LETTER 87: THE DIFFERENCE IN STAGES, AND A PRAYER FOR OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES

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

Dear Brother Shamsuddin, there is a great difference in the way various people tread the path of faith. There is as much difference from one step to another, one breath to another, and one person to another as there is between the earth and the sky, even though they were created the same and appear to be the same. The Law says: Man is like a gold or silver mine. Outwardly, all mines look the same, but there is a great difference inside them. Do you not see that different mines yield gold, silver, iron, and diamonds? Similarly, all men who exist, have existed, or will exist are mother of pearl, filled with mysteries! In each body there is a mystery: Every form displays the handiwork of God. Similarly, the witness of faith produces a desire for God in every heart, a radiance in every soul: Neither is incomprehensible to angelic or human intellect. Attar has said:

Vegetation, minerals, animals, and the sky, Along with water, wind, fire, and dust, All are in motion due to love, No matter the time, the month, or the year. If the eye of your heart looks back on this, Each particle will yield a hundred mysteries. Among all the particles of the world, in this lane Not a single soul will be perceived to be at rest. Who knows all the secrets hidden here? This is the source of light for both intellect and life!

Those, however, who are striving after the sun in the firmament, and are favored by the Eternal Lord, and are generals commanding the wealth of Islam make happy all those upon whom the dust, raised by their mounts, happens to fall. Even if such dust falls on a temple, it will become a mosque!

People say that a venerable Sufi went to a tavern last night.

During his invocations tears dropped into a bowl of pure wine. The wine became honey in his hands, the temple, a mosque: O Lord, what miracles were wrought by this favored one!

The Tradition concerning the elect, from the threshold of the Glorious One, attests that there is no difficulty in speaking or hearing for them and, on account of their commitment to the way of faith, the core of their heart manifests the guts they bear from the sword of divine wrath. Whoever has any relationship with the Path that leads to his Creator sees that nothing raises its head from the treasure house of their faith. The Eternal keeps them protected out of His own sense of honor, that no evil eye might find its way to their beauty. You see them looking at you, but they see nothing (Q7:198), This means that in the world of Truth they are called foreigners to the tribes (of the human race).

They know the value of the Law of the Lord of the world, and they recognize the worth of his Tradition. They are fit for the stage of the prophets. They shine as pillars of righteousness by the way they expound the commands of the Law, just as if they were giving authoritative decisions. They come so close to both God and His slaves that they could say, And among those whom We created is a community who give true guidance (Q7:181). As for their education and permission, My companions are like stars: If you follow any one of them, you will receive guidance. These are the states of both the spiritual master and the disciple. The person whose guide along the Way has no face like the moon Will find the Path to his true self is long rather than short!

What can be done? All do not emerge as righteous ones from the hidden curtain, nor are all born kings from Mother Fortune. Many thousands of pure souls, fallen in the region of seeking, have been passed by, so that some other might be raised up as a righteous man, often as he lies prostrate before an idol! Many thousands of those de voted to prayer are removed from their places of worship and con signed to hell in order that the breast of some frequenter of taverns might be illuminated by the profession of faith in the Unity of God.

But what do you and I have to do with such sayings about the pure ones? What share of this Wealth has been apportioned either to you or to me? Your pain and mine is that described by Khusrau:

At night dogs roam Your alley, but there is no access for Khusrau

From time to time allow me entrance along with that pack of dogs!

Once Zu'l Nun sent a disciple to Bayazid to find out how he was. When the disciple reached Bistam he entered the convent of Bayazid, and saw the saint sitting in a secluded corner. He did not recognize him and so did not know that this was Bayazid Bayazid asked him whom he wanted to see. Bayazid, he replied. The man said: Where is Abu Yazid? I myself have been looking for Abu Yazid for many years, but have not yet found him! The disciple thought he was a madman who understood nothing of what he said. He returned to Egypt and told Zu'l Nun what had happened. He wept and said: My brother Bayazid has gone with the caravan of the yearners to he land of 'there is no god but God, and has left me behind! Take note of this saying: Many are the people who have been brought into the world and taken out again, without having any knowledge that they have been brought in or taken out! Sheikh Abul Hasan Kharaqani said: Junaid came to his senses in the world but, on becoming intoxicated, departed from it. Shibli was intoxicated both on entering and on leaving! What comment could be made about this? He replied: If they are asked, they themselves will not know! He said: If both Junaid and Shibli were to be asked on the Day of Resurrection about how they had come, and in what state they had left, they would not be able to say anything in reply! While Sheikh Abul Hasan Kharaqani was in a mystic state, an angel spoke to him thus: O sheikh, you spoke correctly! If they are asked, they themselves will not know! Anyone who is wholly taken up with God has knowledge of nothing else!

