BEŞİNCİ BAB · DÖRDÜNCÜ FASIL · Birinci Madde
The First Article
This describes the attainment of the name "tranquil soul" (nafs-i mutmainna), its journey, its realm, its condition, the meanings born within it, its attributes, and its progression to the station of the satisfied soul (nafs-i radiyya).
O esteemed one! It is known that the friends of Allah have said: The soul that speaks (nafs-i natıka), in the fourth station, has attained the name "tranquil" due to its happiness with the address of the Most High, having freed itself from its own pain and suffering. Indeed, the Exalted One addressed this soul with the words, “O tranquil soul!” (The Fig, 89/27).
The spiritual journey of the tranquil soul is with Allah (seyr-maallah), its realm is the truth of Muhammadanism, and its place is secrecy. Its condition is a perfect contentment (itmi’nâniyye-i sâdıka). The spiritual knowledge (vârid) that comes to it are some of the secrets of the Sharia. Its attributes are generosity (cûd), preferring others over oneself (îsâr), trust (tawakkul), entrusting one's affairs to Allah (tefvîz), patience, gentleness (hilm), submission and acceptance (taslîmiyet wa ridâ), sincerity in worship, grace and a cheerful countenance (rıfk u beşâşet), thanking for good deeds done, praising the doer of goodness, and constant presence in the Divine Presence through perfect observation. Besides these, it includes respect for those greater than oneself and the filling of the heart with joy. It is being sweetly-tongued and covering up faults and forgiving errors.
The sign that a seeker (sâlik) has passed into the fourth station is that he does not deviate even by a hair’s breadth from the essentials of the Sharia, and performs every task in accordance with them. He derives no pleasure from anything other than being morally upright according to the character of the Messenger of Allah. His heart finds no contentment or peace except through following his blessed words and acting upon his actions. For the fourth station is the station of tranquility (tamkîn), where everything falls into its proper place, which is a degree of attaining certainty through seeing (ayna’l-yakîn); it is a degree of achieving perfection in faith.
The eyes of those who behold someone in this station are illuminated; those who attend his assembly and listen to his words experience pleasure and delight. Even if he speaks for a long time, the listeners will not feel fatigue or boredom but rather derive enjoyment from it and find sweetness in his words. For his tongue is a translator of the realities of things revealed from the Divine Presence, the subtleties of meaning, and the secrets of the religion.
Therefore, every word spoken by that perfect one will necessarily be consistent with the Noble Qur’an and the honorable hadith. He has not read any book nor heard anything from anyone. For this perfect one hears inspiration through his ear without it being present, which is sent down to him as a secret of the Most High. This perfect human being has been freed from his own anxieties with the inspiration, “I am Your secret, O Beloved! You are my secret,” and has plunged into the sea of modesty and reverence (edep wa hayâ). Awe and reverence are his companions, and he is adorned with garments of dignity and respect. The reality of this world of becoming and perishing (kevn ü fesâd) is shown to him, and the Divine verse, “Every soul will taste death” (The Merciful, 55/26), is revealed to his heart through inspiration. This perfect one sometimes converses with people and speaks to them from the wisdom that is sent into his heart. He guides and bestows blessings upon those friends who seek the science of the heart (ilm-i sudûr) after acquiring the knowledge of script (ilm-i sütûr), according to their capacities. He spends most of his time in remembrance and contemplation, and is bound by his own duty, so that he may not be deprived of ascending to higher stations; so that he does not abandon the highest degrees of perfection and remain below, nor find himself.
*Nazm (Poem)*
1- A sea appeared in the tongue, from which love originated.
From that sea, this soul has been filled, and the heart’s pleasure has increased.
2- As the self passes through desires, it is tranquil in the ocean of the soul.
Life is a fish that has benefited from this sea.
3- It had become an unlikely possibility for my mind that the soul would be equal to its beloved;
But the sun of the world shone forth from every atom.
4- I am a slave of love, may my soul be sacrificed to Him.
From His pleasure and joy, a new life has come to me.
5- The Turner [Mukallib] has taken my heart, this form remains with the people;
My body is in multiplicity, my heart has become unique in this unity.
6- Those devoted to the heart do not wait for a year that brings a joyful festival;
For the knower’s every hour is another festival.
7- Come, O Truth! Forget your soul, perish, and find it with Him.
That soul which has found its friend is fortunate at every moment.