DÖRDÜNCÜ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL · Dokuzuncu Madde
Article Nine
It is known to the people of gnosis that the Exalted and the Originator [Hazrat-i Khaliq wa Bari] is absolutely free from all imperfection and negative attributes, and possesses perfect and affirmative attributes. It is known that all existence and atoms, all created beings, the actions of humankind, are brought about by His power, influence, and management. All affairs occur in accordance with His noble will, finding order and arrangement within it, and everything moves according to His permission.
O esteemed one! Know that the friends of God have said: “God, the Lord of the Worlds, is One, who has no partner or equal. He is far removed from customs such as eating, drinking, sleeping, wearing clothes, having a spouse or children, experiencing birth and aging. He is not in the heavens nor on earth; He is free from all places. He is neither to the right, left, front, back, above, nor below. He is free from being defined or determined by directions. He is free from form, shape, color, and limbs. His beginning and end do not exist. His existence originates from Himself, not from another.”
His noble essence is fixed in a single state, unchanging. He is free from afflictions such as fear, sorrow, and illness, and from all negative attributes. Nothing existed before Him, and He is not dependent on anyone. He is far removed from impotence. If He willed, He could annihilate the entire universe in an instant. And if He wished, He could create it again in an instant. No task is difficult or arduous for Him. To create a mosquito is the same as creating the heavens and the earth for Him. No one can command Him; He commands everyone and everything. Nothing is obligatory upon Him, nor does anyone benefit or harm Him. Even if all disbelievers were to become believers and all wrongdoers [fasik] were to obey, it would be of no benefit to Him. And even if all people were disbelievers and wicked, it would not harm Him. These are negative attributes, and His pure essence is free from these attributes.
His affirmative attributes are eight: One of them is Life, and another is Knowledge. The Exalted God is the Living and the All-Knowing. He knows everything; what is in the heavens and on earth, and what is hidden or manifest. He knows the number of leaves on trees, the grains of seeds, the flowers, and even the grains of sand, the bubbles in the seas. There is nothing that He does not know. He knows all minute particles [juz’iyyat] and wholes [kulliyat], the past and the future entirely. He knows the thoughts that come into a person's heart, the words they speak with their tongue, their inner and outer states completely; what is present and what is absent. For it is only God who knows the unseen [ghaib]. No one can know the unseen except as God reveals it. He is free from forgetfulness, error, and heedlessness. His Life and Knowledge are eternal, ancient, not newly created [hadith] or transient [fani].
One of the affirmative attributes is Hearing. The Exalted God hears all things, both hidden and manifest. Even if a person whispers something secretly, He hears it, even if that person does not hear it themselves. God’s attribute of hearing is eternal, ancient, not newly created nor transient.
One of the affirmative attributes is Seeing. God sees everything; in a dark night, He sees a black ant walking on a black stone and hears the rustling of its feet. But His seeing is not with eyes like ours, nor His hearing with ears. He is free from eye and ear. His sight is also eternal, ancient, not newly created nor transient.
One of the affirmative attributes is Will. The Exalted God possesses true will [irada]; He does what He wills. Nothing happens unless He wills it, and He has no need for anything. No one can compel Him to do something. All good and evil in the universe occur by His will. He desires that believers believe in Him and that those who obey obey Him. If He did not desire it, no one would be a believer or an obedient person. He desires the disbelief of disbelievers and the wickedness [fisq] of wrongdoers. If He did not desire it, no one could be a disbeliever or a wicked person. Not even a mosquito can move its wings without His will. In reality, we do everything by His will. Nothing comes into being unless God wills it, for the occurrence of that which He does not will is a sign of impotence. If He willed, He would make all people believers and obedient. And if He wished, He would again make all people disbelievers and rebellious.
If you ask, “Why does God not desire the belief of all people and desires that most people be disbelievers?” the answer is: God is not questioned about what He creates, but He questions everyone about what they do. For God is free to do as He pleases.
*Poem*
He has cut it off; cease arguing.
The sword which is not asked about what it does. [22]
Within the things that the Exalted God wills and creates are countless wisdoms and benefits that the intellect of humankind cannot comprehend. There are innumerable benefits in creating disbelievers and willing their disbelief, in creating serpents, ants, scorpions, and all other apparent evils, which we do not need to know. What is necessary for us is to know that there is wisdom in all of God’s actions. The will of God is eternal, ancient, not newly created nor transient.
One of His affirmative attributes is Power. God is Powerful; [His] existence is possible.
"O, the Manifested One, the Essence of Existence:
The eight attributes of perfection (sifat asma) are life, knowledge, hearing, sight, will, power, speech, and origination. These attributes are eternal, primordial, and inherent in His noble essence. They are far removed from non-existence and change.
