THE EIGHTH WORD

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

اَللّٰهُ لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ ٭ اِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ اْلاِسْلاَمُ1

If you want to understand this world, the rûh of man within the world, and the essence and value of religion in man, and if you want to understand that the world is a dungeon if there is no Haqq Religion, and irreligious man is the most miserable of creatures and it is يَا اَللّٰهُ2 and 3 لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ , which open the enigma of this ‘âlam and save the rûh of man from darkness, look to this short story in the form of a comparison and listen:

In the old time, two brothers went on a long journey together. They went until the way became two. At the beginning of the two ways, they saw a serious man.

They asked him: "Which way is good?"

He told them: "On the right way, there is a necessity to follow law and order. But within that difficulty, there is security and happiness. As for the left way, there is freedom and independence. But within that freedom, there is danger and complaint. Now, the will to choose is yours!"

After listening to this, the brother with a good character went through the right way by saying تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللّٰهِ4 and accepted to follow the order and regularity. The other immoral and layabout brother chose the left road just for freedom. With our imaginations, we follow this man going along in a situation that is apparently easy but burdensome in the ma’nawî aspect.

Thus, this man went up hill and down dale and he eventually entered a desolate desert. He suddenly heard a terrifying sound and saw that a fearsome lion had come out of the forest and attacked him. He fled. Eventually, he came across a waterless well sixty meters deep. Due to his fear, he threw himself into it. He fell until half of the well where his hands met a tree. He clung to it. The tree, which sprouted on the wall of the well, had two roots. Two rats, one white and one black, were attacking and cutting those two roots. He looked up and saw that the lion was waiting at the top of the well like a guard. He looked down and saw that there was a fearsome dragon in it. It raised its head and approached his foot thirty meters above. Its mouth was as big as the mouth of the well. He looked at the wall of the well and saw that stinging, detrimental vermin surrounded it. He looked up at the crown of the tree and saw that it was a fig tree. But wondrously, on its crown were fruits of many different trees, from walnuts to pomegranates.

Thus, due to his evil comprehension and mindlessness, this man could not understand that this was not an ordinary state. These things cannot be coincidental. There were strange mysteries within these strange states. And he did not apprehend that there was a great doer. Now, although his heart, rûh and mind were hiddenly crying and weeping due to this excruciating situation, as though there were nothing, his nafs al-ammarah closed its ears to the weeps of the heart and rûh by feigning ignorance and started eating the tree's fruit by deceiving itself like he was in a garden. But some of those fruits were poisonous and harmful. In a Hadith al-Qudsî, Janâb-i Haqq decreed: اَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِى بِى5 That is: “I treat My ‘abd in the way he knows Me”.

Thus, through his mindlessness and with evil supposition, this unfortunate man accepted what he saw to be ordinary and the haqiqah itself, and he was treated in that way and is treated and will be treated. He neither dies so that he can be saved nor does he live. He is suffering such torment. Leaving this inauspicious man in this torment, we will return so that we will understand the situation of the other brother.

Here, this blessed and mindful person went on. But he did not suffer trouble like his brother. For, since he has good morals, he thought of good things and imagined good things. He consoled himself. He also did not suffer difficulty and hardship like his brother. Because he knew the order, followed it and experienced ease. He went freely with ease and security.

Thus, he came across a garden. There were both beautiful flowers and fruits in it. Since it was not looked after, there were filthy things too. His brother had also entered such a garden. But he had paid attention to the filthy, occupied himself with them and caused himself to feel queasy. He had gone out without having any rest. As for this man, he acted according to the rule “Look at the good ones of everything” and did not look at the filthy things. He benefited well from the good things. He rested well and went out.

Then, eventually, this one, too, entered a vast desert like the first brother. He suddenly heard the roar of an attacking lion. He was afraid but not as much as his brother. For, with his good and beautiful thoughts, he found consolation by thinking: "This desert has a ruler. And this lion's being a servant under the command of that ruler is possible." But he still fled until he came across an empty well sixty meters deep and threw himself into it. Like his brother, his hand clung to a tree in the middle of the well; he remained suspended in the air. He looked and saw that two animals were cutting the two roots of that tree. He looked up and saw the lion, and looked down and saw a dragon. Just like his brother, he saw a strange situation. He, too, was terrified, but it was a thousand times lesser than his brother's fear. For, his good morals had given him good thoughts, and as for the good thoughts, they show him the beautiful side of everything.

Thus, because of this reason, he thought as follows:

"These strange states are connected to each other. Also, it seems that they are acting with a command. In that case, there is an enigma within these states. Yes, these states happen with the command of a hidden ruler. So, I am not alone; the hidden ruler is looking at me, testing me and inviting me by urging me somewhere for a purpose.”

