A study of Theology and the Science of Gnosis

May Allah give me success in completion of this book, by the blessing of Muhammad, his pure family and progeny. Praise belongs to Allah, Who has illuminated the hearts of His slaves by the knowledge of the truth, tasting and witnessing, Who has cooled their eyes with the antimony of His divine grace and love from eternity, Who has brought them to the highest stations of witnessing in the world of pre‑existent form and spiritual unveil­ing, and Who has enabled them to establish proof based on the intellect and clear evidence based on the traditions by way of the higher levels of the purified soul and the illuminated intellect.
May Allah bless the one who guides to such stations by means of the lights of inner vision and who indicates the path leading to these divine gnoses; may He bless the one who has made clear the meaning of the shari`ah, that is the merciful code of behaviour incumbent upon every Muslim. May He bless too his progeny, companions and family ‑ the continuation of the lineage of the Prophet; it is in accordance with man's enmity or love of them that the different levels of the Garden and the Fire are appor­tioned in the hereafter.
Only the slaves of abundant excellence and of penetrating knowledge will be able to arrive at the Divine Presence and to fulfill the exigencies of the subtle divine states; such slaves alone will be able to come close to the Reality of Oneness and will be able to extinguish their own essence in the stations of unity after traversing the names and attributes of the Real by means of the station of oneness and arriving at knowledge of the higher and lower manifestations, together with the manifestations within the self and in the cosmos as a whole.
Only these slaves will achieve the level of angelic attributes by their understanding of the most imperceptible of signs along the spiritual path, by their struggle and perseverance in the search for meanings, by their purification and refinement of behaviour and their capacity to free the self from the veil of animal urges. Only these slaves will be able to break the chains of bodily desires and the fetters of material bondage.
None will comprehend the nature of travel on this path but those experienced and knowledgeable in the science of true divin­ity and the stations of unveiling ‑ that is the stations of the awliya' (the saints or intimate friends of Allah), the prophets and the greatest amongst the men of wisdom.
The spiritual gnoses and the rules of behaviour embodied in the shari`ah have come down to us from the Divine Presence by means of the Muhammadi reality; together they convey the bles­sings of the prophetic example and the stations of elevation. It was this important fact which spurred me to write a book ex­pounding the way of perfection, which is the way of those able to unite what is separate by their gnosis and by applying the shari`ah.
Moreover, I have composed this book with the view to comparing the way of the sincere Sufis and the way of the Im­amiyah sect in the light of the divine insights and in accordance with each of the three levels of unity, namely the shari`ah, the tariqah and haqiqah of the Prophet, Mustafa (`the chosen one'). These three levels embrace the totality of the stations of the Muhammadi way, that is, both the inner and the outer stations. They embrace too all the degrees of perfection belonging to the prophets and the saints ‑ who are the caliphs of Allah and the vicegerents of divine Lordship.
In writing this book I have followed the path of the shari`ah, the path of specific duties and service made incumbent by Allah on His slaves. I have traveled lightly along this path with the minimum of hindrance and impediment, so much so it may be construed as an omission or negligence on my part. I have traveled thus along the spiritual path on seeing that this age and this country are devoid of men of excellence; I did not take upon myself this great task except after perceiving the absence of men of perfection and the absence of spiritual `poles' (a group of spiritual guardians, appointed by God and specific in number) and after seeing the door to spiritual travel closed.
If we accept that knowledge is bestowed by Allah on certain of His slaves, then it is not surprising that He may store up this knowledge for certain of the later generations of gnostics. Thus it may be that understanding of that which was difficult for many of the earlier generations becomes easier for later generations. I feel there is no saying more apt than that of the one who said `So much has been left by earlier generations to their successors. May Allah grant us refuge from envy which closes the door of justice and bars the way to attainment of man's finer qualities.' There are no more fitting words than those of Abu l‑`Ala al ­Mu'arra on the same topic: By your father's life, the man of nobility is never attributed with generosity As long as the Generous Himself exists in the world; But if the land becomes barren and the crops wither, Then one pastures on the dry stubble.
We should note too the famous words of the Commander of the Faithful ('Ali), words which have been related in an unbroken chain of transmission: `Even if one does not attain everything, one does not abandon everything,' and `Do not abandon what is easy because of what is difficult.'
Thus I composed this book and named it `The Light of the Truth, the Stations of the Way and the Mysteries of the Revealed Law'. In doing so I sought from the Good, the Generous, that He grant us success by it and that He grant me success in its composition ‑ success in delineating the spiritual path of right guidance ‑ and that He enable us to avoid any mistakes in the exposition of the various topics under discussion; surely He is the Most Generous of those Who bestow goodness.
Before embarking on this study however I should present an introduction encompassing the numerous benefits awaiting the reader of this book; it is necessary that I provide the key with which to unlock the treasures contained therein for those desirous of such knowledge. Know therefore that this introduction in­cludes an explanation of shari`ah, tariqah and haqiqah, together with a clarification of their various degrees according to the intellect, the body of traditions and the states of unveiling. Most of the elite and the common of this time think that shari`ah is at variance with tariqah and tariqah is at variance with haqiqah; they imagine that there are real differences between these various levels and they attribute certain things to each of them which are inappropriate, in particular to the group which affirms the Oneness of Allah, namely the group known as the Sufis.
The reason for this is their lack of knowledge of the various spiritual states of each of the three groups and their deficient understand­ing of their beliefs and principles. Thus I desired to make clear these different states to those who had misconceptions about them; I desired to reveal to them these spiritual states in a way that would enable them to gain true knowledge of each of the groups, in particular the people of Allah. I wanted to bring them to a realization that shari`ah, tariqah and haqiqah are synonyms for one truth, albeit in different terms.
By this means I desired that they abandon their conflicts with the people of Allah, includ­ing the elite amongst them, and they leave off disputing with the masters of the science of divine unity. I desired that, as a result, they would rid their hearts and souls of the darkness of ill‑conduct and corruption and depart from the realm of doubt and misgiving. Thus my clarification would be a purgative medicine for their petrified minds and their coarse natures: it would cause them to get rid of noxious waste material and cor­rupting humors, with the result that they would acquire a capac­ity to listen to words which they had previously been unable to digest, and they would be able to accept the beliefs (of the above­mentioned groups) whenever anyone gave expression to them.
The words of the scholars, for example, confirm the prophetic code of behaviour and the divine rules imposed on man. Indeed each of the three levels, namely prophethood, delivery of the message (risalah) and saintship or divine authority (wilayah) is a pre‑requisite of the other levels and all are interconnected. Thus, shari'ah is the pre‑requisite of risalah, tariqah is the pre‑requisite of prophethood and haqiqah, is the pre‑requisite of wilayah. This is because risalah is the term for the transmission of that which was revealed to the Prophet giving his period of prophecy; it is the Prophet's instruction of the people in jurisprudence, politics, social behaviour and divine wisdom ‑ and this is precisely the nature of the shari`ah as a whole. Prophethood is also the expres­sion of that which manifests during the state of wilayah, that is it is the perception of gnoses which arises from the Essence of the Truth, through His names, attributes, actions and laws.
It is an expression of the state of those who take on His attributes and His code of behaviour ‑ and this is precisely the nature of haqiqah itself. The totality of this wisdom is dependent upon one person, namely the messenger, or upon one reality and that is the shari`ah. This concurs with our earlier statement that the prophetic code of behaviour and the divine body of laws imposed on man is one truth which encompasses all three levels and that the different names are synonyms for this one truth.
