Al-Ḥikam—Sufi Aphorisms tasawuf

8122019 Al-ḤikammdashSufi Aphorisms tasawuf

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullal-ikamsufi-aphorisms-tasawuf 141

Al-ḤikammdashSu1047297 AphorismsIBN ATA ALLAH AL-ISKANDARI

1

One of the signs of relying on onersquos own deedsis the loss of hope when a downfall occurs

2Your desire for isolationeven though God has put you in the world to gain a livingis a hidden passion And your desire to gain a living in the world

even though God has put you in isolationis a comedown from lofty aspiration

3 Antecedent intentions ( sawābiq al-himam)cannot pierce the walls of predestined Decrees

4Rest yourself from self-directionfor what Someone Else has carried out on your behalfyou must not yourself undertake to do it

5Your striving for what has already been guaranteed to youand your remissness in what is demanded of you

are signs of the blurring of your intellect

6If in spite of intense supplicationthere is delay in the timing of the Giftlet that not be the cause for your despairingFor He has guaranteed you a responsein what He chooses for you

not in what you choose for yourselfand at the time He desires not the time you desire



IBN ATA ALLAH middot SUFI APHORISMS

7If what was promised does not occureven though the time for its occurrence had been 1047297xedthen that must not make you doubt the promise

Otherwise your intellect will be obscuredand the light of your innermost heart extinguished

8If He opens a door for you thereby making Himself knownpay no need if your deeds do not measure up to thisFor in truth He has not opened it for you but out ofa desire to make Himself known to you

Do you not know that He is the one who presentedthe knowledge of Himself to you whereas you are the onewho presented Him with deeds at a diff erence betweenwhat He brings to you and what you present to Him

9 Actions diff erbecause the inspirations of the states of being diff er

10 Actions are lifeless formsbut the presence of an inner reality of sincerity ( sirr al-ikhl āṣ ) within themis what endows them with life-giving Spirit

11Bury your existence in the earth of obscurity

for whatever sprouts forthwithout having 1047297rst been buried1047298owers imperfectly

12Nothing bene1047297ts the heart more than a spiritual retreatwherein it enters the domain of meditation (mayd ān 1047297 kra)

13How can the heart be illumined

2




while the forms of creatures are re1047298ected in its mirrorOr how can it journey to Godwhile shackled by its passionsOr how can it desire to enter the Presence of Godwhile it has not yet puri1047297ed itself

of the stain of forgetfulnessOr how can it understand the subtle points of mysterieswhile it has not yet repented of its off ences

14e Cosmos is all darknessIt is illumined only by the manifestation of God in it oever sees the Cosmos and does not contemplate Him

in it or by it or before it or after it is in need of lightand is veiled from the sun of gnosisby the clouds of created things

15at which shows you the existence of His OmnipotenceIs that He veiled you from HimselfBy what has no existence alongside of Him

16How can it be conceived that something veils Himsince He is the One who manifests everythingHow can it be conceived that something veils Himsince He is the one who is manifest through everythingHow can it be conceived that something veils Himsince He is the One who is manifest in everythingHow can it be conceived that something veils Him

since He is the Manifest to everythingHow can it be conceived that something veils Himsince He was the Manifest before the existence of anythingHow can it be conceived that something veils Himsince He is more manifest than anythingHow can it be conceived that something veils Himsince He is the One alongside of whom there is nothingHow can it be conceived that something veils Himsince He is nearer to you than anything else

How can it be conceived that something veils Himsince were it not for Himthe existence of everything would not have been manifest

3




It is a marvel how Being has manifested in nonbeingand how the contingent has been establishedalongside of Him who possesses the attribute of Eternity

17He who wishes that there appear at a given momentother than what God has manifested in ithas not left ignorance behind at all

18Your postponement of deeds till the time when you are freeis one of the frivolities of the ego

19Do not request Him to get you out of a stateso as to make use of you in a diff erent onefor were He to desire so He could make use of youas you are without taking you out

20Hardly does the intention of the initiatewant to stop at what has been revealed to himthan the voices of Reality call out to himldquoat which you are looking for is still ahead of yourdquo And hardly to the exterior aspects of created beingsdisplay their charmsthan their inner realities call out to himldquoWe are only a trial so disbelieve notrdquo

21Your requesting Him is suspecting HimYour seeking Him is due to your absence from HimYour seeking someone else is because of yourimmodesty toward Him Your requesting someone elseis on account of your distance from Him

22Not a breath do you expirebut a Decree of Destiny makes it go forth

4






and one who proceeds inferentially to HimHe who has Him as his starting-point knows the Realas It isand proves any matter by reference to theBeing of its Origin

