Sufi Letters of Sheikh Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri

LETTER 35: THE PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God's blessings be upon you! The pilgrim- age to Mecca pertains to both one's body and one's property. Sufis lay great stress on the pilgrimage. Visiting the Kaaba is undoubtedly

LETTER 30: PURITY-A FURTHER EXPLANATION

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Dear Brother Shamsuddin may God honor you in both worlds! Puri- ty is of two kinds, external and internal. Just as prayer without purity of body cannot be correct, so too genuine mystical knowledge

LETTER 16: THE TRAVELER AND THE ECSTATIC

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God grant you the wonders of travelers! Those who venture along this Way are of two kinds: One is the traveler; the other is the ecstatic. Ecstatic's are those filled with a

LETTER 15: UNION WITH GOD

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, may God Almighty grant you the blessing of union with Him! Realize that union with the Lord is not of the same kind as when your body is joined to another, nor your accidents with

LETTER 36: RESOLVING DIFFICULTIES THROUGH INVOCATORY PRAYER AND THE RECITATION OF QURANIC VERSES

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God accept your prayer! There is some disagreement as to whether it is more praiseworthy to pray or to re- main silent. The time-honored command [i.e., to pray) is preferable.

LETTER 14: MANIFESTATION

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate Brother Shamsuddin may God deign to manifest Himself to you Manifestation occurs through revelation of the divine essence and at tributes. The soul also has its own glory. Many travelers grow proud

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

LETTER 47: THE SIGNS OF LOVE

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, the friendship of the Lord Most High for a servant is something hidden. When a servant wants to know whether he is one of God's friends or not, let him seek the confirmation of

LETTER 40: THE EFFECTIVE FORMULA

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, peace! A novice seeks refuge under the protection of "There is no god but God!" Both in speech and in thought, alone and in company, he should not emerge, even for the twinkling

LETTER 20: THE GRACE OF PROPHETS AND THE GRACE OF SAINTS

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, at all times and in all states the blessings of God are uninterruptedly showered on all the sheikhs of the Way. Saints follow after the prophets, who are more blessed than they,

LETTER 21: THE FAULTS OF THE PROPHETS

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God grant you increase! It should be known that there are conflicting opinions concerning the faults of the prophets. The traditional opinion says that they are in fact capable

LETTER 27: THE IMITATION OF THE MESSENGER

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! God's blessing be with you, brother Shamsuddin! For a servant of God, eternal bliss and glory consists in love of the Lord! It is a sign of riches and honor for a creature if he is concerned with

LETTER 23: IN QUEST OF THE WAY

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, may God make a seeker of you! Everyone who is a seeker along this Way must be able to build on the capital of the Law in order to proceed from the Law to the Way. When he has found

LETTER 44: HIDDEN POLYTHEISM

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, the Messenger of God has said: "Among my people polytheism is more hidden than the movement of an ant on a black stone in the dark of night!" Know that this polytheism, even though

LETTER 22: THE ORIGIN OF SUFISM

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God bless you! The foundation of Sufism is quite ancient, having been practiced by the prophets and the righteous. The fact of the matter is that the predominance of evil habits

LETTER 24: THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE WAY

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, may God help you attain the Object of your de sires! The fundamentals of the Way are set forth in this Tradition: "My servant is diligent in approaching Me through supererogatory

LETTER 12: LIGHTS

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Dear brother Shamsuddin may God Almighty illumine your soul with the lights of his knowledge! When the mirror of the heart is thoroughly cleansed of the rust of human nature and selfish qualities,

LETTER 7: DISCIPLESHIP

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, discipleship is a matter of wanting something from the heart. Our inner musings are related to some particular thing. As a result of our thinking about it, a certain uneasiness

LETTER 50: IN QUEST OF GOD

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, God's blessing be upon you! There is no other duty more binding on you than the quest of the Real One. If you go to the bazaar, seek Him! If you enter your house, seek Him! If you

LETTER 46: THE LOVE OF SAINTS AND THEIR OBEDIENCE62

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God grant you the life of one of His friends and intimates! Creatures other than man have no truck with love, for they have no great aspirations. Those activities of the angels

LETTER 5: SEARCHING FOR A SPIRITUAL GUIDE

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! My brother Shamsuddin, may God honor you in both worlds! You should know that according to the unanimous opinion of famous saints of the Way, a novice, after undergoing genuine repentance, should

LETTER 48: THE COMMAND CONCERNING AFFECTIONATE LOVE AND PASSIONATE LOVE

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God grant you perfect love! The affection ate love of the Lord for His servant, and the affectionate love of the servant for the Lord, is the correct type of love. Both the Quran

LETTER 41: NAKED FAITH

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God adorn you with right conduct and faith! The Messenger of God has given us this helpful hint: "Faith is stripped hare: Its raiment is fear of God and chastity." For faith,

LETTER 29: PURITY

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, remain firm in trying to please Almighty God! Peace and salutations to you from the author of these words! In your own mind be convinced about the answer to this question: "How

LETTER 28: FIXING ONE'S SPIRITUAL ROUTINE FROM THE OUTSET

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate Brother Shamsuddin may God bless you! After a disciple has attained the reality of faith and the soundness of repentance, he should be perpetually occupied with ablutions. Really and truly, there should