There are many examples of this in other spheres of investiga­tion: the names `aql (intellect), qalam (pen) and nur (light) all indicate one reality, namely the reality of the Cosmic Man ‑ as in the authoritative traditions which say, `The first thing created by Allah was the `aql and `The first thing created by Allah was the Pen' and `The first thing created by Allah was My light.' Likewise, Allah's use of the words fu'ad, qalb and sadr all refer to one reality, namely the reality of'the lesser man: `The fu'ad or heart was not untrue in making him see what lie saw' and `The Faithful Spirit has descended with it, upon your heart (qalb)' and `Have We not expanded for you your breast (sadr) and taken off from you your burden'.
Thus there is no dispute between the prophets and the messengers with regard to the basic question of truth and reality, namely the question of the religion of Islam and its pillars or foundations. Allah says: `He has made plain to you of the religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, and that which We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus, that you keep to obedience and be not divided therein' and `The same did Abraham enjoin on his sons and (so did) Jacob.
O my sons! Surely Allah has chosen for you (this) faith, therefore die not unless you are Muslims' and His words on the tongue of His Prophet: `And (know) that this is My path, the right one, there­fore follow it, and follow not (other) ways, for they will lead you away from His way; thus He has enjoined you with that you may guard against (evil)' and finally His words: `That is the right religion, but most people know it not.' With these words Allah is indicating the right way ‑ the way of Muhammad ‑ whereby man must establish the three pillars of the shari`ah, tariqah and haqiqah and fulfill the demands of each, according to the different levels. The fact that `most do not know' is because of their ignorance and blindness.
If one understands that there has never been any dispute amongst the prophets and messengers with regard to the found­ations and pillars of Islam, then one should realize too that if differences do occur in the details and branches of the law, then these differences are of quality or quantity and do not indicate any difference in the essence or reality.
Thus the reality of the shari'ah has been the same in all ages and locations; indeed it is untouched by contention and difference. What variations in law and rule there are arise because of the diversity of situation and time or because of the difference of degree in people's spiritual rank and understanding. Thus Allah has said: `We make no difference between any of His apostles.' On further investigation we realize too that this divergence results from the complexity of the creational order and harmony and as such could not be imagined otherwise. Thus it has been said that there is no more perfect a creation in the realm of the possible than the creation of this world, since if there were a creation more intricate in workmanship and He were storing it up, then that would imply meanness on His part and a deficiency in His generosity; it would also imply incapacity and a negation of His power.
Moreover, if existence were not organized and arranged to this degree of sophistication, then it would not be possible for any of His slaves (that is all of creation) to attain their own individual reality in accordance with their own individual capacity: it is clear that it would be impossible to channel all the varying capacities into one single path and at one simple level. Allah Himself says: `For every one of you did We appoint a law and a way.' Thus these differences are in accordance with the nature of existence and a state of affairs other than this would not be possible.
The expressions and indications of the Sufis to describe these degrees and levels are difficult to understand; indeed their pro­fundity of meaning is not intended to be comprehended by all. Thus the teaching shaykhs strove always to advise and guide their disciples in such matters, saying for example,. `Do not be duped by the diversity of the terms; surely when those in their graves are raised up and what is in their breasts becomes known, when mankind comes before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, then of every thousand so raised up, nine hundred and ninety nine will be killed by the gnostic terms or be slaughtered by the swords of gnostic signs: they will be covered in blood and wounds through their neglect of the meanings and their abandonment of the principles of this matter.'
If this point is understood, then the reader should also realize that the ultimate intention of this study is to explain that all these names refer to one reality, albeit using different terms; thus there is no fundamental difference between them. Moreover, we must have recourse to the three aspects of shari`ah, tariqah and haqiqah in order to demonstrate this fact in more detail. We must explain, first, that these three names are, in fact, aspects of one reality; secondly, that the people of haqiqah are greater than the people of tariqah and the people of tariqah are greater than the people of shari'ah, and that between them there exists no essential divergence; and thirdly, that an explanation of the shari`ah must be based on the intellect and the intellect on the shari`ah. This third section will also contain a study of other related matters.
With regard to the first aspect ‑ to its definition and its reality as a unified whole ‑ then know that the shari`ah is the name of the God‑given path which lies before man in his life in this world; it encompasses both the principles and the branches of the religion; it encompasses both the duties and prescriptions which admit of a certain degree of choice for man in their method or time of undertaking and also the obligatory duties; it also encompasses all those actions which are most excellent in the eyes of God.
As for the tariqah, it is the way of maximum prudence, the path of the best and surest action: thus any path which leads man to the best and surest in speech or action, in the attributes he acquires or the states he experiences, is called tariqah. As for haqiqah, it is affirmation of ‑the existence of Being, either through unveiling and vision of its substance, or experiencing spiritual states, or affirming the Oneness of God. It has also been said that the meaning of shari`ah is that you worship Him, of tariqah that you attain His presence, and of haqiqah that you witness Him. Furthermore, it has been said that shari`ah means that you are maintained in existence by His command, tariqah that you carry out His command and haqiqah that you exist by and in Him. This meaning is supported by the words of the Prophet who said: `The shari`ah is my words, tariqah my actions, haqiqah my states, gnosis is my capital, intellect the basis of my religion, love my foundation, passion my mount, fear my compan­ion, knowledge my weapon, forbearance my friend, trust my cloak, contentment my treasure, truthfulness my residence, cer­tainty my refuge, poverty my glory ‑ and by it I attain to an honour above the rest of the prophets and messengers.'
Likewise the words of the Prophet (on the occasion when he asked Harith `How are you this morning?' and the latter answered: `I have become a true believer'): `For every truth there is a reality, so what is the reality of your belief?' He replied: `I saw the people of the Garden visiting each other and the people of the Fire howling at each other; I saw plainly the throne of my Lord.' He then said: `You have spoken correctly, so persevere.' Thus his true faith in the unseen was his shari`ah, his unveiling and con­sciousness of the Garden, the Fire and the throne was his haqiqah and his doing‑without in this world and the actions undertaken by him such that he merited this degree were his tariqah. Moreover all three levels are encompassed by the prescribed laws of Islam and are in no way outside of it: we have seen earlier how the Islamic code includes all of them.
It has also been said that the Islamic code is like the almond nut, which consists of the oil, the kernel and the shell: the almond as a whole is the shari`ah, the kernel is the tariqah and the oil the haqiqah. A similar meaning has also been applied to prayer: `Surely prayer is service, a coming closer and an arrival;' the service corresponds to the sham`ah, the coming closer to the tariqah, and the arrival to the haqiqah. Moreover, the word prayer includes all three of these. Allah Himself has referred to these three degrees by the phrases: `ilm al yaqin (the knowledge of certainty), `ayn al yaqin (the vision or experience of certainty) and haqq al yaqin (the truth of reality of certainty) ‑ an explana­tion of these terms will follow later in this work.
