LETTER 8: SAINTHOOD

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate !

Dearest brother Qazi Sadruddin, may the blessing of God and the love of the saints be yours! A depiction of sainthood with reference to Arabic grammar is set forth. A saint, then, is a person who continuously enjoys the divine favor in all his activities and becomes one of those protected by God. In general, the states of his soul are free from troubles, but the difficult state for him to sustain is sinlessness. God Almighty continues to keep him free from base and serious sins! Just as a prophet is preserved from sin, so too is a saint protected. The difference between a preserved and a protected one consists in this: The preserved one [i.e., a prophet is completely preserved from committing sins, but a protected one [i.e., a saint] may commit a sin from time to time, without, however, persisting in that sin. Surely repentance with God is intended only for those people who sin out of ignorance and immediately repent (Q4:17).

Every quality needed for giving counsel and explaining things is granted to the saint. Indeed, all these qualities necessarily are present in him, just as there is necessarily absent from him defects in his relationship with God, or in his constancy in interceding before God on behalf of His creation. The saint is also obedient, but not out of fear of the next world, or due to hope for reward in paradise. He has no regard for his own soul, nor does he measure his own actions.

Those who have seen the path to the world of divine Unity

Have unconsciously been running toward It!

When in denial they see the ultimate meaning of affirming,

They abandon affirmation altogether and embrace negation!

The hints of the sheikhs in this connection contain the following. According to Khwaja Abu Usman Maghribi, Even if a saint becomes famous, he will not be seduced by fame! Another sheikh has observed that a saint should remain hidden; but if he happens to become famous, then the saying that he abstained from publicity should be taken to mean that publicity could lead toward a temptation to find glory in fame but, of itself, it is not sinful, since by means of his sanctity a saint can resist temptation and remain just. It is related that Khwaja Ibrahim Adham said to someone: Do you want to be one of God's saints? When the man replied that he did, the sheikh exclaimed: Then don't go hankering after this world or the next! Free your heart for the sake of friendship with God, and turn your heart toward Him. You will become a saint when these conditions are present within you!

Go beyond yourself. And then

Journey in My world toward Me!

Shut your eyes tightly, and then,

In My Presence, look at Me!

Give up that precious soul of yours and then,

O Khwaja, learn from Me! Whatever you prize in your little world,

Bring it forward and place it at My door!

The aim of this is to enable you to experience God Almighty Himself! It is fitting that the lives of saints are changed into ones of special friendship and sanctity. The saints of His kingdom realize that they are His chosen ones. By means of a variety of special miracles, they become both signs and the radiant manifestation of His own activity. He frees them from natural calamities and from dependency on the natural inclinations of their souls, thus demonstrating that neither their courage nor their love exists apart from Him. This is what has put them ahead of us and that is where they will be on the Day of Resurrection. In this matter, we have two opposing groups. One is the Mutazilites, and the other is the common people. The Mutazilites deny that anyone has a privileged position among the faithful, while the common people allow room for special favors, but at the same time allege that no such privileged people now exist (Others say that saints have an influence in this world.)

Place your steps manfully on this Way. Since the heavens themselves revolve in your service. You are blissfully asleep, while those upon His Way

All kiss the dust that marks His threshold! They proceed in silence, with their heads bowed low, their tongues cut out and strewn along the Way!

In comparison to that mine where souls are His jewels, The firmament has always been but dust upon His threshold!

Among them are four thousand concealed ones who do not recognize one another and who do not know the beauty of their own state. In all their states they remain hidden from both them and the people. News comes from this and the saying of the sheikhs is understood in this, that there are those who are authorized to lose and to bind and are the guards at the gateway to God. A description of the Sufi hierarchy follows.)

In their activities, all of these both recognize and depend on one another. The speakers who relate this Tradition are unanimous in a firming its correctness. At this stage someone might dissent saying. You claim that this recognize one another and know each other to be saints. If this is so, then it would be necessary to postulate that they are at peace concerning their future life-but this is inappropriate. The answer to this objection is that knowledge of one's sanctity does not imply complete reassurance, just as a believer who becomes Sufi as a result of his own deep faith cannot thereby be perfectly at ease about the future. In a similar way, it is fitting that a saint should be aware of his own sanctity, yet not completely at ease. It is good. nonetheless, if, by way of a miracle on the part of the Almighty, he can be assured of his end and remain secure in God, experiencing both the correctness of the state of his soul and his protection from opposition. There are examples of such people, namely, the ten people about whom the Prophet testified that they are among the people of paradise. Because of his assertion, they were at peace and not at all anxious about their end. They are among the group of saints. Yet their contentment about their final end did not impair their religious practice.

