The Twentieth Letter

بِاسْمِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَاِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ اِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

1 لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَ لَهُ الْحَمْدُ يُحْيِى وَ يُمِيتُ وَ هُوَ حَىٌّ لاَ يَمُوتُ بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ وَ هُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَ اِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ

[This sentence of tawhîd, which possesses many fadhîlahs in its repetition after the morning and evening salâhs and which bears the degree of ism al-â’dham according to a sahîh hadith, contains eleven phrases. Each of its phrases contains both good news and joyful tidings and a degree of tawhîd in rubûbiyyah and the sublime greatness of wahdah and perfection of wahdâniyyah of Allah at the point of an ism al-â’dham. Referring the explanation of these great and elevated haqiqahs to other Words, for now, in order to fulfill a promise, we shall construct a concise index for it in the form of a brief summary, consisting of an Introduction and two Stations.]

Introduction

Know certainly that the highest aim of creation and the most elevated result of fitrah is îmân in Allah. The most exalted degree of humanity and the highest rank of mankind is ma’rifatullah within îmân in Allah. The most brilliant happiness and the sweetest ni’mah of jinn and man is the love of Allah (muhabbetullah) within ma’rifatullah. And the most sincere joy for the rûh of man and the purest delight for the heart of man is the pleasure of the rûh within the love of Allah.

Indeed, all true happiness, sincere joy, sweet ni’mah and pure pleasure are most certainly in ma’rifatullah and the love of Allah; they cannot exist without them. The one who knows and loves Janâb-i Haqq is the mirror for the manifestation of endless happiness, ni’mah, nûr and mysteries, potentially or actually. The one who does not truly know and love Him is — in meaning and in matter — subjected to endless misery, pain and wahm.

Indeed, in this forlorn world, amidst the desolate mankind, within a fruitless life without an owner or a protector, if an impotent and poor man were even become the sultân of the whole world, it would be worthless. Thus, everyone understands how wretched and bewildered man is if he does not know his Owner and find his Protector amidst desolate mankind in this forlorn transient world. If he finds his Owner and knows his Protector, he seeks refuge in His rahmah and relies on His Qoudrah. That dreadful wilderness of the world turns into a place of recreation, and it becomes a place of trade.

First Station

Each of the eleven phrases of this sentence of tawhîd contains a good tiding. Within that good tiding lies a cure, and within that cure is a ma’nawî pleasure.

THE FIRST PHRASE: Within

لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ 2

there is the following good tiding: In this phrase, the rûh of man, which is enslaved to boundless needs and targeted by the attacks of endless enemies, finds such a point of succour that it opens a door of a treasury of rahmah that will fulfill all its needs; and it finds such a point of support that it makes known and recognises its own Ma’bûd and Khâliq, Who possesses an absolute qoudrah that will secure it from the sharr of all its enemies; this phrase reveals its Protector and demonstrates Who its Mâlik is. And through this demonstration, it saves the heart from absolute wilderness and the rûh from excruciating sorrow, ensuring an eternal relief and a perpetual joy.

THE SECOND PHRASE: Within وَحْدَهُ3

there is a good tiding that contains a cure and felicity. It is as follows:

In the phrase وَحْدَهُ , man’s rûh and heart — which are connected to the majority of the species in the universe, and due to those connections, are devastated and reach the point of drowning amidst chaos — find a refuge and a Deliverer that rescue them from all that chaos and devastation. That is to say, وَحْدَهُ says through its meaning:

"Allah is one. Do not tire yourself by having recourse to other things; do not bear the burden of obligation by abasing yourself before them; do not bow your neck in servile flattery towards them; do not suffer hardship by following them; do not tremble by fearing them. Because the Sultân of the universe is one, the key of everything is with Him, and the reins of all things are in His hand; everything is resolved by His command. If you find Him, you have found every object of your desire; you are saved from infinite obligations and fears."

THE THIRD PHRASE: 4 لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ

That is to say: Just as in His ulûhiyyah and His sovereignty He has no sharik — Allah is One, He cannot be multiple — so too, He has no sharîk in His rubûbiyyah, His acts of governance and His acts of creation.