On investigation we realize that shari`ah expresses man's affir­mation of the words of the Prophet in the heart and man's acting in accordance with the laws of Islam; we realize that tariqah is the fulfillment and realization of these laws together with the prophetic pattern of behaviour and the putting into practice of this way (or tariqah) by the taking on of the appropriate attributes; we realize too that haqiqah is the witnessing through unveiling of the states and stations of the prophets ‑ for as Allah has said: `Certainly you have in the Apostle of Allah an excellent exemplar.' Attainment of this degree of haqiqah is only possible by taking upon oneself the attributes and behaviour pattern of the Prophet and by perception of prophetic knowledge through unveiling; indeed one only attains to this model of behaviour through establishing the duties of the Islamic code. This meaning is also indicated in the words of the Sultan of the Saints and Spiritual Inheritors, the Commander of the Faithful: `I am going to attribute what has never been attributed to Islam by anyone before: Islam is submission and submission is affirmation and affirmation is certainty and certainty is constancy and constancy is performance and performance is righteous action. Thus who­ever wishes to model himself on his Prophet as is fitting, then he should take on all these qualities and not reject any of those who themselves have taken on these qualities in their behaviour because…1
By its nature the essential cannot be separated from the es­sence. Allah's words `And they shall continue to differ, except those on whom your Lord has mercy; and for this did He create them' confirm, this insomuch as differences in the outward arise from differences in the inner realm of meaning and differences in the meaning arise from differences in the realm of truth‑and substance. Truth and substance, however, are not established in time by the Creator; thus what is meant by `He created them' is not that they are coerced in their distinct creational form, but rather that they are bestowed existence in accordance with their original substance and reality. This bestowal is not an in‑time initiation of something on the part of the Creator, for in reality they are non‑existent and in annihilation, and that which is non‑existent and in annihilation is not a creation of the Creator, rather it is inherent and inseparable from His knowledge.
A dispute of vast dimensions exists concerning this subject, namely the nature of the beginnings of things and whether or not they are created by the Creator. This question is of utmost importance with regard to the science of tawhid (unity); indeed a proper investigation of the truth of divine unity is not feasible without an understanding of these beginnings. Since the scholars involved in this argument continue to infer and deduce other matters related to this question, and they continue to accuse each other of misinterpretation and deception, we decided to set out in this book the basic conclusions arrived at in this matter by the people of Allah and their elite together with the conclusions of the people of the outward and the inward. We desired to undertake this task in order to remain true to the condition imposed upon ourself at the opening of the book, namely that we undertake a comparison between the outer and the inner, for the station of joining between these two is the highest of stations and the ultimate goal.
With this in mind we would quote the words of Allah: `And if Allah had pleased He would have made you (all) a single nation, and they shall continue to differ, except those on whom your Lord has mercy; and for this did He create them.' It should be borne in mind that we are clarifying the meaning of the differences which exist in the realm of realities and substances ‑ the differences existing in the essential realities of people and in their opinions and beliefs. Moreover, it should be noted also that this study has particular recourse to Allah's words, `And they shall continue to differ.'
At this point a note of introduction is needed: substances and essences are, according to the belief of some, brought into exis­tence by the Creator, while for others this is not so. The first belief belongs to the people of the outward that is those scholars who demand that the common people imitate their example in the execution of religious duties.
The second is that of the people of Allah that is the men of gnosis, those who affirm the all‑en­compassing Oneness of God and certain of the philosophers. As for the first group, they quote the fact that Allah is All‑Knowing and Wise and that He does not act except on behalf of what is good and beneficial and in accordance with His knowledge and wisdom; they also quote that `He cannot be questioned concern­ing what He does and they shall be questioned.'
Thus, in the light of this approach, the differences in the substances and the essences exist in relation to His knowledge and wisdom; likewise, the bringing into being of these substances and essences in the outer realm and their creation in the world of vision and witnes­sing spring from His knowledge of them from before eternity: thus the act whereby He brings into being any creational form corresponds to that which is contained in His knowledge. This is referred to in His words: `He does what he wishes' and `Allah orders what he desires.'
At this point, however, we should note that many dispute the validity of this argument; their disagreement lies in the fact that any substance or essence may protest with a voice issuing from a station of spirituality or with the voice of outer learning saying `Why have You brought me into being in such and such a form?' or `Why did You not create me in that form?' Thus the unhappy person ‑ with respect to the happy and fortunate person ‑ will say: `Why did You create me in an unhappy state? Why did You not create me in a happy state?' The same might be said by the ignorant person with respect to the one of knowledge, the poor person with respect to the rich person. They would, in effect, have an argument against Allah ‑ and not Allah against them ‑ although Allah Himself says: `Then Allah's is the con­clusive argument.' Moreover, there is no escape from this accusa­tion and there remains nothing to be done in this state of affairs but to submit and to be content with what has been decreed: one must accept that the matter depends on His knowledge and wisdom and things depend wholly on His will and desire. There is no doubt, however, that this belief is neither reasonable nor acceptable. It is for this reason that He says: `Do not put questions about things which, if declared to you, may trouble you.' In truth, then, their belief is not consonant with the facts.
As for the people of the second group, they says that the realities, the substances and the essences are not brought into being by the Creator ‑ rather they are part of His knowledge from before eternity. It is not permitted that these knowledges be brought into being because, if these knowledges were `created', then either knowledge of what becomes known would be neces­sary prior to this within a specific time, or lack of knowledge of these knowledges would be implied ‑ before He brings them into existence. Both ideas, however, are totally fallacious. The only possibility left is that His knowledges are not in‑time crea­tions on His part.
Moreover, it has been established in the prin­ciples of logic that knowledge depends upon or `follows' what is known: thus, the existence of a dependent thing, namely know­ledge, without the existence of the thing upon which it depends, namely the thing known, is impossible. Knowledge is not affirmed as a knowledge except if it is corresponds to that which is known. If this is not the case, then it is called ignorance ‑ may Allah be exalted above this. Thus, their aim in saying this is to establish that knowledge must be in accordance with what is known, since any knowledge which does not correspond to the known in the realm of the outward is ignorance. Based on this premise, there­fore, it is not permitted that His knowledge from before eternity be part of His creation, or be conceived of as having been brought into being by Him; if this is not the case, then His knowledge cannot be affirmed and imperfection of knowledge is imputed to Him as we have seen above.
The commentator of Al‑Fusus says: `Since pre‑material forms and realities are conceived in the realm of imagination, they cannot be described as creational or brought into being; what is imagined does not have existence in the phenomenal world and only something which is created or brought into being can be existent. Likewise, something pictured in the imagination, or the mind's eye, through one's knowledge of that thing cannot be described as having been brought into being as long as it is not seen to exist in the phenomenal world; otherwise impos­sibilities would also be capable of being brought into visible existence.'
The commentator mentions a still more striking example when he says: `Know that the names possess rational forms in the knowledge of Allah ‑ since He is knowledgeable by His very essence of His own Essence, His Names and Attributes. Thus those rational forms existing in the realm of knowledge are actu­ally the Source and Essence itself, made manifest by their estab­lishment in the realm of specificity; the latter is also called the realm of the pre‑existent source‑forms, irrespective of whether these forms are of a general or particular nature, according to the terminology of the people of Allah. According to the theorists, however, the general or universal forms are called substances and realities and the particular are called essences.
Thus the substances are the universal forms defined through the names residing in the Presence of His knowledge ‑ and as such these forms flow out from the divine source by an outflowing on the level of sanctity and purity; they emanate from the First Manifes­tation by means of the essential Love and through a seeking of the keys of the unseen whose outward manifestations and perfec­tions are only known to Him.
