As for the people [of the
Lord], they attach very little importance to this world and the hereafter, and
they are indifferent to the hardships of life in the realm of creation. Any one
of them may be compared to a man who has dispatched his laden camel [in a
caravan] to Khurasan, having already built a house over there on Mount Juraida.
As he watches the progress of his caravan, and sees its commander come out to
lead it, his physical body may be present as part of the scene, but his whole
heart has gone on ahead to his home. The true believer [mu'min] has dispatched a
shipment of goods to the hereafter, having already built a mansion over there.
For all its charm, however, his whole heart yearns for the nearness of the Lord
of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). This is why the Prophet (ALLAH bless him
and give him peace) has told us:This world is the believer's prison [ad-dunya
sijnu'l-mu'min].
The true believer remains ever true to his faith [iman], so that he comes to be
one who is really aware ['arif] of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He), one who
knows Him well ['alim bihi], one who is near to Him, and one who attains to
contact with Him. Having reached this stage, he prefers Him over everything
else. He presents his belongings to the servants who wait in attendance at the
door, all of them longing to be admitted inside the palace of nearness [to the
Lord]. He gives the key to his mansion, the one in the Garden of Paradise, back
to its custodian. His innermost being [sirr] approaches the gates of the
Gardens, but only in order to leave them all shut. He also locks the doors of
the realm of creation and worldly existence [wujud]. Then he throws himself at
the door of the King, where he acts as if he were sick, and falls as if he had
been flung there like a lump of meat. He waits for the feet of Gracious Favor to
pass by and trample on him. He waits for a glance from the eye of Mercy, and for
the hand of Noble Generosity and Kindness to be extended. Then, as he lies there
in this state--lo and behold!--he suddenly finds himself inside the chamber of
Nearness, in the room of Gracious Favor, in the presence of the Expert
Physician, who proceeds to exercise and train him, to restore his strength and
energy, to entertain him, to deck him out in fine attire and jewelry, to feed
him with the food of Grace and quench his thirst with the drink of Intimate
Friendship. For this is the point at which Mercy has arrived in the Palace of
Nearness, and when Joy has arrived on the Balconies of Attainment.
All created entities have now come to be beneath him, and he looks upon them
with the eye of gentle sympathy, giving expression to the attributes [akhlaq] of
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), because the hearts of those who
have attained to Him are filled with merciful compassion [rahma] for their
fellow creatures. They look with the eye of merciful compassion upon both the
Muslims and the unbelievers [kafirin], upon both the common people and the
special few. They treat them all with compassion, while at the same time
insisting that they must observe the rules of the sacred law [shar']. Outwardly,
there is the insistence; inwardly, there is the compassion. O servants of ALLAH!
Whenever you encounter one of these people [of the Lord], you must be ready to
serve him. Take note of what I am telling you, for I am giving you sound advice.
O you who idle away your time in your houses or your hermit cells [sawami'],
stuck there with nothing to keep you company but the lower self [nafs], the
urges of natural disposition [tab'], the passions [hawa], and very little
knowledge ['ilm], the company you need to seek is that of the Sheikhs who put
their knowledge into actual practice [ash-shuyukh al-'ummal bi'l-'ilm]. You must
carry out their instructions and follow in their footsteps. You must act toward
them with humility, and endure with patience the harsh treatment they
administer, until your passions have ceased to control you, your lower selves
have been subdued, and the flames of your natural urges have been snuffed out.
Once this stage has been reached, you will recognize this world for what it is,
since you will know it through experience. It will then become your maidservant,
who must give you what she is obliged to give you. In other words, she will give
you your quotas of the allotments she has to distribute. She will bring them to
you while you are at the doorway of your nearness to your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Both she and the hereafter are ready to act as maidservants for
anyone who serves the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
When the believer's heart is such that the affirmation of Divine Unity [tawhid]
has become highly developed within it, the rate of his growth will accelerate
with every day that passes. The more he grows, matures, and rises to fresh
heights, the less he will pay attention to anything on the face of the earth or
in heaven, other than ALLAH. All created beings will be at his command, while he
resides in the privacy of his home and in the presence of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Once he has reached this stage, he will be
empowered by Him and will enjoy direct access to Him, and so he will come to be
the executive ruler [sultan] of his age. He will be empowered to make binding
decisions, to issue decrees and to govern. The best friends of the King will be
ready to serve him, and he will enjoy a close personal relationship with His
Majesty.
