The Fortieth Discourse
The Prophet (ALLAH bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
You must observe a high standard of morality [husn al-khulq] in your social
relationships with people, for then, if you should die, they will pray for ALLAH
to bestow His mercy upon you [yurahhimu 'alaikum], and even if you are absent,
they will still feel lovingly disposed toward you.
Pay careful heed to this piece of good advice. Attach it firmly to your hearts,
and do not treat it as just an idea to be considered mentally and compared
theoretically with other ideas. I have drawn your attention to something that
may seem rather unimportant, but which carries a very considerable reward. How
splendid is a good moral character, for it is a source of comfort to its owner
and to other people as well, and how disgusting is a bad moral character, for it
is a weary burden to its owner and a cause of pain to others! It is necessary
for the true believer [mu 'min] to wage a dedicated struggle against his own
lower self [nafs], for the purpose of improving the quality of his moral
character [khulq]. He must impose this particular discipline upon it, just as he
must strive to train it in all other forms of worshipful obedience [ta'at]. As
long as the lower self [nafs] shows signs of recalcitrance and indignation, and
a tendency to treat other people with contempt, you must continue the struggle
until it is well and truly tamed. Once it is properly tamed, it will behave with
humble modesty and meek submissiveness, and its moral character will be refined.
It will recognize its own worth, and be tolerant of others. Before the dedicated
struggle [mujahada] is waged against it, the lower self [nafs] is a tyrannical
Pharaoh [Fir'awna].
Congratulations to anyone who recognizes the true nature of his own lower self [nafs],
and then treats it as an enemy, opposing it whenever it tries to tell him what
to do! You must subject it constantly to the remembrance of death and of that
which lies beyond death, for then it will become meekly submissive and its moral
character will be improved. You must grasp it with the hand of contemplation,
and cause it to enter the Fire of Hell and the Garden of Paradise, so that it
can see what these contain, for then it will become meekly submissive and its
moral character will be improved. You must contemplate the Resurrection [Qiyama],
and make your own lower selves [anfus] experience it, before the actual
Resurrection comes to pass. The Resurrection will be a delight for one set of
people, and an occasion of grief for another group. For some it will be a
festival ['id], while for others it will be a funeral ceremony [ma'tam]. For
some people it will be the day of the festival of the righteous ['id as-salihin],
the day of their recreational parade, the day on which they get to wear their
robes of honor and to mount their fine riding beasts, while their attendants
come forth to escort them, and their banners are unfurled. Their good deeds will
take on visible forms, the radiance of which will shine upon their faces.
If you have a serious interest in your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and
if you are seeking Him, you must stick close to me, and be content. If you are
prepared to do this, well and good. If not, you are not being really honest.
This path is not one that can be traveled in the company of the lower self [nafs],
passionate desire [hawa], natural inclination [tab'], and the need to make a
favorable impression on one's fellow creatures. I have disclosed the state of
affairs to you, so if you wish, accept my terms. If not.... You [O Lord] are
More Knowledgeable [A'raf]! If you do accept, I shall hope and pray that you may
receive much good from ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He). Follow me, and do
not fear for yourself on account of the hunger of the poor. You may rest assured
that nothing but what you wish for is going to happen, and that you will
experience nothing but good.
When I was just a little boy, I used to go off by myself to spend time alone in
empty places. At certain moments, I would hear a voice, although I never saw a
person, saying: "You are surely blessed with goodness, and you will surely
acquire goodness!" Whenever this happened, I would get up and explore my
surroundings, since I had no idea where that voice might be coming from,
and--for which all praise is due to ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He)--I have
experienced blessed grace [baraka] in all my circumstances.
Among the servants of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He), there are some who
are empowered to say to something "Be!"--and it will thereupon come into being.