But inferential argumentationcomes from the absence of union with HimOtherwise when was it that he became absentthat one has to proceed inferentially to HimOr when was it that He became distantthat created things themselves will unite us to Him

30

ose who are united with HimldquoLet him who has abundance spent out of his abundancerdquo

ose who are voyaging toward HimldquoAnd whoever has his means of subsistence straitenedrdquo

31ose who are voyaging to Himare guided by the lights of their orientationwhereas those who are united to Himhave the lights of face-to-face confrontatione former belong to their lightswhereas the lights belong to the latterfor they belong to God and to nothing apart from HimldquoSay Allahen leave them prattling in their vain talkrdquo

32

Your being on the lookout for the vices hidden within youis better than your being on the lookout for theinvisible realities veiled from you

33e Real is not veiled from youRather it is you who are veiled from seeing Itfor were anything to veil It

then that which veils It would cover ItBut if there were a covering to Itthen that would be a limitation to Its Being

6




Every limitation to anything has power over itldquoAnd He is the Omnipotent above His servantsrdquo

34

Among the attributes of your human naturedraw awayfrom every one that is incompatible with your servanthoodso that you may be responsive to the call of Godand near His Presence

35e source

of every disobedience indiff

erence and passionis self-satisfactione sourceof every obedience vigilance and virtueis dissatisfaction with onersquos selfIt is better for you to keep company with an ignorant mandissatis1047297ed with himselfthan to keep company with a learned mansatis1047297ed with himselfFor what knowledge is there in a self-satis1047297ed scholar And what ignorance is there in an unlearned mandissatis1047297ed with himself

36e ray of light of the intellectmakes you witness His nearness to youe eye of the intellectmakes you witness your nonbeing as due to His Being

e Truth of the intellectmakes you witness His Beingnot your nonbeing nor your being

37ldquoGod was and there was nothing with Himand He is now as He wasrdquo

38Let not the intention of your aspiration shift

7




to what is other than Hefor onersquos hopes cannot outstrip the Generous

39

Appeal to no one but Him to relieve you of a pressing needthat He Himself has brought upon youFor how can someone else remove what He has imposed And how can he who is unable to free himselfof a pressing needfree someone else of one

40If you have not improved your thinking of Himbecause of His ineff able natureimprove it because of His treatment of youFor has He accustomed you to anything but what is good And has He conferred upon you anything but His favours

41How astonishing is he who 1047298ees from what is inescapableand searches for what is evanescentldquoFor surely it is not the eyes that are blindbut blind are the hearts which are in the chestsrdquo

42Travel not from creature to creatureotherwise you will be like a donkey at the millRoundabout he turns his goal the same as his departure

Rather go from creatures to the CreatorldquoAnd that the 1047297nal end is unto thy LordrdquoConsider the Prophetrsquos words(God bless him and grant him peace)ldquoerefore he whose 1047298ight is for God and His Messengerthen his 1047298ight is for God and His Messengerand he whose 1047298ight is for worldly gainor marriage with a womanthen his 1047298ight is for that which he 1047298ees tordquo

So understand his words (upon him peace)and ponder this matter if you can And peace on you

8




43Do not keep company

with anyone whose state does not inspire youand whose speech does not lead youto God

44You might be in a bad state thenassociating with one who is in a worse stateyou see virtue in yourself

45No deed arising from a renouncing heart is smalland no deed arising from an avaricious heart is fruitful

46Good worksare the result of good statesGood statesarise from the stations wherein abidethose who have spiritual realisation

47Do not abandon the Invocationbecause you do not feel the Presence of God thereinFor your forgetfulness of the Invocation of Him

is worse than your forgetfulness in the Invocation of HimPerhaps He will take you from an Invocation withforgetfulnessto one with vigilance and from one with vigilanceto one with the Presence of God and from one with thePresence of Godto one wherein everything but the Invoked is absentldquoAnd that is not difficult for Godrdquo

48 A sign of the heartrsquos death

9




is the absence of sadnessover the acts of obedience you have neglectedand the abandonment of regretover the mistakes you have made

49Let no sin reach such proportions in your eyesthat it cuts you off from having a good opinion of Godfor indeed whoever knows his Lordconsiders his sin as paltry next to His generosity

50

ere is no minor sin when His justice confronts youand there is no major sin when His grace confronts you

51No deed is more fruitful for the heartthan the one you are not aware ofand which is deemed paltry by you

52He only made an inspiration come upon youso that you would go to him

53He made an inspiration come upon youso as to get you out of the grip of alteritiesand free you from bondage to created things

54He made an inspiration come upon youso as to take you out of the prison of your existenceinto the unlimited space of your contemplation

55

Lights are the riding-mounts of heartsand of their innermost centres

10




56Light is the army of the heart just as darkness is the army of the soulSo when God wishes to come to the help of His servant

