DÖRDÜNCÜ BÂB · İKİNCİ FASIL · Yirmi Üçüncü Madde
The Twenty-Third Article
Describes the metaphor and reality of Divine love, its essence, nature, states of ecstasy (vecd), and conditions (hal).
Beloved! It is known that the friends of Allah have said: A heart unaware of the pain of love is not a heart. A body without experiencing the suffering of the heart is like clay and mud. For he who becomes captive to love is freed from every sorrow. One who accustoms themselves to its affliction, always remains delighted.
The world is filled with the struggle of love. The heavens spin in dizziness from the fire of love. Wine of love intoxicates man with fervor. All else brings confusion and selfishness. Lovers find freshness through love, and are remembered favorably in relation to it. As did Majnun and Layla, who partook of this wine and left behind beautiful names for themselves in this world. Until now, hundreds of thousands of rational people have come into the world and departed from it as scholars. Yet all of them have gone without awareness of love.
Poem:
1. My being is filled with the pain of love, I am tranquil. The pleasure of wine makes my heart and soul joyful, delighted.
2. If I become one through love, I will find a place in every heart. If I befriend reason, then I shall be distant from every heart.
3. Love is the sultan of the world; I become its servant. If I am arrogant with the whispers of reason, then I remain lost.
4. The essence of the soul is love, it is the friend to all. Why do I remain distant and estranged from that compassionate mother?
5. God! My name and reputation are annihilated in love. Leaving aside other relationships, I am renowned through love.
Although you may be preoccupied with countless gains and profits in this world, you can only liberate yourself from it through love. Do not turn away from love; do not be deprived of it, even metaphorically.
For metaphorical love opens the door to the real. Just as, when learning to read, one first begins by reading "alifba" on a slate. After that, one may study the Quran.
A disciple went to a guide (murshid) for Allah; he wished to make him his support in the path of devotion. The guide of the love’s path said to him: “If you are not a lover, go and become a lover of someone. Then come back to us.” For metaphor is the bridge that leads man to reality. With this response, the venerable master announced that it was impossible to taste the wine of meaning without first drinking from the goblet's form (metaphor). But one must quickly cross the bridge of metaphor. And drink oceans from the ocean of meaning. One must be transported by the cup of devotion.
Poem:
1. Love reflected the beauty of the beloved’s face, and the lover’s eye beheld it.
2. Though the beloved is itself, the lover has donned the garb of love. Indeed, its beauty desired its own manifestation through love.
3. Binding the lover with chains of passion by weaving strands of musk-scented tresses into the roseate face, love captivated the lovers.
4. The legions of love’s beauty did not fit within earth and sky. It is wondrous that love found refuge in the chests of the lovers.
5. With fire and light, love annihilated my name and trace. O God! Behold this beautiful image which love has revealed.
The beginning of love is devotion; its end is attaining states of ecstasy (vecd). The beginning of vecd is revelation; its end is witnessing. He who possesses vecd observes the existent with his heart and expresses it through his vecd. In a state of vecd, one is made to speak by a divine word that proclaims the secrets of God’s unity, conceals human attributes, and executes the decrees of mercy, thereby departing.
Couplet:
1. The pride of the ignorant lies in accumulating wealth;
The dignity of the knower lies in perfection.
2. Those devoted to love and passion desire vecd and states (hal);
They do not seek perfection nor wealth.
3. Love’s affliction makes the man solitary;
It grieves for none but itself.
Vecd is a difficult secret hidden within the heart of the lover, which no one can know. Vecd is the soul's attainment of tranquility and presence during the Most High God’s contemplation of His servant. Vecd is a meaning (varid) that comes from God and draws the lover’s heart to God. Love is absorption and wonder; vecd is annihilation of humanity.
Poem:
1. I am a love-stricken nightingale, I do not even know the thorn of the rose;
I know my beloved, I do not know others.
2. Since I have become amazed by the beauty of your love, this mind of mine does not know what understanding is, nor speech.
3. I am like a pen in your friend’s fingers. I write poetry but do not know the book of verses.
4. As my heart is constantly being transformed, it knows no denial; it does not know affirmation either.
5. At every moment, the taste of love has appeared as a splendor; I do not know what states and forms these are for God.
4. My heart, ever shifting [75], is companion to change; I know not what is disbelief nor affirmation.
5. The sea of love manifested in every moment, in a different aspect of the Divine—I do not know the stations, I do not know their arising.
