LETTER 3: RECONCILING OFFENDED PARTIES

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

Brother Shamsuddin, may Almighty God grant you eternal peace and the perfection of His grace! Prayers and greetings! Study the words that follow and try to grasp their meaning, namely that, after repentance, the task that falls to the lot of the beginner is the reconciling of people who have fallen out with one another. This next step is important since all sins are of three kinds. The first is the abandonment of what has been required of you, such as prayer, fasting, and so on. A person ought to perform all of these to the maximum extent possible. The second category of sin is that between the creature and the Lord Examples of these are wine drinking, usury, listening to musical instruments, and similar activities. A person should strive to extricate himself from these sins and to attain the state of repentance, and he should also resolve firmly not to commit them again in the future. The third type of sin is between you and other men. This is still hard- er and more difficult to correct than the sins already mentioned. There are various kinds of conflicts-some concern property, others one's soul and body, still other women and slave girls, and also religion! With regard to goods, it is necessary, whenever possible, to re- turn anything illegally obtained to its rightful owner. If you are not in a position to return his goods, you should ask the owner to remit your debt to him. If he is dead, do some deeds of charity for the welfare of his soul. If you cannot do this, perform other good deeds, seeking pardon for him as he stands in judgment. Turn your heart to the Lord, humbling yourself and pleading for help so that He, of His bountiful generosity, might be pleased with you on the Day of Resurrection.

As for what concerns your soul, consult one of God's saints; he will know whether punishment or pardon awaits you. If this is not possible, turn to God Himself in supplication and lamentation, so that the One against whom you have sinned may become your friend on the Day of Resurrection. As for what is done through the body, such as backbiting, blaming, or troubling others in various ways, it is necessary for you to admit your backbiting to the person concerned and to seek his forgive- ness. If you sense that he may become angry with you, it is still good to grasp at the opportune moment, and to remain calm. If, however, he becomes incensed whenever you speak, then turn back to God and implore forgiveness on his account! If he has died, perform some good

work for his soul. With respect to the treatment of women and slave girls, it is not opportune to ask for forgiveness and bring the matter into the open. That situation should be handled by turning to God so that He may be happy with you on the Day of Judgment. Remain calm, even in the face of God's increased anger-though such is rare-and seek His for givenness as for what concerns religion itself, such as making another per- son into an unbeliever, or leading him astray in matters of faith, this also presents difficulties. You must first of all accuse yourself of having lied and ask forgiveness of the person whom you have misled, if this is possible. Otherwise, turn back to God Almighty and plead with Him continuously until God Himself fills that person with happiness!

What needs to be grasped in the present chapter is this: As far as possible, make your peace with anyone who has a legitimate grudge against you. If you cannot do this, turn to Almighty God, humbling yourself and crying out for help from a righteous heart so that, on the Day of Resurrection, God Himself might be happy with you. Be confident that, when the Lord realizes how sincere-hearted His servant is, He, out of the infinite treasure of His mercy, will make your adversary happy. If you act in accordance with what has been said and wholeheartedly turn away from sin, all will go well. But if you have

omitted obligatory duties in the past and done nothing about it, or if you have not taken pains to be reconciled to your enemies, then punishment awaits you. Unforgiven sins, you should realize, form a chasm that is difficult to cross and fraught with baneful consequences and dangers! A tradition from Khwaja Abu Ishaq Isfahani follows.]

O brother, the slave of sin faces a veritable calamity. First comes the sin of hardening one's heart, which ultimately leads to unbelief and wretchedness. May God protect us from such things! And do not forget the wiles of Satan and Balaam! The works of both were sinful from the very beginning and, at the end, both became unbelievers. A pious person once said that a black heart comes from indifference to committing sin, coupled with the absence of any desire to submit one- self to God. If you heed sound advice, however, this baneful effect will not afflict you. For goodness's sake do not act like a fool, be swift to repent! No one knows the hour of death. And if after repenting you chance to be defeated and fall again, hurry back to the state of repentance, saying to yourself, It is possible for me to die before sinning again! In the same way after the second, third, fourth, and in- deed after each and every relapse, repent! Do not be more sluggish in repenting than you are in sinning! Be aware of not succumbing to Sa- tan's attempt to prevent you from repenting of your sins! If you say What's the point of repenting this time? I know very well that I shall sin in the future by failing to remain steadfast in my sorrow for sins! How does repenting profit me?

