LETTER 66: LINEAGE

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

Dear Brother Shamsuddin, descent from Adam becomes legitimate for a traveler when it pervades the realm of his heart, then the complete revolution of the world has taken place! This is where one's mode of behavior should originate. Whatever he comes in contact with also gets changed, just as he himself has been changed. Whatever you heard that has appeared by the hand of his authority, namely that a certain dervish was able to turn wine into sherbet, or a bitter plant into a sweet fig at this stage, all this would be proper. If he wanted, such a traveler could extend his hand toward the wealth of kings, and obtain it. It has been related by certain sheikhs, and it is also the injunction of the Law, that if there is blood from east to west, then a believer would not taste of it. He would eat only what was lawful. The reality of faith cannot be realized until it reaches the realm of the heart. But first there must be a good understanding of the Law, and it is this point that is conveyed in a story about a young man who came to the Prophet and asked if it was permissible to kiss in the month of Ramazan. He was told that it would not be lawful. Afterwards, an old man came to Muhammad. He asked the very same question. He was told it was lawful for him. The companions were astonished when they heard this. O messenger of God, they protested, you allowed to one what you forbade to another! The first one was young, he replied, and there was danger of misfortune resulting from the fire of his youth, while the latter was an old man; he could be trusted. Hence it became known that the Law changes from man to man. This is the reason why someone enjoys miraculous power and walks on water, while another, if he were to attempt to do the same, would only sink! Whoever imitates the former in this stage and claims authority over the wealth of kings, even though he really should not be stepping in this direction, will discover that he is simply trying to destroy himself!

This step should be taken only with the permission of the Lord, and when a traveler's heart has been blessed. All the parts of the Sufi master become heart. It is not fitting that anything belonging to him, from his toenails to the hair on his head, should go to waste, for they too partake of the world of the heart. Hence it used to happen that when the Prophet combed out his hair, the companions used to distribute among themselves the hairs that fell. Every garment that he wore was endowed with a special power because it was his. Hence it was that the Prophet gave a shirt of his to a hypocrite in order to console the man's son, who was a Muslim. That very same shirt was placed on the grave of the hypocrite when he died. Some companions asked the Prophet if it would be of any benefit to him. As long as even a thread of it remains, replied he, that man will not have to undergo any torments. Hence it is that young men treat the patched robe of their spiritual master as a blessed thing and distribute it. Everyone receives a portion of it. What is the purpose of such distribution unless it be the garment of a genuine master whose heart has been touched? Anyone whose conversion has been complete and who has reached the world of heart becomes a man of prayer and a religious leader. It would be proper for such a person to make claims, but someone who has not yet reached this stage should not attempt such a thing.

Hence it was that Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, came to Basra and spoke to Khwaja Hasan of Basra, a saint unique in his age, making him understand that whatever comes from a man's heart is that to which he ought to submit.

O brother, if it was said concerning the Prophet himself, Undoubtedly you can show the straight way! then this royal proclamation also was made to the spiritual masters. Among those whom We created is a community guided by truth and dispensing justice (Q7:181). If you say, How shall we know that someone is a pretender, or has been genuinely authorized by God? the answer is: If the seeker is genuine in his search, he will be granted an inner eye, which will enable him to see the authorization of the King. He will not be misled by the claims of pretenders! Do you not see that if thousands of kinds of animals are gathered together, and thousands of varieties of food are placed before them, the palate of each will tell it which is the food suitable for it? No animal will desire the food of another. The Quran itself gives us a hint in this matter in the verse where it is written: Each group knew what to drink (Q2:60). Seek the humble service of the manly ones! If you seek service among the false claimants, there will be no profit. A pretender is not fit for this work! Who is a pretender? One who has neither seen the Way to God, nor traveled it, nor acquired it. All he does is make claims! The Quran gives us a hint of this: If you obey most of those in the earth, they will lead you astray from the path of God! (Q6:117)

When most people have lost the way, then there will certainly be fewer guides! When a genuine seeker is given a glimpse of the eternal sign of approval he recognizes it and focuses his attention on that one point. There his palate finds its proper food and nourishment. The spiritual master will take charge of him. He will become like a dead man, and his master like the washer, cleansing him of all that is not fitting till he has been fully purified. When this takes place, his con- version will have become complete, he will have become a real traveler on the Way to the Lord! This is called his manner of acting God is pure, and He does not accept any except the pure.

