Stages of Tawhid

The opposite of shirk is tawhid (monotheism), which means that there is no power in the universe except that of the Almighty God.

Tawhid has stages; they are:

1. Verbal admission or acceptance of tawhid; that is uttering that (laa ilaaha illallaah - there is no god but God) without believing in the sentence with the heart.

2. Believing with the heart when the above statement of monotheism is made with the tongue.

3. Realization of the unity of God through epiphany and numinous experience. In other words, one discovers that the vast multiplicity of creatures derive their existence from the One God, and recognizes that no power other than God's operates in the universe.

4. One sees nothing in the world except the Divine Being and perceives all creatures as emanations and reflections of that Being.

These stages of belief in tawhid guide us to recognize the cause of the disease of shirk. The root cause of shirk is immersion in the material world and forgetfulness in regard to God. In order to cure it, one must meditate upon the creation of the heavens and the earth and myriads of God's creatures. That may awaken within one the appreciation of the glory of God. The deeper his meditation and contemplation on the beauty of the universe and the mystery of its creation, the greater his faith in the existence and unity of God shall become.

The Quran says:

Such as remember Allah, standing, sitting, and reclining, and consider the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say): `Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain. Glory be to Thee! sane us from the chastisement of the Fire. (3:191)

Imam al-Rida (A) has been quoted as saying:

Worship does not lie in copious prayer and fasting, but in the amount of contemplation in the works of God.

Muhammad Mahdi ibn abi Dharr al-Naraqi; Jami' al-Sa'adat

Rumi...

The idol of your self is the mother of all idols.

The material idol is only a snake;

while this inner idol is a dragon.

It is easy to break an idol,

but to regard the self as easy to subdue is a mistake.

Rumi; Mathnawi I: 772-778

The Bedouin's question on the day of a battle

It has been related that on the day of the Battle of the Camel a bedouin came before the Commander of the Faithful and said, "O Commander of the Faithful! Sayest thou that God is one?"
The people attacked him and said, "O bedouin! Do you not see how the Commander of the Faithful's heart is divided (with cares)?" 
The Commander of the Faithful said, "Leave him, for surely what the bedouin wishes (i.e. knowledge of God) is what we wish for the people."
Then he said, "O bedouin! To say that God is one (wahid) has four (possible) meanings, two of which are not permissible concerning God, the Mighty and Majestic, and two of which are established concerning Him." 
"As for the two which are not permissible concerning Him, (the first is) the saying of him who says 'one' and has in mind the category of numbers. Now this is not permissible, for that which has no second does not enter into the category of numbers. Hast thou not seen that he who says that He is 'the third of three' [This is a reference to the Quranic verse, "They are unbelievers who say, 'God is the Third of Three' " (V, 73).] is of the unbelievers?
And (the second is like) the saying of him who says (concerning a man), 'He is one of mankind', meaning that he is one kind within the species. [The first kind of "unity" that is rejected is numerical unity, or the idea that when we say "He is one God", we mean something similar to what we mean when we say, 'This is one walnut", i.e., that there may also be two Gods, three Gods, etc. The second "unity" refers to similarity in kind or species, as when we say, "this is one cat", meaning that there are also other kinds of cats. In the words of Majlisi, "When it is said in this sense of a Byzantine that he is one of mankind, it is meant that his kind is one of the kinds of men or is a kind among other kinds". This is tashbih because we are comparing God to whatever we say He is one of. Since He is one of that kind, He has to be similar to others of that kind.] This is not permissible because it is a comparison, and our Lord is greater than that and high above it."
"As for the two meanings which are established concerning Him, (the first is) the saying of him who says,
'He is one, there is no likeness (shabah) unto Him among things.'
Such is our Lord.

And (the second is) the saying of him who says,
'Surely He, the Mighty and Majestic, is single in meaning (ahadi al-mana), intending by that that He is not divided by existence, the power of reason, or imagination. Such is our Lord, the Mighty and Majestic." Part I, A Shi'ite Anthology, 'Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i, Translated with Explanatory Notes by William C. Chittick

THE UNITY OF GOD*

Ghazali's enlivening 5-min read worth every second


There are four stages in the belief in the unity of God. 

