BEŞİNCİ BAB · BİRİNCİ FASIL · Dördüncü Madde
Fourth Point
Concerning what the veils are that exist between the human heart and its Lord, who turns it over, and how the heart is freed from them.
O esteemed one! It is known that the friends of Allah have said: For the servant (seeker) who loves the Lord of dominion, the most essential thing is to turn away from everything—from the world and all within it, even from the Lord—except for what is other than Him (ma-siva). They must pass beyond every precaution and desire, distancing themselves from all sins and lusts, and direct themselves only towards the presence of the Real. For the Exalted One has said in the Noble Book:
“O you who believe! Repent to Allah with sincere repentance.” (Tahrim 66/8)
“O you believers! All of you turn to Allah in repentance.” (Nur 24/31) “Allah loves those who repent and purify themselves.” (Baqarah 2/222)
The Most Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has said in various honorable hadiths:
“He who repents from sin is like one who committed no sin.” And he has said, "Allah is the friend of those who repent." And he has said, “Every servant who reaches the throes of death and then repents, Allah accepts his repentance.”
Indeed, many are the verses and honorable hadiths concerning turning to the Exalted One and repenting to Him. But there is no need to write them all here, for these signs suffice those endowed with insight through the guidance of the Exalted One.
Hazrat Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) has said: “My heart has seen my Lord.” Whoever desires to attain this felicity and aspires to possess these high degrees must first enter through the main gate and repent from concern with anything other than Him (ma-siva). This repentance is named the ‘main gate’ because the servant first repents from ma-siva, and only then draws nearer to the Presence of the Lord.
The consensus of the community is that repentance should be performed immediately. For it is certainly continuous and perpetual that abandoning prohibitions and performing what is commanded is obligatory. If you look at yourself with compassion and tenderness, you will see that your need for repentance is greater than your need for food and drink. For your inclinations and sins have prevented your heart from the Beloved.
Of the seventy veils that exist between a servant and his Lord, the greatest and most intense are sins, which are dark in nature. Although it is necessary to remove the other veils as well, they are luminous, and despite their existence, the servant can perceive his Lord. These veils settle in the heart because of sins, like walls drawn between you and your Beloved. So long as they exist within your heart, neither the glorious essence of the Lord nor His signs will be visible to you.
As for the luminous veils, they are like glass; through their smallness, the desired vision is perceived. When there are many of them, the sought-after may not be seen, but they are not compared to a wall, and still the form of what is sought is known. Just as material objects are seen with the physical eye, so too is seeing with insight comparable to that.
If the eye of insight is sealed and closed, and covered by the darkness of sins, one will be deprived of seeing the lights of the unseen realm. He will remain far from tranquility and bliss. Perhaps he will feel pleasure instead of sorrow for committing sin. If he repents of all his sins, the dark veils will lift from his insight. Then that person will arrive at the Divine Presence, adorning himself with reverence and humility. He will be shy before his Lord, and in that moment only luminous veils will remain—those representing his attachment to the delights of Paradise; his regard for states, stations, various manifestations, and miracles; his confidence in the righteous deeds emanating from himself.
For he supposes that it is he who performs those actions. Worship and obedience are his habit. [318/b] Afterwards, through the blessing of remembrance (dhikr) and contemplation (tafakkur), these veils will open for him. In that state, he will witness the grace of Allah upon him and confess how deficient he is in giving thanks. He will see that the Giver, the one who prevents, the one who benefits, and the one who inflicts harm are none other than the Lord of the Worlds, Allah, Exalted be He. If He intends good for a servant, He adorns him with the garment of piety and makes him worthy of spiritual proximity.
He will also see that although the servant is the actor of the deed, neither good nor evil comes from his hand. Rather, it is the Creator of mankind who performs and enacts everything. For his heart awakens from heedlessness through this realization, and at that moment he imagines himself in union (with Allah) from the tranquility and pleasure he feels.
If he attains to those hidden meanings and is surrounded by and protected by them, then surely he will progress higher than this guarded discovery, and the remaining luminous veils will gradually disappear. He will reach the station of the Siddiqs alongside the Near Ones (Mukarrabin).
From our likening the aforementioned veils to walls and glass, do not assume that the unique Essence can be seen in this base world with outward eyes. For that holy Essence is beyond being seen by these eyes. It can only be perceived through the insight of pure hearts free from attachment to anything other than Him (ma-siva).
The essence of this repentance is regret for all past sins. But this is the repentance of the common folk and is acceptable. The repentance of those who are inwardly perceptive (havass) is to repent from everything that occupies the heart from its true Lord.
As for the repentance of the most inwardly perceptive (havass-ul-havass), it is to repent from a moment’s heedlessness and unawareness of Divine friendship and nearness. This is the repentance of the wise and the Siddiqs. For they have realized the value of their precious breaths.
This kühen (ancient) world is the form of the abode of vanity,
It is time for our place of recreation to be the land of joy.
For "I loved to be known" said that Living, Loving One,
The banner of love was unfurled, and a beautiful manifestation was determined.
Our soul had seen Him beyond the realms of light,
This is why his remembrance became: “O Light of the Light!”
If you step outside your being even one pace, O soul!
At that moment all sins and faults will be forgiven.
It is your being that ruins the abode of the heart,
Be transient so that the courtyard of your heart may be restored.
Because selfhood distanced you from your close friend,
Annihilate yourself in closeness to the Friend so that you are never distant.
For those who are intimate with God in the world of the heart,
There is a paradise that contains neither houris nor deficiencies.
Give your soul to love so that you may be eternally alive from your breath.
Give Him your name and remembrance, so that peace dwells in your heart.
Forget all else and be with God always, O one devoted to God!
For He is the Existent One; do not become proud of this being.