Charity

Almsgiving is one of the five pillars of Islam. Every year each Muslim is obliged to give one fortieth of his liquid assets to other Muslims in need. As daily prayer and fasting are undertaken for the cleansing of one’s soul, almsgiving is the worship proper to one’s material belongings. It purifies our possessions and makes them lawful. As charity is the best of deeds, so stinginess is a grave sin. Hadrat Ibn ‘Arabi says, “The one who gives from his sustenance receives more from God than he gave. The miser, in addition to the sin of miserliness, is guilty of distrusting the Ultimate Sustainer, and depends on his miserable goods over the generosity of his Lord. Therefore spend from what God has given you and do not fear poverty. God will give you what is destined for you, whether you ask for it or not. No one who has been generous has ever perished in destitution.” He also relates a story that a saint of the time, misunderstood by the public, was accused of heresy and condemned to be killed. While he was being brought to the place of execution, he passed a baker. He asked the man to give him half a loaf of bread on credit. The baker, having pity on him, gave him the bread. Further ahead on the road there was a beggar. The saint gave the bread to him. When the procession reached the place of execution, the sentencing judge, following the custom, asked the public gathered there whether they gave their final approval for the execution of the man whom they had declared a heretic and a tyrant. The people cried in unison, “No, this man is a saint, not a heretic! He is the expression of divine justice, not a tyrant!” The judge was shocked to hear this reversal, and had to release him. The judge asked the saint the reason for the public’s favor, “Is your wrath greater, or God’s?” the saint inquired. The judge had to admit that God’s wrath was greater. “Is half a loaf of bread larger, or a date?” The judge agreed that half a loaf of bread was larger. “Haven’t you heard the sayings of the Prophet of God?” the saint asked him. “He said, ‘Protect yourself from the wrath of God and His punishment by giving to the needy, even if it is half a date.’ And also, ‘Charity puts out the fire of punishment and protects from early death.’” (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)

Fasting

It is the obligation of every Muslim to fast the whole month of Ramadan, abstaining from eating and drinking and sex from dawn until sunset. During that time it is also important to watch one’s emotions, cleansing them from criticism and anger and other negative feelings, as well as protecting oneself from negative impressions, negative thoughts and negative words. For the people at the level of Hadrat Ibn ‘Arabi, fasting extends to the whole being. Nothing but God and the godly should enter, not only one’s physical being, but also one’s heart. Nor should anything leave the being but that which is pure. Ibn ‘Arabi says that the meaning of fasting is self-denial – to deny the evil-commanding ego and the flesh their wishes, which in turn will render the human being pure. No other form of worship or effort to come close to God can equal fasting, for there can be no hypocrisy in it. It is a secret between the Lord and His servant. When one fasts without resentment, sincerely and lovingly, the relation between the fasting servant of God and the Lord becomes selfless, total obedience. One gives up one’s will and one’s desires, and acts upon the wish of the Lord. That is why God says, “All acts and worships of humankind are for themselves and belong to them. Only fasting is done for Me, and the reward of it is from Me.” God also says that the smell of the breath of the one who fasts is sweeter to Him thank musk, because what the Lord smells is not the bad odor but the manifestation of His attributes of Patience and Compassion. The one who fasts for God’s sake exhales these in each breath. (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)

