LETTER 14: MANIFESTATION

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Brother Shamsuddin may God deign to manifest Himself to you Manifestation occurs through revelation of the divine essence and at tributes. The soul also has its own glory. Many travelers grow proud at this stage and think that they have attained the divine glory. If one does not have access to a perfect sheikh, a man experienced in mystical matters, then it would be difficult to escape this danger. Everyone who sincerely seeks God should catch hold of the skirt of a mature master so that he may benefit from the blessing conferred on him by the spiritual wealth of that sheikh and thus attain what he desires and yearns for As the Quran informs us. Enter a house through the door! (Q2:189) There is a hint contained here! If you travel the Way without benefit of any intermediary, you will fall headlong from the Way into a pit, follow a spiritual guide that, by his bounty, Sooner or later you may reach the realm of the King.

For the moment, grasp the difference between divine illumination and illumination from the soul. When the mirror of the soul is cleansed of the impurities of human existence, it becomes polished in relation to God and its purity becomes perfect. It becomes like the rising sun of the divine beauty, and like Jamshed's cup it reveals the essence of the Lord, as well as His attributes. But not everyone who ac quires the luster of polishing is also granted the boon of witnessing. That is God's grace, which he bestows on whomever He wishes (Q62:4). Not everyone who runs catches a wild ass, but only a person who is actually running can hope to catch one!

Among travelers there should be a spiritually endowed teacher who purifies the heart not only of deficiencies common to human nature but also of the rust accumulated by each traveler's particular nature. Many spiritual qualities illumine the heart. This is due to the experience of spiritual lights. The soul, in effect, has been illuminated with the beauty of its own attributes. But its full illumination re- quires the effacement of the effects deriving from the unruly characteristics of human nature. It sometimes happens that the essence of the soul, which is the vicar of God on earth, becomes manifest and claims, I am God! Sometimes it happens that a person sees all creatures bowing down before the throne of the vicegerency of his soul and falls into error. He thinks that he is God himself! The situation can be compared to that described in a Tradition: When God mani fests himself to anyone, everything becomes dependent on him. He falls into many faults of this kind and, unless he receives divine grace and assistance from a spiritual guide, he cannot avoid making such errors. Now we come to the difference between divine illumination and illumination from the soul.

Let us first consider the manifestation or illumination that proceeds from the soul itself. It has a tendency to appear as something novel. It does not have the power to do away with unruly tendencies completely, even though at the time of illumination a person is far from their pull. The human soul does not annihilate them, since this kind of manifestation is still veiled. Human inclinations remain. When divine illumination occurs, one is no longer encumbered since, of necessity, the divine illumination leads one to refrain from acting in response to the soul and to suppress all purely human tendencies And say: God has come forward, and the existence of what is false has been removed. What is false does not endure (Q17:81). Illumination from the soul does not bring peace to the heart, neither does it cleanse the heart of impurities or liberate it from doubt and suspicion, nor is the bliss of complete understanding bestowed upon it. Di vine illumination, on the other hand, does cleanse and liberate and in- form totally. Also, illumination from the soul causes pride and self- esteem to appear, haughtirless and preoccupation with self increase the quest for God is harmed, fear of God and supplication grow less but divine illumination does away with all these. Instead of preoccupation with self, self-forgetfulness is found, both yearning for God and fervor in seeking Him increase, as does the thirst for God. Above all, a person genuinely experiences himself as a mirror of the essence and attributes of the Exalted Friend! When the mirror becomes clean, it can reflect whatever the Lord wishes to manifest in it, for example, the attributes of speech-And God spoke to Moses (Q19:25). And if it is a question of creative power, then reflect on these words con cerning Jesus: And if You, by My command, make birds of clay and breathe into them, they will fly away by My command (Q:110)- and so on for the other attributes and their manifestation in man [The story of a disciple of Abu Turab Nakhshabi follows.]

