← Volver a la ficha del textoA TREATISE ON HIDDEN ASSOCIATION (SHIRK KHAFI)
SHAIKH WALI RASLAN AD-DIMASHQI
TRANSLATED FROM THE ARABIC BY MUHTAR HOLLAND
Concerning the Affi rmation
of Divine Oneness
[Risala fi’t- Cawhid]
Concerning the Affinxmation
of Divine Oneness
[Risala fit Cawhid]
ATREATISE ON HIDDEN ASSOCIATION [SHIRK KHAFI]
SHAIKH WALI RASLAN AD-DIMASH@I
WITH THE COMMENTARIES OF
SHAIKH ZAKARIYYA’ al-ANSARI (d. A.H. 926)
and
SHAIKH ‘ALI b. ‘ATIYYA ‘ALAWAN al-HAMAWI (d. A.H. 936)
TRANSLATED FROM THE ARABIC BY MUHTAR HOLLAND
MY
AL-BAZ PUBLISHING, INC.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
“And I am not one of those who attribute partners (to Allah)” Qur'an (6:79)
Cover Design: Rohana Filippi
Using watercolor and wax to combine the beauty of Arabic
script with the Qur’anic message on paper, Italian artist Rohana
Filippi has developed her own artistic style through personal
research and inner inspiration. Her art is entirely devoted to
“expressing Allah’s presence everywhere.”
Ms. Filippi, who currently resides in Canada, has lived and
worked in Italy, England, Mexico, and the United States.
Cover Design: Dryden Design, Houston, Texas
Cover Preparation: Designbyindigo.com, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Body text set in Jilani and Ghazali fonts by Al-Baz Publishing, Inc.
Printed on acid-free paper.
© 1997 by Al-Baz Publishing, Inc. Hollywood, Florida.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission
in writing by the publisher.
Library of Congress
Catalog Card Number: 97-74907
ISBN: 978-1-882216-05-5
Concerning the Affirmation of Divine Oneness
First Edition December 1997
Second Edition January 2011
Published by Al-Baz Publishing, Inc.
1516 NE 38th Street, Oakland Park, Florida 33334
Phone: (425) 891-5444 E-mail: albaz@bellsouth.net
Printed and bound in the United States of America by Sheridan Books, Inc.
Contents
PUBLISHER’S PREFACE vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | ix
TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION _ xi
CONCERNING THE AUTHORS | xv
BOOK ONE
The Risdla fi’ t-Tawhid of Shaikh Wali Raslan ad-Dimashqi 5
BOOK TWO
The Kitab Fath ar-Rahman of Shaikh Zakariyya’ al-Ansavi
(Commentary on the Risdla of Shaikh Wali Raslan) 11
BOOK THREE
The Sharh Fath ar-Rahmdn of Shaikh “Ali ibn “Atiyya “Alawan al-Hamawi
(Commentary on the Risdla of Shaikh Wali Raslan) 37
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR 103
Publisher’s Preface
t is convenient to call this page the ‘Publisher’s Preface’, but in
| hers Iam not really a publisher. In a certain outer sense it is true
that I am, for if I were not, this book would never have reached you.
The reality is, however, that lam a miner, andI mine the sands of
time to find the gold that is buried in the scholarly repositories of
Arabic and Persian manuscripts around the world; the works of
those blessed saintly friends of Allah, the awliya’, who have reached
the other shore and met their souls’ desire, yet for His sake have
turned back to offer their hand to those who might drown if they did
not. Shaikh Wali Raslan was one such wali, and what is presented
here, in this volume, is his hand stretched out to you, dear reader.
Wali Raslan’s Risa, to put it rather graphically, is a lot of meat in
a little sandwich. It gets to the heart of the matter without any delay
and stays there for a full five pages. After reading it and reading the
two commentaries, you will be left with no illusions about your own
abilities to attain to beloved Allah. So what then, dear brother or
sister? This business of ours, if we want to call itthat, has four stages;
the Sharia, the Tariga, the Haqiqa and the Ma'rifa. The first two
are the uttermost boundary that we can reach by means of our
own striving. Thereafter it depends upon the grace of Allah to
His creature. What is the Haqiqa? Is it a further kind of teaching
to which one graduates after long years of progress in the Tariga?
The answer to that question, is that no, it isn’t. The Hagiqa is the
living grace of the All-Merciful, and He bestows it upon whom He
wills of His creatures.
Reader, if you can, try to find your way to the Hagiga, for it is the
pearl beyond price. Look for someone that can pass on the contact
or give you the opening, because it is very seldom that it is bestowed
directly, no matter how ardently one may long for it, or pray for it.
vil
viii Concerning the Affirmation of Divine Oneness
A word of caution: If ever you are told that the opening depends
on effort of your own, or visualizing certain symbols or words, or
certain prayers, or fasting; know that you are not in the presence of
one who has been opened to the Hagiqa. The opening is a simple
matter and the contact with the Hagiqa is passed on from one who
has already been opened, by permission of Allah. The Hagqiqa is
always there, and it always was, the whole of your life; what veils
you from it is the na/s, that useful servant given us by Allah (Exalted
is He) to serve our needs during our sojourn in this world. When
that veil is pierced, we are able to receive for ourselves the direct
experience of guidance for our lives, both inwardly and outwardly,
in a way that carries its own proof, and all that remains is to live
one’s life with care. Not that the Haqiqa replaces religion; rather
it provides a content for it, and the prayers become a delight,
accompanied as they are by the One to whom they are addressed.
May the Lord of all the worlds guide you to all that is good and
open up your way to Him. Amin, dear reader!
Ruslan Moore
October 1997
Acknowledgments
All praise is due to Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful!
We bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and that
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah!
Our Lord, thank You for giving us this wholesome task!
“SS SS
Grateful thanks to Muhtar Holland for devoting years of his life to
translating these works; may Allah bless him! Grateful thanks
to my mother Liza for her unstinting love and support down the
years. We would like especially to thank and recognize G. W. J.
Drewes for his scholarly work entitled, “Directions for Travellers on
the Mystic Path: Zakariyya al-Ansart’s Kitab Fath al-Rabman and
its Indonesian adaptations.” Thanks also to the many who have
helped make this publication possible, among them the following:
The Library of the University of Leiden
Ridwan Lowther for research
Rohana Filippi for the cover art
1X
Translator’s Introduction
f the introductory material I have to offer in this volume, a major
portion is presented in the separate section headed “Concerning
the Authors.” I trust that the following points will also be of interest,
and helpful to the reader:
Concerning Shaikh Wali Raslan’s Risala.
From all we know of Shaikh Wali Raslan’s everyday life, extravagance
of any kind was totally alien to him. He was certainly not one to
squander either the spoken or the written word. Even as the charismatic
spiritual teacher depicted in traditional tales, we find him working
wonders of demonstration, while adding only a few sentences of verbal
explanation. In the literary sphere, he is said to have written at least one
poem, expressing his praise of the Lord, and a few of his brief spontaneous
utterances [shadharat] have been recorded. In his most precious legacy,
the Risala, not a single word could possibly be considered redundant.
The work covers barely five pages in my English translation, which is
inevitably less concise than the original.
In exercising his preference for terse expression, the saintly Shaikh
was aided by the linguistic structure of his native tongue. In Arabic, the
subject of his brief but powerful treatise is summed up in the single word
tawhid. This term is derived from the three-consonant root w—h-d,
which serves as the vehicle for the basic concept of “oneness,” or “unity,”
along with the closely related ideas of “singularity” and “uniqueness.”
These root letters are clearly apparent in the numerical adjective
wahid [one]. In the words of the Quran:
Your God is surely One. (37:4) inna Ilaha-kum la-Wahid.
xi
xii Concerning the Affirmation of Divine Oneness
This is undoubtedly the central message of the Book of Allah
(Almighty and Glorious is He), and it is repeated in many other
verses [dyat]. If a believer in that message is the subject of the verb
wahhada, it tells us that he affirmed the Divine Oneness, by making
astatementlike: “My Godissurely One.” With similareconomy, the
verbal noun tawhid is enough to describe that profession of belief,
and it can therefore be translated as “the-affirmation-of-Oneness.”
(The use of hyphens is not strictly necessary, of course, but it may
help to remind us that the author of the Risdla employs the single
word tawhid.)
The opposite of tawhid is expressed by the Arabic term shirk, derived
from the root sh-r-k, which conveys the notion of “sharing” or
“partnership.” The word sharik (plural shuraka@’) means “partner” or
“associate.” In the words of the Qur“an:
Say: “My prayer and my sacrifice, qul inna salati wa nusuki
and my living and my dying are for wa mahydya wa mamati
Allah, the Lord of All the Worlds. Ii’ llahi Rabbi ’|-“alamin:
He has no partner.” (6:162,163) la shartka la-h.
The term shirk means “associating partners with Allah,” and the
related term mushrik is applied to someone guilty of such polytheistic
association. Shaikh Wali Raslan lived during the time of the Crusades,
and his hometown of Damascus was seldom far removed from the
conflicts that raged throughout that era. The Crusaders championed a
particular form of shirk, the doctrine of the Trinity, which the Qur’an
explicitly refutes:
O People of the Book..., yd Ahla ’|-Kitabi...
believe in Allah adminis bi’ ahi
and His Messengers, wa Rusuli-h:
and do not say “Three”... wa la taqili thalatha...
Allah is only One God. (4:171) inna-ma ‘llahu [lahun Wahid.
By some accounts, the Shaikh was active as a warrior-saint, and he
may well have been physically involved in the defence of Damascus,
when the city came under direct assault. He was certainly an active
opponent of all blatant, overt forms of shirk. In his Risdla, however, his
defence of tawhid is aimed at a more subtle target, the spiritual defect
called shirk khaft [hidden, or covert, association of partners with Allah,
Translator’s Introduction xiii
the One and Only God]. As used by Shaikh Wali Raslan, the term
tawhid may therefore demand an even lengthier translation, namely:
“the realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness.”
Concerning the Commentaries on the Risdla.
Without suggesting that Shaikh Wali Raslan has not essentially
“said it all” in his own inimitable style, I feel sure that the reader will
welcome the commentaries of Shaikh Zakariyya’ al-Ansari and Shaikh
“Ali ibn “Atiyya “Alawan al-Hamawi.! The task of translating the
Risdla would have been daunting indeed, had I not enjoyed the benefit
of their wise and insightful observations. As a further advantage, the
commentators refer quite frequently to variant readings in the Risdla
manuscripts at their disposal. If only indirectly, this gave me access to
several extra copies of Shaikh Wali Raslan’s treatise, copies that are
otherwise unobtainable, and possibly no longer in existence.
Apart from their own explanatory value, these commentaries contain
one truly vital asset: the complete text of the Risdla itself. Though the
words of Shaikh Wali Raslan are not presented as a continuous text, but
interspersed throughout the commentaries, they are clearly distin-
guished by traditional manuscript techniques. In the work of Shaikh
Zakariyya’, the explanations are often inserted between separate words
and phrases, whereas Shaikh “Alt usually quotes a sentence from the
Risdla intact, then follows it with a passage of his own. Such differences
are immediately apparent in the translated versions, where the words
and sentences from the Risdla have been printed in a bold font.
There is one puzzling question, to which no satisfactory answer can
be offered at present, concerning the titles of the two commentaries.
Can it be by sheer coincidence, that each is entitled Fath ar-Rahman
[Inspiration of the All-Merciful], the only difference being that one is
called the Kitab [Book] thereof, whereas the other is named the Sharh
[Commentary]? Both are unmistakably direct commentaries on the
Risala, and there is no evidence to support the notion that Sharh Fath
ar-Rahman might be an indirect commentary on Shaikh Walt Raslan’s
work, based on Kitab Fath ar-Rahman.
'Tt should be noted that Brockelmann, in his Geschichte der arabischen Literatur, lists no
fewer than seven commentaries on the Risdla.
xiv Concerning the Affirmation of Divine Oneness
A concluding invocation.
I feel moved to close this introduction by quoting the words of Allah
(Almighty and Glorious is He), addressed to His Messenger Muhammad
(Allah bless him and give him peace):
Say: “I am only a mortal like you.
It is revealed to me
that your God
is One God,
qul inna-m4 ana basharun
mithlu-kum yitha ilayya
anna-mai Ilahu-kum
Ilahun Wahid:
so whoever hopes
for the meeting with his Lord,
let him do righteous work,
and let him give no one
any share at all
in the worshi
p
due unto his Lord.” (18:110)
Your God is One God.
There is no god but He,
the All-Merciful,
fa-man kana yarjiu
liqa’a Rabbi-hi
fa-l’-ya‘mal
“‘amalan salihan
wa la yushrik
bi-“ibadati
Rabbi-hi ahada.
Allah (Exalted is He) has also assured his servants that:
wa [lahu-kum
Ilahun Wahid:
la ilaha illa
the All-Compassionate. (2:163)
Huwa ’r-Rahmanu ’r-Rahim.
May the One and Only God, Allah, have mercy on us all, and treat
us with compassion! Amin.
Muhtar Holland
September 1997
Concerning the Authors
1. Shaikh Wali Raslan ad-Dimashgi
here did Shaikh Wali Raslan spend most of his earthly life,
including his final moments? As indicated by his universally
accepted surname, ad-Dimashqji, the undisputed answer to this ques-
tion is the Syrian city of Damascus. But when did he live there, and in
what year did he die? That is harder to answer with absolute certainty,
since the Arabic sources give a wide range of dates for his death: from
shortly after A.H. 540/1145 C.E., to A.H. 695/1296 C.E., to as late as A.H.
711/1369 CE. After venturing into the maze of conflicting sources, the
Dutch scholar G. W. J. Drewes emerges with the convincing conclusion
that the earliest of these dates is most probably correct.
In one later compilation, Drewes notes, “A.H. 461 as the year of
Raslan’s birth is given without mention of the source of this information.”
As indicated by another of his surnames, al-Ja‘bari, his actual birth-
place was the fort of Qal‘at Ja‘bar, on the left bank of the Euphrates,
where his male relatives were members of a militia formation known as
the ajnad. Those were the days of the Crusades, so the threat of invasion
by the Franks may well have prompted the family to make their move
to the Muslim stronghold of Damascus. Yet another of the Shaikh’s
surnames is “the Carpenter [an-Nashshar].” According to traditional
accounts, he worked at the carpenter’s trade for twenty years, before
embarking on his remarkable spiritual career. The turning point came
when his own saw told him that sawing wood was not his true purpose
in life; after two unsuccessful attempts, it finally won his attention by
breaking into three pieces. Rasldn then became a pupil of Aba “Amir
al-Mu’addib, a Sufi Shaikh whose silsila [spiritual pedigree] linked him
to Sari as-Saqati, the uncle and teacher of the celebrated al-Junaid.1
1 See note 71 on p. 74 below.
XV
xvi Concerning the Affirmation of Divine Oneness
As Drewes tells the story:
“To this master he made over his earnings, in exchange for which
Abia ‘Amir supplied his meals, not however without his going hungry
from time to time.... His habitation was of the simplest: nothing but
a lean-to beside the workshop he shared with a weaver. Abi ‘Amir’s
tuition took place in a small mosque in the neighborhood, within the
Thomas Gate..., a district inhabited from of old by many Christians.
This mosque, to this very day, [is] known by the name of Maqam Shaikh
Arslan....”2
When Abi ‘Amir died, Raslin the Carpenter became Raslan the
Shaikh, for his teacher had chosen him as his successor, preferring him
over his own son. Shaikh Raslan’s way of life remained extremely
simple, and he never married. Through his steadfast devotion to the
Truth, he came to be widely known as Wali Raslan, meaning Raslan
the Saint.
Many charismatic powers and supernatural talents have been attributed
to Shaikh Wali Raslan, including those related in Qala’id al-Jawahir
[Necklaces of Gems]. In this work, which is essentially a biography of
Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him),
Shaikh Muhammad ibn Yahyaat-Tadifi includes the following section:
Shaikh Raslan ad-Dimashqi
One of the leading Shaikhs who paid glowing tribute to him [Shaikh
“Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him)] was that
splendid exemplar, Shaikh Raslan ad-Dimashqi (may Allah be well
pleased with him).
He was one of the pre-eminent Shaikhs of Syria, one of those
remarkable individuals who know through direct experience [a‘yan
al-“arifin], and one of those who are outstanding on account of their
superior skills. He was endowed with lofty indications, with elevated
aspirations, with truthful expressions, with supernatural charismatic
exploits [karamat khariqa], with majestic spiritual stations, and with
2 The name Raslan is probably an arabicized form of Arslan, which is the Turkish word
for “lion,” also used metaphorically in the sense of “brave man.” It also appears in the
Persian dictionary (marked as being of Turkish origin) with a note that it was adopted
as a title by many Persian kings.
Concerning the Authors — xvii
exalted situations. He held the highest degree of directly acquired
forms of knowledge [ma ‘Grif], the loftiest position in the realm of the
realities [haqa@’iq], and the foremost standing in nearness, clear unveiling
and brilliant illumination [fath], as well as a firmly established empow-
erment and an effective aptitude for management.
He is one of the leading figures of this [spiritual] business, and one
of its pillars, in terms of learning [“ilm] and practice [“amal], real
achievement [tahqiq], direct knowledge [ma‘rifa], and indifference to
worldly concerns [zuhd]. He is one of those whom Allah (Exalted is He)
has brought to the notice of his fellow creatures, and upon whom He has
conferred acceptance and abundant veneration in their sight. He put
him in firm possession of the spiritual states [ahwal] and of sainthood
[wilaya], made him privy to the mysteries of the universe [asrar al-kawn],
and granted him freedom of disposal in the realm of existence [wujiid].
At his hands, He manifested wondrous marvels, for his sake He
disrupted the customary patterns of nature, and He appointed him as a
leader [imam] for the spiritual travelers [salikin].
He eventually became responsible for the training of all the seekers
[muridin] in Syria. A group of its Shaikhs became affiliated with him,
and not a few of its inhabitants enjoyed the benefit of his fellowship.
The religious scholars [“ulama’] and the elders (may Allah be well
pleased with them) pointed him out with profound respect and reverent
admiration. Various animals used for transport alighted in his court-
yard, arriving from every direction and by every route, and riders
followed in his tracks from every deep ravine [min kulli fajjin “amiq]3
Shaikh Raslan ad-Dimashqi (may Allah be well pleased with him)
was charming, graceful, courteous and humble. He combined the most
noble traits of character, the most perfect manners, and the most
excellent attributes. He was also endowed with a sublime way of
speaking about the process of real experiences [minhaj al-haq@’ iq].
He explained, for instance, that one who knows by experience
[al-“Grif] is closely monitored in everything by his direct vision
[mushahada], and that intimate knowledge [ma‘rifa] becomes manifest
in the revelation of insight. This is because one who knows by direct
experience has already reached his spiritual destination [al-‘arif wasil],
3 An allusion to Q. 22:27.
xviii Concerning the Affirmation of Divine Oneness
but then the secrets of Allah (Exalted is He) are conveyed to him in a
complete totality, by the lights that make him privy to the facts of the
unseen [shawahid al-ghaib], and privy to the secret of control. Thus he
is taken from his own person [nafs], then restored to his own person,
firmly established in his heart. His being taken from his own person is
an act of bringing near [to the Lord], while his being restored to his own
person is a training exercise [tahdhib], and his self-control is a special
assignment [takhsis]. The bringing near [tagrib] causes him to witness,
the training causes him to exist, and the special assignment gives him
a separate identity. Thus his separate identity [tafrid] is his existence
[wujid], his existence is his witnessing [shuhiid], and his witnessing is his
witnessing. As Allah (Exalted is He) has told us:
The eyes do not perceive Him, la tudriku-hu ’l-absaru
but He perceives the eyes. (6:104) wa Huwa yudriku ’L-absar.
—so His perceiving of the eyes is witnessed by the faculties of insight
[basa ir].
It was the enlightened Shaikh Abi Muhammad Ibrahim ibn Mahmiid
al-Ya‘li who said:
“One day in the springtime, Shaikh Raslan (may Allah be well
pleased with him) was in one of the gardens of Damascus, together with
a group of his companions. One of them said to him: ‘O my master,
what is the saint [wali] who is fully endowed with the principles of
enablement [ahkam at-tamkin].’ ‘My dear young son,’ he replied, ‘he is
the one whom Allah (Exalted is He) has invested with the reins of
management [tasvif].’. His companion then asked: ‘What is the
distinctive mark of that condition, O my master?’
“The Shaikh responded by picking up four twigs. He singled out one
of them and said: ‘This twig represents the summer. He singled out
another and said: ‘This twig stands for the fall, the autumn season.’ He
singled out another and said: ‘This one represents the winter.’ Then
he singled out yet another and said: ‘This one stands for the spring.’ He
then took the twig which he had designated for the summer, and waved
it to and fro with his hand. Ashe did so, the weather grew intensely hot.
Then he threw that twig away, picked out the one he had designated for
the fall or autumn, and waved it to and fro. As he did so, along came
Concerning the Authors xix
all the typical features of autumn and the season of the fall. Then he
threw that twig away, picked out the one he had designated for the
winter, and waved it to and fro. As he did so, the winter winds began
to blow, the weather grew bitterly cold, and then the leaves began to
wither on the trees in the garden, and so on. Then he threw that twig
away, held onto the one he had designated for the spring, and waved it
to and fro. As he did so, the trees turned green with fresh leaves, the
branches began to blossom, and the breezes of springtime blew.
“Then he gazed at the birds on the trees in the garden. He went over
to one of the trees, gave it a shake, and signaled to the bird perched on
it: ‘Glorify your Creator!’ The bird responded by warbling a most lovely
tune, filling the listeners with sheer delight. Then he moved over to
another tree, and did the same again, and so on, until he had come to
each of the trees. Of all the birds, only one had failed to break into song,
so the Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him) said to it: ‘May you
not stay alive!’—and it promptly fell dead on the ground.”
On another occasion, fifteen men came to visit him, but the only food
he had in store consisted of five flat loaves of bread. He set these before
them, after crumbling them with careful precision, and said: “In the
Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. O Allah,
bless us in what you have provided for us, for You are the Best of
providers!” Even when they had eaten till their hunger was fully
satisfied, a quantity was still left over, so he divided it amongst them,
piece by piece, and they traveled on to Baghdad, eating from it
throughout the entire length of their journey.
It was Aba Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Kurdti who said: “I once saw
the Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him) traveling through the
air. At one time he would be walking, at one time he would be traveling
in across-legged posture, at one time he would be flying by like an arrow,
and at one time he would be passing over the water.”
He went on to say: “I also saw him at “Arafat, and at all the sacred
shrines [masha ir]. Then I lost sight of him, so when I came to Damascus
Lasked the people of that city about him, and they told me: ‘By Allah,
he has not been absent from us for as much as one whole day, except on
the Day of ‘Arafa, part of the Day of Sacrifice [Yawm an-Nahr], and the
Days of Tashriq.”
xx Concerning the Affirmation of Divine Oneness
He also said: “I saw him sitting one day with a lion snuggled against
his feet, but he was too absorbed to take the slightest notice of the lion.
“One day I saw him on the outskirts of Damascus, throwing pebbles,
so | asked him to explain, and he said: “These are arrows, aimed at the
Franks.’ At that very point in time, the Franks had moved out toward
the coast, pursued by an army of the Muslims. Shortly after that, people
said: ‘We saw pebbles descending from the sky, raining down through
the air upon the heads of the Franks.’ A large number of them perished
because of the stones cast by the Shaikh. It even happened that a single
pebble would strike a mounted knight, and he and his horse would both
be destroyed, through the grace of the Shaikh (may Allah be well
pleased with him).”
He was resident (may Allah be well pleased with him) in Damascus,
which he regarded as his home town, and it was there that he died. He
was buried on its outskirts, and his tomb is a conspicuous site, regularly
visited down to this day of ours.4 While his bier was being carried on
the necks of the bearers, green birds attended and perched on his bier.
The people also saw cavaliers mounted on gray horses, circling around
the funeral procession. They had never seen them before, nor did they
ever see them afterwards.
May Allah be well pleased with him!
2. Shaikh Zakariyya’ al-Ansari
There is no shortage of information concerning the author of Kitab
Fath ar-Rahmdn [Book of the Inspiration of the All-Merciful], a commen-
tary on the Risdla of Shaikh Wali Raslan. We know that Shaikh
Zakariyya’ al-Ansart died in Cairo in A.H. 926/1520 C.E., having lived
for a full hundred years. As a renowned exponent of the Shafi‘T school
of Islamic jurisprudence [figh], he acquired the honorary title of Shaikh
4The author of Qala id al-Jawahir [Necklaces of Gems] died in A.H. 963/1556 C.E., so more
than four centuries have elapsed since the time he calls “this day of ours.” Even in our
own day, however, Drewes assures us that Shaikh Wali Raslan’s mausoleum, “flanked
by the tombs of his master and his servant, is to be found in the cemetery named after
him outside the Thomas Gate [in Damascus].”
Concerning the Authors — xxi
al-Islam. His fame is widespread in the Islamic world, and his works
have attracted particular attention in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Shaikh Zakariyya’ al-Ansari has not been neglected by Western
scholars. He is discussed by J. Schacht in the Encyclopaedia of Islam, in
the course of an article on ash-Sha‘rani, a pupil of Zakariyya’ who
described his master as a “pillar of Islamic jurisprudence [fiqh] and
spiritual culture [tasawwuf].” He is mentioned by]. S. Trimingham,} as
the author of al-Futuhdat al-Ilahiyya [The Divine Revelatory Disclosures].
In Brockelmann’s History of Islamic Literature, no fewer than fifty-two
titles are listed under his name, covering subjects such as logic,
grammar, scientific terminology, rhetoric, prosody, Qur’anic exegesis
[tafsir], Sacred Tradition [Hadith Qudsi], the life of the Prophet (Allah
bless him and give him peace), several topics of jurisprudence [figh],
theological doctrine [kalam] and spiritual culture [tasawwuf].
Most importantly, we have the excellent scholarly work of G. W. J.
Drewes, whose Directions for Travellers on the Mystic Path bears the
subtitle: “Zakariyya’ al-Ansari’s Kitab Fath ar-Rahman and its Indonesian
Adaptations.” This book contains highly informative chapters on
Shaikh Wali Raslan ad-Dimashqi and Shaikh Zakariyya’ al-Ansari,
as well as a romanized transliteration of the entire text of Kitab Fath
ar-Rahman.
3. Shaikh “Ali ibn “Atiyya “Alawan al-Hamawi
As for the author of Sharh Fath ar-Rahma@n, our second commentary
on the Risdla of Shaikh Wali Raslan, we have only the scantiest
information to offer the reader. We can merely state that his name is
“Ali ibn “Atiyya “Alawan al-Hamawi,‘ that he died in A.H. 939/1530
C.E., and that his work became known in Indonesia. However late in
the day, the quality of his work entitles him to wider recognition.
May Allah be well pleased with each of these three servants of His
(Exalted is He).
3In The Sufi Orders in Islam. Oxford University Press; London, 1971; p. 186. (Trimingham
gives A.H. 916/1510 C.E. as the date of Shaikh Zakariyya’ al-Ansari’s death.)
6 The surname “al-Hamawi” indicates that he lived in the Syrian town of Hama.
Concerning the Affirmation
of Divine Oneness
[Risala fi’t- Cawhid]
Be __a
Whatever mercy Allah opens for mankind,
none can withhold it.
(Ouran 35:2)
The Risala of Shaikh Wali Raslan
In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful,
the All-Compassionate
Praise be to Allah.
ow then, know that the whole of you is covert polytheism
[shirkun khafiyyun] and your realization-and-affirmation-of-
Oneness [tawhid] will not become evident to you until you exit
from you[rself].
Provided you are sincere, it will be disclosed to you that it is He,
not you, so you must ask forgiveness for you. And whenever you
encounter [any form of it], your own polytheism [shirk] will be
evident to you. You must therefore renew, in every hour and at every
moment, an affirmation-of-Oneness [tawhid] and a faith [tman].
And whenever you become detached from them your faith will
increase; and whenever you become detached from you, your
certitude [yaqin] will increase.