You do not see them, however, and even if you did see them, you would fail to
recognize them. You would slam your doors shut in their faces. You would tighten
your purse strings in their presence, and you would not invite them to share the
food on your table. Woe unto you! If you bolt your doors in the faces of the
poor, ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) will shut you out, but if you open
them in their faces, ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) will provide an opening
for you. If you spend your financial resources to earn the favor of ALLAH
(Almighty and Glorious is He), He will provide you with compensation, but if you
spend those resources to earn the favor of your fellow creatures, He will make
things difficult for you. Spend freely on good causes, and do not be stingy, for
generosity is from ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He), while stinginess is from
the devil [shaitan]. As ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
The devil promises you poverty, and instructs you to behave with gross
indecency. (2:268)
This is in contrast to what ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) has promised
you, namely, compensation in return for charitable expenditure, for He has said
(Exalted is He):
And whatever thing you shall expend, He will replace it. (34:39)
Woe unto you! You lay claim to Islam, yet you disagree with the Messenger (ALLAH
bless him and give him peace), and you introduce into his religion whatever
novelty your whims and passions desire. You have been telling a lie concerning
your Islam. Far from being a faithful follower [muttabi'], you are in fact a
heretical innovator [mubtadi']. Far from being harmoniously compliant, you are
actually an incompatible dissident. Surely you must have heard how the Prophet
(ALLAH bless him and give him peace) has told us:
Follow [the Book and the Sunna], and do not introduce heretical innovations, for
you have been given everything you need.
You must also have heard his saying (ALLAH bless him and give him peace):
I have left you in possession of unambiguous evidence.
You claim to be a faithful follower of his (ALLAH bless him and give him peace),
yet you contradict his words. You are quite unworthy of any respect!
I am simply telling the truth, so if you wish to love me, well and good, but you
do not have to love me, if you do not wish to do so. If you wish to praise me,
well and good, but you may also blame me, if you so wish.
As ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Say: "O mankind, the truth has come to you from your Lord." (10:108)
So, if there is anyone who wishes to believe, let him believe, and if there is
someone who wishes to disbelieve, let him disbelieve. No one will run away from
what I have to say, unless he is a hypocrite [munafiq], an impostor [dajjal], a
heretical innovator [bid'i], someone who is motivated by his whims and passions
[hawa], someone who readily complies with his own lower self [nafs], someone who
is at variance with the Book of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) and the
Sunna of His Messenger (ALLAH bless him and give him peace), someone who is a
hater of the truth and a lover of falsehood, someone whose heart takes no steps
in the direction of closeness to his Master [Mawla] (Almighty and Glorious is
He).
Use the ears and eyes of your heart to listen and look, without doubt and
suspicion, then watch out for the marvelous wonders you will see! You must cease
to view the people [of the Lord] with doubt and suspicion. Acknowledge the fact
that they always tell the truth, and be ready to accept instruction from them,
without asking 'why?' and 'how?', for then they will adopt you as a member of
their company. They will regard you as fit to enter their service, and they will
share with you whatever blessings are bestowed upon them. Blessings and favors
are bestowed upon the hearts of the champions of truth [siddiqin], and secrets
are communicated to their innermost beings [asrar], by night and by day. If you
wish them to regard you as fit to enter their service, you must purify your
character, both on the outside [zahir] and on the inside [batin], and stand
before them at the ready. You must purify your heart by purging it of any
heretical innovation [bid'a], for the doctrine [i'tiqad] of the people [of the
Lord] is the doctrine of the Prophets [nabiyyin], the Messengers [mursalin], and
the champions of the truth [siddiqin] (may the blessings and peace of ALLAH be
upon them all). Theirs is the school [madhhab] to which they adhere [in respect
of religious tenets and practices], the school of the righteous predecessors.
They would never make a claim that could not be substantiated, and whenever they
do make a claim, it is supported by the testimony of two impeccable witnesses,
whose honorable status is definitely beyond suspicion, namely, the Book of ALLAH
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and the Sunna of His Messenger (ALLAH bless him
and give him peace).
O my people, you may do injustice to yourselves, but you must not do injustice
to others! Injustice [zulm] brings about the ruin of whole countries, and puts
an end to their development. It darkens hearts and faces, and causes the means
of livelihood to be in short supply. Do not perpetrate injustice [la tazlimu],
for it will result in darkness [zulma] on the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyama].
The resurrection of our physical bodies is something we shall experience all too
soon. The Creator of our physical bodies will make us stand before Him, while He
calls us to account and submits us to interrogation. He will ask us about
everything, be it little or much, and He will hold us responsible for the
tiniest details.
