بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَ الصَّلاَةُ وَ السَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ اَجْمَعِينَ

AS-SIRÂT AL-MUSTAQÎM - 3

1. The istiqâmah of Muhammad (asm):

The sources of Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm's Sunnah as-Saniyyah are three: his words, his actions and his attitude.

These three parts also contain three parts: fardh, nawâfil and his commendable customary actions.

It is obligatory to follow and adhere to fardh and wâjib; there is torment and punishment in abandoning them. Everyone is accountable for following them. The people of îmân are also responsible for following the nawâfil since they are mustahab. However, in abandoning them, there is neither torment nor punishment, and in performing and following them, there is great sawâb; altering and changing them is bid’ah, dhalâlah and a great error. As for his exalted customary actions and admirable conduct, emulating and following them is extremely commendable in terms of hikmah and benefit, and for personal life, the life of society and mankind, because in each of his habitual actions, there are numerous benefits for life, and by conforming to them, those conduct and customary actions become ‘ibâdah.

Yes, the Sunnah and actions of that personage certainly are the finest examples to emulate, the soundest guides and the strongest laws to uphold as principles since, by the consensus of both friends and foes, Ahmad (asm) is the place of manifestation for the highest degrees of moral virtues, and since, unanimously, he is the most famous and distinguished personage among mankind, and since, through the indication of thousands of miracles, the testimonies of the Islamic world that he established, the perfections of the Islamic world and the affirmation of the haqiqahs of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, of which he is the herald and interpreter, he is the most excellent, perfect man and greatest murshid, and since, as a result of following him, millions of people of perfection have advanced in the levels of attainment and perfection and have reached the happiness of both worlds.

Happy is the one who has a great share of following the Sunnah. One who does not follow the Sunnah, if it is out of laziness, it is a great loss; if he considers it unimportant, it is a great crime; the criticism of it, which reeks of pronouncing it to be false, is a great dhalâlah.

Second Matter: Janâb-i Haqq decrees in Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, وَاِنَّكَ لَعَلَى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ1. According to the sahîh riwâyât, when Hazrat Aisha Siddîqah (ra), a distinguished Sahabah, described Hazrat Prophet ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm, she would say كان خُلُقهُ القرآن .2 That is, "The embodiment of good moral qualities, virtues and ethics the Qur'an declares is Muhammad ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm, and one who conformed to those good moral virtues more than anyone and who, by fitrah, was created with these admirable qualities is he."

Thus, while each deed, state, word and action of such a personage is worthy of being a model for all mankind, even lunatics would understand how wretched the ghâfils — those who do not give importance to his Sunnah or who want to change them — are despite being from his ummah and believing in him.

Third Matter: Since, by disposition, Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm was created with the highest level of istiqâmah and in the perfect form, his actions and stillness were always within wasat and istiqâmah. His biography (Siyar as-Saniyyah) clearly demonstrates that he always acted within istiqâmah and wasat while avoiding ifrât and tafrît. Yes, istiqâmah is certainly evident in all actions, words and states of Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm since he completely conformed to the command فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَٓا اُمِرْتَ3.

For example, by being free of gabâwah and jarbaza, which are the dhulm, corruption, ifrât and tafrît of al-quwwa al-aqliyyah, his quwwa al-aqliyyah consistently worked with hikmah, which is the boundary of wasat and the source of istiqâmah; by being free of tahawwur and cowardice, which are the corruption, ifrât and tafrît of al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah, his quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah consistently worked with sacred shajâ'ah, which is the source of istiqâmah and the boundary of wasat of quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah; by being purified of khumud and fujûr, which are the corruption, ifrât and tafrît of al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah, his quwwa ash-shahawiyyah consistently took ‘iffah, which is the source of istiqâmah of that power (quwwa), as a guide at the degree of utmost innocence. And so on. In all of his Sunnah as-Saniyyah, his fıtrî demeanours and the laws of his Sharî’ah, he used his will within the boundaries of istiqâmah while avoiding ifrât and tafrît, waste (isrâf) and extravagance, which are dhulm and darkness. He completely avoided wastefulness (isrâf) and took frugality (iqtisâd) as his guide even in his speech, eating and drinking. Thousands of books have been written concerning the details of this haqiqah. According to the mystery, اَلْعَارِفُ تَكْفِيهِ اْلاِشَارَةُ4; sufficing with this drop from the ocean, we cut the story short here.