He furnishes him with armies of lightsand cuts off from him the reinforcementsof darkness and alterities

57

Insight (kashf ) belongs to Light

discernment (ḥukm) to the intellect (ba ṣī ra)and both progression and retrogression belong to the heart

58Let not obedience make you joyousbecause it comes from youbut rather be joyous over itbecause it comes from God to youldquoSay In the grace of God and in His mercyin that they should rejoiceIt is better than that which they hoardrdquo

59He prevents those who are voyaging to Himfrom witnessing their deedsand those who are united with Himfrom contemplating their statesHe does that for the voyagers becausethey have not realised sincerity toward God in those works

and He does that for those united with Him becauseHe makes them absent from contemplating those statesby contemplating Him

60 Were it not for the seeds of ambitious desirethe branches of disgrace would not be lofty

61Nothing leads you so much like suspicion (wahm)

11




62In your despairing you are a free manbut in your coveting you are a slave

63 oever does not draw near to Godas a result of the caresses of loveis shackled to Him with the chains of misfortune

64 oever is not thankful for graces

runs the risk of losing themand whoever is thankfulfetters them with their own cords

65Be fearful lest the existence of His generosity toward youand the persistence of your bad behaviour toward Himnot lead you step by step to ruinldquoWe shall lead them to ruin step by stepfrom whence they know notrdquo

66It is ignorance on the part of the novice to act improperlyand then his punishment having been delayedto say ldquoIf this had been improper conductHe would have shut off help and imposed exilerdquoHelp could be withdrawn from him

without his being aware of itif only by blocking its increase And it could be that you are made to abide at a distancewithout your knowing itif only by His leaving you to do as you like

67If you see a servant

whom God has made to abide in the recitation of litanies (awr ād )and prolonged His help thereindo not disdain what his Lord has given him

12




on the score that you do not detect the signs of gnostics on himnor the splendour of Godrsquos loversFor had there been no inspirationthere would have been no litany (wird )

68God makes some people remain in the service of Himand He singles out others to love HimldquoAll do we aidmdashthese as well as thosemdashoutof the bounty of thy Lordand the bounty of thy Lord is not limitedrdquo

69It is rare that divine inspirations come except suddenlyand this so that they be protectedfrom servantsrsquo claiming themby virtue of the existence of receptivity on their part

70Infer the presence of ignorancein anyone whom you see answering all that he is askedor giving expression to all that he witnessesor mentioning all that he knows

71He made the Hereafter an abodeto reward his believing servantsonly because this world cannot containwhat He wishes to bestow upon them

and because He deemed their worth too highto reward them in a world without permanence

72 oever 1047297nds the fruit of his deeds coming quicklyhas proof of the fact of acceptance

73If you want to know your standing with Himlook at the state He has put you in now

13




74 en He gives you obediencemaking you unaware of it because of Himthen know that He has showered you liberally with His

graces both inwardly and outwardly

75e best that you can seek from Himis that which He seeks from you

76

One of the signs of delusionis sadness over the loss of obediencecoupled with an absence of resolve to bring it back to life

77e gnostic is not one whowhen making a symbolic allusion1047297nds God nearer to himself than his symbolic allusionRather the gnostic is the one whobecause of his self-extinction in His Beingand self-absorption in contemplating Himhas no symbolic allusion

78Hope goes hand in hand with deedsotherwise it is just wishful thinking

79at which the gnostics seek from Godis sincerity in servanthoodand performance of the rights of Lordship

80He expanded you so as not to keep you in contraction

He contracted you so as not to keep you in expansionand He took you out of bothso that you not belong to anything apart from Him

14




81It is more dreadful for gnosticsto be expanded than to be contractedfor only a few

can stay within the limits of proper conduct in expansion

82rough the existence of joythe soul gets its share in expansionbut there is no share for the soul in contraction

83Sometimes He gives while depriving youand sometimes He deprives you in giving

84 en he opens up your understanding of deprivationdeprivation becomes the same as giving

85Outwardly creatures are an illusionbut inwardly they are an admonitionus the soul looks at the illusory exteriorwhile the heart looks at the admonitory interior

86If you want a glory that does not vanish

then do not glory in a glory that vanishes

87e real journeyis when the worldrsquos dimensions are rolled away from youso that you see the Hereafter closer to you than yourself

88 A gift from man is deprivation

15




but deprivation from God is bene1047297cence

89Our Lord is far above the servant dealing with

Him in cash and His repaying him in credit

90It is reward enough for worship that He hasaccepted you as worthy of it

91

Reward enough for workers is what He disclosedunto their hearts in His worship and that whichHe shows them of His kindliness

