ÜÇÜNCÜ FEN · BİRİNCİ BAB · ÜÇÜNCÜ FASIL · Beşinci Madde
**Article Five**
This section describes the states and qualities of the human heart, which is the abode of spiritual knowledge (irfan).
Beloved! It must be known that the friends of God have said: The heart is like a dome, upon which thoughts, dispositions (ahval), and states (hal) are erected. The heart is like a mirror, pierced by arrows coming from every direction, serving as a target. The heart is like a vast, beautiful sea, into which forms and images flow; it is the gathering place of outward and inward senses. The heart is the source of all wisdom; it is the master of all arts. Heart-vigilance is true vigilance. Without it, mere eye-vigilance leads to ruin and destruction. The heart, like the body, experiences weariness and fatigue. However, it finds refreshment and strength through the subtleties of wisdom and opens up.
The heart also experiences joy and sorrow. Sometimes things proceed as they should; other times, they go awry. Works begun with joy and desire are good. Works done with sadness and grief have no benefit or enjoyment. The depths of hearts are close to being aware of the secrets of the unseen realm (ghayb).
The fast of the stomach is abstaining from eating and drinking; the fast of the tongue is abandoning unnecessary speech. The fast of the heart, however, is abandoning superfluous thoughts and fancies (wahm). The fast of the heart is a characteristic of the righteous.
A heart emptied of all but God tastes the pleasure of His presence. It is lighter to lose one’s eyes and become blind than to lose the eye of the heart (basirat). For the eyes are for seeing trivial things, while basirat is the place for observing what truly should be seen.
The heart that finds God becomes independent of all people. Just as the body has outward sensory organs through which it perceives the manifest world [214], so too does the heart have spiritual sensory organs through which it perceives the unseen realm [215]. For the heart also has an eye with which it beholds things pertaining to the unseen. It has an ear with which it hears the words of those who know the unseen. It has a sense of smell with which it inhales the fragrances of the unseen. It has a taste with which it tastes faith, the sustenance of gnosis (irfan), and the love and pleasure of paradise. And just as the body has a sense of touch throughout all its organs, so too does the essence of intellect reside in the station of the heart, acting as its sense of touch, through which it benefits from all beings that are knowable.
The opening of the spiritual sensory organs of the heart is dependent on the outward organs of the body closing to the world of bodies. Only when the external senses (havass-i zahire) of the body close in upon what they perceive through sleep or seclusion does the path for the heart’s spiritual senses open. It is thus that a spiritual transformation occurs, and from the heart of such a person springs forth streams of wisdom upon his tongue. Indeed, the source of the realm of subtle existence (melekut) is the heart. However, due to an obstruction in the channel of flow, outward sensory rivers have been filled with many impurities (keduret) and dirt, remaining within it and decaying and putrefying there. Therefore, if the rivers of external senses are blocked through seclusion and the accumulated filth is removed from the heart through purifying intentions (havatir), then streams of wisdom will flow forth as in the saying: “Whoever fasts for forty mornings solely for God, streams of wisdom will flow forth from his heart.” Channels of flow will open, and the heart will be filled with streams of wisdom from the sea of oneness (ahadiyyet), becoming a source of lights and a repository of secrets [196/a]. Such a person, with the tongue of states (hal), would recite this couplet:
*Couplet*
“That which is too vast for the world does not fit
Within my narrow heart, it has a homeland.”
*Another Couplet*
"For surely the heart is God's temple,
He who is separate from God is far from his heart."
*In Modern Turkish*
"For surely the heart is God’s sanctuary;
Turning to Him is essential and most desirable."
*Nazm (Poem)*
1-The heart is the abode of companionship with God.
2-The heart is the place of manifestation of God.
3-Whatever you desire, go and ask for it there;
The exalted sanctuary of God is within the heart.
*Couplet*
"Go, seek the countenance of the Beloved in yourself,
For the lover of lovers, the Exalted God, resides in the heart."
*Another Couplet*
“For surely the heart is the dergah (sanctuary) of God;
Turning to Him is essential and most desirable.”
*Nazm*
1-The highest of the highest heavens is more precious than the scent of the courtyard of the heart.
2-There, the Sultan of the heart manifests with His grace.
3-The paradise of the soul is illuminated by his own light.
The heart of a heedless person is more terrifying, more unsettling, and more painful than a dark dungeon. It is certain that the heart of a knower (arif) is wider and more spacious than the Throne (Arsh) and the Footstool (Kursi).
For the Arsh, the Kursi, and what lies between them are the “world of bodies.” The purified heart (kalb-i salim), however, is the human soul, which is a Divine command. Therefore, the spirit and the heart are the abode of gnosis and the throne of the Most Merciful. Whoever purifies his heart from all but God is a knowing and perfect person; he is the sultan of the world.
*Nazm*
1-The abode of “companionship with God” is the heart.
2-The place of manifestation of God is the heart.
From the Sublime Garden comes a loftier height,
The portico of the heart, its vaulted light.
There doth He manifest with grace untold,
The Sovereign of that heart, in glory bold.
His radiance illuminates the gardens fair,
Of life's domain, beyond compare.
His countenance adorns the scenes we view,
A tapestry of beauty, ever new.
For on the throne of the heart, Truth doth reign,
And all creation bends to His command again.
The souls adore His will with fervent grace,
Obeying the decree within that sacred space.
The body is a veil, with patterns bright,
Before the court of life, a wondrous sight.
But what is soul? A guardian of the door,
To the Beloved's realm, forevermore.
Know first the beginning, know the end as well,
Unveil the outward, grasp the secrets that dwell.
Then shalt thou understand the four foundations true,
That shape and form the heart, in all it doth pursue.
For love within the heart doth ever flow,
In hues diverse, a radiant show.
Each moment brings a different shade to see,
The colors of the heart, eternally free.
The entire world is but a surging tide,
Within the ocean deep where hearts reside.
Pass through the wave and find thy destined shore,
The boundless sea of longing evermore.
When Love's reflection shines with radiant grace,
And dwells within the heart’s most sacred space,
Then those who seek the truth shall surely find,
A constant guest within the heart and mind.
While in this world, Truth holds a station high,
Let beauty be thy guide beneath the sky.
The heart's direction, pure and ever bright,
Towards the Source of Love, thy guiding light.