The Truth of Islam

Ibn ‘Arabi says that the name Allah is the proper name of the One and Unique God. It is the name of the essence of God, which contains in itself the beautiful names of all His attributes. Everything in Islam has generated from the name Allah. It is the cause of the unity of God: the cause of the Holy Qur’an and all other holy books; the cause of worship and prayer. All else is named, but Allah is the Giver of Names. That is why the messenger of Allah has said, “As long as someone is reciting the Name of Allah, the last day of the world will not come.” – because on that day everything named will be ceased to exist. Only Allah, the Namer, will remain. Ninety-nine beautiful names of Allah have been mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. Some, like “The Ever-Living”, “the All-Knowing,” are the names of divine attributes. Some, like “the Creator” and “the Sustainer” are the names of divine actions. When one mentions them, one says “Allah the Ever-Living” and “Allah the Sustainer.” In Islam one declares one’s faith by saying laa ilaha illallah, there is no god but Allah, signifying that all is from Him, and that there is nothing but He. It is not sufficient as a declaration of belief in Him to say Laa ilaha ill al-Khaliq, “there is no God but the Creator” – Although Allah is the Creator. One may say that a creative person, a living tree, a sustaining food, carry the manifestations of His attributes in His creation. However, nothing in His creation may be given the name of Allah, for He is other than everything He has created and there is none like Him. In the Muslim declaration of faith, after “There is no god but Allah,” it is necessary to bear witness that “Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.” The Messenger of Allah is a chosen human being, a perfect man. That he is “servant of Allah” shows usthe highest level to which any human being can aspire. That he is “Messenger of Allah” is an indication of his closeness to his Lord. He is a guide and an example to humankind whom Allah has sent as a mercy upon the universe, and who Muslims believe will intercede for the faithful on the Day of Judgment. He is human – but as Shaykh Abdul Aziz Dabbagh, a contemporary of Ibn ‘Arabi says, “If the strength and valor of forty warriors were put into one man who could drag a male lion by the ear, and if that man saw the truth of the Prophet for a siingle moment, the awe that he felt would tear his lungs from his chest and his soul would leave him.” None can look upon him except the few saints to whom God has given the strength and the ability to see him. Ibn ‘Arabi says that he saw him in an ecstatic state, and that he had no shadow – for the source of light has no shadow. God created the divine light, with which everything may be seen and understood, as His first creation. And He placed this divine light in Muhammad, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him. When this light is reflected in the heart of the believer, that heart sees the truth. That person becomes blind to t he cognizance of himself, his ego, his flesh as well as becoming blind to these characteristics in others. It is like the ladies of ancient Egypt, invited by Zulaykhah to see the beauty of the prophet Joseph, forgot themselves at the sight of him, and cut their fingers while peeling the fruit in their hands. According to Ibn ‘Arabi, the true peace of submission, the truth of Islam, is only possible by passing through that state where one forgets one’s self and everything else. The saint Bayazid al-Bistami said, “I was only conscious three times in my life. Once I saw the world. Once I was conscious of the Hereafter. And then one night I saw my Lord, who asked me what I wished, and said He would give it to me. I told Him that I wished for nothing, for He is the Only One.” Thus the truth of Islam cannot be reached without eliminating the worries about this world and the worries about the Hereafter. The ones who can do that are in continuous worship and prayer. According to Ibn ‘Arabi, the way to the truth of Islam is through action and sincerity. The downfall of the ordinary person is to know, but to be unable to act upon knowledge but lack sincerity. The danger for the person of higher state is to divulge knowledge without the license of the Lord – for inspired knowledge and the ability to exercise it in sincerity is one of the secrets of the Truth, and can only be shared with others by the permission of the One who gave it. The confession of faith, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger”; daily prayer; fasting during the month of Ramadan; charity and pilgrimage to Mecca are the five pillars of Islam. Hadrat Ibn ‘Arabi adds cleanliness, outer and inner purity, to these five obligations. He likens Islams to a house with four walls. One wall is the daily prayer, the other is charity, the third is fasting, the fourth is pilgrimage. There is a double door to this house. Upon one leaf of the door is written “There is no god but Allah,” and upon the other, “Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.” The roof of that house is cleanliness – purity of body, mind and soul. In this metaphor we see that if one of the walls is lacking, the house will not stand; and that prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage offer little shelter without purity of being over all. Ablution, a symbol of cleanliness, is a prerequisite to prayer. According to Ibn ‘Arabi, the water used to clean oneself in ablution is a symbol of knowledge. The heart of a believer is alive only if sustained by knowledge. When there is no water, one can take ritual ablution with sand or earth. Earth too is a symbol of life, for everything alive comes out of it. While ablution with water, one washes one’s hands and arms to the elbow, one’s mouth, one’s nose, one’s ears, one’s face and eyes, one’s feet, and also one puts water on one’s head. While taking ablution with sand or earth, one does not put earth one one’s head, because worship is an attempt to come close to God, while putting earth on one’s head is a sign of mourning, of lamentation, when someone beloved is taken away and one is left alone and far off. God says: He it is who has made the earth humble, quite and submissive to you (Surah Mulk, 15) Earth is the lowest of the four elements. Our need for it to cleanse ourselves is in our need to rid ourselves of the feeling of superiority and arrogance. Once cleansed, a believer presents himself or herself in front of the Lord five times a day, during the ritual prayers performed at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night. In the seventeen cycles of obligatory prayers and twenty-three cycles of exemplary prayers, and in other voluntary prayers, we go through certain movements. First we stand, turning in the direction of Ka’bah. Wherever believers find themselves on the face of the earth they turn toward Mecca, forming concentric circles. Thus, facing the Ka’bah, we also face each other, symbilically facing the Lord in the hearts of all believers. For God says in a divine