BB00029: Tafsir al-Ha II (Tafsir sirr al-ha) (Commentary on the Mystery of Ha’)

Date: unknown (late Shiraz)

Part 1: “All praise be to God Who hath sanctified…”

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

All praise be to God Who hath sanctified His own Essence above the comprehension of the most exalted abstracted realities of the Divine Realm and all that resembleth them. All praise be to God Who hath transcended in the sublimity of His Being above the description of the most lofty pinnacles of existence and all that compareth with them. All praise be to God Who hath distinguished Himself in the uniqueness of His Identity above all mention of contingent being and whatsoever existeth through creation in the depths of the Realm of Might and all that equalleth them. All praise be to God Who hath magnified Himself in the grandeur of His Self above the judgment of outward vision concerning contingent beings and whatsoever resembleth His judgment therein without mention of aught that accompanieth it.

Glorified and exalted be He! He hath created the Will from naught through the existence of contingent things, then Purpose for the determination of essential realities, then Destiny for the geometry of material things, then Decree for the judgment of origination in beings, then Term for the limits of quiddities, then Permission for the manifestation of universals and particulars in the world of names and attributes, then the Book to encompass all that His knowledge hath encompassed in the realm of possibility.

Exalted be the Most Merciful Who created the Point and made it the ornament of the tablets of creation and invention, which determined what was detailed, decreed what was appointed, permitted what was established, and made manifest what was illumined. Then through it was made to speak what was made to speak, and was made joyous; was elevated what was elevated, and was made sublime; was made distinct what was made distinct, and was made beneficial; was joined what was joined, and was separated; was made successive what was made successive, and was made non-existent; was magnified what was magnified, and was made mighty; was made resplendent what was made resplendent, and was made to sob; was struck down what was struck down, and was made pure; was made to cry what was made to cry, and was confounded what was confounded.

And it declared that the signs in the essential realities of the Divine Realm are cut off in their being from inference, and that the evidences in the material things of the Realm of Might are prevented in their essence from independence, and that things crying out are in themselves witness to their severance from the knowledge of identities, and that the radiant things are in themselves witness to their prevention from mention of the explanation of selfhoods.

Exalted be God their Originator, Who cannot be described by where, nor qualified by how, nor indicated by other, nor worshipped in His Essence, for His Being in the very Eternity hath severed the separate things from conjunction, and His Self in the very Eternality hath prevented the disparate things from separation, and the Identity of Oneness in the very Self-Subsistence hath distinguished essential realities from derivation, and the Selfhood of the Identity in the very Lordship hath directed material things from utterance.

Glorified be God, the Originator of creation, above mention of what He hath split between the atmospheres, and what is mentioned by praise and radiance, then decree and execution, then origination and cloud, by all the people of creation, for verily He, as He is He, none knoweth Him save He, and none is able to praise Muhammad or the Family of God before Him according to what He hath determined and encompassed concerning their station. Verily, He is the Most Great, the Most Exalted.

Thereafter, when what God my Lord willed was detailed in the interpretation of the letter Ha’ in the first copy, I desired to interpret concerning its mystery through some of what I interpreted concerning its outward meaning, that it might be light upon light for whoso hath settled upon the carpet of manifestation and desired to drink the water of purity from the decree of the right hand of the Tree of Sinai. Verily we are God’s, and verily unto our Lord do we return.

I have mentioned in the signs of before that the Cause in truth, were it not complete in its outward manifestation, would not be complete in its concealment, from the All-Wise from Whose knowledge nothing escapeth and Who is never powerless to create one thing from another, though He is indeed the All-Powerful.

Strange it is that people of understanding should imagine that that which can proceed from none save by God’s command could be attained through extreme asceticism, the attractions of possibility, power of memory, or study of revealed books. This is naught but the conjecture of the discerning and the speculation of the perspicacious regarding the signs of knowledge. Otherwise, concerning the judgment of verses, invocations and sermons, such thoughts would never occur to them.

This assumption is a grievous sin, for reason itself rebels against its own kind in maintaining that if the station of verses could proceed from anyone without God’s leave and command, then from the Day of Resurrection until now someone would surely have produced such words and proven them to be of human origin. How then could the judgment of the Qur’an stand as the supreme proof?

This is among the contentions of the people of disputation, but for one like thee among the people of spiritual states, thou wouldst see that whoso claims God’s Cause and His judgment, then His verses and His command—were he not acting with God’s good pleasure, God would be obligated to raise up another with similar proof, for God is the Ever-Living, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, and He is the Protector of His religion and His judgment. When this is not the case, there is no doubt that the Cause is established through God’s knowledge and power, not through the impotence and schemes of creation.

Concerning this proof, were God to manifest it, I would not wish to mention to thee in this book aught save what I would read in thy presence when God lifteth the fear and the veil, that thou mayest know with thine own eyes that human proof is naught but from the All-Merciful in the manner of the Bayan. Previously I mentioned in the explanation of Kawthar, at the balance of justice, a true sprinkling to manifest what God hath created in existence unto vision.

By thy Lord, the Lord of the heavens and earth, were I to recite God’s verses or what was revealed in the Book, there would be none closer to me than the most excellent judgment of knowledge among the people, yet most people are not grateful. O man! This Cause is not dubious to anyone, nor can anyone flee from it, for none came with such proof save Muhammad the Messenger of God, and every proof in every station is established through this proof from God.

None can utter a word concerning it unless he wisheth to deny his Lord, for one who speaketh a word which all on earth combined could not produce the like thereof—this is not the creation of creatures but rather the creation of God. Show me then what those who are called upon besides Him have created.

Mighty is God’s Cause, for the proof of this Cause is like unto the supreme proof of God’s Messenger, and through this proof God nullified the deeds of the people of the towns and the divines who exchange truth for falsehood. If thou wouldst today look with the eye of truth, thou wouldst see those who spread corruption in that land without right are in the fire. Indeed, thou wouldst recite unto them the verse of the Subduer:

“Did ye but know with certainty of knowledge, ye would behold the Hell-fire, then would ye see it with certainty of sight, then on that Day shall ye be questioned concerning the delights.”