O prisoner of desires and formal acts of worship, O prisoner of
stations and revelations! You are deluded and you are preoccupied
with you. Where is your preoccupation with Him to the exclusion
of you? He is Present and Attentive, “and He is with you wherever
you may be,” in this world and the hereafter. When you are with
Him, He screens you from you, and when you are with you, He
screens you from Him.
Faith is your separating from them, and certitude is your separating
from you. When your faith has increased, you will be transported
from state to state; and when your certitude has increased, you will
be transported from station to station.
The Sacred Law [Shari‘a] is for you, until you seek Him from Him
for you; and the Reality [Haqiqa] belongs to Him, until you seek Him
through Him for Him, beyond when and beyond where, for the
6 Concerning the Affirmation of Divine Oneness
Sacred Law does have limits [hudiid] and modes [jihat], but the
Reality has neither limit nor mode.
One who lives with the Sacred Law [alone] is given the privilege of
striving [mujahada] and one who lives with the Reality is given the
privilege of grace [minna]. How great is the contrast between
striving and grace!
One who lives with striving is existent [mawjid], while one who
lives with grace is extinct [mafqud].
Practices are linked to the noble Law [Shar‘]. As for total trust in
the Lord [tawakkul], this is linked to faith [tman], and the realization-
and-affirmation-of-Oneness [tawhid] is linked to illuminating disclo-
sure [kashf].
People wander astray from the Lord of Truth because of the mind,
and from the hereafter because of passion. For, when you seek the
Lord of Truth with the mind, you lose the way, and when you seek
the hereafter with passion, you stumble and slip.
The believer sees by the light of Allah, and one who has direct
knowledge [al-‘arif] beholds Him by it.
“As long as you are with you, We command you. Then, once you
have been rendered extinct to you, We take charge of you.” For He
does not take charge of them until after their annihilation [in Him].
As long as you continue, you area seeker [murid]. Then, when He
has made you extinct to you, you are one who is sought [murdd].
The most lasting certainty is your absence from you and your
presence with Him. What a big difference there is between what is
at His command and what is because of Him! If you are at His
command, worldly means will be subservient to you. And if you are
because of Him, the whole universe will be submissive to you.
The first of the stations is patience in obedience to His will (Exalted
is He). The one in the middle is contentment with His wishes
(Exalted is He), and the last is that you come to be in accordance with
His purpose.
[Practical] knowledge [“ilm] is the way of action, and action is [the
way of] knowledge. And knowledge is the way of experience
[ma‘rifa]. And experience [of Allah] is the way of unveiling [kashf].
And unveiling is the way of extinction [fana’].
The Risdala of Shaikh Wali Raslan 7
“You have not become fit for Us as long as there is still within you
any remnant of anything apart from Us, so when you have set
everything else aside, We shall render you extinct. You have now
become fit for Us, and We have entrusted you with Our secret.”
When there does not remain with you any self-motivation, your
certitude will be perfected, and when there does not remain any
existence of yours, your realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness
[tawhid] will be perfected.
The people of the inner are with certainty [yaqin], and the people
of the outer are with faith [iman]. So when the heart of the master
of certainty is stimulated in response to anything other than Allah,
his certainty is deficient, and when no notion ever occurs to him, his
certainty is perfect. And when the heart of the master of faith is
stimulated in response to anything other than the divine command,
his faith is defective, and when it is stirred by the divine command,
his faith is complete.
The sin of the people of certainty is unbelief [kufr], and the sin of
the people of faith is falling short.
The dutiful servant is diligent, and the lover is totally trusting, and
he who knows by direct experience [al-‘Grif] is calm and serene, and
he who is found is lost. There is no rest for a dutiful servant, and no
movement for a lover, and no resolve for one who knows by direct
experience, and no being found for one who is lost.
Love is experienced only after certainty, and when the lover is
sincere in his love, his heart must be empty of all that is apart from
Him. Andas long as it retains any trace of love for anything but Him,
he must be lacking in love.
One who takes delight in misfortune, co-exists therewith, and one
who takes delight and rejoices in prosperity co-exists with it, so when
He makes them extinct to them, the enjoyment of misfortune and
prosperity departs.
As for the lover, his breath is wisdom [hikma], and as for the loved
one, his breath is power [qudra].
Formal acts of worship are for the compensations, and love is for
the nearnesses. [In the words of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is
He)]: “I have prepared for My righteous servants that which no eye
has ever seen, of which no ear has ever heard, and which has never
8 Concerning the Affirmation of Divine Oneness
occurred to any human heart. When they wish for Me, I give them
that which no eye has ever seen and of which no ear has ever heard.”
When He has made you extinct to your passion by decree, and to
your self-will through knowledge, you will become a servant with
undivided loyalty, with neither passion nor will of your own. Then
the veil will be lifted for your benefit, so that servitude will vanish
away into Oneness, for the servant will be annihilated and the Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He) will remain.
The whole of the Sacred Law [Shari‘a] is constriction, and the
whole of knowledge [“ilm] is expansion, and the whole of direct
experience [ma ‘rifa] is dalliance and playful teasing.
Our method is love, not labor, and annihilation, not perpetuity.
When you enter into work, you belong to you, and when you enter
into love, you belong to Him. The worshipper looks to his worship,
while the lover looks to his love.
When you have come to acknowledge Him, your breathing will be
through Him, and your movements will belong to Him, but if you are
ignorant of Him, your movements will be your own.
The formal worshipper [“abid] has no rest; and the ascetic [zahid]
has no appetite; and the champion of truth [siddiq] has no dependent
reliance; and he who is endowed with direct experience [“Grif] has
neither might nor strength, neither choice nor will, neither move-
ment nor rest; and he who is existent [mawjiid] has no existence.
When you have come to be on familiar terms with Him, you will
be estranged from you.
“If someone is preoccupied with Us for his own sake, We shall
make him blind. But if someone is preoccupied with Us for Our sake,
We shall give him sight.”
When your passion has faded away, the door of the Reality
[Hagiqa] will be unveiled for your benefit, so that your own will is
annihilated and Oneness [Wahdaniyya] is unveiled to you and then
you will realize that it is He, not you.
If you surrender to Him, He will draw you close, but if you argue
with Him, He will keep you at a distance.
If you draw near through Him, He will bring you close, but if you
draw near through you, He will keep you at a distance.
The Risala of Shaikh Wali Raslan 9
If you seek Him for your own sake, He will burden you, but if you
seek Him for His sake, He will pamper you.
Your nearness to Him is your separation from you, while your
distance is your sticking with you.
If you come without you, He will accept you, but if you come
through you, He will exclude you.
The worker is hardly likely to be free of attachment to his labor.
So be one of the sort disposed toward grace [minna], not one of the
sort disposed toward work [‘amal].
If you know Him, you will come to rest, but if you are ignorant of
Hin, you will be agitated. So the point is that He should be and you
should not be.
As for the common folk, their works are suspect, and as for the
élite, their works are good deeds, and as for the élite of the élite, their
works are degrees of spiritual progress.
Whenever you shun your passion, your faith is reinforced,
and whenever you shun your own essence, your realization-and-
affirmation-of-Oneness [tawhid] is reinforced.
Creatures are a screen and you are a screen, but the Lord of Truth
is not one to be secluded, and He is concealed from you because of
you, and you are concealed from you because of you. So separate
from you, and you shall witness Him.
SS SS
Kitab Fath ar-Rahman
(The Book of the Inspiration of the All-Merciful)
Commentary on the Risdala of Wali Raslan!
by
Zakariyya’ al-Ansari
(d. A.H. 926/1520 CE.)
In this translation of Kitab Fath ar-Rahman, words that occur in the text of the Risdla
of Wali Raslan are printed in bold font.
In the Name of Allah
the All-Merciful and Compassionate.
] n Him is my trust. May Allah bless our master Muhammad, his family
and his companions, and give them peace.
These are the words of our chief and master, Shaikh of the Shaikhs
of Islam and of the Muslims, adornment of the religion and the faith,
Abii Yahya Zakariyya’ al-Ansari ash-Shafi'7. May Allah have mercy
on him, and let us continue to enjoy His support in this world and the
hereafter through Muhammad and his family. Surely He is capable of
whatever He wills, and competent to answer prayers.
In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful and Compassionate. Praise
be to Him who reserves Uniqueness to Himself and glories in the properties
of Lordship, and blessing and peace upon the Prophet and his companions
and upon his family and his followers.
Now then, the science of Divine Unity is one of the most noble of
the sciences, nay, it is the noblest of them all, and works composed
on the subject include ar-Risdla ar-Raslaniyya, by the Imam versed in
knowledge of Allah (Exalted is He), Raslan ad-Dimashqi [the Damascene]
—may Allah perfume his resting place and make Paradise his habitation.
Since this is one of the most original books ever written on the science
of Divine Unity [“ilm at-tawhid], and the most comprehensive treatment
of the subject within such a short space, I prayed to Allah (Exalted is
He) for help and guidance in composing a commentary that would
analyze its wording and explain its meaning,
and I named my work:
“The Inspiration of the All-Merciful:
Commentary on the Risdla of Wali Raslan.”
kK that knowledge of Divine Unity is called for. Allah (Exalted
is He) has said: “So know that there is none worthy of worship but
Allah,” (47:19) thereby necessitating the abolition of polytheistic
association [shirk], of which there are two kinds:
1. The outer, manifest kind, which has been discussed and classified
by al-Ghazali and others;
2. The inner, hidden kind, namely the soul’s latching onto [worldly]
entities, which then form an obstacle to receiving succor from the realm
of the Unseen [“alam al-ghaib]. This amounts to hidden polytheism
because it ties one to sensory perceptions, far from the Presence
of Holiness [hadrat al-quds]. The author refers to this when he says:
The whole of you, O servant, in essence [dhat] and attributes [sifat] and
action [fi‘l], is [hidden] polytheism, the source of delusion and fantasy,
for these two establish the other [ephemera], such as transitory ranks
and stations. So when you make all ‘the other’ cease to exist as far as
you are concerned, there emerges through Divine Knowledge your
realization-of-Oneness/tawhid], abolishing polytheism in both its forms,
necessitating the banishment of delusion and fantasy.
And your realization-of-Oneness does not become evident to you,
that is, apparent to you, until you exit from—that is, become extinct
to—yourself and all other things, through your seeing them all as from
Allah (Exalted is He). “But Allah has created you and your handiwork!”
(37:96). The relationship of your deeds to yourself is ‘acquisitional,’ and
to Allah (Exalted is He) ‘creational,’ because Allah (Exalted is He)
creates, while you are acquiring [kdsib] so as to be rewarded or punished.
15
16 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
Provided you are sincere in making your exit therefrom, it will be
disclosed to you that it is He (Exalted is He) who is the existent doer,
not you. Then, when you witness nothing other than Him (Exalted is
He), you will become one who experiences His Oneness as a reality.
This witnessing may be prolonged, although this is rare, or it may be like
a flash of lightning. When this has been revealed to you, you must ask
forgiveness for you, that is, for your witnessing, because through your
deliverance from this the knowledge of Tawhid will be disclosed to you
in respect of essence, attributes and action. And whenever you
encounter any form of it, your own polytheism will be evident to you,
as opposed to what you ascribe to people. You must therefore renew,
in every hour and at every moment, indeed at every breath, an
affirmation-of-Oneness that He is the existent doer, and a faith, that
is, a belief therein, until your certitude is perfected. So whenever you
ascend from a stage of differentiation to a stage of integration, your
realization-of-Oneness and your faith will increase, as he says: And
whenever you make your exit from it,’ that is, from your sensory
perception to your realization-of-Oneness, your faith, that is, your
belief will increase, that is, at the stage of illumination and direct
vision, since to exit from one of the two opposites is to enter into the other.
And whenever you emerge, you from you, your certitude of Unique-
ness will increase? since the matter will be more complete in you than
it isin others. This is the grade of the champions-of-truth [as-siddigiin],
while the first is the grade of the élite of the believers. Certitude is
knowledge after doubt, and the term is therefore not applied to
perennial knowledge, nor to forms of knowledge that are ‘imperative.’
What is meant by it here is what he mentions later on, or perhaps what
is meant by it is knowledge in an absolute sense, in which case there is
no question of contradiction. You should also know that your emerging
from you is integration, and the growth of your certitude is the goal of
integration, where the Lord of Truth takes control of you. This is the
meaning of the [Sacred] Tradition: “I become his hearing by which he
hears.” Anyone who has not attained it has not achieved perfect
certitude, but is deluded, stuck with his formal worship and his attention
2In another copy of the text: from them, that is, from creatures.
3In another manuscript: will grow stronger.
Kitab Fath ar-Rabmadn 17
to stations and revelations, a prisoner to them because of his love for
them, as Wali Raslan indicates when he says:
O prisoner of desires and forms of worship, O prisoner of stations
and revelations! You are deluded by what you have been plunged into
by illusion and fantasy. You‘* are preoccupied with you, to the exclusion
of Him (Exalted is He). Where is the preoccupation with Him
(Exalted is He) to the exclusion of you, with your being a prisoner to
other than Him?
Anyone who loves a thing is a prisoner to it. Manya one is stuck with
desire, and this is the state of the people of heedlessness. Many a one
is stuck with formal worship, and this is the state of some of the people
devoted to cultivating good behavior. Many a one is stuck with spiritual
status, and this is the state of some of the people who develop powers
of will. Many a one is stuck with illuminative insight, and this is the
state of some of the people concerned with progressive development.
Many a one is stuck with Allah, absorbed in Him to the exclusion of all
else, and this is the state of the people of providential favors.
And He (Almighty and Glorious is He) is Present with us through
His knowledge, Attentive to us through His decree, and He is with you
through His knowledge and His power and His providential care,
wherever you may be in this world or the hereafter. When you have
come to know this, you know that He is with you in private and in
public, so be with Him through your absorption in realization-of-
Oneness [tawhid], because when you are with Him like this He screens
you from you, that is, moves you away from the sight of your own self,
so that you are kept safe from hidden idolatry. This is a state that is
called annihilation in the realization-of-Oneness [al-fana’ fi’ t-tawhid],
or the state of integration [al-jam'‘].
And when you are with you, through your lack of absorption,
He subjects you to serving Him, that is, He makes you a servant
devoted to Him, for He demands of you service to Him. This is the state
of differentiation [farq], as referred to previously, in which the individual
returns to his formal, outer worship.
Perfect faith [tman] is your separating from Him (Exalted is He)
by not associating Him with anything belonging to your personal
4TIn another MS: and you.
18 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
attributes, and certitude [yaqin] is your separating from you, that is,
from your own might, your own strength and your own existence, to
witness the perfection of His might, His strength and His existence in
place of your impotence and weakness. When your faith has increased
through separation from all other things, you will be transported from
state to state, that is, from weakness to strength, till you achieve perfect
faith, which is certitude. Then, when your certitude has been perfected,
the unseen realms will become visible to you, for perfect faith [al-tman
al-kamil] is now attained.
And when your certitude has increased> through your separation
from you and from all other things, you will be transported from
station to station, that is, from gnosis [ma'rifa] to illumination [kashf],
from illumination to witnessing [mushahada], from witnessing to direct
perception [mu‘ayana], from direct perception to contact [ittisal], from
contact to annihilation [fana’], from annihilation to perpetuity [baqa’],
then to other stations familiar to their adepts. You should know that
the latter have a Sacred Law [Shari‘a], namely that you must worship
Him (Exalted is He); a‘Procedure’ [Tariqa], namely that you must aspire
to Him through knowledge and action; and a ‘Reality’ [Haqiqa], namely
that you bear witness toa light which He has deposited in the innermost
recess of the heart. You should also know that everything inner has a
corresponding outer aspect, and vice-versa.
The Sacred Law is the outer aspect of the Reality, while the Reality
is the inner aspect of the Sacred Law, and the pair of them are
inseparable as a concept. For a Sacred Law without an inner Reality is
useless, and an inner Reality without a Sacred Law is futile.
The three together have been compared to the walnut: The Sharia
is like the outer shell, the Tariga is like the hidden kernel, and the
Hagiqa is like the oil within the kernel. There is no way to get at the
kernel except by piercing the shell, nor to obtain the oil except by
crushing the kernel.
There are several classes of people: Weaklings, they being the
common herd; an élite, namely the saints [al-awliya’]; and the élite
of the élite, namely the Prophets [al-anbiya’]. He alludes to this
classification when he says:
The Sacred Law [Shart‘a] is for you, O weakling, until you seek
5In one MS: has grown strong.
Kitab Fath ar-Rabmdan 19
Him (Exalted is He) from Him for you, provided you seek Him with
sincerity and honesty, otherwise it is against you, not for you.
And the Reality [Hagqiqa] is for Him (Exalted is He) until you seek
Him (Exalted is He) through Him for Him (Almighty and Glorious
is He), not through you for Him, nor through Him for you, beyond time®
and beyond space, by contrast with the Shari‘a, for the Shart‘a, because
it is a commandment to perform legally prescribed actions, does have
limits [hudid], for example that a particular ritual prayer [salat] shall
consist of two cycles or of three, and modes, as when the prayer is
obligatory or supererogatory, scheduled for a set time or unscheduled.
But the Haqiqa has neither limit nor mode, because it is a spiritual secret,
and because one who lives by it is is one who has direct experience of
Allah (Exalted is He), who has shunned creature comforts, for he is at
the station of integration, and so always seeks Allah through Allah for
Allah. The object of his quest is unlimited, for it is the adored Truth,
whereas the object of one who lives by the Shari‘a is limited.
One who lives by’ the Shari‘a only, that is, without the Hagiqa, is
given the privilege of striving [mujahada], namely the practice of
external forms of worship and internal servitude. The formal worship
is to be practiced by the self [nafs], because it is external, while servitude
is for the heart [qalb], because it is internal.
And one who lives by’ the Haqiqa is given the privilege of grace,
that is, blessing, or, as some say, momentous favor, by which is meant
the luminous intimate knowledge which Allah taught the spirits
[arwah] when He addressed them with His words: “Am | not your Lord?”
(7:172). Itis also hinted at by His words: “And He taught Adam all the
names.” (2:31). But it is buried deep within the spirits, concealed by
the gloom of existence and the preoccupations of nature, and only
when these vanish away, through the gracious assistance of Allah, does
it become manifest. This is the import of the tradition [khabar]: “When
someone puts what he knows into practice, Allah makes him heir to
knowledge of what he did not know.” Thus that covering is removed
from his heart, for he has shunned all that is created, including even
Paradise. This person lives by the code of Lordship, while the former
lives by the code of formal worship [“ibada] and servitude [“ubiidiyya].
6In one copy: beyond limitation.
7In one copy: with.
8In one copy: with.
20 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
How great is the contrast between striving and grace, for great is the
contrast between one who is assigned to striving without illumination
and visionary experience in the situation of differentiation, and one to
whom is revealed the secret of Divinity [al-Ilahiyya], so that he witnesses
the meaning of integration through integration [al-jam‘ bi’ l-jam‘]. The
stations of differentiation and integration are both to be sought, but to
confine oneself to the former is a useless exercise, and to the latter a
delusion and a frustration, as has already been indicated in either case.°
One who lives with striving, since he is attentive to his actions in
keeping with the Shari‘a, is existent through Allah, while one who
lives with grace, since he is living by the code of Lordship, without
studying his actions, is extinct to all apart from Him (Exalted is He)
through his annihilation [fana’] in his absorption in Him (Exalted is He).
Practices connected with the perfecting of the servant’s outer being,
such as the two-fold testimony [professing belief in Allah as the One
Almighty God, and in Muhammad as His Messenger], observance of
the ritual prayer [salat], payment of the alms-due [zakdat], fasting,
pilgrimage [hajj], and the holy war [jihad], are linked to the noble Law
[Shar‘], by which they have been prescribed.
As for total trust in the Lord [tawakkul] and similar virtues connected
with the perfection of the inner being, such as abstinence, piety,
patience, fear and hope, this is linked to faith [tman], to the belief that
Allah (Exalted is He) “is Doer of what He will.” (11:107). Total trust
means relying completely on Allah (Exalted is He), and devoting no
attention to material means and the management of them. Some say
it means ceasing to exert oneself in areas that are beyond human
control, and still other definitions have been given, as I have explained
with useful lessons in a commentary on the Risdla of al-Qushairi.
And tawhid, which is your conviction and knowledge of the Oneness
of Allah (Exalted is He), is linked to the removal, that is, the removal
by Allah from the servant’s vision, of the veil, meaning the screens
9 The commentator now devotes eight lines to a discussion of the Arabic idiom
meaning: “How ereat is the contrast between...” or “What a great difference between...”
In one manuscript of the Risdla, the particle ma is missing between shattana and baina,
he tells us at the beginning of the above paragraph—where the comment is untrans-
latable! I omit the linguistic discussion, which would be intelligible—even in
translation—only to Arab grammarians.
Kitab Fath ar-Rabmadn 21
represented by worldly things, in that he becomes extinct to them and
sees them merged into the lights of Divine Majesty. Unveiling is of
three kinds: Unveiling of self, unveiling of heart, and unveiling of
innermost being, which is the one intended here. The first is designated
by the knowledge of certainty [“ilm al-yaqin], the second by the essence
of certainty [ain al-yagin], and the third by the truth of certainty [haqq
al-yagin]. All three are sciences [“ulim], since they are subdivisions of
knowledge [“ilm], each having its respective subject-matter [ma ‘lim]:
It may be connected with the outer being, in which case it is knowledge
of certainty; or with the inner being, in which case it is essence of
certainty; or with the Lord of Truth (Exalted is He), in which case it
is truth of certainty. You should know that together with unveiling
[kashf] come the experiences called “being present face-to-face”
[muhddara], “disclosure” [mukdashafa], “seeing with one’s own eyes”
[mu‘ayana], and “witnessing” [mushahada], all of which are linked to
tawhid, and these I have explained in the commentary referred to above.
And people wander astray, deviate, from the Lord of Truth
(Exalted is He) through seeking Him with the natural, corporeal mind
[al-‘aql at-tabi't al-juthmani], because it is screened by its isolation from
the Divine Epiphanies [at-tajalliyat al-Ilahiyya] and Sublime
Gnoses [al-ma‘arif al-Rabbaniyya], being confined to such beauty or
ugliness, error or correctness, as is contained in external forms [swwar].
In contrast to this is the luminous, spiritual mind [al-‘aql al-rihani
an-nitrani], which is angelic, and with which there is no wandering
astray. And they wander astray from the life they should enjoy in the
hereafter, by seeking it with passion, that is, the passion and appetite
of the self [nafs], because it can only be attained through the striving
prescribed by the Sacred Law. So when you seek the Lord of Truth
with the aforementioned mind, you lose the way to contact with Him.
(And when you seek the hereafter with passion, you are sure to slip.)
The perfect believer, namely one who purifies himself of both
obvious and hidden idolatry, sees by the light of Allah, that is, the grace
that is generously bestowed upon him, since things are thereby revealed
tohimin constant succession. “Is he who was dead, and We have raised
him to life...?” (6:122). “Beware of the perspicacity of the believer, for
he sees by the light of Allah!” And one who knows by direct
22. Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
experience [al-‘Grif], namely one who is absorbed in Allah to the
exclusion of all besides Him, beholds Him by it, that is, by the light of
Allah, through the lifting of the veil of heedlessness from his heart.
As longas you are with you, that is, with your own self, not absorbed
in Us, We command you, that is, We oblige you to struggle, because
you are at the stage of differentiation. Then, once you have been
rendered extinct, through your absorption in Us, to you, that is, to your
own self, We take charge of you with attentiveness, providential care
and favor, and other benefits that cannot be attained by making efforts,
because you are now in integration. For He does not take charge of
them, that is, the spiritual wayfarers, until after their annihilation in Him.
As long as you continue, that is, to see yourself as having existence,
action and will, you area seeker [murid]. Then, when He, your Lord,
has made you extinct to you, you are one who is sought [murdd], so
the aim is to make the Lord of Truth the sole object of one’s quest, and
to shun all that is apart from Him. The seeker is the novice wayfarer,
who still sees himself as having existence and action, while the sought
is he who is looked upon with the eye of Divine Providence, he who is
absorbed in Allah (Exalted is He). Thus the seeker must shoulder the
burden of toil, while the sought has the burden lifted off him—and what
a great difference there is between the burdened bearer and the one who
is carried and supported!
The most lasting!° certainty is your absence from you and your
presence with Him (Exalted is He)!! which means that you become
absent from all that is apart from Him (Exalted is He). Certainty has
three states: initial, intermediate and final, along the lines of the
knowledge, the essence and the truth of certainty. The first of these is
unlikely to endure, because traces of outer attachment still remain. The
second and third are enduring, but the third is most lasting, since it is
a witnessing through the unveiling of the secret, and this is the highest
of the degrees of certainty. So be in your certainty with Allah alone, and
take heed!
What a big difference between what is at His command (Exalted is
He), in the way of various prescribed forms of worship and efforts of
striving, and what is because of Him (Exalted is He), in the way of
10One MS adds the gloss: necessary.
”
1! One MS has “absence.., presence...” without “your”.
Kitab Fath ar-Rabmdan 23
various Divine favors and gifts of grace! If you are at His command
(Exalted is He), practicing the formal worship required of you, worldly
means will be subservient to you, that is, Allah (Exalted is He) will
facilitate such things for you. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
Whoever is dutiful toward Allah, He prepares a way out for him, and
provides for him from sources he could never imagine. (65:2,3).
He also says (Exalted is He):
And whoever is dutiful toward Allah, He makes his course easy for him.
(65:4).
And if you are because of Him (Exalted is He), in that you witness
nothing other than Him, the whole universe will be submissive, that
is, will yield and humble itself, to you, so that nothing in it will obstruct
your vision of its Creator.
Thus a traveler on the spiritual path is either one who knows Allah,
so that he witnesses things through Allah, or one who knows the rules,
and this latter is he who proceeds by investigation and reasoning, so
that he witnesses Allah through things. The former belongs among the
champions of truth and the faithful witnesses, and his language is
integration, while the latter belongs among the righteous, and his
language is differentiation.
Since there are several distinct stations for the spiritual wayfarer, after
repentance, he goes on to describe them as follows:
The first of the stations is patience [sabr], that is, self-restraint in
obedience to His will (Exalted is He), or, as some would say, imposing
on the self the hardships of religious duty in pursuit of the attendant
reward. The one in the middle is contentment with, that is, cheerful
acceptance of, His wishes (Exalted is He), that is, with respect to His
will (it may be necessary to be specific about this to rule out contentment
with unbelief and other unlawful things). And the last is that you come
to be with His purpose (Exalted is He), so that you become an one who
knows by direct experience [“arif]. For when the servant is patient, he
achieves contentment, and when he achieves contentment he is with
the purpose of Allah (Exalted is He), and so he becomes extinct to his
own action, speech and strength, through a visionary experience from
24 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
the Divine Presence [al-Hadra ar-Rabbdniyya], because one who
becomes extinct to all that, is permanently with Allah.
His hearing, his seeing and the rest are then as in the [Sacred] Tradition:
“T become his hearing by which he hears....” The station of annihilation
[fana’] is the station of the élite, namely the station of servitude. Thus
the patient servant is at the station of worshipful service, while the
contented servant is at the station of servitude, and each of them sees
himself as having existence and action. One who knows by direct
experience is at the station of servitude, but does not see himself as
having existence and action, because he lives by Allah for Allah, not
by his own self for his own self, nor by his own self for Allah.
Practical knowledge is the way of action, since no action can be
correct unless there is knowledge of its nature, and action is the way of
intimate knowledge. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: “Be dutiful
toward Allah, and Allah will teach you.” (2:282). And the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) has said: “When someone puts
what he knows into practice, Allah makes him heir to knowledge of
what he did not know.” And intimate knowledge is the way of
experience of Allah [al-ma‘rifa bi lah], because this is only achieved
through the familiarity Allah provides to assist you, for He (Exalted is
He) makes Himself familiar to His servants to the extent He has granted
them intimate knowledge [al-“ilm al-laduni]. One to whom He has made
Himself familiar knows himself and knows his Lord; he who knows his
Lord becomes ignorant of his own self. Thus familiarity is linked to
conversance with the self, conversance with the self is linked to
conversance with the Lord, and conversance with the Lord is linked to
ignorance of the self. According to the Tradition: “He among you who
is most conversant with his own self, is the one among you who is most
conversant with his Lord.”