Your lovers have been intoxicated with Am I not:

They came, their heads swimming with the wine of Am I not.

They drink the wine, disregarding all advice, Am I not has made them into worshipers of wine!

Listen 'with faith to the words of these righteous ones! Refrain from criticizing them with your puny intellect, for they are dear to God!

The world has been regulated by their footsteps. The faith has been upheld by their vigilance. Both the eastern and western lands are under their command. Do you not see that when the Lord of the universe and ruler of the worlds used to see Hilal, the slave of Mugh ira, he would say Pray for me! When he prayed, the Prophet himself would answer, Amen! Early one morning, the Prophet turned to his companions with whom he was sitting and said: Get up! At this moment creation has been clothed with the garment of the trial of Hilal! He arose from the group and headed off for the house of Mughira. Mughira, however, was unaware that Hilal had received the command to leave this world, for there was none more lowly in his entire household than Hilal. The people in the house knew nothing about his life and nothing about his death. Mughira came outside. He saw the Chosen One standing there with his righteous companions. He fell at his blessed feet. The Prophet asked him What has taken place in your house today? He replied, O Prophet, nothing but good has occurred today! O Mughira, rejoined the Prophet, the soul of the most precious member of your household has been borne aloft, and you have no knowledge at all about it?

On hearing this, Mughira was dumbstruck! Never for a moment, he exclaimed, did I imagine that Hilal had attained such a rank! How astonishing that there was glory for Hilal in the seven heavens, and yet upon earth-except for the Chosen One-nobody recognized him! This is to bring home the lesson that this Tradition refers to those who have no fame whatsoever on this earth. Whoever becomes famous in any work should wash his hands of its prosperity. for whoever is esteemed by people is not safe!

If this Tradition concerning kingship were not necessary for the faith of people, then the Prophet would certainly never have advanced from the stage of I am the son of a woman who used to ear dried meat to that of I am the leader of the sons of men, but I do not brag about it! Real kingship means that when the carpet of mystery of self is spread within your breast, you cease to be inclined to those who live according to habit and custom. Hence, all of those with un- washed faces are unable to see what they really are. The Chosen One knew who Hilal was, for he had received help from him. Yet he said nothing about his state until he passed away, for it was not his task to tear aside the curtain. There is no resting place that is more decorated or safer than that of the concealed ones!

Hilal passed his life in such concealment that even the master of the house knew nothing about him. The Prophet said: O Mughira, where did he stay? Take me there! Mughira took him to the stable. They saw Hilal lying at the feet of the animals. He was dead. The Prophet entered and placed the slave's blessed head in his lap. His eyes filled with tears as he declared: O Hilal, you seem to be lying upon this dust, but in reality your substance is with the Pure Presence! The companions had never before seen the Prophet so upset, nor had they themselves ever been as astonished as they were on that day. All the noble and righteous desired to be the dust upon which Hilal had trodden! O that our lives had been the leather of Hilal's sandals! they proclaimed. Finally, the Apostle said: In every age there are seven slaves of God whose prayers provide the people with daily blessings. The Muslims are victorious on account of their magnanimity. Rain descends from heaven on account of their prayer. Hilal was more excellent and dearer to God than were these seven of the age. By God who holds sway over the soul of Muhammad, if this Hilal swore by God that the world would suddenly cease to exist, his oath would turn out to be correct. Not a particle of the world would remain.

Anyone with the temerity to object to these words should be told that this is the community of the Prophet! If you belong to his community, then accept this faith! If not, then surrender your contract to be a Muslim! If anyone experiences difficulties he is unable to resolve, let him resort to this prayer: In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, inspire this seeker with the righteousness of Abu Bakr and his successors, the justice of Umar and his firmness, the modesty of Usman and his generosity, the wisdom of Ali and his descendants, the beneficence of Hasan and his affection, the witness of Husain and his self-effacement. That is the sum total of my needs, O You who control all needs!

