The Twenty-Second Letter

بِاسْمِهِ وَاِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ اِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ

[This Letter consists of Two Subjects of Discussion. The First Subject of Discussion calls on the people of îmân to brotherhood (ukhuwwah) and love.]

First Subject of Discussion

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

اِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ اِخْوَةٌ فَاَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ اَخَوَيْكُمْ ٭ اِدْفَعْ بِالَّتِى هِىَ اَحْسَنُ فَاِذَا الَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَاَنَّهُ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌ ٭ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللّٰهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ1

Partiality, obstinacy and envy among the mu’mins, which lead to nifâq, divisions, grudges and enmity, are ugly, repugnant, detrimental and an absolute dhulm according to haqiqah, hikmah and Islam — the pinnacle of humanity — as well as to personal, social and ma’nawî life; indeed, these three are poison for the life of mankind. We shall expound six of the numerous aspects of this haqiqah.

FIRST ASPECT: These are dhulm in the judgment of haqiqah.

O unfair man who harbours a grudge and enmity against a mu’min! Just as if you were on a ship or in a house together with nine innocent people and one cruel criminal, you would understand to what extent the man who attempts to sink that ship or burn down that house commits dhulm; and you would cry out so bitterly that it would summon the samâwât to witness his cruelty. Even if there were but one innocent person and nine cruel criminals, no law of justice could ever justify the sinking of that ship.

In exactly the same way, while there exist not nine, but rather twenty innocent attributes, such as îmân, Islam and neighbourliness within the being of a mu’min — a Rabbânî house and an Ilâhî ship — if you harbour a grudge and enmity against that mu’min due to a single blameworthy attribute that is harmful to you and displeases you, and if you wish or attempt to sink, burn, destroy and annihilate the ma’nawî house of that mu’min, it is an abominable and brutal act of cruelty akin to the one described above.

SECOND ASPECT: These are also dhulm in the judgment of hikmah.

For it is well-known that enmity and love are opposites, like nûr and darkness. The two cannot coexist in their true essence.

If love is truly present in a heart according to the predominance of its causes, then enmity would exist only in name; it would transform into pitying. Yes, a mu’min loves and should love his brother. But he only feels pity for his wrongdoing. He strives for his rectification not through dominanance, but with gentleness. Therefore, according to the nass of the hadith: “A mu’min should not be angry with and estrange himself from another mu’min for more than three days, nor sease to speak with him.”

If the causes of enmity prevail and enmity is truly found in the heart, then love would exist only in name, taking on the forms of pretence and feigning.

O, unfair man! Now look: how grave a dhulm it is to harbour a grudge and enmity towards your mu’min brother! Because just as you would commit an ugly stupidity by saying that ordinary small stones are more important than the Kâ'ba and greater than Mount Uhud, in exactly the same way, even though numerous Islamic attributes, such as îmân carrying the sacredness of the Kâ'ba and Islam having the grandeur of Mount Uhud, necessitate love and unity; if you possess intellect, you would understand that preferring some faults — mere ordinary stones that provoke enmity towards a mu’min — over îmân and Islam is such an injustice, stupidity and great dhulm!

Yes, tawhîd in îmân demands the unity (tawhîd) of the hearts. And wahdah in belief necessitates solidarity (wahdah) of society. Yes, you cannot deny that by being in the same battalion with a man, you would feel a friendly bond with him; and since you are under the command of the same commander, you would perceive a friendly connection. And by being in the same country, you feel a bond of brotherhood.

However, there are connections that give rise to solidarity (wahdah), bonds that foster unity and ties that nurture brotherhood (ukhuwwah) equal to the numbers of the names of Allah, which îmân reveals and imparts to you through the nûr and awareness it provides.

