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
Once upon a time =Zunnoon= sent a disciple of his, to enquire about
=Bâyazîd=. When the disciple reached the latter's house at Bustâm,
he found him seated on the floor of his cottage. But he did not know
that he was =Bâyazîd=. =Bâyazîd= asked the disciple what he wanted. He
said he wanted to see =Bâyazîd=. =Bâyazîd= replied: "Which =Bâyazîd=
do you want, and whence? Now I am =Bâyazîd=, yet I have been in search
of =Bâyazîd= for several years, and to no effect." The disciple took
him for a madcap, and, returning, reported the matter to =Zunnoon=.
=Zunnoon= with tears in his eyes exclaimed: "Our brother =Bâyazîd= has
gone forth into God with the true Devotees." ...
There was one =Helâl=, a slave to =Mogîra=. On his death the Prophet
with his companions went to the house of =Mogîra=. The latter was not
even aware of the death of =Helâl=, for none took care of him, alive or
dead, as he was the lowliest in the household. =Mogîra= came to receive
the party and kissed the blessed feet of the Prophet. The Prophet
asked =Mogîra= what had happened in the household. He said that all was
well. The Prophet went on: "=Mogîra=, the worthiest of your household
has departed, and you do not know of it." =Mogîra=, astonished,
remarked "I never supposed =Helâl= to have been so advanced." ... The
Prophet was then (at His request) taken to the place where the dead
body was. He found it in a stable at the feet of the beasts, clasped
the head and said with tears in His eyes: "=Helâl=, thy body lies on
this earth, but thy Soul is with the Lord." All the saints and chiefs
then wished in earnest devotion to have been the dust of =Helâl's=
feet. The Prophet continued: "There are seven men in each cycle who
support the world by their blessings and lead the faithful to victory
by their magnanimity. =Helâl= was the Head of these."--_Letter 87._
HEEDLESSNESS.
Heedlessness is blamed by all creeds and sects. It is heedlessness that
lies at the root of all failures.
It has been said. When a man heedlessly approaches the Path, the Devil
warns him, saying: "I was the Teacher of the celestial Hosts, but I
lost that post. Now I guard the Gate of the Path. You may enter with
the pass of Devotion only--else will you have to share my fate, being
unfit for the Path." ...
Everlasting purity is the character of the angel; lifelong
transgression is the character of the devil; turning with sorrow from
sin to purity is the character of man. Lifelong purity is impossible
for man. He is born imperfect, void of reason, with desires (the
agents of the Devil) in full sway. Reason (the curb of desires and
the light of the angelic essence) develops later--_i. e._, after the
capture of the heart by desires. Hence the necessity of Turning and
self-discipline, _pari-passu_ with the development of reason, for the
recovery of the heart from desires and the Devil.--_Letter 88._
SORROW.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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