The 11th Flash-11th Subtle Point

2. From the tafsir of the âyah (2:26), the part about fisq that refers to deviating from as-sirât al-mustaqîm: 

Now the word order of the phrase وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ اِلَّا الْفَاسِقِينَ5. It is as follows:

Since the phrase 6 يضل به كثيرًا remained ambiguous,7 the listener's mind paid attention and scared; he asked, "Who are these people who go astray? What is the reason for their dhalâlah, and how can darkness come from the nûr of the Qur'an?"

The Qur'an answered: "Because they are fâsiqs; falling into dhalâlah is the punishment for their fisq. And because of fisq, nûr transforms into the fire for the fâsiq, and light transforms into darkness." Do you not see that sunlight rots and putrefies filthy matters?

As for the reason for the fâsiq being described in detail with their attributes in the phrase:

اَلَّذِينَ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللّٰهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ وَ يَقْطَعُونَ مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ اَنْ يُوصَلَ وَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْاَرْضِ8

It describes and discloses what fisq is. As for the fisq, it is a deviation from haqq, transgressing the limits, breaking the fortified shell and leaving it. Fisq is either ifrât or tafrît in the three powers (quwwa): quwwa al-aqliyyah9, quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah10 and quwwa ash-shahawiyyah11. While ifrât and tafrît are the causes of rebellion against the pieces of evidence, which are the covenants (al-'uhûd) of Allah that exist in fitrah.12

Ifrât and tafrît are also two causes of sickness in personal life; the above âyah indicates this as the first attribute of fisq. They also incite rebellion in the face of social life and break the bonds and laws of society; the âyah indicates this as the second attribute of fisq. They are also the two causes of corruption and revolution that result in the corruption of the order of the earth; the âyah indicates this as the third attribute.

Yes, since fâsiq’s quwwa al-aqliyyah transgresses the limits of istiqâmah, he breaks the bonds of aqâid and smashes his eternal life that is his fortified shell, and through the transgression of quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah, he smashes the shell of social life, and through the transgression of quwwa ash-shahawiyyah, the power of animal appetites, he follows the desires of his nafs; therefore, compassion for his fellow man vanishes from his heart. He drags people with him to the swamp that he fell into and corrupts them, and he causes harm to mankind and corrupts the order of the earth.

The word order of the phrase اُولئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ13:            

The Qur’an mentions the crimes of the fâsiq and scares them; it emphasises this intimidation and fear by threatening them with the consequences and punishments of their fisq to increase the effect of intimidation and fear. And it says, "They are the ones who lose by trading the âkhirah for this world and exchanging guidance for the desires of their nafs."

…

As for the form of the phrase يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيرًا وَ يَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيرًا14:

Know that the arrangement of the sentence requires that the second part of the phrase should come first,15 but since the aim is to refute the objections of questioning obstinates and repugnant deniers, starting the sentence with يُضِلُّ16 is of greater importance.

While two appropriate words for answering the question فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَا اَرَادَ اللّٰهُ بِهٰذَا مَثَلًا17 are الضَلَّالَةَ وَاِلْهَدَايَةَ18, the aorist tense (fii’l al-mudhâri’) of the verbs وَيَهْد۪ي andيُضِلُّ  being used here indicates that the darkness of their kufr intensifies proportionately to the gradual revelation of the Qur'an, just as the mu’min’s îmân increases proportionately to the degree of revelation of the Qur'an, نُورٌ عَلٰى نُورٍ19.

Moreover, in the verb يُضِلُّ that is based on being an answer, there is an allusion to the situations of the two groups, mu’mins and kâfirs, and an explanation of the reasons for their situations. As for 20 كَثِيرًا , the first كَثِيرًا expresses quantity and number, while the second كَثِيرًا expresses quality and value. Yes, generous and noble people are numerous due to their high worth, even if they are few in number.

The second كَثِيرًا is also an allusion to the mystery of the Qur'an's being rahmah for mankind.21 Consider this!

As for the phrase وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ اِلَّا الْفَاسِقِينَ :

Know that the Qur'an repels the waswasa, fear and hesitation and refutes the accusation that it is flawed by mentioning the first كَثِيرًا , that is, by explaining the question of who 22 ضالين are. It also explains that the source of their dhalâlah is their fisq and that the cause of it is their kasb; the fault is theirs, not the Qur'an's, and the creation of dhalâlah is a punishment for their actions.

‌ …

As for the form of the phrase

 اَلَّذِينَ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللّٰهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ وَ يَقْطَعُونَ مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ اَنْ يُوصَلَ وَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْاَرْضِ23

Know that there is an elevated subtlety in describing here the fâsiq, who are doubtful about the Qur'an's miraculousness and word order, in this manner.