There is a very subtle difference between witness, display, and illumination. This cannot be ceived without perception and clear insight. God willing, what is Nere exposited at length may be experienced instantaneously. You should know that illumination and concealment are two words commonly found among the Sufis the former means to be revealed, while the latter means to be hidden. What this group means to say is that, through illumination, God discloses Himself, whereas by concealment, He hides Himself

There is no question here of God's essence since variability and alteration are incompatible with the divine essence. It is instead like light, which, once it has been shed on some problem, causes people to say that the problem has been solved. The problem has not really been solved, but one's mind has been illuminated and the problem comprehended. Knowledge is called the solution of the problem, while ignorance is called its obfuscation. When a person becomes engrosted in himself, he finds that vision of the invisible world remains hidden from him. This is called concealment. When, however, he sees from the divine perspective rather than his own, doing away with his human ego, he then sees what is hidden. This is called illumination.

O brother, on the day that men were brought into existence, God said: Come along the Way of seeking, and never despair of finding me! Man, gradually discovers that the meaning of seeking is not to seek one's own glory! This is the secret, but how difficult it is to attain! Realize what all this means! Wherever there is beauty, there is both enticement and debasement, as the following quatrain indicates:

Here am I accepting grief suffered for Your sake as happiness, crying out as I endure oppression for Your sake.

Despite all this, were I to become dust on Your path, I would still not be worthy of being touched by Your feet!

God will give everyone who sets out faithfully along the Way even what was never requested. Yet, if anyone does not direct his feet along this Way, even though he has desires, he will get nothing. A great man related this story: Someone was asked, Do you wish to see the Lord? No. Why not? Because Moses desired to see God, but did not, whereas Muhammad had no such desire and yet saw Him. Is not this garment of mud merely transitory, like all the work of Adam and men? Of the innumerable host of created beings not one is involved in accomplishing the work that is being done in you. If one were, then one could talk about a cause. Reflect for a moment on those spiritual substances called angels who are clothed with the vesture of sinlessness, submission, sanctity, and purity! Not everyone capable of service is necessarily capable of love! Not everyone who exists on the fringes of the wide Expanse can traverse the Expanse

itself!

Peace!

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Brother Shamsuddin may God deign to manifest Himself to you Manifestation occurs through revelation of the divine essence and at tributes. The soul also has its own glory. Many travelers grow proud at this stage and think that they have attained the divine glory. If one does not have access to a perfect sheikh, a man experienced in mystical matters, then it would be difficult to escape this danger. Everyone who sincerely seeks God should catch hold of the skirt of a mature master so that he may benefit from the blessing conferred on him by the spiritual wealth of that sheikh and thus attain what he desires and yearns for As the Quran informs us. Enter a house through the door! (Q2:189) There is a hint contained here! If you travel the Way without benefit of any intermediary, you will fall headlong from the Way into a pit, follow a spiritual guide that, by his bounty, Sooner or later you may reach the realm of the King.

For the moment, grasp the difference between divine illumination and illumination from the soul. When the mirror of the soul is cleansed of the impurities of human existence, it becomes polished in relation to God and its purity becomes perfect. It becomes like the rising sun of the divine beauty, and like Jamshed's cup it reveals the essence of the Lord, as well as His attributes. But not everyone who ac quires the luster of polishing is also granted the boon of witnessing. That is God's grace, which he bestows on whomever He wishes (Q62:4). Not everyone who runs catches a wild ass, but only a person who is actually running can hope to catch one!

Among travelers there should be a spiritually endowed teacher who purifies the heart not only of deficiencies common to human nature but also of the rust accumulated by each traveler's particular nature. Many spiritual qualities illumine the heart. This is due to the experience of spiritual lights. The soul, in effect, has been illuminated with the beauty of its own attributes. But its full illumination re- quires the effacement of the effects deriving from the unruly characteristics of human nature. It sometimes happens that the essence of the soul, which is the vicar of God on earth, becomes manifest and claims, I am God! Sometimes it happens that a person sees all creatures bowing down before the throne of the vicegerency of his soul and falls into error. He thinks that he is God himself! The situation can be compared to that described in a Tradition: When God mani fests himself to anyone, everything becomes dependent on him. He falls into many faults of this kind and, unless he receives divine grace and assistance from a spiritual guide, he cannot avoid making such errors. Now we come to the difference between divine illumination and illumination from the soul.