Know that such ideas are really the way Satan deceives people. Who has informed you that you will remain alive until such time as you do not sin again? You could easily die before then. The very fact that you are afraid of sinning again indicates that you do sincerely re- pent, even though it is God alone who can affect the radical transformation of a person's heart. If this is your desire but you have, in point of fact, only turned incompletely from your past sins, then, providing you are aiming at complete holiness in your life, no sins will actually stain your soul, except the fresh ones that you might commit! This is greatly to your advantage.

Even should you yield to fear and sin again and so fail to remain in a state of perfect repentance, at least one of two possible benefits will accrue to you. Have you never heard that the Prophet once said, The best of you is he who, when he sins much, repents much? The heart of the matter of repentance is that you earnestly resolve to abandon sin. Only God knows if you will sin again in the future but, as far as possible, you should appease anyone whom you have offended and adhere to those of His ordinances that you have neglected. As for the rest, return to God with lamentation and supplication. Take a purify Catori bath, put on clean clothes, and perform four prostrations of formal prayer-and make sure all this proceeds from the core of your heart! Then, in some deserted place where no one except God Al-mighty can see you, put your face to the earth; throw dust on your head and rub your face in it too! With tears in your eyes and a heart filled with compunction and grief, recite, one by one, the sins of your whole life and rebuke your soul in this fashion: O soul, the time has come for you to repent and turn to Almighty God. Since you do not have enough strength to bear patiently the divine punishment, nor do you have the means to save yourself from it, raise your hands in sup plication and pray words such as these: O Exalted One, your servant flees to your door! Your sinful servant makes peace. He comes for- ward with his humble request for forgiveness. Graciously accept me! Look mercifully upon me! O Lord, forgive me, and wipe away all my sins, for goodness belongs to You alone, O forgiving and merciful One!

If a drop of sin should appear,

How could it possibly be seen in such an ocean?

(Other prayers follow.]

Pray and seek forgiveness for all Muslims and occupy yourself with worship till you experience a heartfelt sorrow and emerge purified from your sins as though this were the very day your mother gave birth to you! God will befriend you and lavish rewards and merits upon you, as well as blessings and mercies beyond description. Thus, you will finally be purified from the affliction and calamities of both this world and the next

O brother, if you wished to be accepted without faults, you should not have been created with defects! Know for certain that Adam was not expelled from paradise for eating wheat he himself wanted to be expelled! On the Day of Resurrection, thousands upon thousands of sinners will find rest in paradise whereas Adam, for one small fault, was expelled from it. If you say that Adam, in paradise, was disobedient in order that he might be expelled, then what did our Prophet do at the distance of two bow lengths (Q53:9) that he was brought back from there to here? Although he was taken to the highest heaven in order that the angels might learn reverence from his prayers, he was brought back here so that men might learn from his mode of worship how the Law was meant to be observed! There he said: There is no limit to the praise due You. Here he said: I am the most eloquent of the Arabs. Bow down in worship, in every possible way. Bring before God any petition or desire you might have! There he said, It is You whom I worship, O God Most High. God replied, Accept everything that has been given. When he said, We implore help from You! (Q1:4) God replied, Give him whatever he wants! The Royal Treasury will be a source of joy to beggars, among whom none is more aware of his indigence than this particle of dust! Heaven and earth, throne and footstool, all exude His fragrance, but He does not decrease by a single particle! Indeed, there is no treasury like God's! From it, the needs of every creature are met thou sand times over. He has given and will continue to give every possible dispensation to those who are penitent.

