And when the soul [1] is joined [2] with its mate [3].

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. And may Allah bless our master and lord Muhammad, his family, and his companions, and grant them abundant peace. Praise be to Allah, who illuminates the insights of His saints ¹, purifies the innermost secrets of His chosen ones, revives the hearts of the pious with the lights of His knowledge, and gives speech to the tongues of the wise with the wonders of His wisdom. And the most complete and perfect blessings and peace be upon our master and lord Muhammad, the light of existence, the very essence of the manifestations of generosity and munificence, the pole ² of the circle of the universe, and the succor of creation, both those who came later and those who came earlier. May Allah bless him and his noble family and his distinguished companions. To proceed: I have perused many passages of this comprehensive composition, a subject that guarantees all good, authored by our master the Imam, the knower ³ who has attained ⁴, the valiant, the unique of the age, the imam of imams, the pole of mankind and of time, the most excellent of the community, my master Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad al-Mu'ti ibn al-Shaykh al-Wali al-Salih, Abu 'Abd Allah Sayyidi Muhammad Salih—may Allah perpetuate his blessing and extend the dominion of his gnosis with the flood of divine knowledge. I found it to have emerged from a heart filled with wisdom and light; its author draws from an abundant sea, kindles from a radiant light, derives from the experience of union and witnessing ⁵, and benefits from the very source of excellence ⁶ the abundant gifts of generosity and munificence. How subtle his allusions, how beautiful his expressions! The fragrance of musk emanates from those words, the ears of memorizers are adorned with their jewels, and the spirits of gnosis breathe life into the dead heart, drawing it near to the sources of witnessing and direct vision. They have amazed the earlier and later generations, and dazzled the minds of the most profound intellectuals. They are nothing but a manifest sign, a conclusive proof, a clear victory, a manifest light, guidance and mercy, and a fountain of knowledge and wisdom. How worthy is its author of what has been said: * What can the describers say of him? ❖ His attributes are beyond enumeration. * He is a conclusive proof for Allah, ❖ He is, between us, the marvel of the age. * He is a manifest goal among people, ❖ Whose lights have surpassed the dawn. And I have said in some verses: * O our master, succor of mankind, who has risen ❖ Through love of Allah's Messenger, the most noble intercessor, * They marveled that you came among us later, ❖ While your rank is precedence without dispute. * No wonder, for the downpour is the final rain, ❖ And the odd-numbered ⁷ has concluded the even-numbered rak'ahs ⁸ of the one bowing. * By Him who granted you light and wisdom, ❖ By which the horizons shine from every distant place, * You are indeed the youth given every precious thing, ❖ When the covetous one clings to the attainment of ambitions. May Allah perpetuate the blessing of this noble shaykh upon the Muslims, make him a mercy for the believers, and benefit people through him and his sciences. Said and written by 'Abd Allah—glory be to Him, the Exalted—'Umar ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar al-Fasi. May Allah be his protector and gracious to him. In the beginning of Jumada al-Ula of the year 1176. End of his handwriting—may Allah perpetuate his benefit to all Muslims. ¹ In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. And may Allah bless our master and lord Muhammad, his family, and his companions, and grant them abundant peace. Praise be to Allah, who illuminated the insights of His saints with the lights of witnessing and direct vision, crowned the elite of His chosen ones with the crown of His care, seated them upon the thrones of proximity and nearness, removed from their hearts the veils of ignorance, made their tongues speak with the jewels of tawhid ⁹ and the sciences of the Furqan ¹⁰, perfumed the carpet of His kingdom and dominion with the precious breaths of their spirits, revived through them the vestiges of religion, renewed through their love in the hearts of His servants Islam and faith, made them keys to the treasures of His unseen, informed them of the hidden secrets of consciences and the gifts of the treasuries of their Lord, the Sovereign, the Judge, diffused the moons of Muhammadan love in the essence of their innermost beings, burned their hearts with the fires of yearning, ecstasy, and passionate love, brought them near to Him with a special proximity, protected their states through His support from the accidents of negation and deficiency, granted them the subtle sciences of His divine knowledge ¹¹, and acquainted them with the secrets of His Book, which challenges with inimitability, eloquence, and the sciences of exposition. And blessings and peace be upon our master and lord Muhammad, the fragrance of all beings, the lamp of the worlds, and upon his family, the nobles of the sons of Ma'd and 'Adnan, and his companions, who are informed of the meanings of exegesis and the wondrous sciences of the Qur'an. This being said, when I had finished planting the arranged trees of love and acquiring their Muhammadan ² and Ahmadi fruits, my pen flowed in that meaning to this mentioned verse in Surat al-Nur, which includes the three excused persons ¹² observed with the eye of divine care in absence and presence, those from whom Allah removed hardship and constriction and admitted upon them the breezes of contentment and good pleasure, and the glad tidings of joy and happiness. It is: {There is no blame upon the blind, nor any blame upon the lame, nor any blame upon the sick, nor upon yourselves...} ¹³ And I paused at what al-Sayyid al-Wartajabi ¹⁴ had in it of superior Sufi interpretations and elegant divinely-bestowed derivations, and what others had in the commentary of that sura of lofty and sublime meanings and abundant jurisprudential sciences. I plunged with the eye of my thought into the sea of its meanings, with its crashing waves and vast depths, and the roots of its elegant expressions, clear proofs and arguments. I extracted from the pearls of its expressions the subtle sciences of knowledge and gnosis, and plucked from the blossoms of its gardens the sciences of realities and the subtleties of divine favors. Thus the field and arena expanded for me, and the daughters of thought assisted me in diversifying its meanings and the wisdoms of its beautiful benefits. By the praise of Allah, I produced in that the wondrous marvel, and spoke with speech in which prolixity and amplification were sweet to me. I diversified in it the subtleties of sciences and allusions, and varied in it the intricacies of meanings and expressions. I derived from it lofty sources and beautiful interpretations that suit the states of the three excused persons, for whom the garden of knowledge and gnosis became a possession and inheritance. So the singing and night-traveling on its path were pleasant to me, and the composing of its jewels in verse and prose was sweet. The light of victory and the witnesses of relief aided me in unveiling its symbols. That impelled me to begin the sura from its beginning, desiring to attain its entire merit and to benefit from the blessing of its general and particular aspects. In that, I brought the words of some of the great imams, the brilliant scholars ³ knowledgeable in the sciences of the rational and transmitted, who combine between the Shari'a and the Haqiqa ¹⁵, jurisprudence and principles. So I say—and from Allah I hope to achieve the goal and attain the request—interpretations of Furqanic suras, derivations of Qur'anic verses, jewels of Rahmanic ¹⁶ descents, precious sciences of gnosis, and gifts of solitarian wisdoms, stirred by the motives of passionate yearnings, aroused by the ecstatic utterances of divine attractions, the breezes of lordly love, the flashes of beneficent self-disclosures, and the shock of holy states, blowing from the carpet of luminous presences and the stations of Mustafawian ¹⁷ and Ridwanian ¹⁸ favors: {Allah—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. He has sent down upon you the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He sent down the Torah and the Gospel before, as guidance for the people, and He sent down the Furqan.} ¹⁹

Muhammad is the best of Allah's creation, whose virtue is attested to by the messengers, the prophets, and the books. He brought a clear book that dispelled the darkness of polytheism and removed doubts. By our vision of him, when his gifts were abundant, he spoke of the sea—O this one, no wonder! He is the eloquent speaker of the letter Ḍād ²⁰, the narrator of truth from words whose eloquence is followed by rhymed prose and sermons. O master who attained a station with Allah and a rank below which other ranks are elevated! Upon you be the purest blessings from God, whenever you are mentioned and the people understand or rejoice. Know that this noble sura, of great and magnificent status, has 5,680 letters, 1,316 words, and 64 verses. It is narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka'b, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever recites Surat al-Nur will be given ten good deeds for every believing man and woman in the past and the future." 'A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "Do not put women in upper rooms, nor teach them writing, but teach them Surat al-Nur and spinning." His saying, exalted be He: {A sura which We have sent down} ²¹ — the common reading is with raf' ²², meaning "This is a sura," because the Arabs do not begin with an indefinite noun, as al-Khalil said. Al-Akhfash said: "Sura" is the subject, and its predicate is in "We have sent down." Talha read it with nasb ²³, meaning "We sent down a sura," with the pronoun being an extra connector, or they followed {and We have ordained it} ²⁴, meaning "We made obligatory what is in it of rulings." Al-Hasan, Mujahid, Ibn Kathir, 'Amir, Abu 'Amr read "and We have ordained it" with tashdid ²⁵, meaning "We detailed and clarified it." It is also said it is from al-fard ²⁶, and the tashdid indicates multiplicity, i.e., "We made it various obligations and made it obligatory upon you and those after you until the Day of Resurrection." The confirmation of the lightened reading is His saying, exalted be He: {Indeed, He who ordained the Qur'an upon you} ²⁷. His saying: {The fornicatress and the fornicator} ²⁸ — when they are free, adult, virgin, and not muhsan ²⁹, {then flog} ³⁰ each one of them one hundred lashes. {And let not compassion} ³¹ i.e., mercy and tenderness, overtake you concerning them. Al-Akhfash said: "Mercy with pain." It has three pronunciations: ra'fa with silent hamza, and it may be lightened, which is the common reading; ra'afa with open hamza; and ri'afa with hamza and elongation like kitaba, both being the reading of the people of Mecca, like nash'a and nisha'. It is said: "Let not compassion overtake you concerning them so that you cut off the prescribed punishments and not establish them." 'Imran said: I said to Abu Mihraz: "By Allah, we pity them when a man is flogged and his hand is cut off." He said: "That is only for the ruler when they are brought before him; he should not leave them out of mercy for them until he establishes the prescribed punishment upon them." This was said by Mujahid, 'Ikrima, 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, al-Nakha'i, al-Sha'bi, Ibn Zayd, and Sulayman ibn Yasar. What the verse indicates is that Allah commanded flogging so that it does not cut or reach the flesh. Ibn 'Umar flogged a slave-girl of his and said to the flogger: "Her back, legs, and lower part, and be gentle." I said: "What about His saying: {And let not compassion overtake you concerning them}?" He said: "Should I kill her? Allah commanded me to flog her and discipline her, not to kill her." Others said: "Rather, its meaning is: Let not compassion overtake you concerning them so that you lighten the beating until it does not hurt; rather, inflict painful blows." Ibn al-Musayyab and al-Hasan said this to him. Al-Zuhri said: "One should exert effort in the prescribed punishment for fornication and slander, and be lenient in the punishment for drinking." Qatada said: "Be lenient in drinking and slander, and exert effort in fornication." Hammad said: "The slanderer and the drinker are punished while wearing their clothes, but the fornicator's clothes are removed," and he recited: {And let not compassion overtake you concerning them}. And His saying: {in the religion of Allah} ³² i.e., in the judgment of Allah, similar to {in the religion of the king} ³³ and His saying: {that he may take his brother in the religion of the king} ³⁴. {And let witness} ³⁵ i.e., let a group of the believers attend their punishment, meaning when you establish the prescribed punishment upon them. Al-Nakha'i and Mujahid said: "The minimum is one man or more," and they argued with His saying: {And if two groups of believers fight} ³⁶ the verse. 'Ata' and 'Ikrima said: "Two or more." Al-Zuhri said: "Three or more." Ibn Zayd said: "Four after the witnesses of fornication." Qatada said: "A group of Muslims." Abu Barza al-Aslami ordered a slave-girl of his who had committed fornication and given birth: he threw a garment over her and ordered his son to flog her fifty blows without severity, and he called a group, then recited: {And let a group of the believers witness their punishment}. Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Establishing a prescribed punishment in a land is better for its people than rain for forty nights." Hudhayfa, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "O people, beware of fornication, for it has six consequences: three in this world and three in the Hereafter. As for those in this world: it removes beauty, brings poverty, and shortens life. As for those in the Hereafter: it incurs wrath, a bad reckoning, and eternal punishment in the Fire." Anas said: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The deeds of my community are presented to me twice every Friday, and I see the anger of Allah upon the fornicators." Wahb ibn Munabbih, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "It is written in the Torah: 'The fornicator does not die until he becomes poor, and the pimp does not die until he becomes blind.'" End of the words of al-Tha'labi, may Allah be pleased with him. I said in the interpretation of this place by way of allusion ³⁷: {A sura which We have sent down} to {that you may remember} ³⁸, i.e., a sura We have sent down from the sciences of Our revelation and the heaven of Our unseen, and We have ordained it upon you, O masters of divine realities and eternal states and manifest unveilings ³⁹, and We have sent down in it clear signs indicating the establishment of Our limits and the clarification of the rulings of Our law, so that your luminous hearts may be reassured and your spiritual souls may find rest, for you are intoxicated with the wine of divine love, bewildered by the witnessing of the beauty of the holy Essence, ascending in the stages of progression and expansion, and the pleasure of nearness, intimacy, and delight, and you do not distinguish between the night of union and the day of proximity, {that you may remember} i.e., take admonition and remember what you covenanted with Me when I clothed you with the garment of My beloved ones in pre-eternity, seated you on the carpet, spread for you from the coverings of closeness and nearness the finest garments and the noblest carpets, opened for you the doors of pleasure and contentment, made you hear My general address to act according to its requirement with determination and caution, removed the intermediaries between Me and you, honored you over all other kinds, species, and groups, and alerted you with these verses so that you might acknowledge to Him what you affirmed on the day of "Am I not your Lord?" ⁴⁰ when your souls answered the call, so the judgment was established and the connection occurred, and I commanded you to return to your known station and the carpet of your hidden secret, so that you may read what is inscribed on the tablet of your destined unseen and the fold of your preserved secret.

Your sealed book, of what I have imposed upon you from my irrevocable command and my understood decree, because I have made you beacons of my guidance and lamps of my sainthood, guiding my servants to me, directing them to me, and disciplining those who depart from the sphere of my rule with the disciplines of my legal commands and the deterrents of my overwhelming admonitions. His saying, exalted is He: "The adulteress and the adulterer" ⁴¹ — He meant thereby the disciples who departed from the disciplines of servitude during the time of spiritual training and education, and who opposed the observed sayings of their masters and transgressed the limits of their legal rulings. "Flog each one of them with a hundred lashes" ⁴² — with the whip of fear and deterrence, and the tongue of admonition and compulsion, because this occurred from them during the time of childhood, before they reached the age of maturity and elderhood, and their departure from the circle of the masters of established states, the chain of the great ecstatics who are subject to change, and the creed of the solitary individuals who are cut off in the seclusions of intimacy for the worship of their Lord, the diligent, and the obedience of the trustworthy stewards who dispose in the gardens of the kingdom and the dominion, ruling by what God has revealed in His manifest book. "And let not pity for them seize you in the religion of God" ⁴³ — because they divulged what God commanded them to conceal of His secret from the ignorant, foolish, heedless ones, and to protect it from the rabble, the wrongdoers, those who are drowning in the sea of their desires, those who fabricate lies against God. As he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Do not give wisdom to other than its people, lest you wrong it, and do not withhold it from its people, lest you wrong them" ⁴⁴ — or as he said: "If you believe in God and the Last Day" ⁴⁵ — because God protected His most sacred sanctuary from the claims of the falsifiers, and His most exalted secret from the pursuit of those expelled from His presence, the banished, and He set between them and Him a wall that the eyes of the wretched, deprived, and hateful ones cannot perceive, nor do the ambitions of the idle, engrossed ones transcend it. "And let a group of the believers witness their punishment" ⁴⁶ — those whom God has guided to His most right path and most felicitous way, and made them know the truth of lordship, and disciplined them with the disciplines of servitude, and made them witness the stations of the secret and special intimacy, and showed them the brilliance of omnipotence and the awe of majesty, and commanded and forbade them, and let down over them the veil of belovedness, and granted them His innate knowledge, so that they might uphold His legal rulings and act according to the requirements of His praiseworthy Sunnah. Al-Wartajabi ⁴⁷, may God have mercy on him, said in the interpretation of this place concerning this meaning: His saying, exalted is He: "A sura that We have sent down" ⁴⁸ to "clear proofs" ⁴⁹ — meaning: God sent down the Quran from the heaven of pre-eternity upon the master of the people of generosity, and made it a lamp that He lit from the lights of the Essence in the niche of the verses, for the people of insight into reality and the guides of the path, so that they might illuminate with its lights the ways of knowledge and the paths of unveilings, and He made obligatory what is in it of the rulings of servitude upon the servants, and He sent down in this sura verses indicating the secrets of holiness and the lights of transcendence, "clear proofs" — evident to those of understanding among the knowers and the people of discernment among the certain, so that the disciples might be admonished by its admonitions, the knowers might derive its lights, and the unitarians might drink its realities. Sahl said: We have gathered and made clear its lawful and unlawful. And some said: If there were nothing in this sura except the exoneration of the truthful one, the daughter of the truthful one, the beloved of the Beloved of God, it would be much; how then, when it has gathered rulings and proofs that no other has gathered. "And let not pity for them seize you" to the end — meaning: If you witness My greatness and majesty, then do not dissimulate in My religion, and be in accordance with My command wherever it is found by My compulsion, and do not be lenient with them regarding any of My limits. Some said: If you are among the people of My love and companionship, then oppose those who oppose My command and commit My prohibition; for one who endures the opposition of his beloved is not a lover. Al-Junayd said: Compassion for the disobedient is like turning away from the obedient. Al-Wasiti said: For the believer, in every moment there is a step; the one who is admonished gains benefit, and the one who is heedless is veiled and fails. "And let a group of the believers witness their punishment" — as a deterrent to their commanding souls, so that they may be admonished by seeing God's punishment and be deterred from disobeying God, and know God by cutting off the causes of creation from the majesty of reality; for servitude is the rights of lordship. Abu Bakr ibn Tahir said: None witness the places of discipline except those who do not deserve discipline, and they are a group of the believers, not all believers. End quote. His saying, exalted is He: "The adulterer shall not marry except an adulteress or a polytheist woman" ⁵⁰ to "the believers" ⁵¹. Imam al-Tha'labi, may God have mercy on him, said: When the emigrants came to Medina, among them were those who had no wealth or family, and in Medina there were prostitute women who fornicated openly and rented themselves out in the most fertile part of Medina. So people among the poor Muslims desired their beauty to live with them, and they asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, for permission to marry them, and then this verse was revealed, and He prohibited marrying the adulteress to protect the believers. And God, exalted is He, informed that the adulteress is married only by an adulterer or a polytheist, because they are adulteresses and polytheists, even if the apparent meaning of the verse is a report whose metaphorical sense is that it ought to be so, like His saying: "And whoever does that shall incur sin" ⁵² and His saying: "Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing" ⁵³ — meaning it ought to be so. This was said by Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Ata ibn Abi Rabah, Qatada, al-Zuhri, al-Qasim ibn Abi Bazzah, al-Sha'bi, and Abu Hamza al-Thumali. And Ikrimah said: It was revealed concerning prostitute women who were attached to Mecca and Medina, and they were many, among them nine women with banners like those of the veterinarians by which they were known, and their houses were called in the Jahiliyya...

As for the *mawākhir* (prostitutes), none enters upon them except a fornicator from among the people of the *qiblah* (the Muslims) or a polytheist. In the *Jāhiliyyah* (pre-Islamic period of ignorance), a man would marry a fornicating woman to make her a means of livelihood. Some Muslims desired to do likewise, so a man among the Muslims sought permission from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to marry Umm Mahzūl, who stipulated that she would spend on him. Then the verse was revealed, and the Muslims were forbidden from that, and it was made unlawful for them. ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb said: It was revealed concerning Abū Marthad al-Ghanawī, who was a strong man called Daldal. He would come to Mecca and carry the weak Muslims to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). ‘Ināq was his friend in the *Jāhiliyyah*, and she invited him to herself in Mecca. He said: “Indeed, Allah the Exalted has forbidden fornication.” She said: “Then marry me.” He said: “Until I ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about that.” So he asked him, and the verse was revealed. It is said that by *nikāh* (marriage) here is meant *jimā‘* (sexual intercourse): that the fornicator does not fornicate except with a fornicator or a polytheist woman, and the fornicating woman is not fornicated with except by a fornicator or a polytheist. This was said by Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr, al-Ḍaḥḥāk, ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd, and Ibn ‘Abbās. Yazīd ibn Hārūn said: In my view, if he has intercourse with her while considering it lawful, he is a polytheist; if he has intercourse with her while considering it forbidden, he is a fornicator. It is said: This was the ruling of Allah the Exalted concerning every fornicator and fornicating woman until it was abrogated by what follows it: {And marry the unmarried among you} [Qur’an 24:32], which permitted the marriage of every Muslim man and Muslim woman. Ibn al-Musayyib said: He said: So the fornicating woman entered among the unmarried Muslim women. Al-Ḥasan said: Its meaning is that the one who has been flogged should not marry except one who has been flogged. His statement, the Exalted: {And those who accuse chaste women} [Qur’an 24:4], i.e., those who slander with fornication Muslim free chaste women. {Then do not bring four witnesses, flog them eighty lashes, and do not accept their testimony ever, and those are the wicked—except those who repent} [Qur’an 24:4-5]. It is said: This is an exception from His statement: {And do not accept their testimony ever}. So when the slanderer repents, his testimony is accepted, the name of wickedness is removed from him, and his legal authority is restored, whether the *ḥadd* (prescribed punishment) has been carried out or not. This was said by al-Sha‘bī, Masrūq, Sulaymān ibn Yasār, Ibn Jubayr, and ‘Aṭā’, and it is the view of the people of the *Ḥijāz*, al-Shāfi‘ī, and his companions. The manner of repentance is to recant his statement and declare himself a liar. It is also said: It is regret for what has passed, seeking forgiveness for it, and refraining from returning to it for the remainder. When the *ḥadd* is carried out upon him or the accused forgives him, the *ḥadd* is dropped because it is a right of the accused, like *qiṣāṣ* (retaliation) and injuries. So if he is forgiven and not prosecuted for the *ḥadd*, and he repents and reforms his deeds, his testimony is accepted and his legal authority is restored, because ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) flogged those who testified against al-Mughīrah ibn Shu‘bah—namely Abū Bakrah, Shibl ibn Ma‘bad, and Nāfi‘ ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Kaladah—and imposed the *ḥadd* on them. Then he said: Whoever declares himself a liar, I will accept his testimony in the future; whoever does not, I will not accept his testimony. So Shibl and Nāfi‘ declared themselves liars, but Abū Bakrah refused to do so, and his testimony was not accepted. ‘Imrān ibn Mūsā said: I witnessed ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz accept the testimony of a slanderer along with another man. It is said that the exception refers to His statement: {And those are the wicked}. As for His statement: {And do not accept their testimony ever}, it is connected with “ever,” so it is never accepted. This was said by al-Nakha‘ī, Shurayḥ, Ibn ‘Abbās, Abū Ḥanīfah, and his companions. Al-Sha‘bī said: Shurayḥ accepted the testimony of a witness whose hand and foot had been cut off by Ziyād for banditry, then he repented and reformed his deeds. The one against whom he testified said: “Do you accept his testimony against me when he is mutilated?” Shurayḥ said: Every person subject to a *ḥadd*—when the *ḥadd* is carried out on him, then he repents and reforms—his testimony is permissible, except the slanderer, for it is a decree from Allah the Exalted that his testimony is not accepted. His repentance is only between him and his Lord. End. I have said concerning that, by way of allusion: {The fornicator does not marry except a fornicator or a polytheist woman} [Qur’an 24:3]—meaning by “the fornicator” the one who intends and persists in a manner contrary to his proper form, who continues in his evil earning and ugly deed; he does not marry except a fornicator or a polytheist woman who shares in his abandonment, error, and ignorance. {And the fornicating woman—none marries her except a fornicator or a polytheist}—they agree with him in the deficiency of his religion and the foolishness of his intellect. So opposites have diverged, bodies have agreed, judgments have been concluded, and the intended meaning has become manifest. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is the wicked one in belief, who deviates from the path of goodness and right guidance; he does not marry except a fornicator or a polytheist woman who has adopted the character of the people of error, corruption, injustice, denial, and obstinacy. She has uncovered her face by lifting modesty, torn the veil of concealment, and relied on the conscience of virtue, turning away, and distance. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” here is the eye that scouts the armies of desires and the troops of pleasures in their issuing forth and return; and “the fornicating woman” is the soul that commands to evil, which casts one into the seas of ruin, worries, griefs, and afflictions. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is the one who intends and has departed from the circle of the *aqṭāb* (spiritual poles) and *awtād* (spiritual pegs), the conduct of the ascetics and worshippers, and the stations of the *ajrās* (bells), *abdāl* (substitutes), and *afrād* (solitary ones), and has busied himself with wasting rights, duties, and litanies, and inclining toward rest, excessive eating, drinking, and sleeping, and has filled his times with what blackens his face on the day when secrets are tested and witnesses stand. And “the fornicating woman” is like him. {And that is forbidden to the believers} [Qur’an 24:3]—those who have embarked on the path of seriousness and exertion, who have anointed their eyes with the collyrium of sleeplessness and wakefulness, and busied themselves with the worship of their Master, the One, the Unique, the Single, the Eternal, who is exalted above peers, likenesses, and rivals. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is one who violates the sanctities of Allah and exposes himself to the wrath of Allah. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is one who transgresses the limits of Allah and dares to commit what Allah has forbidden. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is one whose limbs commit fornication and who does not restrain himself from disobeying Allah. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is one who casts the Book of Allah behind his back and does not act according to what Allah has commanded. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is one who drinks the wine of this world and does not awaken from his intoxication until Allah takes his soul. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is one who is self-admired and acts arrogantly toward the servants of Allah. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is one who pretends to have what he has not been given and does not think well of Allah. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is one who follows his soul in its desires and does not fear Allah in his movements and stillness. Or you may say: What is meant by “the fornicator” is one who busies himself with amusement and play, wishes for vain hopes from Allah, and does not send forth good deeds before him.

Among the righteous deeds are those that bring him joy in his life and after his death. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who preaches to people while being engrossed in his passions, drowned in the sea of his pleasures. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who has not repented, forgotten what he did, and meets God with the majority of his sins and misdeeds. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one whose pages are blackened by the smoke of his disobedience, and he does not erase them with the light of his righteous deed and good works. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who is given respite in his term, so he feels secure from God's scheme ⁵⁴, and does not fear His punishments. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who sleeps in the arenas of amusement, and does not awaken from his heedlessness. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one whose sins disgust him from reaching the stations of those who act by God's Book and His Sunnah, striving for His pleasure. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who is flogged one hundred lashes, and stoned with stones of distance and expulsion, and does not repent from his sins and great slips. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who is flogged one hundred lashes and reaches in age their measure, and does not remember the day of his arrival at his grave, the questioning by the two angels ⁵⁵, the pressure of the grave, and its many terrors and regrets. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who acts with the deeds of the wretched, and does not know whether he will receive his book in his right hand or his left, and does not weep over himself with tears of regret, and does not enliven the depths of the night with his supplication, moaning, and sighs. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who does not consider lawful the people of claims and debts, and does not make up what he has missed of his prayers. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who does not examine himself and his states, and does not restrain his tongue from foul speech and its tens. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who does not weigh his deeds by the scale of the Law, and does not lower his gaze from God's prohibitions, and does not magnify any of His sanctities. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who is ignorant of God's rights, and is ignorant of his ignorance of them and despairs, and does not remember God's pardon and mercies. Or you may say: the intended meaning of 'the adulterer' is one who commits adultery with himself, his eye, and his heart, and abandons what he covenanted with God, and the crossing over the bridge of the Path ⁵⁶ and its obstacles does not frighten him. O master of sins, standing at Your door, In fear of what You know about him. He fears sins whose hiddenness is not hidden from You, And hopes in You regarding them, so he is hoping and fearing. And who is there to be hoped besides You and feared, And You have no opponent in the bounty of decree. So O my Master, do not disgrace me in my scroll, When the scrolls are unfolded on the Day of Reckoning. And be my companion in the darkness of the grave when Those with affection turn away and close friends abandon. If Your vast pardon, which I hope for my excess, becomes narrow for me, Then I am surely lost. His saying, exalted: {And those who accuse chaste women} ⁵⁷ Meaning: those veiled in the curtains of honor and modesty, and the beauties of intimacy with God and religion, and the crowns of protection from false sayings, slander, and betrayal. Then they do not bring four witnesses from the presences of the masters of realities, gnosis, unveilings, and direct vision. So flog them eighty lashes, and expel them from hearing the address, and stone them with meteors of repulsion, blame, and reproach, and abandon them and do not open the doors in their faces, and do not accept their testimony ever, for their corrupt beliefs have dropped it, and its transaction is undertaken in their stagnant markets. {So their trade did not profit ⁵⁸, nor were they guided. And those are the wicked. Except those who repent after that and reform, for indeed God is Forgiving, Merciful.} Because repentance encompasses all kinds of good, and the circle of forbearance, forgiveness, and mercy is vast. {And your Lord is the Forgiving, Possessor of Mercy, and He is the One who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons misdeeds.} His saying, exalted: {And those who accuse their wives} ⁵⁹ Al-Tha'labi ⁶⁰, may God have mercy on him, said: {And those who accuse their wives} Meaning: they slander them with adultery. The people of Kufa read 'four' in the nominative as subject and predicate, while the rest read it in the accusative, meaning: he testifies four testimonies. And the fifth, meaning the fifth testimony: the common reading is in the nominative as subject and its predicate in 'that', while Hafs ⁶¹ read it in the accusative, meaning: and he testifies the fifth testimony. Nafi', Ya'qub, and Ayyub read 'that' in both places as lightened, with 'curse' and 'wrath of God' in the nominative. Al-Mufaddal narrated it from 'Asim, while the rest read with the shaddah ⁶² on the two nuns and what follows them in the accusative. {And it averts} meaning it repels from her the punishment, i.e., the legal penalty. {And the fifth that the wrath of God}... 'Uwaymir ⁶³ cursed from the two strong ones. Then she said in the second: I testify by God that he never saw a partner on my belly, and he is indeed from the two strong ones. Then she said in the third: I testify by God that I am pregnant from him ⁶⁴, and he is indeed from the two strong ones. Then she said in the fourth: I testify by God that he never saw any indecency upon me ever, and he is indeed from the two strong ones. Then she said in the fifth: May God be angry with Khawla, meaning herself, if he is among the truthful. So the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, separated them and said: 'Were it not for these oaths, I would have had an opinion concerning them in their matter.' Then he said: 'Watch for her childbirth. If she gives birth to a reddish-white child tending to blackness, then he belongs to Sharik ibn Sahma'. If she gives birth to a dark, curly, handsome child with thin legs, then he belongs to the other one with whom I was accused.' Ibn 'Abbas, may God be pleased with him, said: She gave birth to a child most resembling God's creation to Sharik. His saying, exalted: {And were it not for God's grace upon you and His mercy}... The answer to 'were it not' is omitted, meaning: He would have disgraced you by committing indecency, and would have hastened punishment upon you. But He is Oft-Returning, Wise, accepting repentance from His servants. The ruling of the verse is that if a husband accuses his wife of adultery, the legal penalty becomes incumbent upon him, and he can free himself from it by establishing proof of adultery or by mutual imprecation ⁶⁵. If he establishes proof, adultery is confirmed and becomes incumbent upon her. If he performs mutual imprecation, adultery is confirmed against her, and she can free herself from it by mutual imprecation. If she refuses, the legal penalty becomes incumbent upon her. The husband may perform mutual imprecation whether he is able to produce proof or not. Mutual imprecation is valid from every legally responsible husband, whether free or slave, Muslim or disbeliever. Thus, whoever's oath is valid, his accusation and mutual imprecation are valid. The people of Iraq said: Mutual imprecation is valid only from two free, adult individuals, and it is only valid before the judge or his deputy. It is made solemn for them by four things: the number of utterances, the place, the time, and the gathering of people. The utterance is four testimonies, and in the fifth, mention of the curse for the man and mention of the wrath for the woman. The most honorable places are intended: if in Mecca, then at the Corner and the Station ⁶⁶; in Medina, at the pulpit; in Jerusalem, in its mosque; and in other cities, in their mosques. If both are disbelievers, then in a place they consider sacred: in the church for Christians, in the synagogue for Jews, in the fire temple for Zoroastrians. For those with no religion, like idolaters, then in the court of judgment. As for the time, it is after the afternoon prayer. As for the gathering, four or more persons are present. The utterance and the gathering of people are conditions, while the place and time are recommended. The occurrence of permanent prohibition ⁶⁷... All of this pertains to the ruling.

As for the husband's imprecation ⁶⁸, and as for the woman's imprecation, it only drops the prescribed punishment ⁶⁹. If he retracts his accusation, what is upon him returns, but what is for him does not return. Thus, the punishment and lineage return, while the marital bed ⁷⁰ is for him and does not return. The separation by imprecation is an annulment ⁷¹ because it came about due to the woman's action. Abu Hanifa and Sufyan said: It is an irrevocable divorce ⁷² because it is always from the husband's side. (16) End. And I said regarding that by way of allusion: The Almighty's saying: {And those who accuse their wives} ⁷³ meaning: those whose souls were paired in pre-eternity, and whose states harmonized with their states in acquiring good deeds and righteous works, i.e., they accuse them of what is unbefitting their noble station, their high and lofty rank, and their pure and chaste honor, because creation is the family of God, and dominion is in God's hand, and there is none more jealous than God when His sanctities are violated, His words are altered, and He commands and forbids but His calls are not answered. Yet He is more merciful to His servants because He is the Most Merciful of the merciful, the Most Just of judges, and the Best of forgivers. He has commanded concealment for His servants in the saying of His beloved, may God bless him and grant him peace: "Whoever conceals the fault of his Muslim brother, God will conceal his fault on the Day of Resurrection." The Almighty's saying: {And they have no witnesses except themselves, so the testimony of one of them is four testimonies by God} ⁷⁴—the verse. Their testimony was elevated and made stringent due to matters necessitated by divine wisdom and Muhammadan law, because masculinity has the rule of human jealousy and natural dispositions, and that removes it from the rule of custom and begets suspicion of people of piety and worship. The Almighty's saying: {And the fifth [testimony] is that the curse of God be upon him if he is among the liars} ⁷⁵. He made his testimony fivefold with the curse upon him due to his falling short of the degree of the perfect knowers ⁷⁶ and the states of the unique wayfarers ⁷⁷. And His saying: And a Roman slave-girl, so Hassan sold the wall to Mu'awiya during his governorship for a great sum. And Safwan said: You will meet the blade of my sword, for I am a youth who, when insulted, is not a poet, but I protect my honor and take revenge on the slanderer who attacks the pure and innocent. And Hassan said, apologizing to 'Aisha and exonerating her: Chaste, dignified, never suspected of sin, she wakes up hungry from the flesh of the heedless ⁷⁸. To the end of the poem. And the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, ordered those who had slandered 'Aisha, may God be pleased with her, and they were flogged with eighty lashes each. Al-Ifk ⁷⁹ means falsehood. Al-Farra' said: Al-'Usba ⁸⁰ is a group from one to forty: Hassan ibn Thabit, Mistah, 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy the hypocrite, and Hamna bint Jahsh. "Do not consider it evil for you, O 'Aisha, and Safwan; rather, it is good for you, because God Almighty will reward you for it. For every person among them is what he earned" ⁸¹, i.e., the recompense of the sin he committed. "And the one who undertook the greater part of it" ⁸²—the common reading is with kasra on the kaf [kibrahu]; Humayd, al-A'raj, and Ya'qub read with damma [kubrahu]. Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala' said: This is a mistake, because kubr with damma is used for seniority in patronage and age, as in the hadith: "Patronage belongs to the elder." And they are the eldest male children of a man and the closest to him in lineage. Al-Kisa'i said: They are two dialects like sifr and sufr. "And the one who undertook" i.e., bore its greater part, meaning its main burden, and began the discussion. It is said: He is Hassan ibn Thabit. And it was said to 'Aisha, may God be pleased with her: "O Mother of the Believers, does not God Almighty say: {And the one who undertook the greater part of it among them will have a great punishment}?" She said: "Did he not receive a great punishment—the loss of his sight? And what punishment is greater than blindness? Perhaps God Almighty made that punishment the loss of his sight because he used to defend the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace." Al-Sha'bi said: 'Aisha, may God be pleased with her, said: "I never heard anything more beautiful than the poetry of Hassan ibn Thabit, and I never recited it without hoping for his reward for his saying to Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith: I satirized Muhammad and defended him, and with God is the recompense for that (19). For my father, his father, and my honor are a shield for Muhammad's honor from you. You bear witness while you are not his equal, so the worst of you two is ransom for the best. My tongue is a sharp sword with no flaw, and my sea cannot be reached by buckets." And it is said: He is 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, because when Safwan brought her to the army, he said: "By God, she did not escape from him, nor did he escape from her." And Hassan, Mistah, and Hamna engaged in that. The Almighty's saying: {Why, when you heard it, did the believing men and believing women not think well of themselves?} ⁸³ i.e., of their brothers. Al-Hasan said: i.e., of the people of their religion, because the believers are like one soul. Its parallel: {And do not kill yourselves} ⁸⁴ and His saying: {So greet yourselves} ⁸⁵. The scholars of meanings said: The interpretation of the verse is: Why did you not think as the believing men and believing women thought well of themselves? And it is said: He meant by "themselves" their families and spouses. And it is said: He intended by this verse Abu Ayyub al-Ansari and his wife. Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar said: The wife of Abu Ayyub said to Abu Ayyub: "Do you not hear what the people are saying about 'Aisha?" He said: "Yes, and that is falsehood. Would you do that, O Umm Ayyub?" She said: "No, by God." He said: "'Aisha is better than you. Glory be to God! This is a great slander." Then was revealed: {Why, when you heard it, did the believing men and believing women not think well of themselves?} as Abu Ayyub and his companion did, and they said: {This is clear falsehood} ⁸⁶ i.e., evident lie. {Why did they not bring four witnesses for it?} ⁸⁷—the verse. {You indulged in it} ⁸⁸ i.e., you engaged in it from the slander. {A great punishment} ⁸⁹. {When you received it with your tongues} ⁹⁰ i.e., you took it and narrated it from one another. Ubayy read: "tatalaqqawnahu" with two taa's. 'Aisha read with kasra of the lam and tashdid of the qaf from "al-walq" [falsehood]. Al-Walq and al-alaq mean falsehood. Al-Khalil said: The origin of al-walq is speed, and he recited: "She came with it, a swift she-camel from Syria, racing." i.e., speeding. It is said: "walaqa fulanun fi al-sayr" meaning he continued and sped. This is 'Aisha's reading, i.e., you continue with it in your slander. Muhammad ibn al-Samayfa' read: "idh talqawnahu" from al-ilqa' (casting), its parallel: {Then they cast the statement to them} ⁹¹—the verse. And it is said: The meaning of the verse is: Why, when you heard it, did you not reject it and not engage in it? {And you thought it was trivial} ⁹² i.e., you considered it easy, while it is great in the sight of God. {And why, when you heard it, did you not say: "It is not for us to speak of this; glory be to You! This is a great slander"} ⁹³. It may imply exaltation and wonder at the magnitude of the lie. {God admonishes you} ⁹⁴ i.e., God forbids you and warns you from returning to the like of it. And it is said: He admonishes you so that you never return to the like of it, if you are believers. {And God makes clear to you the verses, and God is Knowing of the affair of 'Aisha and Safwan, Wise} ⁹⁵ regarding their exoneration. {Indeed, those who love that immorality should be spread} ⁹⁶

They appear and spread. "For them is a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter" ⁹⁷, meaning Abdullah ibn Ubayy and his companions, the hypocrites. And Allah knows their lie while you do not know. "And if it were not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy" ⁹⁸ the verse, He would have hastened the punishment upon you. End. And I said regarding that by way of allusion: His statement, the Exalted: "Indeed, those who came with the slander" ⁹⁹ the ten verses suffice in this noble, magnificent, and great surah: the story of our lady Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, the unique pearl, the chaste and beautiful one, the wise minister and leader, the mistress of the women of the worlds and the bedmate of the master of the prophets and messengers, whose innocence from fault Allah mentioned in ten verses that descended from the heaven of the unseen, each verse containing merits and honors, ranks and stations, proofs and evidences and signs. If Allah had revealed her light to the people of slander and falsehood, misery, abandonment, and delusion, they would not have stained her pure garment with the blood of lies and immorality. When Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, read those verses abundant in light, he swore not to spend on Mistah ¹⁰⁰, the branded and mentioned one, who was his relative, so the verse was revealed: "And let not those of virtue among you swear" ¹⁰¹. So Abu Bakr said: "Indeed, I love that Allah should forgive me," and he returned to Mistah the expenditure. This is the way of the noble: they forgive those who wrong them, maintain ties with those who sever them, and do good to those who do evil to them. Allah created them with the character of the Muhammadan way and the Ahmadine ¹⁰² lordship. The reason for this is what is narrated from our lady Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said: "When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, wanted to travel, he would cast lots among his wives. Whichever of them drew the lot would go with him. In that journey, my lot came out. My name was written in the register of martyrs, my decree was established in the presence of the blessed, and the symbols of my sign and the subtleties of my knowledge were inscribed on the tablets of effacement and establishment. So I set out after the veil had been revealed, with no blame, no reproach, no doubt, no thought, no suspicion, and no misgiving. The light of Muhammadan lordship shone upon my forehead, and the eye of Ahmadine care watched over me in my movement and stillness. The Book of Allah was before me, behind me, to my left and to my right. I was carried in my howdah ¹⁰³ and placed in it, while the concern of my master, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, protected me from the speech of every immoral and foolish person. When we returned as a caravan, our camp near Medina, in safety, dignity, and tranquility, with sincere intention and firm love, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, visited me for departure, while my heart was in joy, happiness, exaltation, and glorification. That was when I met him in my journey with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with satisfaction, pleasure, and beautiful praise, great status, reward, booty, and abundant recompense. Faces reddened and paled from longing and yearning, as if the lights of the morning and evening sun had shone upon them. The camel driver chanted: 'Oh, would that I knew whether I will spend a night in a valley with idhkhir ¹⁰⁴ and jalil ¹⁰⁵ around me, and whether I will one day drink from the waters of Majanna ¹⁰⁶, and whether Shamah ¹⁰⁷ and Tufayl ¹⁰⁸ will appear to me.' So I left the army to relieve myself, in the veil of my protection and the place of my security. I touched my chest and found my necklace of onyx claws ¹⁰⁹ that I used to wear on my neck and chest had broken. My heart ached and split because of it. Searching for it delayed me from returning to my mount, and Allah knows best about my affair and my situation. They departed with my howdah, thinking I was in it, while my hands had departed with what my conscience had resolved and my mouth had spoken. At that time, women were light, eating only a morsel of food, not gaining flesh to become heavy. I found the necklace after the army had passed, came to my place, and sat there until the fear and agitation subsided. I thought they would return to me, but sleep overcame me. A caller called out: "And We will surely test you until We know those who strive among you and the patient" ¹¹⁰. So he awakened me and stirred my passion and my inner state. Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal ¹¹¹ had stayed behind the army and passed by me, recognizing me while I was wrapped in my garment. He had seen me before the veil. He made his camel kneel, and I rode it until we reached the army. Then perished whoever perished concerning my affair. Life became unpleasant and time became troubled. The day of joy and happiness darkened, and the night of worries and sorrows lengthened. The one who undertook that was Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul ¹¹². Allah seized him for what he said about the beloved of the Messenger, the pure of garments and skirts. She said: "When I arrived in Medina, I was ill for a month, while the people were immersed in the talk of the people of slander and falsehood, lies, calumny, and immorality. I had no awareness of what they were engaged in of mockery, ridicule, playing with religion, and following desires. Allah said: 'Then leave them in their vain discourse playing' ¹¹³. So I went out before the privies ¹¹⁴ to relieve myself. Umm Mistah ¹¹⁵ stumbled in her cloak and said: 'May Mistah perish!' I said to her: 'What an evil thing you have said! Do you curse a man who witnessed Badr ¹¹⁶?' She said: 'O my daughter, have you not heard what he said of the sayings of the people of falsehood and error, and what he plunged into of the pitfalls of the people of disgrace and ruin?' And she told me the news. Then my heart began to shoot sparks, and I increased in illness upon illness. What had befallen my body of ailments and symptoms multiplied. The noble ones continued to be tested by extremities, and the righteous were harmed by the lack of acceptance of truth and fairness. But jewels are known by shells, and the pure are distinguished by the perfection of attributes. At that point, the suckling of the breast of prophethood and messengership, the guardian of the secret of the unseen, observed with the eye of exaltation and majesty, became aware of the winking of the eyes of the hypocrites and their slander, and the hint of the liars and their doubt. He gave her a meaningful sign and hinted to her subtly after she had asked his permission to go to her parents and visit her relatives and kin. He said to her: 'Go to your father's house, and we will bring you the news and inform you of what has spread and become public.' Her tears flowed on her cheeks like the 'andam ¹¹⁷ or a falling downpour mixed with blood. Then her sobs and sighs followed one after another, and the blaze of the fire of her distress intensified. She said: 'Against whom should I emigrate, and what have I done wrong? And whom should I avoid, and what transgression have I committed? Allah knows best the righteousness of my inner self, and He is a just judge in my affliction and the matter of my case. Indeed, worries are according to ambitions, and waiting for relief is among the traits of the people of virtue and generosity.' When she reached her mother and revealed the abundance of her worry and grief, she said: 'O my mother, what are the people saying about my affair? Allah knows best my secret and my public.' Her mother said: 'O my daughter, take it easy. By Allah, there has never been a beautiful woman with a husband who loves her and has co-wives except that they spoke much and people spoke much about her. Take it easy.'

For indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease. Be content with the decree of your Lord, and never be distressed by any difficulty. It is God's custom among His creation: when a matter becomes tight, He brings relief. She said: When I learned the story and swallowed the bitter pill, my patience ran out and my thoughts were bewildered. I spent that night with tears never drying and never closing my eyes in sleep, as if I had spread out embers of sighs and wrapped myself in shrouds of regrets. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, called Ali and Usama when revelation was delayed, and consulted them about separating from me. Usama said: 'Keep your wife, O Messenger of God, and we know nothing but good about her.' Ali said: 'O Messenger of God, women are many, and you can replace her. Ask the slave-girl, she will tell you the truth.' So the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, called Barira, and she said: 'By God, I know nothing but good.' The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, kept asking the honorable women and the pious men, and they answered him in a way that removed doubt, suspicion, and possibility, and indicated my innocence and purity in the present and the future. Then after that, he, may God bless him and grant him peace, entered upon me and spoke to me, and my tears dried, my color turned pale, and I began to tremble like a leaf on a tree on a windy day, or a stalk of grain played by violent winds. I waited for my parents to answer the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, but they did not speak. So I raised my eyes to heaven and said: 'O Owner of sovereignty, O Destroyer of the people of falsehood and slander, You know my state best and accept my complaint. Relieve my distress and manifest my innocence, for You are the Remover of worries and the Dispeller of sorrows, and with You is the knowledge of all things, and nothing hidden or concealed is hidden from You.' Then she said: 'By God, I am more insignificant in myself and of lesser importance than that God should reveal concerning me a Qur'an to be recited in mosques and recited in processions and gatherings. But I hoped that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, might see something in his dream by which he would decree my innocence and the purity of my chastity.' Then the revelation lifted from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and he sat up, and sweat was pouring from him like pearls on a cold day. He began to wipe the sweat from his brow and said: 'Rejoice, O Aisha, for God has revealed your innocence.' I said: 'Praise be to God.' The angels of the highest heaven glorified and declared His oneness, and the inhabitants of the most exalted station rejoiced at the relief of the worries of the lady declared innocent by the tongue of revelation and inspiration. And in the delay of revelation concerning her matter there is a wondrous affair and a strange secret: So that her aspiration might cling to God, and her gaze be cut off from all other creatures, and her victory come from the generous Lord, so that her rank might be elevated, and her fragrance spread in the gardens of existence, and her innocence and purity be confirmed before all worlds. God praised her for that in His clear Book, and manifested her innocence from the claim of the liars and the slander of the hypocrites. So the station is preserved by the light of the praiseworthy countenance, and the presence is regarded by the care of the Ahmadian lordship. The fly would not alight on his luminous body, and feet would not tread on the shadow of his purified person. So how could foxes frolic in his protected gardens, or their eyes gaze upon the wife of his hidden bed? My master Hassan ibn Thabit praised her, apologizing for what had happened concerning her: * Chaste, dignified, not suspected of any suspicion, * The noble lady of a tribe of Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib. * Refined, God has purified her garment, * And purified her from all evil and falsehood. * If you have said what you claimed, * Then may my whip never be raised to my fingers. * But how, when my love and support as long as I live * Are for the Messenger of God, the adornment of assemblies. * He has ranks high above all people, * Surpassed by the rank of the arrogant. * For what was said is not without meaning, * But it is the saying of a man who is boastful about me. * And you become hungry from the flesh of the heedless. * Noble in deeds, their glory is not fleeting. What a lady, how honorable she is before God, and how elevated her rank with God! God chose her for the bed of His beloved, may God bless him and grant him peace, and Gabriel brought him her image on a green silk cloth, so he loved her when he saw her. God married her to him from above the seven heavens, and rebuked those who sought to diminish her with His words: "Indeed, those who came with the slander..." to "...great." And how excellent is what one said: * What is the matter of the Mother of the Believers and the matter of * I say, explaining her virtue, * O my hater, do not approach the grave of Muhammad, * For the house is my house and the place is my place. * I have been singled out among the wives of Muhammad * With qualities of piety beneath which are meanings. * And I preceded them to all virtues, * So the precedence is my precedence and the reins are my reins. * The Prophet fell ill and died between my collarbones, * So today is my day and the time is my time. * My husband is the Messenger of God, I have seen no other, * God married me to him and bestowed upon me. * Gabriel, the trustworthy, brought him my image, * So the Chosen One loved me when he saw me. * I am his virgin, with me is his secret, * And his bedfellow in my house, two moons. * God, the Almighty, spoke concerning my proof * And my innocence in the decisive Qur'an. * God chose me and honored my sanctity, * And on the tongue of His Prophet He declared me innocent. * God in the Qur'an has cursed those who, * After the declaration of innocence, slandered me with foulness. * God rebuked those who sought to diminish me * With falsehood, and glorified His affair concerning me. * I am chaste in garment, innocent, * And the proof of my purity is my chastity. * God fortified me through the Seal of His Messengers * And humiliated the people of slander and falsehood. * I heard the revelation of God with Muhammad * From Gabriel, and his light covered me. * Revelation came to him while I was under his garment, * So he bent over me with his cloak and concealed me. * Who can boast against me or deny my companionship, * When Muhammad raised me in his lap? * I took the religion of Muhammad from my parents, * And they both accompanied me on Islam. * My father established the religion after Muhammad, * So the blade is my blade and the spearhead is my spearhead. * Pride is my pride, and the caliphate is in my father, * This suffices me as honor and is enough. * I am the daughter of al-Siddiq, the companion of Ahmad, * And his intimate in secret and public. * He supported the Prophet with his wealth and deeds, * And his departure with him from the homelands. * He loved poverty until he patched his cloak, * In asceticism, and submitted with full submission. * The angels of heaven accompanied me with him, * And brought him the good news of God's pleasure. * He is the one who did not fear the blame of any blamer * In killing the people of transgression and aggression. * He killed those who refused to pay zakat in disbelief, * They and he humiliated the people of disbelief and tyranny. * He preceded the Companions and the family to guidance, * And he is their chief in virtue and beneficence. * By God, they did not race to attain a virtue * Like the racing of horses on the day of a contest, * Except that my father flew to its summit, * So his place therein is the most honorable place. * Woe to a servant who betrays the family of Muhammad * Through enmity towards the wives and in-laws.

Blessed is he who allies with the community of his Companions ¹¹⁸ and is among the beloved of al-Hasan and al-Husayn ¹¹⁹. Between the Companions and the kinfolk there is an affection that cannot be altered by the prompting of Satan. They are like fingers on the right hand in mutual connection—can a palm be equal without digits? The hearts of the disbelievers were filled with rage against my parents ¹²⁰, and their hearts were filled with rancor. The love of al-Batul ¹²¹ and her virtue is not disputed by any two within the religion of Islam. Their mutual affection has woven a warp and weft among us, and it is among the most solid of structures. By Allah, He has united the love of their hearts to enrage every slandering hypocrite. Merciful among themselves, they have purified what they concealed, and their hearts are free from hatred. To intrude among the beloved is a burden, and to revile them is a cause of deprivation. Allah has gathered the Muslims around Abu ¹²², and they have exchanged their fear for security. When Allah desires to grant victory to His servant, who can then cause his failure? Whoever loves me, let him avoid reviling me, if he has preserved and guarded my love. And if my lover is suspected of being my hater, then both are equal in hatred. I am of pure character, not for the impure, and the wives of Ahmad ¹²³ are the purest of women. I am the Mother of the Believers ¹²⁴; whoever rejects my love will surely incur loss. Allah made me beloved to the heart of His Prophet and guided me to the straight path. Allah honors whoever desires my honor, and my Lord humiliates whoever desires my humiliation. So I ask Allah for an increase of His bounty, and His praise is gratitude for what He has bestowed. O you who seek refuge with the Family of Muhammad ¹²⁵, hoping thereby for the mercy of the All-Merciful, bless the Mothers of the Believers and do not turn away from us, lest you be stripped of the garment of faith. I am truthful in speech and noble—yes, by Him to whom both heavy and light beings ¹²⁶ are submissive. Take this from me, for it is a garden surrounded by spirit and basil ¹²⁷. May Allah bless the Prophet and his Family; through them the flowers of the garden bloom. His saying, exalted be He: "O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan" ¹²⁸—the verse. Imam al-Tha'labi ¹²⁹, may Allah have mercy on him, said: His saying "purified" ¹³⁰ means: became righteous and clean from this sin, any of you who engaged in it. Ibn Muhaysin ¹³¹ read it with shaddah ¹³², meaning: purified his proof. But Allah purifies whom He wills. He ¹³³, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Any man who defends the honor of a person in a dispute without knowledge of it is in Allah's wrath until he desists. Any man who intercedes to prevent the execution of a prescribed punishment ¹³⁴ has opposed Allah's command, and upon him is the curse of Allah that follows him until the Day of Resurrection. Any man who spreads a word against a Muslim man, while he is innocent of it, intending to disgrace him in this world, it is incumbent upon Allah to disgrace him with it in the Fire." Its origin is in the Book of Allah, exalted be He: "Indeed, those who love that immorality should be spread among those who have believed" ¹³⁵—the verse. His saying, exalted be He: "And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear" ¹³⁶—i.e., let them not swear. This is the common reading, and it is derived from al-ayyah ¹³⁷, meaning the oath. Abu Raja' ¹³⁸, Abu Mahraz ¹³⁹, Abu Ja'far ¹⁴⁰, and Zayd ibn Aslam ¹⁴¹ read: "wa la yata'alla" without hamzah ¹⁴², which is derived from al-ayyah. "Those of virtue" refers to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq ¹⁴³, may Allah be pleased with him, that they give to the near of kin, the needy, and the emigrants ¹⁴⁴ in the way of Allah—meaning Mistah ¹⁴⁵, who was a poor emigrant who fought at Badr ¹⁴⁶, and he was the cousin of Abu Bakr. And let them pardon and overlook their involvement in the matter of 'A'ishah ¹⁴⁷. Asma' bint Yazid ¹⁴⁸ narrated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recited: "wa l-ta'fu wa l-tasfahu" ¹⁴⁹ with a ta'. Ibn 'Abbas ¹⁵⁰ and al-Dahhak ¹⁵¹ said: Some of the Companions, including Abu Bakr, swore that they would not give charity to a man who had spoken something of the slander ¹⁵², so this verse was revealed. End. And I said concerning that, by way of allusion: His saying, exalted be He: "O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan"—i.e., what he has traced upon the pages of your hearts of soulful thoughts, imaginary fantasies, and human desires. Whoever follows the footsteps of Satan, he indeed commands immorality and wrongdoing, because his enmity is ancient, by which he expels you from what Allah has commanded you in the heavenly books and Quranic chapters. Beware of his temptation, for he is a thief who steals hearts, causes the loss of the sought, and veils the servant from reaching the station of those whom Allah has chosen for His presence, qualified for His service, and unveiled to them the subtleties of bestowed knowledge and the hidden secrets of the unseen. Our Master has said: "Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze" ¹⁵³. So be aware, my brother, and be alert, for the intelligent is not struck with a stick nor pelted with pebbles. "And if not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy"—i.e., if not for Allah's favor that protected you from his assault, preserved you from his temptation, warned you against his innovation, and saved you from his calamity and punishment, none of you would ever be purified, i.e., none of you would follow the path of his Prophet and his Sunnah ¹⁵⁴, nor escape bearing the sin that heralds Allah's anger and wrath. But Allah purifies whom He wills ¹⁵⁵ by His favor, mercy, generosity, and grace. And Allah is Hearing of what you say about the people of His lineage, Knowing of those who transgress His limits and violate the sanctity of His honor. "And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear"—i.e., those whom Allah has extended their hands in His kingdom, acquainted them with the treasures of His unseen and the secret of His wisdom, brought them near to Him, chosen them, made them companions of His presence, granted them success, guided them, molded their hearts upon His nature, taught them the path of journeying to Him, and seated them upon the throne of His might and exaltation—that they give to the near of kin, the needy, and the emigrants in the way of Allah, i.e., those who

They clung to Allah and entered into the people of His party and His group, by pouring upon them from what Allah poured upon them from the seas of His bounty, generosity, and compassion, and He honors them with what He honored them with from His grace and the tables of His blessing. For their noble, honorable, mighty, and lofty path is built upon grace, generosity, bounty, pardon, forgiveness, and overlooking those who did evil and transgressed the limits, especially regarding those who strive for His pleasure and take His love as a path to His forgiveness and entry into His gardens, as He, exalted, said: "Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." ¹⁵⁶ And the Imam al-Wartajabi ¹⁵⁷ said concerning this place regarding His saying: "And were it not for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy" ¹⁵⁸ He would have exposed your secrets and not concealed your states from you, but His mercy and favor preceded for you, by concealing your fault with His perfect wisdom and comprehensive law, and He made His mercy the locus of your repentance after your committing opposition to Him. Ibn 'Ata' ¹⁵⁹ said: "And were it not for the grace of Allah upon you in accepting your obedience, you would have lost what He guaranteed for you in your Hereafter, but by His mercy He saved you from your loss and favored you." And His saying: "When you received it with your tongues and said with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge" ¹⁶⁰ rebukes the claimants who speak with the tongue of the truthful and report by imitation about the states of the near ones, believing that what they say is lawful for them, and they lie against Allah and think that is not great with Allah, while Allah magnified it by His saying, glorified be He: "This is a great slander." ¹⁶¹ Then He informed that Allah magnified it while they belittled it out of ignorance of Allah's jealousy by His saying: "And you thought it insignificant, while with Allah it was great." ¹⁶² Would that the ignorant claimant knew that all, with the nobility of their states, eloquence of their tongue in reverence, and insight of their hearts into the wonders of reality, are included under this verse by which Allah informed of His jealousy, describing His majesty and the might of His greatness, that He is inherently beyond the speech of every describer and his description, and every knower's heart and his attribute, since His attribute and description do not fall under the expression of the people of temporality. Al-Husayn ¹⁶³ said in some of his intimate prayers: "My God, I declare You transcendent above what all those say about You." And 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak ¹⁶⁴ said: "I do not think this verse was revealed except concerning those who habitually make great claims and dare against their Lord in reporting about the states of the prophets and the great ones, and neither awe of his Lord nor his shame prevents him from that." And al-Tirmidhi ¹⁶⁵ said: "Whoever belittles what is recompensed for him of claims has belittled what Allah magnified. Indeed, Allah says: 'And you thought it insignificant, while with Allah it was great.'" And His saying: "And were it not for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy, none of you would ever be purified" ¹⁶⁶ clarifies that the purification of servants from sins only occurs through His preceding grace and eternal care. How can the ill purify one who is ill? The effect does not purify the effect, and the effects are the actions of temporality of every kind, and the gentleness of the Eternal is an effect of Him, deserving the removal of defects by its arrival. And al-Sayyari ¹⁶⁷ said: "And were it not for the grace of Allah upon you" and He did not say: "And were it not for your worship, prayer, jihad, and good performance of Allah's command, none of you would be saved," so that it be known that acts of worship, even if abundant, are from the results of grace. "Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you?" ¹⁶⁸ In this is an explanation of Allah's discipline for the shaykhs ¹⁶⁹ and the great ones not to abandon those who stumble and fall, and to adopt toward them the character of Allah, since He forgives great sins and does not mind, and He informed them not to withhold their inclination from them, and to inform them of what has occurred to them from the rulings of the unseen. For whoever has readiness is never veiled by human accidents from the rulings of the path. Pardon and forgiveness are two noble states. As for pardon, it is turning away from what occurred of the slip; and forgiveness is concealing what occurs after the slip at the time of trial from affliction, so he does not mention the past state nor take account of what comes. Some said: "Pardon is concealing what has passed and leaving discipline for what remains." And al-Khurajani ¹⁷⁰ said: "Forgiveness is overlooking the disliked." End quote. "By Your pardon he seeks refuge and seeks shelter, a yearning one in whose heart is Sa'id. He hopes for forgiveness of a sin he committed, and You are over what he hopes All-Powerful." Allah, exalted, said: "Indeed, those who accuse chaste, unaware, believing women" ¹⁷¹ the verse. Al-Tha'labi ¹⁷² said: meaning unaware of indecencies and of what they were accused of, like the unawareness of 'A'isha ¹⁷³ of what was said about her. "Cursed" meaning punished in this world by flogging and in the Hereafter by fire. Some said it is specifically for 'A'isha and the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, not for other believing women. Ibn 'Abbas ¹⁷⁴ said: "It is ambiguous, with no repentance in it. And whoever accuses a believing woman, Allah has made repentance for him." Then He said: "And those who accuse chaste women and then do not bring four witnesses" ¹⁷⁵ up to His saying: "Except those who repent" ¹⁷⁶ so He made repentance for them. They are a man who stands and kisses his head in the beauty of what was interpreted. And it was said it was revealed concerning the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and that was so. Then was revealed: "And those who accuse chaste women and then do not bring four witnesses" the verse. So Allah revealed flogging and repentance. Repentance is accepted and testimony is rejected. And Abu Hamza al-Samali ¹⁷⁷ said: "It was revealed concerning the polytheists of Mecca, when between them and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,"

And a covenant was made, so a woman would emigrate to the Prophet (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), and the polytheists would slander her, saying, "She only went out to commit fornication." And His (taʿālā) saying: **{Yawma tushharu}** (The Day it is made public) The general recitation is with a *tāʾ* (tushharu). The people of Kūfah, except for ʿĀṣim, recited with a *yāʾ* (yushharu) because the verb precedes them—their tongues. And this was before their mouths were sealed. It is also said its meaning is: the tongues of some of them will bear witness against others. His saying: **Dīnuhumu l-ḥaqq** (their recompense is the truth), i.e., their recompense and reckoning is the obligatory truth. The general recitation is with a *fatḥa* on the *qāf* (al-ḥaqqa). Mujāhid recited with a *ḍamma* (al-ḥaqqu) as an attribute of Allah and a confirmation of Him. The recitation of Abū: **Yuwaffīhimu Allāhu l-ḥaqqa dīnahum** (Allah will pay them in full the truth of their recompense) **wa-yaʿlamūna anna Allāha huwa l-ḥaqqu l-mubīn** (and they will know that Allah is the manifest Truth), because He has made clear to them the reality of what He had promised them in the world. And His (taʿālā) saying: **{Al-khabīthātu li-l-khabīthīna}** (Evil women are for evil men) Most of the commentators said: Evil words are for evil people, and evil people are for evil words. And good words are for good people, and good people are for good words. Ibn Zayd said: Evil women are for evil men, and evil men are for evil women. And good women are for good men, and good men are for good women. **Ulāʾika** (Those)—meaning ʿĀʾishah and Ṣafwān. He mentioned them in the plural form, as in His saying: **{Fa-in kāna lahu ikhwatun}** (But if he has brothers), i.e., two brothers. And ʿĀʾishah (raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhā) said: "I have been given nine things that no woman has been given: Gabriel descended with my image in his palm when the Prophet (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) was commanded to marry me. He married me as a virgin, and he married no other virgin besides me. He died with his head in my lap. He was buried in my house. The angels surrounded my house. Revelation would descend upon him while he was among his family, and they would disperse from him. It would descend upon him while I was with him under his blanket. I am the daughter of his Caliph and Ṣiddīq (Abū Bakr). My innocence was revealed from heaven. I was created pure and at the side of a pure one. I have been promised forgiveness and a generous reward." End. And I said at this point, by way of indication: His (taʿālā) saying: **{Inna alladhīna yarmūna l-muḥṣanāti l-ghāfilāti}** (Indeed, those who accuse chaste, unaware believing women) (30) i.e., those whom Allah has occupied with His worship, guided them along the paths of His felicity, made their states follow the course of His law and conform to His will, protected them from evils, singled them out in the station of designation for His obedience, tested their hearts for piety, so they did not neglect any of the duties of His rights or the preservation of His trust, restrained themselves from desires so they did not transgress His limits, could not oppose Him, and endured what they were harmed for His sake, and did not alter any of His words or ways of guidance. He made them concealed behind the curtains of the unseen; no human or jinn had touched them, nor did any falsehood, slander, or calumny tear the veil of their covering. Allah clothed their faces with the light of modesty and faith, protected their side from the accidents of deprivation and deficiency, and defended their honor with clear signs and sūrahs of the Qurʾān. He said concerning those who slandered them with evil: "They are cursed in this world and the Hereafter, and for them is a great punishment." He established witnesses against them from themselves and their limbs, so that they could not deny what they had engaged in, which was unbefitting of their lofty station, by His saying: **{Yawma tashhadu ʿalayhim alsinatuhum wa-aydīhim wa-arjuluhum}** (On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them), the verse, because their tongues are the interpreters of the deed, their hands are the instruments of direct contact and connection, and their feet are the mounts for journeying toward what strengthens that, by the testimony of reason and transmission. His saying: **{Yawmaʾidhin yuwaffīhimu Allāhu l-ḥaqqa}** (On that Day, Allah will pay them in full their just due), i.e., their recompense and the reckoning obligatory upon them, and they will know that Allah is the manifest Truth, when He realizes for them their recompense which they used to doubt, and makes clear to them what He had promised them in the world. His (taʿālā) saying: **{Al-khabīthātu li-l-khabīthīna wa-l-khabīthūna li-l-khabīthāti}** (Evil women are for evil men, and evil men are for evil women) i.e., evil women—those whose tree grew in the land of evil, was watered with the water of evil, ripened with the blossoms of evil, and bore the fruits of evil—are for evil men—those who grew up in the land of evil, matured in the time of evil, fed on the fruits of evil, drank the water of evil, revived by the wind of evil, and appeared in the manifestations of evil. And **{wa-l-ṭayyibātu li-l-ṭayyibīna wa-l-ṭayyibūna li-l-ṭayyibāti}** (and good women are for good men, and good men are for good women), i.e., good women—those whom Allah caused to grow in a land of sweet produce, preserved from lewdness and obscenity, surrounded by righteousness, guidance, joy, and happiness—are for good men—those whom Allah occupied with fulfilling His rights and care, established their foundations upon stations of piety and the noblest structure, and released their tongues with praise of their Lord, gratitude, and commendation, as He (taʿālā) said: **{Wa-l-baladu l-ṭayyibu}** (And the good land), the verse. Or you may say: Evil women among the aspirants (murīdāt) who did not act according to the requirements of following the Sunnah of Muḥammad are for evil men among the aspirants (murīdīn) who spent their lives in rational arbitrariness and heart-whispers, and attained nothing beneficial in what brings them near to their Lord or earns them noble character and pure, pleasing states. And good women—those who turn to their Lord with sincerity and truth of intention—are for good men—those whom Allah purified in His holy presence and clothed with the garments of His bestowed secrets. **{Ulāʾika mubarraʾūna mimmā yaqūlūna}** (Those are innocent of what they say), i.e., of what the people of fanciful suspicions and conjectural guesses say concerning them—blameworthy, vile statements and ugly, evil deeds. For them is forgiveness and a generous provision—what Allah has honored them with: lofty palaces, pure blessings, and His greatest pleasure, which is the most magnificent of gifts and the noblest of sublime bestowals. And al-Sayyid al-Wartajabī (raḥimahu Allāh) said at this point: **{Al-khabīthātu li-l-khabīthīna wa-l-khabīthūna li-l-khabīthāti wa-l-ṭayyibātu li-l-ṭayyibīna wa-l-ṭayyibūna li-l-ṭayyibāti}** (Evil women are for evil men, and evil men are for evil women; and good women are for good men, and good men are for good women), the verse. He made the inner promptings of souls, the whisperings of devils, and their embellishments for the idle among the show-offs.

