LETTER 18: THE SOURCES OF HUMAN ERROR

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

Brother Shamsuddin, many have fallen from the Way because of a doubt or false opinion. One group says, God has no need of our worship or devotion, nor is He affected by our sin, so why should we bother ourselves with following the Law? The answer is that such a view reflects sheer ignorance! It is based on the supposition that the Law enjoins things on men for the sake of God-which is absurd and foolish for whatever anyone does is beneficial to himself, as the Quran says: Whoever purifies himself, purifies himself for the good of his own soul (Q15:18) and whoever does any good work, it is to his own gain (Q41:46). An ignorant person of this sort is comparable to a patient who has been prescribed something by the physician but does not follow the treatment. What harm is there to the physician if I don't follow it? he thinks. The harm, of course, is to himself! Even though what he said was true, he is the one who will perish! The physician did not speak in order to please him but to cure him! If he follows the physician's instructions, he will be cured; if not, he will perish. Neither outcome concerns the physician!

Those of the second group rush beyond the bounds of the Law. transgress it and put their trust in the mercy and compassion of God, thinking that He will exercise His mercy in their behalf. The answer to this is: While their saying is correct, it reflects a deception of the Devil that deflects foolish people from the Way. An intelligent per- son will give this answer: Yes, He is merciful and compassionate, and that is why He is also the One who punishes offenses severely! We see that most people in this world of ours have to undergo many trials and endure poverty, while His treasury is limitless and year, de- spite His mercy, He does not create even a single grain of wheat for them, to spare the farmer his trouble. Nor does a person stay healthy if he fails to eat and drink; nor is a sick man cured without treatment. Similarly, the causes of sickness and poverty have been created so that, without them, nothing is acquired.

A similar situation pertains to the world to come. Every soul contains some measure of infidelity and ignorance Just as a sick man, if he is not treated, perishes, so there is no antidote for the poison of in- fidelity and ignorance except learning and intimate knowledge. And there is no remedy for the sickness of laziness except prayer and proper observance of all devotions. Whoever takes poison and, at the same time, trusts in God's mercy will perish! The sickness of the heart comes from unwholesome desires. Anyone who does not purify his heart of these desires is in danger of destruction whenever he con- siders them as sinful; and if he does not consider them as harmful, he is not merely in danger but has already been destroyed. For this would be idolatry, which is the poison of faith!

The third group engage in ascetical practices and claim that the object of their asceticism is to be suddenly purified of all sexual destre, anger, and every other quality that is held to be blameworthy under the Law, and to bring them under control, since this is what the Law prescribes. When they have afflicted themselves and practiced austerities for some time but are powerless to achieve their aim, they then consider that such an aim is unattainable, and that the Law has enjoined something impossible. Man is constituted with these impulses; there is no way he can be freed from their clutches, just as a black blanket cannot be changed into a white one. We do not intend to occupy ourselves with something that is impossible. The answer to this view is: It is ignorance and foolishness on the

part of anyone to think that the Law has enjoined the complete extirpation of desires and other human tendencies! The ideal should not be considered in terms of such extremes. Nothing of that sort is commanded. The Prophet of Islam himself has said, I am a man. I get angry Indeed, they often saw signs of anger on his face! The Lord commends those who swallow their anger (Q):154), not those who have no anger to what extent does he order that there should be no sexual desire? The Prophet had a harem of nine wives! If anyone loses this appetite, he should seek treatment to have it restored, for it is not forbidden to have a wife and children. There is nothing wrong with something that results from anger during a war against the infidels, or the procreation of children to continue the human race, and to establish a good name. Both arise as a result of human desires, and that is what the Prophet intended. But he commanded that they should he kept under control, such as is enjoined by the Law, in the same way as a horse should be broken in and a dog should be kept under the control of a hunter, lest it pounce upon him! Without a horse, a hunt- er is handicapped in his hunting, yet if the horse is not broken in, it will throw its rider!

The sexual appetite and anger are like dogs and horses. Without these two, one cannot go hunting for eternal bliss. The precondition is to bring both to heel. If they gain the upper hand, then they can wreak a man's destruction. The whole purpose of austerities is to break the dominance of these two qualities and place them firmly un- der control. It is possible to do this.