I am simply acting as a counselor [nasih] for your benefit. I am not seeking any
remuneration from you in exchange for my good advice!
You must not get anywhere close to transactions in which usurious interest [riba]
is involved, for that would amount to waging war against your Lord, and would
result in the removal of blessed grace [baraka] from your material resources.
When you make a loan, the terms of repayment should be exactly one dinar [gold
coin] for one dinar. If anyone among you is capable of making a loan to a poor
person, and of waiving the repayment after some time for the sake of ALLAH, he
should certainly do so. He will thereby make that person happy on two occasions,
first by means of the loan itself, and then again by the waiver. You should do
this with a sense of relying on your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) and
having confidence in Him. He will surely provide compensation, reward you, and
bless you for it. You must make every effort to avoid turning the beggar away
empty-handed. Give him whatever you can readily afford, however little it may
be, for a little something is better than total deprivation. If you really
cannot come up with anything at all, you should at least refrain from shooing
him away with angry words. Try to say something kind and gentle to him as you
send him on his way, so that you do not break his heart with utter
disappointment!
The face of this world is very changeable indeed; its complexion varies with the
alternating of the night and the day. Whenever someone dies, he actually
experiences his personal resurrection [qiyama], and becomes aware of what he has
to his credit and of what is counted against him. Everything has its terminating
counterpart: well-being is terminated by affliction, affluence by poverty, life
by death, honor by humiliation. All of these things are opposites. As one of
them arrives, its opposite departs, and in the hereafter there is the
termination of death. In the case of the believer [mu'min] who is spiritually
aware ['arif], no sooner does he close the eyes of his head than the eyes of his
heart open wide, so that he sees his fellow creatures in the state they happen
to be in at that moment. Then, as soon as the eyes of his heart have closed, the
eyes of his head open wide, and he sees the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious
is He) and His ways of managing the realm of creation. As soon as the Lord of
Truth [Haqq] makes His presence felt, the realm of creation [khalq] departs. As
soon as the hereafter makes its presence felt, this world departs. As soon as
honesty [sidq] makes its presence felt, lying departs. As soon as sincere
devotion [ikhlas] makes its presence felt, the association of partners with
ALLAH [shirk] departs. As soon as faith [iman] makes its presence felt,
hypocrisy [nifaq] departs. Each item has an opposite to match it.
The sensible person pays attention to the ultimate consequences ['awaqib]. He
does not focus his attention on this world and its glamorous charm, for it must
very soon pass away and come to an end. All of you will come to an end, then it
will also come to an end after you are gone.
You must not run away, trying to escape from the company of your Lord (Almighty
and Glorious is He) on account of the painful sufferings that are sent by Him to
afflict you, for He is More Aware [A'lam] of your best interests than you
yourselves, and you must receive a proper education. He comes down upon the
hearts of the champions of truth [siddiqin], so you may salute them with the
greeting of peace, and ask them to intercede on your behalf. ALLAH (Almighty and
Glorious is He) is the One who enables and empowers [al-Mumakkin]. He clasps
their hearts to His bosom, kisses the eyes of their hearts, and raises them up
through patience [sabr], compliance [muwafaqa] and contentment [rida]. You will
therefore remain in His presence for a while, but then you will be taken away
from His presence, and the question will be asked: "How did you regard the
situation and the hospitality you received there?" To this you will reply: "What
an excellent situation, and how excellent the Host! How excellent the guidance,
and how excellent the Guide!"
One of these spiritual masters [sada] (may ALLAH bestow His mercy upon them all)
had just been through the agony of a very painful ordeal, when some people came
and asked him: "How was it for you during the experience of that ordeal?" To
this he replied: "Ask the ordeal about me!"
You must all be patient with your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), for He
will surely bring your trials and tribulations to an end, and He will raise your
spiritual degrees in His sight, as a reward for your patience. Be with Him, in
spite of your own lower selves [anfus]. Be with those who sincerely believe in
Him, and who are actively practicing what they believe, in His company, because
of Him, and for His sake.
O ALLAH, grant us control of the instruments we need, and make things easy for
us! Open up good opportunities for us, and make our way smooth! Amin.