It sometimes happens that there exists a sultân who is one and has no partners (sharik) in his sovereignty; yet in his acts and administrations, his officials are considered his partners (sharik), and they prevent everyone from entering his presence. They say, "Have recourse to us as well." However, Janâb-i Haqq — Who is the azalî and eternal Sultân — just as He has no sharik in His sovereignty, so too, He is not in need of helpers or shariks in the sovereign acts of His rubûbiyyah. Without His command and irâdah, His strength and power, nothing can interfere with anything. Everyone can have recourse to Him directly. Since He has no sharik nor helper, the person seeking recourse is not told, "It is forbidden, you may not enter His presence."

Thus, this phrase delivers the following good tiding to the human rûh: the rûh of man that has attained îmân — free from any impediment, intervention, obstruction or prevention, in its every state, for its every wish, at any moment and in any place — can enter the hudhur of Qadîr Zulkamâl and Jamîl Zuljalâl, Who is the Possessor of azal and eternity and the Owner of the treasuries of rahmah and the hidden treasuries of felicity, and it can present its needs. And, finding His rahmah and relying on His qoudrah, it can attain perfect relief and happiness.

THE FOURTH PHRASE: لَهُ الْمُلْكُ  That is to say: Possession is entirely His. You are both His possession, His possessed property, and you labour within His possession. This phrase delivers the following curing good tiding and says:

“O man! Do not suppose yourself to be the possessor of yourself. For, you cannot sustain and govern yourself; that load is heavy. On your own, you cannot protect yourself, nor can you ward off calamities or provide your necessary sustenance. In that case, do not suffer pain and torment in vain, the possession belongs to Another. That Mâlik is both Qadîr and Rahîm; rely on His qoudrah and do not suspect His rahmah! Leave grief behind, be at ease in joy! Cast the trouble away, find serenity and ease!"

It also says: "The universe — which you love and with which you are connected in a ma‘nawî manner, and whose devastation grieves you, yet you cannot rectify — is the possession of a Qadîr Who is Rahîm. Hand over the possession to its Possessor; leave it to Him... Enjoy its peace and ease, do not suffer its harshness. He is both Hakîm and Rahîm. He disposes over His possession and manages it as He wishes. Whenever you are seized by dread, say like İbrahim Hakkı: ‘Let us see what Mawlâ does; whatever He does, He does beautifully.’ Gaze through the windows, do not enter inside them!"

THE FIFTH PHRASE: لَهُ الْحَمْدُ  

That is to say: All hamd and praise, all laudation and gratitude belong exclusively to Him, and are worthy of Him. This means that ni‘mahs are His and they issue from His treasury. As for the treasury, it is perpetual. This phrase delivers the following good tiding and says:

"O man! Do not suffer sorrow due to the vanishing of ni‘mah. For the treasury of rahmah is inexhaustible. And do not cry out in pain by dwelling on the cessation of pleasure! For the fruit of that ni‘mah is the harvest of an unending rahmah. If the tree is enduring, even if the fruit vanishes, others will come in its place. Through reflecting with hamd on the gracious attention of rahmah within the pleasure of a ni’mah — which is a hundred times more pleasurable than the pleasure itself — you can increase that pleasure a hundredfold.”

Just as within the pleasure of an apple which a glorious sultân gifted to you, he bestows upon you and makes you to perceive the pleasure of a royal favour which is superior to a hundred, rather a thousand apples; in the same way, through the phrase, لَهُ الْحَمْدُ — that is, through hamd and shukr, which means perceiving the act of bestowal of ni‘mah within the ni‘mah, acknowledging the Mun‘im and reflecting upon His act of bestowal; that is, through reflecting upon the favourable attention of His rahmah, the regard of His compassion and the perpetuity of His act of bestowal — He opens to you the door of a ma‘nawî pleasure that is a thousand times more delicious than the ni‘mah itself.

