Twenty-Sixth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Twenty-Sixth Assembly (Khwan-Pur-Nemat)
Sheikh Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri
MORE BYSheikh Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri
It was after the evening prayer that he was seen. The Helpless One said: What is the command concerning a work about which conditions of acceptability are not explicitly stated? The Venerable Master replied: It is like scattered particles of dust. There is no recompense for it because, from the point of view of the Law, it is beyond what is obligatory, even though the conditions are permissible ones.3
Again, he asked: Will a person be held responsible in the next life for abandoning the conditions of acceptability? He replied, No.
In the meantime, Sheikh Muizzuddin asked: Will this be so because nothing is commanded with respect to it? He replied: Yes.4
Again, he asked: If someone considers the conditions of acceptability as necessary, will he be held responsible for a defect? He replied: That's what piety is. After a person considers something as a necessity it would become so. From the exigencies of his spiritual condition, it becomes a duty of his particular state. As far as possible he carries it out. If he does not do what he is capable of doing, he will be held responsible for not doing so.
The Helpless One enquired: Is there also some condition of acceptability in faith as in works? He said: The condition of acceptability with regard to faith is this: before giving up, it is necessary that it should be.
At this stage a discussion arose concerning 'gifted' and 'transient' faith. The Helpless One asked: Is there a sign for everybody by which they can recognize that this faith is gifted while that is transient? He replied: Yes, there is. One sign is this: he knows the extent of the blessing of the faith and
what stems from its origins. By means of that he finds divine guidance and carries out its demands. If he finds this within himself, he will recognize that it is a gift. The mystics perceive everything by means of the properties of that very thing. Everything has something special upon which the gaze of the mystics falls and by means of which they perceive that one quality which is required of a spiritual guide is the ability to grasp what will eventuate i.e. if a person is destined for felicity or hostility. If he belongs to the former category, he accepts him and bestows the honor of discipleship upon him. If he is in the latter one, he rejects him. He will not accept him because nobody can accept a person who, from all eternity, has been rejected.
After some time, he himself presented a difficulty: The prophets knew the qualities of things. Granted that, how could they invite everybody to embrace Islam? He himself proffered an answer: Although the prophets knew those qualities, their invitation provided grounds to censure them. It does not mean that someone condemned from eternity would be accepted.
Afterwards he said: Ain-ul-Qazaat has spoken very well about the deprivation of faith and has himself given a reply. His question is this: 'Faith is a gift of God and the deprivation of faith is the rescinding of a gift. Such an action ill befits generosity. How can this be explained? His reply is that there is no rescinding of a gift: the person has not recognized the value of the gift of faith, nor is he acquainted with its origins. In this sense the gift is rendered ineffectual. Thus, it needs to be understood that the gift is rendered ineffectual by the person, not that God takes back His gift. The Venerable Master, upon reaching these words, repeated several times approvingly, It is a good answer, in the sense that the fault is attributed to the person involved.
In the meantime, the Helpless One asked: How can we talk about the 'deprivation of faith' whenever a person rejects this gift? He replied: The deprivation of faith results from its having been rejected, not from the taking back of a gift. Afterwards he said: In the Tamhidat (Dispositions)¹ it is stated in one place that Moses provides us with a proof of the
permissibility of the vision of God because, if it were prohibited, the question of its lawfulness would not have arisen. Hence it must be considered as lawful. Since this is so, what is the meaning of 'I beg Your pardon' which emanated from Moses? He gave this reply: It is ingrained in human nature that, when somebody sees an impending disaster, he turns towards repentance. Thus, when Moses saw the shattering of the mountain, he witnessed an awe-inspiring spectacle. That is why Moses said, 'I beg Your pardon', not because he had asked to see God and that was not permissible.
The Venerable Master said: It has been stated clearly.11
NOTES AND REFERENCES
1. This is a discussion of the conditions of a spiritual 'state' which lies beyond the pale of the Law.
2. In other words, don't expect any return in terms of merit, just as one cannot expect fine particles of dust, scattered by the wind, to return.
3. The 'conditions' referred to are those which the Law would enumerate as being essential for the proper performance of any duty, e.g. ritual prayer.
4. Sharfuddin never belittles the Law, but neither is he feted to it.
5. 'Piety' is an attempt to translate 'Taqwa' which really means 'holding God in respectful awe.'
6. Sharfuddin knows, from experience, the exigencies of love. They cannot be denied without even greater suffering ensuing. It is, how- ever, a free realm, beyond the Law with its merit and punishment.
7. 'Iman-e-Ata'i wa 'Ariyati'. 'Gifted' faith is really a mystical grace, as is clear from what follows; whereas 'transient' or 'borrowed' faith refers to the fallible faith of ordinary people.
8. 'Ahl-e-Sa'adat ya Ahl-e-Shiqawat.
