Letters from a Sûfî TeacherManiri, Sharaf al-Din Ahmad ibn Yahya
Islamic
Letters from a Sûfî Teacher
Maniri, Sharaf al-Din Ahmad ibn Yahya
Sufism -- Early works to 1800
Answer: There are many signs, but it is impossible to describe and fix
them. For all that, there is no sign or mood, the presence or absence
of which _alone_ would mark a Teacher or a pretender. In short, one
blessed with the Divine Grace should set his feet on the Path, turn
away from sensual pleasures and passional gratifications, and fix
his attention on God. Then the glance of some Perfect Teacher will
shine in the mirror of the heart.... When a true disciple catches
such a glance, he instantly contracts a love for the Beauty of His
Godly Strength, becomes restless and uneasy, and comes to the Path.
This uneasiness forbodes fortune and success. Perfect discipleship
consists in perfect love for the Beauty of the Teacher's Godly
Strength. A disciple should follow the wishes of his Teacher, and not
his own wishes.... In each locality there is a Teacher who protects
men living in that area. The King of the time is only one, but there
is an ordinary teacher in each town. According to tradition there are
always 365 Friends of God, who are the props of the world and the
channels of the transmission of blessing and mercy from heaven to
earth.... O brother, know for certain that this work has been before
thee and me (_i. e._, in bygone ages), and that each man has already
reached a certain stage. No one has begun this work for the first time.
Everything is according to Divine dispensation. Do you suppose 100,024
prophets to have ushered any new work into the world? By no means.
They stirred up what lay already in the bosom, and led man to what was
ordained for him by God....--_Letter 6._
ON DISCIPLESHIP.
Desire is a craving in the heart for a certain object. The craving
produces a stir in the heart, the stir arouses a tendency to seek for
the object. The nobler the object, the purer the desire....
Desire is threefold:--
(1) Desire for the world. It consists in the absorption of a man in the
seeking of worldly objects. Such a desire is a downright danger. When
it clouds the heart of a neophyte, it keeps him back from all virtues,
and lures him to failure. A life spent in the gratification of such a
desire deprives one of eternal happiness after resurrection.
(2) Desire for heaven. The soul transcends the previous stage,
longs for the heavenly state and permanent happiness, and practises
lifelong asceticism, so that he may attain his object on the day of
resurrection. The desire for heaven is nobler than the desire for the
world....
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