The first is to utter the words: “There is no God but God” without experiencing any impression in the heart. This is the creed of the hypocrites. 

The second is to utter the above words and to believe that their meaning is also true. This is the dogma of ordinary Muslims. 

The third is to perceive by the inward light of the heart the truth of the above Kalima. Through the multiplicity of causes the mind arrives at the conception of the unity of the final cause. This is the stage of the initiates. 

The fourth is to gaze at the vision of an all-comprehensive, all-absorbing One, losing sight even of the duality of one’s own self. This is the highest stage of the true devotee. 

It is described by the Sufis as Fanafittauhid (i.e. the effacement of one’s individuality in contemplating the unity of God).1 

To use a simile these four stages may be compared with a walnut which is composed of an external hard rind, an internal skin, the kernel, and oil. The hard rind, which is bitter in taste, has no value except that it serves as a covering for some time. When the kernel is extracted the shell is thrown away. Similarly the hypocrite who, uttering the Kalima, is associated with the Muslims and safely enjoys their privileges, but at death is cut off from the faithful and falls headlong into perdition. The internal skin is more useful than the external in as much as it preserves the kernel and may be used, but is in no way equal to the kernel itself. Similarly the dogmatic belief of the ordinary Muslim is better than the lip service of the hypocrite, but lacks that broad clear insight which is described as “He whose heart Allah has opened to Islam walks in his light”.

The kernel is undoubtedly the desired object, but it contains some substance which is removed when oil is being pressed out. Similarly the conception of an efficient final cause is the aim and object of the devotees, but is inferior to the vision of the all-pervading Holy One, because the conception of causality involves duality.

But the objection may be urged: How can we ignore the diversities and multiplicities of the universe? Man has hands and feet, bones and blood, heart and soul,-all distinct-yet he is one individual. When we are thinking of a dear old friend and suddenly he stands before us, we do not think of any multiplicity of his bodily organs, but are delighted to see him. The simile, though not quite appropriate is-suggestive, especially for beginners. When they reach that stage they will themselves see its truth. Words fail to express the beatitude of that highest stage. It can be enjoyed, but not described.2

Let us consider the nature of the third stage. Man finds that God alone is the prime cause of everything. The world, its objects, life, death, happiness, misery,-all have their source in his omnipotence. None is associated with Him in this. When man comes to recognise this, he has no fear of anything, but puts his trust in God alone. But Satan tempts him by misrepresenting the agencies of the inorganic and organic worlds as potent factors independent in the shaping of his destiny.

Think first of the inorganic world. Man thinks that crops depend on rain descending from clouds, and that clouds gather together owing to normal climatic conditions. Similarly his sailing on the sea depends on favourable winds. Without doubt, these are immediate causes, but they are not independent. Man who in the hour of need calls for God’s mysterious help, forgets Him and turns to external causes as soon as he finds himself safe and sound. “So, when they ride in ships, they call upon Allah, being sincerely obedient to Him, but when he brings them safe to land, they associate others with Him. Thus they become ungrateful for what we have given them, so they might enjoy: but they shall soon know”.3 

If a culprit, whose death sentence is revoked by the king, looks to the pen as his deliverer, will it not be sheer ignorance and ingratitude? Surely, the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, in fact, the whole universe is like a pen in the hand of an omnipotent dictator. When this kind of belief takes hold of the mind, Satan is disappointed in covertly tempting man, and uses subtle means, insinuating thus: “Do you not see that the king has full power either to kill or favour you, and though the pen, in the above simile, is not your deliverer, the writer certainly is”? As this sort of reflection led to the vexed question of free will, we have dealt with it already at some length.

At the outset, let us point out that just as an ant, owing to its limited sight will see the point of the pen blackening a blank sheet of paper and not the fingers and hand of the writer, so the person whose mental sight is not keen will attribute the actions to the immediate doer only. But there are minds, which, with the searchlight of intuition, expose the lurking danger of wrongly attributing power to any except the all-powerful omniscient being. To them every atom in the universe speaks out the truth of this revelation. They find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones. The worldling will say: Though we have ears, we do not hear them. But asses also having ears do not hear. Verily there are such ears which hear words that have no sound, that are neither Arabic nor any other language, known to man. These words are drops in the boundless unfathomable ocean of divine knowledge: “If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would surely be consumed before the words of my Lord are exhausted.”4

[* ]Ihya IV 5.