This is genuine devotion, O brother, not the sort of thing you consider to be devotion! Whenever you pray, observe the fast, or give aims, you should realize that this is devotion to your mother, father, fellow-citizens, and to your own habits, but the command is this: If you serve the Lord, you will find guidance. It is not said: If you are devoted to your own habits you will receive guidance. Whatever you do at the command of a master of the heart is genuine worship, and its fruit is divine guidance. Whoever obeys the Prophet, obeys God (Q4:80) Nothing more need be said.

If you reflect a little, one prostration of prayer, performed at the command of a master of the heart, is better than a thousand whose basis is one's own desire and habit. Similarly, one day spent in fasting at his behest is better than a thousand days of fasting according to one's own inclination. And if you give one silver piece at the command of a master of the heart, it is better than giving a thousand according to your own custom and preference.

O brother, strive to discern how you can extricate yourself from habit and how you can seek after true religion! It is not possible to rise above habit, or actions that are superficially sincere, except through submission to men of the Way. From his store of knowledge the spiritual master, at the opportune moment, breaks the snare: gradually each day he leads a disciple out of the bonds of Satan and clothes his nature with the robe of There is no god but God! This is because the master is acquainted with the condition into which a person is born, as well as his inner disposition. Whatever someone has imbibed from his parents is firmly established within him. Twenty years later, he is the same. Similarly, thirty, forty, fifty-and even till the very end of his life he remains the same person, with the same face and beard he had at the outset.

Men of God are different from men of habit and men of the world. How could anyone who does nothing, night or day, except worship his own habits, and knows no other work except foolishness and pandering to his own desires, be equal to someone who has shouldered the burden of the first steps of the Way to God? This requires the cutting of the idolatrous thread of habit, and the cessation of dalliance with this world and the next. In an ecstatic state, a Sufi proclaimed:

I saw the basis of this world and its foundation;

Easily did I pass beyond the trap of habit!

I realized that a black light is better than There is no god; And yet I passed beyond that too: neither now remains!

As far as possible, be always in quest of Him! It might happen that, while you are seeking, He will reveal His own beauty to you. If one day He removes the veil that conceals His beauty, a great change will occur in you. There will not remain enough of you to be able to discern whether you are a seeker or not! Hence it is that a wise one has said: Every form of seeking in which you see yourself is far from real seeking. Do you not see that if a man is completely intoxicated he has no idea that he is drunk! Alas, as long as even a fraction of his awareness remains, and he has enough power to discern that he is drunk and others are sober, he is not yet utterly inebriated! What is the perfection of intoxication? It occurs when the existence of man is given over to plunder! If it is said to him, Are you part of the human race or not? he makes no reply. If he says anything, he is still possessed of the power to discriminate. Hence something remains. Have you not heard what was said?

So dumbstruck have I been with love for You That only the shell of my existence remains.

When the reality of seeking shows its face, then no element re mains in the seeker. When this takes place, Whoever seeks, finds turns out to be true. At this stage there is nothing left for the disciple to do. The searching itself becomes pure. Hence an inflamed soul has said:

Love does all that is necessary: be patient! Simply be a disciple! Let love be your master-that is all!

Whoever desires anything else cannot find Me is a saying that should never be forgotten. As long as there is even a tiny part of you that seeks anything except God, you are not a genuine seeker. In the end it becomes apparent what exactly your nature is. How can you possibly attain your Object, in view of this constricted nature of yours? You love Him (Q5:54) becomes correct the moment you are completely turned toward Him! The one referred to in He loves you (Q5:54) has thousands of loved ones. There is no difficulty for Him: He can reach all, but your nature is extremely limited!

The sun can have an effect everywhere because its visage is so broad. It reaches India and Turkey, yet is not restricted to them. Until your nature is completely exposed to the sun, however, it cannot receive any share of its rays. It has to be completely exposed to the sun in order to derive influence from it. Many thousands of worlds can derive a share from its rays. It is in no way diminished as a result of this Among His signs is the sun. This should be studied carefully, and one further point should be noted: Loving something partial and dependent in no way detracts from the perfection of love, as has been said:

My love for Laila makes me love the countryside of Nejd. Apart from my love for her, I would have no interest in it! One reaches the stage of loving one's enemies Because they are closely united to God!

Welcome to me are the reproaches of men due to my love for You! For those who rebuke me also bring Your love to mind!