Faith [iman] brings with it an increase in sickness, poverty, hunger, and the
abundance of cares and concerns. If this does not happen, it is not true faith.
The essential nature [jawhar] of faith becomes clearly apparent in the presence
of misfortune, and its light shines brightly in the presence of trials and
tribulations, just as courage becomes manifest in the presence of the army that
threatens disaster. Your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) is fully Aware [Khabir]
of what all of you are doing, O kings [muluk] and slaves [mamalik], O members of
the elite class [khawass], O common folk ['awamm], O affluent ones [aghniya'], O
indigent paupers [fuqara'], O hermits in your cells [ahl al-khalawat]! No one
has a screen behind which to hide from Him, for He (Exalted is He) is with you
wherever you may be!
O ALLAH, grant us protection [sitr], forgiveness [ghufran], pardon ['afw],
kindness [lutf], clemency [hilm], tolerance [tajawuz], providential care ['inaya],
sufficiency [kifaya], well-being ['afiya], and amnesty [mu'afat]! Amin.
Whatever you are involved in, be it good or evil, truth or falsehood, sincere
devotion [ikhlas] or the association of partners with ALLAH [shirk], worshipful
obedience or sinful disobedience, He (Exalted is He) is All-Knowing ['Alim],
Ever-Aware [Khabir], Ever-Watchful [Raqib], Ever-Present [Hadir],
Ever-Witnessing [Shahid]. You must feel a sense of shame, knowing that you are
subject to His scrutinizing gaze (Exalted is He). Look with the eye of faith [iman],
for then you will see that His gaze (Exalted is He) is directed at you from all
the six directions [i.e., from right and left, from in front and behind, from
above and below].
Are these stern lectures [mawa'iz] not sufficient for you? If only you would
take advice, and listen with the ears of your hearts! All that you really need
in this business is to feel the fear of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He),
in both your private and your public lives. You must always be vigilantly aware
of Him (Exalted is He). You must be conscious of the fact that He is watching
you, and that your conduct is being monitored by the angels, the Noble Recorders
[al-Kiram al-Katibin]. You should indeed be afraid of the pair [of angels
assigned to keep the record of your deeds], for then you need not be afraid of
the penalties prescribed by Islamic law [hudud shar'iyya] that could be imposed
upon you by your worldly ruler [sultan] and your political leader [amir]. If
only you would be afraid [of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) and the
recording angels], the person responsible for looking after you would not have
any trouble with you!
O you poor creature! O starving wretch! O naked one! O needy one! You are crying
out for help, but silence is preferable in your case, and it will prove more
beneficial to you. The fact that He (Exalted is He) has knowledge ['ilm] of your
condition is enough to relieve you of the need to beg. His only reason for
putting you to the test is to get you to come back to Him, so take your heart
back to Him, stand firm, and see what good things you receive! Do not be
impatient with Him, do not accuse Him of stinginess, and do not regard Him with
doubt and suspicion. Exalted is He! He has caused you to experience hunger,
nakedness, and poverty. He has doubts about you, so He (Exalted is He) is
looking to see whether you will stick close to His door, or to the door of
someone other than Him; whether you will be content with Him, or dissatisfied
with Him; whether you will be grateful to Him, or complain about Him; whether
you will yell at Him, or beseech Him in a humble tone of voice. He is putting
you to the test in order to see how you behave.
O ignorant ones, you have left the door of the Wealthy One [al-Ghani] (Exalted
is He) and attached yourselves to the door of the indigent pauper. You have left
the door of the Noble One [al-Karim] and attached yourselves to the door of the
ignoble scoundrel. You have left the door of the All-Capable One [al-Qadir] and
attached yourselves to the door of someone who is quite incompetent. O you who
are so ignorant about Him, the time is not far off when He will gather all of
you together in His presence [on the Day of Resurrection]. He will make you
stand before Him on that day, the Day of the Assembly [Yawm al-Jam'], in order
to group you according to the various categories to which you belong.
