void. Seekers of this world are very numerous. Seekers of the hereafter are comparatively few. Seekers of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), who are honest about their wish for Him, are the fewest of the few. In paucity and scarcity they are like the philosopher’s stone [al-kibrit al-ahmar]. They are unique individuals of such extraordinariness and rarity that even one of them is seldom to be found. They are the strangers among the tribes. They are mines in the earth, in which they are monarchs. They are the prefects of cities and men [shihan al-bilad wa’l-‘ibad]. Because of them the people are shielded from disaster. Because of them they receive rain. Because of them Allah sends rain down from the sky, and because of them the earth puts forth vegetation. In the first stage of their career they flee from mountain height to mountain height, from land to land, from ruin to ruin. As soon as they are recognized in a place they move on elsewhere. They cast everything behind their backs, and surrender the keys of this world to its people. They continue in this manner until fortresses are built around them, rivers flow into their hearts, and they are surrounded by troops in the service of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), each assigned to specific guard duty. Thus they are honored and protected, and are put in charge of the people. All of this is beyond their conscious minds. At this point it becomes their obligatory duty [farida] to make themselves available to the people. They come to be like physicians when the rest of the people are sick. Woe unto you! You claim to be one of them, so what characteristic mark [‘alama] of theirs do you possess? What is the mark of nearness to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) and of His grace? In what rank [manzila] are you in the sight of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and in what station [maqam]? What is your name [ism] and surname [laqab] in the Sovereignty Most High [al-malakut al-a’la]? Why is your door locked every night? What of your food and drink, are they barely permissible [mubah] or entirely lawful [halal talq]? What do you take as your bedfellow: this world, the hereafter, or the close presence of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)? Who is your friend [anis] in privacy? Who is your boon companion [jalis] in public? Liar! Your friend in private is your lower self [nafs], your devil [shaitan], your passion [hawa], and contemplation of your worldly interests [at-tafakkur fi dunyaka]. In public your companions are those human devils who are your wicked mates and fellow gossip-mongers. This is not something that comes about through idle chatter and unsubstantiated claims. What you have to say on this subject is nonsense that will do you no good. You must be calm and unobtrusive in the presence of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and give up bad behavior. If talking about this cannot be avoided altogether, your words should be devoted to the invocation of His blessings and speaking well of His people, not to making claims with your outer being when they have no substance in your heart. Everything external that is not matched by the inner is mere nonsense. Surely you have heard the saying of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace): No fast is kept by one who goes on eating human flesh. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has made it clear that fasting [siyam] is not just a matter of giving up food, drink and other things that technically break the fast [muftirat], but also of giving up sins. Beware of backbiting [ghiba], because it devours good deeds as fire devours wood. Successful people never make a habit of it, and those who are known for it enjoy little respect. You must also beware of the lustful gaze [an-nazar 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-yamin al-kadhiba], 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 Allah (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 Allah, 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 Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) that you are telling the truth. Blindness and age will soon come upon you. Correct your behavior–may Allah 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 [adab] prescribed by the sacred law [shar’], will be disciplined by the Fire [an-nar] on the Day of Resurrection [yawm al-qiyama]. (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 [sawm] and his ritual ablution [wudu’] 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’an is recited to you. The traditions [akhbar] of the Messenger and the life stories [siyar] of our forebears [al-awwalun] 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 [awliya’] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) results from your having so little direct knowledge [ma’rifa] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). You say: “These folk invite suspicion. Why don’t they share our way of life? Why don’t they sit in our company?” You talk like this because of your ignorance of your own self. When your self-awareness is slight, you have little awareness of what other people are worth. Inasmuch as you lack awareness of this world and its eventual outcome [‘aqiba], you are ignorant of the value of the hereafter, and to the extent that you lack awareness of the hereafter, you are ignorant of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). O you who are so preoccupied with this world, you will soon experience loss and remorse in this world and the hereafter. Your regrets will show up clearly on the Day of Resurrection, the day of mutual cheating [yawm at-taghabun], the day of ignominious shame [fadiha], the day of remorse and forfeiture [an-nadamat wa’l-khusran]. Take stock of yourself before the advent of the hereafter. Do not delude yourself because of the tolerance [hilm] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His generosity toward you. You