DÖRDÜNCÜ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL · Üçüncü Madde
Third Article
It declares that knowing the Divine (marifat al-Mawla) is the greatest aim.
O esteemed one! It is known that the friends of Allah have said: To know Allah (marifatu-Allah) is a light in the heart, and its love bestows grace and felicity upon the soul. The oneness of Allah is the key to peace and intimacy in the heart.
Knowing Allah (marifatullah) is a tremendous treasure, and His love is a perennial source of grace. One who knows Allah becomes aware and knows how to seek forgiveness from people. The fruit of knowledge [266/b] is marifatullah. And the fruit of marifatullah is guarding the boundary (hududullah) that Allah has defined with His commands and prohibitions. It is abandoning endeavors for empty purposes, and ceasing to advance proofs regarding the existence of the Lord of the worlds, Allah. These three things are clear evidence of marifatullah and an encouragement toward believing in it: The arrogant ultimately become humiliated, scholars become impoverished, and doctors fall ill.
The marifah of one who knows the Truth is complete, and beautiful words come to the tongue of one who is a knower of Allah (arif billah), attaining eternal felicity. The entire aspiration of the worshippers (abid) is to pray, while the aspiration of the knowers (arifin) is to praise Allah (sana) in truth. For the aspiration of the worshipper is his own self, while the aspiration of the knower is the Presence of the Divine Mawla. Eyes cannot perceive the Truth through observation and understanding. But hearts can grasp Him with the truths of faith. Therefore, the most beneficial knowledge is marifatullah. The place of marifatullah is in vigilant hearts. Recognizing the oneness (wahdaniyyah) of Allah is marifah, and knowing that He is unique (faradaniyyah) is true tawhid. If the Exalted One had not revealed Himself, no one could know Him or become a knower.
Marifatullah arises in the soul with an empty stomach, sleepless eyes, and a heart constantly remembering Allah, and it manifests in the heart. The Most High has ennobled the knower with His own marifah; what is required of him is that he not humiliate himself by disobeying Allah, but continue in obedience and submission to Him. It is attaining the truth of insight (irfan) and the truth of things. It is seeing things as they are in their essence.
Marifatullah is knowing that Allah is before all things and after them, manifest within and without, knows everything, possesses wisdom in His actions, and provides sustenance for all living beings.
Marifatullah is being aware of Allah’s oneness and the aim of marifatullah is to encounter Him in the heart. Marifatullah is purifying the heart from otherness (masiva) and the soul finding life through Him. The sign of marifatullah is love for Him and obedience to all His commands. Two things are among the most excellent gifts that Allah bestows upon His servant: one is marifatullah, and the other is love of Allah (mahabatullah).
Marifatullah is light and illumination in the heart. Love of Allah is a fire that burns away everything other than Him from the heart. Being an arif billah is finding life through remembrance of Allah (zikrullah). Remaining in the darkness of ignorance is being heedless of the remembrance of Allah.
Marifatullah is recognizing His power in all things and knowing that He is free from power and strength in every condition. Marifatullah is for one to abandon otherness with his self, and for his heart to always be present in the presence of Allah.
The truth of marifatullah is to mention Him with the tongue, suffice with His love in the heart, and approach Him with aspiration. Marifatullah is a certainty that arises in the soul, by which the limbs find rest, and it is a life within the heart by which the soul finds contentment. Marifatullah comes about through Allah’s revelation, for reason alone can reach Allah and His knowledge. Knowledge is attained through instruction, while marifah is attained through Allah's manifestation. Therefore, knowledge is through teaching, and marifah is through definition.
Marifatullah is knowing that all things were created by Allah, exist by His command, are governed by Him, and will ultimately return to Him. Marifatullah is the reverence of the eternal (Qadim) who has no prior existence, from the created; it is this reverence that prevents the knower from outwardly expressing his marifah. Marifatullah is a great point in the heart, a great blessing for the soul. The emergence of the light of marifah from the heart is like the rising of the sun from the horizon. But the sunlight that rises from the horizon reaches the world. The sun of marifah, however, rises from the depths of the heart and its light ascends to the heavens. Marifatullah is like the sun in the inner world; reason is its lunar reflection, and knowledge is its shining star. Marifatullah is a jewel by which [267/a] the space below the Throne is illuminated. To show arrogance and pride with marifah is utter ignorance of oneself. To plunge into the sea of marifah and become annihilated in the light of truth is true felicity.
Verse
1- The heart, constantly turning, takes a new direction from the Creator.
The soul finds a new path, a new aspiration within the heart each moment.
2- The heart does not seek a single matter at two different times.
It changes with every breath; the desire of the heart transforms.
3- This cheek, this tress, these lips, and this body are other than that.
There is a soul in the heart, along with cheeks, tresses, lips, and a body.
4- He takes another soul from the beloved’s lips each time.
And for every soul, a new form arrives at that moment.
5- The world of the heart is different; its light and splendor are separate.
The heavens, earth, and stars are all other—many things exist within it.
6- Like a fleeting breeze, gaze upon the world of the heart, so that
Therein you find no slope, nor summer, nor winter, nor night.
7- When everything on the tablet of the tongue has become veiled,
You, O joyful people of the path, discover all of it in your soul.
Here's a translation of the provided text, aiming for faithfulness and preserving meaning within a classical Sufi context:
Just as the heart is the arena of God, so too is it the realm of the cosmos; in it are stars.
The lightning flash of the heart’s domain—observe it! Therein there is no incline, season, night, or day.
Indeed, if all has been written upon the page of the heart, then be knowing; find everything within the heart and rejoice.