The Ninth Letter
Concerning the incentive to seek the companionship of the
righteous [suhbat al-abrar] and the fruits thereof, and to practice abstinence [zuhd] from
this world.
My dear friend!
You must turn aside from the tempting urges of carnal appetites:
| And follow not desire, lest it lead you astray from Allah's path. (38:26) | wa la tattabi'i 'l-hawa
fa-yudilla-ka 'an sabili 'llah. |
--and depart from the dwellings of heedless neglect:
| And do not obey someone whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance. (18:28) | wa la tuti' man aghfalna qalba-hu 'an dhikri-na. |
--and shun the companionship of hard-hearted folk:
| But woe unto those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah. (18:28) | fa-wailun li'l-qasiyati qulubu-hum min dhikri 'llah. |
You must hear, with the ears of your heart, from the summoner of:
| Respond to your Lord, before there comes a day from Allah that cannot be turned back. (42:47) | istajibu li-Rabbi-kum min
qabli an ya'tiya yawmun la maradda la-hu mina 'llah. |
--the summons of:
| Is not the time now ripe for the hearts of those who believe to be humbled to the Remembrance of Allah? (57:16) | a-lam ya'ni li'lladhina amanu
an takhsha'a qulubu-hum li-dhikri 'llahi. |
You must wake up from the sleep of delusion:
| And do not let the Deceiver deceive you in regard to Allah. (31:33) | wa la yaghurranna-kum bi-'llahi 'l-Gharur. |
--in response to the admonition:
| What, does man suppose that he will be left to wander aimlessly? (75:36) | a-yahsabu 'l-insanu an yutraka suda. |
You must inquire about the stations of the people of present awareness:
| Men whom neither commerce nor trafficking diverts from the remembrance of Allah. (24:37) | rijalun la tulhi-him tijaratun wa la bai'un 'an dhikri 'llahi. |
You must journey toward the Ka'ba of the intended destination, on the foot of the head, in the desert of the dedication of:
| And devote yourself to Him with intense devotion. (73:8) | wa tabattal ilai-hi tabtila. |
--with the traveling provision of:
| Say "Allah!," then leave them [to their idle prattling]. (6:91) | quli 'llahu thumma dhar-hum[fi khawdi-him yal'abun]. |
--and on the riding camel of the commitment of:
| And I commit my affair to Allah. (40:44) | wa ufaw widu amri ila 'llah. |
--with the caravan of the truthful people of:
| And be with the faithful. (9:119) | wa kunu ma'a 's-sadiqin. |
You must pass beyond the dwellings of the vanities of the world of:
| We have set all that is on the earth as an adornment for it. (18:7) | inna ja'alna ma 'ala 'l-ardi zinatan la-ha. |
--and keep a safe distance from the perilous roads of the temptations of:
| Your wealth and your children are merely a temptation. (64:15) | innama amwalu-kum wa awladu-kum fitna. |
You must head for the routes that follow the courses of the guidance of:
| This is surely a Reminder; so whoever is willing, let him choose a way to his Lord. (73:19) | inna hadhihi tadhkira: fa-man sha'a 'ttakhadha ila Rabbi-hi sabila. |
--and offer a supplication with the tongue of the urgent need of:
| Is it not He who answers the distressed, when he calls unto Him? (27:62) | am-man yujibu 'l-mudtarra idha da'a-hu. |
--by saying, in humble entreaty and with a sense of personal incapacity:
| Guide us in the straight path. (1:5) | ihdina 's-sirata 'l-mustaqim. |
--until the herald of the ancient providential favor of:
| As for the friends of Allah, surely no fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve. (10:62) | a-la inna awliya'a 'llahi la khawfun 'alai-him wa la hum yahzanun. |
--comes to meet you with the good tidings of the salutation of:
| "Peace!"-such is the greeting from a Lord All-Compassionate. (36:58) | salam: qawlan min Rabbin Rahim. |
--and carries you on the packhorse [janiba] of:
| Help from Allah and a victory near at hand. (61:13) | nasrun mina 'llahi wa fathun qarib. |
--and invites you to enter the Gardens of the bliss of:
| So they returned with grace and favor from Allah. (3:174) | fa-'nqalabu bi-ni'matin mina 'llahi wa fadlin. |
Then the breeze of the fragrant aroma of loving union [wisal] will blow from every side. The goblets of the drink of loving affection [mahabba] will be passed around by the hands of the cupbearers of the Unseen [suqat al-ghaib], and the bearer of direct witness [mushahid ash-shuhud] will declare:
| Behold, this is a reward for you. And your endeavor [upon earth] has found acceptance. (76:22) | inna hadha kana la-kum jaza'an wa kana sa'yu-kum mashkura. |
By night, the entertainer of intimate friendship [munadim al-uns] will weave the fascinating tale [samar] of:
| And Allah spoke directly to Moses. (4:164) | wa kallama 'llahu Musa taklima. |
He will paint such a vivid picture, in his elaboration of the scenario of:
| Then, when his Lord revealed Himself to the mountain, [He caused it to crumble to dust]. (7:143) | fa-lamma tajalla Rabbu-hu li'l-jabali [ja'ala-hu dakkan. |
--that his audience will experience, through the optic nerves of their perceptive faculties [nawazir 'uyun al-basa'ir], the delirious raptures [sakarat] of the spiritual states [halat] of:
| And Moses fell down swooning. (7:143) | wa kharra Musa sa'iqa. |
Then, when they see for themselves the effects of the visions of:
| Faces on that day will be resplendent, looking toward their Lord. (75:22,23) | wujuhun yawma'idhin nadira: ila Rabbi-ha nazira. |
--they will confess their personal inadequacy, and they will say, in the spiritual language that needs no ordinary words [bi-lisan al-hal]:
| The eyes do not perceive Him, but He perceives the eyes. (6:103) | la tudriku-hu 'l-absaru wa Huwa yudriku 'l-absar. |
Click here to return to the Fifteen Letters Table of Contents