BB00037: Risala fi Tashkhis al-Ghina (on singing)

Part 1: “Praise be to God Who, through the sanctity…”

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

Praise be to God Who, through the sanctity of His Self-Subsistence, transcends the description of essences and their like. And praise be to God Who, through the uniqueness of His eternity, stands alone beyond the attributes of beings and their equivalents. And praise be to God Who, through the grandeur of His holiness, is exalted above the mention of entities and their correlates. Exalted be His station above my saying “He is He,” for He is as He is in the might of His Identity and the majesty of His Oneness. Through His Essence, He severs all created things from mentioning knowledge of the Essence in the dawning of the manifestation of the Presence of the Essence, and disperses all contingent beings from mention of the stations of attributes in the depths of the mysteries of the sphere of names and attributes.

Whosoever says “He is He” limits himself and transgresses beyond the mystery of his origin, associating with His Essence the effects of his own self, and establishes, by God’s leave, a likeness for Him Who has no likeness in the rank of creation in His Entity. And if I say that the Essence in itself severs all indications and is beyond the jurisdiction of names and attributes, my very mention of the Essence belies me, for by attributing description to Him and naming Him, and by asserting that the existence of creation is His transcendence, I have claimed mention from the court of His nearness and established in myself an example of His sign of eternality and a manifestation of His holy appearance.

So glorified and exalted, supreme and lofty is His Essence that none can ascend to Him on the highest wings of hearts and imagination. His Identity is too great for anyone to indicate Him in the kingdom of Command and the manifestation of abstractions through the most subtle possible allusions. Whoever claims [to know His unity has in that moment made himself a partner before the holy valley of His oneness, and whoever claims knowledge of His Entity has indeed been ignorant and has strayed from] knowledge of his own self and transgressed beyond the station of his limits, seeking the decree of impossibility in his mind while heedless of the station of the mystery of eternity in His Essence. For created things, as they are in their reality, indicate only severance, speak only of prevention, utter only despair, and point only to powerlessness. So glory be to God, their Creator, Lord of the heavens and earth, above the description of all things.

And praise be to God Who has testified to Himself by Himself that there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, in the eternity of eternities, and He exists as He has always been, without change or alteration. Whoever says “He is He” has taken for himself a likeness in his own self and joined himself with His Essence, for He, as He is in the innermost Essence and manifestation of Eternality, is too exalted to be known through His creation, or described by His servants, or indicated by anything other than His Essence, or for any of His servants’ highest imagination to attain to the heaven of His glorious mercy. For He has ever been, and there was none besides Him, and He will ever be, and there will be none except Him.

For His Essence, as it is, is the pure, ancient Essence which in its Entity severs all essences from indications and prevents all material things from signification. And His Identity, as it is, is the pure, eternal Identity which in its Entity disperses all entities from mention of stations and severs all beings from mention of signs. And whatever thing upon which falls a name from among names and attributes falls only upon the stations of Command and the manifestations of creation.

The sheer Divine Essence, beyond time, has no equal among all the stations of the unseen and the visible realms, nor can any attribute of His creation match Him. All that those who describe Him describe, and all that those who remember Him remember, falls within the boundaries of thingness and the geometry of creation. Far exalted is the very Essence of the Necessary Being, glorified be His mention, above all that is mentioned in His dominion and exists through His creation. All things point to their own selves and are questioned about their own essential reality. Analogies cannot express the essential realities of contingent beings except in negation, and geometry cannot indicate the essence of abstract realities except through exclusion. Whoever defines Him has paired Him, and whoever pairs Him has nullified His timelessness. Whoever turns to Him through what He has described of Himself, and warns people of His judgment, has unified Him as far as is possible within the realm of contingency, and beyond this is not possible in the station of creation. Therefore God, through His grace, accepts from His servants their stations of unity, for He is the Mighty, the Bestower.

Praise be to God Who brought the Primal Will into being before the creation of all things through His own Causation, not from anything else. Then through it He created Will, Destiny, Decree, Permission, Term, and the Book, that all the atoms of multiplicity might know what God has ordained for them in the stations of creation and the manifestations of Command, until nothing living, self-subsisting, and existing by itself is seen therein except what God has revealed to it in its essential reality, which is a sign for knowing the Essence and a path to the revelation of the attributes. It is a sign for knowing the station of Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, that he is exalted above similitude, sanctified above likeness, transcendent above limitation, and holy beyond individuation.

Far exalted is the very being of Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, above anyone being able to know him or point to him or say how and why, for his self-subsisting essence, which is his very identity, severs essential realities from the station of knowledge and prevents material things from forms of expression. All that appears in the worlds and emerges in contingency are reflections of the descent of that Light which is exalted above the mention of light and sanctified above the light of manifestation.

