LETTER 64. THE FEAR OF GOD

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

Dear Brother Shamsuddin, fear of God is the gateway to bliss and the door to wealth. All the dwelling places that have been prepared in the world of There is no god but God have been prepared for those who fear God, and all the abodes constructed in paradise are reserved for those who fear God. It should be known that anyone who fears God has been delivered from the miseries of self and has escaped from the knot of self, for a man cannot be purified until he escapes from himself as well as from all traffic with his own self; otherwise, hell lies in wait for him. There is not one among you who will not pass this way (Q19:71).

All creatures should be placed within the circle of hell, so that their own destiny may be removed from that of the rebellious. At that moment, those who fear God will be brought forward, and those who worship themselves will, out of fear of hell, pass on in a fitting manner. This decree has been promulgated

O brother, those who fear God will pass beyond the seven stages of hell like fish in water. Hell itself does not possess the strength to give them proper respect. For they are kings, and their royal signet is this: God loves those who fear Him Just as those who fear God cannot be enclosed in hell, neither can they be contained in the eight heavens. And if you say, Well, where can they be contained? then the answer is that their realm is that of divinity itself. The last judgment of those who fear God will take place before God Himself and nowhere else. The secret is contained in this:

Tomorrow we shall reign over all of Egypt, So why be upset if we are in prison today? Do you know what kind of birds we are or do you know what each recites to himself? If we seem to be beggars in this lane. Look at our true condition: We are kings! Even though, outwardly, we may appear indigent, Glance inward, and behold the mines of precious stones!

Have you not read this verse from the Quran: Those who fear God will be gathered to Him as regal emissaries (Q19:85) Be careful lest you think that there is no other place for such emissaries than heaven! Have you not heard what the lord of the prophets gave his friends to drink This is a saying that has come to us from God through Gabriel: I have prepared for those faithful to me such favors as no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man to conceive. This serves as a reminder that, if I remove the mercy of heaven and the misfortunes of hell, there would be no loss for God or damage to His commands.

Behold the vast Tract that, if the world were not to exist, would suffer no loss, no, not even by a hair's breadth. There is no beginning at all to His greatness, Nor limit nor boundary to His possessions.

You cannot possibly fathom the secrets of the Quran by means of your puny intellect. If you want to enjoy the slightest trace of its perfume, you should know that it is only through the aid of the Quran that you can recognize the truth of the Quran. No soul knows what refreshment of the eyes is hidden for them (Q32:17).

You should realize that there is no more precious flight in religion than that a person should flee from himself in order to be liberated from all praise of self, for such praise causes a man to remain content with himself. When, by the favor of divine grace, he finds help, let his hand be removed from self-praise, so that he goes and grabs his own head, as has been said: If you have any connection with even a particle, or a particle has any with you, it is as though you were mortgaged to it. As long as any of your qualities has a hold over you, you are enslaved to it. The fear of God will not disclose its visage to you until you are freed from even the most minute particle of any quality. Have you not heard the Tradition concerning Him? He wants you in your entirety!

If the Ravisher of your heart stretches out His hand, Passing beyond self is not a long or difficult road!

But it is not like that, perhaps you would say, adding that there should be the rank and magnificence of the world, ostentation and munificence, and, along with all these, fear of God as well! The answer to this demurral is By no means! Do you not see what was said-'I am utterly beyond all association with partners. In no way can He accept any partnership with himself!

Say to the person who looked at My friend in this fashion, Do not look in such a way, for love does not tolerate any other!

Fear of God is a great possession. It does not allow contention and strife. Religion removes the self-respect of partnership. Though it is natural for an important person to have a great reputation, it becomes an obstruction on the road to fear of God. Until you overcome this unfortunate obstacle, whatever you say about the piety of those who fear God will not be free of self. In so far as you take notice of yourself, that ill-fated and unfortunate obstacle becomes more firmly rooted so that, as you grow in acquaintance with yourself, you become more of a stranger to Him. Become a stranger to yourself, that you might become acquainted with Him! It is all the same for anyone who remains behind the obstacle of self, whether he wears tattered clothes and carries his prayer mat, or whether he is attired in a fine robe and has a sword buckled to his side! Yet this baneful obstacle cannot be overcome, except with the help of an experienced spiritual guide. Nor can this destructive wilderness be traversed except in the company of a God endowed escort. Thus it has been said:

Take care that you do not enter this Way without high resolve, For it will prove to be a bloodthirsty wilderness!

Unless you be a man of the Way, how can you smell the fragrance of roses

Go, turn back, for this Way has shown itself to be full of thorns!

