LETTER 38: SERVICE

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

Brother Shamsuddin, may you pass your days in the service and worship of God! O brother, the sons of Adam are the pride of His creation. Their happiness lies in service, their pride is to bow down in worship. It was God's purpose for men that they should be his servants. I have not created jinn and men except that they should worship Me (Q51:56). It is through service that a man attains freedom,60 When asked, What is freedom? Khwaja Abu Sa'id replied: Ser- vice! The questioner went on: The question is about freedom! Until you become a servant, rejoined the saint, you cannot become free, and until you become free, you cannot experience the joy of union!

O brother, everyone who has the yoke of service around his neck is master of his world! Those who enquire into the Truth have said: If there were a greater robe for man in the treasury of the Glorious and Munificent Lord than that of service, then it would have been bestowed upon the Lord of the world when he approached the divine throne. In fact, however, the Lord of prophecy said, at the time that dominion and power were bestowed on him, I do not want to be- come a king and a prophet, I want to be a servant and a prophet! The inspirer of courage placed his service at the gate of the heavenly court-he preferred service to dominion in both worlds. His eye did not blink, nor did it exceed the limit (Q53:17). Undoubtedly there will arise a strong desire to be drawn from the Kaaba to the threshold of the divine bridal chamber, and to be taken to the stage that even the imagination of Gabriel, despite his three hundred thousand feathers, did not reach!

At this stage, in the presence of the Glorious and Munificent One, it can be said that it was on account of the honor of his service that Muhammad was clothed with a special robe of honor! Glory be to Him Who transported His servant by night (Q17:1). It was in this vein that Khwaja Suhail Tustari said: The Creator created nothing better than the point of service, for the heart is the treasure house of mystical knowledge of Him. If the Lord had considered anything more precious than the heart of man, He would have manifested him- self there. This is the meaning of the saying Heaven is not a fitting place for intimate knowledge of Us, nor can the earth become Our partner! Only the heart of a believing servant is able to bear the bur den of Our stock! Do not forget that beside Rustam's horse, Rakhsh, none could bear Rustam!

When the sun of His kingdom shone on the mountains of this material world-and there is nothing more firmly established or grand in the world than they-they broke into pieces! Every day, 360 times, the weight of the divine burden shines in the heart of a believer. But the query Are there anymore? (Q50:30) is raised, as well as=the cry, Pardon! Pardon! I am thirsty! Though there are countless created beings, there cannot be done for any other existing being what can be done for man. When the Lord of pardon desired that a particle of dust should don the dress of existence and sit on the throne of vicegerency, the angels said: Will You appoint in the earth one who will do harm? (Q2:30). The Eternal Grace replied: In love there is no deliberation, that is to say, in love, there is no question of arranging things neatly and orderly. What would be the worth of your manifold praise if I did not accept it? What loss would there be from sin, when the one who bears the cup of My pleasure places a vessel of forgiveness in their hands? God changes their evil deeds into good ones (Q25:70)

One of you walks uprightly, while others scatter in every direction still, when I want those others, I spread out the carpet of My mercy, and if any trace of sin is found in them, My love will craze it with pleasure. Do you not see what their relationship to Me is? Do you not realize that in this affair My relationship to them is one of love

If a friend arrives with a single sin, I bring forward thousands to extol his good deeds.

It is related that, one day, Abu Ali Daqqaq quoted the Quranic verse He loves them, and they love Him (Q5:54). He says nothing about service or worship, it is love that overcomes everything! commented the sheikh. One of those present said: How could we ever claim His friendship The sheikh replied: Ask Him But I am a mere atom of worship! he protested, how can I make a request of those holding sway over the seven heavens and the earth! The heavenly ones said: We cannot swallow this morsel. The earthly ones said: The task is beyond the strength of our arm! When the turn of the creature of clay and water came, he made a mouthful of it and drank it, saying, Are there anymore? (Q50:30)

In short, the progress and salvation of man depends on the grade of service he has attained. This is the reason why the holy sheikhs have said: Witnessing is a consequence of self-struggle. It is evident to anyone with a little insight that struggle with self is not restricted to the sons of Adam, it extends also to certain animals that are capable of being broken in. The effects of this are many. After they have been broken in, their price increases a thousandfold. Man is the highest and most perfect of all existing creatures. When he undergoes hard- ship, there is a still more profound effect. The disciplined man is raised from the depths of brutish and fierce behavior to an exalted angelic state Indeed, discipline exalts him beyond these angelic realms to the world of sanctity. Undoubtedly angels are holy, but they can- not advance beyond the fixed state in which they find themselves the situation is different for creatures of mud and water- Your out- er limit extends to the Lord Himself (Q53:42). There is no question of remaining in any particular stage or finding their hearts' contentment even in the two worlds, as it has been said: Rest is precluded from the hearts of the saints!