Whoever says that he is the First Rememberer in contingency has turned to the station of his own self and known the limit of his origin, and has become absent from manifestation in the presence of concealment. And whoever says that he is the First Light and the Primal Will has paired with Him the station of his knowledge and transgressed beyond the limit of his origin through his affirmation, and has lost the station of the Truth that was manifest to him in his contingent rank. Exalted is God, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Eternal, the Single, the Impenetrable, Who has ever been without mention of aught else beside Him and will ever be without mention of aught else with Him. He has made His beloved Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, the station of His Self in that station, that all might unify the presence of His holiness as He has unified His Essence with His Essence, and known His Self through His Self, and his reality might merit His Reality in that he is the Meaning whose essence is separation from all things and whose attribute is the severance of beings from the court of nearness. Glory be to God above what they describe!

Praise be to God Who bore witness to His Essence through His Essence in the station of creation, when He knew that Husayn, peace be upon him, would bear witness to himself through himself and would be content with what God had destined for him in His knowledge and would submit himself wholly to God in what He had decreed for him in His Book, and act according to what God has written for him in His knowledge regarding the manifestations of His Cause. This indeed is a remembrance from God concerning his station, that through him the friends may be guided to the station of nearness and glory, and that they may recognize the unity of God through what He has revealed to them through His manifestations in the realities of all created things. They find repose in remembering his tribulations upon the carpet of nearness and beauty, and they visit God by visiting his earthly remains, for verily this is the visitation of the All-Merciful above His throne, without similitude or likeness.

Glorified be God, his Creator, Who has established him in the station of His own Self in perpetuity and decree, and has chosen him for His mystery in the worlds of creation, and has selected him for the manifestation of His authority in the kingdom of command and creation for praise, and has fashioned him for the revelation of His grandeur in the ranks of attributes and names, lest anyone forget the wisdom of His manifestation in the realities of souls and horizons. Every thing beholds him through the light of its Creator at every moment, and all eyes weep for him because of what befell him of the calamities of time—which, when descended upon the Throne, it trembled; when raised to heaven, it was rent asunder; when settled upon earth, it was cleft; when recited to hearts, they fell prostrate before the majesty of his countenance; and when souls remembered them, they were transformed, being unable to bear even a letter of their mystery.

Glorified be God his Creator! No one has endured what Husayn, peace be upon him, endured in God’s path. Through his martyrdom, the essences of verses in the kingdom of names and attributes were slain, and thus all things were bounded in all the stations of creation, such that nothing can be mentioned except through the geometry of limitation. Had he not accepted, in the first particle, the martyrdom of his soul in God’s path, the thought of approaching the Tree of Eternity would never have occurred to the First Adam, and he would never have known his Lord, nor would anything have existed in the heavens and earth. For through his martyrdom in God’s path, the realities of hearts came into being for divine unity, and the winds of love stirred the leaves [of the branches of the Tree of Unity with melodies that have never occurred to the heart of any servant, nor can flow from the pen of ink, nor can anyone know its nature except those from whom God has taken the Covenant in the worlds of the unseen and the visible.

May God grant me and all who wish to remember the tribulations of Husayn, peace be upon him, at all times, as long as the heavens and earths endure, for this is God’s grace which He bestows upon whom He wishes, He the Possessor of great bounty.]

And this lowly servant, destitute before God and clinging to the cord of God, peace be upon them, makes mention that while journeying toward the King of grace and justice—may God perpetuate His shadow over all who dwell beneath the dark clouds of His mercy—having paused in the land of Isfahan, the most esteemed and holy addressee, he who makes mention of the Point of existence and calls to mind the manifestations of the Praised Verse, the Sultan of those who remember—may God perpetuate his remembrance in His path and bring him to the station of nearness to His Self in the Holy Presence through His grace—inquired about the ruling concerning singing which is mentioned in the traditions of the Suns of grandeur and majesty.

Therefore, arising to answer his eminence, and through God’s might and power, whatsoever flows from the pen through the Will of His Divine Presence, exalted be His mention, shall be expressed. And before mentioning the ruling, certain allusions shall be set forth that may serve to lift the veils from the reality of this matter. And it is this: that God, the All-Knowing, has created nothing except through His Will and the manifestations of His attribute of action, which are the conditions of the appearance of the Will, even as the blessed Sadiq—peace be upon him—has said:

“Nothing exists in earth or heaven save through these seven characteristics: through Will, Purpose, Decree, Destiny, Permission, Book, and Term. Whosoever claims he can nullify even one of these has indeed denied the truth.”