And experience of Allah is the way of unveiling [kashf] the realities
of things, while unveiling is the way of extinction [fana’] to all apart
from Allah (Exalted is He), in that you see nothing other than Him,
because when the servant knows that he is a created being, and that
every created being is ephemeral, he recognizes through his own
perception that he is ephemeral too. Then the extinction of extinction
Kitab Fath ar-Rabman 25
[fana@’ al-fana’] is that you do not notice your own extinction; this is
called perpetuity [baqa@’], which is interpreted as your seeing that Allah
encompasses everything. Extinction is in respect of action, then
essence, then Truth, because extinction has three subdivisions:
Extinction in respect of deeds [af‘al], according to the saying: “There
is no doer [fa‘il] except Allah,” ... (gap in the text at this point)...
These three are referred to in the saying of one those who know by
direct experience: “When someone witnesses creatures as having no
doing [fi'l], he is on the way to success; when he witnesses them as
having no life, he has achieved success; and when he witnesses them as
essentially non-existent, he has arrived.”
You have not been fit, that is, you are unfit, for Us as long as there
is still within you any remnant of anything apart from Us, be it of this
world or of the hereafter, because you are then unfit for the station of
servitude, which is the station of “through Allah for Allah,” because
you have committed a heinous sin. For one of the sins they regard as
heinous is that you should see yourself as having any existence together
with Allah (Exalted is He). This is indicated by al-Junaid in his saying:
“Your existence is a sin beyond comparison with any other sin.” So
when! you have shifted everything else away from you, by separating
from it, even from extinction,!3 We shall make you extinct, through
Our knowledge and Our light, to you, so that you will cease to see
yourself as having any existence. Instead, you will see existence
through Allah, as belonging to Allah, for your heart will have become
an abode for Our Divine Secret. The true meaning of this cannot be
conceived by the thinking mind, nor can the tongue express it in words.
Now you have become fit for Us, so we have entrusted you with Our
secret, for he was not fit for the secret until his Lord had made him
extinct to him, and made him permanent for Him, so that he became
a free man, emancipated from slavery to any other, and a repository for
secrets. Thus what is required is complete separation from everything
apart from Him (Exalted is He).
And when there does not remain [with you any self-motivation,
your certitude is perfected, and when there does not remain] any
existence of yours with you, in that you have become extinct to all
12Tn one MS, simply “When”.
13One MS reads: you have been shifted away from everything else.
26 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
apart from Him (Exalted is He), your realization-of-Oneness [tawhid]
is perfected, through your inability to grasp the direct knowledge
[ma‘rifa] that you have received, for it is beyond the utmost limit of
comprehension, as indicated by the Tradition: “Glory be to You! We
do not know the truth as it is known to You.” Also by the Tradition:
“When someone knows Allah, his tongue fails.”
The people of the inner, that is, of Reality [Haqiqa], are with
certainty, because of their freedom from the delusion of outer formalities,
and because intimate knowledge is revealed to them, so they see it with
their own eyes and witness it directly, and thus come to possess a firm,
decisive certitude. The beginning of certitude is disclosure, then comes
direct vision, then witnessing. This is why ‘Amr ibn “Abd Qais said:
“Even if the covering were to be removed, I could not be any more
certain.” And the people of the outer, that is, of the Shart‘a, are with
faith in the unseen, in witnessing, because formalities persist due to
their being stuck with the external features of faith. So when the heart
of the master of certainty stirs for anything other than Allah, through
his paying momentary attention to some state, station or whatever else,
his certainty is deficient, according to the people of the inner. And
when no notion ever occurs to him, of anything other than Allah, his
certainty is perfect.
The master of certainty must therefore maintain incessant vigilance,
watching over the secret by keeping his attention on the Truth in spite
of all distractions. His condition may be likened to the condition of a
cat while it is in the state of concentration on its prey. If the
concentration is disrupted, the target is missed. And when the heart
of the master of faith in the unseen is stirred by!4 anything other than
the Divine command, his faith is defective, because faith is diminished
by disobedience, just as it is increased by obedience, as we may infer
from the Tradition: “The sexual offender is no believer at the time
when he commits his offense.” And when it is stirred by the Divine
command, and he carries it out, his faith in Allah (Exalted is He)
is complete.
The sin of the people of certainty is unbelief, according to them,
because one must be absolutely sincere about it, and also because the
14Tn one manuscript: for.
Kitab Fath ar-Rabmadn 27
virtues of the pious are the vices of those brought near [to the Lord]. The
higher the climb, the farther the fall. My master “Umar ibn al-Farid
spoke of this [in poetry]:
Were it ever to occur to me to wish for anything but You,
For my heedless notion I would judge myself guilty of apostasy!
Such things are hidden from all but the people of certainty. And the
sin of the people of faith is falling short therein, because of what has
already been explained.
You should know that a “notion” [khdtir] is received by the heart
through the will of the Lord. There are five types:
1. Lordly notion [khdtir Rabbani], which is an inspired idea[hdis]; and
Ks
intimate knowledge [al-“ilm al-laduni] is never wrong;
2. Angelic notion [khatir malaki];
3. Mental [‘aqli];
4. Sensual [nafsdani];
5. Satanic [shaitant].
The Lordly [Rabbani] kind is received from the Presence of Lordship
[Hadrat ar-Rubibiyya], from the Presence of All-Mercifulness [Hadrat
ar-Rahmdniyya], and from the Presence of Divinity [Hadrat al-Ilahiyya].
The difference between these is that the Lordly comes with Majesty
[jalal], the All-Merciful with Beauty [jamal], and the Divine with
Perfection [kamal]. The first erases and annihilates, the second estab-
lishes and makes permanent, and the third improves and guides.
In Majesty the servant is equipped with patience, in Beauty with
gratitude, and in Perfection with serenity.
All three belong to those who know by direct experience [al-‘“arifin].
The angelic and intellectual notions belong to the people of striving
[ahl al-mujahada], while the sensual and satanic belong to the people of
heedlessness [ahl al-ghafla]. When a notion lingers, it becomes a
“concern” [hamm]. When it is reinforced, it becomes a “resolution”
[‘azm]. Just before action is taken, it becomes a “plan” [qasd], and when
action is initiated, a “definite intention” [niyya].
28 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
The dutiful servant [al-muttaqi]> at the start of his training is
diligent in performing his worship with honesty and sincerity, so that
he will be guided to the path of truth. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
“As for those who strive in Our cause, We shall surely guide them to Our
paths.” (29:69). And as a certain wise man said: “If someone has not
been devoted to striving at the outset, he will never get a sniff of this
path.” And the genuine lover [al-muhibb] is totally trusting, that is,
confident in relying on his Beloved, because when, after striving, he
enters the presence of the Beloved and sees Allah’s gracious favor
toward him, he becomes extinct to his work and his existence, and puts
all his trust in his Lord (Exalted is He). Thus the diligent one is devoted
to his work and his existence, while the lover has been rendered extinct
to both of these by his absorption in his Beloved, so he is at ease in his
contemplation of Him. And he who knows by direct experience
[‘arif] of Allah is serene; he makes no movement, nor does any notion
occur to him, except with His permission. And he who is found with
Allah is lost to all that is apart from Him (Exalted is He). You must
therefore know that there is no rest for a dutiful servant, because he
is on the move in the diligent performance of his worship; and no
movement for a lover, because he has become extinct to his own
purpose in the purpose of his Beloved; and no resolve for one who
knows by direct experience, because he sees nothing in existence
except Allah, since he has become extinct to his own existence and his
own will in Allah’s will and His existence, so he sees nothing to resolve
upon; and no being found for the lost, that is, for one who has vanished
from his own sight into the One he has found.
You should also know that the first of the stations is repentance, and
the last of them is direct experience [ma‘tifa], which follows on from
love [al-mahabba]. Love comes after certainty, as he says: Love arises
only after certainty of the Beloved’s existence, for how could one love
something before becoming aware of it? And when the lover is sincere
in his love, his heart must be empty of all that is apart from Him
(Exalted is He), because the reality of love is witnessing the Beloved,
and this is achieved only after annihilation of the self and the purification
of the heart from all that is apart from Him (Exalted is He). And as long
15 One copy has [the synonymous] at-taqi.
Kitab Fath ar-Rabmdan 29
as it retains any trace of love for anything but Him, even for love, he
is lacking in love where Allah is concerned.
He who takes delight in misfortune, and endures it with patience
because of the rewards he sees in it, co-exists therewith, and he who
takes delight and rejoices in prosperity co-exists with it, so when
Allah (Exalted is He) makes him extinct, that is, makes the one who
takes delight in each case extinct to his respective enjoyment,!® the
enjoyment of misfortune and prosperity!’ departs, because the bewil-
derment experienced in witnessing the Beloved is so overwhelming.
The lover’s breath, metonymy for his speech, is wisdom, because he
witnesses nothing but his Beloved and hears only from Him, so that he
utters nothing but wisdom, since this is the understanding of Allah.
As for the loved one, because he is drawn ever closer to his Lord
through His great love for him, his breath is power, moving in the
universe through the help of the Munificent King. For the lover is a
spiritual traveler who becomes ecstatic, that is, of his own volition,
while the loved one is an ecstatic who travels the path. The latter is
higher and more special than the lover, because he is sought while the
lover is a seeker.
Other types, mentioned in the exhaustive treatises, are the unsuc-
cessful ecstatic[majdhib abtar] and the unsuccessful traveler[sdlik abtar].
Then there is the ascetic devotee, the type who pays attention to his
own existence and seeks the recompense for his efforts, as the author
points out when he goes on to say: Formal acts of worship are for the
compensations. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: “Anyone who
brings a good deed will receive tenfold the like thereof.” (6:160).
And love is for the nearnesses, that is, for the sake of getting close
to Him (Exalted is He) through honesty and sincerity.
Youshould also know that the believers fall, not of their own volition,
into five classes: The first two, although there are differences between
them, comprise the ordinary believers. The third comprises the élite
among them; the fourth, the élite of their élite, namely the lovers; and
16 Treating the pronoun [Arabic “-hu”, meaning “him” as referring back to the [Arabic]
word “man” [translated above as “he who”]. In another manuscript, however, the text
reads: “So when He makes them extinct to them,” with both pronouns [Arabic
“hum”, meaning “them” in the plural, in keeping with the sense of “man” [which could
be translated as “those who”, that is, “so when He makes those who take such delight
extinct to themselves.”
17~n another copy: “and of prosperity.”
30. Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
the fifth, the most special of the special, namely the one who has direct
experience of Allah (Exalted is He) through Allah, in Allah, for Allah
[bi-’llahi, fi-’ ahi, li-llahi]. This is why Allah (Exalted is He) has said in
a Sacred Tradition [hadith qudsi]: “I have prepared for My righteous
servants”, namely those with direct experience of Allah (Exalted is He)
[al-‘ariftin bi-’Ilahi ta‘ala], “that which no eye has ever seen, of which
no ear has ever heard, and of which has never occurred to a
human heart.”
Such are the servants of the Benefactor, not the servants of the
benefaction, and few indeed are they. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
“Except those who believe and do good works,” (103:3) and how few
are they! Physically they are with creatures, but in their hearts they are
with the Lord of Truth, never relaxing their contemplation of Him for
the twinkling of an eye. He also said in a Sacred Tradition, cited by the
author: “When they,” that is, those who know Me by experience, “wish
for Me, I give them that which no eye has ever seen and of which no
ear has ever heard”, and this, together with what was mentioned
before, is the result of the love with which He has provided them.
When He has made you extinct to your passion by decree [hukm]
(reading the middle consonant as kdf),!8 that is, by the command sent
down from the Presence of Lordship [Hadrat ar-Rubiibiyya] to the
tangible world of servitude [“alam hisst al-“ubiidiyya], and to your will
through intimate knowledge, you will become a servant with undivided
loyalty, that is, devoted solely to Him and free from all apart from Him,
with neither passion nor will of your own, since you have become
extinct to your own self in the manner described, so you know that will
belongs only to Allah (Exalted is He), “and you will not, unless Allah
wills.” (76:30 / 81:29). Then the veil will be lifted for you from the
secrets of Divinity, so that servitude will vanish away from you, that
is, will depart, into Oneness, for the servant will be annihilated
therein, and the Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) will remain, so
the servant will witness Him through Him.
The whole of the Shari‘a is constriction [qabd], because it carries
the heavy burdens of formal religious worship, and the bearer of burdens
is cramped and fatigued. And the whole of intimate knowledge is
18 Author’s note: One manuscript has: hilm [forbearance], with lam as the middle
consonant; this means tolerating injury and forsaking it, inasmuch as you see whatever
flows from anything in the universe as being in Allah, (Exalted is He).
Kitab Fath ar-Rabman 31
expansion [bast], because it is unveiling and witnessing; for the master
of it, work has become a habit in which there is no heaviness or stiff
formality. Far from seeing his own existence in his work, he sees that
work as a favor and a mercy from Allah, so he experiences it expansively.
And the whole of direct experience [ma‘rifa] of Allah is playful
teasing, whereby the servant dallies with his Lord as a husband dallies
with his wife, as when she gives him a coquettish display of defiance,
although she is not really opposing him at all. This is sheer generosity
and gracious favor from Him (Exalted is He), not an incitement
intended to provoke. The station of playful teasing is the place for
happy relaxation in speech and behavior.
Our method [tariqa], that is, that of the professors of Oneness
[al-muwahhidiin], is love, not the labor of a weary supervised worker,
and annihilation, not perpetuity; in short, their path is love and
annihilation, not labor and perpetuity. Because when you enter into
work, which means formal worship, you belong to you, and when you
enter into love for Allah, and devote yourself sincerely to Him alone,
you belong to Him (Exalted is He), since the worshipper lives for his
worship, because he is striving for this and for his own sake, while the
lover lives for his love, because he is submissive to the grandeur of his
Beloved, renouncing all that is apart from Him. One who knows by
direct experience [“Grif] is above them both, because he has achieved
what neither of them has achieved, and has exceeded them in intimate
learning [“uliim laduniyya], Divine gnoses [ma ‘@rif Ilahiyya] and spiritual
receivings [waridat ruhdaniyya].
When you have come to know Him (Exalted is He), inasmuch as you
have become aware that He sees you and that He is the Doer, and you
have not been concentrating your attention on your work and seeking
compensation for it, your breathing will be through Him (Exalted is
He), and your movements will belong to Him, because you will be
molded upon His pattern; but if you are ignorant of Him (Exalted is He),
inasmuch as you have not come to be like this, your movements will
be your own, because you will witness them arising from you, in contrast
to one who knows by direct experience, for he witnesses no doer except
Allah. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said: “Allah is the Creator
of everything,” (39:62) “and Allah has created you and
your actions.” (37:96).
32 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
The worshipper [“abid] has no rest, but rather movement, because
he is striving, as already described, and the ascetic [zahid] has no
appetite for anything other than Allah, and the champion of Truth
[siddiq] has no confidence in any other than Allah, since honesty is the
mainstay of the matter, and the means to its completion, and he who
is endowed with direct experience [Grif] has neither might nor
strength, neither choice nor will, neither movement nor rest, for he
is with Allah, and he who is present [mawjiid] with Allah has no
presence with his own self, because of his annihilation through his
absorption in Allah, as has previously been explained.
When you have come to be on familiar terms with Him (Exalted is
He), in that you have witnessed Him encompassing everything in
creation and knowledge, and you have purified yourself of hidden
idolatry [ash-shirk al-khafi], you will be estranged from everything other
than Him, even from you, because you used to regard all that as part of
you. If anyone is preoccupied with Us, and with Our worship, for his
own sake, We shall make him blind to the vision of inner knowledge,
because he is stuck with his work, but if anyone is preoccupied with Us
for Our sake, We shall give him sight by which to see it, through
removing from him the veils of the universe.
When your worldly passion has faded away, there will be unveiled
for you, O spiritual traveler, the door of the Lordly Reality [al-Haqiqa
ar-Rabbdniyya], inasmuch as it will overwhelm the heart, so that your
own will is annihilated and Oneness is unveiled to you, for you will
see all existence as belonging to Allah, by a light which Allah will cast
into your heart, and then you will realize, because of your extinction
to everything other than Him (Exalted is He), that it is He (Exalted is He)
acting and existing in us, !? for you will see nothing but Him through His
providential care.
If you surrender your affairs to Him, and give up your self-manage-
ment to rely on Him entirely, He will draw you close by looking upon
you with the eye of mercy and providential care. As the Lord’s Friend
[Abraham] (peace be upon him) said, when Gabriel (peace be upon
him) asked him, when they catapulted him with the ballista and sought
to make him fall into the fire: “Is there anything you need?”— “As for
needing you, oh no! But as for needing Allah, oh yes indeed!” Then
19Tn one copy: not you.
Kitab Fath ar-Rabmdn 33
Gabriel said: “Ask Him!” So he said: “His knowledge of my condition
is enough for me without my asking!” But if you argue with Him,
expressing your unwillingness to accept His judgment by saying: “I shall
do it this way, so that it will turn out thus, but if I were not to do it this
way, it would not be so,” He will send you away, that is, He willexclude
you from His intimate presence.
If you draw near to Him through Him, inasmuch as you do not see
yourself as having any existence or action beside His existence and His
action, He will bring you close to Him through beneficence and
gracious favor, but if you draw near to Him through you, in that you
see this as possible for you, He will send you away, that is, He will shut
you out and have nothing to do with you.
If you seek Him for your own sake, in that you seek degrees and
charismatic powers from Him, He will burden you with work and make
you weary, because if someone expects the reward, he is expected to do
the work. But if you seek Him for His sake (Exalted is He), He will
pamper you, that is, He will make you one of the people of dalliance,
through His sheer generosity and gracious favor, as we have explained
previously.
Your nearness to Him (Exalted is He) is your separation, through
your annihilation, from you, while your distance from Him is your
sticking with you, because you are an obstacle. In His sight, as
mentioned earlier, the virtues of the pious are the vices of those brought
near. This is relevant to his words: If you come without you, He will
accept you, and befriend you with His gentle kindness, but if you come
with you, in that you see yourself as having existence and action, He
will exclude you from His intimate presence.
The worker, and one who works at his formal worship is no exception,
is hardly likely to be free of attachment to his labor, because he
expects the reward for it, so be one of the sort who are disposed toward
grace, that is, the grace of Allah and His kindness to you, not one of the
sort disposed toward work, so that you may escape attachment to it
and bear witness that there is no doer and none existing except Allah
[la fa ‘ila wa-la mawjiidailla’llah]. Thus you may become one of those who
know by direct experience [min al-“arifin], because if you know Him,
34 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
and that He is the only existing doer, you will come to rest on Him,
when you are in motion and when youare in repose, so that if you speak,
you will speak through Him, and if you hear, you will hear from Him,
and thus you will have no tongue of your own and no ear. Hence the
saying: “The mark of one who knows by direct experience is that he
becomes detached from this world and the hereafter.” But if you are
ignorant of Him, you will be agitated, by your concentration on your
work and by your pursuit of the reward for it.
So the point of all this is that He (Exalted is He) should be with you,
and you should not be, but should rather become extinct to all that is
other than He (Exalted is He).
As for the common folk, namely those servants who rank below the
enlightened commoners [“awamm al-“arifin], their works are suspect,
because they expect to receive the reward for them, so they are tainted
by their worldly interests, and they are like hirelings: if they are paid
their wages, they work, but otherwise not. And as for the élite, namely
those who transcend their worldly interests, their works are good
deeds, [qurubat]; their attention is directed not toward work or reward,
but rather toward nearness [qurb] to Him (Exalted is He). And as for
the élite of the élite, namely those who become annihilated in Allah,
through Allah, for Allah, and who continue from Allah to Allah, their
works are degrees in which they ascend, for they do not view them-
selves as having either work or nearness, but Allah makes them extinct
to them[selves] and perpetuates them for His sake to discharge what is
due to Him.
Whenever you shun, O spiritual traveler, your passion and your
worldly interest, your faith is reinforced, for unveiled to you then is the
secret of Lordly Wisdom [al-Hikma ar-Rabbaniyya] and the Divine
Power [al-Qudra al-Ilahiyya], and that He is the only existing doer. And
whenever you shun your own essence [dhat], that is, become extinct
to it, and to all other creatures, and become cast in the mold of the
station of perpetuity, inasmuch as you see Allah encompassing every-
thing, your realization-of-Oneness is reinforced. As | have already
explained concerning the realization-of-Oneness, there is tawhid in
actions [fi’l-af‘al], tawhid in attributes [fi’s-sifat], and tawhid in essence
Kitab Fath ar-Rabmdn 35
[fi’dh-dhat]. The first of these is the tawhid of the commoners [al-‘awamm],
the second is the tawhid of the élite [al-khawdass], and the third is the
tawhid of the élite of the élite [khawass al-khawass].
Creatures, due to your involvement with them, area screen preventing
you from beholding Him (Exalted is He), and you, for the same reason,
are a screen that also gets in the way of it. But the Lord of Truth
[al-Hagqq] is not secluded from you, since there is no power capable of
secluding Him. It is He Who conceals Himself from you, since there
is no power capable of concealing Him. And He conceals Himself
from you through you, because of the attention you pay to your own
existence and your work. And you are secluded from you by Him
(Exalted is He),2° because when you pay attention to His existence
(Exalted is He), you are secluded by it from you. So separate from you,
that is, from your existence and your power and your strength, and you
shall witness all the blessings and generous favor He has graciously
bestowed upon you.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings!
“SS
20 Instead of by Him, one manuscript has by them, that is, by creatures.
Sharh Fath ar-Rahman
Commentary on the Risala of Wali Raslan!
by
“Ali ibn “Atiyya “Alawan al-Hamawi
(d. AH. 936/1530 CE.)
1TIn this translation of Sharh Fath ar-Rahmdn, words that occur in the text of the Risdla
of Wali Raslan are printed in bold font. A romanized transliteration, in italicized bold
font, has been supplied in the footnotes.
In the Name of Allah
the All-Merciful and Compassionate.’
raise be to Allah,’ the Lord of All the Worlds. Blessing and peace
be upon our Master Muhammad, and upon his family and his
Companions, each and every one.
Now then,‘ the most meritorious of all good works [qurubat], and the
most excellent of all forms of worshipful obedience [ta‘at], are self-
abasement [dhilla], contrite humility [inkisar], and casting oneself down
[intirah] at the gate of the Lord [Maw] in the utmost state of destitution.
You must therefore cast yourself down, O tenderhearted brother, at the
gate of your Lord. You must purify your clothes by ridding them of the
filthy stain of polytheism [shirk], so that you may experience the real
meaning of your ritual prayer [salat] and attain to your true nobility.
You must also know that,? if you adopt an attitude of strict impartiality
[insaf] and view your situation with a discerning eye, and if the gifts of
grace [altaf] assist you in the process, you will come to understand what
[Wali Raslan] means when he says, speaking as one who knows from
direct experience [“arif]: “The whole of you is covert polytheism.”¢
2 Bismi *llahi ’r-rahmdni ’r-rahim.
3al-hamdu li-’llah. (In this manuscript of Sharh Fath ar-Rahman, these words have been
written in a different shade of ink from that used for the text of the commentary,
apparently indicating that they occur in the Risdla of Wali Raslan. In Zakariyya’
al-Ansart’s Kitab Fath ar-Rahman, however, these words are not quoted as part of the
Risdla.)
4amma ba‘du. (In Zakariyya’ al-Ansari’s Kitab Fath ar-Rahman, the alternative form
wa ba‘du is quoted from the text of the Risdla.)
5 wa’ ‘lam anna.
6 kullaka shirkun khafiyyun. (In works devoted to this subject, the expression shirk
latif [subtle polytheism] is often used as an alternative to shirk khaft [covert/hidden/
concealed polytheism]. (See: G.W.J. Drewes, Directions for Travellers on the Mystic
Path. The Hague, Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff, 1977, pp. 22 and 23.)
40 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
What he is saying, in effect, is that every aspect and facet of your
being, your dealings and your attitudes, your appetites and your manifest
behavior, all amount to a form of polytheism [shirk] that is blatantly
overt [zahir] from the perspective of those with developed faculties of
insight [arbab al-basirat], although it is covert [khafi] from the standpoint
of someone who has not reached that stage of development, and whose
conscience [sarira] is not yet clear.
When someone attaches little importance [takhaffafa] to worshipful
servitude [“ubidiyya], he takes a pretentious view of his own deeds and
a distorted view of his own words, and it is only to someone who is
seriously committed [tahaqqaqa] to worshipful servitude that the signifi-
cance of this concept can be fully apparent. As an example of such
dedicated commitment, let us consider the case of our Master [the
Caliph] ‘Umar [ibn al-Khattab] (may Allah be well pleased with him),
and how he once surprised Hudhaifa’ (may Allah be well pleased with
him) by asking him the question: “Am I one of the hypocrites
[mundfigin]?” “No,” replied Hudhaifa, “you are not one of them, and no
one after you will ever be as innocent of hypocrisy as you are!” Ifa man
like ‘Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him) could harbor such a
grave suspicion about his own lower self [nafs], and could subject it to
this kind of scrutiny, what does this tell us about everyone else?
That [kind of dedicated commitment] develops out of the lack of
satisfaction with the lower self | “adam ar-rida ‘ani’n-nafs] that is the very
root of all forms of worshipful obedience [asl at-ta‘at]. The root of every
act of worshipful obedience, of every moment of vigilant awareness
[yaqza], and of every virtue [“iffa], is the lack of satisfaction with the
lower self, just as positive satisfaction with it is the root of every sinful
act of disobedience [ma‘siya], every moment of heedless negligence
[ghafla], and every lustful indulgence [shahwa].
7 Aba ‘Abdi’llah Hudhaifa ibn [the son of] al-Yaman al-‘Abast (may Allah be well
pleased with them both) was among the earliest to embrace Islam, and he came to be
one of the most distinguished of all the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him
and give him peace). He was famous for his dedication to an abstinent way of life.
Together with Abii ’d-Darda’ and Abi Dharr (may Allah be well pleased with them
both), he was one of those Companions who were called sahib sirr an-Nabt, because of
the secret knowledge imparted to them by the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him
peace). He died in A.H. 36.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn 41
Shaikh Abu ’l-Hasan ash-Shadhili8 (may Allah be well pleased with
him) was making a very similar point when he said: “If someone dies
without having penetrated deeply into this science [ “ilm] of ours, he may
die while still persisting in the commission of major sins [kaba’ir].”
He was stating the simple truth when he uttered these words, and he
was stating it without exaggeration. As a matter of fact, he was
elucidating and clarifying one of the sayings of the Chief of the Masters
of Perfection [Sayyid Arbab al-Kamal] (Allah bless him and give him
peace), namely:
There are three things that lead to salvation [munjiydt], and there are
three things that lead to perdition [muhlikat]. As for the things that lead
to salvation, they are: (1) dutiful devotion [taqwa] to Allah both in
private and in public, (2) speaking the truth [qawl al-haqq] whether one
is in a state of contentment or a state of exasperation, and (3) frugality
[qasd] in affluence and poverty alike. As for the things that lead to
perdition, they are: (1) a whimsical passion pursued [hawa muttaba'‘],
(2) a mean-spirited impulse obeyed [shuhh muta‘], and (3) a man’s
conceited satisfaction with his own lower self [i‘jab bi-nafsih], this being
by far the most serious of them all.
Pay close attention to his words (Allah bless him and give him peace):
“... this being by far the most serious of them all”! Having stated that
the causes of perdition [muhlikat] are three in number, namely, osten-
tation [riya ], envy [hasad] and vanity [“ujb], he declares that vanity is by
far the most serious of the three. So tell me, O my brother, do we know
of any person who performs the ritual prayer [salat] without taking
8 Shaikh Abu ’l-Hasan ‘Alt ibn ‘Abd’illah ash-Shadhilt (may Allah be well pleased
with him) was born in the Tunisian village of Ghumara in A.H. 593/1196 CE. After
receiving instruction from Abii ‘Abd’illah Muhammad ibn Harazim, he became a pupil
of the famous Abi Madyan (may Allah bestow His mercy upon them). He traveled to
the East in A.H. 615, but returned to the West some years later, on the advice of Shaikh
Abu’l-Fath al-Wasiti (may Allah bestow His mercy upon him). Persecution eventually
forced him to take refuge in Egypt, where he won great renown, among the scholars
[‘ulama’] as well as the common people. He made a practice of performing the
Pilgrimage [Hajj] every year, and died at Humaithra on the Red Sea coast while
returning from Mecca in A.H. 656/1258 CE.