[1. ]Usually Fana is translated as “annihilation,” but Al Ghazzali here means what is implied in the statement: “To [Editor: illegible word] move, and have our being in Him.”

[2. ]“And thou shalt one day, if found worthy, so defined. See thy God face to face, as thou dost now.”
Byron Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. CLV.

[3. ]Quran XXIX 65-66.

[4. ]Quran XVIII 109.

The Spiritual Dimension of Marriage

The phenomenon of birth is quite unique within the Islamic Cosmos. Birth in general is the beginning of new life with many opportunities; however, within Islam, it brings about many realities with it and also for it: realities through which 'the newly evolved creation' benefits, but also, all those who are at its reach will fully utilize its presence and also 'just' due to its presence. In order to understand this meta-physical principle of birth, let us state a few examples. The birth of a moon brings the new month as well as the benefits within it – for instance, the month of Sha'ban, is regarded as the month of the Prophet and forgiveness of sins, and within it hearts the blessed night of the 15th of Sha'ban. This all begins with the beginning or birth of the month. The birth of the new day unfolds with it many opportunities for all, and furthermore the necessity of it for the ecosystem through which the natural balance remains. This brings about many supplications with it, providing the servant to supplicate in a special fashion and with greater closeness. In like manner, the birth of the prayer time has a special influx of angels upon the earth which result in a Harakah within all the jabaruti, malakuti, and mulki plain.

The birth of a child guarantees the acceptance of supplications for the mother. Furthermore, giving birth raises her status to the term Khaliq, and she reaches the ultimate proximity to God in due process. This birth guarantees her sins being forgiven due to this procedure, and the pure and immaculate newborn's witnessing benefits the whole clan and also all those who glimpse upon him. The child's cries are considered as Tasbih and Dhikr, and taking care of it is considered Ibadah.

The birth of the relationship "marriage" has the same unique realities packed within it. Let us analyze on the basis of the Qur'an and Hadith. The Qur'an says: "We have near us treasures, and from it we sent on this earth a limited amount." Everything that manifest here is from that treasure near God, and when that is being reflected or sent, it brings about an opening in the heavens, and that whole plane becomes the stage of nearness which guarantees the acceptance of Du'a as mentioned by our Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), "When a marriage contract is being recited, the doors of heaven are opened and it is the time of the acceptance of du'a." This indicates the whole "time and space" is raised in proximity, which brings about that effect of acceptance of du'a. Furthermore, this is indeed a Me'raj in itself of not only the wedded couple but of those who witness it. The traditions have left no doubt that "marriage" is a transformation to a higher level of humanity or an ascension of two individuals getting married. Indeed, this is why we see the Prophet stating that the prayers of a married person are multiplied 70 times than the unmarried. It shows that a bachelor needs 70 extra prayers to attain that nearness to God vis-à-vis a married person.

A poet says, "When you look at yourself in the mirror, that is you and not you. Similarly, the creation is God but not God." The value of a mirror or the space, stage is only due to the reflection of the Divine (Truth) and also in what capacity it reflects. Marriage is considered as a sign of God, and every sign must reflect the Divine. Furthermore the sign is of no value without that which it is indicating: "...Love and mercy, and indeed it is a sign from God."

The ability of the sign reflecting God depends upon its capacity, whether it be of the heart (space) or of horizon. Within the formation of a "marriage", many of God's signs are manifested. For example, the core principle of Tawhid (Oneness) is understood in the sense that marriage allows the Divine reflection of Unity in multiplicity, and due to this, it is through this great sign which becomes the source of Khaliqiyyah of God. The complexity of the sign dictates the greatness of the sign or the value of it. What we mean by complexity is that it contains within it many of the Divine principles and even the opposites. For instance, God is Merciful, but at the same time, the Avenger. Marriage outwardly is "multiplicity", but inwardly it is "unity". As the very meta-physical principle of "Unity within multiplicity" – "Wherever you turn, there is the face of God" – all these verses point in the direction of that reality. When it becomes such a great sign, then it results in being regarded as an "institution" through which people graduate or develop piety.
Monday, 19 July 2010 14:32 Shaikh Abbas Mirza