There is no doubt that, at the time of existence, God—exalted be He—did not compel any thing in the direction of receptivity; nay rather, He brought into being the First Mention, which is the station of the Absolute Emanation, from nothing, by itself, for itself. He made the very cause of receptive choice to be its own self; and apart from the aspect of choice—which is the aspect of the manifestation of the command of God—He ordained no other determining aspect in the rank of the first creation. Though in truth the discussion of this question among the philosophers hath yielded divergent judgments—as is evident in the Treatise on the Interpretation of the Ha’ and in other epistles, wherein proofs have been advanced to invalidate the claims of some among them—yet since this station is not the place for a full exposition of that matter, but only for the mention of a prelude to what is intended, we refrain from setting forth its arguments.

After the establishment of the grades of action, there remaineth no doubt that nothing existeth apart from God save through two aspects: an existential aspect, which pointeth to the manifestation of the One Who is revealed; and an essential aspect, which indicateth the modes of servitude and the receptivity of that manifestation. When these two aspects are affirmed, the rank of Qadar—the station of linkage between the two aspects—becometh manifest; and after the appearance of the three, the ordinance of the four is established, for the descent of the three is impossible save through the manifestation of the four.

For this reason there is the causality of the sevenfold grades of action—this number being the most complete and perfect of numbers, beyond which increase is impossible in simplicity of station and greatness of rank. And for this reason also appeared the sacred Temples of the People of Infallibility—may the blessings of God rest upon them—who, in the station of the unseen, are these seven, and in the realm of testimony are their manifest expression.

After it is established that in every thing there are two aspects, there is no doubt that whatever is designated by the name “thing” doth not, in the station of exposition, lie outside three grades of existence: either it is a sign of the manifestation of the pure, sanctified Essence of the All-Glorious—exalted be His remembrance—whose very Being is free from aught beside Himself; or it is a sign of the manifestation of His act, whose stations—hidden and manifest—are the seven grades, which are the appearance of the fourteen supports and the stations of possibility; or it is the station of the effect of the act, which is the existence of what is other than the act.

These two latter ranks, in truth, lie within the realm of creation, even as the Imam—peace be upon him—hath declared: “Truth and creation—there is no third between them, nor any third beside them.” And in this rank of the divine Dawning-Places, within the station of manifestation, by reason of the causality of the seven grades of action, seven stations are enumerated—just as ʿAlí ibn al-Husayn—peace be upon them both—declared in the station of knowledge of the Cause unto Jabir, when he mentioned it in a lengthy tradition and then recited the words of the Most High: “This day shall We forget them, as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs, and because they denied Our signs.” And he said: “These—by God—are Our signs, and this is one of them; and this—by God—is our guardianship, O Jabir!” until he said: “O Jabir!

Knowest thou what knowledge is? Knowledge is the affirmation of oneness, first; then the knowledge of meanings, second; then the knowledge of the gates, third; then the knowledge of the Imam, fourth; then the knowledge of the pillars, fifth; then the knowledge of the deputies, sixth; and the knowledge of the elect, seventh.” And this is His saying, exalted be He: “Say: If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted ere the words of my Lord were exhausted, even though We brought the like thereof as further aid.” And again He recited: “And if all the trees on earth were pens, and the sea—with seven seas after it to replenish it—were ink, the words of God would not be exhausted. Verily God is Mighty, Wise.” This is the tradition.

Part 2: “After these effects are beheld, it becometh evident…”

After these effects are beheld, it becometh evident that the “thing,” in the station of spiritual wayfaring, doth not pass beyond three grades—just as the Sadiq—peace be upon him—hath explained in the interpretation of the noble verse: “Among them is he who wrongs his own soul; among them is he who taketh a middle course; and among them is he who outstrippeth others in good deeds.” He said: “The wrongdoer is he who moveth about his own self; the moderate is he who moveth about his own reason; and he who outstrippeth in good deeds is he who moveth about his Lord in the sphere of the act itself.” And this last rank, in very truth, pertaineth solely to the locus of the act—and to none other.

And after the attainment of knowledge of these three stations, it becometh evident that the actions of man lie not outside two ranks: either they move about the first determination of his own existence—which is the station of reason—or they revolve around his own quiddity. If the former be the case, it is praiseworthy; and this direction itself is not beyond three grades: the obligatory, the traditional, or the permissible. But if he move about the direction of his own quiddity, it is sheer transgression and association; and this rank likewise is not beyond two grades: the forbidden or the reprehensible. Man, in truth, is he who in none of the stations of his manifestations moveth save about reason, which is the locus of the manifestation of the heart; and Satan, in truth, is he whose movement is about his own quiddity.