O my people! You must believe the word of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He),
the word of His Messenger (ALLAH bless him and give him peace), and the word of
the righteous [salihin] among His creatures. ALLAH (Exalted is He) is surely
Truthful [Sadiq], because He has said:
And who can be more truthful in speech than ALLAH? (4:122)
As for the Messenger and the righteous, their veracity [sidq] is derived from
His veracity.
If your heart adopts a properly respectful stance at the door of the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), you will no longer be guilty of associating
partners with Him [shirk], your quest for Him will be over, and the quality of
your behavior will be greatly improved. Patience frees one from the influence of
carnal appetites. Patience causes bad habits to fade away, severs attachment to
material means [asbab], and shakes off dependence on the worldly owners of such
means [arbab].
You are so stupid! You are so ignorant of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He)
and His Messenger [rasul], His saints [Awliya'] and the special few [khawass]
among His creatures (may the blessings and peace of ALLAH be upon them all). You
claim to be committed to abstinence [zuhd], and yet you are actually longing to
satisfy your appetites. Your abstinence is something you practice only when it
is convenient. Your real longing is wholly for things belonging to this world
and your fellow creatures. You feel no longing for your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). You had better beware of standing in the presence of your Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He)!
You must improve your attitude of mind and your behavior, so that I may guide
you in the direction of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and so that I
may acquaint you with the path that leads to Him. You must strip from yourself
the garment of arrogant pride, and take to wearing the garment of humility. You
must practice self-abasement until you can be truly humble, then conduct
yourself with humility so that you may grow in stature. Everything that you are
now involved in, everything you are concerned about, all of it is nothing but a
delusion wrapped up in yet another delusion!
If you reject the notion [khatir] of the lower self, the notion of the passions,
the devil's notion and the notion of this world, the notion of the hereafter
will come to you. Then you will receive the angel's notion, then finally the
notion of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). This is the ultimate
stage.
When your heart is sound, it will pause to ask each notion as it arises: "What
kind of notion are you? From what source do you come?" So it will say: "I am the
notion of such-and-such...."
The majority of you are governed by a delusion within a delusion, worshipping
creatures in your cells [sawami']. This business is not something that comes
about merely through sitting in secluded places [khalawat] with ignorance for
company.
You must walk forth in search of knowledge ['ilm] and scholars who put their
knowledge into practice ['ulama' 'ummal], until you can walk no farther. You
must keep walking until your legs will no longer obey you. Then, when you have
no strength left, you may sit down. Travel with your outer [zahir], then with
your heart and your inner content [ma'na]. When you are utterly exhausted both
outwardly and inwardly [batinan] and have to stop, nearness to ALLAH (Almighty
This world is the believer's prison [ad-dunya sijnu'l-mu'min].
The true believer remains ever true to his faith [iman], so that he comes to be
one who is really aware ['arif] of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He), one who
knows Him well ['alim bihi], one who is near to Him, and one who attains to
contact with Him. Having reached this stage, he prefers Him over everything
else. He presents his belongings to the servants who wait in attendance at the
door, all of them longing to be admitted inside the palace of nearness [to the
Lord]. He gives the key to his mansion, the one in the Garden of Paradise, back
to its custodian. His innermost being [sirr] approaches the gates of the
Gardens, but only in order to leave them all shut. He also locks the doors of
the realm of creation and worldly existence [wujud]. Then he throws himself at
the door of the King, where he acts as if he were sick, and falls as if he had
been flung there like a lump of meat. He waits for the feet of Gracious Favor to
pass by and trample on him. He waits for a glance from the eye of Mercy, and for
the hand of Noble Generosity and Kindness to be extended. Then, as he lies there
in this state--lo and behold!--he suddenly finds himself inside the chamber of
Nearness, in the room of Gracious Favor, in the presence of the Expert
Physician, who proceeds to exercise and train him, to restore his strength and
energy, to entertain him, to deck him out in fine attire and jewelry, to feed
him with the food of Grace and quench his thirst with the drink of Intimate
Friendship. For this is the point at which Mercy has arrived in the Palace of
Nearness, and when Joy has arrived on the Balconies of Attainment.