For instance, the Khâliq of both of you is one, your Mâlik is one, your Ma'bûd is one, your Razzâq is one… one, one, up to one thousand. And your Prophet is one, your religion is one, your qibla is one... one, one, up to one hundred. Then your village is one, your state is one, your homeland is one... one, one, up to ten. Although all of these 'one, one…' necessitate wahdah and tawhîd, harmony and unity, love and brotherhood (ukhuwwah), and although they are the ma’nawî chains that bind the universe and the celestial spheres to each other, how disrespectful to those bonds of wahdah it is, how contemptuous to those causes of love it is, and to what degree a dhulm and deviation from justice against those relations of brotherhood (ukhuwwah) it is to prefer insignificant and unstable things — much like a spider’s web — which provoke divisions, nifâq, grudges and enmity, and thus to harbour genuine enmity and hold a grudge against a mu’min. You will understand this, if your heart is not dead, and if your intellect is not extinguished!

THIRD ASPECT: According to the mystery of

وَلاَ تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ اُخْرَى2

which expresses absolute justice; while the haqiqah, the Sharî’ah and the hikmah of Islam have warned you that harbouring enmity and hatred towards a mu’min — which is condemning all of his innocent attributes because of a single cruel, criminal attribute — is an infinite dhulm, especially extending that enmity to the relatives of that mu’min due to being offended by an evil trait of his is committing a most severe dhulm, as emphasized by the âyah

 اِنَّ اْلاِنْسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ3

with the intensive form of the adjective dhalûm; how can you still consider yourself justified and say, "I have a right"?

From the perspective of haqiqah, evil deeds, which are the cause of enmity and sharr, are materially dense and non-reflective, like sharr and soil; consequently, they neither spread nor reflect onto others. If someone takes a lesson from it and commits sharr, that is another matter. Goodnesses, which are the cause of love, are nûr, like love itself; they are bound to spread and reflect. Therefore, the saying "The friend of a friend is a friend," has become the proverb. And it is for this reason that the saying "Many eyes are cherished for the sake of a single eye" is commonly spoken by all.

Look then, o unfair man! Even though haqiqah sees it in this precise way, if you are one who perceives haqiqah, you would understand how utterly contrary to haqiqah it is to harbour enmity towards the beloved and innocent brother of a man you dislike, as well as his relatives.

FOURTH ASPECT: These are also dhulm from the perspective of personal life. Listen to a few Principles as the basis of this Fourth Aspect.

First Principle: When you know your way and thoughts to be haqq, you have the right to say, "My path is haqq, or it is better." However, you do not have the right to say, "My way is the only haqq." According to the mystery of

4 وَعَيْنُ الرِّضَا عَنْ كُلِّ عَيْبٍ كَلِيلَةٌ وَلكِنَّ عَيْنَ السُّخْطِ تُبْدِى الْمَسَاوِيَا ,

your unfair perspective and prejudiced and debilitated thought cannot serve as an arbiter, and cannot condemn the way of others to be bâtil.

Second Principle: It is your bounden duty that everything you say should be haqq, but you do not have the right to say every haqq. Everything you say should be true, but it is not right to say every truth. For a man like you, whose intention is not purely for Allah’s sake, will sometimes touch a raw nerve with his advice, and it backfires.

Third Principle: If you wish to harbour enmity, harbour it towards the enmity in your heart; strive to eliminate it. And most of all, harbour enmity towards your nafs al-ammarah and the desires of your nafs that harm you most, and strive to rectify them. To gratify that detrimental nafs, do not harbour enmity towards mu’mins. If you want to be hostile, there are numerous kâfirs and zindiqs; be hostile to them.

Yes, just as the attribute of love is worthy of love, so too is the trait of enmity itself, above all, worthy of enmity.

If you wish to defeat your enemy, respond to his evil with kindness. Because if you respond to evil with evil, hostility will escalate. Even if he is outwardly defeated, he will harbour a grudge in his heart and perpetuate the enmity. If you respond with kindness, he will regret it and become your friend.

According to the rule:

5 اِذَا اَنْتَ اَكْرَمْتَ الْكَرِيمَ مَلَكْتَهُ وَ اِنْ اَنْتَ اَكْرَمْتَ اللَّئِيمَ تَمَرَّدًا ,

the characteristic of a mu’min is to be noble. He will be subdued with affection by your noble treatment. Even if he appears to be ignoble outwardly, he is noble in terms of îmân.