In his discourses, Shaikh Abu ’l-Hasan ash-Shadhilt (may Allah be well pleased with
him) is said to have emphasized five basic principles, namely: (1) devotion to Allah in
private and in public life; (2) adherence to the Sunna of the Prophet (Allah bless him
and give him peace) in word and deed; (3) detachment from one’s fellow creatures in
prosperity and in adversity alike; (4) patient acceptance of the Will of Allah (Exalted is
He) in all things great and small; (5) turning toward Allah (Almighty and Glorious
is He) in joy and sorrow alike.
42 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
conceited pride in his performance of that prayer? Do we know of any
person who keeps the fast [sawm] without taking conceited pride in his
observance of the fast?
Of course we know of no such person, unless it be someone whom
Allah has enabled to succeed [waffaqa] by virtue of His providential care
[“ina@ya], and whom He has enfolded in the blessed grace [baraka] of His
saints [awliya’] and His special friends [khdssa], for they are the physi-
cians who are qualified to treat the diseases of our hearts. They can fairly
be described as the tried and tested antidote [tiryaq] to the poisons that
are sins. I urge you therefore, O my brother, to spend time in their
company, in order that you may reap the blessed benefits of associating
with them and gather their ripe fruit. Asa result of this, your habitual
pattern of faults and failings will become apparent to you, and, through
the blessed grace of their instruction, you will be cleansed of every form
of polytheism [shirk] that screens you from the One who knows all
mysteries through and through [“Allam al-Ghuyib].
Once you have progressed to this level of purification, you will come
to be detached from your ordinary human characteristics [awsaf
bashariyya]. You will come to be far removed from any characteristic
that is incompatible with worshipful servitude [‘ubidiyya]. The realiza-
tion-and-affirmation-of-Oneness [tawhid] will come to be evident and
plainly manifest. Your lower self [nafs] will fade into nonexistence and
you will make your exit from it. And that is the greatest bliss [an-na‘tm
al-akbar]!
As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) has said:
“And your realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness will not become
evident to you until you exit from you[rself].”? In other words, the
spiritual station of the affirmation-of-Oneness [maqam at-tawhid] will
not become a reality for you, the pure wine [sulafa] of its true meaning
will not be sucked into you, not one of its distinctive features will be
glimpsed by you, and nearness to its inner courtyard and sanctuary will
not be permitted to you—not until you have made your exit from you,
that is, from your own lower self [nafs], through your detachment from
your ordinary human characteristics [awsaf bashariyya], the abandon-
ment of your personal preferences [ikhtiyarat] and considerations
9wa ma yabinu la-ka tawhiduka illa idha kharajta ‘an-ka.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn 43
[tadabburdat], and confirmation of the fact that you have indeed arrived
at the station of worshipful servitude [maqam al-“ubiidiyya].
Then, and only then, the lights of the affirmation-of-Oneness [anwar
at-tawhid] will shine upon you, and the rays of direct knowledge [ma ‘rifa]
and singular devotion [tafrid] will stream forth from your heart. As far
as your outwardly visible form [zahir] is concerned, you will be in the
company of your fellow creatures [khalq], but your inner being [batin]
will be in the company of the Divine Truth [Haqq]. Your outwardly
visible form will be dedicated to the practice of the Sacred Law/Shari‘a],
while your inner being will be dedicated to the experience of Reality
[Haqiqa].
You will demonstrate the distinction [between truth and falsehood],
and not only your tongue but all the members of your body will bear
witness thereto. The lights of integration [jam‘] will radiate upon you,
so that your innermost being [sirr], your spirit [rh] and your heart’s core
[janan] will come to be imbued therewith.
You willeat from the fruit of the tree of “La ilahailla’ lah [There is none
worthy of worship but Allah]” with your Lord’s permission at any time
and on any occasion. You will parade in the splendid clothes of
“Muhammadar Rasilw lah [Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah],” so
every spectator will look upon you with honor and every eye will view
you with favor.
You will advance from the station of faith [man] to the station of
active goodness [ihsan], at which point Reality [Haqiqa] will be disclosed
to you, and the true state of affairs will become manifestly obvious to
your sight. You must therefore seek forgiveness for all the patterns of
behavior by which your character has previously been defined. You
must also confess your sins, for the gifts of grace [altaf] encompass one
who confesses to having sinned.
As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) has said:
“Provided you are sincere, it will be disclosed to you that it is He, not
you, so you must ask forgiveness for you.”!° In other words, as soon
as the actual fact of the matter [haqiqat al-amr] has been disclosed to you,
as soon as your perception has been clarified and confirmed by the
radiant lights of the affirmation-of-Oneness [tawhid], and as soon as
10fa-kulla-ma akhlasta yukshafu la-ka anna-hu Huwa la anta fa-tastaghfir min-ka.
44 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
your conscience [sarira] is clear, it will be patently obvious to you that
it is He, Allah (Exalted is He), not you, to whom you should ascribe
[control of all] affairs, and on whom youare utterly dependent in all your
activities and situations, because He is the Independent Agent [Mutasarvif]
in charge of all things, the Managing Director [Mudabbir] of all things,
the Mover [Muharvik] of all things and the One who brings movement
to a halt [Musakkin]. Indeed, not a glance is cast by anyone’s eye, and
nota thought occurs to anyone’s mind, except through His Will [Irada]
and His Power [Qudra]. As He has told us (Exalted is He):
11
And Allah has created you and whatever you make or do. (37:96)
Once you have come to understand what this means, once the
significance of it has taken control of your heart, once you can recognize
the reality [hagiqa] of what this is about, and once its implications for
you personally are as clear to youas its general import, you will no longer
entertain the slightest doubt that it is He who is the Doer [Fa‘“al], not
you. You will therefore seek forgiveness for you, that is to say, for your
own lower self [nafs], its states [ahwal] and its attributes [sifat].
Once you have fully realized, O my brother, that your lower self is
made up entirely of sins, and that its characteristics and conditions are
nothing but faults and failings, once you have actually arrived at the
station of worshipful servitude [“ubidiyya] and readiness to seek forgive-
ness [istighfar], once you have begun to demonstrate a greater capacity
for self-abasement [dhilla] and humble contrition [inkisar], and once you
have adopted compliance with the Sacred Law [imtithal ash-Shari‘a] as
your watchword, and conduct in accordance with the manners of the
Spiritual Path [ta’addub bi-adab at-Tariq] as your regular style of dress,
then, O my brother, the station of the affirmation-of-Oneness [maqam
at-tawhid] will be made manifest to you, and its peculiar properties
[masharib] will become clearly apparent. The gloom of polytheism
[shirk] will depart from you, and its dark hues will vanish away.
As he [Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him)] has said:
“And whenever you encounter [any form of it],!2 your own
polytheism will be evident to you. You must therefore renew, in
1 wa ’llahu khalaqakum wa ma ta‘malun.
12 The words naw‘an min-hu [any form of it] are omitted from the quotation given
in this manuscript text of Sharh Fath ar-Rahman, although they do occur in Zakariyya’
al-Ansart’s Kitab Fath ar-Rahman.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn — 45
every hour and at every moment, an affirmation-of-Oneness and a
faith.” 3. In other words, whenever you acknowledge the fact that it is
Allah (Exalted is He) who is the Independent Agent [Mutasarvif] in
charge of all affairs, not anyone apart from Him, when you genuinely
experience at that moment the reality of “Lailahailla’llah [There is none
worthy of worship except Allah]” and intuitively recognize that there
is no cause of harm [la darr], no source of benefit [la nafi‘], no giver
[la mu ‘ti], no withholder [la mani‘], no keeper [la hafiz] and no uplifter
[la rafi‘] except Allah, and when this direct knowledge [ma‘rifa] is not
rejected by your flesh and blood, !4 but comes to be a natural disposition
[sajiyya] of yours and an attribute of your character, that is when your
own polytheism [shirk] will be evident to you in all your active
movements and your states of rest, your choices and your plans, your
public discourse and your manifest behavior. At every moment,
therefore, you must renew an affirmation-of-Oneness [tawhid] and a
faith [iman].
You must heed the advice: “Renew your faith by the frequent
invocation [dhikr] of ‘La ilaha illa ‘lah [There is none worthy of worship
except Allah],”” for this is effective as a broom to sweep away the aliens
[aghyar],!> and as a detergent to remove all aliens from the confines of
the heart. That is why He has told us:!6
The most excellent invocation is: “There is none worthy of worship
except Allah’ is my fortress,” for anyone who enters My fortress will be
safe from My chastisement.!”
If a person has entered inside the fortress of his Master [Mawla], how
can he be accessible to anyone apart from Him? The spiritual traveler
[salik] must therefore make a constant practice of repeating this invo-
cation with his tongue, until its influence reaches the inner core of his
3 wa kulla-ma wajadta [naw‘an min-hu] bana la-ka ’sh-shirku fa-tujaddid fi kulli
s@ ‘atin wa waqtin tawhidan wa imanan.
4 The expression “your flesh and blood” should be understood in the literal sense of
“your physical constitution,” not in the figurative sense (common in English but not
in Arabic usage) of “the closest members of your family.”
5 The aliens [aghyar] are all “others”—all other entities, be they persons, things, or
whatever—apart from Allah (Exalted is He).
6 Although the author does not say so explicitly, this is clearly a (non-Qur’anic) Divine
Saying [Hadith Qudsi].
7 afdalu ’dh-dhikri “‘La ilaha illa ’llahw’ hisni” fa-man dakhala hisnt amina min ‘adhabi.
46 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
heart [jandn]. It will thus be the means by which he is able to eradicate
polytheism, while all his other supports have collapsed in ruins, since
the ordinary weak and incompetent individual is powerless to resist the
enemy, except by remembering to invoke his Master [Mawla]. It is quite
impossible for him to escape from the savage beasts of polytheism|[shirk],
except by securing the protection of “Ld ilaha illa’llahw’ hisn?’ [‘There is
none worthy of worship except Allah’ is my fortress].” As long as the
spiritual traveler [sdalik] persists in repeating this invocation, his faith
[tman] will increase and he will be detached from dependence on his
fellow creatures. The more he concentrates his attention upon it, and
the more often he repeats it, the more his certitude [yaqin] will increase,
until he becomes completely detached from his own lower self [nafs] and
attains to the Divine Truth [Haqq].
As he [Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him)] has said:
“And whenever you become detached from them [that is, from your
fellow creatures], your faith will increase; and whenever you become
detatched from you, your certitude will increase.”!8
Becoming detached from your fellow creatures means giving up all
reliance on them and ceasing to be dependent on them. Whenever the
spiritual traveler [salik] detaches his heart from them, he takes his heart
back to his Master [Mawla], and this is the reality of his faith [iman] and
its point of culmination.
It may sometimes be the case, however, that the spiritual traveler
[salik] has indeed become detached from his fellow creatures, and yet he
still has a residual problem to deal with, inasmuch as he continues to
attach importance to the lower self [nafs] and its machinations, and still
gives consideration to its wishes and preferences. Until he becomes
detached from his own self, just as he has already become detached from
other people, the station of certitude [maqam al-yaqin] will not be fully
accessible to him and he will not be able to experience it completely,
for his own self also belongs to the realm of creation [khalq], and the
servant cannot attain to the Lord of Truth [Hagqq] as long as he has not
been separated from all connection with His creation. As the saying
goes: “The Spiritual Path is both separation [fasl] and reunion [wasl].”
18qwa kulla-ma kharajta min-hum zada tmanu-ka: wa kulla-ma kharajta min-ka
zada yaginu-ka.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn 47
Let us also remind outselves of the words of the author [of the Risala,
Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him): “Whenever you
become detached from you, your certitude will increase.”
What a splendid contribution was made by Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir
[al-Jilani] (may Allah be well pleased with him), when he said, on this
very same theme:
“Once you have died in relation to your fellow creatures, you will hear
a voice saying: ‘May Allah bestow His mercy upon you, and may He
cause you to die in relation to your whims and passions [hawa]!’
“Then, once you have died in relation to your whims and passions
[hawa], you will hear a voice saying: ‘May Allah bestow His mercy upon
you, and may He cause you to die in relation to your self-will [irdda] and
your cherished aspirations [mun@]!’
“Then, once you have died in relation to your self-will [irada], you will
hear a voice saying to you: ‘May Allah bestow His mercy upon you, and
may He restore you to life!’
“You will then live a life that has no death to follow it. You will enjoy
an affluence that has no poverty to follow it. You will enjoy good health
that has no sickness to follow it.”
Yes indeed! Why should this not happen to the servant, once he has
come to be in the presence of his Master [Mawla]? Why should he not
actually experience everything mentioned above, once there is nothing
left in his heart except Allah? If someone matches this description, his
interest and concern will have transcended all other entities [apart from
Allah]. He will not focus his attention on any Garden of Paradise nor
on any Fire of Hell. He will not rely on formal acts of worship [“ibadat]
and spiritual stations [maqdamat], nor will he depend on revelations
[mukdshafat] and visible manifestations [mushahadat].
As he [Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him)] has said:
“O prisoner of desires and formal acts of worship, O prisoner of
stations and revelations! You are deluded and you are preoccupied
with you. Where is your preoccupation with Him to the exclusion
of you? He (Almighty and Glorious is He) is Present and Attentive,
‘and He is with you wherever you may be,’!? in this world and the
hereafter.” 20
19 The words: “and He is with you wherever you may be [wa Huwa ma‘a-kum aina-
ma kuntum] ” are spoken by Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) in the Qur’an (57:4).
20 ya astra’sh-shahawati wa ’I- “ibadat: ya astra ’l-maqamati wa ’l-mukashafat: anta
maghrirun wa anta mashghilun bi-ka ‘an-hu: aina ishghalu-ka bi-hi ‘an-ka:
Huwa Hadirun wa Nazir: “wa Huwa ma‘a-kum aina-ma kuntum” fi ’d-dunya
wa ’l-akhira.
48 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
He [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) has under-
taken to provide spiritual travelers [salikin] with a clear explanation of
the path that is followed by those who are genuinely concerned with
truth and reality [tariq ahl at-tahqiq]. He is attempting to remove from
the confines of their heart the filthy rubbish that hinders their progress
[wasakhat at-ta‘wiq], since anything on which the spiritual traveler
relies and depends can only be an obstacle to him. Even if the thing in
question is something pertaining to formal acts of worship [ “ibadat], or
to spiritual stations [maqamat] and revelations [mukdshafat], it still
represents an obstacle, for if the heart is inclined to form an attachment
to the thing, the heart comes to be its prisoner and its slave.
As the saying goes: “You do not love something without becoming
a slave to it.” But He does not like you to be a slave to anyone or
anything other than Him. Just as He does not like the work in which
others have a share [‘amal mushtarak], He does not like the heart in
which others have a share [qalb mushtarak]. That kind of work is
unacceptable to Him, and that kind of heart is likewise unacceptable to
Him. You must therefore empty your heart of all alien elements
[aghyar]. It is filled with all sorts of knowledge [ma‘arif] and secret
thoughts [asrar] about formal acts of worship, spiritual stations and
revelations, and so, when the spiritual traveler becomes preoccupied
with these alien elements and forms an attachment to them, he
becomes a prisoner to them. He comes to be deluded by them, in fact,
and it is precisely for this reason that he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be
well pleased with him) has said: “You are deluded, and you are
preoccupied with you to the exclusion of Him.” In other words, you
are preoccupied with the interests of your own lower self [nafs], to the
exclusion of your Lord.
Your self-preoccupation is bound to be an obstacle to your spiritual
progress, so you must abandon it, because He created your heart for no
other purpose than to serve as a place devoted to the remembrance of
Him. When you make room inside it for anything apart from Him, you
are overstepping the limit and committing an outrage.
How splendidly the point was made by acertain righteous man, when
he said: “I cannot be counted as one of the lovers [of the Lord] if I do
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn 49
not treat the heart as His House and His Station, and if my
circumambulation [tawaf] is not performed by causing the innermost
being|[sirr] to circle around therein, while He represents my cornerstone
[rukn] at the point when | am ready to make a ‘gesture of reconciliation’
[istilam].”21
In short, as far as things are concerned, it is essential for any would-
be traveler on the path of the spiritual élite [tariq al-khawass] to remain
separate from them. That is to say, he must adopt a detached and
disinterested attitude toward them, controlling them instead of letting
them control him, so that, whatever social and business transactions he
may need to conduct with his outer being [zahir], his heart will always
be in the presence of his Master [Maula].
The sense of this is implicitly conveyed by the saying of the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace):
And my chief consolation [lit., the cooling of my eye] has been granted
[to me] in the ritual prayer [wa ju‘ilat qurratu “aini ft’s-salat].”
21 This saying is a spiritual allegory based on the rites of Pilgrimage [Hajj]. The Ka‘ba
in the Sanctuary at Mecca is known as the House of Allah [Baitu lah]. It is also called
His Station [Maqam], because it is there that the pilgrims stand in readiness to perform
their prayers and other rites of worship. The ceremony of circumambulation [tawdf],
in which the pilgrim makes seven circuits around the Ka‘ba, three times with a brisk
step and four at an ordinary pace, is enjoined in the verse [@ya] of the Qur’an in which
Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says to Abraham (peace be upon him):
Do not associate anything with Me, and purify My House for those who circle around it, and
those who stand, and those who bow and make prostration [la tushrik bi shai’an wa tahhir Baitiya
Wt-t@ ifina wa’ l-qa@’ imina wa ’r-rukka‘i’s-sujitd]. (22:26)
The rukn is the corner of the Ka‘ba in which the Black Stone is embedded. While
the term istilam (a derivative of the same triconsonantal root—s-l-m—as Islam, salam,
etc.) is the noun corresponding to the verb istalama [he became reconciled], it has
acquired a specific meaning in the context of the rites of Pilgrimage, namely: “the act
of touching the Black Stone of the Ka‘ba, either by kissing it with the lips or stroking
it with the hand.” The translation ‘gesture of reconciliation’ has therefore been
enclosed between inverted commas.
22 This is actually the final element in one of the most famous sayings of the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace), a very literal translation of which would read:
Three things belonging to this world of yours have been made lovable to me: perfume,
women, and—the cooling of my eye has been granted [to me] in the ritual prayer [hubbiba
ilayya min dunyakum thalath: at-tibu wa ’n-nisa’u wa—ju ‘ilat qurratu “aini fi’s-salat).
The grammatical structure of the saying is interrupted when the third element in the
list takes the form, not of a another simple noun, but of a separate sentence, beginning
with the verb ju‘ilat (which could also be translated: “has been placed” or, “has been
made to reside” or, “has been made available”).
50 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
Notice that he said “in the ritual prayer [ft ’s-salat],” not “because of
the ritual prayer [bi-’s-salat]!”23 You must reflect on this saying [hadith]
with careful attention, for the path of those who know by direct
experience [tariq al-“arifin] will then become manifestly apparent to
you, and you will develop a mature understanding of its true signifi-
cance. You must ponder it carefully with your heart, for then you will
discover the straight path [as-sirat al-mustaqim]. You will also succeed
in grasping the real meaning of “La ilaha illa ’llah [There is none worthy
of worship except Allah],” since its real meaning [haqiqa] is turning
away from all else [al-i°rad ‘ani’s-siwa] and devoting oneself entirely to
the Master [al-iqbal ‘ala’|-Mawla]. You must therefore make a diligent
effort, O my brother, to ensure that this is a genuine experience as far
as your heart isconcerned. You must really sink your teeth into the task!
You must also ponder it with your rational faculty [lubb].
He (Almighty and Glorious is He) is indeed Present [Hadir] at all
times, “and He is with you wherever you may be””4 in this world and the
hereafter, under all circumstances, so be sure to heed this excellent
piece of advice:
“Give togetherness [ma‘iyya]*> its due, and always be on your
23 The translator’s task becomes extremely delicate in a case like this, where a crucial
point hinges on a distinction drawn by the author between two Arabic prepositions. In
certain contexts, the prepositions fi and bi- (the hyphen indicates that bi- is joined to
the following word in the Arabic script) are virtually synonymous, and in many
common phrases they are actually interchangeable. For instance, bi-ma‘iyyati fulan and
ft ma ‘iyyati fulan both mean “in the company of so-and-so.” Nevertheless, in consid-
ering the author’s emphatic distinction between fi ’s-salat and bi-’s-salat, it seems
reasonable to arrive at the following conclusions:
(1) As used in this saying of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), the
preposition ft bears its primary signification, namely, “in; within.” The expression fi
’s-salat can therefore be translated: “in (or, within) the salat [the Islamic ritual prayer].”
(2) When stating so emphatically that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him
peace) did not use the expression bi-’s-salat, the author expected his readers to
understand that he intended the preposition bi- to designate instrumentality or agency
(in which case it would signify “by means of” or “because of’), and/or commodity value
(in which case it would signify “in exchange for” or “at the price of”).
24 wa Huwa ma‘a-kum aina-ma kuntum. (57:4)
25 The Arabic word ma‘iyya is an abstract noun derived from the preposition ma‘a
[(together) with], which occurs in the above-quoted verse [aya] of the Qur’an: “and He
is with you [ma‘a-kum] wherever you may be.” According to context, its English
equivalent may therefore be “togetherness,” or “company,” or “concomitance,” or
“simultaneity.” In addition to its abstract meanings, however, as the anonymous author
of the saying, “Give ma ‘iyyaits due ...” was certainly aware, andas he no doubt expected
his listeners to be equally aware, ma‘iyya may sometimes signify: “escort; suite, retinue,
entourage, attendants; the private household of a prince.”
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn 51
best behavior for His sake. Be aware that you are a servant in every
situation, while He is a Lord. At every instant and in every state of
affairs, the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) is observing
our secret thoughts as well as our outwardly visible behavior, so
whenever He sees that a heart is loyally devoted to Him, He keeps it safe
from the hammer blows of misfortune and the misleading influences of
temptation.” You need to understand this well, and take it to heart!
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) also said:
Pay careful attention to Allah and He will take good care of you
lihfazi’lla@ha yahfaz-ka]. Pay careful attention to Allah and you will find
Him. When you have a request to make, put your request to Allah.
When you need to ask for help, ask Allah to help you.”
If you put this advice into practice, your behavior will be in accor-
dance with the proper manners of togetherness [adab al-ma‘iyya]. You
will be screened by this from the influence of your lower self [nafs], and
you will attain to the high stations of spiritual development.
As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) has said:
“When you are with Him, He screens you from you, and when you
are with you, He screens you from Him.”2’ In other words, if you are
26 As reported by Ibn “Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him and his father), this
hadith continues:
The pen has already run dry from writing all that is to be, so if His servants were to strive
to bring you some benefit not decreed for you by Allah, they would not be capable of it, and
if His servants were to strive to cause you some injury not decreed for you by Allah, they
would not be able to do it. So if you can relate to Allah with honesty and certitude [yaqm],
do so; and if you cannot, there is much good in being patient with what you dislike. Know
that help resides in patience, joy with sorrow, and “with hardship comes ease.” (Q. 94:5).
In the Forty-second discourse of Revelations of the Unseen [Futith al-Ghaib], Shaikh
“Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him) remarks:
It behooves every believer to make this hadith a mirror for his heart, to wear it as his
undergarment and his outer garb, to treat it as his own hadith, on which he should act in all
conditions, be he in motion or at rest, so that he may be safe in this world and the hereafter, and
receive honor in both domains through the mercy of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He).
27 idha kunta ma‘a-hu hajabaka ‘an-ka: wa idha kunta ma‘a-ka hajabaka ‘an-hu.
The wording of this particular quotation from the Risdla of Wali Raslan is signifi-
cantly different from the version cited by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari in his Kitab Fath
ar-Rahman. According to the latter, Walt Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him)
said: “When you are with Him, He screens you, and when you are with you,
He subjects you to serving Him [idha kunta ma‘a-hu hajabaka: wa idha kunta
ma‘a-ka’sta‘badakala-hu].” Inhis commentary, Zakariyya’ al-Ansart adds the words
“from you [‘an-ka]” after He screens you, and his explanation of He subjects you to
serving Him is: “He makes you a servant devoted to Him [muta‘abbidan la-hu], for He
demands of you service [“ibada] to Him. This is the state of differentiation [farq], ... in
which the individual returns to his formal, outer worship.”
52. Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
present with Him, and if you behave in accordance with the proper
manners of togetherness [adab al-ma ‘iyya], He will screen you from you,
and the stubbornly reluctant lower self [an-nafs al-abiyya]?8 will actually
agree to obey you.
Togetherness [ma ‘iyya] has several stages or degrees:
1. At the first stage, you are present with Him in keeping with the
standards of behavior proper to the Sacred Law [adab ash-Shar‘]. This
means that you put into practice what He has commanded you to do,
that you avoid what He has forbidden you to do, and that you cheerfully
accept what He has decreed and ordained for you. It means that all the
limbs and organs of your physical body are actively engaged in worshipful
obedience to Him, and that you spend every moment of your time in His
service. He will therefore screen you, at this stage, from the distracting
influences of your lower self [nafs] and your circumstances, and He will
enable you to witness His gracious favor toward you.
2. At the intermediate stage, you are present with Him in keeping
with the standards of behavior proper to the Spiritual Path [adab
at-Tariqa]. This means that you are personally non-existent in relation
to the service in which you are engaged, since there is no work more
eagerly hoped for by hearts than the work that has no visible connection
with you, and the very existence of which is unimportant from your
personal point of view.
As He has said (Exalted is He):
And the righteous deed He does exalt. (35:10)”
[That is to say] He raises it up beyond the notice of the spiritual
traveler [salik], who witnesses nothing in this except the gracious favor
of the Sovereign [Malik].
28 While the translation “stubbornly reluctant” is probably accurate enough, it fails to
convey the whiff of distinctly animal aroma that accompanies the Arabic adjective
abiyya. As applied toashe-camel, or to any other female beast, abiyya means: “reluctant
to eat her fodder, by reason of her suffering from indigestion,” or, in another context:
“unwilling to be covered by the stallion, by reason of her lack of sexual appetite.” Since
the Arabic word nafs [self, esp. the lower self] is grammatically feminine, it lends itself
readily to this kind of implied comparison to a reluctant mare or she-camel!
29 wa ’L-“amalu ’s-salihu yarfa‘uh.
Sharh Fath ar-Rahbmdn 53
Asit has been said: “My God [Ilahi], if good qualities [mahasin] appear
to come from me, they do so through Your gracious favor, and to You
belongs the credit for the kindness bestowed upon me. If evil qualities
[masawi] appear, on the other hand, they do so because of Your justice,
and to You belongs the evidence against me.”
3. At the highest degree, you are present with Him in keeping with
the standards of behavior proper to Reality [adab al-Haqiqa]. This
means that you recognize what belongs to you and what belongs to Him,
for [the reality is that] to you belong poverty, weakness, incapacity and
abject humility, while to Him belong affluence and strength and power
and glory. So, if you are present with Him in keeping with these
standards of behavior, He will screen your poverty with His affluence,
your weakness with His strength, your incapacity with His power, and
your abject humility with His glory.
At this stage, therefore, you will witness nothing but His actions [af“al]
and His characteristics [awsdaf]. Your personal existence [wujiid] will
fade into insignificance, and every attachment will take its leave of you.
The spiritual station of the realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness [maqam
at-tawhid] will be rightly and properly yours. All that is superfluous
[siwa] will depart, and you will come to be numbered among the people
of singular devotion [ahl at-tafrid].
How well did that master of wisdom [sahib al-hukm] express himself
when he said, in reference to these stages or degrees: “The rays of insight
[shi‘a’ al-basira] will cause you to witness His nearness to you. The eye
of insight [ “ain al-basira] will cause you to witness your non-existence in
relation to His existence. The truth of insight [haqq al-basira] will cause
you to witness His existence, neither your non-existence nor your
existence: [In the beginning] there was Allah and there was nothing
with Him, and He is now in the state in which He was [then].”
All these experiences are among the results of togetherness [ma ‘iyya],
of observing the standards of behavior proper to it, conforming to its
rules of conduct, and adhering to its basic principles.
