Letter No. 1.- On Divine Mysteries

“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

“My cordial friend, my brother, Khawaja Qutubuddin of Delhi, May the most high God grant you the happiness of both the worlds.

“After Salaams, it is impressed on you to teach your true disciples and seekers after God a few points of divine mystery, which I am writing to you, so that they may not be led astray.

“He who knew God never begged anything of Him, nor has he ever any desires. He who has not yet known Him cannot understand these things.”

“Another thing, Give up avarice. He who gave it up attained his objects. The most high and glorious God has said about such persons, “He who bridled his desires shall enter heaven.”

“He who turned away his heart from God to excessive lust shall be wrapped up in a shroud of curse and buried in the grave of regrets; and he who turned away his heart from excessive lust to God and put it on His path, shall be wrapped up in a shroud of mercy and interred in the grave of salvation.

“Hazrat Khwaja Bayazid Bastami, prince of those who know God, my God pour His blessings on him, has said: “Once I saw the most high God in a dream. He asked mi- ‘Bayazid, what do you want?’ I replied, ‘I want what you want.’ The most high God was pleased and said, ‘I am yours and you are mine’. He who submits to His will shall be under His protection.

“Now, if you want to know what mysticism is, then close the door upon every comfort, and sit on the knees of love. If you did this, you should become initiated in the mysteries of mysticism. The seeker after God must do this with heart and soul. God willing, he will be saved from the mischief’s of Satan and attain the desires of both the worlds.

“My Sheikh, my God pour His blessings on him, asked me once: “Muinuddin, on you know the one who is in the presence of God? It is he who is always at devotion, and takes whatever happens to him as coming from God as His dispensation, and is resigned to it; rather looks upon it as His blessing. This is the crux of all devotion. He who has this is the king of the entire world; rather a king of the world supplicates him for favors.”

“One day my Sheikh addressed me thus – “It is wrong to say, as come dervishes do, that when a seeker has gained his desires, he gets rid of perplexity. They also say that worship and devotion are no longer incumbent upon him, which is again wrong; because the Chief of the World, blessings and peace of God be upon him, was always prostrating in worship and devotion before God. Although he had reached the summit of devotion, he would say- ‘I did not worship Thee as I ought to have.’ These words also were always on his lips- ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammed is His apostle.’ Then know it for certain that when one who knows God attains perfection, he offers his prayers most sincerely, and thus gains more knowledge of God, and the idea of his presence before Him; the highest is rather the prayer (Namaaz). When one realizes this and acts with sincerity, one feels a sort of thirst as if one has drunk several cups of fire. As he will drink on such cups, his thirst will increase, because there is no limit to boundless glory of God. At this stage, tranquility of his mind is changed into untranquillity and his ease into uneasiness, until death rescues him. And Salaams.”

“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

“My cordial friend, my brother, Khawaja Qutubuddin of Delhi, May the most high God grant you the happiness of both the worlds.

“After Salaams, it is impressed on you to teach your true disciples and seekers after God a few points of divine mystery, which I am writing to you, so that they may not be led astray.

“He who knew God never begged anything of Him, nor has he ever any desires. He who has not yet known Him cannot understand these things.”

“Another thing, Give up avarice. He who gave it up attained his objects. The most high and glorious God has said about such persons, “He who bridled his desires shall enter heaven.”

“He who turned away his heart from God to excessive lust shall be wrapped up in a shroud of curse and buried in the grave of regrets; and he who turned away his heart from excessive lust to God and put it on His path, shall be wrapped up in a shroud of mercy and interred in the grave of salvation.

“Hazrat Khwaja Bayazid Bastami, prince of those who know God, my God pour His blessings on him, has said: “Once I saw the most high God in a dream. He asked mi- ‘Bayazid, what do you want?’ I replied, ‘I want what you want.’ The most high God was pleased and said, ‘I am yours and you are mine’. He who submits to His will shall be under His protection.

“Now, if you want to know what mysticism is, then close the door upon every comfort, and sit on the knees of love. If you did this, you should become initiated in the mysteries of mysticism. The seeker after God must do this with heart and soul. God willing, he will be saved from the mischief’s of Satan and attain the desires of both the worlds.

“My Sheikh, my God pour His blessings on him, asked me once: “Muinuddin, on you know the one who is in the presence of God? It is he who is always at devotion, and takes whatever happens to him as coming from God as His dispensation, and is resigned to it; rather looks upon it as His blessing. This is the crux of all devotion. He who has this is the king of the entire world; rather a king of the world supplicates him for favors.”

“One day my Sheikh addressed me thus – “It is wrong to say, as come dervishes do, that when a seeker has gained his desires, he gets rid of perplexity. They also say that worship and devotion are no longer incumbent upon him, which is again wrong; because the Chief of the World, blessings and peace of God be upon him, was always prostrating in worship and devotion before God. Although he had reached the summit of devotion, he would say- ‘I did not worship Thee as I ought to have.’ These words also were always on his lips- ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammed is His apostle.’ Then know it for certain that when one who knows God attains perfection, he offers his prayers most sincerely, and thus gains more knowledge of God, and the idea of his presence before Him; the highest is rather the prayer (Namaaz). When one realizes this and acts with sincerity, one feels a sort of thirst as if one has drunk several cups of fire. As he will drink on such cups, his thirst will increase, because there is no limit to boundless glory of God. At this stage, tranquility of his mind is changed into untranquillity and his ease into uneasiness, until death rescues him. And Salaams.”