For those who committed it aforetime performed, in the sight of God, a deed more base than the deed of Pharaoh and of the bedouins of pagan ignorance. For when Pharaoh purposed to deny the proof of his Lord, he brought forth a kind of sorcery; and the Arabs, in the early days of Islam, composed odes about the House. Yet these men deny the Cause of God at the very time they imagine themselves rightly guided. God confound them! Evil indeed is that which their hands have wrought, and grievous is that which they do.

O man! How shall I unveil this Cause, which in its grandeur is like unto the pillar of Prophethood? It possesseth proof in the Bayan even as God revealed unto Muhammad in the Qur’an. Belittle not the Cause of God, doubt not the power of God, and follow not the forms of learning lest they lead thee astray from the path of God. For I swear by thy life, I have not read a single letter of that outward knowledge, nor do I know today a single rule from the principles of the people of the Bayan. I possessed no books of learning beforehand from which to memorize words, nor had I any means to this bestowal from the All-Merciful save through God’s grace and bounty. Indeed, were one such as thyself to question me today concerning the technical matters of learning recorded in books, by thy Lord, I would know not—nay, not even grammar and syntax. In this do I glory, and by this will God adduce proof against all on the Day of Resurrection, for he who is aided by God’s grace is more worthy to be followed than those who are unable to comprehend His wisdom and His signs.

It behooveth one such as thyself to arise with the balance of the Bayan, to be convinced by the proof of the All-Merciful, and to observe in that Bayan through the light of clear vision the mystery of all created things. Though I be in fear today of Satan and his brethren, yet by thy Lord, the Lord of the heavens and earth, were all to gather with all their might to deny Me, I would not see it as even equal to the blackness in the eye of a dead ant, than which nothing smaller exists in mention among created things. For the proof is in My hand like unto this sun at high noon, brilliant and radiant. Yea, were anyone, even an infidel, to read a verse in its pristine nature, My back would be broken—though this is impossible, I mention it only to unveil souls and cleanse hearts, like unto His words, exalted be His mention: “Call your witnesses besides God if ye be truthful.”

Indeed, such utterance from one like Me is not befitting, for its time hath not yet come. But since I see thee among those who desire the pure religion, I have sprinkled from that surging ocean a sprinkling of that which was about to overflow from Me. Though My fear for that land is evident to thee, yet since My hope in God exceeds My fear of them, I have mentioned what thou knowest. Conceal that which God hath commanded to be concealed until they witness what they were promised. Say: Their appointed time is the morning—is not the morning near? Sufficient unto them is the mention of deeds in this world and religion.

Know that it is obvious to you that in the science of allusions and realities, the heroes of Ahmadiyya and the mystics of Kazmiyya have risen up against me more than other divines, since some of them have ascended the ladder of allusions to such a degree that they can split hairs, yet they have recognized the Cause of God. I do not think that you know any of their leaders except the one who came before to that land, and he is today truly a vast ocean of knowledge, as both the Shaykh and the Siyyid—may God sanctify their dust—have explicitly acknowledged his excellence and diligence.

Although one such as I should not cite his writing as evidence, I have sent his letter to you so that you may know that he became certain merely upon seeing the verses. Most of the divines who possessed a human spirit have acknowledged this wondrous Cause, this brilliant honor from this religion. Those who deny this Cause are dead—their deeds have no validity, for one who believes not in God’s Cause has no standing, nor does one who fears not knowledge. It is as though they perceive not what their hands have wrought.

O God! The compiler of the Seas has mentioned, regarding the miracle of the Family of God, the Sahifih-i-Sajjadiyyih, saying that all agree it resembles the heavenly scriptures and the psalms of the Family of Muhammad in composition, and this treatise suffices as praise for whoever wishes to believe in them. How then can the authority of the Wilayat be established through a decisive treatise, yet my servitude to the Family of God not be established through numerous treatises that have filled the East and West of the earth?

Nay, were God to will it and lift the veil, I would show you my power in composition, such that my pen could produce a treatise in mere hours. What proof could be greater than this power, what blessing greater than this gift? Such is the majesty of its allusions that none can distinguish between them and the supplications of the Family of God, and such is the grandeur of its stations that none can comprehend their outer meanings.

The proof against me would only be valid if I had abrogated a law of the Shariah. Otherwise, since I believe in the decree of the Qur’an and the allusions of the people of the Bayan and that resplendent proof in the Bayan, how could anyone be content to deny me based on evil suspicions and the calumnies of the deluded ones?

Lord! I complain to Thee and cry out before Thee, and Thou knowest my sorrow in this worldly life. Pour upon me patience and grant me victory over the wrongdoing people.

O man! How can I not complain of the children of the human race, whose lot God has made only impotence and submission, for they have fabricated against me what they fabricated not against the ancients, claiming that I have claimed the station of the Wilayat and its conditions. I seek refuge in God from their deeds and am innocent of what they have fabricated against me in their souls.

It is not for me to claim that I am a servant of the Remnant of God, for my existence before the dawning-place of His Essence is non-existence, and if it were mentioned it would be like the mention of an ant presuming to know its Lord’s unity and recognize its Imam—it sees only the limits of itself and reads only the letters of its own book. So glory be to God from the deeds of people, and I seek refuge in God from what the slinking whisperer whispers in people’s breasts.

The divines of both the masses and the elite have all maintained that Ali’s words in his sermons are a miracle of eloquence, and none can utter their like in exposition due to their sublime eloquence. And none can speak like it in exposition due to the height of its eloquence, the grandeur of its rhetoric, and the majesty of its allusions therein and its indications in its depths, where the people of meaning and exposition mention regarding his sermon that which the people of vision cannot comprehend except after explanation.