Dhikr, intention and awareness

William Chittick

Given the centrality of God’s remembrance in the Qur'an and Hadith, there can be no question that dhikr was basic to Islamic practice throughout the early centuries. As the jurists gradually codified the Sharia, however, they could not impose dhikr on the community. Even though the Qur'an repeatedly commands people to remember God, by nature dhikr is connected much more to intention and awareness than to the outward activity that is ruled by the Sharia.
The root of being a Muslim is 'laa ilaha illallah - No god but God,’ words that are identical with remembrance. Hence, the spirit of the daily prayer and the other ritual practices, such as fasting and pilgrimage, is ''the renewal of God’s remembrance in the heart.''
Turning to God – remembrance – awakens awareness of God in the heart and actualizes the divine image latent in the soul. Ultimate felicity is nothing but the remembrance of the wellspring of our own true nature, and that is God Himself; or, it is the realization of genuine human character traits, which are the traces of God’s names.
“Every breath taken in replenishes life, and once let go it gives joy to the soul. So each breath counts as two blessings, and each blessing requires thanksgiving.” It is the silent
and persevering remembrance of God in gratitude for each breath or each heartbeat, always within the context of the Sunnah, that takes the seeker to the ultimate goal.

'Fatima' and the ism 'al-Fatiru'

Shaykh Muhammad Khalfan, The Sacred Effusion

In different traditions we are told that Allah derived the name Fatima (a) from His Name Faatir al-samawati wa al-ardh (6:79) (The Cleaver of the heavens and the earth). The name al-Fatiru comes from the word fatr which means to “cleave”. Here it means one who cleaves and breaks non-existence and brings about existence. In conclusion, as some scholars have written in their works, it means ‘The Originator’.

Observe the following traditions:
In a lengthy tradition, where the Ahl al-Kisa’ (a) were present, the Holy Prophet at one point addresses Hadhrat Fatima (a) saying:
...And He derived for you O Fatima a name from His Names, for He is al-Fatiru (the Originator), and you are Fatima. (Allama Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar v. 37, p. 47)

Almighty Allah in a conversation with prophet Adam (a) introduces the light of Fatima (a) as follows:
...and this is Fatima while I am the Fatir al-samawati wa al-ardh (Originator of the heavens and the earth), Fatimu a’da’i min Rahmati yawma fasli qada’i (the Severer of My enemies from My mercy on the day of My judgment), and Fatimu awliya’i ‘amma ya’tarihim wa yashinuhum (the Relinquisher of affliction and disgrace from those near to me). So I derived for her a name from My Name.

In a supplication taught by Angel Jibra’il (a) to Prophet Adam (a) we read as follows:
O praised one, I swear by the station of Muhammad, O Exalted One, I swear by the station of Ali, O Originator, I swear by the station of Fatima (a)... (Allama Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar v.44, p.245)

Readers must understand that this tradition does not speak simply of the method of derivation that we commonly know. Fatima (a) plays a fundamental role in the creation and origination of the heavens and the earth. She unites with the Muhammadan Light which is the first Divine Creation, from which proceeds every good.
Other traditions also indicate that they - the Ahl al-Bayt (a) - are the intermediaries (wasaa’it) between Allah and the creation. For example, in one of his brilliant messages, our 12th Holy Imam (a) is reported to have said:
We are the actions of our Lord, and the creation thereafter are our actions. (Allama Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar v.53, p. 178)

Basic meaning of dhikr

William Chittick

The basic meaning of the term dhikr can be brought out by answering three questions – what, why, and how.
What is to be remembered?
Why should it be remembered?
How can it be remembered?
The object of remembrance is God, whose reality is designated briefly by the first Shahadah, “There is no god but God,” and in more detail by the whole range of names and attributes mentioned in the Koran.
This object should be remembered because He has commanded human beings to remember Him and because ultimate happiness depends upon remembrance.
The object can be remembered by imitating the Prophet, who provides the model for right activity and right remembrance.

