Seventh Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Seventh Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Sheikh Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri
MORE BYSheikh Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri
The Helpless One said: If the Messenger was asked about a particular point and an apt answer occurred to him but no revelation descended, in such a situation would he give out that apt answer or not? The Venerable Master replied: First of all, he would wait for a revelation. If a revelation descended, he would speak that out. On the other hand, if the period during which revelation customarily occurred, passed by, then it was time to turn to working it out and, by means of reflection he would do so and give out what seemed best to him. It would be precious.
The Helpless One asked: How was the period of revelation estimated? He replied: He used to know because he had grown accustomed to it. Thus, if there was any delay, he would know that period of revelation had passed by.
The Helpless Once again said: Some saintly people have said in regard to a certain person: 'May God grant you a certain pain!' What pain did they have in mind? He replied: The pain of seeking God, the pain of religion, and the pain of God's work.
Be a man of pain, O brother, a man of pain!
Afterwards he added: The work of religion proceeds from somebody who has been gripped by the pain of religion so that he does what he has commanded and abstains from what he has not commanded. If there is somebody who is not afflicted by that pain then, as far as he is concerned, what is lawful and what is forbidden are one and the same. He does what- ever he feels like doing. He does not distinguish what is lawful from what is not.
Again, the Helpless One asked: How is this pain acquired? He replied: It is from the Hidden World. Whosoever receives it stands in need of nothing more, as is the case with so
many other pains. There is, however, a preparation for this by means of which a person becomes prepared for, and capable of, that pain. There is an inner purification for this so that a person is made ready. Afterwards he added: If an inclination towards this work arises within somebody then, in the beginning, he experiences something of this. At that time, he considers himself a lover and friend of God and lays claim to love and friendship until such time as he is brought low, as in the following couplet:
I'm intoxicated with the wine of Love: I can't be prudent! I can't be free from revelry or drunkenness.
As soon as that pain seizes somebody, however, sleep and rest abandon him. He has neither rest by night nor tranquility by day and this pain knows no remedy. 'Alas, what an affliction! What has happened? What has befallen me? It is this very state which is called 'love'. This is the time and place for crying and lamenting. Helpless groaning seizes one: 'O that this pain might leave me completely and be thrust away from me so that I might find release from this!' This is the state of someone enmeshed by love. Every couplet devoted to complaining about love or the pain of love, lamenting, weeping and crying out that people in love experience is applicable to this state, as has been said:
O Love, what have you done to me?
O Pain, what face have you shown to me?
Afterwards, the Helpless One said: While one is thus enmeshed, experiencing lamentation, crying out, seeking release and showing signs of fleeing, why is there no command given to turn back? He replied: Well, no command to return is issued because it would make the person perplexed. All of this continues until such time as he becomes used to it. Afterwards he grows accustomed to it and remains tranquil in spite aft it, and says:
Pain from You is balm indeed: Poison from You, antidote beyond peer.
On this very occasion Haji Abu Saeed arrived. He was honored by seeing the Master. The Venerable Master, how-
ever, was feeling a little unwell. He enquired about how he felt. Afterwards he said: The mother of the son of this slave is greatly troubled. She has a small daughter and son. Today, my mother was crying. I asked her why she was crying. She replied: 'She has small children, and she is very sick her- self. Afterwards I said: 'God Almighty is bountiful and merciful. He is the Sustainer of all.
After this the Venerable Master said: Her attention was fixed on her sympathy for the young ones. The heart of the matter is that, when a particular decree reaches her, then this cause arises. She experiences a certain difficulty. This is why she begins to cry. If somebody's attention, however, is not fixed on this because he will understand that God Most High is all powerful and that this is not without a cause, but it is in the Hidden, whether it come to pass or not.11 To bind one's heart to the Hidden is a very difficult undertaking, a great work indeed! Much preparation and strength are needed for it. It is found in the prophets and saints whose gaze has gone beyond external causes and come to rest in the divine decree.18
They have come to depend on the Hidden. 13
As far as they are concerned, whether a thing exists or not is one and the same for them. If it exists, well and good. If it does not, it makes no difference. Their tranquility does not depend on the existence of anything, nor is there any anguish if anything ceases to exist.
Intelligent people steer clear of calamity: The religion of lovers is not like this!