It is as though the Qur'an is saying, "It's not at all unlikely that the fâsiq should be doubtful and ignorant about the miraculousness of the Qur'an’s order because they cannot see the miraculousness of Qoudrah in the order of the universe, which is the large Qur'an; moreover, they view the order of the universe as coincidental and its fruitful changes as purposeless; therefore, the hikmahs in it are concealed from them since their rûhs are corrupt. They see the miraculous order of the Qur'an as a disordered muddle, its preliminaries barren and its fruits bitter due to their sick fitrah and their corrupt desires."

As for the phrase يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللّٰهِ :

أن النقض  literally means untying the strands of a rope and breaking them. Here, the use of the wordأن النقض  indicates an elevated style with its meaning. It is as though the covenant with Taâ’lâ was a luminous rope twisted with hikmah, ‘inâyah and will; it extends from azal to eternity. It manifests in the universe in the form of general order, and the rings of that chain of general order have been sent to all the species; the most important and wondrous tip of it has been extended to mankind. In the rûh of man, it has bequeathed the seeds of potentialities and abilities and has yielded fruits from them. Those seeds of potentialities and abilities have been watered and bloomed through juz’ al-ikhtiyârî, which is rectified by the commands of Sharî'ah, that is, the textual evidences (al-dalâil al-naqliyyah24).

Thus, the covenant is fulfilled by using these dispositions as they should be, and it is broken by doing the opposite, that is, separating the strands of that rope25. For example, believing in some of the prophets and denying others, accepting some laws and rejecting others, approving some âyahs and disapproving others.26 And this violates the order, arrangement and regularity.

As for the phrase 27 وَ يَقْطَعُونَ مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ اَنْ يُوصَلَ :

Know that 28 مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ embraces the commands of Sharî’ah and the takwînî commands, both of which are included within 'Âdâtullah and the laws of fitrah29. So severing what the Sharî’ah commands to be tied means breaking off sila ar-rahm30 and severing the hearts of believers from one another. You can make further analogies.

Examples of severing what the takwînî Sharî’ah commands to be tied:

Severing actions from ‘ilm, severing ‘ilm from intelligence, severing intelligence from dispositions, severing ma’rifatullah from the mind, severing labour from strength, severing jihad from courage, and so on, because the giving of strength is a ma’nawî takwînî command to work, and the giving of intelligence is a ma’nawî takwînî command to obtain ‘ilm, and so on.

As for the phrase 31 وَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْاَرْضِ :

Know that the people whose rûh is corrupted and who are embroiled in depravity want companions embroiled, like themselves, to relieve their terrible situation. It is said that "the more general the calamities, the more agreeable they become."

Likewise, if a sense of rebellion falls into someone's heart, it will ruin the perfections and attainments of the heart, and it will cause its elevated feelings to decline, and the inclination to destroy will be born in it. As a consequence of this state, he feels pleasure in destruction and seeks pleasure in corruption and rebellion.

Signs of Miraculousness 413-421-424-425

3. The istiqâmah of ummah:

Eighteenth Matter: In the riwâyât, it was mentioned that "If my ummah maintains istiqâmah, there is one remaining day for it." That is, in accordance with the mystery of the âyah 32 فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ اَلْفَ سَنَة , the ummah will have a dominant life in splendour for a thousand years. If the ummah does not maintain istiqâmah, there is half a day remaining for it. That is, it will sustain dominance and victory for only five hundred years.

اللّٰه أعْلَم , this riwâyât does not give the news of the qiyâmah, but of Islam's victorious dominance and the sovereignty of the khilâfah that it exactly occurred as a pure haqiqah and a miracle about the ghayb. The 'Abbasid khilâfah continued for five hundred years because, towards the end of it, its politicians deviated from istiqâmah. But the Ottoman khilâfah came to assist, and they continued the rule for one thousand three hundred years since the whole ummah did not deviate from the istiqâmah. Then, since the Ottoman politicians, too, were unable to maintain the istiqâmah, it could survive for only five hundred years (with the khilâfah). With its demise, the Ottoman khilâfah confirmed the hadith's miraculous information. We cut the discussion short here because this hadith has been discussed in other risales.

The Fifth Ray

4. An important question:

Question: Why is it that despite being honoured with so much ‘inâyah and rahmah of Allah and the assistance of Subhân, the people of hidâyah, who are hizbAllah33, foremost the prophets and Fakhr al-‘âlam34 ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm, who is the leader of the prophets, were many times defeated by the people of dhalâlah, who are hizb ash-shaytan35?

