BB00032: Tafsir al-Hamd

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

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

All praise be to God, Who is sanctified above the essence of all created things’ attributes, exalted above the mere description of contingent beings, greater than the mention of the camphor of existences, more magnificent than the explanation of essential manifestations, hallowed beyond the station of the pristine divinity, unique in His essence beyond the knowledge of the realms of might, and sanctified above all that could be attributed to Him by names and attributes from the people of earth and heavens.

He has brought forth the likeness of abstraction, the examples of uniqueness, the realities of unity, the manifestations of praise, and the dawning-places of glorification in all that He originates and returns for all servants, that none might be veiled from beholding the splendor of the garments of His Mighty Countenance, nor should any be heedless of witnessing the beauty of His holy sovereign Presence, so that none might dwell save through the manifestation of the camphor of His glorious sanctity, nor find delight save in the mention of the praises of the King of His holiness, nor find rest except in the presence of the city of His mighty power.

Let none fear the glory that has appeared in the air and come between him and the witnessing of the beauty of the Lord of Names through clinging to the hem of the robe of His forgiving majesty, nor grieve for what has passed from him while abiding in the mighty sanctuary of holiness at His side, through readiness for his extinction in the court of His presence, by gazing upon the carpet of His sheltering grace.

Glorified be He! How exalted is His station, He from Whose sacred court all conditions have been cut off; how immeasurably lofty His height, He unto Whose luminous air all beings are barred from ascent; how transcendent His majesty, the Sovereign of His divine realm, Whose dominion hath sundered essences from annihilation within the precincts of His presence; how supremely sanctified His holiness, through which all have been effaced from remembrance in conjunction with His remembrance; and how immeasurably pure the pristine sanctity of His all-glorious Being, which hath prevented all from rising into the atmosphere of the worlds of the holiness of His omnipotent dominion. And how manifest is the revelation of the Manifest One, the evident Sign of His camphor-like Being, which hath withheld all things from making mention of manifestation within the holy court of His presence; and how hidden are His bounties, which no reckoners can number by reason of their manifold abundance. For such a Lord—unto Whom none is like—befitteth glorification, meriteth exaltation, deserveth magnification; and every essence of description and every immaterial reality of affirmation and praise acknowledgeth His pure geometry and His absolute transcendence.

And after the knowledge of the paths of detachment, the loftiness of exaltation, the lights of rejoicing, and the manifestations of inaccessibility, all things bore witness unto His oneness, once all had learned that none but He can affirm His unity. And all yearned for the vision of the vestures of the beauty of His eternal countenance, once all had known that none but He can know Him. And all sought, from the court of His sanctified greatness, that which their hearts required, after they had learned that He is the Self-Subsisting One, from Whom naught issueth, from Whom naught emanateth, into Whom naught entereth, unto Whom naught ascendeth; that He hath no proof beyond His own Essence, and that there is no bestowal in the camphor-like Being of His reality save His own pristine Selfhood. He hath given unto all their due by bringing creation into being—not from aught—through His pure origination and His newly brought forth invention, through His measured decree and His ordained judgment.

And God hath placed behind them the three archetypes—the Permission, the Term, and the Book—names of sanctified theophanies, proceeding from the immaterial camphor-like simplicities, resplendent from the first causal principles and the fruits of the tree of finality, that all might be guided, at the dawning of the light of God and the radiant effulgence and the shining splendor, unto the fourth pillar, the decisive form, the rising pattern, and the all-embracing Name. And He hath set, within the manifestations of His acts, the geometry of His sovereignty, the signs of His dominion, the theophanies of His omnipotence, the tokens of His greatness, the evidences of His unity, the stations of His all-glorious transcendence, and the signs of His holiness, that thereby all realities—existential, essential, substantial, immaterial, psychic, egoic, and spectral—might be made to tremble with the quivering of that which lay hidden within them of the sign of the Manifestation of His act: the triangular form within His Most Exalted Name, and the square figure in the manifestation of “nearer still”.

Thus were all atoms sanctified, in that which is ascribed unto the kindred of God, the Bearer of the attributes, above the attachment of origination to manifestations, of creation to theophanies, of invention to conditions, of production to composites, and of becoming to hidden states—until all were perfected in the station of the appearance of the seven through the manifestations of the seven, and recovered that which God had ordained for them in the worlds of command, through that which was revealed in the Surih of Praise, those Seven Oft-Repeated Verses, from the first pattern and the eternal light and the destined splendor and the loftiest secret and the subtle symbol and the most ancient form and the Most Great Name. For whomsoever God hath made the number of the letters of his question to correspond with its answer—yet it appeared, in His Name, in the form of the square before the dawning of the triangle, in the shape of the convex cross.

This is from God’s grace unto mankind when they witness what I witness in that Sacred House during the month of fasting at my resting place, that God is my Lord, there is no God but Him. Nothing is like unto Him, and He is the All-Powerful, the Sovereign, the Mighty, the Victorious, the Manifest, the Resplendent, the Subduer, the Steadfast, the Helper, the Compeller, the Witness, the All-Informed, the Pure, the Single, the Judge, the Just, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Unique, the Holy, before Whose awesome might hearts bow down, before Whose glory voices are hushed, before Whose beauty hearts are thunderstruck, and before Whose exalted power geometry itself cries out in the purified bodies.