And those who err, and they are for it, and the pure inspirations of God through the mediation of angels for the people of hearts, spirits, and intellects among the knowers ¹⁷⁸, and they are for it; and also the delights and darknesses for the obsessed ¹⁷⁹; and the truths and subtleties of gnoses ¹⁸⁰ and the explanation of unveilings ¹⁸¹ for the knowers and lovers; and also the blameworthy attributes for the souls, and the praiseworthy morals for the spirits and hearts. 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Makki said: The world and its impurities are for the impure among men who love it, and for them the world is suitable; and those who love the world are for the impure things, i.e., for the world and they are suitable for it. And he said: The pure things are the Hereafter and its honors for the pure who love it, and for them the Hereafter is suitable; and the pure, i.e., those who love the Hereafter, are for the pure things, i.e., for the Hereafter and its honors they are suitable. And the Master ¹⁸² said: The pure things among deeds, which are acts of obedience and acts of drawing near ¹⁸³, are for the pure, who are those who prefer them and hasten to attain them; and the pure things among states ¹⁸⁴, which are the realization of union ¹⁸⁵ with what is the Right of the Real ¹⁸⁶ stripped of selfish interests, are for the pure among men, who are those whose aspirations have risen above every base and vile thing, and they have souls that aspire to high things, which is adornment through showing affection ¹⁸⁷ to Him to whom belongs might. End. O you who criticize men whose source is pure, and who have witnessed the light of their Master without veil, If you knew them, you would not deny what they have become most worthy of in arrival ¹⁸⁸ and precedence. They are lamps in the night of separation ¹⁸⁹; for them, through union ¹⁹⁰, the folding up of entities and traces ¹⁹¹ is valid. They are absent with their Master in the eye of their presence ¹⁹², so they have no likeness in the desert or the settled land. His saying, exalted: ﴿O you who have believed, do not enter houses﴾ Al-Tha'labi, may God have mercy on him, said: 'Adi ibn Thabit said: A woman from the Ansar came to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and said: O Messenger of God, I am in my house in a state that I do not want anyone to see me in, neither father nor child. Then my father comes and enters upon me, and a man from my family keeps entering upon me while I am in that state. What should I do? So the verse was revealed: ﴿until you ask for familiarity ¹⁹³﴾ That is: until you greet. Ibn 'Abbas said: It is 'until you ask permission,' but the scribe made a mistake. Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Ibn 'Abbas, and al-A'mash recited 'until you ask permission.' In the verse there is a forward and backward arrangement, i.e., until you greet its people and ask permission. Similarly, it is in the mushaf ¹⁹⁴ of Ibn Mas'ud. It is that one says: 'Peace be upon you, may I enter?' 'Amr ibn Sa'id al-Thaqafi said: A man asked permission to enter upon the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, saying: 'Shall I enter?' The Prophet said to a woman called Rawda: 'Go to this man and teach him, for he does not know how to ask permission. Say to him: Peace be upon you, may I enter?' The man heard her and said to her: 'May I enter?' Mujahid and al-Suddi said: It is clearing the throat and speaking. Zaynab said: When 'Abdullah came from an errand and reached the door, he would clear his throat and spit, disliking to come upon us in a state we disliked. 'Ikrima said: It is glorification ¹⁹⁵, magnification ¹⁹⁶, and the like. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said: We asked: What is 'asking for familiarity' in His saying ﴿until you ask for familiarity﴾? He said: The man speaks with the magnification, glorification, and praise ¹⁹⁷, and clears his throat to inform the people of the house. Al-Khalil said: 'Asking for familiarity' is 'seeking insight' from the Arabs' saying 'I perceived a fire.' The people of meanings said: 'Asking for familiarity' is seeking intimacy, which is to look whether there is anyone in the house to inform them that he is entering. The Arabs say: Go and seek familiarity, see if you see anyone in the house, look. Ibn Abi Musa narrated: He asked permission to enter upon 'Umar, saying: 'Peace be upon you, may I enter?' 'Umar said: 'One.' Abu Musa said: 'Peace be upon you, may I enter?' 'Umar said: 'Two.' Abu Musa said: 'Peace be upon you, may I enter?' He turned away from his rejection and asked him about his action. He said: I heard the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: 'Asking permission is three times; if permission is given, otherwise return.' 'Umar said: 'You must bring me proof, or I will punish you.' So he brought those who had heard that with him. 'Ata' ibn Yasar said: A man said to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: 'Should I ask permission to enter upon my mother?' He said: 'Yes.' He said: 'She has no servant other than me. Should I ask permission every time I enter?' He said: 'Would you like to see her naked?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'Then do not ask permission to enter upon her.' Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: 'Whoever looks into a people's house without their permission, it is lawful for them to gouge out his eye.' Sahl ibn Sa'd said: A man looked into a room of the Prophet's rooms while he had a comb ¹⁹⁸ with which he was scratching his head. He said: 'If I knew you were looking, I would have stabbed your eyes with it.' And that 'asking for familiarity' is from looking. ﴿If you do not find anyone therein﴾, i.e., in the houses, to permit you, then do not enter them until permission is given to you. And if it is said to you, 'Return,' then return, and do not stand at their doors or linger. That is purer for you, i.e., returning is cleaner for you. When it was revealed, Abu Bakr said: O Messenger of God, what do you think about inns and dwellings on the roads of Syria with no inhabitant? So was revealed: ﴿There is no blame upon you if you enter houses not inhabited without permission﴾. There is disagreement about these houses. Qatada said: They are inns and houses built for travelers, for them to take shelter and store their belongings. Mujahid said: They used to place packsaddles and belongings on the road of Medina in houses with no one in them, and the road at that time was safe, so He permitted them to enter without permission. Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya said: They are the houses of Mecca. Al-Dahhak said: They are ruined houses where a traveler takes shelter in summer and winter. 'Ata' said: They are ruined houses, and 'goods' ¹⁹⁹ means relieving oneself there, i.e., defecation and urination. Ibn Zayd said: The houses of merchants and their shops in the markets. Ibn Jurayj said: All houses that have no inhabitant, because permission was prescribed so that one does not come upon something disliked regarding private parts; when that is not feared, there is no meaning to permission. End. And I said in this place by way of allusion ²⁰⁰ His saying: ﴿O you who have believed, do not enter houses﴾ the verse. He meant by it the sincere aspirants ²⁰¹, the truthful, the poor lovers ²⁰², the beloved, and the solitary ones ²⁰³ who strive in the way of God, the tasters ²⁰⁴. ﴿Do not enter houses other than your own houses﴾, in which are established your brothers, the firmly rooted pegs ²⁰⁵, and the knowledgeable who act ²⁰⁶, because God has made them their private chambers of intimacy with Him, and places of His pure friendship, nearness, and proximity, that they may glorify Him.

In it (the mosque) at morning and evening, and they seek to bring down therein the outpourings of His mercies and the abundant, successive gifts of His goodness. And they witness therein the lights of His exalted Essence and the secrets of His attributes, perceived with the eye of veneration and majesty. And they inhale from it the fragrant breezes of His glad tidings, heralding nearness and union, until you become familiar and greet its absent dwellers in the presence of the Possessor of Might and Majesty. For He has occupied them with Himself, so they care not for (34) ornaments and garments, nor the embroidery of bracelets and necklaces. They have cast all behind their backs, so they incline not to any friend, nor uncle, nor maternal uncle. They find no rest in the shade of lush gardens, nor take pleasure in varied foods or the drinking of fresh, pure water. Rather, their intoxication and wine is the love of their Master; so no image of other than Him exists in their hearts, nor any fancy or illusion. He has annihilated them in His perfections and granted them such honors and lofty stations as minds cannot encompass nor occur to any thought. ﴿And if it is said to you, 'Return,' then return.﴾ So do not distract them from the intimate prayer of their Master, the Bountiful, the Generous, the Bestower, who has seized the reins of their hearts. So abandon, in His love, wealth, family, freemen, and clients. Seek their pleasure, ask for their supplication, and say to them, "Intercede," and be steadfast concerning the dead of the living, O people of generosity, kindness, abundance, and giving. Have mercy on us and treat us as Allah has treated you in the present state and in attainment. ﴿It is more fitting for you.﴾ That is: more befitting for you and more fortunate for your side in all circumstances. ﴿And Allah is All-Knowing of what you do.﴾ Of good conduct and righteousness in words and deeds. There is no blame upon you, O masters of ecstatic states and conditions, of divine attractions, intimacy, and boldness, to enter houses that are uninhabited without permission, wherein is your property that you have stored in the times of dawns—of supplication and earnest pleading—and which you have acquired from the intimacy of intimate prayer and the subtleties of remembrances that lead to the pleasure of the Great and Exalted Master. And Allah knows what you manifest of adherence to the Sunnah of the Seal of the Prophets and the Master of Messengers, and what you conceal of abandoning personal plans and choices, and delegating the matter to Him to whom is the refuge and upon whom is the reliance. How excellent is the saying of one who spoke, excelled, and said well: Blessed is he who wakes and sleeps while You are his beloved, ❖ even if the fires of passion melt him. And blessed is a heart in whose secret You dwell, ❖ even if its thousands and its near ones are absent from it. And he with whom You are pleased in the fold of His unseen, ❖ then, by Allah, no one who speaks ill of him harms him. And what harm is there to a lover who spends the night with no ❖ share of this world, while You are his share? Recited by one driven from the door, cast far away, ❖ whose vastness in this existence has become narrow. Your servant stands at the door of abasement; ❖ if You do not answer him, who will answer him? By Your truth, whoever does not taste Your love is dead, ❖ deserving of lamentation and wailing. Tomorrow he will be a loser, and disgrace suffices him, and misery, ❖ while his concealer has turned from the light of day. Be gracious to one whose time has been lost, ❖ and he knew not until his gray hair appeared. Poor in deeds, his wealth is in You; ❖ sick with sins, You are his physician. (35) A stranger from homelands, weeping in humility; ❖ does any taste the flavor of humiliation except its stranger? When the driver urges on with Your remembrance a need, ❖ passion meets its water and its flame. His statement, the Exalted: ﴿Say to the believing men to lower their gazes﴾, the verse. Imam al-Tha'labi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: ﴿Say to the believing men to lower their gazes﴾ That is: to lower their eyes, meaning: to refrain from looking at what is not permissible. And it is said [the particle 'min' is] for diminution, and this is established in the ruling, because the believers are not commanded to lower the gaze entirely, but rather they are commanded to lower it from what is unlawful, and to guard their private parts from what is unlawful. This is the saying of most of the commentators. Ibn Zayd said: Everything in the Qur'an regarding guarding the private parts is a metaphor for fornication, except in this place, for He intended concealment, i.e., they should guard their private parts so that they are not looked at. The evidence for this interpretation is the omission of [the particle 'min'] from His statement: ﴿That is purer for them.﴾ 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Guarantee me six things from yourselves, and I will guarantee you Paradise: Be truthful when you speak, fulfill when you promise, deliver when you are entrusted, lower your gazes, guard your private parts, and restrain your hands." 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Looking at the beauties of a woman is a poisoned arrow from Iblis. Whoever abandons it out of fear of Allah, seeking His reward, Allah will replace it with worship that pleases him." Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "While a man was praying, a woman passed by him, and he looked at her and followed her with his gaze, so his eyes became dim." His statement, the Exalted: ﴿And say to the believing women to lower their gazes﴾ From what is not permissible, and to guard their private parts from what is unlawful. And it is said: to guard their private parts, i.e., to cover them so that no one sees them, and not to display their adornment, i.e., not to reveal it to a non-mahram. There are two types of adornment: one is hidden, like anklets, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, armlets, and the like; the other is apparent. The scholars differed regarding the apparent adornment which Allah the Exalted excepted and permitted. Ibn Mas'ud said: It is the garments, including the cloak. The evidence for this interpretation is His statement, the Exalted: ﴿Take your adornment at every mosque.﴾ Ibn 'Abbas and his companions said: Kohl, the ring, and the bracelet. So it is not permissible for her to appear except with her face and hands up to half the forearm. Al-Dahhak and al-Awza'i said: The face and the two palms. Al-Hasan said: The face and the garments. 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day, when she reaches puberty, to display anything except her face."

And they should draw their veils ²⁰⁷ to here, and she should grasp at half the forearm." Indeed, Allah and His Messenger ﷺ only permitted this amount of a woman to be revealed because it is not 'awrah ²⁰⁸, so it is permissible for her to uncover it in prayer, while the rest of her hands are 'awrah which she must cover: {And let them draw their veils ²⁰⁷} i.e., their headcovers, over their bosoms to conceal thereby their hair, earrings, and necks. 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "May Allah have mercy on the early Muhajirat ²⁰⁹; when Allah revealed this verse, they tore their cloaks in half and covered themselves with them." {And not reveal their adornment} the hidden adornment which Allah commanded to cover and did not permit them to uncover in prayer or for strangers, which is everything except the face, palms, and tops of the feet, until His saying: {or their women} i.e., the women of the believers. So it is not permissible for a believing woman to undress before a polytheist woman unless she is her slave; thus His saying: {or what their right hands possess}. From Ibn Jurayj, and Hisham ibn al-Ghaz narrated from 'Ubadah ibn Anas that he disliked a Christian woman kissing a Muslim woman or seeing her 'awrah, interpreting {or their women}. 'Ubadah said: 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote to Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah: "To proceed, it has reached me that women enter baths with women of the People of the Book, so forbid that and prevent it." Then Abu 'Ubaydah stood in that place, supplicating, and said: "O Allah, any woman who enters the bath without illness or sickness, seeking whiteness for her face, blacken her face on the Day when faces become white." And it is said that by His saying: {or what their right hands possess} He meant their female slaves and male slaves, so there is no harm for them to show them of their adornment what they show to their mahrams ²¹⁰, or the male attendants who have no physical desire ²¹¹, who follow you to obtain surplus food. And it is said: those who follow women but do not desire them. Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "He is the one from whom women do not feel shy, like the decrepit old man, the hermaphrodite, the imbecile, and the impotent." Mujahid said: "The simpleton who knows nothing of women." Al-Hasan said: "He who does not get an erection." Sa'id ibn Jubayr said: "The insane." 'Ikrimah said: "The madman, and among them is the effeminate man who does not get an erection." 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "There was an effeminate man who used to enter upon the wives of the Prophet ﷺ, and they considered him among those without physical desire. The Prophet ﷺ found him with one of his wives describing a woman, saying: 'When she comes forward, she comes with four, and when she goes back, she goes with eight.' The Prophet ﷺ said: 'I see that this one knows what is here; he should not enter upon you.' So they veiled him." Ibn Zayd said: "He is the one who follows a group until he seems to be one of them, and grew up among them, but has no desire for their women; he only follows them for their kindness to him." Al-Irbah and al-Irab mean need; one says: "aribtu ila kadha irban irban" when one needs it. Abu Ja'far, Ibn 'Amir, 'Asim in the narration of Abu Bakr and al-Mufaddal read it in the accusative, which has two aspects: one is the circumstantial accusative and the other is exception, with ghayr meaning "other than"; the rest read it in the genitive as an adjective for "attendants." Or the children who have not yet become aware of women's 'awrah because they do not uncover them for intercourse, so they would see them. The word tifl can be singular or plural. {And let them not stamp their feet} i.e., they should not move them so that the anklet strikes the other anklet, arousing the desire of the listener when they walk, {so that what they conceal of their adornment may be known} meaning the anklet and jewelry. {And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you} from shortcomings in His command and prohibition. And it is said: its meaning is return to obedience to Allah regarding what He commanded and prohibited in the verses mentioned in this surah. End. And I say by way of allusion in this place: {Say to the believing men to lower their eyes} i.e., restrain the eyes of their inner sight, both physically and spiritually, and guard the wandering of their thoughts from what does not concern them in essence and structure, and make Allah's sanctuary a veil for them against violating His prohibitions, a protection, a strong fortress, and a safe station, for the eye is the scout of the heart, and the heart is the abode of love, and the glance is the arrow of Iblis ²¹²; whoever is shot by it, his vital parts are pierced, his springs become turbid, and his reproachers rejoice. It is not permissible for them to look with the eye of their insight except in witnessing the beauty and majesty of the Truth, and to let their thoughts roam except in His creations and handiworks, descriptions of His perfection, and especially in the beauties of His messengers, prophets, beloved ones, chosen ones, noble ones, gnostics, and saints, so that they may see His character in their faces, His light in their hearts, His secret in their identities, His remembrance in their consciences, His fear in their innermost, His love in their selves, and His knowledge in their attributes, for they are the manifestations of His self-disclosures, the loci of the stars of His descents, the lamps of the niches of His names and attributes, the book of the pens of His eternity, the guardians of the tablet of the sciences of His essence, the seas of His effusions, and the interpreters of His words. And they should not raise the eyes of their insight to the dense dark bodies, the stages of human creation, the forms of corporeal shapes, and the evils of carnal desires, lest they be veiled from the traces of His divine power, the dazzling secrets of His holy wisdom, and the vision of His face in this world and the Hereafter, and be deprived of the breezes of His favors and the gifts of His graces in the first and the last. And they should guard their private parts from what is not lawful for them, because they ascend the ranks of happiness, seek beneficial knowledge, seclude themselves in the prayer niches of worship, and adopt modesty before Allah and fortification with Him as a slogan and habit. {There is no secret conversation of three but He is the fourth of them} ²¹³, the verse. And they strive thereby to attain death in martyrdom and to end with the good word and more.

And that is purer for them ²¹⁴. Indeed, Allah is All-Aware of what they do, of avoiding sins and violating prohibitions, for He is All-Aware of their states and actions. He knows the treachery of the eyes ²¹⁵ and what the breasts conceal. So when they know Him as such, they must be mindful and cautious of Him in every movement and stillness, and obey His command in all that was and will be. God has always been All-Knowing, All-Aware, * All-Powerful, seeing everything. He decreed what He willed, how He willed, and * did not reveal His unseen knowledge to any human. He arranged the affairs of servants with power, * veiled in heaven, not seen. He decreed matters when no one * saw a sun or moon by them. Then a pen ran with what He decreed, * our Lord caused it to flow in the Tablet ²¹⁶, and it flowed. With all that was or will be until * the end of His enumeration of what He decreed. He perfected them first and made them firm, * then after that they ran as lessons. He made all the people of God happy * except for an eye, his soul despised. We are humble, lowly servants * to the King who forbade and commanded. We cannot say 'how' nor * exercise thought in His unseen knowledge. The servant does not possess, apart from his Creator, * benefit, power, or harm. That belongs to God alone, and He has * the right to choose and abandon among creation. Two abodes must be inhabited: * Gardens of Eden ²¹⁷ there or Saqar ²¹⁸. There is no good in much argument nor * in one who transgresses and denies destiny. Whom God guides will not stray, and whom * He leads astray will not be guided and has lost. His call to mankind is universal, * but He singled out a group among them for glory. His saying: {And tell the believing women to lower their gaze} ²¹⁹ the verse. So the ranks have united, the paths have become clear, and the positions have become equal. The dawn of truth has broken and the darkness of obscurity has been dispelled. {And not display their adornment} ²²⁰ which God has adorned them with, of dignities and virtues, unveilings and inspirations, tastes and spiritual drinks, ascension and descent, and hearing the address of the Truth in the presences, witnesses, and processions, except what appears ²²¹ of it when the veil is lifted and the covering removed, or the onset of a state's arrival, or the flash of the land of beauty and loveliness, or the overwhelming of ecstasy and rapture at the visit of the beloved's phantom after the eyes have calmed and what disturbs thought and agitates the mind has gone, or the birds of the unseen warble with melodies of longing and yearning and glad tidings of nearness and union. There is no harm in that when the breezes of satisfaction and acceptance blow from the presence of the Possessor of Might and Majesty. The state of love is a carrier, not carried, and the messenger of longing is known, not unknown, and the motivator of passion is connected, not disconnected. The mention of sama' ²²² stirs what was latent in the secrets of people of fame and obscurity. It is narrated regarding the ruling on sama' from one of the shaykhs ²²³ that he said: I saw Abu al-Abbas al-Khidr ²²⁴, peace be upon him, and I said to him: What do you say about this sama' concerning which the great scholars and eminent figures have differed? He said: It is the pure, clear water upon which only the feet of the people of loyalty and perfection remain firm. It is mentioned from Mamshad al-Dinawari ²²⁵, may God be pleased with him, that he said: I saw the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, in a dream, and I said to him: O Messenger of God, do you disapprove of anything in this sama'? He said: I do not disapprove of anything in it, but tell them to begin it with the Quran and end it with the Quran. I said: O Messenger of God, they harm me and become expansive. He said: Bear with them, O Abu Ali, they are your companions. So Mamshad used to boast of this and say: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, clothed me with it. And Tahir ibn Balbal al-Hamdani al-Warraq, who was a man of knowledge and virtue, narrated: I was in i'tikaf ²²⁶ in the mosque of Jeddah by the sea, and one day I saw a group saying something in one corner of it, and I disapproved of that in my heart, saying: In a house among the houses of God they recite poetry? Then I saw the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, that night, sitting in that corner, and next to him was Abu Bakr al-Siddiq ²²⁷, may God be pleased with him, and Abu Bakr was saying something of poetry, and the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was listening to him and placing his hand on his chest as if experiencing ecstasy from it. I said to myself: I should not have disapproved of those people who were listening, while this is the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and Abu Bakr beside him reciting. Then the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, turned and said: This is truth by truth, or he said truth from truth—the narrator doubted. And Abu Talib mentioned in his book with a chain that a man entered upon the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, while there were people with him reciting and others reciting poetry. He said: O Messenger of God, Quran and poetry? He said: This one time and that one time. And al-Qushayri ²²⁸ narrated in his epistle from Jabir ibn Abd Allah al-Ansari ²²⁹, from Aisha ²³⁰, may God be pleased with her, that she married off a relative of hers from the Ansar ²³¹, and the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, came and said: 'Have you given the girl away?' She said: Yes. He said: 'Did you send someone to sing?' She said: No. He said, may God bless him and grant him peace: 'Indeed, the Ansar are a people with amorousness, and if only you had sent someone to say: We have come to you, we have come to you; so greet us and we greet you.' He also narrated with his chain that a man recited before the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, saying: 'She came forward, and her two cheeks shone like onyx; she turned away, and I said to her, while my heart was in flame: What harm, woe to you both, if I love?' He said, peace be upon him: 'No harm, God willing.' It is narrated that he attended sama', listened, and did not forbid. By sama', the veil was lifted, and many of the great ones, shaykhs, and followers experienced ecstasy and moved. Abd Allah ibn Ja'far ²³² and Abd Allah ibn Umar ²³³ listened, and the tradition came from him permitting sama'. Among the Companions, Ibn al-Zubayr ²³⁴ listened.

Anas, al-Mughīrah ibn Shu‘bah, Mu‘āwiyah, and others said [this]. Mālik ibn Anas and the people of the Hijaz collectively held the permissibility of listening (al-samā‘), thus permitting singing (al-ghinā’). As for the *ḥarā* (a type of rhythmic, melodic recitation), all agreed upon its permissibility. Ibn Jurayj used to dance during the *samā‘*. It was said to him: "When the Day of Resurrection comes to you, and your good deeds and evil deeds are brought forth, on which side will your *samā‘* be?" He replied: "Neither among the good deeds nor among the evil deeds," meaning that it is among the permissible (al-mubāḥ). As for al-Shāfi‘ī, he declared it forbidden (yuḥarrimuhu) and considered it disliked (makrūh) for the common people. If one makes singing his profession and craft, his testimony is not rejected on that account; he deems it as something that diminishes moral integrity (murū’ah), but does not class it among the forbidden things. Ibn Mujāhid would not accept an invitation unless *samā‘* was present. Yūnus ibn ‘Abd al-A‘lā said: "I asked al-Shāfi‘ī about the people of Medina permitting *samā‘*. He said: 'I know of no scholar of the Hijaz who disliked *samā‘*, except what pertains to its descriptions. As for the *ḥarā*, the mention of ruins and encampments, the beautification of the voice, and the melodic rendering of poetry, I see it as nothing but permissible.'" Abū Marwān al-Qāḍī had slave girls who would perform melodic recitations, having prepared them for the Sufis. Abū al-Ḥasan al-‘Asqalānī used to listen and become ecstatic (yawlahu) during the *samā‘*, and he authored a book refuting its deniers. I know that many of the deeply rigid and pompous ones disliked it and denied it entirely—in its root and branch, in reality and in law. This is an error on their part, because it leads to (41) declaring many of the friends of God (awliyā’ Allāh) mistaken and many scholars corrupt, since there is no dispute that they listened to singing and experienced ecstasy (tawājadū), which led them to shouting, fainting, and falling unconscious. How can deficiency be attributed to them when they are traversing the most perfect states? This matter requires detailed examination and consideration of the people of *samā‘* and the differences among their ranks. For one whose understanding is sound, whose intention is good, whose heart's mirror has been polished by spiritual discipline, upon whom the breezes of resolve have descended into the space of his innermost secret, who is purified from the rising turbidity of his nature, the vapors of his humanity, the fantasies of his whisperings, who is stripped of the shares of passions, and cleansed of the filth of ambiguities—we do not say that his listening is forbidden or that his action is wrong. Abū Ṭālib al-Makkī, may God be pleased with him, said: "If we attack *samā‘*, we have attacked seventy veracious ones (ṣiddīqīn)." Al-Shalbī, may God be pleased with him, was asked about *samā‘* and said: "Its outward is a trial (fitnah); its inward is a lesson (‘ibrah). Whoever understands the allusion (al-ishārah), *samā‘* is lawful for him; otherwise, he has summoned the trial and exposed himself to affliction." It is known that *samā‘* stirs what is in the hearts and moves what is within them. Since the hearts of these people were filled with the remembrance of God Most High, pure from the turbidity of passions, burning with the remembrance of God, having nothing within them but God, longing (al-shawq), ecstasy (al-wajd), and rapture (al-haymān) lay latent in their hearts, like the concealment of fire in the flint. It does not appear except by encountering what is akin to it. The aim of these people in what they hear is merely to strike against what is in their hearts, stirring it with the impact of a sudden assault and the force of its dominance. The hearts become unable to remain steadfast under its collision, so the limbs are set in motion with movements, shouts, and swoons, due to the eruption of what is in the hearts, as if something new were occurring within them. Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd, may God be pleased with him, said: "*Samā‘* does not produce anything new in the heart; it merely stirs what is already in it." So you see them stirred by their ecstasy, speaking from their intention, experiencing ecstasy from the latent secrets of their innermost selves, not from the poet's words or the speaker's intent. They pay no heed to the expressions, because understanding leads to what the mind imagines. End. How excellent is the one who said concerning this meaning: "I have stood, walking upon my head—and it is right for one whom his Lord calls to walk upon his head. There is no constraint in ecstasy (tawājud), if you investigate, nor any harm in swaying, if you are sincere. Indeed, *samā‘* is the purity of the light of its clarity, hidden and veiled from one whose heart is hard. A light for one whose heart is expanded by light; a fire for one whose breast is a temple (nāwūs) of whisperings. A wine, and its cups are spirits, and they are, according to the measure of the goblets, showing you the clarity in the cup. A caller reminds him of the ancient covenant, and for one whose covenant is ancient, the yearning one is not forgetful (42). So it is no shame if, when one sings to him in joy, he moans, and fears not the people." The saying of the Most High: **"And let them draw their head-coverings (khumur) over their bosoms (juyūb)"** (Qur’an 24:31), so that they may conceal what God has granted them of radiances, lights, gifts, and the unveiling of hidden mysteries and secrets, for fear that they might be prevented from attaining the goals and reaching the objectives. For the path of spiritual wayfaring (al-sulūk) is difficult in its passages, far-reaching in its perceptions, abundant in its perils and destructions. None traverses it except one whom God has protected through obedience, perfect piety, asceticism, scrupulousness, and disavowal of all power and strength and pretension. **"And let them not reveal their adornment (zīnah)"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., what is hidden of their secrets, **"except to their husbands"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., those to whom God has permitted the unveiling of their secrets, and whom He has made for them like physicians who treat their bodies and rectify their conditions; **"or their fathers"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., their spiritual masters (shuyūkh) who have over them a birth and a bond like the bond of lineage; **"or their husbands' fathers"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., those from whom they have suckled the milk of love and with whom they have become blended in bone, flesh, and sinew; **"or their sons"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., the refined ones who have fostered them in the cradle of protection and guarded them from the abysses of perdition and ruin; **"or their brothers"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., those whose spirits have become brothers with their spirits in pre-eternity; **"or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., those who have entered under their protection and gathered with them in the gardens of knowledge and action, for the tree of love is one, and the pangs of longing and yearning testify to and witness this; **"or their women"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., those who have agreed with them in acts of obedience and drawing near; **"or what their right hands possess"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., from among the sincere female aspirants (murīdāt), the devout, worshiping, obedient women; **"or the male attendants who have no physical desire (ghayri ulī al-irbah)"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., those who have no need of them among men whose minds are absent in God; **"or children who have not yet attained knowledge of women's private parts"** (Qur’an 24:31), i.e., those who have been initiated into the sanctity of God, who have not become aware of the intimate parts of women possessing righteous deeds and latent hidden secrets, because they are in the station of refinement and spiritual disciplines, awaiting the opening from the Lord of the heavens and the earths. **"And let them not stamp their feet"** (Qur’an 24:31) upon the pure ground of love and longing, or the carpet of the secret and taste, lest they stir the states of the veracious aspirants (murīdīn) and excite the impulses of the love-smitten, yearning ones. For the station is beloved, the desirous one is drawn, and the secret is sought. There is no harm in unveiling his secret to its people, or in raising the veil so that the Beloved may witness what God has bestowed upon them of His generosity and favor, and what they have been granted of the gifts of His breaths, His nearness, and His union, **"so that it may be known what they conceal of their adornment"** (Qur’an 24:31) from the eyes of the deprived, idle ones, who deceive themselves, the liars. The saying of the Most High: **"And turn in repentance to God, all of you, O believers"** (Qur’an 24:31) (43).

O you: the righteous saints ²³⁵, the perfect elite ²³⁶, and the learned who act ²³⁷, if you experience a period of languor, a lapse, heedlessness, or shortcoming in fulfilling the rights of the disciples who aspire to your bounty, the brethren who cling to your coattails, the beloved who are characterized by your states, the companions who desire your union, and the people of the [spiritual] presence ²³⁸ who follow your words and deeds—then you are the doors of God that are never closed in the faces of those who ask, and His means that never disappoint the hopes of those who seek. Strive to mend their hearts as much as you can, for they have only followed you to obtain from you what God has favored you with: high aspiration, compassionate affections, elevated rank, noble lineage, the donning of robes of closeness and proximity, the answering of prayers, and the acceptance of desire. Perhaps you will succeed through your striving to avoid His prohibitions, obey His commands, and your desire to acquire His sacred knowledge and the understanding of the secrets of His inward and outward aspects. And when God Almighty said: "And turn to God all together" ²³⁹, the penitent said: "Who will accept my repentance and forgive my sin and offense?" So God Almighty said: "I accept it by My grace and mercy." Neither Gabriel, nor Michael, nor Israfil, nor any angel, nor sphere, nor prophet, nor saint, nor elite, nor pious, nor intimate accepted it. Then He said: "And He it is who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons sins" ²⁴⁰—forgiveness—and He knows what they do secretly and openly, and He responds to those who believe and do righteous deeds and increases them from His bounty with approval. O sinner, if you are among the foolish, the threat of reckoning suffices you. If you are among the beloved, it is enough for you to stand a moment at the door. If you are among those who sinned and did not repent, the threat of reading the Book suffices you. And they recited: "How can I hope for healing when sin is my ailment? I have no cure but repentance. Say to the one who brought the physician to treat: The remembrance of my Lord is my rest and my cure. My head has grown gray with my heedlessness and sins, so bestow favor upon me, O Lord of the heavens. You have never ceased to be gracious to me, for I have never ceased in my slip and error." Then know that repentance is the spirit of deeds, and upon it relies whoever draws near to God and arrives. It is the mount of the safe one to God, the direction of orientation to God, the open door of God, and to it hastens whoever desires closeness to the presence of his Lord and entry. It is the title of the inward and outward, the adornment of the great and famous, the drink of the people of hearts and their watering place in the incoming and outgoing. It is the way of the guided, the emblem of the successful righteous, the holding fast to the firm rope of God, opposing the soul that commands evil, and blocking the doors of desires in the face of accursed Iblis. It is of three types: the repentance of the believers, the repentance of their elite who are sincere to their Lord and certain, and the repentance of the elite of their elite who have attained the pleasure of their Lord and arrived. The repentance of the common believers: standing at the limits of God, obeying God's commands, guarding the limbs from disobedience to God, and refraining from harm outwardly and inwardly to God's servants. Or you may say: their repentance is erasing the traces of sins through seeking forgiveness, regret for what has passed, and not persisting, and returning to God by confessing faults and spreading hands in humility and need. Or you may say: their repentance is abandoning pride and insolence, guarding the private parts from fornication and the eye from looking, and purifying the heart from the filth of sins and the stain of turbidity. Or you may say: their repentance is guarding the tongue from slander, backbiting, tale-bearing, and false speech; the soul from inclining to satanic desires and causes of delusion; and the heart from rancor, envy, anger, pride, treachery, and immorality. Or you may say: their repentance is weighing deeds on the scale of the Muhammadan Law, conducting them according to the path of the Ahmadine Sunna, and abandoning blameworthy actions and base states. The repentance of the elite: the repentance of the truthful is contentment with what is present, patience with what is absent, and attachment of the heart to what is with the Lord, the King, the Worshipped. The repentance of the fearful: abandoning habits and pleasures, and opposing what the soul inclines to from human follies and all desires. The repentance of the humble and certain: abandoning planning and choice with God, being content with what God has decreed, resting under the currents of destinies, and entrusting affairs to God. The repentance of the patient and expectant: asceticism in the little goods of this world, contentment with what God has granted them of His bounty and abundant giving, and abandoning greed for what is in people's hands in general and in detail. The repentance of the inspired and divinely guided: returning to God with a sound heart, bathing in the water of fear from every ugly deed and blameworthy attribute, and seeking pardon and well-being from the Guardian, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. The repentance of the unique knowers ²⁴¹: acting according to the requirements of the Sunna and the Book, and freeing oneself from base actions, ambiguities, and evil earnings.

And the seeking of concealment over slips and stumbles, on the Day when secrets are disclosed and people stand for the presentation and the reckoning; and the repentance of the learned who act: to adhere to certainty in all matters of the Sunnah, and to abandon concessions (rukhṣ) in what they have undertaken of religious issues and legal obligations; and the repentance of the pillars (al-ʿumad) who have attained union: regret at seeing the Beloved (45) and attaining the alchemy of the sought treasure, and not being informed of what is in the lines of the unfolded scroll and the preserved tablet (al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ); and the repentance of those who praise and give thanks: accompanying the righteous and the good, and avoiding the ignorant and the wicked, and persevering in the remembrance of Allah in the hours of the night and the ends of the day; and a very special repentance: abandoning pretension and disavowing power and strength, and being patient in adversity and hardship, and refraining from anxiety and complaint, and returning to Allah with good manners in secret and whispered prayer; or you may say: their repentance is that they not be deluded by a station, nor incline to the praise of the elite and the commoners, nor divulge secrets to the rabble occupied with false claims and idle talk; or you may say: their repentance is preserving adherence to the Sunnah of the Master of Mankind, and maintaining reverence and veneration for the people of piety and respect, and raising hands in the darkness of the night in supplication for the Muḥammadan community while people sleep; or you may say: their repentance is having a good opinion of Allah, lowering the wing for the servants of Allah, and that they hate for Allah's sake and love for Allah's sake; or you may say: their repentance is that they immerse their thoughts in the love of Allah, and spend their lives in obedience to Allah, and abandon every distraction that diverts them from Allah; or you may say: their repentance is their return to Allah with sincerity of intention, their fulfillment of the rights of Lordship, and their acknowledgment before Him of the abasement of servitude; or you may say: their repentance is the heart's emptiness of other than Allah, its being filled with the remembrance of Allah, and its presence with Allah in every glance and blink; and one of the imams of the knowers (al-ʿārifīn) said: Repentance is the gaze of the Exalted Truth, through His prior and eternal care (ʿināyah), upon His servant, and His indication through that care to his heart, and His stripping him of intercession, drawing him to Himself; and when that is so, the heart is drawn to Him away from every corrupt intention, and the spirit follows it, and the intellect agrees with it, and repentance becomes sound, and the whole matter becomes for Allah. And one of them was asked: Why did the Master, Exalted is He, place His repentance before ours in His statement, Exalted is He: "Then He relented toward them that they might repent" (Qur'an 9:118)? And this is also an acquisition (kasb), like remembrance. So he answered: Because repentance is the first of the stations of seeking, and a stage among the stages of the journey; so He placed His action in us before our action, since no one opens it other than Him, and no one can traverse it except through His facilitation, for He, Mighty and Majestic, is uniquely responsible for awakening the heedless, alerting the sleeping, returning the straying to the path of those who intend, and stirring hearts toward the remembrance of the Beloved. Slaves at Your door—how wretched the slaves! They disobeyed You, while You are the Forgiving, the Loving. How many of them say, "I will not return," Yet they return, and You bestow forgiveness generously. Sin has worn out our faces, But Your pardon, O Lord, is fresh and new. (46) Among us are the young, among us the old, Among us the middle-aged, among us the newborn. So do not make the Fire our abode, For You have always bestowed forgiveness generously. His statement, Exalted is He: "And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous" (Qur'an 24:32), the verse. Al-Imām al-Thaʿlabī, may Allah have mercy on him, said: His statement: "And marry the unmarried among you" (Qur'an 24:32), i.e., O believers, marry those who have no spouse among your free men and women, and the righteous among your male and female servants—your slave girls. And al-Ḥasan recited: "among your servants" (min ʿabīdikum). And "the unmarried" (al-ayāmā) is the plural of ayyim, which is one who has no spouse, whether man or woman. It is said: a man is ayyim, and a woman is ayyim or ayyimah. The verb from it is āmat al-mar'atu ta'yīman ayyiman wa ayyūman, and ta'ayyamat ta'ayyuman. His statement, Exalted is He: "If they are poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty" (Qur'an 24:32). This is a promise from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, of enrichment and the negation of poverty through marriage. And some jurists interpreted the verse as obligatory and binding, thus making marriage obligatory for those who are able, while the rest interpreted it as recommended, which is the correct view. And al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah be pleased with him, said: It is obligatory for a man and a woman to marry if their souls yearn for it, because Allah, Exalted is He, commanded it, approved it, and encouraged it. And it has reached us that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Marry and multiply, for I will boast of you before the nations, even by the miscarried fetus." And he, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever loves my nature (fiṭrah), let him follow my Sunnah, and it is marriage; for a man is elevated through the care of his offspring after him." He said: "And whoever's soul does not incline to that, I prefer that he devote himself to the worship of Allah, Mighty and Majestic." And Allah, Exalted is He, mentioned the elderly women who have no desire for marriage, and mentioned a servant whom He honored, saying: "And a master, and one who abstains (ḥaṣūr), and a prophet from among the righteous" (Qur'an 3:39). And al-ḥaṣūr is one who does not approach women, and He did not encourage them to marry, indicating that the one encouraged to marry is he who needs it. Chapter on Encouragement of Marriage. Samurah ibn Jundub, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade celibacy (al-tabattul). And Abū Nujayḥ al-Sulamī, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever has the means to marry and does not marry is not of us." And Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Unaysah narrated from his father, from his grandfather, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever has a child born to him and has the means to marry him, yet does not marry him, and he commits a sin, then the sin is between them." And Abū Hurayrah said: If only one day remained of the world, I would meet Allah, Exalted is He, with a wife. I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: "The worst of you are your unmarried ones. And when one of you marries, his devil says, 'Woe to him! The son of Adam has protected two-thirds of his religion.'"

And seclusion is monasticism on mountain tops. A section on the preferred and chosen women: ‘Iyāḍ ibn Ghanm al-Ash‘arī said: The Messenger of God ﷺ said to me: “O ‘Iyāḍ ibn Ghanm, do not take an old woman ²⁴² nor a barren woman ²⁴³, for I will boast of your numbers among the nations.” Ja‘far ibn Muḥammad narrated from his father from his grandfather that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Marry virgins ²⁴⁴, for they have sweeter mouths, more productive wombs, and more stable strength.” And with his chain of transmission, the Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you wants to marry a woman, let him ask about her hair as he asks about her face, for it is one of the two beauties.” And with it, the Messenger of God ﷺ said: “Marry blue-eyed women ²⁴⁵, for there is blessing in them.” ‘Ā’ishah, may God be pleased with her, said: The Prophet ﷺ said: “The most blessed women of my community are those with the brightest faces and the smallest dowries.” A section on the reports concerning the wedding feast ²⁴⁶ in marriage and the wedding procession: ‘Ā’ishah, may God be pleased with her, said: The Prophet ﷺ said: “Announce marriages, hold them in mosques, beat the tambourines for them, and let one of you give a feast, even if with a sheep.” Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal said: “I witnessed the betrothal ²⁴⁷ of a man from the Anṣār with the Prophet ﷺ, and that Anṣārī then said: ‘Upon harmony and blessed good,’ and they dispersed to their companion, and the baskets came with…” A man came to ‘Uthmān, may God be pleased with him, after ‘Umar, may God be pleased with him, and complained to him of need. He said: “Take to marriage ²⁴⁸,” meaning His saying: “If they are poor, God will enrich them from His bounty” [Qur’an 24:32]. Ibn ‘Ajlān said: Abū Bakr and ‘Umar, may God be pleased with them, said: “Seek wealth in marriage.” “And let those who do not find marriage abstain [from unlawful acts]” [Qur’an 24:33], meaning the dowry and maintenance from the unlawful until God enriches them from His bounty and expands their provision. “And those who seek the kitāb” [Qur’an 24:33], meaning the contract of manumission ²⁴⁹, which is when a man says to his male or female slave, when they ask their master for it: “I have made a contract with you that you give me such-and-such at fixed installments, on condition that when you pay it, you are free.” The slave agrees to that. If he pays the manumission money at the specified installments, he becomes free; if he fails, his master may return him to slavery, as the Prophet ﷺ said: “The mukātab ²⁵⁰ is a slave as long as any of his contract remains unpaid.” “And if your slaves seek the contract, then make a contract with them” [Qur’an 24:33]. It is said this is a binding command, and it is obligatory for a man to make a contract with his slave whom he knows to have good in him if he asks for it, even at his value or more. This was said by Ibn Dāwūd ibn ‘Alī and Muḥammad ibn Jarīr among the jurists. And Ibn ‘Abbās, when Qatādah narrated that Sīrīn asked Anas to make a contract with him, but he hesitated, so he complained to ‘Umar, who struck him with the whip and ordered him to make the contract. This is because the verse was revealed concerning a slave of Ḥuwayṭib ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzzā named Ṣubayḥ, who asked his master to make a contract with him but he refused, so the verse was revealed, and Ḥuwayṭib made a contract with him for one hundred dinars, and gave him twenty dinars from it, which he paid, and he was killed on the day of Ḥunayn. ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may God be pleased with him, said: “It is an honor from the honors of God Almighty; whoever asks for a contract should be granted it.” It is also said it is recommended, and the master is not obliged to make a contract with his slave, whether he offers his value or more. This was said by al-Sha‘bī, al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, Mālik, Abū Ḥanīfah, al-Shāfi‘ī, and the rest of the jurists, may God be pleased with them. Ibn ‘Umar, Ibn Zayd, Mālik, and al-Thawrī said: “Good” [Qur’an 24:33] means strength for trade and earning. Ibn ‘Abbās said: “If you know they have a means [of earning] and will not cast their burden upon the Muslims.” Al-Ḥasan, Mujāhid, and al-Ḍaḥḥāk said: “Wealth.” Ibn ‘Abbās said this because of His saying: “If he leaves good [i.e., wealth]” [Qur’an 2:180]. Al-Khalīl said: “If He meant wealth, He would have said: ‘If you know they have wealth.’” Abū Laylā al-Kindī said: “I said to Sulaymān: ‘Make a contract with me.’ He said: ‘Do you have wealth?’ I said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘Do you want me to feed you from people’s leftovers?’ So he refused.” Ibrāhīm, ‘Ubaydah, Abū Ṣāliḥ, and Ibn Zayd said: “It means truthfulness, fulfillment, and trustworthiness.” Al-Shāfi‘ī said: “The most apparent meaning of ‘good’ in this verse is earning with trustworthiness, so I prefer not to refuse a contract if he is like that.” Abū Hurayrah, may God be pleased with him, said: The Prophet ﷺ said: “Three are entitled to God’s help: a man who goes out in the path of God, a man who marries seeking chastity from what God has forbidden, and a man who makes a contract seeking to fulfill it.” Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn narrated from ‘Ubaydah regarding His saying: “If you know any good in them” [Qur’an 24:33], he said: “If they perform the prayer.” It is also said that the mukātab must be an adult of sound mind; the insane and the child are not valid for a contract because they are not among those who seek it, as the Prophet ﷺ said: “The pen is lifted from three,” the ḥadīth. Abū Ḥanīfah said: “The contract of a child is valid if he is a discerning adolescent, based on his principle that if a discerning adolescent is free and his guardian permits him to transact, his transaction is valid. Similarly, if the master makes a contract with him, he has permitted him to transact, so his contract is valid.” The jurists differed regarding the nature of the contract. Mālik, Abū Ḥanīfah, and his companions said: “The contract is valid whether immediate or deferred, like a sale.” Al-Shāfi‘ī said: “The contract is not valid if immediate; it is only valid if deferred, with a minimum of two installments.” His saying: “And give them from the wealth of God which He has given you” [Qur’an 24:33]. It is said the address is to the masters, meaning they should remit some of the contract money. ‘Alī said: “A quarter of the money,” and al-Thawrī said the same. Abū ‘Abd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī made a contract for one thousand two hundred, and he remitted… …al-Rabī‘, then he said: “Your friend does this,” meaning ‘Alī. This has been narrated as marfū‘ ²⁵¹, narrated by ‘Alī, may God be pleased with him, from the Prophet ﷺ. It is also said there is no fixed limit. Al-Shayāṭ narrated from al-Suddī from his father: “The daughter of Zayd ibn Thābit ibn Qays ibn Makhramah made a contract with me for ten thousand, and she had prayed toward both qiblas ²⁵² with the Prophet ﷺ, and she remitted one thousand for me.” Al-Jarīrī narrated from Abū Naḍrah from Abū Sa‘īd, the freed slave of Ibn Usayd, that he made a contract with him for twelve hundred. He said: “I brought it, and he took one thousand and returned two hundred to me.” Nāfi‘ said: “‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Umar made a contract with a slave of his named Yarfa‘ for thirty-five thousand dirhams, and he remitted five thousand dirhams at the end of his contract.” Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr said: “When he made a contract with his mukātab, he did not remit anything from the first installments for fear that he might fail and his charity would return to him, but he would remit whatever he wished at the end of his contract.” According to this view, His saying: “And give them from the wealth of God” is recommended. It is also said its meaning is: “Give them their share that God has assigned to them from the obligatory alms,” by His saying: “And for the freeing of slaves” [Qur’an 9:60]. This was said by al-Ḥasan, Zayd ibn Aslam, and his son. According to this, it is an obligatory command. Buraydah and Ibrāhīm said: “It is an encouragement for all people to help them.” Abū Umāmah Sahl ibn Ḥunayf said: The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever helps a mukātab in his neck [i.e., his freedom] or a mujāhid ²⁵³ in his path, God will shade him under the shade of His Throne on the day when there is no shade but His shade.” Abū Sa‘īd, Rāfi‘ ibn Khadīj, and Ibn ‘Umar narrated: “A slave of ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān named Yaḥnis came to us and said: ‘Stand before the Commander of the Faithful and tell him to make a contract with me.’ We spoke to him, and he said: ‘Has something troubled him? I took him for one hundred and fifty, and he brings it and is free.’ He brought the money, and ‘Uthmān said: ‘O Yaḥnis, do you remember the day I twisted your ear?’ I said: ‘Yes, my master.’ He said: ‘Did I not…’

I am exhausted from saying 'my master'? He said: 'Stand up and take my ear.' I refused, but he kept insisting until I stood up and took his ear ²⁵⁴ and rubbed it, while he said: 'Tighten, tighten.' When he saw that I had reached the limit, he said: 'Enough.' Then he said: 'Ah, for retribution in this world. Go out, you are free, and what is with you is yours.' His saying: 'And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution' ²⁵⁵ was revealed concerning the two slave girls of 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the hypocrite: Mu'adhah and Musaykah. He used to compel them to fornication for a tax he took from them, and they used to do so in the Jahiliyyah ²⁵⁶. When Islam came, Mu'adhah said to Musaykah: 'If this state we are in is good, we have had enough of it; if it is evil, it is time for us to abandon it.' So the verse was revealed. It is also said that he had six slave girls; one brought him a dinar, another a garment, and he said to them: 'Go back and fornicate.' They said: 'No, Allah has forbidden fornication.' So they came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and complained to him, and the verse was revealed. Al-Zuhri said: 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy captured a man from Quraysh on the day of Badr. He had a slave girl called Mu'adhah, and the Qurayshi captive tried to seduce her. She was a Muslim and refused him, while 'Abdullah compelled and beat her, hoping she would become pregnant by the Qurayshi so that he could ransom her child. So the verse was revealed: 'on prostitution,' i.e., on fornication. His saying: 'If they desire to be chaste' ²⁵⁷ means 'since,' not as a condition, because it is not permissible to compel them to fornication even if they do not desire chastity, like His saying: 'And leave what remains of usury, if you are believers' and 'You are the highest, if you are believers' and 'You will surely enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills' ²⁵⁸ meaning 'since.' And 'chastity' means 'modesty.' Al-Hasan ibn al-Fadl said: In the verse there is forward and backward arrangement, i.e., 'And marry the unmarried among you if they desire chastity' ²⁵⁹. Then He said: His saying: 'And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution' and 'But if someone compels them, then after their compulsion, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful' ²⁶⁰ to them, and the sin is on the compeller. Al-Hasan, when he recited this verse, said: 'Yes, by Allah, to them. By Allah, We have sent down to you manifest verses and an example of those who passed before you,' i.e., a lesson and a warning. End. And I said in this place by way of allusion: His saying, exalted: 'And marry the unmarried among you' ²⁶¹ i.e., O spiritual souls, purified luminous bodies, and good physical forms, marry those among you who have no spouse, whether male or female, i.e., marry them to a state of your samadani ²⁶² states, clothe them with a garment of your imani ²⁶³ garments, perfume them with a scent of your qudsani ²⁶⁴ fragrances, because their pure souls have become widowed in the service of His sultanic kingdom, and their arshic ²⁶⁵ aspirations are attached to what comes to them from the gifts of His beneficent favors and the gleaming secrets and lights of manifest unveilings. And the righteous among your male and female servants who looked at the vanities of this world with a disdainful eye, divorced them thrice so that no remainder of them stayed in their hearts, and renounced the pleasures of its foods and drinks, and wore its worn-out rags, and replaced that with seclusion and intimacy with Me, and yearned for what is with Me of high degrees and lofty stations. They have avoided My prohibitions, filled their times with My remembrance, and left every distraction that diverts them from Me. Their sustenance is glorification, magnification, declaration of oneness, praise, and exaltation of the Great and Majestic Lord. Their trade is bowing, prostrating, and supplication to Me at dawn and dusk. 'Men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah' ²⁶⁶, the verse. Were it not for witnessing your beauty in my essence, I would not be content for an hour with my life. The Night of Power ²⁶⁷, great is its worth, is nothing unless my times are filled with you. And when the lover's times are filled with union, he has no need for an appointed time. By the oath of the past life that has gone and the preceding intimacy in seclusions! O seeker of good deeds in the law of love, preserving affection is the best of good deeds. His saying, exalted: 'If they are poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty' ²⁶⁸ and bring them near to Him in proximity and bestow upon them His pleasure and union. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing, i.e., He has expanded for them the circle of His forbearance, and expanded them with His mercy, generosity, and bounty. 'And let those who do not find the means for marriage abstain' ²⁶⁹, i.e., let them follow the path of the Muhammadan Shari'ah ²⁷⁰, and base their actions on the foundations of the Ahmadine ²⁷¹ religion, and guard themselves from heartly desires and evil deeds, until Allah enriches them from His bounty, i.e., brings them to the carpet of His presence, and extends their hand in His kingdom, so they seek spiritual progeny out of desire to increase offspring and acting upon the saying of my master, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: 'Marry and multiply, for I will boast of you before the nations.' So when marriage occurs in this sense, it is good and a cause in the chain of causes leading to the intended goal, whether a child is born or not. In that is the multiplication of Allah's worship in the nation of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the realization of the prophetic boasting in the Hereafter, because Allah, exalted, protects the sanctuary through His saints, frees obligations through them, sends down abundant rain through them, and opens the doors of generosity and munificence through them. His saying: 'And those who seek a contract from among those whom your right hands possess' ²⁷², i.e., from among those you have possessed through your kindness of the realized seekers, or whom you have guided to Allah through your words.

And your actions towards the believing brethren ²⁷³ are [those of the sincere], because you have over them a spiritual, financial, and awe-inspiring authority ²⁷⁴ that takes hold of the innermost of their hearts and unveils the secrets of their hidden mysteries. None of them can escape your obedience and governance, nor can they dispense with your functions, litanies ²⁷⁵, sciences of discernment, gifts of your endowments, treasures of your secrets, and your collections ²⁷⁶: "We shall seek to make them bear fruit ²⁷⁷ if you find good in them," that is, if you perceive their love and sincerity of intention, and find them in obedience to God and in His service, fulfilling their covenants, refining themselves, and perfecting their training. "And give them from the wealth of God which He has given you" ²⁷⁸, for you are the keys to His unseen treasuries and the oceans of His hidden, bestowed secrets. Do not be stingy with them; grant them the surplus of your food and drink, spread for them the tables of your sublime blessings, and observe in them their standing at your doors and their devotion to your blessed and pleasing thresholds. Forgive them if they oppose you or sever the ropes of your sweet and delightful affection, or if they abandon you, cut you off, or deny your companionship and your noble, masterly ²⁷⁹ knowledge. For soul-whisperings ²⁸⁰ assail them in their seclusions and gatherings, and satanic insinuations corrupt their good intentions and pure innermost thoughts. Overlook them, grant them respite, and forgive them for the slips that issue from them, for you are people of pardon, forbearance, generosity, beneficence, self-sufficiency, and profit. Writing ²⁸¹ is the concern of the people of success and triumph, and the freeing of necks from the bondage of servitude is the act of the people of sainthood and righteousness. Otherwise, the one who contracts for his freedom ²⁸² remains a slave as long as a single dirham remains upon him. Then know that the slave, according to the masters of allusion and meanings ²⁸³ and those who know the principles of the path ²⁸⁴ and the foundation of its structures, is one who has sold himself absolutely to his Master, seeking sufficiency in Him apart from all else, and cutting off his regard from other than Him, so that it never crosses his mind at all. Or you may say: The slave is one who has purified himself from the impurities of volitions, in word and deed, cast the world behind his back, and taken the service of his Master as his craft and occupation. Or you may say: The slave is one who has guarded himself and his states from Satan, as a child, a youth, and an elder, and taken the Book of God as a means to his Master's good pleasure, as an act of drawing near and union. Or you may say: The slave is one who has gifted himself to his Master, leaving himself before Him to do with as He wills, for He has purchased it from Him, as is established in His Book by transmission and narration. Or you may say: The slave is one who has been freed for his Master from the captivity of passions, leaving no trace of ownership for any other in him, and who has preserved his station from claiming freedom, saying: "My Lord, cause me to enter a true entrance and cause me to exit a true exit, and make me worthy of the service of my Master." Or you may say: The slave is one whom neither dinar nor dirham enslaves, who stands with the Truth through the Truth, adorns himself with the manners of servitude, and watches his Master in his movements and stillnesses, silence and speech, thereby attaining among the lovers the highest ranks and the prize. Then one of them said: Know that slaves are of four types: a permanent slave ²⁸⁵ acquired for service, one permitted to trade, one who contracts for his freedom, and a runaway. The example of the first is the saint of seclusion ²⁸⁶, who has attained seclusion by preferring solitude and abandoning company. The second is the saint of social interaction ²⁸⁷; he is the intimate companion of the Divine Presence, mixing with people for experience, looking at them for instruction, and commanding them to choose the good. He is the vicegerent of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, judging by God's judgment, taking and giving for God, understanding from God, and speaking with God. The world is his marketplace, the intellect is his capital, justice in anger and pleasure is his scale, moderation in poverty and wealth is his title, knowledge is his refuge and salvation, and the Qur'an is the book of permission from his Master. He is among people outwardly, but separate from them inwardly. He has abandoned them inwardly regarding what he owes them for God's sake, then connected with them outwardly regarding what they owe him for God's sake. He is not of them in his life among them, but he is like a gold mine in dust: he eats what they eat and drinks what they drink, yet they do not realize that he is God's guest, seeing the heavens and the earth standing by His command. As if it were said of him: "If you surpass all people while being one of them, it is because musk is part of the gazelle's blood." The state of the saint of seclusion is purer and sweeter, while the state of the saint of social interaction is more complete and higher. The former, in the presence of the All-Merciful, holds the station of the cupbearer ²⁸⁸ relative to the vizier before the sultan. As for the prophet, he is noble in both aspects, the mine of the two stars ²⁸⁹, the gathering of the two states, and the source of the two flowing streams. The inward of his states is the guide for the saint of seclusion, and the outward of his states is the model for the saint of social interaction. The third is the one who strives and takes account of himself, the worker who demands the taxes ²⁹⁰, like the installments of the one contracting for his freedom: five [prayers] in a day and night, five in two hundred [dirhams], a month in a year, and a pilgrimage in a lifetime. It is as if he has purchased himself from his Lord with these prescribed installments, striving to free his neck, fearing to remain in the bondage of servitude and hoping for the spaciousness of freedom, so that he may roam in the gardens of Paradise and enjoy its fruits.

And He does what He wills and desires. The fourth is the runaway slave. Among them are the unjust judge, the scholar who does not act, the reciter who shows off, the preacher who does not practice what he says, and most of his speech is idle talk. He dominates everyone who does not acquire understanding, not to mention the thief, the fornicator, and the usurper. Concerning them, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) informed: "Indeed, Allah supports this religion with people who have no share in the Hereafter." O Allah, a *mukātabah* (contract of manumission) whose goodness is perpetual, whose blessings are increasing, whose virtues are pure, whose ranks are lofty, and whose closeness is everlasting and enduring for those whom Allah has granted success to perform it. So I say: The *mukātib* (one who enters a manumission contract) is he who asks his master to contract with him for performing good deeds, establishing prayers, and seeking his help in performing them at their appointed times, their venerated days, their honored nights, and their firm conditions. Or you say: The *mukātib* is he who asks his master to contract with him for striving in acts of worship, following the path of goodness and the ways of happiness, and seeking his help in correcting intention, having sound beliefs, ending with faith, dying upon the two testimonies of faith, and attaining the greatest pleasure of Allah the Exalted, which is the noblest of goals and the highest of desires. Or you say: The *mukātib* is he who asks his master to contract with him for acquiring beneficial sciences, the ranks of excellence, and miracles breaking customs, and seeking his help in purifying the inner self from personal arrangements and choices, and the impurities of desires, and adorning the outer self with noble character traits and acquiring the benefits of derived wisdoms. Or you say: The *mukātib* is he who asks his master to contract with him for earning good deeds, performing commendable acts, and seeking from him forgiveness of sins, erasure of evil deeds, and elevation of ranks in life and after death. Or you say: The *mukātib* is he who asks his master to contract with him for abandoning treachery, preserving trusts, accepting truth, justice, and rectitude of religions, and seeking from him the realization of miracles, the ascent to high stations, and the adoption of the character of the elite individuals who are distinguished by the noblest ranks and the highest perfections. Or you say: The *mukātib* is he who asks his master to contract with him for ascending the degrees of security and safety, selection, choice, closeness, and the removal of causes of blame, and seeking from him the correction of dealings, receptions, inspirations, hearing the address of intimate conversation and speech, and the opening of doors of intimacy with Allah and eternity in the abode of bliss and honors. Or you say: The *mukātib* is he who asks his master to contract with him for avoiding ambiguities, abandoning forbidden things, redressing wrongs, not indulging in pleasures, and seeking his help in purifying deeds, soundness of intentions, abandoning immersion in what does not concern him of conjectural matters and rational judgments. Or you say: The *mukātib* is he who asks his master to contract with him for complying with commands, avoiding prohibitions, acting according to the requirements of rational and transmitted sciences, and seeking from him to reveal to him the secrets of the unseen, and the subtleties of sensory and spiritual realities. The servant is he who is sincere in his secret, and follows sincerity in his public. He constantly watches the Truth, so he cannot depart from His command. He loves his Master with truth, so he cannot slacken in His remembrance. He is absorbed by Him from other than Him when he begins to contemplate Him in his thought. Holy beyond form, One, the pairs are annihilated in His uniqueness. And thus his intense love continues to give him to drink the purest of purity from His wine. A pure wine by which his drink is delightful, which the Holy One pours into his secret. If a lover smelled a whiff of it, he would fly over the worlds in his intoxication. It is ancient in time, so everyone has a story about it that spread in his era. It existed when there was no revolving sphere, let alone the sun and its moon. Holy in description, it has an exaltedness beyond the report of speech and its report. Mighty in status, for if they reported, the line from its palace would fall short of it. It traveled and brought joy when it brought joy to a youth whose noble secret travels in his secret. And it released from its bond a knower of His entire world in His captivity. From it, for it, a minstrel drove with it, from him, by him, in the tearing of his veil. The saying of the Exalted: "And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution" (Quran 24:33) means: Do not compel, O knowing individuals and fearful trustees, those who have attached themselves to your presence, turned to your side, and whose nature is created with love for you—among the truthful female seekers, the noble good women, the apparent ones, the striving female servants in obedience to Allah and your service, the devout righteous women, and the veiled ladies in the seclusions of intimacy with Allah, the concealed ones—"to prostitution," meaning: inclination to what is deemed good, consuming religion, and committing forbidden acts. "If they desire chastity" meaning: abstinence from engaging in destructive causes and inclining to rest and the pitfalls of pleasures, "that you may seek the temporary gain of the worldly life," which is adorned by foods, drinks, garments, and boastings that distract from obedience to Allah and from reflecting on what saves in life and after death. And whoever compels them to do any of those blameworthy things in the view of the masters of states and successful deeds, "then indeed, Allah, after their compulsion, is Forgiving and Merciful" to whoever takes refuge in His presence and exposes himself to the breezes of His abundant and successive mercies. And indeed, We have sent down to you clear verses that you may witness in them the gifts of Our secret, the sciences of Our unseen, and an example of those who passed before you, because they drank the fullest cup from the nectar of Our love and were honored with Our affection and the perfection of Our knowledge, as occurred in the story of Joseph and Mary (peace be upon them), and an admonition for the righteous, meaning: those who benefit from it, even if it is an admonition for all. And al-Sayyid al-Wartajabī said concerning this place in His saying: "And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed" (Quran 24:31). He linked repentance with faith, then linked it with success. Its meaning is: Whoever returns to Allah from himself and from the worlds and witnesses the station of Lordship, he is saved from the punishment of separation and attains witnessing and union. And al-Wāsiṭī said: Repentance is the abandonment of all habits. And Yūsuf said: Whoever seeks success, salvation, and uprightness, let him seek them in correcting his repentance, and in the continuity of his supplication and turning back to Allah. For in the correction of repentance lies the realization of faith and the attainment of the reality of knowledge. The Exalted said: "And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you."