SIXTH PHRASE: يُحْيِى  That is to say: the One Who gives life is He. And the One who maintains the life with rizq is also He. The One Who provides and brings into presence the necessities of life is again He. And the exalted aims of life belong to Him and its significant results look to Him, ninety-nine per cent of its fruits are His. Thus, this phrase calls out to such transient and impotent man, delivers good tidings and says:

"O man! Do not suffer difficulty by taking the heavy burdens of life upon your shoulders. Do not fall into sorrow by dwelling on the perishability of life. Seeing only its worldly and insignificant fruits, do not regret your coming to the world. Rather, the life-machine within the ship of your being belongs to Al-Hayy Al-Qayyûm. He provides all its expenses and necessities. And that life has abundant aims and results, and they belong to Him. You are just a soldier at the helm of that ship. Fulfil your duty well, take your wage and be at ease in joy! Reflect upon how precious that ship of life is, how beautiful benefits it yields and how Karîm and Rahîm is the Owner of that ship; rejoice, offer shukr and understand that when you perform your duty with istiqâmah, all the results that ship produces are, in one respect, recorded in your book of deeds (‘amal), ensure an eternal life for you and revive you eternally."

THE SEVENTH PHRASE: وَ يُمِيتُ  That is to say: The One Who gives death is He. That is, He discharges you from the duty of life, changes your place from this transient world and releases you from the hardship of service. That is, He takes you from a transient life to an eternal life. Thus, this phrase shouts out the following to transient jinn and man, saying:

“A good tiding for you! Death is not annihilation, not nothingness, not fading into oblivion, not a gradual and natural extinction, not a mere extinguishing, not eternal separation, not non-existence, not a random coincidence; it is not annihilation without an agent, but rather a discharge by a Fâ’il Who is Hakîm and Rahîm, a change of place. It is a dispatch to eternal happiness, to the ultimate destination of jinn and the homeland of man. It is a door of reunion to al-‘âlam al-barzakh, which is the place of assembling for ninety-nine per cent of their friends.”

THE EIGHTH PHRASE: وَ هُوَ حَىٌّ لاَ يَمُوتُ 5

That is to say: The Possessor of a beauty, perfection and favour infinitely superior to the beauty, perfection and favour witnessed in all the beings of the universe and serving as the the means of love — an everlasting Ma’bûd, an imperishable Mahbûb, a single manifestation of Whose beauty is all-sufficient in place of all other beloveds — possesses an azalî and perpetual life that is free from any stain of cessation and perishability and absolved from any defect or fault. Thus, this phrase declares to jinn and man, to all conscious beings and the people of love and ‘ashq:

“A good tiding to you! You have a Mahbûb, Who is Bâqî, Who applies a salve and cures the wounds of infinite separations from your beloveds. Since He exists and is Bâqî, no matter whatever becomes of others, do not suffer worry!

Indeed, the beauty and favour, fadl and perfection in those beloveds, which are the cause of your love, are but the shadow of an exceedingly faint shadow of that Bâqî Mahbûb’s eternal beauty’s manifestation, which has passed through many veils. Their vanishing should not hurt you.  For they are a kind of mirrors. The changing of the mirrors refreshes and beautifies the manifestation of the splendour of beauty. Since He exists, everything exists."

THE NINTH PHRASE: بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ  That is to say: All khayr is in His hand. Every goodness you perform is written in His book. Every good deed (‘amal as-sâlih) you perform is recorded with Him. Thus, this phrase calls out to jinn and man, delivers the good tidings and says:

“O unfortunates! When you pass over and move to the realm of the grave, do not say ‘Alas! Our property is destroyed, all our efforts have gone for nothing; we have left the beautiful and vast world and entered into the narrow soil.’ Do not weep and fall into despair. For everything that belongs to you is preserved. All your deeds are written. Every service of yours is recorded. A Zuljalâl One — Who will give the reward of your service, in Whose hand all khayr resides and Who is able to do all khayr — summons you, keeping you temporarily beneath the earth. Then, He will bring you to His presence. How fortunate you are to have finished your service and duty!  Your hardship is over; you are going to ease and rahmah! Service and trouble are finished; you are going to receive your wage!”

Indeed, Al-Qadîr Zuljalâl — Who preserves seeds and cores, which are the pages of the book of last spring's deeds and the tiny coffers of its services, and Who preserves, resurrects, unfolds and spreads them in the second spring with immense splendour, rather, in a manner a hundred times more plentiful than their originals — most certainly, preserves the results of your life in the same way and will reward your service abundantly.