This divine overflowing may be divided into two types: that is, the overflowing from the greater sanctity and that emanating from the lesser sanctity. From the first arise the pre‑material forms and from the second the phenomenal manifestations of the forms with their relative qualities and characteristics. This theory is based on the premise that the doer and the one who receives the actions are one and the same: there is nothing in existence except Him and His perfections; thus, He is the Doer from one aspect and the One who receives from another ‑ just as the philosophers have said that the intellect, the one who uses that intellect and the notion conceived of by that intellect are in reality one thing, although described in different ways.
Likewise this could be said of love, the lover and the loved one. The Great Shaykh (Ibn 'Arabi) has also referred to this in Al‑Fusus when he says: `It is impossible to admit of another equal to Him in respect to the divine laws: all bodies receive the divine spirit by way of Him and by means of His breath; this is nothing other than their gaining the capacity of receiving the constant, never-ending outpouring of divine manifestations while existing in those forms.' The receiver can only exist by this very outpouring of purity and sanctity. Thus everything from the beginning to the end is from Him, everything returns to Him just as it began from Him.
With this in mind, it is not permissible to say that the pre‑mate­rial forms, the substances and the beginnings are created by the Creator ‑ if we suppose that the Creator and the Receiver of the created forms are one and the same and if we suppose that the Doer is His Essence and the Receiver is His Names and Attributes. If we call the first the Absolute Essence and the Reality and the second the dependent existence and creation, if we call the whole a manifestation of His Names, His Attributes and Actions, if we accept that the pre‑existent forms, the sub­stances and the realities are images of His pre‑eternal primal knowledge, then this Existence would not bring something into being which was dependent and related to His Essence and Perfections ‑ for He has always been the same and how, one may ask, could He becomes otherwise? Change is not possible, in particular with respect to the Necessary of Existence.
Indeed, there is nothing whatsoever which brings itself into being ‑ and this applies equally with respect to His essential Perfections and those particularities associated with His Names. Besides, no thing can be devoid of both aspects: either it is necessary by its essence or possible by its essence. If it is necessary by its essence, then His perfections, His particularities and everything based upon these things come about by the essence: thus it cannot be that they are ever brought into being, in time. If it is possible, then its substance in the realm of knowledge and its pre‑existent form in the realm of rationality are not brought into being in time by Him or any other, rather, they arise out of the pre‑eternal divine knowledge, as has already been established.
As for the possible, it is nothing but the `request' ‑ in the terminology of the people of spiritual stations ‑ for outward existence in accordance with that thing's capacity, a request which is made to the Real Actor and in accordance with existence in the realm of knowledge. This, then, is the aim of our study. Thus He says: `And He gives you of all you ask Him' meaning with the tongue of your capacity and receptivity and in accor­dance with existence in the realm of knowledge, that is uncreated and out of time. If we accept this, then He does not bring anything into being from that Existence, but from the existence in the outward, as we have already made clear; moreover, it is not true to say that anything is `brought into being' except within the sphere of this outward existence. Understand this point well ‑ it will be of great benefit on many occasions on reading this book.
The subject of our study contains secrets of the greatest order with respect to the question of predestination; it is therefore necessary at this point that we investigate further into this matter and we shall begin with some appropriate examples, which will increase understanding and clarify the matter. Know then that a simile of the possible pre‑existent forms and possible substances within the realm of the Real's knowledge is that of the pre‑form and source‑form of the letters in the mind of the writer: their establishment in the mind is not because the writer brought them into being ‑ the writer has only knowledge of their existence and their essences, that is their existence in the realm of know­ledge and their essences and various shapes as mental pictures. It is clear that knowledge itself has no influence over that which is known.
Thus, from this aspect, these letters are not brought into being by the writer, although it is true that they are brought into being by the writer when he brings them into outward existence (by the act of writing) in accordance with what is in his mind. This same metaphor may be applied to the Real: if He brings something into outward existence, in accordance with what is in His knowledge from before eternity (and which is obviously prior to the existence of that thing), then it is called `created' or `brought into being.' If, however, it was in His `es­sential' knowledge from before endless‑time and part of His pri­mal knowledge, then it is not called created or brought into existence. Thus we arrive at the desired conclusion, namely His knowledges from before eternity are not brought into being; `And (as for) these examples, We set them forth for men, and none understand them but the learned.'
There is also another example worthy of mention: it is that the pre‑material source forms and substances are related to the never‑ending perfections hidden in His Essence, which are also known as Attributes and Names. These expressions are similar in their metaphorical nature to the branches, leaves and fruits which are all `perfections' of the tree itself, which in its state (while in the realm of knowledge) within the essence of the seed is not called by the name tree and is not called `an existence' in the outward. Rather this knowledge is called the knowledge of the seed together with its essential perfections and its inherent degree of `treeness'.
Likewise knowledge, with respect to the seed, for example ‑ together with details of its essential perfections in the forms of its leaves, branches, flowers and fruits ‑ is not related to the action of its coming into being. Similarly, know­ledge of the Real, together with details of His essential perfections in the form of His names, attributes, actions, manifestations and emanations, does not presuppose its creation in time. Thus He Himself says: `When He intends anything, He says: "Be, so it is", meaning that if He wishes to bring something into outer existence from those things existent in the realm of knowledge, then He indicates this by making it manifest in existence after its non‑existence, thereby making visible that which was hidden. As He Himself says in the Qur'an, `And His are the most exalted attributes in the heavens and the earth.' His words: `Shall I guide you to the tree of immortality and a kingdom which decays not?' seem to indicate the Absolute Tree of existence, which is the world with all its ramifications, since its branches, leaves and flowers are the dependent existent beings: anyone who wit­nesses this tree together with its perfections, names and attributes will be in a `kingdom which decays not.' This same meaning is also expressed in the language of the scholars of this science inasmuch as they relate existence in the realm of knowledge to the pre‑material source forms and existence in the outward realm to the various manifest creations.
Moreover, they relate the first to the first emanation of the Essence and the second to the second emanation of the Attributes. They affirm that the first emanation is the essential emanation, that is the emanation of the Essence alone within its own essence ‑ and this is the presence of One­ness ‑ there being no attribute or form‑within this realm, since the Essence (which is the Absolute Existence of the Real) is pure Oneness. Any existence other than this is nothing but absolute non‑existence, namely, pure nothingness.
Thus the Essence in its oneness is in no need of singularity or specificity to distinguish it from another essence nor has it any need to distinguish itself from anything else at all. Indeed its unity is its essence and this unity is the source of its singularity and uniqueness. It is essence by itself and of itself and thereby I mean that it is not dependent on anything; the Absolute encompasses its own being, there being no thing co‑existent with it: this is in effect complete singularity. The realities in the essence of singularity are as the tree within the seed, hidden within the hidden. The second ema­nation makes manifest the pre‑existent source forms which are the very workings of the Essence; this is His reception of form in the world of creation. The Real descends by means of this emanation from the Presence of Singularity to the Presence of Uniqueness through His relationship to the Names. It should be noted that this notion is in complete accord with the direction of our discourse above.
The aim of using quotations and supporting examples from the works of the distinguished saints of Allah is twofold: the first is to reassure the heart of the reader and to aid him in removing doubt; the second is to repulse the sayings of the ignorant and those who reject the people of Allah, as far as we are able. If this objective is not met, then there are many other studies one may refer to; it is not fitting, however, that we reproduce them here.