tradition, “I do not fit into the heavens and the earth of My creation but I fit into the heart of My believing servant”: and the Prophet says, “The believer is a mirror to the believer.” The prayer starts in a respectful, standing position. When the faithful raise their hands above their shoulders, palms facing forward, and say Allahu Akbar, “God is greater than anything He has created,” with this gesture they throw the world and their worldly concerns behind them with the backs of their hands. Then they clasp their right hands over their left hands in a respectful position. In this standing position we are to be aware of the human in us, for only the human being is vertical and stands erect. We then recite the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds The Beneficent, the Merciful, Master of the day of Requital Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help Guide us on the right path The path of those upon whom Tou hast bestowed favors Not those upon whom wrath is brought down, nor those who go astray (Surah Fatihah, 1-7) Ibn ‘Arabi says that these words are a conversation between the believer and his Lord. When the servant of God says, “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,” the Lord says, “My servant is calling Me.” And when he says, “Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the Beneficent, the Merciful,” the Lord says, “My servant knows Me and he praises Me, for I love him and overlook his faults.” When the believer says, “Master of the Day of Requital,” the Lord says, “My servant knows that he will come back to Me, and depends on My justice and forgiveness.” In the center of the chapter is the key verse, “Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help,” where the whole of the being, conscious of its exterior actions and expression and of the inner thought and feeling, promises to submit to its Lord’s will and beg for His help, declaring that there is nowhere to go but to Him, there is no one from whom to ask for help but from Him. This is the crucial moment in the audience with one’s Lord. People who realize this, at this awesome and fearful moment, tremble and shed tears. For the Lord might say, “O tongue, you say that you submit to Me and ask for My help alone, but all the members of all that physical body, who have deputized you to talk to Me – your eyes, your mind, your heart – have forgotten Me. Thus, what you say is nothing but a lie.” Those who are thus condemned are the people whose minds, eyes, and hearts wander, who look for and see and feel the temptations of this world during prayer. In the last three verses of the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an, the Lord speaks to the heart of the servant – for the prayer “Guide us on the right path” calls upon a promise of the Lord, as does “The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors, not those upon whom wrath is brought down, nor those who go astray.” In the second movement of the ritual prayer, when the believers bow from the waist and repeat thrice subhaana Rabbiiy al ‘Aziim (Glory to my Lord the Most Great), one is conscious of the animal state to which we have been reduced. Most animals roam the earth parallel to the ground. And we plaintively beg our Lord, “Have mercy upon me, O Great One!” Then momentarily we stand up, regaining our human state. With gratitude we throw ourselves into a position of prostration, for realizing our lowliness and the earth from which we are made, we return to the earth. Then slowly we rise, sitting upon our knees, to remember the Day of Judgment. We turn our head to the right and then to the left, seeking the help and intercession of those who loved us in this life – our mothers, our fathers, our children – but all in vain; for all will then be concerned with their own fate. The only one immune to the terror of that Day will be the one whom God has sent as His mercy upon the universe, the intercessor for sinners, Muhammad, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him. Before all prayers but one, a formal summons is chanted. The exception is the funeral prayer. And there is no call to prayer that is not followed by worship, except the summons recited into the right ear of a newborn child. The secret is that the call to attend to our departure from this world is issued at the moment we arrive. The call to prayer consists of reciting four times “Allah is greater,” twice “I witness that there is no god but Allah,” twice “I witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” twice “Come to salvation” twice “Come to felicity,” and again twice “Allah is greater.” Finally at the end the reciter says, “There is no god but Allah.” The reason that these phrases are repeated is that Muslims believe that every human being is born a Muslim – in fact, everything created is created as a Muslim. Some have remembered their original submission to God, while others have not. The first repetition addresses those who realize their state. The second is to remind those who have forgotten. It is very important that these words be chanted musically and by someone with a most beautiful voice, especially for the congregational prayers in mosques. The Prophet chose Bilal the Abyssinian to perform the call, because his voice was beautiful, although his Arabic was lacking. He said, “When Bilal chants, all the gates of heaven open, up to the throne of God.” And when he was asked if that was an honor bestowed on Bilal alone, he answered “No, this honor belongs to all who call to prayer.” In another tradition the Prophet said that the necks of the chanters of the call to prayer are very long – meaning that they will receive blessings as far as their voices reach. He also said that the souls of callers to prayer are together with the souls of martyrs in the Hereafter. The call to prayer consists of the invitation of God issuing from the lips of a human being. It resembles the revelation of the holy books, which issued from the lips of the prophets. Therefore the real caller to prayer, who invites man to truth and salvation, to peace and felicity, is always the Prophet. As the Lord says in the Holy Qur’an: O our Lord, we have heard the call of one calling to faith “Believe ye in the Lord,” and we have believed (Surah ali-Imran, 193) Ibn ‘Arabi says, “When my Lord made me chant the call to prayer, I saw that each word coming from my lips extended to a distance as fas as the eye can see. Then I understood the meaning of the Prophet’s words that the necks of the chanters of the call to prayer will be very long, for their Lord’s praise for them will be as vast as the area where their voices are heard. The heralds who call the believer to prayer are the best of people, after the prophets, who transmit the truth. The reason that the Prophet of God did not chant the call to prayer himself was because of his compassion for his people. If he himself had called people to prayer, those who couldn’t come would have been disobedeient to God, and received divine blame for revolting against Him. (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)

