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The Sixth Point
It explains how the aspects, states (ḥāl), and stations (maqām) of silence are, and that those learned in gnosis (maʿrifa) show the states of the heart through symbols and indications.
O esteemed one! It should be known that the friends of God have said: The silence of the tongue is the consequence of a sleepless night. For it is well-known that someone who stays awake at night worshipping does not feel the desire to speak.
Silence has two aspects. One is the silence of the tongue, and the other is the silence of the heart. The silence of the tongue is refraining completely from speaking useless things with useless things. The silence of the heart, however, is distancing fleeting thoughts (hawātir) from the heart. Thus, one whose tongue is silent and whose heart is silent has little sin and finds comfort. One whose tongue and heart are both silent purifies his soul and finds his Lord. One whose heart is silent but whose tongue speaks speaks with the language of wisdom. Whoever’s tongue and heart do not remain silent becomes a plaything of Satan.
The silence of the tongue is among the stations of those devoted to spiritual practice (seyru sulūk) and the righteous (ebrār). The silence of the heart is the characteristic of those who observe (mushāhada), who are close to God (muqarrabūn).
In its beginnings, silence delivers one from trials. For the close to God, it is nearness to God through the address they hear. Whoever prefers silence in all their states does not speak with anyone else; he speaks only with his Lord. Because a person who has some thought other than God (māsivā) in his heart cannot remain silent until that thought turns from speaking about it to speaking with God. Many a one who finds nearness to God, when he removes māsivā from his heart, receives spiritual aid in his speech; whatever he speaks, he speaks truthfully. For he speaks from God and is therefore truthful. Thus, speaking truthfully is the result of silence from falsehoods. External speech (ḥadīth) from God is error in every state. Speaking about things other than God is empty and useless in all respects.
The station of silence is like the station of revelations (waḥy). One characteristic of silence is that it leads one to knowledge of God (maʿrifatullāh). Those learned in gnosis have conversed with each other through indications from their efforts and zeal, and they have written in riddles in their books, so that those who are ignorant of these matters do not use their deficient minds to speak ill of them. For they have shown great recklessness in this regard.
Poem:
"Do not say a word spoken by the people of the heart is wrong."
“You do not understand words, O my soul; the error lies there.”
The learned ones realized that their books would fall into the hands of both the knowledgeable and the unknowing, and that some ignorant individuals would claim to possess gnosis using those phrases. Therefore, in order that the adab (etiquette) of the true path be remembered and made clear, and so that it may guide those who seek gnosis after them, they wrote many books on that subject, arranging their terms (iṣṭilāḥ) like precious pearls, with the intention of having a representative in the world. Those who understand the matter should take their share from its brilliant pearls, so that they do not remain lost in the desert of the world but may dive into the sea of the heart and soul. For the fundamental concepts of every science cannot be known without hearing them from those skilled in it, while those who travel the path of gnosis have intuitively perceived, through the pleasure of their research, that they themselves have discovered and written these terms, as if they had invented them.
Poem:
“If you do not find a perfect guide, then Kitab comes to you as your guide.”
Much of what the learned ones wrote has been misunderstood by the common people (awām), who accuse them of heresy and apostasy, thereby depriving themselves of their affection and abandoning their books. Yet they have found the light of faith, distinguished truth from falsehood, known their Lord and their souls, and burned with the fire of love. Ignorant people sometimes reject and deny, and sometimes accept those learned in gnosis. There are many secrets and wisdoms in their rejection and affection that only the people of the heart know.
It is not right for a gnostic to reveal the secrets of his love to an ignorant person. Rather, he can only tell them to a friend who, when he wounds his own arm, feels blood flow from his arm as well. In this degree of love, his knowledge and gnosis, his states, and his soul are manifested through the spiritual attraction (cezbe) and spiritual delight that he receives from the path of the heart. For the sciences of the heart are only the science of states, which is the filling of hearts with remembrance (dhikr) and purification (tazkiya) of God. Intellectual sciences are acquired through learning and reasoning.
The Shaykh Attar (may God have mercy on him) cautioned about concealing secrets in eight rubāʿīs.
Rubāʿiyāt:
1. O tongue, you’ve tasted the wine of gnosis,
Do not sell the secret of God, my friend.
At every mountain spring there is a gushing;
If you remain silent, an ocean will arise.
2. When I spread out the tablet of the heart with two worlds,
I placed two worlds beneath my feet.
O speaker, whose secret I made known,
You came to my end and abandoned it.
3. Whenever something is covered by a veil,
Whenever the entire world is in turmoil,
You cannot mark it with your finger;
Your finger returns to your lip, silent and still.
4. The tongue seeks the secret of love, rising up,
The soul dies and the secret of love remains within it.
A secret that my head has lost in its secret,
When it appears, it is concealed.
5. Until you reach a place by place, remain silent,
Upon the dust of His feet remain silent.
You practice kindness and gentleness with God’s people,
You are a gazer upon God, silent and still.
6. Even though you are not a confidant of our secrets,
Be patient, for your life is not long.
If you are a friend to us, then you are not my companion;
The time passes, and you do no work with anyone.
7. From the people of the world, until they cover their faces,
When you taste the wine of gnosis, hold your tongue; let forth the Divine secrets. Do not surge like a spring bursting from a mountain with every word. If you remain silent, you become an ocean.
Having cleansed the tablet of the heart from the love of both worlds, I cast both worlds beneath my feet. How many words came to my throat, which I swallowed and did not utter, in order to reveal the secret!
Were the veil lifted from every thing, the entire world would surge forth. If something cannot be shown with a finger, then place your finger on your mouth and remain silent.
Pursue the secret of love with your heart; abandon yourself to it and make it your substitute. When the secret for which you have sacrificed your head is revealed, conceal it immediately.
Go as far as you can and be silent; lower your head, be dust beneath your feet, and be silent. Treat God's servants well, deal kindly with them; observe God and be silent.
If no one will be a confidant to you, then endure, for life is short. And if you are a friend of ours and have no companion, then be silent, for none has need of you.
Turn away from the people of the world; drink the wine of truth without straining your throat. O heart, until when will you surge? Observe mourning for this saying and be silent.
Do not speak of worldly affairs, do not feel regret from the face of time. Conquer these with "both the sorrow of time and the grief of your own soul" and be silent.
The knower's secrets should not be told to a simpleton. Only to such a friend can they be revealed, whose wound will bleed from his arm when yours is wounded. It is in this degree of love that one’s knowledge and insight, states, spirit, spiritual attraction gained on the path of the heart, and spiritual delight are manifested. For the sciences of the heart are only the science of states, wherein remembrance and purification have filled hearts. Intellectual sciences are acquired through learning and reasoning. Shaykh Attar (may God be pleased with him) has cautioned against keeping secrets in eight ruba'is.
Speaking a word or letter from the wisdom of the secrets to hypocrites who love the world and deny the saints, gives them strength, hope, and joy, thus pleasing them. For the knowledge of the saints is esoteric and its disclosure is forbidden. It is not right to reveal the secrets of the hawwas to the masses. Those who reveal them are not given credence.
Many a useless word is a fault for its owner. Many a tongue is an enemy to its owner. An assembly is a trust; betraying what is said in the assembly is treachery.
A person's safety lies in holding his tongue and doing good to people. Think before you speak. The wise man’s tongue is in his heart, while the fool’s heart is in his tongue. Speak truthfully so that you may find spoils; be silent about what is untrue so that you may be safe. Every person is held accountable for his words, and everyone achieves his desires through keeping secrets.
For the pure heart is full of mysteries.