Why is it that the munâfiqs of Madina, who were near and close to the nubuwwah and risalah of Khatam al-Anbiya36 brilliant like the sun, his guidance through the miraculousness of the Qur’an, effective like a magnificent elixir and to the haqiqahs of the Qur’an that are more captivating than the attraction that exists in the entire universe, insisted on dhalâlah and did not embrace hidâyah? What is the hikmah of it?

The Answer: It is necessary to explain a profound principle in order to solve this astonishing question, which consists of two parts. It is as follows:

Al-Khâliq Zuljalâl of the universe has two kinds of names: those arising from His Jalâl and those from His Jamâl. Since the requirement of these names is to demonstrate their decrees through different manifestations, Al-Khâliq Zuljalâl mixed opposites in the universe, placed them face-to-face and gave them a transgressive and defensive position towards each other in the form of a sort of beneficial contest with hikmah. He gave them a state of a kind of struggle full of hikmah and benefits, made the opposites transgress one another’s bounds, created conflict and transformation and made the universe subject to the law of change and transformation and the principles of progress and gaining perfection. He gave the law of struggle an even more bizarre form in mankind, who are the comprehensive fruit of the tree of creation. He opened the door to jihâd, the means of all human progress, and gave some devices to hizb ash-shaytan so they could challenge hizbAllah.

It is because of this subtle mystery that the prophets were many times defeated by the people of dhalâlah, and the people of dhalâlah, who are extremely weak and impotent, temporarily gain victory over the people of haqq, who are extremely strong in the ma’nawî aspect and resist them. The mystery of the hikmah of this strange resistance is as follows: In dhalâlah and kufr, there is both non-existence and abandonment, which are extremely easy and do not require action. There is also destruction, which is quite simple and easy, and it requires just a little action. There is also transgression; it makes the people of dhalâlah gain rank and authority by harming many with a little action, intimidating them and behaving like Pharaoh. There is also the satisfaction, pleasure and freedom of man’s vegetable and animal powers (quwwa) that do not see consequences and are addicted to present pleasure; those powers (quwwa) cause man’s subtle faculties, like the heart and the mind, to give up their duties that nurture humanity and are cautious about consequences.

In the sacred way of the people of hidâyah, foremost the prophets and their leader Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm, Habîbu Rabb Al-‘âlamîn37, there is existence; it requires firmness, constructiveness, restoring, improving and activity; it is based on important principles such as being in istiqâmah in boundaries, being cautious about consequences, ‘ubûdiyyah, and breaking the Pharaoh state of nafs al-ammarah and its independence; therefore, the munâfiqs of that time in Medina al-Munawwarah closed their eyes to that radiant sun like bats, captivated by a shaytanic force of repulsion against that immense attraction and remained in dhalâlah.

The 13th Flash-9th Indication

5. Deviating from as-sirât al-mustaqîm by creating bid’ahs:

(Please also refer to the compilations on Bid’ah and Shaâ’er and The Eleventh Flash on Sunnah As-Saniyyah.)

Then, when I said, 38 اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ , I saw that among the caravans of mankind who migrated towards the past, the most luminous and radiant ones were the caravan of prophets, siddîqîn, shahîds, awliyâ and sâlihîn. They were scattering the darkness of the future and travelling the road to eternity on a mustaqîm great highway. This phrase was showing me the way to join that caravan; rather, it was joining me to it. Suddenly I said, "Fasubhanallah!” Anyone with an iota of intelligence must know what a loss and destruction it is not to join that great caravan full of nûr that illuminates the future and travels in perfect salâmât. Where can one who deviates from that immense caravan by creating bid’ahs find a nûr? Which road can he take? Our guide, Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm decreed, كُلُّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلاَلَةٌ وَكُلُّ ضَلاَلَةٍ فِى النَّارِ .39

I wonder, by opposing this certain decree, what benefit do some wretches worthy of the epithet ‘Ulamâ as-sû’ find? What fatwa do they issue that they unnecessarily and harmfully oppose the clear matters of the shaâ’er of Islam and deem it possible to change them?

Twenty-Ninth Letter/The First Section

 

Thus, O wretched man afflicted with the wiles of shaytan! If you want the salâmat of your life of religion, your personal and social life, and if you want to have sound thought, istiqâmah in view and the salâmat of heart, weigh up your actions and thoughts on the scales of the muhkamât of the Qur'an and the balance of Sunnah as-Saniyyah. Always take the Qur'an and Sunnah as-Saniyyah as your guide. Say اَعُوذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ40 and take refuge with Janâb-i Haqq!

The 13th Flash-13th Indication