Part 2: “Indeed, the reality of the science of exposition…”

Indeed, the reality of the science of exposition is the noblest of stations and the most sublime of degrees, for God does not present any proof to His creation except through His Word, as He, exalted be His mention, said: “Say: Bring forth a discourse like it, if ye be truthful.” And this is evidence of the greatness of its rank and the majesty of its reality, that God chose from among all that He created and fashioned to manifest the beauty that lies in His Word through the mention of exposition.

And though the creation of the heavens and earth and all between them is greater, He presents no proof except in exposition. This is evidence of the mystery of contingent existence, that God has placed the secret of the subtlety of all He created in the heavens and earths and what lies between them in exposition. Therefore God presents no proof through anything else, and it is greater than the creation of the heavens and earth and weightier than them to one who looks with vision to the reality of contingent existence and knows the power of the All-Merciful in the creation of exposition.

Glory be to God! Some people realize that in early Islam, if a stone had spoken, a soul would have believed in God. And now one who was born among the Persians and raised among the nations speaks like those sermons, and from his pen flow seas in mention of every station and grandeur, yet none perceives it except one from whom God took a covenant on the first day and the four witnessings. This has been God’s way from before, as when God sent down the Qur’an among the eloquent Arabs of the Hijaz, they all mocked it saying “These are but tales of the ancients,” and some said “These are but stories of the ancients,” until ten years passed and none believed in it except Ali. And this is indeed a vast knowledge that none encompasses save whom God wills.

But today is not like early Islam—all have read the Qur’an and know the station of exposition and have found proof in exposition through the mystery of vision. And whoever reads Our verses and knows Our allusions will know the wisdom of exposition. But the copies that were among the people contained fabrications and lies from those who disbelieve in God’s verses, and these are the lost. If you wish to observe the station of exposition, seek the sermons from the men and reflect on their allusions—how could one born among the non-Arabs speak with such station?

And all this exposition and what was mentioned in the books is the station of flight, for people cannot bear to carry the pinnacle of mysteries and arrive at the court of holiness and majesty. Otherwise God’s Cause has no veil, God’s religion has no cover, God’s light has no shadow, and God’s love has no displeasure in it—glory be to Him and exalted is He above what they describe.

The cause of most people’s confusion is their lack of recognition of the stations when they witness the signs of the Divine in the realm of humanity and do not distinguish between the affairs of might from the indications of the kingdom. And in the school of the family of God, peace be upon them, there is a universal principle through knowledge of which doubts are lifted from the people of glory and opposing things are brought together under harmonious judgement. This principle is that one should see all things as they truly are, just as Muhammad, the Messenger of God, taught all people when he said “O Lord! Show me the realities of all things as they are.”

The knowledge of this station is not fully manifest except through understanding destiny and the judgement of the Ordainer, for man cannot perceive the reality of things merely through their form, since he cannot know the whole, as all things share the human form and divine temple in this world. How then can man distinguish between the Word of God, the words of Muhammad the Messenger of God, the words of the Family of God, the words of their followers whom God has placed in their station, and the words of people according to their ranks and stations—all in a single word? For the form of the phrase “There is no god but God” spoken by those in the chain of eight is outwardly the same, though in truth the rank of the first is as lord in relation to the second in all its stations.

Through this principle one can distinguish between the forms of the exalted ones in clear explanation and recognize the falsity of base forms in expression. Through knowledge of this station, one understands the degrees of unity in words, verses, signs and stations. Whoever claims that the word of unity spoken by Fatima, peace be upon her, is the same as that spoken by the prophets has associated partners with his Lord.

Indeed, you could expound further on this matter, but since most people are veiled from knowledge of this station and associate partners with God and His signs due to their ignorance of this exalted rank, I will indicate a drop from this vast ocean of knowledge, so that all may be illumined by the glorious lights of the divine sanctuary and all may resound with the reverberating lights of the heaven of divine unity in the throne of the paradise of beauty.

O observer of the throne of glory and praise! Know with certainty that the aspects of the primal chain are essentially distinct from all else in their station and their realities are unreachable by others in their domain. Every letter uttered by the Primal Tree has sovereignty over all else, such that a single letter of the Qur’an cannot be equaled by anything in the kingdom of names and attributes. Consider the word “Command” in the Qur’an—though others may attempt to reveal similar words, none can match it, for its form exists in the rank of its spirit, and just as its spirit is the cause of all things, so too is its form the cause of all causes.

For the letter through which God said “Be!” unifies through its spirit all that exists and will exist infinitely, and its form is the cause of everything named. Even if all were to say “Be!”, their spirit would not resemble its spirit, nor their form its form.

Similarly, you can understand this principle in the chain of meanings, then the gates, then the Imams, then the pillars, then the angels, then the chiefs, then the nobles. Just as the spirit of the letters Kaf and Nun in the station of the chiefs has sovereignty and dominion over the spirit of Kaf and Nun in the station of the nobles, so too is this true of their forms, though all say “Be!”

But the word “Be” which the Messenger of God (peace be upon Him) spoke is like His utterance between all the Kaf and the Nun, unique among its kind, and in the Book it has transcendent glory and impregnable majesty. Likewise are all the deeds from the second chain, for the works of the second chain, both universal and particular, are but accidents and similitudes in relation to the first chain.

Through knowledge of this rank one recognizes the truth of the words of the Family of God and their followers who speak by their leave. And through knowledge of this station one witnesses that if all were to gather to speak like unto a single letter of the words spoken by Salman, they would be powerless, for weakness is like unto spirits—just as his body preceded all subjects in the rank of bodies, likewise were his words the lord of words among the letters and scriptures of others. Never did God send down upon anyone in the chain of subjects the like of a letter spoken by Salman.

The decree in every station is that the second station sees the Manifested One in its mirror through the first mirror. Likewise in the decree of the letters, the phrase “There is no God but God” when spoken by one of the nobles reflects God in the seventh mirror, and when spoken by one of the pillars reflects God in the fifth mirror. The observer of the extremity of the heart sees their difference and judges between them and bears witness to them. God will gather them on the Day of Resurrection just as they were gathered on that day.