I have here a subtle allusion: God Almighty requires all believers to repent. Whoever believes in God and abandons polytheism has repented, and his repentance and return to God are valid. If a passing thought occurs to him or a sin befalls him, he remains within the scope of repentance. For when a believer commits a sin, his breast becomes constricted, his heart is troubled, his spirit regrets, and his innermost being returns [to God]. This is for the common people. The specific allusion is that all are veiled in the origin of denial ²⁹¹; whatever closeness they have found from Him, they have settled in their stations, contemplations, knowledge, and declarations of unity ²⁹². That is: you are still in the veil of these stations; repent from them to Me, for seeing them is the greatest polytheism in knowledge ²⁹³. Because whoever thinks he has arrived has no attainment of the knowledge of His existence and the essence of His majestic might. Therefore, repentance is incumbent upon them at every breath. For this reason, the Beloved of God ²⁹⁴ plunged into the sea of annihilation ²⁹⁵ and said: 'Truly, my heart is covered ²⁹⁶, and I seek forgiveness from God a hundred times a day.' I heard that al-Khadrawiyya ²⁹⁷ said to Abu Yazid ²⁹⁸: 'I want to repent but cannot.' He replied: 'Woe to you! Glory belongs to God, and you seek glory? Understand that after every repentance there is another repentance, until one repents from repentance itself and falls into the sea of annihilation, overwhelmed by the vision of pre-eternity and everlastingness.' His words: 'If they are poor, God will enrich them from His bounty' ²⁹⁹. Here there is a knowledge: its knowledge is to exit from the attributes of poverty and wealth, for they are two causes that lead to occupation away from God. The mighty one in knowledge is one who is rich through God, by being described with His attribute, and by unification with the attribute of knowledge of His essence—exalted is He above every cause. For the sources of the laws of His contemplation are the origins of every incoming [state] characterized by subsistence in His subsistence. Some said: 'Whose poverty toward God is sound, his self-sufficiency through God is sound.' 'Then write a contract of emancipation for them if you know any good in them' ³⁰⁰. Good here means tawhid ³⁰¹, knowledge, trust, contentment, satisfaction, sincerity of action, and fulfillment of covenants. The allusion is that when the masters see a disciple possessing these qualities, it is permissible for them to allow him seclusion, solitude, travel, and independence. Al-Junayd ³⁰² said regarding His words: 'you know any good in them'—knowledge of the truth and action upon it. Some said: love for the righteous and inclination toward them. God Almighty says: 'God is the Light of the heavens and the earth' ³⁰³. Imam al-Tha'labi ³⁰⁴ said in his commentary on this passage: God's words: 'God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.' Ibn Abbas and Anas said: God is the Guide of the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth; there is no guide other than Him. By His light they are guided to the truth, and by His guidance they are saved from the confusion of error. No angel brought near nor prophet sent is guided except by guidance from Him. Al-Dahhak and al-Qurtubi said: the Illuminator of the heavens and the earth. Mujahid said: the Disposer of affairs in the heavens and the earth. Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Abu al-Aliya, and al-Hasan said: the Adorner of the heavens with the sun, moon, and stars, and the Adorner of the earth with prophets, scholars, and believers. It is said: all lights are from Him, just as one says: 'So-and-so is mercy and wrath,' meaning from him comes mercy and wrath. Some scholars of meanings said: the root of light is purification and cleansing. A woman is called 'nawwar' if she is free from suspicion and indecency. A poet said: 'Nawwar among her companions, nawwar, like a flock or a herd that you see.' So the meaning of light is that which is free from every defect. It is said: light is of four kinds: radiant light, generated light, light from color purity, and light from praise. Radiant light is like the disk of the sun, moon, stars, and the flame of a lamp. Generated light is that which is generated from the rays of the sun, moon, and lamp, falling on the earth and illuminating it. Light from color purity is like the light of pearls, rubies, and other jewels—everything whose color is pure light. Light from praise is like people saying: 'So-and-so is the light of the city and the sun of the age.' A poet said: 'Why did you not specify from the cities a destination, the moon of the tribes, Khalid ibn Yazid?' Another said: 'For you are the sun, and women are stars; when you rise, no star appears among them.' Another said: 'When Abdullah travels from Marw for a night, its light and beauty have traveled from it.' It is permissible to call God Almighty 'Light' from the perspective of praise, because He is the Originator of things and the Light of all things, from Him alone, not from other aspects. For the sensory light that is opposite to darkness is not free from rays, elevation, radiance, and flame—these are negated from God Almighty because they are signs of temporality. They said: it is not permissible to say to God Almighty 'O Light' unless something is added, just as it is not permissible to say 'O Originator' unless something is added, as God Almighty said: 'Originator of the heavens and the earth' and 'Light of the heavens and the earth' as an action. Then He struck a parable for that light which He casts into the heart of the believer so that he is guided by it, saying: 'The parable of His light' ³⁰⁵. It is said the pronoun refers to the believer, i.e., the parable of his light in the heart of the believer, where He places the Quran and faith in his breast. Ubayy ibn Ka'b said: He began with His own light, then mentioned the light of the believer, saying: 'The parable of His light'—thus Ubayy recited: 'The parable of the light of the one who believes in Him.' Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan, Zayd ibn Aslam, and his son said: by 'light' He meant the Quran. Ka'b and Sa'id ibn Jubayr said: it is Muhammad, peace be upon him. Muqatil narrated similarly from al-Dahhak, and He attributed these lights to Himself as an honor. Ibn Abbas said: by 'light' He meant obedience; He called His obedience 'light,' then struck a parable for it, saying: 'like a niche' ³⁰⁶. The scholars of meanings said: this is an approximation, i.e., like a lamp in a niche, which is a recess with no outlet. Here He means the part in the middle of the lantern like the recess where the wick is placed. Its origin is a container in which something is placed. The niche is a container made of leather in which water is cooled, on the pattern of maf'ala, like al-mighra and al-misfa. A poet said: 'As if his eyes were two niches in a stone, pecking with the tips of beaks.' It is said: the niche is the column of the lantern. Mujahid said: it is the lantern in which there is a lamp, i.e., a wick-lamp. Its origin is from subh, which is light. A man is called sabih al-wajh or musbih if he is radiant. Some distinguished between al-misbah and al-siraj. Al-Khalil said: al-siraj is with the lamp-holder, and al-misbah is the lamp itself. It is said: al-siraj is greater than al-misbah, because God Almighty called the sun 'a blazing lamp' and 'placed therein a lamp,' and regarding the stars He said: 'We adorned the lowest heaven with lamps.' His words: 'the lamp in a glass' ³⁰⁷. Nasr ibn Asim read 'zujaja' with fatha on the zay, while others read with damma. Al-Akhfash said: there are three readings: damma, fatha, and kasra on the zay. 'Durry' ³⁰⁸ means large and luminous; the darari of stars are their large ones. Abu Amr and al-Kisa'i read with kasra on the dal, with hamza and madd, from the Arabs' saying: 'dara al-najm' when it rises and ascends to another place, and when it darts in pursuit of the devil and speeds. Its origin is from daf' (push), and its pattern is fa'il. Hamza and Abu Bakr read with damma on the dal, with hamza and madd. Most grammarians said this is a solecism, because there is no word in the language on the pattern fu'il with damma on the first letter and kasra on the second. Abu Ubayda said: it has a justification, because daru' is on the pattern fa'ul from dara'a, like subbuh and quddus; then they found the accumulation of dammas heavy, so they changed it.

Some of them [tend] to the kasra ³⁰⁹, as they said: 'atiyy ³¹⁰, which is fa'ul from 'atawtu ³¹¹. It is said: it is derived, according to this reading, from zur'a ³¹², which is whiteness; and it is said from it: milh dir'aniyy ³¹³. Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab and Abu Raja' read: with fatha ³¹⁴ of the dal and the hamza. Abu Hatim said: This is a mistake, because there is no fa'il ³¹⁵ in the speech of the Arabs. If it is authentically reported from them, then they are a proof. The rest read: with damm ³¹⁶ of the dal and tashdid ³¹⁷ of the ya' without hamza, attributing it to durr ³¹⁸ in its purity and splendor. This is the choice of Abu 'Ubayd and Abu Hatim. Abu 'Ubayda said: (60) We chose it for three reasons: one is what came in the tafsir ³¹⁹ that it is attributed to durr for its whiteness; the second is the report from the Prophet (peace be upon him) who said: 'Indeed, the people of Paradise will see 'Illiyyun ³²⁰ as you see the durri ³²¹ star in the horizon of the sky, and indeed Abu Bakr and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) are among them'; the third is the consensus of the people of the two sanctuaries ³²² upon it. Shayba, Ayyub, Nafi', Ibn 'Amir, and 'Asim in the narration of Hafs read: with a damma ³²³ on the ba', meaning the lamp. Hamza, al-Kisa'i, Khalaf, and 'Asim in the narration of Abu Bakr read: with a damma on the ta', meaning the glass. The rest read: with fatha on the ta', qaf, and dal, as a past tense verb, meaning the lamp. It is said: they mean the glass. The meaning is: a lamp, so the modified ³²⁴ was omitted. ﴿From a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east nor of the west﴾ 'Ikrima and a group said: It means that no mountain or valley shields it from the sun; it is not such that the sun hits it only at sunrise or only at sunset, but nothing shields it from the sun throughout the day. So when the sun rises, it hits it, and when it sets, it hits it. It is exposed to the sun all day, not only eastern so that the sun does not hit it at sunset, nor only western so that the sun does not hit it in the morning. Thus its oil is better and more luminous. Al-Suddi said: It is not in a place where the sun does not reach it, nor in an exposed place where the sun hits it, and shade does not reach it. So neither the sun nor the shade harms it. It is said: It is moderate, not in the east so that heat affects it, nor in the west so that cold harms it. This is the narration of Ibn 'Atban from Ibn 'Abbas. Ibn Zayd said: It is Syrian, because Syria is neither eastern nor western. Tha'lab said: It is said: it is eastern and western, as you say: so-and-so is neither a traveler nor a resident, and this is not white and not black, when he has a share and portion from both matters. The poet said: "In the hands of men who did not unsheathe their swords, nor did they increase the slain with them when they were paralyzed" Meaning: they did this and did that. Al-Hasan said: This tree is not from the trees of this world; if it were on earth, it would be eastern or western. Rather, it is a parable that Allah the Exalted struck for His light. Allah has made clear in the Qur'an that it is from the trees of this world, because He substituted for the tree, saying: ﴿an olive﴾. The olive tree is singled out from other trees because its oil is purer and more luminous. It is said: because its branch leaves from its beginning to its end, and its oil does not need a press to extract it. It is said: because it was the first tree to grow on earth. It is said: after the flood, because its place of growth is like the place of the prophets among the awliya' ³²⁵ and the sacred land (61). It is said: because seventy prophets blessed it, among them Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Therefore He said: ﴿blessed﴾. 'Abdullah ibn Jarad said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'O Allah, bless the oil and the olive.' He said: 'Eat the oil and anoint yourselves with it, for it is from a blessed tree.' Abu al-Tufayl said: 'Abdullah ibn Thabit al-Ansari called for his sons and called for oil. He said: 'Anoint your heads.' They said: 'We will not anoint our heads with oil.' So he began to strike them with a stick, saying: 'Do you turn away from the oil of the Prophet (peace be upon him)?' 'Uqba ibn 'Amir said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'You should use this blessed tree, the olive oil, and treat yourselves with it, for it is a cure for hemorrhoids.' ﴿Its oil would almost glow﴾ Due to its purity and radiance without a lamp. ﴿Even if no fire touched it﴾ Meaning: before fire touches it. ﴿Light upon light﴾ Meaning: the light of the lamp and the light of the oil. The scholars differed regarding the meaning of this parable and what is being likened, and regarding the meaning of the niche, the glass, and the lamp. It is said: This is a parable that Allah struck for His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Ibn 'Abbas said to Ka'b: 'Tell me about the saying of Allah the Exalted: ﴿The parable of His light is as a niche﴾, the verse.' Ka'b said: 'This is a parable that Allah the Exalted struck for Muhammad (peace be upon him). The niche is his chest, the glass is his heart, and the lamp in it is prophethood. ﴿Kindled from a blessed tree﴾ is the tree of prophethood. The light of Muhammad and his affair would almost become clear to the people, even if he did not speak that he is a prophet, just as that oil would almost glow even if no fire touched it.' Ibn 'Umar said: 'The niche is the interior of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the glass is his heart, and the lamp is the light that Allah the Exalted placed in the heart of Ibrahim, just as He placed in the heart of Muhammad (peace be upon him).' Muhammad ibn Ka'b said: 'The niche is Ibrahim, the glass is Isma'il, and the lamp is Muhammad (peace be upon him). Allah the Exalted called him a lamp just as He called him a lamp. He said: ﴿and a luminous lamp﴾. From a blessed tree, which is Ibrahim. He called him blessed because most of the prophets are from his loins. 'Neither of the east nor of the west' Meaning: He was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but was a hanif ³²⁶ Muslim. He said that because the Jews pray before the west, and the Christians before the east. 'Its oil would almost glow, even if no fire touched it' Meaning: The virtues of Muhammad (peace be upon him) would almost appear to the people before revelation came to him. 'Upon light' Meaning: From the lineage of a prophet. Al-Dahhak said: He likened 'Abd al-Muttalib to the niche, 'Abdullah to the glass, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in both of them, so he inherited prophethood from Ibrahim. 'From a tree' Meaning: From the tree of taqwa ³²⁷ and ridwan ³²⁸, and the clan of guidance and faith; a tree whose root is prophethood, its branch is manliness, its twigs are revelation, its leaves are interpretation, and its servants are Jibril and Mika'il. Ubayy ibn Ka'b said: This (62) is a parable of the believer. The niche is his soul, the glass is his chest, and the lamp is what Allah has placed of faith and the Qur'an in his heart. 'Kindled from a blessed tree' Which is sincerity to Allah the Exalted. Its likeness is like a tree that is surrounded by trees, so it is green and soft, not hit by the sun in any state, neither when it rises nor when it sets. Likewise, the believer is guarded from being hit by any tribulation, and if he is tested in it, Allah the Exalted makes him firm in it. So he is among four qualities: if given, he thanks; if tested, he is patient; if he judges, he is just; if he speaks, he is truthful. So he is among the people like a living man walking among the graves of the dead. Then He said: 'Light upon light'

Thus he turns about in five kinds of light: his speech is light, his action is light, his entrance is light, his exit is light, and his destination on the Day of Resurrection is to light, to Paradise. Ibn Abbas said: This is the similitude of the light of Allah and His guidance in the heart of the believer, just as the pure oil almost gives light before the fire touches it, and when the fire touches it, its light increases. Likewise, the heart of the believer almost acts by guidance before knowledge comes to him, and when knowledge comes to him, he increases in guidance upon guidance and light upon light, like the saying of Abraham before knowledge came to him: 'This is my Lord,' when he saw the star without anyone having informed him that he had a Lord. Then when Allah informed him that He was his Lord, he increased in guidance upon guidance. Then He said: 'Light upon light' ³²⁹, meaning the believer's faith and his action. Al-Hasan and Ibn Zayd said: This is a similitude that Allah Almighty struck for the Qur'an in the heart of the believer. Just as the lamp is used for illumination and does not diminish, so too is guidance sought by it. Thus the lamp is the Qur'an, the glass is the heart of the believer, the niche is his tongue and mouth, and the blessed tree is the tree of revelation. His saying: 'Its oil almost gives light even if no fire touches it' ³³⁰ means: the proof of the Qur'an almost becomes clear even if it is not recited. And it is said: the proofs of Allah against His creation almost give light to those who reflect and ponder them even if the Qur'an had not been revealed. 'Light upon light' ³³¹ means the Qur'an is a light from Allah Almighty for His creation, along with what He has established of proofs and signs before the revelation of the Qur'an. 'Thus they increase thereby light upon light' ³³². Then He informed that this mentioned light is precious, so He said: 'Allah guides to His light whom He wills' ³³³. And Allah strikes similitudes for people to bring near to understanding what He intends, and Allah is Knower of all things. And I say at this place by way of allusion concerning the meaning of this noble light and the lofty sublime similitude mentioned in His saying: 'Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth; the similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp' ³³⁴—the verse. When Allah Almighty willed the existence and creation of the world according to what He knew by His knowledge, there was effected from that holy will a striking of a manifestation from the manifestations of transcendence ³³⁵ upon the universal reality, a reality called al-Haba' ³³⁶, which is like the casting of gypsum for a building to open in it whatever shapes and forms He wills. This is the first existent in the world. Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, and Sahl ibn Abdullah and others among the verifiers and people of unveiling have mentioned that He, glorified, manifested by His light upon that al-Haba', and the whole world was in it potentially. So everything in that al-Haba' received from Him according to its capacity, like the reception of the corners of a house of the light of a lamp, and according to its proximity to that light, its light and reception intensify, as He said: 'As a niche wherein is a lamp' ³³⁷. So He likened His light to a lamp. There was none nearer to Him in reception than that al-Haba', except the reality of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Thus he was the master of the world and the first to appear in existence. His existence was from that divine light, from al-Haba', and from the universal reality. In al-Haba' his essence and the essence of the world were found from His manifestation. The nearest of people to him is Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, the imam of the world. This ends the speech of some of the gnostics concerning that light. Then I say: Light from light, light in light, light in beauty from light, light in majesty from light, light in perfection from light, light in sublimity from light, light in radiance from light, light in brilliance from light, light in secret from light, light in spirit from light, light in temple from light, light in intellect from light, light in heart from light, light in insight from light, light in unveiling from light, light in sight from light, light in hearing from light, light in speech from light, light in taste from light, light in smell from light, light in knowledge from light, light in understanding from light, light in a sea from light, light in a jewel from light, light in a body from light, light in a form from light, light in a halo from light, light in a full moon from light, light in a sun from light, light in a star from light, light in a sphere from light, light in a dawn from light, light in a morning from light, light in a reality from light, light in a mountain from light, light in a sand dune from light, light in a house from light, light in a station from light, light in a carpet from light, light in a heaven from light, light in a Throne from light, light in a Footstool from light, light in a Tablet from light, light in a Pen from light, light in a sura from light, light in a veil from light, light in a witnessing from light, light in a lamp from light, a light that times and ages do not change, nor does the passage of days and months wear it out, nor do the hands of the people of oppression and immorality touch it, and none knows its reality except our Master, the Forbearing, the Forgiving. Light in a garden from light, light in a meadow from light, light in flowers from light, in a tree from light, 'Its oil almost gives light even if no fire touches it—light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills' ³³⁸. Light in a lamp from light, light in a niche from light, light in oil from light, light in a glass from light, a light that pervades the universals and particulars of the world, its high and low, its summarized and detailed, its originated and invented. A light from which lights split, and from which secrets were cleft. A light before whose light lights are humbled, a light before whose light lights are subdued, a light before whose light lights prostrate, a light before whose light the suns and moons are ashamed, a light from whose light the sweet basil and flowers emit fragrance, a light from whose light fruits and trees ripen, a light from whose light the veils and curtains rejoice, a light from whose light the directions and regions shine, a light in whose oceans intellects and thoughts swim, a light from whose light the shining lights extend, a light from whose light insights and eyesights shine, a light from whose light the assemblies and remembrances become good, a light whose light surpasses the brilliant star, rubies, and precious stones, a light from whose light the great righteous and the elect borrow, a light by whose light all the Emigrants and Helpers ³³⁹ circumambulate, a light by the light of whose might the days, years, and ages are adorned, a light into whose light are included the lights of the poles, the substitutes, the nobles, the chiefs, and all the chosen righteous. Light in a Mim from light, light in a Ha from light, light in a Dal from light: Muhammad ³⁴⁰. Light in an Alif from light, light in a Lam from light, in a Mim from light, light in a Sad from light: al-Mass ³⁴¹. Light in a Kaf from light, light in a Ha from light,

A light in a Yā' from light, a light in an 'Ayn from light, a light in a Ṣād from light: Kāf-Hā-Yā-'Ayn-Ṣād ³⁴², a light in a Ṭā' from light, a light in a Hā' from light: Ṭā-Hā ³⁴³, a light in a Ẓā' from light, a light in a Sīn from light, a light in a Mīm from light: Ṭā-Sīn-Mīm ³⁴⁴, a light in a Ṭā' from light, a light in a Sīn from light: Ṭā-Sīn ³⁴⁵, a light in a Yā' from light, a light in a Sīn from light: "Yā-Sīn ³⁴⁶, by the Wise Qur'an" ³⁴⁷. A light in a Ṣād from light: "Ṣād ³⁴⁸, by the Qur'an full of Remembrance" ³⁴⁹. A light in a Ḥā' from light, a light in a Mīm from light: Ḥā-Mīm ³⁵⁰. A light in a Ḥā' from light, a light in a Mīm from light, a light in an 'Ayn from light, a light in a Sīn from light, a light in a Qāf from light: "Ḥā-Mīm ³⁵¹, 'Ayn-Sīn-Qāf ³⁵²; thus is it revealed to you and to those before you: God, the Mighty, the Wise" ³⁵³. A light in a Qāf from light: "Qāf ³⁵⁴, by the Glorious Qur'an" ³⁵⁵. A light in a Nūn from light: "Nūn ³⁵⁶, by the Pen and what they inscribe, you are not, by the grace of your Lord, mad; indeed, you shall have a reward unfailing; and indeed, you are of a great moral character" ³⁵⁷. Thus the light of my Mīm of sovereignty, Ḥā' of mercy, and Dāl of eternity connected with the light of Alif-Lām-Mīm-Ṣād ³⁵⁸; and the light of Alif-Lām-Mīm-Ṣād connected with the light of Kāf-Hā-Yā-'Ayn-Ṣād; and the light of Kāf-Hā-Yā-'Ayn-Ṣād connected with the light of Ṭā-Hā; and the light of Ṭā-Hā connected with the light of Ṭā-Sīn-Mīm; and the light of Ṭā-Sīn-Mīm connected with the light of Ṭā-Sīn; and Ṭā-Sīn connected with the light of Yā-Sīn; and the light of Yā-Sīn connected with the light of Ṣād; and the light of Ṣād connected with the light of Ḥā-Mīm; and the light of Ḥā-Mīm connected with the light of Ḥā-Mīm-'Ayn-Sīn-Qāf ³⁵⁹; and the light of Ḥā-Mīm-'Ayn-Sīn-Qāf connected with the light of Qāf; and the light of Qāf connected with the light of Nūn. So the lights interpenetrated into lights, the secrets blended with lights, and the meanings, forms, and states united; and all gathered in the essence of His Beloved, the Chosen, the Elect, as the chains of transmission and traditions have attested to the soundness of that, and the narrations and reports have concurred. ❖ Were it not for light, eyes would not connect ❖ With the eye of the seers, nor would they see it ❖ Were it not for the Real, intellects would not connect ❖ With the essences of things, so as to perceive them ❖ When intellects are stripped from essences ❖ They count as separate things that they deny ❖ And they say: We know nothing but an essence ❖ That extends essences of creation that it manifests ❖ It is the meaning, and we are its letters ❖ So whatever it designates, it intends it A light in an inscribed book, an unrolled parchment, a frequented house, and a surging sea; it is light upon light, that is, light from light, from which a subtle meaning flows into a subtlety of the subtleties of the Unseen, by which a similitude is struck in the world of concealment and manifestation, as our Master mentioned in His Book, saying: "God is the Light of the heavens and the earth" ³⁶⁰. The similitude of His specific light for Muḥammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, is like a niche from the light of Majesty and Beauty, in which is a lamp from the light of Splendor and Perfection, the lamp shining from the brilliant signs of His clear verses, in a glass covered with the lights of theophanies and manifestations; the glass is as if it were a brilliant star upon which shines the ray of proximity and ascents; it is kindled from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east nor of the west, but rather transcendent beyond regions and directions; its oil, which is from the beauty of the Essence and the lights of the Glories, "would almost glow even if no fire touched it" ³⁶¹, having been touched by the hands of originated things and the works of contingent beings; light upon light, not grasped by measures and quantities, nor by cognitions and gnoses and all qualities, nor by the intuition of intellects and rational proofs; rather, it is a light that multiplies with the multiplication of existents and the flow of divine effusions. "God guides to His light whom He wills" ³⁶²—that is, from the light of his insight by the light of divine knowledge and the secret of spiritual unveiling. "And God is Knower of all things" ³⁶³. God knows best where to place His message. Or you may say: God is the Light of the heavens and the earth; the similitude of His divine light, which filled the pillars of His sovereign throne and spread over the carpet of His merciful throne in the heart of His beloved, our master Muḥammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, "like a niche in which is a lamp" ³⁶⁴ from the light of Might; the lamp in a glass made by the hands of Power, as if it were a brilliant star whose radiance surpasses the light of Jupiter and Venus, and the sun and moon and the Pleiades, beautiful in appearance and forehead. Or you may say: This light, which the Real likened, is a multiplied light from which the niche, glass, lamp, and oil have been abstracted until no trace remains of what strengthens the light; this is because when the lamp is in a narrow place like a niche, its light is more concentrated, unlike a wide place where light disperses; and the lantern is most helpful in increasing illumination, especially with the clarity of the glass, and likewise the oil. The striking of a similitude is with a familiar sensible object, for the sake of something unseen and unobserved, as Abū Tammām said about al-Ma'mūn: "The boldness of 'Amr, the generosity of Ḥātim, The clemency of Aḥnaf, the intelligence of Iyās" It was said to him that the Caliph is above those you likened him to, so he improvised: "Do not deny my striking a similitude for him from among them, A similitude that is rare in generosity and valor; For God has struck the lesser for His light A similitude from the niche and the lamp." "God guides to His light" ³⁶⁵—that is, to this penetrating light whom He wills, by inspiration from God. "And God strikes similitudes for mankind" ³⁶⁶, to bring them closer to their understanding so that they may take heed and believe. "And God is Knower of all things" ³⁶⁷. Ibn 'Abbās, may God be pleased with him, said: The similitude of His light—that is, the light of God by which He guides the believers. And I have said concerning that meaning which God struck as a similitude for the Aḥmadī nature and the Muḥammadan substance, likening it to the glass because the nature is human, the spirit is throne-like, and the aspiration is holy.

And the clay is Adamic, the care is Muhammadan, and the station is Ahmadite. He was a light before the existence of the worlds, and creation was in the darkness of non-existence, according to his saying, may God bless him and grant him peace: 'I was a light before the presence of God Almighty.' The hadith. So no quiddity divides him, and no reality delineates him. If a single atom of his light were to appear to the world of this world, it would not contain it entirely; or to the world of the hereafter, it would fill it with its Throne, its Basin, and its Paradise; or to the unveilings of the masters of states, prophecy would not grasp its reality; or to the sight of the insights of the people of meanings and subtleties, the suns of their thoughts would be eclipsed in the ray of his Mustafan perfections, because he is the origin of lights, and from him secrets were split. God has struck the parable with these delicate vessels and the polished, lofty shells. He mentioned the niche for the perfection of its construction, and the lamp within the glass for its abundant polish and clarity, and the kindling and the blessed olive tree for its universal benefit and remedy. He said: 'Its oil would almost glow even if no fire touched it,' strengthening the glow of its rays and its light. This is because the body of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, as some knowers said, is a niche, and his spirit is in the niche of a glass of illumination; revelation is the lamp, and the glass is the conveyance of what is revealed to him. 'Light upon light.' When the light of prophecy shines in the glass of the niche of the heart, you polish the mirror of his heart, and he sees with it the wonders of the unseen. When he was addressed with the tongue of conveyance, a passage opened to the eye of his intellect to the highest assembly, and the hidden treasures of the subtle eternal were shown to him. He became an interpreter between temporality and eternity, pointing to God according to the strength of knowledge, and knowledge according to the light of the intellect, and the intellect according to what was previously decreed in the register of 'We have divided.' Or you say: 'God is the light of the heavens and the earth,' meaning the illuminator of the heavens with the lights of His might, majesty, grandeur, and beauty, and the illuminator of the earths with the traces of His power and beautiful acts. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with the Throne of His establishment and the mercy of His essence, and the illuminator of the earths with the wonders of His creations and the marvels of His innovations. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with the lights of His names and attributes of perfections, and the illuminator of the earths with the proofs of His evidences and clear indications. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with the ray of His splendor and the lights of His glory, or the illuminator of the earths with the oceans of His effusions and the secret of His words. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with the men of the glorifiers and the angels who fear His might, and the earths with the worship of His righteous saints and the individuals who seek the downpour of His mercies. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with His pre-eternity preceding all His existents and creations, and the illuminator of the earths with His permanence after the annihilation of His temporal beings and creatures. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with His shining stars and the execution of His decrees in their construction and operations, and the illuminator of the earths with His scholars, His generous ones, and the breaths of the people of His obedience and nearness. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, the Footstool, and the Preserved Tablet in which is written what the Pen has traced according to His will, and the illuminator of the earths with His beloved ones and the elite of those who strive in His worship. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with His witnesses, His processions, and the companions of His presences, and the illuminator of the earths with His messengers, His prophets, His venerated mosques, and His sanctities. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with the extension of His hand in its encompassing spheres and the servants of the veils and pavilions, and the illuminator of the earths with the knowing scholars and the people of righteous deeds. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with the lamps of the lights of those who remember God much, both men and women, and the illuminator of the earths with the weeping of the humble in fear of Him, both men and women. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with His independence from all else of genera, species, and all existents, and the illuminator of the earths with the need of everything other than Him for Him, from bodies, substances, and accidents, both general and specific. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the heavens with spiritual souls and luminous persons, and the signs indicating His existence and marks, and the illuminator of the earths with the body of our beloved, our master Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, the possessor of miracles and extraordinary acts. Or you say: 'God is the light of the heavens and the earth,' meaning the illuminator of the outward with the secret of His beautiful names, and the illuminator of the inward with the light of His majestic and beautiful attributes. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the outward with the light of His great names, and the illuminator of the inward with the light of opening and inspiration. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the outward with the light of His names of majestic rank, and the illuminator of the inward with the light of duties and remembrance. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the outward with the wonders of His creations, and the illuminator of the inward with the secrets of His wisdom and the marvels of His originated things. Or you say: meaning the illuminator of the outward with the lights of His bestowed sciences, and the illuminator of the inward with the lights of His acquired sciences.

With the gifts of His unseen mysteries, or you say: meaning, the Illuminator of outward forms with the light of His name: ﴿Allah—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining﴾, And the Illuminator of inward realities with the light of His saying: ﴿Indeed, there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves﴾ up to ﴿Merciful﴾, Or you say: meaning, the Illuminator of outward forms with His name the Harmful, the Beneficial, and the Illuminator of inward realities with the light of His name the Just, the Unifier, or you say: meaning, the Illuminator of outward forms with the light of His name the Kind, the Merciful, and the Illuminator of inward realities with the light of His name the Forbearing, the Generous, or you say: meaning, the Illuminator of outward forms with the light of His name the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, He is the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful, and the Illuminator of His name the King, the Holy, the Peace, the Faithful, up to His saying «the Mighty, the Wise», or you say: meaning, the Illuminator of outward forms with the light of His name the Disposer, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, and the Illuminator of inward realities with the light of His name the Subtle, the All-Aware, the Most High, the Great; He singles out for His mercy whom He wills, and Allah is the Possessor of great bounty, or you say: meaning, the Illuminator of outward forms and inward realities with the light of His name the Light, for the entire cosmos is darkness, and that illumination is the manifestation of the Truth within it; so whoever sees the cosmos and does not witness in it, or with it, or before it, or after it, has been deprived of the existence of lights, and the suns of gnoses have been veiled from him by the clouds of otherness, or you say: Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth, meaning the Illuminator of both with the lights of His self-disclosures, and the unveilers of His inspirations and transmissions, like His light emanating from the Presence of Unseen Realms to the heaven of hearts, or you say: like His light emanating from the Presence of the Secret to the carpet of the secret, or you say: like His light emanating from the Presence of Holiness to the manifestations of intimacy, or you say: like His light emanating from the Presence of Light to the station of magnification and piety, or you say: like His light emanating from the Presence of the Lord to the station of nearness and proximity, or you say: like His light emanating from the Presence of «He loves them» to the station of «they love Him», and from the station of «they love Him» to the station of «He loves them», and he is Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said: «I was a light before my Lord fourteen thousand years before the creation of Adam», and in the tradition: Allah the Exalted created Adam, peace be upon him, and placed that light in his back, and it (69) shone in his forehead, overwhelming all his other light; then Allah raised him upon the throne of His kingdom and carried him upon the shoulders of His angels, and commanded them, so they circumambulated with him through the heavens that he might see the wonders of His dominion and the treasuries of His omnipotence. And I said concerning the meaning of this noble hadith by way of allusion and definition, meaning: they circumambulated with him that the people of the highest tablet and the most manifest secret might witness the light of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the pages of his most luminous face and the crescent of his moon-like forehead, and that their eyes might delight in the beauty of his essence and the attributes of his perfections, and that they might smell from him the fragrance of Muhammadan lordship and the wafts of Ahmadine generosity, for he is of recent covenant with Allah, a Messenger who came from Allah, and a bringer of glad tidings who came from Allah, so do not hasten him; and the light of my master, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, shines upon the crown of his message, and the honor of his prophethood proclaims his immense rank and majesty; and Allah removed between them and him the veiled veil of jealousy, and disclosed to them a secret that was not inscribed in the unfurled banner of His might, until they saw that with their own eyes, and witnessed it secretly and openly, and spoke with the tongue of their state, and witnessed their speech: This is the light of the Seal of the Prophets, the Master of the Messengers, the Imam of the Saints, and the Beloved of the Lord of the Worlds; and Allah the Exalted struck a similitude for this light, saying: ﴿The similitude of His light is as a niche﴾ cast into the mold of prophethood and messengerhood, wherein is a lamp kindled with the oil of calling to Allah and guidance; the lamp is in a glass; its exterior is seen from its interior, and its interior from its exterior, that what is within it of the light of sincerity, certainty, truthfulness, and justice may become clear; the glass is as if it were a brilliant star, guarded from the coverings of arbitrary judgments, illusions, and ignorance; it is kindled from a blessed tree, an olive tree, protected from the sayings of the people of denial and misguidance; neither of the east, upon which the gleams of impurities shine, nor of the west, which the veils of otherness conceal; or you say: neither of the east, upon which the unveilers of consciences shine, nor of the west, which the hidden things of secrets conceal; its oil would almost glow, even if no fire touched it, kindled by the burning pangs of yearnings and glad tidings, and stirred by the motives of ecstasies and supports; ﴿Light upon light﴾ meaning: light from light, substituting the letter «from» with «upon» due to what is understood from the context of the state; and I said concerning the meaning of: ﴿Light upon light﴾ Meaning: the light of modesty and faith upon the light of remembrance and the Qur’an, and the light of unveilings and gnosis upon the light of proximity and nearness, and the light of sincerity and certainty upon the light of grace and favor, and the light of contentment and good pleasure upon the light of pardon and forgiveness, and the light of spirit and fragrance upon the light of generosity and beneficence, and the light of blessing and security upon the light of prayers and the call to prayer, and the light of witnessing and direct vision upon the light of revelation sent down upon the heart of our master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the possessor of proof and evidence. (70) ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ From among the elite of His beloved ones, the noble notables, and His chosen ones whose insights are illuminated with the light of unveiling and elucidation; and Allah strikes similitudes for people to bring understanding closer, and as a reminder for those of opening and inspiration; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ in the pillar of elucidatory unveiling and the carpet of the Self-Sufficient opening; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ in the world of the spiritual secret and the locus of the beneficent self-disclosure; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ in the book of revelatory discernment and the light of gnostic knowledge; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ in the unseen of the holy unseen and the station of lordly might; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ in the presence of proximity and nearness and the veil of luminous understanding; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ meaning: those whose intellects Allah has snatched away with the glances of ecstatic rapture and the motives of faithful love, and the motives of faithful love; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ meaning: those whose hearts Allah has illuminated with the lights of His gnoses and His oneness, and has enraptured them with His remembrance in the privacies of His intimacy and His solitude; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ meaning: those whom He has led to Him with the light of His success and guidance, and has chosen for Himself and made them among the noblest of His servants; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ meaning: those whom He has occupied with His praise and glorification, and has stripped them of distractions that they might devote themselves solely to the recitation and beautification of His book; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ with the light of His opening and inspiration, and carries them upon the shoulder of His piety and reverence; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ and unveils to them the subtleties of His sciences and gnosis, and admits them into the presence of the people of His love and His court; or you say: ﴿Allah guides to His light whom He wills﴾ and discloses to them the meanings of His proof and evidence, and informs them of the wonders of His creations and all His existents; or you say:

Allah guides to His light whom He wills, and treats them with His bounty and beneficence, and opens for them the doors of His acceptance and pleasure. Or you say: "Allah guides to His light whom He wills" ³⁶⁸ and settles them in the abode of His pardon and security, and spreads over them the cloak of His forbearance, and purifies them in the gardens of His paradise. Or you say: "Allah guides to His light whom He wills" and writes upon their hearts the glad tidings of His felicity and forgiveness, and refreshes them with the breezes of His spirit and fragrance. Or you say: "Allah guides to His light whom He wills" and manifests upon them the proofs of His favor and grace, and secures them from the accidents of His withdrawal and diminution. Or you say: "Allah guides to His light whom He wills" and quenches their hearts with the purest of His love and the essence of His nearness, and brings them close to Him in proximity and seats them upon the thrones of His kingdom and sovereignty. Or you say: "Allah guides to His light whom He wills" from among the elite of His chosen ones and the chiefs of His distinguished ones, and protects them from the plots of Satan and the assault of his hosts and helpers. Or you say: "Allah guides to His light whom He wills" and shields them from the calamities of time and the accidents of trial, and guards them from engaging in thought about what does not concern them and its wanderings. Or you say: "Allah guides to His light whom He wills" and makes them the pillars of His religion and the foundation of His edifice, and delivers them on their path of conduct from the causes of His severance and the accidents of His abandonment. Or you say: "Allah guides to His light whom He wills" and inspires them in their journey to Him with the flashes of His signs and the surahs of His Criterion ³⁶⁹, and protects their tongues from error and makes them speak with the benefits of His wisdom and the sciences of His explanation. And Allah strikes parables for people to guide them thereby to Him, and to make known to them the way of reaching Him, and to clarify for them what is obscure of the secrets of His unseen and the outcomes of what is sought from Him. "And Allah is of all things Knowing." ³⁷⁰ I say: The learned gnostics ³⁷¹ have spoken concerning the reality of light, what it is. It was said: Light is everything praiseworthy. And it was said: It is vast in concept and precious in knowledge, and majestic in power in the heart. In language, it is the illumination which, when it appears, manifests itself and by which other things appear. Intellectually, it is the witness to itself, emanating from all its aspects, which the senses perceive, imagination reaches, evidence points to, and the intellect grasps with its hands. It is the nature of spirits, and souls become imbued with it when they are reformed and purified. It is the meaning of remembrance ³⁷² and its description. And it was said: It is all existence, a reality, because it is the revealing and manifest. For this reason, the Qur'an is called light, the Prophet is called light, the intellect is called light, knowledge is called light, the spiritual master ³⁷³ is called light, and all of Allah's angels are light, because it is the attribute of His power, and His power is an attribute of His essence, and His essence is His name and His remembrance, and His remembrance is His light, and His light is His knowledge, and His knowledge is His existence, and His existence is His kingdom. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, saying to him: "O Abu Dharr, have you seen your Lord?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah, light—how could I see Him?" ³⁷⁴ People magnify the attribute of light until it has been subject to interpretation, and the disbelievers worship its manifestations, which are the stars, fires, and the like, and that is based on analogy. Some exegetes said concerning the meaning of His statement, exalted is He: "The Light of the heavens and the earth" ³⁷⁵, i.e., the Guide; and it was said: the Creator; and it was said: the Manifestor. The jurists say: Knowledge is a light that Allah places in the heart. The common people apply it to illumination. The Sufis apply it sometimes to the revealing states, sometimes to spirits, sometimes to gifts, sometimes to witnessing, and sometimes to seeking aid. For this reason, Abu Talib said: The servant does not see the truth except by His light, nor witness it except by His presence. The Sufis also apply it to what pertains to the secret ³⁷⁶, and to attaining knowledge by divine inspiration ³⁷⁷ and lordly bestowal, and to spiritual existence, and to the absolute, and to pure tawhid ³⁷⁸. As for the verifiers ³⁷⁹, light for them is encompassing, decisive conceptualization, definitive judgment, the simple secret, the comprehensive and exclusive eye that prevents observation of distinction, the single universality, the insightful extension, the absent existence, and the present-absent which cannot be described—whoever describes it inevitably falls into otherness, or imagination, or from the aspect that it has all that without the intention of the informant for the report. As for the philosophers, they apply the name light to separate essences in general, and to separate essences with regard to their essences because they have separated from bodies in terms of luminosity, like the souls of the spheres and the corporeal souls. According to the philosophers, the Light of lights is Allah, exalted is He. Among them are those who apply light to the hylic ³⁸⁰, and to abstract forms and suspended archetypes ³⁸¹. Among them are those who say that light is another world above that, which is the world specific to the presence of Allah, exalted is He, and that it is, in their view, too majestic and great for the name light to be applied to it, because light is undoubtedly created. And it is the first meaning we mentioned in "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth"—i.e., the Illuminator. They do not apply the name light to Allah, exalted is He, except for encouragement in some manifestations. End. There remains further discussion on this, but we will not prolong it. * Muhammad the Chosen, of the best of Adnan ³⁸², * Perfect in creation, possessing beauty and beneficence, * His face veiled with lights that serve him, * The angels of His creation walk like servants. * A face before which the Merciful manifested, radiant * With the light of holiness, in intimacy and pleasure. * When the pebbles saw the light of his forehead, * They glorified in his hand the glorification of one enraptured. * The prophets and angels, from eternity, * Have affirmed him and submitted to him in faith. * Each of the prophets is a light after him, * Except the Beloved—by Allah, he has two lights: * The light of his inward is holiness; his outward * Guides humanity to awakening and certainty. * And the light of his outward is from the light of his inward; * Both are for the Messenger of Allah two seas. * The title of his inward is the lights of his outward; * The title of his inward—what a title! * His like has never been among Arabs or non-Arabs, * Nor have two eyes seen his like, by Allah. * Muhammad the Chosen, the Praised, his witness * On the Day of Intercession among humans and jinn. Until he said: * O master of the messengers, O secret of existence, O * Treasure of congratulations for us, O essence of essences ³⁸³, * I am the servant who praises you, and * The generosity of masters never fails the right of servants. * If I have fallen short, beneficence is your nature, * And the custom of Arabs is to forgive the sinner. * Upon you be the purest and most fragrant blessings of Allah, * As long as the breeze touches the trains of the maidens' robes. * And upon the Family, the Companions, and all followers, * As long as the branches of the Arak tree sway in the meadow. And al-Sayyid al-Wartajabi ³⁸⁴, may Allah have mercy on him, said in this place: His statement, exalted is He: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth" means: Allah, exalted is He, brought creation into existence from the Throne to the earth by the command "Be" ³⁸⁵. What was between the "Be" was dark with the darkness of generality, veiled from the light of pre-eternity because it was an effect caused by temporality. The light of the "Be" did not manifest to creation there, so it remained like a niche without a lamp.

By impression and permanence, and the light of His speech adorned it with growth and blessings, and the light of His life adorned it with life, and the light of His power adorned it with wondrous favors, and the light of His permanence adorned it with active holy spirits of His primordial nature, and the light of His Essence adorned it with existence. Glory be to Him who is transcendent in His majesty; the cosmos was perfected by the light of pre-eternity, and He illuminated it from the darkness of non-existence. "The likeness of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp" ³⁸⁶. The breast of the gnostic is the niche of His act, and the niche of His command; the spirit of the gnostic is the lamp of His power; the wick of His lamp is his innate intellect, his rational primordial nature, and his spiritual preparedness; its oil is knowledge; his heart is the glass of the will; his lamp is the lights of the eternal attributes, transcendent of direct contact with contingent beings and temporal events, and of indwelling in time and space. The lamp of the spirit and the wick of the intellect were lit by the lamp of His attributes, and the light of the lamp increased from the light of the Essence, for the Essence and attributes are clothed in the attribute of sempiternity at all times. If their lights were withheld from it, its lamp would be extinguished and it would not behold the unseen. The lamp is supplied ³⁸⁷ with the oil of His knowledge, and that blessed tree has its root in the malakutic intellect ³⁸⁸, its waters in the jabrutic wisdom ³⁸⁹, and it stands at every breath facing the sun of divinity; no shadow of the morning of the east of non-existence falls upon it, nor any shadow of the evening of the west of permanence in the land of the east of contemplation, illuminated by the beauty of the sun of pre-eternity and permanence. Therefore, He negated the cause of the veil of temporality by His saying: "neither of the east nor of the west" ³⁹⁰. That knowledge from the blessed tree—its oil would almost shine with the light of the act before the light of the attribute reaches it, as He said: "its oil would almost give light, though no fire touched it" ³⁹¹. When the light of the attribute reached the light of knowledge and the malakutic intellect, and the light of the act shines with the light of God, and one sees God by God, not by other than God, as He said: "light upon light. God guides to His light whom He wills" ³⁹². So He struck the likeness of the light of His attributes with the lamp, and likened the heart to the niche, because the spirit is in the heart, the light is in the spirit, knowledge is the oil of the lamp of the spirit, and that niche is the heart. The heart is in the breast, having no passage for the winds of wretchedness, for the heart is between the fingers of the attribute, turning it as He wills, and the spirit is in the right hand of power, as he said: "The hearts are between two fingers of the Merciful, He turns them as He wills" ³⁹³, and he said: "The spirits are in the right hand of the Merciful" ³⁹⁴. How then could this lamp be extinguished, whose light is from the light of pre-eternity and whose radiance is from the radiance of post-eternity? Then He described the spirit and likened the glass and its lamp in the niche of the heart to a brilliant star, as He said: "a brilliant star" ³⁹⁵, for it was struck from the fire-sticks of majesty and beauty. And He informed us that that lamp in that glass will never be extinguished, because when the lamp is under a glass, the stormy winds do not affect it, for there is no way for the light of contemplation in the light of knowledge, and the intellect does not vanish with the vicissitudes of time, nor with slip and disobedience. These two lights penetrate the clear spaces of the brain's chambers, illuminating those mentioned planets, and shine from the mirror of the heaven of the gnostic's face. Do you not see how Abu Yazid ³⁹⁶ said: "The light of Self-Subsistence appears from the skin of the gnostic's face"? Hence the sages of old said: "The beauty of faces is from the reflection of the rational spirit." This, O understander, is what occurred to my heart regarding the indication of the verse, in agreement with my community and my masters. Ibn 'Ata' ³⁹⁷ said: "The adornment of the heavens is with twelve constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. And the adornment of the hearts of believers is with twelve traits: intelligence, attentiveness, expansiveness, intellect, knowledge, certainty, understanding, insight, life of the heart, hope, and modesty. As long as these constellations stand, the world remains ordered and vast; likewise, as long as these traits are in the heart of the gnostic, the light of well-being and the sweetness of worship arise from them." Ibn Mas'ud ³⁹⁸ said: "The likeness of the light of the believer is as a niche in a recess, which has no passage—indicating the believer's breast—'wherein is a lamp,' which is the light of the believer's heart; 'the lamp in a glass,' and the glass is the believer's secret." The Prophet said: "God showed me, and I loved what was pure and delicate to Him." "As if it were a brilliant star." Ibn 'Ata' said regarding His words: "neither of the east nor of the west": "There is no nearness nor distance in it; God is near from the distant and from the near." Al-Wasiti ³⁹⁹ said: "It is neither worldly nor otherworldly; God drew it to His nearness and honored it with His radiance." "Its oil would almost give light": i.e., the radiance of its spirit would almost blaze. "though no fire touched it": i.e., even if no prophet called it nor any scripture was heard. "Light upon light": the light of guidance coincided with the light of the spirit. "God guides to His light whom He wills": not by the effort of the strivers, nor the seeking of the seekers, nor the flight of the fleers. Al-Junayd ⁴⁰⁰ said: "It is neither inclined to this world nor desirous of the next, but it is annihilated in its portion from contingent beings." Abu 'Ali al-Jurjani ⁴⁰¹ said regarding His words: "God is the light of the heavens and the earth": He began with light, and light is the explanation. So God is the light of the heavens, and from His light is certainty, and it is a lamp that shines in the heart of the believer, as God said: "The likeness of His light"—meaning in the heart of the believer, for the believer's heart is illuminated by faith. So the light of his heart is from the light of God, a clear explanation; he sees by the light of his Lord all His dominion, and sees therein the wonders of His craftsmanship, and sees by the light of knowledge God's power, authority, and command. That light opens for him certain knowledge of what is in the seven heavens and the earths, so the angel and all therein submit to him, and everything responds to him as he loves and desires. The likeness of that light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. "The lamp in a glass": the believer's self is a house, his heart a lamp, his knowledge like the wick, his mouth like the niche. When a person opens with what is in the heart of remembrance, the lamp shines from its niche to the Throne. The glass is divine success, its wick is from asceticism, its oil from contentment, its attachments from the intellect. That is His saying: "light upon light." Ja'far ibn Muhammad ⁴⁰² said: "The lights are diverse: first, the light of preservation of hearts; then the light of fear; then the light of hope; then the light of love; then the light of reflection; then the light of certainty; then the light of remembrance; then the light of vision by the light of knowledge; then the light of modesty; then the light of the sweetness of faith; then the light of Islam; then the light of excellence; then the light of grace; then the light of bounty; then the light of favors; then the light of generosity; then the light of affection; then the light of the heart; then the light of encompassment; then the light of awe; then the light of bewilderment; then the light of life; then the light of intimacy; then the light of humility; then the light of harmony."

of tranquility ⁴⁰³, then the light of majesty ⁴⁰⁴, then the light of glory ⁴⁰⁵, then the light of power ⁴⁰⁶, then the light of might ⁴⁰⁷, then the light of strength ⁴⁰⁸, then the light of divinity ⁴⁰⁹, then the light of oneness ⁴¹⁰, then the light of uniqueness ⁴¹¹, then the light of eternity ⁴¹², then the light of perpetuity ⁴¹³, then the light of everlastingness ⁴¹⁴, then the light of pre-eternity ⁴¹⁵, then the light of post-eternity ⁴¹⁶, then the light of totality ⁴¹⁷, then the light of ipseity ⁴¹⁸. For each of these lights there are people, and for each there is a state and a station, and all of them are from the lights of the Truth ⁴¹⁹ which God mentioned in His saying: "God is the light of the heavens and the earth" ⁴²⁰. For every servant among His servants there is a drink from the light of these lights, and perhaps his portion is from two lights or three, and these lights are not completed for anyone except for the Chosen One ⁴²¹, may God bless him and grant him peace, for he is the one who stands with God according to the conditions that validate servitude and love, so he is light from his Lord upon light. Some said: The light of the heavens is the angels, and the light of the earth is the saints. It was said concerning His saying: "Light upon light" ⁴²²: witnessing overpowers the light of following; and it was said: the light of union ⁴²³ overpowers the lights of separation ⁴²⁴; and it was said: the light of the spirit guides to the secret ⁴²⁵ the ray of uniqueness, and the light of the secret guides to the heart the radiance of oneness, and the light of the heart guides to the breast ⁴²⁶ the reality of faith, and the light of the secret guides to the breast the etiquettes of Islam. When the light of reality comes, these lights are overcome, so the knower ⁴²⁷ is separated from them and annihilated from them, and he is established in the station of subsistence ⁴²⁸ with the Truth, marked with His mark, imprinted with His imprint, with no trace of temporality upon him, because the station of the lights of states is standing with them, seeing them, and resting in them. When the light of reality comes, it annihilates him from portions and witnesses, and when the light of the Truth prevails, the lights are extinguished before it, and the states become bewilderment in annihilation in bewilderment, and he is with the attainment of a name and a mark and the disappearance of reality in the very essence of the Truth. "God guides to His light whom He wills" ⁴²⁹, meaning: God singles out with these lights those for whom the will has preceded in particularity. "And God strikes parables for mankind" ⁴³⁰, meaning: for the intelligent, the wise, who are singled out for understanding from Him and returning to Him, that they might reflect that He who singled them out with these lights and stations without precedent, is not approached except by His grace and generosity, not by counting glorifications and blessings upon Him. Al-Husayn ⁴³¹ said concerning His saying: "God is the light of the heavens and the earth" ⁴³², meaning: the illuminator of your hearts until you knew and affirmed His oneness, and he concluded with His saying: "God guides to His light whom He wills" ⁴³³. So the beginning of His commencement was: "God is the light of the heavens and the earth" ⁴³⁴, meaning: the initiator of blessings and their completer, and the end is His seal. So the first is grace, and the last is will. He is the chooser of His saints, the guide of His chosen ones. He also said: "God is the light of the heavens and the earth" ⁴³⁵, and He is the light of light, guiding whom He wills by His light to His power, and by His power to His unseen, and by His unseen to His pre-eternity, and by His pre-eternity to His eternity, and by His eternity and perpetuity to His oneness. There is no god but He, witnessed is His affair by His power, exalted and high is He. He increases whom He wills in knowledge of His unity, oneness, transcendence, veneration of His station, and magnification of His lordship. Al-Wasiti ⁴³⁶ said: God created the spirits before the bodies, illuminated them with His attributes, and addressed them with His essence, so they shone and were illuminated by the light of His holiness. He informed about them by His saying: "God is the light of the heavens and the earth" ⁴³⁷, because He is the illuminator of spirits with the perfection of His light. Al-Kharraz ⁴³⁸ said: He who created him from His light, then burned him with His light, then returned him with His greatest majesty from light, when He manifests to him, he does not burn, because he becomes light from His light upon His light in His light, as God Almighty said: "Light upon light" ⁴³⁹. Al-Husayn said: In the head is the light of revelation, in the eyes the light of intimate conversation, in the hearing the light of certainty, in the tongue the light of eloquence, in the breast the light of faith, and in the natures the light of glorification. When any of these lights ignites, it overpowers the other light and brings it under its dominion. When it subsides, the dominion of that light returns more abundant and complete than before. When all ignite together, they become light upon light. "God guides to His light whom He wills" ⁴⁴⁰. Al-Ustadh ⁴⁴¹ said concerning His saying: "Neither eastern nor western" ⁴⁴²: Therefore their aspirations do not rest in anything eastern or western, nor high nor low, nor jinn nor human, nor Throne nor Footstool; they soar above the created worlds and find no way to the Reality, because the Truth is transcendent beyond being reached or grasped. So they remain separate from creation, and not connected to the Truth. It is said: The light of self-accounting ⁴⁴³ arises in the heart initially, driving its possessor to self-reckoning. When he looks into his record and what he has committed of disobedience, the light of reproach ⁴⁴⁴ arises, so he blames himself and drinks the cups of his regret. Then he rises above this by persisting in his intention and abandoning what he was in during his periods of slackness. When he becomes steadfast in this, he is unveiled by the light of vigilance ⁴⁴⁵, so he knows always that He, glorified is He, is aware of him. After that is the light of presence ⁴⁴⁶, which are flashes that appear in the innermost secrets. Then after that is the light of unveiling ⁴⁴⁷, which is the manifestation of the lights of attributes. Then after that are the lights of witnessing ⁴⁴⁸, so his night becomes day, his stars become moons, his moons become full moons, and his full moons become suns. There is no cloud in the heaven of their secrets, nor mist in its air. Then after that are the lights of unification ⁴⁴⁹, and at that point the realization of abstraction ⁴⁵⁰ occurs, with the specificities of singularization ⁴⁵¹. Then what no expression can convey, nor any allusion grasp, and speech at that point is mute, and witnessing is obliterated. The witnessing of assistance at that point is impossible. Then at that point: "When the sun is folded up, and when the stars fall, and when the mountains are moved, and when the pregnant camels are neglected, and when the sky is split asunder" ⁴⁵². These are all the divisions of the cosmos, and from non-existence they became to non-existence, and others stand in their place.

And the One who is absent from them other than them, exalted is the Oneness ⁴⁵³, mighty is the Self-Sufficiency ⁴⁵⁴, holy is the Eternity ⁴⁵⁵, and transcendent is the Divinity ⁴⁵⁶. Then He, glorified be He, made clear that that lamp and niche are in the house of the form of the knowing servant, and that house is his breast, which is illuminated by the light of God and the light of His power, so that its inhabitants may see by His light what opens up in it of the lights of His Kingdom ⁴⁵⁷ and His Dominion ⁴⁵⁸ by His saying: "In houses which God has allowed to be raised" ⁴⁵⁹, the verse. End. His saying, exalted be He: "In houses which God has allowed to be raised." Imam al-Tha'labi said: The arrangement of the verse is "that lamp in houses," and it is possible that its meaning is "it is lit in houses," and they are the mosques according to most commentators. Ibn 'Abbas said: The mosques are the houses of God on earth, and they shine for the people of heaven as the stars shine for the people of earth. 'Amr ibn Maymun said: I reached the companions of the companions of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, saying: The mosques are the houses of God, and it is incumbent upon God to honor therein those who visit Him. Ibn Buraydah said: His saying: "In houses" refers only to four mosques built only by a prophet: the Ka'ba, built by the two messengers of God, may God bless them and grant them peace, Abraham and Ishmael, who made it a qibla; the Holy House ⁴⁶⁰ built by David and Solomon; the Mosque of Medina built by the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace; and the Mosque of Quba', founded on piety, built by the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. Abu Buraydah said: "The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, recited this verse, and a man said: 'Which houses are these, O Messenger of God?' He said: 'The houses of the prophets.'" Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, said: "O Messenger of God, this house among them is the house of 'Ali and Fatima?" He said: "Yes, among the most excellent of them." Al-Sadiq said: The houses of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. Al-Suddi said: The houses of Medina. The correct view is that they are the mosques, due to the verse indicating that they are houses built for prayer and worship. If it is said: What is the reason for the singular of the niche and the lamp and the plural of the houses, while there is no single niche except in a single house? It is said: This is from the variegated discourse that opens with the singular and ends with the plural, like His saying: "O Prophet, when you divorce women" ⁴⁶¹ or similar. And it is said: It refers to each one of the houses. And it is said: It is like His saying: "And He made the moon in them a light" ⁴⁶², while it is only in one of them. "To be raised" means to be built, similar to His saying: "And when Abraham was raising the foundations (80) of the House" ⁴⁶³. Al-Hasan said: To be magnified and His name mentioned therein, i.e., His book recited therein. "Therein glorify Him" ⁴⁶⁴. Qatada, Ashhab, Nasr ibn 'Amir, Ibn 'Amir, and 'Asim read with the passive verb ⁴⁶⁵, then He said: "Men" ⁴⁶⁶, i.e., they are men, as you say: "Zayd was struck and his food was eaten," then it is said: "From the action of," so it becomes clear, and you say: "So-and-so and so-and-so." The pause in this reading is on "al-asal" ⁴⁶⁷. The others read with the active verb ⁴⁶⁸ and made the glorification the action of the men. Ibn 'Abbas said: Every glorification in the Qur'an is prayer, as indicated by His saying: "In the morning and the evening" ⁴⁶⁹, i.e., in the early morning and the late afternoon. The commentators said: He meant the obligatory prayers: the morning prayer is the dawn prayer, and the evening prayers are the noon and night prayers if the term "evening" encompasses them. Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever goes early or returns to the mosque, preferring it over other things, God will prepare for him a hospitality in Paradise that is counted for him every time he goes early or returns, just as if one of them were visited by someone he loves to visit, he would strive to honor him." Sahl ibn Sa'd said: The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever goes early to the mosque or returns to learn good or to teach it, he is like the one who strives in the way of God, returning with gain. And whoever goes early or returns for other than that, he is like one who looks at something but does not have it, and sees those praying but is not with them, and sees those remembering but is not among them." Then He described them, saying: "Men" ⁴⁷⁰. He specified men in these houses because women are not obligated to attend Friday prayer or congregational prayer in the mosques. "Do not distract them" ⁴⁷¹, i.e., occupy them. The scholars of meanings said: He specified trade because it is the greatest thing that occupies a person from prayers and other supererogatory acts of obedience. The omission of the feminine ending ⁴⁷² in His saying: "And the establishment of prayer" ⁴⁷³ is permissible due to the genitive construction, for the genitive and what it governs are like a single word, so they dispensed with the feminine ending because of the genitive. If it is said: The mention of sale and trade encompasses it. Al-Waqidi said: He meant by trade buying and selling. "And the establishment of prayer" means the performance of prayer, so the extra feminine ending was omitted due to the genitive construction, because the genitive and what it governs are like a single word, so they dispensed with the feminine ending when it is a substitute for the waw, for the origin of the word is "aqwamat" ⁴⁷⁴, so they found the vowel on the waw heavy and made it silent, then two silent letters met, so they dropped the waw and transferred its vowel to the qaf, and substituted a ha' for the dropped waw at the end of the word, like intensification in the word, as they did in their saying "'idda" and "zina" ⁴⁷⁵. When it is in the genitive construction, the ha' is dropped, and the genitive construction is made a substitute for it, as the poet said: "Indeed, the companion caused separation, so they departed, and they failed you in the matter they promised" ⁴⁷⁶, meaning "the number of the matter," so he dropped the ha' from it when he added it. "And the giving of the obligatory zakat" ⁴⁷⁷ according to al-Hasan. Ibn 'Abbas said: Zakat is sincerity of obedience to God. Ibn Hayyan said: They are the people of the Suffa ⁴⁷⁸. Salim said: Ibn 'Umar was in the market, and the prayer was called, so they closed their shops and entered the mosque. Ibn 'Umar said: About them was revealed: "Men whom neither trade nor sale distracts from the remembrance of God" ⁴⁷⁹. Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Indeed, the mosques have pegs ⁴⁸⁰, and the angels are their companions, looking after them; if they are sick, they visit them; if they are in need, they help them." And he said: "The companion of the mosque has three characteristics: a brother gained, a firm word, or awaited mercy." His saying, exalted be He: "On the day when hearts will tremble" ⁴⁸¹ from its terror, hoping for salvation and fearing destruction, "and eyes" ⁴⁸², i.e., a side, so they will be taken to the right and to the left, and from where they will receive their books: from the right or from the left. And that is the Day of Resurrection. "That God may reward them for the best of what they did" ⁴⁸³, meaning that they occupied themselves with the remembrance of God, the establishment of prayer, and the giving of zakat: "the best" ⁴⁸⁴.

