O Beloved, the coming of that Day is near. In a sense, preserving your dignity depends on you.
Remember your faults, reflect, and be cautious. Make your preparations from now. When you leave this world and go to the next, do not console yourself in vain by thinking of those from whom you might benefit. For there,
– On that Day, a man will flee from his brother, his mother, his father, his wife, and his children. (ʿAbasa, 34–36)
The ruling of this noble verse (āya) will apply. Everyone will be preoccupied with their own concerns.
– "Weren't you the one who used to possess and protect us in the world? Why don't you help us here as well?" In order not to be confronted with such half-mocking, half-serious words, everyone will seek a place to hide. Some will cover their faces with their hands. Others will flee. But there is nowhere to flee. That is another matter. Do you think a person can be saved there by fleeing? No, they cannot. They will be called to account. From the most insignificant to the greatest. From the finest silk thread to the thickest rope. They will be called to account in the minutest detail. The hidden and the manifest will be questioned.
What a tremendous Day of Reckoning that is... Reflect on that Day... Even tremble at the terror of that Day... For Allah Most High describes the reckoning of that Day as follows:
– Whether you disclose what is in your souls or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. (al-Baqara, 284)
Strive to understand the profound meaning of this noble verse (āya). Only those who pass their test well here will be saved from this reckoning. Those who conduct their lives in a manner befitting their humanity will be saved. Therefore, do not occupy yourself with vain things... Walk the paths that will preserve your true self...
– ...They are like cattle, rather they are even more astray. It is they who are the heedless. (al-Aʿrāf, 179)
Take care not to be among the group described by this noble verse (āya). Guard yourself against indulging in the fleeting pleasures with which they amuse themselves. Do not sully your essence to satisfy fleeting, animalistic desires. Do not lose your humanity.
Always consider Allah Most High to be near to you. Always strive to feel yourself close to His exalted Being. And never abandon the state of vigilant awareness (murāqaba). Enter into His presence and bow your head before His power and might. Reflect that Allah Most High says:
– Remember Me, and I will remember you. (al-Baqara, 152)
What an honor this is. Always remember the Truth Most High so that you may attain this honor. If you do so, you may be among those described by Allah Most High:
– On that Day, some faces will be radiant, looking toward their Lord. (al-Qiyāma, 22)
If you polish your qalb (the heart) with the dhikr (remembrance of God) of the Truth, you may see Him even in this world. Strive to polish your qalb with the dhikr of the Truth. Know its value. Protect it from all kinds of evil. For there is a sacred hadith (hadith qudsi) regarding it:
– "Neither My earth nor My heaven can contain Me, but the qalb of My believing servant contains Me..."
If you possess such a qalb, what more could you want? And whatever you do to attain such a qalb is little—indeed, it is as nothing.
Once you attain this state, the blessings you will reach are countless. Numbers cannot suffice for them.
How can such precious things be obtained for free? Surely, to obtain something, one must strive for it in a manner befitting oneself. This is the requirement of reality: servitude befitting the majesty of the Truth is incumbent upon you. At the very least, strive to do so.
If you make your preparations fully in this world, all your desires will be fulfilled in the next. For this world is the field of sowing. The seeds of what will be reaped there must be sown here... Whoever does not sow here will not reap anything there... Complete your sowing here:
– There you will have whatever your souls desire... "Whatever you desire will be brought before you."
Receive this glad tidings. There are many servants who have received this glad tidings here. Strive to be one of them. Your qalb also has an ear of its own. But what it hears and perceives are not the material and transient things of this world. It is enamored of listening to the voices that come from beyond, from the exalted and sublime power. Do not think you will accomplish any good deed without letting it hear those voices. Therefore, strive to cleanse it of the impurities that befall it. Know that once you remove its impurities, it will hear the voices that come from on high. And it will respond to the calls:
– Call upon Me; I will respond to you. (al-Muʾmin, 60)
In accordance with this divine command, it begins to supplicate. For you have removed all its impurities. You have cleansed it from the rust of sin.
It now begins to supplicate. Naturally, the Truth Most High hears its supplication and plea; He does not leave it unanswered...
– Allah invites to the Abode of Peace. (Yūnus, 25)
In accordance with this command, He invites to Himself. You are in a sleep of heedlessness... and completely so.
Is your heedlessness because of the world? Then listen. See how the Truth Most High explains:
– The life of this world is nothing but play and amusement. (Muḥammad, 36)
While this noble verse (āya) explains what the world is, you are still engrossed in it. And you cling to it tightly. You consider yourself excused, for you are heedless. Why are you like this? Did Allah create you for this world? Or were you created for the other world? Know with certainty that you belong to the other world. This world is transient. In the eyes of the wakeful, it is nothing. The troubles and hardships of this place are many. Why concern yourself with such a troublesome and difficult world? Seek the hereafter. Aspire to the exalted.