Let us first consider the manifestation or illumination that proceeds from the soul itself. It has a tendency to appear as something novel. It does not have the power to do away with unruly tendencies completely, even though at the time of illumination a person is far from their pull. The human soul does not annihilate them, since this kind of manifestation is still veiled. Human inclinations remain. When divine illumination occurs, one is no longer encumbered since, of necessity, the divine illumination leads one to refrain from acting in response to the soul and to suppress all purely human tendencies And say: God has come forward, and the existence of what is false has been removed. What is false does not endure (Q17:81). Illumination from the soul does not bring peace to the heart, neither does it cleanse the heart of impurities or liberate it from doubt and suspicion, nor is the bliss of complete understanding bestowed upon it. Di vine illumination, on the other hand, does cleanse and liberate and in- form totally. Also, illumination from the soul causes pride and self- esteem to appear, haughtirless and preoccupation with self increase the quest for God is harmed, fear of God and supplication grow less but divine illumination does away with all these. Instead of preoccupation with self, self-forgetfulness is found, both yearning for God and fervor in seeking Him increase, as does the thirst for God. Above all, a person genuinely experiences himself as a mirror of the essence and attributes of the Exalted Friend! When the mirror becomes clean, it can reflect whatever the Lord wishes to manifest in it, for example, the attributes of speech-And God spoke to Moses (Q19:25). And if it is a question of creative power, then reflect on these words con cerning Jesus: And if You, by My command, make birds of clay and breathe into them, they will fly away by My command (Q:110)- and so on for the other attributes and their manifestation in man [The story of a disciple of Abu Turab Nakhshabi follows.]

There is a very subtle difference between witness, display, and illumination. This cannot be ceived without perception and clear insight. God willing, what is Nere exposited at length may be experienced instantaneously. You should know that illumination and concealment are two words commonly found among the Sufis the former means to be revealed, while the latter means to be hidden. What this group means to say is that, through illumination, God discloses Himself, whereas by concealment, He hides Himself

There is no question here of God's essence since variability and alteration are incompatible with the divine essence. It is instead like light, which, once it has been shed on some problem, causes people to say that the problem has been solved. The problem has not really been solved, but one's mind has been illuminated and the problem comprehended. Knowledge is called the solution of the problem, while ignorance is called its obfuscation. When a person becomes engrosted in himself, he finds that vision of the invisible world remains hidden from him. This is called concealment. When, however, he sees from the divine perspective rather than his own, doing away with his human ego, he then sees what is hidden. This is called illumination.

O brother, on the day that men were brought into existence, God said: Come along the Way of seeking, and never despair of finding me! Man, gradually discovers that the meaning of seeking is not to seek one's own glory! This is the secret, but how difficult it is to attain! Realize what all this means! Wherever there is beauty, there is both enticement and debasement, as the following quatrain indicates:

Here am I accepting grief suffered for Your sake as happiness, crying out as I endure oppression for Your sake.

Despite all this, were I to become dust on Your path, I would still not be worthy of being touched by Your feet!

God will give everyone who sets out faithfully along the Way even what was never requested. Yet, if anyone does not direct his feet along this Way, even though he has desires, he will get nothing. A great man related this story: Someone was asked, Do you wish to see the Lord? No. Why not? Because Moses desired to see God, but did not, whereas Muhammad had no such desire and yet saw Him. Is not this garment of mud merely transitory, like all the work of Adam and men? Of the innumerable host of created beings not one is involved in accomplishing the work that is being done in you. If one were, then one could talk about a cause. Reflect for a moment on those spiritual substances called angels who are clothed with the vesture of sinlessness, submission, sanctity, and purity! Not everyone capable of service is necessarily capable of love! Not everyone who exists on the fringes of the wide Expanse can traverse the Expanse

itself!

Peace!