Fear of God means that you do not look down on any creature with a contemptuous eye. If an ant has pursued your path, you should not have the gall to stomp on it. It is related that the Commander of the Faithful, Ali, was one day passing along a road. The edge of one of his sandals landed on an ant, injuring it. The distress of that ant had an effect on the heart of Ali. He saw the ant writhing on the ground. Ali sat down in front of it, his heart filled with grief. A fit of trembling seized his limbs. He suddenly felt very weak. Somehow or other that wounded ant managed to retreat to its nest. Ali returned home with a grief-stricken heart. When night came, he saw Muhammad in a dream, crying out to him and saying, O Ali, why do you not pay attention to what you are doing? Today the seven heavens were taken aback at your cruelty. That ant upon whom you trod was one of the righteous ones of the Lord. It experienced various kinds of joy in itself. From the very day it had been created the recitation of the rosary and praise of the Lord had never been omitted from its life, even for the twinkling of an eye, except at that moment when you placed your foot on it! Ali related: My heart was overcome by fear and trembling before the pride of the world! I said: O Prophet, what should I do? How should I go about this matter? He replied: O Ali, remain where you are! Calm down, for that very ant besought the Lord to pardon your fault, saying: 'O God, You have placed great emphasis on a person's intention in his actions, and Ali did not intend to hurt me as he strode along. Grant him peace! The Prophet continued: That ant interceded for you because you are an intrepid member of Our court. You were tied to the saddle straps of its innate courtesy and thus were forgiven. O Ali, if the ant had not interceded on your behalf, then your self-respect, as far as this court is concerned, would have been lost. Do you know what this means? You can waive your own rights, but not those of your friends! Be on the alert, for there is no particle in creation upon which the pain of this saying has not alighted:

Everything you see, whether black or white, Is busily at work in this great workshop. Just look at these particles, all astir, Praising Him by proclaiming His unity!

All this occurred in order that you might understand that the Lord has many secrets hidden in His creation and works. There is no way for our intellects to discern them. There is nothing at all which does not sing His praise (Q17:44). As the poet has attested:

Thousands of particles arise from this valley, To this door where indigence finds an entry. From their own helplessness they cry, O Pure One, You are both known and knower: We did not recognize You!

Never, indeed, have your blessed eyes fallen on this paper. No one knows the hosts of Your Lord except He (Q74:11). If the veil of ignorance were to be lifted from your eyes, you would see the whole world adorned with slavery and beholden to Him, and if you came out of the quality of tyranny, you would see all creation running hither and thither in search of Him. Hence it is that Khwaja Nizami has said:

Knowledge of God has been taken away from men: The manly themselves have been removed from their midst!

When the Prophet was informed of these secrets, he immediately made this request of the Almighty: O God, grant me the ability to perceive things as they are that it might not happen to me that I am always in pursuit of the jewel of my sinlessness. Sadiq Akbar used to be forever saying: O God, show me clearly each obligation and then give me the grace to discharge it. Show me also those which are useless and, then, give me the grace to avoid them! A hint lies in this: When God wishes to bestow some favor upon a servant of His, He reveals his faults to him. He says: Did you see the idol-temple? Enter in! At last you will see what used to be the site of a tavern, and, after a while, was replaced by a mosque. This is the real thing! What is meant is that his heart was changed, as has been said: One heart, which was that of an idol-temple, has become a mosque. Even more means? You can waive your own rights, but not those of your friends! Be on the alert, for there is no particle in creation upon which the pain of this saying has not alighted:

Everything you see, whether black or white, Is busily at work in this great workshop. Just look at these particles, all astir, Praising Him by proclaiming His unity!

All this occurred in order that you might understand that the Lord has many secrets hidden in His creation and works. There is no way for our intellects to discern them. There is nothing at all which does not sing His praise (Q17:44). As the poet has attested:

Thousands of particles arise from this valley, To this door where indigence finds an entry. From their own helplessness they cry, O Pure One, You are both known and knower: We did not recognize You!

Never, indeed, have your blessed eyes fallen on this paper. No one knows the hosts of Your Lord except He (Q74:11). If the veil of ignorance were to be lifted from your eyes, you would see the whole world adorned with slavery and beholden to Him, and if you came out of the quality of tyranny, you would see all creation running hither and thither in search of Him. Hence it is that Khwaja Nizami has said:

Knowledge of God has been taken away from men: The manly themselves have been removed from their midst!