All created entities have now come to be beneath him, and he looks upon them
with the eye of gentle sympathy, giving expression to the attributes [akhlaq] of
the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), because the hearts of those who
have attained to Him are filled with merciful compassion [rahma] for their
fellow creatures. They look with the eye of merciful compassion upon both the
Muslims and the unbelievers [kafirin], upon both the common people and the
special few. They treat them all with compassion, while at the same time
insisting that they must observe the rules of the sacred law [shar']. Outwardly,
there is the insistence; inwardly, there is the compassion. O servants of ALLAH!
Whenever you encounter one of these people [of the Lord], you must be ready to
serve him. Take note of what I am telling you, for I am giving you sound advice.
O you who idle away your time in your houses or your hermit cells [sawami'],
stuck there with nothing to keep you company but the lower self [nafs], the
urges of natural disposition [tab'], the passions [hawa], and very little
knowledge ['ilm], the company you need to seek is that of the Sheikhs who put
their knowledge into actual practice [ash-shuyukh al-'ummal bi'l-'ilm]. You must
carry out their instructions and follow in their footsteps. You must act toward
them with humility, and endure with patience the harsh treatment they
administer, until your passions have ceased to control you, your lower selves
have been subdued, and the flames of your natural urges have been snuffed out.
Once this stage has been reached, you will recognize this world for what it is,
since you will know it through experience. It will then become your maidservant,
who must give you what she is obliged to give you. In other words, she will give
you your quotas of the allotments she has to distribute. She will bring them to
you while you are at the doorway of your nearness to your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Both she and the hereafter are ready to act as maidservants for
anyone who serves the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He).
When the believer's heart is such that the affirmation of Divine Unity [tawhid]
has become highly developed within it, the rate of his growth will accelerate
with every day that passes. The more he grows, matures, and rises to fresh
heights, the less he will pay attention to anything on the face of the earth or
in heaven, other than ALLAH. All created beings will be at his command, while he
resides in the privacy of his home and in the presence of the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Once he has reached this stage, he will be
empowered by Him and will enjoy direct access to Him, and so he will come to be
the executive ruler [sultan] of his age. He will be empowered to make binding
decisions, to issue decrees and to govern. The best friends of the King will be
ready to serve him, and he will enjoy a close personal relationship with His
Majesty.
O my people! You must believe the word of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He),
the word of His Messenger (ALLAH bless him and give him peace), and the word of
the righteous [salihin] among His creatures. ALLAH (Exalted is He) is surely
Truthful [Sadiq], because He has said:
And who can be more truthful in speech than ALLAH? (4:122)
As for the Messenger and the righteous, their veracity [sidq] is derived from
His veracity.
If your heart adopts a properly respectful stance at the door of the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), you will no longer be guilty of associating
partners with Him [shirk], your quest for Him will be over, and the quality of
your behavior will be greatly improved. Patience frees one from the influence of
carnal appetites. Patience causes bad habits to fade away, severs attachment to
material means [asbab], and shakes off dependence on the worldly owners of such
means [arbab].
You are so stupid! You are so ignorant of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He)
and His Messenger [rasul], His saints [Awliya'] and the special few [khawass]
among His creatures (may the blessings and peace of ALLAH be upon them all). You
claim to be committed to abstinence [zuhd], and yet you are actually longing to
satisfy your appetites. Your abstinence is something you practice only when it
is convenient. Your real longing is wholly for things belonging to this world
and your fellow creatures. You feel no longing for your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). You had better beware of standing in the presence of your Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He)!
You must improve your attitude of mind and your behavior, so that I may guide
you in the direction of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and so that I
may acquaint you with the path that leads to Him. You must strip from yourself
the garment of arrogant pride, and take to wearing the garment of humility. You
must practice self-abasement until you can be truly humble, then conduct
yourself with humility so that you may grow in stature. Everything that you are
now involved in, everything you are concerned about, all of it is nothing but a
delusion wrapped up in yet another delusion!
If you reject the notion [khatir] of the lower self, the notion of the passions,
the devil's notion and the notion of this world, the notion of the hereafter
will come to you. Then you will receive the angel's notion, then finally the
notion of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). This is the ultimate
stage.
When your heart is sound, it will pause to ask each notion as it arises: "What
kind of notion are you? From what source do you come?" So it will say: "I am the
notion of such-and-such...."
The majority of you are governed by a delusion within a delusion, worshipping
creatures in your cells [sawami']. This business is not something that comes
about merely through sitting in secluded places [khalawat] with ignorance for
company.