How excellent is the saying: “I shall not stop yawning [from fatigue]
until you reconcile yourselves to the fact that I have a limp, and give me
a friendly reception in spite of my defect and my imperfection. If you
54 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
are ready and willing [to accept me on these terms], how splendid for
me, how glorious for me! But even if you are unwilling to do so, I shall
not be put off by stubborn resistance.”
If someone does not merely fail to observe the standards of behavior
proper to togetherness [with the Lord] [adab al-ma‘iyya], but keeps
company with his own lower self [nafs] instead, following it obediently
wherever it happens to lead him, that person is screened from his Master
[Mawla] by his own lower self, and it is the most seriously obstructive of
all screens.
As Dhu ’n-Nin*° (may Allah be well pleased with him) once put it:
“The most seriously obstructive screen, and the hardest to detect, is
attention paid to the lower self [ru’ yat an-nafs] and its schemes.”
Besides, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said:
None of you will truly believe until his whims and passions [hawa] are
ready to comply with the message | have brought.
Now that you know this, O my brother, you must desist from
obedience to your lower self [nafs] and your whims and passions [haw],
and you must part company with your fellow creatures, for then your
faith [tman] will become perfect, and your lower self will prove itself
capable of dutiful devotion [taqwa]. As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be
well pleased with him) has said: “Faith is your separating from them,
and certitude is your separating from you.”>!
30 Dhu ’n-Niin Abu ’|-Faid (or Fayyad) Thawban ibn Ibrahim al-Misri was born at
Ikhmim in Upper Egypt, c. A.H. 180 / 796 C.E., the son of a Nubian father. His life is
shrouded in obscurity, in spite of the many legends related about him in detailed
biographies by later authors. It can be stated with a fair degree of certainty, however,
that he lived in Cairo, and that he traveled extensively. We also know that he was
arrested (like Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal) for upholding the traditional Islamic doctrine
that the Qur’an is uncreated, in opposition to the Mu' tazilite thesis that was espoused
by some of the ‘Abbasid Caliphs. He was transported to Baghdad, released after a term
of imprisonment, and returned to die at Giza near Cairo in A.H.245/859C.. According
to A.J. Arberry (art. DHU ’L-NUN in Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam):
His sayings display the same intensity of style and rich imagery which character such other
[Islamic saints] as Junaid and Abii Yazid al-Bistamt. His skill in epigrams is illustrated by the saying:
“Make yourself dead during the days of your lifetime, that you may live among the dead when you
are gone.”
31 al-tmanu khuriju-ka ‘an-hum wa ’l-yaqinu khuriju-ka ‘an-ka. In Zakariyya’
al-Ansari’s Kitab Fath ar-Rahman, there is one significant difference in the words
attributed at this point to the author of the Risdla, namely, ‘an-hu [from Him] instead
of ‘an-hum [from them]. The commentary by Zakariyya’ reads:
Perfect faith [al-tman] is your separating from Him (Exalted is He) by not
associating Him with anything belonging to your personal attributes, and certitude
Sharh Fath ar-Rahbmdn 55
The real meaning of faith [haqigat al-imain] is the reality of “There is
no god but Allah [la ilaha illa ’Uah],” and when the reality thereof has
firmly taken root in someone’s heart, that person does not witness any
action by anyone other than Him. How then could it be otherwise, for
someone who sees with this kind of vision, and is fully aware of its
significance, than that he should separate from his fellow creatures and
advance toward his Master [Mawla]?
Once he has well and truly arrived at this doorway, and has fulfilled
the prerequisites of proper conduct, he will be granted the honor of
entry into the house of the loving friends [manzil al-ahbab]. The goblets
of certitude [yaqin] will then be passed around to him, and from them
he will sip the choicest beverage of all. Then he will separate from his
lower self [nafs] and from his own bad attributes. The characteristics of
his Master [Mawla] will be conferred upon him, and he will really
experience the lofty spiritual stations.
He does not rely with his innermost being [sirr] on any other than his
Master, and it is only to extol His nobility that he behaves with
meekness and humility. Since he is heedful of Allah with his outer
being [zahir], He takes good care of his inner being [batin]. Thus he finds
Him face to face with him, and this is his greatest wish and desire. As
the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has told us:
Pay careful attention to Allah and He will take good care of you. Pay
careful attention to Allah and you will find Him face to face with you.”
How then could it be otherwise, for a person who has attained to
the station of face-to-face encounter and direct witnessing [maqam
al-muwajaha wa ’sh-shuhiid], than that he should move away from
creatures and the lower self [nafs]? Once the connection has been made,
how could it be exchanged for disconnection?
As somebody once said: “I left my nocturnal pleasure and my
happiness in a certain house, and headed back toward the company of
aformer residence. But the feelings of longing [ashwdq] cried out to me:
‘Not so fast, for this is the home of someone you are very fond of. Take
it easy!”
[al-yaqin] is your separating from you, that is, from your own might, your own
strength and your own existence, to witness the perfection of His might, His strength
and His existence in place of your impotence and weakness.
32 thfazi "llaha yahfaz-ka: ihfazi "llaha tajid-hu tujaha-ka.
56 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
You must therefore desist, O my brother, from pointlessly directing
your aspiration to any other than Him, for the hopes and expectations
of those who apply [to Him] do not escape the notice of the All-
Generous One [al-Karim].
Make sure that your faith [man] and your certitude [yaqin] are
genuinely sound, for then you will be numbered among those who
acquire knowledge through direct experience [‘Grifin]. The more deeply
rooted in faith you become, the more you will go through transformation
in the realm of spiritual states [ahwdl], and the more deeply rooted in
certitude you become, the more you will go through transformation in
the realm of spiritual stations [maqamat]. You will come to possess the
character of perfectly developed people [ahl al-kaméil].
As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) has said:
“When your faith has increased, you will be transported from state
to state; and when your certitude has increased, you will be trans-
ported from station to station.” »
That is to say, when your faith [tman] has increased in strength and
deep-rootedness, you will be transported from state to state, and you
will come to be one of the experts on the subject of spiritual states
[ahl al-ahwal]; and when your certitude [yaqin] has likewise increased,
you will be transported from station to station, and you will come to be
one of the experts on the subject of completely developed human beings
[ahl ar-rijal].
The stages entered into by the spiritual traveler[salik] are experienced
initially as spiritual states [ahwal]. Then, once he is firmly rooted and
securely established in them, they become a spiritual station [maqam]
and acomplete fulfillment [kamal] for him. You must therefore commit
yourself, O my brother, to a noble aspiration, so that you may progress
beyond the spiritual states and attain to the lofty spiritual stations.
You can only complete this process of development by constant
adherence to the standards of behavior proper to the Sacred Law
[Sharia], and by donning the garments appropriate to the Spiritual Path
[Tariga], so that the Reality [Hagiqa] may manifest itself to you and
33 idha zada tmanu-ka nuqilta min hal ila hal—wa idha zada yaqinu-ka nuqilta min
maqam ila maqam.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdan 57
shine its radiant lights upon you. This is just as he [Wali Raslan] (may
Allah bestow His mercy upon him) has indicated:
“The Sacred Law is for you, until you seek Him from Him for you;
and the Reality belongs to Him (Exalted is He), until you seek Him
through Him for Him (Almighty and Glorious is He), beyond when
and beyond where, for the sacred law does have limits and modes, but
the reality has neither limit nor mode.”34
The point of this reference to the Sacred Law [Shari‘a], and what the
statement about it implies, is [that you must surely be aware of] the
benefits that will accrue to you [from adhering to it], O spiritual traveler,
since the aspiration of the faithful follower of the Sacred Law, and the
desired object he has in view, is the bliss of the Garden of Paradise and
the pleasures contained therein. This is a prospect of delightful good
fortune, which is why he [Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with
him)] has said: “The Sacred Law is for you [ash-Shari‘a la-ka].” He has
used the Arabic preposition la- [for],3° which indicates that the Sacred
Law is a source of benefit for its faithful adherent.
The aim of the faithful adherent of the Sacred Law is to seek the truth
from the Lord of Truth [al-haqq min al-Hagqq], but not for the sake of his
Master [Mawla]. This is why he [Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased
with him)] has said: “...until you seek Him (that is, the Lord of Truth)
for you (that is, so that this quest will be a benefit accruing to you).”
Meanwhile, “the Reality [Hagiqa] belongs to Him,” that is, to the
Lord of Truth (Exalted is He), “until you seek Him,” that is, the Lord
of Truth (Exalted is He), “through Him,” that is, through the Lord of
Truth (Exalted is He), “for Him,” that is, also for the sake of the Lord
of Truth (Exalted is He), “beyond when and beyond where,” since the
Lord of Truth (Glorified is He) is not to be qualified in terms of time and
space. When and where can only be relevant to someone whose
existence is confined to a particular place and a particular time, and
Allah is Exalted very far and beyond anything of the kind!
34 ash-Shari‘a la-ka hatta tatluba-hu min-hu la-ka—wa ’l-Hagiga la-hu (ta‘ala)
hatta tatluba-hu bi-hi la-hu (‘azza wa jall) haithu la hin wa la ain—fa-’sh-Shari‘a
la-ha hudid wa jihat wa ’l-Hagiqa la hadd wa la jiha.
35 Literally, “he has used the [Arabic letter called] lam.” Since the short vowels are
generally unmarked in an Arabic text, the preposition la- appears simply as the
consonant L- prefixed to the pronoun -ka (of which only the consonant -k is visible in
the text).
58 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
This is why he [Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him)]
has said: “The Sacred Law [Shari‘a] does have limits and modes,”
because it is limited and dependent upon limitation, “but the Reality
[Hagqiqa] has neither limit nor modes,” because it is dependent on the
Lord of Truth (Exalted is He), and He (Glorified is He) is entirely
exempt from any such qualification.
To put the matter in a nutshell, the Sacred Law [Shari‘a] is [sufficient
for the seeker while he is still] at the stage of the boon-companionship
of loving friends [munddamat al-ahbab].
Then, provided the seeker sticks close to the door, and cultivates
good behavior, the faculty of conscience [sartra] will become manifest
to him, the faculty of insight [basira] will be illuminated for him, and his
aspiration will rise far above all inferior goals and purposes. He will be
drawn toward lofty pursuits by the attraction of Divine Providence
[al-‘Indya al-Ilahiyya], to the point where he makes his entrance,
through Divine Grace [al-Fadl al-Ilahi], into the corridor leading to the
Spiritual Path [Tariga]. After that, his further progress will bring him
to the stage of the Reality [Haqiqa].
This is why Shaikh Abi “Abd al-Qurashi (may Allah be well pleased
with him) once said: “Practice good manners at all times, always do
your utmost in the line of servitude [“ubiidiyya], and never raise
objections to anything, for, if you are intent on serving Him, He will
connect you with Him.”
Well then, O my brother, you must practice at all times the good
manners of servitude to your Master [Mawla], and cast yourself down in
humble prostration before Him, for privilege may be granted to both
adherents—to the adherent of the Sacred Law [Shari‘a] as well as to the
adherent of the Reality [Haqiqa]. As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be
well pleased with him) has said:
“One who lives with>6 the Sacred Law [alone]?” is given the privilege
of striving, and one who lives with the Reality is given the privilege
36 In his Kitab Fath ar-Rahman, Zakariyya’ al-Ansari prefers the reading al-qa’im bi...
[one who lives by...], although he does mention that al-qa’im ma‘a... [one who lives
with...] occurs in one copy of the Riséla (twice in this quotation).
37 The word faqat [alone] is missing from the quotation given here by al-Hamawi,
although it appears in the version cited by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn 59
of grace. How great is the contrast between striving and grace!””38
That is to say, the business of one who lives with the Sacred Law
[Shart‘a] is based on striving and service, since he is at the initial stage,
while the business of one who lives with the Reality [Haqiqa] is based
on pure grace and constant service, since he is at the ultimate stage.
And how great is the contrast—that is to say, how great is the
distance—between the station of striving [maqam al-mujahada] and the
station of grace [maqam al-minna]! The person who is committed to
striving is immersed in separation, and he is kept behind a screen
[mahjub] by the activity in which he is involved, while the other, being
immersed in grace, is beloved [mahbiib] in all his phases of movement
and rest.
If he [the loved one] makes a verbal statement, he does so because of
Allah; if he performs an action, he does so for the sake of Allah; if he
comes back from somewhere, it is from Allah; and if he goes off
somewhere, it is toward Allah; for he is entirely because of Allah
[bi-’llah], for the sake of Allah [Ii lah], from Allah [mina lah], and toward
Allah [ila ’Uah]. He is not aware of anything but Allah, and he does not
witness anything but Allah. As it has been said: “Once someone has
become truly aware [“arafa] of Allah, he witnesses Him in everything.”
He therefore has no reason to feel alienated from anything, and
everything is disposed to treat him in a friendly fashion, for he has come
to experience personally—as a normal aspect of nature [sajiyyatan] and
as an actual fact [hagiqatanJ—the meaning of the words of Allah
(Exalted is He):
So whichever way you turn, there is the Face of Allah. (2:115)°?
As a result of this, he acquires an excellent state of conscience
[tawiyya], for conceived [muntawiya] in his heart is [the living reality of
the words of Allah (Exalted is He)]:
And He is with you wherever you may be. (57:4)*°
38 al-qa@im ma‘a ’sh-shari‘a [faqat] tafaddala ‘alaihi bi’l-mujahada—wa ’1-q@’im
ma‘a ’l-haqiga tafaddala ‘alaihi bi’l-minna—wa-shattana ma baina ’l-mujahada
wa ’l-minna.
39 fa-aynama tuwalli fa-thamma wajhu ’llah.
40 wa Huwa ma‘akum ainama kuntum.
60 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
You must therefore make a very serious effort, O my brother, to place
reliance on the gracious favor [of the Lord]. You must pass beyond your
personal qualities [awsdf] and make an exit from your personal existence
[wujiid], for then you may come to be extinct [mafqiid], or it may be that
gracious favors will adorn you. As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well
pleased with him) has said: “One who lives with striving is existent,
while one who lives with grace is extinct.”*!
The reason for this is that one who lives with striving is always
keeping his attention focused on a struggle, always concentrating on
what he is trying to do, and on his ability to do it. He is therefore
existent in terms of his existence in the realm of fantasy [mawjiid
li-wujidihi ’l-wahmi], and deluded by the shadow that gives him his
conventional form [maghrir bi-zalalihi ’y-rasmi].
In the instance of one who lives by grace, on the other hand, no
struggle on his part can be observed. No actions are apparent, no power
and strength, and nothing in the way of changing states, for he is extinct
[mafqid], nonexistent [fan], wholly immersed in his nonexistence
[fana’]. He has already been divested of both the two realms of being
[al-kawnain], and not asingle remnant remains within him—apart from
his Master [Mawla]—because he has traversed all the stages [man@zil]
and states [ahwal] of spiritual development. He drank from all the
springs and pools along the way, until he quenched his thirst with the
thirst-quenching draught of the people of perfection [ahl al-kamal].
Of the practices/a‘mal] connected with the Sacred Law[Shar‘], he has
accomplished the most lofty; of the states of being [ahwal] connected
with absolute trust in the Lord [tawakkul], he has experienced the most
nobly elevated; and of the realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness
[tawhid] connected with illuminating disclosure [kashf], he has attained
toan extremely advanced degree. This relates to what he [Wali Raslan]
(may Allah be well pleased with him) was referring when he said:
“Practices are linked to the noble Law. As for total trust in the Lord,
this is linked to faith, and the realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness is
linked to illuminating disclosure.”*
41 al-q@im ma‘a ’l-mujahada mawjid—wa ’1-qa@’im ma‘a ’1-minna mafqiid.
#2 al-a‘mal muta‘alliga bi-’sh-Shar‘ ash-sharif—wa ’t-tawakkul muta‘alliq bi-’I-
Imaén—wa ’t-tawhid muta ‘alliq bi-’L-kashf. (As cited by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari in his
Kitab Fath ar-Rahman, this quotation ends with the more vividly explicit expression
bi-kashf al-ghita [to the removal of the veil].)
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn 61
That is to say, the experience of practices [ma‘rifat al-a‘mal] is
connected with the Sacred Law [Shar‘], because the latter is the
doorway. Unless the seeker steps up to the doorway, he will never enjoy
the good fortune of joining the ranks of the loving friends [ahbab].
You must therefore be prepared, O spiritual traveler [salik], to powder
your cheek with the dust of the doorsteps of the Sacred Law [a‘tab
ash-Shari‘a], and to anoint your eyes with the perfection of the manners
appropriate to the Spiritual Path [adab at-Tariqa]. The radiant lights of
the Reality [anwar al-Hagiqa] will then manifest themselves for your
benefit, and you will be able to enjoy the vision of its subtle meanings.
As for total trust in the Lord [tawakkul], it is connected with faith
[iman] by virtue of what it really signifies, namely, the fact that
contentment with Allah’s knowledge [“ilm] about you is sufficient to
release the heart from attachment to anything apart from Him. This
state of being is actually attainable, but only for one who truly experi-
ences the real meaning of “There is no god but Allah [Id ilaha illa ’ llah].”
It is therefore incumbent upon you, O my brother, to prove the
soundness of your faith [iman] by dedicating yourself wholly to your
Master [Mawla], and by turning your attention away from everyone
apart from Him. You will thereby attain to the station of total trust in
the Lord [maqam at-tawakkul], and He will be pleased with you.
Asfor the realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness [tawhid], it is some-
thing that must actually be tasted [amr dhawqi]. It can only be
experienced through the revelation of the Sublime [kashf ar-Rabbanij].
No one may taste as much as a single mouthful of its juice, unless the
cups of direct knowledge [ma‘rifa] have been passed around to him, and
he has been granted the opportunity to make quite sure that the vessels
are in a state of good repair. You must therefore make sure that the
vessels of your heart are in a state of good repair, O you who yearn so
ardently for the pouring of the nectar of the realization-and-affirma-
tion-of-Oneness [rahig at-tawhid]. You must make a very serious effort
to bring your heart into a state of good repair, for only then will the full
meaning of singular devotion [tafrid] become apparent to you.
As Allah (Exalted is He) has told us:
Andas for those who strive in Our cause, surely We shall guide them to
Our paths. (29:69)#
#8 wa ’lladhina jahadi find la-nahdiyannahum subulanda.
62 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
If the seeker lacks a strong determination to pursue the path, he will
never enjoy the experience of sitting down to rest with the people
[of the Lord], and that nectar will never be readily available to him.
O suitor, Our beauty is such that Our dower is costly indeed for one who
would seek Our hand in marriage: A body that always glows, and aspirit
that is never dull; eyelids that never taste drowsiness, and a heart that
has no room for anyone but Us. So whenever you wish, you have only
to pay the price!
Cease to exist, therefore, if you wish for endless nonexistence [fana@’an
sarmadan], for ceasing to exist will lead to such nonexistence. Take off
both shoes if you come to that valley, for in it We are sanctified; and of
both the two realms of being [al-kawnain] let yourself be divested. Set
down whatever stands in the way between us, and whenever you are
asked, “Whom do you love?” say, “I am the one whom I love [ana man
ahwa ana].”**
This station [maqam] is accessible only to someone who is honored
with the ability to follow guidance, and who comes to be one of those
whoare loved [mahbiibin]. This issomeone who acts in accordance with
the signs and indications he receives, and who takes steps to correct
both the outer [zahir] and the inner [batin] aspects of his being. He
comes to be numbered among the inheritors [w@rithin], at which point
the true facts [haq@ iq] are disclosed to him, and now he may drink of this
pure drink—every crystal clear drop of it [kulla ra’ iq].
As for the kind of person who races into this arena with his mental
faculty [“aql] in control, he will not cease to wander astray in the deserts
of confusion. If someone tries to find the Garden of Paradise with the
help of his own lower self [nafs] and his passions [haw4], he is bound to
stray from the path, and he is sure to ignore the blessings and benefits
that Allah has provided to assist him. As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah
be well pleased with him) has said:
“People wander astray from the Lord of Truth (Exalted is He)
because of the mind, and from the hereafter because of passion. For,
when you seek the Lord of Truth (Exalted is He) with the mind, you
44 This passage would seem to be a quotation from the work of a mystic poet. (The
original Arabic is rhymed, and—as far as it is possible to judge from the white-on-black
photocopy available to the translator—the manuscript version was written with a
different ink from that used to inscribe the main body of the text.)
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn — 63
lose the way, and when you seek the hereafter with passion, you
stumble and slip.”
The Lord of Truth (Exalted is He) can only be recognized by the
light of faith [nir al-imdn], just as the Garden of Paradise can only be
attained through opposition [to the lower self and the passions], and by
consistently upright conduct at the station of active goodness [maqam
al-ihsan]. If someone tries to observe the Reality [Haqiqa] with the eye
of his mental faculty [“aql], he will therefore remain in a state of
disconnection [tafarraqa], while he who looks for it by light of faith will
enjoy the real experience [tahaqqaqa]. The most useful purpose the
mind can serve is to show you how to reach the doorway. As for the first
[stage of the journey from that point on] toward the Divine Presence
[Hadra], there is no way to embark upon it except through constant
cultivation of the appropriate modes of behavior [adab].
Ashe [the Prophet] (Allah bless him and give him peace) has told us:
Pay careful attention to Allah and He will take good care of you. Pay
careful attention to Allah and you will find Him face to face with you.
That is to say, you must pay careful attention to Allah by constantly
cultivating the appropriate modes of behavior, for you will thereby gain
access to the station of meeting face to face [maqam al-muwdjaha], and
you will come to be numbered among the loving friends [ahbab]. The
station of direct experience [maqam al-muwdjaha] can only be attained
by following in the footsteps of the loving friend [habib], so if a seeker
tries to find it by using his mind, he will fail to obtain any share [nasib]
in the object of his quest. By the same token, the Garden of Paradise
can only be attained through opposition to the lower self [nafs] and the
passions [hawd], so if a seeker tries to find it by any other means, he is
shooting wide of the mark.
As Allah (Exalted is He) has told us:
But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord, and forbade the lower
self to follow passion, surely the Garden [of Paradise] will be his final
place of rest. (79:40,41)*7
4 an-nas ta’ihin “ani ’l-Haqq (ta‘ala) bi-’1-‘aql—wa ‘ani ’l-akhira bi-’l-hawa—fa-
mata talabta ’l-Haqq (ta‘ala) bi-’l-‘aql dalalta—wa mata talabta ’l-akhira
bi-’l-hawa zalalta.
46 thfazi "llaha yahfaz-ka: ihfazi llaha tajid-hu tujaha-ka.
47 wa amma man khafa maqama Rabbi-hi wa naha ’n-nafsa ‘ani’ |-hawa—fa-inna ’|-jannata
hiya ’l-ma’wa.
64 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
It is therefore incumbent upon you, O my brother, to dedicate
yourself to acts of worshipful obedience [ta‘at], while avoiding all acts
of sinful disobedience [ma ‘Gsi]. You must always observe those religious
duties that are strictly obligatory [fara‘id], and you must also acquire
merit through the performance of supererogatory devotions [nawafil] at
all times, so that you may gain access to the station of the Garden of
Paradise [maqam al-Janna], so that the light of faith [nar al-iman] may
shine in your heart, so that you may experience the feeling of rapture
[jadhba], and so that direct knowledge [ma ‘rifa] may pervade your entire
being. You will then behold Him by it [by His light], and gracious favor
will envelop you completely, even when you are neither standing still
[in His presence] nor prostrating yourself before Him.
As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) has said:
“The believer sees by the light of Allah, and one who has direct
knowledge beholds Him by it.”4°
The believer [mu’min] sees by the light of Allah because he is still at
the initial stage, while one who has direct knowledge [‘arif] beholds
Him by it because he is at the ultimate stage. The believer [mu’min] is
someone from whom the dark shadows of polytheistic association[shirk]
have vanished away, and for whom the radiant lights have begun to
shine. As for the person who knows by direct experience [“arif], he is
someone who has ceased to exist in relation to his lower self [nafs] and
his personal characteristics [awsaf], so he witnesses nothing but his
Master [Mawla], and all others have disappeared from his sight.
The truth of the first statement [the one concerning the believer] is
borne out by his [the Prophet’s] words (Allah bless him and give him
peace):
Beware of the penetrating insight of the believer, for he sees by the light
of his Lord.”
As for the second statement, we may cite his words (Allah bless him
and give him peace) as they occur in the following Sacred Tradition
[Hadith Qudsi]:5°
And My servant continues to draw near to Me through supererogatory
acts of worship [naw@fil] until 1 love him; and when I love him, I come
to be his hearing by which he hears, and his eyesight by which he sees.*!
48 al-emu’min yanzuru bi-niri lah—wa ’1- “Grif yanzuru bi-hi ilai-hi.
49 ittaqi firdsata ’l-mu’min ; fa-inna-hu yanzuru bi niiri Rabbi-hi.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn 65
This is the farthest point of the station of servitude [maqam
al-‘ubadiyya], and the most splendid of all the qualities of Lordship
[awséaf ar-Rubiibiyya] with which the servant may be honorably endowed.
You must therefore make quite sure, O servant [of the Lord], that your
own qualities are fully realized, for He will then endow you with His
qualities. You must humble yourself through your servitude, and be
ready to receive the gifts of grace [nafahat], especially at the times of
early morning prayer [awqat al-fajr], for those moments are replete with
bountiful blessings [barakat]. This was so very well expressed by the
anonymous person who said:
“Endure with patience the agonies of traveling by night, especially in
the period just before the break of day, and persevere in acts of
worshipful obedience during the early morning time. I have discovered
that the days contain a test of patience, a conclusion worthy of being
noted and applied.”
Few and far between are those who make really serious efforts to
complete any business they set out hoping to accomplish, and who take
patience along with them as a companion in the process, otherwise
there would surely be more stories of success!
You must therefore make a very serious effort, O my brother, to ensure
that you truly arrive at the station of faith [maqam al-tman]. In order to
do so, you must obey the commandments and avoid any violation of the
prohibitions [laid down by the Sacred Law], until you receive the
blessing of providential care [ “indya]. Once you have reached that stage,
you will be rendered extinct as far as your personal existence is
concerned, and you will experience the Divine benevolence [al-lutf
50 A somewhat longer and slightly different version of this Sacred Tradition [Hadith
Qudsj] is cited by Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him)
in the Thirty-ninth Discourse of The Sublime Revelation [al-Fath ar-Rabbani] (p. 252 of
the Al-Baz edition):
Those who draw near do not draw near to Me with anything more excellent than the
fulfillment of that which I have established as a duty for them. And My servant continues
to draw near to Me through supererogatory acts of worship [nawafil] until | love him; and
when I love him, I become for him a hearing and an eyesight, a hand and a support, so
through Me he hears, through Me he sees and through Me he grasps.
51 wa la yazalu ‘abdi yatagarrabu “alayya bi-’n-nawafili hatta ahibbahu—fa-idha ahbabta-hu
kuntu sam‘a-hu ’lladhi yasma‘u bi-hi wa basara-hu ’lladhi yabsuru bi-hi.
66 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
al-Ilahi] in all its fullness, as indicated by these words of his [of Wali
Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him):
“{The Lord says]: ‘As long as you are with you, We command you.
Then, once you have been rendered extinct to you, We take charge
of you.’ For He does not take charge of them until after their
annihilation [in Him].’”>2
That is to say, as long as you are at the station of separation [maqam
al-farq], and while you are still attached to your personal existence
[wujiid], We command you, but once you are at the station of integration
[maqam al-jam‘], and have reached the point of complete detachment
[ghaiba] from everything apart [from the Lord], We take charge of you.
In other words, as long as you are still at the initial stage, you are at the
station of striving [maqam al-mujahada], but when you are at the
ultimate stage, you are at the station of direct witnessing [maqam
al-emushahada], and once the seeker has witnessed his Master [Mawla]
directly, how could he be left with any interest whatsoever in anything
apart from Him?
Ashe [the Prophet] (Allah bless him and give him peace) has told us:
And my chief comfort [literally, the cooling of my eye] has been made
to reside in the ritual prayer.”
