Iqazh al-Himam fi Sharh al-Hikam, Chapter Two, Part Three

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is taken from the first chapter of Iqazh al-Himam fi Sharh al-Hikam, a commentary on al-Hikam of Shaykh Taj ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Atha’illah as-Sakandari (q.s.), by Shaykh Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ajibah (q.s.). 

Then Shaykh ibn ‘Atha’illah as-Sakandari (q.s.) mentioned the third adab, which is to abide where Allah (s.w.t.) has Made him abide: “Do not ask Him to Remove you from one state in order to Use you in another.  If He Wanted to, He could Use you without Removing you.” 

Part of the adab of the gnostic is be satisfied with the knowledge of Allah (s.w.t.) so that he can dispense with other than Him.  When Allah (s.w.t.) Establishes him in a state, he does not disdain it and seek to leave it for another state.  If Allah (s.w.t.) had Wanted to Remove him from that state and to Use him in another, He would Use him without being asked to Remove him.  He should remain where the Real has Established him until He is the One to Remove him as He Brought him into it: 

سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء

وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدۡخِلۡنِى مُدۡخَلَ صِدۡقٍ۬ وَأَخۡرِجۡنِى مُخۡرَجَ صِدۡقٍ۬ … (٨٠) 

Say: “O my Lord!  Let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honour, and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honour ...” (Surah al-Isra’:80) 

The sincere entry is that we enter it by Allah (s.w.t.) and the sincere exit is that we leave it by Allah (s.w.t.).  This is understanding from Allah (s.w.t.), and it is a sign of realised gnosis of Allah (s.w.t.).  When the gnostic of Allah (s.w.t.) is a bachelor, he does not wish to marry.  If he is married, he does not wish for divorce.  If he is poor, he does not wish for wealth.  If he is wealthy, he does not wish for poverty.  If he is healthy, he does not wish for illness.  If he is ill, he does not wish for health.  If he is mighty, he does not wish for abasement and if he is abased, he does not wish for might.  If he is constricted, he does not wish for expansion, and if he is expanded, he does not wish for contraction.  If he is strong, he does not wish for weakness, and if he is weak, he does not wish for strength.  If he is resident, he does not wish to travel, and if he traveling, he does not wish to settle.  It is the same for the rest of the states.  He waits to see what Allah (s.w.t.) will Do and does not look for what he will do by himself to achieve its removal.  He is like the corpse in the hands of the washer or like a pen in the fingers, as the author of al-‘Ayniyyah said, “I see myself as a tool and He Moves me.  I am a pen and the Decrees are the fingers.” 

Allah (s.w.t.) Says: 

سُوۡرَةُ القَصَص

وَرَبُّكَ يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَيَخۡتَارُ‌ۗ مَا ڪَانَ لَهُمُ ٱلۡخِيَرَةُ‌ۚ … (٦٨) 

Your Lord Does Create and Choose as He Pleases: no choice have they (in the matter) … (Surah al-Qaswasw:68) 

He also Says: 

سُوۡرَةُ ٱلدَّهۡر / الإنسَان

وَمَا تَشَآءُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ‌ۚ … (٣٠) 

But you will not, except as Allah Wills ... (Surah al-Insan 30) 

Allah (s.w.t.) Revealed to Dawud (a.s.), “Dawud, you will and I Will and it is only what I Will.  If you surrender to Me what I Will, I will Bring you what you will.  If you do not surrender to Me what I Will, I will Tire you in what you will and it will only be what I Will.” 

The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said, to Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sakhr ad-Dawsi az-Zahrani al-Azdi (r.a.), “The pen is dry about what you will meet.”  In another hadits, “The pens are dry and the scrolls are rolled up.” 

The shaykh of our shaykh, Shaykh Ahmad al-Yamani (q.s.) said, when he and his companions were asked about the reality of wilayah, “The reality on wilayah is that when a person sits in the shade he does not desire to sit in the Sun, and when he sits in the Sun, he does not desire to sit if the shade.” 

All of this is with choice rather than the necessary matter.  We already mentioned what Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn ‘Abdullah ash-Shadzili (q.s.) said, “One of the attributes of the perfect wali is that he only needs the state in which his Master has Established him in the moment,” that is he has no will except what issued from the element of the power and he does not desire other than it. 

When the gnostic receives a tajalli in any of these matters, as in moving from one state to another, he should be cautious and patient until he sees that it is from Allah (s.w.t.) by an outward or inward sign or a physical or spiritual voice.  He should attend to voices.  Allah (s.w.t.) Addresses him by whatever means He Wills.  This is a valid and tried business with the gnostics, so that they only move by Permission from Allah (s.w.t.) and His Rasulullah (s.a.w.) since there is no separation for the people of gatheredness.  May Allah (s.w.t.) Make us among them.  Amin.  All of this is when the state in which we are is in keeping with the shari’ah.  Otherwise, seek to leave it however possible. 

Then he mentioned the fourth adab, which is elevating the himmah above being and constant rising through the stations of gnosis.  When the aspiration of the wayfarer desires to halt at what has been Unveiled to him, then the invisible voices of Reality Call out to him, “What you are looking for is still before you!” 

When the outward aspects of created things display their beauty to him, then their inner reality calls out to him, “We are a trial!  We captivate and tempt you!  Do not disbelieve!” 