This is not associating others in one's love, instead, it constitutes some intimations of one's love for one's Friend! It was because of his love that Majnun considered black to be the very best color, as has been said:

It is for Laila's sake that black is so pleasing to me: In my love for her, how precious indeed is her black hue!

O brother, the world of love is indeed an incredible place! Where else, except in the world of love, could you find love for one's very enemies? A group was heading off to do battle with some infidels. Abul Abbas Qassab said to them: Take my beard as an offering for the dust beneath the feet of that infidel whom you will kill for the sake of God! The Prophet said about himself: If I were to make friends with anyone, then it certainly would be with Abu Bakr, but I have al- ready made friends with God! It is not fitting for anyone to ask Why did the Prophet get entangled with his wives and children? It is known that when he was asked who his favorite wife was, he replied, Aisha. When asked who his favorite friend was, he said, Abu Bakr. To this extent had human love found a place in him. But Muhammad had already made God his Friend. In a similar way, the Prophet was attached to his son Abraham, and wept when the child died. Concerning Hasan and Husain he said: Our offspring are as close to us as our own livers. What does this mean? Perplexity occurs at the beginning, but for those endowed with insight there is no such ambiguity!

O brother, consider a person who is utterly in love with study. He has no other task, day or night, except to pursue his quest for knowledge. Now if he loves his pen, paper, and ink, you cannot say that he is not completely devoted to study! Without doubt a beloved should in essence be only one, but if other things are loved because of their dependence on the real Beloved, then no harm arises; for a man who loves Almighty God will inevitably also love the prophets as well as his spiritual masters and teachers. It is also entirely reasonable that he will love all things associated with Him. The whole world is His masterpiece, His structure, and His writing. He Himself is necessarily all of it if one insists on making a measurement. A poet noted for insight has said:

In Your presence there is no room for duality: All the worlds are but You and Your power! The whole created order is but a shadow in Your presence All things are the result of Your majestic handicraft!

But if it is the good pleasure of the Friend that a certain letter written by His own hand should be burned, then the lover must certainly burn it. Let no one say that he has shown disrespect to the letter of his Friend, for the seeker has carried out His will. This is a very high stage for you. If the Chosen One and his companions removed infidels from His way, they did so at His bidding. Should not the seeker's good pleasure be whatever He intends? What does a lover have to do with authority in the kingdom of the Beloved?

Peace!

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

Dear Brother Shamsuddin, descent from Adam becomes legitimate for a traveler when it pervades the realm of his heart, then the complete revolution of the world has taken place! This is where one's mode of behavior should originate. Whatever he comes in contact with also gets changed, just as he himself has been changed. Whatever you heard that has appeared by the hand of his authority, namely that a certain dervish was able to turn wine into sherbet, or a bitter plant into a sweet fig at this stage, all this would be proper. If he wanted, such a traveler could extend his hand toward the wealth of kings, and obtain it. It has been related by certain sheikhs, and it is also the injunction of the Law, that if there is blood from east to west, then a believer would not taste of it. He would eat only what was lawful. The reality of faith cannot be realized until it reaches the realm of the heart. But first there must be a good understanding of the Law, and it is this point that is conveyed in a story about a young man who came to the Prophet and asked if it was permissible to kiss in the month of Ramazan. He was told that it would not be lawful. Afterwards, an old man came to Muhammad. He asked the very same question. He was told it was lawful for him. The companions were astonished when they heard this. O messenger of God, they protested, you allowed to one what you forbade to another! The first one was young, he replied, and there was danger of misfortune resulting from the fire of his youth, while the latter was an old man; he could be trusted. Hence it became known that the Law changes from man to man. This is the reason why someone enjoys miraculous power and walks on water, while another, if he were to attempt to do the same, would only sink! Whoever imitates the former in this stage and claims authority over the wealth of kings, even though he really should not be stepping in this direction, will discover that he is simply trying to destroy himself!

This step should be taken only with the permission of the Lord, and when a traveler's heart has been blessed. All the parts of the Sufi master become heart. It is not fitting that anything belonging to him, from his toenails to the hair on his head, should go to waste, for they too partake of the world of the heart. Hence it used to happen that when the Prophet combed out his hair, the companions used to distribute among themselves the hairs that fell. Every garment that he wore was endowed with a special power because it was his. Hence it was that the Prophet gave a shirt of his to a hypocrite in order to console the man's son, who was a Muslim. That very same shirt was placed on the grave of the hypocrite when he died. Some companions asked the Prophet if it would be of any benefit to him. As long as even a thread of it remains, replied he, that man will not have to undergo any torments. Hence it is that young men treat the patched robe of their spiritual master as a blessed thing and distribute it. Everyone receives a portion of it. What is the purpose of such distribution unless it be the garment of a genuine master whose heart has been touched? Anyone whose conversion has been complete and who has reached the world of heart becomes a man of prayer and a religious leader. It would be proper for such a person to make claims, but someone who has not yet reached this stage should not attempt such a thing.