If you would sharpen your vision and purify your sight, you would see the letters spoken by the Messenger of God in the first Paradise and the letters spoken by one of the nobles in the seventh Paradise, and between them was a distance as God had ordained, which none can comprehend save whom God willeth. The distance between the Orient of Beginning and the Occident of Ending is as nothing in His sight, for beginnings in manifestations have no beginning and endings in extensions have no end.

But those veiled from meeting the Manifested One in this worldly life see the form of “There is no God but God” as equal in all stations, and this is pure infidelity in the sight of the pure Family of God, for this Word in letters when spoken by the Manifestation of the Bayan is in the letters of the Word of the Bayan, then in the rank of meanings it is the Word of meanings, then in the rank of the Gates it is the Word of the Gates, then in the rank of the Imamate it is the Word of the Imamate, then in the rank of the Pillars it is the Word of the Pillars, then in the rank of the Chiefs it is the Word of the Chiefs, then in the rank of the Nobles it is the Word of the Nobles.

The decree of knowledge which ’Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon them both) commanded Jabir in the tradition which was read to you in that Book—his rank cannot be fully known except through its conditions, signs, manifestations, stations, tokens, indications, words, and what encompasses beyond these of that which none can comprehend save Him. Through knowledge of this station the learned excel one another, as ’Ali (peace be upon him) clearly stated in his words:

“Names are either manifest or hidden, or neither manifest nor hidden. The learned ones only surpass one another in their knowledge of that which is neither manifest nor hidden”

—which is the mystery of divine decree to which I alluded before.

According to this firm decree, if anyone were to say “I have uttered that word in the same way as he uttered it,” God would not place him above his station, and he would be considered an unbeliever at once, for though the words “There is no God but God” which the Shi’ih utter may appear the same in form as the words uttered by one of the family of God, peace be upon them, yet the decree applies similarly to deeds. Thus the Prophets were unable to perform any deed like unto the deed of the body of Fatimih.

Likewise, all knowledge and conditions of the lower hierarchy are not mentioned in relation to the higher hierarchy. Therefore, from the lower hierarchy emerge, in the form of the word of the exalted one, all ranks and conditions. And at the time of reversal was the station of the manifestation of the Essence in the countenance of the attributes, where in the interpretation of the letter “Ha” all its letters would be most great and its meanings most glorious and subtle.

This indeed is the nobility of which al-Sadiq spoke, saying:

“Whoso attaineth unto the stations of the attributes hath attained unto the resting-place of true knowledge. And whoso recognizeth the sign in the proof needeth not the sign in the account. And whoso knoweth separation from union will know that to which I have alluded in these proofs.”

And he who gazeth upon the Lord of attributes will be freed from mention of the glories, the proofs, the accounts, the stations, the tokens and the signs, by the decree of his Lord—verily there is no God but He, the Possessor of great bounty.

Among the stations for explaining this mystery are those which have never occurred to the hearts of some people, nor are they befitting to their station. But since I see thee among those endowed with knowledge and exposition, I shall allude to a drop from this deep, abundant, surging, wave-tossed ocean, that it may be a gateway to the knowledge of that station.

It is that thou shouldst see no multiplicities having existence before the sign of the Essence, and shouldst regard them as on the day when none of them was worthy of mention. And in that condition, when thou art established in the truth, thou wilt see the mystery in the countenance of the One revealed—the manifest itself being the mystery in the presence of revelation.

And thou shouldst not rejoice in knowledge of anything, nor in thy power over anything, nor in thy possession of what God hath placed in thy grasp, nor in spirit, nor in fragrance, nor in mention, nor in exposition, nor in the blessings of Paradise, nor in knowledge thereof. And when thou rememberest any of these things, thou shouldst not pause in its mention nor in its mystery save to behold the countenance of thy Revealer, and thou shouldst see Him manifest and existent where nothing was with Him, nor is anything mentioned in His rank.

And to this did ’Ali, peace be upon him, allude in his prayer on the day of Sha’ban:

“My God! Grant me complete severance unto Thee and illuminate the vision of our hearts with the light of their gazing upon Thee, until the vision of the hearts penetrates the veils of light, attaining unto the Source of Grandeur, and our spirits become suspended in the glory of Thy sanctity. Make me one of those whom Thou didst call and who responded to Thee, whom Thou didst behold and who swooned before Thy majesty, and who conversed with Thee secretly while working for Thee openly.”

And if thou hast reached before, or wilt reach hereafter, unto the station of grandeur and the mystery of identity and the identity of oneness and the manifestation of eternality and the beauty of divinity, thou shalt recite all remembrances in the manner He, exalted be His mention, hath interpreted in His prayer following the Witr prayer:

“Thou art God, the Support of the heavens and earth, and Thou art God, the Beauty of the heavens and earth,”

unto what he, peace be upon him, hath said.

Blessed then is he who drinketh the water of living wine in this earthly life and maketh himself even as God created him without imposing hardship upon himself.

God hath prescribed for him who ascendeth to the station of His knowledge and love ordinances that none can comprehend save His knowledge. Among these, it is prescribed for him who journeyeth from the Truth to creation in the Most Great Hope that he should not fear for himself, even should he bear every sin encompassed by God’s knowledge, for God is the Self-Sufficient, possessed of expansive mercy, forgiving whom He willeth as He willeth. None can reverse His judgment or repeal His command.

Part 3: “And among these, it is prescribed for him…”

And among these, it is prescribed for him who journeyeth from creation to the Truth that he should not feel secure in himself, even should he know every good, for God is possessed of perpetual justice, and were He to desire for something the decree of justice, the heavens and earth could not withstand it. His is the power to change in the kingdom of command and creation. Sufficient unto thee in this path is what Abu Abdullah hath indicated in his address, exalted be his mention:

“O Isaac! Fear God as though thou seest Him, and if thou seest Him not, verily He seeth thee. If thou believest He seeth thee not, thou hast disbelieved, and if thou knowest He seeth thee, yet still committest disobedience before Him, thou hast made Him the least of those who observe.”