Ecstasy; when the beloveds of love are enveloped and surrounded by the sweetness of remembrance of God, it is the spirit’s inability to bear the triumph of exhilaration. Ecstasy is a state of utter singularity wherein one finds the Singular One. Ecstasy is finding non-existence within the lights of existence. Ecstasy is the lights of Divine friendship and nearness which sacred winds scatter into the hearts of the lovers. Therefore, the spirits of those experiencing ecstasy are fumigated with fragrant scents, their hearts are illuminated; their bodies are delicate, their signs are refined, their words grant life to hearts, they stir up intellects. Everyone desires what they say, and their words are acceptable to everyone. Indeed, one who does not possess these sacred attributes has a disordered temperament and is in need of treatment.
Nazm
1. Blessedness exists with those possessing blessedness;
One who has renounced the two worlds.
2. Great blessedness is that which possesses, from the safety of the heart,
An inward desire for the path of love.
3. Even greater and most exalted blessedness is that which
Possesses heartfelt testimony with awareness of love.
4. That soul who is a faithful lover, like a moth;
His ecstasy and states are in the fire of the heart.
5. Always longing for the Real, the story of love’s annihilation, sweet and hidden,
Is with the people of love.
The blessed fruits of ecstatic states within the heart manifest in the body. The blessed fruits of ecstatic states pertaining to the soul remain hidden together with secrets. Even the easiest ecstasy is difficult and intense. That which is intense is exceedingly intense and difficult. The quality of ecstasy is a meaning so vast that it cannot be described in words.
For it is the secret concealed within the chests of the most devoted servants of the Lord. Ecstasy is the departure of the lover’s existence. Happy is he who, experiencing ecstasy, loses himself in its tranquility and appears present at the Divine Presence in his hiddenness [76].
Nazm
1. It has been decreed that within the soul of those possessing perfection
Are a thousand beauties, grace, and a thousand crystal goblets.
2. The soul is delivered from the sorrows of two worlds
With the goblet of pure love’s wine, overflowing.
3. The Divine Friend always reveals to the people of love
A thousand graces and refinements, a thousand signs and charm.
4. The lovers are perpetually intoxicated in the gathering of love;
The disputer is not intoxicated, but he who possesses a straight disposition is intoxicated.
5. When the spirit of the Real arrives at a state of tenderness,
His desire for union stirs his wings.
This world is but a drop of the sea of love. The heavens are merely a verdant patch of the desert of love. There can be no more beautiful pursuit than that of loving devotion. There can be no greater pleasure than the anxiety of love’s longing. Once one becomes a captive of love, he does not wish to be released from it. Even if he should expire from sorrow and grief, he would not desire to exchange this state for frivolous joy. For love, though sometimes it may provoke strife, its sorrows are mixed with delight. Because the spring of true love never ceases, nor do sparks of passion ever extinguish.
Nazm
1. With the breath of love, the covenant of bliss is made fresh;
Every human being is joyful with his sorrow.
2. If we were to suppose that there is no remedy for this ailment,
Know that you possess but a half-dirham of this grief.
3. The sea of grace for the thirsty gaze is thirst itself;
Whoever is wounded finds its balm.
4. Come, like a bud, forget the countryside in your heart;
Withdraw into yourself so that the soul may not grieve.
5. Abandon your selfhood and become non-existent, so that your heart may be a garden of paradise;
For with the mingling of the ego, you find hell.
6. Cast yourself into the ocean, for that is union;
O shimmering fish, leave this moisture on the shore.
7. The body has become a sleeping place; awaken to love of God.
Do not be alien, but seek companionship with the ancient one.
Whether love be metaphorical or real, great fortune and blessedness are always the companions of that lover. For truth is accompanied by metaphor, and the opening of that treasure is possible only through this key.
Nazm
1. The meaning of existence has appeared in the forms of the universe;
That which reveals the secret of its unity is multiplicity of forms.
2. The breath of love permeates all things constantly;
With that breath, the world became vibrant and found beauty and grace.
3. Love is light in the eye and sorrow and joy in the heart;
That is the understanding of every discerning one—the light of every vision.
4. And so they say, those who hear it are from among the gnostics;
He who understands it receives news from it.
5. The Real is like a mirror of the face of love;
Behold the purity of divine love—direct your gaze towards it within all things.
1. Within the form of the universe, the meaning of existence became manifest. The multitude of forms did not harm the secret of unity.
2. The breath of love permeates every moment, for everyone. The world was enlivened by that breath, adorned and shone forth.
3. Love becomes light in the eye; sorrow and joy in the heart. It is the realization of every discerning intellect, it is the light of every eye.
4. He is the one who speaks, who hears, and who is a friend to all. Whoever understands him and takes a share from his words becomes a gnostic.
5. God! The universe is a mirror reflecting the face of love. Behold the beauty of pure love within these things.
Love’s station is exceedingly high. Its essence remains untainted, and without it, the heavens do not turn; without it, the world does not attain this order. Love makes the world a delightful place. The lover is a gnostic and a perfect human being. The qualities of the lover cannot be described with words or writing. Were love to be recounted until the end of time, countless eras would pass before its description were complete.
