LETTER 81: THE LOWER SOUL

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

Brother Shamsuddin, may God honor you! There is a controversy about what exactly constitutes the lower soul. Whatever somebody says turns out to be the opposite of what others say. The seekers of Truth in this group, however, have two opinions about the matter. One faction says that the lower soul is an essence within the body, similar to the spirit. The other faction maintains that it is a quality of the body, like life. They concur that both bad behavior and displeasing actions stem from it. These are of two kinds. One is sin itself, and the other, blameworthy ways of acting, such as pride, envy, avarice, anger, and similar things. Such defects can be removed from a person by means of asceticism, but repentance is necessary to remove sin, for though external actions lead to sin, such external behavior, in turn, originates from inner qualities. Asceticism deals with outward actions, while repentance is concerned with inner qualities and must purify the sinner inwardly.

It is said that the lower soul and the spirit are very delicate, and are in the body, just as devils and angels are in the world, as well as in heaven and hell, one representing the abode of goodness, the other, the source of evil. There is no escape from evil, except by asceticism.

To find the worth of a person's heart and his life, One can discover it by no means other than asceticism! If for an instant you bring your lower soul under control, Then let no doubt remain: paradise is already yours!

There is even a controversy among the people as to what human nature is. What, in fact, is signified by the word man? Knowledge of this is obligatory for every seeker, because anyone who is ignorant of himself would be even more ignorant of what is other than himself! Whoever does not know his own essence will be even more ignorant of the essence of others. The Law has this to say: Whoever knows his lower soul knows his Lord. In other words, anyone who grasps the nature of his lower soul by virtue of its mortality also perceives God through His attribute of immortality. Some have said: Whoever understands the baseness of his own lower soul thereby realizes the exalted nature and honor of God. It has also been said: Whoever becomes aware of his lower soul as an expression of servanthood also perceives the sublime magisterium of his Lord! In short, everyone who fails to understand himself will also find the Almighty veiled from him.

The purpose of what has been said is to gain a deeper knowledge of human nature. One group says: Man is nothing but spirit. This is erroneous, for the spirit lies hidden in the body. Spirit itself is not called man. Another group says that the name man is given to the combination of spirit and body, just as a black and white horse is designated by only one word, pichald. This, too, is erroneous. The proof is that God Almighty called Adam a man when he was still nothing but lifeless dust. Surely there was a time when man was nothing that could be described (Q76:1). There is also a group of false Sufis who say that man neither eats nor drinks nor is subject to change. Yet man is a divine secret whose body is his talisman! As the poet has said:

The treasure is in the hold, the ship is the talisman, Finally, the talisman of the body will be destroyed. You will find the treasure when the talisman has passed away You will come to life when your body is no more. After that, your life will have a different talisman. When your life has ceased, you will acquire another body. Sew up your lips! Do not inquire about footstool and throne! Even if you want to ask but a little about them-do not! No one knows completely even a particle of creation: A little you ask, a little you say, then your life is over!

There is a group that says that all the natures that are compounded within us are called man in the venerable Word itself, and what God says is more truthful than what anyone else can say. Beginning with dust and ending with dust, this special form, with all its manifold arrangement, is man. Know that the perfect man, according to the investigators of Truth, consists of three constituents: One is spirit, another is the lower soul, while the third is the body. Man is a microcosm of the entire world, that is to say, both this world and the next. We get some idea of both from man himself. This world is water, dust, air, and fire, and man is composed of phlegm, blood, bile, and melancholy. At the same time, man is a sign of the next world, of paradise, hell, and the heavenly courts. His spirit anticipates heaven on account of its refinement; his animal soul, hell on account of its baseness; while his body presages the celestial courts. We can say that it is the spirit that draws the believer toward paradise, for in this world it exemplifies paradise, while his animal soul impels him toward hell, of which it is the prototype in this world. [A long poem from Attar follows.]

It is related that Sheikh Abu Ali Siyah said: I once saw my lower soul in the form of a pig. Someone snatched a hair from it and gave it to me. I bound it to a tree and resolved to destroy it. 'O Abu Ali,' it called out to me, 'do not kill me, for I am a soldier of God. You cannot destroy me.

It is related that Khwaja Muhammad Nuri said: One day I saw my lower soul in the form of a baby fox that came out of my mouth. I understood that this was my lower soul. I flung it beneath my feet and, the more I stomped on it, the bigger and stronger it grew. I said: 'All things are destroyed by wounds and affliction, yet you thrive on them. It replied: This is because I am made differently. What is affliction for another is comfort for me!

Sheikh Abu Abbas said: One day I entered my house and saw a yellow dog. When I tried to chase it out, it ran under my skirt and disappeared. Sheikh Abul Qasim Gurgani said: I saw it in the form of a serpent. Another dervish said: I saw my lower soul in the form of a mouse. I asked: Who are you? It replied: 'I am the destruction of the heedless and the salvation of the friends. If I were not with the latter-realize that my existence is a trial for them-they would grow proud of their own purity and boast of their deeds when they see the extent of their sanctity, comprehension of secrets, and stability in devotion! Pride and a spirit of self-sufficiency would begin to appear in them. When, however, they see me at either side, then they are washed clean of all such temptations!