The Helpless One observed: If someone has entrusted him- self to God, he should not experience any anxiety thereafter, otherwise his trust would be defective. He replied: Perfect trust means that there should be no more anxiety for one who depends on God, but if a person's actual dependence is not perfect, or if he experiences fear of calamity or contention then, even though he be essentially good, he will undoubtedly feel anxious, but his soul remains trustful. For example, consider a man who is thirsty but has no water to drink. He puts his trust in God believing that He has the power to provide water. In the meantime, an extended period passes by and his thirst
increases, yet there is no water around. Undoubtedly, he is human and is anxious about bearing up. He grows agitated. If he is strong, however, and has entrusted himself to God, he knows that, if water has not arrived by this time, after some more time it will. And so, it happens. For some it takes only a while, for others quite some time, but water will surely be found.
The Helpless One enquired: It might also happen that water is not found. He replied: It is also possible that water is not found, and the person consequently perishes. This means that it had been thus predestined for him: 'We will not give him water. For this reason, he dies. Moreover, he should realize that, if he does not find water, this failure to do so is not the cause of the ending of his life. He should realize this fact: 'Nothing further has been allotted to me. This much was apportioned to me. I can expect no more. He should pay great attention to his faith at this stage, for this is when Satan steps forwards and taunts him thus: 'You have put your trust in God, and everyone who does that is the object of this command: 'He will not be disturbed, but here your trust has been shaken. The same thing applies to those other things you have put your faith in.' (May God protect me from it!) What about this faith in other things? It might turn aside from other things. It is imperative that he look carefully to himself in such circumstances. These things cannot be obtained without the divine favour.15
The Helpless One said: This 'existence and non-existence become one' and 'fastening the heart to the Hidden becomes possible' arise out of what insight? He replied: They arise from mystical knowledge, 16 when this knowledge has led to the conviction that God Most High is all powerful, that He can create 18,000 worlds, and another 10,000,000 without any secondary causes. If there are any such causes, well and good. If not, no matter! When this mystical knowledge attains to deep certainty a person becomes a man of indubitable conviction. In the strength of this infused conviction-not an intellectual knowledge, for the condition of the perfection of faith means that, for them, what is present and Hidden become one- that which is concealed from others lies open to them,
on account of their conviction. Afterwards he recited this couplet:
They scoffed at me: What did you see within? How can the blind know what men of vision see!
He said: There is the matter of 'being praised or blamed by the people' becoming one. Being eulogized by the people is 'praise', while 'blame' means being rejected by them. Both come to be the same for them to this extent that the praise of people ceases to cause them joy, while rejection by them does not make them sad or unhappy. The reason for this is that they have been granted an inner conviction so that if every- body, with complete sincerity, calls a particular person an Abu Yazeed, an Imam Junaid, an ascetic, a true worshipper, or a chaste one, but the person has no standing as far as God is concerned, then what profit is there if people call him an Abu Yazeed, Imam Junaid, ascetic, true worshipper or chaste one? The same applies to blame. If everybody calls a particular person an infidel, speaks against his good name, but he has standing with God, then what loss does he suffer on account of their calling him an infidel and saying he is not a Muslim? Hence it is that, for them, it is one and the same if people find fault with them or praise them. 18
There is no snaring the seer with a good name: How can the elect be afraid of common chatter?
And again:
One swept off his feet by a beautiful face Knows aught of praise or blame.
There is a stage beyond this, and that is one of great dignity. It is indeed rare for anybody to reach that stage. It occurs when praise or blame from people have become one and the same for them. Yet there is a stage beyond this, namely, when someone finds happiness in the reproaches of men, but is upset by praise. He finds love in his heart for anyone who speaks ill of him. If anyone praises him, however, he finds enmity towards him in his heart. This happens when someone has become aware of the faults of his own soul and, on account of
the purity of perception, which is within him, he sees every defect of his soul, and he sees not a single pleasing action with- in himself. His soul appears to him like an enemy. Anybody who praises him seems, to his soul, to be his enemy. You would say he was reproaching him. Now it is well known that when anyone abuses a person's enemy, love for him appears in the person's heart; and when someone lauds him, he is praising his enemy. If anyone praises a person's enemy, enmity towards him appears in the person's heart. All this arises from this in- sight and is a very rare occurrence. 1
A discussion about God's power and benevolence arose. The Venerable Master said: When a believer's attention is fixed on God's benevolence, he experiences consolation and peace, but when it is fixed on His power and utter self-sufficiency, knowledge and intellect take to flight and amazement overwhelms him.
