The one who remembers [1] the Most High [2] is the one who is remembered [3] by the Most…

The one who remembers [1] the Most High [2] is the one who is remembered [3] by the Most High.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. May Allah bless our master and lord Muhammad, his family, and his companions, and grant them abundant peace. Praise be to Allah, the Originator, the Restorer, the Sovereign, the Doer of whatever He wills, who created creation, and among them are the wretched and the blessed. This one He brought near to His presence, and that one He made wretched, so he is far. We praise Him for His blessings and ask Him for more of His bounty, and we thank Him with declarations of His oneness, glorification, and praise. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, the Faithful, the Praiseworthy. And I bear witness that our master and lord Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, the best of messengers and the noblest of servants, who informed that the scales of his community on the Day of Resurrection will be weighed down by the testimony of monotheism ¹. May Allah bless him and his family with a blessing ² that never ends nor perishes, continuing through the passage of time and enduring with the enduring dominion of Allah, the Mighty, the Glorious. To proceed: I have seen that hearts rust as iron rusts, bodies decay as new clothes decay, days grow short, hopes increase, the time of youth has passed, and the herald of old age calls out: "Is there no restraint for one whose youth has passed and who has not reflected on the Day of Regret and Remorse, the setting of the scales, the crossing of the bridge ³, the flying of the scrolls, and the terror of the Day of Threat?" And he has not pondered the saying of our Lord, Blessed and Exalted: "And the stupor of death will come in truth: that is what you were trying to escape. And the trumpet will be blown: that is the Day of the Threat" ⁴. The world is but confused dreams, the provision is little, and the journey is far. Does he not know—woe to him—that every day his deeds are recorded, even the weight of a mustard seed, while his life has been wasted in idleness, and he has not attained what he desires of his Lord's pleasure? I have inclined my soul to this reminder to remind myself, my family, my brothers, my loved ones, my neighbors, and whomever Allah wills among the free and the slaves ⁵, and to compile it in this composition, making its remembrance and acting upon it—for those whom Allah grants success—the fruit of deeds and the core of the matter ⁶, so that it may be, Allah willing, the mainstay of the wayfarer and the seeker ⁷, and a guidance for the astray and the ignorant to the path of goodness, rectitude, and right action. Some of the knowers ⁸, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "When fresh water flows, dry leaves fall, and new branches emerge, in which flowers bloom and fruits form," indicating this beneficial meaning. So whoever Allah has honored with a sound intellect should reflect on the outcome of pious deeds—whether prayer, fasting, charity, remembrance, or avoidance of the forbidden—and what Allah has promised and prepared for the doer of good in this world and the next, and for whom Paradise and its bliss are created. And let him consider the outcome of worldly pleasure, even if prolonged, and what he obtained yesterday of its desires and delights—of foods, drinks, and clothes—what is its end, what is its consequence, and what is recorded in his scroll from that? And by what will he be saved on the Day of Resurrection ⁹? And what will he be asked about, and what will bring him joy there? Is it by the pleasures he sent ahead or by the good deeds he seized? And ponder the poet's saying: "I asked the abode about their news, so it smiled in wonder and did not appear, until I passed by the grave, and it said to me: 'Their wealth and possessions are with me.'" And let him reflect on the saying of Allah Almighty forbidding being deluded by the world and its adornments, and commanding to turn away from those who prefer it over the Hereafter, in many verses, and the saying of His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in famous hadiths. For Allah Almighty said, informing of its lowly worth and warning of its treachery and evil: "So let not the worldly life delude you, nor let the Deceiver ¹⁰ delude you concerning Allah" ¹¹. And He said: "Know that the life of this world is but play and amusement, and adornment and boasting among you, and competition in increase of wealth and children, like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris" ¹². And He said: "Say, 'The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for he who fears Allah'" ¹³. And there are many other great verses of warning. And the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever desires the honor of the Hereafter ¹⁴ should abandon the adornment of this world. Even if this world were of gold and the Hereafter of clay, the intelligent person would choose what remains over what perishes." And he said: "Whoever loves his world harms his Hereafter, and whoever loves his Hereafter harms his world. So prefer what remains over what perishes." And he said: "I marvel at one who seeks the world while death seeks him." O heedless one of death, while death has demolished the strong pillar of your life! How long will you remain in the sleep of your heedlessness, neither initiating nor repeating? Has not the promise delighted you? Has not the threat warned you? Have you not heard the saying of our Lord, the Majestic King: "And the stupor of death will come in truth: that is what you were trying to escape. And the trumpet will be blown: that is the Day of the Threat"? Woe to you! Wake up for yourself and do what you will meet tomorrow, for death comes suddenly and there is no escape. Who will be for you when those who loved your company have perished, and you are taken to your grave alone, bankrupt, a stranger, solitary? If you are sleeping, O companion, on the Day of Resurrection you will wake up when you see the creatures in the station of threat ¹⁵, and it is said: "Read your book. Sufficient is yourself against you this Day as an accountant" ¹⁶. And you have come to the station ¹⁷ with a driver and a witness. So let your tears flow before it is said publicly: "Did you not know before that the reckoning is severe?" You will see the creatures bewildered from the terror of what they have witnessed, and none of them knows who is wretched and who is blessed. Whoever obeys the Lord is near to Him, and whoever disobeys and opposes Him is far from Him. All hearts have softened, but your heart is hard, as if your heart has become among hearts of iron. Woe to you! Watch your Lord, hear my words, and take heed; perhaps the hardness of your heart will soften in fear of the severe threat. And I have interspersed them with excellent prayers ¹⁸ appropriate in wording and meaning, consistent with their principles in style and structure. So I say—and from Allah I hope to achieve the goal and attain the request—beautiful exhortations and wisdoms that awaken the heedless and rouse the drowsy, and benefits that heal and quench the thirsty, and bequeath dwelling in the abode of honor and winning everlasting bliss, and marriage to beautiful maidens ¹⁹. Whoever acts upon them will ascend to the station of happiness and the dwellings of nearness and closeness ²⁰, and acquire high ranks and strive for the pleasure of our Lord, the Sovereign, the Judge, and follow His Sunnah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and emulate him in secret and in public. So bless him, O Allah, and his family with a blessing by which You preserve our tongues from uttering obscenity and nonsense, and seal for us thereby with the two words of testimony ²¹ and pure faith, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds.

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved, whose ascent and rise You have perpetuated in the highest of stations, and Your chosen one, who attained his hope and purpose from Your pleasure, and Your intimate friend, from whose beneficial and praiseworthy exhortations, and comprehensive and accepted wisdoms that are not rejected, is what has been narrated from him in what he relates from his Lord, that He said: 'My servants, if you know that I am watching over you, why have you made Me the least of those who look upon you? You have wronged yourselves in falling short, and life is short, so what is this heedlessness and confusion? Has it not bequeathed to you, over your life, a jealousy? Your breaths are a count against you, and your states and deeds are present and recorded in your scrolls.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved, who is advanced before You in the processions of the people of righteousness and religion, and Your chosen one, whose foot is firmly established in the ranks of honor and empowerment, and Your intimate friend, from whose exhortations beneficial to the people of watchfulness and designation is what has been narrated from him, that he said: 'Indeed, Allah is at the tongue of every speaker, so their states are not hidden from the Watcher, nor are their secrets concealed from the All-Hearing, the Near.' Is it not sufficient that your Lord is a Witness over all things? And indeed, We created man and We know what his soul whispers to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein, when the two receivers receive him, seated on the right and on the left. He does not utter a word except that there is a watcher ready. Or do they think that We do not hear their secrets and private conversations? Yes, and Our messengers are with them recording. And nothing escapes your Lord, not even the weight of an atom in the earth or in the sky, nor anything smaller than that or larger, except that it is in a clear Book. This is Our Book that speaks against you with truth. Indeed, We were recording what you used to do. So awaken, O servants of Allah, from your sleep, and look at what you have sent forth in your nights and days, and roll up your sleeves for seriousness and effort, and prepare for the Day of Gathering and Calling. Have you not seen the days passing? Also: 'Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.' And it was also said: 'How is the presentation before Allah, the Mighty and Majestic?' He said: 'As for the good-doer, he is like one returning to his family; as for the evildoer, he is like one brought before his master.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved, the humble and repentant, and Your chosen one, who guides his nation on the path of right guidance and correctness, and Your intimate friend, from whose exhortations that elevate the servant to the stations of nearness and closeness is what has been narrated from him, that he said: 'Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures.' And in another hadith: 'Frequently remember death, for whenever you remember it in a time of ease, it narrows it, or in a time of hardship, it expands it.' And it is narrated from him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said: 'Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your occupation, and your life before your death.' And it was said to one of the righteous knowers: 'Advise us.' He said: 'Their father Adam, the prophet of Allah, upon him blessings and peace, committed one sin and was expelled from Paradise, while you commit sins hoping to enter Paradise. O servants of Allah, respond to the caller of Allah with obedience and hearing, and do not be like those whose effort is lost in the life of this world while they think they are doing good work.' Allah the Exalted said: 'So give good tidings to My servants who listen to the word and follow the best of it. Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the people of understanding.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved, sent as a mercy to the near and the far, and Your chosen one, distinguished by the great character and the praiseworthy description, and Your intimate friend, from whose exhortations by which the seeker and the disciple are guided is what has been narrated from him, that he saw some people and said: 'Do you not have, if you remembered the destroyer of pleasures, it would distract you from what I see in you?' Then he said: 'Take provision from the abundance of the destroyer of pleasures, and indeed the grave is either a garden from the gardens of Paradise or a pit from the pits of Hellfire.' And from Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said to Ka'b al-Ahbar: 'Tell us about death.' Ka'b said: 'O Commander of the Faithful, it is like a thorny branch inserted into a man's belly, and each thorn takes hold of a vein, then a man of evil pull takes it and pulls it with an evil pull, cutting what it cuts and leaving what it leaves.' And from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: 'Indeed, my father, may Allah have mercy on him, often used to say: I am amazed at a man who is overtaken by death while he has his mind and tongue, how he does not inform of what he feels. When death came to him, I said: O father, you used to say such and such. He said: O my son, death is too great to be described, but I will describe something of it to you. By Allah, it is as if on my shoulder is the mountain of Radwa and Tihama, and as if my soul is coming out through the eye of a needle, and as if in my belly are the thorns of the qatad tree, and as if the sky has closed in on the earth and I am between them.' And from Jesus, peace be upon him, that the Children of Israel came to the grave of Sam ibn Noah and said: 'O Spirit of Allah, pray to Allah to revive for us the occupant of this grave so that we may hear from him about death.' So Jesus, peace be upon him, came to his grave, prayed two rak'ahs, and supplicated to Allah, Blessed and Exalted, to revive Sam ibn Noah. So He revived him, and he stood up with his head and beard whitened. Jesus, peace be upon him, said to him: 'What is this gray hair? For it was not in your time.' He said: 'I heard the call and thought that the Hour had been established, so my head and beard turned gray from awe.' He said to him: 'How long have you been dead?' He said: 'Four thousand years, and the bitterness of death has not left me. O people, what is this heedlessness of death while life is short? And until when will you persist in idleness and shortcoming? And what is this negligence about what concerns you, and laziness, when the warner has warned you? Do you not know that the grave and the account have a likeness and a destination? And Allah created you for righteous deeds, but you have evil opinion and planning. So until when?'

You are embellishing yourselves while the Critic is discerning, and until when will you persist in your confusion and your inclination to deceive others? So remember, may God have mercy on you, for the matter is severe, and hasten to the remainder of your lives, for regret after death is of no avail. ﴿And the stupor of death will bring the truth: that is what you were trying to flee. And the Trumpet will be blown: that is the Day of the Threat.﴾ O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, ²² Your beloved, whose lineage and kind You have honored above all worlds, and Your chosen one, whose chamber and grave You have illuminated among the prophets, and Your intimate one, from whose admonitions that quell the soul of every envier and remove his conjectures and vigilance, it is narrated that he said: "The stupor of death is more severe than a thousand strikes of the sword, and that you consider seventy of these: all this is more severe than death by seventy times." And therefore, when he, peace and blessings be upon him, was undergoing the throes of death, he would say: "Indeed, death has stupors." And that is because the stupors of death are according to the deeds of each person based on what he did in the abode of this world. It is called the stupor of death because it bewilders the minds at its onset, like a drunken person. And that is because the deeds of the servant appear to him at death with their qualities of beauty and ugliness, desiring the recompense of the action. So the backbiter has his lips cut with scissors of fire, and the listener to backbiting has the fire of Hell inserted into his ears, and the oppressor's soul is dispersed with every oppressed person, and the consumer of forbidden things is presented with Zaqqum ²³, and so on until the end of the servant's deeds, all of which appear at the stupors of death in the dying person, so he experiences them as stupor after stupor. At the end of them, his soul is seized. And that is the meaning of His statement: ﴿That is what you were trying to flee.﴾ Proceed to your Lord, for life is fading away ❖ And death has drawn near, and the days are snatching away Where are the kings and the sons of kings, and those ❖ Who, when people stood in awe, would sit And whose swords in every battlefield ❖ Were feared, and before them were the veil and the guards? They have become in a place of destruction in the midst of a barren land ❖ Prostrate, and between them and the people above them is a covering As if they had never been nor were created ❖ And their mention among people has died and been forgotten By God, if your eyes saw what ❖ The hands of nights have done to them, and the worms devour, You would never benefit from life after them ❖ How could you, when they, the harvest of this world, have withered? O people, remember the saying of God Almighty: ﴿Competition in worldly increase diverts you﴾ That is, boasting about abundance in wealth, children, and lineages has occupied you, ﴿Until you visit the graves﴾ That is, until death overtakes you. ﴿No!﴾ That is, a rebuke and deterrent from competition and boasting, ﴿You will come to know﴾ What the people of competition will be held accountable for in the arenas of the Resurrection, ﴿Then, no! You will come to know﴾ An emphasis on the threat and a reinforcement of the prohibition against it, ﴿No! If you only knew﴾ O people, what you have with God and against you when the stupors of death appear, and the book of deeds is spread out, ﴿Which leaves no small or great thing unaccounted for﴾ (Certainty of knowledge), which is what removes doubt, occupying you with that instead of other things, ﴿You will surely see Hellfire﴾ In the abode of the grave, because every human being is shown his seat in the Fire. If he is fortunate, it is shown to him and he is given glad tidings. Then you will surely see it with the eye of certainty. Then you will surely be asked on that Day about the blessings. It is said: about health and leisure, and it is said: every pleasure the servant enjoys is a blessing. So O you who have spent your time in procrastination and idleness, O you whose heart has hardened from sins and whose eyes have dried from tears, O you whose limbs have aged while you persist in slips, how long will you commit sins openly before Him who knows secrets and hidden inner thoughts? It is narrated from the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him: "He would admonish the people at times, saying: 'O people, populate your graves, for the grave calls out every day seven times: O weak son of Adam, have mercy on yourself in your life before you meet Me. For if you meet Me while you are acting in obedience to your Master, I will have mercy on you and you will see light from Me. But if you do not have mercy on yourself, I will not have mercy on you. I am the house of wealth with long-lasting wealth. I am the house of loneliness with the evil terror and fierceness. I am the house of narrowness with scorpions and snakes. O son of Adam, I am the house of wrath: I do not have mercy on a youth for his youth, nor on a child for his smallness, nor on an old man for his old age. I only have mercy on the one who has mercy on himself.'" Do not feel secure even if you spend the night in a sanctuary * Indeed, death lies on both sides of every person And every friend, even if you are compassionate, will leave you * And every wealth, even if you amass it, will perish O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved who is praised in the rose and the breast, Your chosen one who is preferred over angels, jinn, and humans, and Your intimate one, from whose admonitions that raise hearts to God and awaken thought, it is narrated: "When he saw heedlessness among people regarding the remembrance of death, he would leap to the door of the mosque, take hold of the two doorposts, and call out in a loud voice: 'O people, death has come to you with misery or happiness, with the preponderant joy or the losing one.'" And it is narrated that he, peace and blessings be upon him: "Was in a garden of Banu al-Najjar on a palm tree of his, or it brought him until it was about to throw him, when suddenly there were traces of five or six. He said: 'Who knows the owners of these traces?' A man from the Companions said: 'I do.' He said:

He said: "Lo, every newborn is born to die, and I see no living one who abides forever. Strip yourself of this world, for you came into the world naked. And the best thing you obtain from it is but a little provision that vanishes and comes to an end. So glory be to Him Who, through death, has humiliated every stubborn tyrant among the tyrants, and broken every valiant hero among the kings, bringing them from the spaciousness of palaces to the narrowness of graves, cutting off the long thread of their hopes, joining fathers to grandfathers and infants in cradles, making them dwell in the darkness of tombs, rubbing their cheeks and faces in dust and earth, making equal in that the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the mighty and the lowly, the subject and the commander, the mother and the child. So they became in the prison of graves and the abodes of loneliness ²⁴ and solitude until the Day of Regret and Threat. So remember, O people, your loved ones who have passed away and your peers who have departed and gone. Where are the owners of wealth and what they left behind? They have regretted their negligence; would that they had known! They have witnessed the terror of a station that turns the child gray. 'And the agony of death comes with the truth: that is what you were trying to avoid.' ²⁵ So how strange! Whenever you are called to God, you are sluggish; and whenever exhortations move you to good deeds, you refuse and persist. How often death has warned you, yet you have not awakened! O you whose body is alive but whose heart is dead, you will witness at the time of regrets what you do not desire. 'And the agony of death comes with the truth: that is what you were trying to avoid.' So beware, for this world is but confused dreams and an abode of perishing, a short stay. You will understand my words after a few days, and what is hidden from you in part you will see in full, when unveiling comes and imitation ²⁶ departs. 'And the agony of death comes with the truth: that is what you were trying to avoid.' Woe to you! Do you not know that you journey each day a stage? Do you not know that even a mustard seed of deeds is recorded against you? How many a hopeful one has been betrayed by his hopes in the reckoning, overtaken and seized by the decree of fate, not attaining his desires. 'And the agony of death comes with the truth: that is what you were trying to avoid.' That is, the agony of death comes with what God Almighty promised through His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) regarding the appearance of the Angel of Death and his hosts, the splitting of the ceiling and the unveiling for the deceased at his resting place upon entering his grave, either in Paradise or in Hell. This is the truth mentioned by the Chosen One (peace be upon him) in authentic traditions, concerning faith in the unseen, then the questioning of the grave, and what the deceased encounters of good or evil, as he (peace be upon him) informed of the trials of the Resurrection and the terror of the Day of Threat. May God bless him and his family, a blessing that illuminates our hearts with pure faith and perfect monotheism, and guides us thereby to the path of right guidance, righteousness, and rectitude, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. Peace, as the breeze blows upon the rose, or as the fragrant dew once breathed, upon your gathering, O attendees of the remembrance ²⁷, blissfully, may it grant you the desired goal in the Garden of Eternity. Hold fast to what I have set forth as advice, for advice is only what I say and reveal. Life has passed, and its error has taken hold of the soul, while we are in earnest with procrastination and diversion. Death has in us a return after return, until we occupy graves, tomb after tomb. How many a soul has death changed in the earth, altering its beauty, exchanging comeliness for aversion. After intimacy, it is placed in a grave of loneliness, surrounded by deeds from every side. There is no intimacy except with what one has sent ahead, whether it be a saving good deed or a destructive evil one. His family leaves him behind with regret, tearing garments and shedding tears on the cheek. He is a hostage in a narrow, dark tomb, with worms roaming through his flesh and skin. Until the appointed term, either he is blessed and attains the highest, or else he burns. O company of those with weak resolve and abundant negligence like mine, do you see any escape from the path of error by which we may attain deliverance from the station of rejection? And enter openly into the party of the obedient, so that we may succeed when deeds are presented for scrutiny. 'Verily, the Trumpet will be blown while people are in their paths, markets, and assemblies, so much so that a garment will be between two men, each holding it, and neither will release it from his hand until the Trumpet is blown and he is struck down. This is what He said: 'These wait not but for a single Cry.' ²⁸ And He said: 'The Hour will come while people are in their markets, buying and selling, planting crops, milking camels, and in their shops. 'Then they will not be able to make a bequest, nor will they return to their families.' ²⁹ And the Hour will surely come while two men have spread a garment between them, and they will neither buy nor sell it nor fold it. And the Hour will surely come while a man has repaired his watering trough, and he will not water from it. And the Hour will surely come while a man has turned away with the milk of his she-camel, and he will not drink it. And the Hour will surely come while he has raised a morsel to his mouth, and he will not eat it.' O God, bless and grant peace to our Master and Lord Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the best of those who guided servants to You and saved them from perdition, the most generous of those who led them to good and walked them on the path of guidance, who said: 'Before the Hour, a black cloud will appear to them from the direction of the west, like a shield. It will continue rising in the sky and spreading until it fills the sky. Then a caller will call out: 'O people, the command of God has come, so do not seek to hasten it.' Then he said: 'By Him in Whose hand is my soul, two men will spread a garment and will not fold it; a man will pass by his watering trough and will never water from it; a man will milk his she-camel and will never drink it.' O God, bless and grant peace to our Master and Lord Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the best of those whose remembrance and praise You have made beloved in hearts, the most excellent of those whom You have guided to obedience and through whose guidance You have guided creation. When Abu Hurayra mentioned to him that a man from the Jews in the market of Medina said: 'By Him Who chose Moses above all mankind,' a man from the Ansar raised his hand and struck him, saying: 'Do you say this while the Messenger of God is among us?' So he said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: God Almighty said: 'And the Trumpet will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will swoon, except whom God wills. Then it will be blown again, and behold, they will be standing, looking.' ³⁰ So I will be the first to raise his head, and behold, I will see Moses holding onto one of the pillars of the Throne. I do not know whether he raised his head before me or was among those exempted by God."