Yes, it often happens that if you tell a bad man, "You are good, you are good," he will become good; if you tell a good man, "You are bad, you are bad," he will become bad. Therefore, listen to the sacred principles of the Qur'an, such as:

وَاِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا ٭ وَاِنْ تَعْفُوا وَتَصْفَحُوا وَتَغْفِرُوا فَاِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ6

for happiness and salâmât lie within them.

Fourth Principle: The people of grudge and enmity inflict dhulm and transgress against both their nafs, their mu’min brother and the rahmah of Allah. For such a person leaves his nafs to grievous torment through grudge and enmity. He subjects his nafs to the torment arising from the ni’mahs his enemy receives and to the pain stemming from the fear of his enemy receiving further ni‘mahs; he inflicts dhulm upon his nafs.

If the enmity arises from envy, it is utter torment. Because envy first crushes, destroys and burns the envier. Its harm to the envied is either minimal or nonexistent.

The cure for envy: The envious man should think about the consequence of the things he envies, so that he can understand that the worldly beauty, strength, rank and wealth possessed by his rival are transient and temporary. Their benefit is little and their trouble and hardship are great.

If they are the virtues belonging to the âkhirah, essentially, there cannot be envy towards them. If he envies those virtues, either he himself is acts out of riyâ, wanting the wealth of the âkhirah to be forfeited and ruined in this world, or he supposes that the one he envies acts out of riyâ, thereby acting unjustly and committing dhulm.

Furthermore, by being pleased with the calamities that befall the person he envies and grieved by the ni’mahs he receives he turns resentful against the qadar and rahmah of Allah for the kindness bestowed upon that person. It is as if he is criticising Qadar and objecting to Rahmah. One who criticises Qadar strikes his head against an anvil and breaks it. One who objects to Rahmah will be deprived of it.

I wonder, how can any sense of justice accept responding with a grudge and enmity for a year to something does not deserve enmity for even a single day, and which uncorrupt conscience can tolerate it?

However, you cannot completely attribute the harm that came to you from your mu’min brother to him and condemn him entirely. Because, first of all, Qadar has a share in that harm. It is necessary to separate that share of qadar and qadhâ and respond to it with contentment and acceptance.

Secondly, it is necessary to separate the share of the nafs and shaytan and, instead of nurturing enmity towards that person, rather to pity him for being defeated by his nafs and to await his regret.

Thirdly, see the flaws in your own nafs that you do not see or do not wish to see; give a share to those flaws too. Then, if you respond to the remaining small share with forgiveness, overlooking and magnanimity — which will defeat your enemy swiftly and safely — you will be saved from dhulm and harm.

Otherwise, like a drunken and mad Jewish jeweller, who buys fragments of glass and ice with the price of diamonds, responding to the transient, perishable, temporary and insignificant matters of this world not worth a penny with intense greed, a permanent grudge and continuous enmity — as if you will last forever in this world and remain together forever — is, as it is in the intensive form of the active participle in the âyah, an extreme dhulm (dhalûm), drunkenness and a sort of lunacy.

Thus, do not let the enmity and vengeful thoughts, which are so detrimental to personal life, enter into your heart if you care your own self. If it has entered into your heart, do not obey its word. Look and listen to Hâfidh Shîrazî who discerns haqiqah:

دُنْيَا نَه مَتَاعِيسْتِى كِه اَرْزَدْ بَنِزَاعِى

That is, "The world is not a commodity worth disputing over." Because it is valueless since it is transient and fleeting. If the huge world is such, you should understand how insignificant the minor affairs of the world are! He also said:

آسَايِشِ دُو گِيتِى تَفْسِيرِ اِينْ دُو حَرْفَسْتْ

بَادُوسِتَانْ مُرُوَّتْ بَادُشْمَنَانْ مُدَارَا

That is, "The comfort and salâmât of both worlds are explained and achieved by two letters: conducting your relations with your friends with magnanimity and treating your enemies peacefully."

If you say: "My will has no power to control it; there is enmity within my fitrah. They have touched a raw nerve of mine; I am not able to abandon it."