Never hath anything known Him and never shall anything comprehend His oneness, for the mention of a thing is brought into being by the Will, and the mention of existence fades through Purpose, and the mention of essence is limited by Destiny, and the condition of Destiny is realized through Decree, and the appearance of Decree is established after execution in the station of the mystery of creation, and its judgment is lifted in itself through the manifestation of Mount Sinai in the crimson corner.

So glorified and exalted is He! How great is His beneficence, how mighty His favor, how resplendent His giving, how manifest His bounties! He hath originated all origination and invented all invention from no thing, through pure creation and mere bringing into being, without anything proceeding from Him, or being related to Him, or being associated with Him, or His command being separated from anything. Glorified is He! How wondrous His handiwork, how subtle His creation, how mighty His dominion, how great His power, Who established existence and originated the non-existent from nothing! Nothing existed with Him nor had existence in itself, as though He established all His creation from nothing, which was itself nothing with Him. Thus hath God made known to us His power in His creation, and loosened our tongues in acknowledgment of His invention, and established our essences that our hearts might testify to the limitations of contingency and the sovereignty of His creation, and the acknowledgment of what is attributed to us through numbered geometry to the King of His favors.

His is the praise—a praise camphorated, pure, eternal, essential, abstract, holy, glorified, resounding, radiant, effulgent, brilliant, shining, beaming, adorned with that which befits His own Self and by which He calls unto His Essence, which He has reserved for Himself and forbidden to all else, which He has fashioned for His presence and magnified for His grandeur, advanced for His glory, exalted for His holiness, elevated for His might, and raised for the loftiness of His eternal independence, whereby He creates what He willeth and brings all things into being through His command, manifests His expression to all things, and establishes His grace upon all the peoples of earth and heaven. And He is His Name which He has concealed behind the veils of the unseen and hidden from the gaze of the doubtful, and purified from the mention of allusions by all who seek Him in the worlds of abstraction or desire Him in the depths of the sea of unity, and sanctified through the manifestation of His holiness upon the temples of oneness and the edifices of glorification and the essences of praise.

Then unto Him be praise through that Name which He loveth and is pleased with, and through which He answers whosoever calls upon His presence, through the eternity of His Essence and the primacy of His attributes, even as He is in the glory of His Being and as befits Him in the purity of His crystal essence. Verily, He accepts from His servants what He creates through His power, that the fruit of existence might be made manifest from the lands and their peoples, inasmuch as God hath made them the possessors of hearts, the bearers of assistance, and the channels through which floweth the ink upon the radiant tablets of the people of righteousness.

Then unto Him be praise wherewith He praiseth His own Self and glorifieth His own Essence, independent of the praise of His creation and the extolment of His servants, for whatsoever is brought into being by that which is contingent is falsehood before His presence, and all that cometh into existence from the possible is untruth before the court of His might. The tongue of possibility seeketh forgiveness for the sins of the people of the Bayan, and I turn unto Him in repentance. Verily, He is the Beneficent, the All-Glorious.

And I bear witness unto Muhammad and the letters of His Self in the words “There is no god but God” with that which God hath testified for them in the essence of His manifestation in the realm of the divine Essence and the essential nature of His appearances. God would not leave mankind to their own devices except to distinguish the evil from the good, and God is not unaware of what the doers do.

As for what thou hast asked concerning the interpretation of the Suratu’l-Hamd, though it is not My way, for those whom I wish to raise up by God’s leave to the line of the heart and the word of creation, to answer what is asked about the paths of manifestations and the ways of divine appearances—for the point of knowledge is deposited within thyself and concealed in thine unseen reality—purify thyself through knowledge and deeds that thou mayest attain unto the sources of causes, even though people walk in the darkness of this darkest night. But this matter is the most mighty, most noble, and most glorious remembrance. However, now that the night is the Night of Power and today is its day, I shall answer thee with the most excellent exposition and the most beautiful elucidation and the essence of existence and pure vision.

Send blessings and peace upon the presence of man and curse the sun and moon and their followers in due measure, for the Most Merciful has created man and revealed the Qur’an and taught the exposition to all who are in the realm of possibility and existence, for the proportion of the overflow of the All-Merciful was equal for all ranks of existence. And verily He is the One Who is manifested through the light of His proof and exalted through the mention of His elevation, according to what has been detailed in the decree of the Balance, and all have learned the mention of the right of existence in the mention of His words “The stars and trees bow down in worship.”

When one observes therein the truth of the meaning of good-pleasure, and in the interpretation of the Tree of the Bayan through mention of the twin fires—for they were content to sacrifice themselves in His service and thus were in the fires. And in the station of the inner reality, which appears outwardly as its opposite, for all that exists in the highest realms has its shadow in the lowest. And in the highest station they derived their names from their outer station to explain both inner and outer realities. And the number of their names points to the Qur’anic verse “Which then of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?” The Imam interpreted this in his exposition: “I deny not any of the favors of my Lord” and peace be upon him who clarified “Whether it be Muhammad or ʿAli” in the visible realm which corresponds to the realm of beginning.