You might object that they claim this knowledge from the Prophet, but revelation, by which he himself had this knowledge, came to an end with him. How can people nowadays know without revelation? The answer is that they are aware of their own saintliness by means of the fact that God Almighty has put within them a very fine sense, a special gift that, except for the saints, is not found elsewhere, and certainly not in His enemies. It is proper that God Almighty should effect this peace within them, and that they should discover His own secret, in order that they might realize that it is a miracle and a gift from Him, and that which it purports to predict really will come about. In such people there is no deception, pretext, or vacillation.

On the other hand, a person who is beguiled and deceived would be one who, as soon as anything of a miraculous nature comes to light, is content with the miracle itself, and considers himself a miracle worker. Anyone who considers that he is a temple of sanctity, however, does not rest content with what is miraculous, nor does he pride himself with being a miracle worker. The two attitudes are contradictory, and we know that a mutual contradiction cannot be sustained, since the nature of one would highlight the contradictory demands of the other. This is the way the venerable Sufis look at miracles, as one of them has said: There are many idols in the world, one of which is miraculous concurrences. Just as infidels, because of their attachment to some idol, are enemies of God but can become saints by cutting themselves off from their idols, so too do Sufis have their idols, namely, miracles! If they become satisfied with miracles, they will be put to shame and be dismissed from the divine Presence, but if they cut themselves off from miracles, they move closer to God and become united to Him!

For the ascetics, heaven and paradise are places to be reached: For lovers, there is no delight but in the depths of a prison. The common and the elect, good and bad, all enjoy His grace, but to confront His violence is the work of the manly.

From this it is clear that when God Almighty confers something miraculous upon them, submission and humility increase in their hearts, at the same time that docility and courtesy, along with dread and fear, are also enhanced. The king of mystics, Abu Yazid Bistami, at one stage on his journey came to the edge of a large expanse of water that needed a boat to be crossed. He did not have one, but he began to experience that he was crossing it without a boat. In this state, he traversed a path that appeared in the water until, coming to his senses, he exclaimed, Fraud Fraud and returned. There is a delicate mystery here, and it is this: Genuine sanctity is connected with rejecting all that is not the Friend. Everything must be abandoned for the sake of God. Abandoning and seizing are opposites, as are acceptance and rejection. Whenever a person accepts miracles, allowing himself to be captivated by them, and putting his trust in them, he is not rejecting but is accepting something other than the Friend! There can be no sanctity without rejection.

O brother, there is no room for despair! As the Quran testifies, Say, O you My servants, who have dissipated your souls, look at God's mercy and do not despair! (Q39:55) O you who gaze reverentially on the sanctity and purity of prophecy, look at some of those immersed in the impurities of sin, and convey the secrets of my love that washes away their sins in the water of forgiveness. Pardon them and ask God to forgive them and accept their repentance (Q1-159) so that they might not turn aside from the door on account of the shamefulness of their sins but, with all the strength of their hearts, grasp the rope of hope. Then they will know that the waves of the ocean of His mercy purify sinners from the impurities of their sinfulness as well as from the attraction of things prohibited. These waves of forgiveness both purify them and enable them to attain the wealth of His vision Surely God forgives all sins (Q19:53). A tested saint has hinted at this condition in the following quotation.

If you are caught in the harness of love, yet manage to pass beyond desire, you will be happy. Your being will be purified from its garment of sin, and you will become fit to receive the divine secrets!

Listen to what is said in the Psalms of David: O David, warn the righteous ones that I am very sensitive, but give sinners the good news that I forgive sins! This divine fire consumes the root of hopelessness and destroys the young shoots of despondency and pessimism, bringing to light the secret of Don't despair of the mercy of God (Q39:53).

