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Chapter3Chapter3Chapter3Chapter3

OntheInwardRulesofThisourne!

First is keepin" watch o#er the self $nafs%& Thatis'the

salikshouldalwa!skeep#i"ilo#erhisheart&(eshouldnot

ne"lect it e#en for a moment) for otherwise he would

succumbtohiscarnaldesiresandSatanictemptations&(e

shouldconsiderhimselfasbein"watchedb!*od'as(ehas

said+

&&&Surel!Allahhasbeenawatchero#er!ou$,+-%&

The.rophet$S%said+

*odwatches!ourheartandacts

not!ourapparentbeha#iourandworldl!belon"in"s&

Secondistheexpressionofhumilit!'po#ert!andabasement

beforethe/ordoftheworld&0a1a2id$ma!Allahhallowhis

mi"ht!soul%saidthata#oice$sarush%calledmefromwithin

and said+ O 0a 1a2id4 There are man! ser#ants in Our

ser#ice&Soif!ouseek5s'brin"humilit!andneediness&0a1a2idfurthersaid+1ouknowforcertainthat!ouareina

cr!in"needof!our/ordate#er!houronman!counts)so

!ouareneedfulof(is"uidin"li"htaswellas(ismerciful

"lance'"uidanceand(issustenanceate#er!moment&And'

also'!ouareinneedof(imatthetimeofdeathsothatthe

li"htofIslamanditsknowled"earekeptintactin!ourheart&

In the "ra#e' too' !ou are in need of (im so that !ou

successfull! answer the 6uestions asked b! 7akir and

8unkar$namesoftwoan"els%&Itis(e9howillbe!our

friendintheterrorsofthe"ra#e&The"reatestofallof!our

needsis!ourdependenceon(iminthe:a!ofud"ement'

theda!ofre"retandremorse'sothat*od'the;xalted'ma!

make!ourfaceluminous'conceal!ourblemishes$with(is

merc!% and enhance the wei"ht and worth of !our "ood

works in (is balance $mi2an%' that (e ma! facilitate the

clearanceof!ouraccountandputthebookof!ourdeedsin

!our ri"ht hand' that (e ma! keep !ou firm on the .ath

$shat%and sa#e !ou from hellfire and lead !ou towards

paradise& (is hi"hest "enerosit! and the most excellent

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fa#ouristobless!ouwith(isbeatific#ision&Theseare!our

essentialneedswithre"ardto!our8asterinthisworldand

the other world& (ence !our expression of po#ert! and

humilit!before*odshouldbeaccordin"to!ourrealpo#ert!

andneed&

The third principle is repentance $tawbah%and penitence

$inabah%before *od' in all conditions of hardship andaffluence' comfort and calamit!& Referrin" to the .rophet

Sula!man$A%'*odsaid+(ewasa"oodser#ant'becausehe

waspenitent&*odsaidthesamethin"aboutthe.rophet

A!!ub $A%' for Sula!man $A% saw his 0enefactor in (is

bounties$nimah%andA!!ub$A%sawtheOnewhotriesin(is

trials&7eitherdidthebountiesenjo!edb!theformerblurhis

#isionofthe.ro#ider'northehardshipandtribulationsofthe

latter#eilhissi"htfromseein"thehandoftheirSender&In

boththecases'the!attributedallthathappenedtothe/ord&

The fourthprincipleis surrender$taslim%tothecommandof*od'the;xalted&Taslimmeanstosurrenderto*odboth

withtheheartandthebod!'bothofwhichareunder(is

ownership& To surrender a propert! to its owner is an

essentialcondition$ofsubmission%&Theownerhastheri"ht

tocontrolhispropert!anddisposeitinan!wa!(edeems

proper&Itisupto(imwhether(ehonoursordis"races(is

sla#e'breatheslifeinhimorkillshim'causessicknessor

bestowshealthonhim'makeshimrichorpoor&(enceitis

re6uiredofasaliknottoraisean!objectiona"ainst(iswill&

(eshouldnotcomplaino#ertl!orco#ertl!'fortheprotest

a"ainsttherealownerisabsurdand#iolationofallnorms&

Complainta"ainstthelordb!someonewhoclaimstobehis

sla#eandlo#erisashortcomin"inoneslo#e'ser#itudeand

de#otion&

The fifth principle is rida $ac6uiescence%' i&e& acceptin"

:i#ine dispensations without 6uestionin" thou"h the! be

bitter& The common belie#ers take recourse in patience

$sabr%whenacalamit!befalls&0utthestateoftheelectina

similarsituationisthatof rida&Thedifferencebetweensabr

andridaisthatthepatientperson$sabir%'b!#irtueofhisfaith'facescalamit!withforbearance)hisfaithremainsunshaken

andhedoesnot"etdisturbedintimesofcalamit!)hewillnot

de#iate from the path of ser#itude' howsoe#er "reat and

unbearablethecalamit!shouldbebuthisheartresentsthe

calamit!&0uttheac6uiescentperson$radi%istheonewhose

heartisalwa!sinthestateofac6uiescenceandhappiness&

Calamit!and affluence do notaffecthim' for whate#er he

recei#es$from*od%'heconsidersitasa"iftfromafriend&(e

enjo!s hardships inflicted upon him b! his 0elo#ed and

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Friendwiththesamepleasureasothersenjo!fa#ours&DBE