The aim of this introduction is to comment upon the meaning of Allah's words: `And they shall continue to differ.' Given that this is understood and accepted as a principle, then we must also realize that these words are an indication of the essential differences in the realm of inner meaning with respect to the source‑forms within the Presence of the Unseen and with respect to those of His knowledge. They are at the same time an indication of the differences in outward form which correspond to those differences in the Presence of the Unseen and the Sphere of Witnessing.
Moreover the meaning of these words presupposes that the source‑forms and related substances are pre‑eternal and not created. As for His words: `Except those on whom your Lord has mercy,' they refer to those known by your Lord to be people of guidance and kindness who have remained faithful to their own harmonious being and to their finer, subtler creational form. It refers then to the people who keep away from the people of argument, misguidance and perversion and take no part in their disputes. In truth the whole of the matter rests on the exigencies of the essence of the being in question. Allah has, in His own way, knowledge of what is to be in the future. But as we have seen knowledge itself has no influence in the matter. His words, `And for this did He create them' means in fact `for by reason of these differences did He create them''‑ they are as diverse in image, shape, opinion and belief as they were in their essence, substance and primal reality. He gives them outer existence in accordance with their existence in the realm of know­ledge such that His knowledge does not contradict His action and His hidden unseen aspect does not contradict His witnessing. Moreover, there is no one who objects saying `Why did you create me in such and such a manner?'
This state of affairs is as it is because the Actor does not give existence to the receiving creational forms except in accordance with their true natures. This existence is `sought' by means of the speech of spirituality from the Actor. This same meaning has already been referred to with the metaphor of the writer, the writing and the letters (and their existence both in the mind and the concrete world).
These source‑forms and substances are non‑existent in the phenomenal world but they exist in the realm of knowledge and are constantly seeking outer existence by the tongue of spirituality and their own capacity. The Actor, for His part, requires from His Essence a constant outpouring of existence, by means of the substances and source‑forms. He is the One of Absolute Generos­ity and so the constant Outpourer of Good, be it in the realm of existence, of attribute, of knowledge, of speech or action. Thus, if one of the source forms demands of Allah, the true Actor, by the language of spirituality that it be given outward existence, then the Real has no option but to bestow on it that required existence in accordance with the capacity and receptivity of that particular source form.
The Absolute Actor does not, therefore, govern the receiving form in an absolute manner but rather in accordance with the aspect of that receiving form.
There is a similar relationship between the One of absolute Generosity and the creational form which requests existence from Him in that He can only bestow the most complete and perfect form on the created being; I mean by this that He bestows existence on it to the full extent of its capacity without any withholding on His part ‑ for withholding would imply meanness, which is an impossibility with regard to His Presence, may He be exalted above such a notion. He bestows on them outward existence exactly in accordance with their capacity ‑ no more and no less. If He were to bestow something which was above their capacity, they would not be able to accept it and so this bestowal would be futile ‑ and such futility is impossible with respect to Allah. Likewise, if He were to bestow less than their capacity, then they would also not be able to accept it and the bestowal would again be in vain.
Thus there can never be any objection on the part of any of the existent beings ‑ no matter what the circumstances. No being could say: `Why did You create me in such and such a manner,' because it knows in truth that such an objection would be unjustified; it knows that its existence is in accord with the source‑form and the reality and that Allah has decided by its very nature that it be created in such and such a way. Likewise, as we have seen in the example of the letters, neither the `a’ or the `b’ nor any other letter would demand of the writer that they be set down otherwise.
This notion is supported by Ibn al‑`Arabi when he says: `He does not rule over us except by us, nay, rather we rule over ourselves, albeit in Him.' It is for this reason that He has said: `Then Allah's is the conclusive argument', that is, against those who are veiled when they say to the Real: `Why did You do such and such a thing to us?' When something does not accord with their aims and the matter becomes difficult for them. As for the gnostics, the matter is clear for them. Moreover, the veiled think that the Real has not acted in the way they asked Him to act; this notion is of their making, however, and they only know as much as their particular creational form permits them to know, thus their argument is untenable and the conclusive argument which is Allah's remains. The famous saying of the Arabs is particularly relevant here: `Your arms are for leaning on and your mouth is for speech.'
Thus any existence which manifests, be it in the realm of action, speech perfection or imperfection, be it beautiful or ugly, is dependent upon the source‑form in accordance with the essence. Thus it is not directly dependent on Allah nor on other than Allah ‑ although it does depend on Allah with respect to His bestowal of what was asked of Him; by this I mean that the existence of that thing is from Allah and by virtue of that `request' made to Him. This is referred to when He says; `Every one acts according to his manner' and also in the words of the Prophet, `Everything lives and develops in accordance with what it has been created for.' These two statements are supported by the words of David: `I said to my Lord: "O Lord, for what have You created the creation?" He replied, "For that which they have been created," ' meaning, for that particular capacity or receptivity, that perfection or imperfection inherent in their cre­ation. Again Allah's words are sufficient in this matter, `And for this did He create them', since this statement is the complete answer for the gnostic.
We have seen that the term `creation' means the bringing into being of something: What is indicated, as we have seen on many previous occasions, is that Allah brings them into being in accor­dance with their source‑form in the world of essences and sub­stances; if there are any differences in the essences, then there are also differences in the attributes; if there are differences in the essences and attributes, then there are no likenesses or similarities between them in the totality of the states. Thus he who has said that `There does not exist any resemblance between things at all except by the Necessary of Existence' has spoken the truth and in accordance with what he has actually witnessed.
It has been established as a principle by the scholars of the science of unity that the divine manifestations are not repeated and that the Real never manifests twice in the same way, neither in the realm of form or meaning ‑ so it has been from before eternity and so it will be to eternity. He is the One who continues from pre‑endless‑time and He is the One who is in constant annihilation. If we now consider the basic premise that there is none but Him in existence, and nothing but His Names and At­tributes, and that All is Him, by Him, from Him and to Him, then we realize that His perfections are never‑ending and yet without repetition. Indeed all existence is a never‑ending manifes­tation of His perfections.
We realize that resemblance and equality with regard to all aspects of a thing are not possible under any circumstances; we realize, too, the meaning of His words, `And they continue to differ' and the hidden meaning indicated in `and for this did he create them.' And Allah is more knowing and of acuter judgment in all matters.
The following saying of the Prophet is also relevant: `Whoever finds good, then let him praise Allah, and whoever finds other than this, then let him blame no one but himself;' so also are the words of Imam 'Ali ibn Musa al‑Rida: `Generosity on the part of the creature is to carry out what is incumbent; generosity on the part the Creator is in both His giving and His withholding;' this is a subtle statement containing secrets of great value, secrets which may only be understood by the elite, for these secrets issue from the secrets of destiny, the divulgence of which is forbidden to other than those who are worthy of them.
This idea is contained in the words of Allah when He says: `Surely Allah commands you to make over trusts to their owners.' It is as if Allah is referring to this when He says: `I have prepared for the righteous of my slaves something that the eye has never beheld, what the ear has never heard and what the heart of man has never per­ceived.' This `something' is a special secret of the elite of the friends of Allah and the great prophets.
We have dwelt long on this question because it is one of the most important in the science of divine unity; it is a principle containing precious jewels and costly pearls of wisdom which may only be gained by those who are purified from the pollution of greed and craving and from anything which prevents them from attaining the stations of divine unity. May Allah sanctify their purified souls and bestow on them the divine illumination; may Allah grant us the light which is reflected from their perfections and emanations, after seeking help from Him for He is the Generous, the Noble.