Whoever recognizes God through the negative attributes (sifat salbiyya) while rejecting the positive attributes (sifat sabitiyya), truly becomes a knower of God (arif billah). Otherwise, he mistakes the whispers of Satan and illusions for the manifestations of God and remains astray.
A Sufi poet has expressed the truth of gnosis (ma'rifa) in verse:
(Followed by 28 verses in Persian, which are not translated here as they are poetic expressions meant to be understood within their cultural context.)
The essence of gnosis is this: To know oneself is to know God. Whoever does not know himself remains blind in both worlds."
29- The blind one is he who is not among the people of witnessing.
30- The Essence of the Prophets made supplication,
That the truths might be unveiled to him.
31- All the verses of God’s men
Polish the mirror of cognition.
32- For the seeker of Truth, it becomes a guide,
The couplets of Maulana's *Masnavi*.
33- Exert yourself to understand [24] these sayings,
Make them the amulet of your soul, and behold their mysteries.
34- Indeed, much is the discourse of the people of God,
Awakening the servant of Allah [272/a].
35- Its symbols and allusions are spiritual,
All of them are the esoteric of the Quran.
36- The outward form of religious rulings is everything,
The esoteric mysteries of reality are everything.
37- Through the taste of gnosis is man’s perfection,
There is no difference between the ignorant and the beast.
38- The heart of one who knows God is pure,
His soul a mirror before the All-Knowing Presence.
39- The soul of the knower also becomes a world,
He becomes intimate with the light of knowledge.
40- The knower and worshiper, that noble man,
Becomes a trustee of the treasure of God.
41- If the knowledge of God were to manifest in the soul,
Light would be in the eyes, and joy in the tongue.
42- He sees all with that light,
He walks through the world with that joy.
43- May he become a vessel for the knowledge of God,
May he wander in the ray of the sun of God.
44- O Lord! Make me full of light,
Make me joyful and intimate moment by moment.
45- Prepare my heart for Your presence,
Make my eye a beholder with Your light.
6- From Him, every moment derives beauty and delight; those of insight have found the light of vision in love.
The Most Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) has said: "A single divine attraction outweighs the deeds of all mankind and jinn." And he has said: “Among you, I am the one who knows God best.” Indeed, knowledge is among the actions of the heart. And he has said: “If you knew God truly and attained to the reality of knowledge, your supplications would shatter mountains.” And he has said: "The one who knows your Lord best is the one who knows himself." And in his supplication, he implored: "(O God!) We absolve You from all imperfection. We have not known You as you deserve!” And he has said: “O God! The Ever-Living, the Sustaining One! Who created the heavens and the earth (as wondrous works of art)! Master of everything, possessor of majesty and generosity! We beseech You to revive our hearts with Your honor and illuminate our eyes with the light of knowledge. O Manifestly Known!”
And he has said: “O God, illuminate my heart, illuminate my eye, illuminate my ear. Bestow grace from my right, my left, before me, behind me, above me, below me. Illuminate my hair and skin. Illuminate my flesh and blood, and make me entirely luminous.”
10- Take heed; lest your foot slip into the abyss. Only those who possess knowledge know God.
The Most Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) has said: "A single divine attraction outweighs the deeds of all mankind and jinn." And he has said: “Among you, I am the one who knows God best.” Indeed, knowledge is among the actions of the heart. And he has said: “If you knew God truly and attained to the reality of knowledge, your supplications would shatter mountains.” And he has said: "The one who knows your Lord best is the one who knows himself." And in his supplication, he implored: "(O God!) We absolve You from all imperfection. We have not known You as you deserve!” And he has said: “O God! The Ever-Living, the Sustaining One! Who created the heavens and the earth (as wondrous works of art)! Master of everything, possessor of majesty and generosity! We beseech You to revive our hearts with Your honor and illuminate our eyes with the light of knowledge. O Manifestly Known!”
And he has said: “O God, illuminate my heart, illuminate my eye, illuminate my ear. Bestow grace from my right, my left, before me, behind me, above me, below me. Illuminate my hair and skin. Illuminate my flesh and blood, and make me entirely luminous.”
7- The Unifier loves all of creation. He who is devoted to unity is compassionate, blissful, and fortunate.
No power exists to abolish this word by its own accord.
1- From You comes succor to hearts at every moment. I seek assistance from Your grace; O unique and excellent One.
3- The drinker of the wine of love becomes intoxicated and transcends himself. What a sweet essence of life, how delightful is the wine of the Beloved!
3- The intoxicated one seeks himself and asks among the people.
7- Eternal delight was found through God’s grace. Solitude in community was bestowed upon his soul.
6- Strange indeed that the heart is unaware of God. Yet He turns hearts with constriction and expansion.
33- Exert effort to understand the verse.