The Answer: If the manifestations of bad character and evil traits are not displayed, and if actions dictated by that feeling, such as ghiybah, are not committed, and if you understand your fault, it will not cause harm.

Since your will has no power to control it and you are not able to abandon it, knowing your fault and understanding that you are unjust in this trait of yours, which are a ma’nawî regret, a hidden tawbah and an implicit istighfâr of yours, will save you from its sharr. Indeed, we wrote this Discussion of this Letter to ensure this ma’nawî istighfâr so that so that injustice would not be acknowledged as justice, nor would a rightful opponent be publicised as unjust.

An event worthy of attention: I once saw that, as a result of this malicious partiality, a pious man among the people of ‘ilm villified a sâlih ‘âlim whose political views were opposed to his, to the degree of pronouncing him a kâfir. And he respectfully praised a munâfiq who shared his political views. Thus, I recoiled from these evil results of politics. I said:

اَعُوذُ بِاللّٰه مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ وَ السِّيَاسَةِ7

and since then, I have withdrawn from political life.

FIFTH ASPECT: It expounds that obstinacy and partiality are extremely detrimental to social life.

If it is said: In the hadith, it was stated that

اِخْتِلاَفُ اُمَّتِى رَحْمَةٌ8

However, disagreement (ikhtilâf) necessitates partiality. Moreover, the sickness of partiality saves the oppressed populace from the evil of the tyrannical elite. Because if the elite of a town or village unite, they will crush the oppressed populace. If there is partiality, the oppressed can seek refuge with one side and save themselves. Moreover, from the clash of thoughts and the divergence of intellects, haqiqah manifests itself completely."

The Answer: To the first question, we say: The disagreement (ikhtilâf) in the hadith is positive disagreement (ikhtilâf). It means that each person strives for the repair and advancement of his own way. He strives not for the destruction and invalidation of the ways of others, but rather for their perfection and rectification. However, negative disagreement (ikhtilâf) is to strive maliciously and hostilelyfor destroying each other, and this is rejected in the view of the hadith because those who clash with each other cannot act positively.

To the second question, we say: If partiality is in the name of haqq, it can be a refuge for the rightful ones. But the current kind of malicious partiality on behalf of the nafs serves as a refuge for the unjust; it constitutes a point of support for them. Because if shaytan approaches a man who exercises malicious partiality and aids and supports his cause, that man will invoke rahmah upon that shaytan. Conversely, if a man like a malâikah appears on the opposing side, he will display such injustice to the extent of — hâshâ — cursing him.

To the third question, we say: As for the clash of thoughts in the name of haqq and on behalf of haqiqah, it disagrees only in the methods while being united in the aim and principles. By revealing all aspects of haqiqah, it serves both to haqq and haqiqah.

However, the flashes of haqiqah do not emerge from a partisan and malicious clash of thoughts, which is carried out for self-display on behalf of the nafs al-ammarah that has become a pharaoh and in a fame-seeking manner; it is the fire of fitnah that emerges.

Because, although it is necessary to unite in the aim, the thoughts of such people cannot find a point of convergence even on the globe of the earth. Since it is not in the name of haqq, it plunges boundlessly deeper into ifrât and causes irreparable divisions. The current state of the world is a testament to this.

In Short: If the noble principles of

اَلْحُبُّ لِلّٰهِ ٭ وَالْبُغْضُ فِى اللّٰهِ ٭ وَالْحُكْمُ لِلّٰهِ9

are not held as the compass for one’s actions, nifâq and divisions will gain ground. Indeed, if one does not say,

10 وَالْبُغْضُ فِى اللّٰهِ ٭ وَالْحُكْمُ لِلّٰهِ

and disregards those principles, he will commit dhulm while intending to practise justice.

An exemplary incident: Once, Imam 'Ali (ra) threw a kâfir to the ground. As he drew his sword to kill him, the kâfir spat on him. He released the kâfir and did not kill him. The kâfir said to him, "Why did you not kill me?" He said, "I was going to kill you for the sake of Allah. But you spat on me; I became enraged. My ikhlas was harmed since the share of my nafs interfered. Therefore, I did not kill you." The kâfir said to him: "It was to provoke you to anger so that you would kill me swiftly. Since your religion is pure and utterly sincere for Allah's sake, that religion is haqq."