O brother, it is known to those endowed with perception that no link is better than service, or more worthwhile than devotion, whether for joining a weak person to a strong one, or an indigent person to a powerful one, or a poor man to a rich one, or a servant to his Lord! These men consider themselves to be a hundred times more despicable than ordinary Muslims consider pagans, Jews, and Christians to be. Until such a man has swept the dust from the doorway of some pagan and considers himself as being absolutely devoid of attribution, so that no trace of self-esteem could be found in him, the time for you to kiss him has not yet arrived! If even a trace of self-esteem takes hold of the skirt of your heart, it means you are still just beginning! It is the consensus of the people of the Way that everyone who sees something more in himself than was in Pharaoh is foolish. They have said: It is easy to belittle oneself in the eyes of other people! The real man is he who can appear small in his self-esteem! If you have not yet been rejected at every door, if you have not become counterfeit coinage in every hand, and if you have not become valueless on every scale, do not think that your service has been tried and found sound!

If the soul of the novice, out of fright or due to some difficulty, turns to laziness, then his protection would consist in not changing his purpose even a hair's breadth, for in the divine Presence a gnat acts like a lion, and an ant becomes a Solomon. You will find it difficult to fulfill your desire to eat and drink. If, however, something is decreed there for you, your first step would be in this world, your second in the next, and your third in the abode of righteousness, near the Almighty King! (Q54:55). One beloved of God has said:

Give me a heart, and then look at my boldness! Call me your fox-and see a lion emerge!

Today, the gaze of all is on their own knowledge and devotion. They are engrossed in their own activities, yet tomorrow they are destined to witness the sway of Lordship. There you will see prophets with all the perfection, beauty, and majesty of their state, yet all that will endure is the statement about knowledge: Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us (Q2:32). Look at the angels! They will come and set fire to the temples of worship, saying: We cannot worship You as You ought to be worshiped!

O brother, you will see the Gnostics and unitarians of this world who come with their empty hands joined in supplication, saying Even with our mystic insight we didn': really know You! O broth- er, His honor wipes out all other considerations of honor! His glory makes all other glory appear to be a stain! His perfection makes all other perfection seem to be positively harmful! His existence draws a line of nonexistence through all other existences! His being clothes the entire world in the garb of servitude and adoration! Open the eyes of your heart! Look at the frustration of Adam! Listen to the cry of Noah! Look at Abraham with no work to show! Listen to the narrative concerning the trial of Jacob! Look at the imprisonment of hand- some Joseph. Look at the saw on the head of Zachariah! Behold the sword on the neck of John the Baptist! See the troubled heart of Muhammad and recite, Everything perishes except His face (Q28:88).

Peace!

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

Brother Shamsuddin, may you pass your days in the service and worship of God! O brother, the sons of Adam are the pride of His creation. Their happiness lies in service, their pride is to bow down in worship. It was God's purpose for men that they should be his servants. I have not created jinn and men except that they should worship Me (Q51:56). It is through service that a man attains freedom,60 When asked, What is freedom? Khwaja Abu Sa'id replied: Ser- vice! The questioner went on: The question is about freedom! Until you become a servant, rejoined the saint, you cannot become free, and until you become free, you cannot experience the joy of union!

O brother, everyone who has the yoke of service around his neck is master of his world! Those who enquire into the Truth have said: If there were a greater robe for man in the treasury of the Glorious and Munificent Lord than that of service, then it would have been bestowed upon the Lord of the world when he approached the divine throne. In fact, however, the Lord of prophecy said, at the time that dominion and power were bestowed on him, I do not want to be- come a king and a prophet, I want to be a servant and a prophet! The inspirer of courage placed his service at the gate of the heavenly court-he preferred service to dominion in both worlds. His eye did not blink, nor did it exceed the limit (Q53:17). Undoubtedly there will arise a strong desire to be drawn from the Kaaba to the threshold of the divine bridal chamber, and to be taken to the stage that even the imagination of Gabriel, despite his three hundred thousand feathers, did not reach!

At this stage, in the presence of the Glorious and Munificent One, it can be said that it was on account of the honor of his service that Muhammad was clothed with a special robe of honor! Glory be to Him Who transported His servant by night (Q17:1). It was in this vein that Khwaja Suhail Tustari said: The Creator created nothing better than the point of service, for the heart is the treasure house of mystical knowledge of Him. If the Lord had considered anything more precious than the heart of man, He would have manifested him- self there. This is the meaning of the saying Heaven is not a fitting place for intimate knowledge of Us, nor can the earth become Our partner! Only the heart of a believing servant is able to bear the bur den of Our stock! Do not forget that beside Rustam's horse, Rakhsh, none could bear Rustam!