THE TENTH PHRASE:  وَ هُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ6

That is to say: He is Al-Wâhid, Al-Ahad; He possesses qoudrah over everything. Nothing is heavy for Him. To create a spring is as easy for Him as to create a flower. To create Jannah is as effortless for Him as to create a spring. The boundless wondrously crafted creations, which He newly and freshly creates every day, every year and every century, testify to His infinite qoudrah with numberless tongues. Thus, this phrase, too, delivers good tidings and says:

“O man! The service and ‘ubûdiyyah you have performed do not go in vain. A realm of reward, an abode of bliss has been prepared for you. In place of this transient world of yours, an eternal Jannah is waiting for you. Trust and carry îmân in the promise of Al-Khâliq Zuljalâl, Whom you know and to Whom you perform ‘ibâdah. It is impossible for Him to fail in His promise. There is no deficiency in His qoudrah in any aspect. Impotence cannot interfere in His works. Just as He creates your tiny garden, so too, He can create Jannah for you, and He has created it and promised it to you. And since He has promised, most certainly, He will take you into it.”

Since we witness with our eyes that every year, on the face of the earth, He resurrects, unfolds and spreads more than three hundred thousand species and nations of animals and plants with perfect order and balance, with utmost speed and ease; such a Qadîr Zuljalâl is indeed capable of fulfilling His promise; and since every year, such an Absolute Qadîr creates samples of the resurrection and Jannah in thousands of different forms; and, since He promises eternal happiness through all His samâwî decrees, delivering the good tidings of Jannah; and, since all His acts of governance and shuûn are haqq and haqiqah, executed with absolute truthfulness (sidq) and gravity; and, since through the testimony of all His works, all perfections indicate and testify to His infinite perfection, and there is no deficiency nor fault in Him in any aspect; and, since the breaking of a promise, contrariness to truth, falsehood, and deception are defects and faults and the ugliest of morals; undoubtedly and most certainly,  that Qadîr Zuljalâl, that Hakîm Zulkamâl, that Rahîm Zuljamâl will fulfil His promise; He will open the door to eternal happiness, and He will admit you, O people of îmân, into Jannah, which is the original homeland of your father Âdam.

THE ELEVENTH PHRASE: وَ اِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ7

That is to say: Mankind, who are sent to this world, the realm of trial, with significant duties for trade and official missions, will again return to their Khâliq Zuljalâl, Who sent them, and they will be reunited with their Mawlâ, Who is Karîm, after conducting their trade, completing their duties and concluding their service.

That is to say, departing from this transient realm, they will be honoured with being in the presence of Supreme Majesty within the eternal realm.

That is to say, being saved from the turmoil of causes and the dark veils of intermediaries, they will be reunited with their Rabb, Who is Rahîm, without a veil at the domain of His eternal sovereignty. Everyone directly will know and find Who his Khâliq, Ma’bûd, Rabb, Sayyîd and Mâlik is.

Thus, this phrase gives the following good tiding, which is superior to all good tidings, and says:

“O man! Do you know where you are going and where you are driven forth? As it is said at the end of the Thirty-Second Word: You are going to the sphere of rahmah and the station of presence of a Jamîl Zuljalâl — one hour of the ru’yat of Whose glorious grace is not equivalent to a thousand years of the life of Jannah, just as one hour of that Jannah life is not equivalent to a thousand years of the happy life of this world.

You are going to the sphere of Presence of an imperishable Mahbûb and an everlasting Ma’bûd. The beauty and grace in all the earthly beings and in the metaphorical beloveds whom you are enslaved by, infatuated with and filled with longing for are but a kind of shadow of the manifestation of His glorious grace and the beauty of His Names; and the entire Jannah with all its subtleties is but a single manifestation of His rahmah, and all desires, loves, attractions and gravitations are but a single flash of His love; and you are invited to Jannah, which is His eternal feasting place. In that case, enter the door of the grave not weeping, but smiling."

This phrase also delivers the following good tiding and says:

“O man! Do not imagine and suppose that you are going to annihilation, non-existence, nothingness, darkness, oblivion, decay and dissolution and to be drowned in multiplicity.  You are going not to annihilation, but to eternity. You are driven forth not to non-existence, but to a perpetual existence. You are entering not into darkness, but the ‘âlam of nûr. You are going towards the true Protector and Mâlik, and returning to the sovereign capital of the azalî Sultân. You will not drown in multiplicity but will breathe within the sphere of wahdah. Your face is turned not towards not separation, but reunion.”