That which appeareth from the servant, in all conditions, is never devoid of one of these two directions: if it proceed from the rank of Lordship cast into his identity, it is obedience and the good pleasure of the Lord—exalted be His remembrance; and if it proceed from the rank of his quiddity, it is disobedience and the wrath of the Most Holy Presence—exalted be His remembrance. By this criterion are the deeds of the people of the Highest Heights and of the Lowest Depths distinguished. Though outwardly all actions may appear alike and similar, yet with God the criterion of acceptance and rejection is that which hath been set forth.

And since created beings, in their descent from the Origin of Manifestation, have forgotten the aspect of Lordship, the Bearers of the Universal Guardianship of the Lord of Glory have recalled it to their remembrance, and have expounded the ordinances of all things, that they might be shaken by the trembling of the aspects of the Origin of all essences among contingent beings, and might be made to shine through nearness unto the stations of the manifestation of the Origin of all identities among existent things. From this it followeth that the aspect of Lordship within the servant is more manifest than all other stations and nearer than all other manifestations.

Even as Sadiq—peace be upon him—hath intimated in the Misbah, saying: “Servitude is a substance whose essence is Lordship. What is hidden in Lordship is attained in servitude, and what is lost in servitude is found in Lordship.” And God, exalted be He, hath said: “We shall show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves, until it be made clear unto them that it is the Truth.”—O existent in thy absence and in thy presence!

No servant attaineth unto the perfection of servitude save through the manifestation of this aspect. Thus hath it been alluded to in the holy tradition: “My servant ceaseth not to draw near unto Me through works of supererogation until I love him; and when I love him, I become the ear whereby he heareth, the eye whereby he seeth, and the hand whereby he graspeth. If he calleth upon Me, I answer him; if he asketh of Me, I give unto him; and if he remain silent before Me, I take the initiative with him.” After the attainment of this station, innumerable stations are ordained for man—beyond all limit. Thus did the Commander of the Faithful—peace be upon him—utter in the supplication of the Day of Sha’ban: “O my God! Grant me complete severance unto Thee; illumine the eyes of our hearts with the light of their gaze toward Thee, until the eyes of the hearts pierce the veils of light and attain unto the Fountain of Grandeur, and our souls become suspended from the glory of Thy holiness. O my God! Make me of those whom Thou hast called and who answered Thee, whom Thou hast observed and who were struck senseless by Thy majesty, with whom Thou didst commune in secret and who labored for Thee openly.”

And Sadiq—peace be upon him—speaking in the station of elucidating all the manifestations of the aspect of Lordship, hath declared in his discourse, alluding thereto in these words:

“When knowledge is established in the breast, fear ariseth; and when fear is sound, one fleeth; and when one fleeth, one is delivered. When the light of certitude shineth in the heart, one beholdeth bounty; and when one is enabled to behold bounty, one hopeth; and when one tasteth the sweetness of hope, one seeketh; and when one is granted success in seeking, one findeth. When the radiance of true knowledge is unveiled within the inmost heart, the breeze of love is stirred; and when the breeze of love is stirred, one findeth intimacy beneath the shadow of the Beloved, preferreth the Beloved above all else, acteth according to His commands and shunneth His prohibitions, and chooseth these two above all things besides them. And when one standeth firm upon the carpet of intimacy with the Beloved, while fulfilling His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, one attaineth unto the spirit of supplication and nearness. The likeness of these three principles is as the Sanctuary, the Mosque, and the Ka’bah: whoso entereth the Sanctuary is secure from men; whoso entereth the Mosque hath his limbs protected from being employed in disobedience; and whoso entereth the Ka’bah hath his heart safeguarded from occupying itself with aught save the remembrance of God.” This is the tradition.

And when the servant attaineth unto the station of the spirit of supplication—which is the greatest of stations—he is accounted successful in the loftiest degrees. Even as the Commander of the Faithful—peace and blessings be upon him—hath said:

God created man possessed of a rational soul; when he refine it through knowledge and action, he resembleth the essences of the first causes. When its temperament is harmonized and it is freed from contraries, it comprehendeth and thereby partaketh with the seven firm heavens.

At that time it is fitting that the ordinance of another saying of the Commander of the Faithful—peace be upon him—be applied unto such a one; whereupon, in reply to a Jew who asked, “What meanest thou by philosophy?” he said:

Is it not the moderation of one’s nature and the purification of one’s temperament? And when the temperament is purified, the influence of the soul therein groweth strong; and when the influence of the soul is strengthened, one ascendeth unto that unto which one may ascend. And when one ascendeth unto that station, one acquireth the moral qualities of the soul, and thus becometh existent as man—no longer existent as beast. Thereupon he entereth the formal, kingly gate; and from this divine care there is no escape.