The Prophet calls dhikr the best act of worship.
Every word a person utters in this life will be counted against him or her in the next life, except bidding to honor (amr bi’l-ma’ruf), forbidding dishonor (nahy an al-munkar), and remembering God.
When someone complained about Islam’s many commands and prohibitions and asked for a single practice to which he could cling, the Prophet replied,
“Let your tongue stay moist with the remembrance of God.”
He reported that God says,
“I am with My servant when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I remember him in Myself, and if he remembers Me in an assembly, I remember him in an assembly better than his.”

VISION: THE CLIMAX OF HAJJ

When prophet Musa (‘a) went to Mount Sinai and had a secret mutual conversation with Allah for thirty nights [Wa waa‘adna Musa thalathina laylatan (and And We made an appointment with Moses for thirty nights- Qur’an 7:142], they actually were the thirty nights of the holy month of Dhu al-Qa’da [Ref: ‘Allama Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.13, pp. 213-214], a month when those who aspire to meet the Beloved, and not merely His house (ka’ba), engage in spiritual pursuits in preparation for the fundamental vertical (spiritual) journey to the Beloved. 


Then Allah says “wa atmamnaahu bi ‘ashr” (And we completed them with ten [more days]-Qur’an, 7:142). Almighty Allah confers ten more days to Musa (‘a) for munajat. And these ten days are the very first ten days of the holy month of Dhu al-Hijja when the hajis are busy in their spiritual excursion. 


Having undergone specific stages of spiritual change through the help of his Lord, Musa (‘a) finally asks for vision. He says, “Rabbi arini anzuru ilayk” (My Lord, show [Yourself] to me, that I may look at You!’- Qur’an, 7:143). 

Insightful scholars like Imam Khumayni say that Musa (‘a) did not aspire for vision through the physical eye, free from such kind of thinking are the Prophets of Allah [Ref: Imam Khumayni, Notes on Nubuwwat, p. 352]. He yearned to see the Beloved through the heart. Such vision obviously is not “complete comprehension” which presumes the comprehending one to encompass the object of comprehension. It rather is a limited comprehension of the Divine Attributes according to the capacity of the beholder. And this can only be achieved through self-purification, whose fundamental stages according to authoritative divine sages are as follows:


1) Al-Tajliya (Strictly adhering to the apparent Islamic laws and refraining from whatever Islam has prohibited)
2) Al-Takhliya (Cleaning oneself through the water of repentance and tawba)
3) Al-Tahliya (Beautifying oneself with the perfections of the Absolutely Beautiful according to one’s capacity)
4) Al-Fana (Dissolution in the Beloved, such that one visions that no identity exists save that of Allah)


Aspirants of hajj should try to journey through these stages, so that on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja they deserve to put on the Ihram of Musa (‘a) and sincerely yearn for the vision of the Only Beloved.


What is so captivating is to behold the Musa of Karbala, who in the Mount Sinai [Bihar al-Anwar, v.98, pp. 108-109] of Ghadhiriyya (another name for Karbala), is reported to have said:

I left the entire creation in Your Desire
And made my family orphans so that I may see You
So even if you cut me into pieces in my love for You
My heart would not incline to other than You


This peerless Musa of history was so intensely sacrificing, that the Beloved bestowed him with peerless bestowals, one of which is:
Al-sujud ‘ala turbat al-Husayn (‘a) yakhriqu al-hujub al-sab‘ (prostrating on the clay of al-Husayn severs the seven veils [‘Allama Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.82, pp. 153]). A probably meaning of the seven veils is ‘the seven levels of existence’, the highest of which is in the close proximity of the All-Beloved.


But the Beloved’s love is so special for this Moses of Karbala. According to a tradition narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) [Ref: ‘Allama Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, v.98, pp. 87] Allah on the day of ‘Arafa begins with the visitors of the grave of al-Husayn first, and then the lovers stationed in the sacred plains of ‘Arafa.
We pray to Almighty Allah to enable us comprehend the secrets of Hajj better as we cross the stations of our transient life.