*Nazm (Poem)*
1. Love was hidden, then revealed; all spirits became its prey.
2. Love has manifested its traces; reflect upon it, O you with sight.
3. Love is the foundation of both worlds; the essence of primordial human soul.
4. Perhaps love is the origin of things; all were brought forth from its light.
5. Love is the builder of the greatest sphere; it is collective intellect, that most noble spirit.
6. Love became throne and floor, tablet and pen; healing for grief and pain was found within it.
7. Love has become a paradise of beautiful-eyed virgins; it is wine, milk, and honey.
8. Love has become the fountain of selsebil; every heart has a path to it.
9. Love is the shining sun and moon; it is verdure, fragrance, garden, and orchard.
10. Love is the beauty of Adam and Eve; it is the abode of truth and paradise.
11. Love has become beloved by Adam; it has become the qibla of all worlds.
12. Love is the desire—both hidden and manifest—and it is the aim of every prophet and saint.
13. Love is the ascension of the prophets; it is the vestment and crown of the saints.
14. Love is the secret of Shabistari and Hallaj; this crown has been placed upon the head of every master.
15. Love is a falcon from beyond place; it is the essence of "Be, and it was."
16. Love is the key to every conquest; it is the confidant of intellect, heart, and soul.
17. Understand love—it is without form and a sufficient thing. Know that the intellect is merely an illusion about it.
18. Love is the light of intellect and faith; it is the secret of Islam, beauty, and beneficence.
19. Love is the wellspring of knowledge and gnosis; it is the light of every eye and the life of every soul.
20. Love has become like a lapis lazuli—filled with all sciences.
21. Love is the master and guide of every art. The hearts of the lovers are illuminated by it.
22. Love is true unity; it is the confidant of the lover’s soul.
23. Love is the secret of the Most High – Divine mercy and love, a special grace of God.
24. Love is the light of the source of lights; it is also the secret of the mine of mysteries.
25. Love is the secret of negation and affirmation; all verses are from that ocean of unity.
26. Love is the interpretation of the secret of the Quran; all difficulties become easy through it.
27. Love is the simurgh of Mount Qaf; it pierces through all meanings.
28. Understand love as a mirror of beauty; understand the secret of secrets of He who possesses majesty.
29. Love is obligatory charity, truth, and sincerity; it is the water of life for thirsty souls.
30. Love is the delight of fasting and prayer; it constantly bestows grace and supplication upon one.
31. Love has become enamored of love itself; it yearns for its own beauty.
32. Love questions itself and rebukes itself; it hears the answer from itself.
33. Love has become both a knower and known; it has become both describer and described.
34. Love is the king and auspicious destiny; it is Ayaz and, ultimately, Mahmoud.
35. Love is the sultan upon the throne of the heart; he is Solomon, like a celestial scarab beetle.
36. The sultan of love knows neither name nor fame; he is free, a noble lady.
37. Love knows neither wife nor children; it transforms all sins into good deeds.
38. Within pure love, there is absolutely no fault; all bear witness to it—both the manifest and the hidden.
39. For love, nearness and distance are one; and He is – as He is.
40. Love removes the veil from the heart; it knows nothing of reward or punishment.
41. Love turns a sinner into a Muslim; then bestows the light of gnosis.
42. Love drives a person to madness; it destroys forgetfulness and oblivion.
43. Whatever love settles in a heart, it burns away all else.
44. Love is fire and light shining brightly; it makes the free one a slave.
45. Love is the hunter of the human bird; it gathers the scattered sparks.
46. Whoever receives grace from love is protected by Him in every condition.
47. Whoever finds intimacy with love, he becomes a guide to the beloved’s essence.
48. Love is hidden from the eye and heart; it is the soul within the soul always.
49. Love is the confidant of the heart and soul; for those who do not know it, it is sought after in the world.
50. Love is both the hearth of the soul and the heart; it is also the water and clay of the body.
51. Love is both a draught of the soul and a balm; it is a remedy for all people at every moment.
52. Love is the physician of the vital spirit; sometimes it is the beloved, sometimes the lover.
53. Love resides in the heart’s chamber like an inhabitant; whoever loves Him knows no fear.
54. Love is the delight of the soul and the thrill of passion; whoever is not a lover has not found pleasure.
55. Love is beyond explanation and description; its describer has become speechless.
56. Love has become eternal and everlasting; all its qualities have reached perfection.
57. The description of the Beloved, who cannot be compared, is love; its attributes are beyond measure and limit.
58. A hundred thousand names have become love; it is manifest and particular in all things.
59. Love was first and will be last; it has been hidden within everything and also apparent.
