Divine Light Shines on the Mirror of the Heart

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn ‘Abbad ar-Rundi (r.a.) wrote Sharh al-Hikam ‘Atha’illah, a commentary on Shaykh Taj ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Atha’illah as-Sakandari’s (q.s.) Hikam. 

Shaykh ibn ‘Atha’illah as-Sakandari (q.s.) wrote, “How shall Divine Light shine upon a heart whose mirror is stamped with the impressions of Created things?  Or how shall it travel to Allah (s.w.t.) while chained in its lusts?  Or how shall it wish to enter the Presence of Allah (s.w.t.) while uncleansed from the impurity of forgetfulness of Him?  Or how shall it hope to understand subtle secrets while having not repented from its mistakes?” 

Imam ibn ‘Abbad ar-Rundi (r.a.) expounded, “It is impossible to bring two mutually exclusive opposites together.  Such as trying to unify movement and stillness or light and darkness.  These things that the author has mentioned are opposites that do not come together.  Thus, the light of faith and certainty illuminating the heart is an opposite of the darkness that overtakes it by relying on material forms and created things.  Likewise, for the traveler to Allah (s.w.t.) to cut off his lower self is opposite to letting his lusts and desires have free reign. 

Similarly, entering into the Presence of Allah (s.w.t.) requires that the servant’s internal self be pure and removed from bad traits, which is the opposite of his condition of impurity by not remembering Him; this impurity causes him to be removed and distanced from the Divine.  Finally, understanding subtle spiritual secrets comes about from Divine cognisance, which is the opposite of persisting in disobedience and mistakes. 

There is an allusion to this point in His Statement: 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

… وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ‌ۖ وَيُعَلِّمُڪُمُ … (٢٨٢) 

... So recognise Allah; for it is Allah Who Teaches you. … (Surah al-Baqarah:282) 

Also it has been reported in some ahadits, ‘Whoever acts by what he knows, Allah Makes him inherit knowledge of what he did not know.’” 

Imam ibn ‘Abbad ar-Rundi (r.a.) wrote that Imam Yahya ibn Ma’in (r.a.) related that Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal (r.a.) met Shaykh Abu al-Hasan Ahmad ibn Abu Hawari (q.s.) and asked him, “O Ahmad, narrate to me an account that you heard from your shaykh, Abu Sulayman.” 

Shaykh ibn Abu Hawari (q.s.) replied, “O Ahmad, say ‘Subhanallah’ without conceit.” 

Imam ibn Hanbal (r.a.) then uttered “Subhanallah” in a prolonged fashion without conceit. 

Shaykh ibn Abu Hawari (q.s.) then said, “I heard Abu Sulayman saying, ‘When a person’s soul resolves upon leaving sins, it moves about in the metaphysical world and returns to the servant with rare pieces of wisdom without any scholar teaching it any knowledge.’” 

Then, Imam ibn Hanbal (r.a.) stood up and sat down three times and said, “I haven’t heard in Islam any narration more wondrous to me than this.” 

Imam ibn ‘Abbad ar-Rundi (r.a.) then wrote, “Then, he mentioned the hadits we mentioned above, ‘Whoever acts by what he knows, Allah Causes him inherit knowledge of what he did not know.” 

Imam ibn Hanbal (r.a.) then said to Shaykh ibn Abu Hawari (q.s.), “You’ve spoken the truth and so did your shaykh.” 

Because these things are opposites, Shaykh ibn ‘Atha’illah as-Sakandari (q.s.) marvels at the one who believes that they can come together and at the one who craves to attain the ranks of the realised spiritualists while having the ugliest faults.