If the reader has understood the ideas we have expounded to him ‑ ideas which merit being written with a pen of light on the cheeks of the maidens of Paradise, or being placed as amulets around the neck so that they may live through the ages ‑ if he has imprinted them on his mind with the inward eye, if he has placed them in the store chests of his memory and perceiving intellect, then we shall now return to our original topic.
Know then that all the different levels of mankind, both the common and the elite and the elite of the elite are three in number; by these I mean the beginning, the intermediate and the end. Even if these levels do not contain individual characteristics and de­tails, they encompass with respect to type and universal groups. Thus the shari’ah is the name of the Divine Code and the prophetic pattern of behaviour, and is also the beginning; the tariqah by its name and meaning indicates the intermediate stage; and the haqiqah by its name and meaning indicates the final stage. No level falls outside these three.
Moreover the first, the shari`ah, encompasses them all (as we have already discussed above); this is because it encompasses the first level, namely that of the common people, the second, that is that of the elite, and the third, the elite of the elite. The Muslims as a body ‑ who by their acceptance of Islam take upon themselves the duties of the religion ‑ together with the men of intellect are not outside these three levels; the levels embrace the whole and are subject to the demands of the whole ‑ in that each level possesses laws distinct unto itself. Thus, it is not permitted to deny the validity of any of these levels, nor to reproach any of the people (who follow them). The model of prophetic behaviour, Muhammad, can only be followed to perfection when these three levels are respected.
Allah speaks about the differences of capacity and receptivity within creation when He says: `For every one of you did We appoint a law and a way and if Allah had pleased He would have made you (all) a single people, but that He might try you in what He gave you, therefore strive with one another to hasten to virtuous deeds; to Allah is your return, of all (of you), so He will let you know that in which you differed.' By Allah, by Allah, if this were the only ayah in the Qur'an, it would be sufficient proof of what we are saying, without even considering the fact that a third of the Qur'an is laden with such examples and without having recourse to the body of authentic traditions re­lated from the Prophet.
If we investigate further, we realize that submission, faith and certainty are the prerequisites of these three levels ‑ and also an inherent part of these three levels. The same could be said for the three states of revelation, inspiration and unveiling, for prophethood, message and wilayah (spiritual guardianship), for knowledge of certainty, experience of certainty and reality of certainty, and finally for the triad of words, actions and states ‑ all of which exist according to the three states of shari`ah, tariqah and haqiqah.
All existence is contained in these levels, the three‑tiered division being necessary, given the multiplicity of creational and metaphysical realities. We see this in the three levels of knowledge, the knower and the known ‑ that is the three‑tiered division of manifest individu­ality, the Presence of Singularity and the Divine Uniqueness with respect to the worlds of the unseen. We see also the three divisions of knowledge, command and will with respect to the created worlds and their corresponding forms of receptivity, namely the known, the commanded and the object of one's will. Further, we witness the existence of the mulk (the kingdom), the malakut (the realm of angelic forms) and the jabarut (the realm of His Absolute Dominion), and then the world of the intelligences, the souls and the senses. There exists too the three‑tiered level of the Muhammadi aspect ‑ referred to when he says: `There are three things which are dear to me in this world of yours, perfume, women and the coolness of the eye which comes from prayer' and everything else in creation accords with these classifications.
Thus it is not permitted to deny the sayings of the prophets, nor those who speak or deliver the prophetic message, particu­larly with respect to the people of shari`ah and the people of beginnings. Moreover, it is not permitted to deny the actions of the prophets, nor those who take upon themselves the prophetic attributes and act accordingly, particularly with respect to the people of tariqah and the people of the middle or intermediate path. Finally it is not permitted to deny the states of haqiqah, or to reject those who have taken on the corresponding qualities of this level together with those of the ending or final level.
In short, it is not permitted to reject any of the people of the shar'iah, tariqah or haqiqah. The Prophet's words `I have been given all the names and have been sent to perfect good behaviour' is. an indication of just what we have been indicating: creational realities are not such that they may be completely contained in any one level or station; rather they are as diverse as their capacities and receptivities and each must be given its rightful place in accordance with this capacity and receptivity. Thus it is that we are commanded to talk to the people in accordance with the capacity of their intellects.
You may say that according to the above argument it is claimed that each group, with its own particular way, of worship, its opinions and beliefs, is correct, but by the nature of things, each and every one cannot be right. I would say, in reply, that whoever is living according to the shari`ah, the tariqah and haqiqah (as defined above) and who carries out what is demanded of him in accordance with the respective levels of each, then he has the truth, is on the straight path and his religion is correct. Allah's words `That is the right religion, but most people do not know' are another indication of this same meaning. Anyone who is not as we have described is astray, in error and a rejecter of the truth.
It is obligatory to avoid such people and this is a rule of behaviour which is always observed amongst the people of spiritual realization; indeed all the principles and branches of the religion are founded on this rule Allah indicates this when he addresses the Prophet saying: `This is my way: I call to Allah, I and those who follow me in certainty.' The words of those who have described the shaykhs of instruction also testify to this fact: `The shaykh is the man of perfection with regard to the sciences of shari`ah, tariqah and haqiqah; they have reached the limits of perfection in each by their knowledge of the diseases of the self and the corresponding cures ‑ provided of course the self is willing to accept this cure in the form of spiritual guidance.'
A similar division may be seen in the description of the levels of knowledge of the knower, namely in terms of the husk, the shell and the kernel. Each indicates a level of knowledge together with a corresponding awareness of the demands and claims of each level.
Thus it has been said that the husk refers to any outward knowledge which protects the inner knowledge, namely the kernel, from harm: the shari`ah, therefore, stands in a similar relation to the tariqah as the tariqah to the haqiqah. Whoever does not protect his spiritual state and path by the shari`ah will destroy that state and cause harm to his path, whether by desire, folly or Satanic whisperings. Whoever does not attain the haqiqah by means of the tariqah and does not protect the former by the latter will cause harm to his haqiqah and resort to heresy and disbelief. The shell is the intellect which is illuminated by the light of sanctity and purified of the obscurities caused by fantasy and imagination. The kernel is the very stuff of divine and sacred light from which the intellect seeks help in order to rid itself of the above‑mentioned obscurities; thus the heart which is attached to this world, shut off from understanding and veiled by official learning, is not able to comprehend the higher sciences by virtue of the good which has been pre‑determined for him by Allah: `Surely (as for) those for whom the good has already gone forth from Us, they shall be kept far off from it.'
Know too that the laws of the shari`ah constitute the divine code and social order: it is incumbent on the prophets and the friends of Allah to establish this order together with its pillars' and to command the Muslim nation to respect and fulfil its demands. By this 1 mean that they are not permitted to omit any of the three levels, for this would imply an omission or deficiency with respect to their obligations, and this is impossible given that they are prophets and as such are protected from any wrong or hateful action; indeed nothing of this nature may happen at their hands. That they have always respected these three levels is clear from their various shara'i ` (divinely‑inspired codes of behaviour) and ways of worship which have been given to all the prophets from Adam to Muhammad. Again we refer here to the (above‑mentioned) words of our Prophet: `Shari`ah is my words, tariqah my actions and haqiqah my states.' The meaning of these words is also reinforced by the instructions given by Abraham to his people in the surah, `The Cattle', which features the story of the star, the moon and the sun. The first instruction is for the guidance of the common people, the second for the elite and the third of the elite of the elite ‑ in line with the three distinctions of shari`ah, tariqah and haqiqah.