For in the names of the Proofs appears in the station of union the name of Ali and Muhammad twice—once in the chain of the unseen and once in the chain of the visible, and once Muhammad and Ali. These three and the manifestation of the three names are in the cosmic inscriptions and creative letters and generative geometry and inventive examples. All this is gathered in the letters of the Odd Number for it is the simplest of the names of God, exalted be His mention, whose triangular angles correspond to the geometric figures. Thus do those of understanding know that what is there can only be known through what is here. And you, O questioner who relates these two names, interpret “whether” as referring to Prophet or Successor, not to your own name, nor deny the decree of your Lord. This suffices you to be courteous.

Part 2: “Know then the mystery of the name…”

Know then the mystery of the name of the Lord and the letter of righteousness, for praise is seven parts thereof. And now prepare for what the birds of the heaven of divinity warble upon the leaves of the Primal Tree in Paradise, and what the Dove of the Cloud of Unknowing sings from its sacred precincts. The verses fade at the rising of its light, attributes submit to the beauty of its countenance, and realities bow before the appearance of its mention. How exalted is His remembrance—His remembrance in your heart! How mighty His sovereignty—His sovereignty in your essence! How radiant His light—His light in your crystalline nature! How hidden His truth—His truth in your absence and presence! Does not your Lord suffice you? Has not your Lord forbidden you? Has not your Lord commanded you? Has not your Lord made you fear?

For names ascend not to the sacred precincts of the Presence of the Almighty, and the manifestations of creation reach not the holy station of the King, the All-Compelling. What comes into being in existence ascends not to the atmosphere of the realm of the Sovereign, the All-Choosing. The broken hearts of those who have no end receive not the knowledge of the Presence of the All-Forgiving. That is a remembrance of His remembrance among remembrances, a light of His light among lights, a mystery of His mystery among mysteries, and a sign of His revelation in the realities of the righteous. Otherwise, what am I and the mention of others and the decree of the chosen ones to those who are endowed with insight among the people of vision and the people of perception?

This remembrance suffices for those who possess the Ultimate Abode—a pillar thereof through what appeared in the Countenance of the Identity and the Majesty of the Eternal and the Beauty of the Divine Grandeur and the Glory of the Everlasting. These are pure manifestations, a pillar thereof from the first letter of His Name, the Word of God. When the Alif of the Unseen appeared, its first descent was in the station of the manifestation of the Essence by the Essence for the Essence within the Essence.

When the Hidden Alif appeared, its first descent was in the station of the manifestation of the Essence to the Essence for the Essence within the Essence. Verily God is far exalted above being described by any other than Himself or being unified by aught else save Him. When He created creation for His recognition and bestowed His exposition upon contingent being, and rose above all through His transcendence and severed Himself from all through His creativity, He made it incumbent upon whosoever knoweth the bounds of his own self, and feareth the justice of his Lord, and standeth in awe before the might of his Creator, to unify his Maker through the manifestations of the degrees of His Name in the station of the Essence—that there is no God but Him, naught resembleth Him, naught equalleth Him, naught compareth with Him, naught is His peer, no name describeth Him, no recognition reacheth Him, and no essence indicateth Him. For proof is proof for that which indicateth not its own essence by its essence, attributes are attributes for that which is not independent of all things in the glory of its being, names are marks for that whose essence is greater than its name, and qualities are evidence for that whose proof of unity is naught but eternity.

When thou hast unified thy Lord in the station of the Essence through negating names and attributes, through effacing signs and obliterating tokens and forgetting all existence, then hast thou comprehended thine essence to the extent it can bear of grace. Therein doth the land of camphor shine with the light of its Lord, and the swelling sea with the remembrance of its Creator, and the Tree of Sinai with the praise of its Revealer, and the leaves of manifestation with the conditions of their Originator. How lofty is the exaltation of one who standeth firm upon this plane and entereth by God’s leave into this pavilion, and forgetteth the rule of what hath withered with patterns, and effaceth every mention that balanceth the scale of justice.

For when the Point appeared, there appeared the Hidden which is the Alif in the Basmala. The Ba’ indicateth His Lordship over all things, the Sin indicateth the tranquility deposited in the essence of servitude from the majesty of Lordship, and the Mim indicateth the glory of God which He revealed thereby and made His own glory manifest in that holy temple and luminous countenance. The Greatest Name is that which is concealed between the Ba’ and the Sin in the world of the unseen and appeareth between the two points in the middle of the two parts. The numerical value of the Basmala is thus 102, and it possesseth three pillars for the manifestation of the three parts from the Primal Word which is the Point. The letter of servitude and the hidden pillar appeared through the manifestation of the Point between two geometric forms, and that is the indication of the Point therein.

Therefore did the Imam, peace be upon him, say that His Greatest Name in the Bismillah is, according to tradition, closer than the blackness of the eye to its whiteness. That Name is the name of the Point, indicating it, relating it, speaking its praise, and guiding to its presence. When the forms of limitation are removed from it, there appear in geometric inscription four Alifs indicating the four parts of the Perfect Word. Likewise appeared the manifestation of the Name in the word Allah, having three pillars like the Name in its manifestation and four parts in its concealment, for the matter was repeated twice. The numerical value of that Name is in the geometric inscription and the known remembrance according to the geometry of the chord in the station of limits and the appearance of the hidden, and it is this: The letter Vav, which is the first letter of the word Vahid (Unity), representing the first of numbers, the ultimate of assistance, the mystery of creation and the fruit of existence, appeared.