I bear witness in this path, O noble one, that if thou fearest thy Lord, all people will fear thee, as indicated in His address, exalted be His mention: “Whoso feareth God, everything feareth him, and whoso feareth not God, God maketh him to fear everything.” Then He said, exalted be His mention: “Whoso knoweth God feareth God, and whoso feareth God detacheth himself from the world.”

Verily the servant attaineth not perfection in the station of servitude until he feareth not the people and seeth all things, compared to God’s decree, as like unto the black of the eye of a dead ant, and praise to him is God’s good pleasure and blame His displeasure, as indicated by al-Sadiq in his saying that love of eminence dwelleth not in the heart of one who is fearful and in awe.

Verily the wayfarer unto God on the white path and the crimson pillar in that journey reacheth not the station of his homeland save through empty hands from what is in people’s possession and what is attributed to them. The most knowing of people regarding God and His signs are those most content with His decree. It behooveth the wayfarer in that station to fix in his heart the decree of that tradition wherein He, exalted be His mention, saith:

“I marvel at the Muslim who, whatever God—exalted and glorified be He—decreeth for him is good for him: if he be cut with scissors it is good for him, and if he possess the east and west of the earth it is good for him.”

And he witnesseth his contentment with death in all his conditions, for the servant’s heart is not content nor doth he detest the world save in the state of death, and it behooveth the sincere believer to remember death twenty-five times each day and night, for He, exalted be His remembrance, hath said that whosoever doeth this, God will record for him the reward of one who is martyred in His path. If the servant were to refine his vision, he would see no glory save in the love of God, for the cause of people’s love for pearls and gold is that their love originates in the love of God, and therefore all people love them. Likewise, the opposite holds true for its opposite. Ask God to take the hands of His servants upon that path, for it is rugged, bare, and harsh, from which none can escape save those whom God willeth. Verily those who enter the fire enter it only by this path. Therefore have I ventured to make these allusions, hoping for forgiveness from him whose heart is saddened by reading these intimations.

Among these is the obligation upon one who journeys from Truth to Ultimate Truth not to retain within himself any limited ego, for if his possible ego is mentioned with him, he is not of the people of that path. This station is reserved for the family of God and for whomsoever God willeth among those who recline upon couches in the gardens of the Divine Realm, who drink pure water from the cup of grandeur in the gardens of might, and who delight in tender meat in the gardens of sovereignty and dominion. These allusions are not hidden from thee, for they have no remembrance save the remembrance of God. Though at their station mention be made of attributes, names and blessings, these are but the sweepings of vain imaginings.

They are pure signs, absolute manifestations, definitive appearances, and conditions of the essences and qualities of God, Creator of names and attributes. Thus did Ali, peace be upon him, allude to their station in himself, saying: “Verily, I am the Essence of essences, I am the Essence within essences for the Essence.” And the poet said in his praise: “O Substance through whom existence standeth firm, all people after thee are but accidents.” And Abdul-Hamid ibn Abil-Hadid addressed him thus: “Thy attributes are names, and Thy essence here is a substance ‘free of meanings from the attributes of substances,’ beyond accidents, quality and time, ‘greater than comparison with the elements.’”

All of these are but names and attributes in exposition of their exalted remembrance and majesty. The servant entereth not the depths of Oneness unless he journeyeth from it unto it and maketh its remembrance and its bliss itself and naught else. This is the Paradise that hath no shadow, and none entereth it save its people. Therefore have the hells become seven and the paradises eight, though it entereth not into numbers even if mentioned among them. O man! The secret whereby thy heart findeth rest is thy arrival at those depths. Deprive not thyself of thy portion in this worldly life, though it is vain and hath no standing with the people of truth. Turn wholly unto God, forget all else in thy love for Him, and journey from Him unto Him upon that Most Great Path and Most Enduring Way. For if thou performest a deed in those depths, the seven paradises and all that God hath created therein equal it not. Belittle not the right of that path, for thou hast not valued it as it should be valued except when thou enterest it by God’s leave. And when thou enterest it, thou canst not depart from it.

Belittle not the right of that Path, for thou hast not esteemed it as it should be esteemed until thou enterest therein by God’s leave. When thou hast entered it, thou canst not depart from it, nor speak therein except by thy Lord’s command, nor dwell except through Him, nor utter except through His power, nor take delight save in His countenance which is manifested unto thee through thee, nor point to aught besides Him, nor canst thou desire anything, for desire belongeth to the realm of action, while that station is the station of thine essence, from which are severed all names, deeds, manifestations and attributes. When thou attainest unto it, thy innermost reality shall speak forth all that Ali—peace be upon him—spoke forth openly, including what he said in the Tutunjiyyih Sermon: “I saw God and Paradise with mine own eyes.”

Verily the Truth intended not the Essence of the Lord, due to its inaccessibility and state of severance, but rather meant His Identity which was manifested unto him through him in his station, concerning which he spoke in his words about the supreme realm: “He was manifested unto it through it, and it became illumined; He appeared unto it, and it shone forth; He cast His likeness into its identity, and His deeds were made manifest through it.”

The decree of that Path is not due to the absence of proof. He is God, sufficient unto me in that Path. He is the Lord—how excellent a Majestic One! He is the Lord—how excellent a Beauteous One! He is the Lord—how excellent a Friend! He is the Lord—how excellent a Guardian!

Among its requirements is that one who journeyeth from creation with the eye of Truth, or vice versa, must see no light except His light, and no creation except His creation. All the affairs of that station revolve around that Word. The wayfarer on that Path beholdeth along his way the wonders of dominion and the vicissitudes of time in every world according to what God hath ordained therein. Were I to lift the veil, thou wouldst say concerning me that which the decree determineth in its inception: “This is naught but a wondrous thing!”

