LETTER 42: SINCERITY OF FAITH

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Brother Shamsuddin, it should be known that the correctness of one's faith serves to magnify the greatness of the Lord. One of its great fruits is a sense of shame in His presence. When there is faith, there is contemplation, when contemplation is correct, then proper reverence is experienced; when there is reverence for what is hidden, the inner sword becomes operative, and when someone experiences reverence for the Hidden, he becomes ashamed of his own opposition. As far as this group is concerned, contemplation means seeing what is hidden, not looking at what is visible. This has been expressed very briefly, but the knowledge of both worlds lies hidden beneath it!

Total understanding can be gained only insofar as the secret is revealed by God, and everything other than God has been left behind When the might of God's power is witnessed, all fears about it vanish, when the abundance of His grace flows into a person's soul, he experiences such affection for Him that none remains for anything else, when the grandeur of the all-surpassing excellence of God is contemplated, all actions and even states pass out of sight; when the depth of the divine generosity is perceived, a person becomes so overjoyed with God that the need for either world is no longer felt, when the awesome wrath of God is 'felt, one is rendered incapable of any opinion or judgment, when God's actions are seen to have no cause, a per son places no further reliance on his own actions; and when the glory of God is beheld, one experiences no rest or stability, out of dread of its very absoluteness! This is the secret of he who said

The camel-litter is empty, yet still the bells ring: There is nothing in the cup but look at the flies! The village is abandoned, the countryside deserted: The abode of nonbeing becomes a meeting place with You.

If someone lacks the sincerity of faith required for such perfect contemplation, there should at least be enough for him to know that even if he has not beheld God, God nonetheless is beholding him forever and showing such reverence as He receives from His creatures. Whoever thinks it unlikely that creation is seen by Him will not agree that the Creator is seen by creatures! This opinion comes from the tongues of those engaged in worldly pursuits. As far as those who are conversant with the Truth are concerned, it would be infidelity if someone were to be put to shame by God Almighty as much as by creatures. In their view, this would mean that God and creatures were placed on the same level. Whoever places his trust in this would be an infidel! Consider the state of us black-faced ones who are more put to shame by creatures than by God! How can this be? What a difference there is between you and me! Faith can be grasped from this verse:

Since I was not a man of faith, I espoused the Magian creed. Leaving Islam, I did not see the thread around my middle!

If there had been no explanation on the part of the venerable Sufis in this matter, destruction would have swiftly visited you and me. There is no room even in an idol-temple for anyone who has come from the threshold of Islam!

O Brahmin, take in one who has abandoned Islam! Or is there no place before an idol for a lost wayfarer like me?

In other words, people should always be fearful of those who are base but rely on the kindness of those who are generous. This lack of proper vigilance by you and me is not due to our lack of respect, but actually stems from the very perfection of the generosity of God. It is the abundance of His generosity and forgiveness that renders His servant's conduct unbecoming. Again, when people do not forgive, then the servant may become afraid of any blame they put upon him. This is what is meant, not that creatures should be established in a position above the Creator. In this single explanation of the venerable Sufis some hope still remains. If not, then with the eyes of self we have been looking at the sacred thread of self, mistaking it for faith. Hence it was that a scorched heart once said:

Everything we have written can be wiped out, everything we have taken up should be thrown out! Everything we thought highly of has proved to be folly, what pain we experience for having passed our time idly!