All these stories go to prove that the lower soul is an essence, not simply a quality. It does, however, have qualities, and we can see them clearly. When the lower soul is recognized, it can easily be brought under control by austerities, but its essence does not pass away. When it is clearly recognized and the seeker masters it, then its continued existence within him provides no cause for fear. It has been said: The lower soul is like a dog that barks and bites. When it is subdued by austerity, then it is lawful to keep it. This wilderness is arduous. It cannot be traversed without grace and favor of Almighty God, and the shade of the riches of a compassionate spiritual master.

The man without a guide will get lost,

For the way is long, dark and perilous.

He should hold the lamp of knowledge before him,

Otherwise he will fall headlong into a pit!

Khwaja Nizami has given us a hint about what is meant

Do not turn away from the service of hearts, Nor let go of the skirt of the acceptable ones. Because the thorn associates with the rose, It is like perfume on the skirt of a flower. Seek the mark of the exalted, O astute ones, And strive to go even beyond the mark. From below they rose to the firmament, crown on their head, For their whole body, from head to toe, was girded for service!

O brother, do not worry about your own safety, even if poison- stained swords descend upon you! Place your feet on the heads of garbage dogs in order that all might revile you, but remain calm throughout, your head bowed in adoration while secrets are manifested to you.

When you yourself become the ocean and abandon your boat, Then you will become a world, even though you leave this one!

A certain dervish passed a night in prayer. The next day he appeared in front of his sheikh in the hope that the sheikh would praise him. He said: O sheikh, what form do you see in me today He replied: You look like a Jew! The dervish rose up and raised a cry, saying:

Nobody's day was ever made by worshiping idols Where have I, wretch that, I am, fallen today?

A man of insight wrote:

Whoever does not make himself wretched today Will tomorrow become as contemptible as Pharaoh.

Whoever has not become intoxicated with love, Will have to remain perpetually half-asleep!

Have you not heard about the heights to which the Lord of the world was raised on the night of ascent? On the Day of Resurrection, the uproar will not be less than at the battle of Uhud! Nor will the exalted crown of honor be worth less than the broken teeth and the garment soiled with blood from his liver! An inflamed one has said:

Blame is pointless for those slain at the head of Your lane. How can anyone who has seen that Face remain free from trials?

All my life's troubles come from the thought of You: When the King draws his sword, who is left in the city?

Peace!

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

Brother Shamsuddin, may God honor you! There is a controversy about what exactly constitutes the lower soul. Whatever somebody says turns out to be the opposite of what others say. The seekers of Truth in this group, however, have two opinions about the matter. One faction says that the lower soul is an essence within the body, similar to the spirit. The other faction maintains that it is a quality of the body, like life. They concur that both bad behavior and displeasing actions stem from it. These are of two kinds. One is sin itself, and the other, blameworthy ways of acting, such as pride, envy, avarice, anger, and similar things. Such defects can be removed from a person by means of asceticism, but repentance is necessary to remove sin, for though external actions lead to sin, such external behavior, in turn, originates from inner qualities. Asceticism deals with outward actions, while repentance is concerned with inner qualities and must purify the sinner inwardly.

It is said that the lower soul and the spirit are very delicate, and are in the body, just as devils and angels are in the world, as well as in heaven and hell, one representing the abode of goodness, the other, the source of evil. There is no escape from evil, except by asceticism.

To find the worth of a person's heart and his life, One can discover it by no means other than asceticism! If for an instant you bring your lower soul under control, Then let no doubt remain: paradise is already yours!

There is even a controversy among the people as to what human nature is. What, in fact, is signified by the word man? Knowledge of this is obligatory for every seeker, because anyone who is ignorant of himself would be even more ignorant of what is other than himself! Whoever does not know his own essence will be even more ignorant of the essence of others. The Law has this to say: Whoever knows his lower soul knows his Lord. In other words, anyone who grasps the nature of his lower soul by virtue of its mortality also perceives God through His attribute of immortality. Some have said: Whoever understands the baseness of his own lower soul thereby realizes the exalted nature and honor of God. It has also been said: Whoever becomes aware of his lower soul as an expression of servanthood also perceives the sublime magisterium of his Lord! In short, everyone who fails to understand himself will also find the Almighty veiled from him.

The purpose of what has been said is to gain a deeper knowledge of human nature. One group says: Man is nothing but spirit. This is erroneous, for the spirit lies hidden in the body. Spirit itself is not called man. Another group says that the name man is given to the combination of spirit and body, just as a black and white horse is designated by only one word, pichald. This, too, is erroneous. The proof is that God Almighty called Adam a man when he was still nothing but lifeless dust. Surely there was a time when man was nothing that could be described (Q76:1). There is also a group of false Sufis who say that man neither eats nor drinks nor is subject to change. Yet man is a divine secret whose body is his talisman! As the poet has said:

The treasure is in the hold, the ship is the talisman, Finally, the talisman of the body will be destroyed. You will find the treasure when the talisman has passed away You will come to life when your body is no more. After that, your life will have a different talisman. When your life has ceased, you will acquire another body. Sew up your lips! Do not inquire about footstool and throne! Even if you want to ask but a little about them-do not! No one knows completely even a particle of creation: A little you ask, a little you say, then your life is over!

