Tafsir al-Tustari — Az-Zumar 39:7 – An-Nas 114:4

�If you give thanks He will approve�He said:Gratitude (shukr) begins with obedience (ṭāʿa) and ends with the vision of Paradise (ruʾyat al-janna). His words:

�Say: �Are those who know equal with those who do not know?��He said:Knowledge [comes from] the Book and emulation (iqtidāʾ) [of the Prophet�s example], not [from] reprehensible suggestions (khawāṭir madhmūma). Any knowledge that the servant does not seek from the position of emulating [the Prophet�s example] will be a curse (wabāl) to him because he will make false claims on account of it. His words:

Say: �Indeed I have been commanded to worship God devoting [my] religion purely to Him.�He said:Sincerity (ikhlāṣ) is responding (ijāba), and whoever has no response has no sincerity. And he said:The astute (akyās) reflected upon sincerity and did not find anything except the following: that everything the servant does, whether done in secret or openly, is for God alone, Mighty and Majestic is He, and is mingled neither with desire nor with the self.His words:

Those who steer clear of [the worship of] false deities�He said:Evil (ṭāghūt) is the world, its root is ignorance (jahl), its branch is what is eaten and drunk, its adornment is hubris (tafākhur), its fruits are transgressions (maʿāṣī) and [in] its scales [of recompense] (mīzān) are severity (qaswa) and punishment (ʿuqūba). His words:

[Say] ��If God should desire some harm to befall me, would they [be able] to remove the harm imposed by Him?��He said:That is, �If God removed from me protection against acts of opposition (mukhālafāt), or the knowledge (maʿrifa) of acts of conformity (muwāfaqāt), could anyone bring them back to me? Or if He should desire some mercy for me, that is, in granting me forbearance (ṣabr) in avoidingwhat He has forbidden, and assistance (maʿūna) in carrying out what He has commanded, and in granting me full reliance (ittikāl) on Him at the end [of my life], [could they withhold His mercy?].And he said:Mercy (raḥma) is well-being (ʿāfiya) in one�s religion, in this world and in the Hereafter. In other words, it is [God�s] taking charge and taking care (tawallī) [of His creatures] from the beginning to the end.His words:

Truly, We have revealed the Book to you for [the sake of] mankind with the Truth�That is, He revealed it for them so that they may be guided by the Truth to the Truth (bi�l-ḥaqq ilā�l-ḥaqq), and that they may find illumination through Its [His] lights.His words:

God takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that have not died, in their sleep�He said:When God takes the souls (anfus) to Himself, He extracts the luminous spirit (rūḥ nūrī) from the subtle substance (laṭīf) of the dense natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ al-kathīf). The taking up [of souls] (al-tawaffī) in God�s Book is of three kinds: the first is death (mawt), the second, sleep (nawm), and the third, ascension (rafʿ). Death is as we have just mentioned. Sleep is as [described] in His words: and those that have not died, in their sleep, which means that He also takes unto Himself (yatawaffā) those who have not died, in their sleep (manām). [God also] said, It is He who takes you at night [6:60] meaning, in sleep. Ascension (rafʿ) is mentioned in relation to Jesus , to whom God said, �O Jesus, I am gathering you and raising you to Me� [3:55]. Thus when a person dies, He [God] removes (yanziʿu) from him the subtle substance (laṭīf) of the luminous spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ al-nūrī) [separating it] from the subtle substance (laṭīf) of the dense natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ al-kathīf), and by this [luminous spiritual self] he comprehends things (yaʿqilu al-ashyāʾ), and is given the vision (rūʾyā) in the heavenly kingdom (malakūt). However, when a person sleeps, He extracts from him the subtle substance of the dense natural self, not the subtle substance of the luminous spiritual self. Therefore, when the sleeping person awakens, he recovers a subtle breath (nafas laṭīf) from the subtle substance of the spiritual self, for if this were to part from him, it would leave him without motion (ḥaraka), and lifeless (mayyit). Thus, the dense natural self has a subtle substance (laṭīfa) and likewise the spiritual self has a subtle substance (laṭīfa). The life of the subtle substance of the natural self is by virtue of the light of the subtle substance of the spiritual self (nūr laṭīf nafs al-rūḥ). The spiritual life of the subtle substance of the spiritual self (ḥayāt rūḥ laṭīf nafs al-rūḥ) is by virtue of remembrance [of God] (dhikr), just as He has said: rather they are living with their Lord, provided for [by Him] [3:169], that is, they are sustained by remembrance, due to what they attained through the subtle luminous self.

Or have they taken intercessors besides God?�He said:Have they followed the path of innovation in religion as a way of drawing closer to God through their religion, on the basis that this would benefit them?His words:

And when God is mentioned alone, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink [with aversion]...⸢He said:That is,⸣ their hearts disavow the gifts of God that they possess (ʿindahā).His words:

Say [that God declares]: �O My servants who have been prodigal against their souls! Do not despair of God�s mercy��He said:God, Exalted is He, has given his servants respite, out of His bounty, up to their last breath, and He says to them, �Do not despair of My mercy; even if you came back to Me in your last breath, I would receive you.�He said:This verse is the most far reaching in conveying the compassion (ishfāq) shown by God, Exalted is He, to His servants; because, in accordance with His knowledge, He does not deprive them of that which He bestows on others, rather He showers mercy upon them to the point that He admits them to the very essence of [His] generosity (ʿayn al-karam), by virtue of [His] eternal remembrance of them. It was related of the angel Gabriel that he heard Abraham pray, �O You who are Most Generous in pardoning!� Then Gabriel said to him, �O Abraham! Do you know what the generosity of His pardon (ʿafw) [implies]?� He answered, �No, O Gabriel.� He continued, �It is that when He pardons a misdeed, He converts it into a good deed.� Then Sahl said:Witness this of me: it is part of my religion that I do not disown the sinners among the nation of Muḥammad , nor the wicked, the murderers, the adulterers or the thieves, for truly, the extent of the generosity, bounty, and beneficence that God, Exalted is He, shows, especially to the nation of Muḥammad , cannot be fathomed.His words:

�And turn [penitently] to your Lord, and submit to Him�.� That is, �Return to Him through supplication (duʿāʾ), and by humbly beseeching (taḍarruʿ) and petitioning (masʾala) [Him]�; �and submit to Him�. That is, �Commit all your affairs to Him�.His words:

Lest any soul should say, �Woe is me for what I have neglected of [my] duty to God!...�He said:[That is, lest any soul should say], �I was preoccupied by the present world (ʿājil al-dunya), the pleasure of passion (ladhdhat al-hawā) and with going the way of the lower self. I neglected [my] duty to God, that is, with regard to God�s person (dhāt Allāh), [and I neglected] being intent upon Him (qaṣd ilayhi), and dependent upon Him (iʿtimād ʿalayhi), on account of my neglecting to observe His rights (ḥuqūq) and adhere to His service (khidma).�His words, Exalted is He:

To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth�That is, in His hand are the keys to hearts. He gives success to whomever He wills, so that they obey him and serve Him with sincerity, and He turns away from His door whomever He wills.His words:

And they do not esteem God as He should be esteemed�That is, they did not come to know Him as He deserves to be known (ḥaqq maʿrifatihi), [either] in the fundamental[s of His knowledge] (aṣl), or in its branch[es] (farʿ). His words:

�when whoever is in the heavens and earth will swoon... He said:The inner [meaning] of the verse is that [this will happen] when the angels are commanded to desist from remembrance, and not due to the Trumpet�s blast, nor Azrāʾīl�s removal [of the souls of all living creatures]. This is because He gave them life through His remembrance justas He gave the children of Adam life through their breathing. God, Exalted is He, has said: They glorify [Him] night and day and do not falter [21:20] But when He withholds remembrance from them they perish.His words:

And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord�He said:The hearts of the believers will shine on the Day of Resurrection with the light of [their realisation]of the oneness of their Lord, and their following of the Sunna of their Prophet .His words:

[And they will say,] �Praise be to God who has fulfilled His promise to Us...�He said:Indeed, their praise (ḥamd) in Paradise does not take the form of an act of worship (taʿabbud), since they are exempted from that, just as they are exempted from the fear (khawf) related to the [need for] earning (kasb) and the [possibility] of alienation (qaṭʿ). What remains, though, is the [reverential] fear [that accompanies] the exaltation (khawf al-ijlāl) and magnifying (taʿẓīm) of God, Mighty and Majestic is He. So their praise is simply a delight for the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ), the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ), the intellect (ʿaql) ⸢and the heart (qalb)⸣. But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best. His words, Exalted is He:

Ḥā Mīm.! The revelation of the Book is from God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing,He said:That is, the Living (al-Ḥayy), the King (al-Malik), who sent down the Book to you. He is ⸢God⸣, who turns thereby [by the Revelation] the hearts of mystics (ʿārifūn). He is Almighty (al-ʿAzīz) beyond the grasp of created beings, the All-Knowing (al-ʿAlīm) with regard to what He has produced and ordained.

Ḥā Mīm.! The revelation of the Book is from God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing,He said:That is, the Living (al-Ḥayy), the King (al-Malik), who sent down the Book to you. He is ⸢God⸣, who turns thereby [by the Revelation] the hearts of mystics (ʿārifūn). He is Almighty (al-ʿAzīz) beyond the grasp of created beings, the All-Knowing (al-ʿAlīm) with regard to what He has produced and ordained.

Forgiver of sins�That is, He conceals the sins of whomever He will; and Accepter of repentance from the one who repents to Him and devotes his actions purely to Him with knowledge (ʿilm); One of [infinite] bounty; Possessed of a richness [which makes Him] Independent from all (al-Ghanī ʿan al-kull).

None dispute the signs of God� That is, [they do not dispute] concerning His essence (dhāt), or omnipotence (qudra), or concerning the Qurʾān, or the Sunna, out of some whim of the lower self. Just as He said, And argued with falsehood [40:5], meaning: following [their] own whim (hawā) without referring to guidance from God, and just as He also said, Why do you then dispute concerning that of which you have no knowledge? [3:66] � [None dispute]�save those who disbelieve and create innovations that do not belong to the truth.His words:

�So forgive those who repent�He said:They are those who repent from heedlessness, find intimacy in remembrance and follow the Sunna of Muṣṭafā . His words:

Indeed [to] those who disbelieve it will be proclaimed, �Surely God�s abhorrence is greater than your abhorrence of yourselves��He said:Abhorrence (maqt) is the most extreme form of alienation (ibʿād) from God, Mighty and Majestic is He. [Furthermore], when the disbelievers enter the Fire they abhor themselves. However, God�s abhorrence of their deeds is even severer [for them] than their entry into the Fire.His words:

The Exalter of rank, Lord of the Throne, He casts the Spirit of His command�That is, He is the Raiser of ranks, and He elevates the ranks of whomever He wills by [grantinghim] gnosis (maʿrifa) of Him. He casts the Spirit of His command�That is, He sends the Revelation from the heavens to the earth by His command.His words:

And your Lord has said, �Call on Me and I will respond to you��He said:[It is a requirement of] chivalry (muruwwa), that supplication (duʿāʾ) should be answered, without doubt. It [supplication] is a quiver of arrows. A believer does not supplicate God, Exalted is He, without His either answering him by granting him exactly what he asked for, even though that servant may not be aware of it, or repelling thereby something evil from him, or recording for him a good deed because of it.He was asked, �What is the meaning of the saying: �Supplication is the best of deeds?�� He replied:It is because it [supplication] is a way of humbly imploring [God] (taḍarruʿ), taking refuge (iltijāʾ) [in Him], and showing one�s poverty (faqr) and neediness (fāqa) [for Him].His words:

�[This is] God�s way (sunna) with His slaves, which has its precedent...He said:[The word] sunna is derived from some of the names of God, Exalted is He: the letter �sīn� stands for sanāʾūhu (His resplendence), the letter �nūn� stands for nūruhu (His light) and �hā� stands for hidāyatuhu (His guidance). His saying: God�s way means: ⸢His �primordial nature� (fiṭratuhu) upon which He moulds (jabala) the elite among His servants, out of His guidance for them⸣, and thus they are [already disposed towards] the norms (ʿalā sunan) of the clear path to Him. But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best. His saying:

So if they endure, the Fire will [still] be their abode� That is, if they seek release they will not be released, and if they apologise they will not be pardoned.His words:

Truly, those who say, �Our Lord is God.� And then remain on the straight path...He said:That is, they do not associate partners along with Him. This is as in the saying narrated from the Prophet , �They are my nation and, by the Lord of the Kaʿba, they remained on the straight path and did not commit association (shirk) like the Jews and the Christians.� ʿUmar said, �They did not evade [the truth] with the evasiveness of foxes�. His words:�the angels descend to them and say, �Do not fear nor grieve...�That is, at the time of death. Indeed, the Prophet said, �God, Exalted is He, says: �I have never hesitated over anything as much as I have hesitated over snatching (qabḍ) the soul (rūḥ) of the believer��, by which He means, �The angels never hesitate over anything as much as they hesitate over snatching the soul of My believing servant, which they do while giving him good tidings (bashāra) and treating him with honour (karāma) saying, �Do not fear for your souls and do not grieve about the Day of Gathering��, just as He has said, The Supreme Terror shall not grieve them [21:103].He said:[He is] the One who takes you all into His care (al-mutawallī li-jumlatikum) with [His] good pleasure (riḍā), protecting your hearts, and delighting your eyes with the [divine] manifestation (tajallī), in reward for your profession of His oneness and as a favour (tafaḍḍul) from your Lord.His words:

Who is better in speech than one who summons [others] to God�That is, than one who guides [people] to God, His worship and the Sunna of His Messenger , and to the avoidance of all that is forbidden; [and who guides] to perseverance (idāma) in rectitude (istiqāma) with God, steadfastness in this for fear of one�s end (khātima); and to the middle way (ṭarīqa wusṭā), and the straight path (jādda mustaqīma), upon which whoever travels will be safe, but away from which whoever deviates (taʿaddā) will be filled with regret (nadam).His words:

Man never wearies of supplicating for good�He said:He does not weary of remembering His Lord, nor of thanking Him, praising Him, or extolling Him.His words:

And when We bestow graces upon man he shows disregard and turns away�He said:That is, [he turns away] from supplication, and from showing gratitude for what God has bestowed upon him. He becomes preoccupied with the bounties [themselves] and takes pride in that which is not worthy of any pride.His words:

We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and in themselves...That is, death.He said:Death has a specific (khāṣṣ) and a general (ʿāmm) meaning. The general [meaning of] death is the death of the physical body (khilqa) and [its] natural form (jibilla). The specific [meaning]41 Al-Sajda (or Fuṣṣilat)179is the death of the lusts of the lower self (shahawāt al-nafs). But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best. His words, Exalted is He:

�That you may warn [the people of] the Mother of Cities, and those around it�He said:In its outward meaning, it [the Mother of Cities] refers to Mecca. In its inner meaning it refers to the heart, while those around it refer to the bodily members (jawāriḥ). Therefore warn them that they might safeguard their hearts and bodily members from delighting in acts of disobedienceand following [their] lusts.His words:�and that you may warn [people] about the Day of Gathering�He said:That is, the Day when the inhabitants of the earth will be gathered for His remembrance, just as the Hosts of the Heavens are assembled [for His remembrance].His words:�[whereupon] some will be in the Garden and some will be in the Blazing Fire.He said:Whoever plants thorn trees will not reap grapes. So do what you will, for indeed there are just two paths, and whichever one of those paths you [choose to] tread, you will end up with its folk.His words:

And had God willed, He would have made them one community�He said:The outer meaning [of the verse] refers to disbelief (kufr), and its inner meaning refers to the servant�s [moments of] activity (ḥarakāt) and passivity (sukūn). If God so willed He would have placed them all in obedience to Him; but He admits whomever He will into His mercy, that is, into His obedience. And the evildoers, who claim to possess the power (ḥawl) and strength (quwwa), have neither guardian nor helper in [their being] contrary (khilāf) [to the state they should be in], that is, they are in a state of passivity (sukūn) with regard to [His] commandments(amr) and activity with regard to that which is forbidden (nahy).His words:

�He revives the dead�In its inner meaning, it refers to the hearts of the people of truth, which He revives through remembrance (dhikr) and the contemplative witnessing (mushāhada) of Him.42 Al-Shūrā (or Ḥā Mīm ʿAyn Sīn Qāf)181He [also] said:Souls cannot gain [real] life until they die. His words:

He has prescribed for you as a religion that which he enjoined upon Noah�⸢He said⸣ The first [prophet] to have made it unlawful [to marry] one�s daughters, mothers, and sisters was Noah . Hence, God has legislated for us [Muslims] the best of the laws that the prophets brought.His words:�and that which We have revealed to you, and which We enjoined on Abraham and Moses and Jesus�[is] that they should uphold obedience (ṭāʿa) to God, maintain sincerity (ikhlāṣ) in that, and manifest [goodness in their] moral character (akhlāq) and states (aḥwāl).His words:

And whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We will enhance for him his harvest�He said:The harvest of the Hereafter is being satisfied [with one�s lot] (qanāʿa) in this world, and [finding]contentment (riḍā) in the Hereafter. The harvest of this world is that which is sought other than Him.He [also] said:Another shade of meaning is that he who acts for the sake of God, Mighty and Majestic is He, in a state of compliance (ījāban), without seeking a reward, [will find that] everything which is sought other than God, Mighty and Majestic is He, becomes diminished in his sight. Thus, he desires neither the world, nor Paradise, but desires only the vision (naẓar) of Him, this being the share (ḥaẓẓ) of the intuition of the spiritual self (dhihn nafs al-rūḥ), the understanding of the intellect (fahm al-ʿaql), and the discernment of the heart (fiṭnat al-qalb), as when He addressed them [before] (ka-mā khāṭabahum); for conformity [lit. imitation, iqtidāʾ], on that occasion was without the presence of the natural self (nafs ṭabīʿiyya). Notwithstanding the fact that the [natural] self receives a share [of the beatific vision in Paradise], like a fragrant breeze, due to its being fused with those lights. [However,] whoever acts for the sake of this world, �We will give him of it, but in the Hereafterhe will have no portion (naṣīb), for his ⸢natural⸣ self will be occupied with the enjoyment (tanaʿʿum or naʿīm) of Paradise, which itself is its share (ḥaẓẓ), [while forgoing] its portion in the Hereafter, namely the vision of God for eternity (ruʾyat al-Ḥaqq ʿalā�l-abad). His words, Exalted is He:

�Say �I do not ask of you any reward for it, except the affection due to [my] kinsfolk��He said:The inner meaning of the verse refers to the link between the Sunna and obligatory acts (farḍ). It is related regarding this verse that Ḥasan [al-Baṣrī] said, �Whoever draws closer to God through obedience to Him, [will find that] God�s love becomes obligatory [for Him].� His words:�If anyone acquires a good deed, We shall enhance for him his goodness�He said:It refers to the cognisance (maʿrifa) [that a person should have] of his state relating to an act, before entering upon it, and after its completion, as to whether it is unhealthy (saqīm) or sound (saḥīḥ). His words, Exalted is He:

�For if God so wishes, He can seal your heart�He said:He could place the seal of longing (shawq) and love (maḥabba) on your hearts, so that you would cease to notice people and you would not occupy yourselves with love for them and visiting them anymore.His words, Exalted is He:

�And verily you guide to a straight path.That is, you summon [people] to your Lord with the light of His guidance.His words, Exalted is He:

Hā, Mīm! By the Book that makes things clear.That is, within it He clearly distinguished guidance from error, good from evil, and expounded the bliss of the fortunate (suʿadāʾ) and the misery of the wretched (ashqiyāʾ).

Hā, Mīm! By the Book that makes things clear.That is, within it He clearly distinguished guidance from error, good from evil, and expounded the bliss of the fortunate (suʿadāʾ) and the misery of the wretched (ashqiyāʾ).

And it is indeed (with Us) in the Mother of the Book�He said:This is the Preserved Tablet.�[and it is] indeed exalted, wise.He said:That is, it is elevated and dominant over all the other scriptures.His words, Exalted is He:

that you may sit upon their backs and then remember your Lord�s grace when you are settledupon them� He said:Truly, God has privileged the prophets  and some of the veracious (ṣiddīqūn) with the cognisance(maʿrifa) of the blessings (niʿam) that God, Exalted is He, has bestowed upon them, before their disappearance, as well as the knowledge of God�s clemency (ḥilm) with them. However, the blessings of God, Exalted is He, are indeed diminished in the eyes of the person who does not recognise the blessings that God has granted him, other than those pertaining to his eating, drinking and riding [a beast of burden].His words, Exalted is He:

Yet they assign to Him a part from among His servants� ⸢He said⸣:That is, a part in their worship. Do you not notice how the Prophet says, �Truly, some of you when they pray only gain from their prayer a third or a quarter of it�? His words:

�and [We have] raised some of them above others in ranks�He said:We raised some of them above others in gnosis (maʿrifa) and obedience (ṭāʿa) [this being their source of] subsistence (ʿaysh) in this world and in the Hereafter.His words:�and the mercy of your Lord is better than what they amass.That is, than an abundance of works done seeking reward. His words, Exalted is He:

We assign a devil as a companion for whoever turns away from the remembrance of the Compassionate One.He said:God has decreed that any servant who turns away from His remembrance, which is to say that he sees in his heart anything besides Him, and acquiesces in that thing, will not do so without God putting a devil (shayṭān) in power over him, who will divert him from the path of truth and subject him to temptation. His words, Exalted is He:

So when they had angered Us, We took vengeance on them�He said:That is, �When they enraged Us by persisting in their transgression against [Our] commandments, by their exhibition of innovations (bidaʿ) in the religion, their abandoning of the traditional ways [of the Prophet] (sunan), due to their pursuit of [their own] opinions and desires, We removed the light of gnosis (nūr al-maʿrifa) from their hearts, the lamp of the realisation of [Our] oneness (sirāj al-tawḥīd) from their innermost secrets (asrār), and We entrusted them to their own selves, and to whatever they chose [for themselves]. Consequently they went astray and misled [others].Then he said:Following (ittibāʿ) [is the key], following! Emulation (iqtidāʾ) [is the key], emulation! For sure, that was the way of the predecessors (salaf). He who follows [their guidance] will not go astray, but he who innovates will not be saved.His words, Exalted is He:

Those who believed in Our signs and submitted themselves [to Us will be told],! �EnterParadise, you and your spouses, to be made joyful�,with the delight of the vision [of God] (naẓar), as a reward for the realisation of His oneness (tawḥīd), with which He blesses His friends, when they experience the manifestation of the [divine] unveiling (tajallī al-mukāshafa), this being subsistence with the Subsistent One (baqāʾ maʿa�l-Bāqī). See how He privileges them with faith on the condition that they submit to His command and acquiesce [in a state] of tranquil repose before Him (sukūn bayna yadayhi).His words, Exalted is He:

Those who believed in Our signs and submitted themselves [to Us will be told],! �EnterParadise, you and your spouses, to be made joyful�,with the delight of the vision [of God] (naẓar), as a reward for the realisation of His oneness (tawḥīd), with which He blesses His friends, when they experience the manifestation of the [divine] unveiling (tajallī al-mukāshafa), this being subsistence with the Subsistent One (baqāʾ maʿa�l-Bāqī). See how He privileges them with faith on the condition that they submit to His command and acquiesce [in a state] of tranquil repose before Him (sukūn bayna yadayhi).His words, Exalted is He:

�and therein will be whatever souls desire and eyes delight in�He said:That is to say, whatever souls desire is the reward for their works, whereas whatever eyes delight in is the empowerment (tamkīn) which God bestows on them at the time of the encounter (liqāʾ) [with Him] as a reward for their realisation of His oneness (tawḥīd).[Then] he said:Paradise is the reward for works performed by the bodily members. The encounter is the reward for the realisation of God�s oneness (tawḥīd). Note how God, Exalted is He, has said:

And that is the Paradise which you have been given to inherit [as a reward for] what you used to do.His words, Exalted is He:

Indeed We revealed it on a blessed night�He said:God sent the Qurʾān down as a whole on the Night of Great Merit (Laylat al-Qadr) to the House of Might (bayt al-ʿizza) in the heaven of this world, from the Preserved Tablet in the hands of the recording angels (malāʾik safara). It was then sent down to the spirit (rūḥ) of Muḥammad , which is the blessed spirit (rūḥ mubārak), and thus He called the Night of Great Merit a blessed night (layla mubāraka) due to the [spiritual] link between one [descent of] blessing and the other. His words, Exalted is He:

There is no god except Him. He gives life and brings death�He said:In reality, there is no god except the One who has the power to bring into existence that which was not in existence, and bring to extinction that which was in existence.His words:

�the day when the heaven will produce a visible smoke�He said:The smoke in this world is hardness of the heart and heedlessness of (His) remembrance, and there is no punishment severer in this world than the corruption of the heart.It was related of Uways al-Qaranī and Haram b. Ḥayyān that they met one day and Haram said to Uways, �Make a supplication to God [for me]�. So he prayed, �May He make your intention (nīya) and your heart (qalb) sound, for there is nothing more seriously in need of curing than these two. For while your heart [seems to be] going towards [God] (muqbil), it may [in fact] be going away [from Him] (mudbir), and while your heart [seems to be] going away, [it may, in fact] be going towards [Him]. Do not consider the insignificance of a misdeed, but rather consider [the greatness of] the One whom you have disobeyed. If you deem it [the misdeed] as great, verily you have magnified God, Exalted is He, whereas if you belittle it, for sure you have belittled God, Exalted is He.�His words, Exalted is He:

And leave the sea behind you, at rest� [That is], a calm pathway (ṭarīq sākin) [for you to cross]. Its inner meaning is: �Make your heart acquiesce in (sākin) My management (tadbīrī) [of your affairs].� �Indeed they will be a drowned host, that is, those who are opposed to consigning the management (tadbīr) of themselves [to God].His words:

�except for him on whom God has mercy�That is, whomever God knows from His prior knowledge to be one of those who will receive mercy, [so that] in the end, the grace of that mercy will reach him, by virtue of His making the believers intercessors (shufaʿāʾ) for one another.His words, Exalted is He:

Truly in the heavens and the earth there are signs (āyāt) for those who believe.He said:The signs (ʿalāmāt) are for the one who has certainty (yaqīn) in his heart, and who is guided by their existence (kawn) to the One who has brought them into existence (mukawwin).His words:

He has put at your disposal all that is in the heavens and the earth, [as a gift] from Him�He said:When the heart of the servant finds tranquil repose (sukūn) in its Master, the state of the servantbecomes strong. Subsequently everything is subjected to him, and indeed everything is on intimate terms with him, even the birds and the beasts.It was related of al-Thawrī that he said, �I set off with Shaybān al-Rāʿī towards Mecca and on the way a lion appeared before us, so I said, �O Shaybān, do you not see this dog?� He replied, �Do not fear! It�s only that the lion heard the speech of Shaybān al-Rāʿī so he started to wag his tail.� Then Shaybān approached him and proceeded to take hold of his ear and twist it. Then I said, �O Shaybān what is this fame you have?� He answered, �And what sort of fame is it that you see, O Thawrī? I swear by God that if it wasn�t for the fear of fame I wouldn�t have carried my provisions for the journey to Mecca other than [loaded] on its back.� Shaybān was on his way to the Friday prayer when he caught sight of a wolf with his sheep, so he said to it, �Sit with the sheep until I return and I will give you a lamb.� When he returned from the Friday prayer, he found the wolf sitting down looking after the sheep, so he gave him a lamb to take away.� Sahl used to say to a youth who kept his company, �If you are afraid of predatory beasts then do not keep my company.� And he was asked, �How does a man reach the rank of charismatic gifts (karāmāt)? He replied:�Whoever abstains from (zahada) the world for forty days in veracity and sincerity (ṣādiqan wa mukhliṣan), will have charismatic gifts (karāmāt) manifested to Him from God, Mighty and Majestic is He. But if [such gifts] are not manifested to a person, it is due to the lack of true faith and sincerity in his renunciation� � or words to that effect.His words, Exalted is He:

and We gave them clear signs of the commandment�He said:We opened their ears so that they could understand Our discourse (khiṭāb), and We made their hearts (afʾida) as vessels (wiʿāʾ) for Our speech (kalām). We gave them true physiognomy (firāsa), by which they can make certain and truly-informed judgements concerning Our servants. These are the �clear signs of the commandment� on the inner path (ṭarīq al-bāṭin).His words, Exalted is He:

Then We set you [Muḥammad] on a [clear] course (sharīʿa) of the commandment, so followit�He said:That is, a way (minhaj) consisting of the established norms (sunan) of the prophets who came before you, for they [were following] the way of guidance; and the Law (sharīʿa) is the clear thoroughfare that extends to the path of salvation (ṭarīq al-najāt) and the way of right guidance(sabīl al-rushd).His words, Exalted is He:

Assuredly they will not avail you in any way against God�Whoever becomes wealthy without recourse to God will become needy through his wealth; and whoever gains honour without recourse to Him will be humiliated through his honour. Take note of how God says: Assuredly they will not avail you in any way against God�His words, Exalted is He:

Do those who have perpetrated evil acts suppose that We shall treat them as those who believe and perform righteous deeds, equally in their life and in their death?...He said:The one who has been seated on the carpet of conformity (bisāṭ al-muwāfaqa) is not like the one who has been made to stand in the station of opposition (maqām al-mukhālafa); for the carpet of conformity brings the person [stationed] upon it to the �seats� of true faith (maqāʿid al-ṣidq), whereas the station of opposition will plunge the person who holds it into a blazing fire.His words, Exalted is He:

Have you not seen him who has taken as his god his [own] desire...?He said:That is to say, have you considered the one who is submersed in the delights that his lower self [is deriving] from this world, being neither scrupulous (wariʿ) nor mindful of God (taqī)? Hence, he pursues his own will (murād), and does not take the path of emulation (iqtidāʾ), but prefers the lusts of this world over the bliss of the life to come. So, how will he be able to attain the high ranks and sublime stations (manāzil saniyya) in the Hereafter?�and whom God led astray knowingly�?He said:That is, with God�s prior knowledge [concerning him] that He would withdraw from him His protection and aid.His words:

Say: �God [is the One who] gives you life, then makes you to die, then gathers you to Day of Resurrection��He said:He gives you life in the bellies of your mothers, then He causes you to die through ignorance, and then without doubt He gathers you together from the first to the last of you.His words, Exalted is He:

And you will see every community crouching� He said:[Crouching] on their knees, each [community] contending for itself in the presence of [its] escort (murāfaqa). The one who is true in faith (ṣādiq) will strive to prove his veracity (ṣidq), and the denying unbeliever (jāḥid) will strive to defend himself. Each one will be judged according to what he recorded [for himself], his ink being his saliva, his pen his tongue and his parchment his bodily members.His words:

To Him belongs all grandeur in the heavens and the earth�He said:Exaltedness (ʿuluww), omnipotence (qudra), majesty (ʿaẓama), power and strength (ḥawl wa quwwa) belong to Him in the entire dominion of creation (mulk). He will support with His power and strength whoever seeks His protection, whilst He will consign whoever relies on himself to his own care. But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

And when mankind are gathered, [at the Resurrection], they will be enemies to them... He said:[This] concerns their lower selves, which led them into following them, [they will be turned against them] as a penalty for their allowing their desire to rule [over them], for they [their lower selves] will bear witness against them. Indeed, the Messenger of God said: �Truly, the severest foe of man is his self that is between his two sides.� His words, Exalted is He:

Say, �I am nothing new among God�s messengers��He said:That is, �There were messengers before me who commanded what I command [you] and forbadewhat I forbid [you]. I am not peculiar (ʿajab) among the messengers. I do not call you to anything except the profession of God�s oneness (tawḥīd), and I do not guide you to anything other than the noblest of ethics (makārim al-akhlāq). It was with this that the prophets before me were sent.�His words, Exalted is He:

�[So that] he may say: �Lord, inspire me to be truly grateful for the favour with which You have blessed me��He said:That is, �Inspire me to repent and do works of obedience.�His words:��Invest my offspring with righteousness��He said:�Make them Your true servants and faithful heirs for me.�His words:

��It guides to the truth and a straight way.� He said:That is, it shows the path of truth, [as that] by which one leaves dealings (muʿāmalāt) and formalities (rusūmāt) behind, [and endeavours] to realise the truth (taḥqīq al-ḥaqq), which is the straight path (ṣirāṭ mustaqīm).His words:

�O our people! Respond to God�s summoner...�He said:None can respond to the one who summons, except he who has heard the call (nidāʾ), and then has been granted success to do good things, and has attained certainty (yaqīn). Otherwise, who can respond well to the call?And he further said:Truly, in the heart of every believer there is one who summons him to his right course (rushd). The fortunate person is he who is attentive to the call of that summoner, and follows it up.His words, Exalted is He:

So endure [with patience] like those messengers of firm resolve�He said:It means, �Be patient with the patience (ṣabr) of the people of gnosis (ahl al-maʿrifa), just as those of firm resolve (ūlū�l-ʿazm) among the messengers showed patience, a patience which is [one of] contentment (riḍā) and submission (taslīm) without complaint (shakwā) or impatience (or anxiety, jazaʿ).� Abraham, God�s friend , was afflicted with the fire, and the sacrifice of his son, but accepted it with contentment (riḍā) and submitted. Job was afflicted by sickness, and Ishmael with the sacrifice and [likewise] showed contentment. Noah [was tested] with denial but remained steadfast (ṣabara), while Jonah [was placed] in the belly of the whale, but called on God and sought refuge in Him. Joseph, God�s blessings be upon him, [was afflicted with] prison and the well, but he did not alter; and Jacob was tested by the loss of his sight and his son, but he complained of his grief only to God and did not complain to anyone else. There are twelve prophets, God�s blessings be upon them, who remained steadfast in the face of what befell them, and they are known as �those of firm resolve (ūlū�l-ʿazm) among the messengers�. But God, Transcendent and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

God will bring to naught the deeds of those who disbelieve and bar others from the way of God.He said:He brought them to naught because of their utterance of words that had no reality (ḥaqīqa) behind them.His words:

He will guide them and dispose their minds aright.He said:This means that He will guide them in their graves to answer Munkar and Nakīr correctly; and dispose their minds aright, that is, He will bring about the commencement of the reward in their hearts [in the grave] (jazāʾ), and in the Hereafter, the delight of the meeting [with Him] (ladhdhat al-liqāʾ) at the moment of the manifestation (tajallī) of unveiling (mukāshafa), as a face-to-face encounter (kifāḥan), and thereupon, [His] taking care (tawallī) of them, as when He says:

That is because God is patron (mawlā) of those who believe�That is, by His good pleasure, love and His keeping them in the station of proximity (qurb).His words:

And how many a town, mightier in power than your town, which expelled you, have We destroyed and they had none to help them.In this verse there is proof of his [Muḥammad�s] superiority over Kalīm [Moses], because he did not leave out of fear of them in the way that Moses did, but he left in the way that God, Exalted is He, said in the words: which expelled you. He did not say �you left�, nor ⸢�you fled�⸣, nor �you felt afraid�, for he [acted] by God and for God at all times, and it never happened that his attention was diverted to other [than Him] in any particular situation.His words:

Is he who follows a clear sign from his Lord�?He said:The believer has a clear explanation (bayān) from his Lord and whoever has a clear proof (bayyina) from his Lord adheres to following the established ways of the Prophet (sunan).His words, Exalted is He:Know, then, that there is no god but God�He said:All people are dead except those who know (ʿulamāʾ), and for this reason He summoned His Prophet to the abode of life (maḥall al-ḥayāt), through knowledge (ʿilm), with His words: Know�His words:

�and forgiveness from their Lord. He said:Forgiveness from their Lord in Paradise is the lights of God which cover them at their vision of Him. His words:

�And ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and women�He said:That is, �Seek forgiveness for the desire (himma) of the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ).� The Prophet said, �There is not one among us who has not had the desire [to do something] and then transgressed.�This means that a [person�s] lower self (nafs) intended something, overwhelming the heart (ʿalā�l-qalb), for the immediate [gratification of its share of] lusts (ʿājil al-shahawāt), but then thatperson turned away from that [intent] and sought forgiveness from God, just as the Prophet said: �Truly, my heart becomes clouded, and truly I ask forgiveness from God, Exalted is He, seventy times every day.� His words:

�or is it that they have locks on their hearts?He said:God, Exalted is He, created the hearts, and secured them with locks. Then He made the realitiesof faith (ḥaqāʾiq al-īmān) the keys to hearts. With those keys, the only hearts He opened to realisation (taḥqīq) were those of His friends (awliyāʾ), messengers (rusul) Â, and the veracious (ṣiddīqūn). The rest of people leave this world without the locks on their hearts being opened. The renunciants (zuhhād), devout worshippers (ʿubbād), and scholars (ʿulamāʾ) will leave this world with locked hearts because they sought the keys to them with the intellect (ʿaql), and thus strayed from the path. If only they had sought them by having recourse to God-given success (tawfīq) and grace (faḍl), they would have attained them [the keys]. The key is to know that God is taking care of you (qāʾim ʿalayka), and watching over (raqīb) your bodily members, and to know that works are not complete without sincerity (ikhlāṣ) accompanied by heedfulness (murāqāba) [of God].His words:

�Obey God and obey the Messenger�That is, in revering (taʿẓīm) God. �Do not render your own works void, that is, by seeing them as coming from yourselves and by seeking recompense (aʿwāḍ) from your Lord, for sincere works are those that are done without seeking recompense.His words, Exalted is He:

�God is the Self-Sufficient One, while you are the needy�.Gnosis (maʿrifa) of the secret [divine] mystery (sirr) is [attained] entirely through neediness (faqr), and that is God�s secret (sirr Allāh). The knowledge of [one�s] neediness for God, Exalted is He, is the corrective to the knowledge that [one has] richness (ghinā) through God, Mighty and Majestic is He. But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

Verily, We have given you a clear victory,He said:That is to say, �[We have opened] the secrets of the sciences (asrār al-ʿulūm) within your heart, so that their traces have become manifested upon you.� They are the signs of [His] love and the fulfilment of [His] bounty.

that God may forgive you what is past of your sin and what is to come� He said:That is, what is past, of the sin that your father Adam [committed] while you were in his loins, and what is to come, of the sins of your community, as you are their leader (qāʾid) and guide (dalīl).His words:

It was He who sent down the spirit of peace (sakīna) into the hearts of the believers�That is, profound peace (ṭumaʾnīna). For God first of all discloses to His servants gnosis (maʿārif), then forms of mediation (wasāʾil), then the spirit of peace (sakīna), and lastly intuitive insights (baṣāʾir). And one to whom God discloses intuitive insights, knows things according to their essences (jawāhir), as did Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq who never erred in speech.His words:And to God belong the forces of the heavens and the earth�He said:His forces (junūd) are of different kinds: His forces in heaven are the prophets (anbiyāʾ), and on earth, [His] friends (awliyāʾ). His forces in heaven are hearts (qulūb), and on the earth, souls (nufūs). Whatever God empowers (sallaṭa) over you, [may be counted as being] among His forces. If He empowers your lower self over you, your lower self will itself destroy you; and likewise, if He empowers your bodily members over you, they themselves will destroy you. If your lower self overpowers your heart, it will drive you to the pursuit of desire (hawā). But if your heart overpowers your lower self and your bodily members, it will tether them with propriety (adab), compel them into worship (ʿibāda), and then adorn them with sincerity in servanthood (ikhlāṣ fi�l-ʿubūdiyya). All of these together amount to God�s forces.His words:

Indeed We have sent you as a witness, and a bearer of glad tidings and a warner.He said:As a witness to them of the divine oneness (tawḥīd), bringing glad tidings to them of help (maʿūna) and support (taʾyīd), and warning them against falling into innovations (bidaʿ) and errors (ḍalālāt).His words:

�and that you may honour Him, and revere Him�He said:That is, revere Him with the utmost reverence (taʿẓīm) in your hearts and obey Him with your bodies. This is why reverence (taʿzīr) is so called, because it is the greatest [thing for] disciplining[the self] (taʾdīb). His words:

�the Hand of God is above their hands�He said:That is, the power (ḥawl) of God and His strength (quwwa) is above their strength (quwwa) and their action (ḥaraka). This is in their saying to the Messenger at the time of the pledge (bayʿa), �We have pledged to you that we will not flee, and we will fight for you.� There is another possible meaning of the Hand of God is above their hands, which is, the grace (minna) of God is above them in their being guided to take the pledge, and His reward (thawāb) for them is above their pledge and their obedience for you.His words:

��Our possessions and our families kept us occupied�� They tried to excuse themselves with this, and God related it to you so you would know that the way to approach God (iqbāl ʿalā�Llāh) is through leaving behind the world and what it contains, for certainly that is what distracts [you] from God. Take note of how the hypocrites excused themselves by saying: �Our possessions and our families kept us occupied��His words:

�And were it not for [some of] the believing men and believing women whom you did not know � lest you should trample them� He said:The real believer (al-muʾmin ʿalā�l-ḥaqīqa) is the one who is not heedless of his lower self and his heart, but scrutinises his states (aḥwāl), and keeps a close watch over his moments (awqāt). He observes his increase (ziyāda) [in a good state, distinguishing it] from his decline (nuqṣān), and shows gratitude on seeing an increase, but when there is a decline, devotes himself [to remedying it] and makes supplication.It is through these [real believers] that God repels calamity (balāʾ) from the inhabitants of earth. The [true] believer is never lax (mutahāwin) with the slightest shortcoming, for laxity with a little will inevitably lead to [laxity in] a lot.He further said:The servant will not get the taste of faith until he abandons six vices [lit. character traits, khiṣāl]: he should abandon what is forbidden (ḥarām), illegal possessions (suḥut), what is dubious (shubha), ignorance (jahl), intoxicant[s] (muskir) and ostentation (riyāʾ); [on the other hand] he should adhere to [six virtues]: knowledge (ʿilm), putting his actions right (taṣḥīḥ al-ʿamal), integrity of heart (naṣḥ bi�l-qalb), veracity of the tongue (ṣidq bi�l-lisān), correct conduct (ṣalāḥ) in associating with people and sincerity (ikhlāṣ) in the way he deals with his Lord.He also said:The Book of God is founded upon five [virtues]: veracity (ṣidq), seeking the best [through God�s guidance] (istikhāra), consultation (istishāra), patience (ṣabr) and gratitude (shukr).His words:

�and made binding on them the promise to be mindful [of Him], for they were more worthy and deserving of it� He said:[The promise to be mindful of God (kalimat al-taqwā)] is saying: �There is no god except God (lā ilāha illā�Llāh), for truly it is the summit of mindfulness of God.Then he said:The best among people are the Muslims, the best among Muslims are the believers, the best among believers are the scholars who act upon their knowledge, the best among those who act [upon their knowledge] are the fearful (khāʾifūn), and the best among the fearful are the sincere ones who are fully aware of God (al-mukhliṣūn al-muttaqūn), whose sincerity and awareness of God remains with them up until their death. Indeed, the likeness of these [latter] is that of a passenger on board a ship at sea. He does not know whether he will be saved from [the sea] or drown in it. Those for whom this was true were the Companions of the Messenger of God according to His words: and made binding on them the promise to be mindful of Him.His words:

�You will assuredly enter the Sacred Mosque in safety, God willing�He was asked, �What is meant by making this exception [saying God willing] (istithnāʾ)?� He said:This is a way of teaching (taʿlīm) and disciplining (taʾdīb) [His] servants, [in order that they should feel] intense neediness (shiddat al-iftiqār) for Him at every moment and in every situation, and by way of emphasis (taʾkīd). If God makes an exception [by saying �God willing�] while having full knowledge [of what is to happen], then it is not for one of his servants, who is deficient in knowledge, to determine upon something without making the exception of �God willing�. His words, Exalted is He:

�The mark is on their faces, from the effect of their prostrations�He said:The believer (muʾmin) in God is a face without a reverse side, [since he is] advancing towards Him without ever turning back from Him. This is the mark of the believers. ʿĀmir b. ʿAbd al-Qays said, �It is almost as if the face of a believer is informing [us] of that which is hidden within him, and the same can be said of the face of the disbeliever.� This is what is meant by His words: The mark is on their faces. Ibn Masʿūd said, �The secret of the believer is a mantle over him�. But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

O you who believe! Do not be forward in the presence of God and His Messenger�He said:Verily, God, Exalted is He, has instructed His believing servants in propriety (adab). The meaning is: �Do not speak before he [the Prophet] speaks�. Then when he speaks, move forward towards him, hearkening and listening to him; �and fear God, regarding the neglect of His rights, and the loss of reverence for Him. Surely God hears what you say, and knows what you do.His words:

�and do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet�That is, �Do not address him except when seeking to understand [from him].� Then He explains the honour of the one who reveres Him, and says:

�they are the ones whose hearts God has tested for mindfulness of Him�That is, He has made their intentions pure for Him.His words:

�If a reprobate comes to you with some tiding�He said:The reprobate (fāsiq) is a liar (kadhdhāb). The inner meaning of the verse is to teach (taʾdīb) a person who has been informed of someone�s derogation of him, that he should not rush into exacting retribution on them, without having found out about [the matter] for himself.His words:

�God had endeared faith to you and made it beautiful to your hearts�He said:As a kindness (ʿaṭf) from Him, He singled out your hearts for His worship and endowed them with sincerity. [This is so] because being singled out (istikhlāṣ) is from His kindness (ʿaṭf), while [your] sincerity (ikhlāṣ) is His right (ḥaqq). A servant cannot fulfil His right save through His kindness in granting him assistance through the means of faith (asbāb al-īmān), which are the irrefutable proofs and wondrous signs (āyāt muʿjiza).His words:�He has made disbelief, mischief and disobedience hateful to you�due to the fear of His abhorrent punishment.His words:

[that is] a favour from God and a blessing�He said:God has favoured them by that which He initially granted them, and He has guided them to Him with various kinds of proximity (qurb) and intimacy (zulf).His words:

If two parties of believers fall to fighting, you [believers] make peace between them�He said:The outward meaning of the verse is as those specialised in exegesis have explained. However, in its inner meaning it refers to the spirit (rūḥ), intellect (ʿaql), heart (qalb), basic nature (ṭabʿ), desire (hawā) and lust (shahwa). If natural instinct, desire and lust take up arms against the heart, intellect and spirit, the servant must fight them with the swords of vigilance (murāqaba), the arrows of inspection (muṭālaʿa) and the lights of conformity (muwāfaqa), so that the spirit and the intellect gain the upper hand, and desire and lust are vanquished.His words:

�Shun much suspicion�He said:That is, �Do not discredit anyone [by holding] a bad opinion (sūʾ al-ẓann) about them without [knowing] the truth (ḥaqīqa) [of the matter].� Indeed the Prophet said: �The most untruthful of reports is that of opinion (ẓann).� Then Sahl said:Bad opinion comes from ignorance and pertains to the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ). The most ignorant person is the one who estranges his heart [from God] without being aware of it. Indeed, God, Exalted is He, has said: And that suspicion of yours which you held about your Lord has ruined you, so you have become among the losers. [41:23] Certainly, the servant is deprived of blessed provision and prayer at night because of bad opinion.One night a man, one of [God�s] servants, slept through [and missed] his customary rite (wird) and felt regret over it. [He] was asked: �Do you feel regret about [missing] that which you are wont to perform?� He replied, �I do not feel regret because of that, but rather because of the sin through which I became deprived of that good [deed].�Sahl was asked, �What is the meaning of the Prophet�s words : �Be on your guard with people, [by holding a] bad opinion (sūʾ al-ẓann).�� He replied:The meaning of this is [that protection from people] is [gained by holding a] bad opinion of yourself, not of other people. In other words, accuse your own self for not treating them fairly in your dealings with them. His words:�and do not spy�He said:That is, �Do not search out the faults that God has covered for His servants, for you may well be afflicted by that [fault].It was related of Jesus that he used to say, �Do not speak too much other than in remembranceof God, Mighty and Majestic is He, for your hearts will be hardened, and the heart that is hard is far from God. Do not regard the faults of people as if you were their masters, but look at your own works as if they were your slaves.

�Say, �You do not have faith; rather say, �We have submitted��� He said:This means [they should admit], �We [only] affirmed [the faith] from fear of being taken captive or killed; for faith (īmān) is in the truthful affirmation of the tongue (iqrār al-lisān ṣidqan), and certainty within the heart as a binding pact [with God] (īqān fī�l-qalb ʿaqdan), along with the realisation (taḥqīq) of these through the bodily members with sincerity (ikhlāṣ). Faith (īmān) has nothing to do with affiliations (ansāb); rather affiliations are only a part of Islam. The Muslim is beloved of people but the believer is in no need (ghanī) of people. His words:

They deem it to be a favour to you that they have submitted�Namely, that they affirmed as true that to which you were summoning them. (Say) ��Rather it is God who has done you a favour in that He has guided you to faith, if you are being truthful,�that is, if you are aware that it is God who blessed you with guidance from the beginning.Sahl said:I practised scrupulous piety (waraʿ) for forty years and it happened that [my] attention was turned from me ⸢towards Him⸣ and He corrected me with His words: They deem it to be a favour to you that they have submitted. But God Glorified and Exalted is He knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

Qāf�[With this word] God, Exalted is He, made an oath by His strength (quwwa) and omnipotence (qudra). In its outer meaning it refers to the mountain which surrounds this world, which is the first mountain God, Exalted is He, created. Then after it, He created Mount Abū Qubays, which is the mountain which rises above Ṣafā. Beyond this, by a distance of one year�s journey, is a mountain behind which the sun sets, just as He said: until it [the sun] disappeared behind [night�s] veil [38:32]. It has a face like a human face and a heart like the hearts of the angels in gnosis (fi�l-maʿrifa). His words:�By the glorious Qurʾān.He said:This means that it is honoured above all other speech.His words:

As an insight and a reminder for every penitent servant.He said:This means: ⸢as a lesson and source of evidence, guiding them to believe in the oneness of their Lord and to show gratitude to Him;⸣ penitent (munīb), that is, one who devotes his heart purely to God by turning his attention [wholly] to Him, and by maintaining God�s remembrance (dhikr) in the practice of his obligatory duties (wājibāt).His words, Exalted is He:

�as did the dwellers at al-Rass�That is, the well. And al-Ayka [50:14] is a wood. In its inner meaning, the people of Rass are the people of ignorance, and the dwellers in the wood [50:14] are the pursuers of lusts.His words, Exalted is He:

he does not utter a word but there is beside him a watcher, ready.He said:That is, an attendant guardian who is never absent from him. The angels do not know the good and evil that is within a person�s conscience (ḍamīr) save when that person�s heart acquiesces in it [either good or evil]. When there is a resolution [to do] something good, its effect will manifest a beautiful perfume within the breast (ṣadr) and thence from the breast to the bodilymembers; whereas when there is a resolution to do evil it manifests darkness and a rotten smell. In any event, God knows all of this from [the servant], so he should fear Him in accordance with His words, Surely God has been watchful over you [4:1].His words, Exalted is He:

And every soul will come accompanied by a driver and a witness.This means: the recording [angels] (kataba) who were with him in this world will lead him to the gathering place and will testify either for or against him. Then the servant says, �Is not what You say the truth? Indeed, You have said: And if you were to enumerate God�s favours you could never number them [14:34]�. And Your Prophet said, �None of you enters Paradise through his works, but only through His mercy.� Then God says, �My words are the truth, and my Prophet has spoken truly, so therefore proceed to Paradise through My mercy.�He said:This is the meaning of His words, Exalted is He: �and for them is forgiveness and a generous provision [8:74].His words, Exalted is He:

�and your sight on this Day is acute.That is to say, your heart�s vision (baṣar) will be penetrating (nāfidh), in its witnessing (mushāhada) of all its affairs and conditions [on this Day].His words, Exalted is He:

The word that comes from Me cannot be changed�That is, �What is within My prior knowledge does not change, so that it would become contrary to My pre-existing knowledge concerning it.�His words, Exalted is He:

��[it is] for everyone who is oft-returning (awwāb), heedful (ḥafīẓ) of God�� He said:He is the one who turns back with his heart from evil suggestions to tranquil reliance (sukūn) on God, Exalted is He, and is the heedful one (ḥafīẓ), who guards his moments (awqāt) and states (aḥwāl), [while] keeping to His commandments and observing acts of obedience.Ibn ʿAyniyya said, �The one who is oft-returning, heedful of God is the person who does not get up from a gathering until he has asked for God�s forgiveness for it, regardless of whether it was good or bad, due to the imperfection and deficiency that he sees in it.� His words, Exalted is He:

Assuredly there is in that a reminder for him who has a heart (qalb)�That is, whoever has an intellect (ʿaql) by which he acquires knowledge of the sacred law (ʿilm al-sharʿ).His words, Exalted is He:�or gives ear.That is, he listens to Our reminder while being attentive [lit. present, (ḥāḍir)] and witnessing his Lord, not absent from Him.Sahl was asked about the intellect (ʿaql) and he said:Intellect is having good judgement (ḥusn al-naẓar) for yourself of the outcome of your affairs.But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

Truly those who are mindful of God will be amid gardens and springs.He said:He who is mindful of God (muttaqī) [inhabits] in this world gardens of [God�s] good pleasure (riḍā), and swims in well-springs of intimate companionship (uns). This is the inner meaning of the verse. His words, Exalted is He:

They used to sleep little of the night.He said:Neither heedlessness (ghafla) nor sleep ever, under any circumstances, diverts them from the remembrance [of God].His words, Exalted is He:

and there was a share in their wealth [assigned] for the beggar and the deprived.He said:That is, [they give] alms both to those who ask for them and to those who do not ask.Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said:In my time I came across people among whom [it was the custom for] the man to adjure his family never to turn away any supplicant. I also came across people among whom a man would leave his brother responsible for his family for forty years. [Moreover,] the members of his household would suffer a supplicant even if they were neither of jinn nor of humankind. Those who came before you only took from this world what was absolutely necessary. They would sell their own selves for the sake of kindness [to others]. May God have mercy on the person who lives the simplest of lives, eating just a crust of bread, and wearing worn-out clothes, who is the lowliest of men, strives hard in his worship, cries over the misdeed he commits, flees from punishment and seeks God�s mercy up to the moment when death overtakes him, he being in that state.� It was related that a man came to the Prophet and said, �O Messenger of God � may God make me your ransom! � what is the matter with me that I dislike death?� He said, �Do you have wealth?� He replied, �Yes.� So [the Prophet] said, �Then give away your wealth.� [The man] replied, �I am incapable of doing that, O Messenger of God.� [The Prophet said ], �Truly, aman�s heart is with his wealth, so if he gives his wealth away, it will want to go along with it, but if he holds on to it, it will want to remain with it.� His words, Exalted is He:

On earth there are signs for those who know with certainty,He said:That is, [signs] for the mystics (ʿārifūn) by which they find evidence for their gnosis (maʿrifa).His words, Exalted is He:

and in yourselves too, do you not see?He said:That is, [signs] in their forms; in their being endowed with the finest proportions (taqādīr); in their veins, which run through them like flowing rivers; and in His dividing them (shuqūq) without your experiencing any pain, after your being a mere drop. Then He assembled you stage by stage. Do you not see this remarkable omnipotence (qudra), and hence believe in His unicity (waḥdāniyya) and His omnipotence (qudra)?Furthermore, God, Exalted is He, has created within the soul of the son of Adam one thousand and eighty portents, three hundred and sixty of which are apparent and three hundred and sixty of which are hidden, but which you could see if He unveiled them to you. The [remaining] three hundred and sixty of them are obscure and are only known to a prophet or veracious person (ṣiddīq). If just one of these [latter portents] were to be revealed to the possessors of intellects (ahl al-ʿuqūl), they would attain sincerity (ikhlāṣ).Truly God, Exalted is He, has veiled the hearts of those who are heedless (ghāfilūn) from His remembrance due to their pursuance of lusts, which [prevent them] from perceiving these portents.However, He has unveiled them to the hearts of those who have gnosis of Him (ʿārifūn), thereby causing them to attain it [sincerity].His words, Exalted is He:

And in heaven is your provision, as [also] that which you are promised.That is, �Apply yourself to worshipping Me and do not let the work of seeking your provision divert you from Us, for truly We are providing for you.�Then He said:God is content with your performing for Him just a day�s worship at a time, so be content with Him for the provision you receive a day at a time.He further said:It also has another interpretation: And in heaven is your provision, that is, of remembrance and its reward.His words, Exalted is He:

Has the story reached you, of Abraham�s honoured guests?He said:He [God] called them honoured (mukramūn) because he [Abraham] served them himself, and for seven days he had not eaten anything, as he was waiting for a guest. Then when God, Exalted is He, sent His angels to Him, he rejoiced at them and served them himself, but did not eat with them. This is the mark of true friendship (khilla), that is, to feed others without eating oneself, and to cure another�s illness when one is sick. His words, Exalted is He:

[Say] �So flee to God. Truly I am a clear warner to you from Him.�He said:That is, �Flee from that which is other than God to God. Flee from disobedience to obedience, from ignorance to knowledge, from His punishment to His mercy, and from His wrath to His good pleasure.� Indeed, the Prophet said, �I take refuge in You from You.� This in itself is a great branch of knowledge.His words:

So shun them, you will not be reproached.He said:Turn away from them, for you have striven with all your effort in conveying [the message]. But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

By the [Much]-frequented House He said:The outward meaning is in what Muḥammad b. Sawwār related in his chain of transmission from Ibn Masʿūd , who stated that the Prophet said, �On the night I was taken up to the heaven, I saw the Much-frequented House (Bayt Maʿmūr) in the fourth heaven (and it is also related, the seventh). Each day seventy thousand angels make a pilgrimage to it, and never return� � to the end of the ḥadīth. In its inner meaning, it refers to the heart; the hearts of mystics are frequented (maʿmūra) by His gnosis (maʿrifa), His love (maḥabba) and intimacy (uns) with Him. It is to this [the mystic�s heart] that the angels make pilgrimage, for it is the House of the Realisation of God�s Oneness (bayt al-tawḥīd).His words, Exalted is He:

and the raised canopyThis is the pleasing ⸢and pure⸣ act (al-ʿamal al-murḍī ⸢al-zakī⸣), through which no reward is sought except God, Exalted is He.His words, Exalted is He:

[They will say,] �Truly, before, when we were amid our families, we used to be ever anxious,�He said:That is, in fear and trepidation of an ill decree (sūʾ al-qaḍāʾ) and the spiteful rejoicing of the enemy.His words, Exalted is He:

And submit patiently to the judgement of your Lord; you are under Our watchful eye�That is, �Whatever pertaining to action (fiʿl) and power (qudra) appears in your character, [know that] it is He who has taken your whole being into His care (riʿāya), protection (kilāya), good pleasure (riḍā) and love (maḥabba), and guarded you from the Enemy.�His words, Exalted is He:�Celebrate the praise of your Lord when you rise,He said:This means: �Perform the prescribed prayer with sincerity for your Lord when you rise for it.�His words, Exalted is He:

and glorify Him at night and at the receding of the stars.He said:That is, �Do not be negligent in remembering the One who is never negligent in His beneficencetowards you, or in giving you His protection at all times, morning and evening.� But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

By the star when it sets,That is, [by] Muḥammad when he returned from the heavens. His words, Exalted is He:

your companion has neither gone astray nor has he erred,He said:That is, he never ever strayed from the reality of the divine oneness (ḥaqīqat al-tawḥīd), nor ever followed Satan under any circumstances.His words, Exalted is He:

nor does he speak out of [his own] desire,[He said]:That is, he never ever utters falsehoods (bāṭil).Then he said:His utterances were among the proofs (ḥujaj) of God, Exalted is He, so how could desire or Satan have any means of thwarting him?His words, Exalted is He:

Then he drew near and drew closer still,He said:That is, he approached, drawing closer and closer.His words, Exalted is He:

The heart did not deny what he saw.⸢That is to say, what he saw⸣ at the witnessing (mushāhada) of his Lord, through the vision (baṣar) of his heart as a face-to-face encounter (kifāḥ). His words, Exalted is He:

Will you then dispute with him concerning what he saw?What he saw from Us and through Us; and what he sees from Us and through Us is more excellent than what he sees ⸢from Us⸣ through himself. His words, Exalted is He:

And verily he saw him another time,He said:That is, in the beginning when God, Glorified and Exalted is He, created him as a light within a column of light (nūran fī ʿamūd al-nūr), a million years before creation, with the essential characteristics of faith (ṭabāʾiʿ al-īmān), in a witnessing of the unseen within the unseen (mushāhadat al-ghayb bi�l-ghayb). He stood before Him in servanthood (ʿubūdiyya), by the lote tree of the Ultimate Boundary [53:14], this being a tree at which the knowledge of every person reaches its limit.

when there shrouded the lote tree that which shrouded [it].This means: ⸢that which shrouded⸣ the lote tree (ay mā yaghshā al-shajara) was from the light of Muḥammad as he worshipped. It could be likened to golden moths, which God sets in motion towards Him from the wonders of His secrets. All this is in order to increase him [Muḥammad] in firmness (thabāt) for the influx [of graces] (mawārid) which he received [from above].

The eye did not swerve, nor did it go beyond [the bounds].He did not incline to the evidences of his self (shawāhid nafsihi), nor to witnessing them (mushāhadatihā), but was totally absorbed in the witnessing (mushāhada) of his Lord, Exalted is He, seeing (shāhid) the attributes [of God] that were being manifested [to him], which required firmness from him in that place (maḥall).

Verily he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord.That is, those of His attributes that became manifest through His signs. Though he saw them, he did not let slip [his gaze] from his witnessed Object (mashhūd) [of worship], and did not withdraw from the vicinity of his worshipped Object (maʿbūd), but rather [what he saw] only increased him in love (maḥabba), longing (shawq) and strength (quwwa).God gave him the strength by which he could bear the theophany (tajallī) and supreme lights (anwār ʿaẓīma). This was out of his being favoured above the other prophets. Do you not see how Moses fell down in a swoon at the theophany. Yet twice as much did the Prophet penetrateit (jābahu) in his contemplation, through a face-to-face encounter with the sight of his heart (kifāḥan bi-baṣar qalbihi), and yet remained firm due to the strength of his state, and his elevated station (maqām) and rank (daraja). His words, Exalted is He:

and that his endeavour will be seen, He said:That is, his endeavour (saʿī) will be seen, and he will know that it is not worthy of God. He will see what his endeavour is entitled to, and that if God�s grace did not reach him, his endeavour would come to nought.His words, Exalted is He:

and that it is He who makes to laugh and to weep,He said:That is, He made the obedient laugh with His mercy (raḥma) and destroyed the transgressors with His wrath (sakhṭ). He made the hearts of the mystics joyful with the light of gnosis of Him and made the hearts of His enemies grieve with the darkness of His wrath.

and that it is He who brings death and gives life,He said:He caused the hearts of His enemies to die through disbelief (kufr) and darkness (ẓulma), and He gave life to the hearts of His friends through faith (īmān) and the lights of gnosis (anwār al-maʿrifa).

and that it is He who gives wealth and grants possessionsHe said:Its outward meaning refers to worldly possessions, and its inner meaning is that He enriches [His servants] through obedience and impoverishes them through disobedience.Ibn ʿUyayna said, He who gives wealth and grants possessions means: He gives satisfaction (aqnaʿa) and contentment (arḍā). But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

The Hour has drawn near and the moon has split.During the time of the Messenger of God , when it was cleft into two segments, such that one segment disappeared behind Mount al-Ḥirāʾ. This was the first of the signs [of the approach] of the Hour. The following is related from Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī: �Once I was with my father in town when the time for the Friday prayer came, so he took me by the hand and went with me to the Friday prayer. Then Hudhayfa b. al-Yamān rose to the pulpit, praised God and extolled Him, and said, �The Hour has drawn near and the moon has split. Is not the Hour drawing nigh? Has the moon not been cleft asunder? Is this world not fading into decline? Is it not so, that the race track is set today and the race will be on the morrow?� When we went outside again I said, �O Father, will people race each other tomorrow?� He replied �O my son! It�s clear you don�t realise [what he meant by] �The race is on the morrow�. He is just saying that whoever works [righteousness] today will excel in the Hereafter.�� His words, Exalted is He:

And verily We have made the Qurʾān easy to remember. Is there anyone who will remember? That is, �We have made the Qurʾān easy to remember. If it were not so, tongues would not have been able to enunciate it. So will anyone take heed of this blessing (niʿma)?�His words, Exalted is He:

And everything they have done is in the scrolls,He said:That is, in the books which the recording angels write.

and every [matter] small and great, is recorded.That is, written in the book, which is then shown to them on the Day of Resurrection, [when they stand] before God.The [following] saying is related from Abū Ḥāzim: �Woe to you, O Aʿraj! The people of sin will be summoned on the Day of Resurrection with the call: �O people of such and such a sin!� and you will stand up with them. Then it will be called out: �O people of such and such a sin!� and you will stand up with them. Indeed, I see you, Aʿraj, standing with the people of every kind of sin.� But God, Glorfied and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

and taught him [coherent] speech (bayān). He said:This means: He has taught him [mankind] speech (kalām) which pertains to the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ), understanding of the intellect (fahm al-ʿaql), discernment of the heart (fiṭnat al-qalb), natural intuition (dhihn al-khulq) and knowledge of the natural self (ʿilm nafs al-ṭabʿ). God granted Adam this [knowledge] through inspiration and then explained (bayyana) it to him.His words, Exalted is He:

�and has set up the balance,He said:Its inner meaning refers to commandments and prohibitions governing the bodily members [of a person].His words, Exalted is He:

He is Lord of the two risings and Lord of the two settings.He said:Its inner meaning refers to the rising of the heart and its setting, the rising of the tongue and its setting, and the rising of the profession of His oneness, [whose] setting is the witnessing (mushāhada) of Him. And He also says, [I swear] by the Lord of the risings and the settings [70:40], meaning the risings of the bodily members through sincerity (ikhlāṣ), and their settingsthrough subservience to people (ṭāʿa li�l-nās) inwardly and outwardly.His words, Exalted is He:

He has loosed the two seas, and they meet. He said:One of these seas is the heart, which contains a variety of gems: the gem of faith, the gem of gnosis (maʿrifa), the gem of realising God�s oneness, the gem of contentment (riḍā), the gem of love (maḥabba), the gem of longing (shawq), the gem of sorrow (ḥuzn), the gem of neediness [for God] (faqr), and other [gems]. The other sea is the self (nafs).His words, Exalted is He:

Between them is a barrier [that] they do not overstep.This is divine protection (ʿiṣma) and divinely-bestowed success (tawfīq).His words, Exalted is He:

But for whosoever feared the standing [before] their Lord, there will be two gardens,Labīd said:[Such a one] was on the point of [committing] a transgression, but then recalled the time when he will stand before God, Exalted is He, on the Day of Reckoning and refrained from that.I heard [the story of] a young man during the era of the caliphate of ʿUmar who was endowed with beauty and had a striking appearance. ʿUmar was impressed with the young man and sensed that much good [would come] from him. One day the youth encountered a woman to whom he took a fancy. However, as soon as he was on the point of committing an indecent act, the divine protection descended upon him and he fell down on his face in a swoon. The woman then carried him to his house. He had a father who was an old man and it was his wont when evening fell to sit in front of his door waiting for his son�s return. When the old man saw him he also fell into a swoon. When he regained his senses he asked his son about his condition. So he recounted the story, but then suddenly yelled with one cry and fell down dead. After he was buried ʿUmar stood up and recited over his grave: But for whosoever feared the standing [before] their Lord, there will be two gardens, upon which he [the young man] cried to him from the grave, �God has given them to me and has granted me a third along with them.� His words, Exalted is He:

In them are maidens of restrained glances�He said:That is, they lower their gaze to all except their husbands. Thus whoever restrains his glances in this world from that which is forbidden and dubious, and from sensual delights and their attraction, will find that God grants him in Paradise maidens restraining their glances just as He has promised.His words, Exalted is He:

Houris, secluded in pavilions.That is, kept in seclusion in pavilions. It was related from Muḥammad b. Sawwār, on the authorityof his chain of transmission, that Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī related that the Prophet said, �Verily the believer will have in Paradise a pavilion made of white pearl, thirty miles in length, in which there are many inhabitants but they do not see one another.� His words, Exalted is He:

It will be abasing [some], exalting [others].He said:This means: on the Day of Resurrection some people will be brought low by their false claims (daʿāwā), and some people will be raised high by their realities (ḥaqāʾiq). His words, Exalted is He:

you will be three kinds (azwāj).He said:That is to say, three different groups (firaq).

Those of the right [hand], what of those of the right [hand]?This means those who are given the book [of deeds] in their right hand.

And those of the left hand, what of those of the left [hand]?This means those who are given the book [of deeds] in their left hand.

And the foremost, the foremost.He said:They are those for whom God�s election (ikhtiyār) and special friendship (wilāya) preceded them before they were even brought into existence. The ones who are brought near [to God] [56:11] are in stations of proximity (manāzil al-qurb), and [enjoy] the ease of intimacy (rawḥ al-uns). They are the ones who were the foremost (sabaqū) in this life. The prophets were the foremost in having faith in God; the veracious (ṣiddīqūn) and martyrs (shuhadāʾ) among the Companions and others were the foremost in having faith in the prophets.His words, Exalted is He:

a multitude from the former [generations], He said:That is, a group of those of old (awwalūn), and they are the people of gnosis (maʿrifa) [from the past].

They will not hear therein any vain talk or any sinful words.He said:It is in no way a scene of frivolity (laghw), nor is it a place of sin (ithm), for it is a place which has been sanctified with [divine] lights for the holy (muqaddasūn) among His servants. Indeed, it is what has become manifest from them and upon them that makes them worthy of that station.His words, Exalted is He:

and a few from later ones.They are those who believed in Muḥammad and in all the messengers and books.His words, Exalted is He:

Why then, when it reaches the dying man�s throat,That is, his soul reaches the throat, while he is in a state of bewilderment (mutaḥayyir), as he does not know what will become of him.Similarly, it was related of Masrūq b. al-Ajdaʿ that he wept while he was dying and when his weeping intensified, he was asked, �What makes you weep?� He replied, �How can I not weep when it is a matter of an hour and then I do not know where I will be taken.�

Thus if he be of those brought near,By which is meant the prophets, the martyrs and the virtuous (ṣāliḥūn), of whom some are superior in rank to others. Their stations in nearness [to God] are according to the degree of proximity of their hearts to the gnosis (maʿrifa) of God, Exalted is He.

then repose and a goodly provision and a garden of bliss,in Paradise. Abū al-ʿĀliya said regarding this verse, �Not one of these men would leave this world until he had been brought a sprig from the fragrant herb (rayḥān) of Paradise, and given a whiff of it, then he would die, his spirit flowing into it [Paradise].�

and if he be of those of the right [hand],He said:By which is meant those who realise God�s oneness (muwaḥḥidūn). The outcome (ʿāqiba) will be theirs, for they were God�s faithful servants who delivered the trust (amāna), namely, that which He has commanded and prohibited. Those who followed in excellence (iḥsān) did not commit any transgressions nor did they make any slips, so they became secure from the fear (khawf) and terror (hawl) which comes to [others].His words, Exalted is He:

He is the First and the Last�He said:The greatest name of God is alluded to in six verses at the beginning of Sūrat al-Ḥadīd startingfrom the verse: He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. The significance (maʿnā) of the names (asmāʾ) is none other than gnosis (maʿrifa) of the One who is named (musammā), and the significance of worship (ʿibāda) is none other than gnosis of the One who is worshipped (maʿbūd). The meaning of the Manifest (al-Ẓāhir) is the One who is manifestin His exaltedness (ʿuluww), omnipotence (qudra) and coerciveness (qahr). The Hidden (al-Bāṭin) is the One who knows the hidden thoughts (ḍamāʾir) and stirrings (ḥarakāt) that are concealed within hearts.His words, Exalted is He:

�He knows what enters the earth�He said:[In] the inner meaning of the verse, the earth is the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ), and thus He knows, among the things which enter it [the natural self], that which is wholesome (ṣalāḥ) or corrupt (fasād) for the heart; and what issues from it, in the way of diverse acts of obedience (funūn al-ṭāʿāt), the traces and marks of which are clearly seen upon the bodily members; and what comes down from Heaven, God�s codes of fair conduct (ādāb) towards Him which [descend] to it; and what ascends to it, the beautiful scents and remembrance of Him that ascend to God.His words, Exalted is He:

He makes the night pass into the day�He said:The inner meaning of the verse is that the night is the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ) and the day is the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ). If God, Exalted is He, wishes good for His servant, He reconciles and brings together his natural self and his spiritual self through the perpetuation of [His] remembrance (dhikr), and makes this manifest in the corresponding lights of humble submission(khushūʿ) [to God]. His words, Exalted is He:

Believe in God and His Messenger, and expend out of that which He caused to come down to you�He said:That is, what you inherited from your forefathers (ābāʾ), and your possessions (mulk). So give of what your natural selves enjoy from [this] world, in the cause of obeying Him and His Messenger. For those of you who believe and expend their whole lives in the ways that God commanded that they should expend them, will have a great reward, namely, to abide with the Everlasting (al-Bāqī) in His Garden, [enjoying] His good pleasure (riḍā).His words, Exalted is He:

Who is he that will lend God a goodly loan (qarḍan ḥasana)...?He said:God granted His servants His favour, and then He asked them to make Him a goodly loan. The goodly loan [for which He asks] is the witnessing of Him (mushāhadat), just as the Prophet said: �Worship God as if you see Him�� The following saying is narrated from Abū Ḥāzim: �Verily, [in this world] there is little market for the merchandise of the Hereafter, so ask and hope for more slow seasons [to increase your stock], for when the day for spending arrives, you will not be able to build it up either by a little or a lot.His words, Exalted is He:

[Mention] the Day when you will see the believing men and believing women, with their light shining forth before them and to their right�He said:The light of the believer shines forth before him, and he inspires awe in the hearts of the people of conformity (muwāfiqūn) and the people of opposition (mukhālifūn) alike. The one who conforms reveres him and his standing (shaʾn), and the one who opposes holds him in awe and fears him. This is the light which God made for His friends and it does not appear in anyone unless he has submitted and humbled himself to Him. It belongs to the light of faith. Then He described the hypocrites, in their saying to them [the believers]:

��Wait for us, that we may glean something of your light��so that we can cross the Traverse (al-Ṣirāṭ) with you, for we are in darkness. The angels will reply to them, �Go back and seek light by means of the intellects (ʿuqūl) you used to manage your affairs in your life in the world.� They turn back to the rear, but then God places a wall between themselves and their own intellects, and He veils from them the right choice, so they do not reach the path of guidance. Then when they end up crossing the Traverse they fall into Hell, abiding there forever.His words, Exalted is He:

So on this day no ransom will be taken from you�That is, no ransom will be accepted for your souls.Ibn Sālim said:I served Sahl b. ʿAbd Allāh for sixty years and he did not change in terms of his practice of remembrance or anything else. Then on the last day of his life a man recited the verse before him, So on this day no ransom will be taken from you, and I saw him tremble and sway to the point where he almost fell down. When he recovered his state of sobriety (ṣaḥw), I asked him about what had passed, saying, �Nothing has happened like this during my time with you.� Hereplied, �Yes I know, my dear friend! Indeed I have become weak.� So I asked, �What is the condition [that denotes] a strong state (quwwat al-ḥāl)?� He replied, �There is no influx [from above] (wārid) that comes over him without his absorbing it through his strength. Whoever acts in this way will not be changed by the influxes [of grace] (wāridāt) that he receives, howeverstrong they may be.�He also used to say, �My state during [ritual] prayer (ṣalāt) is the same as that before the commencementof the prayer.� This is because he would keep watch over his heart and keep God, Exalted is He, before his eyes with his innermost secret (sirr) before commencing the prayer, and consequently he would stand for prayer with the presence of his heart (ḥuḍūr qalbihi) and the collectedness of his spiritual energy (jamʿ himmatihi). His words, Exalted is He:

Is it not time for those who believe to humble their hearts for the remembrance of God�?He said:Is the time not ripe for them to feel humbled when they listen to the Reminder [the Qurʾān], and witness what is promised and what is warned of, in a contemplative witnessing of the unseen (mushāhadat al-ghayb)?His words, Exalted is He:�so their hearts became hardened�He said:That is, through the pursuit of lust.His words, Exalted is He:

Know that the life of this world is merely play and diversion�He said:The world (dunyā) is a sleeping soul (nafs nāʾima), and the Hereafter is a soul awake (nafs yaqẓāna).It was asked, �What is the way to salvation from it [the life of this world]?� He replied:The root of this [salvation] is knowledge (ʿilm) and its fruit is opposing one�s desire (hawā) by avoiding what is forbidden (manāhī). Then it is the soul�s endurance (mukābadat al-nafs) in fulfilling the divine commandments, [in a state of] purity (ṭahāra) from every kind of defilement(adnās). This will bring about ease in worship, and thereafter he will abide in the stations of the worshippers. Then God will let him experience that which His friends (awliyāʾ) and elect (aṣfiyāʾ) experienced, which is the rank of tasting (madhāq). He [Abū Bakr al-Sijzī] said, �He [Sahl] then mentioned to us the following�:One day Abraham , Friend of the Lord of Mercy, was in the desert on an extremely hot day, and he was afflicted with great thirst. He saw an Abyssinian man tending some camels, so he asked: �Do you have any water?� He replied, �O Abraham, what do you prefer: water or milk?� He said: �Water.�He [Sahl] continued:He then struck a rock with his foot upon which water gushed forth. Abraham was amazed, so God said to Abraham, through inspiration, �If that Abyssinian man had asked Me to remove the heavens and earth from existence I would have removed them.� So he [Abraham] asked, �Why is that, O Lord?� He replied, �It is because he does not desire anything from the world or the Hereafter except Me.� ʿĀmir b. ʿAbd al-Qays said,I have found the world to comprise four main properties (khiṣāl). As for two of these, namely, the [desire for] women and the [desire] to amass wealth, my soul (nafs) has renounced them willingly. However, as for the other two, there is no doing without them, though I try to keep them away from me as much as I can; these are sleep and food. His words, Exalted is He:

So that you may not grieve over what escapes you (nor exult at what He has given you)�He said:In this verse there is guidance to the state of contentment in both adversity (shidda) and ease (rakhāʾ).His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

�But as for monasticism, they invented it�He said:Monasticism (rahbāniyya) is derived from the word rahba which means fear. It refers to adherenceto [a state of] fear without any earnest desire (ṭamaʿ). We had not prescribed it for them, that is, We did not demand that they worship Us in that way. His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

�and He will give you a twofold portion of His mercy�He said:That is, the ⸢secret of⸣ mercy (⸢sirr⸣al-raḥma), and the essence of mercy (ʿayn al-raḥma). [Its] secret is the secret of gnosis (sirr al-maʿrifa). [Its] essence is the essence of obedience to God and His Messenger.His words, Exalted is He:

�but talk secretly in righteousness and mindfulness of God... He said:[Talk secretly] in remembering God, reciting the Qurʾān, and commanding what is right and forbidding what is wrong.His words, Exalted is He:

Secret conversations are [the work of] Satan�He said:A secret conversation (najwā) is what the Enemy casts into the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ), just as the Prophet said, �There is a touch [of madness] (lamma) that comes from the angels and a touch [of madness] that comes from Satan.�His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

You will not find a people who believe in God and the Last Day loving those who oppose God and His Messenger, even were they to be their fathers�He [Sahl] said:No person whose faith is sound enjoys the company of the innovator (mubtadiʿ), nor does he comply with him, eat with him, drink with him or keep his company. Rather, he shows him hostility and loathing from himself. On the other hand, whoever fawns over an innovator will have the sweetness of [following] the Prophet�s ways (sunan) removed from him by God, and whoever shows love for an innovator, seeking honour in this world and some ⸢worldy⸣ gain (ʿaraḍan ⸢minhā⸣), will find that God humiliates him with that honour and impoverishes him through that wealth. Moreover, whoever jokes with an innovator will find that God removes the light of faith from his heart. As for the one who doubts this, let him try it for himself.His words, Exalted is He:�[For] those, He has inscribed faith upon their hearts and reinforced them with a spirit from Him�He said:God has inscribed faith upon the hearts of His friends in lines (suṭūran). The first line is the profession of God�s oneness (tawḥīd), the second, gnosis (maʿrifa), the third, veracity (ṣidq), the fourth, rectitude (istiqāma), the fifth, confidence (thiqa), the sixth, reliance (iʿtimād) and the seventh, trust (tawakkul). Furthermore, this writing is the work of God (fiʿl Allāh), not the work of the servant (fiʿl al-ʿabd). The work of the servant with regard to faith is in the outward aspect of Islam, and what outwardly appears from him, whereas its inner [reality] is the work of God, Exalted is He.He also said:The inscription on the heart is the gift of faith (mawhibat al-īmān) which God bestows upon them before creating them in loins and wombs. Then He reveals a glimpse of the light in the heart, and then He lifts the veil from it, so that through the blessing of that writing (barakat al-kitāba) and the light of faith (nūr al-īmān) they can behold things of the unseen (mughayyabāt). And he said:The life of the spirit (ḥayāt al-rūḥ) is in the remembrance [of God] (dhikr), the life of remembranceis in the one who remembers (dhākir), and the life of the one who remembers is in the One who is remembered (madhkūr).