are maintaining the worst possible state of affairs, through sins, mistakes and doing wrong to other people. Sin is the mailman [barid] of unbelief [kufr], just as fever is the mailman of death. Be sure to repent before death, before the arrival of the angel who is entrusted with the collecting of spirits [arwah]. O young men! Repent! Can you not see how the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) is trying you with misfortune so that you may repent, while you do not comprehend, and persist in disobeying Him? Only a few individuals are made to suffer tribulation in this day and age, but they experience it as an affliction [niqma], not as a blessing [ni’ma]; as a punishment for sins, not as a promotion in spiritual rank and grace [ziyada fi’d-darajat wa’l-karamat]. The people [of the Lord] are put to the test in order to elevate their rank in the presence of their King. They bear with Him patiently, because they seek His countenance. When this is fully accomplished by them, they have achieved dominion [mulk]. But when this is not fully accomplished, they firmly believe that they are in damnation [hulk]. O Allah, no damnation! We beg you to let us be near to You, and behold You in this world and the hereafter; in this world with our hearts and in the hereafter with our eyes. O my people! Do not despair of the refreshment [rawh] and relief [faraj] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), for this is near at hand. Do not despair, because the Maker [as-Sani’] is Allah. You do not know; it may be that Allah will afterward bring some new thing to pass. (65:1) Do not run away from tribulation [bala’], because tribulation borne with patience is the basis of everything good. The foundation of Prophetship [nubuwa], of Messengership [risala], of saintship [wilaya], of direct knowledge [ma’rifa] and of love [mahabba], is surely tribulation. So if you have not borne tribulation with patience, you have no foundation. A building cannot last without a foundation. Have you ever seen a house standing firm on top of a garbage dump? You only flee from tribulation and misfortunes because you feel no pressing need for saintship, direct knowledge and the nearness of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). Be patient, and work until you can ascend with your heart [qalb], your innermost being [sirr] and your spirit [ruh] to the gate of nearness to your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). The ‘ulama’ [learned scholars], the awliya’ [saints] and the abdal [spiritual deputies] are the heirs of the Prophets [anbiya’]. The Prophets are the brokers [samasira], and these others are their advertising agents [munadun]. The believer [mu’min] is afraid of none but Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), and looks in hope to none but Him, for he has been given courage in his heart and his innermost being. How can the hearts of believers fail to be encouraged by Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), since He has made them ascend to Him? Their hearts [qulub] are always with Him, while their outer form [qalab] is here on the earth. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: And in Our sight they are surely of the chosen, the excellent. (38:47) They are chosen over their own relatives and their contemporaries. Their inner natures [ma’ani] are marked with distinction, and their outer frames [mabani] are enlightened. This is why they have detached themselves from people and abstained from ordinary habits. They have forged ahead, and the grass has sprung up to cover their tracks. They can no longer turn back. They have grown accustomed to solitude. 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 [mursalun], the champions of truth [siddiqun] and the martyrs [shuhada’], 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 Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). O young man! Sweetness is inevitably paired with bitterness, righteousness [salah] with corruption [fasad], and turbulence [kadar] with serenity [safa’]. 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 everything, 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 [muhibb] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) to do with anything other than Him? Paradise is the home of those who seek spiritual status [darajat], the home of merchants who have traded this world for it. This is why Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said: And therein is all that selves [al-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’na]. 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 [‘arif] who works for the sake of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) is an anvil that gets hammered on, but never says a word; a plot of land that gets trodden over, changed and altered, but stays quite dumb. The [Lord’s] people see none other than Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), and none but Him do they hear. They have an inner core [janan] but no tongue [lisan]. They become extinct [fanun] to themselves and to others, and they remain in this condition. When Allah wishes, He resurrects them [ansharahum]. He makes the inner core a tongue, as if they were drugged [mubannajun]. The King takes them to Himself with the hand of His compassion [ra’fa] and mercy [rahma]. 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 Allah, the True. (18:44) When someone has attained this state, comfort [raha] 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 [zahid] or one with an appetite for things [raghib]. 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 az-zahir], then retire to the inner jurisprudence [al-fiqh al-batin]. 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 [diya’] between you and your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). Whenever you put your knowledge into practice, your path [tariq] 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). (From Al Fath Al Rabbani, “The Sublime Revelation” of Allah to man).

