This letter, written as a response to Molla Hasan Kishmîrî,
explains how not to forget Allahu ta’âlâ for a moment and that He will not be
forgotten even while one is asleep, or when one is unconscious.
We were honoured with reading your
precious letter. Some of the great ones of this way informed us that they were
aware of Allahu ta’âlâ every moment, and that they remembered Him every moment
even while asleep. You ask how this is so. Respected Sir! For explaining this,
it is necessary to write down a few things first; I will write briefly. Read
carefully!
Man’s soul used to be incapable of making
progress before uniting with this body. It was fastened, imprisoned in its
private grade. But, after descending into this body, it was given the ability
and strength to get promoted. This quality made it superior to and more honoured
than an angel. Through His mercy and blessing, Allahu ta’âlâ united the soul
with this insensible, unmoving, good-for-nothing, dark body. Allahu ta’âlâ,
who has united the light of the soul
with a dark body and who keeps the soul, which is unsubstantial and without
time and place, with the body, which is made of matter, is very great. All
greatness, all superiorities are peculiar to Him only. No defect can exist in
Him. The meaning of this word should be comprehended well. Because the soul and
the body are quite opposite to each other, Allahu ta’âlâ made the soul fall in
love with the body so that they might stay together. This love caused them to
remain at the same place together. The Qur’ân
al-kerîm informs us with this fact by declaring: “We created man’s
soul in a beautiful shape, and then later demoted it to the lowest grade,” in
Sûrat-u-Wa-t-tîn. The soul’s demotion to this grade and its falling in love is
an act of promotion in the guise of demotion. Thus, because of its interest in
and its love for the nafs [see fn. 37 of article 30.], the soul threw itself
down into the world of the nafs and became a follower, a slave of the nafs. In
fact, it got beside itself, it forgot about itself. It took the shape of the
nafs-i ammâra, as if it became the nafs-i ammâra. Because the soul is finer
than everything [because it is lighter than hydrogen, which is the lightest
form of matter, and even lighter than an electron], because it is not even
matter, it takes the state, shape and colour of whatever it unites with.
Because it forgot about itself, it forgot its knowledge of Allahu ta’âlâ, which
it had had formerly when it was in its own world, in its own grade. It became
ignorant and unaware. Like the nafs, it
darkened with the darkness of ignorance. Since Allahu ta’âlâ is very merciful,
He sent prophets ‘alaihi-s-salâtu wa-t-taslîmât’, and through these great
people, He called the soul to Himself and commanded it not to follow, not to
obey the nafs, which is its sweetheart and darling. If the soul, obeying this
command, disobeys the nafs and turns its face away from it, it will be saved
from perdition. Otherwise, if it does not raise its head and if it prefers to
stay with the nafs and not leave the world, it will lose its way and it
happiness. It is understood from these words of ours that the soul has united
with the nafs, and, even, that it has become the nafs, forgetting itself.
Therefore, as long as the soul remains in this state, the unawareness and the
ignorance of the nafs will be the unawareness and ignorance of the soul. But,
if the soul turns away from the nafs, ceases to care for it and loves Allahu
ta’âlâ instead of it, and if it, getting rid of the love for a creature like
itself, falls in love with the Real Eternal, who exists endlessly, and becomes
beside itself with this love, the unawareness and ignorance of the outside,
that is the nafs, will not infect the inside, that is, the soul. It will not
forget Allahu ta’âlâ for even a moment. How can the unawareness of the nafs
ever influence it, while it has parted from the nafs completely? Nothing has
penetrated the inside from the outside; in this case, while the outside is in
heedlessness, the inside is aware, awake. It is always aware of its Rabb. For
example, as long as almond oil is in the pip of the almond, they are like one
and the same thing. But when the oil parts from the sediment, they become two
differnt things in every respect, each having different qualities. Thus, a
happy, fortunate person who has been promoted to this position is sometimes
made to descend back into this world. While he knows Allahu ta’âlâ, he is made
to return to this world, and, through his honoured and blessed being, the world
is rescued from the darkness and ignorance of the nafs. Such a blessed person
lives among the people. Outwardly, he is like everybody. But his soul is not
dependent upon anything; its sole companion is his knowledge of and love for
Allahu ta’âlâ. He has been returned to this world despite his reluctance. By
looking at his appearance, such a high person, who has attained haqîqat, may be
thought of as having forgotten Allahu ta’âlâ and having been seized by the love
of creatures, like others. But, in actual fact, he is quite unlike them. There
is quite a difference between falling in love with something and turning away
from it by ceasing to care for it. Let us also say that such a high person’s
interest in
and fondness for creatures are not within
his own will. He does not value the world. In fact, Allahu ta’âlâ wants and
likes this state. But others’ fondness and interest concern themselves; they
embrace the world. Allahu ta’âlâ does not consent to this fondness of theirs;
He does not like it. Another difference is that others can turn away from this
world and can attain knowledge and love of Allahu ta’âlâ. But it is impossible
for this high person to turn away from people. It is his duty to be together
with people. It is only when his duty is over that he will be transferred from
this transient world to the eternal world. Only then will he attain his real
position.
Great men of Tasawwuf [see articles 35 and
40] explained the grade of guidance differently. Most of them said, “It is being
together with Allah, while being among people.” This
difference among their remarks is because the states and the grades of those
who have a say in this matter are different from one another. Each of them
spoke in accordance with his own grade. Allahu ta’âlâ knows the truth of
everything. Sayyed-ul-tâifa Junayd-i Baghdâdî’s ‘quddisa sirruh’ word:
“Reaching the end is a return to the beginning,” is an explanation suitable
with the grade of guidance, which we have described above, for in the beginning
only creatures are seen and loved. As a matter of fact, the hadîth “My two eyes sleep,
but my heart does not sleep” does not communicate a
continuous attachment and awareness concerning Allahu ta’âlâ. Perhaps it
reveals his awareness of his own states and the states of his Ummat, and that
he is not asleep. It is for this reason that our Prophet’s sleeping would not
break his abdast (ablution). Since the Prophet is like the shepherd of a flock
in protecting his Ummat, it is not suitable for his rank of prophethood for him
to forget about his Ummat for even a moment. Likewise, the hadîth “I have such
private times with Allahu ta’âlâ that no superior angel or prophet can come
between us at these times” does not refer to ‘always’ but
to ‘sometimes.’ Even at such times as
these he does not necessarily turn away from creatures, for Allahu
ta’âlâ manifests Himself to him. He does not forget about creatures and looks
for manifestations. It is like the darling’s manifestations to the lover; the
lover is not after the darling.
On the mirror of shapes there’s no motion, not a bit;
Because, something not glorious cannot appear on it.
Briefly, when returning to creatures, the
veils that have been lifted before do not return. Without the veils in between,
he has
been sent to go among creatures and to be a means for saving and awakening creatures. This person is like a government official who is very close to a great emperor. However, he is given also the task of looking into the affairs and solving the problems of the people. This is another difference between those who have reached the end and then come back and those who are still at the beginning, for those who are at the beginning are behind the veils. As for those who have come back, the veils have been lifted up from in front of them. May Allahu ta’âlâ give salvation to you and to those on the righteous way! Âmîn.