�Their homes were destroyed at their own hands and at the hands of the believers� He said:That is, they ruined their hearts and invalidated their works by following innovations and abandoning the path of following the prophets. And the hands of the believers, that is, despite being side by side with the believers, witnessing them and sitting with them, they were deprived of their blessings. So take heed, O you who have eyes, that God leads astray whomever He will [35:8], through abandonment (khidhlān), and guides whomever He will [35:8], through His assistance (maʿūna), and you have no influence in the matter.His words, Exalted is He:

�And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it�He said:The principles of our school are three: consuming what is legitimate; following the example of the Messenger in his character (akhlāq) and actions (afʿāl), and sincerity of intention (ikhlāṣ al-nīya) in all works. He then said:Impose upon yourselves three things, for the best of [all] that is in this world and the Hereafter is contained within them: keeping [your self] close to [lit. making it consort with, suḥbatuhā] His commandments and prohibitions by adherence to the Sunna; establishing within it the attestation of God�s oneness, which [brings about] certainty (yaqīn), [and imposing upon it] knowledge (ʿilm), through which the spirit attains union (fīhi ittiṣāl al-rūḥ). The one who possessesthese three [traits] is more knowledgeable about what is in the earth�s core than about what is on its surface, and he regards the Hereafter more than he regards this world. Furthermore, he is better known to the angels in heaven than he is on earth to his own family and relatives.He was asked: �What is the knowledge through which the spirit attains union?� [He replied]:It is the knowledge that God is taking care of it, and being contented [with that]. His words, Exalted is He:

�They give preference to others over themselves, even if they be in poverty (khaṣāṣa)� He said:That is, in hunger (majāʿa) and poverty (faqr). The Arabs say a person is makhṣūṣ when he is poor (faqīr). Thus they gave preference to the good pleasure of God over their own desires. The act of giving preference to others over yourself (īthār) is the testimony (shāhid) of love.The saying has been related from Wuhayb b. al-Ward: �God, Exalted is He, says, �By My might, greatness and majesty, there is no servant who gives preference to My desire over his own desire, without My decreasing his worries, returning to him what he has lost, removing want from his heart, placing richness before his eyes, and trading in his interest through every trader. And by My might and majesty, there is no servant who gives preference to his own desire over My desire, without My increasing his worries, keeping him at a distance from what he has lost, removing richness from his heart and placing poverty before his eyes, and then I care not in which valley he may perish.�� His words, Exalted is He:�Whoever is saved from the avarice (shuḥḥ) of his own soul � they are the successful.He said:That is, he who is saved from the covetousness (ḥirṣ) of his self and its miserliness (bakhl) in everything except God and His remembrance, will abide with God, enjoying a good life, a good life.His words, Exalted is He:

�You [would] suppose them to be together, but their hearts are disunited�He said:The people of truth are united and the people of falsehood are forever divided. And even though they be united in body and agree outwardly, God has said: You [would] suppose them to be altogether, but their hearts are disunited.His words, Exalted is He:

O you who believe, be mindful of God, and let every soul consider what it has sent ahead for tomorrow�He said:God, Exalted is He, asks the servant concerning [these three]: that which he owes to his self (ḥaqq nafsihi), that which he owes to the knowledge (ʿilm) that is between him and his Lord, and that which he owes to the intellect (ʿaql). Let whoever has the ability fulfil what he owes to his self and what he owes to the knowledge which is between him and his Lord, by considering well the outcome of his affairs.It was related of Ḥasan that he said, �When a son of Adam [i.e. a human being] dies, the children of Adam [the other human beings] ask, �What has he left behind?� But the angels ask, �What has he sent ahead?� His words:

And do not be like those who forget God�while committing sins, �so that He makes them forget. God [makes them forget] to apologise (iʿtidhār) and seek repentance (tawba).He said:Any servant who sins and does not repent, [will find] that sin leading him on to another sin, which will cause him to forget the former sin. On the other hand, any servant who does a gooddeed [will find] that leading him to another good deed, upon which his intellect will perceive the deficiency of the former good deed, so that he may repent for the deficiency in his past good deeds, even if they were pure and sound.His words, Exalted is He:

(He is)�Knower of the unseen and the visible�He said:The unseen (ghayb) is that which is secret (sirr) and the visible (shahāda) is that which is open [to all] (ʿalāniyya). He also said, Exalted is He: (He is)�Knower of the unseen and the visible [meaning]: He is the One who has full knowledge of this world and the Hereafter.But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

O you who believe, do not take My enemy and your enemy as friends�He said:God, Exalted is He, has warned the believers not to take as friends other than those whom God and His Messenger have befriended. Indeed, God, Exalted is He, is not [even] pleased ⸢when one who is His friend⸣ depends upon [another who is] His friend, so how will it be when he depends on [one who is] His enemy? Furthermore, a person who engages his heart in that which does not concern him relating to his Hereafter gains an enemy, so how will it be concerning some other [affair that does not concern him]?And a person who covets (ṭamaʿa) the Hereafter along with a desire for something lawful (ḥalāl) of this world is deluded (makhdūʿ), so how will it be for someone who desires something unlawful (ḥarām)?Anyone�s act that is not done in opposition (mukhālafa), or with endurance (mukābada), or out of preferring others over oneself (īthār), will be an act of ostentation (riyāʾ).He was asked the meaning of this. He replied:Opposition is the abandonment of what is forbidden, and for sure, abandoning a particle of what God has forbidden is more meritorious than worshipping God, Exalted is He, for your whole life. To show endurance is to fulfil God�s commandments, while to prefer others over oneself is to prefer God above all that is other than Him.Furthermore, through opposition they were dispossessed of their selves, but through endurancethey were dispossessed of their desires, so that their passions (shahawāt) were expressed through acts of obedience (ṭāʿāt); and by giving preference to others over themselves (īthār), they attained His love and good pleasure.His words, Exalted is He:

�and God is Forgiving, Merciful.He said:He is Forgiving of your past sins through [accepting your] repentance (tawba), and Merciful, because He protects you from falling into the same kind of transgression during what remains of your life.His words, Exalted is He:

�And do not hold on to the [conjugal] ties of disbelieving women�He said:Do not agree with the people of innovations concerning anything which issues from their whims (ahwāʾ) or opinions (ārāʾ). His words, Exalted is He:

You who believe, why do you say [you will do] what you do not do?[Sahl] said:Truly God warns His servants about making claims that they do not substantiate. Such claims require of [the servant] that from this day on he fulfil one of the rights of God, which is that he becomes free of (barāʾa), and repents from (tawba), every sin that he has committed.[The one who makes claims] says �I will act tomorrow�, but there is no one who makes a claim without overlooking the right of God from two points of view: both outwardly and inwardly. The one who makes claims (muddaʿī) has no fear; the one who has no fear is not safe (āmin); and the one who is not safe is one who has not acquainted himself with the recompense (jazāʾ).He also said:Those who desire the Hereafter are many. However, there are but two [kinds of] servant whose sufficiency (kifāya) God takes care of: [one is] the simple servant who is nonetheless sincere in his quest, puts his trust in God (mutawakkil), and is true to Him; his Master will suffice him and take care of all of his affairs. The other is the servant who is knowledgeable about God, His days, His commandments and His prohibitions; God will suffice him with all he needs in this world and, when he passes on to the Hereafter, ⸢he will have ease (istirāḥa)⸣. God will pay no attention to any other than these two [kinds of servant], because the others claimed what they did not have.Ibn ʿAyniyya said concerning this verse:Why do you speak about a matter which does not concern you, for you do not know whether you will do that or not.His words, Exalted is He:

They desire to extinguish the light of God with their mouths�This means: with their tongues they denied the proof (ḥujja) of the Prophet that appeared to them, and with their souls they turned away from it. But God bound (qayyada) some souls to accept him, namely, those whom He brought into existence under the decree of eternal bliss, and He adorned some hearts with the lights of His gnosis (maʿrifa), and the secrets of its light by virtue of firm belief (taṣdīq). So they spent freely of their whole being (muhaj) and their possessions for Him, like al-Ṣiddīq and al-Fārūq, and the other honourable Companions, y. His words, Exalted is He:

You who believe, be helpers of God�He said:That is, by accepting [that which comes] from Him, and heeding (istimāʿ) Him, and by obeying Him in what He has commanded you to do, and in what He has forbidden you from doing. But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

It is He who sent to the unlettered [folk] a messenger from among them�He said:The unlettered are those who believed in Muḥammad and were connected to him through following (ittibāʿ) him and emulating (iqtidāʾ) him. Whoever does not emulate him is not of his nation.His words, Exalted is He:

And [to] others from among them who have not yet joined them�That is, those who came after him who believed in him and followed him, God will join with the first [generation of believers].His words, Exalted is He:

But when they see some opportunity for business or some amusement, they scatter off towardsit�He said:God has informed [us] of the despicable nature and base aspiration of the one who is diverted from his Lord by something of this world or the Hereafter. For God made the way open for him and allowed him to call on Him in intimacy (munājāt), but he became preoccupied with that which is transient, and had no knowledge of the One who abides and will abide forever.His words, Exalted is He:�Say, �That which is with God is better than any amusement or commerce��He said:By this is meant: the abundant gifts and lasting delight which God has kept in reserve for you in the Hereafter is better than that which He gives you of this world.His words, Exalted is He:

�and God bears witness that the hypocrites truly are liars.He said:[This was] because they affirmed with their tongues what their hearts did not acknowledge. This is why He named them hypocrites. Whoever knows [the truth] with his heart and affirms it with his tongue, yet without any excuse does not perform with his bodily members (bi-arkānihi) that which God has made compulsory for him, is like Iblīs, may God curse him, who knew it [the truth] and affirmed it, but did not act upon His commandments.He further said:Hypocrisy (nifāq) is of two kinds: [one is] a belief (ʿaqd) held in the heart which is contradicted outwardly on the tongue, just as He has said, Exalted is He: They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts [48:11]; the other is the hypocrisy of the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ) towards the person to whom it belongs, and this was referred to by the Prophet when he said, �The hidden association [idolatry] (shirk) in my community is more hidden than the crawling of an ant across a boulder on a dark night.� His words, Exalted is He:

O you who believe, do not let your wealth and your children distract you�from performing your religious duties on time. For whoever is distracted from the remembranceof God or His service (khidma) by some phenomenon, or something for the sake of his lust (shayʾan li-shahwatihi), [if then] he experiences [thereby] exultation (nashāṭ) in his devotions, he is deluded (makhdūʿ),ʿsave in [those religious duties] which God, Mighty and Majestic is He, accepts.It has been related that once [when he was ailing] Salmān was visited by Saʿd b. Abī Waqqāṣ. Salmān wept, so Saʿd asked him, �What could be making you weep, O Abū ʿAbd Allāh, when our Master the Messenger of God was content with you when he died, and you will meet your companions again and will drink from his pool?� Salmān said, �I do not weep out of fear of death or because of an avid attachment to the world, but rather because the Messenger of God enjoined on us a commitment and said: �Let the provision that one of you takes from this world be like the victuals a rider [traveller] (rākib) takes [for his journey].� I have all these cushions around me, but all the Prophet had around him was his blanket, his washing vesseland a bowl for food.� Saʿd said: �O Abū ʿAbd Allāh! Enjoin on us a pledge to which we cancommit ourselves after you have gone.� He said: �O Saʿd! Remember God, Exalted is He, when you have a concern that worries you, when you are making a judgement and when you are about to make an oath.� But God, Exalted is He, knows best what is correct.His words, Exalted is He:

�God is Seer (baṣīr) of what you do.⸢He said:⸢He is Seeing (baṣīr)⸣ if the act is compatible with (wāfaqa) [a person�s] nature (ṭabʿ) and disposition (khilqa).His words, Exalted is He:

O you who believe! Indeed among your spouses and your children are enemies to you, so beware of them...He said:Those among your spouses and children who induce you to the amassing of [the goods of this] world and reliance on them (rukūn ilayhā) are enemies to you. However, the one who prompts you to give of it and spend it [in a good cause], and guides you to be satisfied (qanāʿa), and to put your trust in God (tawakkul) is not an enemy to you.The saying is related from Ḥasan: �O son of Adam! Do not be beguiled by the ferocious beasts around you, namely, your son, your wife, your relatives and your servant. As for your son, he is like a lion in his ferocity and force, and will certainly contend with you concerning what you possess. As for your wife, she is like a bitch with her growling and wagging of her tail, sometimes she is growling and at other times she is wagging her tail. As for your relatives, by God, a dirham that falls to their share of your inheritance is dearer to them than your freeing of a slave. As for your servant, he is like a fox in trickery and theft. I say to you, son of Adam, fear God, and don�t break your back for their benefit, for you only have a few steps till you reach your next home, which is four cubits by two cubits. Once they have put you there, they will disperse from you, then carry out their intentions, beat the drums [in celebration], and break into guffaws of laughter, while you are being taken to account (muḥāsab) for what is left in their hands. His words, Exalted is He:

Your possessions and your children are only a test [for you]�He said:If God gives you wealth, you busy yourselves with how to keep it, and if He does not give you wealth, you busy yourselves with seeking after it. So when will you free yourself for Him?His words, Exalted is He:

�By this is admonished whoever believes in God and the Last Day�He said:Only a believer accepts admonition. Moreover, an admonition only issues from a sound heart (qalb salīm) that is free of rancour (ghill), hatred (ḥiqd), and envy (ḥasad), and in which there is no ⸢self⸣ interest (ḥaẓẓ ⸢li-nafsihi⸣). His words, Exalted is He:###3] �God, He will make a way out (makhraj) for whoever is mindful of Him,! and He will provide for him whence he never expected�He said:Mindfulness of God (taqwā) means disclaiming all power (ḥawl) and strength (quwwa) and all means (asbāb) other than [God]. By resorting to Him (rujūʿ ilayhi), [the servant] will find that God provides for him the means of acquitting himself of that which He has given him to do, without his circumventing it. [This He does by extending to him] His aid (maʿūna) and protection (ʿiṣma). Trust in God (tawakkul) is not admissible from anyone except those who are mindful of God, and mindfulness of God is not admissible except with trust in God. For God, Exalted is He, said: and He will provide for him whence he never expected.His words, Exalted is He:

�God, He will make a way out (makhraj) for whoever is mindful of Him,! and He will provide for him whence he never expected�He said:Mindfulness of God (taqwā) means disclaiming all power (ḥawl) and strength (quwwa) and all means (asbāb) other than [God]. By resorting to Him (rujūʿ ilayhi), [the servant] will find that God provides for him the means of acquitting himself of that which He has given him to do, without his circumventing it. [This He does by extending to him] His aid (maʿūna) and protection (ʿiṣma). Trust in God (tawakkul) is not admissible from anyone except those who are mindful of God, and mindfulness of God is not admissible except with trust in God. For God, Exalted is He, said: and He will provide for him whence he never expected.His words, Exalted is He:�And whoever puts his trust in God, He will suffice him�He said:That is, whoever entrusts his affairs to his Lord, will truly find that God, Exalted is He, suffices him in all that is necessary for him in both abodes. Abū al Ḥasan ʿUmar b. Wāṣil al-ʿAnbarī reported that he heard Sahl say:I entered the desert seventeen times without any provision (zād) in the way of food and drink, or a money bag, or a drinking vessel or a staff, and whenever I needed something to eat, I would find it ready prepared for me. On one occasion as I was approaching the desert, a man gave me two genuine dirhams, so I put them in my pocket and proceeded on my way. I had walked for a while but did not find anything so I became weak. I started to say to myself, �What have you done that has resulted in that which you are accustomed to being withheld from you?� Then I heard a voice from the air (min al-hawā) say, �Cast out what is in your pocket and what is in the unseen will come to you�, upon which I remembered that I had those two dirhams in my pocket, so I took them out and threw them away. I had not walked for long before I saw before me two pieces of bread spread with honey between them, [as fresh] as if they had just that moment come out of the oven. So from then on I returned to my former state [of tawakkul].His words, Exalted is He:

O you who believe! Guard yourselves and your families against a Fire�He said:That is, by obeying God and following the ways of the Prophet (sunan).His words, Exalted is He:

O you who believe! Turn to God in sincere repentance�He said:Sincere repentance (tawba naṣūḥ) means that a person does not return [to sin], for he has become one of the company of lovers (aḥibba), and the lover does not embark upon anything which the Beloved dislikes.And he said:The mark of the one who is [truly] repentant (tāʾib) is that there is not a place on earth, nor a place under the sky, where he is not solely attached to the Throne and to the Owner of the Throne till the time when he leaves this world. In these times, I do not know of anyone not requiring repentance, for the Angel of Death will not visit any one of us without his saying [to the angel], �Just allow me to do such-and-such a thing. Just let me do so-and-so. Let me breathe for just an hour more.� Then he said:As for the one who is sincerely repentant (tāʾib mukhliṣ), even though it might be for only an hour, or even for one breath before his death, it will be said [to him], �How quickly you have come forth with true [sincere repentance] (ṣaḥīḥan)! [Accordingly] we have come to you in the manner that you have come.�His words:�on a day when God will not let the Prophet down�He said:He will not let him down concerning his nation, and will not refuse his intercession. Indeed God, Exalted is He, addressed the Prophet through inspiration saying, �If you so wish I can place the affairs of your nation (amr ummatik) in your charge.� He replied, �O my Lord, You are better for them than me.� So God, Exalted is He, said, �Then I will not let you down concerning them.� His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:�They will say, �Our Lord! Perfect our light for us��He said:The state of utter neediness (iftiqār) does not leave the believers, either in this life or the next. When they are in Paradise they are in greater need for Him even though they are in the abode of honour, security and richness, because of their yearning for the encounter (liqāʾ) with Him. They say: �Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and grant us an encounter with You.� This is because He is the Illuminator of [all] lights (munawwir al-anwār), and He is the Goal of every seeker.His words, Exalted is He:

Blessed be He in whose hand is all sovereignty�He said:That is, Exalted and Magnified is He above having likenesses, sons and rivals. He in whose hand is all sovereignty turns it over through His power (ḥawl) and strength (quwwa), grantingit to whomever He will and removing it from whomever He will, and He is All-Powerful (al-Qādir) over it.His words, Exalted is He:�and He has power over all things,! He who created death and life�He said:Death in this world is in disobedience, and life in the Hereafter is in obedience. It was for this reason that God, Exalted is He, addressed Moses saying, �O Moses, truly the first of my creatures to die was Iblīs, may God�s curse be on him, because he disobeyed Me, and I count the one who disobeys Me as being from among the dead.�Then he said:Death was created in the form of a handsome ram (kabsh amlaḥ). Whatever it passes by and [merely] catches a whiff of it, lives. It has been related in a tradition that the people of Paradise will fear death but the people of Hell will wish for death. It will be brought in the form of a handsomeram. Then it will be said, �This is death, so behold what God is going to do with it.� Then it will be turned on its side and slaughtered. Thereupon God, Exalted is He, will [re] make it in the form of a horse which will be set free to graze in Paradise. Whoever among the inhabitants of Paradise sees it will enjoy its company, without realising that it is death. His words, Exalted is He:

..and He has power over all things,! He who created death and life�He said:Death in this world is in disobedience, and life in the Hereafter is in obedience. It was for this reason that God, Exalted is He, addressed Moses saying, �O Moses, truly the first of my creatures to die was Iblīs, may God�s curse be on him, because he disobeyed Me, and I count the one who disobeys Me as being from among the dead.�Then he said:Death was created in the form of a handsome ram (kabsh amlaḥ). Whatever it passes by and [merely] catches a whiff of it, lives. It has been related in a tradition that the people of Paradise will fear death but the people of Hell will wish for death. It will be brought in the form of a handsomeram. Then it will be said, �This is death, so behold what God is going to do with it.� Then it will be turned on its side and slaughtered. Thereupon God, Exalted is He, will [re] make it in the form of a horse which will be set free to graze in Paradise. Whoever among the inhabitants of Paradise sees it will enjoy its company, without realising that it is death. His words, Exalted is He:�that He may try you [to see] which of you is best in conduct�He said:That is, I keep him from error and I purify him. If he is correct [in conduct] but not sincere, he will not be accepted; ⸢while if he is sincere, but not correct [in conduct] he will not be accepted either⸣. [He will not be accepted] until he is at the same time correct and sincere [in his conduct].The one who is sincere (khāliṣ) is he who [lives] for God, Exalted is He, with the full intention (irāda) of his heart, while the one who is correct (ṣawāb) is he who is on the path of the Sunna and [lives] in accordance with the Book.On another occasion he [Sahl] said:that He may try you [to see] which of you is best in conduct, that is, in putting your trust in Us, being satisfied with Us and journeying [to Us] after the renunciation of this world.