Shaykh Muhammad Khalfan

In consequence of a fractured leg,
God bestows a wing.
Likewise, from the depths of the pit,
He opens a door of escape.
God said, "Don't consider whether
you're up a tree or in a hole:
Consider Me, for I am the key of the way."
Rumi

Contradictory attributes in the Quran, with the exception of one!

life-giving read - adhere with patience, word by word


Within the human makeup, it is the “heart” (dil) that attracts God’s love, not the “clay” (gil), which is shared by many other creatures. 
The Quran sets up opposition between Creator and creature in many different ways, constantly asserting the divine greatness and human insignificance. Only in talk of love does the Quran speak of mutuality.

God gave news of the attribute of His knowledge – Surely God knows everything [29:62]. He also gave news of the attribute of our ignorance – Surely he is very ignorant, a great wrongdoer [33:72].


He gave news of the attribute of His power – Surely God is powerful over everything [2:109]. He also gave news of the attribute of our incapacity – God strikes a likeness: a servant possessed by his master, having no power over anything [16:75].


He gave news of the attribute of His exaltation – Surely the exaltation, all of it, belongs to God [4:139]. He also gave news of our abasement – And faces are humbled to the Living, the Selfsubsistent [20:111].


He gave news of the attribute of His incomparability and holiness – Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of exaltation, above what they describe [37:180]. He also gave news of the attribute of our taintedness – Did We not create you of a vile water? [77:20].


He gave news of the attribute of His subsistence – There subsists the face of your Lord, Possessor of Majesty and Generous Giving [55:27]. He also gave news of the attribute of our annihilation – Everything upon the earth is undergoing annihilation [55:26].


He gave news of the attribute of His life – Trust in the Living who does not die [25:58]. He also gave news of the attribute of our death – Surely you are mortal and they are mortal [39:30].


Since Lordship is His attribute – Your Lord and the Lord of your fathers, the first [26:26] – servanthood is our attribute: I created jinn and mankind only to serve Me [51:56].


Since unity is His attribute – Your God is one God [16:22] – pairedness and association are our attribute: Of each thing We created a pair [51:49].


However, when He gave news of love, just as He affirmed love for Himself, so also He affirmed love for us – He loves them, and they love Him [5:54].


Here there must be a secret that will increase the refreshment of the lovers’ spirits: Knowledge, power, life, holiness, subsistence, and unity are the attribute of His Essence, and His Essence is holy and incomparable. These attributes are suited for Him. Glory be to Him who is disposed to exaltation and suited for it!


When one looks at the human essence, it is tainted and distracted. It is a muddiness, a dark water, a clay. Hence, all those attributes appeared within it. But, the site of love is the heart, and the heart is pure gold, the pearl of the breast’s ocean, the ruby of the inmost mystery’s mine. The hand of no one else has touched it, and the eye of no one who is not a confidant has fallen upon it. The witnessing of God’s majesty has polished it, and the burnisher of the Unseen has placed its seal upon it, making it bright and limpid. 

The angels are cut off from love because they cannot taste wrath, severity, and distance, and the beasts are far from love because they cannot experience beauty, gentleness, and nearness. Human beings are woven from both nearness and distance, both gentleness and severity. All the contradictory divine attributes are brought together within them. Only they can truly love God, within whom all opposites coincide. 

“In the eighteen thousand worlds, 
no one drank down the cup that holds the covenant of 
They love Him except human beings.”

The heart... ...The house of God... ...The abode of dhikr.

William C. Chittick


The human task can only be accomplished in the 'heart', a word that designates the unlimited realm of human awareness and consiousness. The heart alone, among all created things, is given the capacity to encompass God. As the famous extra-Quranic Divine saying puts it, 'My heavens and My earth embrace Me not, but the heart of My believing servant does embrace Me.' To remember God fully and actually is to find Him sitting within the heart, which is His Throne in the microcosm.


Knowledge of things as they actually are can only come through knowing them as disclosures of the Real, as signs and traces displaying God's names and attributes. This is not a theoretical sort of knowledge, but a knowledge of recognition and gnosis. It is to gain a true vision of the Divine omnipresence, the fact that, as the Quran puts it, 'And Allah's is the East and the West, therefore, whither you turn, thither is Allah's purpose; surely Allah is Amplegiving, Knowing. (2:115)' Such knowledge comes by way of dhikr, which is al-hudhur ma a'l-madhkur, 'presence with the One Remembered.'