That is, with the best of what they did, and He increases them from His bounty. And Allah provides for whom He wills without account, [i.e.,] they do not deserve it by their deeds. Then He struck a similitude for the deeds of the disbelievers, saying: "And those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage ⁴⁸⁵"—which is a shimmer that you only see at midday in the heat, as if it were water; when you approach it, you see nothing. It is called a mirage because it flows ⁴⁸⁶, i.e., runs like water—"in a lowland ⁴⁸⁷"—the plural of lowland ⁴⁸⁸ like neighbor ⁴⁸⁹ and neighbors ⁴⁹⁰; the lowland is the flat, wide expanse of land, in which the mirage occurs. Likewise, the disbeliever thinks his deed is beneficial, but when he needs it at death, it does not benefit him. So He pays him his account as a recompense for his deed: "And Allah is swift in account. Or like darknesses ⁴⁹¹"—i.e., the deeds of the disbelievers in their corruption, their error, and their confusion therein are like darknesses in a deep sea ⁴⁹², which is deep and full of water, due to its intense darkness. The deep part of the sea is its main body; it covers it, a wave above it, another wave, piled one upon another, above which are clouds. Ibn Kathir recited, according to the narration of al-Nabbal and al-Falij: "clouds ⁴⁹³" with nominative and nunation, "darknesses ⁴⁹⁴" with genitive as a substitute for His saying "or like darknesses." Al-Bazzi narrated from him "cloud of darknesses ⁴⁹⁵" in construct. The others recited: "clouds, darknesses ⁴⁹⁶" both with nominative and nunation. The completion of the speech is "clouds," then He began "darknesses, some above others": the darkness of the cloud, the darkness of the wave, and the darkness of the sea. The commentators said: By the darknesses He intended the deeds of the disbeliever; by the deep sea, his heart; by the wave above wave, what covers his heart of ignorance, doubt, and confusion; and by the dense cloud ⁴⁹⁷, the seal and stamp upon his heart. Ubayy ibn Ka'b said regarding this verse: The disbeliever turns about in five darknesses: his speech is darkness, his entrance is darkness, his exit is darkness, and his destination on the Day of Resurrection is to the darknesses in the Fire—meaning the one who looks—"he brings out his hand"—"he almost does not see it ⁴⁹⁸"—i.e., he does not come close to seeing it due to the intensity of the darknesses. Al-Farra' said: "does not ⁴⁹⁹" is a connective, i.e., he did not see it, just as you say "I almost did not see you" due to darkness, and he saw him after despair and hardship. It is also said: Its meaning is he came close to seeing but did not see. It is said: The bridegroom almost becomes a prince, and the ostrich almost flies. "And for whom Allah has not appointed light ⁵⁰⁰"—i.e., whom Allah has not guided, he has no faith. Muqatil said: It was revealed concerning 'Utba ibn Rabi'a, who sought religion in the Jahiliyya ⁵⁰¹ and wore sackcloth, then disbelieved in Islam. Anas said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Indeed, Allah created me from light, and created Abu Bakr from light, and created 'Umar and 'A'isha from the light of Abu Bakr, and created the believing men of my community from the light of 'Umar, and created the believing women of my community from the light of 'A'isha. So whoever does not love me and love Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'A'isha has no light." Then this verse was revealed: "And for whom Allah has not appointed light, for him there is no light." And I said in this place, by way of allusion, His statement: "In houses ⁵⁰² which Allah has permitted to be raised ⁵⁰³"—the intended meaning of "houses" is the hearts of His saints and chosen ones, the witnessing places of His intelligent and gnostic ones, and the processions of His favored and generous ones. His saying "which Allah has permitted to be raised" means Allah loved that they be raised upon the foundations of His building, and be established upon the benefits of His knowledge and tidings, and be lit with the lamps of His attributes and names, "and His name be mentioned therein ⁵⁰⁴"—i.e., His book be recited therein, which includes compliance with His commands and prohibitions, and the laws of His messengers and prophets. "Men glorify Him therein morning and evening ⁵⁰⁵ whom neither trade nor sale diverts ⁵⁰⁶" from the remembrance of their great and exalted Lord, because they sold themselves and left their wealth and homes, "seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure ⁵⁰⁷"—the verse—"and the establishment of prayer ⁵⁰⁸"—i.e., they establish Allah's limits upon themselves at all times, and call themselves to account for the smallest and most insignificant things, and for what was wasted in times of diversion and heedlessness. Their habit is weeping and groaning, and supplication out of fear of Allah and the rising of sighs. Their prayer is reflection and consideration of what benefits them with their Lord in life and after death. Fear has cut their livers, grief has worn out their bodies, and the reckoning and punishment have made their testimonies fly. "And the giving of zakah ⁵⁰⁹"—i.e., they spend the surplus of life in obtaining provision and piety and all acts of obedience and closeness, because these matters are the bridge of deeds and the slippery places of terrors, and upon it cuts whoever desires closeness to Allah and union. For they have no trade to divert them from His remembrance at all times and states, nor do they buy and sell such that they neglect the prayers in obtaining the chaff of this world and amassing wealth. When prayer comes, they stand for it without reluctance, as commanded by their Lord, the Possessor of Might and Majesty. "They fear a Day when hearts will turn over ⁵¹⁰"—reaching the throats, and livers, veins, and joints will be severed, and eyes will stare from the suddenness of the two angels ⁵¹¹ and the trial of presentation and questioning, as His saying: "So We removed from you your cover, and your sight today is sharp ⁵¹²"—or you say: "hearts and eyes will turn over ⁵¹³"—and on it the young and old and children will turn gray, thoughts and ideas will scatter, the free and the slaves will fear His assault, the earths will quake and mountains will melt, and the greatest saints, righteous, and all messengers will refrain from intercession on it. "And you see people drunk, yet they are not drunk, but the punishment of Allah is severe ⁵¹⁴"—"that Allah may reward them the best of what they did ⁵¹⁵"—of occupation with the remembrance of Allah, standing at the limits of Allah, strength of hope in Allah, good conduct with Allah, seeking pardon and forgiveness from Allah, commanding good and forbidding evil, and acting according to what Allah has revealed. And He makes their reward multiplied with Him, "and He increases them from His bounty ⁵¹⁶"—i.e., He increases them beyond the promised reward for the deed, as a favor, mercy, kindness, closeness to Him, and connection. Or you say: He increases them from His bounty which is endless, and His generosity which is unparalleled, because when He spreads the carpet of His forbearance, the sins of the first and last enter under its edges, and His generosity and favors encompass all beings. Or you say: He increases them from His bounty whose supply never ceases, and whose gift never perishes eternally. Or you say: He increases them from His bounty which has no limit or end, no restriction or finality. Or you say: He increases them from His bounty whose vast treasures are not exhausted, and whose beneficial benefits are not completed. "And Allah provides for whom He wills without account ⁵¹⁷"—i.e., He rewards whom He wills with a reward that does not enter into the reckoning of creation, and does not issue except from the Divine Presence.

The True King, whose giving does not depend on anyone's worship, righteousness, success, or prosperity. "That is the bounty of Allah which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty." ⁵¹⁸ This is the description of those guided by the light of Allah. As for those who stray from Him, they are likened to His saying: "And those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage." ⁵¹⁹ Some said: It is what is seen in a desert from the sunlight at noon, gliding on the surface of the earth like flowing water in a lowland (qi'ah ⁵²⁰), plural of qa' ⁵²¹. "Which the thirsty one thinks is water" ⁵²², i.e., the thirsty person supposes it to be water, "until when he comes to it" ⁵²³, i.e., comes to what he imagined to be water, "he finds it nothing" ⁵²⁴, i.e., he does not find it as he thought, "and he finds Allah with him" ⁵²⁵, i.e., with the disbeliever, "and He pays him in full his account" ⁵²⁶, i.e., He gives him his full recompense, complete, "and Allah is swift in account." ⁵²⁷ That is, He does not need counting or reckoning, nor does one account occupy Him from another, or His account is near because what is coming is near. He likened the deeds of one who does not believe in faith nor follow the truth—deeds he thinks will benefit him with Allah and save him in the end, but then his hope is disappointed and he meets the opposite of what he expected—to a mirage that the disbeliever sees in the desert (sāhirah ⁵²⁸), overcome by the thirst of the Day of Resurrection, so he thinks it is water, then comes to it and finds not what he hoped, and finds the Zabāniyah ⁵²⁹ of Allah who seize him ⁸⁴ and drag him to Hell, giving him to drink boiling water and pus. These are those about whom Allah said: "Laboring, weary" ⁵³⁰, thinking they are doing good. It is said: This was revealed concerning 'Utbah ibn Rabī'ah ⁵³¹. And I said concerning this meaning by way of allusion: That is, those who forgot the covenants of Allah among the seekers (murīdūn ⁵³²) who are hated, and the shaykhs ⁵³³ who are far from the presence of Allah and rejected, whose deeds Allah likened to His saying: "Like a mirage in a lowland" ⁵³⁴, i.e., the coverings that appear on the pages of their illusions, imaginations, unveilings (kushūfāt ⁵³⁵), inspirations (ilhāmāt ⁵³⁶), and receptions (talqiyāt ⁵³⁷), and the flashes that gleam in their ecstatic utterances (shaṭaḥāt ⁵³⁸) and attractions (jadhabāt ⁵³⁹), and the accidents that occur in their words and deeds and nonsense, and the thoughts (hawājis ⁵⁴⁰) that occur in their remembrances (adhkār ⁵⁴¹), acts of worship, and prayers, because their feet were not firm in the station of tamkīn ⁵⁴², nor did the lights of their insights shine with the lights of witnessing (mushāhadah ⁵⁴³) and determination (ta'yīn ⁵⁴⁴), nor were their innermost purified by the elixir of righteousness and religion, nor were their aspirations raised to the witnessing of the people of awrād ⁵⁴⁵ and talqīn ⁵⁴⁶. And His saying: "Which the thirsty one thinks is water" ⁵⁴⁷, i.e., the seeker (murīd) who desires the path of arrival thinks it is water to drink from its basins, or a garden fragrant with the breeze of opening (fatḥ ⁵⁴⁸) and acceptance, to delight in its meadows, "until when he comes to it, he finds it nothing" ⁵⁴⁹, i.e., a remedy to be healed from his illnesses, or a secret to fulfill his desires. "And he finds Allah with him, and He pays him in full his account" ⁵⁵⁰, i.e., the recompense of his deed, "and Allah is swift in account" ⁵⁵¹, i.e., severe in punishment for those who deviate from the path of truth and right. "Or like darknesses in a deep sea" ⁵⁵², i.e., He likened the heels of the seekers who deviate from the path of righteousness and guidance, immersed in the seas of ignorance and corruption, to darknesses in a deep sea (lujjī ⁵⁵³), i.e., deep, far-bottomed, from which no one finds an exit to follow its way, nor a path to follow its guide. "Covered by a wave" ⁵⁵⁴, i.e., covered by a wave of envy and pride, and a wave of anxiety and lack of patience, "above which is a wave" ⁵⁵⁵, i.e., a wave of ingratitude for blessings and lack of thankfulness, "above which are clouds" ⁵⁵⁶, i.e., clouds of much rambling and little recitation and remembrance, and the darkness of gradual enticement (istidrāj ⁵⁵⁷) and deceit. "Darknesses, one above another" ⁵⁵⁸, i.e., the darkness of foolishness of intellect, the darkness of miserliness and stinginess, the darkness of lack of verification in narration and transmission, the darkness of lack of modesty, faith, and speaking obscenely and bad manners with Allah in word and deed, the darkness of the veil (ḥijāb ⁵⁵⁹) and evil acquisition, and non-acceptance of truth and right, the darkness of love of leadership, status, and arrogance over peers, the darkness of committing minor and major sins, and following the path of misery and abandonment, and the darkness of not caring about the righteous, the good, and the bearers of the Qur'an. His saying: "And when he brings out his hand, he almost does not see it" ⁵⁶⁰ due to the intensity of the accumulation of darknesses of ignorance, immorality, and disobedience. ⁸⁵ So the darknesses followed one another, the seas of sins, crimes, and evil deeds surged, the clouds of procrastination, amusement, and heedlessness accumulated, and the believer became like a blade of grass tossed by the winds of pleasures and desires. Thereupon the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shaking. His saying: "And for whom Allah has not appointed a light, for him there is no light." ⁵⁶¹ That is, whoever is not granted it, he has no light, as in the hadith: "Allah created creation in darkness, then sprinkled upon them of His light; whoever was hit by that light was guided, and whoever missed it went astray from the path of guidance." Or you may say: "And for whom Allah has not appointed a light" ⁵⁶², i.e., whoever Allah does not grant a light by which he knows the secret of His names and attributes, and the sciences of His revelation and His descents, "for him there is no light." Or you may say: "And for whom Allah has not appointed a light" by which he knows the secret of His greatest name (al-ism al-a'ẓam ⁵⁶³) and the hidden mysteries of His majestic secret, "for him there is no light." Or you may say: "And for whom Allah has not appointed a light" by which he understands the glorification of inanimate objects and the mark of the people of success and felicities, "for him there is no light." Or you may say: "And for whom Allah has not appointed a light" that grants him the realities of sciences and benefits, and seals for him with the seals of goodness and martyrdom (shahādāt ⁵⁶⁴), "for him there is no light." Or you may say: "And for whom Allah has not appointed a light" that guides him to the path of devotion and worship, and bestows upon him the flashes of manifest unveilings (kawāshif 'iyāniyyah ⁵⁶⁵) and miracles (khawāriq al-'ādāt ⁵⁶⁶), "for him there is no light." Or you may say: "And for whom Allah has not appointed a light" by which he hears the screeching of the pens of the dispositions of the will (irādah ⁵⁶⁷) on the tablets of erasure and establishment (al-maḥw wa al-thabāt ⁵⁶⁸), and inhales the breeze of the fertilizing winds and the varieties of plants, "for him there is no light." Or you may say: "And for whom Allah has not appointed a light" by which he witnesses the worlds of the earths and heavens, and the inhabitants of the surrounding cycles (adwār ⁵⁶⁹) and the people of means and answered supplications, "for him there is no light." Or you may say: "And for whom Allah has not appointed a light" that pierces the thick veils (kathā'if al-ḥujub ⁵⁷⁰) and the pavilions (surādiqāt ⁵⁷¹), and guides him to the path of the people of the highest stations and degrees, "for him there is no light."

Concerning commendable deeds and righteous works: {Then he has no light} (fama lahu min nurin), or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} (wa man lam yaj‘ali Allahu lahu nūran) by which to know all sciences and languages, the arts of recitations (qirā’āt) and the aspects of wealth; {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which to hear the murmuring of the angels of revelation and inspiration (al-waḥy wa al-ilhām), and by which to behold the ranks of the saints (al-awliyā’) and the righteous, and the stations of the noble messengers (al-rusul al-kirām); {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which to circumambulate the Corner (al-Rukn) and the Station (al-Maqām), and between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah and the Sacred Monument (al-Mash‘ar al-Ḥarām), and the grave of our master Muḥammad—upon him be the most excellent prayer and the purest peace; {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which to see the essence of His Beloved—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in wakefulness and in sleep, and the distinguished ones of his Companions, the leading luminaries (al-qādah al-a‘lām); {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which to witness the spiritual souls (al-arwāḥ al-rūḥāniyyah) and the essences of luminous persons (al-ashkhāṣ al-nūrāniyyah); {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which to behold the servants of the suns and moons, and the angels entrusted with the region of rains, (86) and the measures of the seas; {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which to understand the language of insects, wild beasts, and birds, the tapping of tambourines and flutes, and the resonance of strings; {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which to witness the angels entrusted with seizing lifetimes, the noble scribes (al-kirām al-kātibīn), the angels of questioning, and the keepers of Paradise and Hell; {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which to perceive the unseen of secrets, the passing thoughts of ideas, the hidden things of matters, and the mystery of devotions and remembrances (al-waẓā’if wa al-adhkār); {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which time is protected, the jinn are guarded against, and the armies of rebels and evildoers are suppressed; {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which he stands in the blackness of night and the depths of dawns, by which destiny is repelled, and by which he acts in all directions and regions; {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which he seeks the pleasure of our Master, the Sovereign, the Subduer (al-Malik al-Qahhār), and by which he brings down the downpour of His beneficial mercies in this abode and in that abode; {And for whom Allah has not appointed light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which he unveils the obscurities of the hidden secret, the symbols of the guarded knowledge, and the mystery of the word “Be, and it is” (kun fa-yakūn); {Then he has no light}. Or you say: {And for whom Allah has not appointed light} by which he perceives the light of the Kāf and the secret of the Nūn, and what lies between them of the secrets of unseen sciences and the subtleties of arts; {Then he has no light}. Thus, by the light of the Kāf, he perceives the light of the Kāf of “I was a hidden treasure, unknown” (kuntu kanzan lam u‘raf), and by the light of the Kāf of “I was a hidden treasure, unknown.” And his Companions, the righteous imams—a prayer by which You water us from the cups of Your pure, unmixed love, and by which You admit us into Your impregnable fortress of proximity and neighborhood, and by which You treat us with Your pardon and forgiveness in this abode and in that abode, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. Allāhu akbar! This light has appeared. * Allāhu akbar! This secret has dazzled. Allāhu akbar! This unseen is unveiled. * It has delighted the hearing when the sight was honored. Allāhu akbar! Its realities left not * In me there any eye or trace. Allāhu akbar! This is the secret of His Presence, * He showed it to me after it had been concealed. Allāhu akbar! Sanctified be His Might, * It appears to the eye in its mirror as a sight. Allāhu akbar! No servant who witnesses Him * Is like one whose end is but to hear the report. And al-Wartajī said concerning this meaning, regarding His—exalted is He—statement: {In houses [i.e., mosques] which Allah has ordered to be raised and in which His name is remembered} (fī buyūtin adhina Allāhu an turfa‘a wa yudhkara fīhā ismuhu). That is: hearts in which the name of Allah is remembered, that their aspirations be raised to the witnessing of the Essence (al-dhāt), and they do not descend to anything other than Him of signs and wonders. And the heart remembers the name of Allah there; so the heart remembers His attribute, and the spirit remembers His Essence and His attributes. Also, the secrets are raised, by the quality of yearning, the needs of union toward Him, by the quality of nearness and intimate conversation. Some said: Needs are raised from the hearts, and the hearts occupy themselves with remembrance, for the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—says, relating from his Lord: “Whoever is occupied by My remembrance from asking of Me, I give him the best of what I give to those who ask.” And it is said: Hearts are the houses of knowledge (al-ma‘rifah), spirits are the witnesses of love, and secrets are the locus of witnessing. Then He—exalted is He—described the people of the speciality of those houses, for the witnessing of the Presence and watchfulness in proximity, by the quality of abstraction from other than the witnessing, with His statement: {Men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah} (rijālun lā tulhīhim tijāratun wa lā bay‘un ‘an dhikri Allāh). And the description of the knowers (al-‘ārifīn) by manliness (al-rujūliyyah) when they turned to Him with secrets apparent from temporal events, and hearts pure from contingent beings, for the love of witnessing the Most Merciful, and for their journey in the deserts of pre-eternity and post-eternity, with holy spirits and angelic intellects, among the beasts of destiny and the serpents of trial, and the lions of jealousy—commendable and reprehensible deeds do not distract them from attaining the high stations in the vision of the Essence and the attributes. Their likeness is like the seas, which are not altered by carcasses; likewise, their states flow upon them with the rulings of the two worlds, by the quality of direct engagement and interaction, and their secrets are not altered from the witnessing of union and the gaze upon the Beauty. Ibn ‘Aṭā’ said: They are the treasuries of deposits and the loci of secrets. Al-Naṣrābādhī said: He removed from them the remembrance of contingent things, so causes do not distract them from the Causer in any state. Ja‘far said: They are the men among men in truth, for Allah preserved their secrets from returning to other than Him and from observing other than Him. So the trades of this world, its blessings and its splendor, and the Hereafter with its reward, do not distract them from Allah, for they are in the gardens of intimacy and the meadows of remembrance, as Allah said: {Neither commerce nor sale distracts them from the remembrance of Allah}. And some said: He removed the name of manliness from the heedless, except for those who deal with Allah upon witnessing and do not prefer contingent beings over it, so He said: {Men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah}. And some said: Whoever removes from his secret the remembrance of what was not, he is called a man in truth; and whoever is distracted from his Lord by any of that, he is not among the realized men. Then He—exalted is He—added to their description with perpetual fear and standing dread, of the turning of hearts and sights from the witnessing of the Almighty, with His statement: {They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will be overturned} (yakhāfūna yawman tataqallabu fīhi al-qulūbu wa al-abṣār). They are terrified of the Day of witnessing, when hearts are overturned from witnessing the placing of the foot in the gardens, and sights from gazing upon the houris, the servant boys, the spirit, and the fragrant basil. Also, they fear the overturning of hearts in the lights of the attributes and sights in the lights of the Essence, lest they stop.

In some of the stations of the witnesses (shuhūd) and the sites of the Reality (ḥaqīqah), he is cut off from the journey in the divinity of the Firstness (ulūhiyyat al-awwaliyyah) and the Eternal Everlastingness (sarmadiyyat al-abadiyyah). Rather, (89) they aspire to remain through the excellence of knowledge (maʿrifah) and the perfection of propriety (adab) in the time of servitude (ʿubūdiyyah), while witnessing the Eternal (al-abad) under the attribute of nearness (al-dunūw), and the nearness of nearness (dunūw al-dunūw), and the unveiling of what was concealed from them by His saying: {That Allah may reward them for the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty. And Allah provides for whom He wills without account.} (Qur’an 24:38) Thus is the provision (rizq): the unveiling of the beauty of the Pre-Eternal (jamāl al-qadam) without any veil. Al-Naṣrabādhi said: “The souls (nufūs) are in transmission (al-tanqīl), and the hearts (qulūb) are in turning (al-taqrīb).” Al-Ḥusayn said: “Allah created the hearts and the sights upon turning (al-taqallub), and placed upon them coverings (aghtiyah), veils (sutūr), screens (akinnah), and locks (aqfāl). So the veils are rent by the lights (anwār), the barriers (ḥujub) are lifted by remembrance (dhikr), and the locks are opened by proximity (qurb).” Al-Ḥusayn said: “When you know that He is the Turner of hearts and sights (muqallib al-qulūb wa’l-abṣār), let your concern be in looking to His acts in you, and the repentance from opposition and heedlessness.” Then He—glorified be He—described the people of delusion (ghirrah) regarding Him, whose reliance is upon outward forms (rusūm) and what they have done of transactions (muʿāmalāt) from the vision of the self and creation, by His saying: {And those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage.} (Qur’an 24:39) That is: those who forgot the primordial covenant of Allah (ʿahd Allāh al-azalī) in which He obligated them to turn entirely to Him from existence (al-kawn), and they undertook the form of action out of ostentation (riyā’) and reputation (sumʿah). He likened their deeds to the mirage of the lowlands (sarāb al-qīʿān), because through ostentation and association (shirk) they are among the people of loss and deprivation. So when they need the recompense of deeds while they are in their estimation, they find nothing in the Presence (al-ḥaḍrah) of the attainment of the desired, where Allah recompenses His chosen ones (aṣfiyā’) for their deeds that occurred upon the excellence of acceptance (ḥusn al-qabūl), and their value was from the excellence of certainty (ḥusn al-yaqīn), truthfulness (ṣidq), and sincerity (ikhlāṣ). And he finds Allah with him under the attribute of turning away from Him, so He recompenses them with separation (furqah) and severance (inqiṭāʿ) from the hoped-for. And such is the state of one who returns from the Truth (al-Ḥaqq) to creation (al-khalq), and rests in causes (asbāb) away from the Causer (al-musabbib). Ibn ʿAṭā’ said: “The thirsty one thinks it is water, until when he comes to it, he finds it nothing.” A heart in which there is nothing of the lights of Allah (anwār Allāh) is poor (faqīr) by what is in it of its return to causes, and the poor one is he whose return is to other than the Truth. He thinks that return to other than Him is miserly, and it is: {Like a mirage in a lowland which the thirsty one thinks is water, until when he comes to it, he finds it nothing.} (Qur’an 24:39) That is: when it becomes clear to him that return to causes is association (shirk), then it appears to him that return to the Truth is faith (īmān). He—exalted be He—said: {And he finds Allah with him.} (Qur’an 24:39) That is: he finds the path to Him. Ibn ʿAṭā’ said: “Everything other than Allah is poverty (faqr) from the Truth and from knowledge of Him.” And he knows that a people wandered in the field of exertion (juhd), so they fell behind from the obligations of the Truth, and thought that they would reach Allah through their exertion. But no one reaches Him except one for whom care (ʿināyah) and love (maḥabbah) preceded from Him in his striving, as He—exalted be He—said: {The thirsty one thinks it is water.} (Qur’an 24:39) Then He—glorified be He—described that these veiled ones from Allah (al-maḥjūbūn ʿan Allāh) wander in the darkness of their natures (ẓulmat ṭabā’iʿihim), and the light of guidance (nūr al-hidāyah) does not accompany them, so they remain in darkness. Thus their saying regarding what they did for other than Allah is by His saying: (90) {And for whom Allah has not appointed light, for him there is no light.} (Qur’an 24:40) That is: one whom the light of knowledge of Allah (nūr maʿrifat Allāh) does not accompany—which issued from the unveiling of the witnessing of Allah (kashf mushāhadat Allāh) in the beginning of his spirit (rūḥ) to the end of his journey—for him there is no light of knowledge (nūr al-maʿrifah), no light of proximity (nūr al-qurbah), no light of witnessing (nūr al-mushāhadah), and no light of union (nūr al-wiṣāl). And the true knower (al-ʿārif al-ṣādiq) in the witnessing of the Truth needs a thousand thousand lights (alf alf nūr), in every glance, from the light of Eternity (nūr al-azal) and Everlastingness (al-abad), by which he looks upon the beauty of the Pre-Eternal (jamāl al-qadam), and by which he knows the paths of the attributes (ṭuruq al-ṣifāt), and by which he sees the wonders of the Essence (ʿajā’ib al-dhāt). Al-Qāsim said: “And for whom Allah has not appointed light according to the division (qismah), for him there is no light at the time of creation (khalqah).” End. By the light of Your secret (sirr) You manifested what appeared, so it shone as a sun and a moon, dazzling with splendor. A light for which You extended the means of its connection, until by it You aided the angels and mankind. A light by which the spheres stand radiant in the world of creation, until it captivates the sight. A light by which the names (asmā’) shine clearly, until they drive our intellects in groups. A light by which intellects were illuminated, and the veils were torn from the brilliance of their lights. His—exalted be He—saying: {Do you not see that Allah—to Him prostrates whoever is in the heavens and the earth?} (Qur’an 24:41), the verse. Al-Imām al-Thaʿlabī—may Allah have mercy on him—said: His—exalted be He—saying: {And the birds spreading their wings in the air, each has known its prayer and its glorification.} (Qur’an 24:41) The commentators—may Allah be pleased with them—said: “Prayer (ṣalāh) is for the children of Adam, and glorification (tasbīḥ) is general for other than them of creation.” And in it are aspects of interpretation: First, every one who prays and glorifies—Allah has known his prayer and his glorification. Second, every one who prays and glorifies among them has known his prayer and his glorification with which he was charged. Third, each of them has known the prayer of Allah and His glorification. {And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth.} (Qur’an 24:42) That is: their determination (taqdīr), the management of their affairs, and the disposal of their states as He wills. And I say here by way of allusion (ishārah): {Do you not see} (a-lam tara) That is: Do you not know, O desiring seeker (murīd al-sālik), and devout worshiper (ʿābid al-nāsik), and the poor one (faqīr) who seeks proximity to his Lord and insight into the hidden subtleties (ghawāmiḍ al-raqā’iq) and delicate realities (daqā’iq al-ḥaqā’iq), and asks Him to grant him His pleasure and lead him through the best of paths, and guide him to His Presence (ḥaḍrah) with the rein of success (zimām al-tawfīq) until he stands in the knowledge of knowledges (maʿrifat al-maʿārif), and circumambulates the Kaʿbah of spirits (Kaʿbat al-arwāḥ), and performs all the rites (manāsik)? And His saying: {Indeed, Allah—to Him prostrates whoever is in the heavens and the earth.} (Qur’an 24:41) That is: whoever is in the heavens of the unseen (samāwāt al-ghuyūb) and the earth of hearts (arḍ al-qulūb). {And the birds spreading} (wa’l-ṭayru ṣāffāt) That is: the birds of the people of mutual purity (ahl al-muṣāfāh) and nearness (al-mudānāh), and the means (wasā’il), desires (raghā’ib), and answered supplications (daʿāwā al-mustajābāt). Each has known its prayer and its glorification by an inspiration (ilhām) that Allah inspires to whom He wills among the people of proximities (qurubāt) and obediences (ṭāʿāt), and all the kinds (91) and types (anwāʿ) despite the difference of voices (aṣwāt) and languages (lughāt) from all forms (ashkāl).

And the animals, i.e., nothing of the glorification of animals and inanimate objects, the prayer of the people of vigilance and witnessing, the glorification of the birds of the unseen and the unseen of the unseen, the glorification of the birds of the secret and the secret of the secret, the glorification of the birds of remembrance and the spirit of the command, the glorification of the birds of the angels encircling the Throne, the birds of the saints who populate the expanse of al-Ḥarsh (the Throne's precinct), the glorification of the birds of the sanctified and the dominant, the birds of the cherubim and the inspired, the glorification of the birds of spiritual souls, the glorification of the birds of luminous persons, the glorification of the birds of human creatures, the glorification of the birds of corporeal forms, the people of beneficent theophanies, the glorification of the birds below the level of ocular unveilings, the glorification of the birds of the people of solitary stations, the glorification of the birds of the people of merciful gifts, the glorification of the birds of the people of lordly states, the glorification of the birds of the people of holy openings, the glorification of the birds of the people of eternal succors, the glorification of the birds of the people of good-pleasure investitures, the glorification of the birds of the people of the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, the glorification of the birds of the people of the longed-for station, the glorification of the birds of the inhabitants of the Most High Tablet, the glorification of the birds of the people of the most manifest secret, the people of the servants of the veils and pavilions, the glorification of the birds of the people of acts of obedience and righteous deeds, the glorification of the birds of the people of intimacy and boldness, the glorification of the birds of the people of the Presence of Beauty and Majesty, the glorification of the birds of the people of particularity and perfection, the glorification of the birds of the people of nearness and connection, the glorification of the birds of the people of the secret and the succor, the glorification of the birds of the people of the circle and the number, His saying: "And God is Knower of what they do" (Quran 24:41) i.e., the King of the heaven of hearts, populated with His lights and remembrances, and the earth of souls, filled with the subtleties of His sciences and secrets, for He is the Creator of their forms and the Rectifier of their states, the Fulfiller of their hopes, the Illuminator of their interiors and exteriors, the Adorner of their accidents and essences, the Builder of them upon the pillars of piety and righteousness, and the One who studs them with the stars of gnoses, spiritual gifts, and disavowal of pretension, "And to God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth" (Quran 3:189) "And to God is the final return" (Quran 24:42) i.e., the return of all is to Him in secret and whispered counsel, and their keys are in His hand; He leads them wherever He wills, and preserves them from the afflictions of evils and trials. To you is my sign, and You are the One I love; * And You are my discourse, among the people of insight, narrated. And You are the provision of all lovers; * So blessed is a heart that melts in You from trial. In Your love, the valley of passion became bewildered and they went mad; * And every man inclines toward what he loves. (92) And when we arrived at the water of Madyan to draw, * In thirst from us for the watering-place of whispered prayer, We alighted upon a generous people, whose houses * Are sanctified, with no Hind or 'Alwa therein. And a fire appeared to us from afar, kindled; * We found upon it the One we love and the One we desire. He gave us drink, revived us, and revived our souls; * And intoxicated us with the wine of His majesty, a coffee. It is forbidden, by the covenant, that I should allow it * Except to a sincere one in love, free from pretension. We understood and wandered in the deserts of existence; * We found ourselves dragging the hem of our intoxication in pride. We became drunk and divulged, so our blood was made permissible; * Is one who divulges the secret of what he loves to be killed? And the secret among the free is but a trust; * But when the drink is delightful, who can resist? His saying, exalted be He: "Have you not seen that God drives the clouds, then brings them together, then makes them a heap?" (Quran 24:43) the verse. Al-Tha'labi, may God have mercy on him, said: "Have you not seen that God drives the clouds" to where He wills, "then brings them together," i.e., gathers the scattered pieces of cloud, and "cloud" (saḥāb) is a collective noun; He used the pronoun according to the word's form, "a heap" (rukāman), piled up one upon another. "Al-wadq" is rain; it comes forth "from its midst" (min khilālihi), i.e., from its openings and center, and it is the plural of khilāl. Ibn 'Abbas and al-Ḍaḥḥāk read "min khilalihi." "And He sends down from the sky, from mountains therein, of hail" (Quran 24:43) — "min" (from) is a connective; i.e., hail. And it is said its meaning is: He sends down from the sky quantities of mountains, or like mountains, of hail. So the first "min" is for the beginning of the destination, because the beginning of the descent is from the sky; the second is for partition, because hail is part of the mountains that are in the sky; and the third is to clarify the genus, because the genus of those mountains is the genus of hail. "He strikes with it" (Quran 24:43) i.e., with the hail, whom He wills, and destroys him, his crops, and his wealth. "The lightning of His flash almost" (Quran 24:43) i.e., the light of the cloud's lightning takes away the sight due to the intensity of its light and brilliance. Abu Ja'far read "yudhhibu" (takes away) with a ḍamma on the yā' and kasra on the hā', unlike others from "al-dhahāb" (going). "He turns the night and day to you" (Quran 24:44) and alternates them in their variation and succession. "Indeed in that which I have mentioned of these things is a lesson for those of insight" (Quran 24:44), for those of intellect. Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "The son of Adam harms me; he reviles time (al-dahr), and I am time; I turn the night and day." End. And I say here, by way of allusion, His saying, exalted be He: "Have you not seen" (Quran 24:43) i.e., have you not known, O seeker desirous of acquiring the foundations of principles, the stages of ascent and the ranks of arrival, and the devout worshipper whose time of opening has been prolonged and who has not attained the goal or achieved the hoped-for, "That God drives the clouds" (Quran 24:43) i.e., He drives them with the winds of good pleasure and acceptance to the land of the hearts of the people of weeping, fear, emaciation, and withering, "then brings them together" (Quran 24:43) with the affections of mercy (93) and the perfection of desires and requests, "then makes them a heap" (Quran 24:43) i.e., piled up one upon another, so that complete benefit may be obtained for those who desire nearness to the presence of their Lord and entry, i.e., the rain of lights and shining rays, sciences and realities, "and you see the mountains" (Quran 24:43) i.e., from His holy openings and eternal openings, "and He sends down from the sky, from mountains" (Quran 24:43) meaning from the mountains of unveilings and determinations, and the manifestations of receptions, spiritual refreshings, and descents, "therein, of hail" (Quran 24:43) i.e., from the hail of the secret and ascent in stations, nearness and proximity, gifts and miracles, and the flashes of glad tidings, proofs, and signs. And He specifically mentioned mountains due to their height, elevation, nobility, and abundant benefit. And our Lord has mentioned them in His Book, saying: "And you see the mountains, thinking them solid, while they pass like the passing of clouds" (Quran 27:88), the verse. And because they are the dwellings of the saints and the righteous, the abodes of the ascetics, worshippers, and firmly rooted pegs, the place of intimate conversation of the prophets, the chosen, and the acting scholars, the pasture of the bees of lovers and yearners, the retreats of intimacy of the distraught and those of constricted states, the place where the fragrant breezes of the winds blow upon the hearts of perfect individuals and the arriving gnostics. Upon them be blessings from their Lord and mercy; they are the guided ones. And His saying: "therein, of hail" (Quran 24:43) i.e., a light from the lights of God, "He strikes with it whom He wills" (Quran 24:43)

That is: He expands thereby the breasts of those who follow his Sunnah, and turns away from whom He wills, i.e., He prevents from its blessing the armies of those who deviate from his religion. Or you may say: Hail is a pearl from the pearls of Allah's secret, by which He manifests the distinction of the people of His wisdom, and withholds blessing from those who oppose the people of His love and affection. Or you may say: Hail is a trace of the traces of Allah's mercy, by which He revives the hearts of His saints, and turns it away from those who oppose the elite of His pious and trustworthy ones. Or you may say: Hail is a favor from Allah by which He reminds the great ones of His errant ones, and suppresses thereby the armies of His enemies and the ignorant fools. Or you may say: Hail is water by which Allah extinguishes the thirst of His chosen ones, and burns thereby the trees of the rebellious deniers of His messengers and prophets. Or you may say: Hail is an ultimate end from the ultimate ends of Allah, by which He frightens His servants, and subdues thereby the enemies of His prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his enviers. Or you may say: Hail is a calamity from the calamities by which Allah afflicts the crops of the people of falsehood and pretension, and protects from its punishment the people of obedience, righteousness, and piety. Or you may say: Hail is a punishment from the punishments of Allah, by which He afflicts the people of retribution and trial, and turns it away from whom He wills of His servants who are watchful of Him in secret and private counsel. Or you may say: Hail is a blight that afflicts the deeds of those who disbelieve in Allah's blessings, and turns away from those who stand at the boundaries and do not violate Allah's sanctities. Or you may say: Hail is a matter ⁹⁴ from the matters of Allah, by which He afflicts whom He wills of the people of transgression and disobedience, and turns it away from whom He wills of the people of guidance, love, and faith. ﴿The lightning of His cloud almost﴾ That is: The light of His lightning takes away, i.e., snatches the minds of the people of ecstatic utterances ⁵⁷², attractions ⁵⁷³, ascents ⁵⁷⁴, descents ⁵⁷⁵, and hearing the address in the station of proximity and the carpet of presences. ﴿takes away the eyesight﴾ That is: The eyesights of the individuals who are cut off in the depths of mosques, retreats ⁵⁷⁶, and the fortresses of mountains, plains, and deserts. Or you may say: ﴿The lightning of His cloud almost﴾ That is: His light descending from the presence of secrets to the hearts of the chosen and the righteous, and the gatherings of the pious and the virtuous. ... and the night of obliteration ⁵⁷⁷ with the day of sobriety ⁵⁷⁸. Or you may say: He turns the night of supplication and whispered prayer into the day of friendship and nearness, and the night of devotions into the day ⁹⁵ of descents. Or you may say: He turns the night of conversations into the day of addresses, and the night of descents into the day of ascents, and the night of receptions into the day of manifestations. Or you may say: He turns the night of fragrant breezes into the day of gifts, and the night of envy into the day of expansion. Or you may say: He turns the night of gifts into the day of drinks, and the night of sainthood into the day of care, and the night of struggle into the day of witnessing. Or you may say: He turns the night of intimacy into the day of immersion in the presence of holiness, and the night of severance and abandonment into the day of proximity and nearness. ﴿Indeed in that is a lesson for those of insight﴾ That is: For those from whose eyes of insight Allah has removed the darkness of otherness ⁵⁷⁹, and from the mirrors of their hearts the veils of impurities, and from their faculties of understanding the dense veils and curtains. And His saying: ﴿Indeed in that is a lesson﴾ That is: In the expanses of the cloud, the downpours of rain, and the alternation of night and day, ﴿for those of insight﴾ That is: For those possessed of intellects. This is from the establishment of proofs of His Lordship, where He mentioned the glorification of those in the heavens and the earth and what flies between them, their supplication to Him, and the subjugation of the cloud, etc. So these are clear proofs of His existence and evident signs of His attributes for those who look and reflect. Then He explained another proof, saying: ﴿And Allah created every moving creature from water﴾, the verse. And al-Sayyid al-Wartajabi ⁵⁸⁰ said in this place: His saying: ﴿Do you not see that Allah drives the clouds, then brings them together, then makes them a mass﴾, The Truth, exalted is He, addressed the people of tawhid ⁵⁸¹ and ma'rifa ⁵⁸², that He, exalted, creates in the sky of the sobriety of hearts the clouds of the lights of His action according to the measures of His will and the strength of their capacity to bear the arrivals of the unseen, and drives them with the winds of generosity, and gathers them with the power of pre-eternity, then makes them dense with the weights of the lights of attributes. That is His saying: ﴿then makes them a mass﴾ Then from them descend the drops of the pure water of the sea of the attribute to the deserts of hearts, by His saying: ﴿so you see the rain coming forth from its midst﴾ Then when the state is complete, the mountains of the lights of the Essence are unveiled, and from them descend the jewels of the realities of the sciences of pre-eternity, falling upon the seas of the intellects of the gnostics, and the shells of the spirits receive them, nurturing them in the repositories of hearts and secrets. Then He distinguishes the one for whom the goodly [fate] was decreed in pre-eternity regarding the attainment of those holy jewels, by His saying: ﴿and He strikes with it whom He wills and turns it away from whom He wills﴾ Then He explains that the lightning flashes of the manifestation of attributes overcome the eyesights of spirits and hearts when they witness the Truth, by His saying: ﴿The lightning of His cloud almost takes away the eyesight﴾ Then He explains the stations of sobriety and obliteration, contraction and expansion, and the times of veiling and manifestation, by His saying: ﴿Allah alternates the night and the day﴾ That is: He alternates the nights of separation and the days of unveiling for the people of eloquence and trial. Then He explains that these allusions are for those of insight among the gnostics, by His saying: ﴿Indeed in that is a lesson for those of insight﴾ That is: My insight and knowledge, and what became clear from the purport of the address ⁹⁶ in His saying: ﴿Allah alternates the night and the day﴾ are the realities of the dominance of the will of pre-eternity over every will, for every will subsists by His will, and every volition emanates from His volitions. So when creation and its people are stripped of the locus of disposal and volition in the execution of His will—exalted is Allah above any being that occurs contrary to His will. Al-Wasiti ⁵⁸³ said: No one has opposed Him nor agreed with Him, and all are employed by His will and power. How can there be agreement or opposition when He alternates the night and the day with what is in them, and He is established over things? So things, in their continuance and annihilation, no presence gives Him company and no absence makes Him lonely. Rather, there is no absence and no presence; they are only traces under traces. End quote. His saying, exalted: ﴿And Allah created every moving creature from water﴾, the verse. Al-Tha'labi ⁵⁸⁴, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Creator" is in the form of a noun and attribution, for every being that is not disobedient, and the rest are "created" as a verb. ﴿from water﴾ That is: From a drop, and it is said from water because the origin of creation is from water. Then He transformed some of the water into wind, creating from it the angels; some into fire, creating from it the jinn; and some into clay, creating from it Adam. Among them are those that crawl on their bellies, like snakes, fish, and worms; among them are those that walk on two legs, like jinn, humans, and birds; and among them are those that walk on four, i.e., limbs, like cattle, wild beasts, and predators. He did not mention those that walk on more than four because they are like those that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills. End quote. And I say here by way of allusion: His saying: ﴿And Allah created every moving creature﴾ That is: By His power, will, wondrous craftsmanship, and brilliant wisdom, from water. And this water of predestination was flowing in the channels of the unseen of pre-eternities and the pipes of the materials of primaries, and the divine succor supplied it from the spring of life, watering thereby the blossoms of the gardens of beings and the structures of bodies.

the purified ones ⁵⁸⁵, so each of them took his share, his portion, his joy, and his expansion. Whoever obtained something of that divine secret ⁵⁸⁶ and the merciful light ⁵⁸⁷ benefited from it. Among them, some walked on their bellies due to the strength of the state ⁵⁸⁸ and the inclination of the gift; among them, some were breathed into by the spirit of the command ⁵⁸⁹ and the influx of remembrance ⁵⁹⁰, so they walked on two legs to convey continuous good and to inhale the breezes of the great and exalted Lord; and among them, some walked on four legs due to the proximity of the distance of the divine opening ⁵⁹¹ and the merciful descent. Thus, colors and forms differed, while types and examples agreed. Every word is directed to its meaning, and every speech is interpreted according to what is understood from its address and implication. Allah creates what He wills, how He wills: {He is not questioned about what He does} ⁵⁹². We have sent down clear signs for people of insight, divine success, and inspirations, and for the elite marked by breaking habits and miracles, and for the guided guides who lead servants to the path of success and happiness. And Allah guides whom He wills with His support and the light of His knowledge to a straight path, that is, to the religion of Islam, which leads to His pardon and forgiveness, and gives glad tidings of His pleasure and entry into His Garden. When He mentioned the verses, He mentioned after them the division of people into three groups: a group that was truthful outwardly but not inwardly—they are the hypocrites; a group that was truthful outwardly and inwardly—they are the sincere ones; and a group that lied outwardly and inwardly—they are the disbelievers, in this order. He began with the hypocrites, saying: {And they say, "We believe in Allah and the Messenger, and we obey"} ⁵⁹³—the verse. Imam al-Tha'labi ⁵⁹⁴ (may Allah have mercy on him) said: {And they say, "We believe in Allah"}—meaning the hypocrites. Then a party of them turn away, rejecting the judgment of the Messenger after that acknowledgment, and they call to other than the judgment of Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty said: {And those are not believers} ⁵⁹⁵. His saying, the Exalted: {And when they are called to Allah and His Messenger} ⁵⁹⁶. These verses were revealed concerning Bashar the hypocrite and his opponent the Jew, when they disputed over land. The Jew dragged him to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to judge between them, while the hypocrite dragged him to Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf ⁵⁹⁷, saying, "Muhammad is unjust to us." Therefore, His saying, the Exalted: {And when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them} ⁵⁹⁸—this is when the right is against the hypocrite; they turn away from the judgment of the Prophet (peace be upon him), because he did not accept bribes. But if the right is for them against others, they hasten to his judgment. This is His saying, the Exalted: {But if the right is theirs, they come to him willingly} ⁵⁹⁹. {In their hearts is disease, or have they doubted} ⁶⁰⁰—meaning that it is so. He came with the wording of rebuke to be more effective in blame, like the saying of Jarir ⁶⁰¹ in praise: "Are you not the best of those who ride mounts, and the most generous of the worlds in the palms of hands?"—meaning that they are so. {Or do they fear that Allah may be unjust to them} ⁶⁰²—i.e., wrong them. Nay, but those are the wrongdoers to themselves by turning away from the truth. His saying, the Exalted: {The only statement of the believers when they are called to Allah} ⁶⁰³—i.e., to the Book of Allah and His Messenger. He set "the statement" as the predicate of "was" and its subject in His saying: {is to say, "We hear and we obey." And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and fears Allah} ⁶⁰⁴—up to {the successful} ⁶⁰⁵. End. And I say here by way of allusion in His saying: {And they say, "We believe in Allah and the Messenger"}—the verse. In this verse there is an indication and a hint to the states of some false disciples ⁶⁰⁶ and the rebellious apostates from religion, the outsiders who have taken the path of the folk ⁶⁰⁷ as mockery, play, and a trick to gather worldly goods and as a means. They made covenants with their masters not to depart from their obedience, nor to change or alter what they commanded them regarding preserving their conduct and following their path, because they owned their necks and conspired to serve them, and they resolved on their love and affection. Then a party of them turn away after that—i.e., after their brotherhood in Allah, their companionship and fellowship in obedience to Allah, their knowledge, and taking pledges from them not to break their covenants, nor to depart from their affiliation and good conduct. {And those are not believers}—i.e., perfect in faith, those who watch their Lord in secret and in public. {And when they are called to Allah and His Messenger}—up to {forced} ⁶⁰⁸. That is, when their souls made them think they were hearing and obeying, and when their satanic states adorned them as submissive and hearing, they were imbued with the disease of misguidance in the backbone of their fathers, and they suckled the milk of opposition in the wombs of their mothers. Then the Truth rebuked them with a rebuke of denial by His saying: {Is there in their hearts disease, or have they doubted, or do they fear} ⁶⁰⁹—because of their breaking the pledge of their masters and their departure from their straight path and upright traditions. The only statement of the successful believers and the truthful disciples {when they are called to Allah and His Messenger}—i.e., to the presence of their masters who inherit the secret of prophethood, the verifiers who act upon what came to them from Allah, the affirmers, to judge between them by what Allah has revealed in His clear Book—{is to say, "We hear and we obey." And those are the successful} ⁶¹⁰. That is, they say: We hear his words and obey his command. And whoever obeys Allah in His commands and His Messenger in his Sunnah, and fears Allah for his past sins, and guards against Him in the future, {then those are the successful}—with the pleasure of their Lord, those who reach the carpet of His presence, the perfect ones. Imam al-Wartajabi ⁶¹¹ said in this place: {And when they are called to Allah and His Messenger}—i.e., they are called to the vision of Allah in the attribute of love and knowledge, and to His servitude in the attribute of sincerity, and they are called to His Messenger in following and agreement in the Sharia and the path. These are burdens; whoever's spirit mounts them in the desert of pre-eternity and post-eternity with the strength of divine care and sufficiency—and how could those who turn away not turn away from it? These are not the loads of the mounts of the existence of the one deprived in pre-eternity from the vision of post-eternity. Ibn 'Ata' ⁶¹² said: The call to Allah is in reality, and the call to the Messenger is in advice. Whoever does not answer the caller of Allah disbelieves, and whoever does not answer the caller of the Messenger goes astray. {And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger}—i.e., obeys Allah in expending his existence, and His Messenger by accepting from him what he brought in the attribute of sanctity, and fears Allah—he knows Him and knows from Him what is of the gentleness of His love and the preciousness of His connection in the attribute of reverence and magnification—and guards against Him—he guards against separation from Him and abandonment. So whoever has this description has succeeded from abandonment, reached His forgiveness, become great in His knowledge, and attained His beneficence when he saw Him without how, without injustice, without veil, and without reckoning. Al-Wasiti ⁶¹³ said: Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger in performing obligations and avoiding prohibitions, and fears Allah for his past sins lest he be taken to account for them, and for his past good deeds lest they not be accepted from him, {and guards against Him}—i.e., guards against Allah in the remainder of his life from apostasy that nullifies and punishment that veils. {Then those are the successful}.

That is: happiness preceded them. End. Far be it that a youth who clings to them should fail * Far be it that a door of good should be closed upon him It is the right of a man who seeks refuge and traces his lineage to them * To be granted every bounty from their presence So he rises through them—sufficient as a portion they bestow— * And I am the youth, more truthful than the oath Their followers on the Day of Resurrection before their Lord * Will not be terrified, will not drown, will not be burned And when a man's heart is purified in love for them * And upon him is a polished garment of affection And he has effaced his self and his existence * Speaking by their tongue about them at that station So may God, in guarding hearts for them, perhaps * From their treasure, in times of need, be spent For their covering is abundant, vast, and wide * And other than it, if found, is meager and narrow For their seeker, his desire is above what is desired * And I am the inner conscience, and what I say is verified O joy for their lover when unveils * To his sight this absolute beauty His statement, exalted be He: "And they swore by God their most solemn oaths" ⁶¹⁴—the verse. Al-Tha'labi ⁶¹⁵, may God have mercy on him, said regarding His statement: "And they swore by God their most solemn oaths that if you command them, they will surely go forth" ⁶¹⁶— The hypocrites used to say to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Wherever you are, we will be with you; if you stay, we stay; if you strive, we strive." So God, exalted be He, said to them: "Do not swear; obedience is known" ⁶¹⁷— That is: this is obedience in word without conviction, so it is known from you as falsehood, meaning you lie in it, said by Mujahid ⁶¹⁸. And it is said: its meaning is that known obedience is better and more excellent than this oath in which you perjure yourselves. "Indeed, God is Aware of what you do" ⁶¹⁹— Of your obedience and disobedience. So if they turn away from obedience to God and His Messenger, then upon him—that is, upon the Messenger—is only what he has been charged with of conveying the message, and upon you is what you have been charged with of obedience to him. And if you obey him, you will be guided. Abu 'Uthman al-Hiri ⁶²⁰ said: Whoever imposes the Sunnah ⁶²¹ upon himself in word and deed speaks with wisdom, and whoever imposes his whims upon himself in word and deed speaks with innovation. God, exalted be He, said: "And if you obey him, you will be guided; and the Messenger is only responsible for clear conveyance" ⁶²². And I said by way of allusion ⁶²³ regarding His statement, exalted be He: "And they swore by God their most solemn oaths"— That is: the false aspirants ⁶²⁴ and the lying ignorant ones swore, when the landmarks of realization became clear to them and the paths of right guidance and success became evident, that if their shaykhs ⁶²⁵ commanded them to abandon what they were engaged in of religion adorned with the glitter of falsehood and embellishment, and the assemblies of the idle filled with listening to musical instruments, head-shaking, clapping, much shouting, fainting fits, tearing of garments ⁶²⁶ and shredding, and taking pleasure in sounds that prevent reaching the stations of the people of sainthood and disposal ⁶²⁷, they would surely go forth. So God forbade them from that by His saying: "Say: Do not swear"— That is: do not take false oaths with your lying words that lead to an evil end. "Obedience is known"—that is: this obedience is better and more worthy for you than these false oaths that you swear with your mouths while your hearts are contrary to them. "Indeed, God is Aware of what you do"— He knows what is in your consciences, and nothing of your secrets is hidden from Him. He will surely expose you and recompense you for breaking your covenants and following the paths of error and misguidance. Or you may say: God exposed by this noble verse the schemes of the hypocrites, the treachery of the deceivers, the actions of the show-offs, and the obfuscation of the liars. It is His saying: "And they swore by God"—the verse— "that if you command them to emigrate to God and His Messenger, to strive in His path, to abide by His limits, to seek His pleasure, and to act according to what God has revealed in His clear verses, they will surely go forth." So God exposed them by His saying: "Say: Do not swear"— for you will not abandon any of your blameworthy and heinous deeds, nor your vile beliefs that contradict the Shari'ah ⁶²⁸. "Obedience is known"— in word without conviction, for the mark of hypocrisy has appeared on your faces, the signs of falsehood on your tongues, and the darkness of innovations on your hearts. "Indeed, God is Aware of what you do"— of your evil deeds and ugly actions. "Say: Obey God and obey the Messenger"— and what your best ones and scholars have guided you to, and what your teachers, jurists, nobles, and leaders have called you to. "But if they turn away"— from what they have guided them to of goodness and righteousness, and doing piety, God-consciousness, and success—then upon him is what he has been charged with, and upon you is what you have been charged with. He means that you have not harmed them; rather, you have harmed yourselves. For the Messenger and those who follow him are only responsible for what God, exalted be He, has charged them with and tasked them with: conveying the message, preserving the trust, abandoning treachery, and maintaining the integrity of religion. When they fulfill that, they have discharged the duty of obligation and acted according to the command and good management. As for you, upon you is what you have been tasked with of acceptance, submission, and compliance to obedience to them with heart, limbs, and tongue. If you do not comply and turn away, you have exposed yourselves to the wrath of the Sovereign, the Judge. "And if you obey him, you will be guided"— And if you obey them in what they have forbidden you and commanded you, you have attained complete pleasure and contentment, and dwelling in paradises and palaces of gardens. "And the Messenger is only responsible for clear conveyance"— That is: he is only responsible for conveying what is before you, and there is no harm to him in your turning away. Or you may say: And if you obey him in servitude, you will be guided by him to the station of belovedness. And if you obey him in hearing and obedience, you will be guided by him to the station of God-consciousness, which is the highest stored treasure and commodity. And if you obey him in sincerity and certainty, you will be guided by him to the landmarks of righteousness and religion. And if you obey him with heart and tongue, you will be guided by him to the station of witnessing and vision. And if you obey him with limbs and bodies, you will be guided by him to the abodes of pleasure and contentment. And if you obey him in secret and public, you will be guided by him to the station of unveiling and clarity. And if you obey him in love and longing, you will be guided by him to the springs of mystery and taste. And if you obey him in service and etiquette, you will be guided by him to the abodes of obedience and proximity. And if you obey him with bodies and souls, you will be guided by him to the markets of wealth and profit. And if you obey him with means and desires, you will be guided by him to the places of affections and mercies. And if you obey him with selves and wealth, you will be guided by him to the presence of intimacy and boldness. And if you obey him with intention and affirmation, you will be guided by him to the paths of right guidance and success. And if you obey him with knowledge and action, you will be guided by him to the attainment of purpose and hope. And if you obey him with obligations and supererogatory acts, you will be guided by him to the highest stations and abodes. And if you obey him by establishing prayers and giving alms, you will be guided by him to the scenes of blessing and benedictions. And if you obey him by accepting truth and fairness, you will be guided by him to the abodes of the great and noble. And if you obey him by building mosques and preserving times, you will be guided by him to the paths of salvation and landmarks of good deeds. And if you obey him by standing at night, recitation, and remembrance, you will be guided by him to the acquisition of virtues and abundance of reward and recompense. And if you obey him

If you obey him with piety and respect, you will be guided by him to the stations of the celestial ones and the eminent leaders. If you obey him with veneration and glorification, you will be guided by him to the station of lordship and honor. If you obey him in commanding good and forbidding evil, you will be guided by him to the station of might, victory, and triumph. If you obey him with piety and acting according to what God has revealed, you will be guided by him to the station of trust and total devotion to God. If you obey him with pleasing actions and lofty words, you will be guided by him to the station of the Ahmadian inheritance ⁶²⁹ and the Muhammadan perfections. If you obey him with praise and gratitude, you will be guided by him to the erasure of sins and the forgiveness of burdens. If you obey him with guidance and uprightness, you will be guided by him to the highest paradises and the abode of bliss and honor. Imam al-Wartajabi ⁶³⁰ said: 'If you obey him, you will be guided,' meaning: if you obey him with servitude, you will be guided by him to the lights of lordship; if you obey him with love, you will be guided by him to contemplation; if you obey him with knowledge, you will be guided by him to union; if you obey the Messenger, you will be guided to the wonders of unveilings and contemplations and beloved knowledges; if you obey him with reverence and etiquette, you will be guided by him to the lofty degrees and high honors. Abu 'Uthman ⁶³¹ said: Whoever imposes the Sunna upon himself with strength and action speaks with wisdom, and whoever imposes his whims upon himself speaks with innovation, because God says: 'If you obey him, you will be guided.' Muhammad ibn al-Fadl ⁶³² said: If you obey him in a Sunna, its blessing will lead you to the realities of upholding the etiquette of obligations, so that you may be among the guided who stand by the condition of etiquette with God. End. * A heart that faced the Truth but did not expand—this contradicts reality. * A breast that became the repository of His secret, yet was not filled with abundant grace. * An eye that saw His lights, yet yearns for a more radiant brilliance. * But I am narrow of breast, and that is only due to the presence of the obstacle. * Then there is no barrier for you, my masters, if you show mercy and cut off the cutter. * Thus He left me sorrowful and wretched—far be it from God! My abasement intercedes. * I am one you know, who has ever been at the door the most loyal and submissive. Ever hoping for your pardon, Ever the strongest in aspiring for grace. Hasten to seize this moment, for it is its time, And have mercy on the most abject, sorrowful, and humble. Your servant, your poor one, your broken one— What prevents you from mending him? His saying: 'God has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds' ⁶³³, the verse. Al-Tha'labi ⁶³⁴ said: His saying: 'He will surely make them successors'—the lam ⁶³⁵ entered into the response of the implied oath, because the promise is a saying whose metaphor is that. God said: 'Those who believe and do righteous deeds—God will surely make them successors on earth,' meaning: He will surely make them inherit the earth, to inherit the land of the disbelievers and make them its kings and inhabitants, 'as He made successors those before them,' meaning the Children of Israel, when He destroyed the tyrants in Egypt and Syria and made them inherit their land and homes. The common reading is 'as He made successors those before them' with fatha on the ta and lam, because of His saying: 'God has promised' and His saying: 'He will surely make them successors.' Abu Bakr ⁶³⁶ narrated from 'Asim ⁶³⁷ with damma on the ta and kasra on the lam, in the passive voice. 'And He will surely establish for them'—make them settled so that they are secure, 'their religion'—their creed, 'and He will surely change them'—Ibn Kathir ⁶³⁸, Ya'qub ⁶³⁹, and 'Asim read with tashdid ⁶⁴⁰, and it is the choice of Abu Hatim ⁶⁴¹ and others with tashdid, and both are two dialects. Some imams said: al-tabdil ⁶⁴² is changing a state to another state, and al-ibdal ⁶⁴³ is removing something and putting something else in its place. 'And whoever disbelieves after that'—this blessing and disobeys God and sheds blood after that, and it does not mean disbelief in God. Abu al-'Aliya ⁶⁴⁴ said regarding this verse: The Prophet remained for ten years fearful, calling upon God secretly and openly, then He commanded him to emigrate to Medina. He remained there with his companions fearful, taking up arms in the morning and evening. A man said: O Messenger of God, will a day come when we are secure and can lay down our arms? The Prophet said: 'Will you not be patient for a short while until a man among you can sit in a great assembly with his legs crossed, without any iron?' Then God revealed this verse, and God fulfilled His promise and made them prevail over the Arabian Peninsula. They believed, then they became tyrannical and disbelieved in this verse. The first to disbelieve in this verse after God fulfilled His promise were those who killed 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may God be pleased with him. So they returned to fear and manifested evil and discord after killing 'Uthman, and God changed what was with them and brought upon them the fear that He had removed from them. Muqatil ⁶⁴⁵ said: When the Prophet returned from al-Hudaybiyya, his companions were sad, so God fed them the dates of Khaybar and promised them that they would enter Mecca the following year in security, and revealed this verse. In it is evidence for the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may God be pleased with him, and the imamate of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. Safina ⁶⁴⁶ said: The Prophet said: 'The caliphate after me will be thirty years, then it will become kingship.' Safina said: Abu Bakr's caliphate was two years, 'Umar's ten, 'Uthman's twelve, and 'Ali's six. Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah ⁶⁴⁷ said: The Prophet said: 'The caliphate after me among my community is in four: Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali, may God be pleased with them.' 'And establish prayer'—with its conditions, 'and give zakah'—the one God prescribed, 'and obey the Messenger'—in what he commands and forbids, 'that you may receive mercy'—'that' from God is a certain matter that He does by His grace. 'Do not think, O Muhammad, that those who disbelieve'—this is the common reading with ta, meaning 'do not think, O Muhammad,' and Ibn 'Amir ⁶⁴⁸ and Hamza ⁶⁴⁹ read with ya, meaning 'do not let those who disbelieve think that they are escaping,' because 'think' takes two objects. Al-Farra' ⁶⁵⁰ said: It is possible that the verb is for the Prophet, meaning 'let not Muhammad think the disbelievers are escaping on earth,' i.e., escaping when God wants to destroy them. End. And I say here by way of allusion: His saying: 'God has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds'—i.e., those who were truthful in the covenant they made with God before—'He will surely make them successors on earth'—i.e., in the land of hearts, the treasuries of the unseen, the treasures of the sought-after secret, the subtleties of the bestowed knowledge, the reading of the symbols of the Preserved Tablet, and immersion in the love of the Beloved, my master the Messenger of God—'as He made successors those before them'—by attaining the sought-after, achieving desires and wishes, sitting on the throne of succession and security from the accidents of deficiency and deprivation, support in movements and stillness, purification of hearts, relief of the distressed, help for the oppressed, removal of sorrows, protection from overwhelming matters and sudden calamities, wearing the robes of contentment and pleasure, and erasing evil deeds.

and forgiveness of sins. "And He will surely complete for them, and complete that which He has chosen" ⁶⁵¹ That is: their station ⁶⁵² which He chose for them in pre-eternity ⁶⁵³, and honored them with, from the gifts of knowledge and action, and protected their side from frivolity, play, and error, and their deeds from deceit, dissimulation, and insincerity. And He will surely exchange for them, after their fear, security, because during their journeying ⁶⁵⁴ they alternated between fear and hope, patience and contentment, contraction and expansion ⁶⁵⁵, bewilderment and compulsion ⁶⁵⁶, and stillness under the currents of the Decree ⁶⁵⁷. They worship Me, not associating anything with Me in their ascent ⁶⁵⁸ and descent ⁶⁵⁹, their gnoses ⁶⁶⁰ and spiritual gifts ⁶⁶¹, their inspirations and unveilings ⁶⁶², their bestowals and affections. For if I create lights in their innermost beings ⁶⁶³ and conceal secrets in their consciences, it is by Me they hear, by Me they see, by Me they move, by Me they are still, and from Me they receive sciences and gifts, and from Me they acquire tastes ⁶⁶⁴ and draughts ⁶⁶⁵, and by Him they gain miracles ⁶⁶⁶ and virtues, and attain might, honor, and high stations. That is: they worship Me as knowers, unitarians ⁶⁶⁷, obedient to My command, divinely guided and supported. "And whoever turns away after that" ⁶⁶⁸ That is: after attaining these high ranks and sublime stations, "then those are the transgressors" ⁶⁶⁹ because of their breaking the covenants I took from them, and their ingratitude for the blessings I bestowed and lavished upon them. "Have you not seen those who exchanged the blessing of God for disbelief?" ⁶⁷⁰ the verse. And it is said: the transgressors are those perfect in their transgression, who waste the rights of their Lord, since they disbelieve in those blessings and do not appreciate their worth, nor proclaim praise and gratitude for them. "And establish prayer and give zakah" ⁶⁷¹, That is: establish the scales of justice over your souls, and fulfill the obligations due from you before your arrival ⁶⁷² through your passing away ⁶⁷³, and obey the Messenger in what he brings you (105) from your Lord, that you may receive mercy. For that is among the means of attracting mercy, perpetuating gratitude for blessings, and repelling the onslaught of punishment. Or you may say: "And establish prayer," That is: the one your Lord made obligatory upon His Prophet from above seven heavens, and it was fifty, but he kept petitioning his Lord for it, seeking relief for his community until it became five, distributed according to the times. Or you may say: "And establish prayer," which is the capital of your investments, "and give zakah," which is the purification of your bodies and the rectification of your states, and obey the Messenger in what he commands you and forbids you, that you may receive mercy, and frolic in the gardens of Paradise, and enjoy its tables, and strut in its silken garments, never aging or growing decrepit. Or you may say: And establish the prayer in which you whisper to your Lord, and give the zakah by which He forgives your sins, and obey the Messenger through whose obedience your faith is perfected, through whose love your record is set right, through whose affiliation your proof appears, through whose service your station is elevated and your merit and beneficence increase, that you may receive mercy in this world and the Hereafter, and the overflowing oceans of gifts may pour upon you, and the ranks of noble honor may be magnified for you, and the radiance of your beaming faces may shine with the lights of love. Or you may say: And establish the prayer by which your deeds are accepted, and give the zakah by which your actions are purified, and obey the Messenger through whose obedience your hopes are realized, your requests are answered, and your states become good, that you may receive mercy with perfect contentment and good pleasure, and attain the Abode of Honor and the bliss of Gardens. Or you may say: And establish the prayer which is the foundation of your structure and the support of your title, and give the zakah which is the subduer of your devil and the fortress of your security, and obey the Messenger who is the very essence of your essences, the opening of your criterion ⁶⁷⁴, the cultivation of your hearts, and the key to your Gardens, "that you may receive mercy" ⁶⁷⁵ That is: you may attain the perfection of your faith, the reality of your tawhid ⁶⁷⁶, and your gnosis. Or you may say: And establish the prayer which is the means of your supplication and the antidote of your healing, and give the zakah which is the purification of your limbs and the cause of your elevation and ascent, and in it is the joy of your poor and the disappointment of your enemies, and obey the Messenger who is the seal of your prophets, the chosen of your elect, the model of your pious, the sultan of your saints, the tablet of the sciences of your nobles and your gnosis, the mark of your Merciful and your forbearing ones, "that you may receive mercy" That is: you may win the greatest pleasure of God, you and your spouses and children, and all your clans and relatives. And the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Prayer is light, and by the light you are guided to the path of salvation, and you emerge by it from the pitfalls of ruin and the darkness of misguidance, and you attract by it the pleasure of the Lord of the earths and heavens." And God Almighty said: "I have divided prayer between Me and My servant into two halves: half is for Me and half is for My servant, (106) and My servant shall have what he asks." The servant says: "Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds." God says: "My servant has praised Me." The servant says: "The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." God says: "My servant has extolled Me." The servant says: "Master of the Day of Judgment." God says: "My servant has glorified Me," and in another narration: "My servant has entrusted to Me." The servant says: "You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help." God says: "This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks." The servant says: "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have incurred [Your] wrath, nor of those who have gone astray." So it is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks. His saying: "Do not think that those who disbelieve are incapacitating [God] on earth" ⁶⁷⁷, that is: so do not think that God is unable to take vengeance on them or send calamity upon them. Or you may say: Do not think that those who disbelieve, due to the failure of their expectations and their departure from the circle of their masters, are incapacitating [God] on earth, that is, the arrows of supplications do not strike them, nor do the thunderbolts of punishment sent from the Lord of the earths and heavens reach them, because of their opposition and turning away from God, and their immersion in the oceans of pleasures and passions. "And their abode is the Fire, and wretched is the destination." That is: the return. O possessors of ears, accept the advice of a compassionate one, affectionate, who has fulfilled for you what is due. You have leaned toward the absurdities of passion, you have clung to your amusement and play. You have followed paths that are not fitting, and you have said: "We are content with loving." But this is not the state of the people of love, nor the state of those who belong to them. Rather, this is the state of one who has turned away from the path of guidance and cloaked himself in falsehood. And if you say: "The sun of the people of attainment shines for us, but it is veiled," especially when the train of your passions is drawn over the rising places of its lights. But that does not harm it in its light; rather, out of its majesty it veils itself. It is the soul: whoever follows its command is far from winning or hitting the mark. It has a snare from the ropes of passion, set to catch the minds of mortals. So what is this slumber, and what is this obstinacy? Do you not fear the state of a servant who has been stripped?