Then he ³¹ seized the Trumpet ³² until his back was bent, and he saw that Israfil ³³ had folded his wings to blow into the Trumpet. 'A'isha ³⁴, may Allah be pleased with her, said: 'This I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say.' Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar ³⁵ said: 'This hadith ³⁶ indicates that the blower is other than Israfil.' Al-Qurtubi ³⁷ said: 'Our scholars are unanimous that the one who blows into the Trumpet is Israfil, peace be upon him.' So bless, O Allah, him and his family, the lamps of darkness, and his Companions, who eradicated the worshippers of idols and statues with their swords, a blessing by which our insights are illuminated with the light of opening ³⁸ and inspiration ³⁹, and by which You remove from our hearts, in love for him, the darkness of doubts and illusions, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O you who have a great station ⁴⁰, and who have the banner of praise ⁴¹ and al-Kawthar ⁴², O the highest of creation in rank, and O the most majestic of those who forbid and command, O mercy of Allah, and O intercessor, while people in their gathering are bewildered, The treasure of love for you, O Mustafa ⁴³, for it is the best thing to store, So intercede, for I seek intercession through you, and grant victory, for I seek victory through you, And have mercy, for I seek mercy through you, and mend, for I seek mending through you, And turn towards the sinful servant who comes to your goodness seeking rain, Hoping for the generosity of Your mercy, O Possessor of gifts, while his station of terrors is terrifying, So do not disappoint his hope in you, for you are the greatest intercessor concerning it. And bless, O Lord, al-Mustafa and his family, as long as the seas flow, And his Companions and the Followers ⁴⁴, those who, when mentioned, are with goodness. As long as a lover raves or a cloud rains, and a caravan travels or an army marches. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the magnificent station and the sublime rank, the honored lineage and the pure ancestry, who, when he recited: "And the Trumpet is blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth falls dead, except whom Allah wills" ⁴⁵, it was said to him: 'O Messenger of Allah, who are those whom Allah has excepted in His noble Book?' He said: 'Jibril ⁴⁶, Mika'il ⁴⁷, the Angel of Death ⁴⁸, Israfil, and the Bearers of the Throne ⁴⁹. When Allah takes the souls of the creatures, He says to the Angel of Death: 'Who remains?' He says: 'Glory be to You and exalted are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor, Jibril, Mika'il, the Angel of Death remain.' He says: 'Take the soul of Mika'il.' So he falls like a great mountain.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who follow his way, and the most excellent of those who follow his Sunna ⁵⁰ and his path, the guided ones, who said: 'When the Trumpet is blown, Allah Almighty—and He knows best—says: "O Angel of Death, who remains?" He says: "Your noble Face and Your servant Jibril and those [angels] remain." He says: "Take the soul of Jibril." Then He says—and He knows best: "O Angel of Death, who remains?" He says: "Your noble Face and Your servant the Angel of Death remain." He says: "Die." Then He calls out: "I created the creation and I will bring it back. So where are the tyrants and the arrogant?" No one answers. Then He calls out: "To whom belongs the dominion today?" No one answers. Then He says: "It belongs to Allah, the One, the Subduer." Then He blows into it another [blast], and behold, they are standing, looking.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam ⁵¹ of the Imams of the knowers ⁵², and the eye of the eyes of the leaders who have attained ⁵³, who said: 'When Allah Almighty finished creating the heavens and the earth, He created the Trumpet and gave it to Israfil, who places it on his mouth, his eyes fixed on the Throne, waiting for when he will be commanded.' Abu Hurayra ⁵⁴ said: 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the Trumpet?' He said: 'A horn.' Abu Hurayra said: 'What is it like?' He said: 'Great. Indeed, the thickness of its ring is as wide as the heavens and the earth. He blows into it three blasts: the first is the blast of terror ⁵⁵, the second is the blast of stunning ⁵⁶, and the third is the blast of standing for the Lord of the worlds.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the adornment of Your saints who are devoted to Your remembrance, the infatuated, and the delight of the faces of Your beloved ones who rejoice at meeting You, the gladdened, who said: 'Allah commands Israfil with the first blast, and He says: "The blast of terror." So the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth are terrified, except whom Allah wills. Then He commands him to pass it and nullify it, and it is that concerning which Allah says: "And what do they wait for?"' 'A valley flows from the base of the Throne of water between the two blasts, and the duration between them is forty years. From it every creature—human, bird, and beast—sprouts. If a passerby who knew them before passed by them, he would recognize them on the face of the earth, having changed. Then the souls are sent and they seize the bodies. That is His saying: "And when the souls are paired" ⁵⁷.' Then the narrations agreed that between the two blasts there are forty years. The first [blast] causes every dead person to die. Then Allah gathers the people on the Day of Resurrection on a white, pure earth like a pure loaf of bread, with no landmark for anyone. And it is narrated: 'The people will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection as hungry as they have ever been, as naked as they have ever been, and as exhausted as they have ever been. Whoever fed for Allah, Allah will feed him; whoever gave drink for Allah, Allah will give him drink; whoever clothed for Allah, Allah will clothe him; whoever worked for Allah, Allah will suffice him. Indeed, the earth will be changed on the Day of Resurrection, white like a loaf of bread, from which the people of Islam will eat until they finish the reckoning.' So bless, O Allah, him and his noble family, the poles ⁵⁸, and his noble, excellent Companions, a blessing by which You make easy for us the means, and by which You save us from the trial of the grave and the evil of punishment, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved, by whose appearance regions and places were illuminated, and Your chosen one, by whose lineage types and kinds were honored, who said: 'When the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth are stunned, Allah changes the earth to other than the earth and the heavens. He spreads it, flattens it, and stretches it like leather. "You see no crookedness or curve" ²⁹. Then He drives the creation with a single drive, and behold, they are in this changed earth just as they were in the first: whoever was in its belly and whoever was on its back. Then Allah sends down upon them water from beneath the Throne. Then Allah commands the sky to rain, and it rains for forty days until the water is above them twelve cubits.'

So bless him, O Allah, and his family, with a blessing by which You cause us to die upon the community ⁵⁹ and the Sunna ⁶⁰, and make us thereby among those for whom You have sealed with felicity and raised them in the Abode of Generosity and Favor, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. The best of creation, of whom we have heard no equal, The seal of all prophets, and indeed he Is their orator on the Day of Resurrection before our Lord, His special characteristics, God has not given to any messenger, The intimate friend of the Beloved, the Chosen, the master of creation, We were created for the sake of the Chosen, the best of nations, We are distinguished by him; no metamorphosis ⁶¹ befalls us for our sin, I have hidden my praise in you, O best of creation, My sins have inscribed; how can I hope for deliverance If I have no one to cry out to from your presence? I have lost my life due to my sins and heedlessness, So be for me when I am rebuked for my sins, I have sealed in my heart the knot of my love for you, So neither is the seal undone nor the knot untied. By him the world, the Hereafter, and the Barzakh ⁶² are adorned, He abrogates ⁶³ the first of them in the first of virtue, And the first to be resurrected when the Trumpet is blown, His special characteristics are higher, loftier, and more auspicious, The intimate friend of the Beloved, the Chosen, the master of creation, A speaker ⁶⁴, but where, O people, is the softness? We were created for the sake of the Chosen, the best of nations, Our Law abrogates all laws, We are distinguished by him; no metamorphosis befalls us for our sin, While those before us were metamorphosed for sin. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who led the reins of glory among the prophets and kings, and the most excellent of those who trod the path of the tolerant Hanifiyya ⁶⁵ and followed it, who said: "I am the first from whom the earth will split open and I will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection, then Abu Bakr and 'Umar, then I will go to the people of al-Baqi' ⁶⁶ and they will be resurrected with me, then I will look at the people of Mecca until they come to me, and I will resurrect between the people of the two Sanctuaries ⁶⁷. No dawn breaks except that seventy thousand angels descend, striking my grave with their wings, and they wipe it, and ask forgiveness for me, and bless me until evening; when evening comes, they ascend, and seventy thousand angels descend likewise until morning, until the Hour is established. On the Day of Resurrection, I will come forth with seventy thousand angels." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who became eager in obedience to his Lord, and the most excellent of those who feared His awe and sought to attain His pleasure, who used to say to his companions: "For them is the earth called al-Sahira ⁶⁸, and they will be judged upon it. It is a white earth of silver, on which no blood was shed and no sin was committed. Then the Hour will be established upon the Bridge ⁶⁹, which does not accommodate all creatures. So those who have passed will stand over the edge of Hell, which is like a glowing ember. It is the earth of which God said it is a land of fire. When they cross the Bridge and the people of the Fire enter the Fire, and the people of the Gardens are beyond the Bridge, and they stand at the basins of the prophets drinking, the earth will descend like a pure loaf, and they will eat from beneath their feet. Upon entering Paradise, it was a single loaf (i.e., one disk) from which all creatures eat, from the abundance of Paradise and its varieties, an increase of the great light of Paradise, and an increase of the great severity." (End). So these reports are consistent, and praise be to God. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose lights shone in the hearts of the gnostics ⁷⁰ and manifested, and the most generous of those by whose means the souls of the ascetics ⁷¹ became independent of the world and found solace, who said regarding His words, exalted is He: {When the sky is split open} ⁷² the verse: "I am the first from whom the earth will split open, and I will sit sitting in my grave, and a door will be opened for me to the sky from the direction of my head until I look at the Throne ⁷³; then a door will be opened for me from beneath me, and I look at the seventh earth; then a door will be opened for me on my right until I look at Paradise and the dwellings of my companions. And the earth moved with me, so I said to it: 'What is the matter with you?' It said: 'My Lord commanded me to cast out what is within me and to empty myself, so that I become as I was, when there was nothing with me.' That is His word: {And casts out what is within it and empties itself} ⁷⁴." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the delight of lovers and the rest of their hearts, the basil of the rememberers and the musk of their collars, who said: "O people, you will be gathered to God barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised. Then he recited: {As We began the first creation, We will repeat it. A promise upon Us; indeed, We will do it} ⁷⁵. And the first to be clothed among creation is Abraham, peace be upon him." And he said: A bringer of good news, a warner, a luminous moon, I have made you, O Messenger of God, my wealth And my hope when the debtor appears. You made the mountains move by my Lord's permission, And the truth came and the adversaries gathered. So stand on the Day of Resurrection for me, for I Am to myself, O son of Amina, unjust. To you belongs the creation that encompasses all creatures, By the truth of the Great Creation. O treasure of the destitute, lessen my burden, For I am your bankrupt, destitute servant. I have no treasure, O Messenger of God, as a store To seek refuge in other than you, nor any necessity. So be the hand of my support and the security of my fear, And convey me, by your rank, to what I desire. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master Muhammad, the rising star of the most auspicious sphere of prophethood, and the light of the highest glory of the message, who said regarding His words, exalted is He: {O people, fear your Lord. Indeed, the convulsion of the Hour is a terrible thing. On the Day you see it, every nursing mother will forget what she nursed, and every pregnant woman will deliver her burden, and you will see the people intoxicated, but they are not intoxicated, but the punishment of God is severe} ⁷⁶. "Do you know which day that is? It is the day when God says: 'O Adam, arise and send the contingent of the Fire from your offspring.' He says: 'My Lord, how many are sent to the Fire?' He says: 'From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine, and one remains.' At that, the young child turns gray. {And every pregnant woman will deliver her burden, and you will see the people intoxicated, but they are not intoxicated, but the punishment of God is severe}." This distressed the people, and they said: "O Messenger of God, who is that one?" He said: "From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine, and the one remains. You are that one." He said: "From Gog and Magog ⁷⁷, a thousand, and from you, one. And you among the nations are but like a black hair on a white bull, or a white hair on a black bull." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose ship was sailed in the seas of blessedness and felicity, and the most excellent of those whom You supported with Your divine support and aided his kingdom, who entered the mosque one day with Abu Bakr on his right holding his hand, and 'Umar on his left...

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, Your beloved, the pure and chosen, Your intimate friend adorned in the garments of honor and contentment, whom when the pure white land of the Gathering ⁷⁸ saw, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to him whom Allah made a mercy for His servants, and granted intercession for them on the Day of Decision and Judgment." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who come and those who have passed, the most noble whose star shone in the horizon of happiness and illuminated, whom when the land of the Gathering, illuminated in its regions and spaces, saw, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to the gatherer of nations, whom Allah chose for prophethood and messengerhood and approved." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the light of insight and understanding, the abode of compassion and forbearance, whom when the land of the Gathering, free from injustice and oppression, saw, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to him through whom Allah relieved creation of the greatest hardships, and by whose blessing He removed worry and grief from them." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the bridegroom of the kingdom, lofty in rank and station, the fountain of blessing, noble in family and companions, whom when the land of the Gathering, pure in dwellings and spaces, saw, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to the forbearing, humble, oft-returning one, the messenger who saves his community from the greatest terror and evil punishment." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the essence of the tree of glory, the most victorious, the truthful ambassador of the unseen, the informant, whom when the land of the Gathering, exquisite in beauty and appearance, saw, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to the owner of the Basin ⁷⁹ and Kawthar ⁸⁰, the rider of the noble she-camel and the red camel." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved praised with the crown of felicity and glad tidings, Your intimate friend who leads his community along the paths of gentleness and ease, whom when the land of the Gathering saw, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to the possessor of the Great Intercession ⁸¹, and he through whose appearance the worlds were blessed, both in this world and the next." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, Your beloved of great status and rank, Your intimate friend of pure speech and remembrance, whom when the land of the Gathering and Resurrection saw his face, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to the eraser of sins and burdens, the prophet of mercy who saves his community from the trial of questioning and the punishment of the grave." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved whose honor and pride increase, Your intimate friend who embodies Your command in secret and public, whom when the land of the Gathering and Resurrection saw his face, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to him through whom reward and recompense abound, and through whom the religion of the deniers and disbelievers was nullified." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the locus of divine openings ⁸², the possessor of the Hanif ⁸³ religion and the legal rulings, whom when the land of the Gathering and Resurrection, sanctified and exalted, saw his face, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to him who honored me with his chosen glance and seated him upon the summits of amber and musk dunes." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the spirit of spiritual spirits, the orator of the pulpits of the celestial presences, whom when the land of the Gathering and Resurrection, adorned with the delicate garments of silk brocade, saw his face, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to the best of creation, the succor of the higher and lower worlds." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the secret of the human creature, the mercy of the worlds of existence, whom when the land of the Gathering and Resurrection, purified and luminous, saw his face, its surface rejoiced at his sight and said: "Welcome to him in whose hand Allah placed the banner of praise and granted intercession for his community, the merciful and approved." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Mīm ⁸⁴ of eternal happiness, the Ḥā' of mercy, the two Mīms of sovereignty, and the Dāl of eternity, whom when the land of the Gathering and Resurrection, colored with the velvet of sensory and spiritual flowers, saw his face, it welcomed him and said: "Welcome to the possessor of widespread miracles and Allah's guidance sent to all past and future nations. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, possessors of lofty honors." And his companions, people of beneficial wisdom and growing benefits, a blessing that gathers us with the accepted and saved group, and settles us with him in the highest paradises and their splendid palaces, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O master of the two weighty beings ⁸⁵, O he whose guidance among people is a clear light that is not obscured. And for him is the Hanif religion, the approved creed of the Friend ⁸⁶, and every other religion is rejected. I am in your protection on the day when the sky is folded, the fire blazes, and creation is presented. Bring me to the Basin whose descriptions are such that beyond it are milk and white honey. Look upon me with the eye of Your pardon, for I am hopeful and exposed to Your abundant generosity. And may Allah bless you, O he whose fault is erased by praises from every sin. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the mercy for those who ask and for dependents, the tongue of revelation truthful in promise and speech, whom when the land of the Gathering, prepared for presentation and questioning, the unveiling of secrets and changing of states, saw, it called out to him with the tongue of supplication and entreaty: "Your community, O Muhammad! This is a day when mountains crumble, and from its terror, nursing mothers and children grow gray. Intercede, and you will be granted intercession; ask, and you will be given, for you are the accepted intercessor before your Lord, the Great, the Exalted." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the pearl of mines and shells, the master of kings, slaves, and nobles, whom when the land of the Gathering, exquisite in borders and edges, surrounded by justice and equity, saw, it called out to him with the tongue of tenderness and appeal: "Your community, O Muhammad! Intercede, and you will be granted intercession; ask, and you will be given, for Allah has made you a mercy for the people of crimes and offenses, and for those who confess their sins and faults." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the delight of assemblies and scrolls, the gardens of knowledge with ripe fruits and seedlings, whom when the land of the Gathering, adorned with the beauty of the Merciful, saw, it called out to him with the tongue of honor and welcome: "Welcome, O Ahmad, O praised one, O Muhammad, O chosen one, O Messenger of the Lord of the worlds!"

The land of the Gathering ⁸⁷, which heralds reproach for the people of ill omen and misfortune, was presented to him as a bride is presented, and it called out to him in the language of its state: "Your servant, O Muhammad! This is a day when graves are rent asunder, moons and suns are eclipsed, skulls and heads are crushed, minds are bewildered and cry out in terror. Intercede, and you will be granted intercession; ask, and you will be given. For Allah has made you an intercessor on this grim day, and a defender against harm and misery for your community. O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the embodiment of compassion and mercy, the fulfiller of covenant and trust. When the land of the Gathering, surrounded by majesty and sanctity, saw him, it called out to him in the language of secret wisdom: "Your servant, O Muhammad! Do not surrender her to reproach, punishment, and vengeance. Intercede, and you will be granted intercession; ask, and you will be given. For your Lord has named you the Dispeller of Darkness, the Remover of Distress, and the Intercessor of the Community." ⁸⁸ O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of lofty and magnificent station, of great and sublime rank. When the land of the Gathering, preserved by the eye of veneration and exaltation, saw him, it called out to him in the language of sovereignty and honor: "Your servant, O Muhammad! This is a day when a man will flee from his brother, his mother, his father, his spouse, his children, his close friend and intimate. Intercede, and you will be granted intercession; ask, and you will be given. For you are the one who said: 'I am for her when the prophets and Adam and those below him under my banner hold back.' And I am the Most Kind, the Most Merciful to my community." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad. "Your servant, O Muhammad! This is a day when children turn gray-haired ⁸⁹, the scandals of the wretched and forsaken appear, and the faces of the sinful and disobedient turn black. Intercede, and you will be granted intercession; ask, and you will be given; supplicate, and you will be answered. For you are the succor of the distressed and anguished, the cry of the seeker of refuge, and the refuge of the one who intends and submits." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the treasure of secrets and the imam of the righteous and the virtuous. When the land of the Gathering, the lofty abode and dwelling, saw him, it called out to him in the language of humility and need: "Your community, O Muhammad! This is a day when eyes are fixed in stare ⁹⁰, and states are transformed. Intercede, and you will be granted intercession; supplicate, and you will be answered; ask for your community forgiveness, pardon, and salvation from the Fire." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the cultivation of stations, the title of the outward and inward ⁹¹. When the land of the Gathering, blessed in its directions and places, saw him, it called out to him in the language of joy and beauty: "Your community, O Muhammad! This is a day when scrolls fly, registers are spread, deeds are presented, and scales are set up. Intercede, and you will be granted intercession; ask, and you will be given. For you are the intercessor of sinners and the refuge of the weak and the poor." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the mercy for the far and near, the means of the supplicant and the Answerer. When the land of the Gathering, with its joyful courtyards and sand dunes, saw him, it called out to him in the language of cheerfulness and welcome: "Your community, O Muhammad! This is a day of weeping and wailing, regret and remorse, disappointment and terror. Intercede, and you will be granted intercession; ask, and you will be given. For you are the beloved intimate and the intercessor against the punishment of Hell and the blaze of flame. So, O Allah, bless him and his family with a blessing by which we may delight in his fertile prophetic garden, drink from his wondrous delightful pool ⁹², and be among those who attain the fullest share of Your pleasure and his, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O most noble of creation, the paths have become narrow for me, my thread has become thin, and stratagems have eluded me. I have found no mighty one to seek refuge with, except a Merciful One through whom the messengers seek intercession. He who tucks up his garment ⁹³ protects those who seek refuge with him on the day of tribulation, when... Succor of assemblies if drought befalls them, cave of the weak when fear distresses them. Cloaker of the forsaken wretch whose help is abandoned, honored when others are overcome by shame. Treasure of the poor, door of generosity, before whom kings have humbled themselves, and through whom drought is revived. For orphans, a shelter on the day of their hardship; for widows, a flowing abundant veil. Lion of battalions on the day of war when its furnace is kindled and swords and spears persist. He whose help is sought in the station of terror, and through whom distresses and ailments are removed. Muhammad son of Abdullah is our refuge on the day of calling when fear overwhelms us. The Opener, the Seal, the blessed in his omen, sea of giving, treasure whose benefit encompasses all. Allahu Akbar! Victory has come, worries have been lifted from us, and distress and drought have departed, through a sincere resolve from the Messenger of Allah, and a determination that the resolute hero pursues. Help, help, O master of mankind! Calamities have befallen us, and friend and hope have failed. My gray hair has appeared, and life has fled defeated by the army of sin, with no haste to turn back. Be a succor for the one in distress when he is alone, and be an intercessor for him if his foot slips. In sum, I am a sinner and fearful, and you are a succor for those whose paths have become narrow. May my Lord bless you always and forever, as long as forenoons and origins alternate, and likewise the noble family and companions, with peace, abundant and goodly. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those before whom the burdens of the hopeful are laid, the most generous of those to whom creatures flee from terrors and earthquakes, who said: "There is none among you but that Allah will speak to him without an interpreter or translator between them. And Allah will show me the servant from among you on the Day of Resurrection, and He will place His protection over him and conceal him from the creatures, and raise his book to him within that concealment. Then Allah will say to him: 'Read your book.' He will come across a good deed, and his face will whiten and his heart will rejoice. Allah will say to him: 'Do you recognize, O My servant?' He will say: 'Yes, my Lord, I recognize.' He will say: 'I have accepted it from you.' Then he will fall down in prostration. He will say: 'Raise your head, O son of Adam, and continue in your book.' ⁹⁴ He will come across evil deeds, and his face will darken and his heart will tremble. Allah will say to him: 'Do you recognize, O My servant?' He will say: 'Yes, my Lord, I recognize.' He will say: 'I forgive them from you; I have forgiven you for them.' He will continue to come across a good deed that is accepted, and he will prostrate; and an evil deed that is forgiven, and he will prostrate. The creatures will see nothing from him but prostration, until the creatures will say to one another: 'Blessed is this servant who never disobeyed Allah at all!' They will not see what he has encountered between him and Allah, in what Allah has granted him success."

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the locus of blessings and felicity, the best of those whom the noble follow in stillness and motion, who said: "When a servant repents from his sins, Allah makes his guardian angels forget them, and the places [where they were committed] forget them, and He makes his limbs and the earth forget them, until he meets Allah on the Day of Resurrection with no witness against him for any sin. A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and it will be said: 'Present his minor sins to him.' So his minor sins will be presented to him while his major sins are concealed. It will be said: 'You did such-and-such on such-and-such a day,' and he will admit it without denial, while being fearful of the major sins. Then it will be said: 'Give him in place of every evil deed he did a good deed.' He will say: 'I have sins that I do not see here?' Then the Prophet ﷺ laughed until his molars became visible. A man will be given his scroll on the Day of Resurrection and he will read its top, and behold, his evil deeds are there. When his suspicion becomes bad, he looks at its bottom, and behold, his good deeds are there. Then he looks at its top, and behold, they have been changed into good deeds. Oh, the shame of the servant from the kindness of his Master! Oh, the regret of the heart from hidden favors!" How often have I done evil, and He met me with kindness, With His grace and favor He made me know. O my soul, how many slips my foot has slipped! O my soul, repent to your Lord and strive. O my soul, who will save me on the Day of Reckoning? O my soul, how often has He dealt with me with hidden kindness, And shamed me, while my shame on the day I meet Him [will be great]. In His love, how can I hope for Him and fear Him? And He did not forgive my stumble except [through] Him. And be patient in it with certainty of seeing Him. Tomorrow, other than Him, and my witness is only Him. And He has watched over me in what does not please Him. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master and lord Muhammad, Your beloved messenger as a mercy to all mankind, and Your chosen one, the intercessor for the disobedient on the Day of Presentation and Retribution, who said: "The Scale will be set up on the Day of Resurrection. If the heavens and the earth were placed in it, it would contain them. The angels will say: 'O Lord, who will weigh this?' Allah will say: 'Whomever I wish of My creation.' The angels will say: 'Glory be to You, we have not worshipped You as You deserve to be worshipped.' The Bridge will be placed like the edge of a razor. The angels will say: 'Who will cross this?' He will say: 'Whomever I wish of My creation.' They will say: 'Glory be to You, we have not worshipped You as You deserve to be worshipped.' The Scale has a tongue and two pans, and the keeper of the scales on the Day of Resurrection is Gabriel, peace be upon him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master and lord Muhammad, Your beloved of beautiful qualities and attributes, and Your chosen one selected from pure loins and noble wombs, who said: "People will be reckoned on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever has good deeds more than his evil deeds by one [good deed] will enter Paradise. Whoever has evil deeds more than his good deeds by one [evil deed] will enter Hellfire. Even if the scale is light by the weight of a grain, it will tip. And whoever's good deeds and evil deeds are equal will be among the people of al-A'raf ⁹⁵." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those who called the creatures to You and guided, and the most excellent of those who led his nation on a clear path and a right way, who said: "The servant's evil deeds and good deeds will be brought, and some will be set off against others. If one good deed remains, Allah will expand [his place] in Paradise. The son of Adam will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and will be stood between the two pans of the Scale. He will be suspended by that [pan]. If his scale is heavy, the angel will call out in a voice that all creatures hear: 'So-and-so is blessed with a happiness after which he will never be wretched.' If his scale is light, the angel will call out in a voice that all creatures hear: 'So-and-so is wretched with a wretchedness after which he will never be happy.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master and lord Muhammad, Your beloved of high rank and station, and Your chosen one who is foremost in the processions of those who draw near and approach, who said: "The Scale has a tongue and its two pans. Good deeds and evil deeds are weighed in it. A good deed will be brought in the most beautiful form and placed in the pan of the Scale, and it will outweigh the evil deeds. Then it will be taken and placed in Paradise at his dwellings. Then it will be said to the believer: 'Join your deed.' So he will go to Paradise and recognize his dwellings by his deed. Evil deeds will be brought and placed in the pan of the Scale, and they will be light—for falsehood is light—and they will be dropped into Hellfire to his dwellings therein. It will be said to him: 'Your deed takes you to the Fire.' So he will go to the Fire and recognize his dwellings by his deed and what Allah has prepared for him therein of various kinds of punishment." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master and lord Muhammad, Your beloved of pure lineage and origin, and Your chosen one singled out for the Great Intercession on the Mighty Standing and the Abode of Permanence, who said: "Only the final ends of deeds are weighed. When Allah desires good for a servant, He seals him with the best of his deeds. When He desires evil for him, He seals him with the worst of his deeds. A great tall man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and placed in the Scale.