The wayfarer in these journeys must needs know the letter of each world among the inscribed letters, lest any decree veil him from all things. He must perceive the correspondence of the worlds to this world.

I have known from human wisdom that in the station of abjad, alif is the letter of the Universal Spirit, ba is the letter of the Universal Soul—therefore did he who is referred to in the Qur’an as “ourselves” say “I am the point beneath the ba”—jim is the letter of Universal Nature, dal is the letter of Universal Matter, ha is the letter of Universal Form, waw is the letter of Universal Body, zay is the letter determining the directions of the crystalline sphere, ha is the letter of the sphere of the Throne, ta is the letter of the sphere of the zodiac, ya is the letter of the sphere of the mansions, kaf is the letter of the sphere of Saturn, lam is the letter of the sphere of Jupiter, mim is the letter of the sphere of Mars—therefore did the poet say in the oration: “Until the ha of its descent from the mim of its center connected with the essence of the neck vein; the tha of heaviness clung to it, and it became the most humble between the landmarks and heights”—nun is the letter of the sphere of the Sun, sin is the letter of the sphere of Venus, ’ayn is the letter of the sphere of Mercury, fa is the letter of the sphere of the Moon, then sad for fire, and for air, water and earth.

These are the stages of the journey of one who travels from Truth to creation, and in the ascent, its first station is the letter Ta, which is the letter of mineral, then the letter of plant which is Tha, then the letter of animal which is Kha, then the letter of jinn which is Dhal, then the letter of angel which is Dad, then the letter of human which is Za. And to this end are the ranks of letters in the decree of ascent and descent.

And all that I indicated in the interpretation of Ha, the first letter of your mighty Book, for unveiling the mystery—I have no knowledge that unveils the veil from the face of the mystery, rather the veils increase through mention of indications, decrees of signs, allusion of verses and intimations. And here I am with my transgressions before God, and unveiling the veil from the face of the mystery, I commune with God my Lord with these words of my tongue, that God may answer my prayer regarding you and bring you to the station of your address in your Book, and that your soul may pardon me for what you have discovered of my offenses, and that you may seek forgiveness from your Lord for me and for those who follow me, for I am indeed the Ever-Relenting, the Forbearing.

And let this be the musk-scented conclusion of these words, for herein let the competitors compete. O Friend! Know thou the truth of these days, for the sun has never risen upon their like, and for each is a portion in the Book of thy Lord, and God will recompense all according to what their hands have earned, and nothing escapes His knowledge in the heavens or on earth, and He is independent of what people do.

And it is the right of everyone who knows the Truth to proclaim it and nullify the work of those who wish to extinguish the light of God with their mouths, but God refuses except to perfect His light, though the polytheists may detest it.

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Praise be to God Who bestows favor in the Book upon those who believe in God and His verses, that He may admit them to Gardens of perpetual residence as secure dwellers.

O my God! I bear witness before Thee to that which Thou dost witness for Thyself when nothing existed besides Thee, that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thy Essential Reality has never been known save through Thine eternal Essence, and Thy Being cannot be described save through Thine Own Oneness, for Thou hast never been known through other than Thyself, nor associated with Thy creation, nor described by other than Thee, nor can any description or attribute of anything encompass Thee.

For the Essential Reality of Thy Power severs all essences from knowing Thee, and the Being of Thy Will prevents all material things from describing Thee, and the Reality of Thy Creation separates all beings from explaining Thee, and the Identity of Thy Innovation limits all geometries from mentioning direct vision.

Glory be to Thee, O my God! If I say “Thou,” then likeness has imitated likeness, yet Thou canst not be described thus. And if I say “He is Thou,” then majesty has indicated majesty, yet Thou canst not be characterized thus.

For Thou didst create Will before all things from no thing, by itself, without connection to Thy Essence, nor association with Thy Being, nor reflection from Thy Reality, nor knowledge from Thine Identity, but rather through Thy Power which Thou manifested to it thereby, causing it to shine forth without how or where or indication.

Then Thou didst establish creation in its course that the radiant ones might shimmer with the knowledge of separation in the midst of union, and that the hesitant ones might stammer with the knowledge of prevention in the being of separation.

Glory be to Thee! When I discovered creation in Thy Countenance and invention in Thy Presence, the contingent beings became confused in their recognition of Thy power through Thine own Self, and therefore they described Thee—had they truly known Thee they would not have described Thee. Therefore, O my God, they do not sanctify Thee. Glory be to Thee, Glory be to Thee, O my God!

Thou art He Who cannot be unified through Thine essence, nor sanctified through Thy Countenance, nor described through Thine Identity, nor characterized through Thine eternity, nor indicated through Thy Being, nor worshipped through Thy Self, for Thou hast ever been without the mention of anything, and Thou wilt ever be as Thou wert in the eternity of eternities.

Nothing existed at Thy level, and when Thou didst create creation for Thy knowledge, Thou didst describe Thyself to them according to their capacity, that all might receive their portion and creation might attain to the ultimate purpose of the outpouring of Thy creation and the existence of Thine invention. And Thou didst characterize Thy chosen ones with what Thou hadst ordained for their station.

And now that Thou hast created me and provided for me, I acknowledge before Thee that Muhammad was Thy servant whom Thou didst choose from the midst of eternity above all peoples, distinguished among the sons of men above all humanity, and made him the station of Thyself in the execution and origination of every decree and destiny, for Thou canst not be perceived by sight though Thou wert at the Greatest Vista. And I bear witness regarding the fruit of his heart and his successors to what Thou hast specially bestowed upon them of Thy bounties, of which none knoweth save Thee. And I beseech Thee, O Creator of names and attributes, to send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad through the essences of the divine realm in creation, and the realities of the realm of might in glory, and the identity of the heavenly kingdom in praise, and the being of the earthly kingdom in sublimity, and the geometry of the subtle ones in decree, and the luminosity of the radiant ones in origination, and the reflection of the illumined ones in the manifestations of the fragments of the tablets of ruby in execution, the wonder of the sanctified ones in the conditions of the human realm from the people of the cloud. Verily Thou art God, the Great, the Exalted.