This is just what Khwaja Yahya Mu'az said: It is all the same to Him if He forgives! Doesn't He know everything 1 have done! When a person sees this nearness of knowledge, he understands that God sees everything, and he realizes that there are a thousand iron for-tresses between the servant and sin, since his state is that of a genuine servant. When someone sins, his action arises out of one of three states. He may have forgotten the majesty of God. The retribution for forgetting is, They forgot God and He made them forget them-selves (Q59:19). Perhaps he does not know himself or have any thought of the majesty of God. If this is his state, then he himself has never known God. Or he may know all this and remember it and et still commit oppression. He is lacking in respect! If he had a hundred thousand faiths, not even one would remain with him! Do you not see that when that venerable Sufi was asked, How can one recognize God he replied, I resolved never willfully to commit a sin! More-over, whenever I was close to the Lord, I remembered Him and be-came ashamed and left. This nearness is called the nearness of pow-er. He sees His power in every breath he inhales, at every moment he lives, and in every danger he faces. His state becomes such that he brings forward no opposition even in his imagination, so how could he possibly oppose God through his limbs It is fitting that such near ness be that of reverent, mystical knowledge. In the measure of this reverence, there would be respect. In the measure of this respect, there would be shame. In the measure of this shame, there would be a distance from opposition. The person who is not far removed from iniquity has no shame. Hence, he has no respect. This in turn is why he has no reverence. It also follows that he does not bear witness to God. Hence it is that he has no mystical knowledge. Realize from this what the Lord of the Law meant when he said: Shame is a part of faith. He who has no shame has no faith! He also said: Shame is to faith what the head of a man is to the rest of his body. Just as nobody can endure without its head, no faith can endure without shame. O scoundrel-hearted fellow, tell me what sort of crime this is!

Evil cannot be considered virtue! What is the meaning of your sin?

O unclean one, you lay claim to kindness and fidelity! Yet you do not reject iniquity! What sort of fidelity is this?

A believer is master of his heart when he acts as God's deputy. In other words, at every opportune moment, and in every state, he should return to the Lord. This is what the stories of the prophets Solomon and Job are all about! The former received blessings while the latter had to endure calamities. Blessings and calamities are oppo- site to one another, yet each prophet, no matter what he received, re- turned to God. The former, in spite of all his benefits, was in need of hope, and returned to the Beneficent One. He was blessed with the praise of What an excellent servant! The latter saw some trace of desire even in his calamity. Through patience he returned to Him, He did not complain of his calamities. He was blessed with the praise Well done, trustworthy servant! In all things there is a return to God, because whatever occurs in the life of a servant must be in either of two categories: It is either a blessing, or a hardship. In each of these he can reach God, and he can also be cut off from God. With regard to the last things also there are only two possibilities-worshipful submission, or sinful rebellion. By means of each of this one can either be cut off from God or reach Him. Being cut off from God in each of these would mean that a person sees his worship but does not see his sin. When he saw his own worship, he forgot God's bounty. When he did not see his sin, he forgot reverence for God. Both of these draw a servant away from God.

On the other hand, God can be reached through both of them. It would mean that a person does not pay attention to his worship but does take heed of his sins. When he does not look at his worship, he notices his wretched cunning! He brings forward lamentation and prayers of petition, but not by way of claim. All his attention is focused on God's bounty, not on his own worship. When he sees his sins, he comes forward with sorrow, but not without respect. His gaze is reverent. He turns away from sin. Both of these become for him a cause of union

A sin resulting in repentance is far better

Then that worship which gives rise to pride!

Also:

Who can fall in love with the pattern of a cloak. If he is one who has already seen the Lord

No matter how close he comes to God, he would raise the same cry. He would say: He has not been found, for there are no limits to What is sought! Although someone is seeking Him, he is not seeking and although he has found Him, yet he has not found Him! This is what is meant by the saying that a believer who is close to Him burns, while one who is distant cries out, for,

Until the Friend displayed His beauty, my poor heart found not a moment's peace!

It seems as though the meaning of this would be that he knows there is no such thing for him as nearness or distance, for both refer to God. Just as He does not remain with anyone, neither does His work remain with the work of anyone. It is fitting for the one who is far off to don the cloak of nearness, while he who is near should don that of distance, because analogy is not enough to give a correct appreciation of His work. Since the situation is like this, even though someone might see himself clothed with the robe of nearness, still he would not experience peace due to the deception of distance, and fear turns all blessings into affliction by removing all pleasure from them. It is this fear of deception that causes the pleasure of nearness to de- part from him. Hence, he finds no rest, even in his closeness. The existence of anything with which no peace is found passes into nothing- ness. It is in this sense that the lover would be set on fire by being close, while he should cry out from a distance. A scorched one has said:

What dealings can a servant have with You, O Treasure of Goodness?