Morals

Ibn ‘Arabi says, “No reward that a human being can receive for his achievements can compare with the felicity awarded to whoever shows compassion to humanity.” He also says, “God has entrusted animals to men in order to serve them. Treat them gently. When you use them to carry things, do not overload them. When you ride them, do not sit on them proudly.” According to Ibn ‘Arabi, the essence of morality is compassion. To help us persevere in treating others with kindness, gentleness, and consideration, he suggests that we be heedful and continuously evaluate, not only our actions, but also our feelings and thoughts. He says, “May God, who sees everything, open your inner eye, so that you can see and remember what you have done and thought, felt and said, in your daily life. Remember that you must account for it, and that you will be judged for it on the Day of Reckoning. Do not leave your accounting to that day. This is the time and the place to do it. See yourself, close your accounts. The only way to salvation is to go to the Hereafter clear and clean of all debts. Give heed to the advice of the Messenger of God, who said, “Make your accounting before it is made for you. Weigh your sins before they are weighed for you.” Weigh your transgressions against your good deeds while you still have time. “While you are alive, you are like a collector of benefits from God’s bounties, which come to you from myriads of hands. What you receive is not really yours. You are like a cashier: you must distribute what you have received, but you are responsible for the accounting of it. If you do not do it today, on the Day of Reckoning no one will come to your aid. You will hear the voice of the Absolute Punisher, who will say, “Haven’t I sent you messengers, haven’t I shown you the right way? Havent’t I given you the time within the day and within the night to follow My orders, ro remember Me and to praise Me? Now: Read your book. Your own soul is sufficient as a reckoner against you this day (Surah Bani Isra’il, 14) “if you wait until the last minute, you will receive no good from your regret. If you cannot see what you are doing, know that the veils covering the eye of your heart are thick, and you are rejected from God’s door of mercy. Go and kneel at the sill of that door; shed tears of repentance and beg for entrance. “There are three dangers that may keep you form examining yourself. The first is unconsciousness. The next is the imaginary pleasure you take in deceptions of your ego. The third is being a slave to your habits.” Ibn ‘Arabi practiced the continuous contemplation of his daily life. He mentions that one of his teachers wrote down on a piece of paper everything he did and said during the course of the day. At night he would make an accounting of that day’s words and actions. If he had done wrong, he would repent; if he had done right he would offer thanks to God. Ibn ‘Arabi noted not only what he did and said, but also his thoughts and feelings. He says, “In whatever state you find yourself, even if you are bettern than everyone else, ask God for, and work for, a better state. In everything you do, do not forget God.” According to Ibn ‘Arabi, contemplation and meditation are a means to protect oneself against all evil. In addition, they inspire patience against adversities. He believed in the value of all human beings, and in interacting with them with the best of intentions. He says, “Treat everyone equally, whether they are kings or paupers, old or young. Know that humankind is one body, and individuals are its members. A body is not a whole without its parts. The right of the man of knowledge is respect, the right of the ignorant one is advice, the right of the heedless one is to be awakened, the right of the child is compassion and love.” “Treat well those who are dependent upon you: your wives and husbands; your children; the people who work for you; animals in your care; plants in your garden. God has given them into your hands to test you, and you are in His care. Treat the ones in your care as you want the One in whose care you are to treat you. The Messenger of God says, “All creation are God’s dependents. God has left a few of His dependents in your hands. Show love, compassion, delicacy, generosity, and protection toward those who depend on you, and in fact to everyone.” “Teach your children good behavior with the words of God in His divine book. Secure for them conditions in which they can exercise what you have taught them. From the very beginning, teach them to bear difficulty, to have patience and consideration. Do not place in their heart the love of the world. Teach them to dislike the things of this world that will render them proud: beautiful clothes, delicacies, luxuries, excess of ambition; because all these will be substracted from the good due to them in the Hereafter. Let them not become accustomed to good things – yet beware that this, which may seem austere, should not bring forth in you the ugly character of miserliness toward your children.” “In all the good you do, do not expect any return