The first symbolizes the light of goodness which belongs to the people of shari`ah, the people of the outward and the common people in their search for the truth and in their going beyond. This is so because the star of this world is like the light of goodness in man.
The second symbolizes the light of the intellect and those of this station who are searching for the truth and the journeying beyond are the people of tariqah, the people of the inward and the elite. This is because the moon in this world is like the light of the intellect in man. The third symbolizes the light of sanctity, known as the light of Reality, and those who are seeking the Real and the journey beyond are the people of haqiqah, the people of the inward of the inward and the elite of the elite.
This is because the light of the sun in this world is like the light of sanctity in man ‑ in accordance with the words of Allah: `What! Is he whose heart Allah has opened for Islam so that he is in a light from his Lord (like the hard‑hearted)?'
Thereafter, there must follow a going beyond: by this I mean a going beyond the light of the Real. This is because the one who sees, the seen and the connecting light between them are three distinct things which would mean multiplicity. Vision and witnessing in the realm of divine unity does not admit of this; rather there must be a crossing beyond to a point where unity is attained. This point is reached by the annihilation of the knower in the known and the witnesser in the witnessed.
As for the opinion of some commentators, namely that Ab­raham was at the time a small child and was not able to distin­guish between the star, the moon, the sun and his Lord, then it is a total falsehood, indeed a complete heresy ‑ may the sta­tions of the prophets and Friends of Allah be exalted above such words. This is so because the prophets and Friends of Allah are infallible and their infallibility necessarily extends throughout their whole life, from childhood to old age ‑ with regard to their words, actions, states, religion, beliefs and all other aspects of their character whether visible or hidden. No heinous act whatsoever could possibly issue from their hand, neither from an unintentional mistake, human error or conscious oversight.
Moreover, the opinion of others ‑ chiefly the rationalist scho­lars ‑ that Abraham was then at the beginning of his path and at the outset of his intellectual and gnostic awareness is also incorrect. This we know because this incident happened during the period of his prophecy when he was calling his people to Islam; it was thus during the period of his perfection, with respect to his intellect, his gnosis and his perspicacity. How, may one ask, can such opinions be expressed when prophecy, messenger­ship and the associated knowledges are not things which are acquired and are not theoretical in nature; rather they are out­right gifts from God, pure acts of giving without cause or reason, on the part of the Lord, and not acquired through any action on their part. This is indicated when Allah talks about our Prophet saying, `He has taught you what you did not know, and Allah's grace on you is very great,' or when He says to Solomon, `This is Our free gift, therefore give freely or withhold, without reckoning,' or when Jesus says, `Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet; and He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and the poor‑rate so long as I live,' or when He addresses John the Baptist, `O Yahya! Take hold of the Book with strength, and We granted him wisdom while yet a child.' Let these examples suffice as an indication of our meaning, al­though there are numerous other examples in the Qur'an.
Know too that the laws of the shari`ah constitute the divine code and social order: it is incumbent on the prophets and the friends of Allah to establish this order together with its `pillars' and to command the Muslim nation to respect and fulfill its demands. By this I mean that they are not permitted to omit any of the three levels, for this would imply an omission or deficiency with respect to their obligations, and this is impossible given that they are prophets and as such are protected from any wrong or hateful action; indeed nothing of this nature may hap­pen at their hands. That they have always respected these three levels is clear from their various sharaV (divinely‑inspired codes of behaviour) and ways of worship which have been given to all the prophets from Adam to Muhammad.
Again we refer here to the (above‑mentioned) words of our Prophet: `Shari`ah is my words, tariqah my actions and haqiqah my states.' The meaning of these words is also reinforced by the instructions given by Abraham to his people in the surah, `The Cattle', which features the story of the star, the moon and the sun. The first instruction is for the guidance of the common people, the second for the elite and the third of the elite of the elite ‑ in line with the three distinctions of shari`ah, tariqah and haqiqah.
As for the words which testify that the incident involving Abraham took place during the period of his prophethood and his calling of the people to Islam, then the following ayah is one of several where this is mentioned in the Qur'an: `And the people disputed with him. He said: "Do you dispute with me respecting Allah? And He has guided me indeed; and I do not fear in any way those that you set up with Him, unless my Lord pleases; my Lord comprehends all things in His knowledge; will you not then take heed?" And this was Our argument which we gave to Abraham against his people; We exalt in dignity whom We please; surely your Lord is Wise Knowing.' May Allah's witnes­sing be enough for us. If this had not been during the time of his prophecy and calling, Allah would not have said: `And the people disputed with him.' It should be remembered that some of his people were worshipping and prostrating to the stars, while others worshipped and prostrated to the moon, and yet a third group worshipped and prostrated to the sun and other idols. Abraham would guide them according to the laws of the shari`ah together with teachings about the Oneness of Allah, the Creator and Originator of all existence; he would also instruct them in the science of the inward and in the witnessing of the Oneness in all existence, in witnessing the One who brings all into exis­tence and the manifestation of Him as the Unique God. This we may see from his words: `Surely I have turned myself, being upright, wholly to Him, Who originated the heavens and the earth and I am not one of the polytheists.'
He also asks, `Is this my Lord?' on three different occasions ‑ not as a genuine in­quiry but rather as a question whose reply is implied to be negative. Thus the complete utterance might be: `Is it possible that this created and phenomenal event, namely the manifesta­tion of the setting of the star, the moon and the sun be my Lord and the Lord of all things? No, by Allah, it is not possible: it is neither my Lord nor the Lord of all things, rather it is a created thing fashioned by Allah'; or he might say: `Is it by the light of this created and phenomenal thing, by this light which is the light of goodness, the light of the intellect or the light of sanctity or the combination of these that I know my Lord? Is it possible to gain knowledge of Him by means of these three lights? No, by Allah, it is not possible: rather it is only possible by crossing beyond them and ascending above their levels.' Arrival at true knowledge of Him and direct witnessing of His essence is only possible by Him and by His light of Reality. This is referred to in the words of the Prophet when he says: `I have known my Lord by my Lord.' One of the gnostics of his people has also said, `By God one cannot arrive at Him except by Him.' Every gnostic knows that it is only possible to see the orb of the sun and its rays by the very light of the sun.
The people of shari`ah who seek gnosis of the Real by way of the light of goodness are like the person who seeks to see the orb of the sun in the darkness of the night by the light of the stars; as is obvious, he will never be able to catch sight of it. The people of tariqah who seek gnosis of the Real by way of the light of the intellect are like the person who seeks the orb of the sun in the darkness of the night by the light of the moon; as is clear, he will never catch sight of it. The people of haqiqah who seek gnosis of the Real by means of the light of sanctity are like the person who actually sees the sun: it is clear that he can see it, although his seeing is that of the witnesser and the witnessed, not the seeing of pure divine unity.
The subtlety of meaning expressed here is that just as anyone who sees the light of the sun by means of the light of the sun is only able to arrive at a witnessing of the sun after establishing a connection based on purity, light and perfect nobility between himself and it, so too the person who sees the Real is only able to arrive at this witnes­sing after establishing a connection based on the liberation of the self from other than Him, by means of contentment and affirmation of His absolute sanctity and exaltedness above crea­tion.