You are a King, while I have been destituted from birth!

O Brother, the orders of God are beyond the bounds of analogies comprehensible to the human mind. What did Adam do that he was clothed with the cloak of purity? And what did that wretch Satan do in order to have the angelic clothing snatched off his body? If purity were the cause of Adam's goodness, then how do you explain that the cause itself was consumed by fire when, in the beginning, he took his very first step in the garden of Eden? And if Satan's sin be taken as the basis for an analogy, then the answer to that analogy is that if Sa- tan was commanded to prostrate himself before Adam, but he did not, then why was his fate worse than Adam's, since Adam was also forbidden to eat wheat, but did? What is the reason for one being given a tassel of liberty upon the cap of freedom of choice, whereas that wretch had to suffer because he utterly refused to accept the option of worshiping dust, saying:

For me, there is no hope of better days or a place to cry out! Nor is there any joy for me at the prospect of union. See what has befallen me in the afterlife: My fate is that of a beloved in the hands of his enemies!

Adam had not yet eaten the wheat when a cap of purity had been sewn for him. Neither had Satan rebelled when the sword of destruction had been dipped in the waters of poisonous wrath. That wretch said: If I was commanded to prostrate myself in front of Adam, then he too was ordered not to eat wheat, yet he did! What one gets, the other also deserves! Hence it has been said:

Use less analogy, please, O intimate of God! The One without cause cannot be grasped by analogy. His dealings dazzle the human mind. From feebleness it remains clogged up. Before His majesty soul and mind are like a decrepit old man. The mind is astonished, and the soul dumb struck with awe!

Peace!

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Brother Shamsuddin, it should be known that the correctness of one's faith serves to magnify the greatness of the Lord. One of its great fruits is a sense of shame in His presence. When there is faith, there is contemplation, when contemplation is correct, then proper reverence is experienced; when there is reverence for what is hidden, the inner sword becomes operative, and when someone experiences reverence for the Hidden, he becomes ashamed of his own opposition. As far as this group is concerned, contemplation means seeing what is hidden, not looking at what is visible. This has been expressed very briefly, but the knowledge of both worlds lies hidden beneath it!

Total understanding can be gained only insofar as the secret is revealed by God, and everything other than God has been left behind When the might of God's power is witnessed, all fears about it vanish, when the abundance of His grace flows into a person's soul, he experiences such affection for Him that none remains for anything else, when the grandeur of the all-surpassing excellence of God is contemplated, all actions and even states pass out of sight; when the depth of the divine generosity is perceived, a person becomes so overjoyed with God that the need for either world is no longer felt, when the awesome wrath of God is 'felt, one is rendered incapable of any opinion or judgment, when God's actions are seen to have no cause, a per son places no further reliance on his own actions; and when the glory of God is beheld, one experiences no rest or stability, out of dread of its very absoluteness! This is the secret of he who said

The camel-litter is empty, yet still the bells ring: There is nothing in the cup but look at the flies! The village is abandoned, the countryside deserted: The abode of nonbeing becomes a meeting place with You.

If someone lacks the sincerity of faith required for such perfect contemplation, there should at least be enough for him to know that even if he has not beheld God, God nonetheless is beholding him forever and showing such reverence as He receives from His creatures. Whoever thinks it unlikely that creation is seen by Him will not agree that the Creator is seen by creatures! This opinion comes from the tongues of those engaged in worldly pursuits. As far as those who are conversant with the Truth are concerned, it would be infidelity if someone were to be put to shame by God Almighty as much as by creatures. In their view, this would mean that God and creatures were placed on the same level. Whoever places his trust in this would be an infidel! Consider the state of us black-faced ones who are more put to shame by creatures than by God! How can this be? What a difference there is between you and me! Faith can be grasped from this verse:

Since I was not a man of faith, I espoused the Magian creed. Leaving Islam, I did not see the thread around my middle!

