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

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 sixth adab, which is submission and contentment in what the decree brings. He said, “Every breath you breathe emerges according to a Preordained Decree.” 

“Breath” means a moment of time, the amount of which is the time it takes to exhale and inhale.  It is longer than the twinkling of an eye which is longer than an instant, which is the glance of the eye.  The Decree is the prior knowledge of things before they appear.  He Knows best their times, loci, amounts, and the number of individuals and their circumstances and the afflictions which befall them. 

Human being, when we realise that our breaths are contained by the Decree and nothing emerges from us or anyone else except that He Knows it before and it proceeds accordingly, then we must be pleased with all that the Decree Brings.  Our breaths are numbered as are our glances and instants.  When the last of our breaths ends, we will travel to the Next World.  If the breaths are numbered, then why are we concerned with steps and thoughts and other movements? 

The reality of ridha’, contentment, is to meet destructive matters with a smiling face.  The reality of submission is that vengeance and blessing are the same: there is no choice in either of them.  This is the station of the people of perfection who have realised vanishing.  May Allah (s.w.t.) Give us the benefit of their dzikr, and join us to them.  Amin. 

Then he mentioned the seventh adab which is constant watchfulness and continuous witnessing: “Do not look forward to being quit of others - that will cut you off from watchful awareness of Him in the place where He has Put you.” 

Watchfulness is waiting.  “Others” designates what changes the heart from its state.  It is usually used for changing from the state of perfection to a state of imperfection.  The Sufis consider that all that distracts one from the Presence and alters the heart is “other”.  Watchfulness is guarding the heart so that it does not leave the presence of the Lord. What is meant by it in the words of the shaykh is general guarding, which is watching over the heart, as was already stated.  The watchfulness over the ruh is keeping it in constant witnessing and watchfulness over the secret is keeping it in constant rising and adab. 

When Allah (s.w.t.) Puts us in a state in which the existence of others dominates us by the dominance of the sensory in that state, as when He Puts us outwardly in worldly work which we must have, then strive to keep our heart in the Presence so that heedlessness does not rob us, or strive to keep our ruh in constant witnessing so that the sensory does not rob us, or strive so that our secret seeks gifts and knowledge, so that does not bring about laxness.  Do not watch, wait to be free of our work with those others so that the presence of our heart is put off until our work is finished.  Thereby, we will miss watchfulness in that state in which Allah (s.w.t.) has put us.  That would be bad adab on our part.  That would also involve wasting that moment and not dealing with Allah (s.w.t.) in it.  Not making use of moments cannot be made up. 

I heard that when Mawlay Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad al-‘Arabi ibn Ahmad ad-Darqawi (q.s.) saw his companions working and feared that the sensory would rob them, he called to them in his loudest voice, “You!  You!” to alert them and wake up from witnessing the sensory.  Shaykh ‘Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ahmad ash-Sha’rani (r.a.) mentioned, in Lawaqih al-Anwar al-Qudsiyyah fi bayan al-‘Uhud al-Muhammadiyyah, that one of the shuyukh was never absent from Allah (s.w.t.), even during sexual intercourse.  This is the business of the people of divine concern among the gnostics.  This is gatheredness of gatheredness.  Allah Knows best. 

This is not repetition in spite of what we said before about putting off action until we have nothing else to do, because that is about the actions of the limbs and this is about the action of the hearts.  That is shown here by his use of watchful awareness, and its consideration and then referring to actions.  The benefit is better than repetition.  Success is by Allah (s.w.t.). 

When we obtain watchfulness or witnessing in the state of others, we do not find it strange that we see impurities and we should not deny that.  He indicated this: “Do not think that worry and sorrow are out of place, as long as you are in this world.  It only brings forth what its attribute and quality demand.” 

Thinking something out of place refers to when a thing becomes strange so that it seems extraordinary.  Impurities are what affects the self and pains it.  What its attribute demands is that with which it should described and its necessary quality is that with which it must be described.  One of them said that the attribute describes intrinsic matters and the quality describes non-essentials which are temporary.  Intrinsic matters are like whiteness, blackness, height, and shortness, and the non-essentials are like illness and health, joy and sorrow and the like of that.  What is meant here by attributes are things which re-occur, like death and illness and what occurs often.  Qualities are those which rarely occur normally, like civil war, bloodshed and earthquakes because they said that attributes are intrinsic and attributes are non-essential.  It is said that they are the same thing, and that is valid. 