He said: "So We shall not set up for them on the Day of Resurrection any weight ⁹⁶." And it is narrated concerning His saying, the Exalted: "Utull ⁹⁷"—he is the strong, severe, gluttonous, and drinker; he is placed in the Balance and does not weigh a hair; the angel pushes seventy thousand of such people into the Fire with a single push. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved, whose secret and public are preserved, Your chosen one of clear path and traditions, who said: "A man from my community will be summoned on the Day of Resurrection before all creatures, and ninety-nine scrolls will be spread out for him, each scroll extending as far as the eye can see. Then it will be said: 'Do you deny any of this? Have My recording angels wronged you?' He will say: 'No, my Lord.' He will say: 'Do you have any excuse or any good deed in them?' He will say: 'No, my Lord.' He will say: 'But you have a good deed with Us, and today no wrong shall be done to you.' Then a card will be brought out for him on which is written: 'I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.' ⁹⁸ He will say: 'My Lord, what is this card compared to these scrolls?' He will say: 'You shall not be wronged.' Then the scrolls will be placed on one side and the card on the other, and nothing will weigh heavier than the name of Allah. And he said: 'Excellent! Excellent! What makes them heavy in the Balance: 'There is no god but Allah,' 'Allah is the Greatest,' 'Glory be to Allah,' 'Praise be to Allah,' and the righteous child who dies and for whom a person hopes for reward. And nothing is heavier in the Balance than good character.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who established the Sharia and preserved it, the most generous of those to whom the secrets of prophethood were granted in their realities and what they possess, who said: "Whoever follows a funeral procession will have two qirats ⁹⁹ placed in his Balance, like Mount Uhud. When they meet him, peace be upon him, on the Day of Resurrection, they will stop at a section of the Throne, upon which are two green garments, like a tall palm tree, looking at those of his offspring who are being taken to the Fire. Then he will call out: 'O Ahmad! O Ahmad!' He will say: 'At your service, O father of mankind.' He will say: 'This is a man from your community being taken to the Fire. So intercede, O believer, and hasten in the matter of the angels and proceed, O Messenger of my Lord.' He will say, and they will say: 'We are the stern, harsh ones; we do not disobey Allah in what He commands us, and we do what we are commanded.' Then the son of Qabd ¹⁰⁰, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, will take hold of his beard with his left hand and face the Throne, saying: 'O Lord, You promised me that You would not disgrace me in my community.' Then a call will come from the Throne: 'Obey Muhammad and return this servant to the station.' Then he will bring out from his chamber a white card the size of a fingertip and throw it into the pan of the Balance. And my hope in you is that you will intercede for me; indeed, I am disobedient, and the likes of me deserve blame. So the station of the Chosen One is my fortress when the Balance is set up and creation is bewildered. And when the fires throw sparks, throwing for the disobedient, increasing in blaze. So upon him be Allah's blessings always, as long as morning appears and darkness departs. And this is the description of the Land of Gathering ¹⁰¹, and what it contains of the Balance, the Bridge ¹⁰², and other things. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the eye of eyes, the light of insight for the people of witnessing and vision, who, when the Balance of wondrous form and precision saw him, folded its two pans and asked him for pardon and forgiveness, and said to him: "O Muhammad, intercede and you will be interceded for, ask and you will be given, for you are the eye of mercy and in your hand are the keys of contentment and good pleasure." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of beings, the bride of the paradises of gardens, who, when the Balance of great status and dignity saw him, folded its two pans and called out with the tongue of its state: "O Muhammad, intercede and you will be interceded for, ask and you will be given, for you are the locus of compassion and tenderness, the source of generosity and beneficence." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of good and noble character and abundant strong support, who, when the Balance saw the radiance of his luminous face, folded its two pans under his tongue and came seeking intercession for his community and entry under his fortress and lofty station. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of the pure and clean body and the enlightened pious heart, who, when the Balance saw the brilliance of his manifest secret, folded its two pans under his tongue and came seeking his pleasure for his community and the fulfillment of his truthful and faithful promise. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the essence of sublime honor and the rain of abundant giving, who, when the Balance saw the blessing of his growing grace, folded its two pans under his tongue and came seeking pardon for his community and protection under his protective sanctuary. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the pride of noble leaders and the summit of ancient glory, who, when the Balance saw the loftiness of his majestic rank, folded its two pans under his tongue and came seeking refuge in his magnificent station, asking for his community the acceptance of reward and immense recompense. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the dawn of prophethood shining forth, the moon of messengerhood rising, who, when he tended to the Balance with the proof of his decisive secret, folded its two pans under his tongue and came seeking salvation for his community and entry under his mighty shelter and vast sanctuary. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, lofty in rank and aspirations, the fountain of knowledge and wisdom, who, when he tended to the Balance with his abundant forbearance and generosity of soul, munificence and kindness, folded its two pans under his tongue and came seeking emancipation for his community from the heat of the blazing Fire and the torment of Hell. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the adornment of sermons and speeches, the answerer of the prayers of the near ones, who, when he tended to the Balance with his high stations and ranks, folded its two pans under his tongue and came seeking for his community the pleasure of their Lord, who gives glad tidings of attaining the goal and achieving the desire. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the pole of nobility, noble in rank and lineage, the necklace of glory, perfect in care and honor, who, when he tended to the Balance with his relief of hardships and distresses, folded its two pans under his tongue and came seeking safety for his community from the afflictions of perils and destruction. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of patrons and the righteous, the treasure of gifts and secrets, who, when he tended to the Balance with his exalted status and measure, folded its two pans under his tongue and came seeking security for his community and success in everlasting bliss in the Abode of Permanence. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the path of the beginning, pure in word and deed, the perfect in knowledge, sound in transmission and narration, who...

When he saw the Balance ¹⁰³ and what it held of proximity and union, he folded its two pans under his tongue and came seeking relief for his community from the terrors of that day, full of tremors, earthquakes, and horror. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the overflowing sea of generosity, the fragrant garden of beauties, who, when he saw the Balance—its radiant moon and dazzling secret—folded its two pans under his tongue and sought protection for his community from the evil of the reckoning and the overwhelming force of punishment. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the decisive tongue of truth, the imam of the presences that attain union, who, when he saw the Balance—its just authority and perfect dominion—folded its two pans under his tongue and sought safety for his community and the attainment of happiness in this world and the next. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the clear path of religion, the possessor of sound opinion and righteous action, who, when he saw the Balance and what it holds of benefits for the servants of God and their interests, folded its two pans under his tongue and sought concealment for his community on that day when realities are realized and scandals appear. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best towards whom hearts yearn, the most excellent to whom journeys are made and the burdens of hope are laid before him, who, when the Balance saw him, folded its two pans and said: "Welcome to him to whom God said: 'O Muhammad, admit to Paradise those of your community who have no reckoning upon them.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best whom You guided to goodness and for whom You opened doors, the most generous whom You guided to obedience and for whom You facilitated the means to the path of happiness, who, when it saw him, folded its two pans and said: "Welcome to him from whose community God has made seventy thousand who enter Paradise without reckoning, whose deeds are not weighed and who are not given a book." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best whose rank the praiser has exalted and magnified, the most excellent whose innermost being yearning has folded in love and determination, who said: "Welcome to him who, when I place the card of blessing upon him ¹⁰⁴ in my pan, it outweighs, and the angel calls out: 'Verily, so-and-so has invoked blessings upon Muhammad,' and he attains a happiness after which there is no misery, by the blessing of invoking blessings upon him, may God bless him and grant him peace." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best who manifested and proclaimed the religion, the most excellent whose hearts are his abode and homeland, who, when the Balance saw him, folded its two pans and said: "Welcome to him who, when he places his name along with the testimony ¹⁰⁵ in my pan, it becomes heavy, and God says to the possessor of that testimony: 'Verily, you have with Us a good deed.'" So bless him, O Allah, and his family, a blessing that imbues us with his good and beautiful character, and guides us thereby to his noble and commendable actions, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. My beloved, cure my ailment in meeting you ❖ Be kind with contentment, my soul be your ransom You are the goal, in you is the healing of my heart ❖ And I have no healing in other than you At your door I have placed the treasure of my gray hair ❖ And I have rubbed my cheeks on your banner I have directed my hope to your exalted door ❖ Perhaps, my beloved, I may see you By your grace, O Messenger of God, be for me ❖ For grace is what your hands have wrought O Messenger of God, intercede, be an intercessor ❖ With the Generous Lord, who is pleased with you Upon you and your family be my greetings ❖ And upon the Companions and all who follow you Its author—may God pardon him, grant him a good end, increase his gift, and honor his abode in both worlds—said: Know, may God preserve you, that discourse on this physical Balance necessitates discourse on other spiritual balances, by which are the states of the elite, their stations, ranks, and signs. We have brought this here so that the benefit may be complete and that he whom God desires good for may be adorned thereby, and an increased wisdom may be cast into his heart. That is because God—exalted is He—has balances that do not change with the change of events, nor with the passage of time and place. Each of these balances has a position, a station, a state, a witnessing, and signs. Among them are for the lovers, for the infatuated, for the devoted, for the yearning, for the humble, for those who groan from the overwhelming force of the dominions of ecstatic states, for the ecstatics, for the workers, and for the weepers. By them, He—exalted is He—weighs their aspirations and the measures of their love in the time of His separation and the season of His trial, and He fully rewards them according to the majesty of His rank and the perfection of His care and secret, and countless nearness of witnessing Him and the beauty of His union. So He opens for them the treasuries of His generosity in pre-eternity and the gifts of His perfection. And He has a balance for the knowers ¹⁰⁶ by which He weighs their breaths. He places every breath of their breaths, kneaded with the breath of the dawn of the spirit of pre-eternity, in one pan, and places all temporal events in the other. Then the pan containing the breath of the knower outweighs, since temporal events have no weight beside it, because it emerged from the unseen of the All-Merciful, illuminated with the light of witnessing and certainty. Verily, deeds and balances are diverse. Justice is the balance of God on earth. Whoever weighs his deeds with the balance of justice is among the worshippers. Whoever weighs his movements with the balance of justice is among the lovers. Whoever weighs his thoughts and breaths with the balance of justice is among the knowers. The balances of justice in this world are three: the balance of the soul and spirit, the balance of the heart and intellect, and the balance of knowledge and the secret ¹⁰⁷. The balance of the soul and spirit is the command and prohibition, and its two pans are promise and threat. The balance of the heart and intellect is faith and divine unity, and its two pans are reward and punishment. The balance of knowledge and the secret is contentment and displeasure, and its two pans are flight and joy. Whoever weighs the actions of the soul and spirit with the balance of command and prohibition in the two pans of the Book and the Sunna attains ranks in the Gardens. Whoever weighs the movement of the heart and intellect with the balance of faith and divine unity in the two pans of reward and punishment hits the ranks and is saved from all hardships. Whoever weighs the thoughts of knowledge and the secret with the balance of contentment and displeasure in the two pans of flight and joy is saved from that from which he fled and reaches what he sought. So his life in this world becomes one of flight, his departure from it one of seeking, and his end one of ultimate joy. Whoever desires to attain union with the lineage ¹⁰⁸ must flee from lineage, for lineage is a veil for every seeker and a calamity for every desirer. Glory be to Him who elevates His saints to the highest ranks and raises their aspirations to the most perfect degrees and the loftiest goals, and waters their hearts from the purest sources and the sweetest drinks, and enriches them from means by what He has granted them through the perfection of His bounty: the attainment of objectives and the achievement of desires. The knowledge of manifestation ¹⁰⁹ is a knowledge that none grasps ❖ Except he who has gathered the extremities and the center It has penetration in every calamity ❖ By it, in the worlds, he prevails O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the spirit of spiritual spirits, the handful of most holy spirits, who, when the balance of the people of the secret saw him...

And of the particularity, supported by the prophetic law, the schools, and the divine sciences ¹¹⁰, he folded his two pans ¹¹¹ under the shining lights of his Ahmadine ¹¹² effulgences and the flood of his Ahmadine outpourings, and the tongue of his state called out: "Help, help, O Muhammad! Intercede, you will be interceded for; ask, you will be given. For never has one failed who entered under your pure and blessed tree and clung to the hem of your accepted and pleasing love." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of the praised name, the pious heart, and the sincere tongue (114), whom when the balance of the soul and spirit saw—described by command and prohibition, lightness and return—he folded the two pans of his promise and threat, and the tongue of his state called out: "Help, help, O Prophet of Allah, the Forbearing, the Forgiving! Intercede, you will be interceded for. For you are the open door of Allah, the treasury of His vast generosity, and His bestowed secret." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the fountain of bounty, generosity, and grace, the ascension of progression for the people of openings ¹¹³ and proximity, and the union whom when the balance of the heart and intellect saw—described by faith, tawhid ¹¹⁴, equity, and justice—he folded the two pans of his reward and punishment, and the tongue of his state called out: "Help, O Seal of the Prophets and Master of the Messengers! Intercede, you will be interceded for. For Allah has praised you with the great character in the text of the Qur'an and the authentic transmission, and sent you as a mercy to the strong, the child, the youth, the old, and the mature." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, (115) the garden of beauties, fragrant of sleeves and scent, the edifice of abodes, pleasant in speech and remembrance, whom when the balance of the thoughts of gnosis ¹¹⁵ and the secret saw—described by contentment, displeasure, and compulsion—he folded the two pans of his flight and ecstasy, and the tongue of his state called out: "Help, help, O great in rank, crown of care and pride! Intercede, you will be interceded for. For you are the eraser of sins and burdens, the intercessor of creatures on the Day of Gathering and Spreading. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, the shining stars, and his companions, the lions of battle and swords of victory, a blessing by which You magnify for us reward and recompense, and protect us from the trial of the questioning and the torment of the grave, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds." * By Allah, long has been my occupation with sins, * And I have persisted in ugly deeds. * Would that I knew, when I come alone, * And the scales are set up around me, And the registers are all spread out, What is my stratagem and what shall I say to my Lord, Then my wealth will not avail me there, In my questioning and what my speech will be. (116) O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the spirit of the spirits of the higher and lower worlds, the element of noble qualities whose light preceded in the barzakh ¹¹⁶ of spiritual souls and the eternity of eternities, the sultan of climes whose bride ascended in the manifestations of majesty and beauty, the clear landmark whose secret permeates the subtleties of universals and particulars, the messenger of battles whom when the balance of truth saw—by which are weighed the states of the people of sincerity and affirmation, of devotion and righteousness, and the sayings of the people of knowledge and action and turning to Allah, the purity of intentions, the humming of ecstatic utterances ¹¹⁷ and attractions, the annihilation of the people of annihilation and their annihilation from their annihilation and their absence in the beauty of the Essence transcendent from corporeality and accidentality, and the varieties of illusions and imaginations, and the shock of the people of sobriety and effacement ¹¹⁸ and their dissolution in the seas of Oneness and Unicity and the sciences of inspirations and receptions—called out with the tongue (117) of lordly opening ¹¹⁹ and manifest unveiling: "Your beloved ones, O Muhammad, and your chosen ones, O Muhammad! Ask for them success, support, guidance, steadfastness, and help in bearing the burdens of sainthood ¹²⁰, the secrets of miracles and lordly openings, and progression to the highest ranks and most exalted stations. For they are the people of your affiliation and the servants of your service, the companions of your presence purified from human follies and the accidents of soulful desires. For whoever among them deviates from these balances falls from the place of acceptance, is driven from the doors of entry to the presence of nearness and purity, and understanding the meanings of the symbols of hidden secrets." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the tongue of the people of earnest striving and conversations, the address of the people of proximity, closeness, and unions, whom when the balance of turning to Allah with pure intentions and good dealings saw—by which the servant weighs himself in the station (118) of spiritual exercises and struggles, and weighs his heart in the station of approaches and contemplations, and weighs his intellect in the balance of reflections and considerations, and weighs his spirit in the station of conduct and progression to the highest stations, and weighs his secret in the station of witnessing and surveying the unseen, and weighs his form in the balance of states and dealings—whose two pans are the reality ¹²¹ and the path ¹²².

His tongue is the Sacred Law (al-Sharīʿah), and his pillar is justice and equity, leading to the fulfillment of commands and the avoidance of prohibitions. The tongue of his state called out: "Your beloved ones, O Muhammad, and your chosen ones, O Ahmad, for they are the treasures of Your wisdom and Your grace, and the intercessors for Your community. So ask for them preservation and care in the paths of guidance they have traversed, the purification of souls, and the direction toward Allah, and in what they have desired of acquiring good deeds and righteous works. For whoever weighs his self (nafs) with the scale of the Sacred Law, his heart with the scale of gentleness, his intellect with the scale of light, his spirit with the scale of joy, his secret with the scale of attainment, and his form with the scale of acceptance, and his scales become heavy with what has been mentioned—then the reward for his self is security from flight, the reward for his heart is the witnessing of longing in radiance, the reward for his intellect is the contemplation of the attributes, the reward for his spirit is the unveiling of the lights of the Essence, the reward for his secret is the perception of the secrets of the holy things, and the reward for his form is sitting in the assemblies of eternal union. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the desire of the beloved and the companions, the lamp of the pillars (al-awtād) and the poles (al-aqṭāb), and the model for the imams and the noble leaders, whom—when the scales of the people of realities, who traverse the path of guidance and correctness, and the masters of subtleties, who ascend to the stations of nearness and proximity—saw, and they are seven: the scale of will (īrādah), the scale of love (maḥabbah), the scale of longing (shawq), the scale of passionate love (ʿishq), the scale of knowledge (maʿrifah), the scale of certainty (yaqīn), and the scale of divine oneness (tawḥīd) that leads to the Lord of lords—they called out with the tongue of blossoms, ecstasy, bewilderment, and admiration: "Your beloved ones, O Muhammad, and your chosen ones, O Ahmad. So lift from them reproach, open for them the doors, ease for them difficult works and hard states, and make heavy for them these seven scales with kinds of good deeds and an increase of reward and recompense. For the scale of will is balanced by one whose self submits to the Truth when the decree and destiny flow upon it with modesty, patience, and good conduct. The scale of love is balanced by the lover whose heart witnesses the perfections of his Lord, which are exalted above blameworthy thoughts and kinds of doubts and suspicions. The scale of longing is balanced by the one who longs, whose intellect roams in seeking the knowledge of witnessing without weariness, foolishness, or turning to other than his Lord, the King, the Bestower. The scale of passionate love is balanced by the passionate lover whose spirit flies in the dominion (al-malakūt) to seek the realm of power (al-jabarūt) and to lift the coverings of the veil. The scale of knowledge is balanced by the knower (al-ʿārif) whose secret is illuminated by the attribute of witnessing to see the lights of the unseen, and who dives into the sea of understandings to seek hearing the jewels of revelation and receiving the address. And the scale of certainty is balanced by the believer whose breaths ascend, when they breathe, to the carpet of nearness without the distractions of souls or the dust of whisperings that prevent the lifting of veils and the removal of the covering. And the scale of divine oneness is balanced by the unitarian (al-muwaḥḥid) whose entire existence is annihilated in the lights of the majesty of pre-eternity and the passing away of the glories of eternity, in the perception of whose realities the perceptions of the possessors of insight and the intellects of the people of understanding are bewildered. So whoever has these seven scales made heavy for him succeeds from the barriers of trials and the observance of the obstacles of others and the accidents of... And the scales of the Divine Presence will be made heavy for him tomorrow by the outpouring of the lights of the attributes of the Truth, the subtleties of His Essence, and the noble honors of His attributes of high rank and station. So he succeeds there by Allah, away from other than Allah, and becomes of the people of Allah, because he has departed from the scales of His attributes and the lights of His Essence through the attribute of knowledge, divine oneness, and love. So blessed is this self-accountant, blessed is he, and good is the final return. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved, the intercessor whose intercession is accepted, and Your chosen one, whose terror of the bewildered thought and the frightened mind is calmed, whom—when the scale of the true, spiritual, elevated secret and the scale of the apparent, perfect, protected Sacred Law saw—each of them called out with the tongue of its state: "Your community, O Muhammad, for You are its impregnable fortress, its invincible refuge, the strong rope of its Sacred Law, and the broad path of its religion. For their deeds are weighed with the scale of sincerity (ikhlāṣ) and their states with the scale of truthfulness (ṣidq). So whoever's deeds are accompanied by hypocrisy and showmanship are not accepted, and whoever's states are tainted by pride and self-admiration are not raised. And You have said: 'The good deeds and the evil deeds are weighed in a scale that has a tongue and two pans. As for the believer, his deed is brought in the most beautiful form and cast into the pan of the scale—and it is the truth—so his good deeds outweigh his evil deeds. Then his deed is placed in Paradise, and he recognizes it by his deed. That is His, exalted, saying: "Then those whose scales are heavy—it is they who are the successful."' And they know their stations in Paradise better than the people of Paradise when they depart to it, so each of them comes to his station quickly. As for the disbeliever, his deed is brought in the ugliest form and placed in the pan of the scale—and it is falsehood—so its weight becomes light until it is placed in the Fire. Then it is said to him: 'The truth is with your ugly, wasted deed.' So bless him, O Allah, and his family, as long as the fragrance of his Muhammadan discourse spreads in assemblies and diffuses, and his Ahmadine law prevails in the regions and branches out, and his knowledge flows in the hearts of the knowing scholars and diversifies—a blessing by which we become among those who fear their Lord and humble themselves, and abstain from the embellishments of this world and its familiar things, and are scrupulous—and grant abundant, exalted peace. And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Al-Muṣṭafā, the eradicator of error, and through whom people traverse the best path to guidance, He whose reports, before his mission, were successively transmitted from the East, with clarity and following, And by his mention, the reports of old truly informed, and his origin was in the noblest place, At his blessed birth, wonders appeared in time that before his birth had not been heard. Who can count the virtues of the Chosen One? Or who can encompass their totality? O companion, if you desire bliss to attain it, to win the great, most exalted fortune, Then make him the best means to the Merciful, with humility, gentleness, and reverence. And when you call upon Allah, proclaim aloud: "O He to whom is my seeking of means and my supplication, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the High, by Muhammad, the best of mankind, intercede, Forgive Your servant and pardon what he has committed—for people have no hope in other than him, For he is the hoped-for for intercession tomorrow, and remember the yearning one after the return." May Allah bless him as long as the east wind blows. And this is the description of those scales, as you see in the following leaf. O Allah, You have set up scales for the people of Your love and affection, and the elite of Your elect, Your poles (aqṭāb), Your pillars (awtād), and the companions of Your Presence from the elite of Your ascetics and worshippers, and the people of guidance to You from those who follow Your Sunnah and the paths of Your right guidance. They weigh with them their selves, their states, their words, their deeds, their spiritual exercises, their struggles, their watchfulness, and their witnesses, and You have made them heavy, by Your grace and generosity, to distinguish for them between truth and falsehood, union and emptiness, the high and the low, the deficient and the perfect. And You have supported them in that with the lights of Your guidance and the secrets of Your care, until their states were perfected, their deeds purified, and their works accepted. And You said concerning them: "Then those whose scales are heavy—it is they who are the successful." So honor me, O my Lord, with that with which You have honored them, support me with that with which You have supported them, and make me fortunate with that with which You have made them fortunate.