You must walk forth in search of knowledge ['ilm] and scholars who put their
knowledge into practice ['ulama' 'ummal], until you can walk no farther. You
must keep walking until your legs will no longer obey you. Then, when you have
no strength left, you may sit down. Travel with your outer [zahir], then with
your heart and your inner content [ma'na]. When you are utterly exhausted both
outwardly and inwardly [batinan] and have to stop, nearness to ALLAH (Almightyand
Glorious is He) and attainment to Him will come to you. When the footsteps of
your heart come to a halt, and all your energies have gone into the journey
toward Him, this is the sign of your nearness to Him, so at this point you must
surrender [sallim] and cast yourself down in submission [istatrih]. He will
either build you a cell in the earth and lodge you in the desert wastes, or else
He will send you back to civilization, putting this world and the hereafter,
jinn, human beings, angels and spirits [arwah] at your service.
When you are standing at last in the doorway of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), you will witness something marvelous -- no, I should say many
marvelous things. You must forget about what you have to eat and drink, the
clothes you have to wear, the situation in which you find yourself, and the
praise and the blame of other people. These things are all functions of our
lower selves [a'mal an-nufus], not functions of our hearts [a'mal al-qulub].
This heart should become an orchard [bustan] containing many trees and various
kinds of fruit, as well as clearings and open spaces, rivers and mountains. It
should have a panoramic view of all human beings, jinn, angels and spirits [arwah]
put together. This is something far beyond the grasp of purely mental
understanding.
O ALLAH, if what I am engaged in is something real and true, let the truth and
reality of it be made apparent to those who follow the spiritual path [fa-haqqiqhu
li's-salikin]. But if it is something false, I beg you to erase it! If I am in
the right, then build my edifice high and raise it tall, and expedite the
guidance of Your creatures through my agency. Raise our hearts up toward You!
How much longer must we endure this weary toil? When will our hearts have taken
the final steps on their journey? When will they enjoy the banquet on the roof
of the Palace of Nearness, delighting in the view of Your creation from its
lofty balconies?
And ALLAH coins similitudes for the sake of mankind. (14:25)
When the heart is truly sound, it forgets everything apart from the Lord of
Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He). He is the One who exists from all eternity
[al-Qadim], the One who exists to all eternity [al-Azali], the Enduring [ad-Da'im],
the Everlasting [al-Abadi], and everything apart from Him is but newly created [muhdath].
When the heart is truly sound, the speech that issues from it will come to be
correct and true, so that no one can refute it. Heart will speak to heart,
innermost being [sirr] to innermost being, private refuge [khalwa] to private
refuge, inner content [ma'na] to inner content, essence [lubb] to essence,
conscience [sawab] to conscience. At this stage, therefore, the words that come
from it will be for other hearts like seeds that sprout in good soft earth, not
salty marshland. When the heart is truly sound, it becomes a tree with branches,
leaves and fruit. It comes to contain benefits for all creatures, whether they
be humans or jinn or angels.
If you acquire knowledge for the sake of this world, you will work for the sake
of this world, and if you acquire knowledge for the sake of the hereafter, you
will work for the sake of the hereafter. The branches are based upon the roots.
"As you pay allegiance, so shall allegiance be paid to you [kama tadinu tudanu]."
Every pot exudes its own contents. You fill your pot with naphtha [naft] and
then expect it to exude rose water. You are unworthy of respect. You work for
the sake of creatures, yet you wish to have the Creator on your side tomorrow
[at the Resurrection], to enjoy nearness to Him and to look upon Him. You are
unworthy of respect.
This is the obvious and most probable scenario. But if He grants you His gifts
purely as a gracious favor, not for any work you have done, that is up to Him.
Worshipful obedience [ta'a] is the work of the Garden [of Paradise], while
sinful disobedience [ma'siya] is the work of the Fire [of Hell]. After that, the
matter is up to Him. If He so wills, He may reward one of us without reference
to work, or He may chastise one of us without reference to work. This is all up
to Him.Listen to me and try to grasp what I have to say, for I am the humble
servant [ghulam] of those who have gone on before us. I stand in their presence.
I spread out their wares and invite people to examine them. I never cheat in the
process, and do not pretend that they are my own property. I begin by quoting
what they have said, then I go over it from my own point of view.