Whosoever attaineth unto this station—which is the utmost effusion within the realm of possibility—speaketh not, in the station of the manifestation of Lordship cast into his identity, save in the manner of the words of Truth, exalted be His remembrance; nor, in the station of servitude, save with the tongue of the supplications of the People of the House of Infallibility—may the blessings of God be upon them—after such a fashion that no one is able to distinguish between the outward forms that resemble one another.

Thus hath it appeared from one who was confirmed, in whom, at the station of the Balance, within the span of six hours, a thousand verses of supplication flowed from his pen; and who, in the station of manifesting words of authority, composed without deliberation or pause of the pen, in such wise that none before him had surpassed him in this distinction among the commonalty. Yet it should not occur to the mind of the beholder that these supplications are the very supplications of the People of the House of Infallibility, or that these authoritative words are the verses of the Book of God; for the existence of the author of these words, in relation to even a single letter of the Book of God and the traditions of the Family of God—peace be upon them—is as naught. Rather, his likeness is as an image reflected in a well-balanced mirror, recounting the manifestation of the One revealed within the mirror.

For this reason, none among the possessors of understanding, when abstracting their gaze from the limits of mirrorhood, are able to distinguish these supplicatory pages that flowed from the pen from the supplications that issued among mankind from the Suns of Grandeur and Majesty—may the blessings of God be upon them.

After these allusions—necessary in this place for the exposition of the matter—there can be no doubt that God hath set forth the ordinances of all things in the Qur’an; even as, concerning the state of heedless self-indulgence arising from the quiddity cast into the soul of the servant, He hath revealed:

“And among men is he who purchaseth idle tales, that he may mislead others from the path of God without knowledge, and taketh it in mockery; for such there is a humiliating chastisement.”

And among the traditions that have issued forth in this regard from the Suns of Grandeur and Glory, peace be upon them, is what is related from Abu Basir who said: “I asked Abu Ja’far, peace be upon him, about the earnings of female singers, and he said: That to which men come is forbidden, but that which is called to weddings, there is no harm in it.’ And this is the meaning of God’s words, mighty and glorious is He: And among the people is he who purchases idle tales to lead astray from the path of God.”’

And from Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, it is related that a man asked him about selling slave girls who were singers, and he said:

“Buying them and selling them is forbidden, teaching them is unbelief, and listening to them is hypocrisy.”

And from Abu Basir who said: “I asked Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, about the words of God the Most High:”Shun the abomination of idols and shun false speech,” and he said it refers to singing.

And from Mihran ibn Muhammad from Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, who said he heard him say that singing is among what God Almighty meant when He said “And among men is he who purchases idle tales to lead astray from God’s way.”

And from Sa’dah ibn Ziyad who said he was with Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, when a man said to him “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! I enter my privy and I have neighbors who have singing girls who play the lute, and sometimes I prolong my sitting to listen to them.” He [Abu Abdullah] said: “Do not do that.” The man said “By God, I do not go to them, I only hear what reaches my ears.” He said “God! God! Have you not heard God saying ʿThe hearing and the sight and the heart, all of these shall be questioned about’?” He said “Yes, by God, it is as if I had never heard this verse from God’s Book from any non-Arab or Arab. Surely I will not return to it, God willing, and I seek God’s forgiveness.” He said to him “Rise and perform ablution and pray, for you were persisting in a grave matter. How terrible would have been your state had you died in that condition! Praise God and ask Him for repentance from all that He dislikes, for He only dislikes what is ugly, and leave ugliness to its people, for everything has its people.”

And from Abdul A’la who said: I asked Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, about singing and said “They claim that the Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, permitted saying We came to you, we came to you, we greet you, we greet you.”’ He [Abu Abdullah] said: “They lie. God Almighty says We created not the heavens and the earth and all between them for mere play. Had We intended to take a pastime, We could surely have taken it from before Us, if We were going to do so. Nay, We hurl Truth against falsehood, and it crushes it, and lo! it vanishes. And woe to you for what you attribute.”’ Then he said “Woe to so-and-so for what he describes”—a man who was not present at the gathering.

And from Al-Tamam who said Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, said:

“A house of singing will not be consoled in calamity, nor will prayers be answered in it, nor will angels enter it.”

And he, peace be upon him, was asked about singing and said:

“Do not enter houses from which God has turned away from their inhabitants.”