The fourth group are those who are caught up in the folly of their own self-esteem, claiming that all works are preordained from the very beginning. Good fortune and hard times, in their view, are already evident in the womb. Nothing at all occurs from one's own efforts. Why bother to exert oneself? How could it profit anyone

The answer is: When the Prophet explained this matter, the companions said, We shall depend upon God, and refrain from exerting ourselves. But he commanded them: Exert yourselves and then will you be granted what has been promised and he added, Don't with- draw your hand! If eternal bliss has been allotted to you, then good works also have been decreed! The meaning of his statement is that fortune and misfortune are related to devotion and sin, just as good health and death are related to eating well and starving. All those who were ordained, from the very beginning, to die of hunger simply do not find enough food to eat, whereas those destined for plenty be- come landlords or traders. Those destined to die in the west will find the way to the east closed to them. They will not be able to proceed in any other direction.

The point can be illustrated thus: Once the angel of death was sent to the court of Solomon. He sat close by a man and stared fixedly at him. The man grew frightened. When the angel disappeared, the man begged Solomon that he would command the wind to carry him off to the west. Solomon bade the wind do so. Then the angel of death reappeared in the court. Solomon asked him why he had gazed so pointedly at the poor man. I was commanded to take his life in an hour, in the west, replied the angel. I saw him here and was astonished. How could this be the command had been to take him in the west, but only an hour was left to him, so I came and gazed at him in order that he might take fright and request you to have the wind bear him off. That action, therefore, was not without purpose!

Anyone for whom bliss has been ordained has his heart illuminated so that he can accept the faith, receive the grace of austerity, and expel all base tendencies from himself, as has been commanded: Whomever God decides to guide, He expands his breast to embrace Islam! (Q6:126). God Himself has required that there will be a group that goes to hell. He therefore restrains them from doing good deeds and puts into their heart the idea that works are not necessary, and that bliss and misery have been ordained from the beginning. Misery exists because it was thus construed at the very beginning, when some were ordained to remain ignorant. Their hearts are overcome, for the rank of leadership is decreed from the beginning and is not obtained by repeated effort and the acquisition of knowledge. If the or- der has been given, then the robe of leadership is placed over his head. Anyone who does not seek and experience the pain of effort re- mains ignorant, since the eternal decree for him comprises that which has been cast into his heart, but whoever, from the beginning, is commanded to be a leader must make manifest what is already in his heart. It is like a grain of wheat the destiny of which has been fixed from the very beginning, but the prerequisites for its growth are that the soil should be soft, that the seed be sown, that water be given, and so forth. Unless these conditions and prerequisites are met, the wheat simply cannot grow! It is a similar situation with regard to faith and devotion in their relationship to bliss and misery. Some fool might say, What is the relationship between faith and devotion, on the one hand, and bliss and misery on the other? He thinks that with his puny intellect he can unravel the cause of this mystery. By means of his intellect he wants to know about intricate matters that are not within the ambit of his intellect. Everyone knows that the reason for the fall of that group is their own folly, pure and simple, and not the difficult nature of the doubt. The proof of this is obtained from Jesus, the Prophet, who said: There is healing for the blind man; I can even bring life to the dead, but I am powerless to help a fool!

O brother, it is necessary to be prudent, for a person can attain the dignity of the archangels Gabriel or Michael in a flash, but he can just as suddenly appear to be like a dog or a pig! When there is knowledge and the illumination of wisdom, a man may become like an angel-Lo, this is no man, but a blessed angel! (Q12:31). As it has been sard,

If your step has been firmly rooted in faith, you can extract dust from a river, and cold from fire!

But if a person is completely under the influence of lust and his heart is in Satan's nest, then he is like a dog or a pig. He is like a dog Whether you attack it or ignore it, he still pants! (Q7:176).

You who are rendered content in a moment Are like a grazing ass or a cow chewing her cud!

A revelation came to the Prophet David: O David, be like the wary bird! Do not be trustful or contented! Everything goes somewhere apart! There was a bird that was placed in a narrow cage and its heart was as joyous as if it were in paradise. These delicate souls are also in the cage of the body. Every evening, they put their heads through the window and sigh, thinking, When can I fly off? As the poet has said:

For that one hidden behind Your veil There exists a height still loftier than this cell The height of which I aspire is very high, but perchance I will exceed even my own ambition!