Assuredly those who fear their Lord in secret�That is, they fear their Lord in their innermost secret (sirr), and they keep their innermost secret pure from other than Him.His words, Exalted is He:

Would He who has created not know�?Does the One who created the heart not know what He deposited within it, [whether it be] the attestation of His oneness (tawḥīd) or denial (juḥūd). He is the Subtle, in His knowledge of the secrets concealed within the core of hearts (lubb al-qulūb), just as the Prophet said, �Truly within hearts there is a concealed secret (sirr maknūn) pertaining to knowledge, which belongs to God, Exalted is He�; the Aware � He informs you of what is [hidden for] you in the unseen (fī ghaybik).His words, Exalted is He:

It is He who has made the earth tractable for you�He said:God, Exalted is He, created the souls (anfūs) in a humble state. Whoever abases (adhalla) his self (nafs) by opposing it, actually saves it from temptations, tribulations and trials. However, whoeverdebases (adhalla) his self and follows it, will be brought to humiliation and destroyed by it.His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

Is he who walks prone upon his face, more rightly guided�?He said:Is he who is bent over [in pursuit] of the desire of his lower self, due to its natural disposition, and who is without guidance from his Lord, better guided?�or one who walks upright on a straight way?He said:By which is meant: or one who follows the laws of Islam, and emulates the prophets, ⸢adhering to it [the straight path] (muqīman ʿalayhi)⸣? But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best. His words, Exalted is He:

Nūn. By the Pen, and by what they inscribe!He said:�Al-Nūn� is one of the names of God, Exalted is He, for if the opening letters of the sūras, Alif Lām Rā, Ḥā Mīm and Nūn, are joined together they make up the name al-Raḥmān. Ibn ʿAbbās y said: �Al-Nūn is the ink-well (dawāt) from which the Reminder (dhikr) [the Qurʾān] was written, and the Pen is that with which the Wise Reminder was written.�By what they inscribe � ⸢the Reminder which is written on the Preserved Tablet concerning the [divinely decreed] wretchedness (shaqāwa) or felicity (saʿāda) [of human beings].Ibn ʿAbbās has said in another report, �Nūn is the fish upon which rest the worlds (arḍūn),⸣ what they inscribe is the deeds of the children of Adam which the recording angels have written down.� ʿUmar b. Wāṣil said:By what they inscribe means: By the writing (kitāba) [i.e. the scripture] which God has undertaken[to provide] for His servants, which contains benefits (manāfiʿ) for people, and things that are in the best interests (maṣāliḥ) of His servants and their lands.His words, Exalted is He:

and assuredly you will have an unfailing reward,He said:That is, defined, apportioned (maḥdūd maqṭūʿ) and calculated (maḥsūb) for you.His words, Exalted is He:

and assuredly you possess a magnificent character. He said:You have taken on the propriety taught by the Qurʾān (taʾaddabta bi-adab al-Qurʾān), and have not exceeded its bounds, which are in His words, Exalted is He: Indeed God enjoins justice and virtue� to the end of the verse [16:90], and also in His words, It was by the mercy of God that you were lenient with them [3:159].Then he said:Truly anger (ghaḍab) and harshness (ḥidda) come from the servant�s dependence on his own strength (quwwa). However, when he gives up relying on his own strength, weakness will take68 Al-Qalam (or Nūn)243up residence in his soul, and this will generate mercy (raḥma) and benevolence (luṭf) from him, which is to take on the characteristics of the Lord, may His majesty be magnified.God, Exalted is He, addressed David through inspiration, saying, �Take on My characteristics,for verily I am the Forbearing (al-Ṣabūr).� Whoever is given good character (khulq ḥasan) has been given the greatest station (aʿẓam al-maqāmāt), for all other stations are connected to the common folk (ʿāmma), whereas good character is connected with the [divine] attributes (ṣifāt) and qualities (nuʿūt). Sahl was asked one day about charismatic gifts (karāmāt) and he said:What are charismatic gifts (karāmāt)? Truly charismatic gifts are phenomena which will not last beyond their designated time. The greatest charismatic gift, however, is to change a blameworthytrait within your character to a praiseworthy one.His words, Exalted is He:

So leave Me [to deal with] whoever denies this discourse�He said:That is, leave him in My charge, for I will suffice you regarding his affair, so do not let your heart become preoccupied with him.His words, Exalted is He:�We shall draw them on by degrees whence they do not know.He said:We shall leave them with their heads bowed over, diverted in their preoccupation with it [the world] from the duties that they should perform for Us, such that they forget to show gratitude towards Us, so We shall seize them whence they do not know. His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

Had it not been for a grace from his Lord that reached him� He said:That is, if God had not kept for him his previous good deeds, which were a result of His pre-eternal election, and saved him, and had not the ⸢grace from his Lord (niʿma min rabbihi)⸣ reached him, �he would surely have been cast out onto a barren [shore], while he was blameworthy.The barren shore (ʿarāʾ) is the plain [lit. earth, ʿarḍ] of the Resurrection, for nothing is cultivated or grown there. He had committed no other sin save that of busying his heart with planning (tadbīr) that which was not for him to plan, just as Adam had done [before him]. His words, Exalted is He:

The sure Reality!! What is the Reality?He said:Indeed, God, Exalted is He, has magnified the circumstances of the Day of Resurrection and the severity (shidda) of it by the inclusion of the letter Hāʾ in it [the word al-ḥāqqa]. Its meaning is: the Day when each person will encounter his good and bad deeds.ʿUmar b. Wāṣil said:Its meaning is that on that day each group (ṭāʾifa) will be given its just reward (yaḥiqqu) for its works.His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

The sure Reality!! What is the Reality?He said:Indeed, God, Exalted is He, has magnified the circumstances of the Day of Resurrection and the severity (shidda) of it by the inclusion of the letter Hāʾ in it [the word al-ḥāqqa]. Its meaning is: the Day when each person will encounter his good and bad deeds.ʿUmar b. Wāṣil said:Its meaning is that on that day each group (ṭāʾifa) will be given its just reward (yaḥiqqu) for its works.His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

�And on that Day eight of them will bear the throne of your Lord above them.He said:This means eight regiments of cherubim whose number no one knows except God. The Prophet said, �Indeed, God has allowed me to speak about one of the angels among the Throne Bearers. His feet are on the lowest earth, and upon his head rests the Throne. Between the lobes of his ears and his shoulders is the distance that a bird covers in flight during seven hundred years. This angel says, �Glory to God wherever I may be.�� His words, Exalted is He:

On that Day, you will be exposed and no hidden thing of yours will remain hidden.He said:You will be presented before God, Mighty and Majestic is He, and He will call you to account for your deeds, and not one of your deeds will be hidden from Him. That is all known [to Him], calculated for you in His prior knowledge. And He will ask [the servant] about all of it, saying to him, �Did you not know about the hours [of the events of the Last Day] for My sake? Were you not placed in a position of [high standing] in assemblies [among people] for My sake? Did you not ask Me to marry you to such and such a bondswoman of Mine who was better than you and We married you to her? This is His questioning concerning the blessings He has bestowed upon you. So, how about His interrogation concerning the acts of transgression against Him?The saying has been related from ʿUtba al-Ghulām, �Truly, the believing servant will be kept standing before God, Exalted is He, a hundred years for one sin.�His words, Exalted is He:

As for him who is given his book in his right hand, he will say, �Here, read my book! That is, he says, �Look here! Read my book, which is full of different kinds of acts of obedience.� And He says to them:

�Eat and drink in enjoyment [as a reward] for what you did formerly in days gone by.�This is referring to fasting during the month of Ramadan and during the days of the full moon. It has been mentioned in a ḥadīth that on the Day of Reckoning, tables spread with food will be placed before those believers who devoted themselves to fasting (ṣawwām), from which they will eat. [Others] will say, �O Lord, people are standing for the Reckoning who are not eating.� They will be told, �[These people] used to fast at length during the life of the world, while you ate your fill, and they would stay up at night in prayer while you took your rest.�

But as for him who is given his book in his left hand, he will say, �Would that I had not been given my book.�That is, because of the foul deeds (aʿmāl khabītha) and disbelief (kufr) contained within it, he wishes that he had never been resurrected and says:

�O, would that it had been the final end!�That is, �If only the first death had remained with me, and I had not been resurrected!�

�My wealth has not availed me.��The abundance of wealth I possessed, since I did not pay what was due from it to God, and I did not use it to strengthen ties of kinship.�

�My authority has gone from me.�That is, �My proof and my excuse�.

�Seize him, then fetter him�,As soon as He says that, a hundred thousand angels will rush towards him. If just one of these angels took in his grasp the world and the mountains and seas it contains, he would be strong enough for that. [One of the angels] will take hold of his neck with his hands, and then he will enter the Hellfire (jaḥīm).

�And [bind him] in a chain seventy cubits long.�Each cubit is equivalent to seventy fathoms (bāʿ), and each fathom is longer that the distance between Kufa and Mecca. If you were to put one of its links on the summit of a mountain, it [the mountain] would melt, just as lead melts. This is what is related from Ibn ʿAbbās y. It is also related that ʿUmar once said to Kaʿb, �Frighten us, O Abū Isḥāq�. So he said, �O Commanderof the believers, if you performed acts of worship to the extent that you became like a pruned stick, and you had to your credit the works of seventy prophets, you would still think that you will not be saved from the command of your Lord and the Throne Bearers. When the Preserved Tablet is brought forward with the record of all the deeds, when Hell is displayed and Paradise is brought near, and humanity stands before the Lord of the Worlds, Hell will heave a sigh that will cause every one of the angels who are drawn near (malak muqarrab) and every prophet messenger (nabī mursal) to fall down on their knees without exception, to the point that Abraham will cry �My soul! My soul!� Then the just man (rajul ʿādil) and the oppressor (rajul jāʾir) will be summoned, [the name of each being called out] above the heads of the masses. When the just man is brought forward, his book will be raised up to him for him to receive in his right hand. There is no happiness, no joy, and no rapture that ever descended on a servant greater than that which will descend on him on that day. And he will say above the heads of the crowds what God, Exalted is He, related. Then the oppressor will be brought forward andhis book will be thrust into his left hand, and there is no grief, no humiliation, and no distress that ever befell a man severer than that which will befall that man. He will then say above the heads of the crowds what God, Exalted is He, has related. Then he will be seized and dragged on his face to the Fire and his flesh, bones and brains will be scattered about.�Upon this ʿUmar cried, �That�s enough for me! Enough!� Sahl said:The chains and shackles are not for the sake of binding [the people], but rather for the sake of dragging them ever lower, forever after, as long as they reside there.His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

And had he fabricated any lies against Us, He said:That is, if he said that which he had no permission [from Us] to say.

We would assuredly have seized him by the right hand,That is, We would have ordered for him to be seized by the hand just as is the practice of kings.

And We would assuredly have severed his life-artery (wartīn),This being the aorta which is the main artery to which the heart is attached, and if it is cut the person dies. We would cut it off as a result of his transgression against Us.His words, Exalted is He:

And assuredly it is a reminder for those who are mindful of God.He said:That is, the Qurʾān is a mercy for those who are obedient.His words, Exalted is He:

And assuredly it is a [cause of] anguish for the disbelievers.He said:That is, they see the reward that is had by the people who professed God�s oneness, along with their ranks and noble stations.But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

To Him ascend the angels and the spirit (rūḥ)�He said:The angels ascend with the deeds of the children of Adam, as does the spirit, which is the intuition of the self (dhihn al-nafs). They [the angels and the spirit] ascend to God, Exalted is He, in order to testify to the sincerity (ikhlāṣ) in his [a man�s] deeds. They cover the distance to the Throne, which measures fifty thousand years, in the blinking of an eye. This is the inner meaning of the verse.His words, Exalted is He:

So be patient with comely patience (ṣabran jamīlan).That is, [with] contentment (riḍā) and without complaining (shakwā); for truly, complaints are a [form of] tribulation (balwā), and any claim to patience (ṣabr) that is accompanied by it [complaint] is merely a claim. [This notwithstanding], God, Exalted is He, has servants who complain through Him, from Him and to Him (bihi minhu ilayhi), as a proof of their restrainingtheir natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ) from turning its attention to anything other than the One for whose sake the patient show patience. His words, Exalted is He:

Lo! They see it as being far off,! while We see it [to be] near.He said:This means that they see the death, resurrection and reckoning that are decreed for them as far away (baʿīd), due to the far-fetched nature (buʿd) of their hopes; while We see it [to be] near, for indeed everything in existence (kāʾin) is close and that which is distant does not even exist. Then he said:The scholars sought [the justification] for having scruples (waswasa), concerning the Book and the Sunna, but they could not find a basis for it except legitimate inquisitiveness (fuḍūl al-ḥalāl), and legitimate inquisitiveness is that the servant considers a time other than the time he is in. This, [however] is [on the basis of] hope (amal). It is related from Ḥubaysh on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās y that the Prophet would pass water and then wipe himself with earth. So he [Ibn ʿAbbās?] said, �O Messenger of God, there is water near you!�, to which he replied, �I do not know, it may be that I won�t reach it.� And [the Prophet said to Usāma (b. Zayd)], �Our nearness to [obtaining water] is two months away. Indeed, Usāma has far-reaching hopes (ṭawīl al-amal)!�Sahl was asked, �How does the world leave the heart?� He replied:By the shortening of hope.[Then] he was asked: �What is it that shortens hope?� He replied:It is cutting off from concerns (humūm) with what is guaranteed (maḍmūn), and finding reliance(sukūn) on the Guarantor (al-Ḍāmin).His words, Exalted is He:

Lo! They see it as being far off,! while We see it [to be] near.He said:This means that they see the death, resurrection and reckoning that are decreed for them as far away (baʿīd), due to the far-fetched nature (buʿd) of their hopes; while We see it [to be] near, for indeed everything in existence (kāʾin) is close and that which is distant does not even exist. Then he said:The scholars sought [the justification] for having scruples (waswasa), concerning the Book and the Sunna, but they could not find a basis for it except legitimate inquisitiveness (fuḍūl al-ḥalāl), and legitimate inquisitiveness is that the servant considers a time other than the time he is in. This, [however] is [on the basis of] hope (amal). It is related from Ḥubaysh on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās y that the Prophet would pass water and then wipe himself with earth. So he [Ibn ʿAbbās?] said, �O Messenger of God, there is water near you!�, to which he replied, �I do not know, it may be that I won�t reach it.� And [the Prophet said to Usāma (b. Zayd)], �Our nearness to [obtaining water] is two months away. Indeed, Usāma has far-reaching hopes (ṭawīl al-amal)!�Sahl was asked, �How does the world leave the heart?� He replied:By the shortening of hope.[Then] he was asked: �What is it that shortens hope?� He replied:It is cutting off from concerns (humūm) with what is guaranteed (maḍmūn), and finding reliance(sukūn) on the Guarantor (al-Ḍāmin).His words, Exalted is He:

Indeed man was created restless,He said:This means that he is turned this way and that by the impulses of his lusts (shahawāt) and pursuance of his desire (hawā).

When evil befalls him [he is] anxious! and when good befalls him [he is] grudging,He said:If he experiences poverty (iftaqara) he grieves (ḥazana), but when he becomes wealthy (athrā) he withholds it from others (manaʿa).

When evil befalls him [he is] anxious! and when good befalls him [he is] grudging,He said:If he experiences poverty (iftaqara) he grieves (ḥazana), but when he becomes wealthy (athrā) he withholds it from others (manaʿa).

except those who pray�That is, those who have cognisance of (ʿārifūn) the [true] proportions (maqādīr) of things, since they do not find joy (faraḥ) in anything other than God. They do not repose in anything other than Him and they do not fear anything other than Him, their [only source of] anxiety being the possibility of separation from Him, just as He says, and who are apprehensive of the chastisement of their Lord [70:27].The saying is narrated from the Prophet : �According to what the highest host in the highest ranks informed me, among the best of my nation are people who laugh out loud at the amplitude of the mercy of their Lord, and weep in secret out of fear of the severity of the punishment of their Lord. They remember their Lord morning and night in His blessed houses, and make supplications to Him with their tongues in hope and fear. They petition Him with their hands, lowering [their upturned palms] and raising them, and they long for Him constantly with their hearts. Their demands on people are light, but their demands on themselves heavy. They tread upon the earth [lightly] with their feet, as an ant would tread, without gloating, boasting or swaggering�� to the end of the ḥadīth. His words, Exalted is He:

who guard their private parts;He said:In its inner meaning [the verse refers to] all the bodily members, both exterior and interior. They preserve them from the manifestation of traces of the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ) in them.

and those who are keepers of their trusts and their covenant,He said:Its inner meaning refers to the trust (amāna) within the self, for it is God�s secret with His servants. He confides with them (yusārruhum) due to His knowledge of all the suggestions(khawāṭir) and aspirations (himam) which are within it [the self]. On the other hand, they confide in Him by showing their neediness for Him and seeking refuge in Him.Furthermore, if the heart acquiesces in that which the evil whispering of the Enemy suggests to it, even though it may be the most insignificant thing, it will manifest itself in the breast, and from the breast to the body and thus will he have betrayed God�s trust (amāna), His pledge (ʿahd) and faith (īmān).

and who stand firm in their testimony,He said:[They are those] who stand firm (qāʾimūn), upholding that to which they have testified, namely that there is no god except God, and who do not shirk with regard to it in any of their deeds, words or states. Neither do they fabricate anything. But God knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

�And they persist [in their rejection], and act in great arrogance. He said:Persistence in sin (dhanb) gives rise to ignorance, and ignorance gives rise to a transgression into falsehood (bāṭil). The transgression into falsehood gives rise to hypocrisy (nifāq) and hypocrisy in turn gives rise to disbelief (kufr).[He] was asked, �What is the sign of the hypocrite?� He replied:It is that he perceives something when he is reminded of it, but when he gets up to go, it is as if that thing never entered his heart. God, Exalted is He, has said: Whenever it gives them light, they walk therein, and when darkness falls around them, they stand still [2:20].His words, Exalted is He:

�they were drowned and then made to enter the Fire�He said:They were drowned in bewilderment (ḥayra) [beyond the reach of] guidance (hudā), and so they were made to enter the Hellfire. Hence, God made disgrace (hawān) binding upon them, and lodged them in the Abode of Misery (dār al-shaqāʾ).His words, Exalted is He:

Say, �It has been revealed to me that a company (nafar) of jinn listened, then said, �We have indeed heard a marvellous Qurʾān,He said:They were nine in number and had proceeded from Yemen. The word nafar refers to a number between three and ten. They came to the Prophet while he was reciting Qurʾān in his prayer. They were among the best of their people in religion, and when they heard it, they were moved by it (raqqū lahu) and they believed in it. Then they returned to their people as warners, and said, �We have indeed heard a marvellous Qurʾān,! which guides to rectitude� [72:1, 2], meaning, �It guides [people] to follow the ways of Muṣṭafā �.Sahl said:Once I saw in the place that was home to the ʿĀd people of old, a city built of stone, within which there was a magnificent palace that that had been carved out of the rock, which was a refuge for the jinn. I entered the palace to reflect [upon it], and I saw a large person standingin prayer facing the Kaʿba, wearing a long white woollen garment (jubba) which had a certain freshness (ṭarāwa) about it. I was impressed with its freshness, so I waited until he had finished his prayer and then I said: �Peace be upon you.� He replied: �And upon you be peace, Abū Muḥammad. Were you impressed with the freshness of my garment which has been on me for nine hundred years, and in which I met with Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon them both) and Muḥammad , and believed in them both? Know, O Abū Muḥammad, that bodies [in themselves] do not wear out clothes, but rather, illegitimate sources of food, and persistencein committing sins.�Then I asked, �Who are you?� He replied, �I am one of those concerning whom God, Exalted is He, said, Say, �It has been revealed to me that a company of jinn listened��Sahl was then asked, �Do the jinn enter Paradise?� He replied:I have heard that in Paradise there are lands which the jinn inhabit, and where they eat and drink, and in the Qurʾān there is evidence of this as God said, Exalted is He: [of modest gaze] who have not been touched by man or jinn before [55:56].His words, Exalted is He:

�And [it has been revealed to me] that the places of prayer belong to God, so do not invoke anyone along with God�.He said:That is, �Do not make a supplication to [anyone] along with God as a partner [to Him] (sharīkan)�; or in other words, �There is no one who is a partner with Me in anything which would thereby prevent my servant from remembering Me.� Hence, it is the same with whatever belongs to God, Exalted is He, and no one has any means to resist Him or withhold [anything from Him].His words, Exalted is He:

Say, �Indeed none shall protect me from God, and I shall never find any refuge besides Him.�He said:He has commanded him [the Prophet] to [be in a state of] utter neediness (iftiqār) and to take refuge (lujūʾ) in Him, and then to manifest both of these [conditions] through his words, that thereby the disbelievers will be increased in error (ḍalāl), and the believers will be increased in guidance (irshād). And this is a maxim for sincerity (ikhlāṣ) in the profession of God�s oneness(tawḥīd), since the truth (ḥaqīqa) of professing His oneness means looking towards God and none other, advancing towards Him (iqbāl ʿalayhi) and relying upon Him (iʿtimād ʿalayhi). However, this will not be accomplished save by turning away from everything other than Him, showing one�s utter neediness for Him, and taking refuge in Him.His words, Exalted is He:

O you enfolded in your garment,He said:The enfolded one (al-Muzzammil) is the one who is enfolded in [his] garments and clasps them about him. In its inner meaning, it is one of the Prophet�s names (al-Muzzammil): �O you, the one who is able to compose himself (jāmiʿ nafsihi) when God Himself is with him (wa-nafsi�Llāhi ʿindahu).�His words, Exalted is He:

Rising at night makes a deeper impression�He said:That is, [rising for] the whole night, and the night worship that the servant performs makes a deeper impression on the hearing and heart [due to] [one�s increased] attentiveness (iṣghāʾ) and understanding (fahm) [at that time]; �and more upright with respect to speech, that is, firmer in [spiritual] station (athbatu rutbatan). It is also said, more correct in speech because of being further away from ostentation.Ḥasan said (may God have mercy on him), �I met people who were able to perform acts [of worship] in secret, but preferred to do them openly. I also met people [whose custom was] that if one of them received guests, he would get up at night for prayer in order that none of his guests would notice him.� Luqmān used to say to his son, �O my son! Do not be less than this cockerel which crows at night.� His words, Exalted is He:

So mention the name of your Lord and devote yourself [exclusively] to Him with complete devotion.He said:Recite �In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful� at the opening of your prayer, and the blessing of reciting this will connect you to your Lord and sever you from everything other than Him.His words, Exalted is He:

�there is no god but Him, so take Him as your guardian.That is, as Guarantor (al-Kafīl) of the help that He has promised you in [obeying] His command,and the protection He has promised you in [avoiding] what He has forbidden, along with divinely-bestowed success (tawfīq) in [showing] gratitude, patience in the face of tribulation,and a laudable end.Then he said:There is a Paradise and a Hellfire in this life. Paradise ⸢is safety (ʿāfiya),⸣ and safety is that Godtakes care of your affairs, and Hellfire is tribulation (balwā). Tribulation is when He leaves you in charge of your self. He was asked, �What is the (way to) relief (faraj)?� He replied:Do not hope for relief while you still look to what is created. There is not a servant who desired God with a genuine resolve (ʿazm ṣaḥīḥ), without everything vanishing from his [consciousness] besides Him. Moreover, there is not a servant from whom everything has vanished besides Him, who does not deserve that God take charge of his affairs. [At the same time], there is not in this world a person who is [truly] obedient to God while he is [also] obeying his lower self, and no one becomes distanced from God except through engagement in that which is other than God.Things only have access to someone who is idle (fārigh). However, evil suggestions (waswasa) will not reach a person whose heart is occupied with God; such a one is in [a state] of continuousincrease. So protect yourself through [adhering to] the principle (aṣl).He was asked, �And what is that [principle]?� He answered;It is submission (taslīm) to God�s command, and freeing oneself (tabarrī) of all other than Him.His words, Exalted is He:

O you enveloped in your mantle,! arise and warn,He said:�O you who are seeking succour from your own self in order to relieve your breast and heart. Arise through Us and shed from yourself all other than Us. Warn Our servants, for surely We have prepared you for the most honoured of positions (ashraf al-mawāqif) and the greatest of stations (aʿẓam al-maqāmāt).�

O you enveloped in your mantle,! arise and warn,He said:�O you who are seeking succour from your own self in order to relieve your breast and heart. Arise through Us and shed from yourself all other than Us. Warn Our servants, for surely We have prepared you for the most honoured of positions (ashraf al-mawāqif) and the greatest of stations (aʿẓam al-maqāmāt).�

and purify your garments,He said:That is, �Do not wear your clothes in a state of disobedience (maʿṣiyya). Purify them from your selfish interests (ḥuẓūẓ) and wrap yourself around with them.�Similarly ʿĀʾisha à said, �The Messenger of God used to have a long shirt and he gave it to Abū Jahm in exchange for his Manbijī garment. Someone said, �O Messenger of God, the shirt is better than the garment.� He said, �Truly, I would look at it during prayer.� He was distracted by the design of the shirt.� His words, Exalted is He:

and [then I] assigned him ample means,He said:That is, to Walīd b. al-Mughīra, to whom I [God] gave avarice and far-fetched hope (ṭūl al-amal).His words, Exalted is He:

�He is the [One who] is worthy of being heeded, and the [One who] is Master of forgiveness.He said:That is, He deserves to be heeded and not be disobeyed, and He is fit [and ready] to forgive the one who repents. Mindfulness of God (taqwā) means abandoning everything which is reprehensible (madhmūm). With regard to the command, it is abandoning procrastination (taswīf), and with regard to what is prohibited, it is giving up the very thought of it. In terms of codes of propriety (ādāb), it refers to noble characteristics; in the case of inducement (targhīb), it means keeping a secret; and in the case of intimidation (tarhīb), it means being wary of remaining in a state of ignorance. Mindfulness of God means freeing oneself from [dependence]on all save God. Therefore, whoever observes these codes of conduct in mindfulness of God is deserving of forgiveness.It has been related that a man came to Jesus the son of Mary and said, �O Teacher of Good (muʿallim al-khayr), how can I become mindful of God in the way that I should?� He replied, �It is very simple. Love God with all your heart, and work with a generous spirit and all your strength as much as you can. Have mercy on the souls of your own kind (jins), just as you have mercy on your own soul.� He asked, �Who are my own kind, O Teacher of Good?� He replied, �The sons of Adam. Furthermore, do not do to anyone else what you do not wish to be done to you.�But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.The following was read before Sahl and he affirmed the truth of it:ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb said, �Whoever wishes to visualise (yabṣira) the Day of Resurrection should read Sūrat al-Qiyāma, for the resurrection of each one of you [occurs with] his death.His words, Exalted is He:

Nay, I swear by the Day of Resurrection.! And nay, I swear by the self-reproaching soul!The evil-inciting self (nafs ammāra bi�l-sūʾ) is [here in the form of] the blaming self (nafs lawwāma). It is a companion (qarīna) to avarice (ḥirṣ) and [far-fetched] hope (amal). Then he said:He [God] has simply forbidden you from obeying ⸢the Enemy [Satan]⸣, from being deluded by the world, and from letting yourself be deceived by the lower self. God, Exalted is He, said, Verily the soul is ever inciting to evil [12:53]; and He said: So do not let the life of this world deceive you [31:33]; and He also said: Truly Satan is an enemy to you [35:6].His words, Exalted is He:

Nay, I swear by the Day of Resurrection.! And nay, I swear by the self-reproaching soul!The evil-inciting self (nafs ammāra bi�l-sūʾ) is [here in the form of] the blaming self (nafs lawwāma). It is a companion (qarīna) to avarice (ḥirṣ) and [far-fetched] hope (amal). Then he said:He [God] has simply forbidden you from obeying ⸢the Enemy [Satan]⸣, from being deluded by the world, and from letting yourself be deceived by the lower self. God, Exalted is He, said, Verily the soul is ever inciting to evil [12:53]; and He said: So do not let the life of this world deceive you [31:33]; and He also said: Truly Satan is an enemy to you [35:6].His words, Exalted is He:

and the sun and moon are brought together.He said:Its inner meaning is the following: the moon represents the light of the sight of the physical eye (nūr baṣar ʿayn al-raʾs) which pertains to the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ), and the sun represents the light of the sight of the eye of the heart (nūr baṣar ʿayn al-qalb) which pertains to the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ), and the intellect (ʿaql). Do you not notice how He says:

On that day man will say, �Where is the escape?That is, the one who denies the Day of Resurrection says, when the two lights are brought together, �Where is the deliverer from the punishment of God?� His words, Exalted is He:

Some faces on that day will be radiant,! looking upon their Lord.He said:Whoever was killed by his love [for Him], his recompense (diya) will be the vision of Him. Then he said:The reward for works is Paradise, and the reward for the realisation of God�s oneness (tawḥīd) is the vision of God, Mighty and Majestic is He.It is related that Abū al-Dardāʾ said, �Travel for the sake of tribulation (balāʾ), prepare for annihilation (fanāʾ), and make yourselves ready for the encounter (liqāʾ)!� Rābiʿa à used to say, �My Lord, I love this world only that I might remember You in it, and I love the Hereafter only because I may see You there. Every hour that passes by while my tongue is not moist with Your remembrance is accursed. My Lord, do not bring upon me these two things for I will not be able to bear them: burning in Hell and separation from You.�His words, Exalted is He:

Some faces on that day will be radiant,! looking upon their Lord.He said:Whoever was killed by his love [for Him], his recompense (diya) will be the vision of Him. Then he said:The reward for works is Paradise, and the reward for the realisation of God�s oneness (tawḥīd) is the vision of God, Mighty and Majestic is He.It is related that Abū al-Dardāʾ said, �Travel for the sake of tribulation (balāʾ), prepare for annihilation (fanāʾ), and make yourselves ready for the encounter (liqāʾ)!� Rābiʿa à used to say, �My Lord, I love this world only that I might remember You in it, and I love the Hereafter only because I may see You there. Every hour that passes by while my tongue is not moist with Your remembrance is accursed. My Lord, do not bring upon me these two things for I will not be able to bear them: burning in Hell and separation from You.�His words, Exalted is He:

No indeed! When it [the soul] reaches the collarbones,That is, the throat (ḥulqūm);

and it is said, �Who is a magician [to restore him]?�That is, �Is there a doctor who can cure [him]?� It has also been said that it means, �Who will raise the soul of this disbeliever to heaven?�

and he thinks that it is [the time] of parting, He [God] is saying that he knows that it is the parting from this world.

and [his] legs are joined together,He is speaking of the affairs of this world and the Hereafter. It has also been said that they are your legs when they joined together in your shroud. It has been related of Jacob that when the [angel] bearing good tidings came to him, he [the angel] said, �I have not been given permission to bring to you what I have come with, without saying: �May God make the pangs of death easy for you to bear��. It was said to Aswad b. Yazīd when he was dying, �Be of good cheer, for forgiveness is your lot.� He replied, �But what about the shame [that we shall feel] before the One from whom forgiveness comes?�It has been related that when Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq was dying, he was visited by ʿĀʾisha à and she cited the following verse:By your life, wealth does not enrich oneOn that day when [the soul] reaches the throat and the breast is constricted [in death]. Then he uncovered his face and said, �That is not so [in my case], but the words for me are, And the agony of death arrives with the truth [50:19]. Look to those two [old] garments of mine, ⸢wash them⸣ and enshroud me in them, for the living have greater need for new clothes than the dead.� His words, Exalted is He:

Truly the righteous will drink from a cup whose mixture is camphor.He said:[These are] the righteous (abrār), who took on one of the characteristics of the ten [Companions]concerning whom the Messenger of God bore witness that they would go to Paradise. He was asked, �What are the most important characteristic moral traits that we should have?�He replied:To show endurance (iḥtimāl) in the face of hardship (maʾūna), compassion (rifq) in every situation,and caution against inclining to one�s lower passion if one is elevated [in rank]. Among these qualities is the attainment of the intellect (iktisāb al-ʿaql).Then there are another three which are necessary: attaining gnosis (iktisāb al-maʿrifa), and putting one�s knowledge into practice (istiʿmāl al-ʿilm), clemency (ḥilm) and humility (tawāḍuʿ).Yet still there are a further three [characteristics] which are necessary to acquire, and which contain the precepts of worship (aḥkām al-taʿabbud), namely: serenity (sakīna), dignified bearing (waqār) and equity (inṣāf). He also said:The earth will not consume the body of anyone who keeps the following three qualities: refrainingfrom harming people, bearing the harm that comes from them and doing good to them.

