The Fifth Letter
Concerning the significance of the immediate presence [ma'iyya] of Allah (Exalted is He), and the fact that His knowledge (Exalted is He) embraces all things.
My dear friend!
When the suns of our spiritual experiences [ma'arif] rise from their points of ascension in the skies of our innermost beings, the earths of our hearts will be illumined by the light of:
| And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord. (39:69) | wa ashraqati 'l-ardu bi-nuri Rabbi-ha. |
--and the coverings of the darkness of ignorance will be removed from the eyes of our minds, with the ointment of:
| But now We have removed from you your covering. (50:22) | fa-kashafna 'an-ka ghita'a-ka. |
The eyes of our inward intellects will then be dazzled by the radiant emanations of the lights of holiness [al-quds]. Our processes of thought will wonder in amazement, at the disclosure of the marvelous secrets of the realm of the spiritual kingdom [al-malakut].
Excited by the thrill of ardent love [al-'ishq], the seeker will go a-wandering in the deserts of the quest. Then, in the sites of nearness, the raptures of yearning [ghalabat ash-shawq] will become familiar to him, and the herald of:
| Allah is truly Bountiful toward mankind. (10:60) | inna 'llaha la-Dhu Fadlin 'ala 'n-nasi. |
--will proclaim:
| And He is with you wherever you may be. (57:4) | wa Huwa ma'a-kum aina-ma kuntum. |
Once he has discovered the secret of 'togetherness' [al-ma'iyya], the seeker will lose his personal existence, in compliance with the dictate of:
| And do not set together with Allah another god. (51:51) | wa la taj'alu ma'a 'llahi ilahan akhar. |
As soon as he has plunged into the sea of the personal extinction [fana'] of:
| No part of the matter is your concern. (3:128) | laisa la-ka mina 'l-amri shai'un. |
--so that he may obtain the jewel of the affirmation of Oneness [tawhid], the waves of solicitude [ghaira] will fling him into the ocean of sublimity ['azama]. Each time he makes for the shore, in the plight of bewilderment, he must say:
| My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me! (28:16) | Rabbi inni zalamtu nafsi fa-'ghfir li. |
--for then he will be picked up by the rescue vessels of the kind favors of:
| And We have carried them on land and sea. (17:70) | wa hamalna-hum fi 'l-barri wa 'l-bahri. |
--and they will set him down on the beach of the the tender kindness of:
| We visit with Our mercy whom We will. (12:56) | nusibu bi-rahmati-na man nasha'u. |
They will hand him the keys to the treasure houses of the mysteries of:
| And Allah is always encompassing all things. (4:126) | wa kana 'llahu bi-kulli shai'in Muhita. |
--and they will point out to him the indications of:
| And that unto your Lord is the final destination. (53:42) | wa anna ila Rabbi-ka 'l-muntaha. |
He will thereby come to know the meaning of:
| And He revealed to His servant that which He revealed. (53:10) | fa-awha ila 'abdi-hi ma awha. |
--and he will understand the implication of:
| Indeed, he saw one of the greatest signs of his Lord. (53:18) | la-qad ra'a min ayati Rabbi-hi 'l-kubra. |
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