O all you creatures! ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
This is the Day of Decision. We have assembled you together with the people of
ancient times, so if you have a trick to play, try now to trick Me! (77:38,39)
On the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyama], ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He)
will gather all His creatures together on an earth which is not this earth, but
one upon which no human blood has ever been shed, and where no sin has ever been
committed. This is something about which there can be no doubt, and concerning
which there is no uncertainty. As ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And because the Hour is coming, of that there is no doubt, and because ALLAH
will raise up those who are in the graves. (22:7)
The Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyama] will be the day of mutual cheating [taghabun],
the day of grief, the day of remorse, the day of recalling to mind, the day of
compliance, the day of testimony, the day of stories, the day of gladness, the
day of sorrow, the day of fear, the day of security from fear, the day of bliss,
the day of torment, the day of rest, the day of weary labor, the day of thirst,
the day of freedom from affliction, the day of clothing, the day of nakedness,
the day of profit, the day of loss, the day on which the true believers [mu'minun]
will rejoice in the help they receive from ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He).
O ALLAH, we take refuge with You from the evil of that day, and we beg You to
grant us something good.
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us against the
torment of the fire! (2:201)
The Forty-Fourth Discourse
A certain righteous man is reported as having said: "The hypocrite [munafiq]
remains in one and the same spiritual condition for forty years at a stretch,
while the champion of truth [siddiq] experiences transformation forty times
every single day."
The hypocrite is totally involved with his lower self [nafs], his passions [hawa],
his natural inclinations [tab'], his devil [shaitan] and his interest in the
things of this world [dunya]. He is committed to their service, from which he
never takes a break. He is never known to disagree with their point of view, and
he will never say a word to contradict them. His only interests are food and
drink, clothes, sexual intercourse and the accumulation of worldly goods, and he
does not care how he comes by them. He cultivates his physical body and his
worldly affairs, but he lets his heart and his religion [din] go to waste. He
tries to please his fellow creatures [khalq], but he gives offense to the
Creator [Khaliq]. The longer his hypocrisy [nifaq] continues, the harder and
darker his heart becomes, so he is quite unmoved and unaffected by any spiritual
counsel [maw'iza], takes no notice of any admonition ['iza], and pays no
attention to any reminder. Thus it is undoubtedly a fact that he remains in one
and the same spiritual condition for forty years at a stretch.
The champion of truth [siddiq] cannot possibly remain in such a static
condition, because he is entirely at the disposal of the Transformer of hearts [Muqallib
al-qulub], immersed in the ocean of His power, so that one wave raises him up
and another sends him down. He is moved this way and that by the operations [tasarif]
and transformations [taqalib] of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), like a feather in a windswept desert, like a fresh stalk [khama] in the
farmer's field, like the corpse in the hands of the ritual washer of the dead [ghasil],
like the baby in the hands of the wet nurse [zi'r] or the midwife, like the ball
on the receiving end of the polo player's mallet. He has surrendered both his
outer [zahir] and his inner being [batin] to Him, and he is completely satisfied
with His management. Far from taking any interest in his eating, his sleeping
and his carnal appetites, he is interested only in the service of his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and in earning His good pleasure. This is why a
certain righteous man once said: "As for the people [of the Lord], their
approach to eating is that of the sick, their form of sleep is the sleep of the
drowned, and if they speak it is only out of sheer necessity." How could they
not be like this? In their hearts there is something that is quite invisible to
others. They have ceased to be aware of anything apart from their Lord. They
have absented themselves from this world, the hereafter, and everything else
apart from Him. They have settled humbly at His door. They have rested their
heads on the threshold of His doorway, in readiness to comply with His orders.
They have become accustomed to being contented, to needing nothing. Fate and
destiny [al-qada' wa 'l-qadar] are now their servants, and these two approach
them in visible form and then carry them on their heads.
If you are not one of the people [of the Lord], they are the people you must
serve. You must befriend them, sit in their company and draw close to them. Put
your material goods at their disposal. Follow them by emulating their actions,
not by repeating their words and saying how excellent and wonderful they are.
Carry your righteousness [salah] in your heart; do not wear it as part of your
outer clothing. Dress as ordinary people dress, but do not behave as they
behave. We Muslims do not recognize monasticism where food, clothing and
marriage are concerned. As ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
But monasticism they invented; We did not prescribe it for them. (57:27)
In the words of the Prophet (ALLAH bless him and give him peace):
There is no such thing as monasticism in Islam.