9. There is no room in Sharfuddin's scheme for any defect in God.
10. A work on mysticism produced by 'Ain-ul-Qazat in 1127.
11. Sharfuddin's own position is outlined in the twenty-ninth assembly.
It was after the evening prayer that he was seen. The Helpless One said: What is the command concerning a work about which conditions of acceptability are not explicitly stated? The Venerable Master replied: It is like scattered particles of dust. There is no recompense for it because, from the point of view of the Law, it is beyond what is obligatory, even though the conditions are permissible ones.3
Again, he asked: Will a person be held responsible in the next life for abandoning the conditions of acceptability? He replied, No.
In the meantime, Sheikh Muizzuddin asked: Will this be so because nothing is commanded with respect to it? He replied: Yes.4
Again, he asked: If someone considers the conditions of acceptability as necessary, will he be held responsible for a defect? He replied: That's what piety is. After a person considers something as a necessity it would become so. From the exigencies of his spiritual condition, it becomes a duty of his particular state. As far as possible he carries it out. If he does not do what he is capable of doing, he will be held responsible for not doing so.
The Helpless One enquired: Is there also some condition of acceptability in faith as in works? He said: The condition of acceptability with regard to faith is this: before giving up, it is necessary that it should be.
At this stage a discussion arose concerning 'gifted' and 'transient' faith. The Helpless One asked: Is there a sign for everybody by which they can recognize that this faith is gifted while that is transient? He replied: Yes, there is. One sign is this: he knows the extent of the blessing of the faith and
what stems from its origins. By means of that he finds divine guidance and carries out its demands. If he finds this within himself, he will recognize that it is a gift. The mystics perceive everything by means of the properties of that very thing. Everything has something special upon which the gaze of the mystics falls and by means of which they perceive that one quality which is required of a spiritual guide is the ability to grasp what will eventuate i.e. if a person is destined for felicity or hostility. If he belongs to the former category, he accepts him and bestows the honor of discipleship upon him. If he is in the latter one, he rejects him. He will not accept him because nobody can accept a person who, from all eternity, has been rejected.
After some time, he himself presented a difficulty: The prophets knew the qualities of things. Granted that, how could they invite everybody to embrace Islam? He himself proffered an answer: Although the prophets knew those qualities, their invitation provided grounds to censure them. It does not mean that someone condemned from eternity would be accepted.
Afterwards he said: Ain-ul-Qazaat has spoken very well about the deprivation of faith and has himself given a reply. His question is this: 'Faith is a gift of God and the deprivation of faith is the rescinding of a gift. Such an action ill befits generosity. How can this be explained? His reply is that there is no rescinding of a gift: the person has not recognized the value of the gift of faith, nor is he acquainted with its origins. In this sense the gift is rendered ineffectual. Thus, it needs to be understood that the gift is rendered ineffectual by the person, not that God takes back His gift. The Venerable Master, upon reaching these words, repeated several times approvingly, It is a good answer, in the sense that the fault is attributed to the person involved.
In the meantime, the Helpless One asked: How can we talk about the 'deprivation of faith' whenever a person rejects this gift? He replied: The deprivation of faith results from its having been rejected, not from the taking back of a gift. Afterwards he said: In the Tamhidat (Dispositions)¹ it is stated in one place that Moses provides us with a proof of the
permissibility of the vision of God because, if it were prohibited, the question of its lawfulness would not have arisen. Hence it must be considered as lawful. Since this is so, what is the meaning of 'I beg Your pardon' which emanated from Moses? He gave this reply: It is ingrained in human nature that, when somebody sees an impending disaster, he turns towards repentance. Thus, when Moses saw the shattering of the mountain, he witnessed an awe-inspiring spectacle. That is why Moses said, 'I beg Your pardon', not because he had asked to see God and that was not permissible.
The Venerable Master said: It has been stated clearly.11
NOTES AND REFERENCES
1. This is a discussion of the conditions of a spiritual 'state' which lies beyond the pale of the Law.
2. In other words, don't expect any return in terms of merit, just as one cannot expect fine particles of dust, scattered by the wind, to return.
3. The 'conditions' referred to are those which the Law would enumerate as being essential for the proper performance of any duty, e.g. ritual prayer.
4. Sharfuddin never belittles the Law, but neither is he feted to it.
5. 'Piety' is an attempt to translate 'Taqwa' which really means 'holding God in respectful awe.'
6. Sharfuddin knows, from experience, the exigencies of love. They cannot be denied without even greater suffering ensuing. It is, how- ever, a free realm, beyond the Law with its merit and punishment.
7. 'Iman-e-Ata'i wa 'Ariyati'. 'Gifted' faith is really a mystical grace, as is clear from what follows; whereas 'transient' or 'borrowed' faith refers to the fallible faith of ordinary people.
8. 'Ahl-e-Sa'adat ya Ahl-e-Shiqawat.
9. There is no room in Sharfuddin's scheme for any defect in God.
10. A work on mysticism produced by 'Ain-ul-Qazat in 1127.
11. Sharfuddin's own position is outlined in the twenty-ninth assembly.
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