872) From The Hikmah Of Moses (q): Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani said; Notice the world’s fickle treatment of its lords [arbab] and its sons, how it tricks them, plays games with them, and pushes them behind it, then promotes them step by step, in order to raise them above the people and put them in control of them, and in order to display its treasures and its wonders. But while they are enjoying their lofty status, their dominance, their pleasant lifestyle and having the world at their service, this is when it seizes them, binds them, cheats them and throws them headlong down from that elevated position, so that they are dismembered, disintegrated and destroyed, while the world stands there laughing at them with Iblis by its side, laughing along with it. This is what it has done and will do with many of the emperors, kings and rich men, from the time of Adam (peace be upon him) till the Day of Resurrection. It exalts then abases, promotes then sets back, enriches then impoverishes, nurtures then sacrifices. Rare indeed are the few individuals who remain unharmed by it, who master it instead of being dominated by it, who receive help against it and escape its greedy clutches. There is no escape from its greedy clutches unless one knows it really well, and is intensely wary of it and of its cunning tricks. O questioner, if you observe its faults with the eyes of your heart, you will be able to evict it from your heart. But if you look at it with the eyes in your head, you will be distracted by its charm instead of noticing its faults. You will be unable to evict it from your heart and to abstain from it, and it will kill you as it has killed others. Struggle with your own self [nafs] until it becomes tame. Once it has become tame, it will recognize the faults of this world and abstain from it. Its tameness [tuma’nina] 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 [taqwa] on its head, and the robes of nearness clothing it. You must develop faith [iman] and belief [tasdiq], and give up disbelieving 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 [anwar] and His gracious favor [karama]. 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 [‘aqiba] and its passing away [fana’]. They focus the eyes of their innermost beings [asrar] 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 [suhba], 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 (Allah bless him and give him peace), he is innocent of hypocrisy [nifaq]. These characteristics are the touchstone and the distinction between the believer [mu’min] and the hypocrite [munafiq]. 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 [muwahhid] or a polytheist [mushrik]. Everything in this world is a temptation [fitna] and a distraction, except what is taken with a worthy intention [niyya saliha] 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 [niqma]. Secure the blessings of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) by giving thanks to Him. Two things constitute thankfulness to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He): The first is taking advantage of blessings in order to perform acts of obedience [ta’at] and to provide comfort to the poor. The second is acknowledging the Benefactor [al-Mun’im] who supplies them, and giving thanks to the One who bestows them, namely the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). A certain wise man (may the mercy of Allah be upon him) is reported as having said: “Everything that distracts you from Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) is unlucky [mash’um] for you.” If remembrance [dhikr] of Him distracts you from Him, it is unlucky for you. Prayer [salat], fasting [sawm], pilgrimage [hajj] and all acts of charity–all of this is unlucky for you. If His blessings distract you from Him, then they are unlucky for you. You have repaid His blessings with sins against Him and resorting in important matters to others instead of Him. Falsehood and hypocrisy have gained control of you in action and at rest, of your outer form [sura] and your inner content [ma’na], by night and by day. Satan has cunningly deceived you and has made lying and wicked deeds appear attractive to you. You are lying even in your ritual prayer [salat], because you say: “Allahu Akbar [Allah is Supremely Great]!” But you are lying, because in your heart you have a god [ilah] other than Him. Whatever you rely on is your god. Everything you fear, or look to in hope, is your god. Your heart is not in harmony with your tongue. Your deeds do not match your words. Say “Allahu Akbar” a thousand times with your heart and once with your tongue. Do you not feel ashamed of saying: “La ilaha illa’llah [There is no god but Allah],” when you have a thousand objects of worship [ma’bud] besides Him? Repent to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) for everything you are involved in. O you who impart knowledge, though you are satisfied with it in name alone, without the practical