Volume One
O, Hüsameddin, blessed with the light of God! Take a few extra sheets of paper so I may explain the qualities of a Pir. Though your body is delicate and frail, without you, the world’s affairs do not proceed smoothly. You are like light, subtle and radiant; like crystal, refined and gentle. Yet, you are the head of those devoted to the heart, revered by them.
Since the end of the rope is in your hand, subject to your will; the pearls of the necklace of the heart are also from your generosity. Write about the state of the Pir who knows the way; choose a Pir, for he himself is the path. The Pir is like the summer season; the people are like autumn… People resemble night, the Pir, the sun.
I gave the name ‘Pir’ to that young and fresh-faced one. But he has been made a Pir by the people, not through the passage of time. He is a Pir who has no beginning, eternal. There is no equal for that unique pearl. Old wine is potent; especially the wine of “from the unseen” (min ledünn).
Find a Pir, for this journey is exceedingly dangerous and frightening without one, filled with calamities. Even on a path you know well and have traveled many times, you will become lost without a guide. Come to your senses! Do not go alone on a path you have never seen; do not turn away from a guide!
O, heedless one! Without the shadow of a Pir, the voice of gulyabani (a deceptive spirit) will bewilder you, misleading you. The gulyabani harms you, keeping you from your path. Many more accomplished individuals than yourself have been lost and gone on this way. Hear from the Quran about what evil-spirited Iblis does to those who are astray!
He leads them onto a path far from the true path for tens of thousands of years, subjecting them to ruin, leaving them naked. Look at their bones, their hairs (remnants of them) and take heed; do not drive your donkey on that path. Draw back the donkey’s head, lead him onto the path, and harness him to the path of those who know and see the right way.
Do not leave him unattended; hold his reins, for he loves greenery. If you neglect him even for a moment, he will wander far afield in search of pastures. The donkey is an enemy of the path; he becomes intoxicated when he sees greenery. Many who were servants to him have perished because of him.
If you do not know the way, it is against the donkey’s desire. Consult with women, and do the opposite of what they say. Surely those who did not act contrary to them perished. Be little company with desires and whims; for it is desire and whim that lead you astray from the path of God, misleading you.
In this world, nothing can break or destroy the shadow of your companions like desire and whim.
The Prophet said to Ali: “O Ali! You are a lion, strong, fearless, brave. But do not rely on your bravery; do not be confident in it. Seek refuge in the shade of the tree of hope! Enter the shade of an intelligent person whose words cannot lead one astray with tales and stories.”
His shadow on earth is like Mount Kaf; his spirit flies high, soaring in the heavens. Even if I praise him until the end of time, it will not be exhausted. Let no one seek an end to this praise.
The sun has veiled its human form, hidden within a human shape; now you understand. The truth is that God knows best. O Ali! You should seek refuge in the shadow of the most intelligent person among all acts of worship, the one who has attained to God through devotion. Everyone clings to a certain act of worship, seeking a way to be saved.
Seek refuge in the shade of an intelligent person so that you may escape from the hidden, secretly warring enemy. This is better for you than all acts of worship. By proceeding on this path, you will surpass them all and excel over them. Once you have found a Pir, surrender yourself to him; enter under Hızır’s command as Moses did.
O, one who does not know hypocrisy! Be patient with the deeds of Hızır so that Hızır may not say, “Go forth, separation has come.” Do not make a sound when he breaks the ship; do not tear out your hair when he kills the child. Since God said to him, “His hand is My hand,” granting him the decree “God’s power is above their hands,” if God’s hand were to kill him, He would surely resurrect him. What is resurrection anyway? He gives him eternal life.
Even those who have crossed this path alone have been aided by the grace of the Pirs and have reached where they are meant to be thanks to them. The Pir’s hand is not short; it reaches even those in concealment. His hand is nothing other than God’s power, which grants such a blessing to those in concealment. Those who are present in manifestation are surely better than those in concealment, yet they too are nourished and favored; what blessings then will be placed before the guest?
Where is one who ties the service belt at the Pir’s presence? Where is one who stands outside the door? Once you choose a Pir and surrender to him, do not be capricious or soft like mud. How can you become a mirror if you resent every hardship and trial?”