When the Prophet was informed of these secrets, he immediately made this request of the Almighty: O God, grant me the ability to perceive things as they are that it might not happen to me that I am always in pursuit of the jewel of my sinlessness. Sadiq Akbar used to be forever saying: O God, show me clearly each obligation and then give me the grace to discharge it. Show me also those which are use less and, then, give me the grace to avoid them! A hint lies in this: When God wishes to bestow some favor upon a servant of His, He reveals his faults to him. He says: Did you see the idol-temple? Enter in! At last you will see what used to be the site of a tavern, and, after a while, was replaced by a mosque. This is the real thing! What is meant is that his heart was changed, as has been said: One heart, which was that of an idol-temple, has become a mosque. Even more magnificent than that is the fact that from east to west all became painted with the color of the Kaaba!

O brother, if you are told, on one occasion, that your prayer has been answered, say O Lord, remove from my mind this preocсuрation with myself! Know for certain that you can only hope for untold good when this preoccupation with self is removed: As long as your attention is fixed on yourself, you cannot help but he a worshiper of self. That was exactly what Satan was one who worshiped himself. Whatever form you wish to take, be it of an angel or of Adam, and whether it be in the heavens or upon the earth or in paradise, one can still find ways to worship self. A worshiper of self is one who has not gone beyond himself. The poet gave us a hint of this meaning when he wrote:

Though countless veils do hide You, None can compare to self-conceit! Burn the veil of self-conceit! Then will you know: There is no nobler work than this in either world!

O brother, realize that the love of water and clay bears away both worlds. In the world of devotion, both paradise and hell carry some weight, while in the world of love, neither of them has the slightest influence. The eight paradises were lined up for Adam, yet he sold them for a little wheat and turned his courageous face toward this abode of grief.

We want no other chains except Your tresses: Just see what intelligent madcaps we are!

A revelation came to the prophet David: O David, I remember those who remember Me! My paradise is for those who obey Me. I visit those who long for Me and My special favor is for those who love Me. O brother, the Traditions about forgiveness and punishment and the names of paradise and hell are left so far behind in the Tradition concerning love that no concern for today or tomorrow arises-but this Tradition cannot be digested by one and all. Nor does this sherbet suit every person's taste.

Not everyone has a guller like a falcon's, Nor is every belly capable of bearing the secret!

Peace

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

Dear Brother Shamsuddin, fear of God is the gateway to bliss and the door to wealth. All the dwelling places that have been prepared in the world of There is no god but God have been prepared for those who fear God, and all the abodes constructed in paradise are reserved for those who fear God. It should be known that anyone who fears God has been delivered from the miseries of self and has escaped from the knot of self, for a man cannot be purified until he escapes from himself as well as from all traffic with his own self; otherwise, hell lies in wait for him. There is not one among you who will not pass this way (Q19:71).

All creatures should be placed within the circle of hell, so that their own destiny may be removed from that of the rebellious. At that moment, those who fear God will be brought forward, and those who worship themselves will, out of fear of hell, pass on in a fitting manner. This decree has been promulgated

O brother, those who fear God will pass beyond the seven stages of hell like fish in water. Hell itself does not possess the strength to give them proper respect. For they are kings, and their royal signet is this: God loves those who fear Him Just as those who fear God cannot be enclosed in hell, neither can they be contained in the eight heavens. And if you say, Well, where can they be contained? then the answer is that their realm is that of divinity itself. The last judgment of those who fear God will take place before God Himself and nowhere else. The secret is contained in this:

Tomorrow we shall reign over all of Egypt, So why be upset if we are in prison today? Do you know what kind of birds we are or do you know what each recites to himself? If we seem to be beggars in this lane. Look at our true condition: We are kings! Even though, outwardly, we may appear indigent, Glance inward, and behold the mines of precious stones!

Have you not read this verse from the Quran: Those who fear God will be gathered to Him as regal emissaries (Q19:85) Be careful lest you think that there is no other place for such emissaries than heaven! Have you not heard what the lord of the prophets gave his friends to drink This is a saying that has come to us from God through Gabriel: I have prepared for those faithful to me such favors as no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man to conceive. This serves as a reminder that, if I remove the mercy of heaven and the misfortunes of hell, there would be no loss for God or damage to His commands.

Behold the vast Tract that, if the world were not to exist, would suffer no loss, no, not even by a hair's breadth. There is no beginning at all to His greatness, Nor limit nor boundary to His possessions.