And from him, peace be upon him: “The worst of sounds is singing.”

And from him, peace be upon him: “Singing breeds hypocrisy and results in poverty.”

And from Al-Hassan from Harun who said: I heard Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, say: “Singing is a gathering at which God does not look at its people, and it is among what God Almighty meant when He said ʿAnd among men is he who purchases idle tales to lead astray from God’s way.”’

And from Yasir from Abul Hassan, peace be upon him, who said:

“Whoever keeps himself pure from singing will find in Paradise a tree which God commands the winds to move, producing a sound the like of which has never been heard, but whoever does not keep pure from it will not hear it.”

Likewise, the People of the House of Infallibility, peace be upon them, have alluded to this, in expounding the vocal utterance which, from the side of Lordship, is cast into the identity of the servant. The traditions that bear witness to this ordinance are these which shall now be set forth.

It is related from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from Ali ibn Ma’bad, from Wasil ibn Sulayman who said: “I asked Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, concerning the words of God, the Mighty and Glorious, and recite the Qur’an with measured recitation.’ He said that the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: ʿExpound it with clear exposition, neither rushing through it like poetry, nor scattering it like sand. Rather, let it penetrate your hardened hearts, and let not your sole concern be reaching the end of the surah.”’

And likewise from Abu ʿAbdullah, peace be upon him, who said:

“Verily the Qur’an was revealed with sadness, so recite it with sadness.”

Part 3: “And from him, peace be upon him, who…”

And from him, peace be upon him, who said that the Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, said:

“Recite the Qur’an with the melodies and voices of the Arabs, and beware of the melodies of the sinful ones and those who commit major sins. For verily after me there shall arise peoples who will modulate the Qur’an like singing, lamenting, and monastic chanting. It will not pass beyond their throats; their hearts are perverted and the hearts of those who admire their manner.”

It is related from Abu’l-Hasan, peace be upon him, that when mention was made of voice in his presence, he said: “’Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon them both, would recite, and one passing by would fall unconscious from the beauty of his voice. And if the Imam were to reveal anything of that, the people could not bear its beauty.” I asked: “Did not the Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, lead the people in prayer and raise his voice in reciting the Qur’an?” He replied: “The Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, would only burden the people with what they could bear of his character.”

And from Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, who said: “Verily God, the Mighty and Glorious, revealed to Moses son of Imran, peace be upon him: ʿWhen thou standest before Me, stand as one who is humble and poor, and when thou recitest the Torah, let Me hear it with a sorrowful voice.”’

And from him, peace be upon him, who said that the Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, said:

“My community has not been given less than three things: beauty, a beautiful voice, and memory.”

And from him, peace be upon him, who said that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said:

“Among the most beautiful of beauties for a person are beautiful hair and the gift of a beautiful voice.”

And from him, peace be upon him, who said that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said:

“Everything has an ornament, and the ornament of the Qur’an is a beautiful voice.”

And from him, peace be upon him, who said:

“God, the Mighty and Glorious, never sent a prophet except that he had a beautiful voice.”

And from him, peace be upon him, who said:

“’Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon them both, had the most beautiful voice of all people in reciting the Qur’an, and the water-carriers would pass by and stop at his door to listen to his recitation.”

From Muhammad ibn al-Fadl who said that [Abu Abdullah], peace be upon him, said:

“It is disliked to recite Say: He is God, the One’ in a single breath.”

And from Abu Basir who said: “I said to Abu Ja’far, peace be upon him, When I recite the Qur’an and raise my voice with it, Satan comes to me.’ He said: Do you think I would destroy people with this? O Abu Muhammad, recite in a manner between the two manners of recitation. Let your household hear you, and modulate your voice with the Qur’an, for verily God, the Mighty and Glorious, loves the beautiful voice when it is modulated with proper modulation.”’

In al-Faqih it is recorded that a man asked Ali ibn al-Hussein (peace be upon them both) about buying a slave girl who had a beautiful voice. He replied:

“What harm is there if you buy her and she reminds you of Paradise through her recitation of the Qur’an, asceticism, and virtues which are not singing?”

As for singing, it is forbidden.

And from Ali ibn Ja’far, from his brother (peace be upon him), he said: “I asked him about singing, whether it is permissible during the festivals of Fitr and Adha and times of joy?” He replied: “There is no harm in it as long as it does not lead to disobedience.”

There is no doubt that this type of voice is praiseworthy and beloved in the sight of the Holy Lawgiver. Rather, it is incumbent upon the servant to observe this beautiful melody in all stations of reciting the Book of God, prayers, and words describing the tribulations of the Holy Family (peace be upon them), but in such a way that it does not exceed natural moderation, as God has indicated regarding prayer:

“Neither speak thy prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between.”