�and they fear a day the evil of which will be widespread.He said:In the Hereafter, tribulations (balāyā) and hardships (shadāʾid) will befall the masses, and only a chosen few among the elect (khāṣṣ al-khāṣṣ) will receive deliverance.His words, Exalted is He:

�And [God] has granted them radiance and joy.He said:Radiance on their faces and gladness in the hearts.His words, Exalted is He:

from a spring therein named Salsabīl. He said:It is related from al-Musayyib that he said, �It is a spring situated to the right of the Throne, [which flows forth] from a reed-like ruby.�Sahl said:God drew the attention of His believing servants to it (Salsabīl), and then He said, �So, ask your Lord for the way to reach this spring.�His words, Exalted is He:

�Their Lord will give them a pure drink.Sahl said:God has informed His servants of the impurity (najāsa) of intoxicating drinks (khumūr) in this world. This is why He differentiated between that which is pure and purifying (ṭāhir wa ṭuhūr), [namely], the wines of Paradise, and the wines of this world in their impurity. The wines of this world are sullied and they sully the one who drinks them with sins (āthām), whereas the wines of Paradise are purifying and purify the one who drinks them from every blemish (danas), thereby making him acceptable for the Holy Assembly (majlis al-quds) and the GloriousSpectacle (mashhad al-ʿizz).[Once] while Sahl was performing the prayer of darkness (ʿatma), he recited God�s words, Exalted is He: Their Lord will give them a pure drink. Then he began moving his mouth as if he was suckingsomething. When he finished his prayer he was asked, �Did you drink during the prayer?� To which he answered:By God, if I had not experienced its taste when I recited it as if I was drinking it, I would not have acted so. His words, Exalted is He:

By those sent forth in succession;By this is meant the angels who are sent with the good (maʿrūf) of His command (amr).He said:In its inner meaning it refers to the spirits (arwāḥ) of the believers which are sent inspiration (ilhām) in accordance with the Book and the Sunna.

by the sweeping spreaders;by which He causes virtuous deeds (aʿmāl ṣāliḥa) to appear.

by the decisive discriminators;[which discriminate] between truth (ḥaqq) and falsehood (bāṭil), and between the Sunna and innovation (bidʿa).

By those that deliver the reminder, This is the revelation (waḥy) through inspiration (ilhām) which the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ), the intellect (ʿaql) and the heart (qalb) cast upon the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ), and this is the hidden form of reminder (dhikr khafiyy).

as an excuse or as a warning.God has excused the suppression of that by which the Book and the Sunna is opposed; or as a warning to His creatures of His punishment. Furthermore, God, Exalted is He, swore by them to the reality of the Resurrection. His words, Exalted is He:

Woe to the deniers of that Day!He said:Woe on that day to those who make claims that have no truth [in them], for their claims will deny them publicly before [many] witnesses. This will occur at the time of exposure (iftiḍāḥ).His words, Exalted is He:

On that Day they will be speechless.He said:Nobody will speak for himself by [presenting an] argument (bi-ḥujja), unless it be by the exhibitingof helplessness (ʿajz) and servanthood (ʿubūdiyya), and by refraining from infringements [of the Law] (mukhālafāt) and crimes (jarāʾim).His words, Exalted is He:

�Eat and enjoy � for a short while, evildoers that you are�.He said:Whoever�s only concern is with [satisfying] his stomach and private parts, has [already] manifestedhis ruin (khasāra), for He says [to such people], Exalted is He: �Eat and enjoy � for a short while, evildoers that you are�.But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best. His words, Exalted is He:

and [have We not] made the day for livelihood,That is, the lights of the heart and its illumination (tanwīr) through Our remembrance (dhikr), are the livelihood (ʿaysh) of the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ) and the intellect (ʿaql), as they are the livelihood of the angels. However, the other kind of livelihood is the way of the generality of people (ʿawāmm).Then he said:It is not [good] character for the believer to grovel (tadhallul) in times of poverty (fāqa), and it is distasteful for the poor to wear thread-bare clothes, and to carry the concerns related to their provisions (arzāq) in their hearts. [The cure] at the root of these matters consists of three [things]: dependence on God, Majestic and Mighty is He; fleeing from people, and doing the least [possible] harm to others.ʿĀmir b. ʿAbd al-Qays used to say when he rose in the morning, �O God! Verily people have dispersed in pursuit of their needs, but I have only one need, which is that You forgive me.� His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

As a fitting requital,The Fire is a fitting punishment for association [idolatry] (shirk), because both of them are momentous (ʿaẓīm). There is no punishment ⸢greater than the Fire and no sin⸣ greater than association. His words, Exalted is He:

and buxom maidens�He said:Young and attractive concubines, atrāb means of equal age.His words, Exalted is He:

and a brimming cup.That is, continuously full.Once, a wise man (ḥakīm) met another wise man in Mosul and said to him, �Do you long for the dark-eyed houris?� He replied: �Should I not long for them, when the light of their faces is from the light of God, Majestic and Mighty is He?� At this he [the wise man] fell into a swoon and was carried to his home. For a month afterwards people would visit him due to his sickness.Ibn ʿAbbās, y said, �If one of the maidens [of Paradise] were to spit into the seven seas, they would become sweeter than honey.� But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

By those that race forward,He said:This means the spirits of the believers which raced to be the first in [doing] good (khayr) and [acting in] conformity (muwāfaqa), and raced to be the first to respond to the Angel of Death out of longing (shawq) for their Lord. Subsequently, they departed with the most beautiful scent and the fullest joy.His words, Exalted is He:

When his Lord called out to him in the holy valley of Ṭuwa? He said:Moses starved himself, emaciating himself (ṭāwiyan), devoting himself (ʿābidan) to God, Exalted is He. Then his Lord called him so that he would be closer to Him.His words, Exalted is He:

as for him who was rebellious! and preferred the life of this world,He said:That is, he forswore the rights (ḥuqūq) of God, was ungrateful for His blessings and preferred this world, following the craving of [his] lusts and pursuing his whims.Then he said:Every person upon whom the sun has risen or set is ignorant (jāhil), except for the one who prefers God, Exalted is He, over himself, his spirit, his life in this world and his Hereafter.He was asked, �What is the sign of hatred (bughḍ) for this world?� He replied:It is that the afflictions (maṣāʾib) [of this world] are easy for a person to bear, even those which [affect] him personally or his children. So it is that Muslim b. Yasār said on the death of his son, �O my son, my grief for you has distracted me from grieving over [my loss of] you. O God, I have transferred to him the reward [which You have granted] me concerning him.� The second sign is that the happiness of this world becomes insignificant in his eyes, even though it gives him ease. The third sign is that there is nothing closer to him than God, Mighty and Majestic is He, as [is indicated by] the saying of ʿĀmir b. ʿAbd al-Qays, �I never regarded anything without seeing God as closer to it than myself.� His words, Exalted is He:

as for him who was rebellious! and preferred the life of this world,He said:That is, he forswore the rights (ḥuqūq) of God, was ungrateful for His blessings and preferred this world, following the craving of [his] lusts and pursuing his whims.Then he said:Every person upon whom the sun has risen or set is ignorant (jāhil), except for the one who prefers God, Exalted is He, over himself, his spirit, his life in this world and his Hereafter.He was asked, �What is the sign of hatred (bughḍ) for this world?� He replied:It is that the afflictions (maṣāʾib) [of this world] are easy for a person to bear, even those which [affect] him personally or his children. So it is that Muslim b. Yasār said on the death of his son, �O my son, my grief for you has distracted me from grieving over [my loss of] you. O God, I have transferred to him the reward [which You have granted] me concerning him.� The second sign is that the happiness of this world becomes insignificant in his eyes, even though it gives him ease. The third sign is that there is nothing closer to him than God, Mighty and Majestic is He, as [is indicated by] the saying of ʿĀmir b. ʿAbd al-Qays, �I never regarded anything without seeing God as closer to it than myself.� His words, Exalted is He:

But as for him who feared the standing before his Lord, and restrained his soul from [pursuingits] desire,He said:No one is safe from his desire except a prophet and some of the veracious (ṣiddīqūn), though not all of them. The only one who is safe from his desire (hawā) is the one who imposes propriety (adab) upon himself. The only ones who are purified in their propriety are the prophets  and some of the veracious; and it is the same case regarding character (akhlāq).One day Ibn al-Sammāk went out to meet his companions, who had gathered to see him, and said, �I have already given you so many admonitions. Would you like my remedy for you?� They said, �Yes�. He said, �Oppose your desires (ahwāʾ)!�But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words:

then He makes him die and buries him.He said:Its inner meaning is that He causes the pleasures (ḥuẓūẓ) which the lower self derives from lust, to die, and buries him [i.e. the pleasures] within him.

Then, when He wills, He will raise him,affiliated with wisdom (ḥikma), in a contemplative witnessing (mushāhada) of God, whilst being cut off from all other than Him.His words, Exalted is He:

We pour down water plenteously,He said:It is a pouring down of the subtlety of His meanings (luṭf maʿānīhi), represented by water. Then We split the earth [80:26] which is the heart, in fissures [80:26] and grow in it flowers of differentcolours, those of the spirit (rūḥ), intellect (ʿaql), faith (īmān) and gnosis (maʿrifa), just as the Messenger of God said, �Is not the Qurʾān the flower of hearts (zahrat al-qulūb)? Does not faith cultivate wealth (ghinā) in the heart, just as the rain causes the flowers to grow? Is it not so that avarice (shuḥḥ) causes hypocrisy (nifāq) to grow in the heart just as dew causes herbage to grow?�His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

the day when a man will flee from his [own] brother, [such as] Abel from Cain, Muḥammad from his uncle, Abraham from his father, Lot from his wife, and Noah from his own son.

every person that day will have a matter to concern him,Which will distract him from everyone except his own self.Sahl said:Muḥammad b. Sawwār related on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar y that the Prophet said, �Whoeverwishes to behold the Resurrection as if he were seeing it with his own eyes should read: When the sun is folded away [81:1], When the heaven is split open [82:1] and When the heaven is rent asunder [84:1].�His words, Exalted is He:

and when souls are coupled.It has been said that the souls of the believers will be joined with the dark-eyed maidens of Paradise [houris], while the souls of the disbelievers will be joined with devils. The disbeliever (kāfir) and the devil (shayṭān) will be coupled together with a single chain. In this verse there is a cautioning against taking evil companions (quranāʾ al-sūʾ).Sahl said:The natural self and spiritual self will be joined together and will be mingled in [their partaking of] the bliss of Paradise inasmuch as they were allied in this world in keeping remembrance constantly (idāmat al-dhikr) and upholding a state of gratitude (iqāmat al-shukr). His words, Exalted is He:

[then] a soul will know what it has presented.Every soul will be certain of the fact that whatever it strived to do will not be fitting for that assembly. Whoever is blessed by disclaiming any credit for himself will be saved, but whoever is tied to the [expectation of] reward for his deeds will be disappointed.His words, Exalted is He:

So where are you going?⸢Where are you straying to (ayna taʿdilūna)⸣ away from His Book after [receiving] the explanation(bayān) that has come to you?

It is only a reminder for all the worlds,He said:This Message [i.e. the Qurʾān] is especially for those among the worlds who are knowledgeable and submit to the Sacred Law (sharīʿa). Do you not notice how God, Exalted is He, has said: for those of you ⸢O people of Mecca,⸣ who wish to take the straight path [81:28], following the way (ṭarīq) to Him through faith (īmān) in Him. However, your rectitude (istiqāma) will notbe sound for you, either in its root or in its branches, save in accordance with My pre-existing will (mashīʾatī al-ṣābiqa) [which prevails] over you.But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

[then] a soul will know what it has sent ahead and [what it has] left behind.That is, what it has sent forward, the good or bad, and what it left behind in the form of an evil practice that it initiated (sayyiʾa sannathā) and whatever [part of that practice] was emulated [by others afterwards]. His words, Exalted is He:

O mankind! What has deceived you with regard to your Generous Lord?He said:That is, �What has lured you away to other than Him, and severed you from Him, in spite of His graciousness (luṭf) and generosity (karam)?�He was asked, �What is it that cuts the servant off [from God]?� He replied:The servant belongs to God, and God is there for His servant. There is nothing closer to Him than the heart of the believer, and if anything else comes into his heart, that becomes a veil (ḥijāb) [for him]. Whoever looks upon (naẓara) God with his heart, will become distanced from all besides Him, and whoever seeks the means to [attain] His good pleasure (marḍā), will be made satisfied by God through His clemency (ḥilm).Furthermore, whoever surrenders his heart to God, Exalted is He, [will find that] God takes care of his bodily members so they remain in rectitude (istiqāma). Yet at the same time, their hearts� witnessing is in proportion to how much they safeguard their bodily members.Then he said:Keep a check on your hearts. We are created and our Creator is with us. Do not tire in your works, for truly God watches over you wherever you are. Place your needs before Him and stand at His door. Say: �We are ignorant, but our Teacher (ʿālimunā) is with us. We are weak, but the One who gives us strength (muqawwiyyunā) is with us. We are helpless, but our All-Powerful One (Qādirunā) is with us.� Truly, whoever adheres to this will find that air, space, earth and sky will become of equal consequence [to him]. ʿUmar b. Wāṣil, a student of Sahl, said, �When [Sahl] would recite this verse, he [Sahl] would say:It is ignorance that has lured me away [from You] ⸢O Lord⸣, due to Your withdrawing Your protection from me.His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

As for the righteous, they will be in bliss (naʿīm).He said:The bliss of the elect among His servants who are the righteous (abrār) is the encounter (liqāʾ) with Him and the witnessing (mushāhada) of Him, just as their bliss in this world was in the witnessing (mushāhada) of Him and proximity (qurb) with Him. But God knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

Woe to the defrauders!He said:They are the hypocrites and those who take on their characteristics, stinting in their prayer. Thus did Salmān [al-Fārisī] say, �The prayer is the balance (mikyāl); whoever deals faithfully will be rewarded his due, but as for whoever stints � you already know what God, Exalted is He, has said concerning the defrauders (muṭaffifūn): Will you bid others to piety and forget yourselves...? [2:44]. You vilify them for the slips they make that are typical of the faults of men, and yet you commit similar misdeeds and those which are more abominable still.� No one looks upon the slips of [other] people except an ignorant wrongdoer, and no one [may] make known that which he has looked upon [of the faults of others] except God. Indeed it has been related that God spoke to David through inspiration the words, �I complain of My servants to you, O David!� He asked, �And why is that, my Lord?� He replied, �It is because they sin in secret and repent in public, and truly I do not wish anyone to look upon the sin of my servant besides Me.�ʿUmar b. Wāṣil said that he had asked Sahl about God�s words, Nay, on that day they will be veiled from their Lord [83:15]. He replied:In this life they are veiled from the Commander (al-Āmir) and the Restrainer (al-Zājir). Thus it was related in a report, �Happy is the one whose heart acts for him as an admonisher and whose intellect as a restrainer.� So if a person wants something from which God is absent, they [the heart and intellect] will hold him back from it. � [But as for those mentioned in the verse], in the Hereafter they are veiled from the [divine] mercy, and from being able to behold God, Mighty and Majestic is He, and are deprived of His looking upon them with His good pleasure (riḍā) and satisfaction (riḍwān) when He questions them. Just as He has said, But [first] stop them, for they must be questioned [37:24] about [their] religion (diyāna), and they will not be able to shake off the evidence against them, so He will put them into the Hellfire.

Nay, the record of the pious is in ʿIlliyyūn. He said:The record in its outward meaning in both of the two verses [18 and 19] is a reference to the [record of] deeds, the good and the evil. In its inner meaning it refers to the spirits of the believers and the spirits of the disbelievers. The spirits of the believers are gathered at the lote tree beyond which none may pass, in the form of green birds which fly freely in Paradise until the Day of Resurrection, stamped (marqūm) with [seal] of [God�s] good pleasure (riḍā) and satisfaction (riḍwān). On the other hand the spirits of the disbelievers are gathered at Sijjīn beneath the lowest earth, under the cheek of Satan, may God curse him, branded with hostility (ʿadāwa) and wrath (ghaḍab). His words, Exalted is He:

Have the disbelievers been requited for what they did? [Concerning these words Sahl also] said:In this verse there is a clear proof confirming that the vision [of God] (rūʾya) will be exclusively for the believers.His words, Exalted is He:

And heeds its Lord as it should. That is, it hearkens to its Lord and responds by performing His command, as it is obliged to do.

O man! Verily you are toiling laboriously toward your Lord�That is, you are striving towards your Lord through your works with great effort, �and will encounter Him, by your effort; so look upon your effort: does it merit Paradise and proximity with Him, or Hellfire and alienation from Him?Once ʿUmāra b. Zādhān said, �[Abū ʿAbd Allāh] Kahmas said to me in a whisper, �O Abū Salma, I committed a sin which I have been crying over for forty years now.� I asked him, �What is that, O Abū ʿAbd Allāh?� He replied, �Once a brother of mine visited me and I bought him a grilled fish for a small coin. After he had finished eating, I got up [and went] over to the wall of my neighbour and took a piece of earth from it with which he proceeded to clean his hands. Consequently, I have been crying over that for forty years.�� His words, Exalted is He:

Then as for him who is given his book in his right hand,! he will receive an easy reckoning,That is, He forgives his sins and does not take him to account for them. Similarly it is related in a tradition that God, Exalted is He, if He wishes to conceal [the sins] of a servant on the Day of Resurrection, will show him only those sins which are known to Him and His servant, and then forgive him for them.

Then as for him who is given his book in his right hand,! he will receive an easy reckoning,That is, He forgives his sins and does not take him to account for them. Similarly it is related in a tradition that God, Exalted is He, if He wishes to conceal [the sins] of a servant on the Day of Resurrection, will show him only those sins which are known to Him and His servant, and then forgive him for them.

and will return to his family, joyful.[That is] in Paradise, with the fulfilment of the promised encounter (liqāʾ) and with the divine good pleasure (riḍā) that he has gained. Know for certain that God has servants who are not halted at the stopping places [for questioning] and do not experience any of the horrors (ahwāl) of the Day of Resurrection, neither the reckoning (ḥisāb), nor the questioning (suʾāl), nor the Traverse (ṣirāṭ). This is because they are for Him and they [live] by Him, they have no cognition of anything other than Him, and they choose none other than Him. His words, Exalted is He:

you will surely journey from stage to stage (ṭabqan ʿan ṭabqin).He said:Its inner meaning is that you will surely be raised rank upon rank (daraja fawqa daraja) inParadise, and will be changed from one state to another state (ḥāl ilā ḥāl), more eminent and satisfying than the previous one, as you were in the world, rising from rank to rank, higher and higher, through earnest desire (ṭamaʿ), fear (khawf), longing (shawq) and love (maḥabba).His words, Exalted is He:

and [by] the witness and the witnessed,He said:It has been said that the witness (shāhid) is the angel, just as He has also said, [and every soul will be accompanied by] a driver and a witness [50:21]. That which is borne witness to (mashhūd) is the Day of Resurrection, ⸢for that is a day that is [indeed] witnessed (wa dhālika yawmun mashhūdun).⸣ Ibn ʿAbbās y said, �The witness is Muḥammad , and that which is witnessed is the Qurʾān.� It has also been said that that which is witnessed is mankind. Sahl said:The witness is the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ) and that which is witnessed is the natural self (nafs al-tabʿ), for the natural self, along with the understanding of the intellect (fahm al-ʿaql) and the discernment of the heart (fiṭnat al-qalb), will each have their witness, while God is the ever-present Witness (al-Shahīd) over everything.His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

And He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Loving,He said:This means that He is the Most Forgiving (al-Ghafūr) towards sinners, and the Most Loving (al-Wadūd) in [His] forgiveness (maghfira). He makes Himself beloved and endearing to His servants through the abundance of blessings that He has granted them, [along with] His beautifulbounties (jamīl ālāʾihi) and beneficence (iḥsān).His words, Exalted is He:

in a Preserved Tablet. He said:That which is preserved (maḥfūẓ) is the breast (ṣadr) of the believer. It [the Qurʾān] is protected from being reached by anyone who is not of its people (ahlihi), for the people of the Qurʾān are the people of God and His elite. But God knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

By the sky and the night-visitor! (! The star of piercing brightness.)He said:The sky (samāʾ) linguistically means loftiness (sumuww) and elevation (ʿuluww). In its inner meaning it refers to the spirit of Muḥammad , which subsists with the Lord of Might. And the night-visitor (ṭāriq) is the star of piercing brightness [86:3], which refers to his heart, that is resplendent (mushriq) with the realisation of God�s oneness (tawḥīd), the upholding of His Transcendence (tanzīh), constancy in practices of remembrance (mudāwamat al-adhkār), and in contemplative witnessing of the Compeller (al-Jabbār).On another occasion he said:That which is piercing is the heart of the believer, that is, it is resplendent (mushriq), purified of uncertainty (shakk), doubt (rayb) and misgiving which the whispering of the Enemy and the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ) might stir up in it. His words, Exalted is He:

By the sky and the night-visitor! (! The star of piercing brightness.)He said:The sky (samāʾ) linguistically means loftiness (sumuww) and elevation (ʿuluww). In its inner meaning it refers to the spirit of Muḥammad , which subsists with the Lord of Might. And the night-visitor (ṭāriq) is the star of piercing brightness [86:3], which refers to his heart, that is resplendent (mushriq) with the realisation of God�s oneness (tawḥīd), the upholding of His Transcendence (tanzīh), constancy in practices of remembrance (mudāwamat al-adhkār), and in contemplative witnessing of the Compeller (al-Jabbār).On another occasion he said:That which is piercing is the heart of the believer, that is, it is resplendent (mushriq), purified of uncertainty (shakk), doubt (rayb) and misgiving which the whispering of the Enemy and the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ) might stir up in it. His words, Exalted is He:

Over every soul there is a keeper.That is, over the natural self there is a keeper [which comes from] God�s protection (ʿiṣma).His words, Exalted is He:

on the day when [all] secrets are examined,! whereat he will have no strength, nor any helper.He said:That is, He will reveal the intentions (nīyāt) with which they worshipped God by [performing] that which God made incumbent upon them, and [refraining] from that which He forbade them. Truly, [the value of] the deeds of all servants on the Day of Resurrection will wholly depend upon their aims (maqāṣid). Rabīʿ used to say, �The secrets which are concealed from [other] people belong to God and are clearly visible [to Him]. So seek out their remedy!� Then he added, �What is their remedy? It is to repent and never return [to that sin].� Then Sahl said:The weapon (āla) of the dervish is in three things: fulfilling his [religious] obligation[s] (farḍ), preserving his neediness [for God] (faqr), and keeping his secret (sirr). His words, Exalted is He:

on the day when [all] secrets are examined,! whereat he will have no strength, nor any helper.He said:That is, He will reveal the intentions (nīyāt) with which they worshipped God by [performing] that which God made incumbent upon them, and [refraining] from that which He forbade them. Truly, [the value of] the deeds of all servants on the Day of Resurrection will wholly depend upon their aims (maqāṣid). Rabīʿ used to say, �The secrets which are concealed from [other] people belong to God and are clearly visible [to Him]. So seek out their remedy!� Then he added, �What is their remedy? It is to repent and never return [to that sin].� Then Sahl said:The weapon (āla) of the dervish is in three things: fulfilling his [religious] obligation[s] (farḍ), preserving his neediness [for God] (faqr), and keeping his secret (sirr). His words, Exalted is He:

By the heaven and its returning,! and [by] the earth that cracks open,He said:In its outward meaning it [vs. 11] means [the sky] which repeatedly brings forth rain after rain; and [by] the earth that cracks open [outwardly means] through [the growth of] plants (bi�l-nabāt). In its inner meaning, [vs. 11] refers to the heart which returns to a state of regret (nadam) after sinning, while the earth that cracks open [inwardly refers to] the ⸢lower self⸣, which is cracked open through acts of conformity, in deeds and words.His words, Exalted is He:

By the heaven and its returning,! and [by] the earth that cracks open,He said:In its outward meaning it [vs. 11] means [the sky] which repeatedly brings forth rain after rain; and [by] the earth that cracks open [outwardly means] through [the growth of] plants (bi�l-nabāt). In its inner meaning, [vs. 11] refers to the heart which returns to a state of regret (nadam) after sinning, while the earth that cracks open [inwardly refers to] the ⸢lower self⸣, which is cracked open through acts of conformity, in deeds and words.His words, Exalted is He:

and I [too] am devising a scheme.He said:In this world, His scheme (kayd) against them is His allowing them to descend, little by little (istidrāj), and to remain in their delusion (ightirār); and in the Hereafter, it is the bitter regret they will be made to feel when they look upon the generous treatment (ikrām) and honour (iʿzāz) that those who professed His oneness [enjoy].His words, Exalted is He:

Glorify the name of your Lord Most High,He said:It [means] to proclaim His transcendence (tanzīh) above having rivals (aḍdād) and equals (andād). This is its outward meaning. In its inner meaning, it is to witness Him (mushāhadatuhu) through remembrance (dhikr) during the ritual prayer without witnessing anything else.His words, Exalted is He:

and [God] who determined and guided,He said:He destined for them wretchedness (shaqāwa) or felicity (saʿāda). Then He took the people of felicity into His care and left the people of wretchedness to themselves.He said:Guidance (hudā) comes in two forms, one being that which is made clear (bayān), and the other, guardianship (tawallī) from God, Exalted is He. Do you not see how the suckling infant is guided to the means of its subsistence, the breast of its mother ⸢the moment it is born⸣, due to God�s caring for it, and inspiring it [with what to do].His words, Exalted is He:

Successful indeed is he who purifies himself,He said:That is, the one who fears God both in secret and in public has indeed triumphed (fāza) and attained felicity (saʿāda).His words, Exalted is He:

Nay, but you prefer the life of this world,He said:The believer should not be in this world other than as a man riding a piece of wood in the sea, crying the while, �O Lord! O Lord! (Yā Rabb! Yā Rabb!), in the hope that He may save him from it. Every believing servant who has renounced this world, [will find that] God has placed in charge of him an angel, who will plant in his heart all kinds of wisdom (ḥikam), just as the people of this world plant different kinds of trees in their gardens.His words, Exalted is He:

Some faces on that day will be humbled,That is, [they will face] humiliation (dhalīla), because God, Exalted is He, had ordered them to submit, become humble, and show neediness towards Him in this life, but they did not, so He brought them low in the Hereafter with everlasting humiliation (dhilla bāqiya). His words, Exalted is He:

toiling, weary,That is, toiling in this world with innovations (bidaʿ) and aberrations (ḍalālāt), weary in the Hereafter from the punishment in the lowest regions of Hell (darakāt).

made to drink from a boiling spring,That is, from a spring of pus whose heat has reached its extreme, which He also called ḥamīm ʾān [55:44], meaning that it has reached its ultimate degree of heat.His words, Exalted is He:

Other faces on that day will be radiant with bliss,That is, [in] blessing (niʿma) and honour (karāma).

pleased with their efforts,in the Hereafter. His words, Exalted is He:

Therein is a flowing spring, flowing [freely] (muṭṭarada), without [being impeded] by any furrow (ghayr ukhdūd).

and therein are raised couches,That is, raised beds, upon each of which are seventy mattresses (firāsh) each as lofty as a high palace (ghurfa) of this world. Sahl said:God, Exalted is He, mentioned these bounties to make it [Paradise] enticing for them. While He warns them that His punishment is in proportion to His authority (sulṭān), [He also informs them that] His generosity (karāma) is in proportion to His tremendousness (ʿaẓīm al-shaʾn) and authority (sulṭān). However, the hearts of the disbelievers in Mecca did not benefit fromthis, even though He reminded them of His omnipotence (qudra), in order that they might take a lesson [from it].Then He says, Exalted is He:

Will they not consider the camels, how they are made?In its inner meaning it is a command for the believers to humble themselves before Him and declare their neediness for Him. He says: �Consider the camels, how they have been created and how, notwithstanding their make up and their strength, they yield to a boy driving them without showing bewilderment (taḥayyur), and without choosing to do anything else.� Thus, you are not incapable of being with your Lord as the camel is with its owner, and this is why the Messenger said: �Be for your Lord as the yielding camel�, meaning compliant (miṭwāʿ). But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

By the daybreak,He said:In its outward meaning, daybreak (fajr) refers to the dawn (subḥ).

and by the ten nights,His words:[In its outer meaning] it refers to the [first] ten nights of Dhū al-Ḥijja, which are the Well-known Days.

and by the even,[That is], Adam and Eve. It has also been said that it refers to all that God has created as opposites,such as the night and day, light and darkness, and death and life; and the odd: this [refers to] God, Exalted is He.

and by the night when it passes away!Night is the Night of the Assembly (laylat al-jamʿ): it passes away along with all that is in it.[89:1�4]He said:The inner meaning of [the verses] is [the following: By the dawn [89:1] refers to Muḥammad , from whom the lights of faith, the lights of acts of obedience and the lights of the two worlds of existence gushed forth (tafajjarat); and by the ten nights, [89:2] [refers to] the ten Companions, regarding whom [the Prophet] testified [that they would] enter Paradise; by the even, [refers to] the obligatory practice (farḍ) and the Sunna; and the odd [89:3], [refers to having] the intention of sincerity (nīyat al-ikhlāṣ) towards God, Exalted is He, in all acts of obedience, without regard for anyone else during them. And by the night when it passes away [89:4], [refers to] the Prophet�s nation and the �great blackness� (sawād aʿẓam), as [was mentioned by the Prophet when] he said, �On the night I was taken on the journey, I saw a great blackness from heaven to earth, so I asked, �What is this blackness, O Gabriel?� He replied, �This is your nation (umma), and there are belonging to you seventy thousand among them who will enter Paradise [directly] without reckoning (ḥisāb). They are not harmed by misdeeds (khaṭāyā), they did not becometainted in this life, and they are cognisant only of God.� Thus has God sworn an oath by him, his Companions and his nation.That which is sworn to by the oath is:

Assuredly your Lord is ever watchful.This means: the path of every person leads to Him. He will then reward them for their deeds and they will either be saved or otherwise. And He [elsewhere] says that He will position a patrol (raṣad) of angels with ⸢hooks (kalālīb) and⸣ pikes (ḥasak) on the Traverse over Hell (jisr jahannam), who will question people concerning the religious obligations (farāʾiḍ).

And as for man, whenever his Lord tries him with honour and blessings, he says, �My Lord has honoured me.�He said:This means, there will be among the believers one who, when his Lord tests him with blessings, says, �My Lord has honoured me in the abundance (saʿa) and provision (rizq) that He has given me.� However, this is really a way of leaving him to degenerate further (istidrāj), and a source of delusion (ightirār). Indeed, Ḥasan once said, �The servant remains in a good state as long as he is aware of that which corrupts his works. Among them [God�s servants] is he whose [action] is made to appear beautiful to him, and among them is he who has been dominated by lust (shahwa).

But when He tests him and restricts His provision for him�That is, He stints (qatara) His provision for him, �he says, �My Lord has humiliated me� through poverty (faqr). But God says:

�Not so!���I did not try him with wealth to honour him (karāma), nor did I try him with poverty to make him despicable to Me (hawān)�. It has been related that Fatḥ al-Mawṣilī, who was fasting on returning home to his family after the night prayer, said: �Give me some supper.� They answered that they did not have anything to give him for supper. He asked, �Why are you sitting in the dark?� They replied, �We don�t have any oil with which to light the lamp.�He said:Then he wept for joy and continued to do so until morning saying, �O God! Does someone like me get left without supper and without light? O Master, which of my hands was responsible for this?� His words, Exalted is He:

O soul at peace!He said:This speech addresses the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ), through which the natural self has its life, at peace is [its] affirming God�s reward and His punishment.

Return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing.by way of the Hereafter, pleased with God through God, pleasing, due to its tranquil repose (sukūn) in God, Mighty and Majestic is He.

Then enter among My servants.That is, among the company of My friends (awliyāʾ), who are My servants in truth (ḥaqqan).

And enter My paradise.Sahl said:Paradise is actually two paradises. One of them is the Garden itself, and the other is life with Life itself (ḥayāt bi-ḥayāt) and permanent subsistence with Permanent Subsistence itself. Similarly it has been related in a report that the angels say to those solely devoted to Him (munfaridūn) on the Day of Resurrection, �Proceed to your resting places in Paradise�, to which they say, �What is Paradise to us when we have devoted ourselves solely to [Him] because of a special understanding (maʿnā) which has been [granted] to us from Him? We do not want anything save Him � that is the only good life (ḥayāt ṭayyiba).� And God knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

I swear by this city,He said:That is, Mecca.

and you have free disposal of this city;This means: �On the day of the conquest of Mecca, We made it legitimate for you, so that you could kill whomever you wished among the disbelievers�, just as the Prophet said: �It was never made legitimate for anyone before, nor will it be made legitimate to anyone after me. However, it was made legitimate for me just for one hour in a day.� God, Exalted is He, swore by Mecca due to the fact that His Prophet resided there, as a way of honouring him and humiliating his enemies.

and [by] the parent and offspring,He said:Parent refers to Adam and offspring refers to Muḥammad .

We certainly created man in travail (kabad).That is, in [a state of] difficulty (mashaqqa) and hardship (shidda).He [also] said:Kabad also means erectness (intiṣāb) � that is, �We have created him in the belly [of his mother] keeping him erect�. This resembles Mujāhid�s saying: �The child sits in the belly of its mother in a upright position corresponding to the uprightness of the mother, and an angel is delegated, when the mother lies on her side, to raise up the child�s head and if it was not for that it would drown in blood.�His words, Exalted is He:

and given him guidance [concerning] the two paths? He said:�We have clearly shown him the path of goodness that he may follow it, and the path of evil that he may avoid it�, just as He said, Verily We have guided him to the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful [76:3]. It has also been said [that it refers to] management and devising (tadbīr). His words, Exalted is He:

Yet why does he not attempt the obstacle?He said:That is, �Will he not cross the Traverse (ṣirāṭ) and the obstacle (ʿaqaba) which is before it?� In its inner meaning there are two obstacles. One of them is the sins that he has committed, which stand before him like a mountain and which he can only traverse by setting a slave free, or feeding someone who is either destitute (miskīn), or totally abject from exertion (jahd) and deprivation (fāqa), or an orphan who is related to him, on a day of hunger (majāʿa) and hardship (shidda). The other obstacle is gnosis (maʿrifa), which the mystic is incapable of attaining, unless it be that, with [the assistance of] the power (ḥawl) and strength (quwwa) of God, he emancipates the slave of his soul from desire.

or to give food on a day of hunger,in order to uphold what is demanded by your faith, not by way of any oppression (ẓulm) or transgression (ṭughyān) that is for the pleasure of your natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ).

or [give food] to an orphan of kin (dhā maqraba)The orphan here refers to the heart (qalb), and its food is fidelity (wafāʾ). The destitute person (miskīn) refers to the mystic who is bewildered (mutaḥayyir) ⸢and grieving (ḥazīn)⸣. His food consists of [divine] graces (alṭāf). [Such a one] is in a state of proximity in �the eyes of� God (dhā maqraba ʿinda�Llāh), but in a state of need and misery (dhā �l-matraba) in the eyes of people [90:16]. His words, Exalted is He:

(while being one of those who believe and who) enjoin one another to steadfastness and enjoin one another to compassion.He said:That is, steadfastness (ṣabr) in keeping God�s commandments, and in being compassionate with people.The Messenger of God was once asked, �What is Islam?� He replied, �It is patience (ṣabr) and magnanimity (samāḥ).� Then he was asked, �What is faith?� He replied, �Goodness in speech (ṭayyib al-kalām), and offering [others] food.�Sahl said:The best speech (aṭyab al-kalām) is the remembrance (dhikr) of God, Exalted is He.

Those are the people of the Right Hand. That is, those who have kept themselves safe from the horrors (ahwāl) of that Day. They have no [sensory] perception other than of Him (lā yuḥissūna dūnahu), just as they were in this world; [thus they attain] life with Life itself (ḥayāt bi-ḥayāt), eternity with Eternity itself (azaliyya bi-azaliyya), and a mystery with Mystery itself (sirr bi-sirr). But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

By the day when it reveals her [the sun],He said:This means: the light of faith removes the darkness of ignorance and extinguishes the flames of the Fire.

and by the night when it enshrouds her,He said:This means: sins, and persistence in committing them, conceal the light of faith so that it does not shine within the heart, and does not manifest its effect in his qualitites (ṣifāt), just as the Prophet said, �Desire (hawā) and lust (shahwa) overwhelm knowledge (ʿilm), intellect (ʿaql) and lucidity (bayān).� [This is due] to the pre-eternal decree of God, Mighty and Majestic is He. His words, Exalted is He:

successful indeed will be the one who purifies it, He said:He who is granted [the ability to consider] (naẓar) the matter of his final return (maʿād), succeeds.

and he will indeed have failed who eclipses it.He said:The soul which is misled by God, Mighty and Majestic is He, such that it does not give the matter of its final return any consideration, will fail.His words, Exalted is He:

By the night as it enshrouds,He said:In its inner meaning it refers to the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ).

and [by] the day as it unveils,[It refers to] the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ).

and [by] the One who created the male and the female,That is, by the One who created fear (khawf) and hope (rajāʾ), fear being the male and hope being the female.

assuredly your efforts are dissimilar.There are some that are pure and some that are tainted with impurities (aḥdāth).

As for him who gives and is mindful [of God]! And affirms the truth of the best [word],Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq gave of his soul and wealth with all his effort, and was on his guard against acquiescing in his natural self. He affirmed the truth of the best [word] � the word which attests to the divine oneness (kalimat al-tawḥīd). It has also been said [that this means affirming the truth of] the reward (jazāʾ), or that it means sincerity (ikhlāṣ).

As for him who gives and is mindful [of God]! And affirms the truth of the best [word],Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq gave of his soul and wealth with all his effort, and was on his guard against acquiescing in his natural self. He affirmed the truth of the best [word] � the word which attests to the divine oneness (kalimat al-tawḥīd). It has also been said [that this means affirming the truth of] the reward (jazāʾ), or that it means sincerity (ikhlāṣ).

We shall surely ease his way to [the abode] of ease.That is, the return to goodness (khayr).

But as for one who is niggardly and deems himself self-sufficient,Abū Jahl was niggardly in offering obedience to God and His Prophet; and deems himself self-sufficient � he [Abū Jahl] made it self evident that he considered himself to have no need of either [God or His Prophet].

We shall surely ease his way to hardship,That is, We shall facilitate work[s] (ʿamal) for him � works that are as those of the people of the Fire. Do you not notice how He said directly after this:

and his wealth shall not avail him when he perishes.in the Fire.

Truly to Us belong the Hereafter and the first [life].The Hereafter is the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ), and the first [life] [i.e. this world] is the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ). He guides one person in the direction of [his] spiritual self and another in the direction of [his] natural self.His words, Exalted is He:

The [one who is] most mindful of God will be spared it,! he who gives his wealth away to purify himself,He said:The one who is most mindful of God (atqā) refers to al-Ṣiddiq [Abū Bakr] , who was among people the one with the greatest awareness of God; for [other] people gave and were mindful of God, but he did not even see the ephemeral (al-fānī), keeping for himself [only] the Everlasting (al-Bāqī). Thus [when] the Messenger of God asked [him], �What did you leave for yourself?�, he replied, �God and His Messenger.� His words, Exalted is He:

The [one who is] most mindful of God will be spared it,! he who gives his wealth away to purify himself,He said:The one who is most mindful of God (atqā) refers to al-Ṣiddiq [Abū Bakr] , who was among people the one with the greatest awareness of God; for [other] people gave and were mindful of God, but he did not even see the ephemeral (al-fānī), keeping for himself [only] the Everlasting (al-Bāqī). Thus [when] the Messenger of God asked [him], �What did you leave for yourself?�, he replied, �God and His Messenger.� His words, Exalted is He:

And verily [soon] he shall [himself] be pleased.He said:[pleased] with what is in store for him with Us, this being the position of [receiving God�s] favour (faḍl), not the position of [receiving] a reward (thawāb); a mystery with Mystery itself (sirr bi-sirr), life with Life itself (ḥayāt bi-ḥayāt) and eternity with Eternity itself (azaliyya bi-azaliyya). But God knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

By the forenoon,He said:In its inner meaning it is the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ).

and [by] the night when it is still,This means the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ) when it finds tranquil repose with the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ) in the constant remembrance (dhikr) of God, Exalted is He. His words, Exalted is He:

and verily, the life to come will be better for you than first [life]He said:What I have kept in store for you [Muḥammad], such as the Praiseworthy Station (maqām maḥmūd), and the place of intercession (maḥall al-shafāʿa), is better than that which I have given you in the life of the world, such as prophethood and messengership.His words, Exalted is He:

Did He not find you an orphan and shelter you?He said:Did He not find you alone and then gave you refuge with your Companions?

And did He not find you erring and then guide you?He said:He found you without knowledge of your own worth, so He made you aware of your great worth. He found you erring away from [understanding] the implications (maʿānī) of [God�s] unadulterated affection (maḥḍ mawadda) for you, so He gave you to drink of the draught of His affection in the cup of His love. Then He guided you to gnosis (maʿrifa) of Him and invested you with the robe of His prophethood and His messengership, that He might guide [you] by them [these distinctions] to proximity (qurb) with Him, and to His unicity (waḥdāniyya).He said:It also has another interpretation: And did he not find you, that is, your natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ) in need (faqīra) of the way of gnosis (sabīl al-maʿrifa).

And did He not find you needy and enrich you?He said:�He found your soul in bewilderment (ḥayrāna), craving (wāliha) for gnosis of Us, in need (faqīra) of it. Then [He] strengthened your spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ) and enriched it with theQurʾān and wisdom (ḥikma).� Indeed, the Prophet said, �Richness (ghinā) is not having an abundance of possessions; richness is only a richness of the soul.�

So, as for the orphan, do not oppress him,�For you have tasted [the bitterness of] being an orphan (yutm).�Then he said:Another interpretation is the following: �⸢So be gracious to the orphan (fa-ʾlṭuf bi�l-yatīm)⸣, for you know what it means for the heart of an orphan to receive benevolence (luṭf).� His words, Exalted is He:

Did We not expand your breast for you?He said:�Did We not dilate your breast for you, with the light of the Message (risāla), and make it a mine for the spiritual realities (maʿdan li�l-ḥaqāʾiq)?�He [further] said:The first expansion takes place through the light of Islam, just as He has said, Exalted is He, Whomever God desires to guide, He expands his breast to Islam [6:125].Then he said:Then He augments the degrees (manāzil) in addition [to this light], and the lights of [a believer] will be in proportion to the insights he has been granted.

[and did We not] relieve you of the burden?He said:This means: �We removed from you any acquiescence (sukūn) in other than Us, [that might arise] from the desire (himma) of the natural self, and We have made you peacefully reliant on Us, receiving [all] from Us, through Us.�His words, Exalted is He:

Did We not exalt your mention?He said:�We linked your name with Our name in the call to prayer (adhān) and the profession of the divine oneness (tawḥīd). Furthermore, a servant�s faith is not accepted until he believes in you.� His words, Exalted is He:

So truly with hardship comes ease,He said:God, Exalted is He, has magnified the state of hope (rajāʾ) in this verse out of His generosity (karam) and His hidden grace (khafī luṭfihi), and thus He mentions ease twice. Indeed, the Prophet said, �Hardship (ʿuṣr) will not overwhelm the two eases.� By this he meant: the discernment of the heart (fiṭnat al-qalb) and the intellect (ʿaql) are the two �eases� which take control of the natural self, and return it to the state of sincerity (ikhlāṣ). This is [also]the inner meaning of the verse, namely that along with the hardship (shidda) of the natural self (nafsal-ṭabʿ), in its need for God Himself (dhāt al-Ḥaqq), Mighty and Majestic is He, [and] for the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ), ⸢[there comes] the ease (suhūla) of the spiritual self⸣, the intellect (ʿaql) and the discernment of the heart (fiṭnat al-qalb), and this, in its inner meaning, [signifies]the confident abandonment (taskīn) of the heart of Muḥammad to the [divine] succour (iʿāna) in fear. So He [God] said, �Truly, We gave ascendancy (sallaṭnā) over your dense natural self, to the subtle [substances] (laṭāʾif) of your spiritual self, intellect, heart and understanding(fahm), all of which pre-existed as a momentous gift (mawhiba jalīla) before the creation appeared by a thousand years, and thus did they subdue the natural self.�

So when you are finished, toil,�[When you have completed] the prescribed prayer (ṣalāt), and you are seated, toil towards your Lord, and return to Him as you were before [the existence] of the natural self, before the appearance of the creation, alone with the One alone, a secret with a secret.� Hence, God granted him [Muḥammad] the likeness of his primordial rank in the world, just as the Prophet said, �Truly, I possess a moment (waqt) with God, during which I cannot attend to other than Him.� This is the inner meaning of the verse. Its outer meaning is what is obvious.Abū ʿAmr b. ʿAlāʾ related the [following story], saying, �We fled from al-Ḥajjāj to the desert, and lived there for a period of time going from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. One morning I was wandering through some neighbourhoods with a distracted mind, clouded heart and feeling downcast, when suddenly I heard an Arab shaykh [who was] passing by recite the followingverses: [khafīf metre]Impose patience upon your soul and every worry will vanish. For in patience there is a device [to undo every] deceitMaybe the self detests something in which lies relief,Like the releasing of the cords binding a camel.�The shaykh had not even completed the two couplets before I saw a knight calling out from afar, �Al-Ḥajjāj is dead!�� He [Abū ʿAmr] continued, �Then I asked the shaykh about the word �relief� (farja). He replied, �Furja with a ḍamm on the letter fāʾ is an opening in a wall or in the ʿūd or something similar, whereas farja with a fatḥa on the letter fāʾ is relief after hardship and misfortunes.�� Abū ʿAmr then said, �I did not know which I was happier about, the death of al-Ḥajjāj or the lesson from which I had benefitted.�His words, Exalted is He:

Verily We created man in the best of forms.He said:That is, in the finest stature and form.

Then We reduced him to the lowest of the low,That is, We transform him from state to state until he is overtaken by old age (haram).

except those who believe and perform righteous deeds�in their youth, for when they become weak and old, We command the angels to record for them deeds that they used to do in their youth; for they shall have an unfailing reward, that is, the rewards for their deeds will not cease, even though they are too weak to perform them. But God knows best. His words, Exalted is He:Nay, but man verily is wont to transgress the bounds (! when he sees himself as self-sufficient)He said:That is, the [mere] sight of one�s wealth (ruʾyat al-ghinā) brings about [a feeling] of independence(istighnāʾ), and the sense of independence gives rise to transgression (ṭughyān). Ḥasan [al-Baṣrī] said, �Short-sighted is the person who has had the world kept from him, yet does not realise that this is [a manifestation] of God�s regard for him. Moreover, short-sighted indeed is also the person who has had the world placed at his disposal, and does not fear that this may be a form of ruse (makr) that God is devising against him.� Then [Tustarī] said:By God, the world has not been made available to a servant without him transgressing as a consequence, no matter who they happened to be. Then he recited His words, Exalted is He, Nay, but man verily is wont to transgress the bounds! when he sees himself as self-sufficient.His words, Exalted is He:

except those who believe and perform righteous deeds�in their youth, for when they become weak and old, We command the angels to record for them deeds that they used to do in their youth; for they shall have an unfailing reward, that is, the rewards for their deeds will not cease, even though they are too weak to perform them. But God knows best. His words, Exalted is He:Nay, but man verily is wont to transgress the bounds (! when he sees himself as self-sufficient)He said:That is, the [mere] sight of one�s wealth (ruʾyat al-ghinā) brings about [a feeling] of independence(istighnāʾ), and the sense of independence gives rise to transgression (ṭughyān). Ḥasan [al-Baṣrī] said, �Short-sighted is the person who has had the world kept from him, yet does not realise that this is [a manifestation] of God�s regard for him. Moreover, short-sighted indeed is also the person who has had the world placed at his disposal, and does not fear that this may be a form of ruse (makr) that God is devising against him.� Then [Tustarī] said:By God, the world has not been made available to a servant without him transgressing as a consequence, no matter who they happened to be. Then he recited His words, Exalted is He, Nay, but man verily is wont to transgress the bounds! when he sees himself as self-sufficient.His words, Exalted is He:

Is he not aware that God sees?He said:Nothing can be behind His back. He is behind all that is behind.His words, Exalted is He:

Let him, then, call upon his council. He said:This means his tribe.