60. Love is the origin and branch of the act of creation; through love, all things came into being.
61. Indeed, love is love—verify this statement with certainty.
9. Love is a blazing sun, it is the moon. It laughs, it is the swift one, the garden, the vineyard, the orchard.
10. The beauty of Adam and Eve is love. It is the station of truth, the Paradise of Repose.
11. Love has been the beloved of Adam. It has become the qibla for all creation.
12. Hidden and manifest, everything desired is love. It is what the prophets and saints desire.
13. Love has been the ascension of the prophets. It is the cloak and crown of the saints.
14. The secrets of Shabli and Hallaj are love. He who is a crown upon the heads of all masters.
15. Love is a proud falcon without place. It is the secret of being by saying "Be" and it is.
16. Love has been the key to every auspicious beginning. It has become the closest friend of reason, heart, and soul.
17. Understand love without “alif,” “shin,” and “kaf.” That is the true one; consider rational words (güzâf) meaningless.
18. The light of reason and faith is love. The secret of Islam is the beauty of beneficence.
19. Love is a source of knowledge and gnosis. It is light in every eye, life in every body.
20. Love has become like an Ergonon [a comprehensive work]. It encompasses all branches of learning.
21. Love is the master and guide of every science. The lover’s eyes are illuminated by it.
22. Love is the tawhid of the sincere ones. It is the constant friend of the lover's soul.
23. Love is the secret within the heart, the Subhân (Glorified One)'s mystery. It is God’s special love and mercy.
24. Love is the source of all lights. It is the source of the sea of secrets.
25. The secret of negation and affirmation [is] love. It is the ocean of tawhid for all verses.
26. The secret of the Qur'anic exegesis is love. All difficulties are made easy through it.
27. The Anqa bird on Mount Qaf has become love. He who knows all hidden meanings.
28. Understand love as a mirror of beauty. Understand it as the secret of divine secrets.
29. Love is pilgrimage, and truths are zakat. It is the water of life in thirsty hearts.
30. Love is the delight of fasting and prayer. It is constantly supplicated to and sought after.
31. Love plays with itself. It begs for its own beauty.
32. Love questions and rebukes itself. It hears from itself, it answers itself.
33. Love has become both a knower and the known. Both the one who describes and the described.
34. Love is a king, an auspicious fate. He is both Ayaz and Mahmoud.
35. Love is a sultan enthroned in the heart. He is both an ant and Solomon.
36. Love does not recognize sultanship, glory, or fame. It has been freed from every bond, knows no mistress.
37. Women, men, and children do not know true love. Yet it transforms all evil into good.
38. In pure love, there are no flaws or blemishes. The worlds of witnessing and the unseen are one in it.
39. For love, near and far are the same. It is both present and like a thing of the past.
40. Love lifts the veils from the heart, so that it knows neither reward nor sin.
41. Love makes the Muslim a heretic. Then it bestows the light of gnosis.
42. Love drives man mad, destroying forgetfulness and heedlessness.
43. Whatever heart love settles in, it leaves nothing but annihilation [of otherness] within it.
44. Love is every blazing fire and light. He becomes master and slave through its affliction.
45. Love is a cunning hunter who hunts men. It is the gatherer who corrects the state of everyone within themselves.
46. Whoever love helps, he protects him in every condition.
47. And whoever love makes acquainted with, it guides him towards his beloved.
48. The love in the heart is hidden from the eye. It is always the soul of souls within the soul.
49. Love is a beloved in the gathering of hearts. Those who do not know it mistake it for someone in the public assembly.
50. Love is both the sanctuary of the soul and the qibla of the body formed from water and clay.
51. It is both the sweet honey of the soul and the scorpion's sting. Both everyone’s balm and a bleeding wound.
52. Love is the skilled physician of the soul. Sometimes he is the beloved, sometimes the lover.
53. Love sits in the chamber of the heart. There is no fear or sorrow for the one who loves.
54. Love is the delight of the soul, the pleasure of exhilaration. Whoever is not a lover has not found that delight.
55. Love has become without explanation and clarification. The one who speaks of love has actually become mute.
56. Love has become endless eternity, and all its attributes are perfect.
57. Love describes the Unique Beloved, the All-Compassionate, whose creation is countless and immeasurable.
58. There are hundreds of thousands of beautiful names for love. It exists in the knowledgeable and the ignorant; it exists in everything.
59. Love was both first and last. It has been hidden from everyone, yet manifest.
60. The foundation and origin of existence is love. Everything has come into being from love.
61. In truth, everything is indeed love. Truly! These words are correct; you also confirm them.