application, what good can it do you to say, “I am a scholar,” since you are telling a lie? How can you feel at ease with yourself, when you are instructing others to do what you yourself do not practice? As Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said: Why do you say what you do not do? (61:2) Woe unto you! You tell people to be honest, while you are false. You tell them to affirm the divine Unity [tawhid], 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 [haya’] has departed from your sight. If you had any faith, you would feel ashamed. As the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said: The sense of shame is part of faith [al-haya’u mina’l-iman]. You have no faith [iman], no conviction [iqan] and no loyalty [imana]. You have betrayed knowledge [‘ilm], so your loyalty has vanished and you been recorded with Allah (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 Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His decree, he surrenders all his affairs to Him, and makes no one a partner [sharik] to Him where they are concerned. Do not associate creatures or material means [asbab] 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 [ahwal], and he now progresses from faith [iman] to conviction [iqan]. Then saintship [wilaya] will come to him, [then] Badaliyya, and then Ghawthiyya. Perhaps Qutbiyya will come in the last of his spiritual states. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) will glory in him [yubahi bihi] in the presence of all His creatures, be they jinn, human beings, angels or spirits [arwah]. 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 [tasdiq] in Him and His Messengers. The foundation of this business is Islam, then faith, then putting into practice the Book of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) and the law [shari’a] of His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), then sincerity [ikhlas] in action, together with the heart’s affirmation of Unity [tawhid]. With the perfection of faith, the believer becomes extinct [yafna] to himself, to his work, and to everything apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), so that he performs his deeds while he is in a state of detachment [ma’zil] from them. He continues to struggle with his own self [nafs] and all creatures, on the side of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), until He guides him to His path. As Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said: As for those who strive in Our cause, We surely guide them in Our ways. (29:69) You must be abstemious in all things, since you are now ready to accept His management [tadbir]. He turns them [His creatures] over and over with the hand of His destiny [qadar], then if they conform to it He transfers them to His power [qudra]. What bliss [ya tuba] for those who comply with destiny, who wait for the action [fi’l] of the Preordainer [al-Muqaddir], who act in accordance with destiny, who travel along with destiny, and who are not ungrateful for the blessing of destiny’s decrees [aqdar] ! The token [aya] of the blessing of the Preordainer is His mercy [rahma], nearness [qurb] to Him, and satisfaction with Him to the exclusion of all His creatures. When the servant’s heart attains to the contact with his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), He makes him so satisfied with Himself that he has no need of creatures. He draws him near, grants him power and sovereignty, and says to him: You are today in our presence established and worthy of trust.(12:54) He makes him vicegerent in His kingdom, as the Pharaoh of Egypt made Joseph (peace be upon him) his vicegerent, delegating to him the power to rule his kingdom and its subjects and to administer his dominion and its resources, and appointing him custodian of his treasuries. The experience of the heart is similar. Once it is truly sound, and its nobility and its purity from everything apart from its Master (Almighty and Glorious is He) are clearly apparent, He puts it in charge of His servants and His kingdom, in both worldly and otherworldly spheres, so that it comes to be like the Ka’ba of those who seek and aspire to follow the path to this knowledge [‘ilm] and practice [‘amal] through outer knowledge [al-‘ilm az-zahir]. Do not make a habit of idleness and laziness in obeying the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), because He will inflict chastisement upon you. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said: When the servant is lax in performance, Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) afflicts him with anxiety. He afflicts him with anxiety over things that have not been allotted to him, with the worry of dependents, family problems, lack of profit in his livelihood, rebelliousness on the part of his children, and a discordant relationship with his wife. All this will affect him, whichever way he may turn, as a punishment for his laxity in obeying his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and for letting himself be distracted from Him by this world and creatures. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: What concern has Allah for your punishment if you are thankful and believe? (4:147) Nor is it permissible for anyone to argue against Him on the grounds that his conduct and the verdict thereon were subject to His predetermination [qada’] and His predestination [qadar]. He shall not be questioned as to what He does, but they shall be questioned. (21:23) Woe unto you! How long will you go on being preoccupied with yourself and your family, to the neglect of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)? A certain wise man (may the mercy of Allah be upon him) is reported as having said: “When your son has learned to gather date-stones, leave him alone and concentrate on your own self together with your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).” What he meant by this was that, once the boy has learned that date-stones are useful for some purpose, and that they are worth a price, he has already learned enough to fend for himself, so you should not waste your time and energy on him, since he can manage very well without you. Teach your children practical skills, and leave yourself free to serve Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), because your wife and children can in no way enable you to dispense with Allah. Accustom yourself, your wife and your children to being satisfied with bare necessities, while you and they devote yourselves to your Master (Almighty and Glorious is He). If an abundance of fortune [rizq] awaits you in the invisible realm [al-ghaib], it will come to you at the time appointed for it in the presence of Allah. You must recognize it as from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and steer clear of idolatrous association [shirk] with creatures. If destiny does not hold such abundance in store for you, however, you can do without things through your abstemiousness [zuhd] and frugality [qana’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 [din], his pretense [riya’], his hypocrisy [nifaq] and his underhand dealings [tanammus], as you do, O hypocrite [munafiq] ! 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 [as-salihun] 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 Allah [la ilaha illa’llah] ” is a mere claim [da’wa]. 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 [iman], you take from this world by permission of the sacred law [shar’]. In the state of saintship [wilaya] you receive by virtue of the commandment of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), with both of them bearing witness to it, meaning with the testimony [shahada] of both the Book and the Sunna. In the state of Badaliyya and Qutbiyya, you receive through the action [fi’l] of Allah (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 [sawab] and the help you need to succeed [tawfiq]. Are you not ashamed? One day you are obedient, then disobedient the next. One day you are sincere [mukhlis], but the next you are a polytheist [mushrik]. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said: If both days are the same for a person, he is defrauded [maghbun], and if someone’s yesterday was better than his today, he is deprived [mahrum]. 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’a’] is from you, and the response is from Him. The effort [ijtihad] is from you, and the aid to success [tawfiq] is from Him. The renunciation [tark] is from you, and the protective zeal [hamiyya] 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 [lutf], His generosity [karam] and His love [mahabba] 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 [nufus], the natural impulses [tiba’], the passions [ahwiya] and the devils [shayatin]? I have nothing at my disposal except a truth within a truth [haqq fi haqq], an understanding within an understanding [lubb fi lubb], a purity within a purity [safa’ fi safa’], a separation [qat’] and a connection [wasl]–a separation from everything apart from Allah (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 [sidq], with which I shall cut off the head of every unbeliever [kafir] and lying hypocrite [munafiq] 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 Allah be upon him) is reported as having said: “Candid sincerity is the sword of Allah (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 [nasih] 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. The means to real knowledge [ma’rifa] of Him include giving up arguing and remonstrating with Him, and a ready acceptance of His management [tadbir]. This is why Malik ibn Dinar said to one of his pupils: “If you wish for real knowledge of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), you must be happy to accept His management and His ordainment [taqdir], and you must not treat your own self, your desire, your natural impulse and your will [irada] as partners [shuraka’] with Him in these two.” O you who are sound in body! O