You have made them happy, and be pleased with me through that with which You were pleased with them, and gladden me with that with which You gladdened them, until they became such that no scale is raised for them, no register is unfolded for them, and their states are not tested in both abodes ¹²³—as a favor and beneficence from You, and as generosity and grace from You, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. My God, looking at my sins frightened me, and looking at Your generosity made me feel secure; looking at my work made me despair, and looking at Your forgiveness made me hopeful; looking at my crimes bewildered me, and looking at Your forbearance made me sleep; looking at my remoteness disturbed me, and looking at Your munificence encouraged me; looking at what I am required to do warned me, and looking at reliance on good opinion of You gave me glad tidings; looking at what I have sent before me distanced me, and looking at the vastness of Your mercy brought me near; looking at my scale cut me off, and looking at the love of Your Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, connected me. So here I am, my Master, between fear and security, joy and sorrow, weeping and tears, groaning and sighs, griefs and worries, regrets and weeping, moaning and agonies. So what is my excuse, my Master, when the scales are set up, and the limbs testify to what has been recorded in the scrolls and registers ¹²⁴, and the secrets of the people of false claims and noble ones are tested, and the scandals of the people of ill-omened deeds of deceit, innovations, and crimes appear? So grant me security, my Master, from my terror and fear, and have mercy on my coquettishness ¹²⁵, and accept my excuse, answer my prayer, overlook my slip, and grant my intercession for myself, my family, my children, my parents, my relatives, and my brothers. Do not take me to task for what I have committed against myself from my youth to my old age, nor for what I have done in my travels and my stays, nor for what I have neglected from my gray hair to my decrepitude, nor for what I have plunged into from my existence to my non-existence, nor for what I have incited others to or striven for with my feet, nor for what I have presented or alluded to or pointed at or stated explicitly with my mouth, nor for what I have boasted of from my knowledge, learning, and wisdom, nor for what I have written with my hand and traced with my pen, nor for what I promised You in my illness and then broke after my recovery from my sickness, nor for what I have acted arrogantly toward my peers, or harmed my companions, friends, family, and servants, nor for what I have concealed in myself while showing the opposite—for You have not exposed me among Your servants, nor have You torn my veil. Deal with me, my Master, with Your pardon, and take care of me with Your hidden kindness, and meet me with Your tenderness, compassion, and affection, O Most Generous of the generous, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. My God, You are my Lord, and I am Your servant. Everything befits its description; Your description is perfection, and my description is the acknowledgment of servitude, incapacity, and failure to fulfill the rights of Lordship and to give thanks for blessings. My God, am I not just I, and are You not just You? What will You do with me, my Master, while I am the incapable one who has no power to avoid disobeying You except through Your protection, and no strength to obey You except through Your success? And what effect do sins have on the ocean of Your mercy, while You are the Vast in mercy? And crimes do not diminish the gifts of Your favor, while You are the One who extends both hands with forgiveness and blessing. My God, if You veil me from You, then whom do I witness? And if You distance me from the presence of Your Lordship, then whom do I follow? Are You not in reality alone, and am I not in reality Your servant? You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You created me, and I am Your servant, and I am upon Your covenant and promise as much as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favor upon me, and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for none forgives sins but You. Have mercy on me, and free my gray hair from the Fire, and bestow upon me what You have bestowed upon Your righteous chosen ones and Your beloved elect, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. By Your face, do not torment me, for I confess what has come from me. How many sins with faults have You forgiven, while You are Possessor of bounty and grace? When I think of my foot upon it [the bridge], I bite my fingers and gnash my teeth. People think well of me, but I am the worst of people if You do not forgive me. I have no device except my hope and Your pardon, if You pardon, and my good opinion. So deal with me by Your bounty, my God, and be for me on the Day of Resurrection and pardon me. O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You have guarded in his secret and private counsel, and the most excellent of those whom You have caused to attain from Your pleasure his aim and desire, who said: "Verily, over Hell there is a bridge ¹²⁶ that is narrower than a hair and sharper than a sword, and it is a state with its side for the flames and many thorns, by which God detains whom He wills from His servants. The earthquakes and slips are commanded, and the angels on its sides stand saying: 'O God, grant safety, grant safety.' Whoever comes with truth passes, and they are given light according to their faith and deeds. Among them are those who pass like a flash of lightning, among them those who pass like the passing of the wind, among them those who pass like the passing of a bird, among them those who pass like the passing of a swift horse, among them those who pass like the passing of a man, among them those whose light reaches to the place of his foot, and among them those who crawl, with fire falling from them due to sins." What do the poor like me, who abound in slips, have except the intercession of the best of creation and messengers? O sinners, stand at his door and ask for success through him, that you may attain the ultimate hope. I stood around his sanctuary seeking refuge with him, with head bowed from sin and shame. Perhaps the care of God's kindness will catch up with me among the forerunners, for I have been hindered by laziness. I have never forgotten certain nights that passed for us in Medina ¹²⁷ and a time of happiness that came to me, while we were in a sanctuary that elevates its dweller above the sky, the earth, the plain, and the mountain. How noble is that spot, honored by the Chosen One ¹²⁸ above all places, and which contains the most noble of messengers! More majestic than the homeland of dust and more excellent than anyone who walked on the earth, barefoot or shod. I am longing for the land of al-Baqi' ¹²⁹; perhaps I may see your tomb before the end of my term. I am a guest of the Messenger of God, whose prophethood was established with God in pre-eternity. By the glory of your rank with God, take my hand, O master of masters, the later and the earlier. O you who have the highest procession at our gathering, while people are in awe of the Almighty, you are the succor when all creatures stand tomorrow, while they are occupied with distress and terrors. At the bridge, help us, O intercessor, so that we may pass like lightning or like the wind in haste. And intercede for us for the arrival at the Pond ¹³⁰, from which we may drink something sweeter in taste than sweets and honey. So we ask God for nearness to your neighborhood in the Gardens of Eden, with houris and garments. O mercy of God, O light of existence, help one who has no steadfastness against terror and boredom. O Lord, I am weak, fearful, trembling, holding fast to the Messenger of God that he may intercede for me. Whenever I have remembered You, my distresses have been relieved, and whenever I have sought You, my ailments have been cured. From Your gifts I have become independent of worldly goods; with You is all wealth, O treasure of every saint. Upon you be the most pure blessings of God as long as the sun rises and as long as a traveler travels on the paths. Then may God be pleased with Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and then the Imam of the ascetics, 'Ali. And this is the description of the bridge set up over the bridge of Hell, its hooks, its grapnels, and its thorns. May God protect us from that by the rank of the Prophet and his family. O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad.

(140) The ultimate goal of my desire and aspiration, the path of my guidance and the guide of my way, who said: "When the Bridge ¹³¹ blows fiercely upon my community, they call out: 'O our beloved, O Muhammad,' and I hasten out of intense compassion for them, while Gabriel holds my waistband, and I call out raising my voice: 'My Lord, my community! My Lord, my community! I do not ask You today for myself nor for Fatima my daughter.'" So, O Allah, bless him and his family, a blessing by which You forgive my slip, accept my apology, make my foot firm upon the Bridge, and have mercy on my family, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the alchemy ¹³² of the secret and wisdom, the hand of generosity, chivalry, and grace, who, when he saw the Bridge and what it contained of tenderness for his community, compassion, and mercy, the tongue of his state called out: "O Remover of distress, and Reliever of every hardship and crisis, relieve this Muhammadan community, reward it quickly, and save it from every punishment and vengeance." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, (141) the beloved of the worshipped Lord, the possessor of the Praiseworthy Station ¹³³, and the Pond ¹³⁴ to be visited, who, when he saw the Bridge and what it contained of generosity, bounty, truthfulness in word and deed, and fulfillment of covenants, the tongue of his state called out: "O Most Merciful, O Compassionate, O Loving, O Forbearing, O Generous, O He who is praised in all His actions, strangle the throat of this Muhammadan community, and fulfill for it what promises it has from me, and bring it, by its good hope in You and in Your beloved our master Muhammad, to the utmost of its hope and goal, for Your mercy encompasses all that exists, and the supplicant to You is accepted, not rejected." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the lamp of the worlds and the mirror of witnessing and vision, who, when he saw the Bridge and what it contained of perfect modesty, faith, forbearance, generosity, and excellence, the tongue of his state called out: "O Possessor of bounty and favor, pardon, forgiveness, and remission, deliver this Muhammadan community from places of misery (142) and abandonment, from slippery slopes of disgrace and humiliation, be kind to it, save it from the heat of Hell and the torment of fire, and grant intercession for it to its Prophet and refuge, our master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the best of the children of Adam and Adnan." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the crown of the people of speciality and perfection, the center of the circle of the people of proximity and union, who, when he observed the Bridge and what it had of veneration, majesty, abundant honors, and qualities, he demolished its arches surrounded by terror and fear, and the tongue of his state called out: "O Great in bounty and giving, O Merciful to the supplicant and dependents, the elderly, the middle-aged, and the children, have mercy on this Muhammadan community, pardon it, ease for it the passage upon my back, and do not detain it due to the evil of what it has earned of grave sins and ugly deeds." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the pillar of the firm religion, the light of the clear victory, who, when (143) he observed the Bridge and what it had of firmness, establishment, precedence in the processions of honor, favor, and designation, he demolished its arches with the souls of hope and good certainty, and the tongue of his state called out: "Your community, O Muhammad: intercede, you will be interceded for; ask, you will be given. For this is a day on which the feet of the disobedient and sinners slip, the scandals of the deceivers and dissemblers appear, and the great saints and righteous are bewildered." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the comfort of bodies and souls, the continuous delight of forms, the pleasant beloved and cups, who, when he observed the Bridge and what it had of the Great Intercession ¹³⁵ on that tremendous standing and the grim, frowning day, the tongue of his state called out: "Your community, O Muhammad: intercede, you will be interceded for; ask, you will be given. For my thorns and hooks are many in ill omen and misfortune, and my barbs are like long spears with forked tongues and heads." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, (144) the garden of fragrant beauties, the essence of high rank and degree, who, when he observed the Bridge and what it had of care and breezes of relief, the tongue of his state called out: "Your community, O Muhammad: intercede, you will be interceded for; ask, you will be given. For my expanses are vast in narrowness and distress, and my fire is abundant in agitation and blaze." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the sultan of the illuminated kingdom of the Presence, the carpet and the blessed movement of the frontier and outpost, who, when he saw the Bridge and what the creatures had on it of abundant love and joy, the tongue of his state called out: "Your community, O Muhammad: intercede, you will be interceded for; ask, you will be given. For they have attachment and connection to the hem of your forbearance, and by affiliation to you they have joy, delight, and expansion." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose fragrance perfumed the worlds and whose sweet scent (145) spread, the most excellent of those who established the pillar of religion and laid its foundation, who, when he saw the Bridge and what it had of great station, elevation, and high rank, the tongue of his state called out: "Your community, O Muhammad: intercede, you will be interceded for; ask, you will be given. For my path is a journey of fifteen thousand years, and my back is thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword; none passes over it except a patient one, emaciated from fear of Allah." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the mirror of every believer, the title of his secret and insight of every pious one and the reality of his essence, who, when he saw the Bridge and what befalls his community upon crossing its steep incline and the bridge of its body, the tongue of his state called out: "Your community, O Muhammad: intercede, you will be interceded for; ask, you will be given. For they vary in crossing over me: some cross like a flashing lightning bolt, some like a rushing wind, some like a swift bird, some like a fast horse, some like a walking man, (146) some crawl on hands and feet, some creep on their bellies, and some walk bent over on their faces." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the bridegroom of the Highest Carpet, the bride of the Two Presences ¹³⁶, the essence of the highest honor, the manifest of the two lineages, who, when he saw the Bridge and what it had of perfect honor and high rank in both stations, he demolished its arches and the tongue of his state called out: "Your community, O Muhammad: intercede, you will be interceded for; ask, you will be given. For this is a day on which nations crawl on their knees, and creatures are dragged on their cheeks, and you are the intercessor whose intercession is accepted in both abodes, the beloved accepted by the Lord of the worlds, the master of the two worlds and the two weighty ones ¹³⁷."

O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the locus of sainthood and affirmation, the light of insight of the people of the secret and verification ¹³⁸, who, when he saw the bridge ¹³⁹ as the full moon of his shining prophethood and the delightful meadows of his message, demolished its arches and the tongue of his state cried out with the cry of the distressed and drowning: "Your community, O Muhammad, for this is a day when skulls boil, and groaning and burning intensify, and the parent disowns his child and the companion his companion, while you are the forbearing and compassionate, the beloved who saves his community from the terror of the greatest fright and the severity of the strait." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom creatures seek refuge through his rank and high station, the most generous of those under whose fortified fortress and banner sinners enter, who, when he saw the bridge—what Allah poured forth through his hands of the gifts of His generosity and mercy, and what He bestowed upon him of the favors of His blessings and grace—demolished its arches, cast away its hooks and thorns, and the tongue of his state cried out: "Intercession, O most noble of creation to Allah, for the matter has become great and distress has intensified upon your community, and you are the one who said: 'I am for it when the messengers and prophets have refrained from it,' and you are the possessor of rank and status." O my master and lord, Messenger of Allah. ¹⁴⁰ O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the most fragrant garden of beauties, the master of angels, jinn, and humans, who, when he saw the bridge—what it has of victory, triumph, care, glory, and honor—the tongue of his state cried out: "Your community, O Muhammad, intercede and you will be interceded for, ask and you will be given, for this is a day when no friend avails nor any burden protects, and this bridge is sharper than a sword and finer than a hair, and you are the intercessor whose intercession is accepted on the day when eyes are fixed and faces darken, and no excuse avails the one who excuses himself." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those whose hearts yearn for his station and his garden, the most excellent of those through whose visitation and kissing of his soil creatures attain happiness, who, when he tended the bridge with the beauty of his handsome face and the radiance of his countenance, the majesty of his rank and the greatness of his sanctity, disowned his own strength and power and spread its arches for the passage of his community, and the tongue of his state cried out: "Your community, O Muhammad, ¹⁴¹ for this is a day when livers melt from its severity, and hearts tremble from its terror and regret. Call upon the noble ones and you will be heard, for Allah has placed in your hand the banner of His mercy and the keys to His Paradise." O my master, O Messenger of Allah, so bless him, O Allah, and his family, a blessing by which we may be among those immersed in his love, those constant in his noble praise and service, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. * O greatest of people in rank with Allah * And who has attained glory without equal * Look upon me with a compassionate eye from you * And attend to my state, observe me, and fulfill your promise * And untie the knot of my distress, O Muhammad, from * Worry that is continuous upon the heart's thoughts * I hope for you at the agonies of death to witness for me * So that it may be easy when breaths are in ascent * And if I descend into a grave with no companion * Then be the companion of a lonely one therein isolated * Until when the dead are raised on the morrow * And every soul sees what it has sent ahead for tomorrow * And the Truth judges while the limbs bear witness * And the Fire on that day for the transgressor is in pillars * Then be my guide with good tidings from you to * The banner of praise beneath the Throne, seated * And say to me: "You are upon what you were, so pass * Over the bridge, and this is our pool, so drink" * And be my companion in the Abode of Peace when * We are in a seat of truth in the presence of the Eternal ¹⁴² * My God bless you, O Muhammad, as long as * The melodies of the singing bird vary Its author—may Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction, and make Paradise his abode and refuge—said: Know, O intelligent one, that Allah Almighty, just as He made for all worldly, heavenly, and earthly matters paths and bridges, i.e., ways by which one is guided to their intended destinations, likewise He made for the otherworldly matters a bridge, i.e., a path through which one travels to them so that the servant may reach his goal and his place of settlement from them, which are eternal happiness or eternal misery. And He specifically named this bridge with this designation—it is the one stretched over the middle of Hell ¹⁴³—because of its greatness, its immense importance, and because it is a passage to the abode of eternal happiness or eternal misery, and it is the greatest of paths ¹⁴⁴ and the largest of ways. That is because Allah will gather the first and the last on the Day of Resurrection on one plain, and they must have a path by which they depart to their final abode from the two abodes. Among them are those who descend by this path to the abode of misery, and among them are those who remain steadfast upon it until they reach the abode of happiness. Thus it is the greatest of paths because of its relation to the walking of all upon it. This bridge stretched over the middle of Hell in the Hereafter is the inner reality of the prescribed bridge in this world for journeying to Allah and intending His obedience, as Allah said to His beloved, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: "Indeed, you are among the messengers upon a straight path." ¹⁴⁵ And this prescribed path in this world does not appear to the senses physically; rather, it appears to the intellects as a meaning that will appear in the Hereafter physically, as Allah said: "Say, 'This is my way; I invite to Allah.'" ¹⁴⁶ And as Allah said: "And indeed, this is My straight path, so follow it." ¹⁴⁷ And it is stretched over the middle of Hell for walking upon it to Paradise, just as this was prescribed in this world for walking upon it to the obedience of Allah. So whoever slips upon it here slips upon its reality there, and whoever is upright here is upright there. ¹⁴⁸ And in the Sahih ¹⁴⁹: "A man said to Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, 'What is the straight path?' He said: 'We left Muhammad at its stakes and its end is in Paradise; on its right is a road and on its left is a road, and there are men calling whoever passes by. Whoever takes those roads ends up in the Fire, and whoever takes the path ends up in Paradise.' Then Ibn Mas'ud recited: 'And indeed, this is My straight path, so follow it, and do not follow the [other] ways, for they will separate you from His way.'" ¹⁵⁰ And in the Muwatta' ¹⁵¹ from 'Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

«Allah has set forth a parable: a straight path (ṣirāṭan mustaqīman), and on either side of the path there are two walls (sūrān) within which are open doors (abwābun mufattāḥah), and over the doors are lowered curtains (sutūrun murkhāh). At the head of the path is a caller (dāʿin) who calls out: 'Keep straight and do not deviate.' And above that is a caller who calls out, whenever a servant intends to open any of those doors, saying: 'Woe to you! Do not open it, for if you open it, you will enter it.'» Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) informed that the path (al-ṣirāṭ) is Islam—meaning the path of the religion and the Sunnah. And the ways of disobedience (ṭuruq al-maʿāṣī) which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) exemplified in the ḥadīth narrated by ʿAbdullāh, who said: «The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) drew a line for us and said: 'This is the path of Allah (sabīl Allāh).' Then he drew lines to the right and left of that line and said: 'These are paths (subul), upon each path there is a devil (shayṭān) calling to it.' Then he recited: {And that this is My straight path, so follow it} [Al-Anʿām 6:153].» These paths to the right and left of the path (al-ṣirāṭ) are those that crowd the path and narrow its sides, until it becomes sharper than a sword and finer than a hair. For the devils call from both sides at every breath to their ways, right and left, and they pull at the path. Thus, the believer remains with his heart and outward self amidst those ways in order to stay on the straight path (al-ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm), while it jostles him and narrows upon him right and left, as he walks upon what has been defined and legislated for him. So it becomes sharper than a sword and finer than a hair. It is also reported that on the edges of the path (ḥāfatay al-ṣirāṭ) there are hooks and grappling hooks (kalālīb wa khaṭāṭīf) suspended, commanded to seize whom they are ordered to. Likewise, in this world, the hooks of whisperings (wasāwis), forbidden desires (shahawāt muḥarramah), and ambiguities (shubuhāt) pull him, dragging him away from steadfastness upon the path of the religion (ṣirāṭ al-dīn). So glorified is He who made this spiritual, otherworldly path (al-ṣirāṭ al-maʿnawī al-ukhrāwī) the inner reality of the worldly, legal path (al-ṣirāṭ al-dunyawī al-sharʿī), and made haste towards good deeds and competing in them, and fleeing from opposition in this world, the means by which speed in walking upon the path in the Hereafter is achieved. Likewise, inability to hasten in walking upon the otherworldly path is similar. He made journeying to Allah and conduct towards Him upon that model. So whoever is held back by his opposition and commission of destructive sins does not reach Allah except after a number of years, while whoever walks upon the paths of piety (manāhij al-taqwā) and hastens, his journey proceeds accordingly, as in the otherworldly path. It has been reported in the tradition (al-athar) that the bridges and arches (qanāṭīr) of the path involve ascent and level ground, that it has two edges, and that it is a slippery, treacherous place (mazallatun madḥaḍah). Similarly, the legal path (al-ṣirāṭ al-sharʿī) which Allah commanded the believers to walk upon here—none remain steadfast upon it except the select few, and none ascend or hasten in overcoming the obstacles of its steep passes except those lightened of sins in this world. It is laid across the surface of Hell (maḍrūbun ʿalā matni jahannam). Likewise, the legal path is laid across the abandonment of prohibitions and forbidden things, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: «Hell is surrounded by desires (shahawāt), and Paradise is surrounded by hardships (makārih).» O most noble of the two weighty ones, O treasure of mankind, Bestow upon me with Your generosity and have mercy on me with Your pleasure. I am hopeful of generosity from You, and there is none For the sinners among creation besides You. And You are the most noble intercessor and the one whose intercession is accepted, And whoever seeks refuge in Your beauty attains and fulfills his vow. So make my recitation an intercession for me tomorrow, That I may be beneath Your banner on the Day of Gathering. May Allah bless You, O banner of guidance, As long as a yearning one longs for Your abode. And upon Your noble Companions, all of them, And the Followers, and everyone who follows You. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muḥammad and upon the family of our master Muḥammad, the master of mankind and the crown of the prophets and noble messengers. When he tended the path of the noble Sharia (ṣirāṭ al-sharīʿah) of great worth and station, it welcomed him and eased, saying: 'Intercession (al-shafāʿah), O You who purified the religions, legislated the laws, and manifested the rulings!' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muḥammad and upon the family of our master Muḥammad, the full moon of perfection and the imam of the leading guides. When he tended the path of radiant and beautiful Islam (ṣirāṭ al-islām), it welcomed and eased, saying: 'Intercession, O You who demolished disbelief and, through Your mission, obliterated the worshippers of idols and statues!' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muḥammad and upon the family of our master Muḥammad, the locus of nearness and approach, the honored one among family, tribe, and companions. When he tended the path of faith (ṣirāṭ al-īmān) of lofty rank and station, it welcomed and eased, saying: 'Intercession, O You for whom whoever dies in faith enters Paradise without reckoning!' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muḥammad and upon the family of our master Muḥammad, the pole of sovereignty, great in dignity and measure, the mountain of glory, the intercessor in this abode and that abode. When he saw the path of the Book and the Sunnah (ṣirāṭ al-kitāb wa al-sunnah), surrounded by the majesty of awe and reverence, it welcomed and eased, saying: 'Intercession, O You for whom whoever clings to the Book and the Sunnah, Allah makes his body forbidden to the Fire!' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muḥammad and upon the family of our master Muḥammad, the best of those to whom You granted beneficial knowledge and pure deeds, and the most excellent of those whose community walked a clear path and a straight way. When he saw the path of obedience and piety (ṣirāṭ al-ṭāʿah wa al-taqwā), it welcomed and eased, saying: 'Intercession, O You to whom He said in His Book revealed to You: {Then We will save those who feared Allah and leave the wrongdoers therein on their knees} [Maryam 19:72].' So bless him, O Allah, and his family, with a blessing that grants us through it a manifest secret and a strong support, and establishes us through it in the highest paradises with a lofty rank and an exalted station, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. Muḥammad the Trustworthy, the beloved of my Lord, Broad in dignity, his bounty encompassing. A bringer of glad tidings, a warner, a luminous moon, Forgiving, forbearing toward the offender. I have made You, O Messenger of Allah, my wealth And my hope when the creditor appears. The mountains were moved by my Lord's permission, And the truth came, and the adversaries gathered. So stand by me on the Day of Resurrection, for I Am unjust to myself, O son of Āminah. O treasure of the destitute, pardon my stumble, For I am Your servant, the bankrupt, the destitute. I have wasted my life—no righteous deed By which I succeed, nor a sound heart.

