ÜÇÜNCÜ FEN · İKİNCİ BÂB · DÖRDÜNCÜ FASIL · Beşinci Madde
**Article Five**
It states that seclusion leads to servitude to God, complete tranquility, truthfulness, and sincerity in religion, and is a cause for attaining the stations of the subtle faculties.
O esteemed one! Know that the friends of God have said: Whoever seeks the knowledge of the Lord must separate himself from the people of the world so that they do not be an obstacle to his state, and so that he may make progress in the spiritual path day by day. The seeker on the path of recognition should not offer respect or seek anything from them, nor go to their doors hoping for something. He should not waste his precious time with them, nor flatter or ingratiate himself with them, nor engage in discussions with them. He should not display any of his actions or spiritual states so that he does not become estranged from God by looking at the people. He should not be deprived of knowledge and love. For the Lord, whose gaze encompasses every atom of his body and is closer to him than the vein in his neck, considers the view of those servants who disregard His gaze and pay attention to the view of others a sign of ignorance and heedlessness. It is the state of those deserving of regret and remorse.
He who seeks rank and status in the eyes of people cannot attain a rank in the sight of God. As it has been said, "One who is pleased with the approval of people is deprived of the pleasure of God." For the praise and blame of the people are breaths that come out of their mouths and dissipate into the air. Therefore, he who values the praise and blame of the people, trusting in their acceptance or rejection of anything, has turned away from God Most High with heedlessness. Thus, he remains bewildered in the darkness of ignorance and heedlessness.
**Poem**
Having rejected this deficiency, seek that friend in solitude. Is not He, the One, the All-Powerful, closer to you than yourself?
The common people and the elite are like wretched and flawed creatures; attach your heart to God, the Creator of all existence, and become a seeker of knowledge, concealing himself and covering his states. He does not show any superiority to gain the esteem of people, nor does he commit any rudeness that they might despise and deny. He does not waste time with people but prefers solitude (seclusion). He goes to a secluded place for remembrance and reflection, only attending Friday and congregational prayers until he becomes one who knows God [308] [223/a].
**Poem**
Those attached to the self are like animals; whoever tends to his camel is ruined.
Then, when the seeker of knowledge attains what he desires, unity and multiplicity (unity and diversity), seclusion and mixing with people (seclusion and sociability) all become one. For the knower of God’s secrets, solitude is a migration from the self to the heart. From the heart to the soul, to the secret, and from the secret to his Lord. Thus, the self is the first station of Islam, the heart is the abode of faith, the soul is the place of gnosis, and the secret is the place of God’s oneness.
**Poem**
When one attains unity, the people are dead in his sight; he has found the Ever-Living, the Sustaining One, and turned his heart to his Lord.
Indeed, solitude is freedom from human attributes. Therefore, the perfect man who embodies human qualities is a person of the heart. Conversing with people does not harm him, for he is both existent (manifest) and separate (transcendent). That is, he appears among people with his outward form, but inwardly remains separate from everything except God. He wears the clothes that people wear, eats with them, speaks with them according to their understanding, conforms to their customs, and shows suitability to them. Yet, his heart and secret are entirely separate and solitary, agreeing only with the will of his Lord.
**Verses**
1-Flee from the serpent so you do not see a dragon;
Establish yourself in place, be patient with your state.
2-For as much as you have circled the face of the earth,
The people of the world are full of talk; is there any faithfulness?
3-Know the heart to be changeable; do not give it over to others;
Words lead to heedlessness; be present and find delight.
4-You remained with the people, considering the dead alive;
You became distant from awareness; feel shame and modesty from the Real [309].
5-If the people form a line, every side is like an idol;
All have become targets, awaiting the arrow of fate.
6-Having known his self to be knowledgeable, he has found that friend as helper;
The people of the world are poor; God gives and takes away.
7-The ocean is a guide; all things are waves;
Everyone is in need of Him; may you become acquainted with the Real.