[Q17:110]

There is no doubt that the mere mention of His Holiness the Praiseworthy One and the Mirror of the Beauty of the Worshipped One, His Holiness Aba Abdullah Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) is itself prayer. Indeed, the reality of prayer is nothing but the servant’s remembrance of God through His manifest appearances in the kingdom of command and creation. The criterion for voice that is beloved by God and His chosen ones, and reminiscent of the breezes of primal eternity, is a voice that maintains moderation, such that upon hearing it, it erases from around the heart of the servant all remembrance save that of God, and brings the servant to the sacred threshold of nearness and intimacy with the manifestations and revelations of the Worshipped One, exalted be His remembrance.

This type of voice is praiseworthy, and it is the beautiful voice with which the Suns of Grandeur and Glory would recite the Book of God. Any who remembers true remembrance while maintaining vocal moderation is praiseworthy and beloved by those of understanding, especially when mentioning the tribulations of the Prince of Martyrs (peace be upon him), for the mention of him is itself the Word of Unity and the Reality of Sanctification. Whoever turns away from the voice that remembers that Greatest Tree and Mighty News is instantly a polytheist, gathered under the blessed verse “When it is said unto them: There is no god save God, they are scornful,” [Q37:35] and tormented by the fire of remoteness.

For truly, the reality of mentioning that Holy One is identical to mentioning the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and the reality of mentioning him is identical to mentioning God, which is the first station of remembrance in contingent existence. For the Pure Primal Essence, exalted be His remembrance, any mention is forbidden, and He is more glorious and greater than to be mentioned by His creation. Rather, creation is mentioned through His origination, as the Prince of Believers (peace be upon him) indicated in his unique sermon regarding the blocking of the way to His mention, where he said: “If you say from what is He?’ then He is separate from all things, so He is He; and if you say He is He,’ the letters Ha’ and Waw’ in these words are but attributes indicating Him, not attributes revealing Him.

And if thou sayest He has limits, the limits belong to other than Him. And if thou sayest the air is His relation, the air is but His creation. One returns from attribute to attribute, while the heart remains blind to understanding, understanding to perception, and perception to deduction. The kingdom remains in the kingdom, the created returns to its like, seeking drives it to its form, investigation leads to impotence, expression to loss, effort to despair, and attainment to severance. The path is blocked and the quest rejected. His proof lies in His signs and His existence in His affirmation.

And after this, there is no mention possible in creation that can be attributed to God except the mention of the Manifestations of His power, and no true rememberer can be conceived except one who remembers Their mention, who in the realm of action and appearances of Lordship proves the revelations of Their stations. Although the mention of all save Muhammad and His successors and Fatima (God’s blessings be upon them) is absolute nothingness before Them—nay, if they are mentioned, it is less than the mention of an ant in relation to the oneness of the Most Holy Essence—yet through divine grace, He has accepted the mention of servants in remembering Their tribulations. For Their manifestations of Lordship, which stem from the essence of Their servitude, are beyond the comprehension of hearts and minds.

Therefore, it is not befitting for anyone to mention the prohibition and prevention of raising voices in certain stations, for the root of prohibition of [certain] sounds, as appears from traditions, is due to their vain aspects which the people of wickedness and error employ. Otherwise, when it does not lead to disobedience and does not emerge from the tree of self, no prohibition exists in religious law, as evidenced by the tradition permitting it on the days of Fitr and Adha and days of joy, provided it does not lead to transgression. This specifies the absolute traditions that have emerged from the Household of Infallibility regarding prohibition. The true measure of permissibility and prohibition in singing is distinguishing the tone of wickedness from the people of manifestation.

As soon as people of understanding and fairness in custom say this voice is not a tone of wickedness, its permissibility is established, even though Akhund Mulla Muhsin Fayd (may God forgive what his knowledge encompassed therein) based the measure of prohibition of singing on disobedience, not considering singing itself inherently prohibited, clinging to the outward meaning of the traditions mentioned. But the true reality in explaining this matter is as was mentioned: whenever one raises their voice from the aspect of their innate lordship, it is praiseworthy before God and the people of discernment, and whenever one raises their voice from the aspect of their own self-nature, it is singing and forbidden, as all the verses and traditions mentioned indicate this ruling.