An incident equally worthy of attention: Once, a judge was dismissed from his position by a just superior who observed him because he showed signs of anger when he cut off the hand of a thief. Because if he had cut it in the name of the Sharî'ah, on behalf of the law of Allah, his nafs would have felt pity for him. And he would have cut it in a way that his heart would not be angry but would also not show mercy. It means that he did not perform his duty with justice since he gave a share to his nafs from that judgment.

A deplorable social state, and an appalling disease of social life that will make the heart of Islam weep:

Even though the most nomadic tribes appreciate and practise the social interest of disregarding and abandoning internal enmities when external enemies appear and attack, what has happened to those who claim to serve the Islamic community?

While boundless enemies take up offensive positions behind one another, they do not disregard the minor enmities between them and instead prepare the ground for the enemies' assault. This state is a degradation, a savagery. It is treachery against the social life of Islam.

An exemplary story: Among the nomadic tribes, the Hasenan tribe had two clans that were enemies of each other. Although they had killed perhaps more than fifty people on each side, when another tribe, such as the Sipkan or Hayderan, appeared before them, those two hostile groups would forget their former enmity and stand shoulder to shoulder, not recalling their internal enmity until they had repelled that external tribe.

Thus, O mu’mins! Do you know how many enemy tribes have taken a transgressive position against the tribe of the people of îmân? There are more than a hundred circles, one within the other. While you are obliged to unite with each other, hold hands and take a defensive stance, does it in any way befit the people of îmân to engage in malicious partiality and hostile obstinacy that facilitates their attacks and opens the doors for them to enter the sacred enclosure of Islam?

Those circles of enemies, from the people of dhalâlah and ilhad to the world of the people of kufr and the dangers and calamities of the world, there are indeed seventy types of enemies within each other, who have taken a harmful stance against you, looking at you with anger and greed, one after another. Your powerful weapon, fortress and stronghold against all these is the brotherhood (ukhuwwah) of Islam. Realise how contrary it is to conscience and how contrary it is to the interests of Islam to shake this Islamic fortress with minor enmities and pretexts, and awaken!..

It has been reported in the noble hadiths that the harmful and terrible individuals of âkhirzaman, like Sufyan and Dajjal, who will lead nifâq and zandaqa, will exploit the greed and divisions of Muslims and mankind, causing chaos and upheavals among mankind and enslaving the vast Islamic world with minimal force.

O people of îmân! If you do not wish to be enslaved in humiliation, come to your senses! Enter and entrench yourself in the sacred fortress of

11 اِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ اِخْوَةٌ

against those dhâlims who exploit your disagreements! Otherwise, you can neither protect your lives nor defend your rights.

It is well known that while two heroes are fighting with each other, a child can defeat both of them. If two mountains are balanced against each other on a scale, a small stone can disrupt their balance and manipulate them; it can raise one and lower the other.

So, O people of îmân! Your strength will dwindle to nothing because of your greed and hostile partiality; a small force can crush you. If you value your social life, adopt the noble principle

12 اَلْمُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ كَالْبُنْيَانِ الْمَرْصُوصِ يَشُدُّ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا

as a guiding principle for your life and and be saved from worldly misery and being deprived of Allah's mercy in the âkhirah!

SIXTH ASPECT: Ma’nawî life and the health of ‘ubûdiyyah are shaken by enmity and obstinacy because ikhlas, which is the means of salvation and the means of deliverance, is forfeited. Because a partisan, obstinate person seeks superiority over his enemy even in his deeds of khayr. Thus, he cannot be truly successful in performing deeds purely for the sake of Allah.

Moreover, in his judgments and dealings, he favours his own partisan; he cannot be just. Hence, ikhlas and justice, the fundamentals of all actions and deeds of khayr, are lost through enmity and hostility.

This Sixth Aspect is very lengthy, but we will keep it brief since the nature of this context allows only for brevity.

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