Blessed grace [baraka] comes from ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He), and ALLAH
(Almighty and Glorious is He) has bestowed many blessings upon me, such as my
obedience to the Messenger (ALLAH bless him and give him peace) and my filial
piety [birr] toward my father and my mother. May ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is
He) have mercy upon them both! My father abstained from the pleasures of this
world, although he had the power to enjoy them, while my mother went along with
him in this and approved of what he did. They were among the people of
righteousness [salah], religious devotion [diyana] and compassion for all
creatures, but my real concern is not with them, nor with other people. I have
come to the Bearer of the Message [ar-Rasul] and the Sender of the Message [al-Mursil],
and because of them I prosper. Every benefit and blessing of mine is with them
and in their presence. Among creatures I wish for no one apart from Muhammad
(ALLAH bless him and give him peace), and among lords for none but my Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He).
O learned one, your speech comes from your tongue, not from your heart, from
your outer form and not from your inner content [ma'na]. The true heart shies
away from words that issue from the tongue instead of from the heart, for they
sound like a bird in a cage, or like the hypocrite in the mosque [masjid]. If
one of the champions of truth [siddiqun] should find himself by accident at a
session [majlis] held by one of the hypocritical scholars, his whole aspiration
would be to get out of there.
The people [of the Lord] can detect the signs that mark the pretenders [mura'un],
the hypocrites [munafiqun], the impostors [dajjalun], the heretical innovators [mubtadi'un],
the enemies of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) and the enemies of His
Messenger. These signs are apparent in their faces and in their way of speaking.
They flee from the champions of truth as they might flee from a lion, fearful of
being scorched by the fire of their hearts. The angels take them away from the
champions of truth and the righteous [salihun]. One of them may be great in the
eyes of the common folk ['awamm], but in the eyes of the champions of truth he
is of no account. To the common folk he is a human being [adami], but to the
champions of truth he is a cat [sinnawr]. He carries no weight with them.
O young men! First you must find the physician of the law [tabib al-hukm], for
he will provide the treatment you need to cure you of your diseases. You must
take the medicine he prescribes, for then you will be protected from harm. You
must follow the servant on duty [ghulam], for he will escort you to the master [ustadh].
The law [hukm] is the servant of knowledge ['ilm], so you must follow it, notice
the door through which it enters, and go in behind it. You must look for the
doorway of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He). You must cultivate good
manners in the company of the law, since the law is the servant on duty at the
door. If you do not follow the law, you have no way of attaining to knowledge.
Surely you must have heard the words of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He):
So whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and from whatever he forbids you,
abstain. (59:7)
Provided that you cultivate well-mannered behavior in the company of the law,
once you have reached the door of your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and
that you are escorted by the law when you call out to seek admission, He will
respond to your call. He will open unto you the door of His nearness, and He
will invite you to sit at the table of His gracious favor and His generous
hospitality. You will then be treated as His guests. He will converse with your
hearts and entertain your innermost beings [asrar], teaching them the knowledge
which He teaches only to the special few [khawass] among His creatures. Thus His
law will come to be the link between Him and the rest of His creatures, while
His knowledge will be between Him and you, because the law is collective in its
application [al-hukm mushtarak], whereas knowledge is specific [al-'ilm khass].
The law is a matter of faith, whereas knowledge is a matter of seeing the
evidence with one's own eyes [al-hukm iman wa 'l-'ilm 'iyan].
O ALLAH, grant us knowledge and sincerity [ikhlas] in all our actions. Grant us
insight into Your knowledge, and steadiness in our insight, and:
Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us against the
torment of the fire! (2:201)
Praise be to ALLAH, by whose gracious favor good works are brought to
completion!
This marks the conclusion of the text of Jala 'al-Khawatir [The Removal of
Cares], one of the literary works of the Shaikh, the Imam, the learned scholar,
the pious abstainer, the dutiful worshipper, the knower by direct experience,
the avoider of excess, the solitary Axis [al-Qutb al-fard], the Spiritual Helper
[al-Ghawth], the Shaikh of the shaikhs and the saints [Shaikh al-masha'ikh wa
'l-Awliya'], our master and our shaikh, Shaikh Muhyi 'd-Din Abu Muhammad 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Hasani al-Husaini, son of Abu Salih 'Abdu'llah al-Jili. May ALLAH
the Exalted be well pleased with him, and may He give him reason to be well
pleased with us. May we derive benefit from his words, in letter and in spirit [lafzan
wa ma'nan], in knowledge and in practice ['ilman wa 'amalan].