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose remembrance I delight in at morning and evening, and the most excellent of those whom I take as a provision at the end of my term and my entering the grave. When he was asked, "Where will Hell be brought on the Day of Resurrection?" he said: "It will be brought from the seventh earth; it has seventy thousand reins, attached to each rein ¹⁵² are seventy thousand angels, and it will cry out to its people, 'To my people! To my people!' When it is a hundred years' journey away from the servants, no angel brought near ¹⁵³ nor prophet sent will remain without falling on his knees, saying, 'Lord, myself, myself!'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the cleaver of the dawn of prophethood, the shining moon of the sphere of messengership, who would not sleep until he recited "Blessed is the Kingdom" ¹⁵⁴ and "Ha Mim, the Prostration" ¹⁵⁵, and said: "The Hawamim ¹⁵⁶ are seven, and the gates of Hell are seven: Jahannam, al-Hutama, Laza, as-Sa'ir, Saqar, al-Hawiya, and al-Jahim. Each five of them will come on the Day of Resurrection to one of these gates, for whoever believes in me and acknowledges that I am sent." And it is narrated from Ali, may Allah honor his face, that he said: "The gates of Hell are layered," and he placed one hand over the other and spread his fingers, meaning: gate above gate, seven gates. The first will be filled, then the second, then the third, then the fourth, then the fifth, then the sixth, then the seventh." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of the eminent imams, the elite of the saints and noble messengers, who said: "Hell will continue to have people thrown into it and it will say, 'Is there any more?' until the Lord of Might places His Foot ¹⁵⁷ in it, and then it will shrink together and say, 'Enough, enough!' Indeed, the keepers of Hell—the distance between the shoulders of one of them is like that between the east and the west, and the distance between the shoulders of a keeper among its keepers is a hundred years' journey. With each of them is a pillar and two prongs; the raiser raises it and strikes with it seven hundred thousand in the Fire. Allah created that and created for it fingers of His might ¹⁵⁸ for the people of the Fire. No inhabitant of the Fire is tortured except that that one tortures him with a finger from his fingers. If he were to place those fingers from his fingers upon the sky, he would melt it. The keepers of the Fire are nineteen; the distance between the shoulders of one of them is seventy autumns; there is no mercy in their hearts; they were created only for torment. One of them strikes a man from the people of the Fire a blow that leaves him ground up from his crown to his foot." And he said: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, the angels of Hell were created a thousand years before Hell was created, and they increase in strength upon strength until they seize by the forelocks and feet those whom they seize." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the delight of thoughts and ideas, the splendor of gatherings and remembrances, who said: "Al-Wayl ¹⁵⁹ is a valley in Hell; if mountains were driven through it, they would cry for help from its heat." And in another narration: "A valley in Hell in which the disbeliever falls for forty autumns before reaching its bottom." And as-Sa'ud ¹⁶⁰ is a mountain in the Fire; one ascends it for seventy autumns, then falls, and so on forever. Indeed, al-Ghayy ¹⁶¹ is a valley in Hell, deep-bottomed, foul of food. In another wording: a river of boiling water in the Fire into which those who follow desires are thrown. Indeed, Atham ¹⁶² is a valley in Hell containing snakes and scorpions; in the vertebra of the beak of one of them is the amount of seventy qulla ¹⁶³ of poison, and the scorpion among them is like a mule with a saddle. Indeed, Suhq ¹⁶⁴ is a valley in Hell, and al-Falaq ¹⁶⁵ is a pit in Hell, covered. In a narration: a pit in the Fire; when it is opened, the people of the Fire flee from it. Indeed, in Hell there is a valley, and in the valley a well called Habhab ¹⁶⁶; it is incumbent upon Allah to make every tyrant dwell in it. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the alchemy of the hidden secret, the possessor of lofty rank and honored status, who said: "Seek refuge with Allah from the Pit of Sorrow ¹⁶⁷." They said, "What is the Pit of Sorrow?" He said: "A valley in Hell from which Hell itself seeks refuge forty times every day." They said, "O Messenger of Allah, who will enter it?" He said: "The reciters ¹⁶⁸ who show off with their deeds. Indeed, in Hell there is a valley called Yalmalam ¹⁶⁹; the valleys of Hell seek refuge with Allah from its heat. Indeed, three types of people will not be spoken to by Allah, nor will He look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them: the one who adorns himself with the Qur'an ¹⁷⁰, the one who beautifies wine ¹⁷¹, and the one who is undutiful to his parents." It was said, "What is an-Nisa ¹⁷², O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "A pit in the bottom of Hell." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of masters and free men, the crown of the prophets and chosen messengers, who said: "Indeed, in Hell there are seventy thousand valleys; in each valley seventy thousand ravines; in each ravine seventy thousand valleys; in each valley seventy thousand houses; in each house seventy thousand wells; in each well seventy thousand serpents; each serpent has in its mouth seventy thousand scorpions. The disbeliever and the hypocrite will not cease until they encounter all of that. Indeed, in the Fire there is a well whose gates have never been opened; it is locked. No day has come upon Hell since Allah created it except that it seeks refuge with Allah from the evil of what is in that well, fearing that there may be in it a punishment from Allah that it cannot bear or endure. It is the lowest depth ¹⁷³ of the Fire." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose praise and commendations flow upon tongues, the most excellent of those whose sources and resources are perfumed by the fragrant breezes of blessings, who said: "This fire of yours is one part of seventy parts of the Fire of Hell. It did not reach you until it was cooled twice with water, so it gives light for you. The Fire of Hell is black and dark. When the Resurrection is established, He will command it to be kindled, and Saqar ¹⁷⁴ will be uncovered—it is its covering—and fire will come out from it. When it reaches the sea that covers the edge of Hell, which is the sea of seas, it will dry it up faster than the blink of an eye. It is a barrier between Hell and the seven earths. When it dries up the sea, it will ignite in the seven earths and leave them one red [mass]." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who brought the Book and the Sunnah, the most excellent of those who trusted in Allah and had good opinion of Him, who said: "The Fire complained to its Lord and said, 'O Lord, parts of me have consumed other parts, so permit me two breaths: a breath in winter and a breath in summer.' The most intense heat you find is from its heat, and the most intense cold you find is from its zamharir ¹⁷⁵. Indeed, Hell encompasses the world, and Paradise is beyond it. Therefore, the Bridge ¹⁷⁶ is over Hell as a path to Paradise." Section: O Allah, bless him and his family, a blessing that pours upon us the gifts of grace and favor, and saves us by it from every affliction, calamity, and trial, and makes it for us a protection and shield from the heat of Hell and its punishment.

By Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. Peace, as the breeze passed over the branch, so send the fragrance of musk, sweet in beauty, upon you all, O people, from a youth who urges toward success, preoccupied in mind. And a reward came from the greatness of His bounty, a generous God encompassing favor and grace ¹⁷⁷. So we slept a fire of Hell that was kindled for the people of misery, who are in weakness from woe. Their flesh was consumed, and their bones decayed, until they became softer than an eye. And whenever their flesh is annihilated by the fire, it is renewed, and the burning returns in intense destruction. They wander with chains in its courtyards, bewildered by the horror of the matter in the narrowest prison. They bite their hands in regret over life, but no biting avails, nor does regret suffice. So O Lord, spare us the places of their calamity, and grant me a state with which You are pleased with me. For there is no refuge today for man besides You, by which we are independent of all creation, O Lord. And this is the description of Hell ¹⁷⁸, its layers, its physical and spiritual gates, and the Path ¹⁷⁹ over its bridge. Allah the Exalted said: "Indeed, Hell has been lying in wait for the transgressors" ¹⁸⁰ and He said: "It has seven gates; for every gate is of them a portion designated" ¹⁸¹. From gate to gate is a distance of five hundred years, and they are one above another, closed layer after layer. In each layer is a gate, and each layer is hotter than the one above it, and all the punishment of the Fire is severe and great. The first, the highest, is Jahannam; the second is Laza ¹⁸²; the third is al-Hutamah ¹⁸³; the fourth is Sa'ir ¹⁸⁴; the fifth is al-Jahim ¹⁸⁵; the sixth is Saqar ¹⁸⁶; and the seventh is al-Hawiyah ¹⁸⁷. The lowest gate is for the hypocrites, and those who disbelieved from the People of the Table ¹⁸⁸ and the family of Pharaoh; Saqar is for the polytheists; al-Jahim is for the astray; Sa'ir is for Iblis ¹⁸⁹ and his soldiers and the Magians; al-Hutamah is for the Jews; Laza is for the Christians; and the highest gate, Jahannam, is for the wretched ones from the community of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. That gate is the lightest in punishment and the coolest in heat. We ask Allah, the Great, the Generous Master, to protect us from its punishment, which we cannot bear, and to free us from it by His mercy and generosity. Indeed, He is the Guardian of that and the Able to do it. And may Allah bless our master Muhammad, his family, and his companions and grant them peace: "And there is none of you except that will come to it. This is upon your Lord an inevitability decreed. Then We will save those who feared Allah and leave the wrongdoers within it, on their knees" ¹⁹⁰. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of my sciences and the meadows of my art, and the best of those in whom I trust and whose praise has improved my opinion, who said: "The veil will be lifted from Hell, and a black wind will emanate from it, reaching its inhabitants." Allah the Exalted said: "And Hell will be brought forth for the deviators" ¹⁹¹. Then the Majestic One commands its keepers, and they drive it, bound with its chains, and its fetters upon it are nineteen angels, with each angel seventy thousand keepers, with each keeper seventy thousand Zabaniyah ¹⁹². And the Zabani is one of the Zabaniyah; there is no Zabani among them except that with him is the like of that. It has a roaring and a screaming, smoke and sparks from the intensity of its rage against its inhabitants. It raises its head and looks at the creatures, and it gasps at them eagerly and angrily, as a camel gasps for barley. The creatures hear its gasp, and their feet tremble, their flanks quiver, their minds are bewildered, and hearts fly in the chests. If it were left, it would consume every believer and disbeliever. The Zabaniyah restrain it with chains, and it calls out with a loud voice: "O Lord, the flame has consumed the flame, my depth has become distant, my heat has multiplied, parts of me have consumed each other, my anger has intensified, my blaze and my roar and my smoke have increased, my fire and my embers, my garments of pitch ¹⁹³, my chains and my fetters, my bonds and my yokes, my seas and my valleys, my snakes and my scorpions, my poisons and my Zaqqum ¹⁹⁴, my Jahim ¹⁸⁵ and my canopy ¹⁹⁵, my Zabaniyah, the harsh and severe, who do not disobey You and do not have mercy on those who disobey You. So fulfill for me what You have promised me; indeed, You do not break the promise." Then a caller from the Most Merciful calls: "Be patient until I decide between My servants and send to you the misguided, the unjust, the disobedient, the disbelievers." So it praises Allah for that and says: "Praise be to Allah, who made me a punishment for those who oppose Him, and did not make anything by which He takes vengeance on me." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the lamp of the Easts and the Wests, and the best of those through whom means are facilitated and needs are fulfilled by his blessing, who said: "Indeed, Hell will give a roar, and no sent prophet or near angel will remain except that he falls on his knees." And between the Christians is a gate, and I became angry for them, and I was given permission to send them to you, and I was given permission for intercession for them. And I am the Knower of the unseen, and I am over all things competent, and I am the Most Merciful of the merciful. And I, O Muhammad, make you an intercessor today for everyone who said with his heart: 'There is no god but Allah and that you are Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.' Then at that time, he will come out of the Fire, and whoever says 'There is no god but Allah' will enter Paradise by the mercy of Allah the Exalted." And this is the description of Hell, may Allah protect us from it, its gates, its layers, its mountains, its valleys, and the Path is set over its bridge. It has seven gates, as Allah the Exalted said: "For every gate is of them a portion designated" ¹⁸¹. The first is Jahannam, which is for the people of major sins from the community of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The lightest of them in punishment is one who stands on a slab of fire or on a shallow fire from which his brain boils. The second is Laza ¹⁸², which devours hands, feet, and the sides of the face, and it is for the Christians. The third is Saqar ¹⁸⁶, which leaves nothing and spares nothing, and it is for the Jews. The fourth is al-Hutamah ¹⁸³, which crushes bones and grinds them, and it has a share like the share of fire in wood, and it is for the Christians. The fifth is al-Hamim ¹⁹⁶, a single ember of which is greater than the world, and it is for the polytheists of Quraysh. The sixth is Sa'ir ¹⁸⁴, in which is the Well of Sorrow ¹⁹⁷ containing Zamharir ¹⁹⁸, and it is for the Magians. The seventh is al-Hawiyah ¹⁸⁷, from which one who falls into it never emerges, and in it is the Well of al-Mihyab ¹⁹⁹; when it is opened, the fires of Hell seek refuge from it. In it is the Well of Sa'ud ²⁰⁰, about which Allah said: "I will burden him with a difficult climb" ²⁰¹. In it is the Valley of Woe ²⁰², and the Valley of Balamlam ²⁰³, and in it are snakes and scorpions, and it is black and dark. It is narrated from him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said: "Hell was kindled for a thousand years until it became white, then for a thousand years until it became red, then for a thousand years until it became black. So it is black and dark, its heat exceeding the heat of the fire of this world by ninety-nine times. O Allah, do not provide us with its punishment and its torment, and do not clothe us with its garments and its shirts, and do not place around our necks its chains and its fetters, and turn away from us its evil, its flame, its harm, and its burden, and save us from its punishment by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds." And this is its form, may Allah protect us from it.

The Truth is more worthy of us, and Allah is our Master. Indeed, when servants are humiliated, the King forgives. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the delight of hearts and minds, the blessing of openings and remembrances, who, when Hell saw his loftiness, rank, and station ²⁰⁴, and his good companionship and protection of neighbors, the tongue of its state called out: "Welcome to you, O eraser of sins and burdens, and through prayer upon whom the great and small are granted mercy." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the cultivation of villages and cities, the beauty of ages and eras, who, when the Blazing Fire ²⁰⁵ saw his status and pride, and the perfection of his succor and victory, its rage and roar subsided, its heat and cold calmed, and it said: "Allah has empowered me against your enemies, the disbelievers, and your envious ones who have deviated from the religion, the wicked." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the model of the pure and righteous, the crown of the pious and the good, who, when the Crusher ²⁰⁶ saw his supplication, seeking forgiveness, and his plea for deliverance for his community in the watches of the night and at the ends of the day ²⁰⁷, it cast its reins before him and submitted its judgments to him, saying: "May Allah prepare me for your evil enemies and those who oppose you, denying your message, the people of denial and rejection." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the elite of the pure leaders, the means of intercessors who call to Allah in the darkness of night and the depths of dawn, who, when the Blaze ²⁰⁸ saw what his Lord had clothed him with of garments of awe and dignity, and what He had distinguished him with of exaltation in secret and open, it closed its doors, withdrew, and contracted its expanses, saying: "Allah has extinguished with your light the heat of my flame, and increased for your enemies my share and portion." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who girded themselves with the belt of contentment and pleasure, the most excellent of those who adorned themselves with the sash of truth and faith, who, when the Hellfire ²⁰⁹ saw his compassion and tenderness for his community, and his perfect forbearance, pardon, and forgiveness, it restrained its tongue and held its reins, saying: "Allah has made me a wrath upon those who reject your religion, are arrogant towards obedience to you, cast your words behind their backs, and follow the portion of Satan." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose fragrance perfumed the worlds, the first from whom the earth will split and who will knock on the doors of Paradise, who, when the Saqar ²¹⁰ saw his high rank and lofty station, his bestowal of kindness and abundance of generosity and beneficence, it extinguished its fire, and its many wells, filled with snakes, scorpions, and foxes, full of poisons, Zaqqum ²¹¹, and the drink of boiling pitch ²¹², were emptied, and it said: "May Allah double my torment upon the wretched ones who look at you with eyes of contempt and deficiency." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the pole of sovereignty, lofty in degrees, the mountain of glory who guides his community on the paths of salvation, who, when the Abyss ²¹³ saw his merits, generosities, miracles, clear proofs, and evident signs, its flame and blaze subsided, its sparks calmed, and it said: "Allah has made me an abode for your enemies, the tyrants and transgressors, and those who oppose you, the wretched rejecters of your obedience, the rebels." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of pure and truthful sayings, of complete and trustworthy covenants, who, when the Fire saw his brilliant lights and shining illuminations, his secrets and preceding care, it cast aside its chains and fetters, restrained its calamity and punishment, and came seeking refuge in his presence, asking for deliverance for his community from earthquakes and terrifying horrors, and called out with its loudest voice and the tongues of its speaking state: "Intercession, O Muhammad! Pray, you will be answered, ask, you will be given, for the fangs of my snakes are huge and their poisons penetrating, and my sparks are like yellow camels, and my embers annihilate and destroy bodies." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the delight of beauties and ranks, the imam of those who fast and seclude themselves, who, when Hell saw his preservation of limits and standing, his support for the oppressed, relief of distress, and aid to the distressed, it called out with the tongue of its state: "Allah has empowered me against your enemies who wear the garments of fame and transparency in opposition, those whom Allah mentioned in His Book, saying: 'The hypocrites, men and women, are from one another; they enjoin what is wrong and forbid what is right' ²¹⁴." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the desire of the family and companions, the means of the seekers and petitioners, who, when Hell saw his closeness and proximity, his high station and lofty rank, it called out with the tongue of its state: "Where are your enemies who opposed your law and did not act according to the requirements of the Sunnah and the Book, and about whom our Lord said: 'And you will see the criminals that Day bound in shackles, their garments of pitch and their faces covered by the Fire, that Allah may recompense every soul for what it has earned. Indeed, Allah is swift in account' ²¹⁵." O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the delight of hearts and seeing eyes, possessor of splendid miracles and wonders, who, when Hell saw his exaltation, veneration, and overwhelming awe, it called out with the tongue of its state: "Allah has taken vengeance through me upon your enemies, the people of deceit, trickery, and corrupt faith, of adultery, wine-drinking, and hidden and open sins." O my master, O Messenger of Allah.

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the substance of substances of openings and secrets ²¹⁶, and the bride of the divine presences ²¹⁷ and the righteous elect, who, when Hell saw his humility, submission, brokenness, forbearance, modesty, generosity, and selflessness, cried out with the tongue of its state: 'Allah has made me a punishment for your wretched, forsaken enemies, concerning whom our Lord said: "Have you not seen those who exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief and settled their people in the abode of ruin?" ²¹⁸' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those You sent with truth as a bearer of good tidings and a warner, and the most noble of those You sent as a caller to You by Your permission, a luminous lamp, who, when Hell saw his precedence and prominence in the processions of divine care ²¹⁹, and what he was granted in the station of intercession of emancipation and liberation, cried out with the tongue of its state (216): 'Intercede, you will be interceded for, and ask for your community salvation from me, for Allah has prepared my chains and fetters for the disbelievers, concerning whom our Lord said: "Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains, fetters, and a blaze" ²²⁰.' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those You clothed in the garments of Your care with praise and glory, and the most noble of those You enraptured the hearts of the people of Your love with passion and ecstasy, who, when Hell saw what You honored him with in that station, and he attained his desire and his purpose was fulfilled, cried out to him with the tongue of its state: 'Intercede, you will be interceded for; this is the day concerning which Allah said: "The Day We shall gather the righteous to the Most Merciful as a delegation, and drive the criminals to Hell as a thirsty herd, possessing no power of intercession, except for him who has taken a covenant with the Most Merciful" ²²¹.' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, (217) the best of those You granted from the treasures of Your gifts a generous gift, and the most excellent of those You made a leader and guide to the path of truth, who, when Hell saw what You honored him with over all creatures in detail and in general, and what You specially distinguished him with among Your prophets in honor and preference, cried out with the tongue of its state: 'Intercede, you will be interceded for; this is a day when the wrongdoer will bite his hands saying: "Oh, would that I had taken a path with the Messenger" ²²².' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those You purified in kind and species, and the most noble of those You sanctified in spirit and soul, who, when Hell saw what You gathered in him of good things in meaning and kind, and what You delighted him with in the Praiseworthy Station ²²³ as solace and intimacy, cried out with the tongue of its state: 'Intercede, you will be interceded for; this is a day when the earth will quake violently, and the mountains will be crushed to dust.' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, (218) the best of those You made a vicegerent and minister on Your earth, and the most noble of those You granted in both abodes enduring bliss and a great kingdom, who, when Hell saw what You clothed him with of the majesty of Your awe in glorification and veneration, and what You effected through him of intercession on that day as opening and facilitation, cried out with the tongue of its state: 'Intercede, you will be interceded for; this is the day concerning which our Lord said: "Frowning and severe" ²²⁴.' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those You honored in family, companions, and followers, and the most noble of those You illuminated in shrine, soil, and places, who, when Hell saw what he was specially given on that day of elevation and exaltation, and what You manifested to creatures through him of blessing and following, cried out with the tongue of its state: 'Intercede, you will be interceded for; this is a day when they will be called to the fire of Hell with a call, and the earth will split open from them quickly.' (219) O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the rising star of auspicious fortune, the season of joy, happiness, and abundant good, who, when Hell saw what his community possesses of pure faith, perfect monotheism, noble character, and manifestation of every praiseworthy attribute, cried out with the tongue of its state: 'Intercede, you will be interceded for, and ask for salvation for your community, for my depth is deep, my iron is hot, my drink is pus, the clothing of my people is of tar, and my punishment multiplies every day and increases.' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those for whom You unfurled banners on the carpet of might, and the most excellent of those for whom You raised in the highest 'Illiyin ²²⁵ a degree and station, who, when Hell saw his humility and etiquette before You in submission and surrender, and what he was preferred over Your prophets (220) on the Day of Resurrection in righteousness and respect, cried out with the tongue of its state: 'Intercede, you will be interceded for, and ask, you will be given; this is the day when your community asks me for safety and says: "Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell; indeed, its punishment is ever adhering; indeed, it is evil as a settlement and dwelling place" ²²⁶.' O my master, O Messenger of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, Your prophet, the master of masters and freemen, and Your prophet who erases by his blessing great sins and burdens, who, when Hell saw his standing with his Forgiving Lord, and what he was specially given of the Great Intercession in the abode of eternity and permanence, cried out with the tongue of its state: 'Intercede, you will be interceded for, and ask, you will be given; this is a day when those who disbelieved are exposed to the Fire, and the excuses of the wrongdoers will not benefit them; for them is the curse, and for them is the evil abode.' So bless him, O Allah, and his noble pure family, and his eminent righteous companions, a blessing by which You emancipate our necks from the Fire, and make it for us a treasure whose blessing we find on the day when faces are blackened and eyes stare in horror, and by which You gather us (221) with those upon whom You have bestowed favor: the prophets, the truthful, and the righteous martyrs, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds.