For someone who knows by direct experience [“arif], every single
moment is a time of ritual prayer [salat], since the essential reality of the
ritual prayer [haqiqat as-salat] is turning one’s back on everything else
[‘ani’s-siwa] and turning to face the Master [“ala ’L-Mawla].
Once the seeker has genuinely experienced this direct vision, he will
still be involved in his actions from the standpoint of his outer being
[zahir], but he will be quite detached from them as far as his heart and
his innermost contents [sara@’ir] are concerned. This is what actually
does happen when the Lord of Truth takes charge of him [haqiqatu
tawalli ’’|-Haqqi iyyahu], due to the fact that his physical form [qdlab] is
dedicated to active servitude, while his inner core [qalb] is intently
beholding the presence of his Master [hadrat Mawlahu].
52 ma dumta anta ma‘a-ka amarna-ka—fa-idha fanaita ‘an-ka tawallaina-ka—
fa-ma tawalla-hum illa ba‘da fana@‘ihim [fi-hi]. (The words fi-hi [in Him] are absent
from the quotation provided here by al-Hamawi, although they do occur in the version
cited by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari.)
53 wa ju ‘ilat qurratu “aint fi’s-salat.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn — 67
It is therefore incumbent upon you, O my brother, to spare no effort
in the way of service, and to cast yourself down in prostration before
Him, for thus you may be deemed worthy of acceptance in His presence.
Then He may render you extinct to you, and draw you close to Him.
[In the words of Walt Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him)]:
“As long as you continue, you are a seeker. Then, when He has
made you extinct to you, you are one who is sought.””>*
That is to say, as long as you continue to attach importance to your
own lower self [nafs], and continue to keep it in existence, you are still
at the initial stage. Once you have moved to a position of detachment
from it, and have experienced its annihilation, only then will you be at
the ultimate stage.
The root cause of every sinful act of disobedience, of heedless
negligence and of lustful indulgence, is satisfaction with the lower self
[ar-rida ‘ani ’n-nafs], while the root cause of every act of worshipful
obedience, of vigilant awareness and of good conscience, is the lack of
satisfaction with the lower self [“adam ar-rida ‘ani ’n-nafs]—the lack of
satisfaction with it on your own part. Satisfaction with the lower self
[nafs] is the main incentive for keeping it in existence, and satisfaction
is fed by admiration of its charming and attractive features. The lack
of satisfaction with it, on the other hand, is the main incentive for
discarding it, and satisfaction is diminished by focusing attention on its
repugnant and disgusting features.
You must therefore take a suspicious view of your own lower self [nafs],
O my brother, in all your states and conditions, so that the station of
servitude [maqam al-‘ubidiyya] may be truly yours, and so that you may
advance to the peak of your perfection. Glory be to the One who has
hidden the secret of peculiar distinction [khusisiyya] within the external
appearance of humanity [bashariyya], and who manifests Himself through
the majesty of Lordship [Rubibiyya] in the demonstration of servitude
[“ubiidiyya]!
It is therefore incumbent upon you, O my brother, to practice
contrition and humility inside this doorway. You must cast aside
reliance on power and strength, for then you may be allowed to
experience the most lasting certainty [al-yaqin al-adwam], and you may
54ma dumta anta fa-anta murid—fa-idha afna-ka ‘an-ka fa-anta murad.
68 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
acquire the excellent qualities of the loving friends [shama il al-ahbab].
He [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) has said:
“The most lasting certainty is your absence from you and your
presence with Him. What a big difference there is between what is
at His command and what is because of Him! If you are at His
command, worldly means will be subservient to you. And if you are
because of Him, the whole Universe will be submissive to you.”**
That is to say, the certainty [yagin] on which the people of direct
knowledge [ahl al-ma‘rifa] place their reliance, and the lasting nature of
which they verify by the test of experience, is the certainty that is
received from Him (Exalted is He), once you have come to be absent
from you and present because of Him [mawjiid bi-hi], surrounded by the
noble ones [kiram]. How great indeed is the difference, therefore,
between being at His command, as one of those who are still at the
initial stage [ahl al-bidaya], and being because of Him, as one of those
whoare at the ultimate stage [ahl an-nihdya]. If you are at His command,
and you master the chapter of striving [bab al-mujahada], worldly means
[asbab] will be subservient to you. If you are because of Him, and you
really and truly attain to the station of extinction [maqam al-fana’], the
whole universe will be submissive to you.
To put this entire subject in a nutshell, there is a first step that must
be taken by the traveler on the spiritual path, namely, compliance with
the [Divine] commandments and nonviolation of the [Divine] prohi-
bitions. To take this step is to step up to the doorway of the Sacred Law
[Shari‘a]. Once this door has been opened for him completely, the
spiritual traveler will be granted the honor of entry into the dwelling
places of the loving friends [ahbab]. There he must purify himself by
getting rid of all his unworthy qualities, at which point he will be dressed
in noble attire, for the robes of Honor Sublime [al-khila‘ ar-Rabbaniyya]
will then be brought forth. Worldly means [asbab] will thus become
subservient to him at the first station, because he has been obedient to
Allah. When someone obeys Him, everything becomes obedient to
that person, as we know from what has come down to us in the tradition
55 al-yagin al-adwam ghaibatu-ka ‘an-ka wa wujiidu-ka bi-hi—kam baina ma
yakinu bi-amri-hi wa baina ma yakiinu bi-hi—in kunta bi-amvi-hi khada‘at
la-ka ’l-asbab—wa in kunta bi-hi tada‘da‘at la-ka ’l-akwan.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdadn 69
[hadith] concerning the well-known story of Abii Talib*® [and how the
Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said to him]:
And you, uncle, if only you would obey Him, He would obey you!
[wa anta—ya ‘amm—law ata‘ta-hu la-ata‘a-ka].*’
Then, at the second station, the whole universe comes to be submis-
sive to him, because he has become extinct to his own lower self [nafs],
so that nothing remains within his field of vision apart from his Master
[Mawla]. The truth of this assertion is borne out by the words of Allah
(Exalted is He) [addressed to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him
peace)]:
Andit was not you who did the throwing, when you threw [that handful
of dust or sand in battle with the unbelieving foe], but Allah did the
throwing. (8:17)°8
Once you have grasped the meaning of this, O my brother, you must
go on to make real progress through the various stages of the spiritual
journey [sulk]. You must apply yourself diligently to the quest, and be
careful to make the most of every second of your time, for then you will
come to be numbered among the kings [muliik]. As Shaikh Abu ’I-
Hasan ash-Shadhili®? (may Allah be well pleased with him) once said:
“If your purpose is to seek and find the kings of the two domains [mulik
ad-darain], then embark upon this path [tariq] of ours for a day or two!”
You must also realize that you will not be allowed to enjoy the full
aroma of asingle whiff of the fragrant perfume of this path [tariq], as long
as you have not duly traversed the various stations [maqamdat], and as
long as you have not unloaded every impediment [ta‘wig] from your
heart. [In the words of Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him)]:
56 Abii Talib was the father of Imam ‘Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him) and
uncle of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Although he served his
nephew as a guardian and then as a faithful friend for forty years, Aba Talib was a
notoriously stubborn character, and he is believed to have died—in the third year
before the Hijra—without ever having embraced the religion of Islam.
57 This saying may strike the reader as rather shocking, and the Prophet (Allah bless him
and give him peace) no doubt intended it to have a startling impact. It should be
pointed out, however, that the Arabic verb ata‘a, while it does commonly mean “to
obey,” may also convey the less absolute meaning “to accede to a person’s wishes”
(in answer to a prayer, for instance).
58 wa ma ramaita idh ramaita wa lakinna ’llaha rama.
59 See note 8 on p. 41 above.
70 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
“The first of the stations is patience in obedience to His will
(Exalted is He). The one in the middle is contentment with His
wishes (Exalted is He), and the last is that you come to be in
accordance with His purpose (Exalted is He).”®
That is to say, the first of the stations to be traversed by spiritual
travelers [maqdamat as-salikin] is that of patience [sabr] in obedience to
the Will of the Lord of Truth.
As somebody once put it: “Patience is the key to all that is hoped for,
and every problem is made easier by its application, so it may in fact be
possible, through patiently biding one’s time, to achieve what people
had dismissed as utterly absurd and completely out of the question.”°!
To quote another saying of similar import: “The token of success, in
achieving the object sought, is the exercise of patience in fulfilling the
wishes of the loved one.”
The reward for patience is indeed beyond all reckoning, as Allah
(Exalted is He) has told us:
Surely those who are patient will be paid their wages in full without
reckoning. (39:10)%
Once the seeker has well and truly arrived at this [first] station, and
provided he has behaved there in a right and proper manner, it will next
become appropriate for him to enter the station of contentment
[maqam ar-rida], and to enjoy its special properties.
This [station of contentment] is the most central [awsat] of all the
stations, and it is the most equitable [a‘dal] of them all. Once he has
entered into it, the spiritual traveler will be granted the most excellent
opportunities to experience perfection [mukammilat]. How splendid is
the saying:
O you who are content to accept Our judgments, you are certainly
bound to praise the outcome of contentment. Entrust your affairs to Us,
60 awwal al-magamat as-sabr ‘ala muradi-hi—wa awsatu-ha ’r-rida—awa akhiru-ha
an takina bi-muradi-hi.
61 as-sabru miftahu ma yurja wa kullu khatbin bi-hi yahiin—fa-rubba-ma nila bi-’t-ta’ anni
ma qila haihatu la yakiin.
62 “wnwan az-zafr bi-’|-matlib at-tahaqqugq ‘ala muradat al-mahbib.
3 innama yuwaffa ’s-sabiruna ajra-hum bi-ghairi hisab.
64 Although the author does not say so explicitly, this must surely be a Divine Saying
[Hadith Qudsi].
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn 71
and continue to be a Muslim [one who submits to the will of Allah], for
the supreme comfort is enjoyed by one who entrusts his affairs to Us.
A man will never be fully united with his Beloved, until he experiences
bewilderment concerning that which He has decreed.®
Once he has mastered the lessons of this station, the seeker will be
ready to advance to the ultimate stage. He will become extinct to his
own lower self [nafs] and to his personal characteristics [awsaf], and he
will reach the final goal. At this point he will be in accordance with the
purpose of the Lord of Truth [murad al-Haqq], inasmuch as he is no
longer in possession of any self-will [irdda]. He will now experience the
reality of the station of “through Me he hears and through Me he sees
[maqam bi-yasma‘u wa bi yabsuru],” and the radiant lights of this state of
bliss will shine upon him.
All of these experiences are among the results to be obtained by
constant cultivation of the proper modes of behavior [adab], by unceasing
remembrance [dhikr] practiced with the heart, and by clinging to the
dust of the doorsteps [a‘tab]. The remembrance [expressed by repeating
the words] “There is no god but Allah [la ilaha illa ’llah]” will lead to
the point where hearts as well as mouths rejoice in the remembrance
of Him.
You must also see to it that your finest decoration is your pious
devotion, O brother of the veil [akha ’l-hijab], for how well deserving is
he whose finery is his piety [hula@hu tuqahu]! You must put your thoughts
to work on the contemplation of His kingdom [malakiit], engrossing
yourself in the process of discovering its meaning. You must slip off your
shoes [as a mark of respect for hallowed ground], like a genuine explorer
[muhaqgqiq] who has passed beyond the two realms of being in the course
of his journey by night [masra]. You must become extinct even to your
own extinction [fana’], for therein is the source of perpetuity [baqa’],
and at that moment you will see Him. Then, when He has manifested
Himself to you, you must be well aware that you are not He [lasta
Huwa]—by no means!—and also that you are not something apart from
Him [siwahu]. Two things do not co-exist [that is, there is no question
of dualism]—but here we have a mystery [sirr] so profound that it defies
our ability to grasp what it really signifies.
65 ya ayyuha ’r-radiyyu bi-ahkamind la budda an tahmida “ugqba ’r-rida—fawwid ilaina wa
’bga muslima—fa-’r-rahatu “um li-man fawwadané—a yatimmu ’|- mar’u bi-mahbibi-
hi hatta yara ’|-hairata fi-ma qad qada.
72 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
O listener, as I have already tried to make you understand, you cannot
experience transformation [qalb]® by thinking about what you hear and
retain with your ears. You must remove the veil, the veil that covers
your heart [qalb], for only then will the secret be disclosed to you,
revealing the brilliant splendor that was previously invisible to your
sight. God is One who is supremely ready to make Himself known
finna ’L-Ilaha Ajallu muta‘rrifin], so if someone does not see Him, that
person must obviously be afflicted with blindness. How could He
disappear from view, when nothing exists apart from Him? And yet it
is hard indeed to discover anything that He has concealed!
Well then, O you who long so ardently for the attainment of these
lofty stations [maqdamat], and you whoare yearning to quench your thirst
with a draught from these salutary cups, it is incumbent upon you to
learn the real meaning of knowledge [ma‘rifat al-‘ilm], and to put that
knowledge correctly into practice [tashth al-‘amal]. If you act on this
advice, you will succeed in obtaining intimate knowledge [al-‘ilm
al-laduni], and in acquiring direct insight [ma‘rifa] and revelatory
disclosure [kashf]. You will become extinct [to your separate personal
identity], and you will arrive at your destination together with those
who also reach that goal. As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well
pleased with him) has said:
“[Practical] knowledge is the way of action, and action is [the way
of] knowledge. And knowledge is the way of experience. And
experience [of Allah] is the way of unveiling. And unveiling is the
way of extinction.”®
66 When it represents the verbal noun corresponding to the Arabic verb qalaba, the
word qalb means “turning around; transformation.” It is much more common, however,
as an ordinary noun, derived from the same triconsonantal root, q-I-b. In the latter case
(an example of which occurs in the second sentence of the passage to which this note
refers), the meaning of qalb is “heart; inner core.”
67 al-“ilm [al-‘amali] tariq al-‘amal—wa ’1-‘amal [tariq] al-“ilm—wa ’1-“ilm tariq
al-ma‘rifa—wa ’1-ma‘rifa [bi-’llah] tartgq al-kashf—wa ’l-kashf tariq al-fana’. (The
words enclosed between brackets are omitted from the text of al-Hamawi’s commentary
on the Risala, although they do occur in the version quoted by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari.
It should also be noted that al-Hamawi completely omits the sentence which follows
at this point in the version quoted by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari, namely: “extinction is a
matter of action, then of essence, then of reality” [wa ’l-fana’ yakinu ‘amalan,
thumma ‘ainan, thumma haqqan].)
Sharh Fath ar-Rahbmdn 73
That is to say, knowledge of the Sacred Law and of the Spiritual Path
[al-“ilm bi-’ sh-Shari‘a wa ’t-Tariga] is the way of action [tarig al-“amal],
while action in conformity with both of them is the way of intimate
knowledge [ta‘rig al-“ilm al-laduni]. As Allah (Exalted is He) has told us:
Be dutiful toward Allah, and Allah will teach you. (2:282)°%
And as he [the Prophet] (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said:
When someone puts what he knows into practice, Allah makes him heir
to knowledge of what he did not know.”
Intimate knowledge [al-‘ilm al-laduni] is the way of direct experience
[tariq al-ma‘rifa], since the servant cannot know his Master [Mawla]
directly except through His granting him direct experience of Himself
[illa bi-ta ‘vifihiiyyahu]. Once the servant has come to know Him through
this direct experience, the real facts [haqa@’iq] will be disclosed to him,
he will become extinct to everything else [apart from his Master], and
he will drink from the cups of the sources of pure wine [khamr ra’ iq].
The main point to be emphasized here is that it is absolutely necessary
for the spiritual wayfarer [salik] to acquire direct experience of the
Sacred Law and of the Spiritual Path [ma‘rifat ash-Sharta wa ’t-Tarigal],
and to do so at the very beginning of his journey, so that he may use
them both as his means of transport across the desolate tracts of the
desert wastes, and thus arrive at his ultimate destination. You must
therefore be sure to equip yourself, O traveler journeying toward the
[Divine] Presence [Hadra], with the most suitable means of transport
and the most convenient accessories you can muster. You must also
take great pains to ensure that no remnants of worldly attachments are
still clinging to you.
[According to Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him), the
Lord says]:
“You have not become fit for Us as long as there is still within you
any remnant of anything apart from Us, so when you have set
everything else aside, We shall render you extinct. You have now
become fit for Us, and We have entrusted you with Our secret.”/°
68 wa ’ttaqu ’llah—wa yu‘allimu-kumu ’llah.
69 man ‘amila bi-ma ‘alima warratha-hu ’llahu “ilma ma lam ya‘lam.
1 ma salahta la-na ma damat fi-ka baqiyya li-siwa-na—fa-idha hawwalta ’s-siwa
afnaina-ka ‘an-ka—wa-salahta la-naé wa-awda‘na-ka sirrana. (The version quoted
by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari reads: fa-salahta la-na fa-awda‘na-ka sirrana.)
74 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
Al-Junaid?! (may Allah be well pleased with him) once said: “The
mukatab is a slave [“abd] as long as he still owes a single dirham [silver
coin].”’2 The very same principle applies in the case of the spiritual
wayfarer [sdlik], for, as long as he still pays any attention to anything
apart from his Master [Mawla], and as long as he remains in any way
attached to his worldly fortune and pleasures, he is not yet fit to enter
the presence of His exalted majesty. Once everything else has gone out
of his heart, and nothing remains within it apart from his Master, at that
point his Master will come to his aid. He will render him extinct to
himself, make him fit for His presence, and entrust the secret to him, so
he will come to be an example for others to learn from and to follow.
This is why somebody once said: “The path is actually two paths
[at-tarigq tariqan]: the path of those who proceed at a moderate pace [tariq
al-muqtasidin], and the path of the bold explorers [tariq al-muhaqqiqin].
The path of those who proceed at a moderate pace consists of fasting
[siyam], keeping vigil [qiyam], and giving up sins [tark al-atham]. The
path of the bold explorers, on the other hand, is the route of migration
away from all creatures [khala ig], of severing all worldly attachments
(‘ala iq], and of strenuous exertion in the service of the Creator [Khaliq].
This is the distinction indicated by Shaikh “Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani?3
(may Allah be well pleased with him), when he says:
“O my brothers, I did not attain to Allah by keeping vigil through the
night, nor by fasting through the day, nor yet by the study of academic
knowledge [“ilm]. But I did attain to Allah by way of noblehearted
generosity [karam], modest humility [tawadu‘], and soundness of the
feeling within the breast [salamat as-sadr].”
71 Abu ’1l-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn al-Junaid al-Khazzaz al-Qawariri an-Nihawandi
(d. AH. 298/910 C.E.). The son of a glass-merchant and nephew of Sari as-Saqati, he
was a close associate of al-Muhasibi. Renowned for the clarity of his perception and the
firmness of his self-control, he earned a reputation as the principal exponent of the
“sober” school of Islamic mysticism. His Rasa’il [Epistles] consist of letters to private
individuals, and short tractates on mystical themes, some cast in the form of commen-
taries on Quranic texts.
” A mukatab is a slave who has made a written contract with his master, in which it is
stipulated that the slave will be granted his freedom on the payment of a certain sum.
As al-Junaid (may Allah be well pleased with him) points out, that sum must be paid
in full before the mukdtab becomes a free man.
®B The Arabic letter kaf is used in this spelling of the name, suggesting the Persian
pronunciation, as opposed to the more usual Arabic form “al-Jilanit’, which is spelled
with the initial letter jim. (The hard sound “g”—as in the English word “go” —does not
occur in normal Arabic, although it is common in the Persian language, where the
Sharh Fath ar-Rahbmdn — 75
It is indeed by way of noblehearted generosity that the spiritual
traveler [salik] moves beyond attachment to this world. It is indeed by
way of modest humility that he moves beyond attachment to the lower
self [nafs], and it is indeed through soundness of the inner feeling that
he moves beyond attachment to everything else, so that he is left with
no interest in anything but the Master [Mawla]. This is the ultimate
goal of those who know directly by experience [al-“Grifin], and the final
object of those who are the heirs to empowerment [al-wairithin li’ t-tamkim].
It is therefore incumbent upon you, O my brother, to ensure that you
are truly fit and worthy of this station. You must abandon your self-
motivated undertakings, and become extinct to your personal existence,
for then you will be granted certainty [yaqin], your realization-and-
affirmation-of-Oneness [tawhid] will be perfected, and you will be
allowed to drink this pure wine [mudam]. As he [Wali Raslan] (may
Allah be well pleased with him) has said:
“When there does not remain with you any self-motivation, your
extra letter gaf, formed by placing a bar over the Arabic letter kaf, has been added to the
alphabet.)
Through the mists of legend surrounding the life of Shaikh “Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
(may Allah be well pleased with him), it is possible to discern the outlines of the
following biographical sketch:
In AH. 488, at the age of eighteen, he left his native province to become a student in the great
capital city of Baghdad, the hub of political, commercial and cultural activity, and the center of
religious learning in the world of Islam. After studying traditional sciences under such teachers
as the prominent Hanbali jurist [faqih], Aba Sa‘d ‘Ali al-Mukharrimi, he encountered a more
spiritually oriented instructor in the saintly person of Abu’l-Khair Hammad ad-Dabbas. Then,
instead of embarking on his own professorial career, he abandoned the city and spent twenty-five
years as a wanderer in the desert regions of ‘Iraq. He was over fifty years old by the time he returned
to Baghdad, in A.H. 521/1127 CE, and began to preach in public. His hearers were profoundly
affected by the style and content of his lectures, and his reputation grew and spread through all
sections of society. He moved into the school [madrasa] belonging his old teacher al-Mukharrimti,
but the premises eventually proved inadequate. In A.H. 528, pious donations were applied to the
construction of a residence and guesthouse [ribat], capable of housing the Shaikh and his large
family, as well as providing accommodation for his pupils and space for those who came from far
and wide to attend his regular sessions [majalis]. He lived to a ripe old age, and continued his work
until his very last breath, as we know from the accounts of his final moments recorded in the
Addendum to Revelations of the Unseen.
In the words of Shaikh Muzaffer Ozak Efendi: “The venerable “Abd al-Qadir al-Jilant passed
on to the Realm of Divine Beauty in A.H. 5561/1166 C.E., and his blessed mausoleum in Baghdad
is still a place of pious visitation. He is noted for his extraordinary spiritual experiences and
exploits, as well as his memorable sayings and wise teachings. It is rightly said of him that ‘he was
born in love, grew in perfection, and met his Lord in the perfection of love.’ May the All-Glorious
Lord bring us in contact with his lofty spiritual influence!”
76 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
certitude will be perfected, and when there does not remain any
existence of yours, your realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness will
be perfected.”
That is to say, when you are no longer subject to the influence of any
self-motivation [haraka li-nafsi-ka], this will indicate your recognition of
the fact that the One who causes both movement and rest [al-Muharrik
wa ’|-Musakkin] is actually your Master [Mawla]. Once you have truly
experienced this, He will regard you as worthy of Him. Once you are
left without any personal existence—since you have become extinct to
you—the realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness [tawhid] will be com-
plete, and you will come to be numbered among the people of perfection
[ahl al-kamal]. Your standing will then be implicity accepted by all.
The substitution of stillness for movement constitutes the doorway,
and your passing beyond your personal existence [wujiid]—through the
perfection of your realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness [tawhid]—
deserves the honor of admission to the sessions of the loving friends
[majdlis al-ahbab]. You must therefore extricate your own lower self
[nafs], O my brother, from the business of planning your life [tadbir]. Do
not take it upon yourself to manage that which Someone other than you
will manage on your behalf. You must move beyond the characteristic
features of your human nature [bashariyya], beyond every attribute of
character that is incompatible with your servitude [“ubidiyya], so that
you will always be ready to respond to the summons of the Lord of Truth,
and will ever be near to His presence.
Stay close to the commanders [Gmirin], for then you will be numbered
among the people of the inner and of certainty [ahl al-batin wa’|-yaqin],
and cling to the dust of the doorsteps [a‘tab], always cultivating good
behavior [adab], for then you will be numbered among the people of the
outer and of faith [ahl az-zahir wa ’l-imanJ—at every moment, and at
every station and degree, according to those who know by direct
experience [ “Grifin]. As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased
with him) has said:
“The people of the inner are with certainty, and the people of the
outer are with faith. So when the heart of the master of certainty is
74idha lam yabqa “alai-ka haraka li-nafsi-ka, kamila yaqinu-ka—wa idha lam yabqa
la-ka wujiud kamila tawhidu-ka.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabman 77
stimulated [in response to anything other than Allah], his certainty
is deficient, and when no notion ever occurs to him, his certainty is
perfect. And when the heart of the master of faith is stimulated in
response to anything other than the Divine command, his faith is
defective, and when it is stirred by the Divine command, his faith
is complete.””
That is to say, the people of the inner [ahl al-batin] are with certainty
[yaqin], due to their having attained to the degree of seeing with one’s
own eyes [martabat al-“iyan], and because of their having entered the
station of active goodness [maqam al-ihsan]. As for the people of the
outer [ahl az-zahir], they are with faith [tmdn], due to their having
attained to the degree of belief [martabat at-tasdiq], and because of their
having entered the station of voluntary compliance [maqam al-idh‘an].
The latter grade constitutes a minor rank of sainthood [wilaya sughra],
and it is absolutely necessary for the seeker to step up to its threshold
during the initial stage of his spiritual journey. The former grade, on the
other hand, constitutes a major rank of sainthood [wilaya kubra], a rank
to which the seeker must inevitably attain at the ultimate stage of his
spiritual progress.
The master of certainty [sahib al-yaqin] is one of those who have
advanced to the final stages of spiritual development [ahl an-nihayat].
When his heart becomes agitated, therefore, it must mean that his
certainty is defective, since this is an unmistakable indication of his
paying attention to that which is apart [from the Lord]. It is this
distraction that causes him to exhibit signs of agitation. When not
a single disturbing notion occurs to him, on the other hand, due to
his total immersion in the fathomless depths of togetherness [lujjat
al-jam ‘iyya], it must mean that his certainty is complete, since this is an
unmistakable indication of his paying perfect attention [to the Lord],
and a sure sign that he retains not a trace of interest in that which is
apart [from Him].
5 ahl al-batin ma‘a ’l-yagin—wa ahl az-zahir ma‘a ’l-iman—fa-mata taharraka
qalb sahib al-yaqin [li-ghairi ’llah] naqasa yaqinu-hu—wa mata lam yakhtir la-hu
khatir kamila yaginu-hu—wa mata taharraka qalb sahib al-tman li-ghairi ’l-amri
L-ilahi, naqasa tma@nu-hu—wa mata taharraka bi-’l-amri ’l-ilahi, kamila tmanu-hu.
(The words enclosed between brackets are missing from the text of al-Hamawi’s
commentary on the Risdla, although they do occur in the version quoted by Zakariyya’
al-Ansari.)
78 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
In the case of the master of faith [sahib al-tman], when his heart is
stimulated in response to something other than the Divine command,
and when he gets involved in whatever has distracted him, it must mean
that his faith is defective, since this is an unmistakable indication of his
being hopelessly adrift in the ocean of contradictions[bahr al-mukhalafat].
When his heart is stimulated by the Divine command, however, and he
then proceeds to follow the courses of action we have outlined, it must
mean that his faith is complete, since this clearly points to the fact that
he is a slave [mamlik] at the disposal of his Master [Mawla].
To put this subject in a nutshell, the following are the main points to
be emphasized:
1. The people of the inner [ahl al-batin] have attained to the station
of active goodness [maqam al-ihsdn], the station of one who worships
Allah as if he can see Him, and it is utterly absurd to suppose that
anyone, while seeing Him, would also pay attention to something apart
from Him. If someone is actually experiencing the direct vision [of
Allah], how can he possibly be affected by any ordinary impulse? How
can he be held responsible for standing up or sitting down? If someone
is drinking wine from these goblets, how can any disturbing notion
possibly occur to him? How can the ear of his heart be expected to hear
a ringing sound from that bell [ndqiis]?76
2. As for the people of the outer [ahl az-zahir], they are standing by
the doorway in the company of faith [iman], ready to hear and obey
whatever may be required of them by the Book [of Allah (Almighty and
Glorious is He)] and the Sunna [of the Prophet (Allah bless him and
give him peace)]. They must not move from the spot, except to perform
the duties they have been ordered to carry out. When they move into
action for any other reason, it can only mean that their faith is
defective. But when they move into action for this purpose alone, it
means that their faith is complete, and that what they are seeking to
gain from this station will be granted to them in full.