Peace

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

Brother Shamsuddin, many have fallen from the Way because of a doubt or false opinion. One group says, God has no need of our worship or devotion, nor is He affected by our sin, so why should we bother ourselves with following the Law? The answer is that such a view reflects sheer ignorance! It is based on the supposition that the Law enjoins things on men for the sake of God-which is absurd and foolish for whatever anyone does is beneficial to himself, as the Quran says: Whoever purifies himself, purifies himself for the good of his own soul (Q15:18) and whoever does any good work, it is to his own gain (Q41:46). An ignorant person of this sort is comparable to a patient who has been prescribed something by the physician but does not follow the treatment. What harm is there to the physician if I don't follow it? he thinks. The harm, of course, is to himself! Even though what he said was true, he is the one who will perish! The physician did not speak in order to please him but to cure him! If he follows the physician's instructions, he will be cured; if not, he will perish. Neither outcome concerns the physician!

Those of the second group rush beyond the bounds of the Law. transgress it and put their trust in the mercy and compassion of God, thinking that He will exercise His mercy in their behalf. The answer to this is: While their saying is correct, it reflects a deception of the Devil that deflects foolish people from the Way. An intelligent per- son will give this answer: Yes, He is merciful and compassionate, and that is why He is also the One who punishes offenses severely! We see that most people in this world of ours have to undergo many trials and endure poverty, while His treasury is limitless and year, de- spite His mercy, He does not create even a single grain of wheat for them, to spare the farmer his trouble. Nor does a person stay healthy if he fails to eat and drink; nor is a sick man cured without treatment. Similarly, the causes of sickness and poverty have been created so that, without them, nothing is acquired.

A similar situation pertains to the world to come. Every soul contains some measure of infidelity and ignorance Just as a sick man, if he is not treated, perishes, so there is no antidote for the poison of in- fidelity and ignorance except learning and intimate knowledge. And there is no remedy for the sickness of laziness except prayer and proper observance of all devotions. Whoever takes poison and, at the same time, trusts in God's mercy will perish! The sickness of the heart comes from unwholesome desires. Anyone who does not purify his heart of these desires is in danger of destruction whenever he con- siders them as sinful; and if he does not consider them as harmful, he is not merely in danger but has already been destroyed. For this would be idolatry, which is the poison of faith!

The third group engage in ascetical practices and claim that the object of their asceticism is to be suddenly purified of all sexual destre, anger, and every other quality that is held to be blameworthy under the Law, and to bring them under control, since this is what the Law prescribes. When they have afflicted themselves and practiced austerities for some time but are powerless to achieve their aim, they then consider that such an aim is unattainable, and that the Law has enjoined something impossible. Man is constituted with these impulses; there is no way he can be freed from their clutches, just as a black blanket cannot be changed into a white one. We do not intend to occupy ourselves with something that is impossible. The answer to this view is: It is ignorance and foolishness on the

part of anyone to think that the Law has enjoined the complete extirpation of desires and other human tendencies! The ideal should not be considered in terms of such extremes. Nothing of that sort is commanded. The Prophet of Islam himself has said, I am a man. I get angry Indeed, they often saw signs of anger on his face! The Lord commends those who swallow their anger (Q):154), not those who have no anger to what extent does he order that there should be no sexual desire? The Prophet had a harem of nine wives! If anyone loses this appetite, he should seek treatment to have it restored, for it is not forbidden to have a wife and children. There is nothing wrong with something that results from anger during a war against the infidels, or the procreation of children to continue the human race, and to establish a good name. Both arise as a result of human desires, and that is what the Prophet intended. But he commanded that they should he kept under control, such as is enjoined by the Law, in the same way as a horse should be broken in and a dog should be kept under the control of a hunter, lest it pounce upon him! Without a horse, a hunt- er is handicapped in his hunting, yet if the horse is not broken in, it will throw its rider!

The sexual appetite and anger are like dogs and horses. Without these two, one cannot go hunting for eternal bliss. The precondition is to bring both to heel. If they gain the upper hand, then they can wreak a man's destruction. The whole purpose of austerities is to break the dominance of these two qualities and place them firmly un- der control. It is possible to do this.