And what some scholars have mentioned regarding the ruling on singing, and in the name of religious precaution prevent the remembrance of the rememberer mentioning the Household of Grandeur and Majesty, is far from the true ruling and intermixed with aspects of ego. Rather, as regards sound there are two rulings manifest. First is that which is forbidden, the prohibition of which was revealed in the Book, as He, exalted be His mention, hath said: “The most repugnant of voices is the braying of the ass.” [Q31:19] And He hath referred to such people in another place: “They are like cattle, nay, more misguided.” [Q25:44] This sound is the melody of the people of fire and the characteristics of the stations of the wicked, which speaks to their nature. Even if such people recite the Book of God and make mention of the Lord and His chosen ones, yet those endowed with spiritual insight from among the detached ones and people of truth observe that it is the sound of the denizens of hell, like the melodies of the people of Hijaz who oppose the truth of the religion of Islam. Though they recite with eloquent voice and wondrous melody, the ruling concerning their nature applies to them.

Second is that which is obligatory, and it is the sound upon which the melody of the Book of God was revealed, and the people of love and detachment recite verses and prayers, and make mention of the tribulations of the Suns of Grandeur and Glory in the station of raising their voices with the most beautiful melody and utmost humility and submissiveness. And this aspect, since its appearance is from the manifestation of the sign of unity, is beloved in the sight of God and His chosen ones. This is the sound that was commanded in the words of the Suns of Grandeur and Glory, and it is reminiscent of the degrees of paradise and the moving winds from beyond the morn of eternity that waft upon the temples of unity, drawing the servant to stations that the Lord of the world hath ordained for him, [provided it does not lead to swooning, as is related from Jabir from Abu Ja’far, peace be upon him, who said: “I said that when some people mention something from the Qur’an or discuss it, one of them swoons to such an extent that if his hands and feet were cut off he would not notice it.” He replied: “Glory be to God! That is from Satan. They were not characterized thus. Rather it is gentleness and tenderness and tears and awe.”]

Besides these two forms, there are other forms of the reprehensible and the recommended that are manifest and available in the stations of most people. However, the ruling returns to that same point [of light] whose ruling was mentioned in the depths of these allusions, whereby the recommended lies in the shadow of the aspect of Lordship and the reprehensible in the shadow of the aspect of nature. And apart from mentioning tribulations and stations prescribed in the Law, raising the voice is forbidden. Indeed, the sign of a believer is that in all conditions he should speak with the most humble voice and most submissive state, as the Imam, peace be upon him, said concerning the signs of the believing monotheist, from Mihzam al-Asadi who said:

“Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, said: O Mihzam! Our followers are those whose voice does not exceed their hearing, nor their rancor their hands, nor do they openly praise us, nor sit with those who find fault with us, nor dispute with those who oppose us. If they meet a believer they honor him, and if they meet an ignorant one they avoid him.’ I said: May I be sacrificed for you! What should I do about these who claim to be Shi’ih?’ He said: Among them is discrimination and among them is alteration, and among them is refinement. Years will come upon them with their banishment, and plague shall slay them, and discord shall scatter them. Our followers are those who neither bark like dogs nor covet like ravens, nor do they beg from our enemies even if they die of hunger.’ I said, May I be sacrificed for you, where shall I seek these people?’ He replied, In the ends of the earth.

These are they whose lives are humble and whose dwellings are few. If they are present they are not recognized, and if they are absent they are not missed. They do not fear death, and in their graves they visit one another. If a needy one takes refuge with them, they show mercy to him. Their hearts are not divided even though their homes may be far apart.’ Then he said, ʿThe Messenger of God, peace be upon Him and His family, said: I am the City and Ali is its Gate. He who claims to enter the City except through the Gate is a liar, and he who claims to love me while hating Ali, peace be upon him, is a liar.”’

And mention of these matters has no end, therefore this brief answer will suffice. It is hoped, through the grace of the All-Bestowing Lord, that this will be impressed upon the mirror of your enlightened heart as intended, so that after mentioning the tribulations of the Manifestations of Divine Unity and the signs of sanctification, you may remember the writer of these words before God and His loved ones, that the reward of their remembrance may be recorded a thousandfold in the Preserved Tablet for their sake, as stated in the tradition of the Imam Kazim, peace be upon him. And may this prove a trade that shall never fail, so that in no state shall the remembrance of the tribulations of the immaculate Household, God’s peace be upon them, be erased from your thoughts.

Sufficient is it for his glory that God, the Most Great, hath spoken concerning those who know Him [in meaning]:

“Whosoever weepeth for Me, I shall be his reward. By Him Who holdeth my soul in His hands, the recompense of this decree is not equaled by anything in the heavens and the earth. This is God’s grace which He bestoweth upon whomsoever He willeth, for God is the Lord of infinite bounty.”

Glory be to God, the Lord of the Throne, above what they attribute to Him, and peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.