Peace!

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

Dear Brother Shamsuddin, there is a great difference in the way various people tread the path of faith. There is as much difference from one step to another, one breath to another, and one person to another as there is between the earth and the sky, even though they were created the same and appear to be the same. The Law says: Man is like a gold or silver mine. Outwardly, all mines look the same, but there is a great difference inside them. Do you not see that different mines yield gold, silver, iron, and diamonds? Similarly, all men who exist, have existed, or will exist are mother of pearl, filled with mysteries! In each body there is a mystery: Every form displays the handiwork of God. Similarly, the witness of faith produces a desire for God in every heart, a radiance in every soul: Neither is incomprehensible to angelic or human intellect. Attar has said:

Vegetation, minerals, animals, and the sky, Along with water, wind, fire, and dust, All are in motion due to love, No matter the time, the month, or the year. If the eye of your heart looks back on this, Each particle will yield a hundred mysteries. Among all the particles of the world, in this lane Not a single soul will be perceived to be at rest. Who knows all the secrets hidden here? This is the source of light for both intellect and life!

Those, however, who are striving after the sun in the firmament, and are favored by the Eternal Lord, and are generals commanding the wealth of Islam make happy all those upon whom the dust, raised by their mounts, happens to fall. Even if such dust falls on a temple, it will become a mosque!

People say that a venerable Sufi went to a tavern last night.

During his invocations tears dropped into a bowl of pure wine. The wine became honey in his hands, the temple, a mosque: O Lord, what miracles were wrought by this favored one!

The Tradition concerning the elect, from the threshold of the Glorious One, attests that there is no difficulty in speaking or hearing for them and, on account of their commitment to the way of faith, the core of their heart manifests the guts they bear from the sword of divine wrath. Whoever has any relationship with the Path that leads to his Creator sees that nothing raises its head from the treasure house of their faith. The Eternal keeps them protected out of His own sense of honor, that no evil eye might find its way to their beauty. You see them looking at you, but they see nothing (Q7:198), This means that in the world of Truth they are called foreigners to the tribes (of the human race).

They know the value of the Law of the Lord of the world, and they recognize the worth of his Tradition. They are fit for the stage of the prophets. They shine as pillars of righteousness by the way they expound the commands of the Law, just as if they were giving authoritative decisions. They come so close to both God and His slaves that they could say, And among those whom We created is a community who give true guidance (Q7:181). As for their education and permission, My companions are like stars: If you follow any one of them, you will receive guidance. These are the states of both the spiritual master and the disciple. The person whose guide along the Way has no face like the moon Will find the Path to his true self is long rather than short!

What can be done? All do not emerge as righteous ones from the hidden curtain, nor are all born kings from Mother Fortune. Many thousands of pure souls, fallen in the region of seeking, have been passed by, so that some other might be raised up as a righteous man, often as he lies prostrate before an idol! Many thousands of those de voted to prayer are removed from their places of worship and con signed to hell in order that the breast of some frequenter of taverns might be illuminated by the profession of faith in the Unity of God.

But what do you and I have to do with such sayings about the pure ones? What share of this Wealth has been apportioned either to you or to me? Your pain and mine is that described by Khusrau:

At night dogs roam Your alley, but there is no access for Khusrau

From time to time allow me entrance along with that pack of dogs!

Once Zu'l Nun sent a disciple to Bayazid to find out how he was. When the disciple reached Bistam he entered the convent of Bayazid, and saw the saint sitting in a secluded corner. He did not recognize him and so did not know that this was Bayazid Bayazid asked him whom he wanted to see. Bayazid, he replied. The man said: Where is Abu Yazid? I myself have been looking for Abu Yazid for many years, but have not yet found him! The disciple thought he was a madman who understood nothing of what he said. He returned to Egypt and told Zu'l Nun what had happened. He wept and said: My brother Bayazid has gone with the caravan of the yearners to he land of 'there is no god but God, and has left me behind! Take note of this saying: Many are the people who have been brought into the world and taken out again, without having any knowledge that they have been brought in or taken out! Sheikh Abul Hasan Kharaqani said: Junaid came to his senses in the world but, on becoming intoxicated, departed from it. Shibli was intoxicated both on entering and on leaving! What comment could be made about this? He replied: If they are asked, they themselves will not know! He said: If both Junaid and Shibli were to be asked on the Day of Resurrection about how they had come, and in what state they had left, they would not be able to say anything in reply! While Sheikh Abul Hasan Kharaqani was in a mystic state, an angel spoke to him thus: O sheikh, you spoke correctly! If they are asked, they themselves will not know! Anyone who is wholly taken up with God has knowledge of nothing else!