After its conjunction with its spirit, which is the letter Ha, the numerical value of the word “Allah” was manifested. For when its value is multiplied by the letter Vav, which in the geometric realm of existence represents the value of six, it manifests the exact numerical value of the word “Allah”, neither more nor less, unchanging and unwavering.

The letter Alif points to the manifestation of the pillar of “the” in “Allah” in the arc of ascent, and the manifestation of the pure Identity in the arc of descent. Then the letter Lam points to the pillar of “Allah”, and its repetition points to the Messenger of God. Then the letter Ha points to His exalted Words: “Verily We have revealed it on the Night of Power,” for it indicates the lofty majesty of the Identity in the realm of primordial camphor and the station of the pure Identity.

This Word points to the Name, and the Name is a Word that points to the Point, and the Point is a Word that points, through God, to itself. These three Words are encompassed by the geometry of the chord which corresponds to the geometry of the third of these three Words.

It is incumbent upon the servants, after attaining unity of the Essence, to achieve unity in deeds and worship. The unity of attributes is an aspect of the unity of deeds, for it represents the repeated Lam in His name “Allah”. In truth, true unity is the unity of the Essence and naught else, for whoever affirms God’s unity through His Essence affirms that there is no creator besides Him and no object of worship other than Him.

The mention of the four ranks in the station of unity is for the purpose of sweeping clean the hearts and organizing thoughts and souls, for nothing besides God can be mentioned with Him, nor has existence beside Him. Verily, He is the One, the Single, the Individual, the Eternal, Who has ever been All-Knowing, All-Powerful, Creator, and Worshipped.

What has been mentioned regarding the distinction between attributes of deeds and attributes of the Essence is but the mention of the people of glory, for God has no attribute apart from His Essence and no name apart from His Being. For if this attribute were His Self, it would be His Self, and if it were other than Him, it would be His creation and would not be mentioned with Him.

All attributes of the Essence are for sweeping clean the people of glory, such as Life, for as He was Ever-Living without the existence of anything, likewise He was All-Knowing without the mention of anything, and All-Powerful without the existence of anything. There is no “how” to this, for it is beyond the geometry of origination and the “how” of the essence of invention, and is identified through the mention of creation and exemplified through the examples of bringing into being.

Glorified and Exalted be God! He has originated the Point for itself, through itself, by itself, then brought it down to the station of the Name, then from the Name to the Countenance of Identity indicating Divinity. The creation has no share in His knowledge nor portion in His love except what He has originated without anything, invented without similitude, brought into being without anything, and created without equal—all this through His Command which abides in His shadow and does not go forth from it to aught else.

When thou hast understood what We have taught thee of the manifestations of the lights of the ocean of Oneness, and heard what We have caused thee to hear of the warbling of the Bird of the Cloud of Unknowing upon the branches of the Tree of Identity, and witnessed what We have shown thee of that which the Tablet has recorded in the station of the essence of origination.

We have set thy heart aflame with the lights of Divine Sanctification, that thou mayest find therein the sweetness of wine from the chalice of Holiness, the taste of purified honey from the cup of Divine Might, the fragrance of musk from the river of milk flowing beneath the shade of the realms of the Kingdom, and the coolness of ice water from the never-stagnant stream coursing beneath the mountains of the Divine Realm.

These similitudes We strike for thee that thou mayest witness the wisdom of the House of Manifestation in the Frequented Temple, and the Camphor Tree in the Waters of Manifestation, and likewise between the Sacred Mosque and the Sacred Months, and the four remembrances between the Corner and the Station, and the radiant effulgences in the station of the oneness of the Lord of the lawful and forbidden. From these do the people of truth derive universal principles, and through them do they exercise dominion in the kingdom of names and letters through the power of Divine Lordship, the Simple Eternal Sign and the Pure Pristine Manifestation.

Observe what We have now brought thee of the principles of Divine Sanctification, for through them are joined the opposites of the universal chain and separated the harmonious elements of religious law. Through this do the hands of the people of truth extend in deduction to other letters in the arrangement of Unity.

The Balance is the Point, which when released in the station of the Essence is expressed in our understanding as the Essence, Attributes, Deeds and Worship. In the first pillar is released Existence, then in the second station the pillar of Essential Nature, then in the third rank the attribute of Identity, and in the fourth manifestation the quality of Selfhood. Connected to the first is the mention of Camphor, to the second the pure and pristine, to the third the essence of Manifestation, and to the fourth pure light. These are threefold attributes of the Eternal Countenance, sanctified beyond the limitations of contingency, exalted above worldly similitudes, and transcendent above earthly qualities.

Then after these universal stations, in mention of the Most High Name is the form of self-effacement, which declares Divinity in the temple of servitude and confesses all the transgressions of contingent beings in a letter of Its unitary letters.

Know that the First Absolute Emanation has four aspects: First is the rank of Decree, connected to Creation, its realm is the Divine Realm, its name in the arc of ascent is the Intended Pillar, and its word is the mention of glorification in the horizon of darkness. Second is Permission, connected to Origination, its realm is the Realm of Might, its name is Blessed corresponding to the letters of “There is no god but God,” and its word is unity in the heaven of light. Third is the Appointed Term, connected to Innovation, its realm is Dominion, its name is Exalted in Its word “Messenger of God,” and its word is praise. Fourth is the Book, connected to Bringing into Being, its realm is the Kingdom, its name is God—the station of unity, and its word is magnification.