LETTER 25: THE LAW AND THE WAY

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God show you the straight path! The Law is a path established by prophets in the midst of a people, with the help of the Lord. The call issued by all the prophets is, first

LETTER 6: THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A SHEIΚΗ

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Dear brother Shamsuddin, may God honor you in both worlds! It should be noted that the foundation of the qualifications and claims to rank of a sheikh or religious leader rests, in brief, on five

LETTER 11: THE STATES OF THE RIGHTEOUS

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Dearest Brother Shamsuddin, the states of the righteous are an ocean of purity, though it has been said, "If they be an ocean, how can one grasp their meaning?" Those whose souls have alighted at

LETTER 49: THE SEEKER OF GOD ALMIGHTY

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, may you have a long life and gain victory over your lower soul! A seeker has no fixed place in any stage, nor does he rest anywhere along the Way. In fact, he is forbidden to rest

LETTER 43: GRATITUDE FOR THE BLESSING OF ISLAM

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, Islam is the fountainhead of all favors. There should be no time when you are not giving thanks for this blessing! You should consider that if you had been created at the very beginning

LETTER 4: THE RENEWAL OF REPENTANCE

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, may God bless you with the special blessing granted to the penitent! Many requests have come that something should be written on a variety of topics and that some warnings be given.

LETTER 39: SERVICE-A FURTHER EXPLANATION

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God adorn you with external and internal worship! Peace and salutations from the author of these words! Take note and be convinced that one should taste the sorrow of service,

LETTER 3: RECONCILING OFFENDED PARTIES

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, may Almighty God grant you eternal peace and the perfection of His grace! Prayers and greetings! Study the words that follow and try to grasp their meaning, namely that, after

LETTER 19: VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE DISEASES

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, the peace of God be with you! Understand the truth and know for certain that man is composed of two different substances, one heavenly and one earthly. Just as this earthly body

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

LETTER 17: THE SOURCE OF ERROR FOR THE TRAVELER

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, there are some Sufis who have performed many austerities and, having witnessed much, retired for a period of time that they might devote their hearts to the profession of faith:

LETTER 37: DIVINE WORSHIP

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God grant you the favor of being one of those who worship Him! Worship is the stock-in-trade of the saints, the way in which the God-fearing conduct themselves, the real business

LETTER 8: SAINTHOOD

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate ! Dearest brother Qazi Sadruddin, may the blessing of God and the love of the saints be yours! A depiction of sainthood with reference to Arabic grammar is set forth. A saint, then, is a person who

LETTER 32: RITUAL PRAYERS

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate My brother, Shamsuddin, may you enjoy eternal bliss! O brother, a disciple should show himself diligent in whatever leads to a greater purification and sanctification of his heart, and penetrates its

LETTER 17: THE SOURCE OF ERROR FOR THE TRAVELER

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, there are some Sufis who have performed many austerities and, having witnessed much, retired for a period of time that they might devote their hearts to the profession of faith:

LETTER 34: ALMSGIVING

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! My brother Shamsuddin, there is a worship connected with one's body and another pertaining to one's property. The latter is more ef- ficacious than the former, for its advantage accrues to another

LETTER 33: FASTING

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate Brother Shamsuddin, masters of Truth and Sincerity have said: "Hodily strength depends on food and drink, whereas spiritual strength depends on going hungry and thirsty. In God's domain, hunger is

LETTER 45: MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRANSCENDENT CREATOR

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin may God enhance you with His knowledge Mystical knowledge is the very essence of the souls of believers. Whyever is not destined for this knowledge does not really exist. Knowledge

LETTER 2: REPENTANCE

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate Dear brother Shamsuddin, God's bounty be upon you! Realize that sincere repentance is like a beautiful carpet on which you perform your devotions. God has said: "Turn toward God in repentance, believing

LETTER 13: UNVEILING THE MYSTERIES

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Dear brother Shamsuddin may God grant that many mysteries will be disclosed to you! The meaning of manifestation is "to come from behind a curtain." An initiated person perceives things that previously

LETTER 31: RIGHT INTENTION

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Brother Shamsuddin, peace and salutations to you from the author of these words! Know that the powerful deeds and actions of a disciple draw their strength from the intention with which they are per-

LETTER 9: SAINTLINESS

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Dear brother Qazi Sadruddin, may you be honored by God! You should know that commonplace saintliness is rooted in faith. Every person who embraces the Muslim faith becomes a member of the congregation

LETTER 1: BELIEF IN THE UNITY OF GOD

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! May the bounty of God be upon you, my brother Shamsuddin, both in this world and the next! It should be known, at the very beginning, that belief in the unity of God can be divided into four stages.

LETTER 42: SINCERITY OF FAITH

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate Brother Shamsuddin, it should be known that the correctness of one's faith serves to magnify the greatness of the Lord. One of its great fruits is a sense of shame in His presence. When there is faith,

LETTER 10: THE MIRACLES OF SAINTS

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate [N.B. For the sake of convenience, the word used to denote a prophetic miracle (Majinar) is translated with a capital M, whereas the word for the miracle of a saint or the miraculous in general (karamar)

Sheikh Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri