LETTER 13: UNVEILING THE MYSTERIES

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

Dear brother Shamsuddin, may God grant that many mysteries will

be disclosed to you! The meaning of manifestation is “to come from behind a curtain.”29 An initiated person perceives things that previously he had not been able to understand, as has been said, “I lifted the

veil from your sight” (Q50:22) in order that you might perceive what

had been concealed until then. This refers to those impediments that

veil the sight of God from his servant and make it inaccessible to him.

Beauty pertains to different worlds, such as this one and the one to

come—whether it be eighteen thousand worlds, according to one

Tradition, or eighty thousand, according to another. All of them are

present in man’s constitution. With reference to each world, man has

been given the special vision that will enable him to observe that

world and the revelation occurring in it. All eighty thousand worlds

can be summed up in two worlds. They comprise darkness and light,

earth and heaven, the visible and the invisible, the physical and the

Spiritual, this world and the next. To summarize requires but one

sentence, but to explain, many words are necessary.

When a sincere pilgrim, impelled by his aspirations, turns his

face from his lower nature and fixes his gaze on the heights of the

Law and, in the footsteps of a just man, takes to traveling the road of

the Way, observing the injunctions of the Law, and enjoying the protection of his spiritual guide, then from behind each veil that is lifted—all eighty thousand of them—there is granted him a special vision that is suitable to be observed at that particular stage. It quickly

comes into focus for him. The very first special vision to be unveiled

is that of the intellect. To the extent that the veil is lifted, a person

understands the meaning of anything intelligible that has been revealed to him, and he becomes familiar with the secrets of the particular revealed world. This is called the “revelation of the intelligible

world.” He should not place too much confidence in this new knowIege, for not everything that swims into sight can be attained. Overconfidence is premature:

Not everything you see, O heart, will He grant you!

O heart, renowned philosophers remain at this stage and think

that they have actually attained their desire! When the sincere pilgrim has passed beyond the revelation of intelligible things, then the

revelation of the heart becomes manifest. It is called the “revelation

of perception.” Various kinds of lights shine forth. After this is

the revelation known as “revelation of secrets.” The secrets of creation and the wisdom contained in the existence of everything be-

come apparent. At this particular stage it can be said:

Grief for You has plundered my heart,

And for You my heart has forsaken all.

The secret unknown even to holy people,

Your love whispered in the ear of my heart.

After that comes the manifestation of the things of the spirit.

They are called “spiritual revelations.” At this stage, heaven and hell

appear, angels are seen, and there is the opportunity to converse with

them and also to listen to them. When the soul is completely purified

and cleansed of all bodily defilements, then disclosure of the Infinite

occurs. He sees the entire circle of what has been decreed for the past

and future. Here the veil of time and place is rent asunder, so that

what occurred in the past is known in the present. A person can also

perceive the very beginning of creation coming into his vision, as

well as the various ranks of all creatures. Similarly, he sees what will

take place in the future. As Harisa said: “When I look toward the

blessed, I see them advancing; but when I look toward the damned, |

see them dying.” When the veil of the categories of space and time 1s

torn asunder, everlasting time and space are revealed. Here the veil of

appearances is also necessarily rent asunder. A person will then experience that he can see from behind as well as he can see from in front.

As the Prophet said: “Just as I can see from in front, so too can I see

from behind.” What people call revelations and miracles occur at this

stage. From this exalted state one can know the thoughts of others, be

aware of things done at a distance, walk on water or on fire, fly in the

air, and do other suchlike miraculous things. Such things are not to

be given, too much importance, however, for they are found among

both believers and nonbelievers!

Once the Prophet asked a man called Ibn Syad, “What do you

see?” Ibn Syed said, “I see the divine throne on water.” The Prophet said, “That is the throne of Satan. Beware! Similar things will also

accompany the Antichrist.’”’ There is a Tradition that says, “The

Antichrist will have the power to raise men from the dead.” Only

that can really be called a genuine miracle which could not exist, except for the followers of the faith, and is hidden in the soul, but revealed during ecstatic contemplation. Both Muslims and infidels have

souls, but the concealed things are not meant for anyone except the

special companions of the Prophet. They have said that the concealed

one is the intermediary between the two worlds—the one of divine

qualities, and the other, the spiritual world—so that the heart might

be enabled to experience divine ecstasy. The reflection of those virtues reaches to the spiritual world, which is a noble spirit, as has been