Peace!

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate !

Dearest brother Qazi Sadruddin, may the blessing of God and the love of the saints be yours! A depiction of sainthood with reference to Arabic grammar is set forth. A saint, then, is a person who continuously enjoys the divine favor in all his activities and becomes one of those protected by God. In general, the states of his soul are free from troubles, but the difficult state for him to sustain is sinlessness. God Almighty continues to keep him free from base and serious sins! Just as a prophet is preserved from sin, so too is a saint protected. The difference between a preserved and a protected one consists in this: The preserved one [i.e., a prophet is completely preserved from committing sins, but a protected one [i.e., a saint] may commit a sin from time to time, without, however, persisting in that sin. Surely repentance with God is intended only for those people who sin out of ignorance and immediately repent (Q4:17).

Every quality needed for giving counsel and explaining things is granted to the saint. Indeed, all these qualities necessarily are present in him, just as there is necessarily absent from him defects in his relationship with God, or in his constancy in interceding before God on behalf of His creation. The saint is also obedient, but not out of fear of the next world, or due to hope for reward in paradise. He has no regard for his own soul, nor does he measure his own actions.

Those who have seen the path to the world of divine Unity

Have unconsciously been running toward It!

When in denial they see the ultimate meaning of affirming,

They abandon affirmation altogether and embrace negation!

The hints of the sheikhs in this connection contain the following. According to Khwaja Abu Usman Maghribi, Even if a saint becomes famous, he will not be seduced by fame! Another sheikh has observed that a saint should remain hidden; but if he happens to become famous, then the saying that he abstained from publicity should be taken to mean that publicity could lead toward a temptation to find glory in fame but, of itself, it is not sinful, since by means of his sanctity a saint can resist temptation and remain just. It is related that Khwaja Ibrahim Adham said to someone: Do you want to be one of God's saints? When the man replied that he did, the sheikh exclaimed: Then don't go hankering after this world or the next! Free your heart for the sake of friendship with God, and turn your heart toward Him. You will become a saint when these conditions are present within you!

Go beyond yourself. And then

Journey in My world toward Me!

Shut your eyes tightly, and then,

In My Presence, look at Me!

Give up that precious soul of yours and then,

O Khwaja, learn from Me! Whatever you prize in your little world,

Bring it forward and place it at My door!

The aim of this is to enable you to experience God Almighty Himself! It is fitting that the lives of saints are changed into ones of special friendship and sanctity. The saints of His kingdom realize that they are His chosen ones. By means of a variety of special miracles, they become both signs and the radiant manifestation of His own activity. He frees them from natural calamities and from dependency on the natural inclinations of their souls, thus demonstrating that neither their courage nor their love exists apart from Him. This is what has put them ahead of us and that is where they will be on the Day of Resurrection. In this matter, we have two opposing groups. One is the Mutazilites, and the other is the common people. The Mutazilites deny that anyone has a privileged position among the faithful, while the common people allow room for special favors, but at the same time allege that no such privileged people now exist (Others say that saints have an influence in this world.)

Place your steps manfully on this Way. Since the heavens themselves revolve in your service. You are blissfully asleep, while those upon His Way

All kiss the dust that marks His threshold! They proceed in silence, with their heads bowed low, their tongues cut out and strewn along the Way!

In comparison to that mine where souls are His jewels, The firmament has always been but dust upon His threshold!

Among them are four thousand concealed ones who do not recognize one another and who do not know the beauty of their own state. In all their states they remain hidden from both them and the people. News comes from this and the saying of the sheikhs is understood in this, that there are those who are authorized to lose and to bind and are the guards at the gateway to God. A description of the Sufi hierarchy follows.)

In their activities, all of these both recognize and depend on one another. The speakers who relate this Tradition are unanimous in a firming its correctness. At this stage someone might dissent saying. You claim that this recognize one another and know each other to be saints. If this is so, then it would be necessary to postulate that they are at peace concerning their future life-but this is inappropriate. The answer to this objection is that knowledge of one's sanctity does not imply complete reassurance, just as a believer who becomes Sufi as a result of his own deep faith cannot thereby be perfectly at ease about the future. In a similar way, it is fitting that a saint should be aware of his own sanctity, yet not completely at ease. It is good. nonetheless, if, by way of a miracle on the part of the Almighty, he can be assured of his end and remain secure in God, experiencing both the correctness of the state of his soul and his protection from opposition. There are examples of such people, namely, the ten people about whom the Prophet testified that they are among the people of paradise. Because of his assertion, they were at peace and not at all anxious about their end. They are among the group of saints. Yet their contentment about their final end did not impair their religious practice.