So where are the hearts that have not ceased To weep continually and prolong complaint To Allah, turning away from other than Him? And wail with the wailing of a grieving youth. His ⁶⁷⁸ saying, exalted is He: ﴿O you who have believed, let those whom your right hands possess ask permission of you﴾, the verse. Al-Tha'labi ⁶⁷⁹ said, may Allah have mercy on him, that Ibn 'Abbas ⁶⁸⁰ said: The Prophet sent a young man from the Ansar ⁶⁸¹ named Madlaj ibn 'Amr to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab ⁶⁸², may Allah be pleased with him, at the time of noon to invite him. He saw 'Umar in a state he disliked seeing, so 'Umar said: O Messenger of Allah, we wish that Allah had commanded and forbidden us regarding asking permission. So the verse was revealed. And Muqatil ⁶⁸³ said: It was revealed concerning Asma' bint Murshid ⁶⁸⁴, who had a grown male servant who entered upon her at a time she disliked. She said: O Messenger of Allah, our servants and male slaves enter upon us in a state we dislike. ﴿So let them ask permission of you﴾, The lam of command ⁶⁸⁵ ﴿And those whom your right hands possess﴾, Meaning male and female slaves, ﴿And those who have not reached puberty among you﴾, From the free persons, three times in three times: before the dawn prayer, which is when a person removes his night clothes; when you put off your clothes at noon for the midday nap; and after the evening prayer. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf ⁶⁸⁶ narrated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: Do not let the Bedouins overcome you regarding the name of your prayer, for Allah says: ﴿And after the evening prayer﴾, And indeed al-'atamah ⁶⁸⁷ is the time when camels are milked at night. He specified these times because they are times of heedlessness and seclusion, of removing clothes and garments, of being naked and exposing the private parts. That is His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Three times of privacy for you﴾ The people of Kufa read "three" in the accusative, referring back to His saying "three times," while others read it in the nominative, meaning: these are three times of privacy for you. There is no blame upon you nor upon them—meaning the slaves, servants, and children—in entering upon you without permission after them, i.e., after these three times. ﴿They are frequent visitors to you﴾ Meaning: they go around among you, entering and leaving for your tasks without permission because they are your servants. So there is no harm in their entering upon you at other than these times, some of you visiting others. There is disagreement regarding its ruling: some say it is abrogated. It was said to Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that no one acts upon this verse today. He said: Indeed, Allah is Forbearing, Kind, Merciful, loving concealment. People did not have curtains, screens, or veils for their houses, so sometimes a servant or child would enter upon a man and his family. So Allah commanded them to ask permission during those times of privacy. Then Allah provided them with curtains and goodness, and I have not seen anyone acting upon that. Musa ibn Abi 'A'ishah said: I asked al-Sha'bi ⁶⁸⁸: Has it been abrogated? He said: No, by Allah, it has not been abrogated. I said: But people do not act upon it. He said: Allah is the one whose help is sought. And Sufyan ibn Jubayr ⁶⁸⁹ said: By Allah, it has not been abrogated, but it is something people take lightly. His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And when the children among you reach puberty﴾ Meaning: from among your free persons, then let them ask permission at all times when entering upon you, ﴿As those before them asked permission﴾ Meaning the free adults. ﴿And women who have reached the age of sitting﴾ Meaning those who have ceased bearing children due to old age, so they no longer menstruate or give birth; the singular is qa'id ⁶⁹⁰. ﴿To lay aside their garments﴾ In the presence of men, meaning their jilbabs ⁶⁹¹. The jilbab is the head covering above the khimar ⁶⁹² and the outer garment above the clothes. This interpretation is supported by the reading of Ubayy ibn Ka'b ⁶⁹³: "To lay aside some of their garments, not displaying adornment." Meaning without removing the jilbab to show their adornment. Tabarruj ⁶⁹⁴ is when a woman displays her beauties that she should conceal. ﴿But to refrain is better for them﴾ Meaning: to wear their jilbabs is better for them. ﴿And Allah is Hearing, Knowing﴾. End. And I say here by way of allusion ⁶⁹⁵ His saying: ﴿O you who have believed﴾, Meaning: the poles ⁶⁹⁶ who have attained union, the firmly established pegs ⁶⁹⁷, the knowledgeable who act, the perfect ones who know, those for whom divine care has preceded, and signs of guidance and righteousness have appeared upon them from beginning to end. Let those whom your right hands possess ask permission of you—the sincere seekers ⁶⁹⁸ and the knowing brethren who trust in their Lord, those whose reins Allah has given you, whose judgments He has placed in your hands, whose bodies He has illuminated with your love, whose feet He has established through your knowledge, whose necks He has freed through your blessing, and whose aspirations He has raised through your regard. ﴿And those who have not reached puberty among you﴾, Meaning: those who have not attained what you have attained of high ranks, lofty stations, and growing secrets, three times in the day and night: before the dawn prayer because it is the time of your intimate conversation with your Forbearing, Forgiving Lord, of humility, supplication, and seeking forgiveness, awaiting the gleams of the rising lights from His presence, the lights and gifts of openings and secrets, and abundant favors, and exposing yourselves to His breezes in the darkness of nights and the times of dawn; and when you put off your clothes at the high noon of lofty station and rank, where you witness the scenes of the righteous and attend the assemblies of the near ones and the chosen elite; and after the evening prayer because it is the place of odd and even ⁶⁹⁹, and preparing to stand before the Forgiving, Concealing Lord, who stretches out His hand by night for the sinner of the day to repent, and stretches out His hand by day for the sinner of the night to repent, throughout the passage of times and ages. Glory be to Him, there is no god but Him, the One, the Unique, the Disposer, the Subduer, the Vast in mercy, the Doer of what He wills. He gives to whom He wills by His bounty, and withholds from whom He wills, and there is no restriction upon Him in the disposal of destinies. ﴿Three times of privacy for you﴾ Meaning: they are three times in which you enforce the limits upon yourselves, reflect on your return to your Lord, remember your past major sins, examine the hidden secrets of your innermost selves and the concealed things of your hearts, awaken from the sleep of your heedlessness, cover what appears of your private parts, and prepare to perform your prayers. For concealment in those times is appropriate for your actions and fitting for your states. And if that is difficult for you and you wish to reveal what you have hidden and concealed of secrets, and what you have granted and bestowed of gifts, in gratitude for the blessings Allah has conferred upon you, and in recounting His generosity and kindness to you, so that the follower may emulate you, follow your path, and be guided by your guidance and the way of your path, then Allah has excused you and excused those who follow you or serve your station and turn to you with heart and body. His saying: ﴿There is no blame upon you nor upon them﴾ Meaning: there is no blame upon you, O shaykhs ⁷⁰⁰ commanded to conceal yourselves, nor upon them, i.e., the seekers, no sin after them, i.e., after these known times and determined matters. Then He explained the reason for not requiring permission at other than these times by His saying: ﴿They are frequent visitors to you, some of you moving among others﴾ To borrow your lights, seek your secrets, hear your speech, receive your answers, and benefit from your company.

In your presence and belonging to your court, for you are absent in the presence of your Master, rejoicing in what He has bestowed upon you of His favors and granted you. "Thus does Allah make clear to you the verses" ⁷⁰¹ — that is, the divine rulings they were commanded with, and the eternal states ⁷⁰² that Allah has specially favored them with, for they are the lamps of Allah on His earth, and by them the traveler to Allah is guided in his expansion and contraction ⁷⁰³. And Allah is Knowing of the interests of His servants, Wise in the management of His affairs and the clarification of His intent. His saying: "And when the children among you reach puberty" ⁷⁰⁴ — that is, those whom you have entered into schools of instruction and taught the discipline of spiritual training and the manner of reaching the presence of intimate conversation and divine speech — "puberty" meaning Allah has illuminated their inner sights with the lights of guidance and success, and filled their innermost beings with the secrets of gnosis and verification, so let them ask permission as those before them asked permission, because entering was for them a symbol and a habit before they attained the rank of leadership and precedence, and the preservation of love and perfect contentment and submission became firmly rooted in their hearts. "Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses, and Allah is Knowing, Wise" — that is, in what He has clarified to you of the rulings, and what He has caused to shine upon their hearts from the lights of revelation and inspiration, and what He has specially favored you with of stations and miracles ⁷⁰⁵, and the attainment of pleasure and good pleasure and entry into the Abode of Peace. His saying: "And the women of advanced age who have despaired of marriage" ⁷⁰⁶ — that is, the believing, patient, devout, obedient, bowing, prostrating, weeping in fear of their Lord, supplicating, fleeing with their religion to Him, detached, immersed in His love, enraptured ones, "who do not hope for marriage" because they have weaned themselves from desires and pleasures, and renounced the world and its familiar things, its adorned battlefields, its embroidered garlands, and its gilded bridal chambers, and in exchange for that are the enduring good deeds and the pure words. "Then let them put on their outer garments" ⁷⁰⁷ — that is, let them remove the veils of concealment from their faces to look upon those whom Allah has blessed with forgiveness of sins and erasure of misdeeds, without displaying adornment that snatches the eyes of lovers, whose love has cut their intestines and led them to death. "And that they should refrain" ⁷⁰⁸ — that is, to wear the garments of modesty, chastity, and concealment is better for them, lest the masters of states, ecstatic utterances, and attractions perish, for when the eyes of lovers glance, they fall in love; when the souls of the overwhelmed witness, they speak; when the breaths of the lovestruck sigh, they burn; when those in ecstatic longing glance, they kill; and when the inner sights of the gnostics are unveiled, they conceal. And Allah is Hearing of what is said, Knowing of what issues from them in seclusions and gatherings, words and deeds, movements and stillnesses. The pivot of our states in every station ❖ is keeping covenants and abandoning selfish desire and need And that the one who loves to witness us ❖ should avoid the path of frivolity and play And that he should stand when the night reaches for him ❖ half of it, without which, with sincerity in seeking Moaning in longing for the Beloved, you would think him ❖ a bereaved mother whose grief is stirred by the wailing of a mourner Emptying his heart of other than the Beloved ❖ at His door, the humility of a poor and sorrowful one And fasting increases from him as much as he is able ❖ the Lord of servants, to attain the ultimate closeness And truthfulness he makes provision for his journey ❖ and remembrance is the greatest means he chooses It purifies the secret, polishes the heart, grants him ❖ from gnosis a secret of dazzling wonder And it sends down the influx from the Unseen of the Unseen with what ❖ Allah chooses of unveiling without doubt And Allah we ask for help for His seeker ❖ in fulfilling His commands in all stations His saying, exalted: "There is no blame upon the blind, nor upon the lame, nor upon the sick" ⁷⁰⁹ — Imam al-Tha'labi ⁷¹⁰ said, Ibn Abbas ⁷¹¹ said: When the verse "O you who believe, do not consume your wealth among yourselves unjustly" ⁷¹² was revealed, the Muslims refrained from eating with the sick, the chronically ill, the blind, and the lame, saying: Food is the best of wealth, and the blind cannot see the place of good food, the lame cannot jostle for food, and the sick are not equal in food. So the verse was revealed, meaning there is no sin upon you in eating with these. Sa'id ibn Jubayr ⁷¹³, al-Dahhak ⁷¹⁴, and Miqsam ⁷¹⁵ said: The blind and the lame used to avoid eating with the healthy because people found them repulsive, and the people of Medina did not mix with them in their food—neither blind, nor lame, nor sick. So the verse was revealed. Mujahid ⁷¹⁶ said: It was revealed as a concession for the sick and chronically ill to eat in the houses of those whom Allah named in this verse, because a group of the Prophet's companions, when they had nothing to feed them, would take them to the houses of their fathers and mothers or some of those whom Allah named in this verse, and the people of the verse would refrain from eating that food because it was fed to them by other than its owner. Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ⁷¹⁷ said: The Muslims, when they went on expeditions, would leave behind their dependents and give them the keys to their properties, saying, 'We have permitted you to eat from what is in our houses,' but they would refrain from that, saying, 'We will not enter them while they are absent.' So it was revealed as a concession for them. Al-Hasan ⁷¹⁸ and Ibn Zayd ⁷¹⁹ said: "There is no blame upon the blind, nor upon the lame, nor upon the sick" regarding staying behind from jihad. They said: This completes the speech. And His saying: "Nor upon yourselves" ⁷²⁰ is a separate statement from what precedes it. Ibn Abbas said: A group refrained from eating from these houses when the verse "Do not consume your wealth among yourselves unjustly" was revealed.

They said: 'It is not lawful for any of us to eat at anyone's house.' Then this verse was revealed: {Nor against yourselves} ⁷²¹ meaning: nor is it a sin for you to eat from your own houses, intending the houses of your children, because a man's child is from his earning and his wealth is like his own wealth, or what you possess the keys thereof ⁷²². Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: It means a man's agent and steward over his estate and livestock; there is no harm for him to eat from the fruit of his estate and drink from the milk of his livestock. Al-Dahhak said: It means from the houses of your male and female slaves. Mujahid and Qatadah said: From your own houses of what you have stored and possessed. Sa'id ibn Jubayr recited: 'what you possess' or 'your friends' ⁷²³. Ibn 'Abbas said: It was revealed concerning al-Harith ibn 'Amr, who went out on a military expedition with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and left Khalid ibn Zaid in charge of his family. When he returned, he found him exhausted, so he said: 'I refrained from eating your food without your permission.' Then the verse was revealed. Al-Hasan and Qatadah considered it permissible for a man to enter his friend's house and eat his food without seeking permission, based on this verse: 'or your friends' ⁷²⁴. His saying: {There is no blame upon you if you eat together or separately} ⁷²⁵. Some people said: It was revealed concerning a tribe of Kinanah called Banu al-Layth ibn 'Amr, who used to refrain from eating food alone; a man might sit with food before him from morning until evening. Then the verse was revealed, as stated by Qatadah, al-Dahhak, Ibn Jurayj, and Ibn 'Abbas. He said: A rich man would visit a poor relative or friend, who would invite him to eat, and he would say: 'By Allah, I do not feel comfortable eating your food,' meaning I refrain, being rich while you are poor. Then it was revealed. 'Ikrimah and Abu Salih said: It was revealed concerning a group of the Ansar who would not eat when a guest stayed with them, along with their guest. So He granted them permission to eat as they wished, together or separately, even if they differed, and among them were the abstemious and the desirous, the healthy and the sick. That was because they disliked eating with the sick and the disabled when the verse {Do not consume one another's wealth unjustly} ⁷²⁶ was revealed, and they said: 'It is not lawful for us to eat with them.' So He granted them permission in this verse. His saying, the Exalted: {So when you enter houses, greet yourselves} ⁷²⁷ meaning: let some of you greet others, as in His saying: {And do not kill yourselves} ⁷²⁸. This was said by al-Hasan and Ibn Zayd. Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Peace (al-salam) is a name from the names of Allah the Exalted, so spread it among yourselves. For when a Muslim man passes by a people and greets them with peace, he has a merit and a degree over them, increasing them by the greeting. If they do not respond to him, one who is better and purer than them responds to him.' Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'When one of you passes by a gathering, let him greet them. If it occurs to him to sit, let him sit. And when he stands, let him greet them, for the first is not more deserving than the last.' It is also said: Its meaning is: when you enter your own houses, greet your family and dependents. This was said by Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, Tawus, al-Zuhri, Qatadah, al-Dahhak, 'Amr ibn Dinar, and Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them). If there is no one in the house, let him say: 'Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. Peace be upon the people of the house and the mercy of Allah.' Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I served the Prophet (peace be upon him) for years, and he never said to me about anything I did, 'Why did you do that?' nor about anything I left, 'Why did you leave it?' I was standing at his head pouring water on his hands, and he raised his head and said: 'O Anas, shall I teach you three qualities by which you will benefit?' I said: 'May my father and mother be your ransom, O Messenger of Allah, yes.' He said: 'Whoever you meet from my community, greet them with peace, and your life will be prolonged. When you enter your house, greet your family, and the goodness of your house will increase. And be constant in the forenoon prayer (salat al-duha), for it is the prayer of the righteous.' It is also said: It means: when you enter the mosques, greet those in them. Ibn 'Abbas said: When you enter the mosque, say: 'Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah.' {A greeting} ⁷²⁹ is in the accusative as a verbal noun, i.e., you greet yourselves with it as a greeting. It is also said: as a circumstantial accusative. {From Allah, blessed and good} ⁷³⁰. It is said: It is described as 'good' because the listener finds its hearing pleasant. His saying, the Exalted: {The believers are only those} ⁷³¹ the verse. Concerning a matter that brings them together, such as a war that has occurred, or Friday prayer, or congregational prayer, or consultation. And in a matter that descended, they did not go away, nor did they disperse from it, from the matters for which they gathered, until they ask his permission. {Indeed, those who ask your permission, O Muhammad, those are the ones who believe in Allah} ⁷³². Abu Hamzah al-Thumali said: In this verse, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) ascended the pulpit on Friday, no one would leave the mosque until he stood facing the Prophet (peace be upon him) so that he could see him, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) would know that he was seeking permission, and he would give permission to whomever he wished among them. That is the meaning of His saying: {So when they ask your permission} ⁷³³ the verse. His saying: {Do not make the calling of the Messenger among you} ⁷³⁴ means: beware of the Messenger's supplication against you if you anger him, for his supplication brings about punishment, unlike the supplication of others. Mujahid and Qatadah said: Do not call him as you call one another, 'O Muhammad,' but rather honor and magnify him, and say: 'O Prophet of Allah, O Messenger of Allah,' with gentleness, humility, and submission. {Indeed, Allah knows those who slip away} ⁷³⁵ i.e., leave, and from it is 'the sandgrouse slipped away,' {among you} ⁷³⁶ O those who turn away from your Prophet without his permission, and they are the hypocrites, {concealing themselves} ⁷³⁷ i.e., hiding behind one another and sneaking away secretly. Al-liwadh is the verbal noun of lawadha fulan yulawidhu mulawadhatan wa liwadhan. If it were from al-ladhdhah (pleasure), it would be liyadhan like al-qiyam and al-siyam. It is said that this was during the digging of the trench; the hypocrites would leave without the Prophet's permission, hiding from his command, {lest a trial befall them} ⁷³⁸ concerning a connection. It is also said: they turn away from his command and leave without his permission, lest a trial befall them. Ibn 'Abbas said: 'trial' means tribulation. 'Ata' said: earthquakes and terrors. Ja'far ibn Muhammad said: an unjust ruler who takes authority over them. Al-Hasan said: the hypocrisy in their hearts becomes apparent. {Or a painful punishment} ⁷³⁹ severe and painful in this world.

Indeed, to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. He knows what you are upon ⁷⁴⁰—as servants, as possessions, and as creation, and as an indication of His sovereignty, His oneness, the perfection of His power, and His wisdom. End. And I said here by way of allusion: His saying, "There is no blame upon the blind, nor any blame upon the lame" ⁷⁴¹—the verse—those afflictions mentioned in the verses are not defects of deficiency in reality, but rather defects of perfection, founded upon the principles of the Path ⁷⁴², revealing what their possessors have of ascension to the highest stations, and what they have of fluctuation in the varieties of perfections and wonders. This becomes clear by what will be mentioned later of the subtle allusions and the most exalted expressions employed therein, because Allah Almighty excused certain people among the lovers and the knowers by the symbol in this verse. Its outward meaning is general, but its inward meaning is specific, as he (peace be upon him) said: "The Quran has an outward and an inward, a limit and a point of ascent." ⁷⁴³ And the meaning of that—and Allah knows best—according to what some have said, is that the blind one here is he whom the splendors of the Face of the Truth have blinded when he witnessed Him with his heart and spirit, blinding him so that he sees none but Allah. His true meaning is that he cannot bear to look with the inner dimensions of pre-eternity, the unseen, and the unseen of the unseen. This is the secret of his saying (peace be upon him) describing the Beauty of the Truth: "His veil is light; if He were to remove it, the splendors of His Face would burn everything that His creation's sight reaches." ⁷⁴⁴ Thus He made him excused for not knowing the reality of the Truth and the Truth of reality, since it is impossible for the contingent to encompass the Eternal. The lame one is he whose spirit and secret have become lame from journeying in the fields of pre-eternity and post-eternity due to the striking of the swords of Oneness and the throwing of the stones of overwhelming might. He is excused when he sits on the carpet of intimacy and does not journey in the fields of holiness, for there is the flood of majesty and the force of greatness and everlastingness. This lame one is excused for not coming from the station of witnessing to the station of striving. The sick one is he whom the love of the Beloved has made sick, so he is excused from the abundance of acts of worship and from spreading the secrets of wisdom and benefits. He is the one who is sick with love, and he treats love with love, as it is said: "I treated Layla's love with Layla, As the wine-drinker treats wine with wine." And it is said: The blind one is he whom the lights of the overwhelming might of Majesty have blinded, so he is excused from seeing the whole. The lame one is he whose leg of aspiration has been broken by the stones of the catapult of pre-eternity in the depth of the timeless desert, so he is excused when he is cut off from journeying in the wilderness of pre-eternity and post-eternity, because pre-eternity and everlastingness are not limited. The sick one is he whom the sicknesses of love, longing, passion, and knowledge have made sick, so he is excused from occupying himself with many acts of worship and from spreading the secrets of wisdom and benefits. These are the people of witnessing, not the people of striving and formalities. End. I say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the ray of proximity; the lame one is he who is lamed by the crashing waves of love; the sick one is he who is sickened by the stormy winds of attraction. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the pleasure of union; the lame one is he who is lamed by the shock of spiritual lethargy from the ascents of connection; the sick one is he who is sickened by the fragrant breezes of intimacy and familiarity. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the spirit of intimacy with Allah; the lame one is he who is lamed by the toil of striving in what pleases Allah; the sick one is he who is sickened by immersion in the love of Allah. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the flashes of the outpourings of mercies; the lame one is he who is lamed by the enveloping veils of the manifestations of wonders; the sick one is he who is sickened by the blowing of the breezes of divine gifts. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the gleaming lights of the clear signs; the lame one is he who is lamed by the weight of the secrets of the good words; the sick one is he who is sickened by the intensity of the struggle with righteous deeds. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the flash of the lightning of the Merciful Self-disclosure; the lame one is he who is lamed in the stations of descent for the attainment of perfection in excellence; the sick one is he who is sickened by bearing the trust of gnostic reception. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the vision of Beauty; the lame one is he who is lamed by the manifestation of the overwhelming might of Majesty; the sick one is he who is sickened by the shock of love in the presence of union. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the light of guidance, his heart at peace with the remembrance of Allah; the lame one is he who is lamed by journeying in the fields of emulation, his thought absent in the presence of Allah; the sick one is he who is sickened by hearing the call, his secret perpetually immersed in the descriptions of Allah's perfections. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the rising suns of the lights; the lame one is he who is lamed by abandoning planning and choice; the sick one is he who is sickened by the pain of estrangement and brokenness. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the radiance of the stars of illuminating wisdom; the lame one is he who is lamed by good conduct and purity of the inner self; the sick one is he who is sickened by what overflows upon his heart of the divine sciences and abundant gifts. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the love of his Beloved; the lame one is he who is lamed by what hinders him from attaining his desire; the sick one is he who is sickened by the burning pangs of longing to reach his sought object. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the intensity of yearning and longing until he cannot distinguish between union and separation; the lame one is he who is lamed by drinking the intoxication of wine until he transcends the limits of prohibition and command; the sick one is he who is sickened by hearing the discourses of admonition and deterrence. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the gleaming unveilings of the clear victory; the lame one is he who is lamed by the deterrents of the manifest Book; the sick one is he who is sickened by the penetration of the secret of sincerity into his identity and certainty. Or you may say: The blind one is he who is blinded by the lights of the divine witnesses; the lame one is he who is lamed by following the path of the Muhammadan Law; the sick one is he who is sickened by drinking the potion of the lordly openings. He is bewildered, absent from himself, distracted, isolated from his own kind, joyful, sorrowful, ecstatic, enchanted, free, imprisoned, combining opposites, transcendent above both stations, manifest in the two weighty ones ⁷⁴⁵, hidden in the two relations, perfect in the two creations, truthful in the two directions, advanced in the two presences, known in the station of "two bow-lengths" ⁷⁴⁶, with open hands, high in rank. There is no restriction upon him, no obligation, no deviation from the path of truth, no distortion. He is defined by attaining definition, permitted in the world of spirits and disposal, written in the Preserved Tablet with the pen of might, lordship, and honor. "None knows our state except a lover, Whom the secrets have drowned in their sea. The suns of self-disclosure shone before him, So his darkness and daylight became equal. He is absent by the Truth from other than Him, So news comes to him from Him. Sacred allusions have stupefied his intellect, In whose heights thoughts are bewildered. He plucked flowers from its gardens, Sights were snatched from its light. Such is the description of one who tastes and knows, And upon him the wine cup goes round." Or you may say:

There is no blame upon the blind, nor is there blame upon the lame, when they seek the cup from the people of spiritual elevation and treatment, when he cauterizes his knees with the sting of regret for what has passed in the time of error ⁷⁴⁷ and deficiency. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he presents his glass ⁷⁴⁸ to the educators to remove from it what increases whisperings ⁷⁴⁹ and corrupts the temperament. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he crushes the stones of hope in the mortar of pardon and applies them as kohl ⁷⁵⁰ at the closing of the eyelids. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he travels by night to outpace the healthy to the paths of proximity and nearness. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he spends his night in weeping and groaning and seeks rain from the clouds of mercies from the bounty of his Lord, abundant in generosity and beneficence. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he enters the garden of contentment and good pleasure. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he frolics in the meadows of his Lord, the Sovereign, the Judge. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he spits from his mouth the medicine of falsehood and slander. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he abandons the gatherings of the people of betrayal and concealment. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he retreats from mixing with the people of hatred and enmity. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he treats himself with the subtle beneficial remembrances and the recitation of the Qur'an. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he demolishes the wall of the people of misery and abandonment. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he exerts his utmost effort to reach the caravans of the people of witnessing and vision. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he asks his Lord to treat him with the gifts of pardon and forgiveness. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he adopts the school of the noble chiefs ⁷⁵¹. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he flees with his religion from peak to peak to reach the place of blessing and security. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he treats himself with obedience, piety, and the sweetness of faith. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he seeks to attain the stations of the people of unveiling and exposition. Nor is there blame upon the lame when his steps fall short of what would lead him to the accidents of deprivation and deficiency. Nor is there blame upon the sick when his illness is prolonged in acquiring what benefits him in secret and in public. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when the watering flows for his thirsty, yearning heart. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he limps under the burden of the trust ⁷⁵² which the heavens, the earth, the mountains, and all beings were unable to bear. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he abandons medicine and entrusts his affair to his great Master, the King and Sultan. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he seeks the guide to the oneness of his Lord and the proof. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he is sluggish in his journey to realize, with the light of his insight, the knowledge of certainty and the witnessing of conviction ⁷⁵³. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he seeks healing with the antidote of his Lord, beneficial for the rectification of hearts and bodies. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he intrudes as a guest at the door of God, open to the people of major sins and disobedience. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he holds fast to His firm handhold and His stable structure. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he seeks intercession through the rank of the master of Ma'add and the sons of 'Adnan ⁷⁵⁴. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he asks his Lord for bestowal. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he persists in asking. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he exposes himself to the breezes of his great and exalted Master. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he washes his face with tears of supplication and entreaty. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he accustoms himself to truthfulness in words and deeds. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he sleeps on the mat of obedience and compliance. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he seeks the surplus of the generous. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he follows the paths of peace. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he clings to the hem of the Master of mankind ⁷⁵⁵. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he rubs his gray hair between the Corner and the Station ⁷⁵⁶. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he seeks security in travel and residence. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he purifies himself from the filth of sins and offenses. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he weeps from lack of arrival and connection. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he fears the accidents of interruption and separation. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he eats the love of annihilation to annihilate in the love of the Seal of the Prophets and the Master of the Messengers ⁷⁵⁷. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he attends the gathering of the people of loyalty and perfection. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he walks in the way of the people of intimacy and boldness. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he enters the register of the solitary strivers and the noble substitutes ⁷⁵⁸. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he roams with his spirit on the carpet of the lovers. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he ascends with his secret in the witnessing places of the near ones. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he dons, for his healing, the robe of the variegated ones ⁷⁵⁹. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he smells the clove of affection and mercies. Nor is there blame upon the lame when he ascends with his aspiration on the carpet of closeness and acts of devotion. Nor is there blame upon the sick when he swallows the opium of ecstatic utterances and attractions ⁷⁶⁰.

There is no blame upon the blind if he guards his sight from the winds of vain desires, nor upon the lame if he limps with his leg to be safe from the afflictions of falsehood and pretension, nor upon the sick ⁷⁶¹ if he reveals what is in his conscience of the pain of separation and pours out his complaint. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind if his inner being is illumined, that he may tear through the dense veils and screens with his aspiration; nor upon the lame if his intention is sound, that he may be entrusted with the secret of revelation and the treasures of stores; nor upon the sick if his inner self is safe from subtle defects, that he may speak of the thoughts of hearts and the hidden secrets of consciences. O you who criticize men whose source is pure, and who have witnessed the light of their Lord without veil, if you knew them, you would not deny what they have become most worthy of in arrival and precedence. They are lamps in the night of separation; by union they have folded away from entities and traces. They are absent with their Lord in the eye of their presence, so they have no likeness in desert or settled land. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind if he clings to one who calls to God with insight and follows the path of him whose way of guidance is clear and who treads it; nor upon the lame if his journey ends at the stations of those who have reached [God], so his heart settles from what had agitated it of longing and disquiet; nor upon the sick if he enters the presence of the solitary knowers ⁷⁶², that he may guide the servants to God by being absorbed in His remembrance and persistence. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind if he looks to refining his soul to rescue it from the morals of the rabble and the vulgar; nor upon the lame if he mounts the backs of resolve to outpace the travelers in night journey and night travel; nor upon the sick if he inhales the breeze of opening ⁷⁶³ to repair what is corrupted in his constitution and straighten the crooked. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind when the dawn of truth shines on his face, that he may smell the fragrance of the great love, its diffusion and aroma; nor upon the lame when his longings multiply, that he may board the ship of ecstasy and wakefulness and plunge into the sea of great realities of meanings and depths; nor upon the sick when his illness baffles the physicians, that he may call out with a wounded heart: O Answerer of the supplicant when he calls, O Vast in mercy, O Swift in relief, O Near in deliverance, pardon me, have mercy on me, accept me despite what crookedness is in me, and return me to You a beautiful return, for I have expended in Your pleasure wealth, family, and lifeblood, and I have sought intercession through the rank of Your beloved, our master Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, that You may grant me from every worry in which I have become and remained, relief and a way out, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O most generous of creation, O most pure of mankind, O most faithful prophet to the paths of truth, O best of those for whom the white she-camels journey and who have long since entered his doors, be my intercessor when the embers of the fire of wrath blaze, and suffice me with relief from You. Grant generously by Your favor and accept the excuse of one who praises, with moist tongue persistent in offering praise, falling short in it of Your highness, folded in the hem of Your abundant generosity, merged in it. May the God of the Throne bless you as long as His attributes are mentioned in a splendid, joyful praise, and as long as lovers chant in the sand of the Hijaz and people sing in rhythmic tones. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind if he plunges into the valleys of the unseen, that he may take the Quran as a companion and guide; nor upon the lame if he mounts the mount of knowledge, that he may remember God morning and evening; nor upon the sick if he tosses on his bed, that he may not cease from witnessing with the heart and make presence his abode and resting place. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind when his insight is opened, that he may speak of thoughts in general and in detail; nor upon the lame when his paths differ, that he may not neglect remembrance to treat his soul thereby and have a way to attain good things; nor upon the sick if he cannot stand, that he may revive his night with recitation and remembrance and sleep only a little. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind if he looks into the mirror of the most luminous secret; nor upon the lame if he walks in his journey with the ideal path; nor upon the sick if he drinks from the heat of longing at the source of the sweetest love. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind if he attends the session of listening ⁷⁶⁴ and casts off restraint; nor upon the lame if he uncovers the veil and tears the screens; nor upon the sick if the burial ⁷⁶⁵ stirs in the precinct of the master of the pious and the ornament of the chosen messengers. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind if destinies draw him to the station of those who have reached, that he may tread the carpet with his sandals; nor upon the lame if eternal care aids him, that he may release the imprisoned from his shackles; nor upon the sick if God gives him wisdom, that he may renew faith in the hearts of servants by his speech and discourse. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind if he is permitted to speak, that he may mend hearts by his words and states; nor upon the lame if he secludes himself in corners of obscurity, that he may benefit the community by his supplication and entreaty; nor upon the sick if the obligation is lifted from him, that he may accept God's concessions which appear upon him and his like, for God Almighty loves that His concessions be taken as His determinations are taken. And one of the knowers said: Whoever has an excuse in struggling against the soul should not become weary, for God loves that His concessions be taken as He loves that His determinations be taken. I say: Whoever has an excuse in the delay of the lordly opening ⁷⁶⁶ and the flow of the eternal secret, God loves that his desire be fulfilled, his repentance accepted, his prayer answered, his rank elevated, and his request granted, because the attainment of a thing after effort and toil is better than its attainment without question or request. And since the secrets are divine gifts and the openings are lordly favors, they do not depend on precedence or delay, nor on effort or exertion, nor on opinion or planning, nor on indication or expression, nor on righteousness or illumination, for God is independent of the worship of His servants and their striving. Indeed, God has servants among the angels who do not cease from worshiping Him at all times of night and day, yet He has not mentioned them nor assigned any value or reward to their worship. "That is the bounty of God; He gives it to whom He wills, and God is the possessor of great bounty." ⁷⁶⁷ The morning told me of the night traveler, of those who slip in the darkness of the night, from the sanctuary of might and the house of highness, from the manifestation of sanctity in the Holy ⁷⁶⁸. Indeed, the sanctuary of truth is mighty and is not attained except by the annihilation of the self. But when bounty encompasses those whom He loves, they attain the self. So wear from love the garment of passion and boast of it; enough for you is such a garment. Or you may say: There is no blame upon the blind whom the lights of guidance have led, nor upon the lame whom the precedents of care have preserved, nor upon the sick from whom the burdens of sins and offenses have fallen. Or you may say: There is no blame upon him who is blinded by the radiance of the lights of the white pearl, nor upon him who is lame by bearing the storms of decree and destiny, nor upon him who is sick by the flashes of the cold of submission and contentment. Or you may say: There is no blame upon him who is blind due to lack of provision and goods, that he may travel to the land of asceticism and contentment; nor upon him who is lame due to lack of power, strength, and ability, that he may cling to the hem of the people of piety and obedience; nor upon him who is sick, if his cure is delayed, that he may seek salvation for himself and his family, intercession, and the fulfillment of needs.

Of debts, the dropping of injustices and liabilities, and he calls out with a sorrowful voice in the depths of the night: "O my God, my Master, and my Lord, enrich me through the rank of Your Beloved, our Master Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace), the Imam of the People of the Sunnah and the Community." Or you say: "There is no blame upon one who is blinded by the lights of the openings (al-futūḥāt) when he extracts the jewels of knowledge from their shells, nor upon one who ascends by the secrets of realities when he leads the steeds of meanings from their crests, nor upon one who is ill with the unveiling of the subtleties of delicate matters when he seeks shade under the shadow of prophethood and sleeps within the protective enclosure of its precincts." Or you say: "There is no blame upon one who is blinded by the rising of the suns of understandings, nor upon one who ascends by hearing the clanging of the inspiration of divine revelation, nor upon one who is ill with the lifting of the veil of illusions, nor upon yourselves, O unique individuals renowned among creation, described with the most beautiful attributes and the most perfect characters, that you eat from your houses filled with the subtleties of lordly gifts and the jewels of eternal wisdoms, and the houses of your fathers, the very essences of the human creation and the nobles of the companions of the sovereign presence and the manifestations of the beneficent theophanies, who brought you into the schools of instruction and taught you the etiquette of conduct and the manner of precedence and priority, or the houses of your mothers who raised you in the laps of protection and nursed you with the milk of knowledge and religion and unveiled to you the subtleties of the ancient secret, or the houses of your brothers who preceded you in faith and warned you against excess and deficiency and guided you to the landmarks of righteousness and the straight path, or the houses of your sisters who made the ground soft for you and lifted the veil for you and opened for you the doors of giving and seated you upon the platform of honor and exaltation, or the houses of your paternal uncles who sponsored you and raised you with the best upbringing and warded off from you evils and hardships and made known to you the stations of contentment and submission, or the houses of your paternal aunts who reminded you and awakened you and warned you against what may befall you on the path of journeying from the darkness of the veil and the calamities of the harmful solitude, or the houses of your maternal uncles who granted you the secret of special distinction and disciplined you with the etiquette of servitude and made known to you the right of lordship and observed you with the eye of majesty and veneration, or the houses of your maternal aunts who gathered your hearts upon God with a gathering of rectification and guided you to what benefits you in your world and your hereafter through allusion and explicit statement and elevated you to the station of intimate discourse and speech, or what you possess the keys of from the treasuries of the unseen, or your friend who informs you of the subtleties of hidden things and the secrets of hearts—there is no sin upon you that you eat together or separately, for there is no preventer to prevent you, nor a veil to bar you, nor an envier to suppress you, nor an obstinate one to crowd you out of what God has opened for you of the gifts of desired grace and the alchemy of the sought-after secret. So when you enter the houses of guidance and uprightness and the garden of pardon and generosity, and they prepare for you the tables of blessings and ward off from you the adversities of afflictions, then greet yourselves—those which have returned from the journey of trial and longing to the presence of witnessing and tasting—with a greeting from God, blessed and good, for you are in the hospitality of the Noble Master, the Kind, the Beneficent, the Merciful." Or you say: "There is no blame upon one who is blinded by the unveilers of the secrets of the High Essence, nor upon one who ascends by the manifestation of the lights of the Holy Attributes, nor upon one who is ill with the reception of the jewels of bestowed wisdom, nor upon your pure, virtuous, content, and well-pleased selves that you eat from your spiritual houses (122), or the houses of your fathers of the angelic realm, or the houses of your mothers of the merciful realm, or the houses of your brothers who have sincerely offered you affection in secret and in public, or the houses of your sisters free from the ugliness of inner state and the disease of the heart, or the houses of your paternal uncles from whom you have gained the gifts of divine knowledge and bestowed gnosis, or the houses of your paternal aunts who sponsored you in the laps of chastity and religion and gifted you with lofty gifts, or the houses of your maternal uncles who observed you with the eye of acceptance and contentment and honored you with the honor of the secret and special distinction, or the houses of your maternal aunts whose wombs inclined toward you with compassion and the dazzling eternal wisdom, or what you possess the keys of from worldly and otherworldly matters, or your friend whose spirit has blended with your spirits and intertwined with the emotions of mercy and divine affection—there is no sin upon you, O people of lordly realities and ocular unveilings, that you eat together or separately from the tables of the eternal openings and the gifts of gnostic secrets. So when you enter houses from among the houses of nearness and proximity, then greet your selves that have perished through the breeze of longing and love and the heat of the ardor of journeying and attraction—with a greeting from God, blessed and good, free from the adversities of deficiency and negation, repelling the onslaughts of cares, sorrows, and distress. Thus does God make clear to you the signs that clarify for you the meanings of what they contain of the subtleties of allusions and explain to you what they encompass of the benefits of knowledge and the delicacies of expressions, that you might comprehend from God what He intended for you and gifted you with, O masters of insight, proximity, ranks, states, attractions, ecstatic utterances, and types of perfections: 'Indeed, the believers are those who have believed in God and His Messenger,' (Qur'an 49:15) and whose spirits have disappeared into the meadows of His beauties and the vision of His beauty, and they have perished in longing and wandered in His lofty expanse and the presence of His union. And when they are with him upon a matter that gathers them in the station of union and spiritual ascent and bodily ecstasy, they do not depart until they seek his permission and venerate him and magnify him and honor him. Indeed, those who seek your permission in their inner and outer affairs and their beautiful states and their dazzling generosities, 'those are the ones who believe in God and His Messenger' (Qur'an 24:62). For their hearts have become a dwelling for the merciful secrets and their breasts a homeland for the angelic lights. So when they seek your permission for some of their affairs that may lead them to the greatest good pleasure and seat them upon the carpet of the most luminous might and elevate them to the most renowned station of veracity, then give permission to whomever you wish among them with complete regard and high aspiration, and leave whomever you wish among them within the protective enclosure of security (123) and the sanctuary of sanctity. For the noble is he whom you honor, and the fortunate is he whom you love, and the near is he whom you bring near. So no one has any disposal except through your hands, and no one seeks refuge in important matters except with you. And to you belongs the eminent dignity and the rank. 'Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are only pledging allegiance to God' (Qur'an 48:10). So if they seek from you knowledge of Me, then guide them to Me, for I am Generous. And accept from their doer of good and overlook their evildoer, for I am Forbearing. And seek forgiveness for them; indeed, God is Forgiving, Merciful." Or you say: "There is no blame upon one who is blinded by the rays of the lights of the lordly presence, nor upon one who ascends by his journey in the ascending steps of the lofty stations, nor upon one who is ill by tasting the remedy of inspirations and heart-given teachings, nor upon yourselves when there befalls you what befell those with the mentioned excuses, that you eat from your houses—that is, from the unseen treasuries of your hearts, which are the houses of lordship and the abodes of belovedness. For our Master, Glorified and Exalted be He, has permitted you their food, and made clear to you their rulings, and spread out for you their blessings, and removed from you their afflictions, and kindled His lamps in their lanterns, and placed their keys in the treasures of their structures, and deposited His secrets in the unseen of their identity and the symbols of their meanings. And therefore He said: 'My earth and My heavens do not contain Me, but the heart of My believing servant contains Me.' Or the houses of your fathers, or the houses of your mothers, for whom God made their laps a covering and the milk of their breasts nourishment."

And He commanded you to praise and thank Him for the blessings He bestows upon you morning and evening, and for the benefits of His sciences and the gifts of His wisdom with which He nurtures you, or the houses of your brothers, or the houses of your sisters who suckled with you the milk of realities ⁷⁶⁹ and unveiled for you the intricacies of subtle truths ⁷⁷⁰, or the houses of your paternal uncles, or the houses of your paternal aunts whose spirits recognized yours in pre-eternity ⁷⁷¹ and whose hearts harmonized with yours in what has always been, and who inherited with you by prescribed share and agnatic right ⁷⁷², and shared with you in the beneficial remedy and the wondrous secret, and drank with you from modesty in spiritual discipline and refinement, and kept vigil with you during the nights of attaining hopes and the near victory ⁷⁷³, or the houses of your maternal uncles, or the houses of your maternal aunts who became with you one body that admits neither division nor partition, nor singularity nor duality, nor refinement apart from you, nor nurturing—for I have watered your lives with the water of life, and upon it have poured the downpours of mercies, and the eyes of miracles have beheld it, and the care of stations ⁷⁷⁴ has drawn it—or what you possess the keys of, from the treasures of openings ⁷⁷⁵, gifts, widespread miracles, virtues, lofty degrees, and high ranks, or your friend who sincerely offered you affection, granted you support, fulfilled the covenant, strengthened the bond, served you with truthfulness, intention, and earnestness, and accompanied you in the time of ascending to the highest degrees and the most exalted stations, and made you forget in places of bewilderment until you reached the presence of openings and miracles. Some of the knowers ⁷⁷⁶ said: The allusion here is to expansiveness ⁷⁷⁷ toward brothers and truthful friends whose friendship is for God and in God, with equality of secret and public in sincerity to God. And some of them said: The truthful friend ⁷⁷⁸ is one whose inner does not contradict his outer, just as your outer does not contradict his outer; then expansiveness toward him is permissible in every matter of religion and this world. There is no blame upon you when the tables of God are laid before you and He turns His noble face toward you, to eat together or separately. For the drinking-places have become clear for you, the processions have been adorned by you, the mounts have been prepared for you, the schools of thought have rejoiced in you, the ranks have risen for you, the lineages have taken pride in you, the intimate friend and companion have rejoiced in your knowledge, the frightened and the fugitive have sought refuge with you, the hidden and the traveler have taken shelter with you, and the reader and the writer have attained bliss through your gaze. So when you enter houses from among the houses of God, inhabited by radiances and lights, filled with gifts and secrets, subtleties and remembrances, then greet yourselves with a greeting of special intimacy, acknowledge the right of Lordship, and prostrate your faces in the humility of servitude—a greeting from God, blessed and good, accompanied by the breezes of belovedness, the affections of mercy, and the radiances of the lights of transcendence. And some of them said: When you enter the houses of the friends of God ⁷⁷⁹ with reverence and correct belief, and you are among the people of God's honor, then greet yourselves with God's greeting, for it is the locus of God's honor at that hour. And it was said: God's greeting means His peace from trials and tribulations and from all polytheism. {Thus God makes clear to you the signs, that you might understand.} ⁷⁸⁰ What has been inscribed for you in the pages of the Preserved Tablet ⁷⁸¹ and traced for you in an unfolded scroll of observed generosity. {Indeed, the believers are those who believe in God and His Messenger, and when they are with him...} ⁷⁸² as if they were determined in His religion, drank deeply from the sea of His manifest generosity, appeared in the manifestations of His determination, and were absorbed in the lights of His witnessing and certainty, and pledged allegiance to Him with the pledge of good pleasure ⁷⁸³, and crowded around His sweetest watering-place and the kissing of His right hand. {Those—upon them are blessings...} ⁷⁸⁴ to {the guided ones.} ⁷⁸⁵ Some of the knowers said concerning this verse: It alludes to the disciples ⁷⁸⁶ and their compliance with their masters in all states, that they should not act independently with their opinions in matters of the Law, nor oppose them by independently leaving their presence for travel or residence, struggle or spiritual discipline. And a group of the companions of Abu 'Uthman ⁷⁸⁷ said to Abu 'Uthman: Advise us. He said: Hold fast to unity in religion, and beware of opposing the elders and entering into any act of obedience without their permission and counsel. And assist the needy as much as you can; I hope that your effort will not be wasted. {Indeed, those who ask your permission, O Muhammad—those are the ones who believe in God and His Messenger} ⁷⁸⁸ because they have purified their religion for God and sold their souls in God's pleasure. So when they ask your permission for some of their affairs—that is, to devote themselves to the worship of God, guide the servants to God, command them to stand at God's limits, and make them love God's side—then give permission to whomever you wish among them, for their reins are in your hands, their recourse in their affairs is to you, and their reliance in all their states is upon you. And ask forgiveness for them from God if they fall short in your service or are ignorant of the realization of your knowledge and the loftiness of your rank. Indeed, God is Forgiving, Merciful, because God created you with pardon, mercy, and great forbearance toward the wrongdoers, and the repelling of vengeance, and made you clement, merciful, an intercessor for this community, and granted you intercession for it, and preserved it through you from every affliction and calamity. And peace be upon you, and the mercy of God and His blessings, O my master, O Messenger of God. {Do not make the calling of the Messenger among you like the calling of one of you to another.} ⁷⁸⁹ That is: Do not call him as one of you calls another, saying 'O Muhammad,' but rather honor him, magnify him, venerate him, and exalt him with affection, humility, weeping, reverence, groaning, tears, tenderness, gentleness, longing, and yearning. And adhere to etiquette with him, rub your cheeks before him and prostrate them in the dust, and sit before him as a slave sits before his master, and be in his presence like a corpse in the hands of its washer. And ponder the saying of our Master in His Book: {O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet...} ⁷⁹⁰ the verse. God knows those who slip away among you, taking cover ⁷⁹¹—that is, departing from His obedience, seeking His wrath and punishment. So let those who oppose His command, due to the weakness of their faith and the paucity of their certainty, beware lest a trial befall them for turning away without His permission, or a painful punishment befall them that hinders them from reaching Him and prevents them from turning to Him. Indeed, to God belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth—servants, dominion, creation, and an indication of His dominion, His oneness, the perfection of His power, His wisdom, and His provision for His beloved and chosen one, the most noble of His servants, our master and lord Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace—the best of those who commanded and forbade creation and warned them of His threat. {He knows what you are upon of love for him and faith in what he brought. And the Day they are returned to Him, He will inform them of what they did. And God is of all things Knowing.} ⁷⁹² That is: the deeds of the deniers and the sayings of the heretics, and the departure of the apostates from religion from his path, and the wretched deprived ones from attaining his intercession and entering his Garden. And some of them said concerning His words: {Do not make the calling of the Messenger...} ⁷⁹³ the verse: Indeed, respect for the Messenger is from respect for God, and knowledge of him is from knowledge of God, and etiquette in following him is from...

The proper conduct with God. And another said: Do not address Him by His epithet and His name, and follow the conduct of God in calling upon Him: "O Messenger" ⁷⁹⁴. So let those who oppose His command beware lest a trial befall them. The trial here—and God knows best—is the trial of adversaries, opponents, and deniers. That is because whoever associates with them becomes ill-disposed towards the friends of God ⁷⁹⁵, for they are enemies of God and enemies of His friends. They constantly oppose the truth and disparage the states of the friends of God before the common people, in order to turn people's faces away from them. This trial is the greatest of trials. It is said: The trial is the lavish bestowal of blessings along with gradual entrapment ⁷⁹⁶, unbeknownst to the servant. And it is said: The trial is for the common people, while affliction is for the elite ⁷⁹⁷. And it is said: The trial is something for which one is held accountable, while affliction is pardoned and rewarded. Indeed, to God belongs what is in the heavens of the treasuries of the hearts of angels, and what is on earth of the treasuries of knowledge of Him and His existence in the hearts of the people of love. He knows what you are upon of the unseen of secrets and consciences, and what flows from the constancy of His longing and love upon the hearts of those who turn to Him. He will reward them on the day of unveiling of the vision, and inform them of what has passed of the days of separation, and count for them the beauty of expansion and the lifting of the veil forever and ever. Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds. What is pride without you? What is honor? What is rank? The servant at your door has never ceased to seek refuge. Your station is a Kaaba around which joy circles; whoever strives towards it, ease meets him. Your door is a sanctuary; from its courtyard, that one whose time is blessed with happiness. You are the ultimate hope for the one who seeks you; he attains from you what he has wished for. Honor from other than you is lowliness and deficiency; lowliness from you is honor, sweet in its harvest. You are my desire, my goal, and my quest—nothing but your pleasure, even if by killing I please it. When will you return with union from you, generously, to one whom the grief of your abandonment and turning away has weakened? May God protect your sanctuary from its calamities, and preserve your living one—the world greets him. If you abandon me, I have no sincere one and hope except the praise of a beloved whom God loves: Muhammad the Chosen, the Elect, our Master, the Opener, the Seal, the Guide—his face is radiant. Were it not for him, the whole world would not exist, nor the heavens and the earths, were it not for him. The wondrousness of his speech is the key to the treasure of healing, containing a clear exposition of sound pearls in its meaning. May the God of the Throne, our Creator, bless him, as long as a caravan travels to him—blessed is its journey. Or you say: There is no blame on one who is blind to the dazzling rays of the lights of the Beloved, the Loved One; nor on one who ascends by bearing the rulings of his prophetic law; nor on one who is sick with the agitation of his intense yearnings; nor on your own selves that are annihilated in the beauty of his Ahmad-like essence ⁷⁹⁸ and the perfections of his Muhammad-like attributes ⁷⁹⁹, which have released you from the constraint of obligation and honored you by attaining definition, and seated you on the throne of judgment and disposal—there is no blame that you eat from your houses which you have filled with love for my beloved Muhammad, or from the houses of your fathers whose rank I have raised upon the pillar of his most glorious honor, or from the houses of your mothers which I have adorned with the beauty of his most fortunate countenance, or from the houses of your brothers which I have clothed with the awe of his majesty and upon which I have made the light of his most exalted dawn shine, or from the houses of your sisters whose delight is in the excellences of his attributes and the brilliance of his unique splendor, or from the houses of your paternal uncles, or from the houses of your paternal aunts which you both raised in his perfections and guided to his straight path and most righteous ways, or from the houses of your maternal uncles, or from the houses of your maternal aunts which devoted themselves to his noble love and perfected their affection for him, or what you possess the keys of from the treasuries of his secrets that are not exhausted by giving nor depleted, or from your friend who accompanied you in his service and obedience and exerted with you utmost effort in that. "There is no blame upon you whether you eat together or separately" ⁸⁰⁰ from the gifts of his vast generosity of giving and bounty. So when you enter houses from among his houses that are surrounded with honor and glory, greet yourselves with a greeting from God, blessed and good, for He has decreed for you the desired and the intent. Thus does God make clear to you the verses, that you may understand, O people of righteousness and guidance, and masters of binding and loosing ⁸⁰¹, and the individuals absent in His love from among the people of passion and ecstasy. My passion for the one I love has exceeded all bounds; so what can I hide and what can I reveal? Who will convey to the tender maidens my burning and the tidings of what I suffer from the pain of distance? Indeed, I am in a state that does not please my blamers; my passion is my debtor, and my patience avails not. I lament over the ruins of my body, mourning for a lover whom Layla has wasted, as per the covenant. And here I am, that infatuated, bewildered one who bore the burdens of love while still in the cradle. I grew up in love with you, O Salma, infatuated with your remembrance, not turning to Da'd or Hind. O sun of beauty that has appeared, adorned, its lights the horizon of happiness, will you not rescue our hidden treasures? Will you not rescue the assault of passion, ailing from the assault of longing and ecstasy? This—and the heart has not inclined from love, nor has this prevented me from being a passionate lover in affection. So go easy, my blamer, if my quest is hard, and if she torments me with delay and rejection. I am content with what pleases her in every state; my gratitude to her is my gratitude, my praise to her is my praise. Or you say: There is no blame on one who is blind to the brilliance of the lightning of Muhammadan beauty; nor on one who ascends with earnest effort in following the Ahmad-like traditions ⁸⁰²; nor on one who is sick with the vision of Mustafan perfection ⁸⁰³ and prophetic majesty; nor on your own selves that are absent in the splendor of his luminous beauty—there is no blame that you eat from your houses that are regarded with the emotions of his abundant mercy, generosity, and kindness; or from the houses of your fathers whose hearts agreed upon his noble love before creation in the darkness of non-existence; or from the houses of your mothers whose souls were united with your souls in love for him by the secret of eternal power in bygone pre-eternity; or from the houses of your brothers who love one another for His beloved essence when there is neither existence nor non-existence; or from the houses of your sisters who refined you with his exalted conduct and acquainted you with the most perfect of creation and the best of traits; or from the houses of your paternal uncles who fed you from the tables of his grace the most excellent gifts and abundant blessings; or from the houses of your paternal aunts who nourished you with the vision of his favor and suckled you with the milk of proximity and nearness to his carpet and high aspirations; or from the houses of your maternal uncles who filled your breasts with the precious sciences of his divine knowledge ⁸⁰⁴ and adorned them with the jewels of wisdom; or from the houses of your maternal aunts who took care of you in the laps of his protection and preserved you by his blessing from the insinuations of Satan and warded off from you the occurrences of evils and calamities; or what you possess the keys of by prophetic inheritance of preserving the limits, fulfilling rights, and magnifying the sacred; or from your friend whose spirit is united with your spirits and whose spirituality is blended with your spirituality, and whose inner self is free from severance and harshness, and who is distinguished by loyalty to covenants and observance of pledges. There is no blame upon you when you have attained these noble stations and been adorned with the realities of these exalted graces, and the glad tidings of this gentle countenance have shone upon you, whether you eat together or separately, for you are regarded with the vision of favor and described with the attributes of the people of Paradise, as our Exalted Lord says: "And We shall remove from their breasts any rancor; they will be brothers, on couches facing one another. No fatigue shall touch them..." ⁸⁰⁵

In it there is toil, and they will not be brought out from it. ⁸⁰⁶ When you enter houses of honor and dignity, and places of blessing and safety, ⁸⁰⁷ greet your tranquil souls, ⁸⁰⁸ which are absorbed in the remembrance of God and immersed in the love of the Messenger of God, with a greeting from God, blessed, good, purified from defects and from the vicissitudes of time, perfumed with the fragrant breezes of proximity and the zephyrs of spirit and basil. ⁸⁰⁹ {Thus does God make clear to you the signs, that you might understand.} ⁸¹⁰ What you have witnessed of His lordly openings and His magnificent, eternal gifts, I have clothed you with the garments of His perfections of beneficence, and brought you to the pure watering-places of His love, and fed you at the tables of His pure blessings, and bestowed upon you the robes of His abundant good pleasure. So I am the Opener of the doors of generosity, the Bestower of blessings, the Repeller of afflictions, the Creator of souls, the Raiser of aspirations for those whom I have chosen from among My servants and elected from among My special individuals and all My poles, ⁸¹¹ my bells, ⁸¹² and my stakes. ⁸¹³ So there is no blame upon you if you feed whomever you wish from among the people of My love, My affection, My devotion, My asceticism, My servants, and the people of my litanies and daily recitations. ⁸¹⁴ {Indeed, the believers are those who have believed in God and His Messenger.} ⁸¹⁵ Meaning, His beloved ones who have entered into the enclosure of His secrets, drawn from the seas of His lights, become devoted to the subtle graces of His remembrances, revived the customs of His sunna and His traces, and populated the corners of His landmarks and regions. And when they are with him on a collective matter—that is, for occupying themselves with the etiquette of servitude and fulfilling the right of lordship—they do not leave until they ask his permission, because they are the companions of his prophetic presence and the servants of his chosen kingdom. Indeed, those who ask your permission regarding what they have undertaken of your legal commands, preserved of your religious covenants, adopted of your exalted and pleasing states, and taken upon themselves of the secrets of your sacred bestowed trust—those are the ones who believe in God and His Messenger. They do not deviate from obedience to him, nor do they care, nor do they alter his exalted ways and the rulings of his sainthood, because his love has mingled with their flesh and blood and become firmly rooted in the core of their hearts from their beginning to their end. So when they ask your permission for some of their affairs, then give permission to whomever you wish among them, release them from the bonds of obligation, purify them from the impurities of human vanity and the obstacles of distortion, and draw them to the stations of chosen particularity, and clothe them in the garments of elect perfections, for they have spent their lives in your service and devoted themselves to your good pleasure and love, and folded their hearts upon your companionship and affection. And ask forgiveness for them from God. Indeed, God is Forgiving, Merciful. O dove of the branches of joys, warble, and sing with the melodies of hopes, and repeat. ⁸¹⁶ And O driver of the camels, a spirit by their remembrance is my heart, and say on behalf of the seeker of Rama, ⁸¹⁷ reciting: May God tend the banana trees of al-Musalla ⁸¹⁸ and Hajir, ⁸¹⁹ and the tents in Najd, ⁸²⁰ among whom the one who has alighted in Najd has settled. And greet the hills of the tribe of Su'da ⁸²¹ and the spring encampment of Salma ⁸²² at Wasmi ⁸²³ of Hatun, ⁸²⁴ renewed. And may those abodes never cease—their dust is for the eyes of the masters of mankind the best of antimony. ⁸²⁵ And how, when they have become supreme through the best of messengers, and the most noble of those sent, with the religion of Muhammad— The chosen one of the God of the Throne from all His creation, and His elect, the guide to the noblest goal. And the necks of the mighty have been crushed in battle by his night raids, while war boils over in a cauldron. And the brave have charged from every side, as the heroes have advanced from every ambush. And He who sent mercy to creation, and a light by which all creatures are guided— Upon him be God's blessings and His peace, enduring as long as the dove sings on a tender branch. Its author—may God honor him with gifts of grace and favor, and support him with lordly success in what the tongue utters and the fingers write—said: To proceed: When I finished speaking on the meaning of the aforementioned verse in Surat al-Nur, ⁸²⁶ which alludes to the three excused ones previously mentioned, I followed it with speech on another verse in Surat al-Fath, ⁸²⁷ of great stature, due to its suitability to it in its superior meaning and its concise, elegant wording. And by it I alluded to the station of the prophetic presence and the praise of the Muhammadan, chosen lordship. And I came to speak on the sura from its beginning, intending to seek blessing through it and to obtain its merit. And I mentioned in its interpretation what some of the righteous imams and the pious scholars have mentioned—may God benefit us with their beneficial knowledge and open to us as He opened to them from the gifts of His generosity and vast mercy. Indeed, He is over all things competent, and worthy of response. He is the best Master and the best Helper. Sufficient for us is God, and He is the best Disposer of affairs. So I say: Means of sea and blessing, and openings and beginnings of happiness and joy, and expansion and relief, and gardens of fragrant breezes and purity, and rest and basil, and delight, and gardens of Muhammadan love, whose fragrance wafts in the assemblies of the righteous and the successful, and gardens of jasmine, basil, lily, violet, and chamomile, and courtyards of jasmine, narcissus, carnation, citron, and apple, and birds that warble with his Muhammadan remembrance and preach in his name from their pulpits at dawn—a lute and a wing, and the bright faces of morning, and companions who dance on their feet, reciting the verses of al-Hazba' ⁸²⁸ upon hearing his mention, swaying like branches when the winds blow—coffee of the son of cups, wine of the season of the feast of joy, hills and mounds, glittering plains, and bowers of flowers that send their zephyrs to the grave of my master, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, in the morning and evening. Chapter: O God, bless and grant peace to his family, the lions of battle, and his companions, the noble and beautiful ones, a blessing whose fragrant scent diffuses in the witnessing-places of the rememberers, and whose breeze wafts with acceptance and approval upon the processions of the lovers and the people of guidance and success. And grant abundant and exalted peace. And praise be to God, Lord of the worlds. * More subtle than the morning breeze, * And the melody of the sweet-voiced maidens, * And a tender maiden whom coquetry sways, * Swaying in the golden hue of the sash, * Is the word of my beloved, when he looked after me: * 'Beware, beware of the flashes of lightning!' * And preserve my covenant, and attend my station, * And describe my wine, hand to hand, * And hear my singing-girls among the beauties, * Reciting with eloquent tongues. * So I said, 'At your service, my beloved, * If you are pleased with me, my success is complete. * By God, if I die of passion for you, * I would not fear any sin in death. * Sweet is my morning journey to you, * And sweet, O my desire, is my evening return.' In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful: {Indeed, We have granted you a clear conquest} ⁸²⁹ to {a mighty victory}. ⁸³⁰ That is: Indeed, We have granted you, O Muhammad, when you were a light before Us, and the whole cosmos was darkness, and you opened its closure with the light of your most luminous Muhammadan lamp, and perfumed its meadows with the fragrance of your Ahmadī scent and the most fragrant zephyr of your aroma, and adorned its sky with your splendor and the brilliance of your most radiant star. Or you may say:

Indeed, We have granted you a manifest victory ⁸³¹ before the establishment of Our Throne upon the water and before the permeation of your secret in the traces of Our Names and Attributes and the brilliant lights of Our supreme signs, while your two eyes were in the manifestations of Our determinations ⁸³² so that you might witness the lights of Our Essence, the descriptions of Our perfections, and the secrets of Our holy and exalted receptivities ⁸³³, because your essence is from the light of Our Essence, your inner sight is the mirror of Our self-disclosures ⁸³⁴, and your heart is the locus of Our supreme gaze. So whoever sees you has seen Us, and whoever witnesses you has witnessed Us. Thus you are an eye from the eyes of Our prophets, a secret from the secrets of Our Attributes and Names, and a vicegerent ⁸³⁵ in Our earth and heaven. Or you say: 'Indeed, We have granted you a manifest victory,' that is, for the eye of your heart, a manifest victory so that you may witness Us in every atom of the supreme kingdom ⁸³⁶ and hear Our address in every moment from the station of 'two bow-lengths or nearer' ⁸³⁷, and receive from Us the knowledge of everything We have hidden in the inward and outward aspects of Our Book, its exhortations, prohibitions, ultimate goods, wisdoms, benefits, summaries, details, openings of its chapters, the sciences of its revelations, its Most Beautiful Names, the secret of its letters, the light of its forms, its dots, its elegant words in wording and meaning, its disputations, its sources, its allusions, and its superior expressions in style and structure. For I have gathered for you in it the manifest and the hidden, diversified for you in it the sciences and arts, unveiled for you in it the hidden things of consciences and the treasures of the guarded secret, granted you in it the sciences of the first and the last, and manifested for you in it the secrets of realities and the intricacies of the stored divine knowledge ⁸³⁸. Or you say: 'Indeed, We have granted you a manifest victory,' that is, for the world of your secret, a manifest victory so that nothing of My knowledge that I have hidden in the unseen of the unseen ⁸³⁹ or the wombs of pre-eternity, or that I have concealed out of jealousy over it so that no angel brought near, no inspired saint, or no sent prophet may see it, remains hidden from you—'the unseen; He does not disclose His unseen to anyone, except to a messenger He has approved' ⁸⁴⁰, as I have informed in My mighty revealed Book. Or you say: 'Indeed, We have granted you a manifest victory, that Allah may forgive you your former and your later sins' ⁸⁴¹—the reality of which Allah alone knows, and the wisdom of which is beyond conception. For how can sin be conceived in your station, when the Lord created you from the light of His Essence, adorned you with the descriptions of His perfections, honored you with the secret of His particularity and the sciences of His revelations, clothed you with the most complete garments of His prophethood and messages, and spread for you the carpet of 'My mercy prevails over My wrath' ⁸⁴²? Thus you are the very eye of divine mercy, the object of the lordly and merciful wills. So there is no sin, no transgression, no pride, no judgment, for He has bestowed upon you the splitting of the chest ⁸⁴³ and its purification from the disease of vanity, envy, and arrogance, washing it with the water of mercy, tenderness, clemency, and patience, illuminating it with the light of wisdom, modesty, faith, and remembrance, making you intimate with the great angels, appointing the angels of revelation and inspiration to serve you, protecting you from the impurities of the polytheists and the sayings of the idol-worshippers. So no minor or major sin can be conceived from one whom Allah has distinguished with complete piety and honor, and no difficulty or sin attaches to one whom Allah has chosen from His creation and interceded for all mankind, to complete His favor upon you by singling you out with chosenness, love, election, and proximity, and to guide you to a straight path by your guiding His creation to it, directing them to it, and leading them to it. 'And Allah will support you with a mighty victory' ⁸⁴⁴ through your authority in His sovereign kingdom ⁸⁴⁵ and your rule over His spiritual and corporeal world, to combine for you the kingdom of this world and the Hereafter, and to make both its beginning and end blessed through you. 'It is He who sent down tranquility' ⁸⁴⁶, that is, your Muhammadan light and your Ahmadine love into the hearts of the believers when He sent you from among themselves, chose you from their kind, and made you an intercessor for their sinners, disobedient, near and far, so that they might increase in faith along with their faith that permeated their innermost beings and settled in the identity of their consciences on the day of 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yes' ⁸⁴⁷. Then He folded the Book, placed it above the Throne of the All-Merciful, sealed it with the seal of felicity and forgiveness, and gave glad tidings to those who believed in you with rest, fragrance, and dwelling in the abode of bliss and the gardens of paradise. 'To Allah belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth' ⁸⁴⁸ to support you with a reinforced victory and to subdue your denying enemies and your envious apostates from the religion, the disbelievers, for they wish to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths and argue with you with their feeble words and deeds. They are but like cattle; nay, they are further astray from the way ⁸⁴⁹. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise, repelling the armies of the people of deviation and misguidance, casting their arguments and sophistries into the corners of humiliation and neglect, and cutting their backs with the swords of disgrace and calamity. The Imam al-Wartajabi ⁸⁵⁰ said in his interpretation of this noble station, unraveling the symbol of its elegant and subtle meaning, that the meaning of His words, 'Indeed, We have granted you a manifest victory,' the verse, is that Allah has alerted us therein to a wondrous secret: that the doors of the unveiling of the foot ⁸⁵¹ are closed to the people of temporality, and the eye of the eternal Essence has not appeared to anyone. So Allah opened its doors to the eye of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, until he saw Him face to face, opened his hearing so that he heard His speech directly, and opened the door of his heart, spirit, and secret so that he knew his soul for Him until he found the doors of the treasuries of His unseen sciences opened. And Allah opened all the doors of the existence of His beloved, even the hair on his hands, and made them open eyes with the keys of his existence and the lights of his realization, until he saw Him with all the eyes of his existence. That victory is manifest from his existence, so that no one sees him without seeing the light of Self-Subsistence ⁸⁵² radiating from his skin, for he was veiled from the eyes of others by His words, 'They look at you but do not see' ⁸⁵³. That victory is the cause of the forgiveness of his former and later sin. The former sin is his fall from the flint of action to the light of the attribute when he brought, in the first of the first, the existence of temporality ⁸⁵⁴ to the court of pre-eternity, and despite what he brought, he did not fulfill the rights of pre-eternity upon it completely. So when he fell short in the full due of the right of Lordship upon him, that became his former sin. His later sin is his standing with the attribute of moments upon the stages of servanthood after having plunged into the sea of Lordship, for one of the conditions of attaining it is exiting from the marked things. Thus that victory is the cause of the forgiveness of the two sins, and to bring him to pure attributes and union ⁸⁵⁵, so that he might travel with the journey of Lordship in the saddle of the bewilderment of pre-eternity ⁸⁵⁶ in the fields of pre-eternity to eternity, with the attribute of unification, abstraction, and singling out. That is the completion of His favor which the Truth informed us of in His words:

And that He may complete His favor upon you. Then He explained that He guides him to the path of the eternal will, which is straight, through volition and unity. That path is what the armies of the troops of the lights of manifestation and descent traverse, by His words: "And guide you to a straight path." That path belongs to the Truth, not to creation, because the contingent does not traverse in the eternal; rather, the Eternal traverses in eternity. And the Truth established him at the head of that path, and he did not know how to traverse until the lights of the courier of the manifestation of eternity appeared to him, which met him, so He guided him to the ways of perpetuity. Then the Truth took him to the ascents of His nearness. That is what God informed us about his master, from contingency to eternity, by His words: "Exalted is He who took His servant by night." When he reached the heart of the armies of unity and the assaults of the troops of majesty overcame him, he sought refuge from Him to Him, saying: "I seek refuge in You from You." So God clothed him with the lights of lordship and supported him with His eternal word until he stood firm through the Truth in the Truth. Then the Truth brought forth the troops of His enduring mercy, strengthened him with them, and through them the armies of the force of eternity were calmed, by His words: "My mercy prevails over My wrath." That is His saying: "And God will support you with a mighty victory." Ibn 'Ata' said: God gathered for the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, in this verse various blessings: He clarified for him the manifest victory, which is one of the signs of response; forgiveness, which is one of the signs of love; the completion of favor, which is one of the signs of special distinction; guidance, which is from realization through the Truth; and victory, which is one of the signs of sainthood. Forgiveness is purification from defects; completion of favor is reaching the perfect degree of self-sufficiency; guidance is the call to contemplation; and victory is seeing everything from the Truth without returning to other than Him. Al-Wasiti said: He opened the eye of His Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, to contemplate Him during the Night Journey, and opened his ear to understand His speech face-to-face, by His words: "That God may forgive you your past and future sins." Abu Zayd said concerning His words: "And guide you to a straight path": It is the way to His nearness on the night of the Ascension, when Gabriel, peace be upon him, fell back and that was not his place. So He guided the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, to the path of truth, which is the straight path. Ibn 'Ata' said: When he reached the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, advanced and Gabriel, peace be upon him, fell back. The Prophet said to Gabriel: "Do you leave me alone in this place?" So God rebuked him when he relied on Gabriel, saying: "That God may forgive you your past and future sins." Ibn 'Ata' said concerning: "And guide you to a straight path": That is, guide the creation through you to the straight path, which is the way to the Truth. Whoever places him before him, he will lead him to the Truth; whoever does not follow him in seeking the way to the Truth will go astray in his search and miss the path of his guidance. "He it is Who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers." God did not deprive the believers of the sprinkling of the seas of His knowledge and the lights of His nearness; rather, He distinguished them with what He distinguished the prophets in the early stages of their states. That tranquility is the falling of the light of contemplation upon their secrets, so they become immersed in the accumulation of the deserts of incoming divine inspirations and divine trials. By that, their faith increases. God Almighty said in another place: "Then God sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers." Tranquility is the witnessing of the unveiling of beauty in the hearts of the people of perfection; it bequeaths in their secrets intimacy and insight. Insight is the unveiling of beauty in the hearts of the knowers, so they see through it the rare unseen things and the wonders of hearts. Therefore He said: "That they may increase in faith upon their faith." That faith is insight. Al-Wasiti said: Insight is unveiled, while tranquility is veiled. Do you not see His words: "He it is Who sent down tranquility"? Through tranquility, insight appears. Tranquility is guidance, and insight is care. When God honors a servant with tranquility, the lost becomes present to him, and the present becomes lost. Someone was asked: "What is the first thing God unveils to His servants?" He said: "Knowledges, then the means, then tranquility, then insights." When the Truth unveiled insights to him, he knew things by what is in them of essences, like Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, who never erred in speech. Ja'far said: I heard al-Junayd say: "That they may attain certainty and contemplation of Him with the eye of the heart." So this knowledge was an increase over the first knowledge, when the unseen was absent from what the hearts witnessed with certainty. Sahl said: It is the light of certainty by which they travel to the eye of certainty. The eye of certainty is that which points to realities, and it is the truth of certainty. Some said: Tranquility is what God casts into the hearts of His saints to calm their souls from oppositions. The master said: Tranquility is what the heart finds rest in from insights and proofs, and the heart ascends through its arrival beyond the limit of thought and journeying to the spirit of certainty, and it enters the heart so that knowledge becomes necessary. This is for the elite. As for the generality of believers, what is meant for them is calmness, tranquility, and certainty. "And to God belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth." His hosts are the heavens of the spirits of the knowers and the intentions of the earth of the hearts of the lovers. Their breaths are His hosts; He takes vengeance through a breath from them against all His enemies, and He overcomes them. That is because one of them feels constricted in his chest from the enemies of God, and it becomes clear that the people of misguidance are burned by it. Do you not see how...

Sakr said: Indeed, when he [Moses] invoked [God] against the disbelievers, [saying], 'Our Lord, obliterate their wealth and harden their hearts,' they became heated stones. And how did the Master of all creatures ⁸⁵⁷ say regarding the troops of the disbelievers: 'May their faces be disfigured!' ⁸⁵⁸ And they were defeated by God's permission. Such is the state of every sincere friend ⁸⁵⁹ with God: by the impact of the fires of destruction, with a single soul among the people of misguidance, they perish in less than the blink of an eye, just as Noah invoked against his people, saying: 'My Lord, leave not upon the earth' ⁸⁶⁰—the verse—and thereby destroyed all the people of the earth except those who believed. And every atom from the Throne to the dust is His troop, such that if He empowered an ant over a great serpent, it would destroy it; and if He empowered a mosquito over all the worlds, it would ruin them by God's power. Do you not see how he—peace and blessings be upon him—said: 'God has troops, among which are action and this [word] carries the meaning of exclusive devotion to God and trust in God, for He is the help of every weak one and sufficient for every incapable one.' And Sahl said: 'His troops are diverse: His troops in heaven are the angels, and His troops on earth are the reciters ⁸⁶¹; also, His troops in the heavens are the prophets, and on earth the saints ⁸⁶²; and His troops in the heavens are the hearts, and on earth the souls.' And some said: 'Everything that God empowers over you is from His troops. If He empowers your self over you, your self destroys you; if He empowers your limbs over you, your limbs destroy you; if He empowers your self over your heart, it leads you in following desire and obeying Satan; and if He empowers your heart over your self and limbs, it nurtures them with discipline, obliges them to worship, and adorns them with sincerity in servitude.' This is the interpretation of His words: 'And to God belong the troops of the heavens and the earth' ⁸⁶³. End of the words of al-Wartajabi ⁸⁶⁴, may God be pleased with him. I say: When the following words of God Most High were revealed to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—: 'That God may forgive you your past and future sins' ⁸⁶⁵—the verse—upon his return from al-Hudaybiyya ⁸⁶⁶, while his companions had mixed sorrow and gloom, as they were prevented from their rites and had sacrificed the offerings at al-Hudaybiyya, the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said: 'A verse has been revealed to me that is more beloved to me than the whole world.' He recited it to his companions, and they said: 'Joyful and pleasant, O Messenger of God! God has done this for you; what has He done for us?' Then His words were revealed: 'That He may admit the believing men and believing women into gardens beneath which rivers flow' ⁸⁶⁷—the verse. And I said concerning that, by way of allusion ⁸⁶⁸: It is the garden of the knowledge ⁸⁶⁹ of the heart of my master, the Messenger of God—peace and blessings be upon him—which encompasses the infinite perfections of God Most High, His names, attributes, sciences of His essence, secrets of His descents, lights of His self-disclosures, flashes of His signs, and understandings of His inspirations, 'Knower of the unseen' ⁸⁷⁰—the verse. And the garden of love for him—peace and blessings be upon him—and belief in his message, his reports, his tidings, his ends, and his miracles, 'And He will remove from them their misdeeds' ⁸⁷¹, through the realization of knowledge of him, perfection of companionship with him, and their imitation of him in his movements and stillness. And that was, with God, a great triumph, because they left their families and homes in obedience to him and sacrificed themselves and their wealth for His pleasure, 'And [that] He may punish the hypocritical men and hypocritical women and the polytheistic men and polytheistic women who think evil thoughts about God' ⁸⁷²—that God would not grant His beloved and his believing companions victory by returning to Mecca, attaining their goal and complete desire, rejoicing and glad, and by what their Lord had bestowed upon them of His graces and witnessing His favor, rejoicing. His words: 'Upon them is the evil turn [of fate]' ⁸⁷³, meaning upon the hypocrites, i.e., disgrace, calamity, distance, and punishment. The Eternal, the Ancient—glory be to Him—there is no god but He. He encompasses everything in knowledge and has counted everything in number. Not an atom's weight escapes His knowledge in the heavens or on earth, nor anything smaller or larger, except it is in a clear Book. Or you may say: His troops in the heavens—the Throne, the Footstool ⁸⁷⁴, the Tablet ⁸⁷⁵, the Pen ⁸⁷⁶, the inscribed Book, the unrolled parchment, the Frequented House ⁸⁷⁷, the raised roof, and the inflamed sea cannot contain them, nor does any knowledge of those who came later or earlier. Or you may say: His troops in the heavens are the noble scribes ⁸⁷⁸—peace be upon them—and on earth the delegates of God who circumambulate the Sacred House of God. Or you may say: His troops in the heavens are the angels entrusted with the division of provisions and the preservation of wombs, and on earth the eminent ones who establish the legal limits and execute judgments. Or you may say: His troops in the heavens are the inhabitants of the surrounding spheres and the angels of revelation and inspiration, and on earth the nobles who pledged allegiance to him between the Corner and the Station ⁸⁷⁹. Or you may say: His troops in the heavens cannot be encompassed by intellects and imaginations, and on earth are the companions of His beloved, supported by victory and triumph from beginning to end. Muhammad—his troops are the angels walking behind the Chosen Guide, Muhammad. Muhammad—on the day of Badr ⁸⁸⁰, angels came to fight with Muhammad. Muhammad—tranquility dwelt in him at the hour of hardship, pleasing Muhammad. Muhammad—through humility, his rank became exalted; no humble one resembles Muhammad. Muhammad—he perfected all morals, surpassing in virtues from Muhammad. Muhammad—he brightened the world with joy; there is no loss in the world with Muhammad. Muhammad—the owner of the lofty chambers in the highest paradise, our master Muhammad. Muhammad—the gardens have been prepared for him, adorned for our master Muhammad. Muhammad—to whom Gabriel came, and then Michael, to Muhammad. Muhammad—my sins have destroyed me, and I have no refuge but Muhammad. Muhammad—I have entered your sanctuary; be for me, and find for me intercession, O Muhammad. Muhammad—a thousand thousand greetings from the Lord upon you, O Muhammad. Muhammad—the mercy of the Merciful is continuous for that and for the Companions, O Muhammad. And His words: 'Indeed, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of good tidings, and a warner' ⁸⁸¹, i.e., We have sent you as a witness over your community on the Day of Resurrection for monotheism and faith, a bearer of good tidings for the obedient among them of pardon, forgiveness, attainment of happiness, and entry into gardens, and a warner, i.e., a warner for the disobedient of punishment, loss, disgrace, calamity, humiliation, and degradation. 'That you may believe in God and His Messenger' ⁸⁸², i.e., that you may witness with your innermost secrets the visions of God that He has prepared for His saints and beloved, and perceive with your insights the gifts of God that He has bestowed upon His noble ones and chosen ones. 'And support him' ⁸⁸³, i.e., help him, assist him, and fight with the sword against the armies of his deniers and enemies, and sell yourselves and your wealth for His pleasure, and leave your families and homes in obedience to him and in witnessing his essence. 'And honor him' ⁸⁸⁴, i.e., magnify him, respect him, exalt him, venerate him, and praise God who has bestowed him upon you and sent him from among yourselves. 'And exalt [God] morning and afternoon' ⁸⁸⁵, i.e., declare God's transcendence and magnify Him, because He has honored you with knowledge of Him and ennobled you with love for His beloved and companionship with him, and brought you out through him from the darkness of polytheism and ignorance, and led you through him to the springs of generosity and virtue. Or: 'Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you, O Muhammad, are pledging allegiance to God' ⁸⁸⁶, i.e., He took the pledge from them through you, which is God's covenant that cannot be broken and His pact that cannot be abrogated. And the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said to them: 'Today you are the best people on earth.' 'The hand of God is above their hands' ⁸⁸⁷, because they used to take the hand of the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and pledge allegiance. 'The hand of God is above their hands' ⁸⁸⁸, i.e., in fulfilling the promise.

And in that is an indication of the states of the truthful seekers (murīdīn), those who follow the ways of the rightly guided and the great knowers (al-ʿārifīn), whose fingers have intertwined with the fingers of their masters (shuyūkh), whose palms have clasped with their palms, whose spirits have recognized one another with their spirits in the barzakh (isthmus) of union (al-jamʿ) and separation (al-farq), and who have covenanted with them not to break their pledge, nor to sever their affection, nor to cut their rope at all, because they have sold their souls to them in a definitive sale, with no option and no exception, not for the acquisition of status nor for worldly gain. They have made them masters of their necks in secret and in public, gathered their aspirations upon them, and pledged allegiance to them under the tree of love (shajarat al-maḥabbah) with the pledge of good pleasure (bayʿat al-riḍwān). They have placed them in the station of the head in relation to the body, established them in the position of parents to the child, and taken them as means (wasāʾil) for entering the presence (ḥaḍrah) of the Sole, One Lord (al-Mawlā al-Wāḥid al-Aḥad), and as connecting causes (asbāb) leading to the love of my master, the Messenger of God (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), the light of divine opening (nūr al-fatḥ al-ilāhī) and the very essence of succor (ʿayn al-madad). When they make me speak of them, I am a speaker ❖ through them and for them, from me and about me, in my presence. And if they make me hear from them, I am listening ❖ to myself, by permission, to which the reality has listened. And if they show me their light, I am gazing ❖ at myself, and in my beauty I purify my gaze. And if they manifest their essence to me, I am witnessing ❖ my own essence, and my essence with the attributes of my oneness. The sum of my affair is that I am none other than them, ❖ and they are none other than my eye and the secret of my identity. I have become unique from myself in them, through them, for them, ❖ and I have unified my oneness (aḥadiyyatī) from their unification (tawḥīd). And the pure wine of intimacy (sulāf al-uns) has circulated in the garden of a witnessing (rawḍ mashhad), ❖ and it has come to me only through myself. Yes, and by my remembrance, its fragrance is my witnessing-places, ❖ and by me and upon my essence there it was circulated. And upon the branches of my expanse, a ring-dove sang, ❖ warbling melodies in the tavern of my delight (141). And a kind of bird, whose scent is the light of the meadow, ❖ recites traditions to the hearing of my form. So I said to it: "Leave me, for you do not know ❖ the one for whom every chapter (sūrah) is recited." He is the trustee of the hidden things of revelation, nay, the house of a secret, ❖ lo, and the manifestation of the discrimination (furqān) of the many collectivities. He is the point (al-nuqṭah) that supplied the levels ❖ of existence with preference and the rooting of the whole. He is the before, nay, and the after, and the near, like ❖ what is the far in my state of going and returning. He is the greatest, absolute dominion (al-malakūt al-akbar al-muṭlaq), ❖ to whose face the kings of the Law (sharīʿah) have prayed. He is the hero, the lion, when a caller cries out; ❖ he is the daring knight in every battle. I said—and al-Wartajabī said in this place, in the interpretation of His statement, Exalted is He: {Indeed, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of good tidings, and a warner} (Q 48:8) Meaning: a witness (shahīd) over their tawḥīd, their maʿrifah, their maḥabbah, and their wilāyah, and by the light of God upon their hearts and their innermost secrets (asrār); and a bearer of good tidings (mubashshir), giving them glad tidings of union (wiṣāl), the vision of beauty (jamāl) and majesty (jalāl); and a warner (nadhīr) against rebuke and veiling (ḥijāb). And also: a witness for the knowers (al-ʿārifīn), meaning that the Real (al-Ḥaqq) appeared to them from Him, so that they might see, from their witnessing of him, the lights of the Real's beauty; and a bearer of good tidings for the lovers (al-muḥibbīn), giving them glad tidings of reaching the nearness of their Beloved without cause (ʿillah); and a warner for those who turn to Him, lest they incline to other than Him. And Sahl said: "A witness over them of tawḥīd, a bearer of good tidings to them of maʿrifah and discipline (taʾdīb), and a warner, warning them against innovations (bidaʿ) and errors (ḍalālāt)." And Ibn ʿAṭāʾ said: "A witness over us, a bearer of good tidings to us, a warner from us, and a caller to us; and you are the one authorized in all, for you are a commander over all, and none can bear these stations except the trustworthy (al-umanāʾ); so you are the trustee (al-amīn), truly, a trustee." And he said concerning His statement, Exalted is He: {That you may believe in God and His Messenger} (Q 48:9) Meaning: He made you a witness for them, so that they might believe in God and His Messenger and perceive you (yudrikūka), i.e., that they might witness, with their innermost secrets, the witnessing of God, and perceive you in the station of majesty and beauty, and know your rank in My decree (qadarī), and My decree in your rank, since you have become My mirror (mirʾātī), through which I manifest Myself to them. Therefore, he (upon him be peace) said: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Real (al-Ḥaqq)." And that they may honor (yuʿazzirū) My command in you by expending their existence, and revere you (yuwaqqirūka) with what I have clothed you of My dignity (waqārī) and awe (haybatī), and honor (yuwaqqirū) My address and My speech which I have sent down upon you with the attribute of following (al-mutābaʿah), and sanctify Me (yuqaddisūnī) from opposites (aḍdād) and rivals (andād), and from anyone finding a way to the depth of His knowledge and the majesty of My decree. And the beginning of the address is tawḥīd, by His saying: {That you may believe in God}—and this is the station of union (maqām al-jamʿ); then the station of separation (maqām al-tafriqah) by His saying: {and His Messenger}; then the vision of the attributes in the act, which is the station of intermingling (maqām al-iltibās), by His saying: {and honor him}; then He separated pre-eternity (al-qidam) from temporality (al-ḥudūth) by His saying: {and glorify Him} (Q 48:9). So the first and second parts of the address are one in the station of separation and tawḥīd. {Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are only pledging allegiance to God} (Q 48:10). I have mentioned the verification (taḥqīq) of this verse in His saying: (142) {That you may believe in God and His Messenger}. And God has made clear what we have mentioned in this verse, where He explained the matter of the eye of union (ʿayn al-jamʿ) and the station of intermingling (maqām al-iltibās), and the manifestation of the eye (ẓuhūr al-ʿayn) and the manifestation of the union of union (jamʿ al-jamʿ) in the eye of union, when He made His Prophet a mirror for the manifestation of His Essence (dhāt) and His attributes (ṣifāt). And this is the station of being qualified (ittiṣāf) and unification (ittiḥād) with the lights of the Essence in the light of the attributes, and the light of the Essence and attributes appeared in the light of the act, so he became He, when the act disappeared in the attribute, and the attribute disappeared in the Essence. From this, al-Ḥallāj (may God sanctify his secret) made his claim when he said: "I am the Real (anā al-Ḥaqq)." And the Sultan of the Knowers (Sulṭān al-ʿĀrifīn) also said: "From here, 'Glory be to me' (subḥānī) and 'Glory be to me'." And Abū Saʿīd ibn Abī al-Khayr said: "There is none in the cloak but God." And al-Shiblī recited in this meaning: Blessed are my thoughts in their exaltations, ❖ for there is no god, when I reflect, but I. And al-Wāsiṭī said: "God, Exalted is He, informed by His saying: {Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are only pledging allegiance to God}, that the humanity (al-bashariyyah) in His Prophet (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) is a borrowed garment (ʿāriyah) and an attribution (iḍāfah) without the reality (al-ḥaqīqah)." And he said: "He manifested the attributes (al-nuʿūt) in Muḥammad (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) and said: {Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are only pledging allegiance to God}." And al-Ḥusayn said: "The Real, Exalted is He, did not manifest the station of union (maqām al-jamʿ) to anyone with explicit declaration (al-taṣrīḥ) except to the most special and noblest of breaths (nasmah), and He said: {Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you}—the verse." And he also said: "He removed the intermediaries (al-wasāʾiṭ) at the verification of realities (taḥqīq al-ḥaqāʾiq), so He preserved their traces (rusūm) and severed their realities. So whoever pledged allegiance to the Prophet (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) pledged allegiance to God in reality, for that is God's pledge, because his hand in that pledge is a borrowed hand (yad ʿāriyah)." And Abū al-Qāsim al-Naṣrābādhī said: "Whoever, at the time of the call to arms (al-istinfār) against the Byzantines (al-Rūm), here the attribute of the pledge (bayʿah) has appeared—so is there anyone desiring it? A pledge without intermediary (bilā wāsiṭah): {Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you}—the verse." And His saying: {The hand of God is above their hands} (Q 48:10) is an increase of explicit declaration (ziyādat al-taṣrīḥ) in the station of the eye of union (ʿayn al-jamʿ) and its trace (rasm), that His pre-eternal favors (minanuhu al-qadīmah) prevail over the defects (ʿilal) of servitude (al-ʿubūdiyyah). Some of them said: "God's favor (minnah) upon them in guiding them to this pledge is greater than their pledge." And al-Shiblī said: "Whoever's states (aḥwāl) are sound and whose actions are upright, God informs about him with the expression of union (ʿibārat al-jamʿ), just as He expressed about the Chosen One (al-Muṣṭafā) (ṣalawāt Allāhi ʿalayhi wa-salāmuhu) when he was upright with the Real in all his attributes—He informed that his pledge is the pledge of the Real, and his obedience is the obedience of the Real, and He said: {Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are only pledging allegiance to God}—the verse." End. I said: His saying: {Those who remained behind among the Bedouins will say to you} (Q 48:11), when they deviated from the path, deemed the opening (al-fatḥ) slow due to scant provisions and lack of a companion, and stumbled over drinking the water (143) of turbidities (al-kudūrāt) and otherness (al-aghyār) instead of the drink of the pure wine of the seal (ṣafw al-rahīq). "Our wealth and our families occupied us" from joining your pure, spotless group and from attracting your merciful breezes (nawāfiḥuka al-raḥmūtiyyah).

of the bestowed ⁸⁸⁹ and presence in your Muhammadan and Ahmadine ⁸⁹⁰ stations, and following your exalted and approved states, and listening to your scientific and practical sayings, and adopting your good and pure character, and acting according to your sunna and your noble legal rulings. So ask forgiveness for us, i.e., seek for us forgiveness and pardon for our multiplied sins. ﴿They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts﴾ Rather, they were occupied away from you by what they are in of worldly obligations, embellished opinions, and conjectural guesses, and they did not answer your caller who guides them to the path of salvation and brings them to the exalted stations, because they deviated from your noble presence of great worth and status, and drove away some with repulsion, abandonment, and deprivation when they concealed themselves with false and slanderous sayings and apologized with the tongue of lying, betrayal, injustice, and tyranny, and they did not ponder the saying of our Lord, the Merciful, the Compassionate: ﴿Indeed, those who deviate from Our verses are not hidden from Us﴾ And in this verse there is also an indication of the intimidation of deceitful disciples ⁸⁹¹, flattering reciters, people of luxury and false claims, those who evade religion and deviate, and the poor who shout without overcoming a state, scream, tear their clothes, and faint, such that they do not taste the sweetness of the coolness of union, nor see the lights of majesty and beauty, nor perceive the stations of the saints, nor the path of the chosen and near ones, the people of gnostic ecstatic utterances ⁸⁹² and divine attractions, and the masters of states. And if the veil were lifted for them and the covering between them and the presence of proximity were removed, they would see themselves behind a veil and their spirits with doors closed upon them. May Allah pardon us and them, and guide us and them to the path of truth and correctness. ﴿Say, 'Then who can protect you from Allah at all if He intends for you harm or intends for you benefit?' Rather, Allah is ever, of what you do, Aware.﴾ Of what you conceal of your deeds, betray in your words, and change in your states. Rather, you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families, and you did not know that Allah supported him with His victory and with the believers, and brought their hearts together, and adorned that in your hearts, and you thought an evil thought, and you were a ruined people, i.e., destroyed, wandering in the land of severance and abandonment, perplexed about what your souls suggested to you of domineering attitudes leading to distance, expulsion, and deprivation. «But you thought (144) that Allah does not know much of what you do, and that is your thought which you thought about your Lord; it has ruined you, and you have become among the losers.» «And whoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger,» i.e., does not believe in what he brought, «then indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers,» i.e., those who oppose following his sunna, a Blaze. And in this verse there is an indication of the states of some disciples for whom traversing the path of journeying to Allah became difficult and the means of reaching the presence of Allah became impossible, because the path of the people is difficult in its ways, full of perils and destruction; none traverses it except one whom Allah supports with His piety, draws to His presence, approves, and aids in that with His success and strengthens him. That is because the physical earth is trodden with feet, but this one is trodden with the lights of hearts and lamps of inspiration. So whoever slips his foot therein, his journey slows, his affair becomes confused, and he becomes in perplexity, bewilderment, recklessness, greed, and desolation, and does not reach the station of the knowers ⁸⁹³, nor travel with the journey of those who have passed from the connecting poles ⁸⁹⁴ and the firmly established pegs ⁸⁹⁵. So if any of these obstacles occur to you, O masters of states and elite men, then repent to Allah, raise yourselves, and seek intercession through the rank of my master, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and seek his intercession, so that you may attain through his blessing what you hope for from His pleasure and seek, and reach what you desire of your goal and wish. «And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth,» i.e., under His command and obedience, and what is above them, below them, and between them are submissive to His awe and the might of His majesty. He brought them into existence by the secret of His wisdom and inscribed them in the world of formation by the hand of His power, and made them two groups: a group in Paradise and a group in the Blaze—justice from Him and a decree concerning His creation. «He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.» ﴿He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills﴾ And although He has no purpose in punishing anyone nor in forgiving his slip, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful, and from His special and general mercy He sent among us our master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and made him a mirror in which He manifests to His saints, chosen ones, and people of His love, and a locus of manifestation in which He appears to His beloved, generous ones, and special elite, and a protective fortress from the grasp of misery for whoever follows him and dies upon his sunna, especially his noble Companions, because they are his companions, trustees, ministers, and the attendees of his presence. Those who were left behind [at Hudaybiyya] will say, when you set out to the spoils, i.e., the spoils of Khaybar, to take them, ﴿Let us follow you﴾, the verse. And I said regarding that, by way of allusion to the states of some idle disciples who deviated from the path when the light of inspiration and the witness of success did not accompany them, so they wandered in the deserts of idleness and plunged into the deep sea of their worldly life: «When you set out to the spoils,» meaning what Allah has bestowed upon His righteous saints and honored His pious servants, «to take them, let us follow you,» so that we may attain what you have attained of the gifts of the Lord, the True, the Real. And that from them is mockery and play, embellished with glitter of lying and falsification. «They wish to change the words of Allah,» i.e., alter Allah's promise which He promised to the people of intention and truthfulness, by making for them spoils they gain from the sea of His generosity filled with the lights of the secret and verification, from which is driven away whoever occupies himself with affectation and flattery, and for whom He does not unveil the intricacies of the unseen and the realities of precision. ﴿Say, 'You will not follow us'﴾ To the Arafat ⁸⁹⁶ of gnoses and the rising of the lights of guidance and divine gifts. Are you awake or asleep? Or has ignorance, stupidity, and obeyed avarice prevented you from visiting the blessed chamber and circumambulating the Ancient House? Thus Allah said before, O people of misery and abandonment, who expose themselves to the heat of the blazing fire and the punishment of burning. They will say, «Rather, you envy us that we attain what the people of high aspirations have attained of bestowed secrets, exalted ranks, and ancient glory and fear.»

From Allah in movements and stillnesses, and watchfulness of Him in gathering and separation. Woe to him, then woe to him for poverty; he has died and the pillar of his firm house has collapsed. Rather, they did not understand except a little. If they had any kind of intellect, they would not have taken the path of innovation as a way, nor the guide of blindness and ignorance as a guide. "Say to those who remained behind of the Bedouins" ⁸⁹⁷ — that is, to the idle aspirants and the lying ignoramuses: Return to your past, seek light, wash yourselves in the valley of repentance and forgiveness, drink a pure drink, and count yourselves among the dead of the living. For you have become coarse flocks and a perishing people who have not attained the stations of men, nor witnessed the witnessing-places of the people of proximity and union, nor smelled the lightning of the people of nearness and connection, nor have the lights of the Possessor of Might and Majesty shone upon you, nor has the proximity of the beloved ones approached you, nor has a veiled veil been rent for you from the treasuries of His unseen. You will be summoned to a people — that is, many troops of various kinds of devils, satans, whisperings, and insinuations, possessing severe might in their seduction of you and turning you away from the path of truth and right, and from following the way of salvation and acting according to the requirements of the Sunna and the Book. You will fight them — that is, with the swords of distance, expulsion, abandonment, and repulsion, because they have prevented you from joining the rank of the sincere saints ⁸⁹⁸ and the great elite of the trusting, humble ones — or they will surrender, that is, leave you to worship your Lord, obey Him, fear Him in secret and public, and watch Him. If they surrender and do not lead you to hypocrisy and sins, and leave you to occupy yourselves with what will save you on a day when the criminals will be known by their marks and seized by their forelocks. If you obey — that is, act according to what Allah has commanded you: returning trusts, leaving doubtful matters, fulfilling commands, and avoiding prohibitions — Allah will give you a good reward, by which He will raise your ranks, expiate your evil deeds, and the adversaries will be pleased with you on the day when secrets are tested and inner thoughts are revealed. But if you turn away as you turned away before, He will punish you with a painful punishment, because you lagged behind in the struggle against the souls and neglected what would save you from harm and misery, and protect you from the terror of the standing and the crossing of the bridge and the grim, frowning day. And for our master, the father, the pious, the pure, the earnest in obedience to Allah, the striver, the one who stands at Allah's limits, the follower of the Sunna of his master the Messenger of Allah, the abstinent, the ascetic, the guide to Allah, the sincere advisor, Abu 'Abd Allah my master Muhammad called al-Salih ⁸⁹⁹ — may Allah sanctify his grave and grant him spacious gardens — on this meaning: So pride prevents from the ranks of sainthood; leave pride if you seek to attain highness. Humility, and do not covet among creatures; leave mixing with the base, for indeed Their eyes from love of it do not sleep. Accompany the noble who have disappeared into a Presence; They left the deserts fearing to be cut off. Serve men who have parted from homelands, nay, It draws you near to them, in it is beneficial good. Raise the dung of their horses, if that Brings you near to them, in it is beneficial good. Guard your tongue, do not utter fault against Those by whose rank intercession is sought. Keep your tongue, do not utter fault against Those by whose rank intercession is sought. And bow with it; O how excellent is the one who bows! Maintain the prayers at their times, and bow with it; O how excellent is the one who bows! Always be among those who hasten to evil? No, forgive the ignorant if they transgress, and do not If you are straitened by worries, He expands. Worship with sincerity of heart a Lord who never ceases And leave the eyes weeping from sins. Reflect on the Quran during recitation, If you are secure from soon being struck with calamity. Beware of the base world, for it And be patient with Allah's command, do not waver. Work for the Hereafter while its splendor lasts; In your Lord's creation, everything hears. Wake up for night prayer and reflection, From one who fears an expected trial. Distance your scorpion-like relatives, and let They extinguish the shining light of faith. Do not approach the forbidden, for it Is the way of the ignoble; how evil is this path! If you are entrusted, do not betray, for treachery is from The study of sciences which something hears. If one day you teach a lesson of knowledge, it is only So woe to the attainment of all wishes! Do not give your belly and your private part their desire, For softness stirs the fire of painful rancor. Be gentle in speech when afflicted by a tyrant, For in the hands of a fault-finder, speech is more hideous. Weigh your words when you speak, for Blessings that have passed never return. Do not grieve over blessings that have passed, perhaps And place him in the meadow of favors to graze. Welcome a guest who arrives, For of all foods, they do not become full. If you desire intelligence that rises with it, Draw near, for the abode of injustice is empty and desolate. Remember your sins and weep over them, and do not wrong, For from them, all weariness does not repel. Persist in studying the books of the people ⁹⁰⁰ from And be content, for the worst of people is the one who is not content. Persist in supererogatory prayers in the forenoon, And remember the nights when you will be placed in dust. As long as you dwell among people in the abode of passing away, And remember the nights when you will be placed in dust.

And lower your eyes from the forbidden things of our Lord, even if you hide in a place where you disobey Him. Follow the path of the Chosen of the Merciful, who saves creation on the day of terrifying fear. Take it as a virgin bride and act upon it. By God, I ask that I and those who go forth be enamored with it, among those who drink from the Basin. And my intercession is through Muhammad, the best of mankind, from whose hands water gushes forth. May God bless him as long as rain pours down, and the full moon shines brightly, and upon his noble Companions and his Family, and the Followers, and those who proclaim the truth. I say, and God has excused some people of the Law and the Reality and granted them concession to abstain from the Greater Struggle ⁹⁰¹ due to their inability to traverse the path of annihilation ⁹⁰² and immersion ⁹⁰³ and their attainment of its subtle realities and delicate meanings, and the removal of hardship and obligation from the disabled among them, those with infirmities, and those who refrained from occupying themselves with abundant litanies ⁹⁰⁴ and the purification of souls from human follies, and the manner of reaching the highest lofty ranks and firm stations, by His words: "There is no blame upon the blind, nor upon the lame, nor upon the sick" ⁹⁰⁵—the verse. I say in its interpretation, according to what we have indicated of the prophetic meaning ⁹⁰⁶ and the Chosen love ⁹⁰⁷, that the blind is the one who has become blind by the fall of the dust of Muhammadan desire ⁹⁰⁸ into the pupil of his eyes; the lame is the one who has become lame by the arrow of yearning and longing striking the knees of his eyes; and the sick is the one who is enamored with his love and seeks prolonged illness to seek healing through his supplication and to pour out his complaint to him. Or you say: The blind is the one who has become blind by looking with the eye of his heart at the lights of his prophetic presence; the lame is the one who has become lame by the roaming of his thought in his Chosen excellences; and the sick is the one who has become sick by visiting his spirituality morning and evening. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind who has become blind by his Muhammadan longing and has felt his guidance to sacrifice him at his illuminated sites; nor upon the lame who has become lame by the blade of his Ahmadine ecstasy ⁹⁰⁹ and has cast his reins into the hands of the custodians of his purified station; nor upon the sick who has become sick by the flashes of his Mawlawi love ⁹¹⁰ and has stood at his blessed shrine and kissed his Yemeni corner ⁹¹¹. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind who has become blind by prolonged yearning for him and has seen his exalted essence face to face; nor upon the lame who has become lame by abstaining from visiting him and has tied a sash and a wrap of his love in the core of his heart; nor upon the sick who has become sick by the distance of his tomb, while his secret resides in his noble carpet, seeking from him pardon and forgiveness. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind who has become blind by the collision of his love, and his messages return to him morning and evening; nor upon the lame who has become lame by the ecstasies of his loss, and the birds of his happiness greet him evening and morning; nor upon the sick who has become sick by enduring his rejection, and the breaths of his moaning seek his pleasure and ask from him wealth and profits. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind who has become blind by not reaching him, while he recites Surah al-Fath ⁹¹² to repel what has befallen him; nor upon the lame who has become lame by what has befallen him of distractions preventing his proximity, while he intercedes through his rank to God to repel that; nor upon the sick who has become sick by what hindered him from attending his witnessing, while he seeks his great intercession with God. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind who has become blind by the firm establishment of love of God and love of His Prophet in his heart; nor upon the lame who has become lame by a rapture ⁹¹³ that befell him upon hearing his remembrances; nor upon the sick who has become sick by hearing the voice of the driver and the beating of the drum, and he fluttered like a sparrow. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind who has become blind by being absent in him, thus tearing the veil of the Law by which legal punishments are established against him; nor upon the lame who has become lame by the assault of his state, remaining drawn in will, annihilated from his senses in his beauty; nor upon the sick who has become sick by the intoxication of the wine of his cup, swaying like a drunkard. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind who has become blind by bewilderment in his excellences, while the Law permits his killing ⁹¹⁴; nor upon the one who has become lame in his perfections, while the Reality shows his excuse; nor upon the sick who has become sick by tearing the veils of jealousy in his love, while the caller calls: "These are the limits of God, so do not approach them" ⁹¹⁵. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind who has become blind by spelling out in understanding his form, while his secret reads in the tablet of the sciences of his essence; nor upon the lame who has become lame by reflecting on the meanings of his signs, while the scout of his thought roams in the gardens of his knowledge; nor upon the sick who has become sick by the variegation of the influxes of his longings, while he says: "Carry me to his honored tomb." I died of longing for the place of prayer, so carry me quickly and bury me at al-Lawi ⁹¹⁶, and ask God for mercy for my grave through the intercessor of creation, the refuge of every living being. Ahmad, the Guide, the Messenger, the Chosen, the elite of the Merciful, from a high and distant lineage. Best of those sent, with the best of remembrance, from the best lineage of Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ⁹¹⁷. How many times he guided us to piety after blindness, and called us to guidance after error. He spread the religion, its banners, and his blessings eclipsed Hatim al-Tai ⁹¹⁸. His signs dazzled all people, and his beneficence spread in every living being. Devout to God in gratitude, he never ceased in perpetual prayer and peace. God singled him out with a favor—what a favor!—and honor and veneration—and what honor! O Messenger of God, O he whose mention revives the soul and quenches the heart's thirst. O intercessor of creation, be for me when no one avails me, not even my parents. And God bestowed upon you a favor of perpetual prayer and peace. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when obstacles prevent him, and he is led by the reins of longing to the station of the Sultan of beauty; nor upon the lame when he becomes lame by concealing his hidden passion in the core of his heart and does not disclose it for fear of exposure; nor upon the sick when his mounts incline toward him and the blamers blame him for his love, and he says: "How can one be patient with one about whom some of the knowers said: 'People are bodies, prophets are hearts, messengers are spirits, and Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, is the secret of those spirits'?" Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he is enamored, while in the darkness of his innermost being, with the love of the Spirit of spirits; nor upon the lame when he becomes lame by the accidents of abstaining from visiting the perpetual of forms; nor upon the sick when he becomes sick with the pain of distance from his blessed tomb and begins to watch his countenance evening and morning. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he becomes blind in seeking your pleasure, while his heart is at peace with meeting you, O Muhammad; nor upon the lame when he becomes lame by the weight of what comes to him of the secret of your attributes and names, O Muhammad; nor upon the sick when his soul overflows while he is engrossed in your praise and eulogy, O Muhammad. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he becomes blind ⁹¹⁹ and his worlds borrow from your lights, O Messenger of God; nor upon the lame when he becomes lame and his limbs yearn for your abodes, O Prophet of God; nor upon the sick when he becomes sick and his neglect clings to your veils, O Beloved of God. Or you say: There is no blame upon the blind when he becomes blind and his ears delight in your reports, O Chosen of God; nor upon the lame when he becomes lame and his mounts incline toward your regions, O Confidant of God; nor upon the sick when his strength weakens and he intercedes with you through your viziers, the Emigrants and Helpers, O Friend of God. Or you say:

There is no blame upon the blind if he becomes blind, while his senses inhale the breezes of your flowers, O Amin of Allah ⁹²⁰, nor upon the lame if he becomes lame due to what prevented him from reaching your pure soil and your shrine, O Khalil of Allah ⁹²¹, nor upon the sick if he becomes sick with longing for your chamber and burial in your vicinity, O intercessor of the disobedient and sinners, and the greatest of creation in rank before the Lord of the worlds, O master of all the children of Adam, O Ahmad ibn Abdullah ⁹²². What a mastery it is that Allah has made a model for the people of righteousness and success, a beacon for the people of guidance and achievement, a means for the people of wealth and profits, a blessing for the people of means and openings, and a treasure for His beloved and the unique ones who are devoted to His remembrance in the evening and morning. Blessed are they! All their deeds are earnest, not jest; all their days are joy, expansion, and delight; their states revolve between fear and hope, and vigilance over what comes to them from their Master, the Opener ⁹²³, the Generous. They are from the masters and the blessings of the masters; they have abandoned the arenas of amusement and pleasures, cast off the garments of sleep and comfort, and planted their feet in mosques, supplicating to their Master in the darkness of night, spreading out their hands, asking for forgiveness of sins and erasure of misdeeds. Their spirits move in the gardens of proximity, their bodies delight in hearing the sermon, their aspirations seek the honor of station and high rank. They live by the breeze of ecstatic utterances ⁹²⁴ and attraction, and sit on the carpet of fear and awe, supplicating with the tongue of prayer and desire, and are given to drink from the cups of union and love, rejoicing in what Allah has given them of the highest stations and gifts of miracles. In this world, they have might, honor, and purity; in the Hereafter, they have rank, nearness, and recompense. {No soul knows what joy is hidden for them as a reward for what they used to do} ⁹²⁵. Our beloved ones, if you are absent from our lands, you are present in the core of our hearts. You are hidden, yet manifest as a number; so witness all of your manifestations in the beginning and the end. By the eye, the secret of the eye is witnessed by the one who removed the veil of the eye with the luminous guide. From us, we witnessed that through your witnessing we witnessed, and confusion vanished from the countenance of the manifest. Grant us from the side of the west your spirit, for neither musk nor the fragrance of aloes can imitate it. You brought us down to the holy valley ⁹²⁶ of your light to hear with spirits the news of supply. Until the quadrature of your secret appeared at the spring, by the pentad of the origin of the position in the unseen of witnesses. The mountains were crushed at your appearance; how can mountains endure when you appear? O my masters, be generous and return, for your return—its moments are for me like seasons of feasts. Your precinct, the field of hopes, has become level, where the resident and the nomad take refuge. It does not harm us if it is true that we are your servants—increase of litanies ⁹²⁷ and decrease of litanies. Nor do we fear the sin we have committed, for you are our excuse at the gathering for the appointment. Allah Almighty says: {And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger} ⁹²⁸—that is, obeys them with all his limbs and heart, follows the ways of the Messenger, and acts according to what was revealed to him from his Lord—We will admit him into gardens beneath which rivers flow, gardens of gnosis ⁹²⁹ and divine gifts ⁹³⁰ surrounded by jewels of wisdom and secrets of subtleties, beneath which flow rivers of supply and replenishment leading to the presence of proximity and love. And whoever turns away—that is, deviates from the path of guidance and rectitude and follows the way of error and corruption—We will punish him with a painful punishment, that is, We will stone him with meteors of expulsion and distance, and roast him in the fire of Hell, and evil is the resting place. {Certainly Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you} ⁹³¹, O Muhammad, under the tree—that is, those whose spiritual souls and holy aspirations pledged allegiance to you under the lote tree of the utmost boundary ⁹³². If any of them had transgressed to your known and desired station, they would have been burned by the light of eternal power, erased from the register of the people of high ranks, no foot would have been established for them on the carpet of the divine presence, and no fame would have been raised for them in the worlds of human souls. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "None of those who pledged allegiance to me under the tree will enter the Fire." His Muhammadan tree is the greatest of trees, his Ahmadian pledge is the noblest of pledges, and his prophetic sanctuary is the most excellent of sanctuaries. Allah has extended the hem of His merciful forbearance over those who pledged allegiance to His beloved in pre-eternity under the tree of satisfaction and good pleasure, and clung to the branches of his tree, abundant in generosity and beneficence, for he is an eye from the eyes of Allah through which He looks at His servants, and a manifestation from His manifestations in which He manifests to His poles ⁹³³ and stakes ⁹³⁴. When Allah knew what was in their hearts of sincerity of intention towards him and perfection of love, He informed about them in His saying: {He knew what was in their hearts} ⁹³⁵—of perfection of faith in Him and pure certainty in affirming him—so He sent down tranquility upon them, that their hearts might be at ease, their awe subside, their emigration be sound, their desire be complete, and their supplication be answered, because they sold their souls in His pleasure and love, left their wealth and homes in his companionship and company, cast aside all else that distracts them from witnessing His essence and seeing Him, and attained complete honor by being with him in fighting His enemy and manifesting His victory. And He rewarded them with a near victory and abundant spoils they would take. And I said by way of allusion in this place: Likewise, it behooves the truthful seekers ⁹³⁶ and the elite of the realized unique ones to divest themselves of their human follies and evil deeds, don the garment of true servitude, cast off the garments of amusement and comfort, fulfill the right of lordship, and emigrate from one land to another to attain the secret of speciality and the degree of belovedness. For good travel is with bodies and forms, but this is with hearts, states, and spirits. So they are rewarded with a near victory from the treasuries of His vast kingdom and abundant spoils they take from the subtleties of His comprehensive secret and the gifts of His beneficial knowledge, because they stood at the gate of Allah the Great and brought down the cause of His abundant generosity. And Allah is Mighty, Wise, for He occupied them with love of the Beloved of lovers and made known to them the station of the best of Allah's honored servants, our master Muhammad (peace be upon him)—honor, generosity, glory, and greatness. Allah has promised you abundant spoils you will take, O you who are stationed ⁹³⁷ and strive in the way of Allah, and the poor who have purified their religion for Allah—these are the openings, gifts, tastes, drinks, unveilings, inspirations, high degrees, and ranks. So He hastened for you these, which are the greatest good pleasure of Allah, His mightiest supply, His most famous generosity, His most resplendent secret, His most manifest goodness, His most abundant gift, and He restrained the hands of people from you, so you did not fear in your ascent from any plunderer, nor in your polishing from the call of a monk, nor in your sitting on the chairs of mastery from the assault of an overwhelming one. So the station is protected, the rank is regarded, the envious is expelled, the denier is absent, goodness is present, and the tongue of the arrogant and obstinate is tied. Allah has sufficed you against the evil of the mockers and the enmity of the haters, and the followers of the wicked and the symbol of the wretched, those expelled from the gate of Allah, the deprived. And so that the goal of the believers—that is, these gifts with which Allah has honored you and distinguished you with their virtue and goodness, and the treasures with which He has enriched you beyond the little goods of this world, and poured upon you from His generosity—

And His abundant gifts and a grace by which Allah strengthens the faith of His righteous servants and His sincere lovers, the certain ones, and guides you to a straight path, which is the path of asceticism, chastity, trust in Allah, acknowledgment of His blessings, confession, contentment with what He has, acceptance of truth, and fairness. And another [grace] which you were not able to attain, meaning you could not bear its secrets and the radiance of its lights, because they are treasures that cannot be measured by standards, and gifts that cannot be matched by the most precious of treasures and the most valuable of valuables. Allah has encompassed it, meaning He alone has knowledge of it in pre-eternity, and mentioned its virtues in His revealed Book. And Allah is over all things competent, nothing incapacitates Him, nothing is too great for Him, and nothing escapes His decree. 'Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.' And if those who disbelieve had killed you, meaning they hated you for love of this noble Prophet and for clinging to his great station and for devoting yourselves to his sincere love and fulfilling his ancient covenant, they would have turned their backs in retreat, falling headlong downwards—the established way of Allah which has occurred before, meaning Allah's custom regarding those who oppose His saints is known, and His jealousy for those who dare against them and tear their veils is famous and marked, because their flesh is poisoned and their blood is inviolable. And you will never find in the way of Allah any change, in seizing those who belittle their right or speak ill of them or act arrogantly toward them or disparage them or attribute to them what is unbefitting their high station with Allah, because Allah Almighty said: 'Whoever makes war against a friend of Mine, I declare war against him.' And whoever hates a friend of My friends has hated Me, and I will requite him and recompense him for his deed, and I will leave him to flounder in the sea of his blindness and ignorance, and I have deprived him of the pleasure of knowing Me and closed upon him the door of My repentance. 'Whoever does evil will be requited for it, and he will not find besides Allah any protector or helper.' And He is the One who withheld their hands from you by the guardian of might and power, and your hands from them by the light of righteousness and piety in the valley of Mecca, because the station is one of glorification, veneration, respect, devotion, and supplication. And Allah increased it in honor and loftiness through the mission of the Seal of the Prophets and the Master of the Messengers, and the places of his feet surrounded by victory, support, conquest, and acceptance, after He gave you victory over them, meaning after you took them as captives, and then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, released them from your hands. That was due to his abundant forbearance, forgiveness, purity of heart from rancor, and clarity, because his forbearance, peace and blessings be upon him, encompasses the obedient and the disobedient ¹⁵⁴ and includes the near and the far. And from his abundant forbearance is that Zaynab bint al-Harith, the wife of Sallam ibn Mishkam, gifted him a roasted sheep, and she asked which part of the sheep the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, liked most. She was told the foreleg, so she put much poison in it and poisoned the rest of the sheep. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, took the foreleg, chewed a morsel from it but could not swallow it, while Bishr ibn al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur was with him; Bishr swallowed it, but the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, spat it out. Then he said: 'This bone tells me it is poisoned.' Then he called her, and she confessed. He said: 'What made you do that?' She said: 'You have reached such a status that nothing is hidden from you.' I said: 'If he is a prophet, he will be informed; if he is a king, we will be relieved of him.' So the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forgave her, and he was noble and generous. So consider, O intelligent one, how great is the station of this noble Prophet, how forbearing he is, how honored he is by his Lord, and how generous he is. And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do, O people of deceit, trickery, plots, treachery, and betrayal. 'They are the ones who disbelieved'—meaning the disbelievers of Mecca—'and prevented you from al-Masjid al-Haram and from the circumambulation, the running, kissing the Corner and the Station, and the sacrificial animal, detained, meaning prevented from reaching its place of sacrifice, the known location and designated time. And the horses of Allah roar like lions in their neighing, and the armies of the Companions recite like rosebuds in their calyxes. The blood of death drips from their swords, and the scent of musk emanates from their palms. The glad tidings of conquest and victory shine upon the banner of my master, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, while the armies of disbelief are defeated by the blessing of his exalted station and his great, magnified rank. He did not slacken in supporting the religion of Allah, nor did he fall short, nor did he care about what he encountered in His path, nor did he become distressed, nor did the enemy prevent him from entering the Sacred House, nor did he flee. Rather, he bathed in the valley of contentment and submission, donned the garments of his ihram, entrusted the matter to his All-Hearing, All-Knowing Lord, and stopped at what was prescribed for him in compliance with His command regarding delay and advance. And if not for believing men and believing women whom you did not know, lest you trample them, Allah would have turned the believers to eradicate the people of Mecca by killing. That is because there were in Mecca believing men and believing women who concealed their faith among them. Had Allah empowered the believers over the people of Mecca, they would have killed those believers without knowing them. But Allah withheld them from them out of mercy for those.

The believers who are among them, so that you might suffer from them harm without knowledge, meaning that you might suffer from killing them hardship and dislike, because killing a believer whose faith is unknown while he is among the people of war entails no sin, no blood money, no blame, and no reproach. And I said in this place by way of allusion: "If not for believing men" ⁹³⁸, meaning that by their existence God repels affliction and by their supplication honor and nobility are attained. And if not for believing women, whom God has veiled in the folds of His might and kindness and looked upon with His tenderness and compassion, so that the eyes of afflictions have not glanced at them and the onslaughts of calamities have not befallen them—you would not have known them lest you trample them, for they are God's dependents and His brides, whom He has veiled in the seclusion of His might and preserved in the hidden treasures of His storehouse, so that none but a close relative may see them. Then you would suffer from them harm without knowledge, from the arrow of their supplication that hits the mark and their earnest entreaty that multiplies afflictions and brings about calamities. And He did not remove the veil of concealment from their faces for you, lest you harm them if you recognized them, and treat them lightly if you knew them. The most beloved servants to God are the hidden, pious ones, who are not known to anyone and whom none knows but God Almighty, so that God may admit into His mercy whom He wills. That is, God repels [harm] from the disbelievers by means of the believers, just as He repelled [harm] from the polytheists of Mecca by means of the weak believers. "If they had been separated" ⁹³⁹, meaning if they had been distinguished from others. And I said concerning that also by way of allusion: if the elite of the hidden believers had been distinguished from others, and feet had trampled them without regard for their sanctity—both the elite and the common people—and they had treated their rights lightly, casting them into corners of neglect, envying them for what their Lord, Possessor of Might and Majesty, had honored them with, and violating God's sanctities—and there is none more jealous than Him when His sanctities are violated, His law abrogated, or His words altered—"then We would have punished those who disbelieved among them with a painful punishment" ⁹⁴⁰, meaning God would have sent down upon them great calamity and pelted them with meteors of disgrace, humiliation, and chastisement for their failure to affirm their sainthood and their denial of their signs and miracles. But He excused them due to their ignorance and lack of knowledge of them, out of compassion, mercy, kindness, grace, favor, generosity, bounty, and blessing upon them, since He made those who disbelievers have in their hearts the fervor of ignorance—meaning when the disease of disbelief had penetrated their consciences, the rust of ignorance had covered their eyes, and they had plunged into seas of enmity and hatred, thinking that their corrupt opinion could repel the decree, and they prevented those who believed in our master Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, from following his most righteous path, and they turned away those who followed his traces, and his love had permeated their limbs and veins, from seeing the most fortunate face, and they conspired together on that corrupt opinion and pledged that none of them would enter his pure mosque and the sacred sites. Then God sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers, so their hearts were reassured thereby and were protected from entering into what had entered the hearts of those people—the fervor of ignorance and the disturbing thoughts of the polytheists and the stumbles of the disbelieving hypocrites. If they had ears to hear, eyes to see, and minds to discern, they would not have sought to extinguish the light of prophethood and messengership with their mouths and the reports of the revealed books with their sayings and deeds, for tranquility is a sign from among God's signs, by which He gives glad tidings to His servants, supports His armies and hosts, strengthens the faith of the believers, and refutes the argument of those who are driven away from the presence of the Truth and banished. "If God helps you, none can overcome you" ⁹⁴¹—the verse. And He made them adhere to the word of piety ⁹⁴², meaning the word of sincerity and insight into its special secret, for it is the foundation of faith, the gift of excellence, and the key to the gates of Paradise, so that it might be for them a fortress and protection from the Fire, and honor and care in the abode of permanence, and a beneficial testimony before the Forbearing, Forgiving Lord, and a means to attain success, happiness, and the stations of the chosen, virtuous ones. And they were more deserving of it than the Jews and Christians, and its people in this world—and it is said, its people on the Day of Resurrection in reward—and they were more deserving of it because it is the isthmus ⁹⁴³ that unites the Ahmadine prophetic presence and the blessed Muhammadan community. And they were more deserving of it and its people due to the love hidden in their innermost and outward selves, and the yearning ingrained in their accidents, bodies, and essences. And they were more deserving of it and its people due to the fragrant scent emanating from their gatherings and the radiant light shining in their schools. And they were more deserving of it and its people due to the continuous flow of his succor in their seas and the secret dwelling in their breasts. And they were more deserving of it and its people due to his penetrating command in their worlds and his governing decree in their landmarks. And they were more deserving of it and its people because it is the function of the entities, the foundation of the structure, and the creed of the people of witnessing and direct vision. And they were more deserving of it and its people because it is the robe of divine pleasure and the means of the people of proximity and nearness.

And the beautiful trait of those who triumph through the satisfaction of their Master, the King, the Judge, and they were more deserving of it and its people, because God saved them by it from the depth of misery and abandonment, and preserved them by it from the heat of a blazing fire and the torment of the flames. And God is All-Knowing of everything that you conceal of love for this noble Prophet in your hearts, and what you manifest of seeking blessing through him in your movements, your stillness, and all your affairs. Indeed, God fulfilled His Messenger Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, the vision in truth, confirming the light of his discernment, and realizing his dignity, his miracles, and his proofs ⁹⁴⁴, and the truth of his reports and warnings, and the honor of his prophethood and messages, and the manifestation of his victory and signs, and the elevation of his stations, and the nullification of the argument of his enemy and his books, and the disparagement of his words and nonsense, and the correction of his vision, for he sees by the light of God in His existent things and all His creatures. You will surely enter the Sacred Mosque, if God wills, in security, shaving your heads and cutting short your hair, rejoicing in what God has bestowed upon you of His grace, delighted and glad, not fearing. And Muhammad is the Messenger of God among you, his light shining upon your armies, your troops, your servants, and your helpers, his tongue addressing you, his book magnifying and mentioning you, his secret protecting and securing you. And you used to follow him in your wars, placing your necks before his neck and your chests before his chest. And the enemies of God tremble in fear of his green battalion and his radiant countenance. "And He cast terror into their hearts; some you kill and some you take captive." ⁹⁴⁵ So He knew what you did not know, that is, of what God had decreed of victory for His Prophet and His chosen one, and the manifestation of the word of His beloved and His elect. So He appointed besides that a near conquest, and the army of Islam became joyful and delighted, its kingdom supported and victorious, its religion honored and accepted, and God's veil over it lowered and concealed, while the army of disbelief was abandoned and vanquished. "That is because they opposed God and His Messenger. And whoever opposes God, then indeed God is severe in punishment." ⁹⁴⁶ I say: And al-Sayyid al-Wartajabi ⁹⁴⁷ said in the interpretation of this place in His saying: "Indeed, God was pleased with the believers" ⁹⁴⁸ meaning He was pleased with them in pre-eternity and in the prior knowledge of power, and His pleasure remains forever, because His pleasure is His eternal attribute, everlasting, unchanging with the changes of events, nor with time and season, nor with obedience and disobedience. So they remain in His chosenness forever, not falling from their rank due to slips, nor due to human nature and desires, because the people of pleasure are guarded by His care; the attributes of the people of distance do not apply to them. So they became characterized by His attribute of pleasure, and they were pleased with Him as He was pleased with them. God said: "God is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him." ⁹⁴⁹ And this is after the casting of the lights of intimacy into their hearts by His saying: "And He sent down tranquility upon them." ⁹⁵⁰ Ibn 'Ata' ⁹⁵¹ said: God was pleased with them, so He made them pleased and brought them to the station of pleasure, certainty, and tranquility, and sent down tranquility upon them so that their hearts might rest in Him. "And if not for believing men and believing women..." ⁹⁵² See how God's compassion is upon the believers who watch God in prosperity and adversity, being pleased with His trial. How He protected them from passing thoughts, and how He concealed them with His veil from the shocks of His wrath, and how He placed them in His shelter so that no one may know them, and how He repels affliction from others through their blessing. And in the verse is a symbol and an indication of the care of the great masters of the seekers. Sahl ⁹⁵³ said: The believer (158) in truth is one who is not heedless of his self and his heart, so he examines his states and watches his times, and sees his increase and decrease, and gives thanks upon seeing increase, and supplicates and prays upon decrease. These are those through whom God repels affliction from the people of the earth. And the believer is not negligent of the slightest shortcoming, for negligence in little invites much. "Then God sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers." ⁹⁵⁴ The tranquility of the Messenger is the unveiling of the Holy, and their tranquility is the descent of their hearts into the stations of intimacy. And the word of piety is the word of God that preceded in pre-eternity, because they are the people of felicity, not the people of misery. And that word remained with its attributes and lights in their hearts, and they were more deserving of it because they were preceded by it in pre-eternity, unlike others whom God veiled from seeing its light. And they were the people of the word in terms of chosenness, when it descended at the descent of tawhid ⁹⁵⁵ from the heaven of tafrid ⁹⁵⁶ upon the branches of the rose of their hearts, and their truthful tongues chanted it from the depths of their hearts with the word of sanctification and tawhid. Abu 'Uthman ⁹⁵⁷ said: The word of piety is the testimony that there is no god but God, which God made incumbent upon the felicitous among His believing friends, and they were more deserving of it in God's knowledge, since He created them for it and created Paradise for its people. Al-Wasiti ⁹⁵⁸ said: The word of piety is the preservation of the self from desires outwardly and inwardly. Al-Junayd ⁹⁵⁹ said regarding His saying: "And they were more deserving of it and its people" — whoever is reached by the care of precedence in pre-eternity, the springs of union flow upon him, so they are more deserving of it due to the precedence of His first generosity. "You will surely enter the Sacred Mosque, if God wills, in security" ⁹⁶⁰ — the indication of the verse is for those who yearn for the vision of the Truth, for they enter the sanctuary of Lordship, secure from the flow of servitude upon them, secure from the humiliation of the veil after the unveiling. And the exception occurred upon the eternal will that preceded with good care for them. And in the verse itself is that He intends to clothe them with the attribute of samadiyya ⁹⁶¹ so that they do not perish in wahdaniyya ⁹⁶² for a decree, and thus He does. But the symbol of the exception begets the awe of the Truth, since the bride of destiny is not unveiled to the people of temporality. And the etiquette of the multitude is to see God along with seeing the prior decree, so that the conditions of awe and watchfulness do not fall from them. And Sahl ibn 'Abd Allah ⁹⁶³ was asked: What is this exception from God? He said: An affirmation of neediness towards Him, and a discipline for His servants in every state and time, and a reminder that the Truth, when He makes an exception despite His perfect knowledge, no one is permitted to judge without exception despite his deficient knowledge. End. (159) ❖ And for God are people whom He has favored ❖ He speaks to them in His love and unveils ❖ He manifested to them until the trace of their essence vanished ❖ So they stood by Him as a whole, and there is no diverting ❖ He became manifest through them where He concealed them by Him ❖ And submitted to them in unveiling, both ancient and new ❖ They circumambulate the House in the guise of a humble one ❖ And in their secret is a House around which the House circumambulates ❖ And if outwardly my House, when they hear of it ❖ To them, by them, in them, is the reciprocity ❖ They perform pilgrimage to this House from where its Lord is ❖ And how many stations of kings are in their sanctuary ❖ Great and noble, all that is around their precinct ❖ Is the highest sanctuary, so there is no fear there. His saying: "He it is Who sent His Messenger with guidance" ⁹⁶⁴ i.e., with the clear proof and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religions, so that no false religion remains except its trace is erased, and no law of idol worshippers remains except its name is obliterated.