Part 4: “O my God! How can I call upon…”

O my God! How can I call upon Thee when my very existence is a sin, and it hath acquired without right what Thou didst not permit of errors and sins which have come between it and Thee, and clothed it in the garment of abasement before Thy face, and rent asunder what Thou didst place between it and obedience to Thee of the veils of Thy mercy and the pavilions of Thy oneness? The sins have encompassed it from every direction such that it cannot emerge from them save to enter into them again. And Thou, O my God, knowest its station and art able to remove its affliction, and unto Thee alone is the complaint, there is no God but Thee.

And how can I call upon Thee when Thy mercy hath encompassed all things and Thy providence hath surrounded me from every direction, and verily Thy deed indicateth Thy grace toward me? It is as though Thy knowledge hath not encompassed any evil from me, nor Thy book any offense from myself. Glory be to Thee! How excellent is Thy deed and how great is Thy handiwork regarding me! Thou didst create me when I was nothing, and nurture me through Thy Will without seeing any good from me. Glory be to Thee! Exalted and sanctified is Thine Essence from my praising Thee according to what Thou art in might and unity and majesty and power, for praise from me would be according to my incapacity and poverty, and it befitteth not Thy presence nor ascendeth to Thy holy court, for whatsoever is besides Thee is not mentioned before Thee.

Naught can ascend unto the realm of Thy sanctity, for whatsoever existeth besides Thee is never mentioned in Thy presence, and if mentioned, hath no standing to describe Thee, as all things were brought into being from nothingness by Thy creation.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I see no portion save in obedience to Thee, and no honor save in Thy love, that I might venture before Thee to praise Thine own Self, perchance my heart might be cooled like snow before the vast ocean of Thy Self-Subsistence, and my soul find tranquility like a mountain before the sea of Thy Divine Unity, lest I be as the cattle among Thy servants.

Glorified, glorified art Thou! I testify that there is no God but Thee, alone with no partner. Thou hast ever been, when nothing else existed, and wilt ever remain as Thou hast been. Nothing existeth at Thy level, for Thy Essence hath no description—it is in itself beyond all expression of substance, and Thy Being hath no attribute—it is in its reality beyond all material comprehension.

None save Thee shall ever know Thee, and none but Thyself shall ever unify Thee, for knowledge implieth conjunction and unity implieth separation, which is impossible in the realm of certitude, as Thou hast ever been with no description possible, and wilt ever remain as Thou art with no attribute in existence.

If I say “Thou art Thou,” I have merely compared like with like, and if I say “He is He,” Identity itself would draw near to creation and Providence to invention, which in itself separateth creation from Thy Being and preventeth all from the path of Thy knowledge.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! If I say Thou art All-Knowing, I mean but to declare Thy sanctity from the existence of any known thing in relation to Thy knowledge, and if I say Thou art All-Powerful, I seek but to proclaim Thy holiness from mention of anything ruled alongside Thee. Thou art as Thou art—no description, no attribute, no quality belongeth to Thy Court, no measure, no name to Thy Being, no mark, for Thy Essence is known through Thy Being and Thy Being described through Thine Essence.

This is the station of Thy Self and none other, and Thy creation hath no portion in knowing Thy Self save through the negation of all else, for Thine Essence hath no path in the realm of expression, nor Thy Being any attribute in existence. I beseech Thee, O God, by Thy might, to bring me to the most radiant light of Thy creation and sever me from all else through the manifestation of Thy attractive power, that I might attain through Thy Will the station of Thy holiness and enter the depths of the sea of Oneness through the splendor of Thy countenance.

Glorified art Thou, O Beloved! Thou art He Who hath made Thyself known to all things through the manifestation of Thy creation and hath transcended all things through the appearance of Thy invention. None can point to Thy Being, for nothing hath existence at Thy level nor mention with Thee in Thy grandeur.

Glorified and exalted art Thou! When Thou didst manifest Thyself to all contingent things through the appearance of Thy creation, essences took on their essential nature by Thy command, and thus they described Thee in ways incapable of knowing Thine Essence. Glorified art Thou, O my God! Had they known Thee, they would not have described Thee, and thus, O my God, they have not unified Thee.

I beseech Thee therefore, O God, O my God, by the might of Thy Being, the sanctity of Thine Essence, and the uniqueness of Thy Celestial Dominion, to bring me to the highest station Thou hast ordained in creation and of what Thy knowledge hath encompassed in the realm of invention. Lo, I seek refuge with Thee, turn repentant unto Thee through Thy grace, and beseech Thee through Thine Own Self, for I have no refuge save in Thee.

Teach me, then, what lieth concealed within Thy knowledge, and aid me through that which is treasured in Thy mystery, for I am poor and in need of Thy mercy, while Thou art self-sufficient, having no need of my chastisement. Nothing in the heavens or on earth can overwhelm Thee, for Thou art the Self-Sufficient, the All-Praised.

O my God! I bear witness before Thee and before those who stand in Thy presence that even if Thou shouldst cause the manifestation of Thy power in contingent being to become as molten iron, and shouldst enlarge my body through Thy might until it filled all space like unto an iron ingot, and shouldst maintain me in that fire through the eternity of Thy might, the holiness of Thy Self-Subsistence, the glory of Thy Most Merciful nature, and the majesty of Thy grandeur—sustaining me at every moment with a new spirit—yet would I acknowledge, by Thy might, that Thou art praiseworthy in Thy deeds, obeyed in Thy decree, and just in Thy judgment. I would have no argument to ask “Why, O my God?” or “How, O my Lord?” For I truly deserve this as recompense for having mentioned my own self—a consequence of my misdeeds and transgressions which none save Thee can encompass.