Part 3: “These are universal manifestations, holy revelations, glorified conditions…”

These are universal manifestations, holy revelations, glorified conditions, mighty indications, heavenly stations and divine signs through which principles are derived from alphabetical letters, examples are struck in geometric numbers, ornate things are dissolved through wondrous traces, and letters are formed through ornate essential combinations.

Know that We release all subtle names in sublime principles. When We mention Creation We intend Will, then by Origination We intend Purpose, then by Innovation We intend Determination, then by Bringing into Being We intend Decree.

Each of the four has in its first pillar the word “Creation,” in its second pillar the word “Origination,” in its third pillar the word “Invention,” and in its fourth pillar the word “Innovation.” And verily it is an innovation most wondrous, for it is the first Name that appeared from the Seven, and the Seven appeared from it. It is the first Name that God chose for Himself, and it is His Most Exalted Name. The first derivative from it is “The Wondrous” for it is the Most Exalted Name and the Seven Letters. Therefore, We opened Our first allusions before the beginning of the Most Exalted Name and the Sublime Symbol for whomsoever desires to remember or to ascend through the name of the Wondrous.

Then for each of these corners flow those analogies that point endlessly from them, through them, and to them. Our expressions have no end, our compositions no restraint, our words no termination, and our traces no dissolution. For example, when We apply the station of the Camphorine which We mentioned to thee as being the attribute of the first corner in the station of the Essential Nature of the fourth corner, We intended by the word Camphorine in the station of the essence of this Essential Nature nothing but its first corner. Likewise thou shalt understand all analogies in Our allusions just as We have taught thee in this universal principle, through knowledge of which thou shalt remove contradiction in the vertical sequence and unite the differences in the horizontal geometry of its sequence.

Thus have We set forth examples for thee and sent down unto thee verses of majesty through the manifestations of the Day of Return, that thou mayest ascend from the depths of the zenith of hopes to the summit of holy beauty. When thou hast understood what We have shown thee concerning the appearance of analogies upon that mountain, mightiest of mountains, in the manifestation of the revelations of the corner of majesty through the manifestations of beauty—that the All-Merciful in the phrase “In the Name of God” is the third corner when thou makest the beginning of the word to be “In the Name,” and the fourth letter when thou makest the beginning the Point itself—verily according to the first it is the manifestation of the All-Merciful upon the throne and the establishment of the bounty of grandeur unto creation.

God hath made the bearer of that Name His first absolute Mention in the world that cannot be mentioned, and it is the manifestation of the word “Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Its numerical value according to Indian numerical geometry and calculation known to the people of Indian arithmetic is thus: 328. And in the form of its geometry when combined appear thirteen ones at the beginning of the number, for this Name hath encompassed through its essence and its testimony its own self, and therefore appeared the sign of the Will and its manifestations in the world of the unseen and the visible according to the aforementioned number.

The concealed One is the essence of the Will which is veiled through its manifestations within itself, and therefore the number of letters of the Name was six: The Alif indicating that it is the first mention of the First for God, the One; the Lam indicating God’s hidden grace regarding his truth which points to the grace of the presence of the Eternal; the Ra indicating the Lordship of God manifested to him through him in his station pointing to the Lordship of the One, the Single, the Everlasting; the Ha indicating His praise which He specifically chose for Himself and made His beloved the manifestation thereof, which points to the ultimate praise that is purely for God alone when the servant says “Praise be to God as beseemeth Him, verily He is the Supreme, the Most High”; and the Mim indicating His sovereignty of which He made His beloved the sovereign, for sovereignty falls short of the name Muhammad by two letters due to its submission to the Prophet and the Guardian, and therefore God exalted it through its attribution to Him, for dominion belongs to God, glorified and exalted be He.

He gives sovereignty to whomsoever He willeth and bestows authority upon whomsoever He pleaseth, for He is the Sovereign of sovereignty and the King of creation. He giveth dominion to whom He willeth and withholdeth it from whom He willeth, and aideth whom He pleaseth and exalteth whom He pleaseth, and bestoweth whatsoever He pleaseth upon whomsoever He pleaseth as He pleaseth. None can gainsay His bidding, and naught can impede His bounty save His grace. All on this night stand at His gate, and the detached ones take refuge in His presence.

O excellent Beloved One, King of existence and the hidden, O excellent Goal and Sovereign of being, O Thou Who art praised in Thy deeds! Were it not for His command to petition His presence, I would have chosen silence before His awesome majesty. But since supplication hath been enjoined upon me, and I am wary of the proud within the limits of creation, I commune with Him with a submissive heart, a humble body, a lowly soul, and a transformed being.

Have I any merciful one besides Thee, O my God? Have I any helper other than Thee, O my Lord? Have I any comforter besides Thee, O my Beloved? Have I any concealer other than Thee, O my King? Have I any ordainer of good besides Thee, O my Sovereign? Have I any deliverer other than Thee, O my Goal? Have I any bestower who would grant me, without my asking or deserving, according to His generosity rather than the measure of my poverty, O my Object of worship, except Thee? Nay, by Thy glory! There is no refuge except in Thee, no salvation except with Thee, no deliverance except by Thy leave, no liberation except through Thy bounty, no escape except unto Thee, no shelter except with Thee, and no intercessor for me save the sovereignty of Thy mercy.

Therefore, O God, have mercy on him who hath no merciful one besides Thee, and aid, O God, him who hath no helper other than Thee, and open, O God, unto him who hath no opener besides Thee, and seize, O God, for him who hath no seizer other than Thee, and bestow, O God, upon him who hath no bestower except Thee.

And forgive me, O my Beloved, for I have no repentance before Thee, since the word of repentance is itself a sin derived from sin, and my very being is pure transgression unequaled by any sin in Thy knowledge or error in Thy Book. Therefore, O God, forgive the greatness of my crime, for my hand is empty of repentance, and pardon, O God, my grave offenses, for I have no plea for forgiveness before Thee.

Grant me, O my God, on this blessed night wherein the Spirit and the angels descend by Thy leave upon Thy Guardian, the Expected One, and their acknowledgments within the bounds of their glorification, and their affirmation in the geometry of their praise of Thee, that which befitteth the sovereignty of Thy grandeur and the majesty of Thy might, and that which is worthy of the loftiness of Thine eternity, for Thou art deserving in the kingdom of Thy self-subsistence.

I have no right to ask of Thee, and no station to petition Thee—and how could it be otherwise when I have found my being through the effects of Thy creation and realized my essence through the lights of Thy invention? How can one who exists within the limits of creation and the bounds of origination be worthy to petition One like Thee, Who is not associated with the making of anything, and unto Whom the mention of nothing can ascend?

Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Just as Thou didst begin my creation from nothing, bestow upon me all Thy gifts from nothing, for Thy bounty bestows favors not in response to anyone’s petition. O Lord, bestow upon me all Thy gifts out of nothingness, for Thy generosity bestows bounties without any request, and Thy grace confers favors without any beseeching from any servant.

By Thy glory, I have no fear, for Thou art my King. Even if I have not fulfilled my obligations to Thee, still Thou dealest with me according to what I deserve. And though I may have been negligent in my duties, Thou hast been just in my rights. Therefore, O God, deal with me through Thy grace and treat me with Thy generosity, for I am the one who has not shown shame before Thee in private, nor observed Thee in public. I have not worshipped Thee according to my capacity, nor known Thee according to the extent of my need and poverty.

Alas! Alas! Despite Thy supreme sovereignty, the might of Thy oneness, the power of Thy eternity, and the greatness of Thy everlastingness, Thou hast shown kindness to me according to Thy true kindness, honored me according to Thy true honor, favored me according to Thy true grace, and shown mercy to me with the utmost of Thy mercy. For such as Thou, the Lord, glorification is befitting, and for such as I, the servant, lamentation is fitting. For such as Thou, the Lord, sanctification is befitting, and for such as I, wailing is deserving. For such as Thou, O Beloved, as Thou art Thou, and for such as I, O Sovereign, as I am I—if I say “Thou art Thou,” the mention of Thee is never exhausted, and if I say “I am I,” my essence has never been stable due to the decree of Thy origination.

Therefore, O God, ordain for me and for whom Thou lovest as Thou lovest and art pleased with. Verily, Thou art God, the Lord of the last and the first. Glory be to Thee! How could I be one who remembers Thee, or beseeches Thee, or is annihilated in Thee? For Thou art far more glorious, greater and more exalted than that there should be worthy of Thy holy court the highest essence of the servants’ attributes through mere description from the people of creation. There is no God but Thee! Glory be to Thee! I was indeed among those who know.

And that which I have called to thy remembrance is this: that thou shouldst behold the Name of the All-Merciful in the station of the Third Pillar; and if thou wouldst seek the Fourth Pillar, it is the last degree of the Point in its manifestation, and the Word of Magnification amidst those deaf and lightless darknesses. By His manifest mercy, proceeding from the Presence of the All-Praised, the people of joy receive their portion, and attain unto their stations according to what their own hands have wrought—the people of vainglory.

Unto this alludeth the saying of al-Hasan al-ʿAskari—peace be upon him—that God created mercy in a hundred parts: one part thereof is mercy from His mercy in this world; and when the Day of Resurrection cometh, God will show mercy by the ninety-nine remaining parts, while the root of religion is the One, extended over all creation. This is the letter Qaf, the encompassing mountain that surroundeth the people of the world; and that which lieth beyond it—which is the heart—are the people of the inner core, the manifestations of origination, the disclosures of the Pen, and the fruits of the Tree of Coming-into-Being. It is the Qaf of the heart of the Seven, which neither earth nor heaven can contain as regards the Cause of God, save only the heart of His believing servant.

In very truth it is the letter Alif itself; for the number one hundred, in the geometrical reckoning, hath its form as the first image of number, preceded by naught save the Point. Thus did it appear likewise in its name. By such conjunctions of causes do the possessors of understanding bear witness that what is there in the manifestation of the Lord of lords is known only through what is here in the manifestation of the Day of Resurrection. This is a reminder for him who remembereth thereby, who feareth the station of his Lord, and restraineth his soul from transgressing His bounds.