38- The heart of one who knows God is pure. For his soul is within the gaze of the All-Knowing. His body is in this world, his heart in the afterlife. Daily he progresses spiritually and advances. Until he escapes from the world and people begin to condemn him. He ascends among the select (Mele-i a’lâ), his desire for perfection increases, and he yearns for death. When his time arrives, the angel appointed by the Most Merciful (Azrael) comes to him with roses, basil, and tidings. With joy of heart, with good news, and with the tranquility born of companionship with God, he departs from this foul world and migrates to His presence, His nearness.
9- The essence within the flower blossomed with Your grace, flourishing beautifully. O Lord, Your garden is a gift for the needy, O Self-Subsisting One.
Certain hadith, employing ambiguous language, relate that “Allah created Adam in His own image.” And it is said, "I saw my Lord in the form of a handsome young man. I saw my Lord in His most beautiful form. He placed His hand upon my shoulder. I felt coolness in my breast. (And with this) I knew all that was in the heavens and on earth."
The Most Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) has related in his blessed hadith, “A single surge of Divine attraction outweighs the deeds of all mankind and jinn (both worlds).” And he said, "Among you, none knows Allah better than I do.” Indeed, knowledge is among the actions of the heart. And it is said, "If you knew Allah with true knowledge and attained the truth of that knowledge, your supplications would cleave mountains asunder." And it is said, “He who knows his Lord best is he who knows himself.” And in his prayer, he implores: "(O God!) We absolve You from all imperfection. We have not known You as You deserve to be known!" And it is said, "O God! The Ever-Living, the Sustaining One! Who created the heavens and the earth (as wondrous works of art)! Lord of all things, possessor of majesty and generosity! We beseech You to revive our hearts with Your honor and illuminate our eyes with the light of knowledge. O Manifest One!"
And it is said, "O God! Illuminate my heart, illuminate my eye, illuminate my ear. Bestow light from my right side, my left side, before me, behind me, above me, below me. Illuminate my hair and skin. Illuminate my flesh and blood, and make me (entirely) luminous."
13- Knowledge is like a spiritual state. Knowledge is the garment bestowed by the Lord. Certain hadith, employing ambiguous language, relate that “Allah created Adam in His own image.” And it is said, "I saw my Lord in the form of a handsome young man. I saw my Lord in His most beautiful form. He placed His hand upon my shoulder. I felt coolness in my breast. (And with this) I knew all that was in the heavens and on earth."
Do not resist what is cut away; it is a sword whose reckoning is not asked of you.
This couplet appears exactly as such in the printed manuscript: “Fe henî’en li-men arafeke ilâhî”
The Exalted Assembly (Mele-i A'la); a word in Arabic denoting a group, the select individuals of a community, encompassing meanings like character, morality, consultation, etc. The Exalted Assembly refers to abstract intellects and universal souls. (Cebecioğlu, Dictionary of Sufi Terms and Expressions, Anka Publishing, Istanbul 2005, p. 424.)
Those possessing insight (Basiret ehli): Those with an open heart, those who possess discernment.
Beauty, pleasantness (Husn).
Solitude among the assembly (Halvet der-encümen): A Persian phrase meaning solitude within a community. In Naqshbandi terminology, it signifies the ability to remain in solitude with God amidst a gathering. This principle is exemplified by the verse "There are those whose trade and commerce did not distract them from remembering Allah" (Light 24:37).
(Printed text reads “sen” – meaning ‘you’.)
(Printed text reads “kendini” – meaning 'himself'.)
Here, the correct form of the phrase should be "knowledge of the self" (ma’rifet-i nefs), but the word "nefs" is absent in the manuscript.
The Self-Subsisting One (Samed): An Arabic term denoting that all things are dependent on Him, and He is independent of anything. CEBECİOĞLU Ethem, Prof. Dr. Dictionary of Sufi Terms and Expressions.
The Unique One (Ehad): An Arabic word signifying "One." This term expresses the unity of God's essence despite the multitude of His attributes and names. CEBECİOĞLU Ethem, Prof. Dr. Dictionary of Sufi Terms and Expressions.
(Reference to a specific work – Münâvî, Feyzü’l-Kadîr , II, 520)
(Reference to a specific work – Müttakî el-Hindî , Kenzü’l-ummâl , III/142, H. No: 5881, 5893.)
(References to Hadith collections – Bukhari, I’tisam, 5; Muslim, Fazail, 127)
(Reference to a specific work – Aclûnî, Keşfü’l-hafâ , I/397, H. No: 1069.)
6- It is love that draws pleasure from His beauty in every moment. Those with insight have found the light of knowledge in love.