It is only this sort of knowledge that allows man to see that everything in this world is accursed if he does not see it as displaying the Real, and that he himself is accursed to the extent that he does not know that things do infact display the Real. Once we see the world for what it is, we see that it is nothing but dhikr-Allah - a reminder of God, a mention of God, a remembrance of God. Our response to the world can only be to follow its lead - to mention and to remember God. 'Everything is accursed,' says the hadith, 'except dhikr-Allah.' But everything is dhikr-Allah, so nothing is accursed. The alchemy of dhikr transmutes the accursed into the blessed. The place of that dhikr, where God becomes truly present and man becomes truly blessed, is the heart.


As Ibn Arabi put it:
The greatest sin is what brings about the death of the heart. It dies only by knowing God. This is what is named 'ignorance'. For the heart is the house that God has chosen for Himself in this human configuration. But such a person has misappropriated the house, coming between it and its Owner.


A person like that is the one who most wrongs himself, for he has deprived himself of good that would have come to him from the Owner of the house - had he left the house to Him. This is the deprivation of ignorance (III 179.6)

The Perfect Servant

Ibn Arabi (III 248.12)


God made this earth a place for the vicegerency. Hence it is the abode of His Kingdom and the site of His deputy, who becomes manifest through the properties of His names.
So, from the earth, He created us. Within it, He gave us residence, whether alive or dead. And from it He will bring us forth through the Uprising in the last configuration. Thus, worship never leaves us wherever we may be, in this world and the afterworld, for, even though the afterworld is not an abode of [religious] prescription [taklif], it is an abode of worship.
Among us, whoever ceaselessly witnesses that for which he was created in this world and the next is the perfect servant, the intended goal of the cosmos, and the deputy of the whole cosmos. Were all the cosmos - the high of it and the low of it - to be heedless of God's remembrance for a single moment, and were this servant to remember Him, he would take the place of the whole cosmos through that remembrance, and the existence of the cosmos would be preserved through him. However, if the human servant were to be heedless of the remembrance, the cosmos could not take his place in that. That of it which is empty of the human being who remembers would go to ruin.
The Prophet said, 'The Hour will not come as long as there remains in the earth someone who is saying <Allah, Allah>'

Know yourself, Know your Lord

William Chittick

Unless and until we understand that dhikr is a practice of God Himself, and along with Him, that of all the creation, we will not be able to grasp our human condition or to take advantage of it while we have it.

Anyone familiar with the Quran knows that it speaks of God by detailing His names and attributes. It goes extraordinary lengths to emphasize that it is God's book, revelation, speech, and words. It maintains that all revelation is God's speech, and that God speaks to the Prophets so as to clarify the nature of things and to explain the appropriate human response.

Just as the Quran and the other scriptures are collections of God's signs or ayaat, so also the whole universe is a vast collection of God's signs and ayaat.
In effect, God creates the whole universe by revealing three books - 1) the Universe 2) the Human Self 3) the Scripture. In each, He reveals His signs and writes out His words.

Once we understand that reality is configured by speech, we shall also see that human task is to see and understand what has been written. Then we can follow the instructions laid out in the text of scripture, the world, and the soul.

The interpretation of the Quran - which is the foundation and fruit of all Islamic sciences - has always entailed the simultaneous interpretation of universe and the soul. Every Muslim, by accepting the Quran as God's word, has accpeted the responsibility of understanding what the Word means. The fruit of this understanding rebounds on the soul.

Every soul will answer for its own reading, not only of the Quran but also of the other two books, the universe and the soul. And given the fact that it is the soul itself that reads and understands, the book of the soul is the all-important determinant  of our destiny. This helps explain why, in recounting the events that will take place on the day of Resurrection, the Quran tells us that every human being will be addressed by the words, 'Read your book; your own self is sufficient as a reckoner against you this day.' [17:14]

The crux of knowledge, then, is to read and know one's soul. The whole trajectory of the voluntary return to God is to learn how to interpret oneself through understanding the wisdom present in both revelations and the cosmos. The return reaches its fruition on the Day of Resurrection.

