BEŞİNCİ BAB · İKİNCİ FASIL · İkinci Madde
In the second section, it describes the difference between the righteous (ebrâr) who remain at that level and the favored ones (mukarrabûn) who ascend to the highest ranks.
O esteemed one! Know that the friends of Allah have said: The distinction between those possessing a self-reproaching soul (nafs-i levvâme), belonging to the righteous (ebrâr), and those possessing purified souls (nefis sāhibī tezkiye), who are among the favored ones (mukarrabûn), lies in discerning them from one another, identifying the weariness experienced by the righteous and the ease enjoyed by the favored. The following example serves as a fitting evidence and demonstration for this purpose:
There exists a tree of inherently bad nature, exceedingly foul, with a large trunk and numerous branches. From these branches emanate various kinds of poisons constantly. Each branch bears a fruit that is a different kind of deadly poison. A group approached this tree and saw a waterway flowing at its roots. They busied themselves cutting off the branches immediately but did not attempt to uproot it, nor did they cut off the flow of water at its base to dry out the soil. Thus, they perished by the tree’s poison. For [the tree] remained standing as long as its branches were cut, and with each branch they severed, new ones sprouted in its place.
Another group then came to that same tree and cut off the waterway, drying up the soil. Consequently, the branches withered, ceasing to bear poisonous fruit. They were entirely freed from the harm it could inflict, having escaped exhaustion from struggling to cut down numerous branches.
This noxious tree used as an example is likened to [325/a] the inner realm of a human being. The branches that sprout from it are compared to reprehensible traits. The deadly poisons emanating from those branches are the bad qualities derived from those traits, which inevitably produce sins. For the leading among the righteous have known through rational proofs and transmitted accounts that even commendable moral attributes ultimately lead to ruin and bring about calamities in both worlds. They strived to cleanse and eliminate these very traits one by one. However, they failed to be completely freed from them and remained incapable of perfecting their character (tezhîb-i ahlāk). For whenever they rid themselves of one trait, they find themselves entangled with something even worse. Thus, they persevered in this manner until the end of their lives, remaining in toil and hardship. Their bellies were filled with human qualities, and because their blood was abundant, Satan overcame them, filling their hearts with suggestions (waswās). As it is stated in a narration: “Satan follows you along with your blood; restrict his path through hunger” [119].
Indeed, if Satan finds a way to reach someone and circulates within him like the blood in his veins, then his heart is filled with commendable but bad qualities. He remains incapable of completely eradicating even one of these undesirable traits.
Although, at times, contemplating the terror of death, the torment of the grave, the horrors of the Resurrection, and the fear of hellfire may eliminate some of these bad qualities, when that very fear subsides, they find that the eradicated vices have returned.
However, the favored ones (mukarrabûn), through various proofs and experiences, know that the stomach is a source of discord and corruption. They have certainly realized that the stomach is the origin of all bad qualities and have completely freed themselves from all evil by eating very little. They uprooted these undesirable traits from their roots and found safety from their afflictions. Afterward, they became endowed with all commendable beautiful qualities, finding peace in the friendship of Allah and being filled with light (nūr) and joy (sürūr).
Because they eat sparingly, they also drink sparingly. As their drinking decreases, so does their sleep. Consequently, their speech becomes very little. Those who are hungry and sleepless prefer silence over speaking. Therefore, they prefer solitude and seclusion from people.
Thus, none of the commendable but undesirable traits remain in them, and they attain ease. It is said: “The ascetics (abdāl) have become ascetics only through hunger, sleeplessness, silence, and seclusion.”
This example indicates that the favored ones (mukarrabûn) are a group in whom there is absolutely nothing of self-admiration (ucb), arrogance (kibir), or envy (hasad). For they have uprooted all these qualities from their roots; such traits do not even enter their minds. Therefore, if you see one of them, you will understand that they have been freed from all sorrows and have attained peace of heart, being filled with pleasure, joy, and delight. They cause no pain to anyone and are the beloved of hearts among people, for nothing but goodness and beneficence emanates from them. Yet, despite this state, envious ones still envy them, devising schemes and snares to harm them. However, these envious ones suffer no harm from the ascetics, nor do they know anything about their envy or the traps they have laid. For they have plunged into the ocean of gnosis (şuhûd), and the envious ones fall into the pits they dig for them, thereby bringing calamity upon themselves. While in this state, the favored ones find safety under the protection of Allah Most High, attaining felicity in both worlds and achieving their desires. As Allah says: [325/b] “There is no fear for those who believe; they will have only good things” (Yunus 10:62), announcing that the mukarrabûn are free from the sorrow of the afterlife. If this divine word…
Okay, here's the translation as requested:
They are those who have withdrawn from the world and are devoted to worship, people of the Hereafter. They have surrendered themselves completely to the commands of their religion. They are among the servants whom the Most High praises and accepts. However, they have not yet been entirely freed from the obscurity of the self, and therefore have not attained the delight of approaching the Divine Presence. Because the world is a prison for them, they cannot escape being tested with hardship. Nevertheless, they will receive abundant rewards in the Hereafter; they will not be deprived of the reward for their suffering.
As for those who are close to [God], they are few in number. They have been transported by the ecstasy (wajd) of nearness and have transcended themselves. They are neither people of the world nor people of the Hereafter, but rather people of meaning. They are constantly present in the Divine Presence, having forgotten all people and directing their hearts to remembrance of Him. They have turned away from the entire universe towards the One who created it. For they know neither the pleasures of this world nor the blessings of the Hereafter. In what way could the world be a prison for them, or to what could they be enslaved? Why would they grieve or take offense? They find delight and purity only in the Divine Presence and friendship. They establish themselves upon the station of truthfulness (maqam al-siddq), attain the state of poverty and annihilation (faqr wa fanā), and abide eternally with Reality.