We could not find the text of this narration exactly as it appears in the *Mārifetnâme*, but for texts with similar meaning, see Abū Yala, *Musnad*, IV/475, H. No: 2608; Tabarani, *Mu’jamu’l-awsat*, I/53, H. No: 38; *Mu’jamu’l-kabir*, XX/143, H. No: 292.
(References to Hadith collections – Bukhari, Istiazan 1, Prophets 1; Muslim, Paradise, 28.)
(References to Hadith collections – Bukhari, Supplications 10; Muslim, Prayer of the Guest, 181.)
He who does not know himself is ignorant of knowing his Lord. He who does not even know himself, how can he find his Lord? He who knows himself, how can he become intimate with this transient world? The wise person is sorrowful and distressed, and every gnostic is happy and at peace. Every lover is surely beloved. So how can one who does not know himself know others? Consequently, how can he be capable of knowing God? It suffices for a person to know himself. For that leads him to knowledge of God. He who knows the world becomes detached from it; he who knows people avoids them and prefers solitude. He who knows himself retreats into seclusion. And he who knows his Lord affirms His oneness. He who knows himself is humble towards others, for he always abides in a state of presence with the Real, filled with reverence.
3- “May those who recognize You be joyful through Your perfection.”
A robe (Hil’at): A valuable and heavy robe bestowed by a sultan.
(Reference to Quran – Fâtir, 35/28.)
(Text reads "anlama" – meaning 'understanding'.)
Rıtıl: A unit of weight equivalent to one-third of an okka, approximately one kilogram.
The All-Knowing (Alim): God Almighty who knows all things perfectly.
The Affectionate One (Vedûd): The attribute of God Almighty, possessing great affection and tenderness.
(Reference to Quran – «He is not questioned about what He does, but they are questioned.» (Prophets 21:23) This couplet belongs to Hâkânî’s *Hilye*.)
A state of mental clarity (Bast): The opposite of a state of constraint. A state of heartfelt supplication and entreaty. (ULUDAĞ Süleyman, Dictionary of Sufi Terms.)
Constriction (Kabz): Constraint with God. When the soul is in a state of constraint and acts contrary to propriety, it is subjected to reckoning. (ULUDAĞ Süleyman, Dictionary of Sufi Terms.)
The Muwahhid is one who believes in the Oneness of God; one who affirms Divine Unity; a unifier.
It is He, the Exalted, Who creates satiety. Were Allah not to create satiety, people would remain unsatisfied even after consuming a single meal. Similarly with hunger and other such matters. And in all of these, there is no true influence except from the Presence of the Most High. All existence is, by its very essence, His creation.
6 – Strange indeed that the heart remains unaware of Allah, while He turns hearts through constriction and expansion.
The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has said: “A single Divine attraction [*cezba*] outweighs the actions of all humankind and jinn [the two creations].” And he has said: "Among you, I am the one who knows Allah best.” Surely, knowledge (*marifa*) is among the acts of the heart. He also said: “If you were to truly know Allah and attain the reality of *marifa*, your supplications would level mountains.” And he said: “He who knows your Lord best is he who knows himself.” And in his supplication, he implored: “(O Allah!) We absolve You from all imperfection. We have not known You as you deserve to be known!” And he has said: "O Allah! The Ever-Living, the Sustaining One! Who created the heavens and the earth with wondrous artistry! Lord of everything, Possessor of Majesty and Generosity! We beseech You to revive our hearts with Your honor and illuminate our eyes with the light of *marifa*. O Manifest in open declaration!”
And he has said: “O Allah, illuminate my heart, illuminate my eye, illuminate my ear. Bestow upon me light from my right, my left, before me, behind me, above me, below me. Illuminate my hair and skin. Illuminate my flesh and blood, and make me entirely luminous.”
The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has said: “A single Divine attraction [ *cezba*] outweighs the actions of all humankind and jinn [the two creations].” And he has said: "Among you, I am the one who knows Allah best.” Surely, knowledge (*marifa*) is among the acts of the heart. He also said: “If you were to truly know Allah and attain the reality of *marifa*, your supplications would level mountains.” And he said: “He who knows your Lord best is he who knows himself.” And in his supplication, he implored: “(O Allah!) We absolve You from all imperfection. We have not known You as you deserve to be known!” And he has said: "O Allah! The Ever-Living, the Sustaining One! Who created the heavens and the earth with wondrous artistry! Lord of everything, Possessor of Majesty and Generosity! We beseech You to revive our hearts with Your honor and illuminate our eyes with the light of *marifa*. O Manifest in open declaration!”
And he has said: “O Allah, illuminate my heart, illuminate my eye, illuminate my ear. Bestow upon me light from my right, my left, before me, behind me, above me, below me. Illuminate my hair and skin. Illuminate my flesh and blood, and make me entirely luminous.”