LETTER 16: THE TRAVELER AND THE ECSTATIC

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

Brother Shamsuddin may God grant you the wonders of travelers! Those who venture along this Way are of two kinds: One is the traveler; the other is the ecstatic. Ecstatic's are those filled with a tremendous longing for God; they have attained this stage under the compel- ling impulse of their zeal. They have passed beyond all other stages, but not much insight has been given to them. They are unaware of the various states of this Way, they have no knowledge of the various stages, nor do they grasp the dangers that could occur along the Way: they cannot distinguish between goodness and wickedness, nor can they discern what is beneficial from what is harmful. Such men are unfit to become sheikhs! A sheikh should be a person who, even though he be led by the bridle of a deep-felt yearning, still moves along peacefully and slowly in order that he may profit from what is proper and fitting in each particular stage. Hence it is that the states of goodness and wickedness, of peace and perversity, are all made known to him. At one time the sheikh may travel along the Way, while at another, he may wander off it! In this manner he experiences what it means both to travel along

the Way and to go astray from it, with the result that he is able to point out the Way to others! As to the various signs along the Way, those who have trod it have said: If a traveler is passing through the stage of earthly qualities, he sees things such as lanes and alleys, dark places and dwellings, and comes to ruined and broken-down inns, waterlogged expanses, and hilly tracts where he experiences a heaviness of spirit and a gloominess, which, however, is followed by a lightness and pleasantness. Second, he traverses the realm of the watery qualities where he sees greens and pastures, trees and sown fields, running water, springs, rivers, and other similar things. In the third stage he passes through airy qualities; he walks on air, flies through it, ascends to the heights and flies through valleys and similar places. Fourth, he passes through the fiery qualities where he sees lamps, sparks, and flames. Fifth, he passes through the firmament and the heavens, seeing himself traversing them, flying from one to the other, perceiving the firmament of the heavens, and even the angels. Sixth, as he passes through the starry region, he sees stars, the moon, the sun, and other

things of this nature. Seventh, as he passes through the animal qualities, he sees in every beastly or ferocious form that he encounters the nature corresponding to that animal. If he sees himself overcoming that particular animal, it means that he has overcome that particular defect; whereas if he sees himself being overcome by that animal, it is a sign of the continuing dominance of that bad quality in him. There are thousands of other similar worlds through which the traveler has to pass. In each of them he witnesses sights and subtleties appropriate to it O brother, behold your soul and your God! You should play the man and cry, I shall reach my Goal, or die in the attempt This Goal is a dazzling carbuncle, and its great excellence can be judged from the fact that it is guarded by the waves of a bloodthirsty ocean. One hundred thousand people are in quest of it. For its sake, they sacrifice their lives and, having been ruined, plunge to the bottom of the sea. When anyone foolishly tries to enter that threshold, then the Devil, who guards it, enticingly says: Don't you recognize me? I am the one from whom the inhabitants of the first heaven learned how to sing God's praises, while those of the second learned how to praise God by proclaiming There is no god but God! The inhabitants of the other worlds have received a diploma in accordance with my, teaching by means of which they can attain the very heights of heaven. Because I have abandoned all these riches, they have drawn the mark of the curse on my forehead and placed me at the head of the lane of the Law of Muhammad. Now, come with the crown of sincerity and enter in, or put your foot in my stirrup. Aren't you a man of religion? And Satan cannot be budged from this position of his, even for the sake of both worlds! He has great pride and holds his ground-until a just man appears in the kingdom and, relying solely on the stratagem of purity, he struts manfully along the Way!

Peace!

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

Brother Shamsuddin may God grant you the wonders of travelers! Those who venture along this Way are of two kinds: One is the traveler; the other is the ecstatic. Ecstatic's are those filled with a tremendous longing for God; they have attained this stage under the compel- ling impulse of their zeal. They have passed beyond all other stages, but not much insight has been given to them. They are unaware of the various states of this Way, they have no knowledge of the various stages, nor do they grasp the dangers that could occur along the Way: they cannot distinguish between goodness and wickedness, nor can they discern what is beneficial from what is harmful. Such men are unfit to become sheikhs! A sheikh should be a person who, even though he be led by the bridle of a deep-felt yearning, still moves along peacefully and slowly in order that he may profit from what is proper and fitting in each particular stage. Hence it is that the states of goodness and wickedness, of peace and perversity, are all made known to him. At one time the sheikh may travel along the Way, while at another, he may wander off it! In this manner he experiences what it means both to travel along

the Way and to go astray from it, with the result that he is able to point out the Way to others! As to the various signs along the Way, those who have trod it have said: If a traveler is passing through the stage of earthly qualities, he sees things such as lanes and alleys, dark places and dwellings, and comes to ruined and broken-down inns, waterlogged expanses, and hilly tracts where he experiences a heaviness of spirit and a gloominess, which, however, is followed by a lightness and pleasantness. Second, he traverses the realm of the watery qualities where he sees greens and pastures, trees and sown fields, running water, springs, rivers, and other similar things. In the third stage he passes through airy qualities; he walks on air, flies through it, ascends to the heights and flies through valleys and similar places. Fourth, he passes through the fiery qualities where he sees lamps, sparks, and flames. Fifth, he passes through the firmament and the heavens, seeing himself traversing them, flying from one to the other, perceiving the firmament of the heavens, and even the angels. Sixth, as he passes through the starry region, he sees stars, the moon, the sun, and other

things of this nature. Seventh, as he passes through the animal qualities, he sees in every beastly or ferocious form that he encounters the nature corresponding to that animal. If he sees himself overcoming that particular animal, it means that he has overcome that particular defect; whereas if he sees himself being overcome by that animal, it is a sign of the continuing dominance of that bad quality in him. There are thousands of other similar worlds through which the traveler has to pass. In each of them he witnesses sights and subtleties appropriate to it O brother, behold your soul and your God! You should play the man and cry, I shall reach my Goal, or die in the attempt This Goal is a dazzling carbuncle, and its great excellence can be judged from the fact that it is guarded by the waves of a bloodthirsty ocean. One hundred thousand people are in quest of it. For its sake, they sacrifice their lives and, having been ruined, plunge to the bottom of the sea. When anyone foolishly tries to enter that threshold, then the Devil, who guards it, enticingly says: Don't you recognize me? I am the one from whom the inhabitants of the first heaven learned how to sing God's praises, while those of the second learned how to praise God by proclaiming There is no god but God! The inhabitants of the other worlds have received a diploma in accordance with my, teaching by means of which they can attain the very heights of heaven. Because I have abandoned all these riches, they have drawn the mark of the curse on my forehead and placed me at the head of the lane of the Law of Muhammad. Now, come with the crown of sincerity and enter in, or put your foot in my stirrup. Aren't you a man of religion? And Satan cannot be budged from this position of his, even for the sake of both worlds! He has great pride and holds his ground-until a just man appears in the kingdom and, relying solely on the stratagem of purity, he struts manfully along the Way!

Peace!