And its rule vanished, and sufficient is Allah as a witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. So what is there after the truth except error? How then are you turned away? And indeed Allah entrusted him with the secret of His revelation, the treasures of His unseen, the delivery of His message, the preservation of His trust, and the purification of his imamate ⁹⁶⁵. And He Himself bore witness to that, so there is no evidence, no recording, no discrediting, no accrediting, no inquiry, no alteration, no substitution, no questioning, no ambiguity, and no detail. The witness is Gabriel, and those accredited are Michael, Israfil, and Azrael. And the judgment of the Just, the Knower of the vicissitudes of affairs, the Aware of what the souls whisper and what the breasts conceal, cannot be contested, for He is a just witness who does not deviate or oppress. "Say: What thing is greatest in testimony? Say: Allah" ⁹⁶⁶. "But Allah bears witness to what He has revealed to you... as a witness" ⁹⁶⁷. "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who follow him are severe against the disbelievers" ⁹⁶⁸—meaning all his Companions, showing no mercy toward them, compassionate among themselves, affectionate, loving one another, because they suckled the milk of prophethood and messengership, and were regarded with the eye of veneration and majesty. Their souls are throne-like ⁹⁶⁹, their dust is carpet-like ⁹⁷⁰, their aspirations are heavenly, and their selves are Muhammadan, Ahmadian ⁹⁷¹. They combined the knowledge of the Sharia and the Reality ⁹⁷², and mastered the etiquettes of spiritual wayfaring and the path ⁹⁷³. You see them bowing and prostrating on the carpet of servitude, standing firm in the right of lordship, seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure, that He may admit them into Paradise prepared for the righteous. Their mark ⁹⁷⁴—that is, their sign—is on their faces from the trace of prostration. Some scholars said: That is a light by which they are known to have prostrated to Allah in this world. 'Ata' ibn Rabah said: Their faces shone from the abundance of their prayers. Shahr ibn Hawshab said: The place of prostration on their faces will be like the full moon. (160) And it was said: It is the good demeanor of humility and modesty, and that they prostrated to Allah in the depths of the prayer niches until they became like arches. When you see them, you would think them ill from the intensity of their humility before their Sovereign, the King, the Creator of creatures, seeking bounty from Allah that He may admit them into His Paradise, and His pleasure that He be pleased with them. And I said concerning that, by way of allusion: "Their mark is on their faces" ⁹⁷⁵—that is, a pallor overcame them like the sun at sunset, or a river ⁹⁷⁶ whose sheen appears on the tips of palm trees, or as if they were washed with rosewater and saffron and dried with garments of spring and chamomile, and upon them shone rays resembling the color of pure gold and refined gold, unchanged by length of time or vicissitudes of fate. The suns of knowledge of Allah shone upon them, and they withered with the light of humility and fear of Allah, and turned yellow and green with the glad tidings of opening and arrival to Allah, and the fragrance of love and shyness from Allah was diffused, and they were fanned with the fan of longing, passion, and immersion in the beauty of Allah. The flood of temporal events did not erase the mark of goodness from their faces, nor the tracing of tears from their cheeks, nor the sheen of joy from their foreheads, nor the musk scent from their bodies, nor the light of recitation from their mouths. They cleaned their teeth with the toothbrush of obedience and closeness, and adorned themselves with the splendor of longing, yearning, and love. And upon their hearts, at the dawn of realities, the lights of desire and awe shone. So how excellent are these masters who abandoned beds, couches, stars, structures, bridal chambers, and curtains drawn over doors of houses and alcoves! "They used to sleep little at night, and in the early dawn they would seek forgiveness" ⁹⁷⁷. How noble are these great masters, full moons of crescents, who buried themselves in the graves of annihilation and laid them with stones of praise and commendation, washed their hands of the filth of this lowly world, and gave their souls rest from its toil, labor, and vile follies. The Truth wrote on their shrouds: "And do not think that those who are killed in the way of Allah are dead; rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision" ⁹⁷⁸, and on their resting places: "Their Lord gives them good tidings of mercy from Him and pleasure" ⁹⁷⁹ up to "great" ⁹⁸⁰. So what a great, majestic, lordly ⁹⁸¹ mastery, a noble prophetic lineage, a lofty, chosen ⁹⁸² mark, a high Muhammadan companionship, and an exalted Ahmadian aspiration, with which our Generous and Majestic Lord has distinguished them and gifted them from His immense bounty and abundant giving! "That is their description in the Torah" ⁹⁸³—that is, their aforementioned excellent attribute—"and their description in the Gospel" ⁹⁸⁴—that is, their attribute mentioned in the Gospel, due to the loftiness of their great station and abundant rank, and the Muhammadan care that (161) shone upon their inscribed lines on the parchment of mastery and preference, and upon their forms observed with the eye of veneration and glorification, so that their jewels might be strung on the necklace of my master, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to complete for them the ancient glory and attain for them the lofty honor and noble nobility. And He increased them with another distinction: their entry into Paradise and His bestowal upon them of what He has prepared for them therein of abundant good and immense bliss. "He brought forth its shoot" ⁹⁸⁵—He likened them to a plant, because it is light from His light and a blessing from His blessings, in which lies the support of His servants' constitution, the well-being of His armies and troops, the provision of His ascetics and worshippers, the sustenance of His poles ⁹⁸⁶ and pegs ⁹⁸⁷, and the livelihood of those who perform His duties and litanies. "He brought forth its shoot"—that is, its vegetation. Ibn 'Abbas said: its ears of grain when its vegetation reached maturity. Muqatil said: It is a single plant; when what comes after it emerges, then it has brought forth its shoot. This is a parable Allah made for the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, meaning that they will be few, then increase, multiply, and become strong. Qatada said: The parable of the Companions of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the Gospel is written: He will bring forth a people who grow like the growth of plants, commanding good and forbidding evil. "Then it strengthened it" ⁹⁸⁸—that is, helped, strengthened, and reinforced it, and poured upon it the waters of His mercy and watered it, so the blessing of the planter and sower appeared in it, the truth became clear, and the argument of the denier and disputer was cut off. "Is one who is on a clear proof from his Lord like one whose evil deed is made attractive to him?" ⁹⁸⁹—the verse. "Then it became thick" ⁹⁹⁰—that is, thick and strong—"and stood firm on its stalk" ⁹⁹¹—that is, its roots. And I said concerning that, by way of allusion: So too the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them—the Muhammadan support extends them, the chosen ⁹⁹² secret aids and guides them, and they frolic in the arenas of companionship and ascend in the stations of closeness and proximity, and boast of the loftiness of station and rank, and revive through hearing the remembrance and the sermon, veiled in the curtains of honor and protection, marked with chastity, justice, and piety. The winds of desires do not strike them, nor do the blights of pleasures corrupt them. Allah has placed them under the canopies of His veil and let down upon them the tenderness of His generosity and kindness, until the plant matured, the vegetation completed, and it stood on the stalk of seriousness and steadfastness, and faith grew in their illuminated hearts, and Islam spread in their purified bodies.

And the good land—its vegetation comes out by the permission of its Lord. But that which is bad—nothing comes out except a little with difficulty. ⁹⁹³ So it becomes a wonder to the cultivators ⁹⁹⁴—that is, those whose hearts God has illuminated with the lights of faith, and made disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience hateful to them, and filled them with the jewels of tawhid ⁹⁹⁵, ma‘rifa ⁹⁹⁶, and the unveilings of witnessing and direct vision ⁹⁹⁷. And it amazes them because of the delightful greenness that comes upon it from the heaven of luminous unseen realities, shining upon it from the treasuries of the sought-after secret ⁹⁹⁸. That is because, in its initial goodness, souls and hearts find tranquility in it, and thoughts settle down from anxiety, hunger, and all defects. When the wind shakes its fruit-laden branches with the pearls of those seeds, spirits take delight in it as they take delight in the morning breeze and the musk of collars. And when they see its brocade robes changing colors at the rising and setting of the morning sun, they are overcome with joy and delight, like the joy of the lover at meeting the beloved. And when they see it wrapped in its variegated, multi-colored garments of wondrous weave, they say: 'This is a supported sovereign ⁹⁹⁹ through whom God has freed the necks of creatures and removed from them, through his authority, worries, sorrows, and distress.' And how could it not be so, when God created him from His light and made him a parable for the companions of our beloved, our master Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace), the beloved of hearts and the treasure of the sought-after secret, to enrage the disbelievers through them—that is, to destroy their might, defeat their army, corrupt their family, distance them from the mercy of their Clement, Forgiving Lord, and make them enter the fire of Hell, an evil resting place. And God will show those who disbelieved their rage... ¹⁰⁰⁰ to 'Mighty' ¹⁰⁰¹. And His saying: 'It amazes the cultivators'—that is, those who tilled it in a good, noble land, sowed it in pure, wholesome courtyards, and watered it with holy, angelic waters, so its fruits ripened, its blossoms spread fragrance, its breezes wafted, and the carnation, saffron, rose, myrtle, basil, lily, and various other kinds and types of flowers called out: 'O people of asceticism, contentment, right guidance, and obedience, Paradise is under the shade of swords and courage; patience for an hour.' ¹⁰⁰² 'God has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds' ¹⁰⁰³—that is, those who remain steadfast in faith—forgiveness, meaning covering of their sins, and a great reward, meaning Paradise, which is the abode of permanence and the place of success and honor. So blessed, then blessed, are the companions of my master, the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace), for they have attained from their Lord the greatest good pleasure, the fullest share, complete gain, great reward, garments of silk, brocade, and green silk, and their brides reclining on couches of happiness, and their spirits in the highest paradises enjoying delight and pleasure. 'They will not see therein any sun or bitter cold' ¹⁰⁰⁴ to 'submission' ¹⁰⁰⁵. And the spirits of the disbelievers are imprisoned in a black land whose dry grass is not tended, whose breeze does not waft fragrance; disbelief has burned its trees, obstinacy has ruined its cultivation, denial has dried up its rivers ¹⁰⁰⁶, hypocrisy has emptied its dwellings, lack of compliance has diminished its rains, sins and disobedience have blackened its soil and stones, so its crop has become dry stubble scattered by the winds, and its spring vegetation has become scum swept away, played with by the spearheads of lances. The one who dwells there has no good or righteousness; the one who passes by it is drunk without wine; the one who belongs to it—God has permitted his blood to the companions of my master, the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace), so there is no sin or blame upon them for killing him. I say: And al-Sayyid al-Wartajabi ¹⁰⁰⁷ (may God be pleased with him) said in the interpretation of this passage: 'It is He who sent His Messenger' ¹⁰⁰⁸—the verse. He was himself the most eloquent guidance for creation, and he is the channel of His signs and proofs. God Almighty said: 'And that it might be a sign for the believers' ¹⁰⁰⁹. And with him is the light of the attribute, for before him was the niche of the light of the Qur'an. He said: 'His light is like a niche in which is a lamp' ¹⁰¹⁰. And He said: 'He sent it down upon your heart' ¹⁰¹¹. And His religion is the explanation of the knowledge of God and the etiquettes in His presence. With this attribute, God testified that He sent him with these descriptions and established his message by the testimony of His word. And sufficient is God as a witness. Muhammad is the Messenger of God; his testimony is eternal; he testified to his being chosen in pre-eternity. Then He described his companions, his beloved ones, and his followers until the Day of Resurrection, and those who were with him in pre-eternity in his chosen sainthood, with the description of spirits in the form of bodies. Among the special qualities of their description is that they are people of zeal and victory over the enemies of God, and of mercy and generosity toward the friends of God. God said: 'Severe against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves' ¹⁰¹². Then He added to their description by His saying: 'You see them bowing and prostrating' ¹⁰¹³—bowing on the carpet of servitude from witnessing the lights of majesty, prostrating on the carpet of reverence from witnessing the sublime and beautiful, seeking increase in the unveiling of the Essence, nearness, union, and abiding with His abiding without reproach or veil. This is the station of the greatest good pleasure, by His saying: 'Seeking bounty from God and [His] pleasure' ¹⁰¹⁴. Then He described their faces as radiating the lights of His witnessing, unveiled to them in prostration when they humbled themselves in His dominion from witnessing the great things of His omnipotence, by His saying: 'Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration' ¹⁰¹⁵. Then He promised them the attainment of their desire of union with Him and the unveiling of His beauty to them forever and ever, without loneliness or weariness, at the end of the sura, by His saying: 'God has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward' ¹⁰¹⁶. Their faith is the vision of the light of the unseen by the unseen, and the affirmation of the unseen by the vision of the unseen. Their righteous deed is to depart from temporal existence out of longing for the beauty of the All-Merciful. And God's forgiveness for them is that He forgave their shortcomings in servitude, since they were unable to fulfill its rights as befits the Truth. And the great reward ¹⁰¹⁷ is that He seats them on the carpet of nearness, clothes them in the garment of the light of union, crowns them with the crown of awe, and gives them to drink from the drink of proximity and closeness. God Almighty said: 'And their Lord gave them to drink a pure drink' ¹⁰¹⁸. And al-Qasim ¹⁰¹⁹ said concerning His saying: 'He sent His Messenger'.

He sent the Messenger and magnified his sanctity by attributing him to Himself. Whoever does not magnify whom Allah has magnified, it is only due to his lack of knowledge of Allah's majesty. He sent him as an elucidator of the Law, clarifying His rulings, and calling to Him. He made obedience to him obligatory, and the Messenger is not separate from the Truth in affirmation, negation, and conveyance, nor in witnessing, nor is he joined to Him in terms of reality. Al-Husayn was asked: 'When was Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a prophet, and how did his message come?' He said: 'We are still [engaged] with the Messenger and the message, the prophet and prophethood. Where are you from the mention of Him who has no mentioner in reality but Himself, and from the identity of him who has no identity except through His identity? And where was the prophet from his prophethood when the Pen ran with His words: "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" [48:29]? Place is a cause, and time is a cause. So where are you from the Truth and reality? But when the name of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, appears with the message, his station is magnified by His mentioning him with the message. So he is the honored Messenger and the trustworthy envoy. His mention ran in pre-eternity with empowerment among the angels and prophets in the greatest station and the noblest state.' Sahl said concerning His words: 'Their mark is on their faces' [48:29]: 'The believer is from the face of Allah, without a back, facing Him, not turning away from Him. That is the mark of the believers.' 'Amir ibn Qays said: 'The face of the believer almost informs of the hidden nature of his deeds, and likewise the face of the disbeliever.' That is His words: 'Their mark is on their faces' [48:29]. Some said: 'Awe is seen on their faces due to their recent intimacy with the intimate conversation of their Master.' Ibn 'Ata' said: 'The robes of lights are seen upon them, shining.' 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Makki said: 'It is not emaciation and paleness, but a light that appears on the faces of the worshippers; their inner state manifests on their outer, and that becomes evident to the believers, even if it were on a Zanj or an Abyssinian. And Allah knows best.' End. What a message this is! There is no sura in the Qur'an but it has a well-known allusion to it. And what a prophethood this is! There is no revealed book but it contains mentioned reports of it. And what a lordship this is! There is no authentic tradition but it contains praiseworthy descriptions of it, blessed deeds, hidden secrets, dazzling miracles, and recorded wonders. Al-Baqara is the robe of its excellence, Al 'Imran the crown of its veneration, al-Nisa' the perfection of its completion, al-Ma'ida the completion of His favor, al-An'am the manifestation of its miracles ¹⁶⁵, al-A'raf the times of its prayer, al-Anfal the analysis of its spoils, Bara'a the B of its beauty, Yunus the Sin of its brilliance, Hud the Ha of its guidance, Yusuf the embroidery of the robe of its sainthood, al-Ra'd the clarification of its virtue, Ibrahim the call of its means, al-Hijr the qibla of its prostration, al-Nahl the confirmation of its revelation and the sign of its witnessing, al-Isra' the confirmation of its night journey, al-Kahf the reality of its sincerity and the clarification of its tidings, Maryam the Kaf of its sufficiency, Ta Ha 'We have not sent down the Qur'an upon you' [20:2] indicates the elevation of its rank and the perfection of His care, al-Anbiya' the verification of its message, al-Hajj the completion of its Islam and the perfection of its obedience, 'Indeed successful' [23:1] the path of its prayer, and the rest of the Qur'an all indicates the loftiness of its worth, the height of its station, the greatness of its rank with Allah, and the acceptance of its intercession. Upon its possessor be the best of prayers, by whose protection the disobedient are protected, by whose guidance creatures are guided to the path of rectitude, and we shall be on the Day of Resurrection in its ample shade and the fortress of its care. And grant abundant peace forever. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. A prophet of dazzling proof, how often * His proof overcame the enemies. How many he destroyed with the sword, striking * And thrusting with spears in jihad. They are the slain, and they are the worst of captives * Cast into the dust like the casting of 'Ad. The Companions were lions on horses * Their mouths above the steeds. When the battle raged, there arose from them * A zeal for single combat and pursuit. They waded into war violently * And drove [the enemy] like driven sheep. How often they stormed the fortresses of unbelief by force * And flew into the strongholds like locusts. How often they guarded the Beloved and protected him * With their lives in dire times. How often they fought the heroes patiently * And how often they were truthful in meeting after combat. Before the Messenger of Allah they laid * The keys of forelocks and reins. They obeyed the commands and prohibitions * Whenever he commanded, they obeyed in submission. With beautiful manners they accompanied him * They had become accustomed to such custom. They lowered their heads before him in reverence * They gathered around him with sharp minds. May our Lord reward them on our behalf with good * On the day of their due, the Day of Summoning. O master of the two worlds, O you * Whose praise is my deed and my provision, O you whose praise is my work and my treasure * And my mount to my Lord and my provision, Help me with a glance that leaves me not * A captive of poverty, imprisoned by loss ¹⁶⁶, And veil not my heart from You for an instant * For You, by Allah, are my support, And my children and my family, be a protector * For them forever from recurring distress, Upon you and your family be prayers continuously * And your Companions, as long as the camel-driver urges the camels. My master, O Messenger of Allah, you are the one whom Allah named the Prophet of Mercy, and you said: 'My life is a mercy for you, and my death is a mercy for you, and I am a mercy gifted to you.' As it is said: 'All prophets are a gift to their nations, but our Prophet and master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is a gift to his community, because a gift is for lovers, while a gift is for the needy.' Allah adorned you with mercy, so whoever obtains a portion of your mercy has attained the good of both worlds and been saved from every worry, distress, and harm, and has obtained every virtue, generosity, and good. One night I left the house, and our lady 'A'isha came out seeking you. She found you in al-Baqi' standing in prayer, saying: 'O Lord, my community!' When you bowed, you said: 'O Lord, my community!' When you prostrated, you said: 'O Lord, my community!' She said to you: 'O Messenger of Allah, what about the Qur'an? Have you forgotten it for the sake of this community?' When you finished your prayer, you said to her: 'O 'A'isha, do you wonder at this? I say: O Lord, my community! When I enter the grave, I will say: O Lord, my community! When the Trumpet is blown, I will say: O Lord, my community!' You are the one who prayed for your community on the evening of 'Arafa for forgiveness, and it was answered for you: 'I have forgiven them.'

The wrongdoer was left alone, so I will take from the wronged on his behalf. I said, 'O Lord, if You will, give the wronged from Paradise and forgive the wrongdoer.' You did not answer that evening. When morning came at Muzdalifah, I repeated the supplication, and You answered what I asked. So I laughed or smiled. Abu Bakr and 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, said, 'What made you laugh? May Allah make your teeth laugh, O my master, O Messenger of Allah.' I said: 'Indeed, when 'Azza wa Jalla ¹⁰²⁰ Iblis learned that Allah Almighty had answered my prayer and forgiven my community, he took dust and threw it on his head, and began to call for woe and destruction. What I saw of his distress made me laugh.' My master, O Messenger of Allah, you are the eye of mercy, the intercessor of the community, the remover of distress, the revealer of great calamities and overwhelming events, and the reviver of dead hearts that seek your help in every hardship and crisis. My master, O Messenger of Allah, the trees have dried up, the rivers and seas have sunk, supplications and night prayers have been rejected, the tongues of modesty and apology have been silenced, the suns of thoughts and reflection have been eclipsed, the caravans of poetry, rhymed prose, and innovation have ceased, while Allah has placed in your hands the keys of the treasuries of the unseen, the gifts of secrets, and the needs of souls imprisoned in the chains of hardships and dangers. Here I am, extending to you the hand of poverty and necessity, fleeing to you as a frightened, terrified one flees from the destructive deeds he has committed, whose doer is eternally in the Fire. How could you not grant me refuge, when Allah has made you a mercy to the people of minor and major sins and abundant great sins? He created you with His divine attributes, named you with His great names of majesty and measure, described you in His Mighty Book as kind, merciful, forbearing, forgiving, and pardoning toward those who transgress and oppress among the sinners, clothed you in the garments of compassion and tenderness, and said to you: 'The most merciful of My servants is the one who obeys among them and the one who opposes and tears the veils.' He said to your forgiveness: 'Be forbearing, pardon, and increase, for I have shown mercy through you to the sinners and have made you their intercessor in this abode and in that abode.' My master, O Messenger of Allah, you are the one whose name Allah wrote with His name on the leg of the Mighty Throne, coupled your name with His name and your remembrance with His remembrance in the clear verses of His Wise Book, called you 'the Lamp' and called Himself 'the Reliever,' called you 'the Noble' and called Himself 'the Subtle,' and created him 'the Weak.' How could the weak be lost between the Subtle and the Noble? My master, O Messenger of Allah, how could I be lost when you have made your praise, my earnestness, my ecstasy, and the service of your station my spirit and my basil, devotion to your remembrance my garden and my pleasure, the public declaration of blessings upon you my honor and my title, envy for you my diversion and my solace, fame through you my kingdom and my authority, knowledge of you my guide and my proof, fulfilling your rights my law and my Quran, love for you my creed and my faith, seclusion at the door of your threshold my assembly and my council, and belonging to you my provision, my fortress, and my safety. My master, O Messenger of Allah, how could I fear when your love is my undergarment and my outer garment, your praise is my treasure and my secrets, blessings upon you are my litany and my remembrances, absorption in you is my roaming and my thoughts, longing for your station is my journey and my travels, occupation with your service is my pilgrimage and my visitation, turning toward you is my Kaaba and my veils, inhaling the breezes of your lands is my gardens and my flowers, immersion in the beauty of your essence is the moon of my night and the sun of my day, and seeing your most holy face and enjoying the splendor of your most precious beauty is the ultimate goal of my intention and the limit of my desires. My master, O Messenger of Allah, how could I be deprived when you are my substance in supply, my pillar in reliance, my function in litanies, my odd number in counts, my support in masters, my foundation in leaning, my mercy among servants, the essence of my tawhid ¹⁰²¹ in knowledge and belief, the rope of my connection in longing and love, my care in every living being and assembly, my intercessor on the Day of Gathering and Summoning, the helper of my emancipation in this abode and in that abode, on the Day when secrets are tested and witnesses arise. My master, O Messenger of Allah, have mercy on me, take my hand, and bestow favor upon me, for I have sought intercession with you through the virtue by which you are known, the perfection with which you are described, your lofty rank, your impregnable fortress, and your intercessory status with Allah the Intercessor, that you may include me in the ranks of your beloved ones, distinguished by complete electness and guidance, your saints who are regarded by you with the eye of honor and care, your chosen ones whom you have brought near to you with the closeness of the beloved and observed with your kindness from beginning to end, and that you treat me with your bounty and generosity and grant me what you have granted the people of speciality from the gifts of openings and the secrets of sainthood. For you are the generous, son of the generous, son of the generous, the imam of the generous, the mercy of the merciful, your rank is immense, your bounty is vast, your character is noble, your status is great, and you have said: 'Seek intercession through my status, for my status with my Lord is great.' O Allah, I ask You and turn to You through Your beloved, the chosen one with You. O our beloved, O Muhammad, we seek intercession through you to your Lord, so intercede for us with the Great Master. What an excellent pure Messenger! O Allah, make him intercede for us through his status with You, and make us among the best of those who pray and send blessings upon him, among the best of those brought near to him and those who arrive at him, among the best of those who love him and are beloved to him. Gladden us through him on the plains of the Resurrection, and make him a guide for us to the Garden of Bliss without burden, hardship, or scrutiny of account. Make him turn to us and do not make him angry with us. Forgive us, our parents, and all Muslims, living and dead. Our final call is that praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Through you I seek refuge, O Messenger of Allah, take my hand, For I have a side oppressed by sin. Through you I seek refuge, O Messenger of Allah, take my hand, And anoint my eyelids with the vision of beauty and dreams. Through you I seek refuge, O Messenger of Allah, take my hand, And be my protector from evils and calamities. Through you I seek refuge, O Messenger of Allah, take my hand, And be a companion to us in the darkness of stoning. Through you I seek refuge, O Messenger of Allah, take my hand, And be my intercessor tomorrow from the slip of the foot. I see my foot striving toward a deed That wounds, but with that it has shed blood. And you are the most merciful to whom the sinner flees, And the best of those hoped for generosity and kindness. O Allah, I ask You and seek Your intercession through Your beloved, our master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the sun of the heaven of secrets, the manifestation of the rising lights, the sphere of the pole of beauty, the center of the orbit of majesty, Your secret with him and his secret with You, and through everyone who supported him and emigrated to him, and through those who believed in him, loved him, and blessed him. I ask You, O Allah, by the care of those who belong to him, the honor of those who bless him, the station of those brought near to him, the sanctity of those who sit before him, the secret of those who love him, the light that issues every moment and glance upon his mouth, the aspiration of those who cling to his garments, the longing of those who yearn for union with him, the ecstasy of those who love the beauty of his countenance, the rank of those who reach him and acknowledge his perfection, and the love of those who praise him and extend their hands for the flow of his bounty, that You delight my sight with the vision of his essence and the appearance of his crescent, and give me to drink from his fullest cup from the wine of his secret.

and the overflowing of His bounty, and clothe me in the robes of His love and the awe of His majesty, and guide me with His guidance, and grant me success in following his words and deeds, and make me in his secure sanctuary and among his servants, attendants, and household, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. * Muhammad is the best of the masters of mankind, of Mudar ¹⁰²²; whoever seeks his protection attains honor without oppression. * God brought him as a sun never setting, rising with light blazing over the horizons. * A branch that descended from the secret of prophethood among the chiefs of Mecca, annihilating the weary pursuer. * From the essence of glory, the core of pride, you see lord upon lord, support upon support. * Through him God guided a people devoid of virtue, a nation blind to the path of rectitude. * They headed for the edge of a crumbling bank, and he saved them, becoming for them like the soul in the body. * He lifted the stumble of their erring one and reached them, and rectified what was crooked among them. * He stood guiding to the right path; how many among them were forerunners in truth and moderate followers! * He brought blessing and faith, guiding us with light from the darkness of deviation and hardship. * The heavens and the earth bear witness to his miracles and signs without number. * They transcend sand, rain, counting plants, and the foam of the sea's waves. * How I long for that Beloved from afar, and spend my nights in the throes of passion and sleeplessness. * I entrust to the Lord my farewell to him when the journey takes them away from me and from my land. * How many a gathering between us has faded, and how many leagues uncounted, and how many garments! * O you who alight in the lands of Syria, may your hands never be dusty; trade in praise of the Chosen One ¹⁰²³ and profit. * Greet the living quarter of the Beloved of visitors, and do not waste the trust of one whose patience and fortitude are weak. * Return to him a greeting without end, like the sands of 'Alij ¹⁰²⁴ multiplied, and add, and add. * And say: No creature is low in rank, nor one who has attained glory without seeking refuge. * What treatment do you give, O Sun of Prophethood, to one who has become, out of longing, in distress? * So protect a fallen one with no helper, far from visitation, a stranger in a distant land. * An ally of your love, weak in patience, awaiting a raid from you, O my pillar and my support. * A captive of my sin and slips, with no deed; I hope for salvation through it if you do not grant it. * My patience has failed due to reprehensible states that are too great to be complained to anyone. * My time continues to envy me for blessings, and the free man, as long as he lives, is not free from envy. * So accept, by Your grace, my abasement and excuse, and strengthen my weakness with abundant overflowing grace. * Look upon me with a compassionate eye from You, and take charge of my state, be kind to me, and increase and promise. * And untie the knot of my distress, O Muhammad, from a worry that incessantly assails the heart's thoughts. * I hope for you at the throes of death to witness for me, as how terrible it is when breaths ascend. * And if I descend into a grave with no companion, be the companion of a lonely one therein. * And be my guide, with joyful tidings from you, to the banner of praise ¹⁰²⁵ set up in the shade of the Throne. * Say: You are from us, whatever you have done, so pass over the Bridge ¹⁰²⁶, and this is our Pool ¹⁰²⁷, so drink. * And be my companion in the Abode of Peace ¹⁰²⁸ when we are in a seat of truth, neighbors of the Eternal. * May God bless you, O Muhammad, as long as the melodies of the singing bird vary. * A greeting like the sun's rays, pure, encompassing the flowing time unto eternity. * Its brightness appears upon the Family, the Wives, and the Companions, from the breezes of musk every dew. Completed and perfected is this blessed book, written and collated with the original to the best of ability. May God accept it by His grace, have mercy on its author, sanctify his pure and virtuous soul in the highest paradises of the gardens, and gather us with him in the abode of His mercy, with my master and lord, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, the master of angels, humans, and jinn, along with fathers, mothers, offspring, spouses, companions, friends, loved ones, and brothers. Amen, amen, amen. And may God bless our master and lord Muhammad, his family, and his companions, and grant them peace. And the end of our prayer is: Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.