And this is a bounty from God for whomsoever apprehendeth it; unto Him do return command and creation, all of them; in His hand is all good—He bestoweth upon whom He willeth, as He willeth—when He causeth them to enter beneath the shadow of Mount Qaf. For in that station the Name of the Decree is made manifest, and there is no averting the Cause of God; He withholdeth from whom He pleaseth among His companions the names of the Triad. Unto this pointeth the saying of the Lord of Guardianship: Pray ye for the companions of the Three. And unto God alone is the recourse sought, in the beginning and in the end.

Part 4: “Verily the All-Merciful is the Manifestation…”

Verily the All-Merciful is the Manifestation of the Fifth Word, that He may make the Primal Point; and the name of the Fourth Word is that He may make the Beginning the Word of the Name. And upon the First, the Point is the station of the First Emanation, and the Name is the station of the Hidden Alif, and the Divine Manifestation is the rank of the Soft Alif, and in the mention of the All-Merciful is the manifestation of the Unconnected Alif, and in the Fifth Name is the manifestation of the Extended Alif. And verily these five ranks are gathered in the word Ha’ and its expression. Know this if thou art possessed of knowledge, for verily We have revealed it on the Night of Power; and if not, then ask God of His grace, for verily He is the Munificent, the All-Embracing.

And verily according to the Balance which was the first pillar of the Word of the Name, verily the All-Merciful is the letter of the fourth pillar, and verily He is the Wise Remembrance, and the Great Name, and the Ancient Mystery, and the Growing Symbol which was before all time and after time, and His mention shall appear with time by God’s leave, decreed in a hidden wisdom. Verily this is the veil in the veils and the mystery of the Book in the pages. May God make me and thee among those who enter therein, and who are established before Him, and who drink from the cup of His bounty, and who inhale the fragrance of His presence, and who recline upon the carpet of His mercy.

For the Cause must needs have one who is established by the command of a decreeing Sovereign, and the mystery of the manifestation of Power, and the wisdom of a hidden Book, and there is no escape for anyone there, and unto God is the return in the beginning and then on the Most Great Day.

When thou hast known what hath been sent down from the clouds of mercy and hast drunk the drops that fall from the depths of love in mention of the Manifestations of Lordship in the fourth pillar of the land of the dominion of the Shi’ih, and verily now is the Day of Power—hasten to those who follow God’s decree in the Most Great Scene. This is the Supreme Gift and the Most Great Bounty for whoso feareth the Day of the Hereafter. Fear not when thou takest it, and grieve not when thou findest, for that is the most abundant portion and all good when thou doest as I have commanded thee, and for all who desire that Most Great Bounty. By My life, this is indeed the Great Victory!

When a need befalleth thee or anyone desireth to be gathered with the people of Truth, then make upon a sheet of white paper seven circles whose width between the lines is equal, with yellow water whether it be gold or saffron, and divide it into nineteen parts wherein no part is less than another by a hair’s breadth with that influential water.

Then write in the finest naskh script in the first encompassing circle nineteen sublime words from “Allah, there is no God but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting” to “and He is the Most High, the Most Great.”

Then in the second circle the luminous names from the letters of the Bismillah, which are these:

“He is the Righteous and He is the Peace. He is God, He is the All-Subtle. O Thou Possessor of Everlasting Majesty! He is the All-Subtle, then He is God, then He is the All-Subtle, then He is the Lord, then He is the Ever-Living, then He is the Worshipped One, then He is the Light, then He is God, then He is the All-Subtle, then He is the All-Merciful, then He is the All-Wise. Then O Possessor of Outstretched Hands! Then He is the Intended One.”

And We return to the first of those names the number of its mystery which is He. Then in the third circle is the form of the Most Great Name, nineteen in number. Then in the fourth circle are the letters of existence, and We shall mention, God willing, in its temple. Then in the fifth are the letters of the Bismillah in the known form. Then in the sixth are the letters of the six names which number nineteen, and they are: Allah, the Single, the Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Judge, the Just, the Holy.

Then in the seventh circle are the letters of every verse of the Qur’an whose meaning resembles what thou hast intended. And I have chosen for whomsoever desireth to seek a way unto the Lord of the Throne, which is: If thou desirest the manifestation of what God hath bestowed upon thee, then write “Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.” Then for deliverance from every difficulty: “Thee do we worship and Thine aid we seek.” Then for seeking guidance: “Guide us to the straight path.” Then for glory: “Thou givest glory to whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom Thou pleasest.” Then for drawing nigh unto whomsoever thou pleaseth: “Faces shall be humbled before the Living, the Self-Subsisting.”

Then for seeking beneficence from whom thou lovest: “Do good as God hath done good to thee.” Then for hardship: “God will grant relief after difficulty.” Then for the destruction of the enemy, with the condition of God’s good-pleasure and wisdom: “Death will come to him from every direction.” Then for severe tribulation: “Touched by adversity and affliction.” Then for separation between the people of tyranny and transgression: “He said: This is the parting between me and thee.” Then for loftiness of station: “Exalted then be God, the True King.” Then for seeking mercy: “Verily God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Then for seeking wisdom: “Verily God is Mighty, All-Wise.” Then for removing grief: “The great terror shall not grieve them.”