92 oever worships Him for something they hopefrom Him or obeys Him to keep chastisement fromcoming to themselves has not given His attributestheir due

93 en He gives to you He shows you His kindnessand when He denies you He is showing youirresistible powerSo in both He is disclosing Himself to you anddrawing nigh with His loving kindness unto you

94Deprivation hurts youonly because of your incomprehension of God in it

95Sometimes He opens the door of obedience for youbut not the door of acceptance

or sometimes He condemns you to sinand it turns out to be a cause for union with God

16




96 A disobedience that bequeaths humiliation and extreme needis better than an obedience that bequeathsself-infatuation and pride

97ere are two graces that no being can do withoutand that are necessary for every creaturethe grace of existence and the grace of sustenance

98

He bestowed His grace upon you1047297rst through giving you existenceand second through uninterrupted sustenance

99Your indigence belongs to you essentiallyfor accidents do not abolish essential indigencee trials that arrive in this worldare but reminders to you of what you ignore of indigence

100Your best momentis the one wherein you witness your actual indigenceand through itreach the reality of your lowliness

101 enever He alienates you from His creaturesrealise that He wants to open for youthe door of intimacy with Him

102 enever He releases your tongue to askknow that He wants to give to you

17




103e duress of the gnostic never departsand he 1047297nds no rest in anything but God

104He has illumined outward appearanceswith the lights of His created vestiges And illumined inmost heartswith the lights of His attributesis is why the lights of created vestiges set at nightbut the lights of hearts and inmost souls never set And why it has been saidldquoe daytime sun goes down at night

But the sun of gnostic hearts never goes downrdquo

105Let the pain of tribulation be lightened for you by knowingthat it is He Most Glorious who is making trial of youFor Him from whom you are faced with the blows of fateis He who has accustomed you to His choosing well

106 oever thinks His loving kindness is ever separatedfrom His ordaining fatedoes so out of shortsightedness

107It is not to be feared that the paths will confuse youbut only that whims will defeat you

108Glorious beyond ken is He who has veiled the secret of electhoodin the appearance of humanness and who is manifest through themightiness of Lordship in the very showing of onersquos slavehood

109

Take not your Lord to task that what you seekis slow in coming but take yourself to taskthat your manners are slow in coming

18




110 enever He makes you obedient outwardly to His commandand bestows you surrender inwardly to His irresistible power

He has shown you largesse beyond thanking

111Not everyone truly of the elect has yet been freed of shortcomings

112Only the ignorant man scorns the recitation of litany

Inspiration is to be found in the Hereafterwhile the litany vanishes with the vanishing of this worldbut it its more 1047297tting to be occupied with somethingfor which there is no substitutee litany is what He seeks from youthe inspiration is what you seek from Him at comparison is therebetween what He seeks from you and what you seek from Him

113e arrival of sustenanceis in accordance with receptivitywhile the raying-out of lightsis in accordance with the purity of the innermost being

114 en the forgetful man gets up in the morning

he re1047298ects on what he is going to dowhereas the intelligent man sees what God is doing with him

115e devotees and ascetics are alienated from everythingonly because of their absence from God in everythingHad they contemplated Him in everythingthey would not have been alienated from anything

19




116He commanded you in this worldto re1047298ect upon His creationsbut in the HereafterHe will reveal to you the perfection of His Essence

117 en He knew that you would not renounce HimHe made you contemplate that which issues from Him

118Since God knows the occurrence of weariness on your part

He has varied the acts of obedience for you and sinceHe knows of the occurrence of impulsiveness in youHe has limited them to speci1047297c times so thatyour concern be with the performance of ritual prayernot with the existence of the ritual prayerNot everyone who prays performs well

119Ritual prayer is a puri1047297cation for heartsand an opening-up of the door of the invisible domains

120Ritual prayer is the place of intimate conversationsand a mine of reciprocal acts of puritywherein the regions of the innermost being are expandedand the rising gleams of light shine forthHe knows of the existence of weakness in you

so He made the number of ritual prayers smalland He knew of your need of His graceso He multiplied their fruitful results

121 en you seek recompense for a deedthe reality of sincerity in it is demanded of you in return As for the insincere

the feeling of security from chastisement suffices him

20




122Do not seek recompense for a deed whose doer was not youIt suffices you as recompense for the deed that He accepts it

123 en He wants to show His grace to youHe creates states in you and attributes them to you

124 ere He to make you go back to yourselfthere would be no end to the reasons for blaming youand were He to manifest His bene1047297cence toward you

there would be no end to the reasons for praising you

125Cling to the attributes of His Lordshipand realise the attributes of your servanthood

126He has prohibited you from claiming for yourselfamong the qualities of created beingsthat which does not belong to youso would He permit you to lay claim to His AttributeHe who is the Lord of the Universe