From this pleasant fear and good thought, a curiosity arose: I wonder, who is the one who wants to make himself known to me by testing me and who urges me to a purpose through this strange road? Then, from the curiosity of knowing, the love for the owner of the enigma arose, and from that love, the desire to solve the enigma arose, and from that desire, the will to acquire a good state which would please and delight the enigma's owner arose.

Then he looked at the tree's crown and saw that it was a fig tree. But there were the fruits of thousands of trees on its crown. Then his fear completely had gone. Because he certainly understood that this fig tree was a list, an index and an exhibition. The hidden ruler must have attached samples of the fruits in his garden and orchard to the tree with an enigma and a miracle and must have adorned the tree as an indication of the foods that he had prepared for his own guests. Otherwise, a single tree cannot bear the fruits of thousands of trees.

Then he began to supplicate so that the key to the enigma was inspired to him. He called out: "O ruler of these places! I came to your presence. I take refuge with you and I am your servant and I want to please you and I am searching for you." And after this supplication, the wall of the well suddenly split, and a door opened to a wonderful, quiet and beautiful garden. Rather, the dragon's mouth transformed into that door. And the lion and the dragon wore the form of two servants. And they invited him inside. The lion even took the form of a submissive horse for him.

Thus, O my lazy nafs! And O my imaginary friend! Come! Let us compare the state of these two brothers so that we can see and understand how good brings good and evil brings evil.

Look, the unfortunate traveller of the left way is waiting to enter the dragon's mouth all the time; he trembles. And as for the fortunate one, he is invited to a fruitful and splendid garden. Also, that unfortunate one, his heart is smashing in painful terror and great fear. And as for the fortunate one, he is beholding and watching the strange things within a pleasant state of taking warning, a sweet fear and beloved ma’rifat. Also, that unfortunate one is suffering torments in fear, despair and loneliness. And as for the fortunate one, he is taking pleasure amid familiarity, hope and yearning. Also, that unfortunate one sees himself as a prisoner subject to the attacks of wild beasts. And as for the fortunate one, he is an honoured guest who enjoys the friendship of the strange servants of his Generous Host. Also, that unfortunate one is hastening his torments by eating fruits which are apparently delicious but poisonous in the ma’nawî aspect. Because those fruits are samples. There is permission to taste them so that he may strive for the originals and seek after them. Otherwise, there is no permission to devour them like an animal. And as for the fortunate one, he tastes them, understands the matter, postpones his eating and takes pleasure in waiting. Also, that unfortunate one perpetrated a dhulm to himself. Through his lack of basîrah, he has transformed a beautiful haqiqah and a brilliant state like daylight into an oppressive and dark wahm and a Jahannam for himself. He does not deserve compassion, nor does he have the right to complain about anyone.

For example, if a man is not content with the pleasure of a pleasant banquet in a beautiful garden among his friends in summer, makes himself drunk with filthy intoxicants, imagines himself hungry and naked in the middle of winter among beasts and starts to shout out and cry, he is not worthy of compassion and perpetrates a dhulm to himself. He insults his friends by seeing them as beasts. Thus, this unfortunate, too, is like this. And as for the fortunate one, he sees the haqiqah. As for the haqiqah, it is beautiful. Through understanding the beauty of the haqiqah, he shows respect toward the perfection of the haqiqah's owner. He deserves His rahmah. Thus, the mystery of the Qur'anic decree: Know evil from yourself and good from Allah becomes manifest. If you compare the other differences like these, you will understand that the nafs al-ammarah of the first one has prepared a ma’nawî Jahannam for him. And the good intention, good supposition, good character and good thought of the other have made him a place of manifestation for great bestowal and happiness, a shining fadhîlah and faydh.

O my nafs! And O man who listens to this story together with my nafs!

If you do not want to be the unfortunate brother and want to be the fortunate one, listen to the Qur'an and obey its decrees and adhere to it and act according to its commands!..

If you have understood the haqiqahs in this story in the form of a comparison, you can compare them with the haqiqah of religion, the world, man and îmân. I shall say the important ones. Deduce the subtle ones by yourself.