Hence it was that Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, came to Basra and spoke to Khwaja Hasan of Basra, a saint unique in his age, making him understand that whatever comes from a man's heart is that to which he ought to submit.

O brother, if it was said concerning the Prophet himself, Undoubtedly you can show the straight way! then this royal proclamation also was made to the spiritual masters. Among those whom We created is a community guided by truth and dispensing justice (Q7:181). If you say, How shall we know that someone is a pretender, or has been genuinely authorized by God? the answer is: If the seeker is genuine in his search, he will be granted an inner eye, which will enable him to see the authorization of the King. He will not be misled by the claims of pretenders! Do you not see that if thousands of kinds of animals are gathered together, and thousands of varieties of food are placed before them, the palate of each will tell it which is the food suitable for it? No animal will desire the food of another. The Quran itself gives us a hint in this matter in the verse where it is written: Each group knew what to drink (Q2:60). Seek the humble service of the manly ones! If you seek service among the false claimants, there will be no profit. A pretender is not fit for this work! Who is a pretender? One who has neither seen the Way to God, nor traveled it, nor acquired it. All he does is make claims! The Quran gives us a hint of this: If you obey most of those in the earth, they will lead you astray from the path of God! (Q6:117)

When most people have lost the way, then there will certainly be fewer guides! When a genuine seeker is given a glimpse of the eternal sign of approval he recognizes it and focuses his attention on that one point. There his palate finds its proper food and nourishment. The spiritual master will take charge of him. He will become like a dead man, and his master like the washer, cleansing him of all that is not fitting till he has been fully purified. When this takes place, his con- version will have become complete, he will have become a real traveler on the Way to the Lord! This is called his manner of acting God is pure, and He does not accept any except the pure.

This is genuine devotion, O brother, not the sort of thing you consider to be devotion! Whenever you pray, observe the fast, or give aims, you should realize that this is devotion to your mother, father, fellow-citizens, and to your own habits, but the command is this: If you serve the Lord, you will find guidance. It is not said: If you are devoted to your own habits you will receive guidance. Whatever you do at the command of a master of the heart is genuine worship, and its fruit is divine guidance. Whoever obeys the Prophet, obeys God (Q4:80) Nothing more need be said.

If you reflect a little, one prostration of prayer, performed at the command of a master of the heart, is better than a thousand whose basis is one's own desire and habit. Similarly, one day spent in fasting at his behest is better than a thousand days of fasting according to one's own inclination. And if you give one silver piece at the command of a master of the heart, it is better than giving a thousand according to your own custom and preference.

O brother, strive to discern how you can extricate yourself from habit and how you can seek after true religion! It is not possible to rise above habit, or actions that are superficially sincere, except through submission to men of the Way. From his store of knowledge the spiritual master, at the opportune moment, breaks the snare: gradually each day he leads a disciple out of the bonds of Satan and clothes his nature with the robe of There is no god but God! This is because the master is acquainted with the condition into which a person is born, as well as his inner disposition. Whatever someone has imbibed from his parents is firmly established within him. Twenty years later, he is the same. Similarly, thirty, forty, fifty-and even till the very end of his life he remains the same person, with the same face and beard he had at the outset.

Men of God are different from men of habit and men of the world. How could anyone who does nothing, night or day, except worship his own habits, and knows no other work except foolishness and pandering to his own desires, be equal to someone who has shouldered the burden of the first steps of the Way to God? This requires the cutting of the idolatrous thread of habit, and the cessation of dalliance with this world and the next. In an ecstatic state, a Sufi proclaimed:

I saw the basis of this world and its foundation;

Easily did I pass beyond the trap of habit!

I realized that a black light is better than There is no god; And yet I passed beyond that too: neither now remains!

