LETTER 92: BLAME

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

Dear brother Shamsuddin, may God honor you on account of the intercession of His friends! Any group that sets out along the Way will have blame relegated to it. This applies especially to those dedicated to God who are showered with blame by people all over the world, especially His chosen ones. It is a tradition concerning God Almighty that He deals in exactly the same manner with His friends and those who seek Him. Whoever observes His sayings will soon discover that the world will turn to finding fault with his behavior.

Blame can be of three kinds. The first is that of compliance. It pertains to anyone who does his work conscientiously, is upright in his practice of the faith, and keeps all his affairs in proper order. People will certainly find fault with him and, in all his states, twist whatever he does to serve their own purpose. Whatever name they are called, however, it is all the same to them. Consider, for example, what happened to the Apostle himself, who was the outstanding lover of God and leader of the entire community. Until revelation came upon him and he made it known, he enjoyed a good reputation among one and all. He was considered a great man. He used to be called Muhammad the Trustworthy. When the robe of revelation was drawn over his head, people began to loosen their tongues to reproach him. One called him a soothsayer, somebody else, a poet, one group called him a liar, yet another considered him to be a madman, but he paid no attention to any of them.

The second kind of blame is that of intention. This happens when a person is showered with honors and respect by people, and he becomes a celebrity among them. He wants to free his heart from them and remain immersed in God. He deliberately sets out upon a course of action that will lead people to reproach him for doing something that would not, however, infringe the Law. This explains the behavior of the leader of the faithful, Usman. One day, while he was caliph, he was carrying on his head some branches from his date palm grove. At that time he had four hundred slaves. People said: O leader of the faithful, what is this you are doing? You are the caliph and you possess many slaves. He replied: I am subduing my soul, for I do not want my position among the people to prove to be a hindrance to it! There is also the famous story of Bayazid Bistami who, on returning from Mecca and Medina, was entering a certain city. A cry arose within it Bayazid is coming! Everyone hurried outside and began to lead him into the city with great honor. He was disturbed by all this fanfare. When he arrived in the bazaar, he drew a round loaf out of his sleeves and began to eat it. It was the month of Ramzan. Everybody deserted him. He remained there, all alone. He turned to a disciple who was his constant companion and said: See, I have performed an action pertaining to one tenet of the Law, yet the entire populace has rejected me!

The third type of blame is that of abandonment. It occurs when infidelity and error catch hold of a person's skirt and he proceeds to abandon the Law, removing his hand from loyalty to the Traditions and saying: This is what is meant by the path of blame,' and I am now a blameworthy one. He commits a manifest error! It is a great calamity, and it has come to birth in this period. The purpose of such men is to utilize rejection by the people as a means of gaining notoriety among them. First of all, however, a person should be accepted by the people before he can resolve to become rejected by them. And if a person has not tried, by his deeds and behavior, to become acceptable, then anything he does in order to become blameworthy is simply pretense!

Concerning their acceptance, the wise say: Blame is the abandonment of peace and security. When anyone talks about his resolve to abandon his own peace and take calamities upon himself, he then turns away from all ease and comfort, with the hope that the divine glory will be manifested to him, and that he, though himself a creature, might not place any hope in creatures; and also that he, after having been cut off from all human expectations, might become united to God! The eyes of all the creatures of this world are fixed upon peace and security, but the blameworthy ones turn their backs upon it, so that their spiritual resolve might not depend upon any creature. For the masters of love, however, there is more hidden in blame than they realize, so that it can be said: The path of blame is a veritable garden for lovers, a joy to friends, a solace for those who yearn, and a delight for disciples, since it contains the effects of being accepted. It is at once the beverage of God's saints and a sign of nearness to Him. Just as everybody is pleased and happy to be accepted by people, so too, even though he is poverty-stricken, he should remain expectant, for one might find in a tavern what is not glimpsed in the Kaaba itself!

The incantations of Pharaoh were the very essence of infidelity, yet the magic of divine unity appeared through them. Take a firm hold on abjection and helplessness Reduce your being and any authority you possess to nothing, for both pride and being are qualities that pertain to God. There is no dress more suited to dust than that of humility and abjection. How can anyone who has passed twice through the human urinary tract have anything to boast about The foolishness of his being has been confirmed from its inception! No dress is more suitable for the King's servants and slaves, in His presence, than that of humility!

If you wish to preserve your health in the presence of the King,

It is better for you to stand at a distance and look at him! Why prolong my story? Brevity is to be preferred. Before a growling lion in the forest, play the fox!

Dust should bear burdens, not engage in rioting. It is meant to bear the weight of creatures rather than to rebel. Know that when the King raises up a destitute beggar whom He finds along the way, and says to him, I am yours, and you are mine, the beggar should never forget his real condition. It would be a mercy on the part of God if that beggar were to realize his own condition-a mere man who is nothing but a handful of dust. Whatever else he has, is all by the divine favor. He showed favor to you! Not because of any claim of yours did He give you existence. You could only prostrate yourself. but He exalted you! It was a work of His lordship, not of your beggarly condition. Grace had already performed its task before the water and clay were mixed. Adam had not yet transgressed when, by the divine mercy, the robe of repentance had already been sewn!