Your intoxicated eyes caused my blood to flow: Oh, if your lips were not my protector!
NOTES AND REFERENCES
1. The Messenger is Muhammad.
2. 'Din' can be translated either as 'religion' (i.e. Islam) or 'the faith, meaning the Islamic faith. In this sense it is analagous to the 'Fidei Defensor' found on English coins.
3. Muhammad is being referred to.
4. Strictly speaking, he will not know what is forbidden and what is lawful. Yet, from the context, it is not so much a question of know- ledge but of bothering about whether something is lawful or not.
5. Some form of spiritual consolation, common among beginners in the spiritual life, is being referred to. Spiritual writers affirm that God is very generous with sensible consolations at this stage in order to encourage those He has called to tread the Way to Him.
6. Borne along on the wings of consolation, the novice thinks he is far more advanced than he actually is. Something happens which makes him realize that his claims are somewhat presumptuous.
7. The text refers to being enmeshed by all the pain and affliction which, in our human experience, inevitably follows a commitment of love.
8. He is asking why God does not allow them to return to the starting point where they would not experience these trials. This has as much
sense as advising a grown man, caught up in the trials of life, to revert to his childhood.
9. Only those who have advanced along the Way know what Sharfuddin is talking about. At root, genuine love of God has entered his life and a mortal struggle has ensued between this greatest of all loves, which is actually constitutive of a person's being, and the multi- layered forms of human selfishness. Human pride fights to the bitter end, and it is this struggle which causes all the pain.
10. He is the 'slave' and the lady is his wife.
11. 'B' is followed. The argument is that the real cause lies in God, not in the one before our eyes.
12. A & C have 'Mashiyat', while B has 'Masiyat'. The former, meaning God's will or decree, is obviously correct. In general, the reader is informed that a process of selection from the four MSS and one printed edition of Khwan went on continuously during the work of translation. All had errors, and none was vastly superior to the others. Most discrepancies, such as the present one, are easily hand- led, and the reader is spared such minor details, except where any doubt remains, or where there is some real significance attached to a variation.
13. It is easy enough to speak of such dependence, but for a human being to reach this stage is neither common nor easy. It presupposes generous cooperation over a considerable period to the divine initiatives.
14. Although 'Kamil' is usually translated as 'perfect' there is a great danger, in our technological age, of mechanistic overtones in this word. Hence the choice of 'essentially good', which indicates the sort of person being described, one who is able to rise above, but not be unaffected by, the joys and sorrows of life.
15. Sharfuddin is logical in his argument, stressing the primacy of the divine decree. Secondary causes (e.g. finding water or not) are under the sway of God's design for him. For Sharfuddin, such an attitude does not lead to blind fatalism but to a profound, child-like trust in God, the fruit of which is a deep, inner tranquility.
16. Spiritual writers would agree that this is a God-given insight, but one which presupposes a faithful and generous response to lesser, preceding graces.
17. This remark is of significance, if the translator has grasped the meaning of the whole passage. 'Mystical knowledge' and 'conviction' are both translations of 'Ma'rifat', for the passage speaks about a progression. This indicates a form of 'knowledge' which transforms a person and is opposed to what one might call 'bookish knowledge or 'intellectual knowledge. (cf. His third degree of faith, letter one, The Hundred Letters).
18. Sharfuddin is undoubtedly sharing his inner experience with us here. In a faith community such as that of the Muslims in Medieval India, there was no headier wine than the spiritual adulation of the masses, as Sharfuddin knew from experience. On several occasions he warns his disciples that this is the precise moment when Satan is ready to entrap him in the net of spiritual pride, of attributing his sanctity primarily to himself, rather than to God's gracious love.
19. Although expressed in a different manner, this would correspond to Sharfuddin's fourth degree of faith (cf. no. 17). There the emphasis is on the actual experience of such faith-the grace itself-while here he is more describing the fruits of such a grace. This is a more reliable touchstone to its authenticity.