Alas, alas for what Thy knowledge hath decreed and what Thy Book hath recorded concerning the mention of my transgressions! Were I to mention but one of them, it would suffice to condemn all who dwell in the kingdoms of heaven and earth, and none, after learning of it, would dare approach the might of Thy sovereignty and the power of Thy grandeur.

Glorified art Thou, glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou art He Who created me, Who blessed me, Who gave me life, Who causeth me to die, Who sustaineth me, Who inspireth me, Who honoreth me, Who giveth unto me, Who strengtheneth me, and Who exalteth me. Not a thing escapeth Thy knowledge, nor can aught be concealed from Thy countenance.

Alas, alas! How can I say “I,” when this is the greatest sin and the most ancient transgression, which no sin in Thy knowledge can equal, nor can any error in Thy Book compare with it in rank, for it springeth from the tree of self, speaking “I” in Thy presence. Alas, alas! I am the one who was content before Thy face to speak of myself saying “I,” who bore to utter before the presence of Thy court the word “I,” who was neglectful in my duty toward Thee by mentioning “I,” who disobeyed Thy presence by mentioning that selfhood which Thou hadst forbidden any to approach before the glory of Thy Lordship, and who said “I” and felt no shame before Thy face to cease saying thereafter in Thy presence that I am I.

Alas, alas! Were I to weep throughout eternity over what my soul hath borne, my heart would not be relieved, nor my inner being quieted, nor my outer being find rest. Yet when I witness how Thou dealest with the sinners among Thy servants, I am assured that Thou wilt not withhold from me the majesty of Thy mercy, nor wilt Thou be wroth with me through the sovereignty of Thy grace and might. For though I disobeyed Thee, I meant not to disobey, nor did I deny the signs of Thy mercy. Rather, my passions overcame me when they found love in Thy bounties, and destiny aided me in this when I desired to manifest Thy self-sufficiency through the free will of Thy servants.

O my Lord! Destiny hath aided me in this, for Thou didst desire to manifest Thy bounty through the choice of Thy servants. Were it otherwise, my desires would not prevail over the love of Thy Will, for it standeth sovereign over every soul according to its deserts, and nothing in the heavens or earth can overpower it. Thou knowest, O my God, both my secret and manifest thoughts. In all things I have desired naught but Thy love and good-pleasure, and wished only what Thou wishest. If Thy knowledge of me showeth otherwise, then by the greatness of Thy Being and the sanctity of Thy glory, it was not to deny Thy Lordship, nor to reject Thy Unity, nor to be heedless of Thy power, nor to rely on aught save Thy mercy. Rather, since Thou didst create within my soul the means of power, and it desired what it was inclined toward, it exceeded its bounds through what Thou bestowed of Thy generosity. Though this may be pure disobedience in Thy Book, it arose only from its love of itself, without knowing Thy love in aught else, or waiting for the days wherein Thou wouldst send down what Thou hadst promised it.

Glorified and exalted art Thou, O my God, that I should say Thou art Thou, or that I could bear separation from the court of Thy nearness, or remain silent and offer no excuse before the presence of Thy countenance. As I find no remembrance with Thee save the remembrance of Muhammad and His family—Thy blessings be upon them—I beseech Thee, O God, by Thy remembrance of them in every condition, to bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the repositories of Thy knowledge, the treasuries of Thy bounty, the seats of Thy Lordship, and the pillars of Thy unity—the Imams of religion and guides of the people of certitude. These are the servants whose will Thou hast made identical with Thy Will in creation, whose desire is one with Thy Desire in origination, whose decree is Thy Decree in bringing forth, and whose judgment is Thy Decision in invention. All that is attributed to them is the supreme attribution through its relation to Thee alone, Who hath no partner.

I beseech Thee by their right that Thou make us among those who are certain of their virtue, patient under their decree, mindful in their remembrance, yearning for their countenance, awaiting the days of their return, holding fast to their cord, seeking forgiveness through them, taking refuge in their presence, established in their love, relying upon them, seeking their intercession, content with their judgment, and obedient to their commands. O Thou Who art the Lord of bounty and beneficence, of proof and exposition!

Thou knowest that I desire to know naught but Thy love. Therefore, send down unto me the means that will bring me to the station of nearness to Thy names and attributes. I declare: God is sufficient for me, then Muhammad the Messenger of God is sufficient for me, then the Family of God and the Imams of justice are sufficient for me, then those who believe in their truth are sufficient for me—and Thou art behind them all—then the Qur’an is sufficient for me. Upon Thee do I rely, and upon Thee let the believers rely.

O God! Forgive the one who taught me this prayer, and who seeth naught else, then myself, then those who love to be mentioned before Thee. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Merciful. Glorified be God, the Lord of the Throne, above what they describe. Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

In His Name, the Most High, the Most Great! All praise and glory befit the Eternal One, Whose Holy Presence is sanctified above the description of all else, and all magnificence and splendor befit the Manifestations of Justice, through Whom are known in every age the highest essences of abstract realities with certainty. Glory and splendor are due to the Manifestations of justice Who recognize, in all times, the highest spiritual essences among abstract realities through absolute detachment from the realm of their own knowledge.

When I beheld the trace of your pen in your letter, I was moved by the radiance of your countenance reflected in your words. Indeed, God is too exalted and sublime for me to enumerate His Book through the obedience of a servant in His path while the means have not flowed for him as befits the throne of glory and attributes. I beseech God, my Lord and your Lord, to remove sorrow from your heart and to unite me with the people of His obedience in a land of security and holiness. Verily, He is the Powerful, the Forbearing.

Praise be to God that I have read your letter, which speaks from your countenance as though the Holy Spirit were breathing its spirit therein. Exalted is the station of my Lord, the Possessor of Glory and Honor, above being known through the love of any of His servants while the means have not flowed for him in what is better for him than aught else. I beseech God on your behalf for that which He loves and with which He is well-pleased. Verily, He is the Mighty, the Wise.