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1. awliya' : Saints or friends of Allah; those who are close to Him through piety and spiritual attainment.
2. qutb : Pole or axis; in Sufism, the highest ranking saint of the age, around whom the spiritual world revolves.
3. 'arif : A gnostic; one who has direct experiential knowledge (ma'rifa) of Allah.
4. wasil : One who has reached or attained union with the Divine; a term for a perfected saint.
5. al-jam' wa al-shuhud : Union and witnessing; states of spiritual realization where the seeker perceives the oneness of existence and witnesses the Divine.
6. 'ayn al-ihsan : The essence of excellence or spiritual perfection; a reference to the station of ihsan (worshipping Allah as if seeing Him).
7. al-witr : The odd-numbered prayer; the Witr prayer is the final prayer of the night, often performed after the even-numbered rak'ahs.
8. ashfa' : Even-numbered units of prayer (rak'ahs); the term is used here metaphorically.
9. tawhid : The oneness of Allah; the foundational Islamic doctrine of monotheism.
10. al-Furqan : The Criterion; a name for the Qur'an, indicating it distinguishes truth from falsehood.
11. 'ulum ladunniyya : Divinely-bestowed knowledge; knowledge that comes directly from Allah without conventional means.
12. dhawi al-a'dhar : Those with excuses; refers to the blind, lame, and sick mentioned in the verse, who are exempted from certain obligations.
13. Qur'an 24:61 : The verse continues: '...that you eat from your houses or the houses of your fathers...' but the author only quotes the beginning.
14. al-Sayyid al-Wartajabi : A Sufi scholar and commentator; likely referring to a specific figure known for his spiritual interpretations.
15. al-Shari'a wa al-Haqiqa : The outward religious law and the inner spiritual reality; the exoteric and esoteric dimensions of Islam.
16. Rahmani : Related to al-Rahman (the Most Merciful); divine descents characterized by mercy.
17. Mustafawi : Related to al-Mustafa (the Chosen One), a title of Prophet Muhammad.
18. Ridwani : Related to ridwan (divine good pleasure); favors associated with Allah's satisfaction.
19. Qur'an 3:2-4 : The verse is from Surah Al 'Imran, not Surah al-Nur; the author may have intended this or a similar verse.
20. Ḍād : The letter ض in Arabic, considered a distinctive feature of the Arabic language, often used to denote eloquence.
21. Sūratun anzalnāhā : Qur'an 24:1, meaning 'A sura which We have sent down.'
22. Raf‘ : Nominative case in Arabic grammar, indicated by a ḍamma.
23. Naṣb : Accusative case in Arabic grammar, indicated by a fatḥa.
24. Wa faraḍnāhā : Qur'an 24:1, meaning 'and We have ordained it.'
25. Tashdīd : Gemination or doubling of a consonant in Arabic, indicated by a shadda.
26. Al-farḍ : The act of making something obligatory; also the root for 'ordaining.'
27. Inna alladhī faraḍa ‘alayka al-qur’ān : Qur'an 28:85, meaning 'Indeed, He who ordained the Qur'an upon you.'
28. Al-zāniyatu wa al-zānī : Qur'an 24:2, meaning 'The fornicatress and the fornicator.'
29. Muḥṣan : A person who is married or has been married; in legal context, one who is protected from fornication by marriage.
30. Fājliḍū : Qur'an 24:2, meaning 'then flog.'
31. Wa lā ta’khudhkum bihimā ra’fa : Qur'an 24:2, meaning 'And let not compassion overtake you concerning them.'
32. Fī dīni llāh : Qur'an 24:2, meaning 'in the religion of Allah.'
33. Fī dīni l-malik : Reference to Qur'an 12:76, meaning 'in the religion of the king.'
34. Li ya’khudha akhāhu fī dīni l-malik : Qur'an 12:76, meaning 'that he may take his brother in the religion of the king.'
35. Wa l-yashhad : Qur'an 24:2, meaning 'And let witness.'
36. Wa in ṭā’ifatāni mina l-mu’minīna iqtatalū : Qur'an 49:9, meaning 'And if two groups of believers fight.'
37. ‘Alā sabīli l-ishāra : A method of Qur'anic interpretation (tafsīr ishārī) that draws spiritual or mystical meanings beyond the literal.
38. La‘allakum tadhakkarūn : Qur'an 24:1, meaning 'that you may remember.'
39. Kushūfāt ‘iyāniyya : Manifest unveilings or spiritual disclosures experienced by mystics.
40. Yawm 'alastu : Reference to the primordial covenant (Qur'an 7:172) when Allah asked 'Am I not your Lord?' and souls answered 'Yes.'
41. al-zāniyatu wa al-zānī : Quranic verse 24:2, referring to the adulteress and adulterer.
42. fājliḍū kulla wāḥidin minhumā mi'ata jaldatin : Quranic verse 24:2, 'flog each one of them with a hundred lashes'.
43. wa lā ta'khudhkum bihimā ra'fatun fī dīni llāh : Quranic verse 24:2, 'and let not pity for them seize you in the religion of God'.
44. lā tu'tū l-ḥikmata ghayra ahlihā : Hadith: 'Do not give wisdom to other than its people'.
45. in kuntum tu'minūna bi-llāhi wa l-yawmi l-ākhir : Quranic phrase, 'if you believe in God and the Last Day'.
46. wa l-yashhad 'adhābahumā ṭā'ifatun mina l-mu'minīn : Quranic verse 24:2, 'and let a group of the believers witness their punishment'.
47. al-Wartajabī : A Sufi commentator, possibly a variant of al-Wartajabī or al-Wartajānī.
48. sūratun anzalnāhā : Quranic verse 24:1, 'A sura that We have sent down'.
49. bayyināt : Quranic verse 24:1, 'clear proofs'.
50. al-zānī lā yankihu illā zāniyatan aw mushrikatan : Quranic verse 24:3, 'The adulterer shall not marry except an adulteress or a polytheist woman'.
51. al-mu'minīn : Quranic verse 24:3, 'the believers'.
52. wa man yaf'alhu kāna ithman : Quranic verse 25:68, 'And whoever does that shall incur sin'.
53. inna l-ṣalāta tanhā 'ani l-faḥshā'i wa l-munkar : Quranic verse 29:45, 'Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing'.
54. مكر الله : God's scheme: refers to the divine plan that may involve gradual punishment or testing, often mentioned in the context of those who feel secure from God's retribution.
55. الملكين : The two angels: Munkar and Nakir, who question the deceased in the grave about their faith and deeds.
56. الصراط : The Path: a bridge over Hell that all must cross on the Day of Judgment; the righteous pass easily, while the sinful fall.
57. وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ : Qur'an 24:4: 'And those who accuse chaste women [of adultery] and then do not bring four witnesses - flog them with eighty lashes and do not accept their testimony ever after...'
58. فَمَا رَبِحَتْ : Qur'an 2:16: 'So their trade did not profit...' - a phrase used to indicate loss in spiritual terms.
59. وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ : Qur'an 24:6: 'And those who accuse their wives [of adultery] and have no witnesses except themselves...' - introduces the law of mutual imprecation (li'an).
60. الثَّعْلَبِيّ : Al-Tha'labi: a renowned Qur'anic exegete (d. 1035 CE), author of 'Al-Kashf wa al-Bayan'.
61. حَفْص : Hafs: one of the seven canonical Qur'an readers (d. 796 CE), known for his transmission of 'Asim's reading.
62. شدة : Shaddah: a diacritical mark in Arabic script indicating gemination (doubling of a consonant).
63. عُوَيْمِر : 'Uwaymir: a companion of the Prophet, involved in the incident of li'an with his wife Khawla.
64. حُبْلَى مِنْهُ : Pregnant from him: in the context of li'an, the wife claims pregnancy from the husband, which is part of the imprecation.
65. اللِّعَان : Li'an: mutual imprecation between spouses when the husband accuses the wife of adultery without witnesses; involves swearing oaths and invoking curses.
66. الرُّكْن وَالْمَقَام : The Corner and the Station: the Black Stone corner of the Kaaba and the Station of Abraham (Maqam Ibrahim) in Mecca.
67. التَّحْرِيم الْمُؤَبَّد : Permanent prohibition: after li'an, the spouses are permanently forbidden to remarry each other.
68. li'an : A mutual imprecation between spouses when the husband accuses his wife of adultery without witnesses, involving oaths and curses.
69. hadd : A fixed punishment prescribed by Islamic law, here referring to the penalty for false accusation of adultery (qadhf).
70. firash : The marital bed, metaphorically referring to the marriage bond and the husband's right to sexual relations.
71. faskh : Annulment of marriage, as opposed to divorce, often due to a defect or cause originating from one party.
72. taliqa ba'ina : An irrevocable divorce that ends the marriage immediately, without the possibility of revocation during the waiting period.
73. Qur'an 24:6 : The verse beginning 'And those who accuse their wives' is the basis for the law of imprecation.
74. Qur'an 24:6-7 : The verse detailing the procedure of imprecation for the husband.
75. Qur'an 24:7 : The fifth testimony invoking God's curse on the husband if he is lying.
76. kamil 'arifin : Perfect knowers; Sufi term for those who have attained spiritual perfection and direct knowledge of God.
77. afrad salikin : Unique wayfarers; Sufi term for advanced spiritual travelers who are distinct in their states.
78. gharfa min luhum al-ghawafil : A poetic phrase meaning 'hungry from the flesh of the heedless,' i.e., she does not engage in backbiting.
79. ifk : Falsehood, slander; specifically the incident of the slander against 'Aisha.
80. usba : A group of people, here referring to those who spread the slander.
81. Qur'an 24:11 : Part of the verse regarding the slander incident.
82. Qur'an 24:11 : The phrase 'the one who undertook the greater part of it' refers to the main instigator.
83. Qur'an 24:12 : The verse admonishing believers to think well of each other.
84. Qur'an 4:29 : The verse prohibiting killing oneself or others.
85. Qur'an 24:61 : The verse about greeting one another.
86. Qur'an 24:12 : The phrase 'this is clear falsehood' is part of the verse.
87. Qur'an 24:13 : The verse requiring four witnesses for adultery accusations.
88. Qur'an 24:14 : The phrase 'you indulged in it' refers to engaging in the slander.
89. Qur'an 24:14 : The warning of a great punishment for those involved.
90. Qur'an 24:15 : The verse describing how the slander was spread by tongues.
91. Qur'an 28:22 : A verse about casting statements, used as a parallel reading.
92. Qur'an 24:15 : The phrase 'you thought it was trivial' is part of the verse.
93. Qur'an 24:16 : The verse advising believers to reject slander immediately.
94. Qur'an 24:17 : The verse where God admonishes believers.
95. Qur'an 24:18 : The verse emphasizing God's knowledge and wisdom.
96. Qur'an 24:19 : The verse condemning those who love to spread immorality.
97. لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ : Quranic verse 24:19, referring to those who spread slander.
98. وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ : Quranic verse 24:10, emphasizing Allah's grace and mercy.
99. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ جَاءُوا بِالْإِفْكِ : Quranic verse 24:11, beginning of the slander incident verses.
100. مِسْطَح : Mistah ibn Uthatha, a relative of Abu Bakr who participated in the slander.
101. وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنْكُمْ : Quranic verse 24:22, urging forgiveness and not swearing to cut off support.
102. أَحْمَدِيَّة : Ahmadine, referring to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as Ahmad is one of his names.
103. هَوْدَج : Howdah, a camel-borne litter for women.
104. إِذْخِر : Idhkhir, a fragrant grass (Cymbopogon schoenanthus).
105. جَلِيل : Jalil, a type of plant or tree.
106. مَجَنَّة : Majanna, a place near Mecca.
107. شَامَة : Shamah, a mountain or place.
108. طَفِيل : Tufayl, a mountain or place.
109. جَزْعِ أَظْفَار : Onyx claws, a type of necklace made from onyx beads shaped like claws.
110. وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّى نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ : Quranic verse 47:31, about testing believers.
111. صَفْوَانُ بْنُ الْمُعَطَّل : Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal, a companion who found Aisha and brought her back.
112. عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أُبَيٍّ بْنِ سَلُولٍ : Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the chief hypocrite who spread the slander.
113. ثُمَّ ذَرْهُمْ فِي خَوْضِهِمْ يَلْعَبُونَ : Quranic verse 6:91, meaning to leave them in their vain discourse.
114. الْمَنَاصِع : Manasi', privies or places for relieving oneself.
115. أُمُّ مِسْطَح : Umm Mistah, the mother of Mistah, who informed Aisha of the slander.
116. بَدْر : Badr, the famous battle in which Muslims defeated the Quraysh.
117. عَنْدَم : Andam, a red dye or substance, often used to describe the color of tears mixed with blood.
118. Ṣaḥābah : Companions of the Prophet Muhammad.
119. al-Ḥasan wa al-Ḥusayn : The grandsons of the Prophet, sons of Fatima and Ali.
120. wāliday : My parents: refers to the Prophet's parents or, in context, to Abu Bakr and his wife? Actually, the speaker is 'A'ishah, so 'my parents' refers to Abu Bakr and Umm Ruman.
121. al-Batūl : The Virgin: a title for Fatima, daughter of the Prophet.
122. Abī : My father: refers to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq.
123. Aḥmad : Another name of the Prophet Muhammad.
124. Umm al-Mu'minīn : Mother of the Believers: title of the Prophet's wives.
125. Ahl Bayt Muḥammad : Family of Muhammad: his household, including his wives, children, and descendants.
126. al-thaqalān : The two heavy things: humans and jinn.
127. al-rūḥ wa al-rayḥān : Spirit and basil: symbols of comfort and fragrance in Paradise.
128. khuṭuwāt al-shayṭān : Footsteps of Satan: his ways and temptations.
129. al-Tha'labī : A renowned Quranic exegete (d. 427/1035).
130. mā zakkā : Purified: from sin or accusation.
131. Ibn Muḥayṣin : A Quranic reader (d. 123/741).
132. shaddah : A diacritical mark indicating gemination (doubling of a consonant).
133. qāla : He said: the transmitter of the hadith.
134. ḥadd : A prescribed punishment in Islamic law.
135. al-fāḥishah : Immorality, lewdness; here referring to the slander against 'A'ishah.
136. wa lā ya'tali : And let not swear: from the root '-l-w' meaning to swear an oath.
137. al-āyah : The oath; also a Quranic verse.
138. Abū Rajā' : A Quranic reader (d. 107/725).
139. Abū Maḥraz : A Quranic reader (d. ?).
140. Abū Ja'far : Abu Ja'far al-Madani, a Quranic reader (d. 130/748).
141. Zayd ibn Aslam : A scholar and Quranic reader (d. 136/753).
142. hamzah : The glottal stop in Arabic script.
143. Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq : The first Caliph, father of 'A'ishah.
144. al-muhājirūn : Emigrants: those who migrated from Mecca to Medina.
145. Misṭaḥ : A poor Companion who participated in the slander against 'A'ishah.
146. Badr : The first major battle in Islam (2 AH).
147. amr 'Ā'ishah : The incident of the slander (ifk) against 'A'ishah.
148. Asmā' bint Yazīd : A female Companion (d. ?).
149. wa l-ta'fu wa l-tasfahu : And let them pardon and overlook: variant reading with ta' (you).
150. Ibn 'Abbās : Abdullah ibn Abbas, a prominent Companion and exegete (d. 68/687).
151. al-Ḍaḥḥāk : A Quranic exegete (d. 105/723).
152. al-ifk : The slander: the false accusation against 'A'ishah.
153. aṣḥāb al-sa'īr : Companions of the Blaze: inhabitants of Hellfire.
154. Sunnah : The prophetic tradition and way.
155. yuzakkī man yashā' : He purifies whom He wills: Allah chooses whom to cleanse from sin.
156. Sūrat al-Nūr : Qur'an 24:22, part of a longer verse.
157. al-Wartajabī : A Sufi scholar, possibly a misspelling of al-Wartajānī or similar.
158. Sūrat al-Nūr : Qur'an 24:10, part of a longer verse.
159. Ibn 'Aṭā' : Abū Bakr Ibn 'Aṭā' al-Ādamī, a Sufi master.
160. Sūrat al-Nūr : Qur'an 24:15.
161. Sūrat al-Nūr : Qur'an 24:16.
162. Sūrat al-Nūr : Qur'an 24:15.
163. al-Ḥusayn : Possibly al-Ḥusayn ibn Manṣūr al-Ḥallāj, a famous Sufi.
164. ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak : A renowned early Islamic scholar and ascetic.
165. al-Tirmidhī : Abū ʿĪsā al-Tirmidhī, a hadith scholar, or al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī, a Sufi.
166. Sūrat al-Nūr : Qur'an 24:21.
167. al-Sayyārī : A Sufi figure, possibly Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Sayyārī.
168. Sūrat al-Nūr : Qur'an 24:22.
169. shaykhs : Spiritual masters or guides in Sufism.
170. al-Khurajānī : Possibly a misspelling of al-Khurqānī or similar Sufi figure.
171. Sūrat al-Nūr : Qur'an 24:23.
172. al-Thaʿlabī : A famous Qur'anic exegete.
173. ʿĀʾisha : The wife of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
174. Ibn ʿAbbās : A companion of the Prophet and renowned Qur'anic interpreter.
175. Sūrat al-Nūr : Qur'an 24:4.
176. Sūrat al-Nūr : Qur'an 24:5.
177. Abū Ḥamza al-Samālī : A Qur'anic reciter and scholar.
178. al-ʿārifīn : Knowers of God through spiritual unveiling and direct experience.
179. al-mawsūsīn : Those afflicted with obsessive whispers (waswās) from Satan.
180. al-maʿārif : Gnoses; spiritual knowledge of divine realities.
181. al-kawāshif : Unveilings; spiritual disclosures of hidden truths.
182. al-ustādh : The Master; a spiritual teacher, likely referring to a Sufi master.
183. al-qurub : Acts of drawing near to God through worship and devotion.
184. al-aḥwāl : Spiritual states; transient divine gifts experienced by the seeker.
185. al-muwāṣala : Union or continuous connection with God.
186. ḥaqq al-ḥaqq : The Right of the Real; the essential truth of God.
187. al-tadallul : Showing affection or humble endearment, often in a lover-beloved context.
188. al-wird : Arrival; the state of reaching God or spiritual station.
189. al-farq : Separation; the state of distinction between creation and Creator.
190. al-jamʿ : Union; the state of witnessing God's unity beyond multiplicity.
191. al-aʿyān wa al-athar : Entities and traces; the fixed essences and their effects in creation.
192. ʿayn ḥāḍirihim : The eye of their presence; the state of being fully present with God.
193. tastaʾnisū : Ask for familiarity; interpreted as seeking permission or announcing oneself.
194. muṣḥaf : Codex; a written copy of the Quran.
195. tasbīḥ : Glorification; saying 'Subḥān Allāh' (Glory be to God).
196. takbīr : Magnification; saying 'Allāhu Akbar' (God is Greatest).
197. taḥmīd : Praise; saying 'Al-ḥamdu lillāh' (Praise be to God).
198. midrā : A comb or instrument for scratching the head.
199. al-matāʿ : Goods; here interpreted as relieving oneself (defecation/urination).
200. al-ishāra : Allusion; a symbolic or esoteric interpretation.
201. murīdūn : Aspirants; seekers on the spiritual path.
202. fuqarāʾ : Poor; Sufi term for those who are spiritually poor before God.
203. afrād : Solitary ones; advanced saints who are unique in their station.
204. dhāʾiqūn : Tasters; those who have direct experiential knowledge of divine realities.
205. awtād : Pegs; a hierarchy of saints who sustain the world spiritually.
206. al-ʿulamāʾ al-ʿāmilūn : Scholars who act upon their knowledge.
207. khumur : Plural of khimar, a head covering that drapes over the chest.
208. 'awrah : Parts of the body that must be covered in Islamic law.
209. Muhajirat : Female emigrants who migrated from Mecca to Medina with the Prophet.
210. mahrams : Male relatives whom a woman is permanently forbidden to marry.
211. tabi'een ghayri uli al-irbah : Male attendants who have no sexual desire for women.
212. Iblis : The name of Satan in Islam.
213. Qur'an 58:7 : Reference to the verse about Allah's omnipresence.
214. azkā : Purer, more virtuous, or more blessed.
215. khā'inat al-a'yun : The treacherous glance; a glance that secretly looks at what is forbidden.
216. al-Lawḥ : The Preserved Tablet (al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ), the heavenly tablet on which God has inscribed all destinies.
217. Jannāt 'Adn : Gardens of Eden; the highest level of Paradise.
218. Saqar : One of the names of Hellfire.
219. Qul lil-mu'mināt yaghḍuḍna min abṣārihinna : Quran 24:31: 'Tell the believing women to lower their gaze.'
220. wa lā yubdīna zīnatahunna : Quran 24:31: 'And not display their adornment.'
221. illā mā ẓahara : Except what is apparent; a Quranic phrase referring to what is normally visible.
222. samā' : Spiritual listening or audition, often involving poetry or music, used in Sufi practice to induce ecstasy.
223. shaykh : A spiritual master or elder in Sufism.
224. Abū al-'Abbās al-Khiḍr : A legendary figure often identified as a prophet or saint, known for his wisdom and association with the sea.
225. Mamshād al-Dīnawarī : A Sufi saint from Dinawar, known for his spiritual experiences.
226. i'tikāf : Spiritual retreat in a mosque, especially during the last ten days of Ramadan.
227. Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq : The first Caliph of Islam and close companion of the Prophet Muhammad.
228. al-Qushayrī : Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri, a famous Sufi scholar and author of the 'Risala' (Epistle on Sufism).
229. Jābir ibn 'Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī : A prominent Companion of the Prophet Muhammad from the Ansar.
230. 'Ā'isha : The wife of the Prophet Muhammad, known for her knowledge and narrations of hadith.
231. al-Anṣār : The 'Helpers,' the inhabitants of Medina who supported the Prophet Muhammad after his migration.
232. 'Abd Allāh ibn Ja'far : A Companion of the Prophet, known for his generosity and love of poetry.
233. 'Abd Allāh ibn 'Umar : A prominent Companion and son of Caliph Umar, known for his piety and knowledge.
234. Ibn al-Zubayr : Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, a Companion and later a caliph who rebelled against the Umayyads.
235. awliyā' : Saints; friends of God, often used for those with spiritual authority.
236. aṣfiyā' : Elite; the chosen ones, a rank above ordinary saints.
237. ʿulamā' ʿāmilūn : Scholars who act upon their knowledge; those who practice what they preach.
238. ḥaḍra : Spiritual presence; the assembly of the saint or the divine presence.
239. Qur'an 24:31 : Verse: 'And turn to God all together, O believers, that you may succeed.'
240. Qur'an 42:25 : Verse: 'And He it is who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons sins.'
241. ʿārifūn : Knowers; those who have direct experiential knowledge of God (maʿrifa).
242. عَجُوزًا : An old woman; here, a woman past childbearing age.
243. عَاقِرًا : A barren woman, unable to bear children.
244. الْأَبْكَارَ : Virgins; unmarried women who have not been previously married.
245. الزَّرْقَاءَ : Blue-eyed women; a specific physical trait considered auspicious.
246. الْوَلِيمَةَ : The wedding feast, a Sunnah meal given by the groom after consummation.
247. إِمْلَاكَ : Betrothal or marriage contract; the formal agreement of marriage.
248. الْبَاءَةَ : Marriage; literally 'cohabitation,' used here as a synonym for marriage.
249. الْكِتَابَةَ : A contract of manumission by which a slave purchases his freedom in installments.
250. الْمُكَاتَبُ : A slave who has entered into a contract of manumission (kitābah).
251. مَرْفُوعًا : A ḥadīth attributed directly to the Prophet Muhammad, as opposed to a Companion.
252. الْقِبْلَتَيْنِ : The two prayer directions: first toward Jerusalem, then toward Mecca.
253. مُجَاهِدًا : One who strives in the path of God, often in military struggle.
254. أُذُن : Ear; a physical act of discipline or humility in Sufi training.
255. البِغَاء : Prostitution; fornication for payment.
256. الْجَاهِلِيَّة : Jahiliyyah; the pre-Islamic period of ignorance.
257. إِنْ يُرِدْنَ تَحَصُّنًا : If they desire to be chaste; Quran 24:33.
258. إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ : If you are believers; Quran 2:278, 3:139, 48:27.
259. وَأَنْكِحُوا الْأَيَامَى مِنْكُمْ : And marry the unmarried among you; Quran 24:32.
260. فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ مِن بَعْدِ إِكْرَاهِهِنَّ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ : Then indeed Allah, after their compulsion, is Forgiving and Merciful; Quran 24:33.
261. وَأَنكِحُوا الْأَيَامَىٰ مِنكُمْ : And marry the unmarried among you; Quran 24:32.
262. صَمَدَانِيَّة : Samadani; relating to al-Samad (the Eternal), a divine attribute.
263. إِيمَانِيَّة : Imani; relating to faith (iman).
264. قُدْسَانِيَّة : Qudsani; relating to holiness (quds).
265. عَرْشِيَّة : Arshic; relating to the Throne ('Arsh) of Allah.
266. رِجَالٌ لَّا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ : Men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah; Quran 24:37.
267. لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ : Laylat al-Qadr; the Night of Power, a blessed night in Ramadan.
268. إِن يَكُونُوا فُقَرَاءَ يُغْنِهِمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ : If they are poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty; Quran 24:32.
269. وَلْيَسْتَعْفِفِ الَّذِينَ لَا يَجِدُونَ نِكَاحًا : And let those who do not find the means for marriage abstain; Quran 24:33.
270. الشَّرِيعَةِ الْمُحَمَّدِيَّة : The Muhammadan Shari'ah; the Islamic law as revealed to Prophet Muhammad.
271. الْمِلَّةِ الْأَحْمَدِيَّة : The Ahmadine religion; referring to the religion of Prophet Muhammad (Ahmad is another name of the Prophet).
272. وَالَّذِينَ يَبْتَغُونَ الْكِتَابَ مِمَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ : And those who seek a contract from among those whom your right hands possess; Quran 24:33.
273. ikhwān : Brethren; spiritual brothers in the Sufi path.
274. wilāya rūḥiyya, māliyya wa-hayba futūḥiyya : Spiritual, financial, and awe-inspiring authority; a threefold authority of the spiritual master over disciples.
275. awrād : Litanies; regularly recited prayers or formulas in Sufi practice.
276. jibāya : Collections; possibly referring to the collection of spiritual benefits or material contributions.
277. nata'abbaruhum : We shall seek to make them bear fruit; a rare verb meaning to treat as a palm tree that bears fruit, i.e., to nurture and cultivate.
278. Qur'an 24:33 : Reference to the Qur'anic verse: 'And give them from the wealth of God which He has given you.'
279. mawlawiyya : Masterly; pertaining to the spiritual master (mawlā).
280. wasāwis nafsāniyya : Soul-whisperings; subtle suggestions from the lower self (nafs).
281. kitāba : Writing; here referring to the contract of manumission (mukātaba) for a slave.
282. mukātab : A slave who has contracted with his master to earn his freedom by paying installments.
283. arbāb al-ishāra wa-l-ma'ānī : Masters of allusion and meanings; Sufi scholars who interpret spiritual symbols.
284. ṭarīqa : The spiritual path; Sufi order or method.
285. qinn muqtanā : A permanent slave acquired for service; a slave fully owned.
286. walī al-'uzla : Saint of seclusion; a Sufi who practices solitude and withdrawal from society.
287. walī al-'ishra : Saint of social interaction; a Sufi who engages with people for guidance.
288. nadīm : Cupbearer or intimate companion; a close associate of a ruler.
289. shadrayn : Two stars; possibly referring to the two bright stars in the constellation Gemini, Castor and Pollux, symbolizing duality.
290. ḍarā'ib : Taxes; here referring to the obligatory religious duties (prayers, fasting, etc.) as installments for spiritual freedom.
291. al-nukra : The state of ignorance or denial of God; the primordial veil of heedlessness.
292. tawhid : The declaration of God's oneness; the core of Islamic monotheism.
293. al-shirk fi al-ma'rifa : Polytheism in knowledge; attributing independent existence or efficacy to one's own spiritual states or stations.
294. Habib Allah : The Beloved of God, a title for the Prophet Muhammad.
295. al-fana' : Annihilation of the ego in the divine presence; a key Sufi concept.
296. yughanu 'ala qalbi : A covering or rust comes over my heart; a hadith expressing the Prophet's constant need for forgiveness.
297. al-Khadrawiyya : A Sufi figure; possibly a disciple or contemporary of Abu Yazid al-Bistami.
298. Abu Yazid : Abu Yazid al-Bistami, a famous Persian Sufi saint known for his ecstatic utterances.
299. Quran 24:32 : Part of the verse about marriage; the full verse encourages marrying off the unmarried and promises divine enrichment.
300. Quran 24:33 : Part of the verse about emancipation; the full verse instructs to write contracts for slaves who desire freedom if good is known in them.
301. tawhid : The declaration of God's oneness; the core of Islamic monotheism.
302. al-Junayd : Al-Junayd al-Baghdadi, a major early Sufi master known for his sober and orthodox approach.
303. Quran 24:35 : The Light Verse; a famous Quranic verse describing God as the light of the heavens and the earth.
304. al-Tha'labi : A renowned Quranic commentator and scholar of the 11th century.
305. Quran 24:35 : The continuation of the Light Verse: 'The parable of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp...'.
306. mishkat : A niche or recess in a wall for a lamp; also a lantern.
307. Quran 24:35 : The lamp is placed in a glass; the glass is described as a brilliant star.
308. durri : Brilliant, luminous; derived from durr (pearl) or from dara'a (to shine).
309. kasra : A diacritical mark indicating a short 'i' vowel in Arabic.
310. 'atiyy : An irregular form meaning 'rebellious' or 'old', derived from the root 'ata (to rebel).
311. 'atawtu : First person singular past tense of the verb 'ata (to rebel).
312. zur'a : Whiteness; a noun form indicating a color or quality.
313. milh dir'aniyy : A type of white salt, attributed to Dir' (a place or tribe).
314. fatha : A diacritical mark indicating a short 'a' vowel.
315. fa'il : A noun pattern (fa'il) that is not attested in Arabic according to some grammarians.
316. damm : A diacritical mark indicating a short 'u' vowel.
317. tashdid : A diacritical mark indicating gemination (doubling of a consonant).
318. durr : Pearls; a term for precious gems.
319. tafsir : Exegesis or commentary on the Qur'an.
320. 'Illiyyun : The highest station in Paradise; a term from the Qur'an (Surah 83:18-19).
321. durri : Attributed to pearls; meaning 'pearly' or 'brilliant'.
322. the two sanctuaries : Mecca and Medina, the two holy cities in Islam.
323. damma : A diacritical mark indicating a short 'u' vowel; same as damm.
324. the modified : In Arabic grammar, the word that is modified or qualified by an adjective or genitive construction.
325. awliya' : Plural of wali; saints or friends of Allah.
326. hanif : A monotheist inclined to the true religion, particularly associated with Abraham.
327. taqwa : God-consciousness, piety, or fear of Allah.
328. ridwan : Divine pleasure or satisfaction; also the name of the guardian angel of Paradise.
329. nūrun ʿalā nūrin : Qur'anic phrase meaning 'light upon light,' from Surah An-Nur (24:35), indicating layered or cumulative divine illumination.
330. yakādu zaytuhā yuḍīʾu wa-law lam tamsas-hu nār : Qur'anic phrase from Surah An-Nur (24:35): 'its oil almost gives light even if no fire touches it,' describing the self-luminous quality of the blessed olive oil.
331. nūrun ʿalā nūrin : See note 1; here interpreted as the Qur'an being light from Allah along with prior proofs.
332. fazdādū bi-dhālika nūran ʿalā nūrin : Paraphrase of the Qur'anic concept: 'thus they increase thereby light upon light,' indicating progressive guidance.
333. yahdī llāhu li-nūri-hi man yashāʾ : Qur'anic phrase from Surah An-Nur (24:35): 'Allah guides to His light whom He wills.'
334. Allāhu nūru s-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi mathalu nūri-hi ka-mishkātin fīhā miṣbāḥ : Opening of the Light Verse (Ayat an-Nur), Surah An-Nur (24:35): 'Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth; the similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp.'
335. tajalliyāt at-tanzīh : Manifestations of transcendence; in Sufi cosmology, divine self-disclosures that emphasize God's incomparability and purity.
336. al-Habāʾ : The 'fine dust' or 'primordial substance'; in Sufi and philosophical cosmology, the first created entity, a potentiality containing all forms.
337. ka-mishkātin fīhā miṣbāḥ : Qur'anic phrase: 'as a niche wherein is a lamp,' from the Light Verse.
338. yakādu zaytuhā yuḍīʾu wa-law lam tamsas-hu nār nūrun ʿalā nūrin yahdī llāhu li-nūri-hi man yashāʾ : Combined phrases from the Light Verse (24:35), emphasizing the self-illuminating and guiding nature of divine light.
339. al-Muhājirūn wa-l-Anṣār : The Emigrants (those who migrated with the Prophet from Mecca to Medina) and the Helpers (the Medinan converts who supported them); early Muslim community.
340. Mīm, Ḥā, Dāl: Muḥammad : The Arabic letters Mīm, Ḥā, and Dāl spell the name Muhammad; a mystical reference to the Prophet's light.
341. Alif, Lām, Mīm, Ṣād: al-Maṣṣ : The Arabic letters Alif, Lām, Mīm, and Ṣād form the word 'al-Maṣṣ' (the sucking or absorption), possibly a mystical term; also the opening letters of Surah Al-A'raf.
342. Kāf-Hā-Yā-'Ayn-Ṣād : The Arabic letters K H Y ' Ṣ, the opening of Surah Maryam (19).
343. Ṭā-Hā : The Arabic letters Ṭ H, the opening of Surah Ṭā-Hā (20).
344. Ṭā-Sīn-Mīm : The Arabic letters Ṭ S M, the opening of Surahs Ash-Shu'arā' (26) and Al-Qaṣaṣ (28).
345. Ṭā-Sīn : The Arabic letters Ṭ S, the opening of Surah An-Naml (27).
346. Yā-Sīn : The Arabic letters Y S, the opening of Surah Yā-Sīn (36).
347. by the Wise Qur'an : Reference to Quran 36:2.
348. Ṣād : The Arabic letter Ṣ, the opening of Surah Ṣād (38).
349. by the Qur'an full of Remembrance : Reference to Quran 38:1.
350. Ḥā-Mīm : The Arabic letters Ḥ M, the opening of Surahs 40-46.
351. Ḥā-Mīm : The Arabic letters Ḥ M, the opening of Surah Ash-Shūrā (42).
352. 'Ayn-Sīn-Qāf : The Arabic letters ' S Q, part of the opening of Surah Ash-Shūrā (42).
353. God, the Mighty, the Wise : Reference to Quran 42:3.
354. Qāf : The Arabic letter Q, the opening of Surah Qāf (50).
355. by the Glorious Qur'an : Reference to Quran 50:1.
356. Nūn : The Arabic letter N, the opening of Surah Al-Qalam (68).
357. by the Pen... great moral character : Reference to Quran 68:1-4.
358. Alif-Lām-Mīm-Ṣād : The Arabic letters A L M Ṣ, the opening of Surah Al-A'rāf (7).
359. Ḥā-Mīm-'Ayn-Sīn-Qāf : The Arabic letters Ḥ M ' S Q, the opening of Surah Ash-Shūrā (42).
360. God is the Light of the heavens and the earth : Quran 24:35.
361. would almost glow even if no fire touched it : Quran 24:35.
362. God guides to His light whom He wills : Quran 24:35.
363. And God is Knower of all things : Quran 24:35.
364. like a niche in which is a lamp : Quran 24:35.
365. God guides to His light : Quran 24:35.
366. And God strikes similitudes for mankind : Quran 24:35.
367. And God is Knower of all things : Quran 24:35.
368. يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ : Qur'anic verse (24:35): 'Allah guides to His light whom He wills.'
369. الفرقان : Al-Furqan, 'the Criterion,' a name for the Qur'an.
370. وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ : Qur'anic verse (24:35): 'And Allah is of all things Knowing.'
371. العلماء العارفون : The learned gnostics (al-ʿulamāʾ al-ʿārifūn): scholars deeply knowledgeable in spiritual realities.
372. الذكر : Dhikr: remembrance of God, often through repetition of His names or formulas.
373. الشيخ : Shaykh: spiritual master or guide in Sufism.
374. نورٌ أنى أراه : A well-known hadith: 'Light—how could I see Him?' indicating God's transcendence.
375. اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ : Qur'anic verse (24:35): 'Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.'
376. السر : Al-sirr: the innermost secret or spiritual center of the heart.
377. العلم اللدني : ʿIlm ladunī: knowledge directly inspired by God, often associated with Sufi gnosis.
378. التوحيد : Tawḥīd: the oneness of God, the central Islamic doctrine.
379. المحققون : Al-muḥaqqiqūn: the verifiers, those who have attained certainty in spiritual matters.
380. الهيولاني : Hayūlānī: from Greek hyle, meaning prime matter or substratum.
381. المثل المعلقة : Al-muthul al-muʿallaqa: 'suspended archetypes,' a concept in Illuminationist philosophy.
382. عدنان : Adnan: the traditional ancestor of the northern Arabs, including the Prophet Muhammad.
383. عين أعيان : ʿAyn aʿyān: 'essence of essences,' a Sufi term for the highest reality.
384. السيد الورتجبي : Al-Sayyid al-Wartajabi: a Sufi scholar, likely from the Wartajab region.
385. بالكاف والنون : Bi-l-kāf wa-l-nūn: referring to the divine command 'Kun' (Be), composed of the letters kāf and nūn.
386. mishkāh : A niche or recess in a wall where a lamp is placed, symbolizing the believer's breast or heart.
387. imdād : Supply or provision; here referring to the lamp being supplied with oil.
388. al-‘aql al-malakūtī : The intellect of the malakut (the celestial or angelic realm), a spiritual faculty.
389. al-ḥikma al-jabarūtiyya : Wisdom of the jabrut (the realm of divine power and might).
390. lā sharqiyyatin wa lā gharbiyyah : Quranic phrase (24:35) meaning the tree is neither eastern nor western, symbolizing its transcendence of spatial limitations.
391. yakādu zaytuhā yuḍī’ : Quranic phrase (24:35) indicating the oil's inherent luminosity.
392. nūrun ‘alā nūr : Quranic phrase (24:35) meaning light upon light, symbolizing叠加 of divine lights.
393. al-qulūbu bayna iṣba‘ayn : Hadith: The hearts are between two fingers of the Merciful, indicating divine control over hearts.
394. al-arwāḥu fī yamīni al-raḥmān : Hadith: The spirits are in the right hand of the Merciful, indicating divine sovereignty.
395. kawkabun durriyyun : Quranic phrase (24:35) meaning a brilliant or pearl-like star.
396. Abū Yazīd : Abu Yazid al-Bistami (d. 874), a famous Persian Sufi saint.
397. Ibn ‘Aṭā’ : Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah al-Iskandari (d. 1309), a Sufi master of the Shadhili order.
398. Ibn Mas‘ūd : Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad.
399. al-Wāsiṭī : Abu al-Hasan al-Wasiti, a Sufi commentator.
400. al-Junayd : Junayd of Baghdad (d. 910), a prominent early Sufi.
401. Abū ‘Alī al-Jurjānī : Abu Ali al-Jurjani, a Sufi scholar and commentator.
402. Ja‘far ibn Muḥammad : Ja'far al-Sadiq (d. 765), a Shiite Imam and scholar, often cited in Sufi texts.
403. al-ṭuma'nīnah : Tranquility; a state of inner peace and stillness in the soul.
404. al-'aẓamah : Majesty; divine grandeur and magnificence.
405. al-jalāl : Glory; divine splendor and awe-inspiring majesty.
406. al-qudrah : Power; divine omnipotence.
407. al-ḥawl : Might; divine power to change and transform.
408. al-quwwah : Strength; divine force and capability.
409. al-ulūhiyyah : Divinity; the attribute of being God.
410. al-waḥdāniyyah : Oneness; the attribute of God's uniqueness and unity.
411. al-fardāniyyah : Uniqueness; God's absolute singularity and incomparability.
412. al-abadiyyah : Eternity; endless duration in the future.
413. al-sarmadiyyah : Perpetuity; timelessness without beginning or end.
414. al-daymūmiyyah : Everlastingness; continuous existence without interruption.
415. al-azaliyyah : Pre-eternity; existence without beginning.
416. al-baqā'iyyah : Post-eternity; everlastingness after creation.
417. al-kulliyyah : Totality; the all-encompassing nature of God.
418. al-huwiyyah : Ipseity; the essence of God as He is in Himself.
419. al-Ḥaqq : The Truth; one of the names of God, referring to the ultimate reality.
420. Āyat al-Nūr : Quran 24:35, the Light Verse.
421. al-Muṣṭafā : The Chosen One; a title of the Prophet Muhammad.
422. nūrun 'alā nūr : Light upon light; Quran 24:35, indicating layered divine illumination.
423. al-jam' : Union; the state of seeing only God in all things.
424. al-tafriqah : Separation; the state of perceiving multiplicity and distinction.
425. al-sirr : The secret; the innermost depth of the soul where divine mysteries are unveiled.
426. al-ṣadr : The breast; the spiritual center of the heart.
427. al-'ārif : The knower; a gnostic who has direct experiential knowledge of God.
428. al-baqā' : Subsistence; the state of abiding in God after annihilation of the ego.
429. Quran 24:35 : Part of the Light Verse.
430. Quran 24:35 : Continuation of the Light Verse.
431. al-Ḥusayn : Al-Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj, a famous Sufi mystic.
432. Quran 24:35 : The Light Verse.
433. Quran 24:35 : End of the Light Verse.
434. Quran 24:35 : The Light Verse.
435. Quran 24:35 : The Light Verse.
436. al-Wāsiṭī : Abu al-Qasim al-Wasiti, a Sufi master.
437. Quran 24:35 : The Light Verse.
438. al-Kharrāz : Abu Sa'id al-Kharraz, a Sufi saint.
439. Quran 24:35 : Part of the Light Verse.
440. Quran 24:35 : End of the Light Verse.
441. al-Ustādh : The Master; likely referring to a Sufi teacher.
442. Quran 24:35 : Description of the lamp in the Light Verse.
443. nūr al-muṭālabah : Light of self-accounting; the illumination that prompts self-examination.
444. nūr al-mu'ātabah : Light of reproach; the illumination that leads to self-blame.
445. nūr al-murāqabah : Light of vigilance; the illumination of constant awareness of God.
446. nūr al-muḥāḍarah : Light of presence; the illumination of being in God's presence.
447. nūr al-mukāshafah : Light of unveiling; the illumination of divine attributes.
448. anwār al-mushāhadah : Lights of witnessing; the illuminations of direct vision of God.
449. anwār al-tawḥīd : Lights of unification; the illuminations of affirming God's oneness.
450. al-tajrīd : Abstraction; stripping away all created attributes.
451. al-tafrīd : Singularization; focusing solely on God's uniqueness.
452. Quran 81:1-82:1 : Verses describing cosmic upheaval on the Day of Judgment.
453. al-aḥadiyya : The attribute of absolute oneness, indicating God's uniqueness and indivisibility.
454. al-ṣamadiyya : The attribute of being self-sufficient, upon whom all depend, but who depends on none.
455. al-daymūmiyya : The attribute of eternal duration, indicating God's perpetual existence without beginning or end.
456. al-ulūhiyya : The attribute of divinity, encompassing all aspects of worship and lordship.
457. malakūt : The invisible, spiritual realm of God's sovereignty, often associated with the heavens and angelic dominion.
458. jabarūt : The realm of divine power and might, often considered higher than malakūt, associated with God's omnipotence.
459. fī buyūtin adhina llāhu an turfaʿa : Qur'anic verse 24:36, meaning 'In houses which God has allowed to be raised,' referring to mosques or places of worship.
460. bayt al-maqdis : The Holy House, i.e., the Temple in Jerusalem, also known as al-Aqsa Mosque.
461. yā ayyuhā n-nabiyyu idhā ṭallaqtumu n-nisā'a : Qur'an 65:1, where the singular address 'O Prophet' is followed by the plural 'when you divorce women.'
462. wa jaʿala l-qamara fīhinna nūran : Qur'an 71:16, 'And He made the moon in them a light,' where 'them' refers to the heavens, though the moon is only in one.
463. wa-idh yarfaʿu ibrāhīmu l-qawāʿida : Qur'an 2:127, 'And when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House.'
464. yusabbiḥu lahu fīhā : Qur'an 24:36, 'Therein glorify Him,' referring to the houses.
465. yusabbaḥu : Passive form: 'is glorified,' with the verb in the passive voice.
466. rijālun : Qur'an 24:37, 'Men,' referring to those who glorify God.
467. al-aṣāl : The pause on 'al-aṣāl' (the evenings) in the passive reading.
468. yusabbiḥu : Active form: 'they glorify,' with the verb in the active voice.
469. bil-ghuduwwi wa l-āṣāl : Qur'an 24:36, 'In the morning and the evening.'
470. rijālun : Qur'an 24:37, 'Men,' specifying the gender.
471. lā tulhīhim : Qur'an 24:37, 'Do not distract them.'
472. hā' : The feminine ending (ta' marbuta) omitted in the word 'iqām' (establishment).
473. wa iqāmi ṣ-ṣalāti : Qur'an 24:37, 'And the establishment of prayer.'
474. aqwamat : The original form of 'iqāma' (establishment), from the root q-w-m.
475. ʿidda wa zina : Examples of words where a ha' substitutes for a dropped waw: 'idda (number) from 'adada, and zina (weight) from wazana.
476. inna l-khalīṭa ajarra l-bayna fanjaradū... : A line of poetry illustrating the omission of the feminine ending in genitive construction.
477. ītā'u z-zakāti : Qur'an 24:37, 'And the giving of zakat.'
478. ahl aṣ-ṣuffa : The People of the Suffa, poor companions of the Prophet who lived in the mosque's shaded area.
479. rijālun lā tulhīhim tijāratun wa lā bayʿun ʿan dhikri llāh : Qur'an 24:37, 'Men whom neither trade nor sale distracts from the remembrance of God.'
480. awtād : Literally 'pegs,' metaphorically referring to constant attendees of the mosque.
481. yawma tataqallabu fīhi l-qulūbu : Qur'an 24:37, 'On the day when hearts will tremble.'
482. wa l-abṣār : Qur'an 24:37, 'And eyes,' completing the phrase.
483. li-yajziyahumu llāhu aḥsana mā ʿamilū : Qur'an 24:38, 'That God may reward them for the best of what they did.'
484. aḥsana : Meaning 'the best,' indicating that God rewards them for their best deeds.
485. sarāb : A mirage; an optical illusion of water in the desert.
486. yansaribu : It flows or runs, like water.
487. qīʿa : A lowland or flat expanse of land where mirages occur.
488. qāʿ : Singular of qīʿa; a lowland.
489. jār : Neighbor; used as a grammatical analogy.
490. jīra : Plural of jār; neighbors.
491. ẓulumāt : Darknesses; layers of darkness.
492. baḥr lujjī : A deep, vast sea.
493. saḥābun : Clouds (nominative indefinite).
494. ẓulumātin : Darknesses (genitive indefinite).
495. saḥāba ẓulumātin : Cloud of darknesses (construct phrase).
496. saḥābun ẓulumātun : Clouds, darknesses (both nominative indefinite).
497. saḥāb marīn : Dense or heavy cloud.
498. lam yakad yarāhā : He almost did not see it; i.e., he could barely see it.
499. yakad : A particle meaning 'almost' or 'nearly'.
500. nūr : Light; here meaning guidance or faith.
501. Jāhiliyya : The pre-Islamic period of ignorance.
502. buyūt : Houses; here interpreted as hearts or spiritual abodes.
503. turfaʿa : To be raised; i.e., exalted or honored.
504. yudhkaru fīhā ismuhu : His name is mentioned; i.e., Allah is remembered.
505. yusabbiḥu lahu fīhā bil-ghuduwwi wal-āṣāl : They glorify Him in them morning and evening.
506. lā tulhīhim tijāra wa lā bayʿ : Neither trade nor sale diverts them.
507. yabtaghūna faḍlan mina llāhi wa riḍwān : Seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure.
508. iqām al-ṣalāt : Establishment of prayer; performing it properly and consistently.
509. ītāʾ al-zakāt : Giving of zakah; obligatory charity.
510. tataqallabu fīhi l-qulūb : Hearts will turn over; i.e., be agitated or overturned.
511. al-malakayn : The two angels (Munkar and Nakir) who question the dead.
512. fa-kashafnā ʿanka ghiṭāʾaka fa-baṣaruka l-yawma ḥadīd : So We removed from you your cover, and your sight today is sharp (Q. 50:22).
513. tataqallabu fīhi l-qulūbu wal-abṣār : Hearts and eyes will turn over (Q. 24:37).
514. sukārā : Drunk; here meaning bewildered or terrified.
515. li-yajziyahumu llāhu aḥsana mā ʿamilū : That Allah may reward them the best of what they did.
516. yazīduhum min faḍlih : He increases them from His bounty.
517. bi-ghayri ḥisāb : Without account; i.e., without measure or reckoning.
518. ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ : Qur'an 57:21, meaning 'That is the bounty of Allah which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.'
519. وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ : Qur'an 24:39, meaning 'And those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage.'
520. قِيعَةٍ : A lowland or plain where water collects; a depression in the earth.
521. قَاعٍ : Singular of qi'ah, meaning a lowland or flat ground.
522. يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ : Qur'an 24:39, meaning 'the thirsty one thinks it is water.'
523. حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَهُ : Qur'an 24:39, meaning 'until when he comes to it.'
524. لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئًا : Qur'an 24:39, meaning 'he finds it nothing.'
525. وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ : Qur'an 24:39, meaning 'and he finds Allah with him.'
526. فَوَفَّاهُ حِسَابَهُ : Qur'an 24:39, meaning 'and He pays him in full his account.'
527. وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ : Qur'an 24:39, meaning 'and Allah is swift in account.'
528. السَّاهِرَةِ : The surface of the earth; a desert plain; also a name for the place of resurrection.
529. زَبَانِيَةَ : The fierce angels of punishment in Hell, mentioned in Qur'an 96:18.
530. عَامِلَةٌ نَاصِبَةٌ : Qur'an 88:3, meaning 'laboring, weary,' describing those who toil in vain.
531. عُتْبَةَ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ : A prominent Quraysh leader who opposed the Prophet Muhammad; the verse is said to have been revealed concerning him.
532. مُرِيدِينَ : Seekers or disciples on the spiritual path in Sufism.
533. أَشْيَاخِ : Spiritual masters or elders in Sufism.
534. كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ : Qur'an 24:39, 'like a mirage in a lowland.'
535. كُشُوفَاتٍ : Spiritual unveilings or revelations granted to the mystic.
536. إِلْهَامَاتٍ : Divine inspirations or intuitions.
537. تَلْقِيَاتٍ : Spiritual receptions or teachings imparted directly to the heart.
538. شَطَحَاتٍ : Ecstatic utterances or paradoxical sayings of Sufis, often in a state of spiritual intoxication.
539. جَذَبَاتٍ : Spiritual attractions or pulls from God, drawing the seeker towards Him.
540. هَوَاجِسِ : Thoughts or whisperings that occur in the mind, often distracting from devotion.
541. أَذْكَارٍ : Remembrances of God, such as the repetition of divine names or phrases.
542. تَمْكِينٍ : Spiritual establishment or firmness in the station of certainty and closeness to God.
543. مُشَاهَدَةٍ : Spiritual witnessing or direct vision of divine realities.
544. تَعْيِينٍ : Determination or specification of spiritual states and stations.
545. أَوْرَادٍ : Regular litanies or devotional practices recited by Sufis.
546. تَلْقِينٍ : Spiritual instruction or transmission of knowledge from master to disciple.
547. يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ : Qur'an 24:39, 'which the thirsty one thinks is water.'
548. فَتْحٍ : Spiritual opening or illumination granted by God.
549. حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَهُ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئًا : Qur'an 24:39, 'until when he comes to it, he finds it nothing.'
550. وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّاهُ حِسَابَهُ : Qur'an 24:39, 'and he finds Allah with him, and He pays him in full his account.'
551. وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ : Qur'an 24:39, 'and Allah is swift in account.'
552. أَوْ ظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُجِّيٍّ : Qur'an 24:40, 'or like darknesses in a deep sea.'
553. لُجِّيٍّ : Deep, vast; referring to a deep sea.
554. يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ : Qur'an 24:40, 'covered by a wave.'
555. مِنْ فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ : Qur'an 24:40, 'above which is a wave.'
556. مِنْ فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ : Qur'an 24:40, 'above which are clouds.'
557. اسْتِدْرَاجٍ : Gradual enticement or leading astray by God as a punishment, where one is given blessings but led further into sin.
558. ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ : Qur'an 24:40, 'darknesses, one above another.'
559. حِجَابٍ : Veil or barrier separating the seeker from divine reality.
560. وَإِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا : Qur'an 24:40, 'and when he brings out his hand, he almost does not see it.'
561. وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُّورٍ : Qur'an 24:40, 'and for whom Allah has not appointed a light, for him there is no light.'
562. وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا : Qur'an 24:40, 'and for whom Allah has not appointed a light.'
563. الِاسْمِ الْأَعْظَمِ : The Greatest Name of God, which is said to contain the highest divine power and secrets.
564. شَهَادَاتٍ : Martyrdom or testimonies of faith; also spiritual witnesses.
565. كَوَاشِفٍ عِيَانِيَّةٍ : Manifest unveilings or clear spiritual disclosures.
566. خَوَارِقِ الْعَادَاتِ : Miracles or supernatural events that break the normal course of nature.
567. إِرَادَةٍ : Divine will or spiritual intention.
568. الْمَحْوِ وَالثَّبَاتِ : Erasure and establishment; a concept in Islamic theology and Sufism regarding the decree of God.
569. أَدْوَارٍ : Cycles or spheres; possibly referring to celestial spheres or spiritual realms.
570. كَثَائِفِ الْحُجُبِ : Thick veils that obscure spiritual vision.
571. سُرَادِقَاتٍ : Pavilions or canopies; often used metaphorically for divine veils or barriers.
572. shaṭaḥāt : Ecstatic utterances or expressions of spiritual intoxication, often paradoxical, uttered by Sufis in a state of ecstasy.
573. jadhabāt : Spiritual attractions or divine pulls that draw the seeker towards God.
574. taraqqī : Spiritual ascent or elevation in the stations of the path.
575. tadallī : Spiritual descent or manifestation of divine attributes to the seeker.
576. khalawāt : Spiritual retreats or seclusions for meditation and worship.
577. maḥw : Obliteration or effacement of the self and its attributes in the divine presence.
578. ṣaḥw : Sobriety or the state of spiritual clarity after the intoxication of divine love.
579. aghayār : Otherness; everything other than God, considered as veils.
580. al-Sayyid al-Wartajabī : A Sufi scholar and commentator, likely from the 13th century CE.
581. tawḥīd : The oneness of God; the foundational Islamic doctrine of monotheism.
582. maʿrifa : Gnosis or direct experiential knowledge of God.
583. al-Wāsiṭī : A Sufi master, likely referring to Abū al-Ḥasan al-Wāsiṭī (d. 932 CE).
584. al-Thaʿlabī : A renowned Quranic exegete, Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Thaʿlabī (d. 1035 CE).
585. al-muṭahharāt : The purified ones; often refers to pure spiritual entities or essences.
586. al-sirr al-lāhūtī : The divine secret; a term in Sufism referring to the innermost divine mystery.
587. al-nūr al-raḥmūtī : The merciful light; a divine attribute of mercy.
588. al-ḥāl : A spiritual state or condition granted by God, often transient.
589. rūḥ al-amr : The spirit of the command; a reference to the divine command or the spirit from God's realm.
590. wārid al-dhikr : The influx of remembrance; a spiritual inspiration that comes during the practice of dhikr (remembrance of God).
591. al-fatḥ al-ṣamadānī : The divine opening; a spiritual unveiling or illumination from the Eternal (al-Ṣamad).
592. Qur'an 21:23 : He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.
593. Qur'an 24:47 : And they say, 'We believe in Allah and the Messenger, and we obey.'
594. al-Tha'labī : A renowned Qur'anic exegete (d. 427/1035).
595. Qur'an 24:47 : And those are not believers.
596. Qur'an 24:48 : And when they are called to Allah and His Messenger.
597. Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf : A Jewish leader in Medina who opposed the Prophet.
598. Qur'an 24:48 : And when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them.
599. Qur'an 24:49 : But if the right is theirs, they come to him willingly.
600. Qur'an 24:50 : In their hearts is disease, or have they doubted?
601. Jarīr : A famous Umayyad poet (d. 110/728).
602. Qur'an 24:50 : Or do they fear that Allah may be unjust to them?
603. Qur'an 24:51 : The only statement of the believers when they are called to Allah.
604. Qur'an 24:51-52 : Is to say, 'We hear and we obey.' And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and fears Allah.
605. Qur'an 24:52 : Then those are the successful.
606. murīd : A disciple or seeker in a Sufi order.
607. al-qawm : The folk; a term for the Sufi community or the spiritual elite.
608. Qur'an 24:48-50 : And when they are called... forced (murgamīn).
609. Qur'an 24:50 : Is there in their hearts disease, or have they doubted, or do they fear?
610. Qur'an 24:51-52 : The only statement... the successful.
611. al-Wartajabī : A Sufi commentator; possibly a variant of al-Wartajānī.
612. Ibn 'Aṭā' : A Sufi master and commentator (d. 309/922).
613. al-Wāsiṭī : A Sufi figure (d. 320/932).
614. juhd aymānihim : Their most solemn oaths; 'juhd' implies utmost effort in swearing.
615. al-Tha'labī : A renowned Qur'anic exegete (d. 427/1035), author of 'al-Kashf wa al-Bayān'.
616. la-in amartahum la-yakhrujunna : Qur'an 24:53, part of the verse about hypocrites' oaths.
617. ṭā'atun ma'rūfatun : Qur'an 24:53; interpreted as 'obedience is known' or 'known obedience is better'.
618. Mujāhid : Mujāhid ibn Jabr (d. 104/722), a prominent early Qur'anic exegete.
619. Inna Allāha khabīrun bimā ta'malūn : Qur'an 24:53; 'Indeed, God is Aware of what you do.'
620. Abū 'Uthmān al-Ḥīrī : A Sufi master (d. 298/910) from Nishapur, known for his sayings on the Sunnah.
621. Sunnah : The prophetic tradition and practice, considered normative in Islam.
622. Wa in tuṭī'ūhu tahtadū wa mā 'alā al-rasūli illā al-balāghu al-mubīn : Qur'an 24:54; 'And if you obey him, you will be guided; and the Messenger is only responsible for clear conveyance.'
623. ishāra : Allusion; a method of esoteric or Sufi interpretation of the Qur'an.
624. murīdūn baṭṭālūn : False aspirants; those who claim spiritual seeking but are insincere.
625. shuyūkh : Plural of shaykh; spiritual masters or guides in Sufism.
626. shaqq al-thiyāb : Tearing of garments, a practice sometimes associated with ecstatic states in some Sufi circles.
627. taṣrīf : Disposal; here refers to the spiritual authority or power of saints to act in the world.
628. Sharī'ah : Islamic law derived from the Qur'an and Sunnah.
629. al-wirāthat al-aḥmadiyya : The spiritual inheritance from the Prophet Muhammad, specifically his Ahmadian aspect (the name Ahmad symbolizing his inner, spiritual reality).
630. al-Wartajabī : A Sufi scholar and commentator, likely from the 6th/12th century, known for his spiritual interpretations.
631. Abū ʿUthmān : Abu 'Uthman al-Hiri (d. 910), a prominent early Sufi from Nishapur.
632. Muḥammad ibn al-Faḍl : Muhammad ibn al-Fadl al-Balkhi (d. 931), a Sufi master and commentator.
633. Qur'an 24:55 : The verse: 'God has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors on earth...'
634. al-Thaʿlabī : Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tha'labi (d. 1035), a renowned Qur'anic exegete.
635. lām : The Arabic letter 'l', used as a prefix for emphasis or oath response.
636. Abū Bakr : Abu Bakr ibn 'Ayyash (d. 809), a Qur'an reciter and scholar.
637. ʿĀṣim : 'Asim ibn Abi al-Najud (d. 745), one of the seven canonical Qur'an reciters.
638. Ibn Kathīr : Ibn Kathir al-Makki (d. 738), a Qur'an reciter from Mecca.
639. Yaʿqūb : Ya'qub al-Hadrami (d. 820), a Qur'an reciter from Basra.
640. tashdīd : Gemination (doubling) of a consonant in Arabic pronunciation.
641. Abū Ḥātim : Abu Hatim al-Sijistani (d. 864), a grammarian and Qur'an scholar.
642. al-tabdīl : Changing or transforming something into another state.
643. al-ibdāl : Replacing something with something else entirely.
644. Abū al-ʿĀliya : Rafi' ibn Mihran al-Riyahi (d. 708), a prominent tabi'i and exegete.
645. Muqātil : Muqatil ibn Sulayman (d. 767), an early Qur'an commentator.
646. Safīna : A companion of the Prophet, known for narrating hadith about the caliphate.
647. Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh : A companion of the Prophet, known for narrating many hadith.
648. Ibn ʿĀmir : Ibn 'Amir al-Dimashqi (d. 736), a Qur'an reciter from Damascus.
649. Ḥamza : Hamza ibn Habib al-Zayyat (d. 772), a Qur'an reciter from Kufa.
650. al-Farrāʾ : Yahya ibn Ziyad al-Farra' (d. 822), a grammarian and exegete.
651. وَيُتِمَّنَّ لَهُمْ وَيَتِمَّ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى : Quranic phrase (Surah Al-Hajj 22:52) referring to God completing His favor upon the believers and fulfilling what He has chosen for them.
652. مَقَام : Station; a spiritual rank or state attained by a mystic through effort and divine grace.
653. سَابِقِ الْأَزَل : Pre-eternity; the timeless realm before creation, where God's decrees were established.
654. سُلُوك : Spiritual journey or path (suluk) undertaken by the seeker toward God.
655. الْقَبْضِ وَالْبَسْط : Contraction and expansion; spiritual states of constriction (qabd) and expansion (bast) experienced by the mystic.
656. الدَّهْشِ وَالْجَبْرَة : Bewilderment (dahsh) and compulsion (jabrah); states of awe and divine overpowering.
657. الْقَضَاء : The Divine Decree; God's eternal will and determination of all things.
658. تَرْقِيَة : Ascent; spiritual elevation or progress toward higher stations.
659. تَدْلِيَة : Descent; a spiritual lowering or condescension, often for guidance of others.
660. مَعَارِف : Gnoses; direct experiential knowledge of divine realities.
661. عَوَارِف : Spiritual gifts or favors bestowed by God upon the mystic.
662. كَوَاشِف : Unveilings; spiritual disclosures or revelations of hidden truths.
663. سَرَائِر : Innermost beings; the hidden depths of the soul where divine lights are placed.
664. أَذْوَاق : Tastes; direct spiritual experiences or savors of divine realities.
665. مَشَارِب : Draughts; spiritual drinks or influxes of divine knowledge and love.
666. كَرَامَات : Miracles or wonders performed by saints as a sign of divine favor.
667. مُوَحِّدِينَ : Unitarians; those who affirm the oneness of God (tawhid).
668. وَمَن يُقْتَرْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ : Quranic phrase (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:54) referring to those who turn away after receiving guidance.
669. فَاسِقُونَ : Transgressors; those who deviate from God's commands.
670. أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا : Quranic verse (Surah Ibrahim 14:28) about those who exchange God's blessings for disbelief.
671. وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ : Quranic command to establish prayer and give alms (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:43, etc.).
672. حُلُول : Arrival; the soul's arrival at the afterlife or divine presence.
673. مُرُوس : Passing away; death or spiritual annihilation (fana').
674. فُرْقَان : Criterion; the Quran, which distinguishes truth from falsehood.
675. لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ : Quranic phrase meaning 'that you may receive mercy' (Surah Al-Nur 24:56, etc.).
676. تَوْحِيد : Tawhid; the doctrine of God's absolute oneness.
677. لَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مُعْجِزِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ : Quranic verse (Surah Al-Nur 24:57) warning that disbelievers cannot escape God's power.
678. ta'ala : Exalted is He; a phrase used after mentioning Allah to denote His supreme majesty.
679. al-Tha'labi : A renowned Quranic exegete (d. 427 AH/1035 CE), author of 'al-Kashf wa al-Bayan'.
680. Ibn 'Abbas : Abdullah ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet and a leading early Quran commentator.
681. Ansar : The 'Helpers'; the Muslim inhabitants of Medina who supported the Prophet after his emigration.
682. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab : The second Caliph, known for his justice and piety.
683. Muqatil : Muqatil ibn Sulayman, an early Quran commentator (d. 150 AH/767 CE).
684. Asma' bint Murshid : A female companion of the Prophet.
685. lam al-amr : The imperative lam; a grammatical particle in Arabic used to express a command.
686. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf : A prominent companion and one of the ten promised Paradise.
687. al-'atamah : The time of complete darkness after sunset; often used for the evening prayer.
688. al-Sha'bi : A prominent early Muslim scholar and jurist (d. 104 AH/722 CE).
689. Sufyan ibn Jubayr : A reliable early Muslim narrator of hadith.
690. qa'id : A woman who has reached old age and no longer menstruates or bears children.
691. jilbab : A loose outer garment covering the entire body, worn by women.
692. khimar : A head covering that drapes over the chest, worn by Muslim women.
693. Ubayy ibn Ka'b : A leading companion and one of the scribes of the Quran.
694. tabarruj : Displaying adornment or beauties that should be concealed.
695. isharah : Allusion; a method of esoteric or spiritual interpretation of the Quran.
696. aqtab : Poles; in Sufism, the highest ranking saints who are the spiritual axis of the universe.
697. awtad : Pegs; in Sufism, a rank of saints who are the spiritual supports of the world.
698. muridin : Seekers or disciples on the spiritual path in Sufism.
699. ashfa' wa awtar : Odd and even; referring to the night prayers, especially the witr prayer.
700. shaykhs : Spiritual masters or guides in Sufism.
701. al-āyāt : Verses of the Quran, but here interpreted as divine signs and rulings.
702. al-aḥwāl al-ṣamadāniyya : Eternal or divine states, referring to spiritual conditions bestowed by Allah.
703. al-basṭ wa al-qabḍ : Spiritual expansion and contraction, terms in Sufism for states of openness and constriction.
704. al-ḥulm : Puberty or dream; here interpreted as spiritual illumination.
705. al-karāmāt : Miracles or wonders granted to saints as divine favors.
706. al-qawā‘id min al-nisā’ : Women past childbearing age who no longer desire marriage.
707. jalābībahunna : Outer garments or cloaks; here interpreted metaphorically as veils of modesty.
708. an yasta‘fifna : To refrain or seek chastity; here interpreted as wearing garments of modesty.
709. lā ḥaraj : No blame or sin; a Quranic phrase indicating permission.
710. al-Tha‘labī : A renowned Quranic commentator (d. 1035).
711. Ibn ‘Abbās : A companion of the Prophet and early Quranic exegete.
712. lā ta’kulū amwālakum baynakum bi al-bāṭil : Quran 4:29, prohibiting unjust consumption of wealth.
713. Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr : A prominent early Quranic commentator (d. 714).
714. al-Ḍaḥḥāk : An early Quranic exegete (d. 723).
715. Miqsam : A early Quranic commentator and student of Ibn Abbas.
716. Mujāhid : A leading early Quranic exegete (d. 722).
717. ‘Ubaydullāh ibn ‘Abdullāh : A companion and early scholar.
718. al-Ḥasan : Al-Hasan al-Basri, a renowned early scholar and ascetic (d. 728).
719. Ibn Zayd : A early Quranic commentator.
720. wa lā ‘alā anfusikum : Part of Quran 24:61, meaning 'nor upon yourselves,' referring to eating in certain houses.
721. وَلَا عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ : Qur'an 24:61, part of a longer verse permitting eating from certain houses without explicit permission.
722. مَا مَلَكْتُم مَّفَاتِحَهُ : Qur'anic phrase meaning 'what you possess the keys thereof,' interpreted as property under one's control, such as estates or livestock.
723. أَوْ صَدِيقِكُمْ : Qur'anic phrase meaning 'or your friends,' part of the same verse (24:61) allowing eating from friends' houses.
724. أَوْ صَدِيقِكُمْ : Referencing the same phrase; some scholars interpreted it as permission to eat at a friend's house without explicit permission.
725. لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَأْكُلُوا جَمِيعًا أَوْ أَشْتَاتًا : Qur'an 24:61, meaning 'There is no blame upon you if you eat together or separately.'
726. لَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ : Qur'an 2:188, 'Do not consume one another's wealth unjustly.'
727. فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُم بُيُوتًا فَسَلِّمُوا : Qur'an 24:61, 'So when you enter houses, greet yourselves.'
728. وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ : Qur'an 4:29, 'And do not kill yourselves.'
729. تَحِيَّةً : Accusative noun meaning 'a greeting,' functioning as a verbal noun or circumstantial accusative in the verse.
730. مُبَارَكَةً طَيِّبَةً : Qur'an 24:61, 'blessed and good,' describing the greeting.
731. إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ : Qur'an 24:62, 'The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger.'
732. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَأْذِنُونَكَ : Qur'an 24:62, 'Indeed, those who ask your permission are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger.'
733. فَإِذَا اسْتَأْذَنُوكَ : Qur'an 24:62, 'So when they ask your permission for some matter of theirs, give permission to whom you will among them.'
734. لَا تَجْعَلُوا دُعَاءَ الرَّسُولِ بَيْنَكُمْ : Qur'an 24:63, 'Do not make the calling of the Messenger among you like the calling of one of you to another.'
735. يَتَسَلَّلُونَ : Qur'an 24:63, 'slip away,' referring to hypocrites leaving secretly without permission.
736. مِنكُمْ : Qur'an 24:63, 'among you.'
737. لِوَاذًا : Qur'an 24:63, 'concealing themselves,' i.e., hiding behind one another.
738. أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ : Qur'an 24:63, 'lest a trial befall them.'
739. أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ : Qur'an 24:63, 'or a painful punishment befall them.'
740. mā antum ʿalayhi : Lit. 'what you are upon'; refers to the state or condition of the people addressed.
741. al-aʿmā wa al-aʿraj : The blind and the lame; reference to Quran 24:61, which excuses them from certain obligations.
742. al-ṭarīqa : The spiritual path or method of Sufism.
743. ẓahr wa baṭn wa ḥadd wa maṭlaʿ : A famous hadith about the Quran having multiple layers of meaning: outward, inward, limit, and point of ascent.
744. subuḥāt wajhihi : The splendors or glories of His Face; a reference to a hadith about the veil of light.
745. al-thaqalayn : The two weighty things: humans and jinn, or the Quran and the Prophet's family.
746. qāba qawsayn : Two bow-lengths; a Quranic expression (53:9) indicating extreme proximity to God.
747. al-ghayy : Error, misguidance, or heedlessness; a state of being astray from the path of truth.
748. zujājatahu : Literally 'his glass'; metaphorically refers to the heart or inner self, which is polished and purified.
749. al-wasāwis : Whisperings or insinuations from Satan that cause doubt and distraction in the heart.
750. iktaḥala : Applied kohl; a metaphor for seeking spiritual illumination or healing through repentance and hope.
751. al-sarrāt al-a'yān : The noble chiefs or eminent spiritual masters; refers to the highest ranks of saints or scholars.
752. al-amānah : The trust; refers to the divine trust offered to creation, which humans accepted (Qur'an 33:72).
753. ʿilm al-yaqīn wa shuhūd al-īqān : Knowledge of certainty and witnessing of conviction; stages of spiritual realization.
754. sayyid maʿdin wa banī ʿadnān : The master of Ma'add and the sons of 'Adnan; refers to the Prophet Muhammad, as Ma'add and 'Adnan are his ancestors.
755. sayyid al-anām : Master of mankind; a title for the Prophet Muhammad.
756. al-rukn wa al-maqām : The Corner (of the Kaaba) and the Station (of Abraham); sacred sites in Mecca.
757. khātam al-anbiyā' wa sayyid al-arsāl : Seal of the Prophets and Master of the Messengers; refers to the Prophet Muhammad.
758. al-afrād wa al-abdāl : The solitary ones and the substitutes; ranks of saints in Sufi hierarchy.
759. al-mutalawwinīn : The variegated ones; those who experience changing spiritual states (aḥwāl).
760. al-shaṭaḥāt wa al-jadhabāt : Ecstatic utterances and attractions; spiritual states of intoxication and divine attraction.
761. ḥaraj : Blame, sin, or restriction; a Quranic term indicating that no fault or burden is incurred.
762. afrād al-ʿārifīn : The solitary knowers; advanced Sufi saints who have attained unique spiritual stations.
763. fatḥ : Opening; a Sufi term for divine illumination or spiritual unveiling.
764. samāʿ : Listening; a Sufi practice of listening to music or poetry to induce spiritual ecstasy.
765. dafn : Burial; here referring to the burial place of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina.
766. al-fatḥ al-rabbānī : The lordly opening; a divine spiritual unveiling granted by God.
767. Quran 57:29 : Quranic verse emphasizing God's sovereign bounty.
768. al-muqaddas : The Holy; likely referring to Jerusalem or a sacred place.
769. laban al-ḥaqāʾiq : The 'milk of realities' is a Sufi metaphor for spiritual nourishment derived from divine truths.
770. ghawāmiḍ al-daqāʾiq : The 'intricacies of subtle truths' refers to the most profound and hidden spiritual mysteries.
771. sābiq al-azal : Pre-eternity, the timeless realm before creation where souls existed in God's knowledge.
772. al-farḍ wa al-taʿṣīb : Terms from Islamic inheritance law: 'farḍ' is the prescribed share, 'taʿṣīb' is agnatic inheritance by male relatives.
773. al-fatḥ al-qarīb : The 'near victory' or 'imminent opening'—a Sufi term for spiritual unveiling or divine assistance.
774. maqāmāt : Stations on the spiritual path, stages of spiritual development in Sufism.
775. futūḥāt : Spiritual openings or illuminations, often referring to divine revelations or insights.
776. ʿārifīn : Knowers or gnostics—those who have direct experiential knowledge of God.
777. inbisāṭ : Expansiveness or openness, a state of spiritual ease and intimacy with others.
778. ṣiddīq : Truthful friend—a person of utmost sincerity and veracity, often used for close companions of prophets.
779. awliyāʾ Allāh : Friends of God—saints or holy persons who are close to God.
780. āyāt : Signs or verses, here referring to the verses of the Quran.
781. al-lawḥ al-maḥfūẓ : The Preserved Tablet—the heavenly tablet on which all destinies are inscribed.
782. istīnzāf : A Quranic term meaning 'to exhaust' or 'to drain,' used in the context of believers' devotion.
783. bayʿat al-riḍwān : The Pledge of Good Pleasure—the oath of allegiance taken by the Companions under a tree at Hudaybiyya.
784. ṣalawāt : Blessings or prayers, often used for divine blessings upon believers.
785. al-muhtadūn : The guided ones—those who have received divine guidance.
786. murīdīn : Disciples or seekers on the Sufi path who submit to a spiritual master.
787. Abū ʿUthmān : Abu 'Uthman al-Hiri (d. 910), a prominent early Sufi master from Nishapur.
788. yastaʾdhinūnaka : They ask your permission—a Quranic reference to believers seeking the Prophet's leave.
789. duʿāʾ al-rasūl : The calling of the Messenger—how one addresses or invokes the Prophet.
790. lā tarfaʿū aṣwātakum : Do not raise your voices—a Quranic command to show respect to the Prophet.
791. liwādhā : Taking cover or slipping away stealthily, a Quranic term for hypocritical behavior.
792. yaʿlamu mā antum ʿalayhi : He knows what you are upon—a Quranic verse about God's knowledge of believers' states.
793. lā tajʿalū duʿāʾ al-rasūl : Do not make the calling of the Messenger—a Quranic verse on proper etiquette toward the Prophet.
794. يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ : Quranic address to the Prophet Muhammad, meaning 'O Messenger'.
795. أولياء الله : Friends of God; saints or those close to God.
796. الاستدراج : Gradual entrapment; God's granting blessings while leading someone astray without their awareness.
797. البلاء : Affliction or trial, often seen as a sign of divine favor for the elite.
798. الذات الأحمدية : The Ahmad-like essence; referring to the Prophet Muhammad's spiritual reality.
799. الصفات المحمدية : Muhammad-like attributes; the perfect qualities of the Prophet.
800. لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَأْكُلُوا جَمِيعًا أَوْ أَشْتَاتًا : Quran 24:61, meaning 'There is no blame upon you whether you eat together or separately.'
801. أرباب الحل والعقد : Masters of binding and loosing; those with authority to decide matters.
802. السنن الأحمدية : The Ahmad-like traditions; the practices of the Prophet Muhammad.
803. الكمال المصطفوي : Mustafan perfection; the perfection of the Chosen One (the Prophet).
804. العلوم اللدنية : Divine knowledge; knowledge granted directly by God.
805. وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِي صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ إِخْوَانًا عَلَى سُرُرٍ مُّتَقَابِلِينَ لَا يَمَسُّهُمْ : Quran 15:47-48, referring to the removal of rancor in Paradise.
806. nāṣib : Toil, hardship; refers to the punishment of Hell.
807. buyūt al-‘izz wa al-karāma : Houses of honor and dignity; metaphorically refers to spiritual stations or the hearts of the righteous.
808. al-nafs al-muṭma’inna : The tranquil soul; a Qur'anic term (89:27) for the soul at peace through remembrance of God.
809. rayḥān : Basil; symbolically represents spiritual fragrance and divine mercy.
810. āyāt : Signs; refers to the verses of the Qur'an or divine signs in creation.
811. aqṭāb : Poles; in Sufism, the highest ranking saints who are the spiritual axis of the universe.
812. ajrās : Bells; a Sufi term for spiritual guides who 'ring' to awaken souls.
813. awtād : Stakes; in Sufi hierarchy, saints who 'fix' the earth spiritually, akin to pegs.
814. awrād : Daily litanies; fixed prayers or recitations practiced by Sufi orders.
815. āyah : Qur'anic verse; here from Surah al-Nur (24:62).
816. ḥamāma : Dove; a symbol of the soul or divine inspiration in Sufi poetry.
817. Rāma : A place in Arabia; also a poetic symbol for the beloved's abode.
818. al-Muṣallā : A place near Medina where the Prophet prayed; also a poetic reference.
819. Ḥājir : A valley near Mecca; also a poetic symbol.
820. Najd : A region in central Arabia; often mentioned in classical poetry.
821. Su‘dā : A feminine name; common in Arabic poetry as a beloved.
822. Salmā : A feminine name; another common poetic beloved.
823. Wasmi : A place name; also refers to spring rains.
824. Hātūn : A place name; possibly a variant of Hatun.
825. ithmid : Antimony; used as kohl for eyes, symbolizing healing or clarity.
826. Sūrat al-Nūr : Surah 24 of the Qur'an, 'The Light'.
827. Sūrat al-Fatḥ : Surah 48 of the Qur'an, 'The Victory'.
828. al-Ḥazbā’ : A place name; possibly a reference to a specific location or a poetic term.
829. fatḥan mubīnan : A clear conquest; Qur'anic phrase from Surah al-Fath (48:1).
830. naṣran ‘azīzan : A mighty victory; Qur'anic phrase from Surah al-Fath (48:3).
831. fatḥan mubīnan : A manifest victory; refers to the Treaty of Hudaybiyya or spiritual opening.
832. taʿayyunāt : Determinations or individuations; the self-manifestations of the Divine in specific forms.
833. talaqqiyāt : Receptivities or receptions; the spiritual states of receiving divine knowledge.
834. tajalliyāt : Self-disclosures or theophanies; manifestations of the Divine.
835. khalīfa : Vicegerent; the human representative of God on earth.
836. al-mulk al-asnā : The supreme kingdom; the higher spiritual realm.
837. qāba qawsayn aw adnā : Two bow-lengths or nearer; a Qur'anic phrase (53:9) describing the Prophet's proximity to God during the Mi'raj.
838. al-ʿilm al-ladunnī : Divine knowledge; knowledge directly from God, often associated with Sufi gnosis.
839. ghayb al-ghayb : The unseen of the unseen; the most hidden aspect of the divine mystery.
840. Qur'an 72:26-27 : Reference to the verse: 'He is the Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His unseen to anyone, except to a messenger He has approved.'
841. Qur'an 48:2 : Part of Surah al-Fath: 'That Allah may forgive you your former and your later sins.'
842. sabaqat raḥmatī ghaḍabī : A hadith qudsi: 'My mercy prevails over My wrath.'
843. shaqq al-ṣadr : The splitting of the chest; a miracle where the Prophet's heart was purified by angels.
844. Qur'an 48:3 : Part of Surah al-Fath: 'And Allah will support you with a mighty victory.'
845. mulk sulṭānī : Sultanic kingdom; the realm of authority and power.
846. Qur'an 48:4 : Part of Surah al-Fath: 'It is He who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers.'
847. alastu bi-rabbikum... : The primordial covenant (Qur'an 7:172) where all souls testified to God's Lordship.
848. Qur'an 48:7 : Part of Surah al-Fath: 'To Allah belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth.'
849. Qur'an 25:44 : Reference: 'They are but like cattle; nay, they are further astray from the way.'
850. al-Wartajabī : A Sufi scholar or commentator; possibly a reference to a specific figure.
851. kashf al-qadam : Unveiling of the foot; a term for spiritual unveiling or the station of the 'foot' of truth.
852. al-Ṣamadiyya : Self-Subsistence; a divine attribute meaning the Self-Sufficient.
853. Qur'an 7:198 : Reference: 'They look at you but do not see.'
854. wujūd al-ḥadath : The existence of temporality; the contingent, created existence.
855. ittiḥād : Union; the state of unity with the Divine, often used in Sufi metaphysics.
856. ḥayrūm al-qidam : The bewilderment of pre-eternity; a state of awe and confusion before the eternal divine mystery.
857. Sayyid al-Bariyyāt : Master of all creatures, a title of Prophet Muhammad.
858. Shāhat wujūhuhum : May their faces be disfigured; an imprecation meaning defeat and disgrace.
859. Ṣiddīq : Sincere friend; a term for a highly truthful and devout person, often used for Abu Bakr.
860. Rabbi lā tadhur ʿalā l-arḍ : Qur'an 71:26, part of Noah's prayer.
861. Qurrā’ : Reciters; those who recite the Qur'an, often scholars or memorizers.
862. Awliyā’ : Saints; friends of God, often referring to pious individuals with spiritual rank.
863. Wa lillāhi junūdu l-samāwāti wa l-arḍ : Qur'an 48:7.
864. al-Wartajabī : A Sufi scholar; possibly a misspelling of al-Wartajānī or similar.
865. Li-yaghfira laka Allāhu mā taqaddama min dhanbika wa mā ta’akhkhara : Qur'an 48:2.
866. al-Ḥudaybiyya : A place near Mecca where the Treaty of Hudaybiyya was signed.
867. Li-yudkhila l-mu’minīna wa l-mu’mināti jannātin tajrī min taḥtihā l-anhār : Qur'an 48:5.
868. Ishāra : Allusion; a method of esoteric interpretation in Sufism.
869. Maʿārif : Gnostic knowledge; spiritual insights.
870. ʿĀlim al-ghayb : Knower of the unseen; Qur'an 6:73.
871. Wa yukaffira ʿanhum sayyi’ātihim : Qur'an 48:5.
872. Wa yuʿadhdhiba l-munāfiqīna wa l-munāfiqāti wa l-mushrikīna wa l-mushrikāti al-ẓānnīna bi-llāhi ẓanna l-saw’ : Qur'an 48:6.
873. ʿAlayhim dā’iratu l-saw’ : Upon them is the evil turn; Qur'an 48:6.
874. al-Kursī : The Footstool; a cosmic entity mentioned in Qur'an 2:255.
875. al-Lawḥ : The Preserved Tablet; a celestial tablet containing all decrees.
876. al-Qalam : The Pen; the first creation, used to write destiny.
877. al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr : The Frequented House; a celestial counterpart of the Kaaba.
878. al-Kirām al-Kātibūn : The noble scribes; angels who record deeds.
879. al-Rukn wa l-Maqām : The Corner (of the Kaaba) and the Station of Abraham.
880. Badr : The Battle of Badr, a major early battle in Islam.
881. Innā arsalnāka shāhidan wa mubashshiran wa nadhīran : Qur'an 48:8.
882. Li-tu’minū bi-llāhi wa rasūlihi : Qur'an 48:9.
883. Wa tuʿazzirūhu : Qur'an 48:9; meaning to support and honor him.
884. Wa tuwaqqirūhu : Qur'an 48:9; meaning to venerate him.
885. Wa tusabbiḥūhu bukratan wa aṣīlan : Qur'an 48:9; meaning to glorify God morning and evening.
886. Inna alladhīna yubāyiʿūnaka innamā yubāyiʿūna Allāh : Qur'an 48:10.
887. Yadu Allāhi fawqa aydīhim : Qur'an 48:10.
888. Yadu Allāhi fawqa aydīhim : Qur'an 48:10; repeated for emphasis.
889. al-wahbiyya : Bestowed gifts or knowledge granted directly by God, not acquired through effort.
890. al-Muhammadiyya al-Ahmadiyya : Attributes or stations associated with the Prophet Muhammad, often referring to his spiritual realities.
891. murīdīn : Disciples or seekers on the spiritual path in Sufism.
892. shaṭaḥāt : Ecstatic utterances or paradoxical sayings of Sufi mystics, often expressing deep spiritual states.
893. ʿārifīn : Gnostics; those who have direct experiential knowledge of God.
894. aqṭāb : Poles or spiritual axis in the Sufi hierarchy; the highest ranking saints.
895. awtād : Pegs; a rank of saints who are considered spiritual supports of the world.
896. ʿArafāt : The plain near Mecca where pilgrims gather on the 9th of Dhul-Hijja; here used metaphorically for a place of spiritual knowledge.
897. al-mukhallafīna min al-a‘rāb : Those who remained behind of the Bedouins; a Quranic phrase (Q 9:90) referring to those who lagged behind from jihad.
898. al-awliyā’ al-mukhliṣīn : The sincere saints; those who are close to God and have attained spiritual purity.
899. al-Ṣāliḥ : A title meaning 'the righteous'; here referring to a specific spiritual master.
900. kutub al-qawm : The books of the people; referring to the writings of the Sufi masters.
901. al-jihād al-akbar : The Greater Struggle, referring to the spiritual struggle against the ego and lower desires, as opposed to the lesser struggle (jihād al-aṣghar) of physical combat.
902. al-fanā' : Annihilation of the self or ego in the divine presence, a key concept in Sufism where the individual's attributes are effaced in God.
903. al-istighrāq : Immersion or absorption in the contemplation of God, a state of spiritual ecstasy.
904. al-awrād : Litanies or regular devotional practices, often consisting of specific prayers or Quranic verses recited at set times.
905. Quran 24:61 : The verse from Surah al-Nur (24:61) that exempts the blind, lame, and sick from certain obligations.
906. al-maʿnā al-nabawī : The prophetic meaning, referring to an esoteric interpretation attributed to the Prophet Muhammad.
907. al-ḥubb al-muṣṭafawī : The Chosen love, i.e., love for the Prophet Muhammad, who is called al-Muṣṭafā (the Chosen One).
908. habā al-hawā al-muḥammadī : The dust of Muhammadan desire, a metaphorical expression for the spiritual influence of the Prophet's love.
909. al-wajd al-aḥmadī : Ahmadine ecstasy, referring to spiritual rapture associated with the Prophet's name Ahmad.
910. al-ḥubb al-mawlawī : Mawlawi love, a term possibly referring to the love of the spiritual master (mawlā) or the Sufi order of Mawlawiyya (Mevlevi).
911. al-rukn al-yamānī : The Yemeni corner of the Kaaba, a sacred site in Mecca.
912. Sūrat al-Fatḥ : Surah al-Fath (The Victory), the 48th chapter of the Quran, often recited for protection and success.
913. shaṭḥa : A rapture or ecstatic utterance, often used in Sufism for paradoxical sayings of intoxicated mystics.
914. al-sharīʿa tubīḥu qatlahu : The Law permits his killing, referring to the legal punishment for apostasy or blasphemy in Islamic law.
915. Quran 2:187 : The verse from Surah al-Baqarah (2:187) that says 'These are the limits of God, so do not approach them.'
916. al-Lawī : A place name, possibly referring to a location in Medina or a symbolic site associated with the Prophet's burial.
917. Kaʿb ibn Lu'ayy : An ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad from the Quraysh tribe, known for his noble lineage.
918. Ḥātim al-Ṭā'ī : A pre-Islamic Arab poet and chieftain famous for his extreme generosity, often used as a symbol of munificence.
919. ʿamiya : Became blind, here used metaphorically for spiritual blindness or absorption in divine love.
920. Amīn Allāh : Trustee of Allah, a title for the Prophet Muhammad.
921. Khalīl Allāh : Friend of Allah, a title for Prophet Abraham.
922. Aḥmad ibn ‘Abd Allāh : Ahmad son of Abdullah, referring to the Prophet Muhammad.
923. al-Fattāḥ : The Opener, one of Allah's names.
924. shaṭaḥāt : Ecstatic utterances, often paradoxical sayings of Sufis.
925. Qur’ān 32:17 : Quranic verse about hidden rewards.
926. al-wādī al-muqaddas : The holy valley, referring to the valley of Tuwā where Moses spoke to Allah.
927. awrād : Litanies, regular devotional recitations.
928. Qur’ān 4:13 : Quranic verse about obedience.
929. ma‘ārif : Gnosis, spiritual knowledge.
930. ‘awārif : Divine gifts, spiritual bestowals.
931. Qur’ān 48:18 : Quranic verse about the pledge of allegiance under the tree.
932. sidrat al-muntahā : Lote tree of the utmost boundary, a celestial tree in Islamic cosmology.
933. aqṭāb : Poles, the highest ranking saints in Sufi hierarchy.
934. awtād : Stakes, a rank of saints who uphold the spiritual world.
935. Qur’ān 48:18 : Continuation of the verse about the believers' hearts.
936. murīdūn : Seekers, disciples on the Sufi path.
937. murābiṭūn : Those stationed, often referring to those engaged in spiritual vigil or frontier defense.
938. رِجَالٌ مُّؤْمِنُونَ : Believing men; refers to the hidden saints whose existence repels calamities.
939. لَوْ تَزَيَّلُوا : If they had been separated; i.e., if the believers were distinguished from the disbelievers.
940. لَعَذَّبْنَا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا : Then We would have punished those who disbelieved among them with a painful punishment; a Quranic reference (48:25).
941. إِنْ يَنْصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ : If God helps you, none can overcome you; Quran 3:160.
942. كَلِمَةَ التَّقْوَى : The word of piety; often interpreted as the declaration of faith (la ilaha illa Allah) or sincerity.
943. الْبَرْزَخُ الْجَامِعُ : The comprehensive isthmus; a Sufi term for the intermediary realm connecting the prophetic presence and the community.
944. irhasat : Miraculous events or signs that occur before a prophet's mission, indicating his future prophethood.
945. Quran 33:26 : Reference to the Quranic verse about the defeat of the Banu Qurayza.
946. Quran 59:4 : Quranic verse emphasizing the severity of punishment for opposing God and His Messenger.
947. al-Sayyid al-Wartajabi : A Sufi scholar and commentator, known for his spiritual interpretations.
948. Quran 48:18 : Quranic verse about God's pleasure with the believers at the Pledge of Ridwan.
949. Quran 5:119 : Quranic verse describing the mutual pleasure between God and the believers.
950. Quran 48:18 : Continuation of the verse about sending down tranquility.
951. Ibn 'Ata' : Abu Bakr ibn 'Ata' al-Adami, a Sufi master from Baghdad.
952. Quran 48:25 : Quranic verse about the presence of believing men and women among the polytheists.
953. Sahl : Sahl al-Tustari, a prominent early Sufi saint.
954. Quran 48:26 : Quranic verse about sending down tranquility on the Messenger and believers.
955. tawhid : The oneness of God; the central doctrine of Islam.
956. tafrid : A spiritual state of isolating oneself for God, focusing on His uniqueness.
957. Abu 'Uthman : Abu 'Uthman al-Hiri, a Sufi master from Nishapur.
958. al-Wasiti : Abu Bakr al-Wasiti, a Sufi scholar known for his sayings.
959. al-Junayd : Junayd al-Baghdadi, a foundational figure in Sufism.
960. Quran 48:27 : Quranic verse about the vision of entering the Sacred Mosque.
961. samadiyya : The attribute of being self-sufficient and eternal, derived from 'al-Samad' (the Eternal).
962. wahdaniyya : The state of absolute oneness, referring to God's unity.
963. Sahl ibn 'Abd Allah : Sahl al-Tustari, also known as Sahl ibn 'Abd Allah.
964. Quran 48:28 : Quranic verse about sending the Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth.
965. imāmah : Leadership, especially spiritual leadership; here referring to the prophetic office.
966. Qul ayyu shay'in akbaru shahādatan quli llāh : Qur'an 6:19.
967. Lākini llāhu yashhadu bimā anzala ilayka... shahīdan : Qur'an 4:166 (paraphrased).
968. Muhammadun rasūlu llāhi wa-lladhīna taba'ūhu ashiddā'u 'alā l-kuffār : Qur'an 48:29 (partial).
969. 'arshīyah : Throne-like; referring to the spiritual station of the Throne ('Arsh).
970. farshīyah : Carpet-like; referring to the earthly or physical aspect.
971. Aḥmadīyah : Attributed to Ahmad, another name of the Prophet Muhammad.
972. al-ḥaqīqah : The inner, spiritual reality or truth, as opposed to the outward law (sharī'ah).
973. al-ṭarīqah : The spiritual path or way, often used in Sufism.
974. sīmāhum : Their mark or sign; Qur'an 48:29.
975. Sīmāhum fī wujūhihim : Qur'an 48:29.
976. khābūr : A river; possibly the Khabur River in Mesopotamia.
977. Kānū qalīlan mina l-layli mā yahja'ūn wa-bi-l-asḥāri hum yastaghfirūn : Qur'an 51:17-18.
978. Wa-lā taḥsabanna lladhīna qutilū fī sabīli llāhi amwātan bal aḥyā'un 'inda rabbihim yurzaqūn : Qur'an 3:169.
979. Yubashshiruhum rabbuhum bi-raḥmatin minhu wa-riḍwān : Qur'an 9:21 (paraphrased).
980. ʿaẓīm : Great; referring to the end of the verse: '...and a great reward.'
981. mawlawīyah : Lordly; from mawlā (lord, master).
982. muṣṭafawīyah : Chosen; from Muṣṭafā, an epithet of the Prophet.
983. Dhālika mathaluhum fī l-tawrāh : Qur'an 48:29.
984. wa-mathaluhum fī l-injīl : Qur'an 48:29.
985. Akhraja shaṭ'ahu : Qur'an 48:29.
986. aqṭāb : Poles; in Sufism, the highest spiritual authorities.
987. awtād : Pegs; in Sufism, a rank of saints who support the world.
988. fa-āzarahu : Qur'an 48:29.
989. Afaman kāna 'alā bayyinatin min rabbihi kaman zuyyina lahu sū'u 'amalih : Qur'an 47:14.
990. fa-staghlaẓa : Qur'an 48:29.
991. fa-stawā 'alā sūqih : Qur'an 48:29.
992. muṣṭafawī : Chosen; from Muṣṭafā, an epithet of the Prophet.
993. nakidan : With difficulty, scantily, or reluctantly; a little that is of no benefit.
994. zurrā‘ : Cultivators; here metaphorically referring to the spiritual cultivators, i.e., the saints and scholars who nurture faith.
995. tawḥīd : The oneness of God; the core Islamic doctrine of monotheism.
996. ma‘rifa : Gnosis; direct experiential knowledge of God.
997. mushāhada wa ‘iyān : Spiritual witnessing and direct vision; the highest stages of mystical insight.
998. al-sirr al-maṭlūb : The sought-after secret; a Sufi term for the innermost divine mystery or the hidden reality of the Prophet.
999. sulṭān mu’ayyad : A divinely supported sovereign; here referring to the spiritual authority of the saint or the Prophet.
1000. wa rawa llāhu... : Reference to Quran 9:14-15: 'Fight them; God will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a believing people and remove the anger of their hearts.'
1001. ‘azīz : Mighty; a divine attribute, part of the verse 'And God is Mighty and Wise.'
1002. al-jannatu taḥta ẓilli s-suyūf : A well-known hadith: 'Paradise is under the shade of swords.'
1003. wa‘ada llāhu... : Quran 48:29: 'God has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward.'
1004. lā yarawna fīhā shamsan wa lā zamharīran : Quran 76:13: 'They will not see therein any sun or bitter cold.'
1005. tadhlīlan : Submissive; part of Quran 76:15: 'And their shade will be spread over them, and their fruits will be made near, easy to reach.'
1006. anḥārahā : Rivers; metaphorically, the spiritual life-giving sources.
1007. al-Sayyid al-Wartajabī : A Sufi saint and commentator; possibly a variant of al-Wartajānī or a similar figure.
1008. arsala rasūlahu : Quran 48:28: 'It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth.'
1009. wa li-takūna āyatan li-l-mu’minīn : Quran 2:248: 'And that it might be a sign for the believers.'
1010. mathalu nūrihī ka-mishkātin fīhā miṣbāḥ : Quran 24:35: 'His light is like a niche in which is a lamp.'
1011. nazzalahu ‘alā qalbika : Quran 2:97: 'He sent it down upon your heart.'
1012. ashiddā’u ‘alā l-kuffāri ruḥamā’u baynahum : Quran 48:29: 'Severe against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves.'
1013. tarāhum rukka‘an sujjadan : Quran 48:29: 'You see them bowing and prostrating.'
1014. yabtaghūna faḍlan mina llāhi wa riḍwānan : Quran 48:29: 'Seeking bounty from God and [His] pleasure.'
1015. sīmāhum fī wujūhihim min athari s-sujūd : Quran 48:29: 'Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration.'
1016. wa‘ada llāhu... : Quran 48:29: 'God has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward.'
1017. al-ajr al-‘aẓīm : The great reward; here interpreted as the highest spiritual stations.
1018. saqāhum rabbuhum sharāban ṭahūran : Quran 76:21: 'And their Lord gave them to drink a pure drink.'
1019. al-Qāsim : Possibly a Sufi commentator or a reference to a scholar named al-Qāsim.
1020. 'Azza wa Jalla : Arabic phrase meaning 'Mighty and Majestic,' used as a reverential epithet for Allah.
1021. tawhid : Islamic concept of the oneness and uniqueness of Allah.
1022. Muḍar : A prominent tribe in pre-Islamic Arabia, from which the Prophet Muhammad descended.
1023. al-Muṣṭafā : The Chosen One, a title of the Prophet Muhammad.
1024. ʿĀlij : A place known for its abundant sand dunes, used metaphorically for countless numbers.
1025. liwāʾ al-ḥamd : The Banner of Praise, a standard held by the Prophet Muhammad on the Day of Resurrection under which the righteous gather.
1026. al-Ṣirāṭ : The Bridge, a narrow path over Hell that all must cross on Judgment Day.
1027. al-Ḥawḍ : The Pool of the Prophet Muhammad, from which the faithful will drink on the Day of Resurrection.
1028. Dār al-Salām : The Abode of Peace, a name for Paradise.