If there had been no explanation on the part of the venerable Sufis in this matter, destruction would have swiftly visited you and me. There is no room even in an idol-temple for anyone who has come from the threshold of Islam!

O Brahmin, take in one who has abandoned Islam! Or is there no place before an idol for a lost wayfarer like me?

In other words, people should always be fearful of those who are base but rely on the kindness of those who are generous. This lack of proper vigilance by you and me is not due to our lack of respect, but actually stems from the very perfection of the generosity of God. It is the abundance of His generosity and forgiveness that renders His servant's conduct unbecoming. Again, when people do not forgive, then the servant may become afraid of any blame they put upon him. This is what is meant, not that creatures should be established in a position above the Creator. In this single explanation of the venerable Sufis some hope still remains. If not, then with the eyes of self we have been looking at the sacred thread of self, mistaking it for faith. Hence it was that a scorched heart once said:

Everything we have written can be wiped out, everything we have taken up should be thrown out! Everything we thought highly of has proved to be folly, what pain we experience for having passed our time idly!

This is just what Khwaja Yahya Mu'az said: It is all the same to Him if He forgives! Doesn't He know everything 1 have done! When a person sees this nearness of knowledge, he understands that God sees everything, and he realizes that there are a thousand iron for-tresses between the servant and sin, since his state is that of a genuine servant. When someone sins, his action arises out of one of three states. He may have forgotten the majesty of God. The retribution for forgetting is, They forgot God and He made them forget them-selves (Q59:19). Perhaps he does not know himself or have any thought of the majesty of God. If this is his state, then he himself has never known God. Or he may know all this and remember it and et still commit oppression. He is lacking in respect! If he had a hundred thousand faiths, not even one would remain with him! Do you not see that when that venerable Sufi was asked, How can one recognize God he replied, I resolved never willfully to commit a sin! More-over, whenever I was close to the Lord, I remembered Him and be-came ashamed and left. This nearness is called the nearness of pow-er. He sees His power in every breath he inhales, at every moment he lives, and in every danger he faces. His state becomes such that he brings forward no opposition even in his imagination, so how could he possibly oppose God through his limbs It is fitting that such near ness be that of reverent, mystical knowledge. In the measure of this reverence, there would be respect. In the measure of this respect, there would be shame. In the measure of this shame, there would be a distance from opposition. The person who is not far removed from iniquity has no shame. Hence, he has no respect. This in turn is why he has no reverence. It also follows that he does not bear witness to God. Hence it is that he has no mystical knowledge. Realize from this what the Lord of the Law meant when he said: Shame is a part of faith. He who has no shame has no faith! He also said: Shame is to faith what the head of a man is to the rest of his body. Just as nobody can endure without its head, no faith can endure without shame. O scoundrel-hearted fellow, tell me what sort of crime this is!

Evil cannot be considered virtue! What is the meaning of your sin?

O unclean one, you lay claim to kindness and fidelity! Yet you do not reject iniquity! What sort of fidelity is this?

A believer is master of his heart when he acts as God's deputy. In other words, at every opportune moment, and in every state, he should return to the Lord. This is what the stories of the prophets Solomon and Job are all about! The former received blessings while the latter had to endure calamities. Blessings and calamities are oppo- site to one another, yet each prophet, no matter what he received, re- turned to God. The former, in spite of all his benefits, was in need of hope, and returned to the Beneficent One. He was blessed with the praise of What an excellent servant! The latter saw some trace of desire even in his calamity. Through patience he returned to Him, He did not complain of his calamities. He was blessed with the praise Well done, trustworthy servant! In all things there is a return to God, because whatever occurs in the life of a servant must be in either of two categories: It is either a blessing, or a hardship. In each of these he can reach God, and he can also be cut off from God. With regard to the last things also there are only two possibilities-worshipful submission, or sinful rebellion. By means of each of this one can either be cut off from God or reach Him. Being cut off from God in each of these would mean that a person sees his worship but does not see his sin. When he saw his own worship, he forgot God's bounty. When he did not see his sin, he forgot reverence for God. Both of these draw a servant away from God.