Those who are sincere in their devotion [mukhlisun] have their hermitages [sawami']
inside their hearts, while their harsh austerity is imposed on their lower
selves [anfus], their passionate desires [ahwiya] and their natural inclinations
[taba'i']. When they are alone in their private quarters, they experience the
intimate friendship [uns] of their Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) in
confidential converse [munajat] with Him.
Since the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) is using my tongue to
inform you about the spiritual state of the righteous [salihun], one of you may
be used as a channel to convey such information to another. You must pay
attention and take notice. It is He who is calling you through that person's
mouth, so you must respond to the one who s transmitting His invitation. He is
inviting you to pure serenity [safa']. He is urging you to abstain from His
creation and to be satisfied with Him. He is urging you to be among those who
remember Him, so that you may come to be among those who are remembered in His
presence. In the quest for his Master [Mawla], the honest servant must remember
Him constantly, both outwardly [zahiran] and inwardly [batinan], both privately
and publicly, by night and by day, in hardship and in ease, in bliss and in
agony, until he comes to be one who is remembered by Him. That servant must
remember Him audibly, by pronouncing His name aloud, and silently within his
heart.
You are too sound asleep to realize that you are letting the bliss of the people
[of the Lord] slip by you. O you who are so heedless of that bliss, will you not
come to your senses? You are out of touch with that which should really concern
you. You are very clever at dealing with the affairs of this world, but when it
comes to the affairs of the hereafter you are sheer ignoramuses. You are bogged
down in mud, so that with every move you make you sink deeper and deeper.
Stretch out your hands toward ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) with an honest
plea for salvation, offering repentance and an apology, so that He may deliver
you from the mess you are in.
Here I am, calling upon you to resist the demands of your lower selves [nufus],
your passionate desires [ahwiya], your natural inclinations [taba'i'] and your
carnal appetites [shahawat], and to bear with patience the disappointments you
suffer. Respond to my call, for you will see the benefit of doing so, sooner or
later.
Here I am, summoning you to violent death [al-mawt al-ahmar] in the Name of
ALLAH. Who will dare to respond? Who will step forward to meet the challenge?
Who will show that he has the courage for it? Who will be prepared to take the
risk? This means death, but then life everlasting. Do not run away! Endure with
patience, and then with still more patience. Courage [shaja'a] is an hour's
patience. You must be patient in your compliance with your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). If there is one among you who can bear the burden of readiness
to accept the divine decree [qada'], ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) will
relieve him of it, and He will inscribe him in the register of the brave [diwan
ash-shuj'an]. When someone is ready to sacrifice himself, he acquires a sense of
certainty [yaqin]. When someone knows what he is looking for, he attaches little
importance to what he must spend in order to attain his goal.
Be sure of where you stand, and then make haste. Come here on the footing of
sincerity [sidq], so that you may knock at the door of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). You must stay there as long as it takes, until
the door is opened for you and the angelic escorts [mawakib] come forth to
welcome you. You may as well be importunate in asking Him for the things you
need, since this will do you more good than your importunity [tawaquh] toward
your kings and potentates and wealthy patrons.
Follow the example set by your predecessors in their quest for their Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He) and their total absorption [fana'] in Him.
O ALLAH, You are our Lord [Rabb] and their Lord, our Creator [Khaliq] and their
Creator, our Provider [Raziq] and their Provider, so deal with us as You dealt
with them! Bring us out of us, away from us, toward You! Cause us to forget the
kings and their slaves, the sultans and their subjects, the rich and the poor,
the elite and the masses, the rise and fall of market prices, affluence and
scarcity. Remind us to remember You. Treat us gently in Your workings. Bring us
close to Your nearness, and let our hearts enjoy Your intimate friendship [uns].
Keep us safe from the evil of Your cities and Your servants, and from the evil
of every crawling creature that You grasp by the forelock and seize by the tail.
Keep us safe from the evil of the evildoers [sharr al-ashrar], and from the
cunning deceptions of the morally corrupt [kaid al-fujjar]. Let us be members of
Your party [hizb], guiding others to You while abasing ourselves before
You,summoning others to You while humbling ourselves before You, but standing
tall against those who behave with arrogance toward You and toward the true
believers among Your creatures. Amin.