127How can the laws of nature be ruptured for youso that miracles result

while you for your parthave yet to rupture your bad habits

128e point at issue is not the fact of searchingrather the point at issue is thatyou be provisioned with virtuous conduct

129Nothing pleads on your behalf like extreme need

21




nor does anything speed gifts to you quickerthan lowliness and want

130

If you were to be united with Himonly after the extinction of your vicesand the eff acement of your pretensionsyou would never be united with HimInstead when He wants to unite you to HimselfHe covers your attribute with His Attributeand hides your quality with His Quality And thus He unites you to Himselfby virtue of what comes from Him to you

not by virtue of what goes from you to Him

131 Were it not for the kindliness of His veilingno deed would be worthy of acceptance

132You are more in need of His forbearance when you obeyHim than you are when you disobey Him

133 Veiling is of two kindsveiling of disobedience and veiling in itCommon people seek Godrsquos veilingin disobedienceout of the fear of falling in rank among mankind

e elect seek the veiling of disobedienceout of the fear of falling from the sight of Godthe True King

134 oever honours you honours only the beauty ofHis veil in youerefore praise is to Him whoveiled you not to the one who honoured and thanked you

22




135No one is a friend of yoursexcept the one who while knowing your defects is yourcompanionand that is only your generous Master

e best one to have as a friendis He who does not seek you outfor the sake of something coming from you to Him

136 Were the light of certitude to shineyou would see the Hereafter so nearthat you could not move toward it

and you would see that the eclipse of extinctionhad come over the beauties of the world

137It is not the existence of any being alongside of Himthat veils you from Godfor nothing is alongside of HimRather what veils you from Himis the illusion of a being alongside of Him

138Had it not been for His manifestation in created beingseyesight would not have perceived themHad His Qualities been manifestedHis created beings would have disappeared

139He manifests everythingbecause He is the Interiorand He conceals the existence of everythingbecause He is the Exterior

140He has permitted you to re1047298ect

on what is in created beingsbut He has not allowed you to stop at the selfsame creaturesldquoSay Behold what is in the heavens and the earthrdquo

23




us with His words ldquoBehold what is in the heavenrdquoHe has opened up the door of instruction for youBut He did not say ldquoBehold the heavensrdquoso as not to lead you to the mere existence of bodies

141e Universe is permanent through His making itpermanentand it is annihilated by the Unity of His Essence

142People praise you for what they suppose is in you

but you must blame your soul for what you know is in it

143 en the believer is praisedhe is ashamed before God that he should be laudedfor an attribute he does not see in himself

144e most ignorant of all peopleis the one who abandons the certitude he hasfor an opinion people have

145 en He lets praise of you burst forthand you are not worthy of itpraise Him for what He is worthy of

146 en ascetics are praised they are contractedfor they witness the praise as coming from mankindbut when gnostics are praised they are expandedfor they witness the praise as coming from the True King

147If when given something the giving expands you

24




and if when deprived of somethingthe deprivation contracts youthen take that as proof of your immaturityand the insincerity of your servanthood

148 en a sin is committed by you do not let itmake you despair of attaining uprightness with your Lordfor that one may the last ever destined for you to commit

149 en you want Him to open you the door of hope

behold what is from Him to you And if you want Him to open you the door of fearbehold what is from you to Him

150He often bene1047297ts you in the night of distresswhat you have not bene1047297tedin the dawning of the daytime of elationYou know not which of them is nearer in bene1047297t to you

151e horizons whence illuminations ascend are hearts and souls

152 A light is reposited in hearts that is maintained by the lightcoming from the treasuries of the unseen

153ere is a light by which He shows you His eff ectsand a light by which He shows youHis Attributes

154Hearts sometimes halt with lights just as selves are veiled

by the opacity of things besides Him

25




155He has veiled the lights of inward soulswith the coarseness of outward appearancesout of reverence for themlest they be made low and common by being divulged

or be called on aloud by the tongue of fame

156Glory be to Him o does not guide to His friendsexcept whom He wills And He does not make any one reach His friendsexcept he whom He wishes to make reach Him

157Perhaps He let you see the unseen metaphysical worldbut veiled you from seeing thesecrets of His servants

158 oever sees the secrets of the servantsand does not try to imitate divine mercy his seeing suchis a trial for him and a reason for misfortune to befall him

159e portion of the lower self in acts of disobedienceis plain and known while itsportion in acts of worship is hidden and secret And treating a hidden [disease] is difficult

160Perhaps showing off in good works has entered upon youfrom where people do not see you

161Your wanting people to know your specialness

is a proof for your lack of truthfulness inyour slavehood

26




162 Vanish from sight the eyes of people on youwith the eye of God on you And be absent from their comingtowards you by seeing God approaching you