Part of the adab of the gnostic is not to think that any of the tajalliyat of the Real are out of place and not to be surprised at any of them, whatever they are, majestic or beautiful.  If overwhelming events, sorrows or majestic others occur in this abode, do not find that out of place because the tajalliyat of this abode are mostly majestic because it is the abode of terrors and the state of separation and departure. 

In a hadits, the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, in one of his speeches, “People!  This abode is the abode of destruction, not the abode of stability, and the station of sorrow, not the station of joy.  Whoever knows that does not rejoice in its ease nor is he is saddened at its misery.  Allah (s.w.t.) Created this world as the abode of affliction and the next world as the Abode of the end.”  So He Made this world a reason for the reward of the next world, and the reward of the next world as recompense for the afflictions of this world.  So He Takes to Give, and Afflicts to Repay.  This world passes away quickly and will soon be upended.  So beware of the sweetness of its suckling because of the bitterness of its weaning.  Shun its immediate pleasure because of its hateful end.  Do not strive to cultivate this abode which Allah (s.w.t.) will Ruin nor strive to obtain it when Allah (s.w.t.) Desires that we avoid it.  Then we would expose ourselves to His Anger and merit His Punishment. 

Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Junayd ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi (q.s.) said, “I do not regard what comes to me of the world as ugly because I have a principle: it is that this abode is the abode of worry, sorrow, affliction and trial.  The entire world is evil.  Part of its judgement is that it brings me all I dislike.  If it brings me with what I love, it is bounty.  Otherwise, the basis is the first one.” 

It is said about that: 

“In his intellect, the intelligent person makes a visual image of his hardships before they occur.

Even if they arrive unexpectedly, they do not alarm him because of the image in himself.

He sees that the business will lead to another,

And so its end becomes a beginning.

The ignorant person feels that his days are safe and forgets previous misfortunes.

If the vicissitudes of time surprise him with some afflictions, he is distressed.

If he has prior resolve, it is by his knowledge of steadfastness in the face of affliction.” 

Shaykh Abu Sulayman ad-Darani (r.a.) said to Shaykh Abu al-Hasan Ahmad bin Abu al-Hawari (q.s.), “Ahmad, a little hunger, a little nakedness, a little abasement, and a little steadfastness.  The days of this world will come to an end for you.” 

Gnostic, therefore do think that the sorrows which occurs to us and others are out of place as long as we are residing in this abode?  What issues in it of the majestic tajalliyat is only what it should be described with and what its quality must be.  So do not think anything out of place and do not marvel at anything.  Our duty is to recognise Allah (s.w.t.) in His Majesty and Beauty, sweetness and bitterness.  As for the one who does recognise Him in beauty, that is the action of the common.  Recognition in majesty is stillness, adab, pleasure, and submission.  So the faqir must be like the rush plant.  When the attack of the flash flood comes, it bows its head, and when it goes, it lifts its head. 

As we should not find the occurrence of impurities to be out of place, we should not be sad, nor fear, and nor be alarmed.  Similarly, do not wonder at the occurrence of joys, which is beauty, so we should not be joyful nor reckless.  Majesty is bound to beauty and beauty is bound to majesty and they alternate just as day and night alternate.  The gnostic takes on the cooler of each of them.  He does not find anything out of place nor marvel at anything since all that issues from the element of power is one. 

This is the source of the distinction between the swadiq and the swiddiq because the swiddiq is not amazed at anything and does not hesitate about anything he is Promised, which differs from the swadiq.  Whenever he sees something unusual, he marvels at it.  When he is promised something, he hesitates to obey it. 

Allah (s.w.t.) Describes Maryam (a.s.) as swiddiqah but did not describe Sayyidah Sarah (r.a.) as that because when Sayyidah Sarah (r.a.) was Given the good news of the child as a miracle, she thought it odd and said, “This is something extraordinary!” 

That is why the angels said to her, “Do you marvel at the Command of Allah (s.w.t.)?”  That was not the case with Maryam (a.s.).  She did not think it strange.  She only asked a question for information, or ask about the time of that, or how it would be and whether it was a marriage or something else, and Allah Knows best.