As far as possible, be always in quest of Him! It might happen that, while you are seeking, He will reveal His own beauty to you. If one day He removes the veil that conceals His beauty, a great change will occur in you. There will not remain enough of you to be able to discern whether you are a seeker or not! Hence it is that a wise one has said: Every form of seeking in which you see yourself is far from real seeking. Do you not see that if a man is completely intoxicated he has no idea that he is drunk! Alas, as long as even a fraction of his awareness remains, and he has enough power to discern that he is drunk and others are sober, he is not yet utterly inebriated! What is the perfection of intoxication? It occurs when the existence of man is given over to plunder! If it is said to him, Are you part of the human race or not? he makes no reply. If he says anything, he is still possessed of the power to discriminate. Hence something remains. Have you not heard what was said?

So dumbstruck have I been with love for You That only the shell of my existence remains.

When the reality of seeking shows its face, then no element re mains in the seeker. When this takes place, Whoever seeks, finds turns out to be true. At this stage there is nothing left for the disciple to do. The searching itself becomes pure. Hence an inflamed soul has said:

Love does all that is necessary: be patient! Simply be a disciple! Let love be your master-that is all!

Whoever desires anything else cannot find Me is a saying that should never be forgotten. As long as there is even a tiny part of you that seeks anything except God, you are not a genuine seeker. In the end it becomes apparent what exactly your nature is. How can you possibly attain your Object, in view of this constricted nature of yours? You love Him (Q5:54) becomes correct the moment you are completely turned toward Him! The one referred to in He loves you (Q5:54) has thousands of loved ones. There is no difficulty for Him: He can reach all, but your nature is extremely limited!

The sun can have an effect everywhere because its visage is so broad. It reaches India and Turkey, yet is not restricted to them. Until your nature is completely exposed to the sun, however, it cannot receive any share of its rays. It has to be completely exposed to the sun in order to derive influence from it. Many thousands of worlds can derive a share from its rays. It is in no way diminished as a result of this Among His signs is the sun. This should be studied carefully, and one further point should be noted: Loving something partial and dependent in no way detracts from the perfection of love, as has been said:

My love for Laila makes me love the countryside of Nejd. Apart from my love for her, I would have no interest in it! One reaches the stage of loving one's enemies Because they are closely united to God!

Welcome to me are the reproaches of men due to my love for You! For those who rebuke me also bring Your love to mind!

This is not associating others in one's love, instead, it constitutes some intimations of one's love for one's Friend! It was because of his love that Majnun considered black to be the very best color, as has been said:

It is for Laila's sake that black is so pleasing to me: In my love for her, how precious indeed is her black hue!

O brother, the world of love is indeed an incredible place! Where else, except in the world of love, could you find love for one's very enemies? A group was heading off to do battle with some infidels. Abul Abbas Qassab said to them: Take my beard as an offering for the dust beneath the feet of that infidel whom you will kill for the sake of God! The Prophet said about himself: If I were to make friends with anyone, then it certainly would be with Abu Bakr, but I have al- ready made friends with God! It is not fitting for anyone to ask Why did the Prophet get entangled with his wives and children? It is known that when he was asked who his favorite wife was, he replied, Aisha. When asked who his favorite friend was, he said, Abu Bakr. To this extent had human love found a place in him. But Muhammad had already made God his Friend. In a similar way, the Prophet was attached to his son Abraham, and wept when the child died. Concerning Hasan and Husain he said: Our offspring are as close to us as our own livers. What does this mean? Perplexity occurs at the beginning, but for those endowed with insight there is no such ambiguity!

O brother, consider a person who is utterly in love with study. He has no other task, day or night, except to pursue his quest for knowledge. Now if he loves his pen, paper, and ink, you cannot say that he is not completely devoted to study! Without doubt a beloved should in essence be only one, but if other things are loved because of their dependence on the real Beloved, then no harm arises; for a man who loves Almighty God will inevitably also love the prophets as well as his spiritual masters and teachers. It is also entirely reasonable that he will love all things associated with Him. The whole world is His masterpiece, His structure, and His writing. He Himself is necessarily all of it if one insists on making a measurement. A poet noted for insight has said:

In Your presence there is no room for duality: All the worlds are but You and Your power! The whole created order is but a shadow in Your presence All things are the result of Your majestic handicraft!

But if it is the good pleasure of the Friend that a certain letter written by His own hand should be burned, then the lover must certainly burn it. Let no one say that he has shown disrespect to the letter of his Friend, for the seeker has carried out His will. This is a very high stage for you. If the Chosen One and his companions removed infidels from His way, they did so at His bidding. Should not the seeker's good pleasure be whatever He intends? What does a lover have to do with authority in the kingdom of the Beloved?

Peace!