163 oever knows the Truth witnesses Him in everything oever is annihilated inHim is absent from everything And whoever loves Him does not prefer anything overHim

164e Truth is only veiled from youdue toHis being extremely close

165He is only veiled [from you] due to His being too obviousand He is hidden from physical sightdue to the tremendous light [of His Entity]

166Do not suppose your supplication will cause Him to givelest your understanding suff erRather supplicate to Him to show your slavehoodand to ful1047297l the rights of His lordship

167How can your later supplication be a causefor His predestined giving

168 A pre-eternal command is high above needing an external cause

27




169His special concern for you is not due to anything you have done ere were you when His special concern and caretook charge of you ere was no sincerity inactions in His pre-eternity nor the presence of spiritual states

At that time there wasonly mere benevolence and great gifts

170He knew that His slaves would want to knowwhom His special concern is for So He saidldquoHe chooses for His mercy whom He willsrdquo [Qurrsquoan 2105]But He knew if He left them at that they would leave

performing actions depending only on the preeternal commandSo He said ldquoIndeed the mercy of God is closer to thosewho act excellentlyrdquo [Qurrsquoan 756]

171On His volition depends everythingand His volition depends on nothing

172Sometimes manners dictate for them to leave supplicationrelying on His pre-decided division and due to thembeing busy with His remembrance

173Only he who can forget is reminded and only hewho can neglect is told to be attentive

174Times of need are the celebration days of the disciple

175Perhaps you gain bene1047297ts in times of needwhich you do not gain in fasting and prayer

28




176Having [hard pressed] needs is the domain for divine gifts

177

If you want divine gifts rectify your feeling of needldquoCharity is only for the poorrdquo [Qurrsquoan 960]

178Become realised in your attributes andHe will strengthen you with HisRealise your humility andHe will strengthen you with His pride

Realise your incapability andHe will strengthen you with His abilityRealise your weakness andHe will strengthen you with His power

179Perhaps a person who has not obtained constant rectitude[in beliefs actions and states] may be given miracles

180e sign that the Truth has established youin a state is that it is always present andyou are able to reap its fruits

181 oever instructs gaining strength from his good deeds

is silenced by bad deeds oever instructs gaining strength from Godrsquos goodnessis not silenced by misdeeds

182e spiritual lights of the wise men travel fasterthan their words erever the lightfalls there understanding is reached

183Every statement spoken has a covering

29




describing the heart of the one uttering

184 oever has permission to instruct

his explanations are understood by the ears ofpeople and his allusions appear to them lofty

185Perhaps spoken higher realitiesappear with a loss of light if you do not havepermission to express them

186eir explanations are from sudden over1047298owing statesor for guiding a disciplee former happens to the beginnersand the later is for the well-established and realised

187Spiritual instruction is nourishment for the listeners And you will not get except thatwhich you [are ready] to imbibe

188Sometimes the beginner describes a station of which he onlyhas had a small taste and sometimes the advanced describes itafter having in it realisation And only the onewith insight can distinguish

189e traveler should not speak about his spiritual experiencessince that will decrease their eff ect on his heartand detract from his truthfulness with His Lord in them

190Do not stretch your hand to take something from people unlessyou see that the Giver through them is your Master

30




And in such a state take what is in agreement with[external] knowledge

191

e knower of God often is shy from asking his Masterto relieve His need sufficing himself with His willSo why would he not be shy fromasking His creation for his needs

192 en you are confused about two mattersfollow the one harder for the lower self

For only the rightful duty seems hard for it

193 Among the signs of following onersquos desiresis speeding towards mand ūb acts of worship

while being lazy about wā jib acts of worship

194He tied down wā jib acts to speci1047297c times so thatyou would not be deprived [of their reward] from procrastination And He expanded your free time so that some choice[in performing actions] would remain for you

195He knew that [most of ]His slaves are not self-motivatedin seeking Him so He obligated for them obedience to HimHe pushed them towards Him with the chains of obligationYour Lord is amused by a peoplewho are pushed to Paradise in chains

196He has obligated you to serve Him but in doing soHe has only obligated you to enter His Paradise

197 oever 1047297nds it impossible that God will save Him

31




from his lusts and take him out of his heedlessnesshas declared divine power impotentldquoAnd God is able over all thingsrdquo [Qurrsquoan 1845]

198Perhaps He engulfed you in darkness[after being in light] so that you recognisethe tremendous blessing He has given you

199 oever does not recognise blessings in their presenceis reminded of them in their absence

200Do not let showers of blessings stun you away frombeing thankful for them as that will lower your rank

201Lust engrained in the heart is a disease hard to cure

202Lusts are not driven from the heartexcept by terrifying fear or restless longing