You cannot possibly fathom the secrets of the Quran by means of your puny intellect. If you want to enjoy the slightest trace of its perfume, you should know that it is only through the aid of the Quran that you can recognize the truth of the Quran. No soul knows what refreshment of the eyes is hidden for them (Q32:17).

You should realize that there is no more precious flight in religion than that a person should flee from himself in order to be liberated from all praise of self, for such praise causes a man to remain content with himself. When, by the favor of divine grace, he finds help, let his hand be removed from self-praise, so that he goes and grabs his own head, as has been said: If you have any connection with even a particle, or a particle has any with you, it is as though you were mortgaged to it. As long as any of your qualities has a hold over you, you are enslaved to it. The fear of God will not disclose its visage to you until you are freed from even the most minute particle of any quality. Have you not heard the Tradition concerning Him? He wants you in your entirety!

If the Ravisher of your heart stretches out His hand, Passing beyond self is not a long or difficult road!

But it is not like that, perhaps you would say, adding that there should be the rank and magnificence of the world, ostentation and munificence, and, along with all these, fear of God as well! The answer to this demurral is By no means! Do you not see what was said-'I am utterly beyond all association with partners. In no way can He accept any partnership with himself!

Say to the person who looked at My friend in this fashion, Do not look in such a way, for love does not tolerate any other!

Fear of God is a great possession. It does not allow contention and strife. Religion removes the self-respect of partnership. Though it is natural for an important person to have a great reputation, it becomes an obstruction on the road to fear of God. Until you overcome this unfortunate obstacle, whatever you say about the piety of those who fear God will not be free of self. In so far as you take notice of yourself, that ill-fated and unfortunate obstacle becomes more firmly rooted so that, as you grow in acquaintance with yourself, you become more of a stranger to Him. Become a stranger to yourself, that you might become acquainted with Him! It is all the same for anyone who remains behind the obstacle of self, whether he wears tattered clothes and carries his prayer mat, or whether he is attired in a fine robe and has a sword buckled to his side! Yet this baneful obstacle cannot be overcome, except with the help of an experienced spiritual guide. Nor can this destructive wilderness be traversed except in the company of a God endowed escort. Thus it has been said:

Take care that you do not enter this Way without high resolve, For it will prove to be a bloodthirsty wilderness!

Unless you be a man of the Way, how can you smell the fragrance of roses

Go, turn back, for this Way has shown itself to be full of thorns!

Fear of God means that you do not look down on any creature with a contemptuous eye. If an ant has pursued your path, you should not have the gall to stomp on it. It is related that the Commander of the Faithful, Ali, was one day passing along a road. The edge of one of his sandals landed on an ant, injuring it. The distress of that ant had an effect on the heart of Ali. He saw the ant writhing on the ground. Ali sat down in front of it, his heart filled with grief. A fit of trembling seized his limbs. He suddenly felt very weak. Somehow or other that wounded ant managed to retreat to its nest. Ali returned home with a grief-stricken heart. When night came, he saw Muhammad in a dream, crying out to him and saying, O Ali, why do you not pay attention to what you are doing? Today the seven heavens were taken aback at your cruelty. That ant upon whom you trod was one of the righteous ones of the Lord. It experienced various kinds of joy in itself. From the very day it had been created the recitation of the rosary and praise of the Lord had never been omitted from its life, even for the twinkling of an eye, except at that moment when you placed your foot on it! Ali related: My heart was overcome by fear and trembling before the pride of the world! I said: O Prophet, what should I do? How should I go about this matter? He replied: O Ali, remain where you are! Calm down, for that very ant besought the Lord to pardon your fault, saying: 'O God, You have placed great emphasis on a person's intention in his actions, and Ali did not intend to hurt me as he strode along. Grant him peace! The Prophet continued: That ant interceded for you because you are an intrepid member of Our court. You were tied to the saddle straps of its innate courtesy and thus were forgiven. O Ali, if the ant had not interceded on your behalf, then your self-respect, as far as this court is concerned, would have been lost. Do you know what this means? You can waive your own rights, but not those of your friends! Be on the alert, for there is no particle in creation upon which the pain of this saying has not alighted:

Everything you see, whether black or white, Is busily at work in this great workshop. Just look at these particles, all astir, Praising Him by proclaiming His unity!

All this occurred in order that you might understand that the Lord has many secrets hidden in His creation and works. There is no way for our intellects to discern them. There is nothing at all which does not sing His praise (Q17:44). As the poet has attested:

Thousands of particles arise from this valley, To this door where indigence finds an entry. From their own helplessness they cry, O Pure One, You are both known and knower: We did not recognize You!