What we as human beings should want to learn is who we are now and who we will be when we arrive back at the meeting with God. All knowledge should serve the goal of this knowledge. As Rumi puts it,'The spirit of all the sciences is this, only this:
that you may know who you will be on the Day of Resurrection'

In order to know who one is and who one will be, one must know one's relation with God, who created man in His own image. It is clear that the Divine speech creates the world and reveals the scriptures. It is this same speech that appears as the distinguishing feature of reminder, guidance, and prayer whereby man is able to remember his Source and undertake the return journey. And it is also this same speech that will be written plainly in the book of the soul on the Day of Resurrection.

The human condition, then, demands knowing that everything we understand, speak, do, and embody is being written and recorded in our own selves.

Yearn from Allah

Our antecedent sheikh, Mohammad ibn Ya’qub al-Kulaini – may Allah sanctify his spirit – has reported, from a chain of narration referring back to Husain ibn Ulwan, that he said:
“We were in a gathering, seeking to obtain knowledge therein. My capital had depleted due to a number of journeys, so one of our comrades asked me: ‘In whom are you hoping (for help) with regards to what has befallen you?’
So I replied: ‘So-and-so’
He said: ‘In that case, by God your need will not be met, your hope will not be attained and your request will not produce the desired result’
I asked: ‘What do you suggest? May Allah have mercy upon you’
He said: ‘Indeed Abu Abdillah (Imam al-Sadiq) (as) told me that he read in certain books that Allah, the Blessed and Exalted says:
“By My glory, My sublimity, My majesty and My ascension upon My throne; I shall cut-off, by despair, the hope of anyone who places their hope in other than Me. I shall clothe him with the garb of degradation in front of people; I shall avert him away from My proximity; I shall distance him from ever joining Me. Does he place expectations in other than Me during hardships whilst (full control of) the hardships are in My hands? Does he hope in other than Me and contemplate knocking the door of others whilst I hold the keys to the doors when they are locked? And My door is open to whosoever may implore me. Who is it that has had hope in Me in his misfortunes and I have let him down?! Who is it that has expected from Me in adversity and I have severed his hope in Me? I have preserved the hopes of my slaves but they are not satisfied with my preservation. I have filled My heavens with those who do not tire from glorifying Me; and have commanded them not to shut the doors between Me and My servants, but they (My servants) do not have confidence in My words. Does he (My slave) not know that, when a misfortune from among My misfortunes strikes him, none but Me has the ability to relieve it, except by My permission. So why is it that I see him unmindful of Me?! I granted him, by My generosity, that which he did not even request, then I snatched it away from him; yet he does not ask Me to return it, rather he asks those other than Myself! Does he reckon that, despite Me granting initially before being asked, I would not respond to the one who begs Me after being asked? Am I such a miser that My slave has deemed Me to be miserly? Do generosity and open-handedness not behove Me? Are pardon and mercy not in My hands? Am I not suitable for hopes? Who aside from Me can break them? Do those who hope not then fear in placing hopes in those other than Me?
Had all the inhabitants of My heavens and the inhabitants of My earth, all wished together; and had I granted them all fully in accordance with their hopes – My kingdom would not have decreased even to the amount of one grain. How can a kingdom diminish whilst I am its curator? Alas, what an ill-fate for those who despair in My mercy; and what misery for he who disobeys Me and does not fear Me’”.
Al-Kafi, V.2, Pg.66. Bihaar al-Anwaar, V.68, Pg 130

A good parable explaining God to non-Muslims‏

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. Barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of ALLAH, the barber said: 
"I don't believe that ALLAH exists."
Why do you say that?" asked the customer
"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that ALLAH doesn't exist. Tell me, if ALLAH exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If ALLAH existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving ALLAH who would allow all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbers shop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair & an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barbershop again and he said to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."
"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! ALLAH, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

QUESTION: What is the difference between nature and God? If we sow a seed then the tree of that particular seed grows. Then what did God do in that case? Similarly, in the case of rain. We know the procedure of rain. Then what’s the work of God?   
ANSWER: When you take a car (in perfect condition), put in petrol and switch the engine on, it starts running. Then what did the Ford or Nissan or Mitsubishi Company does in this case?  You know the process how the said engine works, then what's the work of its manufacturer?