The Helpless One said: If the Messenger was asked about a particular point and an apt answer occurred to him but no revelation descended, in such a situation would he give out that apt answer or not? The Venerable Master replied: First of all, he would wait for a revelation. If a revelation descended, he would speak that out. On the other hand, if the period during which revelation customarily occurred, passed by, then it was time to turn to working it out and, by means of reflection he would do so and give out what seemed best to him. It would be precious.
The Helpless One asked: How was the period of revelation estimated? He replied: He used to know because he had grown accustomed to it. Thus, if there was any delay, he would know that period of revelation had passed by.
The Helpless Once again said: Some saintly people have said in regard to a certain person: 'May God grant you a certain pain!' What pain did they have in mind? He replied: The pain of seeking God, the pain of religion, and the pain of God's work.
Be a man of pain, O brother, a man of pain!
Afterwards he added: The work of religion proceeds from somebody who has been gripped by the pain of religion so that he does what he has commanded and abstains from what he has not commanded. If there is somebody who is not afflicted by that pain then, as far as he is concerned, what is lawful and what is forbidden are one and the same. He does what- ever he feels like doing. He does not distinguish what is lawful from what is not.
Again, the Helpless One asked: How is this pain acquired? He replied: It is from the Hidden World. Whosoever receives it stands in need of nothing more, as is the case with so
many other pains. There is, however, a preparation for this by means of which a person becomes prepared for, and capable of, that pain. There is an inner purification for this so that a person is made ready. Afterwards he added: If an inclination towards this work arises within somebody then, in the beginning, he experiences something of this. At that time, he considers himself a lover and friend of God and lays claim to love and friendship until such time as he is brought low, as in the following couplet:
I'm intoxicated with the wine of Love: I can't be prudent! I can't be free from revelry or drunkenness.
As soon as that pain seizes somebody, however, sleep and rest abandon him. He has neither rest by night nor tranquility by day and this pain knows no remedy. 'Alas, what an affliction! What has happened? What has befallen me? It is this very state which is called 'love'. This is the time and place for crying and lamenting. Helpless groaning seizes one: 'O that this pain might leave me completely and be thrust away from me so that I might find release from this!' This is the state of someone enmeshed by love. Every couplet devoted to complaining about love or the pain of love, lamenting, weeping and crying out that people in love experience is applicable to this state, as has been said:
O Love, what have you done to me?
O Pain, what face have you shown to me?
Afterwards, the Helpless One said: While one is thus enmeshed, experiencing lamentation, crying out, seeking release and showing signs of fleeing, why is there no command given to turn back? He replied: Well, no command to return is issued because it would make the person perplexed. All of this continues until such time as he becomes used to it. Afterwards he grows accustomed to it and remains tranquil in spite aft it, and says:
Pain from You is balm indeed: Poison from You, antidote beyond peer.
On this very occasion Haji Abu Saeed arrived. He was honored by seeing the Master. The Venerable Master, how-
ever, was feeling a little unwell. He enquired about how he felt. Afterwards he said: The mother of the son of this slave is greatly troubled. She has a small daughter and son. Today, my mother was crying. I asked her why she was crying. She replied: 'She has small children, and she is very sick her- self. Afterwards I said: 'God Almighty is bountiful and merciful. He is the Sustainer of all.
After this the Venerable Master said: Her attention was fixed on her sympathy for the young ones. The heart of the matter is that, when a particular decree reaches her, then this cause arises. She experiences a certain difficulty. This is why she begins to cry. If somebody's attention, however, is not fixed on this because he will understand that God Most High is all powerful and that this is not without a cause, but it is in the Hidden, whether it come to pass or not.11 To bind one's heart to the Hidden is a very difficult undertaking, a great work indeed! Much preparation and strength are needed for it. It is found in the prophets and saints whose gaze has gone beyond external causes and come to rest in the divine decree.18
They have come to depend on the Hidden. 13
As far as they are concerned, whether a thing exists or not is one and the same for them. If it exists, well and good. If it does not, it makes no difference. Their tranquility does not depend on the existence of anything, nor is there any anguish if anything ceases to exist.
Intelligent people steer clear of calamity: The religion of lovers is not like this!