Peace!

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

Brother Shamsuddin, may Almighty God grant you eternal peace and the perfection of His grace! Prayers and greetings! Study the words that follow and try to grasp their meaning, namely that, after repentance, the task that falls to the lot of the beginner is the reconciling of people who have fallen out with one another. This next step is important since all sins are of three kinds. The first is the abandonment of what has been required of you, such as prayer, fasting, and so on. A person ought to perform all of these to the maximum extent possible. The second category of sin is that between the creature and the Lord Examples of these are wine drinking, usury, listening to musical instruments, and similar activities. A person should strive to extricate himself from these sins and to attain the state of repentance, and he should also resolve firmly not to commit them again in the future. The third type of sin is between you and other men. This is still hard- er and more difficult to correct than the sins already mentioned. There are various kinds of conflicts-some concern property, others one's soul and body, still other women and slave girls, and also religion! With regard to goods, it is necessary, whenever possible, to re- turn anything illegally obtained to its rightful owner. If you are not in a position to return his goods, you should ask the owner to remit your debt to him. If he is dead, do some deeds of charity for the welfare of his soul. If you cannot do this, perform other good deeds, seeking pardon for him as he stands in judgment. Turn your heart to the Lord, humbling yourself and pleading for help so that He, of His bountiful generosity, might be pleased with you on the Day of Resurrection.

As for what concerns your soul, consult one of God's saints; he will know whether punishment or pardon awaits you. If this is not possible, turn to God Himself in supplication and lamentation, so that the One against whom you have sinned may become your friend on the Day of Resurrection. As for what is done through the body, such as backbiting, blaming, or troubling others in various ways, it is necessary for you to admit your backbiting to the person concerned and to seek his forgive- ness. If you sense that he may become angry with you, it is still good to grasp at the opportune moment, and to remain calm. If, however, he becomes incensed whenever you speak, then turn back to God and implore forgiveness on his account! If he has died, perform some good

work for his soul. With respect to the treatment of women and slave girls, it is not opportune to ask for forgiveness and bring the matter into the open. That situation should be handled by turning to God so that He may be happy with you on the Day of Judgment. Remain calm, even in the face of God's increased anger-though such is rare-and seek His for givenness as for what concerns religion itself, such as making another per- son into an unbeliever, or leading him astray in matters of faith, this also presents difficulties. You must first of all accuse yourself of having lied and ask forgiveness of the person whom you have misled, if this is possible. Otherwise, turn back to God Almighty and plead with Him continuously until God Himself fills that person with happiness!

What needs to be grasped in the present chapter is this: As far as possible, make your peace with anyone who has a legitimate grudge against you. If you cannot do this, turn to Almighty God, humbling yourself and crying out for help from a righteous heart so that, on the Day of Resurrection, God Himself might be happy with you. Be confident that, when the Lord realizes how sincere-hearted His servant is, He, out of the infinite treasure of His mercy, will make your adversary happy. If you act in accordance with what has been said and wholeheartedly turn away from sin, all will go well. But if you have

omitted obligatory duties in the past and done nothing about it, or if you have not taken pains to be reconciled to your enemies, then punishment awaits you. Unforgiven sins, you should realize, form a chasm that is difficult to cross and fraught with baneful consequences and dangers! A tradition from Khwaja Abu Ishaq Isfahani follows.]

O brother, the slave of sin faces a veritable calamity. First comes the sin of hardening one's heart, which ultimately leads to unbelief and wretchedness. May God protect us from such things! And do not forget the wiles of Satan and Balaam! The works of both were sinful from the very beginning and, at the end, both became unbelievers. A pious person once said that a black heart comes from indifference to committing sin, coupled with the absence of any desire to submit one- self to God. If you heed sound advice, however, this baneful effect will not afflict you. For goodness's sake do not act like a fool, be swift to repent! No one knows the hour of death. And if after repenting you chance to be defeated and fall again, hurry back to the state of repentance, saying to yourself, It is possible for me to die before sinning again! In the same way after the second, third, fourth, and in- deed after each and every relapse, repent! Do not be more sluggish in repenting than you are in sinning! Be aware of not succumbing to Sa- tan's attempt to prevent you from repenting of your sins! If you say What's the point of repenting this time? I know very well that I shall sin in the future by failing to remain steadfast in my sorrow for sins! How does repenting profit me?