You might object that they claim this knowledge from the Prophet, but revelation, by which he himself had this knowledge, came to an end with him. How can people nowadays know without revelation? The answer is that they are aware of their own saintliness by means of the fact that God Almighty has put within them a very fine sense, a special gift that, except for the saints, is not found elsewhere, and certainly not in His enemies. It is proper that God Almighty should effect this peace within them, and that they should discover His own secret, in order that they might realize that it is a miracle and a gift from Him, and that which it purports to predict really will come about. In such people there is no deception, pretext, or vacillation.

On the other hand, a person who is beguiled and deceived would be one who, as soon as anything of a miraculous nature comes to light, is content with the miracle itself, and considers himself a miracle worker. Anyone who considers that he is a temple of sanctity, however, does not rest content with what is miraculous, nor does he pride himself with being a miracle worker. The two attitudes are contradictory, and we know that a mutual contradiction cannot be sustained, since the nature of one would highlight the contradictory demands of the other. This is the way the venerable Sufis look at miracles, as one of them has said: There are many idols in the world, one of which is miraculous concurrences. Just as infidels, because of their attachment to some idol, are enemies of God but can become saints by cutting themselves off from their idols, so too do Sufis have their idols, namely, miracles! If they become satisfied with miracles, they will be put to shame and be dismissed from the divine Presence, but if they cut themselves off from miracles, they move closer to God and become united to Him!

For the ascetics, heaven and paradise are places to be reached: For lovers, there is no delight but in the depths of a prison. The common and the elect, good and bad, all enjoy His grace, but to confront His violence is the work of the manly.

From this it is clear that when God Almighty confers something miraculous upon them, submission and humility increase in their hearts, at the same time that docility and courtesy, along with dread and fear, are also enhanced. The king of mystics, Abu Yazid Bistami, at one stage on his journey came to the edge of a large expanse of water that needed a boat to be crossed. He did not have one, but he began to experience that he was crossing it without a boat. In this state, he traversed a path that appeared in the water until, coming to his senses, he exclaimed, Fraud Fraud and returned. There is a delicate mystery here, and it is this: Genuine sanctity is connected with rejecting all that is not the Friend. Everything must be abandoned for the sake of God. Abandoning and seizing are opposites, as are acceptance and rejection. Whenever a person accepts miracles, allowing himself to be captivated by them, and putting his trust in them, he is not rejecting but is accepting something other than the Friend! There can be no sanctity without rejection.

O brother, there is no room for despair! As the Quran testifies, Say, O you My servants, who have dissipated your souls, look at God's mercy and do not despair! (Q39:55) O you who gaze reverentially on the sanctity and purity of prophecy, look at some of those immersed in the impurities of sin, and convey the secrets of my love that washes away their sins in the water of forgiveness. Pardon them and ask God to forgive them and accept their repentance (Q1-159) so that they might not turn aside from the door on account of the shamefulness of their sins but, with all the strength of their hearts, grasp the rope of hope. Then they will know that the waves of the ocean of His mercy purify sinners from the impurities of their sinfulness as well as from the attraction of things prohibited. These waves of forgiveness both purify them and enable them to attain the wealth of His vision Surely God forgives all sins (Q19:53). A tested saint has hinted at this condition in the following quotation.

If you are caught in the harness of love, yet manage to pass beyond desire, you will be happy. Your being will be purified from its garment of sin, and you will become fit to receive the divine secrets!

Listen to what is said in the Psalms of David: O David, warn the righteous ones that I am very sensitive, but give sinners the good news that I forgive sins! This divine fire consumes the root of hopelessness and destroys the young shoots of despondency and pessimism, bringing to light the secret of Don't despair of the mercy of God (Q39:53).

Peace!