The Helpless One observed: If someone has entrusted him- self to God, he should not experience any anxiety thereafter, otherwise his trust would be defective. He replied: Perfect trust means that there should be no more anxiety for one who depends on God, but if a person's actual dependence is not perfect, or if he experiences fear of calamity or contention then, even though he be essentially good, he will undoubtedly feel anxious, but his soul remains trustful. For example, consider a man who is thirsty but has no water to drink. He puts his trust in God believing that He has the power to provide water. In the meantime, an extended period passes by and his thirst
increases, yet there is no water around. Undoubtedly, he is human and is anxious about bearing up. He grows agitated. If he is strong, however, and has entrusted himself to God, he knows that, if water has not arrived by this time, after some more time it will. And so, it happens. For some it takes only a while, for others quite some time, but water will surely be found.
The Helpless One enquired: It might also happen that water is not found. He replied: It is also possible that water is not found, and the person consequently perishes. This means that it had been thus predestined for him: 'We will not give him water. For this reason, he dies. Moreover, he should realize that, if he does not find water, this failure to do so is not the cause of the ending of his life. He should realize this fact: 'Nothing further has been allotted to me. This much was apportioned to me. I can expect no more. He should pay great attention to his faith at this stage, for this is when Satan steps forwards and taunts him thus: 'You have put your trust in God, and everyone who does that is the object of this command: 'He will not be disturbed, but here your trust has been shaken. The same thing applies to those other things you have put your faith in.' (May God protect me from it!) What about this faith in other things? It might turn aside from other things. It is imperative that he look carefully to himself in such circumstances. These things cannot be obtained without the divine favour.15
The Helpless One said: This 'existence and non-existence become one' and 'fastening the heart to the Hidden becomes possible' arise out of what insight? He replied: They arise from mystical knowledge, 16 when this knowledge has led to the conviction that God Most High is all powerful, that He can create 18,000 worlds, and another 10,000,000 without any secondary causes. If there are any such causes, well and good. If not, no matter! When this mystical knowledge attains to deep certainty a person becomes a man of indubitable conviction. In the strength of this infused conviction-not an intellectual knowledge, for the condition of the perfection of faith means that, for them, what is present and Hidden become one- that which is concealed from others lies open to them,
on account of their conviction. Afterwards he recited this couplet:
They scoffed at me: What did you see within? How can the blind know what men of vision see!
He said: There is the matter of 'being praised or blamed by the people' becoming one. Being eulogized by the people is 'praise', while 'blame' means being rejected by them. Both come to be the same for them to this extent that the praise of people ceases to cause them joy, while rejection by them does not make them sad or unhappy. The reason for this is that they have been granted an inner conviction so that if every- body, with complete sincerity, calls a particular person an Abu Yazeed, an Imam Junaid, an ascetic, a true worshipper, or a chaste one, but the person has no standing as far as God is concerned, then what profit is there if people call him an Abu Yazeed, Imam Junaid, ascetic, true worshipper or chaste one? The same applies to blame. If everybody calls a particular person an infidel, speaks against his good name, but he has standing with God, then what loss does he suffer on account of their calling him an infidel and saying he is not a Muslim? Hence it is that, for them, it is one and the same if people find fault with them or praise them. 18
There is no snaring the seer with a good name: How can the elect be afraid of common chatter?
And again:
One swept off his feet by a beautiful face Knows aught of praise or blame.
There is a stage beyond this, and that is one of great dignity. It is indeed rare for anybody to reach that stage. It occurs when praise or blame from people have become one and the same for them. Yet there is a stage beyond this, namely, when someone finds happiness in the reproaches of men, but is upset by praise. He finds love in his heart for anyone who speaks ill of him. If anyone praises him, however, he finds enmity towards him in his heart. This happens when someone has become aware of the faults of his own soul and, on account of
the purity of perception, which is within him, he sees every defect of his soul, and he sees not a single pleasing action with- in himself. His soul appears to him like an enemy. Anybody who praises him seems, to his soul, to be his enemy. You would say he was reproaching him. Now it is well known that when anyone abuses a person's enemy, love for him appears in the person's heart; and when someone lauds him, he is praising his enemy. If anyone praises a person's enemy, enmity towards him appears in the person's heart. All this arises from this in- sight and is a very rare occurrence. 1
A discussion about God's power and benevolence arose. The Venerable Master said: When a believer's attention is fixed on God's benevolence, he experiences consolation and peace, but when it is fixed on His power and utter self-sufficiency, knowledge and intellect take to flight and amazement overwhelms him.
