BEŞİNCİ BAB · İKİNCİ FASIL · Dördüncü Madde
**Fourth Point**
In the second station, it is stated that the greatest obstacle separating the servant from his Lord is mixing with people.
O esteemed one! Know that the friends of Allah have said: Indeed, there are many obstacles to approaching Allah, but among them none is greater than inclining towards the people and engaging in conversation and affection with them. For the foundation of the struggle required on this path is to oppose the customs of the people, and this is accomplished by abandoning them.
So how can a seeker who associates with them, participates in their humor and jesting, and approves of frivolous talk, progress on his way, engage in struggle, and attain observation?
Whoever desires to reach the exalted stations must entirely abandon the people and retreat into solitude. He separates himself from his friends and family, finding solace only in the friendship of his Lord. He beholds wondrous and varied secrets within his heart and finds great delight in his soul. But whoever does not utilize these [spiritual] remedies grows weary, left to grapple with his own stubbornness. He wastes his time and is deprived of the desire to draw closer spiritually to his Lord.
For he finds eternal bliss by distancing himself from people and drawing near to Allah. He joins the company of the most intimate friends (Evliyâ-i mukarrabûn).
In this second station, the seeker must be vigilant [against the wiles and traps of the ego]; he must eliminate and eradicate the remnants of arrogance, envy, self-admiration, hypocrisy, suspicion, and objection—those vestiges of the carnal self (nafs-i emmâre)—within his being by completely turning away from people.
It is not necessary for him to engage in enjoining good and forbidding evil (amr-bi’l-ma’rûf nehy-ani’l-munkar). For enjoining good requires approaching those you advise with gentleness, acting with humility, so that it may have an effect. However, the seeker cannot display gentleness or humility in this station. As a hadith narrates: “One who commands good should do so gently” [123].
Furthermore, [it is necessary for the seeker in this station] to purify his heart—from afflictions that hinder observation—and deliver his soul from eternal torment; this is of utmost importance and necessity regarding himself. For the heart is the manifestation of Allah, and truly knowing Him is superior to all things. [327/a]
Purifying the heart comes before all else. And the seeker in this station should recite the supplication: “O He who turns hearts! Turn my heart towards Your obedience” [124], before sunrise and after sunset, without purifying his heart. After purification, he should recite: “O He who changes hearts from one state to another! Make my heart firm upon religion and obedience” [125].
The meaning of turning hearts (taklîb-i kalb) is that the All-Merciful turns them from heedlessness to awareness, and conversely, from sorrow to joy, and conversely, from hope to fear, and conversely, from spaciousness to constriction, and similarly to all the contradictory states mentioned above.
The purpose of this supplication is to remain upright (on the path of rectitude). As in this second station, the meaning of the hadith: “Verily, the hearts of the servants are between two fingers of Allah, He turns them as He pleases” [126], becomes clear to this dervish along with his delight. This increases the seeker’s inclination towards spiritual travel and purification (seyru sülûk) and makes him forget the hardships he endures during struggle. It brings awareness of the heart's states and detaches it from that which is other than Allah.
A state [hâl] is something that flows into the heart from Allah without effort or pretense (iktisâb and tasannu‘). This may be sorrow, joy (tarab), fear (havf), hope (recâ), spaciousness (bast), constriction (kabz), awe (haybet), intimacy (üns), majesty (celâl), beauty (cemâl), or some other meaning that is born within the heart.
If a meaning enters the heart and is erased, it is called a state [hâl]. If it settles permanently and remains there, it is called a station [makam].
Therefore, states are Allah’s gifts, while stations are earned through effort. States come from Allah's treasury of generosity, and stations are obtained by exerting oneself. Thus, the aforementioned secret can only be revealed through the struggle we have described. If a seeker claims that he has witnessed this secret without struggle, then what he speaks of is not the manifestation of the secret, but rather the deception of his own ego. For it is in the nature of the ego to claim that it possesses a perfection it does not actually possess when it hears of it. True observation [mushâhada] can only be attained through struggle.
Surely, the seeker who is sincere in his claim struggles with his ego and enters into the realm of the heart to uncover the treasures hidden within it. He does not cling to empty words (laklaka) that have no benefit for this world or the hereafter, but rather trains his ego. For the claims of those who assert they possess a perfection they do not actually possess are refuted by the proofs of examination. Thus, [the sincere seeker] examines himself and does not confirm him; rather, he stands as a guardian over him and does not readily give him what he desires. When he sees him turning away from Allah, he hates him, but instead tells his spiritual guide about his misdeeds. He hides no secret from him and recounts all his troubles to him. Thus, that discerning guide understands the nature of his disciple’s ailment from his expressions and prescribes a remedy accordingly.
The hidden words between the guide (pir) and the disciple (mürid) are in trust for both of them. Speaking or writing them is considered betrayal throughout their lives. Such a thing is also treachery in the sight of Allah. He who says, “I will give my head but not betray a secret,” is worthy of being a repository of secrets and carrying the divine trust.
**Verse**
1- How wondrously this our poem has been crafted
How a hidden jewel became this tongue of ours
2- What a marvel it is that descended from heaven to earth
You are absolutely correct to request only the translation. Here it is:
1-What with what love was this earth of ours kneaded? What hidden treasures did our heart become a repository for?
2-How like a moon is that, descending from the heavens to the earth? With it, our constellation and destination are illuminated.
3-What waves are those, arriving one after another? From this wave-tossed sea, our shore finds it.
4-The heart accepts thousands of designs in a single moment. Wonderful what an adept designer has become our receptive heart!
5-With countless states, a friend appears within the heart. Through him, thousands of difficulties are completely resolved.
6-The breeze of primordial love creates the tones of love within the heart. By this path's wind, our perfect self becomes spirit.
7-Bring water and bread from Him; life comes from the Real. For He is first and last—the soul of our beloved.