It is hoped that you might bestow kindness, For your exalted remembrance has become accustomed to me a thousand times. Would my heart ever love other than Taha (Muhammad)? No, never! He is the Guide; He guided us from error. He is the Witnessed One, Praised (Mahmud) in the Gathering (Hashr), He is the Accepted One on a Mighty Day. He is the Foremost when praise is given in the Gathering (Hashr), He is the Noted One for precedence over all. He is the Most Righteous (Atqa), and he has no equal, He is the Disperser of the cloud of distress from us. Upon him and his Family be the purest peace, For You are Merciful, Benign, and Compassionate. So may the Familiar One from You make me forget all else, And may thousands not suffice us without him. We were, before he guided us, emaciated, He is the Guide; He guided us from error. All the Prophets circle around him, And all the worlds are in rows before him. He is the Foremost when the Master is praised, and all of them are standing, He is the Deferred One, after whom a pure, resurrected one is delayed. He is the Most Compassionate (Ra'uf) towards all the believers, In the fortress of his security, the fearful are safe. He has earrings in the ear of his listener, Said its author, may Allah pardon him and overtake him with His gentleness, and pour upon him the downpours of His mercy and affection, (222) And clothe him with the best garment of the beauties of His perfections and attributes. Know, O sincere lover And perfect brother, that love in the presence of your Lord, the Fashioner, the Creator, is that the Fire is both sensory and spiritual. The sensory Fire is that which our Lord mentioned in His saying: "So fear the Fire, whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers." (Quran 2:24) And it is the counterpart of Paradise in His saying: "And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will admit him to gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein. And that is the great attainment. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, then indeed, for him is the Fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein, and for him is a humiliating punishment." (Quran 4:13-14) And when I finished speaking about it and mentioned its levels, its descriptions, its wells, its valleys, Its terrifying locations, its mountains, its chains, its fetters, its scorpions, and its snakes, I followed it With speech about the spiritual Fire, which is of two types: the Fire of Compulsion (Qahr) and the Fire of Gentleness (Lutf). The Fire of Compulsion is: His, glorified be He, distancing the hearts of the deniers from the court of His Majesty. And the Fire (223) And the Fire of Gentleness: it is from the fire of His love in the hearts of His saints, those immersed in the seas of His Beauty, And the descriptions of His perfection. The fires, diverse in their types, are different, and their causes are harmonious. Among them are those For whom it is like the fire of Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him, cool and safe. Among them are those for whom it bestows Veneration and magnification, like our beloved Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Among them are those for whom it is A resting place and a station. Among them are those who submit to it out of piety and respect. Among them are those who rejoice in it As a success and inspiration. Among them are those who spread for it a carpet for sitting and standing. Among them are those who address it And soften for it a response and speech. Among them are those who boast of it and raise for it a station. Among them are those who Take hold of its waistband and pass it over the surface of the Bridge (Sirat) as a magnification and honor. Among them are those whom it honors With happiness and becomes for them an intercessor and a leader. The Fire of Compulsion burns the hearts of the rebellious, the envious, And the Fire of love for Allah and for His Messenger polishes the mirror of the hearts of the worshippers. The Fire of Compulsion burns The hearts of the apostates, the deniers. And the Fire of love for Allah (224) and for His Messenger fulfills the hopes of the desirous, The intent ones. The Fire of Compulsion disfigures the nature of those driven away from the door of Allah, the straying ones. And the Fire of love For Allah and for His Messenger secures the fear of the terrified, and calms the terror of those who depart and those who arrive. The Fire of Compulsion burns the intestines of the forsaken, the arrogant. And the Fire of love for Allah and for His Messenger brightens The faces of those who contemplate the wonders of Allah's creations, the thoughtful ones. The Fire of Compulsion burns the hearts of The wretched, the hypocrites. And the Fire of love for Allah and for His Messenger delights the ears of the loving, the passionate ones. The Fire of Compulsion burns the insides of the deceivers, the show-offs. And the Fire of love for Allah and for His Messenger multiplies The gift of those who are enraptured by His measure, the praisers. The Fire of Compulsion burns the entrails of the sinners, the disobedient. And the Fire of love for Allah and for His Messenger whitens the forelock of the chosen ones, those who rejoice in the pleasure of their Lord, The successful ones. The Fire of Compulsion burns the skulls of those who rebel against the obedience of their Lord, the heedless ones. And the Fire of Love for Allah and for His Messenger raises the means of those who seek intercession and the intercession (225) of the intercessors. And now I Will mention some of its types as I promised in the beginning of the book, and I will intersperse them with prayers Of elegant style, free from prolixity and verbosity. And Allah, the Exalted, inspires us in them to the path of Truth and correctness, and makes them for us a treasure whose blessing we find on the Day of Presentation and Reckoning. Amen, amen, amen. And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. For Allah are a people who were cauterized by the flame of the Fire of Hell, They drank waters of the overflowing seas and were not quenched. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad, the possessor of Renewed goodness, and the rising of auspicious fortune, through whom You made the fire of love for him sweeten praise And construction, and bequeath in his presence sincere affection and firm love, and the fire of Your compulsion upon his beloved ones Be cool and safe, so that its blaze is not extinguished from them by his blessing, and its intense rage disappears. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and upon the Family of our Master Muhammad, (226) The possessor of unique beauty, and the pole of sovereignty, distinguished by every beautiful action and praiseworthy Attribute, through whom You made the fire of love for him bring the distant one near, and manifest the excellence of the fortunate one, and the fire of Your compulsion Rises upon the hearts of the deniers of his message, and burns them with the heat of its blaze until it is said to it: "Are you full?" And it says: "Are there any more?" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and upon the Family of our Master Muhammad, the blessing of The teacher and the student, and the light of insight of the intelligent and the dull, through whom You made the fire of love for him rectify The state of the seeker, and suppress the assault of the rebellious, the insolent, and the fire of Your compulsion rejoices at the arrival of the deniers Of his religion and burns them with its greater punishment, and executes the threat upon them. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and upon the Family of our Master Muhammad, the Master of the free And the slaves, and the path of the people of guidance, righteousness, and sound opinion, through whom You made the fire of love for him Repel from the hearts of those who cling to it the accidents of doubt (227) and refutation, and bring them out by the lights of Its secret from the darkness of ignorance and blind imitation, and the fire of Your compulsion gives the rebels against his obedience to drink from Its foul blood and its pus. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and upon the Family of our Master Muhammad, the intimacy of the people of Seclusion and solitude, and the model of the people of trust and abstraction, through whom You made the fire of love for him Guide the successful and the rightly guided, and benefit the elder, the middle-aged, the youth, and the newborn, and the fire of Your compulsion feeds Those who hate him and persist in enmity towards him with Zaqqum (a tree in Hell), and clothes them with garments of pitch and iron. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and upon the Family of our Master Muhammad, the jewel of Composition and the verse of the poem, and the tongue of the people of eloquence, rhetoric, and Quranic recitation, through whom You made the fire of love for him spread over the people of his service its extended shade, And convey to each one of them from Your pleasure

And His good pleasure is what He desires and wills. ²²⁷ And the fire of Your wrath shatters the bodies of those who oppose His law, and snatches them with its hooks and grapples, and casts them into its deep abyss. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the beloved of the Praiseworthy Lord, the overflowing of abundant gifts of good, whose fire of love multiplies in secret for those who comply with obedience to him and increases, and whose reward surpasses count, limit, and definition. And the fire of Your wrath continues its heat upon those who mock what was revealed to him, and its punishment does not cease from them nor perish. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, with a blessing by which we become among those who extol his rank and glorify him, and by which You make us among those whose love is mixed with their flesh and blood until he becomes closer to them than the jugular vein, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. I love the beloved for his banner; he loves my humiliation in love. And for him my soul has melted from the heat of the fire of passion. ²²⁸ By his life and his life, I swear by him and by what he possesses, I have not intended to forget him, and every servant has what he intends. Its author, may Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction, and make Paradise his abode and refuge, said: When I reached this point in writing, and collected what was available of the poetry of the delightful prayer concerning the divisions of the fires of love and their types, which stir the motives of ecstasy and longing, the copyist said to me: "Hold back the reins of the pen, and be content with what you have written of the subtleties of sciences and wisdoms, for you have covered the divisions of the spiritual fires and left no gem of its meanings except you have guided it to the station of the Chosen Mastery and the carpet of the Muhammadan Presences." So I said to him: "Hush! Do not turn me back from what I find. Do you not see the fire, when it is extinguished, at the blowing of the wind it flares up?" So understand and listen, O neighbor of Fayyak, I mean, even if you do not grasp the meaning of the wine of love, leave me. ²²⁹ For there remain fires hidden in the innermost heart and the core of the soul, and fires attached to hearts, spirits, and bodies. They are: the fire of desire and passion, the fire of joy and concealment, the fire of infatuation and longing, the fire of ecstasy and bewilderment, the fire of loneliness and loss, the fire of remembrance and yearning for the abodes of the virtuous and the noble wealthy, the fire of joy and happiness, the fire of intimacy and proximity and closeness, the fire of glad tidings and illuminations, the fire of unveilings and direct vision, the fire of audition and ecstatic utterances and attractions, the fire of inspirations and illuminations, which no finger has written and no human can perceive. So the fire of longing and desire, and the fire of infatuation and passion, are extinguished by the water of union and the tears of eyelids. The fire of yearning and longing, and the fire of nostalgia and groaning, are extinguished by the sight of a living one, and Tihama, and Najd, and al-‘Aqiq, and al-Ban. ²³⁰ The fire of illuminations and glad tidings is extinguished by the sight of the light of ascension and reception and conversation and speech, and hearing the address from the Sovereign, the Judge. And now I will mention to you a sample of its types, exquisite in workmanship and perfection, beneficial, imparting to you from the gifts of sciences and the dawns of gnosis. So I say, and Allah is the one sought for help: O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the model of the learned who act, the lamp of the perfect who are absorbed in the love of their Lord, the bewildered. When the fire of love, which removes all other than Allah from the consciences of the attracted wayfarers, saw him, it said: "Allahu Akbar! By Allah, this is the intoxication of the ecstatics and the passion of the ardent lovers who precede." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the offspring of the pure nobles, the one who makes the eyes of monks who abandon their beds in the darkness of night, the vigilant, flow with tears. When the fire of proximity and closeness, which burns the veils ²³¹ of otherness from the consciences of the poles who have attained union, saw him, it said: "Allahu Akbar! By Allah, this is the path of the guided and the beacon of the knowing saints." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of the honored imams, the seal of the prophets and messengers. When the fire of ecstasy and bewilderment, which removes the impurities of wills from the consciences of the noble ones who are engrossed in the remembrance of their Lord, the infatuated, saw him, it said: "Allahu Akbar! By Allah, this is the means of those who seek means, and the desire of the humble weepers who supplicate in fear of their Lord." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of the pious obedient ones, the adornment of the righteous who comply with the command of their Lord, the humble. From the wine of blessing upon him, the intoxicated cast off restraint and tear away veils, and the springs of divine wisdoms burst forth upon his tongue, so he emerged from the confines of human determinations and surpassed kings, rulers, and free men. ²³² So may Allah bless him and his family, the noble pious ones, and his companions, the venerable pure ones, a blessing by which we seek the pleasure of our Lord, the Forbearing, the Forgiving, and by which we are clothed among the lovers with a garment inscribed with the gifts of Muhammadan gnoses and the subtleties of secrets, embroidered with the realities of Ahmad’s ²³³ gnostic sciences and the dawns of lights. And I boast of its prophetic beauties in the assemblies of the righteous good, and I trail the hem of pride with the perfection of its Chosen care in this abode and in that abode, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. Whenever the bird warbles on the highest branches, I yearn for those lands. And no lightning flashes from your direction but I shed copious tears. Alas! Where is the time of the sanctuary? And where are those short nights? Oh, my heart burns! When will we meet, and the fire within the heart be extinguished? Look, the beloved have arrived, and union takes fire from separation. I say to my soul: "Rejoice in the meeting! Love has arrived and stillness has been overcome." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, ²³⁴ the breeze of the garden of bestowed knowledge, the light of the chamomile of the treasure of the sought secret, the flower of the meadows of the essence of the veiled, the basil of the book of the unfolded scroll of the written openings, the water of the spring of drunk happiness. By the brightness of his face, the clouds of gifts are sought for the people of hearts. Through the mediation of his spirituality, the clouds of mercies descend from the heaven of the unseen. By the overflowing of his Muhammadan support, the trees of lordly realities are fertilized in the heart of every wayfarer and attracted one. By the specificity of his Ahmad’s secret, the branches of divine subtleties spring forth in the innermost selves of every lover and beloved. By the perfection of his prophetic care, the fruits of the divine sciences are harvested for the masters of gnostic allusions and the people of the desired secret. By the blessedness of his Chosen gaze, the bodies of his followers are purified from the filth of impurity and faults. By the blowing of the breeze of his lordly breaths, the states of the individuals who are safe from passions and defects of deficiency and negation become fragrant. By the descent of his holy rains, the land of hearts becomes fertile, ²³⁵ the land of hearts after its barrenness. By the blessing of his prophetic care, the fruits of the divine sciences are harvested for the masters of gnostic allusions and the people of the desired secret. By the blessedness of his Chosen gaze, the bodies of his followers are purified from the filth of impurity and faults. By the blowing of the breeze of his lordly breaths, the states of the individuals who are safe from passions and defects of deficiency and negation become fragrant. By the descent of his holy rains, the land of hearts becomes fertile, the land of hearts after its barrenness. By the blessing of his prophetic care, the fruits of the divine sciences are harvested for the masters of gnostic allusions and the people of the desired secret. By the blessedness of his Chosen gaze, the bodies of his followers are purified from the filth of impurity and faults. By the blowing of the breeze of his lordly breaths, the states of the individuals who are safe from passions and defects of deficiency and negation become fragrant. By the descent of his holy rains, the land of hearts becomes fertile, the land of hearts after its barrenness.

His sublime invocations ²³⁶ inhale the spirits of lovers and ascend to the carpet of their intimacy and proximity, so they witness the Beloved in the manifestations of divine theophanies ²³⁷ and hear from the heaven of the unseen: 'From Me, My beloved, for I have removed from you otherness and contingency ²³⁸ and unveiled between Me and you the veil of omnipotence and lordship.' At that point, he boasts of what he heard and rages and revels in what he saw in the station of his annihilation ²³⁹, saying: 'I ascended, heard, saw, drew near, approached, was brought near, was taken by night, was inspired, was told, was blended into my nature, was permitted, and was made lawful in my law, and I danced in the station of two bows' length ²⁴⁰ and witnessed the Truth without dissimulation.' In this sense it is said: She made my blood lawful when my heart divulged her love, and in her law what she deemed lawful became lawful for me. I was not one to reveal the secret; rather, the bride of her love manifested in my heart. I witnessed her, and a thought overwhelmed me, so I became absent from every whole and my totality. She occupied the place of the whole in me with her entirety, so I am she when she appears. She disclosed my secret, and it was she who, through her, disclosed it among creatures. When she asks, 'Who are you?' I say, 'I am the one whose subsistence, when You annihilate me in You, is my identity.' I am the Truth in my love, just as my Master is the Truth in my beauty without association. Thus the gnostic ²⁴¹ speaks plainly and allusively, chants and sings, and says when the drink is pleasant to him and he delights in hearing the Beloved's address: 'I drank the cup of love and purity, and it was sweet to me; I sat on the carpet of proximity and election, and it was good to me.' His heart becomes the throne of the holy Essence, and his inner being becomes the manifestation of divine attributes, so the Ahmadian Essence ²⁴² becomes the mirror of his witnessing and Muhammadan love becomes the life of his existence. He then speaks with the tongue of the Master of Messengers and says: 'And he boasts of the manifestation of the theophanies of his perfections and rages.' May God bless him and his pure family, both branches and roots, and his noble, great companions and eminent heroes, a blessing that delights our faces with the light of opening and acceptance, and facilitates for us through it the path of spiritual wayfaring ²⁴³ to You and arrival, and conveys us through it to the utmost desire and request of Your pleasure and his pleasure, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. When love decreed between us, I and the one I love became like one thing. I continued to be closer to him until he became my sight, hearing, and support. When I see, I see only through him, and when I strike, he is always my helper. If you will, he wills, and if you command, his command is my command; I have attained my goals from him. So I am the one who loves, and the one I love is I; let my envier and opponent do what they will. O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the garden of the tree of love, irrigated with the light of truth and faith, and the meadow of intimacy and proximity, surrounded by gifts of bounty and favor, lofty in station and rank, extolled in sanctified precincts and paradises of gardens, perfect in honor and lineage, mentioned in the Torah, Gospel, Psalms, and Criterion ²⁴⁴, sweet in intimate conversation and discourse, infallible against the deviation of changes and the whisperings of Satan, the adornment of companionship and fellowship, a blessing that makes gatherings pleasant through prayer upon him and makes the houris and youths sing his praise, and the perpetual wine of the cups of the masters of states and attraction, who with the breeze of his wine stirs the spirits of the people of ecstasy and bewilderment. So bless him, O God, and his family, a blessing that preserves us from the accidents of stripping and deficiency, and saves us from the afflictions of passion and the causes of misery and abandonment, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the tree of sciences, bearing the subtle fruits of gnosis and recognition, the ambassador of the unseen entrusted with the revelation of heaven and the jewels of the Quran, the book of openings adorned with delicate allusions and realities of elucidation, the lamp of prophecy created from the beauty of the Essence and the purity of the light of the All-Merciful, the treasure of hidden secrets, great in dignity, lofty in worth and status, the sword of truth cutting with its proofs the arguments of the people of false claims and the manifestations of the people of deviation and deprivation, the mine of loyalty and truth, infallible against the afflictions of lying, betrayal, and concealment, the path of ease and gentleness, purified from the way of speaking obscenity and the sayings of the people of falsehood and slander, the full moon safe from eclipses and obliteration, erasing with its radiance the worshipers of idols and statues. So bless him, O God, and his family, a blessing that protects our tongues from error and delirium, and preserves us from the calamities of disbelief, immorality, and disobedience, and through it have mercy on our family, loved ones, relatives, and brothers, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the tree of generosity, abundant in bounty and beneficence, the bride of the presences crowned with the crown of blessedness, the possessor of the station of 'or even closer' ²⁴⁵, the one who attained the station of 'two bows' length' and the utmost end, the one who was taken by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, the one who was honored with the ascension to the highest heavens, the one who was addressed with 'O Muhammad' and 'O Ahmad', the one who was given the keys of the treasures of the earth, the one who was favored with the intercession of the great ones, the one who was singled out with the station of praise, the one who was distinguished with the fountain of abundance, the one who was granted the comprehensive words and the opening of the chest, the one who was sent as a mercy to the worlds, the seal of the prophets, the leader of the messengers, the beloved of the Lord of the worlds. So bless him, O God, and his family, a blessing that makes us among his followers and companions, and gathers us under his banner, and gives us to drink from his fountain, and grants us his intercession, and makes us among the people of his love and obedience, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds.

And faith, and the rain of bestowal that revives hearts and bodies by its blessing, and the banner of guidance whose law is followed in secret and in public, and the pole of sainthood whose secret permeates the innermost beings of the great nobles and notables, and the pride of divine care, the blessed one of the kingdom and the court ²⁴⁶, and the praised one of the beginning and the end, the clear proof and evidence. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the tree of spirit and basil, the festival of joy, delight, and congratulations, the sultan of the fragrant kingdom whose collars and sleeves are fragrant, the station of glory with firm foundation and pillars, the degree of precious victory for its people and neighbors, the rising star of good fortune heralding the attainment of divine pleasure and satisfaction, the bearer of good news whom Allah made a mercy for the distant and the near, the supporter of pardon—whoever clings to him is saved from the trial of the grave and the torment of hellfire, the mine of forbearance and forgiveness that meets the wrongdoing of sinners with clemency, tolerance, and pardon. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the tree of yearning with ripe branches and twigs, the lightning of beneficent theophanies abundant in light and radiance, the desire of the infatuated lover, the seeker, and the supplicant ²⁴⁷, and the influx of lordly ecstatic utterances and beautiful motivations, the tear of the lovesick complainant and the flash of the enraptured one imprisoned in the land of severance, aversion, and abandonment, the intercessor of the community who rescues his community from the depth of misery and the causes of disgrace and humiliation. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the tree of fragrant breezes and solace, the light of the insight of the people of witnessing and direct vision, the mine of truthfulness, sincerity, and certainty, the refuge of the fearful, the terrified, and the jinn, the essence of noble qualities preferred over angels, humans, and jinn, the succor of the worlds who saves whoever seeks refuge with him from sudden calamities of worries and sorrows, the lamp of the climes whose name is coupled with his Lord's name in the call to prayer and the iqama. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, the expert scholars and knights, and his companions, the stars of guidance and gnosis, a blessing by which You save us from the perils of the soul and the snares of Satan, and by which You protect us from the vicissitudes of time and the calamities of the age, by Your grace and generosity ²⁴⁸, O Allah, O Merciful, O Compassionate, O Forbearing, O Generous, O Sovereign, O Judge, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the tree of asceticism and chastity, planted in the meadows of proximity and nearness, the elite of the nobles chosen from the two loins of the sons of Ma'add and Adnan, the locus of forbearance and fairness, without peer, likeness, or equal, the pearl of the shells that no sage or sultan has obtained, the vast of precincts who lowers his wing to the weak, the poor, the hungry, and the thirsty, the distressed, the tender of sides, whose stature shames the bamboo, the tender branch, and the willow twig, the perfect in virtues and attributes, whose cheek shames the rose, the pomegranate blossom, the anemones, and the secret deposited in pure loins and graceful wombs, from whose light the sun, the moon, the shining stars, and the two bears shone. What a garden ²⁴⁹ with ripe leaves and branches, exquisite gardens and buildings, minds are bewildered in describing it, eyes are delighted by seeing it, and the souls of lovers and brethren find refreshment in it, a gift of the favors of grace from every direction and place. Its fruits are chosen, Muhammadan, of various colors, and its blossoms are Ahmadine prophecy, fragrant with the breezes of revelation and the sciences of the Quran. Its seedling was watered from the source of prophethood and messengership, its branches rose high in the sky of veneration and majesty, its boughs hung down over the couches of infallibility and trustworthiness, its roots were founded on the bases of chastity and piety, protected from the vicissitudes of time and the onslaughts of heedlessness and forgetfulness. The lights of mercy cover it at every time and hour, the breezes of the secret and wisdom blow upon it from the presence of the Sovereign, the King, the Judge, and the influxes of obedience and infallibility follow upon it from the carpet of proximity and nearness. So blessed be Allah, the best of creators, as a vicegerent and sovereign, a light and proof of love ²⁵⁰ and true faith, and certainty of goodness, beauty, and adornment at which eyes are bewildered, and a master from whose goodness Mecca, Medina, and all worlds are fragrant. "Blessed is He in whose hand is the kingdom, and He is over all things competent." O heart, what are you from Najd and its dweller? You were created a Najd beyond the night traveler. I yearn for the caravan whose mounts rise for me from the sanctuary in cloaks and rags. The spirits of Najd waft from their tribes at the descent, due to the recent connection with the abode. O two riders, stop for me, fulfill my desire, and tell me news of Najd. Has the valley floor been watered or has the rain-laden cloud of the acacia, with its willows and laurels, rained? Or shall I spend the night while a dwelling near Kazima is my home, and the night talk of that tribe is my night talk? They did not cease until in my soul it was completed, and the caravan reported my flowing tears. Honor and title of delight and solace, joy and congratulations, agate and willow, courtyards and valleys, inhabitants and neighbors, tribe and clan, settlement and homelands, melodies and tunes, strings and lutes, forms and crowns, battlefields and seductresses, melodious voices ²⁵¹ and beautiful faces, gardens of delight and birds warbling on branches, cups and wine, ecstasy and intoxication, passion and love, affection and infatuation, jasmine and Khabor, roses and anemones, aloe, amber, and musk wafting from the direction of Yashrub upon the heart of the yearning, thirsty, distressed lover, and a Beloved whose fragrance diffuses throughout the realms of dominion, sovereignty, and the paradises of gardens. So may Allah bless him and his family, the beautiful full moons, and his companions who illuminate insights and minds, as long as a lover yearning to see the banner of faith and the master of the sons of Ma'add and Adnan recites poetry. Pray beautifully upon the crescent of pearls, Muhammad son of Fatima of Adnan. The felicity of felicities has come, bringing good news, and joy with delight and solace. Give glad tidings of the creation of the Messenger openly, a Meccan prophet, possessor of proof. Allah sent him with prayer and warning; he vanquished the enemies, he traversed in the Quran. He turned, blessings be upon him, he gained profit; He forgives the sin of the possessor of forgiveness. Pray beautifully upon the crescent of pearls, Muhammad son of Fatima of Adnan. ²⁵² O master of the worlds, your love has settled in my chest. O rest of bodies, your love has built my patience. O delight of eyes, it has stirred my inner pains. The wine of separation brought me with passion and distanced me from this Beloved, O brothers. A lamenter, wounded, my tears flow in torrents upon my cheeks, a flood. I have not sought sleep, and the eyes are sleepless; my night is wakeful in darkness, bewildered. May Allah grant me a visit, O full moon of felicity who triumphed over peers. Pray beautifully upon the crescent of pearls, Muhammad son of Fatima of Adnan. O elite of illuminations, complaining of my distance. O pearl of shells, anxious from ecstasy.