203 Just like He does not like an action donefor others along with Him

He does not like a heart with others in it along with Hime insincere action He does not accepte insincere heart He does not approach

204Some light is granted permission to reachand some light is granted permission to enter

205Sometimes spiritual light descends but 1047297nds

32




the heart 1047297lled with images of physical thingsand thus goes back to where it came

206

Empty your heart of others and He will 1047297ll itwith divine knowledges and secrets

207Do not 1047297nd slow His givingbut 1047297nd slow your approaching [Him]

208Duties assigned to speci1047297c times can be made up forwhen missed but the rights of the moments of timecannot be made up for if missedIn every moment God has on you a new rightand important matter How will you dischargea previous right when you are busydischarging Godrsquos current right

209 at has passed of your life cannot be replacedand what you have used well cannot be priced

210You do not love something except that you become its slaveand He does not love that you be a slave to other than Him

211Your obedience does not bene1047297t Himand your disobedience does not harm HimHe has only ordered you to do this and prohibited youfrom doing that for your own gain

212His might is not increased by him who approachesand His might is not decreased by him who turns away

33




213You reach God by reaching knowledge of Himotherwise our Lord is high above that something

be connected to Him or He be connected to something

214Your closeness to Him is by your seeing His closeness to youOtherwise where are you that you would be close to Him

215

Higher realities dawn upon you at onceand after your have received them they are explained en We recite follow the recitationen We will explain[the meaning] [Qurrsquoan 7518-19]

216 en divine spiritual experiences come over youthey destroy your habits Indeedwhen kings enter cities they ruin them [Qurrsquoan 2734]

217Spiritual experiences come from the presence of the SubjugatorFor this reason they do not collide with anything exceptthey knock it out Rather we hurl the truth at falsehoodso it knocks it out until falsehood vanishes [Qurrsquoan 2118]

218How can the Truth veil Himself with somethingwhen He is apparent in that thing andHe is [also independently] present and existent

219Do not despair of the acceptance of an act which you performwithout feeling His presence

Many a time He accepts an act whose fruit you do not taste now

34




220Do not give purity value to a spiritual experience whose fruityou do not yet know e bene1047297t from rain cloudsis not the rain but the fruits [which grow thereafter]

221Do not wish that a spiritual experience had remained [with you]after it has already spread its lights and placed its secretsYou have in God independence from everythingbut nothing can make you free of need from Him

222

Your wanting something (other than Him) to remain[when it is departing] is a proofthat you are not present with Him And your feeling sad for losing other than Him is aproof that you have not reached Him

223Pleasure even if manifest in many forms is only throughviewing His closeness Pain even if manifest in many formsis only through being veiled from Hime cause forpain is the presence of the veile perfecting of pleasure isby viewing His noble Countenance

224 at the hearts 1047297nd of sadness and depressionis from their being denied the vision [of Him]

225From the perfecting of His blessing on you is thatHe give you that which suffices andprevents you from that which will cause you to transgress

226Let the things that make you happy be fewer and

the things that make you sad will be fewer

35




227If you wish not to be abandoneddo not seek protection from things that do not last

228If the beginning entices you the ending repulses youIf the external invites you the internal bars you

229He has only made the world a place of others and a minefor troubles so that you would not love it

230He knew that you would not accept mere adviceso He made you taste its [bitter] tasteto ease your separation from it

231Useful knowledge is that whose light rays spread in the chestand tear away the veil from the heart

232e best knowledgeis that which is accompanied by godfearingness

233If knowledge is accompanied by godfearingness

it is for your favour else it is to your detriment

234 en you are pained by people turning away from youor directing blame towards you suffice yourselfwith Godrsquos knowledge of you If you are not satis1047297ed withHis knowing of you then your not being satis1047297ed with Hisknowing is a greater misfortune than people hurting you

235He only made injury 1047298ow from their hands onto you so that

36




you would not 1047297nd rest in them He wants to push you awayfrom everything so that nothing busies you away from Him

236

en you know that the devil does not forget about youdo not forget about Him in ose Hand is your forelock

237He only made the devil an enemy so that he would drive youtowards Him And He made your lower self move you[to do bad] so that your approaching and repentingto Him would never cease

238 oever asserts that he is humble is in reality arrogantmdash as humbleness is a high state And if you assert for yourself a high state you are arrogant

239e humble person does not see himself above what he doesbut sees himself below what he does

240Real humbleness issues forth from witnessingHis Tremendousness and lofty attributes

241

You cannot leave [your] attributes without seeing [His] attributes

242e believer is busied by the praise of God from beingregardful of himself And he is busied by the rights of Godfrom remembering his sel1047297sh shares

243e true lover is not he who hopes for compensationor seeks his own aim from his beloved