said: ‘These are those on whose hearts God has inscribed faith and

strengthened them with his own spirit” (Q58:22). Elsewhere it has

been said: “By our order did we reveal to you a spirit. You did not

know what the book was, nor what faith was. But we made a light for

your soul that by it we may guide those among our slaves whom we

want to guide” (Q42:52). This verse has also been interpreted thus: “I

have given the noble spirit of light to many great men, but not to others, so that by means of that light they might find the Way to the

world of divine attributes.” A hint about all this is that “only a second Rustam could master Rakhsh,” the horse of Rustam. This is

called the “revealing of divine attributes.” In this state, if the pilgrim

is destined for the attribute of the world of things revealed, infused

knowledge will appear in him. If the quality of hearing is revealed, he

will hear the divine word and: address; if that of seeing, then the vision and divine witness become manifest; if the divine beauty, then

one gains a foretaste of the spectacle of divine beauty; if the quality of

eternity, then genuine permanence is experienced; and if it is the

quality of divine Unity that is revealed, then real unitv is experienced. One may think of the other qualities in an analogous manner.

When I alight at the head of the street of Your love,

The secret of both worlds becomes completely manifest in my heart.

Having been welcomed at that threshold, my heart

Obtains the desideratum of all the worlds.

O brother, this work has no material cause, so there is no reason

to despair. The pleasure associated with the wind is experienced

when it blows. At the destined hour it whirls into action. One auspicious evening an order reached the Archangel Gabriel, ““Go down to

the world tonight and have a look around!” He went and found eyveryone sound asleep, except for an old man who was an idol worshiper. He was sitting in front of an idol, lost in worship, with his head

bowed low. With great devotion he was soliciting the idol for things

he needed. Gabriel wanted the divine command to destroy this man

and thus wipe his defiling presence from the face of the earth. “O Gabriel,” said a heavenly voice, “even if he does not recognize Me as his

Lord, still I consider him one of my slaves!” On another auspicious

evening an address came to Gabriel, “Go tonight also and see who is

asleep and who is awake.” Gabriel went and saw, standing on one leg,

in the niche of a mosque, and plying the Lord with a hundred petitions, the same old man. “Do you recognize him?” asked the voice.

“He is the one who was lost in prayer before his idol. Today, a stranger has become a friend, and one ignorant of Me has become filled

with knowledge of Me.”

Peace!

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

Dear brother Shamsuddin, may God grant that many mysteries will

be disclosed to you! The meaning of manifestation is “to come from behind a curtain.”29 An initiated person perceives things that previously he had not been able to understand, as has been said, “I lifted the

veil from your sight” (Q50:22) in order that you might perceive what

had been concealed until then. This refers to those impediments that

veil the sight of God from his servant and make it inaccessible to him.

Beauty pertains to different worlds, such as this one and the one to

come—whether it be eighteen thousand worlds, according to one

Tradition, or eighty thousand, according to another. All of them are

present in man’s constitution. With reference to each world, man has

been given the special vision that will enable him to observe that

world and the revelation occurring in it. All eighty thousand worlds

can be summed up in two worlds. They comprise darkness and light,

earth and heaven, the visible and the invisible, the physical and the

Spiritual, this world and the next. To summarize requires but one

sentence, but to explain, many words are necessary.

When a sincere pilgrim, impelled by his aspirations, turns his

face from his lower nature and fixes his gaze on the heights of the

Law and, in the footsteps of a just man, takes to traveling the road of

the Way, observing the injunctions of the Law, and enjoying the protection of his spiritual guide, then from behind each veil that is lifted—all eighty thousand of them—there is granted him a special vision that is suitable to be observed at that particular stage. It quickly

comes into focus for him. The very first special vision to be unveiled

is that of the intellect. To the extent that the veil is lifted, a person

understands the meaning of anything intelligible that has been revealed to him, and he becomes familiar with the secrets of the particular revealed world. This is called the “revelation of the intelligible

world.” He should not place too much confidence in this new knowIege, for not everything that swims into sight can be attained. Overconfidence is premature:

Not everything you see, O heart, will He grant you!

O heart, renowned philosophers remain at this stage and think

that they have actually attained their desire! When the sincere pilgrim has passed beyond the revelation of intelligible things, then the

revelation of the heart becomes manifest. It is called the “revelation

of perception.” Various kinds of lights shine forth. After this is

the revelation known as “revelation of secrets.” The secrets of creation and the wisdom contained in the existence of everything be-

come apparent. At this particular stage it can be said:

Grief for You has plundered my heart,

And for You my heart has forsaken all.