Thesixthprincipleispermanent"rief$hu2n%&The.rophet$S%

said+ *od lo#es e#er! "rie#in" heart& Re"ardin" the

.rophetsattributesitissaidthathewasalwa!sinthestateof

contemplationand"rief&Accordin"totheurafa'e#er!heart

which is de#oid of "rief is nothin" but cla!& (ow can a

belie#ermana"etobecheerfulwhilehedoesnotknowwhatwaswrittenb!thepenofpreeternit!abouthisfate'whether

itisfelicit!orwretchedness&Also'heisunawareofhisend'

forhedoesnotknowwhathewillearntomorrow$inthewa!

of#irtueor#ice%&(edoesnotknowwhetherhisobedience

willbeacceptedb!*odornot'andwhetherhissinswillbe

pardoned or not& Sha!kh Abu al(asan alGhar6ani was

amon"thepeopleof"rief&Oneda!hewasaskedthereason

ofthe"riefofthe"reatm!stics&(erepliedthatthereasonis

thatthe!wanttoknot=*odas(edeser#estobeknown&0ut

thatisimpossible&Fornoonecanknow*odas(edeser#es

tobeknown&

These#enthprincipleistoha#e+"oodfaith$husnal2ann%in

*od'the;xalted&And(esaidinasacredtradition$hadith

6udsi%+

Itreat8!ser#antinaccordancewithhisopinionof8e'

solethimha#ewhate#eropinionhehas&

Therefore'itisnecessar!foraser#antof*odtoha#e"ood

faithin*odorafa#ourableopinionof(im&Thisstateis

reachedasaresultofdiscernin"theAttributesof0eaut!of

*od'comprisin""enerosit!'mercifulness'ma"nanimit!'and

the#astnessof(isfor"i#eness&9hoe#ermistrusts*odor

hasanunfa#ourableopinionofhis/ordandloseshopein

(ismerc!&(econsidershis#icesandsinsbi""erthanthe

capacit! of *ods "enerosit! and merc!& This amounts to

ascribin"defectandshortcomin"to*od&

Theei"hthruleisthatoneshouldnotconsideroneselfoutof

reachof*odsde#isin"$makr%&As*odhassaid+

Are the! then secure from Allahs schemeH 7one deem

himselfsecurefromAllahsschemesa#ethelosers&$+JJ%

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Further(ehassaid+

Theeruditeamon"(isbondmenonl!fearAllah &&&&$3?+BK%

This fear and aweis produced in one who contemplates

*odsattributesofma"nificenceandwrath&For'inthesamewa!as*odisattributedwiththe6ualitiesof"enerosit!and

mercifulness'(eisattributedwithwrathfulnessandpoweras

well&*od'the;xalted'hassaid+

Surel!Ishallfillthehellwiththefirmandmankindto"ether&

$--+--J%

Itissaidinatraditionthat*od'the;xalted'willsa!toAdam

$A%+Ariseandthrowthemintothehellfire4Adamwillask+

(owman!HTherepl!wouldbe+7inehundredandninet!

outofe#er!thousand&Thenhowcanasla#ewithhisburden

ofsinsa#oidbein"fearsomeof:i#inewrathandmi"htafter

ha#in"beenawareofitH

Theninthprincipleis lo#e$mahabbah%&Inthisre"ard*od

hassaid

&&&(elo#esthem'andthe!lo#e(im&&&$?+?,%

/o#e is the essence of all stations $ma6amat%and #irtues

$karamat%b!meansofwhichthesla#eof*odpro"resses

towardthe/ordofthehea#enandtheearth'andb!#irtueof

which he will attain to the hi"her de"rees of the journe!

$suluk%& /o#e is the fruitof theknowled"eof the 0eautiful

7amesof*od&7oonepossessesbeaut!$whichishisown%

intheworldexcept*od&9hate#erbeaut!andperfectionisseeninthecreaturesis'infact'aparticleofthesunof(is

beaut!' a drop from the oceans of (is perfection& If !ou

considerbeaut!andperfectiontobeconfinedtomaterial

formsandworldl!thin"s'knowthat!ouareimprisonedwithin

theworldof$corporeal%formandaredepri#edofobser#in"

therealit!&For'therealbeaut!andrationalperfectionare

foundintheessenceofabein" thatpossessespowerand

life'hastheattributesof"enerosit!'bene#olence'forbear