you who idly neglect your tasks! What are you missing from your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He)? If your hearts were aware of this, you would feel sorrow and regret. Wake up! O my people! You will soon be dead. Weep for yourselves, before you are wept over. You have sins crowding an uncertain outcome. Your hearts are sick with love of this world and greed to possess it. Treat them with the medicines of abstinence and renunciation, and by approaching the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). Religious integrity [salamatu’d-din] is the capital, and righteous deeds [al-a’mal as-saliha] are the profits. Stop looking for things that make you go to excess, and be content with what is sufficient for you. An intelligent person takes no pleasure in anything if its lawful use must be accounted for [halaluhu hisab], while its unlawful use incurs punishment [haramuhu ‘iqab]. Most of you have forgotten about the punishment and the reckoning. O young man! If some worldly object is present before you, and you notice that your heart is recoiling from it, you should leave it alone. But you have no heart. You are nothing but self, natural impulse and desire. You must make friends with those who do possess hearts, until you get a heart of your own. You need a wise Shaikh, who practices the law [hukm] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), to train you, teach you, and give you good advice. O you who have sold everything for nothing, and paid everything to buy nothing, you have bought this world at the price of the hereafter, and you have sold the hereafter for this world. You are a delusion within a delusion, a void within a void, ignorance within ignorance. You eat as cattle eat, without investigation, without consideration and without question, without conscious intention [niyya], without [waiting to receive] an [inner] command or action. The believer eats what is allowed by the sacred law [shar’]. The saint [wali] 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 [fana’] in Him. Thus the Wali stands by the [inner] commandment, while the Badal is stripped of personal volition [ikhtiyar], and all of this is accompanied by observance of the rules of sacred law [hudud ash-shar’]. One who becomes extinct [fani] 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 [Ashab al-Kahf], concerning whom Allah (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 [zahiran] and inwardly [batinan]. 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 Allah, 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). (From Al Fath Al Rabbani, “The Sublime Revelation” of Allah to man).

873) From The Hikmah Of Islam: The Works Of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani (saws); Kitab Sirr al-Asrar wa Mazhar al-Anwar (The Book of the Secret of Secrets and the Manifestation of Lights); Futuh al-Ghaib (Revelations of the Unseen) 78 discourses, fairly short and to the point but very powerful; Al-Fath ar-Rabbani (The Sublime Revelation) 62 discourses definitely longer, given in the Ribaat and Madrasa in Baghdad AH 545-546; Jala’ al-Khawatir (The Removal of Cares) 45 discourses, also in the same locations, given in the year AH 546; Malfuzat (Utterances of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir) This is a collection of various sayings and short sections of what the Shaikh said.Generally it is found at the end of the hand copied Arabic manuscripts of Fath ar-Rabbani; Al-Ghunya li-Talibi Tariq al-Haqq (Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth) These five volumes, written by the Shaikh at the request of one of his murids, is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of Islam, both the inward and the outward; Khamsata ‘Ashara Maktuban (Fifteen Letters) These are 15 letters originally written in Persian by Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir to one of his murids; Al-Fuyudat al-Rabbaniyya (Emanations of Lordly Grace);Bashair al-Khairat (Glad Tidings of Good Things) A Salawat by Shaykh Abd al-Qadir by way of inspiration from Allah; Answers to Various Important Questions by Shaikh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani Contains many concise answers to very important questions regarding a variety of topics; Special Prayers by Shaikh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani Contains many special invocations taught to us by the Shaikh for their special blessings; Shaikh Abd al-Qadir – Gate of Poverty Contains the story excerpted from Necklaces of Gems of the Shaikh’s struggle with the Devil Armies, Iblis himself, and his lower self (nafs). وَلَا الظُّلُمَاتُ وَلَا النُّورُ

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
أَلَمۡ تَرَ كَيۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصۡحَـٰبِ ٱلۡفِيلِ (١) أَلَمۡ يَجۡعَلۡ كَيۡدَهُمۡ فِى تَضۡلِيلٍ۬ (٢) وَأَرۡسَلَ عَلَيۡہِمۡ طَيۡرًا أَبَابِيلَ (٣) تَرۡمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍ۬ مِّن سِجِّيلٍ۬ (٤) فَجَعَلَهُمۡ كَعَصۡفٍ۬ مَّأۡڪُولِۭ (٥