As you take your steps, take them aspiring to the exalted in the presence of the Truth. Walk seeking the high maqāms (spiritual stations) there. Be among those who transcend this transient existence and reach the beyond. What great people they are; listen. Listen to their description from the Truth:
– They are the Sābiqūn (the foremost). Do you know who the Sābiqūn are? (al-Wāqiʿa, 10)
– They are those who will reside in the Gardens of Bliss, brought near to the Truth. (al-Wāqiʿa, 11–12)
Keep your aspiration (himma) lofty. A person's worth is according to their aspiration and effort. Do not forget this principle. Stir your inner effort. Do not let your aspiration become accustomed to laziness. If it resists entering the path, whip it. Beat it with the whip of divine commands. Perhaps you will be saved by this means. And divine favors will appear on your path. Know that the Exalted One does not withhold His grace from His servants who are on His path. Whoever takes His path, He showers with multiplied grace and bounty.
If you enter His path and then persist, surely the bounty of the Truth will come to you as well. You will receive the glad tidings of the blessings you will attain in the hereafter even while you are here. For Allah Most High:
– is the One who bestows grace upon His servants. (al-Shūrā, 19)
– They will have glad tidings in the life of this world. (Yūnus, 64)
He says. To be among the servants who receive this glad tidings is a great honor for you. What is incumbent upon you is to fulfill the requirements of the commands. At the very least, nurture such an intention in your qalb and develop it for the future.
Intend to fulfill the divine commands and to completely carry out the duties placed upon your shoulders, and set yourself on that path. Begin to supplicate to Allah for your success.
At the first opportunity, declare war against that which is an enemy to your qalb. Never take orders from your nafs (the lower self) on this path. Indeed, one of the things you must fight against is the nafs. Since it is the greatest enemy of the qalb, what kind of order could you take from it? After declaring war against it, keep your hand on the trigger. Never trust it. The moment it catches you in a weak moment, it will strangle you. The moment it turns its weapon, it will strike you at your qalb, at your very soul, and kill you.
One of the enemies of the qalb that will destroy you is also Shayṭān (Satan).
– ...Indeed, Shayṭān is a manifest enemy to man. (Yūsuf, 5)
As is stated, you must certainly accept the enmity of Shayṭān. His tricks are many. Dealing with him is quite difficult. But do not let your resolve be broken.
Do not fear at all; after Allah Most High informs of the harm of something, He also informs of the ways to be saved from it. For He is both All-Knowing and Compassionate to His servants. Our Lord, who possesses knowledge and compassion, also possesses power and might. If you are on His path, how could He not teach you the ways to succeed against the enemy you must fight? You are the most honored of creatures; how could He not grant you soldiers at your command? Do you think He has no soldiers? Yet:
– To Allah belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth. (al-Fatḥ, 4)
Given this, why do you fear Shayṭān? Why do you flee from fighting him? From this moment on, your duty is to seek refuge in the Truth and to earn the right to the help that will come from Him. Once His help comes to you, Shayṭān cannot harm you. Then you will be saved from falling into the trap of the nafs. Do not underestimate the evil of the nafs either. Like Shayṭān, it always shows you evil paths. This is also informed to us by the following noble verse (āya):
– Indeed, the nafs is ever commanding to evil with all its power. (Yūsuf, 53)
If you identify the states of Shayṭān and the nafs and stand against them accordingly, you will be saved. Otherwise, the two will join forces and destroy you. Think of the hereafter... Do not occupy yourself with material pleasures. If you can do nothing else, devote a certain time of your day to the dhikr of Allah. By doing so, strive to open the eye of your qalb. Do this and realize what you have attained. The subtle realities (laṭāʾif) of secrets will begin to manifest in your qalb in the form of numbers. Make yourself a person of taqwa (God-consciousness) so that you may attain what the realized ones have attained. Reflect that Allah Most High:
– Be people of taqwa toward Allah, and Allah will teach you what you did not know. (al-Baqara, 282)
gives you this glad tidings with this verse. And after you become a person of taqwa, He tells you what you will attain. First, you remember your original homeland. The places where your ruh (the spirit) soared and wandered in pre-eternity come before your eyes; you begin to love the other world. You understand the realm of being beyond this world. You begin to perform every act of worship with pleasure and zeal, for you have sensed the reality...
– Enter the path of your Lord without objection. (al-Naḥl, 69)
The hidden secret in this verse is unveiled to you. Once this secret is resolved within you, you are given two wings; one of those wings is love, the other is zeal. Your ruh flies with them...
From those places where your ruh soars and wanders, the fruits of intimacy (uns) come to you. After tasting those fruits of intimacy, you understand the nothingness of this world. And:
– Eat of every fruit. (al-Naḥl, 69) You receive this command and become free. From then on, there is no fear or sorrow for you...
