DÖRDÜNCÜ BÂB · İKİNCİ FASIL · On dokuzuncu Madde
The Nineteenth Article
It describes the genuine love, which is the fruit of the tree of affection.
O esteemed one! It is known that the friends of Allah have said: Affection is the beginning of love, and the station of love is its end. True love is abandoning all pleasures and enduring hardships.
Love is a burning fire that ignites hearts. Love is the greatest torment to the human being. Love is such a rival that no one can assist against it; with the help of all humans and jinn, one cannot overcome it. Love is a fire that burns in the heart of the lover, leaving nothing but destruction for anything other than Allah. Love is tearing away veils and revealing secrets.
True love is an illness that consumes the lover. The lover, however, takes pride in it. The love of Allah is a sorrow that only the hearts of generous servants can bear. True love is a draught that, when drunk with the cup of compassion, makes the world feel constricted for the lover. True love is a divine jewel which increases through (listening to) the divine call from God (semâ), and diminishes through indulgence in carnal desires. Divine love is an illness whose cure lies within itself.
*Couplet*
"The disease of love has no remedy,
Even if the physician were Christ."
*(Translation of Couplet)*
There is no cure for the sickness of love. Even if the doctor were Saint Christopher.
Pleasure is derived from it, and sperm and desire are born from that. From desire comes affection, and from that, love arises. As a result, a state of ecstasy or amazement occurs. Then, with these, the heart separates itself from all material pleasures and desires, finding delight in attaining divine nearness.
Love is a yearning for the beloved that overcomes the human’s free will. The signs of a lover are paleness and fading of color, redness of the eyes, and hoarseness of voice. The affection and friendship of the lover become apparent at first sight. As a sign, when he meets his beloved, he remains silent in a state of amazement (as if his tongue is tied). Since love is the ultimate degree of affection, it is an attribute of the blessed ones. Affection is acquired (through effort), while love is bestowed (by God alone). Love is a quality of the one who is loved, which He has poured into the lover’s heart like water. Love makes the coward brave and valiant; it clarifies the mind of the foolish, sharpens their intellect; it makes the miser generous, the arrogant humble, and the ugly beautiful.
Love is a warm friend to sit with and a delightful companion to befriend. It is a powerful sovereign who overwhelms those he desires, a mighty sultan who lays prostrate whoever he engages. Love is such a mighty sultan that egos are weak before him, and minds are helpless in his influence. Hearts are ready at his command and find happiness only through him; emotions settle with him.
*Quatrain*
1. Since love is the sultan of the soul,
The heart is its delightful throne.
Love has become the sovereign of the world,
The heart is the land of that sovereignty.
2. In hearts, it is the yearning fire,
On tongues, it is the eloquent speech.
It is the imperial decree.
The heart is in submission to that decree.
3. The path to God is through love in the heart.
O soul! Be filled with the ocean of self.
Be with your beloved in your tongue.
For the heart is a fountain of wisdom.
In modern Turkish:
1. Love is the sultan of the soul. The heart is the throne of the sultan. Love has become the sovereign of the world, the heart is the land of that sovereignty.
2. In hearts, it is the yearning fire. On tongues, it is the eloquent speech. It is the imperial decree. The heart is in submission to that decree.
3. God’s path is through love in the heart. O soul! Be filled with the ocean of self. Be with your beloved in your tongue. For the heart is a fountain of wisdom.
Love is a spiritual power that purifies the ego from evil and adorns and embellishes character with beautiful qualities. Therefore, its outward expression and reflection are quite natural, and it is difficult to conceal. Love is a ruler whose guardian is patience in adversity, enduring hardships and persevering. Its servants are feelings and limbs.
The greatest fault of the lover is turning away from the beloved. Besides that, any other faults he may have can be covered over and are not worthy of mention. The lover’s heart is cultivated with zeal. His soul is delighted with pleasure. His secret is illuminated by the inner light (vuslat) of attaining God. Love is such a sorrow that it arises only in hearts that have severed their ties with worldly attachments and attained freedom.
A wise person has said: "Love is a source of joy in the heart, and essentially a light belonging to the heavens [287/a], as bright and exalted as the shining of stars. But it is bound by the material forms of union. Union brings it into daylight, and people accept it with the thoughts (havâtır) that arise within them."
Love, in proportion as it is moderate, is a polish for reason and intellect; but to the extent that it is excessive or deficient, it becomes a deadly disease—a disease whose cure increases its severity. Love is Plato and Galen for the lover. Its protective wall is grandeur and honor. The lover’s sorrow is distinct from every other illness, for love is the astrolabe of divine secrets [64].
*Couplet*
"I have found with you the comfort of my soul,
From you, the heart has obtained a remedy for all ills."
“O friend! My heart cannot endure separation from you even for a moment. Only with you does this human soul come alive.”
A perfect person said: "The knower is joyful. The joyful one becomes a lover. The lover draws near to God in spirit (mukarreb). The one who draws near to God attains union with Him (wâsıl). Thus, all his desires are fulfilled."
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah be pleased with him) was told: “They have said that you dance…”
You are an expert English translator for classical Islamic/Sufi texts. Translate into English faithfully, preserving meaning. Return ONLY the translation.