This is not devotion as ordinarily understood (_i. e._ prayer, fast, almsgiving, etc.). Allegiance to a Master is in itself Devotion; progress on the Path is its fruit. A brief prayer, a day's fast, or a simple charity, performed or given in obedience to a Master's direction, are more beneficial than long protracted prayers, or splendid gifts, performed or given in response to the call of the desire-nature. As a qualification for the Path, seek to get rid of old habits. But it is not possible to get rid of old habits and purify the dross without the service of a Master, since He alone can, by His Knowledge, gradually drive out the host of the evil elements, and help one towards the realisation of "There is no God save =Allâh=." Continue thy seeking till _the_ Seeking unveils Itself, and destroys thy self in Thee. Henceforth the Disciple has nothing to do: the Seeking will Itself lead him on. So long as thou seekest any but the Beloved, no Seeker art thou. How then canst thou be wholly His? By wholly turning to Him. He can afford to have thousands of friends, for He can reach all alike. The Sun is with all--east and west, Hindu and Turk--for His range is unlimited. But _thou_ art limited in capacity, and canst not feel the warmth of His rays unless thou wholly expose thyself to Him. All the worlds are benefited by Him, yet He does not lose in the least. * * * * * Here one should guard against a possible misunderstanding. To love a thing as a _means_ does not interfere with the love for the _end_ or the _final_ object. Our foes even ought to be loved as connected with the Lord. This is not a division of love, but its perfection. Love is a peculiar state: friendship with foes is possible only here. =Abul Abbâs=--peace be on him--said to a party marching to war against the unbelievers, "Would I might lick the dust of the feet of the unbelievers whom ye would kill for His sake." The care of a scholar for pen and paper cannot be said to divert his attention from learning. The _real_ object of love ought to be only one (_i. e._ God), but loving others as subservient to the final object (_i. e._ Divine Love) is by no means harmful. If a man loves God, he must love the Prophets and the Masters--nay, if he ponders well, he must love _all_ as connected with Him. All the universe is His work and is certainly Himself. "Duality does not approach Thy Sanctuary: the whole world is Thyself and Thy Energy. The Universe is the shadow of Thy Presence; all is the result of Thy mighty Workmanship." But if it be the Divine Will to put an end to a certain work of His, using thee as instrument, thou as a devotee must destroy it, and none should accuse thee of lack of respect for His work. This is a very high stage. If =Mohammad= and His blessed companions killed the unbelievers, they did so in obedience to the Divine Will. The lover has not to seek his own pleasure.--_Letter 66._ CONFIDENCE.