76 The Arabic word naqiis came to be applied toa bell, particularly the bell of aChristian
church or convent. In the earliest days of Islam, however, it referred to a thin oblong
piece of wood, which was beaten with a flexible rod called wabil. This, rather than the
bell, was used by the Christians of that time as an instrument for notifying the people
of the times of prayer. Under the Greek name simandro, it was observed to be still in
use in certain monasteries in the Levant during the first half of the nineteenth century.
(See: Thomas Patrick Hughes, Dictionary of Islam, art. NAQUS.)
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmadn 79
You must therefore be prepared, O my brother, to powder your cheeks
with the dust of the doorsteps [a‘tab]. You must comply with the
[Divine] commandments and refrain from violating the [Divine] prohi-
bitions, for then you may rest secure in the dwelling places of the loving
friends [ahbab]. Once you have reached this point, your heart will be
cleansed of everything apart [from the Lord] [as-siwa]. You will lose all
interest in personal power and strength, and come to be one who casts
himself down in prostration before the Master [al-Mawla]. When you
have attained to this station [maqam], you will come to be numbered
among those who are drawn near [muqarrabin], and you will be taken to
task for things that are not held against ordinary believers [mu’minin].
As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) has said:
“The sin of the people of certainty is unbelief, and the sin of the
people of faith is falling short.”7’
That is to say, since the people of certainty [ahl al-yaqin] have attained
to the station of active goodness [maqam al-ihsan], they are not granted
forgiveness for a simple lapse into error, because the standard in their
case is the standard applicable to those who are at the station of seeing
with one’s own eyes[maqam al-‘iyan]. A black spot on ablack gown does
not have the same effect as a black spot on a white gown, and this
principle is equally relevant to the severity of punishments. As for the
people of faith [ahl al-iman], they are accorded a degree of tolerance that
is not accorded to the people of highly developed intuition [ahl al-“irfan].
This is why the sin of the former is classed as a shortcoming, on account
of the remnants [of worldly attachment] they still have inside them, and
which hinder them from attaining to the special status of the latter group.
You must therefore make a very serious effort, O my brother, to purge
both your outer self [zahir] and your inner being [batin] of the filth of
contradictions [najasat al-mukhdlafat], so that your ritual prayer [salat]
may enter the sphere of the Reality [al-Haqiqa], and so that you may
come to be numbered among the truly dutiful servants [muttaqin], the
lovers [of the Truth] [muhibbin], the people who have advanced to the
final stages of spiritual development [ahl an-nihayat]. [As Wali Raslan
(may Allah be well pleased with him) has said]:
“The dutiful servant is diligent, and the lover is totally trusting,
7 ma‘siyat ahl al-yagin kufr—wa ma‘siyat ahl al-tman nags.
80 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
and he who knows by direct experience is calm and serene, and he
who is found is lost. There is no rest for a dutiful servant, and no
movement for a lover, and no resolve for one who knows by direct
experience, and no being found for one who is lost.”78
Let us now consider each of these eight points in turn:
1. The dutiful servant [muttaqi] is diligently engaged in service, always
on the watch for guidance, strongly committed to his aspiration. As
Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
Andas for those who strive in Our cause, We shall surely guide them to
Our paths. (29:69)?
This is why, as the saying goes: “When a person has a job to do, he
does not have a place to sit.”8° Somebody once said: “This teaching is
based on serious dedication and diligent exertion.” The point is also
very well expressed in the saying: “In proportion to the weary toil
invested, the lofty benefits are earned [tuksabu ’l-ma‘ali]. If a person
wishes to reach the heights, he must spend the nights awake [sahira ’l-
layali]. He may be keen to find the Truth, but then his eye drops off to
sleep, and he plunges deep into the ocean in the quest for pearls [min
talabi ’l-la’ali].”
2. The lover [muhibb] is totally reliant on his Master [Mawla]—in all
his affairs—because he is completely content with the knowledge that
Allah has about him, and so feels no need for anyone apart from Him.
As aresult, the focus of his attention never shifts toward anyone other
than Him.
The All-Generous One [al-Karim] will never disappoint the hopes of
those who seek [from Him] the satisfaction of their needs. The peti-
tioner has only to present his need—within his innermost being [sirr]
and as a confidential secret [najwaJ—to the Lord of All the Worlds
[Rabb al-‘ Alamin], speaking in the language of his state of being and his
own peculiar idiom [bi-lisén halihi wa qdlihi], and intoning this request
both in the early morning hours and through the later times of day.
78 al-muttaqt mujtahid wa ’l-muhibb muttakil wa ’1- “Grif sakin wa ’l-mawjid
mafqid—la sukiin li-muttaqgin wa la haraka li-muhibb wa la ‘azm li-‘“Grif wa la
wujud li-mafqud.
79 wa ‘lladhina jahadii fina la-nahdiyannahum subulana.
80 man takun lahu qawma lam takun lahu qa‘da.
Sharh Fath ar-Rahbman 81
O You who can see what is tucked inside the hidden recesses of the
human soul [md fi ’d-damir]—and can hear it, too! Youare the One who
has made provision for everything that will ever come to pass. O You
to whom appeal is made in all misfortunes and calamities! O You to
whom the complainers and the panic-stricken turn! O You who keep
the treasure houses of Your kingdom stored in the one word, “Be! [kun].”
Bestow Your grace and favor, for all goodness is entirely at Your disposal.
What device can I resort to, apart from knocking at Your door? And if
You should drive me away, which door could I knock at then? To whom
could I appeal and call upon by name, if Your gracious favor were to be
withheld from this poor supplicant of Yours? Far be it from Your noble
generosity that You should ever disappoint a beggar! May the gifts be
abundant and the presents copious!
3. The person who knows by direct experience [“Grif] is calm and
serene. The making of plans[tadbir] isno longer any concern of his, and
he has lost the self-willed desire to exert his own power and strength,
so the entire universe is ready to serve him, and his blissful good fortune
[sa‘ada] is now complete.
This is why, as somebody once put it: “When a man gives up trying
to plan his own life, he settles into the sphere of trustful delegation
[tafwid]. From this point on, all his requirements are brought to him in
solemn procession [zuffat ilaih], just as the bride is conducted to the
bridegroom.”
To quote another excellent saying: “When I saw the decree of destiny
[qada’] taking its course, indubitably and inexorably, I really and truly
placed my trust in my Creator [tawakkaltu haqqan “ala Khdliqi], and 1
surrendered myself [aslamtu nafsi] of my own free will.”
4. He who is found is lost [al-mawjiid mafqid]. That is to say, he who
is found in the realm of genuine existence [mawjiid bi-’ |-wujiid al-haqiqi]
is lost in the sense of being missing from the realm of illusory existence
[mafqiid ‘ani-’|-wujid al-wahmi]. He recognizes nothing as being in
existence except his Master [Mawla], and he does not rely on anything
apart from Him.
Provided you have fully understood these explanations, the remaining
points can be dealt with more concisely:
82 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
5. There can be no rest for a dutiful servant [muttaqt], because he is
constantly engaged in diligent striving [ijtihad].
6. There is no need for movement on the part of a lover [muhibb],
because he is perfectly content with the knowledge that Allah has
about him, and because this reliance is quite sufficient to meet all his
needs.
7. There is no question of resolve or decision-making [“azm] in the
case of one who knows by direct experience [“Grif], because of his
detachment from his own power and strength. When the seeker
experiences this detachment to the fullest extent, he gains the object
of his quest and enjoys his blissful good fortune.
8. There is no being found [wujiid] [in illusory existence] for one who
is lost [mafqiid] [missing from that kind of existence], because of his
separation from that rotten heap of dung [dimna], and because of his
having replaced aloofness [sudiid] with loving communion [tawdasul].
It is therefore incumbent upon you, O my brother, to change your
attitude and redirect your aspiration, so that you may obtain some
benefit from these spritual states. You must separate yourself from
familiar habits and the standards of others, so that you will be worthy
of love [mahabba], and will come to be numbered among the men of
distinction. As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him)
has told us:
“Love is experienced only after certainty, and when the lover is
sincere in his love, his heart must be empty of all that is apart from
Him (Exalted is He). And as long as it retains any trace of love for
anything but Him, he must be lacking in love.”®!
Certainty [yaqin] is the firm conviction that there is no benefactor in
existence [la muhsin fi ‘l-wujiid] except Allah. If someone really and
truly holds this firm conviction, he will be granted the experience of
love, and he will then devote himself to worshipful service at his
Master’s door [i takafa bi-bab Mawlahu]. Ifa person is sincere in this kind
of commitment, his heart must be devoid of everything apart from Him.
81 ma tahsulu ’l-mahabba illa ba‘da ’l-yagin—wa ’l-muhibb as-sdadigq fi hubbi-hi qad
khala qalbu-hu mimm4 siwa-hu—wa ma damat “alai-hi baqiyyat mahabba li-siwa-
hu, fa-huwa ndqis al-mahabba.
Sharh Fath ar-Rahbmdn — 83
As long as someone retains the slightest trace of love for anything
other than Him, he must be lacking in love and lying in whatever claim
he makes. By the passion [haw] he displays in the presence of asensual
temptation, or in reaction to the impact of a disaster, he can easily be
distinguished from a true servant of his Lord.
It is therefore incumbent upon you, O my brother, to be keenly
ambitious in aspiring to these degrees of spiritual progress. This means
that you must cease to indulge in all forms of pleasurable enjoyment
[taladhdhudhdat], and that you must become extinct to your personal
existence, for only then will you acquire the degrees of progress and gain
access to the highest stations [maqamat]. [As Wali Raslan (may Allah
be well pleased with him) has told us]:
“One who takes delight in misfortune, co-exists therewith, and one
who takes delight and rejoices in prosperity co-exists with it, so when
He makes them extinct to them, the enjoyment of misfortune and
prosperity departs.”®2
That is to say, when someone takes delight in misfortune [bala’], due
to the fact that he regards it as emanating from his Master [Mawla], that
person is still existent [mawjiid], because the survival of his sensory
awareness is maintained by the experience of drinking from the cups of
pure wine. In the case of someone who takes delight in prosperity
[na‘ma’], enjoying the opportunities it provides for indulging his
faculties and his senses, that person is also existent [mawjiid], for he is
immersed in the station of separation [maqam al-farq] from his head to
the soles of his feet. When someone becomes extinct to the entire
universe [faniya ‘ani’l-akwan], however, he no longer feels the sensation
of pleasurable enjoyment, and he enters into the station of active
goodness [maqam al-ihsan]. As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well
pleased with him) has said [in the passage quoted immediately above]:
“So when He makes them extinct, the enjoyment of misfortune and
prosperity departs.”
82 man taladhdhadha bi-’l-bala@ fa-huwa ma‘a-hu mawjiid; wa man taladhdhadha
wa fariha bi-’n-na‘ma’, fa-huwa ma‘a-hu mawijiid; fa-idha afna-hum ‘an-hum
dhahaba ’t-taladhdhudh bi-’-bala@’ wa ’n-na‘ma’. (As quoted by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari,
this passage from the Risdla includes the phrase: “So when Allah makes him extinct
[fa-idha afna-hu ’llah],” as opposed to: “So when He makes them extinct to them
[fa-idha afna-hum ‘an-hum].” Zakariyya’ was well aware of the alternative reading—
from another manuscript at his disposal—and he extends his commentary to cover both
versions.)
84 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
You must therefore make a very serious effort, O my brother, to attain
to extinction in Him [al-fana@’ f-hi], for then you will gain access to the
station of love [maqam al-mahabba], and its significant features and
meaningful contents will become apparent to you.
[Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him) goes on to
explain]: “As for the lover, his breath is wisdom, and as for the loved
one, his breath is power.”®3
That is to say, the breath of the lover [muhibb]—his speech, in other
words—is an expression of wisdom [hikma], due to the fact that it issues
from him while his heart is still under wraps—with the result that no
one hears him, unless he can find a willing listener and can make that
person understand what he has to say.
Inthe case of the loved one [mahbiab], on the other hand, his breath—
his speech, in other words—is an expression of power [qudra], which
means that he never speaks about anything without being heard and
understood. Nothing in the entire universe will ever contradict his
command, due to the high esteem in which he is held [by his Lord], and
because he has been invested [by Him] with the robe of honor that
signifies [in the words of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He)]:
lam his ears with which he hears, and his eyes with which he sees, and
his tongue with which he speaks.™
He is also bedecked with the noble adornment that signifies [in the
83 alemuhibb anfasu-hu hikma wa ’l-mahbib anfasu-hu qudra.
84 kuntu sam‘a-hu ’lladhi yasma‘u bi-hi; wa basara-hu ’lladhi yabsuru bi-hi; wa lisana-hu
‘Lladht yantuqu bi-hi.
These words of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) have been transmitted to us by
the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in a well-known Divine Saying
[Hadith Qudsi]. Several versions have come down to us, including those noted by
Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him) in the following
passage from the Sixth Discourse of Revelations of the Unseen [Futith al-Ghaib] (pp. 17
and 18 of the translation published by Al-Baz):
Ina Sacred Tradition [Hadith Qudsi] related by the blessed Prophet, Allah (Exalted is He) says:
“My servant constantly approaches Me through supererogatory acts of worship until I love
him, and when I love him, I become his ears with which he hears, his eyes with which
he sees, his hands with which he holds, and his legs with which he walks.” In another
version, the wording is: “So through Me he hears, through Me he sees, and through Me
he understands.”
Sharh Fath ar-Rahbmdn — 85
words addressed by Allah (Exalted is He) to the Prophet (Allah bless
him and give him peace)]:
Andit was not you who did the throwing, when you threw [that handful
of dust or sand in battle with the unbelieving foe], but Allah did the
throwing. (8:17)*
This is because, while he is still in the universe as far as his outer body
[zahir] is concerned, he is separated from it from the standpoint of his
heart and soul [janan] and the innermost recesses of his being [sara ir].
Itis therefore incumbent upon you, O my brother, to practice the formal
acts of worship [ “ibadat], [for, as Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased
with him) has told us]:
“Formal acts of worship are for the compensations, and love is for
the nearnesses.8© [In the words of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is
He)]:8” ‘I have prepared for My righteous servants that which no eye
has ever seen, of which no ear has ever heard, and which has never
occurred to any human heart. When they wish for Me, I give them
that which no eye has ever seen and of which no ear has ever
heard.’’”88
In other words, formal acts of worship are rewarded, and this is why
they can be said to yield compensations [mu‘dwadat]. As for love
[mahabba], it isan both an inclination [mail] and an annihilation [fana@’],
and this explains why nearnesses [qurubat] accrue from it.
The worshipper [“abid] is someone who is dedicated to a form of
service [khidma] for the sake of the blissful reward he expects to receive
in the Garden of Paradise. The lover [muhibb], on the other hand, is
someone who has become extinct to all personal interests [fanin “ani ’|-
aghrad]. He no longer has any aim or purpose except that his Master
[Mawla] should be well pleased with him. This means that the lover is
actually a servant [“abd] in the true sense of the term [“ala’|-hagiqa], and
he has therefore earned the right [istahaqqa] to have it said concerning
85 wa ma ramaita idh ramaita wa lakinna ’llaha rama.
86 al-“ibadat li’l-mu‘Gwadat wa ’l-mahabba li’l-qurubat.
8? At this point—as noted by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari—Wali Raslan (may Allah be well
pleased with him) quotes one Divine Saying [Hadith Qudst]: “When they wish for
Me...” immediately after another: “I have prepared....”
88 a“dadtu li-“ibadi ’s-salihin ma la ‘ain ra’ at wa la udhn sami at wa la khatara ‘ala
qalb bashar—lamma aradiini li, a‘taitu-hum ma la ‘ain ra’ at wa la udhn sami at.
86 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
him—as it may appropriately be said concerning all those who follow
this Spiritual Path [Tariqa]:
I have prepared for My righteous servants that which no eye has ever
seen, of which no ear has ever heard, and which has never occurred to
any human heart.
[This Divine Saying (Hadith Qudst) is applicable to them] because
they have devoted their intentions wholly and sincerely [to winning
the good pleasure of their Lord], and they are no longer affected by dread
of the Fire of Hell and desire for the Gardens of Paradise. This is why
it is equally appropriate to cite that other saying of His with reference
to their case, namely:
When they wish for Me, I give them that which no eye has ever seen,
and of which no ear has ever heard.”
By mentioning this second Divine Saying [Hadith Qudsi] immediately
after the one he has already cited, Wali Raslan (may Allah be well
pleased with him) is implicitly suggesting a comparison with the act of
drinking a second draught of water immediately after the first, without
pausing to catch one’s breath [“alal ba‘da nahal]. He is also indicating
that the All-Generous One [al-Karim] bestows His gracious favor upon
them continuously, without interruption.
You must therefore rouse yourself and make haste, O my brother, if
you to wish to get something to drink from these watering places. You
must become extinct to your passion [hawa] and your self-willed desire
[irdda], for thus you may come to be a servant with undivided loyalty
[‘abd sirf]. You will then have access to all that is available to the perfect
human being [al-insdn al-kamil]. [As Walt Raslan (may Allah be well
pleased with him) has told us]:
“When He has made you extinct to your passion by decree, and to
your self-will through knowledge, you will become a servant with
undivided loyalty, with neither passion nor will of your own. Then
the veil will be lifted for your benefit, so that servitude will vanish
away into Oneness, for the servant will be annihilated and the Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He) will remain.”?!
89 See note 88 on p. 85 above.
90 See note 88 on p. 85 above.
91 idha afna-ka ‘an hawa-ka bi-’|-hukm—wa “an iradati-ka bi’l-“ilm—tasiru ‘abdan
sirfan, la hawa la-ka wa la irada—fa-hina idhin yukshafu la-ka—fa-tadmahillu ’1-
‘ubidiyya fi ’l-wahdaniyya—fa-yafna wa yabga ’r-Rabb (“azza wa jall).
Sharh Fath ar-Rahbmdn — 87
That is to say, when He has made you extinct to your passion [hawa]
through compliance with the commandments and nonviolation of the
prohibitions [prescribed by the Sacred Law]. As Allah (Exalted is He)
has told us:
But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord, and forbade the lower
self to follow passion, surely the Garden [of Paradise] will be his final
place of rest. (79:40,41)”
As for the expression “and [when He has made you extinct] to your
self-will [irada] through knowledge [“ilm],” this means that you must let
your self-will pass away into His Will, so that you belong to Him in
terms of reality [haqiqatan] and to you in the sense of a borrowed loan
[“ariyatan].
Once you have moved away from passion [haw] and self-will [irada],
entered the station of servitude [maqam al-‘ubiidiyya], and come to be
a servant with undivided loyalty [‘abd sirf], you will no longer be
influenced by passion and self-will. At this point, therefore, the veil
will be lifted for your sake. You will be honorably admitted to the
sessions of intimate nearness [majdlis al-qurb], and you will come to be
counted as one of the loving friends [ahbab]. The radiant lights of the
Reality [anwar al-Hagiga] will then shine upon you, taking you away
from you and rendering you extinct to you. Thus servitude [“ubidiyya]
will vanish away from you into Oneness [wahddniyya], for the servant
[‘abd] undergoes annihilation as the inevitable consequence of aban-
doning his personal characteristics [awsaf], while the Lord remains. At
this point the servant is enveloped by the greatest of all His gifts of grace,
as indicated by His words (Exalted is He):
Andit was not you who did the throwing, when you threw [that handful
of dust or sand in battle with the unbelieving foe], but Allah did the
throwing. (8:17)”
This is what actually accounts for the supernatural exploits [khara iq]
and marvelous feats [“aja@’ib] apparently performed by the Prophets
[anbiya’] and the saints [awliya’]—not that they ever attribute such
wonders to any power or strength of their own—even though they are
92, wa amma man khafa maqama Rabbi-hi wa naha ’n-nafsa ‘ani’ |-hawa—fa-inna ’ |-jannata
hiya ’l-ma’wa.
93 wa ma ramaita idh ramaita wa lakinna ’llaha rama.
88 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
at the ultimate stage of servitude, the very perfection of servitude.
Stories about them in this context are well known, and their extraor-
dinary experiences have been recorded in works of literature. If you
need any further evidence, you have only to consider the words of the
Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), in which he reports the
Divine Saying [Hadith Qudsi]:
My servant constantly draws near to Me through supererogatory acts of
worship until I love him, and when | love him, I become his ears with
which he hears, his eyes with which he sees, his tongue with which he
speaks...
If the seeker is ever to reach the stage where this will apply to him, he
cannot afford to be unfamiliar with any aspect of the various procedures
we have been discussing. You must therefore rouse yourself, O my
brother, and pursue a lofty aspiration, for then you may catch a whiff of
these delicate flavors! You must cast yourself down in prostration at the
door, for then you may be invested with a robe of honor like those
bestowed upon the ardent lovers [“ushshaq]. This requires the persistent
cultivation of modes of behavior in keeping with the Sacred Law [adab
ash-Shari‘a], and that you confine yourself strictly within its rules and
regulations. It requires you to practice studious seclusion [i tikaf] in the
garden of academic knowledge [hadigat al-“ilm], and to spend your
moments of relaxation within your private quarters. If you follow this
course, you will eventually enter the deep sea of direct knowledge
[ma‘rifa], and then, once you are immersed in its contents, you will
come to be counted as one of the people of dalliance and playful teasing
[ahl ad-dalal]—as indicated by his [Wali Raslan’s] words (may Allah be
well pleased with him):
“The whole of the Sacred Law is constriction, and the whole
of academic knowledge is expansion, and the whole of direct knowledge
is dalliance and playful teasing.”
The whole of the Sacred Law [Shari'a] is indeed a form of constriction
[qabd]—because it is all about rules and regulations [hudid], struggles
4 1a yazalu ‘abdi yaqrubu ilayya bi-’n-nawafili hatta uhibba-hu ; fa-idha ahbabtu-hu kuntu
sam‘a-hu ’lladhi yasma‘u bi-hi ; wa basara-hu ’lladhi yabsuru bi-hi ; wa lisana-hu ’ lladhi
yantuqu bi-hi.... (See also note 50 on p. 65 above.)
% ash-shari‘a kullu-ha qabd—wa ’l-‘ilm kullu-hu bast—wa ’l-ma‘rifa kullu-ha
dalal.
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmdn 89
and conflicts that must be waged in opposition to the lower self [nafs]
with all its passionate inclinations, and various forms of combat [against
other hostile forces].
The whole of [academic] knowledge [“ilm] is indeed a form of
expansion [bast]—because it provides you with the explanations you
need in order to make sense of commonly occurring and recurring
< => . 7
phenomena [awa id], and because it demonstrates for your benefit the
tremendous grace and favor [of the Creator]. Your lower self [nafs] is
excited by it, and you feel cheerfully disposed to pay early morning visits
to the mosques [masdjid]. When someone acquires knowledge, He who
is All-Knowing really speaks to that person. If someone discovers the
tip of a tree that has its roots in the Garden of Paradise, even a tree so
tall that it might take a hundred years to cover the length of it, how can
he fail to embark upon the climb? How can he think of anything but
spending every last breath in the effort to reach those blissful delights?
This only applies, of course, to someone whose aspiration is directed
toward the quest for objects belonging to the created universe [talab
al-akwan]. So what can we say about someone whose aspiration is
directed toward the higher aim of attaining to the station of active
goodness [maqam al-ihsan]? How great is the difference between
someone whose aspiration is directed toward the maidens [hiir] and
mansions [qusiir] of Paradise, and someone whose aspiration is directed
toward the removal of the veils [sutiir] that screen him from the Truth!
As far as direct knowledge [ma‘rifa] is concerned, the whole of it is
indeed dalliance and playful teasing [daldl], inasmuch as the veil is
removed to let you discover your true value [haqiqat qadrika], if you are
one of the people of loving communion [ahl al-wisal].%°
6 As an explanation of Wali Raslan’s statement (may Allah be well pleased with him)
that the whole of intuitive knowledge [ma ‘rifa] is dalliance and playful teasing [dalal],
this commentary by al-Hamawi may be considered somewhat cryptic. Perhaps he
intended it as an illustration of playful teasing! Be that as it may, Zakariyya’ al-Ansari
is much more clearly explicit in his commentary on this point: “...the servant dallies
with his Lord as a husband dallies with his wife, as when she gives him a coquettish
display of defiance, although she is not really opposing him at all. This is sheer
generosity and gracious favor from Him (Exalted is He), not an incitement intended
to provoke. The station of playful teasing is the place for happy relaxation in speech
and behavior.”
90 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
Shaikh Abu ’l-Hasan ash-Shadhili” (may Allah be well pleased with
him) once said: “If the light of the disobedient believer [ni al-mu’min
al-‘Gsi] were to shine forth, it would spread its radiance over everything
between heaven above and the earth below.” So how would it be, O my
brother, with the light of the obedient believer [niir al-mu’ min at-ta’i‘],
and how would it be with the light of one who knows by direct
experience [niir al-‘Grif]?
We have an indication of this in the words of Allah (Exalted is He):
Successful indeed is he who causes it [his soul] to grow in purity, anda
failure indeed is he who stunts its growth. (91:9,10)%
That is to say, [a failure indeed is he] who keeps it hidden in the
darkness by his sinful acts of disobedience.
You must therefore make a very serious effort, O my brother, to let
your light shine forth. This means that you must make the best possible
use of every single moment of your life. You must turn your aspiration
toward love [mahabba], until you cease to exist [in relation to your
worldly attachments], and come to be one of the people of blissful good
fortune [ahl as-sa‘ada]. As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased
with him) has told us:
“Our method is love, not labor, and annihilation, not perpetuity.
When you enter into work, you belong to you, and when you enter
into love, you belong to Him [(Exalted is He)]. The worshipper looks
to his worship, while the lover looks to his love.”
That is to say, the crucial point [madar] of our method—the point
upon which it is hinged—is love [mahabba], not labor [“amal]. It is
centered on the direct experience of grace [shuhiid al-minna], and on
ceasing to exist in relation to service [al-fana@ ‘ani’|-khidma]—for such
is the actual state of affairs where the people of perfection [sha’n ahl
97 See note 8 on p. 41 above.
98 gad aflaha man zakka-ha—wa qad khaba man dassa-ha.
99 tartqu-na mahabba, la ‘amal, wa fana@’ , la baqa’ —idha dakhalta fi ’1-‘amal kunta
la-ka—wa idha dakhalata fi ’l-mahabba kunta la-hu [(ta‘ala)]—al-‘abid ra a li-
“ibadati-hi—wa ’l-muhibb ra a li-mahabbati-hi. (The word ta‘ala [Exalted is He] is
absent from the quotation provided here by al-Hamawi, although it does occur in the
version cited by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari. In the latter version, it should also be noticed,
the sentence beginning with al-“abid [the worshipper] is preceded by the word idh [since].)
Sharh Fath ar-Rahbman 91
al-kamdl] are concerned. If you need further evidence of this, you have
only to consider his [the Prophet’s] words (Allah bless him and give
him peace):
And my chief comfort [literally, the cooling of my eye] has been made
to reside in the ritual prayer.’
He did not say: “[My chief comfort has been granted] as a reward for
performing the ritual prayer [bi-’s-salat].”
The Shaikh [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) has
also drawn your attention to this, by saying: “When you enter into the
work [of formal worship], you belong to you.” In other words, when you
enter into the work [of formal worship], regarding it as a source of
benefit to yourself, and relying upon it [to yield such benefit], you
belong to you. In conducting this transaction, that is to say, you are
concentrating on your own lower self [nafs] and confirming its identity,
inasmuch as you have attached importance to the work it can perform.
When you enter into love [mahabba], on the other hand, you belong
to Him—because the lover [muhibb] recognizes nothing in anything
except his Master [Mawla], and he neither depends nor relies upon
anyone apart from Him, for he is truly aware of the real meaning
[mutahaqgiq bi-haqiqa] of “There is no god but Allah [la ilaha illa ’ llah].”
When someone is like this, he belongs to Allah.