O perfect in attributes ²⁵³, Your union is our safety, my aim. You surpassed the messengers in rank and pride; Allah, our Lord, the All-Merciful, gave you. Radiant of face, you diffused lights ²⁵⁴; kohl-eyed in beauty and splendor, captivating. An eye adorned with brilliant kohl, joyous; a mouth like precious jewels, with rubies ²⁵⁵. And my Islam ²⁵⁶ diffused musk when it parted, encompassing all the world and the offerings ²⁵⁷. Pray, all of you, upon the crescent of pearls, Muhammad, son of Fatima the Adnanite ²⁵⁸. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of fragrant breezes and secrets, and the breeze of the people of litanies and remembrances. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of shining lights and illuminations, and the clove ²⁵⁹ of the people of weeping, supplication, and humility at dawn. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the pious and righteous, and the jasmine of the people of repentance and seeking forgiveness. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the virtuous and good, and the lily of the people of abasement and brokenness. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the knowers ²⁶⁰ and the informed, and the spring flower ²⁶¹ of the people of might and pride. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of fragrances and blossoms, and the wild rose ²⁶² of the people of reflection and taking heed. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of patrons and free men, and the narcissus of those with insight and discernment. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of affections and mercies, and the anemones ²⁶³ of the masters of spiritual states and miracles. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of mutual affection and closeness, and the basil ²⁶⁴ of the people of righteousness and religiosity. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the people of divine gifts and ascents, and the saffron of the people of variegations, ecstatic utterances ²⁶⁵, and attractions ²⁶⁶. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of response and supplications, and the sweet basil ²⁶⁷ of the people of intimacy and seclusions. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the people of means and nearness, and the hyacinth ²⁶⁸ of the people of longing and desires. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of subtleties and good words, and the flower of the people of pure sayings and righteous deeds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of inspirations and divine teachings, and the light of the people of true discernment, unveilings, and designations. So bless him, O Allah, and his noble family, the chiefs, and his Companions, the guiding imams, a blessing by which the moons of witnessing and manifestations ²⁶⁹ rise in the sky of our intellects, and by which You gift us with gifts of grace, felicity, and blessings, and by which You set right for us our family, wealth, spouses, and offspring, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. ❖ The garden laughed from the weeping of the clouds, ❖ And its flowers imitated the flowers of the stars. ❖ And the time of spring became a proof ❖ That it is a lesson for the resurrection of decayed bones. ❖ And the arrival of flowers revived the lands ❖ With white blossoms ²⁷⁰ that smiled at the arrival. ❖ And the tongue of the birds glorified when ❖ They witnessed in the discourse the craftsmanship of the Eternal. ❖ And the eyes of the meadows manifested, telling ❖ In the sweetness of time, like a straight stature. ❖ A slender-waisted one ²⁷¹ who conversed with the tall spears, ❖ And surpasses the light with a delicate waist. ❖ From his face, the fever has departed; ❖ His mouth intoxicates the wine with the scent. The best of back, secret, brilliance; grandfather of vigil, night prayer ²⁷² of magic ²⁷³, needs of desire, right hand of presence, virtue of 'Umar, kingdom of victory: Muhammad is a human not like humans, but he is like a ruby among stones. A garden of green ²⁷⁴, leaves of branches of a tree, rose, wild rose, basil, lily, narcissus, spring flower, costus ²⁷⁵, violet, sweet basil, chamomile ²⁷⁶, cypress ²⁷⁷, a pool of Kawthar ²⁷⁸, a sound chain of transmission ²⁷⁹, pearls, rubies, jewels: Muhammad is a human not like humans, but he is like a ruby among stones, and his fragrance is more fragrant than ambergris from Shihr ²⁸⁰ and the finest musk, and aloeswood, clove, saffron, and kinds of flowers. A station renowned, a conscience concealed, a lord esteemed, a dawn spread, a star shining: Muhammad is a human not like humans, but his face is more radiant than the light of stars, the brightness of dawn, and the light of the sun and moon. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, the houses of honor and pride, and the masters of the desert and settled life, a blessing by which You protect us from every disease and harm, and by which You watch over us with the eye of Your kindness in presence and travel, and by which You secure us from the greatest terror ²⁸¹ on the day when no friend will avail nor any refuge protect, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of the great station, the exalted and glorified rank, the dazzling and hidden secret, and the effective and firm command, whose name was found written by the pen of power, white on green, in the year 1167 ²⁸² on this form: Muhammad on a leaf from the tree of Mary ²⁸³. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of the pilgrimage, jihad, and spoils, and the circumambulation, the House, the Corner ²⁸⁴, the Station ²⁸⁵, the Hatim ²⁸⁶, Zamzam, shaving, sacrifice, standing at 'Arafat, the place of prayer, and the banner, whose name was found written by the pen of power, white on green, on a leaf from the tree of Mary, honored by what was engraved upon it of his exalted name and inscribed. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of the revered presence, the pillar of care that is kissed ²⁸⁷, and the master of free men, patrons, and obedient servants, whose name was found written by the pen of power, white on green, on a leaf from the tree of Mary, whose origin was inserted into the thread of Muhammadan blessing and arranged. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of the most upright religion, the vast and comprehensive good, the perfect and complete light, and the lofty and everlasting glory.

He whose name was found written by the Pen of Power ²⁸⁸, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary ²⁸⁹, from whose Ahmadic fragrance ²⁹⁰ every perfume felt ashamed and modest. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the Beloved of the Lord, the Honored, the String of the Arranged Pearls of Prophecy, the Imam who ascends in the Processions of Preceding Might, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, upon which Allah stamped with the stamp of Ahmadic Sovereignty and sealed. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, (253) the Surging Sea of Abundant Generosity, the Embroidery of the Robe of Truth Marked, the Alchemy of the Treasure of the Secret of Divinity ²⁹¹ Enigmatic, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, marked with the Gleams of Prophecy, under whose Shady Shade every wrongdoer sought refuge and respected. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, a blessing by which we may be among those who clung to the rope of his love and held fast, and whose terror departed by the blessing of blessing him and was defeated, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved of Great Status and Dignity, Your Chosen One supported by evidence and proof, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, fragrant of meadow and garden. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved entrusted with the secret of revelation and the sciences of the Qur'an, and Your Messenger (254) mentioned in the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, and the Criterion ²⁹², he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, the goodly, the flourishing, the elegant of branches. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved, the Fortunate of Age and Time, Your Intimate, Truthful in Utterance and Tongue, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, the ripe of leaves, the sundus ²⁹³-colored. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved, the Strong, the Lover in You and of Faith, Your Saint, Illuminated of Heart and Soul, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, whose fragrance resembles the fragrances of the Gardens ²⁹⁴. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, (255) Your Beloved, the Gatherer of the Gifts of Bounty and Beneficence, Your Intimate, Preferred over Angels, Humans, and Jinn, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, reviving souls and bodies with the sweetness of its fragrance. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved, Preserved in Secret and Open, Your Bride seated on the Carpet of Might upon the Throne of Proximity and Nearness, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, surrounded by the wafts of Spirit and Basil ²⁹⁵. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved, whose name is coupled with Your Name in Remembrance and the Call to Prayer, Your Intimate who stands for You at night when eyes are still and eyelids close, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, swaying (256) with the breezes of love and the flashes of ecstasy and passion. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved, Infallible from Treachery and Concealment, Your Chosen One, Specified with the Mighty Qur'an and the Seven Oft-Repeated ²⁹⁶, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, so it began to vie with its perfume the rosebuds, jasmine, and anemones. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved, Crowned with the Crown of Contentment and Good Pleasure, Your Pious One, Trailing in the Garments of Grace, Generosity, and Favor, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, so the birds of the people of witnessing and vision began to dance upon its branches. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, (257) Your Beloved, whose love is fixed in the worlds of spirits and the innermost secrets of existences, Your Intercessor, Rescuer of his Community from the claims of misery and abandonment, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, so the great saints and eminent nobles began to vie in kissing its trunk. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, a blessing by which You save us from the abysses of ruin and the snares of Satan, and protect us by it from the calamities of deceit and gradual entrapment, and the accidents of stripping and deficiency, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. Your meeting is comfort for hearts and solace, and Your remembrance is repose for souls and basil. You are my life; if I lost You for an hour, I would lose my life; You are spirit and body. For You have forbidden the eyelids from sleep, so I have not slept since the eyelids distanced. And nothing remains for me but love as a trait, though therein are many concerns and sorrows. Your drink is pleasant, so I trembled at its pleasantness, and when the wind blows, the milk curdles. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, (258) the Sea of Generosity, Bounty, and Gift, the Ornament of the Tribe, Companions, Family, and the Beloved, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, radiant in beauty and loveliness. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the Master of Women and Men, the Embroidery of the Garment of Loyalty and Perfection, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, blessed in name and omen. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the Means of the People of Proximity and Union, the Orator of the Presence of the Great, the Exalted, he whose name was found written by the Pen of Power, in white upon green, on a leaf from the Tree of Mary, the beauteous, the lush of shades. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the Light of Insight

The people of intimacy and boldness ²⁹⁷, and of light ²⁹⁸ (259) that erases with its radiance the trace of the people of deviation and misguidance, whose name was found written by the pen of power, white on green, on a leaf from the tree of Mary ²⁹⁹, stirred by its breeze the arrivals of the masters of allusions ³⁰⁰ and states ³⁰¹. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the mercy for the needy and dependents, the truthful in word and deed, whose name was found written by the pen of power, white on green, on a leaf from the tree of Mary, whose fragrance diffuses in the mornings and evenings. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the unique pearl of the necklace, the festival of joy, happiness, and acceptance, whose name was found written by the pen of power, white on green, on a leaf from the tree of Mary, honored by what was inscribed upon it of the form of the Seal of the Prophets and the Master of Messengers. (260) O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the essence of pure and noble character, the pearl of truth, perfect in virtues and qualities, whose name was found written by the pen of power, white on green, on a leaf from the tree of Mary, whose fragrance perfumes the collars, pockets, and hems. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the sea of abundant generosity, grace, and gifts, the manifest of noble traits, great in veneration and exaltation, whose name was found written by the pen of power, white on green, on a leaf from the tree of Mary, which, when His name was engraved on its pages, its fragrance boasted over all other sweet-smelling plants. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those for whom journeys are undertaken, the most honored for whose love lives and wealth are spent, whose name was found written by the pen of power, white on green, on a leaf from the tree of Mary, which, when His name was engraved on (261) its tresses, its fragrance became a cure for chronic diseases and stubborn ailments. So bless him, O Allah, and his noble and valiant family, and his esteemed and exalted Companions, a blessing that opens for us locks, rectifies for us our states, protects our hearts from the onslaughts of carnal desires and the calamities of deviation and misguidance, and repels from us the greatest hardships and the storms of earthquakes and terrors, and makes it for us a treasure whose blessing we find on the Day of Gathering and Scattering, and at the Presentation and Questioning, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. Nothing but love for the Chosen One ³⁰² is my means, by its bond I connect. Thus I hope, by his grace, for favor without any capital. How great are the praises of the Prophet of guidance, a rope of attachment and a cure for ailment. The best of creation, past and present, the most generous of them, whether barefoot or shod. He whom Allah distinguished with the excellence of eternity in every quality that encompassed guidance. The one of dazzling beauty, the excellence of piety, the wisdom of speech, and the glory of deeds. O foremost of messengers in election, O seal of them all, embodying the meaning of perfection. (262) O refuge of creation and their savior when the expanse of space became narrow for them. O he who attained the pleasure of the Beloved, O intercessor for heavy sins. Have mercy on us, O Prophet of guidance, for your mercy is ever-flowing. Have mercy on our homelands, protect them with your most protective gaze, with an eye of vigilance. Have mercy on us in our exile, be for us an intimate companion, for the covenant of intimacy has long endured. Have mercy on us in our distress, relieve it by your secret, for it is imprisoned. Have mercy on our poverty, enrich it, for we are all dependents on your bounty. Have mercy on our scarcity, purify it with a multiplication of blessing, by your rank and wealth. For you are for creation the refuge of all, and the most protective shelter with the Possessor of Majesty. May Allah bless you, O light of guidance, with the purest blessing joined with continuity. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the lofty and sublime station, the pure, good, and pleasing states, the truthful and pure words, the noble and desirable deeds, whose name was found written by the pen of eternal power, in white on green silk, on a leaf (263) from the tree of Mary, irrigated with the water of bestowed miracles, stirred by the breezes of merciful winds and the fragrances of holy gifts, clothed in the garments of prophetic mastery and the affections of Muhammadan grants. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, a blessing by which we inhale the fragrance of his name written on the leaves of this fragrant and pure tree, perfumed with the scent of his musk-like and ambergris-like fragrances, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. A most glorious lineage, a greatest rank, a most abundant fortune, a most famous banner, a most manifest station, a most powerful support, a most fragrant garden, a most verdant branch, a most pure body, a most luminous heart, a most radiant face, a most black-and-white eye, a most fragrant musk, a green emerald, a red ruby, a pure elixir, silver and gold, a rising full moon in the horizon of prophethood and messengership, a good and pure master proclaimed by the scriptures and confirmed by successive reports (264), a beloved, chosen, and selected one from the elite of Banu Hashim and Mudar, a Meccan and Medinan prophet whose worth the verses have proclaimed and the chapters have praised, a spiritual, luminous messenger, a human unlike humans. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, the nuggets of gold and the necklaces of pearls, and his esteemed Companions praised in the hadiths and biographies, a blessing that protects our tongues and thoughts, and causes us to die upon the noblest creeds and the best natures, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. * Muhammad is a human, not like humans; rather, he is like a ruby among stones. * Muhammad is a human, but he is more radiant than the full moon and the light of the brightest stars. * Muhammad is a human, but he is more radiant than the sun and the light of the moon. * Muhammad is a human, but he is a lamp of light that spread in existence. * Muhammad is more radiant and more beautiful than the white blaze of dawn appearing among the forelocks. * Muhammad is more radiant and more beautiful than the unique pearls of coral among pearls. * Muhammad has sublimity and splendor, the center of the necklace and the light of the eye. * Muhammad is the white blaze of the Tablet of Guidance, the delight of the Throne, and the spirit of forms. (265) * Muhammad among creation is a unique jewel, and no one like him in beauty has appeared. * Muhammad is luminous, a king, spiritual, a human unlike humans. * May Allah bless him as long as a star rises and the morning breeze blows. * And his family and companions as long as the cooing dove sings on the top of the tree. It is completed by the praise of Allah and His good assistance. May Allah bless our master Muhammad, his family, and his Companions, and grant them peace. (266)