The secret unknown even to holy people,

Your love whispered in the ear of my heart.

After that comes the manifestation of the things of the spirit.

They are called “spiritual revelations.” At this stage, heaven and hell

appear, angels are seen, and there is the opportunity to converse with

them and also to listen to them. When the soul is completely purified

and cleansed of all bodily defilements, then disclosure of the Infinite

occurs. He sees the entire circle of what has been decreed for the past

and future. Here the veil of time and place is rent asunder, so that

what occurred in the past is known in the present. A person can also

perceive the very beginning of creation coming into his vision, as

well as the various ranks of all creatures. Similarly, he sees what will

take place in the future. As Harisa said: “When I look toward the

blessed, I see them advancing; but when I look toward the damned, |

see them dying.” When the veil of the categories of space and time 1s

torn asunder, everlasting time and space are revealed. Here the veil of

appearances is also necessarily rent asunder. A person will then experience that he can see from behind as well as he can see from in front.

As the Prophet said: “Just as I can see from in front, so too can I see

from behind.” What people call revelations and miracles occur at this

stage. From this exalted state one can know the thoughts of others, be

aware of things done at a distance, walk on water or on fire, fly in the

air, and do other suchlike miraculous things. Such things are not to

be given, too much importance, however, for they are found among

both believers and nonbelievers!

Once the Prophet asked a man called Ibn Syad, “What do you

see?” Ibn Syed said, “I see the divine throne on water.” The Prophet said, “That is the throne of Satan. Beware! Similar things will also

accompany the Antichrist.’”’ There is a Tradition that says, “The

Antichrist will have the power to raise men from the dead.” Only

that can really be called a genuine miracle which could not exist, except for the followers of the faith, and is hidden in the soul, but revealed during ecstatic contemplation. Both Muslims and infidels have

souls, but the concealed things are not meant for anyone except the

special companions of the Prophet. They have said that the concealed

one is the intermediary between the two worlds—the one of divine

qualities, and the other, the spiritual world—so that the heart might

be enabled to experience divine ecstasy. The reflection of those virtues reaches to the spiritual world, which is a noble spirit, as has been

said: ‘These are those on whose hearts God has inscribed faith and

strengthened them with his own spirit” (Q58:22). Elsewhere it has

been said: “By our order did we reveal to you a spirit. You did not

know what the book was, nor what faith was. But we made a light for

your soul that by it we may guide those among our slaves whom we

want to guide” (Q42:52). This verse has also been interpreted thus: “I

have given the noble spirit of light to many great men, but not to others, so that by means of that light they might find the Way to the

world of divine attributes.” A hint about all this is that “only a second Rustam could master Rakhsh,” the horse of Rustam. This is

called the “revealing of divine attributes.” In this state, if the pilgrim

is destined for the attribute of the world of things revealed, infused

knowledge will appear in him. If the quality of hearing is revealed, he

will hear the divine word and: address; if that of seeing, then the vision and divine witness become manifest; if the divine beauty, then

one gains a foretaste of the spectacle of divine beauty; if the quality of

eternity, then genuine permanence is experienced; and if it is the

quality of divine Unity that is revealed, then real unitv is experienced. One may think of the other qualities in an analogous manner.

When I alight at the head of the street of Your love,

The secret of both worlds becomes completely manifest in my heart.

Having been welcomed at that threshold, my heart

Obtains the desideratum of all the worlds.

O brother, this work has no material cause, so there is no reason

to despair. The pleasure associated with the wind is experienced

when it blows. At the destined hour it whirls into action. One auspicious evening an order reached the Archangel Gabriel, ““Go down to

the world tonight and have a look around!” He went and found eyveryone sound asleep, except for an old man who was an idol worshiper. He was sitting in front of an idol, lost in worship, with his head

bowed low. With great devotion he was soliciting the idol for things

he needed. Gabriel wanted the divine command to destroy this man

and thus wipe his defiling presence from the face of the earth. “O Gabriel,” said a heavenly voice, “even if he does not recognize Me as his

Lord, still I consider him one of my slaves!” On another auspicious

evening an address came to Gabriel, “Go tonight also and see who is

asleep and who is awake.” Gabriel went and saw, standing on one leg,

in the niche of a mosque, and plying the Lord with a hundred petitions, the same old man. “Do you recognize him?” asked the voice.

“He is the one who was lost in prayer before his idol. Today, a stranger has become a friend, and one ignorant of Me has become filled

with knowledge of Me.”

Peace!