Then for the expansion of sustenance: “Rejoicing in what God hath given them of His bounty.” Then for victory: “Verily We have granted thee a manifest victory.” Then for assistance against enemies: “And God will help thee with a mighty help.” Then for triumph over adversaries: “And verily Our hosts will be the victors.” Then for seeking knowledge and for reaching the center of forbearance: “He teacheth you the Book and wisdom.” Then for all the blessings of this world and the degrees of the next, small and great, hidden and manifest, and for seeking offspring: “And soon will thy Lord give thee so that thou shalt be well pleased.”

These are nineteen verses corresponding to the letters of Bismillah for whatever the servant desireth, seeking the face of God. And it behooveth a believer to recite all of this in his lifetime that God may cause him to attain the pinnacle of religion and this world through His bounty. Verily, He is the All-Powerful, the Compelling, the Generous, the Bestower.

When thou desirest to act upon this, begin from the eleventh day of each month and make the indicated circle which thou shalt preserve upon thy person, and recite after each obligatory prayer the six names, saying: “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful: Single, Living, Self-Subsisting, Judge, Just, Holy.” Then recite the verse which thou hast written in the seventh circle that corresponds to thy desire. If thou desirest the manifestation of bounties, for example, say that which I have indicated: “Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds” nineteen times, neither more nor less. Then when thou hast finished, say: “O Lord! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad.” Then spread forth thy hands and gaze unto the midmost heaven, which is the heaven of Grace, and say:

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate!

O God, I beseech Thee by the F of Thy Fardaniyyih (Singleness), and the R of Thy Rububiyyih (Lordship), and the D of the perpetuity of Thy Dayumiyyih (Eternity), and the H of Thy Hayat-i-Sarmadiyyih (Everlasting Life), and the Y of the springs of Thy Wisdom, and the Q of Thy Power, and the Y of Certainty, and the W of Existence, and the M of Kingdom, and the H of Command, and the K of Thy Grandeur, and the M of Thy Dominion, and the A of Providence, and the D of Guidance, and the L of Grace, and the Q of the Self-Subsisting, and the D of the All-Compelling, and the W of Authority, and the S of Tranquility, that Thou send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad and fulfill my need.

Then say: I adjure you, O spiritual and luminous beings who serve these letters and mighty signs and noble, radiant Names, to answer my call and fulfill my oath and assist in meeting my need.

Then mention your need and say: By the light of God’s Most Great and Supreme Countenance, His grandeur and majesty over you—for none can describe His essence—by His right over you and His sanctity and power with you—may God bless you and be upon you.

And they said:

“We hear and obey. Grant us Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and unto Thee is the return. God sufficeth us and excellent is He in Whom we trust, excellent Protector and excellent Helper. There is no power nor strength save in God, the Exalted, the Great.”

And may God’s blessings be upon Muhammad and his family and their pure followers. For no one performs this without attaining their desire and reaching their goal, and their prayer is not rejected. This is an ordained decree and I am its guarantor. Whosoever possesses this, it is better for them than possessing the East and West of the earth. This is not difficult for God. And those who follow this brilliant light have a supreme right from Me that they should act according to what I have commanded and not abandon it day or night. For therein are stored the lights of holiness, treasured lights of fellowship, manifest appearances of His Holiness, sealed blessings of Paradise, and all bounties God created beneath the shades of Paradise gathered together, and that which no heart has conceived of the warbling of the Peacock of Paradise preserved, and all good that the servant desires and God’s knowledge encompasses, ordained by His grace and generosity. Indeed this is God’s bounty—a single letter of it equals all that the sun shines upon, and this is the supreme triumph.

And it is right that in the center of the seventh circle that square figure be written, its interior filled with those ruled numbers thus: 1114 in each house a form thereof with the requisite points in geometric figures. This is the mystery of the seven circles and the completion of the light of the Night of Power, for the geometric figure of Power is thus: 304, and when these combine the number seven appears. What is written there is what is ordained here. These are the gates of good, the peak of the Cause, its pinnacle and ultimate end, for the seven letters have descended in the four words, and when [?] appears the number of the letter “He”, and that is the mention of the seal of the Point from the beginning of its mystery in the letters of the Bismillah to the end of its descent upon its center which is the Point.

Verily, this is a remembrance of the seal of the Point, from the inception of its mystery in the letters of the Bismillah to the end of its descent upon its center, which is the Point. And for this did ʿAli, peace be upon him, declare:

“I am the Point beneath the B, and from it have all created things appeared, and unto it do all contingent things return.”

For it is the Primal Tree, and the First Pearl, and the manifestation of the Primal Will, and the First Word, which is the throne of the Point in its manifestation unto the limit of the triangle at the first appearance of the Alif.

We have unveiled for thee the symbols and confirmed thee with the lights of manifestation, and We have caused to descend in the depths of words the water of the pure Kawthar, and We have made thee to hear what the nightingale of the divine realm warbleth upon the leaves of the camphor tree, that thou mayest preserve all who desire God and His friends, protecting them in those pitch-dark nights through the providence of the All-Forgiving Lord, that they may attain unto whatsoever they desire of the affairs of this world and of religion, through the blessings of those renowned names from the All-Thankful Lord. Thus doth God fulfill His covenant:

“If ye be grateful, I will increase your favors. Therefore be ye not among the ungrateful.”