No stains of darkness remain in your nafs. But no one but you can know this state. Only you know the world you live in within. All your states are apparent, but no one understands. You are astonished at this situation, and inwardly you say:
– O Allah, You merge the night into the day. (Āl ʿImrān, 27)
You begin to say. In the mirror of secrets, various lights of manifestation begin to shine. Thanks to these lights of manifestation, you resolve the secrets in the sentence you uttered in amazement a moment ago. Showers of mercy begin to fall upon the garden of your qalb. For it has become worthy of receiving every kind of manifestation of mercy from the Truth Most High. And it has earned the medal of honor in the following noble verse (āya) of Allah Most High, which we will present in meaning:
– We sent down blessed water from the sky, and with it We brought forth gardens and grain for harvest. (Qāf, 9)
Do you know what happens to the gardens of the qalb that attain such mercy? I do not know if there is an example that can be given outwardly to describe it. At most, it could be like the Gardens of Iram. But even that is nothing compared to this divine beauty. What are the Gardens of Iram?
It is only after your qalb garden attains this state that:
– With that water of mercy, We revive a dead land. (Qāf, 11)
You understand what this sentence points to...
– Today We have removed your covering, so your sight this Day is sharp. (Qāf, 22)
This sentence has come to you. There is no darkness left in your qalb. For this reason, you can easily see the world of light...
Now everything is clear and manifest to you. There is no heedlessness left, nor ignorance. All have become events that took place in the past. Now they are far away. And you... Yes, you are in the realm of union (wuṣla). There, you are immersed in complete witnessing (mushāhada); you are engulfed in light. Sometimes, you emerge from the sea of witnessing and plunge into the sea of self-sufficiency (istighnāʾ)...
– For Allah is free of need from all the worlds. (Āl ʿImrān, 97)
You are His servant. He brings you into the realm of istighnāʾ. At that time, you feel no need for anything but His Essence.
No one there is secure in their state. On the one hand, you see that union has been attained.
– It is complete...
You are about to say. But immediately before you appears:
– Are they secure from the plan of Allah? (al-Aʿrāf, 99)
This command appears. You fall silent... A state of awe envelops you. At one point, your hope seems to falter. You become despondent. But you must know that you are not your own. While you stand bewildered in this state, the following words spill from your lips involuntarily:
– O Allah, grant me a remedy. And at that moment, the following divine address comes to your qalb:
– Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. (Yūsuf, 87)
This command then begins to blow around you like a gentle breeze. As it blows, you are filled with zeal.
You find yourself in the garden of the beauty and majesty of the Truth. You are amazed at its beauty, and begin to sing plaintively like a nightingale. Chanting divine melodies, you flit from one rose branch to another...
And a divine fragrance will come to you from the other realms. You will look around and say: Where did this come from? Sometimes your tongue will slip, just like the Prophet Yaʿqūb (Jacob):
– If you do not think me senile, indeed I perceive the scent of Yūsuf! (Yūsuf, 94)
You will say... Ah, if only you could keep it within yourself. But how could you? Is it in your power? You are right in your words. Truly, the scent you perceive comes to you as a harbinger from beyond. But most likely, those around you will say:
– You are still in your old bewilderment. (Yūsuf, 95)
They will say... For you have said the same words many times. They only listened. Since they tasted nothing, they blamed you.
Do not be saddened. In fact, it is not possible for you to be saddened. For you are truly among those who have found what they sought. If it is their destiny, a day will come when they too will understand the reality...
– When he placed it over his face, his sight was restored. (Yūsuf, 96)
If they have the capacity, they will surely understand the reality in this sentence. Then they will beg you and say:
– We have certainly done wrong. We were mistaken in our words. Pray to Allah for our forgiveness. (Yūsuf, 97)
Do not pay attention to the words of the bewildered around you. They will surely bow before you. As long as you know how to instill even a crumb of the divine reality into your essence. Then, surely, they will say to you:
– By Allah, Allah has certainly preferred you over us. (Yūsuf, 91)
Everything you attain after plunging into that ocean of mercy is, one by one, a treasure. What we have described is not even a drop from that ocean into which you have plunged.
The keys to all knowledge, including the science of dream interpretation, are entrusted to you. Then, no matter what anyone says, you know yourself. You are now familiar with your state. Since you have attained the maqām (spiritual station) of baqāʾ (subsistence in God), you adopt the attitude of those who are content with their state. Since there is nothing else you desire, you begin to make the following supplication:
– My Lord, You have given me sovereignty... You have taught me the interpretation of dreams... You are the Creator of the heavens and the earth... You are my Protector in this world and the Hereafter... Cause me to die as a Muslim.
And join me with the righteous. (Yūsuf, 101)
May the Exalted One grant us all not the word of the matter, but its state. For on this path, it is not words but states that are sought. For on this path, many travelers perished because they wanted to finish the matter with words. May Allah protect us.
Āmīn!