of favors or of thankfulness. When someone causes you pain, do not retaliate by causing them pain. God considers such response as a sin, while He praises the ones who return kindness to those who have hurt them.” “Consider God’s orders and fear His justice in everything you do, in everything you say. He is tha All-Seeing, the All-Knowing, the Ever-Present. The essence of all religions is to know that although you may not see Him, He sees you. God’s orders are only heard and obeyed by the ones who love and fear Him.” “A miser is a coward because he does not have faith in God the Generous. The accursed Devil whispers in his ear that there is no death, he will live a long time, the world is hostile. If he gives what he has, he will be left destitute, dishonored and alone. He has to look after himself! If this evil imagination captures the heart, it leads to the edge of Hellfire.” “On the other hand, people who give their ears to God will hear Him say: And whoever is saved from the miserliness of his ego, those it is who find salvation (Surah Hashr, 9) Whoever is miserly is miserly to himself (Surah Muhammad, 38) “Because God will: Destroy their riches and harden their hearts (Surah Yunus, 88) “God’s messenger says, “God has next to him two angels who pray every morning: ‘O Lord, increase your bounties upon the generous, and take away from misers what they have.’” “The one who gives from his sustenance receives more from God that he gave. The miser, in addition to the sin of miserliness, is guilty of distrusting the Ultimate Sustainer, and depends on his miserable goods over the generosity of his Lord. Therefore spend from what God has given you and do not fear poverty. God will give you what is destined for you, whether you ask for it or not. No one who has been generous has ever perished in destitution.” “If you wish to find God’s pleasure and support in finding the truth, avoid being negative and control your temper and your anger. If you cannot stop feeling anger, at least do not show it. If you undertake this, you will disappoint the Devil and please God. That is the beginning of the education of your ego.” “Anger is a result and a sign of an ego out of control – left loose like a wild animal, untied and uncaged. When you hold your temper, it is as if you put a bridle on its head and barriers around it. Then you can begin to tame it so that it obeys and behaves, so that it cannot hurt others than itself – because your ego is still a part of you.” “When you can control your temper, your adversary will be calmed, since you are not reacting to his provocations or responding to his negativity. This is more effective than punishing him. He may be led to see the reality of his acts, to realize what is fair, and to confess his fault.” “Give value to your time. Live in the present moment. Do not live in heedlessness and in imagination and throw your time away. God has prescribed a duty, an act, a worship for your every moment. Know what it is and hasten to do it.” “Use your time first to earn your sustenance lawfully. The Messenger of God says, “The one who earns his sustenance lawfully through hs efforts is beloved of God. And , “God likes to see the believer working at his profession.” And, “God like the person who has a craft.” “It is related that one day Hadrat ‘Umar, beloved companion of the Prophet, met a group of people who were sitting around lazily doing nothing. He asked them who they were. “We are of those who put their affairs in the hands of God. We trust in Him,” they replied. “Indeed, you do not!” he heatedly responded. “You are nothing but freeloaders, parasites upon other people’s efforts. For someone who truly trusts in God first plants the seed in the belly of this earth, then hopes and puts his affairs in the hands of God the Sustainer.” “First perform the actions that God has given to you as obligations. Nex do what He has given you to do through the example of His prophets. Then take on what He has left you as voluntary, lawful, acceptable good deeds. And work to serve the ones who are in need.” “Distance yourselves from the heedless, for they are the slaves of their egos and of the desires of their flesh. They take hearts away from the light of truth and throw them into the dark hole of heedlessness, as they did with their own hearts. If you are forced to be with them in the same time and space, then face them and advice them. If they turn their backs on you, it is because they do not know their fronts from their backs. Be kind to them whether they turn their faces to you or their backs; then they may like you and respect you, and perchance they may become attached to you and follow you on the path of truth.” “Learn proper behavior. It is the means by which an intention becomes a good deed. Therefore it is the greatest capital in the hand of the seeker. The proof is in the words of the one who was brought with the most beautiful character, the last prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who said, “I have been sent to perfect good behavior.” (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)