37




Rather the lover spends himself on his belovede lover is not he who expects his beloved to spend on him

244

If it were not for the battle1047297elds of the lower selvesthere would be no travel for the travellers on the Pathsince there is no distance between you and Himthat your journey would shortenand there is no separation between you and Himthat your reaching Him would eliminate

245

He placed you in the middle realm between His physical worldand metaphysical one to inform you of the loftinessof your rank among His creaturesYou are a gem enclosed by the shells of created forms

246e cosmos is large in respect to your bodybut is not large in respect to your soul

247He who lives in the physical world locked outof the unseen world is imprisoned by his surroundingsand encircled by the frame of his body

248You are with created things as long as you

do not witness the Creator en you witness Him created things are with you

249It is not necessary that specialness entailsone has no rough human characteristicsSpecialness is like the light of the sun 1047297lling the horizonwhereas the horizon has no light in itself

Sometimes He takes away the trait of specialness from youand makes you return to your rough human limitsus the light of day is not from you and does

38




not belong to you rather it is merely being put over you

250His actions point to His names His names point to His attributes

His attributes point to His Entity since it is impossiblefor an attribute to be existent all by itselfSubjects of divine attraction have His Entity revealed to themen He makes them see His attributesen He makes them return to deep understanding of His namesen He makes them see His actionsose traveling the Path under a teacherexperience these things in the reverse ordere place where the second group ends up is where

the1047297

rst group started And the place where the second group starts is wherethe 1047297rst group endsBut each experiences the stages slightly diff erentlySo perhaps the two groups may meet on the Paththese going up and those going down

251e lights of the heart and innermost beingsare only fully perceived in the unseenmetaphysical world similar to how the light of the skyis only seen in the physical world

252Finding fruits of onersquos worship in this lifeis a glad tiding of the reward in the next life

253How can you ask for a reward forthe action He has bestowed on youHow can you request reward forthe truthfulness He has given you

254For some their spiritual lights precede their remembrancesFor others their remembrances precede their spiritual lights

39




For others yet their remembrances andspiritual lights occur togetherStill others have no spiritual lights nor anyremembrancesmdashand we seek refuge with God from that

255Some people perform dhikr to gain an illumined heartOther people gain an illuminedheart and as result perform dhikrFor others dhikr and illumination are simultaneousthis last group has dhikr which guidesand lights which are followed

256True dhikr on the outside is only from the vision of Godrsquos Entityand contemplation on the inside

257He made you witness before He asked you give witnessus externally one speaks of His divinityand in onersquos heart and innermost beingone realises His all-encompassing oneness

258He has given you three gifts (1) He has let you remember Himif it were not for His bounty you would not be worthyto engage in His remembrance (2) He made you mentionedalong with Him as He has affirmed your relation to Himand (3) He made you remembered by Him and thus

He has perfected His blessing on you

259Sometimes a long life is fruitless And sometimes a short life is extremely fruitful

260 oever is blessed in his age he is able to reap muchfrom the blessing of God in a very short time

40




So much so that one cannot explain [the immensity]nor even allude to it

261

A sign of abandonment is that you become free from thingsthat busy but still do not turn towards Himand that your barriersbecome fewer but still do not travel to Him

262Contemplation is the journey of the heart through other than God

263Contemplation is the lamp of the heart en it goes away there is no light for it

264Contemplation is of two types(1) contemplation of belief and faith and(2) contemplation of witnessing and seeinge 1047297rst is for those who are apt to learn lessons[from what they see] and the second is for thosethat experience the vision [of God]and have insight




7If what was promised does not occureven though the time for its occurrence had been 1047297xedthen that must not make you doubt the promise

Otherwise your intellect will be obscuredand the light of your innermost heart extinguished

8If He opens a door for you thereby making Himself knownpay no need if your deeds do not measure up to thisFor in truth He has not opened it for you but out ofa desire to make Himself known to you

Do you not know that He is the one who presentedthe knowledge of Himself to you whereas you are the onewho presented Him with deeds at a diff erence betweenwhat He brings to you and what you present to Him

9 Actions diff erbecause the inspirations of the states of being diff er

10 Actions are lifeless formsbut the presence of an inner reality of sincerity ( sirr al-ikhl āṣ ) within themis what endows them with life-giving Spirit

11Bury your existence in the earth of obscurity

for whatever sprouts forthwithout having 1047297rst been buried1047298owers imperfectly

12Nothing bene1047297ts the heart more than a spiritual retreatwherein it enters the domain of meditation (mayd ān 1047297 kra)

13How can the heart be illumined

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Al-Ḥikam—Sufi Aphorisms tasawuf

Documents

Transcript of Al-Ḥikam—Sufi Aphorisms tasawuf