Such a connection means the taking on of His characteris­tics, as is demonstrated by the words of the Prophet when he said, `Make your character the character of Allah,' and by Allah's words in a sacred hadith (spoken directly by Allah, albeit on the tongue of the Prophet and in the latter's words): `I was his hearing, his sight, his tongue, his hand and his foot.' It is for this reason that the gnostic has said: `It is not everyone who sets out who arrives, and not everyone who arrives attains, and not everyone who attains attains, and not everyone who attains separates, and not everyone who separates arrives, and not everyone who arrives arrives.'
The Commander of the Faithful ('Ali) explains the relationship (between Allah and His slave) in the following way: `Allah pos­sesses a drink which is reserved for His intimate friends (awliya'): when they drink they become intoxicated, when they become intoxicated they become joyful, when they become joyful they become sweet, when they become sweet they begin to melt, when they begin to melt they become free, when they become free they seek, when they seek they find, when they find they arrive, when they arrive they join, and when they join, there is no difference between them and their Beloved.'
Allah describes the lack of any distance or separation in His relationship with the Prophet when fie says, `And you did not smite when you smote (the enemy), but it was Allah Who smote.' The Prophet has also said, `Whoever sees me has seen the Truth.' Others have said, `Praise be to me, how great is my affair!' and `I am the Truth' and other similar expressions. This station is called the station of annihilation in unity, by this I mean the station of annihilation of the knower in the known, the lover in the beloved and the witnesser in the witnessed ‑ by way of the disappearance of phenomenal duality and the removal of egotism which is the obstacle to arrival at Him. The following verse also refers to this: Between myself and You is individual existence following from me. So, by Your grace, remove this individuality from between us.
The prophets, messengers, intimate friends and gnostics have all reached a point of annihilation in Him and then a continuing in Him; thus their contact with the ordinary world still exists despite the fact that they were spiritually annihilated in Him. It is necessary to understand this point well, for the annihilation of the Prophet in Allah did not prevent him from eating, drinking or getting married. His words `I have moments with Allah which include no one, not even His most intimate of angels, nor mes­sengers but myself are an indication of this state of annihilation.
Moreover his words `I am a man like the rest of you' is an indication of the station of continuing in the world. Allah's words, `And as for these examples, We set them forth for men, and none understands them but the learned' and `Everything is perishable but He; His is the judgment, and to Him you shall be brought back' and `Everyone on it must pass away. And there will endure for ever the person of your Lord, the Lord of Glory and honour' are all further indications of the same meaning.
If the meaning of the annihilation of the slave in his Lord is still unclear, then we would describe it metaphorically as the disappearance of the light of the stars in the light of the sun when the latter rises on the horizon, or as the constant breaking and disappearance of the waves in the sea. This idea has also been expressed in the following verse: The sea is the same sea as it has been of old; The events of today are its waves and its rivers.
Thus it has been said that the one who continues (after annihi­lation) into eternity and the one who is annihilated is in a state of annihilation which has not yet finished. Knowledge of cer­tainty, experience of certainty, and truth of certainty are terms which describe the three gnoses. The truth of certainty is particu­lar to the station of annihilation and the disappearance of the slave's features in his Lord (as the quotation above indicates).
Indeed the establishing of the station of truth is in the disappear­ance of these individual features; if a person does attain to this kind of annihilation, then he annihilates his existence in the existence of the Truth, his essence in His Essence and his attri­butes in His Attributes; if he obliterates his form, then his name falls away from him like the disappearance of the light of the stars in the light of the sun. If he witnesses the truth, by the very Truth itself, in the manifestations of its perfections and attributes, he realizes the meaning of `Everything is perishing but Him.' If he understands the secret of His words, `Therefore whither you turn, thither is Allah's purpose,' if he understands why the gnostic said, `When poverty is perfected, then that is Allah' and why he said, `Glory to myself, how great is my affair!' and why he said, `Who is there like myself and is there anyone but I in the two worlds?' and Allah's words, `Our Lord! Make perfect for us our light, and grant us protection, surely Thou hast power over all things' ‑ if he comprehends all this, then it is as a guidance which will enable him to see this light that annihilates the darkness of his own existence and brings him to his Lord by a link of spirituality, illumination and purity, by stripping away other‑than‑Him and liberating him from depen­dency on the world of form. It is for this reason that Allah says in reply to them, `It shall be said: Turn back and seek a light.' This means: `Return back to the original state of non‑existence and to the necessary annihilation of the essences of possibility and contingent existences, leave behind the seeing of the physical eye, and extricate yourselves from the darkness of egotism and otherness, and then take hold of the light of truth ‑ it will allow you to go on for ever and ever and will cause you to enter into the Garden of the Essence, the Arena of the Attributes and the worlds of never‑ending divine emanations.'
If we examine the Qur'anic ayah: `Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; a likeness of His light is as a niche... ,' we realize that it is alludes to the witnessing of this light according to the three levels of consciousness. The niche refers to the world of the mulk (the phenomenal world) and it corresponds to the shari'ah. The glass refers to the world of the malakut (the world of angelic and spiritual form) and corresponds to the tariqah. The lamp refers to the world of jabarut (His dominion) and corres­ponds to the haqiqah. The tree refers to His Presence of Power and corresponds to Absolute Existence from which all dependent form issues.
This interpretation is correct because by common agreement, light is existence and darkness is non‑existence. Allah's words, `Light upon light. Allah guides to His light Whom He wills' is an indication of the light of the hereafter ‑ and the cause of witnessing and arrival and is also the means to the connecting relationship between Him and His slaves. Thus Allah says immediately afterwards, `Allah sets forth parables for men' as an exhortation to His slaves to realize that attainment of the light of witnessing is dependent upon removal of the darkness of their existence (existence which is contingent and a mere reflection of the true existence).
In this ayah and others before it are secrets beyond the compass of the heavens and the earth. Thus, for example, He says: `If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would surely be consumed before the words of my Lord are exhausted, though We were to bring the like of that (sea) to add thereto.' This ayah and the other examples above demonstrate the validity of what we are describing concerning the attainment of this light and the witnessing; they demonstrate too the importance of the re­moval of the duality of the phenomenal world and the way in which the Prophet guided his people to this very light.
Thus he says in one of his supplications: `O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my hearing, light in my sight, light in my flesh, light in my blood and light in my bones, light in front of me, light behind me, light beneath me, light above me, light to the right of me, light to the left of me and light in my grave. O Allah, increase me in light and bestow on me light and give me light, by the truth of Your Reality, O most Merciful of the Merciful.'
It is by these examples that we recognize the prophets' and messengers' respect for these three levels of consciousness, and we see how they commanded their respective peoples to also respect them and to carry on the duties incumbent on them ‑ whether it be by the shari`ah, the tariqah or haqiqah. Therefore it is obligatory for every person of sane mind to carry out these duties as far as he is able. Moreover, it is obligatory to‑strive to attain perfection and bliss in each of these three levels after complete submission to the Lord: this is the belief of the people of Allah, their elite, the masters of divine unity and the chosen amongst them. Happy indeed is the slave who follows in their footsteps. `All praise is due to Allah Who guided us to this, and we would not have found the way had it not been that Allah had guided us.'
Having established that the shari`ah, tariqah and haqiqah are all terms which describe the One Truth, the Divine Code, and that there exists no contradiction between the different levels, we shall begin the second aspect of our study, namely the superiority of one level over the next.