Your lovers have been intoxicated with Am I not:

They came, their heads swimming with the wine of Am I not.

They drink the wine, disregarding all advice, Am I not has made them into worshipers of wine!

Listen 'with faith to the words of these righteous ones! Refrain from criticizing them with your puny intellect, for they are dear to God!

The world has been regulated by their footsteps. The faith has been upheld by their vigilance. Both the eastern and western lands are under their command. Do you not see that when the Lord of the universe and ruler of the worlds used to see Hilal, the slave of Mugh ira, he would say Pray for me! When he prayed, the Prophet himself would answer, Amen! Early one morning, the Prophet turned to his companions with whom he was sitting and said: Get up! At this moment creation has been clothed with the garment of the trial of Hilal! He arose from the group and headed off for the house of Mughira. Mughira, however, was unaware that Hilal had received the command to leave this world, for there was none more lowly in his entire household than Hilal. The people in the house knew nothing about his life and nothing about his death. Mughira came outside. He saw the Chosen One standing there with his righteous companions. He fell at his blessed feet. The Prophet asked him What has taken place in your house today? He replied, O Prophet, nothing but good has occurred today! O Mughira, rejoined the Prophet, the soul of the most precious member of your household has been borne aloft, and you have no knowledge at all about it?

On hearing this, Mughira was dumbstruck! Never for a moment, he exclaimed, did I imagine that Hilal had attained such a rank! How astonishing that there was glory for Hilal in the seven heavens, and yet upon earth-except for the Chosen One-nobody recognized him! This is to bring home the lesson that this Tradition refers to those who have no fame whatsoever on this earth. Whoever becomes famous in any work should wash his hands of its prosperity. for whoever is esteemed by people is not safe!

If this Tradition concerning kingship were not necessary for the faith of people, then the Prophet would certainly never have advanced from the stage of I am the son of a woman who used to ear dried meat to that of I am the leader of the sons of men, but I do not brag about it! Real kingship means that when the carpet of mystery of self is spread within your breast, you cease to be inclined to those who live according to habit and custom. Hence, all of those with un- washed faces are unable to see what they really are. The Chosen One knew who Hilal was, for he had received help from him. Yet he said nothing about his state until he passed away, for it was not his task to tear aside the curtain. There is no resting place that is more decorated or safer than that of the concealed ones!

Hilal passed his life in such concealment that even the master of the house knew nothing about him. The Prophet said: O Mughira, where did he stay? Take me there! Mughira took him to the stable. They saw Hilal lying at the feet of the animals. He was dead. The Prophet entered and placed the slave's blessed head in his lap. His eyes filled with tears as he declared: O Hilal, you seem to be lying upon this dust, but in reality your substance is with the Pure Presence! The companions had never before seen the Prophet so upset, nor had they themselves ever been as astonished as they were on that day. All the noble and righteous desired to be the dust upon which Hilal had trodden! O that our lives had been the leather of Hilal's sandals! they proclaimed. Finally, the Apostle said: In every age there are seven slaves of God whose prayers provide the people with daily blessings. The Muslims are victorious on account of their magnanimity. Rain descends from heaven on account of their prayer. Hilal was more excellent and dearer to God than were these seven of the age. By God who holds sway over the soul of Muhammad, if this Hilal swore by God that the world would suddenly cease to exist, his oath would turn out to be correct. Not a particle of the world would remain.

Anyone with the temerity to object to these words should be told that this is the community of the Prophet! If you belong to his community, then accept this faith! If not, then surrender your contract to be a Muslim! If anyone experiences difficulties he is unable to resolve, let him resort to this prayer: In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, inspire this seeker with the righteousness of Abu Bakr and his successors, the justice of Umar and his firmness, the modesty of Usman and his generosity, the wisdom of Ali and his descendants, the beneficence of Hasan and his affection, the witness of Husain and his self-effacement. That is the sum total of my needs, O You who control all needs!

Peace!