Worship

God says: The seven heavens and the earth and all beings therein declare His glory. There is not a thing but celebrates His praise, but you do not understand how they declare His glory! (Surah Bani Isra’il, 44) The earth has been entrusted with knowledge by God, as humanity has been entrusted with knowledge. The earth also knows its Creator. The truth is within everything. If man, with heedfulness, looked around himself, he would detect it immediately. God says: On that day [the earth] will declare his tidings; for that her Lord will have given her inspiration…(Surah Zalzalah, 4-5) Thy Lord has revealed to the bee… (Surah Nahl, 68) And He revealed to an ant the presence of His prophet Solomon (Surah Naml, 18) He tells us that a day will come when the earth will speak of all that has happened upon it. Things we presume to be without life will be witnesses on the Day of Judgment; thus, they know. A rock, although it appears inanimate, has a face turned to its Creator and a face turned to man. It is filled with the love and fear of God, while we think that it is senseless. We are senseless ourselves, living and walking upon the face of the world, believing it to be lifeless! All creation has a language of its own, but no one, save those whose ears of the heart are open, can hear it. How else could the earth evolve into layers of elements – lead, copperm silver and gold – into jewels and diamonds. Seeds grow into plants, into thousands of grains and fruits. Nothing is lost; everything is kept in the memory of nature. An ear like Solomon’s can hear the words of the winds and the mountains and the birds. It is reported by Anas, the companion and adopted son of the Prophet, may God’s peace and blessings be upon them, that the Messenger of God took up some pebbles in his hand. A voice come forth from them, crying, “Allah, Allah, Allah!” When he gave the pebbles into the hands of his beloved companion Abu Bakr, the stones still kept reciting the name of God. But when Anas was given the pebbles, no more was heard. One day the Prophet was ill. The angel Gabriel came to him in the form of a beautiful human being and presented him with wonderful grapes and pomegranates. As he was eating them, a voice proceeded from them, speaking the name of the Lord. When he gave some to his grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn, the fruits kept reciting the names of God, but when another of the companions was given the fruit to taste, the sound ceased. The cognizance of the Creator is within the creation. This is the manifestation of God’s name “The All-Powerful” All that is taken to be lifeless matter- the earth, the water, the air, the fire – is immersed in continuous worship of its Lord. As a stone has neither mind nor thought nor feeling, as it is without emotion or will, it exists naturally in a state of complete submission. The plants are in a lesser state of submission because they have a will to grow, and in their effort to grow they forget God and lack in worship. Lesser still is the submission of the animal, the sentient being. Although animals do not have a fully developed mind and will, they have instinct, and that is what prevents them from total submission and full worship and realization of their Creator. Man is the least apt to submit to God and the most lacking in worship. His mind, his imagination, his lust, the desires of his flesh, his anger, his will are the powers which hold him and keep him in heedlessness. At best, he may intend to know his Lord by his intellect, seeking proofs of His existence, wishing to see Him with his own eyes, and suffering under the influence of the will given to him. It is only the perfect human being who realizes the limit of the mind and finds the Lord. This come to a few through the manifestations of the divine to consciousness; through looking at things with the affirmation of unity as a guide; through the opening of divine disclosures; through inspiration. Those few surpass the whole of creation and reach the level of being servants of God. And then they serve the rese of creation. (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)

