The Fifth Letter
Concerning the significance of
the immediate presence [ma'iyya] of Allah (Exalted is He), and the fact that His knowledge (Exalted is He) embraces all things. My dear friend! When the suns of our spiritual experiences [ma'arif] rise from their
points of ascension in the skies of our innermost beings, the earths of our hearts will be illumined by the light of:
And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord. (39:69)
wa ashraqati 'l-ardu bi-nuri Rabbi-ha.
--and the coverings of the darkness of ignorance will be removed from the eyes of our minds, with the ointment of:
But now We have removed from you your covering. (50:22)
fa-kashafna 'an-ka ghita'a-ka.
The eyes of our inward intellects will then be dazzled by the radiant emanations of the lights of holiness
[al-quds]. Our processes of thought will wonder in amazement, at the disclosure of the marvelous secrets of the realm of the spiritual kingdom [al-malakut]. Excited by the thrill of ardent love [al-'ishq], the seeker will go
a-wandering in the deserts of the quest. Then, in the sites of nearness, the raptures of yearning [ghalabat ash-shawq] will become familiar to him, and the herald of:
Allah is truly Bountiful toward mankind. (10:60)
inna 'llaha la-Dhu Fadlin 'ala 'n-nasi.
--will proclaim:
And He is with you wherever you may be. (57:4)
wa Huwa ma'a-kum aina-ma kuntum.
Once he has discovered the secret of 'togetherness' [al-ma'iyya], the seeker will lose his personal existence, in compliance with the dictate of:
And do not set together with Allah another god. (51:51)
wa la taj'alu ma'a 'llahi ilahan akhar.
As soon as he has plunged into the sea of the personal extinction [fana'] of:
No part of the matter is your concern. (3:128)
laisa la-ka mina 'l-amri shai'un.
--so that he may obtain the jewel of the affirmation of
Oneness [tawhid], the waves of solicitude [ghaira] will fling him into the ocean of sublimity ['azama]. Each time he makes for the shore, in the plight of bewilderment, he must say: --for then he will be picked up by the rescue vessels of the kind favors of:
My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me! (28:16)
Rabbi inni zalamtu nafsi fa-'ghfir li.
And We have carried them on land and sea. (17:70)
wa hamalna-hum fi 'l-barri wa 'l-bahri.
--and they will set him down on the beach of the the tender kindness of:
We visit with Our mercy whom We will. (12:56)
nusibu bi-rahmati-na man nasha'u.
They will hand him the keys to the treasure houses of the mysteries of:
And Allah is always encompassing all things. (4:126)
wa kana 'llahu bi-kulli shai'in Muhita.
--and they will point out to him the indications of:
And that unto your Lord is the final destination. (53:42)
wa anna ila Rabbi-ka 'l-muntaha.
He will thereby come to know the meaning of:
And He revealed to His servant that which He revealed. (53:10)
fa-awha ila 'abdi-hi ma awha.
--and he will understand the implication of:
Indeed, he saw one of the greatest signs of his Lord. (53:18)
la-qad ra'a min ayati Rabbi-hi 'l-kubra.
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