Peace!

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

Dear brother Shamsuddin, may God honor you on account of the intercession of His friends! Any group that sets out along the Way will have blame relegated to it. This applies especially to those dedicated to God who are showered with blame by people all over the world, especially His chosen ones. It is a tradition concerning God Almighty that He deals in exactly the same manner with His friends and those who seek Him. Whoever observes His sayings will soon discover that the world will turn to finding fault with his behavior.

Blame can be of three kinds. The first is that of compliance. It pertains to anyone who does his work conscientiously, is upright in his practice of the faith, and keeps all his affairs in proper order. People will certainly find fault with him and, in all his states, twist whatever he does to serve their own purpose. Whatever name they are called, however, it is all the same to them. Consider, for example, what happened to the Apostle himself, who was the outstanding lover of God and leader of the entire community. Until revelation came upon him and he made it known, he enjoyed a good reputation among one and all. He was considered a great man. He used to be called Muhammad the Trustworthy. When the robe of revelation was drawn over his head, people began to loosen their tongues to reproach him. One called him a soothsayer, somebody else, a poet, one group called him a liar, yet another considered him to be a madman, but he paid no attention to any of them.

The second kind of blame is that of intention. This happens when a person is showered with honors and respect by people, and he becomes a celebrity among them. He wants to free his heart from them and remain immersed in God. He deliberately sets out upon a course of action that will lead people to reproach him for doing something that would not, however, infringe the Law. This explains the behavior of the leader of the faithful, Usman. One day, while he was caliph, he was carrying on his head some branches from his date palm grove. At that time he had four hundred slaves. People said: O leader of the faithful, what is this you are doing? You are the caliph and you possess many slaves. He replied: I am subduing my soul, for I do not want my position among the people to prove to be a hindrance to it! There is also the famous story of Bayazid Bistami who, on returning from Mecca and Medina, was entering a certain city. A cry arose within it Bayazid is coming! Everyone hurried outside and began to lead him into the city with great honor. He was disturbed by all this fanfare. When he arrived in the bazaar, he drew a round loaf out of his sleeves and began to eat it. It was the month of Ramzan. Everybody deserted him. He remained there, all alone. He turned to a disciple who was his constant companion and said: See, I have performed an action pertaining to one tenet of the Law, yet the entire populace has rejected me!

The third type of blame is that of abandonment. It occurs when infidelity and error catch hold of a person's skirt and he proceeds to abandon the Law, removing his hand from loyalty to the Traditions and saying: This is what is meant by the path of blame,' and I am now a blameworthy one. He commits a manifest error! It is a great calamity, and it has come to birth in this period. The purpose of such men is to utilize rejection by the people as a means of gaining notoriety among them. First of all, however, a person should be accepted by the people before he can resolve to become rejected by them. And if a person has not tried, by his deeds and behavior, to become acceptable, then anything he does in order to become blameworthy is simply pretense!

Concerning their acceptance, the wise say: Blame is the abandonment of peace and security. When anyone talks about his resolve to abandon his own peace and take calamities upon himself, he then turns away from all ease and comfort, with the hope that the divine glory will be manifested to him, and that he, though himself a creature, might not place any hope in creatures; and also that he, after having been cut off from all human expectations, might become united to God! The eyes of all the creatures of this world are fixed upon peace and security, but the blameworthy ones turn their backs upon it, so that their spiritual resolve might not depend upon any creature. For the masters of love, however, there is more hidden in blame than they realize, so that it can be said: The path of blame is a veritable garden for lovers, a joy to friends, a solace for those who yearn, and a delight for disciples, since it contains the effects of being accepted. It is at once the beverage of God's saints and a sign of nearness to Him. Just as everybody is pleased and happy to be accepted by people, so too, even though he is poverty-stricken, he should remain expectant, for one might find in a tavern what is not glimpsed in the Kaaba itself!

The incantations of Pharaoh were the very essence of infidelity, yet the magic of divine unity appeared through them. Take a firm hold on abjection and helplessness Reduce your being and any authority you possess to nothing, for both pride and being are qualities that pertain to God. There is no dress more suited to dust than that of humility and abjection. How can anyone who has passed twice through the human urinary tract have anything to boast about The foolishness of his being has been confirmed from its inception! No dress is more suitable for the King's servants and slaves, in His presence, than that of humility!

If you wish to preserve your health in the presence of the King,

It is better for you to stand at a distance and look at him! Why prolong my story? Brevity is to be preferred. Before a growling lion in the forest, play the fox!

Dust should bear burdens, not engage in rioting. It is meant to bear the weight of creatures rather than to rebel. Know that when the King raises up a destitute beggar whom He finds along the way, and says to him, I am yours, and you are mine, the beggar should never forget his real condition. It would be a mercy on the part of God if that beggar were to realize his own condition-a mere man who is nothing but a handful of dust. Whatever else he has, is all by the divine favor. He showed favor to you! Not because of any claim of yours did He give you existence. You could only prostrate yourself. but He exalted you! It was a work of His lordship, not of your beggarly condition. Grace had already performed its task before the water and clay were mixed. Adam had not yet transgressed when, by the divine mercy, the robe of repentance had already been sewn!

Peace!