On the other hand, God can be reached through both of them. It would mean that a person does not pay attention to his worship but does take heed of his sins. When he does not look at his worship, he notices his wretched cunning! He brings forward lamentation and prayers of petition, but not by way of claim. All his attention is focused on God's bounty, not on his own worship. When he sees his sins, he comes forward with sorrow, but not without respect. His gaze is reverent. He turns away from sin. Both of these become for him a cause of union

A sin resulting in repentance is far better

Then that worship which gives rise to pride!

Also:

Who can fall in love with the pattern of a cloak. If he is one who has already seen the Lord

No matter how close he comes to God, he would raise the same cry. He would say: He has not been found, for there are no limits to What is sought! Although someone is seeking Him, he is not seeking and although he has found Him, yet he has not found Him! This is what is meant by the saying that a believer who is close to Him burns, while one who is distant cries out, for,

Until the Friend displayed His beauty, my poor heart found not a moment's peace!

It seems as though the meaning of this would be that he knows there is no such thing for him as nearness or distance, for both refer to God. Just as He does not remain with anyone, neither does His work remain with the work of anyone. It is fitting for the one who is far off to don the cloak of nearness, while he who is near should don that of distance, because analogy is not enough to give a correct appreciation of His work. Since the situation is like this, even though someone might see himself clothed with the robe of nearness, still he would not experience peace due to the deception of distance, and fear turns all blessings into affliction by removing all pleasure from them. It is this fear of deception that causes the pleasure of nearness to de- part from him. Hence, he finds no rest, even in his closeness. The existence of anything with which no peace is found passes into nothing- ness. It is in this sense that the lover would be set on fire by being close, while he should cry out from a distance. A scorched one has said:

What dealings can a servant have with You, O Treasure of Goodness?

You are a King, while I have been destituted from birth!

O Brother, the orders of God are beyond the bounds of analogies comprehensible to the human mind. What did Adam do that he was clothed with the cloak of purity? And what did that wretch Satan do in order to have the angelic clothing snatched off his body? If purity were the cause of Adam's goodness, then how do you explain that the cause itself was consumed by fire when, in the beginning, he took his very first step in the garden of Eden? And if Satan's sin be taken as the basis for an analogy, then the answer to that analogy is that if Sa- tan was commanded to prostrate himself before Adam, but he did not, then why was his fate worse than Adam's, since Adam was also forbidden to eat wheat, but did? What is the reason for one being given a tassel of liberty upon the cap of freedom of choice, whereas that wretch had to suffer because he utterly refused to accept the option of worshiping dust, saying:

For me, there is no hope of better days or a place to cry out! Nor is there any joy for me at the prospect of union. See what has befallen me in the afterlife: My fate is that of a beloved in the hands of his enemies!

Adam had not yet eaten the wheat when a cap of purity had been sewn for him. Neither had Satan rebelled when the sword of destruction had been dipped in the waters of poisonous wrath. That wretch said: If I was commanded to prostrate myself in front of Adam, then he too was ordered not to eat wheat, yet he did! What one gets, the other also deserves! Hence it has been said:

Use less analogy, please, O intimate of God! The One without cause cannot be grasped by analogy. His dealings dazzle the human mind. From feebleness it remains clogged up. Before His majesty soul and mind are like a decrepit old man. The mind is astonished, and the soul dumb struck with awe!

Peace!