Know that such ideas are really the way Satan deceives people. Who has informed you that you will remain alive until such time as you do not sin again? You could easily die before then. The very fact that you are afraid of sinning again indicates that you do sincerely re- pent, even though it is God alone who can affect the radical transformation of a person's heart. If this is your desire but you have, in point of fact, only turned incompletely from your past sins, then, providing you are aiming at complete holiness in your life, no sins will actually stain your soul, except the fresh ones that you might commit! This is greatly to your advantage.

Even should you yield to fear and sin again and so fail to remain in a state of perfect repentance, at least one of two possible benefits will accrue to you. Have you never heard that the Prophet once said, The best of you is he who, when he sins much, repents much? The heart of the matter of repentance is that you earnestly resolve to abandon sin. Only God knows if you will sin again in the future but, as far as possible, you should appease anyone whom you have offended and adhere to those of His ordinances that you have neglected. As for the rest, return to God with lamentation and supplication. Take a purify Catori bath, put on clean clothes, and perform four prostrations of formal prayer-and make sure all this proceeds from the core of your heart! Then, in some deserted place where no one except God Al-mighty can see you, put your face to the earth; throw dust on your head and rub your face in it too! With tears in your eyes and a heart filled with compunction and grief, recite, one by one, the sins of your whole life and rebuke your soul in this fashion: O soul, the time has come for you to repent and turn to Almighty God. Since you do not have enough strength to bear patiently the divine punishment, nor do you have the means to save yourself from it, raise your hands in sup plication and pray words such as these: O Exalted One, your servant flees to your door! Your sinful servant makes peace. He comes for- ward with his humble request for forgiveness. Graciously accept me! Look mercifully upon me! O Lord, forgive me, and wipe away all my sins, for goodness belongs to You alone, O forgiving and merciful One!

If a drop of sin should appear,

How could it possibly be seen in such an ocean?

(Other prayers follow.]

Pray and seek forgiveness for all Muslims and occupy yourself with worship till you experience a heartfelt sorrow and emerge purified from your sins as though this were the very day your mother gave birth to you! God will befriend you and lavish rewards and merits upon you, as well as blessings and mercies beyond description. Thus, you will finally be purified from the affliction and calamities of both this world and the next

O brother, if you wished to be accepted without faults, you should not have been created with defects! Know for certain that Adam was not expelled from paradise for eating wheat he himself wanted to be expelled! On the Day of Resurrection, thousands upon thousands of sinners will find rest in paradise whereas Adam, for one small fault, was expelled from it. If you say that Adam, in paradise, was disobedient in order that he might be expelled, then what did our Prophet do at the distance of two bow lengths (Q53:9) that he was brought back from there to here? Although he was taken to the highest heaven in order that the angels might learn reverence from his prayers, he was brought back here so that men might learn from his mode of worship how the Law was meant to be observed! There he said: There is no limit to the praise due You. Here he said: I am the most eloquent of the Arabs. Bow down in worship, in every possible way. Bring before God any petition or desire you might have! There he said, It is You whom I worship, O God Most High. God replied, Accept everything that has been given. When he said, We implore help from You! (Q1:4) God replied, Give him whatever he wants! The Royal Treasury will be a source of joy to beggars, among whom none is more aware of his indigence than this particle of dust! Heaven and earth, throne and footstool, all exude His fragrance, but He does not decrease by a single particle! Indeed, there is no treasury like God's! From it, the needs of every creature are met thou sand times over. He has given and will continue to give every possible dispensation to those who are penitent.

Peace!