There is a group that says that all the natures that are compounded within us are called man in the venerable Word itself, and what God says is more truthful than what anyone else can say. Beginning with dust and ending with dust, this special form, with all its manifold arrangement, is man. Know that the perfect man, according to the investigators of Truth, consists of three constituents: One is spirit, another is the lower soul, while the third is the body. Man is a microcosm of the entire world, that is to say, both this world and the next. We get some idea of both from man himself. This world is water, dust, air, and fire, and man is composed of phlegm, blood, bile, and melancholy. At the same time, man is a sign of the next world, of paradise, hell, and the heavenly courts. His spirit anticipates heaven on account of its refinement; his animal soul, hell on account of its baseness; while his body presages the celestial courts. We can say that it is the spirit that draws the believer toward paradise, for in this world it exemplifies paradise, while his animal soul impels him toward hell, of which it is the prototype in this world. [A long poem from Attar follows.]

It is related that Sheikh Abu Ali Siyah said: I once saw my lower soul in the form of a pig. Someone snatched a hair from it and gave it to me. I bound it to a tree and resolved to destroy it. 'O Abu Ali,' it called out to me, 'do not kill me, for I am a soldier of God. You cannot destroy me.

It is related that Khwaja Muhammad Nuri said: One day I saw my lower soul in the form of a baby fox that came out of my mouth. I understood that this was my lower soul. I flung it beneath my feet and, the more I stomped on it, the bigger and stronger it grew. I said: 'All things are destroyed by wounds and affliction, yet you thrive on them. It replied: This is because I am made differently. What is affliction for another is comfort for me!

Sheikh Abu Abbas said: One day I entered my house and saw a yellow dog. When I tried to chase it out, it ran under my skirt and disappeared. Sheikh Abul Qasim Gurgani said: I saw it in the form of a serpent. Another dervish said: I saw my lower soul in the form of a mouse. I asked: Who are you? It replied: 'I am the destruction of the heedless and the salvation of the friends. If I were not with the latter-realize that my existence is a trial for them-they would grow proud of their own purity and boast of their deeds when they see the extent of their sanctity, comprehension of secrets, and stability in devotion! Pride and a spirit of self-sufficiency would begin to appear in them. When, however, they see me at either side, then they are washed clean of all such temptations!

All these stories go to prove that the lower soul is an essence, not simply a quality. It does, however, have qualities, and we can see them clearly. When the lower soul is recognized, it can easily be brought under control by austerities, but its essence does not pass away. When it is clearly recognized and the seeker masters it, then its continued existence within him provides no cause for fear. It has been said: The lower soul is like a dog that barks and bites. When it is subdued by austerity, then it is lawful to keep it. This wilderness is arduous. It cannot be traversed without grace and favor of Almighty God, and the shade of the riches of a compassionate spiritual master.

The man without a guide will get lost,

For the way is long, dark and perilous.

He should hold the lamp of knowledge before him,

Otherwise he will fall headlong into a pit!

Khwaja Nizami has given us a hint about what is meant

Do not turn away from the service of hearts, Nor let go of the skirt of the acceptable ones. Because the thorn associates with the rose, It is like perfume on the skirt of a flower. Seek the mark of the exalted, O astute ones, And strive to go even beyond the mark. From below they rose to the firmament, crown on their head, For their whole body, from head to toe, was girded for service!

O brother, do not worry about your own safety, even if poison- stained swords descend upon you! Place your feet on the heads of garbage dogs in order that all might revile you, but remain calm throughout, your head bowed in adoration while secrets are manifested to you.

When you yourself become the ocean and abandon your boat, Then you will become a world, even though you leave this one!

A certain dervish passed a night in prayer. The next day he appeared in front of his sheikh in the hope that the sheikh would praise him. He said: O sheikh, what form do you see in me today He replied: You look like a Jew! The dervish rose up and raised a cry, saying:

Nobody's day was ever made by worshiping idols Where have I, wretch that, I am, fallen today?

A man of insight wrote:

Whoever does not make himself wretched today Will tomorrow become as contemptible as Pharaoh.

Whoever has not become intoxicated with love, Will have to remain perpetually half-asleep!

Have you not heard about the heights to which the Lord of the world was raised on the night of ascent? On the Day of Resurrection, the uproar will not be less than at the battle of Uhud! Nor will the exalted crown of honor be worth less than the broken teeth and the garment soiled with blood from his liver! An inflamed one has said:

Blame is pointless for those slain at the head of Your lane. How can anyone who has seen that Face remain free from trials?

All my life's troubles come from the thought of You: When the King draws his sword, who is left in the city?

Peace!