This explains why he [Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with
him)] next goes on to say: “The worshipper looks to his worship [al-“abid
ra in li-“ibadati-hi],’”—in other words, he relies upon it entirely—‘and
the lover looks to his love [al-muhibb ra’ in li-mahabbati-hi]”—in other
words, he attributes it to the gracious favor of his Master [Mawla], and
this is why he is so keenly interested in everything that brings him in
contact with it.
He [Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him)] could have
made his point more clearly ifhe had said: “The lover becomes extinct
in his love [al-muhibb fanin fi mahabbati-hi].”. Perhaps this alternative
reading does in fact occur in some of the manuscripts that have not
become available to us.
100 wa ju ‘ilat qurratu “aini fi’s-salat.
92 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
You must therefore make a very serious effort, O my brother, if you are
to be granted access to the station of love [maqéam al-mahabba]. Direct
knowledge [ma‘rifa] may then be bestowed upon you, and you may
eventually attain to a major degree of sainthood [wildya].
[As Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him) has told us]:
“When you have come to acknowledge Him, your breathing will be
through Him, and your movements will belong to Him, but if you are
ignorant of Him, your movements will be your own.”!°!
That is to say, when you have come to acknowledge Him—through
your personal experience [bi-ma‘rifati nafsi-ka] of your own poverty,
weakness, incompetence and insignificance—your every breath will be
breathed on account of Him, for you will recognize the fact that
affluence, strength, power and glory, all belong to Himalone. You must
be acutely aware of your own human qualities, for then He willassist and
support you with His qualities [awsaf]. You must be acutely aware of
your personal poverty, for then He will assist and support you with His
boundless wealth. You must be acutely aware of your personal weak-
ness, for then He will assist and support you with His might and His
strength. You must be acutely aware of your personal insignificance, for
then He will assist and support you with His glory. You must be acutely
aware of your personal incompetence, for then He will assist and
support you with His power.
If you are ignorant of Him—due to your dedicated pursuit of the
interests of your own lower self [nafs], and because of the great impor-
tance you attach to it and to the management of its affairs—it is indeed
true to say that your movements belong to you, not to your Master
[Maula]. As long as this is the case, you are far removed from the path
you must follow in order to attain to your rank of honor and your status
of nobility.
You must therefore rouse yourself, O my brother, and waste no time
in adopting a lofty aspiration. You must detach yourself from your
personal power and strength, for only then will you derive any benefit
from these exalted degrees of spiritual progress. [As Wali Raslan (may
Allah be well pleased with him) has told us]:
“The formal worshipper has no rest; and the ascetic has no
101 idha ‘arafta-hu kanat anfasu-ka bi-hi wa harakatu-ka la-hu—wa idha jahilta-hu
kanat harakatu-ka la-ka.
Sharh Fath ar-Rahman 93
appetite; and the champion of truth has no dependent reliance; and
he who is endowed with direct knowledge has neither might nor
strength, neither choice nor will, neither movement nor rest; and he
who is existent has no existence.” !
Let us now consider each of these points in turn:
1. The formal worshipper [“abid] has no rest [sukiinJ—because he is
constantly engaged in striving [mujahada].
2. Theascetic[zahid] has no appetite [raghba]—because he is committed
to abstaining from nonessential provisions [zawa id], and has therefore
confined himself to these [sparsely furnished] tables [mawa’id].
3. The champion of truth [siddiq] has no dependent reliance [irtikan]—
due to his having entered the station of active goodness [maqam al-ihsan].
4. He who is endowed with direct knowledge [‘Grif] has no personal
power and strength [hawl wa quwwa]—because of his having attained
to the station of seeing with one’s own eyes [maqam al-‘iyan], and due
to his having perfected the qualities of chivalry [futuwwa]. When
someone has attained to this station, he feels too modest to assert his
own choice or will in the presence of his Master’s choice [ikhtiyar] and
will [irdda], and his sense of propriety refuses to let him become
engaged—whether actively or passively—in the fulfillment of his
personal needs.
5. He who is existent [mawjiidJ—in the sense of enjoying the
existence in perpetuity [wujid al-bagqa’] that comes in the wake of
annihilation [fana@’]—has no existence [in the ordinary sense], due to
the fact that he has now become extinct in relation to his illusory
existence [wujud wahmi].
You must also be sure to learn the lessons taught at the station of
hereditary transmission [maqam al-wiratha], for this represents a straight
and unbroken line connecting all the centuries. It is therefore incum-
bent upon you, O my brother, to enter the station of following [in the
footsteps of those who have paved the way] [maqam al-mutaba‘a], for
102 @l-“abid ma la-hu sukiin—wa ’z-zahid ma la-hu raghba—wa ’s-siddiq ma la-hu
irtikan—wa ‘arifmala-hu hawl wala quwwawa la ikhtiyar wa lairada wala haraka
wa la sukin—wa ’l-mawjiid ma la-hu wujiid.
94 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
then you may be able to traverse these various stages of spiritual
progress. You will thus become estranged from you, and so be granted
intimate friendship [uns] with Him. [As Wali Raslan (may Allah be
well pleased with him) has told us]:
“When you have come to be on familiar terms with Him, you will
be estranged from you.” !0
The enjoyment of intimate friendship with Him (Exalted is He) is a
privilege that will be granted only after separation from all others. Your
own self [nafsu-ka] counts as an “other,” and this explains why preoc-
cupation with it is one of the factors that condemn you to loneliness,
and which threaten to expose you to that scorching Fire of Hell. You
must therefore turn your back upon this lower world, and adopt a
genuine intention to embark upon the journey here described, for such
an intention represents your speediest means of transport. This is what
he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) was alluding to
when he said [quoting words attributed to Allah (Exalted is He)):
“If someone is preoccupied with Us for his own sake, we shall
make him blind. But if someone is preoccupied with Us for Our sake,
We shall give him sight.’” !°4
That is to say: “If someone is preoccupied with serving Us for the sake
of the benefits that will accrue to himself, We shall keep him at a
distance and We shall make him blind. But if someone is preoccupied
with Us for the sole purpose of gaining access to Our presence, We shall
draw him close and enable him to see.”
This means, O my brother, that you must not direct your aspiration
toward anything other than Him, for such an intention would be no
more useful—as a means of transport—than the miller’s donkey set
loose from the mill. You must also consider his [the Prophet’s] words
(Allah bless him and give him peace):
Actions derive their value from the intentions [on the strength of which
they are performed], and every man is entitled to what he has intended.
So, if someone’s migration is [intended to take him] to Allah and His
Messenger, his migration will be [accepted as being] toward Allah and
103 idha ’sta’nasta bi-hi istawhashta min-ka.
104man ishtaghala bi-na la-hu a‘maina-hu—wa man ishtaghala bi-na la-na bassarna-
hu.
Sharh Fath ar-Rahmdn 95
His Messenger. But if someone’s migration is [intended to take him] to
some worldly fortune, or toa woman he proposes to marry, his migration
will be to whatever he has migrated toward.'
You must contemplate this statement, O my brother, with the eye of
perceptive insight [ “ain al-basira], for it will help you to see beyond your
passionate inclinations [hawa]. It will enable you to discover the
Reality [Haqiqa], at which point you will truly experience the desired
goal. As he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased with him) has
told us:
“When your passion has faded away, the door of the Reality will
be unveiled for your benefit, so that your own will is annihilated and
Oneness is unveiled to you. [And then you will realize] that it is He,
not you.” 106
That is to say, once He has enabled you to see beyond your passionate
inclinations [hawa]—by bringing your lower self [nafs] to the point of
acknowledging that its state is one of poverty, weakness, incompetence
and insignificance—you will then come to acknowledge your Lord as
the One who possesses all wealth, all strength, all power, and all glory.
The door of the Reality [al-Haqiqa] will then be unveiled for your
benefit, and your own actions [af ‘al] will thereupon fade away into His
actions, your own characteristics [awsdf] into His characteristics, and
your own essence [dhdt] into His essence. As your self-will [irdda]
becomes extinct, so will your interest in making personal choices
[ikhtiyar] and in planning your own future [tadbir]. You will recognize
through your own direct experience that there is One, and no one else
apart from Him, who can actually bring about the fulfillment of wishes
and choices and plans. You will acknowledge that He is the One in
control [Huwa ’l-Mutasarvrif] of all situations, not you.
105 innama ’L-a‘amdlu bi-’n-niyyati wa innamé li-kulli mri’in bi-ma nawa—fa-man kanat
hijratu-hu ila’ llahi wa Rasilihi fa-hijratu-hu ila llahi wa Rasilihi wa man kanat hijratu-hu ila
dunya yustbu-ha awi ’mratin yatazawwaju-hd fa-hijratu-hu ila ma hajara ilaih.
106 idha zala hawa-ka kushifa la-ka ‘an bab al-haqiqa—fa-tafna iradatu-ka
fa-yukshafu la-ka ‘ani ’l-wahdaniyya—T[fa-tuhaqqiqu] anna-hu Huwa la anta.
(The words fa-tuhaqqiqu [and then you will realize] are missing from this quotation
as it is given here in the text of al- Hamawi’s commentary—probably because of ascribal
error—although they do occur in the version cited by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari. It is also
worth noting that Zakariyya’ prefers the reading: “And then you will realize that it
is He in us [anna-hu Huwa bi-na],” although he does inform us that one manuscript
copy reads: “...that it is He, not you [anna-hu Huwa la anta].”
96 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
You will therefore dismount and settle down within His sanctuary.
You will find shelter inside His guesthouse and in the reality of “There
is no god but Allah [ld ilaha illa llah].”. You will also enjoy the secure
protection of “There is no power and no strength except through Allah
[la hawla wa la quwwata illa bi-’llah].”. Your drinking fountain will be
trustful delegation [tafwid] and resignation [taslim], and goblets of this
nectar will be passed around to you—enough to give you a taste of the
blissful delight of nearness [to the Lord]. Such blissful happiness is
indeed attainable, for, as he [Wali Raslan] (may Allah be well pleased
with him) has told us:
“Tf you surrender to Him, He will draw you close, but if you argue
with Him, He will keep you at a distance.” !°”
That is to say, if you surrender to Him, He will draw you close—on
account of your genuine commitment [tahaqquq] at that earlier stage,
when you were at the station of servitude [maqam al-‘ubidiyya]. But if
you argue with Him, He will keep you at adistance—on account of your
obstinate refusal to accept the decrees of Lordship [ahkam ar-rubibiyya].
You must therefore adopt an attitude of submissiveness and humility
in the presence of your Master [Mawla]. You must draw close to Him
through Him, instead of trying to approach Him by means of your own
lower self [nafs], for only then will you attain to your lofty goal. [As Wali
Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him) has told us]:
“Tf you draw near through Him, He will bring you close, but if you
draw near through you, He will keep you at a distance.” 108
To you through you, dear sirs, | have come to you, so do not refuse to
notice one who has been guilty of bad manners! I count on you to say:
“May Allah pardon what has happened in the past”—for gracious
kindness on your part is far from extraordinary.
[Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him) goes on to say]:
“If you seek Him for your own sake, He will burden you”—on
account of your attachment to your personal interests—“But if you
seek Him for His sake, He will pamper you” !©—on account of your
detachment from your personal interests.
107 in sallamta ilai-hi qarraba-ka—wa in naza‘ta-hu ab‘ada-ka.
108 in taqarrabta bi-hi qarraba-ka—wa in tagarrabta bi-ka ab‘ada-ka.
109 in talabta-hu la-ka kallafa-ka—wa in talabta-hu la-hu dallala-ka.
Sharh Fath ar-Rahbmdadn 97
[“Your nearness to Him is your separation from you, while your
distance is your sticking with you.”]!!°
“Tf you come without you, He will accept you”—on account of your
genuine commitment to the station of the realization-and-affirmation-
of-Oneness [maqam at-tawhid]. “But if you come through you, He will
exclude you”!!!—that is to say, He will exclude you on account of your
ill-mannered behavior, the fact that you are guilty of having associated
partners with Him [shirk], and your failure to meet the requirements of
the station of singular devotion [maqam at-tafrid].
“The worker is hardly likely to be free of attachment to his
labor”—due to the fact that the dust of polytheistic association [shirk]
continues to cling to him. “So be one of the sort disposed towards
grace, not one of the sort disposed towards work” !!2— in order that
you may be granted access to the drinking fountain of the realization-
and-affirmation-of-Oneness[mashrab at-tawhid], and so that the goblets
holding its contents may be passed around to you.
“If you know Him, you will come to rest”—in His presence, on
account of your genuine acknowledgment of the fact that there can be
no salvation except through abject prostration before Him. “But if you
are ignorant of Him, you will be agitated”—on account of your
polytheistic association [shirk] and your sense of disappointment. This
is why the limbs and organs of the physical body are also affected by your
spiritual state. “So the point is that He should be and you should not
be.”113
This station [maqam] will be fully accessible to you, once you have
really experienced annihilation [fana’], once you have come to be
numbered among the men of distinction [rijal], once you have drunk the
juice of direct knowledge [ma‘rifa], and when the cups of the people of
perfection [ahl al-kamdl] have been handed around to you.
110 [qurbu-ka ilai-hi khuriju-ka min-ka—wa bu ‘du-ka wuqitfu-ka ma‘a-ka.] (This
sentence is missing from the text of al-Hamawi’s commentary, although it does occur
in the version of the Risdla discussed by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari.)
11 in ji’ ta bi-la anta qabila-ka—wa in ji’ ta bi-ka hajaba-ka.
12 q@l-‘amil la yakadu yakhlusu min ru’yat ‘amali-hi—fa-kun min qabil al-minna—
la min qabil al-‘amal.
113 in ‘arafta-hu sakanta—wa in jahilta-hu taharrakta—fa-’l-murad an yakiina
Huwa wa la takina anta.
98 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
You must therefore rouse yourself, O tenderhearted brother, and set
out in pursuit of a lofty aspiration. You must forge ahead and leave the
common folk [“awamm] behind, for then you may reach the pools and
basins of the élite [khawdss]—or even the élite of the élite [khawdss
al-khawass]—and bathe your feet therein. Blissful good fortune will
then be yours to enjoy for all eternity.
“As for the common folk, their works are [suspect, and as for the
élite, their works are] good deeds, [and as for the élite of the élite,
their works are degrees of spiritual progress ]’’!!4—on account of their
ability to recognize true value, their contrite humility in the station of
the realization-and-affirmation-of-Oneness [maqam at-tawhid], and their
abandonment of all that deserves to be regarded with suspicion.
“Whenever you shun your passion, your faith is reinforced” !!5—
on account of your healthy freedom from unruly contradictions. “And
whenever you shun your own essence, your realization-and-affirma-
tion-of-Oneness is reinforced” !!©—on account of your being extinct
in relation to you [li-fana@’i-ka ‘an-kaJ, and your total immersion in all
forms of dutiful compliance [muwdafaqat].
Well then, my dear friend and brother, if you wish to see a goblet of
this nectar being handed around to you, you must draw close to your
Master [Mawla] with the whole of you, and you must shun all else apart
from Him. [As Wali Raslan (may Allah be well pleased with him) has
told us]:
“Creatures are a screen and you area screen, but the Lord of Truth
is not one to be secluded” !!’—-since, if anything were to try and screen
Him, He would cover it; and if He covered it, He would be Present
[Hadir] to it; and if He were Present to it, He would be Prevailing over
it, for He is Ever-Prevailing [Qahir] over His servants.
‘4 @l-“awamm a‘malu-hum [muttahamat—wa’l-khawass a‘amalu-hum] qurubat—
[wa khawass al-khawass a‘amalu-hum darajat.] (The words enclosed between
brackets are all missing from the text of al-Hamawi’s commentary—almost certainly
due to scribal error—although they do occur in the version of the Risdla recorded by
Zakariyya’ al-Ansari.)
115 kullama ijtanabta hawa-ka qawiya tmanu-ka.
116 wa kullama ijtanabta dhata-ka qawiya tawhidu-ka.
117 al-khalq hijab wa anta hijab wa ’l-Haqq laisa bi-mahjub. (In the version of the
Risala cited by Zakariyya’ al-Ansari, this sentence is followed by: “It is He who
conceals Himself [wa Huwa yahtajibu].”)
Sharh Fath ar-Rabmadn 99
“And He is concealed from you because of you” !!8—that is to say,
because of your preoccupation with your own lower self [nafs], for you
would otherwise be aware that He is actually closer to you than your
jugular vein [habl al-warid].1!9
“And you are concealed from you because of you” !2°—if you are
sincere in making your approach to Him, so that you become extinct [in
relation to you], and cast yourself down in abject prostration before
Him.
“So separate from you—that is to say, abandon all attachment to
your personal characteristics [awsaf]—“and you shall witness Him.” !?!
This means that you are about to enter the station of active goodness
[maqam al-ihsan], and that you must therefore refrain from indulging all
those personal inclinations of yours, as indicated by his [the Prophet’s]
words (Allah bless him and give him peace):
Pay careful attention to Allah and He will take good care of you. Pay
careful attention to Allah and you will find Him face to face with you.
If you have a request to make, you must put your request to Allah, and
if you need to ask for help, you must ask for help from Allah.'”
If you need help, O my brother, in order to achieve these goals, you
must therefore seek that help from no one but your Master [Mawla]. To
118 wa Huwa mahjib ‘an-ka bi-ka. (In the version of the Risala cited by Zakariyya’
al-Ansari, this sentence reads: “It is He who conceals Himself... [wa Huwa
yahtajibu]....”)
119 Anallusion to the verse [aya] of the Qur’an in which Allah (Almighty and Glorious
is He) has told us:
We have indeed created man...and We are nearer to him than the jugular vein [wa la-qad
khalaqna ’l-insana...wa Nahnu agrabu ilai-hi min habli ’|-warid]. (50:16)
120 wa anta mahjib ‘an-ka bi-ka. (In the version of the Risdla cited by Zakariyya’
al-Ansari, this sentence reads: “And you are secluded from you because of Him
[wa anta muhtajib ‘an-ka bi-hi].” Zakariyya’ does mention that one manuscript has
“because of them [bi-him]”—that is, because of creatures—but he was apparently
unaware of the reading given here.)
121 fa-’nfasil “an-ka tashhad-hu. (In the version of the Risdla cited by Zakariyya’
al-Ansart, this sentence ends with the verb tashhad [and you shall witness ]|—without
the object-pronoun -hu [Him]. Zakariyya’ assumes the implied object to be “all the
blessings and generous favor He has graciously bestowed upon you.”)
122 jhfazi’ llaha yahfaz-ka: ihfazi’ llaha tajid-hu tujaha-ka—wa idha sa’ alta fa’s’ ali’ llah—wa
idha ’sta‘anta fa-’sta‘in bi-’llah.
100 Concerning the Affirmation of Oneness
recognize the truth of this, you have only to recall His words (Exalted
is He):
You alone do we worship, and to You alone do we pray for help. (1:4)!”
You will thus become worthy to receive your rank of honor and your
status of nobility.
Praise be to Allah [al-hamdu li’ llahi] in each and every situation [“ala
kulli hal]. Blessings and peace be upon him [the Prophet] who set the
example to be followed by the masters of perfection [arbab al-kamal]—
and upon his family and all his Companions [Ashabi-hi]—for he has
shown you the way that leads to his Master, and to prostration at His
door [ala babi-hi].
Praise be to Allah, Lord of All the Worlds
[al-hamdu Ii’ llahi Rabbi ’|-“alamin].
Amin.
(The transcription of the text of this book, containing the Commentary
[Sharh] entitled The Inspiration of the All-Merciful [Fath ar-Rahmdan] has
now been completed—on Tuesday, the fifth day of the month of Safar
in the year 1307 of the Prophetic Hijra.)
SS SS
123 iyyaka na‘budu wa iyyaka nasta ‘tn.
About the Translator
uhtar Holland was born in 1935, in the ancient city of
Durham in the North East of England. This statement may be
considered anachronistic, however, since he did not bear the name
Muhtar until 1969, when he was moved—by powerful experiences
in the latihan kejiwaan of Subud—to embrace the religion of Islam.*
At the age of four, according to an entry in his father’s diary, he said
to a man who asked his name: “I’m a stranger to myself.” During
his years at school, he was drawn most strongly to the study of
languages, which seemed to offer signposts to guide the stranger on
his “Journey Home,” apart from their practical usefulness to one who
loved to spend his vacations traveling—at first on a bicycle—
through foreign lands. Serious courses in Latin, Greek, French,
Spanish and Danish, with additional smatterings of Anglo-Saxon,
Italian, German and Dutch. Travels in France, Germany, Belgium,
Holland and Denmark. Then a State Scholarship and up to Balliol
College, Oxford, for a degree course centered on the study of Arabic
and Turkish. Travels in Turkey and Syria. Then National Service
in the Royal Navy, with most of the two years spent on an intensive
course in the Russian language.
In the years since graduation from Oxford and Her Majesty’s
Senior Service, Mr. Holland has held academic posts at the Univer-
sity of Toronto, Canada; at the School of Oriental and African
Studies in the University of London, England (with a five-month
leave to study Islamic Law in Cairo, Egypt); and at the Universiti
Kebangsaan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (followed by a six-month
sojourn in Indonesia). He also worked as Senior Research Fellow at
the Islamic Foundation in Leicester, England, and as Director of the
Nar al-Islam Translation Center in Valley Cottage, New York.
“The name Muhtar was received at that time from Bapak Muhammad Subuh
Sumohadiwidjojo, of Wisma Subud, Jakarta, in response to a request for a suitable
Muslim name. In strict academic transliteration from the Arabic, the spelling would
be Mukhtar. The form Muchtar is probably more common in Indonesia than Muhtar,
which happens to coincide with the modern Turkish spelling of the name.
104 About the Translator
His freelance activities have mostly been devoted to writing and
translating in various parts of the world, including Scotland and
California. He made his Pilgrimage [Hajj] to Mecca in 1980.
Published works include the following:
Al-Ghazalt. On the Duties of Brotherhood. Translated from the Classical Arabic
by Muhtar Holland. London: Latimer New Dimensions, 1975. New York:
Overlook Press, 1977. Repr. 1980 and 1993.
Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi. The Unveiling of Love. Translated from the
Turkish by Muhtar Holland. New York: Inner Traditions, 1981. Westport,
Ct.: Pir Publications, 1990.
Ibn Taymiya. Public Duties in Islam. Translated from the Arabic by Muhtar
Holland. Leicester, England: Islamic Foundation, 1982.
Hasan Shushud. Masters of Wisdom of Central Asia. Translated from the
Turkish by Muhtar Holland. Ellingstring, England: Coombe Springs Press, 1983.
Al-Ghazali. Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship. Translated from the Arabic
by Muhtar Holland. Leicester, England: Islamic Foundation, 1983.
Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi. Irshad. Translated [from the Turkish] with an
Introduction by Muhtar Holland. Warwick, New York: Amity House, 1988.
Westport, Ct.: Pir Publications, 1990.
Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi. Blessed Virgin Mary. Translation from the
original Turkish by Muhtar Holland. Westport, Ct.: Pir Publications, 1991.
Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi. The Garden of Dervishes. Translation from
the original Turkish by Muhtar Holland. Westport, Ct.: Pir Publications, 1991.
Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi. Adornment of Hearts. Translation from the
original Turkish by Muhtar Holland and Sixtina Friedrich. Westport, Ct.: Pir
Publications, 1991.
Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi. Ashki’s Divan. Translation from the Original
Turkish by Muhtar Holland and Sixtina Friedrich. Westport, Ct.: Pir
Publications, 1991.
Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani. Revelations of the Unseen (Futih al-Ghaib).
Translated from the Arabic by Muhtar Holland. Houston, Texas: Al-Baz
Publishing, Inc., 1992
Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilant. The Sublime Revelation (al-Fath ar-Rabbani) .
Translated from the Arabic by Muhtar Holland. Houston, Texas: Al-Baz
Publishing, Inc., 1992
Shaikh “Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani. Utterances (Malfuzat). Translated from the
Arabic by Muhtar Holland. Houston, Texas: Al-Baz Publishing, Inc., 1992
Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani. The Removal of Cares (Jala’ al-Khawatir).
Translated from the Arabic by Muhtar Holland. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida:
Al-Baz Publishing, Inc., 1997
Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilant. Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of
Truth (Al-Ghunya li-Talibt Tariq al-Haqq). Translated from the Arabic (in 5 vols.
by Muhtar Holland. Hollywood, Florida: Al-Baz Publishing, Inc., 1997.
Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani. Fifteen Letters (Khamsatta “Ashara Maktuban).
Translated from the Arabic by Muhtar Holland. Hollywood, Florida: Al-Baz
Publishing, Inc., 1997
BOOKS PUBLISHED BY AL-BAZ PUBLISHING
INCLUDE:
Revelations of the Unseen (Futith al-Ghaib) $20.00
78 Discourses by Shaikh “Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
The Sublime Revelation (Al-Fath ar-Rabbani) $29.00
62 Discourses by Shaikh “Abd al-Qadir al-Jilant
Utterances of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir (Malfiizat) $18.00
The Removal of Cares (Jala@’ al-Khawatir) $25.00
45 Discourses by Shaikh “Abd al-Qadir al-Jilant
Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth
(AL-Ghunya li-Talibt Tariq al-Haqq) $125.00 Set
by Shaikh “Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him)
This encyclopedic work is a complete resource on the inner and outer aspects
of Islam. The translation has been published in 5 volumes. 1738 pages.
Translated by Muhtar Holland.
Fifteen Letters $12.00
(Khamsata “Ashara Maktiiban otherwise known as Maktiibat)
Fifteen letters by Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani to one of his disciples.
Originally written in Persian, they were translated into Arabic by ‘Ali
Husamu’d-din al-Muttaqi (the Devout), who said of them, “... these letters
comprise nuggets of wisdom and spiritual counsel, couched in various forms of
allegory, metaphor, paraphrase and quotation, including approximately two
hundred and seventy-five Qur’anic verses. They also contain allusions to the
experiences [adhwaq] and spiritual states [halat] of the Siifis (may Allah’s good
pleasure be conferred upon them all). Translated by Muhtar Holland.
Concerning the Affirmation of Divine Oneness $15.00
(Risalat at-Tawhid)
by Shaikh Wali Raslan ad-Dimashgi (d. A.H. 540)
This is a Risala on shirk khafi (hidden shirk). Shirk is associating partners with
Allah. Also in the book is a commentary by Shaikh Zakariyya’ al-Ansari
(d. A.H. 926) called “Kitab Fath ar-Rahman.” Also in the book is a commentary
by Shaikh ‘Ali ibn “Atiyya ‘Alawan al-Hamawi (d. A.H.936) called “Sharh Fath
ar-Rahman.” This is a very important book. Translated by Muhtar Holland.
8. The Proper Conduct of Marriage in Islam $18.00
by Imam al-Ghazali
This is Book 12 of Ihya “Uliim ad-Din. Translated by Muhtar Holland.
9.. The Most Beautiful Names of God (Al-Asma’ al-Husna)
by Jama‘a Majhila $12.50
A chanted recital of the 99 Names of Allah. Audio tape and CD.
10. Necklaces of Gems (Qala? id al-Jawahir) $29.95
by Shaikh Muhammad ibn Yahya at-Tadifi
A Biography of Shaikh “Abd al-Qadir al-Jilant (may Allah be well pleased with
him), on the Marvelous Exploits of the Crown of the Saints, the Treasure-trove
of the Pure, the Sultan of the Awliya’, the Sublime Qutb, Shaikh Muhyi’d-din
“Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani. Translated by Muhtar Holland.
11. Emanations of Lordly Grace (al-Fuyidat ar-Rabbaniyya)
by Ismail Muhammad Sa‘id al-Qadiri $29.00
A collection of the work and explanations of Shaikh “Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
(may Allah be well pleased with him), that includes definition and attributes
of the seven selves [nafs], an explanation of the names of the seven stations
[maqamat], the creed [“aqida] of the Supreme Helper (may Allah be well pleased
with him), the meaning of the names of the Qadiriyya order, the remarkable
virtues of al-Jilani the Qutb, the names of our master, “Abd al-Qadir, litanies
[awrad] for the taming of hearts and for emergency situations; how to offer the
greeting of peace [salam]to the men of the unseen [Ghaib] and much much more.
Translated by Muhtar Holland.
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Shaikh Wali Raslan Ad Dimashqi Muhtar Holland Concerning The Affirmation Of Divine Oneness
Wali Raslan