The himmah of the wayfarer is the force which impels him to travel.  Halting at a thing is the belief that he has reached is the goal or that it is enough.  The invisible voices of the unseen refer to the articulation of the state of unveiling of the source of the realised.  The thing displaying itself is its manifestation in a state of adornment with the intention of making one incline to them.  The outward aspect of beings is the beauty and wisdom which covers them and their adornment is breaking their normal patterns and obeying His Judgement.  Their realities are their inward light and it is the manifestation of the meaning in them.  The wayfarer is the one who witnesses the effect.  If he witnesses it in himself he is only a wayfarer and is travelling.  If he witnesses it by Allah (s.w.t.), he is a majdzub wayfarer. 

There are three stations which he passes through: annihilation in the Actions, annihilation in the Attributes, and Annihilation in the Essence.  We could say, annihilation in the Name, annihilation in the Essence, and annihilation in annihilation, which is the station of baqa’.  Then there is rising which has no end. 

When the secret of the tawhid of those actions is unveiled to the wayfarer and he tastes its sweetness and his himmah wants to stop with that station, the invisible voices of the reality of annihilation in the Attributes Call to him, “That which you seek is still ahead of you!”  When he rises to the station of annihilation in the Attributes and the secret of the tawhid of the Attributes is Unveiled to him, he looks towards the annihilation in the Essence and his himmah wants to stop at that station, the invisible voices of the reality of annihilation in the Essence Call out to him, “That which you seek is still ahead of you!”  When he rises to annihilation in the Essence and the secret of the tawhid of the Essence is Unveiled to him and his himmah wants to stop at that station, the invisible voices of the reality of annihilation of annihilation or the reality of baqa’ Call out to him, “That which you seek is still ahead of you!”  When he reaches baqa’, the invisible voices of unseen knowledge call to him: 

سُوۡرَةُ طٰه

… وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدۡنِى عِلۡمً۬ا (١١٤) 

… but say, “O my Lord!  Increase me in knowledge.” (Surah ThaHa:114) 

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “I cannot count Your Praises as You Praise Yourself.” 

Or, we could say when the murid is Given Unveiling of annihilation in the Name, tastes the sweetness of action and dzikr, and his himmah wants to stop with that, the invisible voices of annihilation in the Essence Call out to him, “That which you seek is still ahead of you.”  When he rises to the station of annihilation in the Essence and tastes its sweetness, but is not firmly fixed and satisfied, and his himmah wants to stop with that, the invisible voices of the reality of fixity Calls out, “That which you seek is still ahead of you!”  When he is firm and does not seek further rising, the invisible voices of ascent Call to him, “That which you seek is still ahead of you!”  It is like that with every station.  The one before him calls out to him: 

سُوۡرَةُ الاٴحزَاب

… يَـٰٓأَهۡلَ يَثۡرِبَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمۡ … (١٣) 

… “You men of Yatsrib!  You cannot stand (the attack)! ... (Surah al-Ahzab:13) 

When the outward aspects of beings display their beauty to the wayfarer or the gnostic by the breaking of normal patterns, obeying him and allowing him to dispose of them by his himmah, like walking on water, flying in the air, water springing up, producing food and the like of physical miracles and the himmah of the wayfarer wants to stop with their outward aspects and enjoy their physical sweetness, the invisible voices of the inner meanings Call out to him, “We are a trial to test you and see whether you are content with them rather than recognition of their Master and the One Who Manifested them, or if you will turn from them and pass to the light of their meanings and witness their Master and the One Who Makes them occur.  Do not disbelieve and deny the One Who Manifested them so that you deny and are among the ignorant.” 

In Bughyat as-Salik fi Ashraf al-Masalik, Shaykh Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Muhammad as-Sahili (q.s.) provided a metaphor for these stations and travelling through them.  He said, “It is like a King who appears at sunrise and sends us messengers with a letter from Him.  They read the letter of the King to us, and make us yearn intensely for Him by mentioning His Generosity and Good Qualities.  Some people turn away from obeying Him and submitting to Him.  They are the disbelievers.  Some people accept and believe but cannot rise to the Presence of the King.  They are the common Muslims who have weak love and certainty.  Some people yearn for the King and rise to His Presence and the messengers tell him, ‘We will travel with you and acquaint you with the Path’, and so they go in front of them and travel with them. 

The King Builds houses and stations where they can stop.  Each station is greater than the one before it, and that continues until they arrive at His Presence.  When they stop in the first station and see its beauty and splendour, they want to remain there.  The messengers who came from the King tell them, ‘What you seek is still ahead of you’.  So they get up and leave that station.  When they alight at the second, they find it to be greater than the first and so they want to remain there.  The messengers make them travel on to what is beyond it.  In this way they pass through the stations one after another until they bring them to the King.  They tell them, ‘Here you are with your Lord.’  So they are relieved of fatigue and enjoy sitting and looking.  What is meant by the messengers are the prophets, whom Allah (s.w.t.) Sent and their khulafah from those who follow in their footsteps among those who combine the reality and the shari’ah.  These stages are the stations through which the murid passes.” 

Shaykh Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn ‘Abdullah ash-Shushtari (q.s.) pointed out that one should not stop at these stations and miracles.  He said, “When travelling, do not turn to other, and all that is other than Allah (s.w.t.) is other.  Take His dzikr as Protection.  Do not remain in any station - it is a veil.  Strive in travelling and seek help.  Whenever you see of all the ranks which are displayed to you, leave them.  We left their like.  Say, ‘I have no goal other than Your Essence.’  There is no form manifested nor choice item plucked.” 

Know that these adabihah which the shaykh mentioned in this chapter are particular to the gnostic while others may share with him in them.  That is because it can be considered in a wide manner so that it is general because the murid may rise to a station, and there remains before him what he needs to complete, and Allah Knows Best.