When the sun of His kingdom shone on the mountains of this material world-and there is nothing more firmly established or grand in the world than they-they broke into pieces! Every day, 360 times, the weight of the divine burden shines in the heart of a believer. But the query Are there anymore? (Q50:30) is raised, as well as=the cry, Pardon! Pardon! I am thirsty! Though there are countless created beings, there cannot be done for any other existing being what can be done for man. When the Lord of pardon desired that a particle of dust should don the dress of existence and sit on the throne of vicegerency, the angels said: Will You appoint in the earth one who will do harm? (Q2:30). The Eternal Grace replied: In love there is no deliberation, that is to say, in love, there is no question of arranging things neatly and orderly. What would be the worth of your manifold praise if I did not accept it? What loss would there be from sin, when the one who bears the cup of My pleasure places a vessel of forgiveness in their hands? God changes their evil deeds into good ones (Q25:70)

One of you walks uprightly, while others scatter in every direction still, when I want those others, I spread out the carpet of My mercy, and if any trace of sin is found in them, My love will craze it with pleasure. Do you not see what their relationship to Me is? Do you not realize that in this affair My relationship to them is one of love

If a friend arrives with a single sin, I bring forward thousands to extol his good deeds.

It is related that, one day, Abu Ali Daqqaq quoted the Quranic verse He loves them, and they love Him (Q5:54). He says nothing about service or worship, it is love that overcomes everything! commented the sheikh. One of those present said: How could we ever claim His friendship The sheikh replied: Ask Him But I am a mere atom of worship! he protested, how can I make a request of those holding sway over the seven heavens and the earth! The heavenly ones said: We cannot swallow this morsel. The earthly ones said: The task is beyond the strength of our arm! When the turn of the creature of clay and water came, he made a mouthful of it and drank it, saying, Are there anymore? (Q50:30)

In short, the progress and salvation of man depends on the grade of service he has attained. This is the reason why the holy sheikhs have said: Witnessing is a consequence of self-struggle. It is evident to anyone with a little insight that struggle with self is not restricted to the sons of Adam, it extends also to certain animals that are capable of being broken in. The effects of this are many. After they have been broken in, their price increases a thousandfold. Man is the highest and most perfect of all existing creatures. When he undergoes hard- ship, there is a still more profound effect. The disciplined man is raised from the depths of brutish and fierce behavior to an exalted angelic state Indeed, discipline exalts him beyond these angelic realms to the world of sanctity. Undoubtedly angels are holy, but they can- not advance beyond the fixed state in which they find themselves the situation is different for creatures of mud and water- Your out- er limit extends to the Lord Himself (Q53:42). There is no question of remaining in any particular stage or finding their hearts' contentment even in the two worlds, as it has been said: Rest is precluded from the hearts of the saints!

O brother, it is known to those endowed with perception that no link is better than service, or more worthwhile than devotion, whether for joining a weak person to a strong one, or an indigent person to a powerful one, or a poor man to a rich one, or a servant to his Lord! These men consider themselves to be a hundred times more despicable than ordinary Muslims consider pagans, Jews, and Christians to be. Until such a man has swept the dust from the doorway of some pagan and considers himself as being absolutely devoid of attribution, so that no trace of self-esteem could be found in him, the time for you to kiss him has not yet arrived! If even a trace of self-esteem takes hold of the skirt of your heart, it means you are still just beginning! It is the consensus of the people of the Way that everyone who sees something more in himself than was in Pharaoh is foolish. They have said: It is easy to belittle oneself in the eyes of other people! The real man is he who can appear small in his self-esteem! If you have not yet been rejected at every door, if you have not become counterfeit coinage in every hand, and if you have not become valueless on every scale, do not think that your service has been tried and found sound!

If the soul of the novice, out of fright or due to some difficulty, turns to laziness, then his protection would consist in not changing his purpose even a hair's breadth, for in the divine Presence a gnat acts like a lion, and an ant becomes a Solomon. You will find it difficult to fulfill your desire to eat and drink. If, however, something is decreed there for you, your first step would be in this world, your second in the next, and your third in the abode of righteousness, near the Almighty King! (Q54:55). One beloved of God has said:

Give me a heart, and then look at my boldness! Call me your fox-and see a lion emerge!

Today, the gaze of all is on their own knowledge and devotion. They are engrossed in their own activities, yet tomorrow they are destined to witness the sway of Lordship. There you will see prophets with all the perfection, beauty, and majesty of their state, yet all that will endure is the statement about knowledge: Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us (Q2:32). Look at the angels! They will come and set fire to the temples of worship, saying: We cannot worship You as You ought to be worshiped!

O brother, you will see the Gnostics and unitarians of this world who come with their empty hands joined in supplication, saying Even with our mystic insight we didn': really know You! O broth- er, His honor wipes out all other considerations of honor! His glory makes all other glory appear to be a stain! His perfection makes all other perfection seem to be positively harmful! His existence draws a line of nonexistence through all other existences! His being clothes the entire world in the garb of servitude and adoration! Open the eyes of your heart! Look at the frustration of Adam! Listen to the cry of Noah! Look at Abraham with no work to show! Listen to the narrative concerning the trial of Jacob! Look at the imprisonment of hand- some Joseph. Look at the saw on the head of Zachariah! Behold the sword on the neck of John the Baptist! See the troubled heart of Muhammad and recite, Everything perishes except His face (Q28:88).

Peace!