Your intoxicated eyes caused my blood to flow: Oh, if your lips were not my protector!
NOTES AND REFERENCES
1. The Messenger is Muhammad.
2. 'Din' can be translated either as 'religion' (i.e. Islam) or 'the faith, meaning the Islamic faith. In this sense it is analagous to the 'Fidei Defensor' found on English coins.
3. Muhammad is being referred to.
4. Strictly speaking, he will not know what is forbidden and what is lawful. Yet, from the context, it is not so much a question of know- ledge but of bothering about whether something is lawful or not.
5. Some form of spiritual consolation, common among beginners in the spiritual life, is being referred to. Spiritual writers affirm that God is very generous with sensible consolations at this stage in order to encourage those He has called to tread the Way to Him.
6. Borne along on the wings of consolation, the novice thinks he is far more advanced than he actually is. Something happens which makes him realize that his claims are somewhat presumptuous.
7. The text refers to being enmeshed by all the pain and affliction which, in our human experience, inevitably follows a commitment of love.
8. He is asking why God does not allow them to return to the starting point where they would not experience these trials. This has as much
sense as advising a grown man, caught up in the trials of life, to revert to his childhood.
9. Only those who have advanced along the Way know what Sharfuddin is talking about. At root, genuine love of God has entered his life and a mortal struggle has ensued between this greatest of all loves, which is actually constitutive of a person's being, and the multi- layered forms of human selfishness. Human pride fights to the bitter end, and it is this struggle which causes all the pain.
10. He is the 'slave' and the lady is his wife.
11. 'B' is followed. The argument is that the real cause lies in God, not in the one before our eyes.
12. A & C have 'Mashiyat', while B has 'Masiyat'. The former, meaning God's will or decree, is obviously correct. In general, the reader is informed that a process of selection from the four MSS and one printed edition of Khwan went on continuously during the work of translation. All had errors, and none was vastly superior to the others. Most discrepancies, such as the present one, are easily hand- led, and the reader is spared such minor details, except where any doubt remains, or where there is some real significance attached to a variation.
13. It is easy enough to speak of such dependence, but for a human being to reach this stage is neither common nor easy. It presupposes generous cooperation over a considerable period to the divine initiatives.
14. Although 'Kamil' is usually translated as 'perfect' there is a great danger, in our technological age, of mechanistic overtones in this word. Hence the choice of 'essentially good', which indicates the sort of person being described, one who is able to rise above, but not be unaffected by, the joys and sorrows of life.
15. Sharfuddin is logical in his argument, stressing the primacy of the divine decree. Secondary causes (e.g. finding water or not) are under the sway of God's design for him. For Sharfuddin, such an attitude does not lead to blind fatalism but to a profound, child-like trust in God, the fruit of which is a deep, inner tranquility.
16. Spiritual writers would agree that this is a God-given insight, but one which presupposes a faithful and generous response to lesser, preceding graces.
17. This remark is of significance, if the translator has grasped the meaning of the whole passage. 'Mystical knowledge' and 'conviction' are both translations of 'Ma'rifat', for the passage speaks about a progression. This indicates a form of 'knowledge' which transforms a person and is opposed to what one might call 'bookish knowledge or 'intellectual knowledge. (cf. His third degree of faith, letter one, The Hundred Letters).
18. Sharfuddin is undoubtedly sharing his inner experience with us here. In a faith community such as that of the Muslims in Medieval India, there was no headier wine than the spiritual adulation of the masses, as Sharfuddin knew from experience. On several occasions he warns his disciples that this is the precise moment when Satan is ready to entrap him in the net of spiritual pride, of attributing his sanctity primarily to himself, rather than to God's gracious love.
19. Although expressed in a different manner, this would correspond to Sharfuddin's fourth degree of faith (cf. no. 17). There the emphasis is on the actual experience of such faith-the grace itself-while here he is more describing the fruits of such a grace. This is a more reliable touchstone to its authenticity.
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