Never, indeed, have your blessed eyes fallen on this paper. No one knows the hosts of Your Lord except He (Q74:11). If the veil of ignorance were to be lifted from your eyes, you would see the whole world adorned with slavery and beholden to Him, and if you came out of the quality of tyranny, you would see all creation running hither and thither in search of Him. Hence it is that Khwaja Nizami has said:

Knowledge of God has been taken away from men: The manly themselves have been removed from their midst!

When the Prophet was informed of these secrets, he immediately made this request of the Almighty: O God, grant me the ability to perceive things as they are that it might not happen to me that I am always in pursuit of the jewel of my sinlessness. Sadiq Akbar used to be forever saying: O God, show me clearly each obligation and then give me the grace to discharge it. Show me also those which are useless and, then, give me the grace to avoid them! A hint lies in this: When God wishes to bestow some favor upon a servant of His, He reveals his faults to him. He says: Did you see the idol-temple? Enter in! At last you will see what used to be the site of a tavern, and, after a while, was replaced by a mosque. This is the real thing! What is meant is that his heart was changed, as has been said: One heart, which was that of an idol-temple, has become a mosque. Even more means? You can waive your own rights, but not those of your friends! Be on the alert, for there is no particle in creation upon which the pain of this saying has not alighted:

Everything you see, whether black or white, Is busily at work in this great workshop. Just look at these particles, all astir, Praising Him by proclaiming His unity!

All this occurred in order that you might understand that the Lord has many secrets hidden in His creation and works. There is no way for our intellects to discern them. There is nothing at all which does not sing His praise (Q17:44). As the poet has attested:

Thousands of particles arise from this valley, To this door where indigence finds an entry. From their own helplessness they cry, O Pure One, You are both known and knower: We did not recognize You!

Never, indeed, have your blessed eyes fallen on this paper. No one knows the hosts of Your Lord except He (Q74:11). If the veil of ignorance were to be lifted from your eyes, you would see the whole world adorned with slavery and beholden to Him, and if you came out of the quality of tyranny, you would see all creation running hither and thither in search of Him. Hence it is that Khwaja Nizami has said:

Knowledge of God has been taken away from men: The manly themselves have been removed from their midst!

When the Prophet was informed of these secrets, he immediately made this request of the Almighty: O God, grant me the ability to perceive things as they are that it might not happen to me that I am always in pursuit of the jewel of my sinlessness. Sadiq Akbar used to be forever saying: O God, show me clearly each obligation and then give me the grace to discharge it. Show me also those which are use less and, then, give me the grace to avoid them! A hint lies in this: When God wishes to bestow some favor upon a servant of His, He reveals his faults to him. He says: Did you see the idol-temple? Enter in! At last you will see what used to be the site of a tavern, and, after a while, was replaced by a mosque. This is the real thing! What is meant is that his heart was changed, as has been said: One heart, which was that of an idol-temple, has become a mosque. Even more magnificent than that is the fact that from east to west all became painted with the color of the Kaaba!

O brother, if you are told, on one occasion, that your prayer has been answered, say O Lord, remove from my mind this preocсuрation with myself! Know for certain that you can only hope for untold good when this preoccupation with self is removed: As long as your attention is fixed on yourself, you cannot help but he a worshiper of self. That was exactly what Satan was one who worshiped himself. Whatever form you wish to take, be it of an angel or of Adam, and whether it be in the heavens or upon the earth or in paradise, one can still find ways to worship self. A worshiper of self is one who has not gone beyond himself. The poet gave us a hint of this meaning when he wrote:

Though countless veils do hide You, None can compare to self-conceit! Burn the veil of self-conceit! Then will you know: There is no nobler work than this in either world!

O brother, realize that the love of water and clay bears away both worlds. In the world of devotion, both paradise and hell carry some weight, while in the world of love, neither of them has the slightest influence. The eight paradises were lined up for Adam, yet he sold them for a little wheat and turned his courageous face toward this abode of grief.

We want no other chains except Your tresses: Just see what intelligent madcaps we are!

A revelation came to the prophet David: O David, I remember those who remember Me! My paradise is for those who obey Me. I visit those who long for Me and My special favor is for those who love Me. O brother, the Traditions about forgiveness and punishment and the names of paradise and hell are left so far behind in the Tradition concerning love that no concern for today or tomorrow arises-but this Tradition cannot be digested by one and all. Nor does this sherbet suit every person's taste.

Not everyone has a guller like a falcon's, Nor is every belly capable of bearing the secret!

Peace