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1. shahādat al-tawḥīd : The testimony of Allah's oneness, i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh'.
2. ṣalāh : Blessing or salutation upon the Prophet, often translated as 'prayer' but here meaning divine benediction.
3. al-ṣirāṭ : The bridge over Hellfire that all must cross on the Day of Judgment.
4. Sūrat Qāf 50:19-20 : Quranic verse describing the stupor of death and the blowing of the trumpet.
5. al-aḥrār wa al-ʿabīd : Free people and slaves; a traditional dichotomy in Islamic society.
6. bayt al-qaṣīd : Literally 'the house of the poem'; idiomatically, the core or main point.
7. al-sālik wa al-murīd : The spiritual wayfarer and the disciple (seeker) in Sufi terminology.
8. al-ʿārifīn : Those who have gnosis (maʿrifah) of Allah; Sufi saints or knowers.
9. yawm al-qiyāmah : The Day of Resurrection, when all are raised for judgment.
10. al-gharūr : The Deceiver, often referring to Satan or worldly delusions.
11. Sūrat Luqmān 31:33 : Quranic verse warning against being deluded by worldly life and Satan.
12. Sūrat al-Ḥadīd 57:20 : Quranic verse describing the fleeting nature of worldly life.
13. Sūrat al-Nisāʾ 4:77 : Quranic verse stating that worldly enjoyment is little compared to the Hereafter.
14. karāmat al-ākhirah : The honor or nobility of the Hereafter.
15. mawqif al-tahdīd : The station of threat, i.e., the place of judgment where threats are fulfilled.
16. Sūrat al-Isrāʾ 17:14 : Quranic verse: 'Read your book. Sufficient is yourself against you this Day as an accountant.'
17. al-mawqif : The standing place on the Day of Judgment.
18. ṣalawāt rāʾiqah : Excellent prayers or blessings upon the Prophet.
19. al-ḥūr al-ḥisān : The beautiful maidens of Paradise (houris).
20. manāzil al-qurb wa al-tadānī : Dwellings of nearness and closeness to Allah.
21. kalimatay al-shahādah : The two testimonies: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muḥammadun Rasūl Allāh'.
22. Allahumma salli wa sallim 'ala sayyidina wa mawlana Muhammad : A formula of blessing and peace upon the Prophet Muhammad, often recited in Islamic devotional contexts.
23. Zaqqum : A tree mentioned in the Quran that grows in the depths of Hell, its fruit is like the heads of devils and is food for the sinners.
24. al-ajdāth : Graves; literally 'tombs' or 'burial places'.
25. Sakrat al-mawt : The agony or stupor of death; the moment of death's severity.
26. taqlīd : Blind imitation or following of tradition without evidence.
27. al-dhikr : Remembrance; here referring to a gathering for spiritual recollection or sermon.
28. Ṣayḥatan wāḥidatan : A single Cry; refers to the Trumpet blast of the Resurrection.
29. Yā Sīn 36:50 : Quranic verse: 'Then they will not be able to make a bequest, nor will they return to their families.'
30. Quran 39:68 : Verse: 'And the Trumpet will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will swoon, except whom God wills. Then it will be blown again, and behold, they will be standing, looking.'
31. الصُّورَ : The Trumpet (al-Sur) is a horn-like instrument that will be blown by the angel Israfil to signal the end of the world and the resurrection.
32. إِسْرَافِيلُ : Israfil is the angel responsible for blowing the Trumpet on the Day of Judgment.
33. عَائِشَةُ : 'A'isha bint Abi Bakr, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad, known for her knowledge and narration of many hadiths.
34. الْحَافِظُ ابْنُ حَجَرٍ : Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (d. 852 AH) was a renowned hadith scholar and commentator.
35. الْحَدِيثُ : Hadith refers to a report of the sayings, actions, or approvals of the Prophet Muhammad.
36. الْقُرْطُبِيُّ : Al-Qurtubi (d. 671 AH) was a famous Maliki scholar and Quranic exegete.
37. الْفَتْحِ : Al-Fath (the Opening) is a Sufi term for spiritual illumination and divine unveiling.
38. الْإِلْهَامِ : Ilham (inspiration) refers to divine inspiration granted to saints and righteous individuals.
39. جَاهٌ عَظِيمٌ : Jah (station) refers to the high spiritual rank and intercessory power of the Prophet Muhammad.
40. لِوَاءُ الْحَمْدِ : Liwa' al-Hamd (the Banner of Praise) is a banner that the Prophet Muhammad will carry on the Day of Judgment.
41. الْكَوْثَرِ : Al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise granted to the Prophet Muhammad.
42. الْمُصْطَفَى : Al-Mustafa (the Chosen One) is a title of the Prophet Muhammad.
43. التَّابِعِينَ : The Followers (al-Tabi'un) are the generation after the Companions who learned from them.
44. وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَصَعِقَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَن شَاءَ اللَّهُ : Quran 39:68: 'And the Trumpet is blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth falls dead, except whom Allah wills.'
45. جِبْرِيلُ : Jibril (Gabriel) is the archangel responsible for delivering revelation to the prophets.
46. مِيكَائِيلُ : Mika'il (Michael) is an archangel responsible for providing sustenance to creatures.
47. مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ : Malak al-Mawt (the Angel of Death) is the angel who takes souls at death.
48. حَمَلَةُ الْعَرْشِ : The Bearers of the Throne (Hamalat al-'Arsh) are angels who carry the Throne of Allah.
49. السُّنَّةَ : Sunna refers to the established practices and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
50. إِمَامِ : Imam here means a spiritual leader and guide.
51. الْعَارِفِينَ : Al-'Arifin (the knowers) are Sufi saints who have attained direct knowledge of God.
52. الْوَاصِلِينَ : Al-Wasilin (those who have attained) are Sufis who have reached union with the Divine.
53. أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ : Abu Hurayra was a prominent Companion of the Prophet known for narrating many hadiths.
54. نَفْخَةُ الْفَزَعِ : Nafkhat al-Faza' (the Blast of Terror) is the first trumpet blast that causes fear.
55. نَفْخَةُ الصَّعْقِ : Nafkhat al-Sa'q (the Blast of Stunning) is the second blast that causes death.
56. وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ : Quran 81:7: 'And when the souls are paired (with their bodies).'
57. الْأَقْطَابِ : Al-Aqtah (the Poles) are the highest-ranking saints in the Sufi hierarchy.
58. لَا تَرَى فِيهَا عِوَجًا وَلَا أَمْتًا : Quran 20:107: 'You see no crookedness or curve.'
59. al-jamā‘a : The community; refers to the main body of Muslims adhering to the consensus of the Companions and the Sunna.
60. al-sunna : The prophetic tradition; the teachings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad.
61. al-maskh : Metamorphosis; transformation into a lower form, often as a punishment for sin.
62. al-barzakh : The intermediate state between death and resurrection.
63. yansakh : Abrogates; refers to the Prophet Muhammad's message superseding previous revelations.
64. kalīm : Speaker; one who speaks, here possibly referring to Moses (Kalīm Allāh) as a contrast.
65. al-ḥanīfiyya al-samḥā’ : The tolerant monotheistic religion; the primordial faith of Abraham.
66. al-Baqī‘ : The cemetery in Medina where many Companions are buried.
67. al-ḥaramayn : The two sanctuaries; Mecca and Medina.
68. al-Sāhira : A plain or earth where resurrection and judgment occur; described as white silver.
69. al-ṣirāṭ : The bridge over Hell that all must cross on Judgment Day.
70. al-‘ārifīn : Gnostics; those who have direct knowledge of God through spiritual experience.
71. al-zāhidīn : Ascetics; those who renounce worldly pleasures for devotion to God.
72. Sūrat al-Inshiqāq : Chapter 84 of the Qur'an, 'The Splitting Open'.
73. al-‘arsh : The Throne of God; the greatest of all created things.
74. Qur'an 84:4 : Part of Sūrat al-Inshiqāq.
75. Qur'an 21:104 : Part of Sūrat al-Anbiyā'.
76. Qur'an 22:1-2 : Part of Sūrat al-Ḥajj.
77. Ya’jūj wa Ma’jūj : Gog and Magog; two tribes or nations that will appear before the Day of Judgment.
78. Arḍ al-Maḥshar : The land of the Gathering; the place where all creatures will be assembled on the Day of Resurrection.
79. Ḥawḍ : The Basin (Pool) of the Prophet Muhammad in Paradise, from which his followers will drink before entering Paradise.
80. Kawthar : A river in Paradise given to the Prophet Muhammad; also the name of Surah 108 in the Quran.
81. Shafā‘ah al-Kubrā : The Great Intercession; the Prophet Muhammad's intercession for all of humanity on the Day of Judgment.
82. Futūḥāt Ladunniyyah : Divine openings or illuminations granted directly by God without intermediary.
83. Ḥanīf : One who inclines to the true monotheistic religion; the primordial faith of Abraham.
84. Mīm, Ḥā', Dāl : Letters from the Arabic alphabet; here they form the name 'Muhammad' (Mīm, Ḥā', Mīm, Dāl) symbolically.
85. Thaqalayn : The two weighty beings; refers to humans and jinn, or the Quran and the Prophet's family.
86. Khalīl : The Friend of God; refers to Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim).
87. Arḍ al-Maḥshar : The Land of the Gathering; the place where all creatures will be assembled on the Day of Resurrection.
88. Majlī al-Ẓulmah, Kāshif al-Ghummah, Shafī‘ al-Ummah : Titles of the Prophet Muhammad: 'Dispeller of Darkness,' 'Remover of Distress,' 'Intercessor of the Community.'
89. Tashību fīhi al-wildān : Reference to Quran 73:17: 'So how can you fear, if you disbelieve, a day that will make the children gray-haired?'
90. Tatashakhkhaṣu fīhi al-abṣār : Reference to Quran 14:42: 'And do not think Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them until a day when eyes will stare [in horror].'
91. ‘Imārat al-mawāṭin, ‘Unwān al-ẓawāhir wa al-bawāṭin : Sufi terms: 'Cultivation of stations' (spiritual states) and 'Title of the outward and inward' (apparent and hidden aspects).
92. Ḥawḍ : The Prophetic Pool (al-Kawthar) in Paradise from which the faithful will drink on the Day of Resurrection.
93. Mushammir al-sāq : Idiom meaning 'one who tucks up his garment for action,' indicating readiness and determination.
94. Ḥadīth : A prophetic tradition describing the intimate reckoning of a believer with Allah on the Day of Judgment, where sins are forgiven and good deeds accepted in private.
95. al-A'raf : A place between Paradise and Hellfire where those whose good and evil deeds are equal will stay until Allah's mercy admits them to Paradise.
96. wazn : Weight; refers to the weighing of deeds on the Day of Judgment.
97. utull : A Quranic term (68:13) meaning a coarse, cruel, and greedy person.
98. biṭāqa : A small card or document; here, a record of the testimony of faith.
99. qīrāṭ : A unit of weight; here, a measure of reward.
100. ibn Qabḍ : Possibly a reference to a specific person; unclear.
101. Arḍ al-Ḥashr : The Land of Gathering; the place where all creatures are assembled on Judgment Day.
102. Ṣirāṭ : The Bridge; a narrow bridge over Hell that the righteous must cross.
103. al-mīzān : The Balance; a reference to the scale used on the Day of Judgment to weigh deeds, but here also symbolizing spiritual balances in Sufi thought.
104. biṭāqat al-ṣalāh : The 'card of blessing' or 'document of invoking blessings' upon the Prophet, which is weighed in the balance.
105. al-shahādah : The testimony of faith: 'There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God.'
106. al-ʿārifīn : The knowers; those who have attained gnosis (maʿrifah) of God through spiritual realization.
107. al-sirr : The secret; the innermost spiritual faculty or center of consciousness in Sufi psychology.
108. al-nasab : Lineage; here referring to attachment to worldly or spiritual lineage as a veil to God.
109. ʿilm al-barāz : The knowledge of manifestation; a term for a spiritual science that encompasses both outward and inward realities.
110. al-ʿulūm al-ladunniyya : Divine sciences or knowledge granted directly by God to the saints, without intermediary.
111. ṭawā kaffatayhi : He folded his two pans; a metaphor for the balance (mīzān) ceasing to weigh, indicating the overwhelming mercy of the Prophet.
112. al-aḥmadiyya : Attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, whose name Aḥmad means 'most praiseworthy'.
113. al-futūḥāt : Spiritual openings or illuminations granted by God to the saints.
114. al-tawḥīd : The oneness of God; the central doctrine of Islam.
115. al-maʿrifa : Gnosis or direct experiential knowledge of God.
116. barzakh : An intermediate state or realm between the physical and spiritual worlds.
117. al-shaṭaḥāt : Ecstatic utterances or paradoxical sayings of Sufis, often expressing union with God.
118. al-ṣaḥw wa al-maḥw : Sobriety (ṣaḥw) and effacement (maḥw); states of spiritual consciousness.
119. al-fatḥ al-rabbānī : Lordly opening; a divine illumination or unveiling.
120. al-wilāya : Sainthood or spiritual authority.
121. al-ḥaqīqa : The ultimate reality or truth, often referring to the divine essence.
122. al-ṭarīqa : The spiritual path or method of Sufism.
123. al-dārayn : The two abodes: this world and the Hereafter.
124. al-ṣuḥuf wa al-dawāwīn : The scrolls and registers: the records of deeds kept by angels.
125. tadallulī : My coquettishness or playful entreaty, implying a humble yet affectionate appeal.
126. al-ṣirāṭ : The bridge over Hell, which all must cross on the Day of Judgment; described as sharper than a sword and thinner than a hair.
127. Ṭaybah : Another name for Medina, the city of the Prophet Muhammad.
128. al-Muṣṭafā : The Chosen One, a title of the Prophet Muhammad.
129. al-Baqīʿ : The cemetery in Medina where many companions and family of the Prophet are buried.
130. al-ḥawḍ : The Pond (al-Kawthar) of the Prophet Muhammad in Paradise, from which the faithful will drink on the Day of Judgment.
131. aṣ-Ṣirāṭ : The bridge over Hell that all must cross on the Day of Judgment; sharper than a sword and thinner than a hair.
132. kīmiyā' : Alchemy; here used metaphorically for the transformative spiritual essence of the Prophet.
133. al-Maqām al-Maḥmūd : The Praiseworthy Station, a rank of intercession granted to the Prophet Muhammad on the Day of Judgment.
134. al-Ḥawḍ al-Mawrūd : The Prophet's Pond (Kawthar) in Paradise, from which his followers will drink before entering Paradise.
135. ash-Shafā‘ah al-Kubrā : The Great Intercession, the Prophet's intercession for all humanity on the Day of Judgment.
136. al-Ḥaḍratayn : The Two Presences; refers to the divine presence and the prophetic presence, or the spiritual and physical realms.
137. ath-Thaqalayn : The two weighty things: humans and jinn, or the Quran and the Prophet's family.
138. ahl al-sirr wa al-tahqīq : People of the secret and verification; Sufi term for those who have attained inner knowledge and realization of divine truths.
139. al-ṣirāṭ : The bridge; in Islamic eschatology, the bridge stretched over Hell that all must cross on the Day of Judgment.
140. yā sayyidī wa mawlāya rasūla llāh : O my master and lord, Messenger of Allah; a phrase of address showing deep reverence.
141. ummataka yā muḥammad : Your community, O Muhammad; a cry for intercession.
142. ḥaḍrat al-ṣamad : The presence of the Eternal; a reference to the divine presence.
143. al-maḍrūb ʿalā matni jahannam : Stretched over the middle of Hell; describing the bridge's location.
144. aʿẓam al-ṭuruq : The greatest of paths; emphasizing the bridge's importance.
145. ṣirāṭin mustaqīm : A straight path; Quranic phrase (36:3-4) referring to the path of guidance.
146. hādhihī sabīlī : This is my way; Quran 12:108.
147. wa inna hādhā ṣirāṭī mustaqīman : And indeed, this is My straight path; Quran 6:153.
148. man zalla ʿalayhi hunā zalla ʿalā ḥaqīqatihi hunāk : Whoever slips upon it here slips upon its reality there; indicating the correspondence between worldly spiritual state and afterlife crossing.
149. al-ṣaḥīḥ : The authentic; referring to a hadith collection, likely Sahih al-Bukhari or Muslim.
150. wa lā tattabiʿū al-subula : And do not follow the [other] ways; Quran 6:153.
151. al-muwaṭṭaʾ : The Muwatta'; a hadith collection by Imam Malik.
152. zimām : A rein or halter; here used metaphorically for a chain or cord by which Hell is dragged.
153. malak muqarrab : A 'brought near' angel, i.e., one of the highest-ranking angels close to Allah.
154. Tabārak al-Mulk : Surah al-Mulk (67), which begins with 'Tabārak alladhī biyadihi al-mulk'.
155. Ḥam as-Sajda : Surah Fussilat (41), which begins with 'Ḥā Mīm' and contains a verse of prostration.
156. al-Ḥawāmīm : The seven surahs beginning with 'Ḥā Mīm' (40-46).
157. qadam : Foot; a divine attribute interpreted as Allah's power or authority over Hell.
158. aṣābiʿ ʿizzih : Fingers of His might; a metaphorical expression for divine power.
159. al-Wayl : A name of a valley in Hell; also a word meaning 'woe'.
160. aṣ-Ṣaʿūd : A mountain in Hell; also means 'ascent' or 'difficulty'.
161. al-Ghayy : A valley in Hell; also means 'error' or 'misguidance'.
162. Āthām : A valley in Hell; related to 'ithm' (sin).
163. qulla : A large water skin or measure; here a unit of poison quantity.
164. Suḥq : A valley in Hell; also means 'distance' or 'destruction'.
165. al-Falaq : A pit in Hell; also the name of Surah al-Falaq (113).
166. Habhab : A well in Hell; name derived from 'habhab' meaning 'to blaze'.
167. Jubb al-Ḥazan : The Pit of Sorrow; a place of torment in Hell.
168. qurrāʾ : Reciters of the Qur'an; here those who recite for show.
169. Yalmalam : A valley in Hell; also a place on the pilgrimage route.
170. al-mutazayyib bi-l-qurʾān : One who adorns himself with the Qur'an, i.e., recites for worldly gain or show.
171. al-muzayyin li-l-khamr : One who beautifies wine, i.e., promotes or praises it.
172. an-Nisā : A pit in Hell; also the name of Surah an-Nisa (4).
173. ad-darak al-asfal : The lowest depth or level of Hell.
174. Saqar : One of the names of Hell or a covering over it; also Surah 74.
175. zamharīr : Extreme cold; a type of torment in Hell.
176. aṣ-Ṣirāṭ : The bridge over Hell leading to Paradise.
177. al-faḍl wa al-mann : Grace and favor; divine blessings and kindness.
178. Jahannam : Hell; one of the names for the place of punishment in the afterlife.
179. al-Ṣirāṭ : The bridge over Hell that all must cross on the Day of Judgment; the righteous pass safely, the wicked fall.
180. Qur'an 78:21 : Surah al-Naba', verse 21.
181. Qur'an 15:44 : Surah al-Hijr, verse 44.
182. Lazā : A name for a layer of Hell; meaning 'blazing flame'.
183. al-Ḥuṭamah : A name for a layer of Hell; meaning 'the crushing fire'.
184. Sa‘īr : A name for a layer of Hell; meaning 'blazing fire'.
185. al-Jaḥīm : A name for a layer of Hell; meaning 'intense fire'.
186. Saqar : A name for a layer of Hell; meaning 'scorching fire'.
187. al-Hāwiyah : A name for the lowest layer of Hell; meaning 'the abyss'.
188. Ahl al-Mā’idah : The People of the Table; refers to the disciples of Jesus who requested a table spread from heaven (Qur'an 5:112-115).
189. Iblīs : Satan; the chief of the devils who refused to prostrate to Adam.
190. Qur'an 19:71-72 : Surah Maryam, verses 71-72.
191. Qur'an 26:91 : Surah al-Shu'ara', verse 91.
192. Zabāniyah : The fierce angels appointed as keepers of Hell.
193. Sarābīl al-Qaṭrān : Garments of pitch; clothing of molten copper or tar worn by the inhabitants of Hell.
194. Zaqqūm : A tree in Hell with bitter fruit that the damned are forced to eat.
195. Surādiq : A canopy or covering of fire over Hell.
196. al-Ḥamīm : A layer of Hell; also means 'boiling water'.
197. Jubb al-Ḥuzn : The Well of Sorrow; a deep pit in Hell.
198. Zamharīr : Intense cold; a type of punishment in Hell.
199. Bi’r al-Mihyāb : The Well of al-Mihyab; a terrifying well in Hell.
200. Jubb Ṣa‘ūd : The Well of Sa'ud; a steep mountain or pit in Hell.
201. Qur'an 74:17 : Surah al-Muddaththir, verse 17.
202. Wādī al-Wayl : The Valley of Woe; a place in Hell.
203. Wādī Balamlam : The Valley of Balamlam; a valley in Hell.
204. al-ʿulūw wa al-jāh wa al-miqdār : Loftiness, rank, and station; refers to the Prophet's high spiritual status.
205. Laẓā : One of the names of Hell, meaning 'Blazing Fire'.
206. al-Ḥaṭamah : One of the names of Hell, meaning 'The Crusher' or 'That which breaks everything'.
207. ānāʾ al-layl wa aṭrāf al-nahār : Qur'anic phrase (20:130) meaning 'the watches of the night and the ends of the day'.
208. al-Saʿīr : One of the names of Hell, meaning 'The Blaze'.
209. al-Jaḥīm : One of the names of Hell, meaning 'Hellfire' or 'Intense Fire'.
210. Saqar : One of the names of Hell, meaning 'Scorching Fire'.
211. Zaqqūm : A tree in Hell with bitter fruit, mentioned in the Qur'an (37:62-66).
212. qāṭirān : Boiling pitch or tar; a punishment in Hell mentioned in the Qur'an (14:50).
213. al-Hāwiyah : One of the names of Hell, meaning 'The Abyss' or 'Bottomless Pit'.
214. Qur'an 9:67 : The verse about hypocrites: 'The hypocrites, men and women, are from one another; they enjoin what is wrong and forbid what is right...'
215. Qur'an 14:49-51 : The verse about criminals in shackles, garments of pitch, and faces covered by fire.
216. māddat mawādd al-futūḥāt wa-l-asrār : The substance of substances of openings and secrets: a Sufi term referring to the Prophet Muhammad as the source of all spiritual unveilings and divine mysteries.
217. ʿarūs al-ḥaḍarāt : Bride of the divine presences: a Sufi expression denoting the Prophet Muhammad as the most perfect manifestation of the divine attributes in the spiritual realms.
218. Qur'an 14:28 : Reference to the Quranic verse: 'Have you not seen those who exchanged the favor of Allah for disbelief and settled their people in the abode of ruin?'
219. mawākib al-ʿināya : Processions of divine care: a Sufi concept referring to the manifestations of God's special attention and grace upon the Prophet.
220. Qur'an 76:4 : Reference to the Quranic verse: 'Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains, fetters, and a blaze.'
221. Qur'an 19:85-87 : Reference to the Quranic verses: 'The Day We shall gather the righteous to the Most Merciful as a delegation, and drive the criminals to Hell as a thirsty herd, possessing no power of intercession, except for him who has taken a covenant with the Most Merciful.'
222. Qur'an 25:27 : Reference to the Quranic verse: 'Oh, would that I had taken a path with the Messenger.'
223. al-maqām al-maḥmūd : The Praiseworthy Station: a rank granted to the Prophet Muhammad on the Day of Resurrection, where he will intercede for humanity.
224. Qur'an 76:10 : Reference to the Quranic verse: 'Frowning and severe.'
225. ʿilliyyīn : The highest ranks of Paradise, mentioned in the Quran (83:18-19).
226. Qur'an 25:65-66 : Reference to the Quranic verses: 'Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell; indeed, its punishment is ever adhering; indeed, it is evil as a settlement and dwelling place.'
227. wa-riḍāhu mā yatamannā wa-yurīdu : Reference to divine pleasure as the object of desire and will.
228. al-jawā : Intense passion or burning love.
229. sharāb al-hawā : The wine of love, a metaphor for spiritual intoxication.
230. al-‘Aqīq wa-al-Bān : Place names associated with beloved landscapes in classical Arabic poetry.
231. ghawāshī : Veils or coverings that obscure spiritual realities.
232. al-mulūk wa-al-mawālī wa-al-aḥrār : Kings, rulers, and free men, indicating social hierarchy.
233. al-‘awārif al-aḥmadiyya : Gnostic sciences attributed to Prophet Muhammad (Ahmad).
234. al-futūḥāt al-maktūb : The written openings, possibly a reference to Ibn Arabi's 'Futuhat al-Makkiyya'.
235. al-‘ulūm al-ladunniyya : Divine sciences imparted directly by God to the heart.
236. adhkār : Plural of dhikr; lit. 'remembrances', referring to specific litanies or invocations recited in Sufi practice.
237. tajalliyāt lāhūtiyya : Divine theophanies; manifestations of God's attributes in the world, often experienced by mystics.
238. al-bayniyya wa al-ayniyya : Otherness and contingency; concepts in Sufi metaphysics referring to the sense of separation from God and the temporal nature of existence.
239. maqām maḥwihi : Station of annihilation; a spiritual state where the self is effaced in God.
240. qāba qawsayn : Two bows' length; a Quranic phrase (53:9) describing the Prophet's proximity to God during the Ascension, used here to denote extreme closeness.
241. al-ʿārif : The gnostic; one who has direct experiential knowledge of God.
242. al-dhāt al-aḥmadiyya : The Ahmadian Essence; a reference to the Prophet Muhammad's spiritual reality, often identified with the Logos or Perfect Man.
243. ṭarīq al-sulūk : The path of spiritual wayfaring; the journey of the soul toward God in Sufism.
244. al-furqān : The Criterion; a name for the Quran, meaning that which distinguishes truth from falsehood.
245. aw adnā : Or even closer; a Quranic phrase (53:9) referring to the Prophet's proximity to God during the Ascension.
246. al-īwān : A grand hall or palace, often referring to a royal court or majestic abode.
247. al-‘ān : The supplicant or one who humbly implores, often in a state of submission.
248. yā Allāh yā Raḥīm yā Raḥmān : O Allah, O Merciful, O Compassionate—divine names emphasizing mercy.
249. bustān : A garden or orchard, symbolically representing a spiritual state or the Prophet's virtues.
250. nūr wa burhān maḥabba : Light and proof of love—referring to the spiritual illumination and evidence of divine love.
251. aṣwāt rakhīma : Melodious or soft voices, often associated with spiritual or poetic recitation.
252. Muḥammad biw Fāṭim al-‘Adnān : Muhammad son of Fatima of Adnan—a poetic reference to the Prophet Muhammad's lineage.
253. kāmil al-awṣāf : Perfect in attributes; a term of praise for the Prophet Muhammad.
254. asnār : Lights; plural of sinār, possibly referring to rays or illuminations.
255. al-'uqbān : Rubies; a type of precious stone.
256. Islāmī : My Islam; here likely referring to the faith or submission of the poet.
257. al-qurbān : Offerings; plural of qurbān, meaning sacrifice or offering.
258. al-'Adnān : Adnanite; referring to the lineage of the Prophet Muhammad from Adnan, a forefather of the Quraysh.
259. qaranful : Clove; a fragrant spice used metaphorically for spiritual fragrance.
260. al-'urafā' : Knowers; plural of 'ārif, meaning gnostic or one who has experiential knowledge of God.
261. bahār : Spring flower; a type of flower, often used in Sufi poetry.
262. nisrīn : Wild rose; a fragrant flower.
263. shaqā'iq al-nu'mān : Anemones; a type of red flower, symbolizing spiritual states.
264. habaq : Basil; a fragrant herb, used metaphorically.
265. shaṭaḥāt : Ecstatic utterances; paradoxical sayings uttered by Sufis in states of spiritual intoxication.
266. jadhabāt : Attractions; divine attractions or spiritual pulls toward God.
267. rayḥān : Sweet basil; a fragrant plant, often used in Sufi poetry.
268. sunbul : Hyacinth; a fragrant flower.
269. mushāhadāt wa tajalliyāt : Witnessings and manifestations; Sufi terms for direct spiritual experiences and divine self-disclosures.
270. āqāḥ : White blossoms; a type of white flower, possibly jasmine or similar.
271. ahyaf al-qadd : Slender-waisted one; a description of the beloved, often used for the Prophet.
272. sahr : Vigil; staying awake at night for prayer.
273. siḥr : Magic; here used in the context of night prayer at dawn, possibly referring to the time of sahur.
274. khaḍir : Green; referring to al-Khidr, a figure in Islamic tradition associated with greenery and spiritual knowledge.
275. udhkhir : Costus; a fragrant plant used in incense.
276. uqḥuwān : Chamomile; a fragrant flower.
277. 'arār : Cypress; a tree, often used metaphorically for stature.
278. Kawthar : A river in Paradise; also a name for abundance.
279. sanad ṣaḥīḥ athar : Sound chain of transmission; a term from hadith studies meaning an authentic chain of narrators.
280. al-'anbar al-shaḥr : Ambergris from Shihr; a region in Yemen known for ambergris.
281. al-faza' al-akbar : The greatest terror; a reference to the Day of Judgment.
282. sanat sab' wa sittīn wa mi'a wa alf : The year 1167 AH (1754 CE); a date mentioned in the text.
283. shajarat Maryam : Tree of Mary; a legendary tree associated with the Virgin Mary, on which the Prophet's name was found written.
284. al-rukn : The Corner; referring to the Black Stone corner of the Kaaba.
285. al-maqām : The Station; referring to the Station of Abraham near the Kaaba.
286. al-ḥaṭīm : The Hatim; a semicircular wall opposite the Kaaba.
287. al-mustalam : Kissed; referring to the Black Stone, which is kissed during pilgrimage.
288. qalam al-qudra : The Pen of Power: a divine attribute referring to God's creative power, often associated with the Preserved Tablet.
289. shajarat Maryam : Tree of Mary: a legendary tree associated with the Virgin Mary, often said to have miraculous properties.
290. al-‘arf al-Ahmadī : Ahmadic fragrance: the spiritual scent of Prophet Muhammad, whose name Ahmad is derived from the root 'hamd' (praise).
291. al-lāhūtiyya : Divinity: a term in Islamic theology referring to the divine nature, often contrasted with 'nāsūt' (humanity).
292. al-Furqān : The Criterion: a name for the Qur'an, meaning the distinction between truth and falsehood.
293. sundus : Sundus: a fine silk brocade, often mentioned in descriptions of Paradise.
294. al-jinān : Gardens: referring to the Gardens of Paradise.
295. al-rūḥ wa al-rayḥān : Spirit and Basil: a phrase from the Qur'an (56:89) meaning divine mercy and sustenance.
296. al-sab‘ al-mathānī : The Seven Oft-Repeated: a reference to Surah al-Fatiha, which consists of seven verses and is recited repeatedly in prayers.
297. ahl al-uns wa al-idlāl : People of intimacy and boldness: Sufi terms referring to those who have reached a state of intimate familiarity with God and act with loving boldness (idlāl) in their relationship with Him.
298. al-nūr : The light: often refers to the light of divine guidance or the light of the Prophet Muhammad, considered the first creation.
299. shajarat Maryam : Tree of Mary: a legendary tree associated with the Virgin Mary, often mentioned in Islamic mystical literature as a symbol of purity and divine favor.
300. arbāb al-ishārāt : Masters of allusions: Sufi masters who communicate spiritual truths through symbolic references and subtle indications.
301. aḥwāl : States: spiritual states (pl. of ḥāl) in Sufism, transient moods or conditions granted by God to the seeker on the spiritual path.
302. al-Muṣṭafā : The Chosen One: a title of the Prophet Muhammad, meaning 'the chosen' or 'the elect'.