We shall call the Zabāniya. This means the keepers of Hell whose feet are on earth and heads in the heaven of this world. They are called Zabāniya from the word zabn, meaning the act of pushing away, for they push the people of Hell back on their tracks, using their arms and feet.When Abū Jahl heard the mention of the Zabāniya he fled to his people, upon which they asked him, �Have you become afraid of him [the Prophet]?� He replied, �No, but I fear the Zabāniya for I don�t know who they are.�His words, Exalted is He:

Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Great Merit.He said:On the Night of Great Merit [the descent of] mercy upon His servants was decreed.His words, Exalted is He:

(The angels and the Spirit descend by the leave of their Lord) with every command.! Peace�That is, safety from the cutting off (qaṭʿ) of the states [lit. moments, awqāt] of those who have gnosis of Him (ʿārifūna bihi), and those who preserve with Him the limits of the ordinances concerning the commands and prohibitions.But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

(The angels and the Spirit descend by the leave of their Lord) with every command.! Peace�That is, safety from the cutting off (qaṭʿ) of the states [lit. moments, awqāt] of those who have gnosis of Him (ʿārifūna bihi), and those who preserve with Him the limits of the ordinances concerning the commands and prohibitions.But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

And they were only commanded to worship God, devoting religion purely to HimHe said:All knowledge is concerned with acts (ḥarakāt), until the person attains sincerity (ikhlāṣ). Then when he reaches sincerity, he will attain profound peace (ṭumaʾnīna). For the one whose knowledge [has become] certainty (yaqīn) and whose works are [done in] sincerity, will find that God removes from him three things: anxiety (jazaʿ), ignorance (jahl) and action (ʿamal), and will grant him patience (ṣabr) in exchange for anxiety, knowledge in exchange for ignorance,and the abandonment of choice in exchange for action � but this will only be the case for those who have full awareness of God (muttaqūn). He was asked, �And what is sincerity (ikhlāṣ)?� He replied:It is responding (ijāba), and whoever does not respond has no sincerity. He also said:Sincerity has three facets: worshipping purely for God (ikhlāṣ al-ʿibāda li�Llāh), acting purely (ikhlāṣ al-ʿamal lahu) for Him, and [keeping one�s] heart purely for Him (ikhlāṣ al-qalb lahu). His words, Exalted is He:

�This is [the reward] for him who fears his Lord. He said:Fear (khashiya) is [experienced] privately, within [lit. is secret, sirr], whereas humble submission(khushūʿ) is shown openly (ʿalāniyya). As for the one whose bodily members are in a state of humble submission, Satan will not approach him.He was asked, �What is humble submission (khushūʿ)?� He replied:It is standing before God and being steadfast (ṣabr) in that. He [continued]:The perfection of fear [of God] (khashiya) is the abandonment of sins, [those that are committed]both in secret and openly.His words, Exalted is He:

On that Day, mankind shall issue forth in separate groups (to be shown their deeds).He said:Each person will be [made to] follow whatever he used to depend upon. Whoever depended upon God�s favour (faḍl) will follow His favour. Whoever depended on his [own] works will follow his works. Whoever depended on intercession (shafāʿa) will follow the intercession.His words, Exalted is He:

Whoever has done an atom�s weight of good will see it,He said:When this verse was sent down, the Messenger of God gave a sermon in which he said, �Nay indeed, this world has an array of goods that are ready to hand which are consumed by the righteous (barr) and the wicked (fājir) alike. Nay indeed, the Hereafter is truly an appointed hour in which the All-powerful King will make the decree. Nay indeed, all of goodness in its entirety is in Paradise. Nay indeed, all of evil, in its entirety is in the Hellfire. So be aware, since you have already been cautioned by God, and know that you will be shown your deeds, Whoever has done an atom�s weight of good will see it,! but whoever has done an atom�s weight of evil will see that. [99:7, 8]� Abū al-Dardāʾ said, �Perfection in the mindfulness of God (taqwā) is that the servant fears God to the point that he fears Him even concerning a mere atom�s weight, such that he leaves aside some of the things he considers to be legitimate, for fear of the possibility of its being forbidden. This will act as a screen between him and [doing] what is forbidden.� Sahl said:Do not consider any sin to be insignificant, even if it be small, for truly it has been said by some, �There are four things which come after a sin which are more serious that the sin itself: persistence [in sin], rejoicing [at it] (istibshār), deeming it insignificant (istiṣghār) and taking pride in it (iftikhār).�Ibn Masʿūd said, �The believer sees his sins as if he were at the foot of a mountain that he fears will fall on top on him, whereas the disbeliever sees sin as a fly which alights on his nose. Then he says, �It�s like this�, with a gesture of his hand [as if it will] fly off.�Then Sahl said:O assembly of Muslims! Indeed you have succeeded in professing on your tongue and believing with certainty in your heart that God is One, that there is none like Him, and that there is a Day for you on which He will resurrect you and on which He will question you about the [deedsyou did which were of an] atom�s weight.

Verily man is ungrateful (kanūdun) to his Lord,He said:[The word] kanūd means the ungrateful. He is the one who has broken the Covenant (khālafa al-ʿahd), avoids the truth (jānaba al-ṣidq) and is on intimate terms with his [lower] desire, at which point God makes him despair of acquiring any righteousness (birr) and mindfulness of God (taqwā).

And verily to that He is a witness,Meaning God is witness to his actions, his states and his secrets.

And verily he is avid in [his] love of wealth (khayr).He said:The wealth (khayr) which is intended here is of three kinds: love of the lower self (ḥubb al-nafs), love of the world (ḥubb al-dunyā) and the love of [base] desire (ḥubb al-hawā). It is called �good� (khayr) due to the conception of it that is held by its adherents. However [in reality] the good is only in three things: self-sufficiency with regard to, and independence from, people; [recognising one�s] utter neediness (iftiqār) for God, Mighty and Majestic is He; and fulfilling His commandments.But God knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

The Crashing Blow!! What is the Crashing Blow?He said:God strikes His enemies a crashing blow through His punishment.

The Crashing Blow!! What is the Crashing Blow?He said:God strikes His enemies a crashing blow through His punishment.

What will show you what the Crashing Blow is?This is a way of magnifying it due to its severity (shidda). Everything in the Qurʾān which is preceded by the words: What will show you? is something about which He has not yet provided information, just as He said: And what will explain [it] to you? The Hour may well be near [33:63]; He had not informed [the Prophet] of it up until His words: What will show you what the Crashing Blow is? Then He informed [him] about it.His words, Exalted is He:

A day [when] people will be like scattered moths.This means that they will bump into each other because of the awe (hayba) [they experience] before God, Mighty and Majestic is He. It has been said: the blow (qaraʿ) is threefold: the blow which strikes bodies is the arrow of death; the blow which strikes works is God�s questioning them; and the blow which strikes hearts is the fear of alienation.But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.His words, Exalted is He:

Nay indeed! You will come to know.Sahl said:The one who turned away from Me shall come to know that he will not find any like Me. Then he cited the following verse [in the wāfir metre]:You�ll remember Me if you try out someone other than Me,And you will realise I was for you a treasure.His words, Exalted is He:

No indeed! If you were to know with certainty,Certainty (yaqīn) is the fire, affirmation on the tongue is the wick (fatīla) and the deed is its oil (zayt). Certainty begins with unveiling (mukāshafa), then [comes] visual beholding (muʿāyana) and witnessing (mushāhada).His words, Exalted is He:

You will certainly see it with the eye of certainty (ʿayn al-yaqīn).He said:The eye of certainty (ʿayn al-yaqīn) is not an aspect of certainty, but it denotes the thing itself and its entirety (kulliyya).

Then on that Day you will assuredly be questioned about the comforts [of the world].He said:Not an hour of the night or day passes by the jinn and men among creation that does not contain a right (ḥaqq) which God holds over them, and which it is incumbent on them [to fulfil], whether they know it or are ignorant of it. And He ascertains their states on the Day of Resurrection.Then he [Sahl] recited: Then on that Day you will assuredly be questioned about the comforts [of the world].His words, Exalted is He:

By Time! (wa�l-ʿaṣr) That is: �By the Lord of time (Rabb al-dahr).� It has also been said [that He meant] �By the afternoon ⸢prayer⸣.�

Verily man is in [a state of] loss,This means: all the days of Abū Lahab were wasted.

except those who believe and perform righteous deeds�That is, they perform their religious obligations (farāʾiḍ) as prescribed for them; and enjoin one another to the truth, that is, to God, Mighty and Majestic is He; and enjoin one another to patience [in carrying out] His commandments. He was asked, �What is patience (ṣabr)?� He replied:⸢It is contentment (riḍā) and true [inner] verification of the truth (taṣdīq al-ṣidq).Then he was asked if there was anything more excellent (afḍal) than patience, and he replied:⸣ There is no better act than patience, and no greater reward than the reward for patience. There is no provision [for the way] (zād) except mindfulness of God (taqwā) and there is no mindfulnessof God without patience. There is no aid to patience for God�s sake save God, Mighty and Majestic is He. Then he was asked, �Is patience included among works?� He answered:Yes indeed. Patience is to action as is the status of the head to the body, the one is useless without the other.Then he was asked, �What is the time-span (ajl) of patience?� He replied:Its time-span is as long as it takes to wait for relief (intiẓār al-faraj) from God. [After this] he was asked, �What is the basis of patience?� to which he replied:It is striving [with] the self (mujāhadat al-nafs) to maintain acts of obedience and perform them according to their rules (aḥkām) and limits (ḥudūd), and struggling to avoid acts of transgression (maʿāṣī), whether big or small.He was asked, �What are the people who practise patience like?� He replied:People of patience are of two kinds: one kind practise patience for the sake of this world, until they acquire what they desire for themselves from it, this is a blameworthy form of patience. The other kind practise patience for the sake of the Hereafter, seeking its reward and fearing its punishment.Then he was asked, �Is there only one kind of patience for the sake of the Hereafter, or are there different kinds?� To which he replied:Patience for the sake of the Hereafter has four stations (maqāmāt), three of which are obligatory(farḍ) and one of which is a superogatory virtue (faḍīla). [The first three are:] patience [or steadfastness] in obedience to God, Mighty and Majestic is He; patience in [refraining from] His disobedience; and patience in the face of afflictions (maṣāʾib) from Him.

Woe to every backbiter (humaza), [who is] a slanderer (lumaza),Humaza means a �backbiter� (mughtāb), [a word which is used] when a person maligns someone in their absence; lumaza means a person who defames (ṭāʿin), [that is] he defames someone when he sees them. [The verse] was revealed with reference to al-Wālid b. al-Mughīra.

who amasses wealth and counts it over.He said:He exploited his wealth for his worldly life.

He thinks that his wealth will make him live forever.He said:That is, [he thinks] it will make him live forever in the abode of permanent subsistence (dār al-baqāʾ). It has also been said: [he thinks] it will make him live forever, [saving him from] death.His words, Exalted is He:

[It is] the fire of God, kept kindled,That is, it will not die down through consuming the skin and flesh, but [will go on burning] until its heat reaches the very hearts.Fire is of four kinds: the fire of lust (shahwa), the fire of wretchedness (shaqāwa), the fire of alienation [lit. being cut off, qaṭīʿa], and the fire of love (maḥabba). The fire of lust consumes acts of obedience (ṭāʿāt), the fire of wretchedness consumes the profession of God�s oneness (tawḥīd), the fire of alienation consumes hearts, but the fire of love consumes all fires. It has been related of ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn y that once he entered a cave with some of his companionsand found a woman alone there. He asked her who she was, and she answered, �I am one of God�s bondswomen. Get away from me so that this love (ḥubb) does not leave me!� Then ʿAlī asked her, �What is love?� She replied, �It is too hidden (akhfā) to be seen and too evident (abyan) to be concealed. Its concealment within a person�s interior is like the concealment of fire within a stone. When you strike it can be seen but when you leave it alone it remains hidden. Then she started to recite the following:Verily the lovers are preoccupied with their Master,Like the young men of the Cave, they know not how long they tarried! His words, Exalted is He:

Have you not considered the way in which your Lord dealt with the Men of the Elephant? He said:�Do you not know how your Lord dealt with your enemies while you had not yet appeared in this world? Thus will He treat your enemies while you are amongst them, and will avert their scheming (makr) from you.�His words, Exalted is He:

(And did He not unleash upon them) flights of birds?ʿIkrima said regarding these words of God, Exalted is He, �They are birds that came from the direction of the sea, and had heads like the heads of vipers.� It was said also, �They had heads like those of predatory beasts.� Their likeness had never been seen before that day nor has it been seen since. They proceeded to pelt them [the Men of the Elephant] with stones to infect their skin with smallpox. This was the first day on which a person infected with smallpox was seen. But God, Exalted is He, knows best what is correct.His words, Exalted is He:

For the security of the Quraysh,He said:This means: for the safety sought by the Quraysh for their two journeys.

[their security during] the winter journey,to Shām [Syria], and the journey of the summer, to Yemen. We destroyed the army of Yemen thus. It is as if He were saying to the Prophet , �Remind the Quraysh of the blessing that I bestowed on them before I sent you to them.�

let them worship the Lord of this House,That is, of Mecca.

who has fed them against hunger�for many years; �and secured them from fear of the Negus.But God knows best. His words, Exalted is He:

Have you seen him who denies the Judgement?He said:That is, the reckoning on the Day when people will be judged.

That is he who repels the orphan,That is, he turns him away from that which is his right.

and does not urge the feeding of the needy.That is, he does not feed the needy. This was revealed with reference to ʿĀṣim b. Wāʾil.

So woe to those who pray! but are heedless of their prayers,He said:They are the hypocrites who are negligent about the [prescribed] times for the prayers, and observing the requirements and obligations [of prayer]. This is a severe warning indicating that not everyone who has the appearance of being obedient and stands alongside the worshippers is actually an obedient person whose works are accepted. In the Psalms (zabūr) of David [are the words]: �Ask those who attend at the temples with their bodies, keeping the positions of the worshippers, while yet their hearts are occupied with the world, whether they value Me lightly, or are they trying to deceive Me?�In another tradition it is reported: �A person does not obtain any [benefit] from his prayer save that in which he was mindful (ʿaqala).� His words, Exalted is He:

So woe to those who pray! but are heedless of their prayers,He said:They are the hypocrites who are negligent about the [prescribed] times for the prayers, and observing the requirements and obligations [of prayer]. This is a severe warning indicating that not everyone who has the appearance of being obedient and stands alongside the worshippers is actually an obedient person whose works are accepted. In the Psalms (zabūr) of David [are the words]: �Ask those who attend at the temples with their bodies, keeping the positions of the worshippers, while yet their hearts are occupied with the world, whether they value Me lightly, or are they trying to deceive Me?�In another tradition it is reported: �A person does not obtain any [benefit] from his prayer save that in which he was mindful (ʿaqala).� His words, Exalted is He:

those who make a pretence [at worship],He said:This refers to the hidden form of association [idolatry] (shirk), for the hypocrites would perform their prayers well at the mosques, but when they were out of the sight of the Muslims, they would become lazy in performing them. Do you not notice how firstly He confirmed that they were among those who pray, then He threatened them with a warning. Know that association [idolatry] (shirk) is of two kinds: the association regarding God as such, Mighty and Majestic is He, and the association in a person�s dealing[s] (muʿāmala). Theassociation concerning [God] Himself is unforgivable. But as for the association in a person�s dealing[s], ⸢this is subject to a stern threat (waʿīd shadīd), and it is subject to the divine will (mashīʾat Allāh).He was asked about the meaning of �association regarding his dealings�, and he replied:⸣ It is as in the case of someone [who] makes the pilgrimage and prayers in the knowledge that other people will praise him for it. This is hidden association. In a tradition it is related, �Devote your works solely to God, for God accepts only what is sincere in a deed. And do not say, �This is for God� [for example] when you tie the bonds of kinship (raḥm); that is for kinship, there is nothing in it for God. ⸢Neither will it expiate [for you] any misdeed (maẓlama).⸣� Indeed, when Muʿādh requested of the Prophet , �Counsel me, O Messenger of God.� He [the Prophet ] said, �Be sincere to God and a small amount of deeds will suffice you.� His words, Exalted is He:

and refuse common kindnesses (māʿūn).He said:[The word] māʿūn refers to household necessities (matāʿ al-bayt). It has also been said that it refers to almsgiving (zakāt), and that it means wealth in the Abyssinian tongue.His words, Exalted is He:

We have assuredly given you Abundance [al-Kawthar].He said:When al-Qāsim died in Mecca and Ibrāhīm in Medina, the Quraysh said that Muḥammad had become heirless. He was angered by this. Then the verse came down, We have assuredly given you Abundance, [that is], �We are consoling him and compensating him with Abundance (al-Kawthar).� �[Al-Kawthar] is a pool from which you can give whomever you wish a drink, with My permission, and refuse whomever you wish a drink from it, with My permission.�

So pray to your Lord and make your sacrifice to Him! Indeed it is your antagonist who is cut off,from the good of both abodes. His words, Exalted is He:

So pray to your Lord and make your sacrifice to Him! Indeed it is your antagonist who is cut off,from the good of both abodes. His words, Exalted is He:

Say, �O disbelievers!He said:The mentioning of the [command] Say, is merely in response to the request put [to the Prophet ] by the disbelievers, �Worship our god for a month and we will worship your God for a year.� At their saying this, God, Exalted is He, sent down this sūra. He said, Say, �O disbelievers! They returned with, �What is the matter with you, O Muḥammad?� He replied [with God�s words]:

I do not worship what you worship,now.and you do not worship what I worship,now.

nor will I worship what you worship,in the future.

nor will you worship what I worship,in the future.

(You have your religion and I have a religion). You have your choice (ikhtiyār) for your religion and I have my choice for a religion. Then [this verse] was abrogated by the verse of the sword [9:5]. His words, Exalted is He:

When the help of God comes along with victory,He said:When the help of God comes for your religion, and victory for your religion.

and you see people entering God�s religion in throngs,and you see people, the people of Yemen, entering God�s religion in throngs, in multitudes (zumaran) � the tribe with its families, and the whole people. So, help your spirit (rūḥ) against your lower self (nafs) by preparing for the Hereafter, for it [the spirit] comes from it. The lower self desires the world because it comes from that, but the spirit desires the Hereafter because it comes from that. Gain ascendancy over the lower self and open for it the door to the Hereafter by glorifying [God] (tasbīḥ) and seeking forgiveness for your nation. From then on, he [the Prophet would seek forgiveness and glorify God] a hundred times in the morning and a hundred times in the evening. Furthermore, he would strive in worship night and day to the point where his feet swelled up, his eyes became red, and his cheeks became pale. He would smile little and weep and ponder a lot.It has been narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās y that he said, �When this sūra was revealed, the Companionsof the Prophet were gladdened by it, but Abū Bakr wept profusely. So the Messenger of God asked him �What makes you weep?� He said, �The parting of your soul has been announced for you O Messenger of God.� The Prophet said to him, �You have spoken the truth.� Then he said: �O God, grant him understanding of the religion, and teach him [the science of] interpretation (taʾwīl).� This is also a teaching in religion and glorification for his nation. Indeed Rabīʿ b. Khaythum said, �Reduce your speech except in nine [areas]: [in saying],�Glory be to God!�, �Praise be to God!�, �There is no god except God�, �God is Great�, and in the recitation of the Qurʾān, commanding what is right, forbidding what is wrong, asking for goodness and seeking refuge from evil.�

He is ever ready to relent.He accepts repentance over and over again, each time the servant repents to Him. And know that our Lord is too generous not to be with you, [assisting you] against your lower self. He [also] said: Truly God loves those who repent [2:222]. If you oppose your lower self, He will be �on its side� with a pardon and if you are on its side in opposition to God�s commandments and prohibitions, He will be against you. Whoever conforms to God�s commandments against his lower desire will be delivered, whereas whoever accedes to his lower desire in opposition to God�s commandments will be ruined. Indeed, the commandments of God, Exalted is He, are bitter whereas the desire of the lower self is sweet. Its similarity is none other than the likeness of delicious foods which contain within them the [bitterness] of aloes (ṣabr); whereas medicine is drunk despite its bitterness, because of the benefits that have been placed within it. One of the righteous used say, �Ah, the pity, even if You [do] forgive them! For among them, there is one who is wary of the withdrawal [of forgiveness], and another who weeps out of shame, even if he is pardoned.�His words, Exalted is He:

Perish the hands of Abū Lahab, and may he perish too!He said:That is, may his hands be ruined [lit. lost], and may he perish too! The first loss is the loss of his wealth and the other loss is in the loss of his soul. The meaning of loss is mentioned in what comes after this.He says:

His wealth will not avail him, nor what he has gained.[His wealth will not avail him,] in the Hereafter when he is brought to the Fire, nor what he has gained, that is, his sons, ʿUtba, ʿUtayba and Muʿtab.There is also another interpretation which is that the first Perish is like a supplication against him, while the second is describing the loss that will befall [him] according to that which has been pre-eternally destined [for him]. [This curse] is the response to Abū Lahab�s saying to the Prophet �May you perish!� when he gathered them together and invited them to the profession of God�s oneness, and warned them of the punishment with His words, And warn the nearest of your kinsfolk [26:214].His words, Exalted is He:

He will [soon] enter a flaming fire,Abū Lahab will be enveloped by the Fire in the Hereafter; a flaming fire, that is, it has no smoke.

And his wife�Umm Jamīl, �[will be] the carrier of firewood. It has been said that this means �the scandal mongerer� (nammāma). ʿIkrima said, �She used to carry thorns and throw them down in the path of the Prophet .�

with a rope of palm-fibre round her neck.That is, in the Fire it will be an iron chain like the iron pulley with which she will be dragged into it. She will be known by this distinguishing mark (ʿalāma) in Hell, just as she was well-known for hostility towards the Prophet . But God, be He glorified, knows best what is correct.Sahl was asked about sincerity (ikhlāṣ). He said:It is insolvency (iflās), that is to say, the one who knows that he is insolvent has realised the truth [of his situation].He [further] said:With these four verses God falsified all disbelief (kufr), and all [vain] desires (ahwāʾ). It was called the Sūra of Purity [of Faith] because it contains the declaration of God�s transcendence (tanzīh), Exalted is He, above all that is not fitting for Him.His words, Exalted is He:

Say: �He is God, One,He has neither equal (kufʾ) nor likeness (mathal).

God, the Self-Sufficient, Besought of all.He said:The Self-Sufficient, Besought of all (al-Ṣamad) is the Master (al-Sayyid) who is resorted to for all needs (ḥawāʾij) and exigencies (ʿawāriḍ). The meaning of [al-Ṣamad] is the One who is resorted to (al-Maṣmūd ilayhi).Then he said:The Self-Sufficient, Besought of all is the One who has no need of food and drink.

He neither begot,such that He appoints heirs, nor was begotten, for in that case His sovereignty (mulk) would be something temporal (muḥdath). It is also a confirmation of His unicity (waḥdāniyya), and a disavowal of His dependence on causes (asbāb), and a refutation (radd) of the disbelievers.

nor is there anyone equal to Him.�It means: no one is comparable to Him � [taking the word kufūʾ] as having been brought forward [in the verse].His words, Exalted is He:

Say, �I seek refuge in the Lord of the Daybreak,He said:Truly God, Exalted is He, commanded him [the Prophet] in these two sūras [113 and 114] to take refuge (iʿtiṣām) in Him, seek help (istiʿāna) from Him, and show [his] need (faqr) for Him.He was asked, �What is showing [one�s] need?� He replied:It is the [substitution of one] state by another (huwa�l-ḥāl bi�l-ḥāl), for the natural disposition (ṭabʿ) is dead [in and of itself] and its life is in displaying this. He also said:The best form of purification (ṭahāra) is that the servant purifies himself from [the illusion of] his own power (ḥawl) and strength (quwwa). Every act or saying that is not accompanied by the words: �there is no power or strength save in God�, will not have God�s support, Mighty and Majestic is He. Furthermore, every saying which is not accompanied by the proviso, will incur a punishment for [the person who said it], even if it was an act [or saying] of righteousness.And for every affliction (muṣība) which is received without being accompanied by the saying of �return� (istirjāʿ), the afflicted person will not be given steadfastness when facing it [affliction] on the Day of Resurrection.He said:According to Ibn ʿAbbās y, al-falaq means the morning (ṣubḥ) while according to al-Ḍaḥḥāk it refers to a valley in the Hellfire. [On the other hand], according to Wuhayb it refers to a chamber in Hell, and according to Ḥasan it refers to a well in Hell.It has also been said that He intended by it all people (jamīʿ al-khalq). Or it has been said that it refers to the rock from which water springs forth.

from the evil of that which He has created,from man and jinn. This is because Labīd b. Aʿṣam al-Yahūdī cast into the well of Banū Bayāḍa a spell against the Prophet, who used to frequent it. [One day as] he headed towards [the well] the spell [cast against him] possessed him and the Prophet became affected by it, so God sent down the two sūras of seeking refuge (muʿawwidhatayn), and the Angel Gabriel informed him of the magic spell. Then he sent two men among the Companions to [the well] and theytook it [the knot] out of the well. They brought it to the Prophet , upon which he started to untie the knot reciting the verses the while, so that the Messenger was cured without delay after having completed the two sūras.After this occurrence, Labīd used to go to the Prophet but he did not see any trace of [his spell] on the face of the Prophet , neither did he mention to him [what he had done].

and from the evil of darkness when it gathers,That is to say, when night falls, or it has been said that it means when the darkness intensifies. It has also been said [that it means]: when night first encroaches on [lit. �penetrates,� dakhala] the day, [that is], when night is just beginning, devils among the jinn are released and anyone who is afflicted in that hour will not recover.Sahl [also] said regarding and from the evil of darkness when it gathers:Its inner meaning refers to remembrance, when regard for the self enters it, thereby screening it from sincerity towards God in the remembrance [purely] of Him.and from the evil of the women-blowers,That is, the sorceresses who blow on knots.

and from the evil of the envier when he envies.�This means the Jews who envied the Prophet to the point that they practised sorcery against him. Ibn ʿAbbās said: In this verse [is a reference to] the lower self of a human being [lit. son of Adam] ⸢and his eye (wa ʿaynuhu)⸣. His words: Exalted is He:

From the evil of the slinking whisperer,Sahl was asked, �What is �a whispering� (waswasa)? He replied:Everything besides God, Exalted is He, is a whispering. Truly, when the heart of a person is with God, Exalted is He, it speaks from God, Exalted is He, but if it is with other than Him, it speaks from other than Him.Then he said:Whoever desires this world will not be saved from whispering. The position of whispering in relation to the servant is that of the evil-inciting self (nafs ammāra bi�l-sūʾ) when it mentions [a suggestion] to the natural disposition (ṭabʿ). The whispering of the Enemy (ʿaduww) within the breasts is as in His words, �who whispers in the breasts of people �! whether they be of jinn or mankind [114:5, 6], meaning within the breasts of jinn and men alike. The whispering of the lower self is within the heart, for God, Exalted is He, has said: �We know what his soul whispers to him. We are closer to him than his aorta.� [50:16]Knowledge (maʿrifa) of the lower self (nafs) is more elusive [lit. hidden, akhfī] than knowledge of the Enemy (ʿaduww), while knowledge of the Enemy is more apparent (ajlā) than knowledge of the world. The way to capture the enemy is through knowing him, for when you know him you have captured him, but if you do not know that he is the enemy then he has captured you.The similitude of the servant, the Enemy and the world is that of the hunter, the bird and the grain. The hunter is Satan (Iblīs), the bird is the servant and the grain is this world. There is not a [single] gaze (naẓar) that is not coveted by Satan. If you have been fasting [continuously] and wish to stop fasting he will say to you, �What will the people say? You, who are known for fasting, have given up fasting.� If you respond with, �What do I care about people?� he will say to you, �You have spoken rightly, so stop fasting for they will put the matter of the cessation of your fast down to good judgement and sincerity.� Likewise, if you are known for seclusion and you leave your seclusion, he will say, �What will people say? You have left your seclusion.� If yourespond by saying, �What do I care about people?� He will say, �You have spoken rightly, so give up your seclusion, for they will put the cessation of your seclusion down to good judgement and sincerity.