Now, look! As for the two brothers, one is the mu’min rûh and the sâlih heart. The other is the kâfir rûh and the fâsiq heart. And as for the right one of the two roads, it is the way of the Qur'an and îmân. As for the left one, it is the way of rebellion and denial. And as for the garden on the way, it is temporary social life within human society and civilization where khayr and sharr, good and bad, clean and dirty things are together. The mindful person is he who acts according to the rule: خُذْ مَا صَفَا دَعْ مَا كَدَرْ6 and goes with the salâmât of heart. And as for the desert, it is the earth and the world. And as for the lion, it is death and the appointed time for the end of one's life. And as for the well, it is man's body and the time of life. And as for the sixty-meter depth, it indicates sixty years which is the average lifespan of the majority. And as for the tree, it is the period of life-span and the substance of life. And as for the two animals, one white and one black, they are night and day. And as for the dragon, it is the way of barzakh and the porch of the âkhirah mouth of which is the grave. But for the mu’min, that mouth is a door opening from a dungeon into a garden. And as for the detrimental vermin, they are the calamities of the world. But for the mu’min, they are the pleasant warnings of Allah and favours of Rahmân to prevent him from falling into the sleep of ghaflah. And as for the fruits on the tree, they are the worldly ni’mahs that the Absolute Karîm (Jalla Jalâluhu) has made both in the form of a list, reminders and similars of the ni’mahs of the âkhirah and the samples inviting customers to the fruits of Jannah. And as for the tree giving numerous different fruits despite being a single tree, it indicates the stamp of the qoudrah of As-Samad, the seal of Allah’s rubûbiyyah and the mark of the sovereignty of ulûhiyyah.

Because arts like “To make everything from one thing”, that is, to make all plants and fruits from single earth, to create all animals from single water and to create all the limbs and organs of animals from simple food, together with “To make everything one thing”, that is, from the great variety of foods which the living beings eat, to weave a simple skin and to make flesh particular to that living being, are a peculiar stamp, private seal and inimitable mark of Azalî and Eternal Sultân, Who is Al-Ahad, As-Samad. Yes, to make one thing everything and everything one thing is an âyah and a mark peculiar to Al-Khâliq of everything and Al-Qadîr over everything.

And as for the enigma, it is the mystery of the hikmah of creation that is opened through the mystery of îmân. And as for that key, it is يَا اَللّٰهُ *لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ * اَللّٰهُ لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ 7 . And as for the mouth of the dragon being transformed into the garden door, it indicates that although for the people of dhalâlah and rebellion, the grave is troublesome like a dungeon amid the fear and oblivion and is a door opening to a grave, which is as narrow as a dragon's stomach, for the people of the Qur'an and îmân, it is a door opening from the dungeon of the world into the gardens of eternity, and from the arena of examination into the meadows of Jannah and from the difficulties of life into the rahmah of Rahmân. And, as for the wild lion being transformed into a friendly servant and becoming a submissive horse indicates that although for the people of dhalâlah, death is a painful eternal separation from all their beloveds, it is also an exile from their own false worldly Jannah, being imprisoned and entering into the dungeon of the grave amid fear and loneliness, for the people of hidâyah and the Qur'an, it is the means of reunion with their old friends and beloveds, who have gone to the other ‘âlam. It is also the means to enter their true homeland and their eternal place of happiness. It is also an invitation to the meadows of Jannah from the dungeon of the world. It is also a turn to receive the wage from the fadl of Rahmân, Who is Rahîm, in return for his service.  It is also a discharge from the burden of the duty of life. It is also a call to end the learning and instruction of ‘ubûdiyyah and examination.

In Short: Whoever makes the transitory life his fundamental purpose is in a ma’nawî Jahannam, even if he is apparently in Jannah. And whoever eagerly turns towards eternal life becomes the place of manifestation for the happiness of both worlds. However bad and troublesome his world is, since he sees his world as the waiting room for Jannah, he sees it as pleasant, endures it and offers shukr in patience...

اَللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِنْ اَهْلِ السَّعَادَةِ وَ السَّلاَمَةِ وَ الْقُرْآنِ وَ اْلاِيمَانِ آمِينْ

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ بِعَدَدِ جَمِيعِ الْحُرُوفَاتِ الْمُتَشَكِّلَةِ فِى جَمِيعِ الْكَلِمَاتِ الْمُتَمَثِّلَةِ بِاِذْنِ الرَّحْمنِ فِى مَرَايَا تَمَوُّجَاتِ الْهَوَاءِ عِنْدَ قِرَائَةِ كُلِّ كَلِمَةٍ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ كُلِّ قَارِءٍ مِنْ اَوَّلِ النُّزُولِ اِلَى آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ وَ ارْحَمْنَا وَ وَالِدَيْنَا وَارْحَمِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ بِعَدَدِهَا بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا اَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ آمِينَ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

 

 

 

1 (Allah, there is no Ilah but He, He is Al-Hayy, Al-Qayyûm. *Surely the only Dîn (true religion and the Right Way of life) in the sight of Allah is Al-Islam…)

2 (O Allah!)

3 (There is no Ilah but Allah.)

4 (I do tawakkul in Allah.)

5 [I am to my ‘abd as he thinks of Me, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him)]

6 (Take what is pleasant and clear, and leave what is sorrowful and turbid.)

7 (O Allah! There is no Ilah but Allah * Allah, there is no Ilah but He, Al-Hayy, Al-Qayyûm…)

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