_The soul_ of man is _of_ God, not _from_ God, an exile from Him; it lives in the body as in a prison and banishment from God. Before its exile the soul saw _Truth_, but here it only has glimpses “to awaken the slumbering memory of the past.” The object of all Sufi teaching is to lead the soul onward by degrees to reach that stage again. “You say ‘the sea and the waves,’ but in that remark you do not believe that you signify distinct objects, for the sea when it heaves produces waves, and the waves when they settle down again become sea; in the same manner men are the waves of God, and after death return to His bosom. Or, you trace with ink upon paper the letters of the alphabet, a, b, c; but these letters are not distinct from the ink which enabled you to write them; in the same manner the creation is the alphabet of God, and is lost in Him.” RELIGIONS _are matters of indifference_; still they serve as stepping-stones to realities. Some are more useful than others, among which is al-Islam, of which Sufism is the true philosophy. THE WORLD, &c. _The world is life_ and intellect, as far as the mineral kingdom; but the manifestation of intellect in everybody is determined by the temperature of the human constitution. Sometimes beauty attains an excellence which is uttered with ecstacy, and becomes a modulation more powerful than that which strikes the ear; and this is the work of the prophet. THE TARIGAH OR “JOURNEY OF LIFE” AND ITS STATES. The main duty of this life is _Meditation on the Unity of Deity_ (wahdaniyah), the _Remembrance of God’s Name_ (Zikr), and _Progression in the Tarigah_ (the Path, the Journey of Life). Human life is a _journey_ (safar) and the seekers after God are _travellers_ (salik). _Perfect knowledge_ (marifah) of Deity as diffused throughout creation is the purpose of the journey. _Sufism is the guide_, and the _end of the journey, is Union with God_. The natural state of every human being is nasut. In this state the disciple can not yet observe the Law (shariat). This is the lowest form of spiritual existence. The states in the Tarigah are the following: The first state is called _Shariat_—the _state of law or method_. The student’s passions are in this degree checked by a rigid observance of ritual, &c., whereby he learns human nature and to respect order and finds out for himself the rudiments of a knowledge of God. The second state is _Tureequt_ or the way, or road. This state implies mental or spiritual worship, abstracted totally from the above. The student learns to see the propædeutic nature of ceremonies and devotes himself to realities. At this stage the ascetic exercises begin and he holds communion with _Melkut_ or the angelic world.