The fourth group are those who are caught up in the folly of their own self-esteem, claiming that all works are preordained from the very beginning. Good fortune and hard times, in their view, are already evident in the womb. Nothing at all occurs from one's own efforts. Why bother to exert oneself? How could it profit anyone

The answer is: When the Prophet explained this matter, the companions said, We shall depend upon God, and refrain from exerting ourselves. But he commanded them: Exert yourselves and then will you be granted what has been promised and he added, Don't with- draw your hand! If eternal bliss has been allotted to you, then good works also have been decreed! The meaning of his statement is that fortune and misfortune are related to devotion and sin, just as good health and death are related to eating well and starving. All those who were ordained, from the very beginning, to die of hunger simply do not find enough food to eat, whereas those destined for plenty be- come landlords or traders. Those destined to die in the west will find the way to the east closed to them. They will not be able to proceed in any other direction.

The point can be illustrated thus: Once the angel of death was sent to the court of Solomon. He sat close by a man and stared fixedly at him. The man grew frightened. When the angel disappeared, the man begged Solomon that he would command the wind to carry him off to the west. Solomon bade the wind do so. Then the angel of death reappeared in the court. Solomon asked him why he had gazed so pointedly at the poor man. I was commanded to take his life in an hour, in the west, replied the angel. I saw him here and was astonished. How could this be the command had been to take him in the west, but only an hour was left to him, so I came and gazed at him in order that he might take fright and request you to have the wind bear him off. That action, therefore, was not without purpose!

Anyone for whom bliss has been ordained has his heart illuminated so that he can accept the faith, receive the grace of austerity, and expel all base tendencies from himself, as has been commanded: Whomever God decides to guide, He expands his breast to embrace Islam! (Q6:126). God Himself has required that there will be a group that goes to hell. He therefore restrains them from doing good deeds and puts into their heart the idea that works are not necessary, and that bliss and misery have been ordained from the beginning. Misery exists because it was thus construed at the very beginning, when some were ordained to remain ignorant. Their hearts are overcome, for the rank of leadership is decreed from the beginning and is not obtained by repeated effort and the acquisition of knowledge. If the or- der has been given, then the robe of leadership is placed over his head. Anyone who does not seek and experience the pain of effort re- mains ignorant, since the eternal decree for him comprises that which has been cast into his heart, but whoever, from the beginning, is commanded to be a leader must make manifest what is already in his heart. It is like a grain of wheat the destiny of which has been fixed from the very beginning, but the prerequisites for its growth are that the soil should be soft, that the seed be sown, that water be given, and so forth. Unless these conditions and prerequisites are met, the wheat simply cannot grow! It is a similar situation with regard to faith and devotion in their relationship to bliss and misery. Some fool might say, What is the relationship between faith and devotion, on the one hand, and bliss and misery on the other? He thinks that with his puny intellect he can unravel the cause of this mystery. By means of his intellect he wants to know about intricate matters that are not within the ambit of his intellect. Everyone knows that the reason for the fall of that group is their own folly, pure and simple, and not the difficult nature of the doubt. The proof of this is obtained from Jesus, the Prophet, who said: There is healing for the blind man; I can even bring life to the dead, but I am powerless to help a fool!

O brother, it is necessary to be prudent, for a person can attain the dignity of the archangels Gabriel or Michael in a flash, but he can just as suddenly appear to be like a dog or a pig! When there is knowledge and the illumination of wisdom, a man may become like an angel-Lo, this is no man, but a blessed angel! (Q12:31). As it has been sard,

If your step has been firmly rooted in faith, you can extract dust from a river, and cold from fire!

But if a person is completely under the influence of lust and his heart is in Satan's nest, then he is like a dog or a pig. He is like a dog Whether you attack it or ignore it, he still pants! (Q7:176).

You who are rendered content in a moment Are like a grazing ass or a cow chewing her cud!

A revelation came to the Prophet David: O David, be like the wary bird! Do not be trustful or contented! Everything goes somewhere apart! There was a bird that was placed in a narrow cage and its heart was as joyous as if it were in paradise. These delicate souls are also in the cage of the body. Every evening, they put their heads through the window and sigh, thinking, When can I fly off? As the poet has said:

For that one hidden behind Your veil There exists a height still loftier than this cell The height of which I aspire is very high, but perchance I will exceed even my own ambition!

Peace