The Unity of Being

Three different approaches are necessary for understanding the unity of being. There is a unity of essence, a unity of attributes, and a unity of action. The unity of essence is the concept that there is only one existencem one cause – inconceivable, unknowable, yet responsible for the existence of all and everything. The quality, the character, the attributes, the identity of all and everything are the manifestation of this one cause. Every existence is related to it, and every action of every created thing is caused by and connected to it. Everything is from God, and yet is not God. He is before the before and after the after. He is the outer and the inner, the visible and invisible. His outward manifestation is the unity of everything, and still He is hidden in His Oneness. In the beginning, there was nothing but He. Right this moment, there is nothing but He. He is infinite – therefore, He will be when all is gone. His actions are unceasing and change constantly, no two are alike. Therefore there is none like Him, and there is none other than He. Whoever does not see this blind in this life, and whoever is blind here will be blind in the Hereafter. Mullah Jami’ says, “Look at the whole creation under one single light, so that you will see the truth. There is only one light, but under that light different things are seen. The light unites all. This is the meaning of the unity of being.” That light erases the doubt and ugliness of imagination. The human being whose heart is freed of this ugliness sees the one, the most perfect, the most beautiful existence. There is no more harm, confusion, or deformity; all is right and true and beautiful. Such a one sees his own imaginary existence as a manifestation of the true existence, and thus passes from his existence to the true existence. He sees all humanity and all the created world as faultless, perfect and beautiful, for truth is beautiful. And all is united in love. (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)

“He who knows himself, knows his Lord”

The truth of the attributes, the beautiful names of God, is infinite, and manifests in different ways at different times. The proof of Truth is in the realization of the oneness of all creation. Yet multiplicity is a part of the one. Unity manifests itself in multiplicity. With all their differences, and in the infinity of manifestation, the parts interconnect and add up to a whole. Whoever can find this in himself, knows his Lord. God has created the perfect human being in His own image – in the image of His attributes. Many Sufis believe that to be able to realize this unity of the self, one must obliterate the manifestation of many “I”s in oneself – in fact, one must deny them existence. Through intensive worship, fasting, meditation, and refusing the desires of the flesh, they attempt to submit their wills to the will of God, and to purify their behavior and habits. All of this discipline and effort is built on the assumption that these many “I”s that one is trying to give up actually exist. Yet there is no “I” other than God. There is nothing but He. How can one manage to give up something that never was? The only way to know your Lord is by knowing your nonexistence. Man is nothing but a mirror where God’s attributes are reflected. He is the one who sees Himself in that mirror. He is the only one who knows Himself. Neither the prophets, nor the angels, nor a perfect human being can know Him. When we recognize our nothingness and God’s totality, we attain the full scope of our knowledge of Him. (The Tree of Being:Shajarat al-kawn. An Ode to the Perfect Man. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Archetype Pub. London, 2005)