The Sixth Letter

Concerning

• (1) the significance of the all-compelling nature [qahhariyya] of the attraction [jadhba] exerted by the Lord of Truth (Exalted is He),
• (2) compliance therewith on the part of the rebellious forces of self-will [nafsaniyya], and
• (3) the occurrence of the resurrection of the spiritual traveler [qiyamat 'l-salik] in this world.

When the armies of the providential ecstasies [jadhabat] of:

Allah chooses for Himself  whomever He will. (42:13)
Allahu yajtabi ilai-hi man  yasha'u.

--have conquered the government of our hearts, they will humble and exercise the arrogant aspirations of our domineering selves [an-nufus al-ammara] with the bridles of the training of:

And strive for Allah's sake  with all the effort He deserves. (22:78)
wa jahidu fi 'llahi haqqa  jihadi-h.

They will confine the tyrants of passion inside the prison of dutiful devotion [taqwa], bound in the chains of strenuous exertion [mujahada], and they will shackle the Pharaohs of desire with the fetters of:

Obey Allah and obey the  Messenger. (4:59)
ati'u 'llaha wa ati'u  'r-rasula.

They will chastise the agents of our wishes and our preferences with the discipline of:

He who does wrong will have  the recompense thereof. (4:123)
man ya'mal su'an yujza bi-hi.

They will completely demolish the innovations that constitute our conventional habits and customary practices, along with the foundations that support the pillars of fraud and deception. The herald of the spiritual state [munadi 'l-hal] will proclaim, in the language of veracity [lisan as-sidq]:

Kings, when they enter a  township, ruin it and make the noblest of its people the lowest. (27:34)
inna 'l-muluka idha dakhalu  qaryatan afsadu-ha wa ja'alu a'izzata ahli-ha adhilla.

The courtyard of our hearts will thus be purified and cleansed of the stain made by the filthy refuse of the house of:

If anyone desires anything  other than Islam as a religion, it will never be accepted of him. (3:85) wa man yabtaghi ghaira  'l-islami dinan fa-lan yuqbala min-h.

--the gardens of our spirits will acquire a fragrance from the breezes of the gracious favors of:

He whom Allah guides, he is  indeed the one who is guided aright. (7:178) 
man yahdi 'llahu fa-huwa  'l-muhtadi.

--the surfaces of the leaves of our innermost beings will be engraved with the calligraphic markings of the subtleties of:

As for such, He has written  faith upon their hearts. (58:22)
ula'ika kataba fi qulubi-himu  'l-imana.

--and the lamp of our consciences will become the mirror of the lightning bolts of direct vision, through the shining rays of the lights of:

And Allah will perfect His  light. (61:8)
wa 'llahu mutimmu nuri-hi.

The spiritual state of the seeker will then fit the description of how it is to be:

On the day when the earth  will be changed to other than this earth.  (14:48)
yawma tubaddalu 'l-ardu  ghaira 'l-ardi.

The seemingly unshakable mountains of his ardent yearnings will disintegrate into scattered particles of dust [haba'an manthura], and he will say with the tongue of truthfulness:

And you will see the  mountains, which you suppose to be solidly fixed, flying by with the flight of clouds.  (27:88)
wa tara 'l-jibala tahsabu-ha  jamidatan wa hiya tamurru marra 's-sahab.

The Israfil of intense love ['ishq] will blow the trumpet of:

And the Trumpet will be  blown. (39:68)
wa nufikha fi 's-suri.

--until there is no longer any mystery about the stunning cause of:

So whoever is in the heavens  and whoever is in the earth will swoon away. (39:68)
fa-sa'iqa man fi 's-samawati  wa man fi 'l-ardi.

Then, just in time, the announcer of the good fortune of:

The greatest terror will not grieve them. (21:103)
la yahzunu-humu 'l-faza'u  'l-akbaru.

--will arrive to reinvigorate them. He will summon them to the highest heaven ['Illiyyun], a sure abode [maq'ad sidq]. As he delivers the glad tidings of:

Good news for you this day.  (57:12)
bushra-kumu 'l-yawma.

--he will open for them the gates of the Gardens of Delight, and he will say:

Peace be upon you. Well you  have fared, so enter in, to dwell therein forever. (39:73)
salamun 'alai-kum tibtum  fa-'dkhulu-ha khalidin.

--and they will say: 

Praise be to Allah, who has fulfilled His promise to us, and has caused us to inherit the land, for us to make our  dwelling wherever we will in the Garden [of Paradise]. How splendid is the wage of those  who labor! (39:74)

al-hamdu li'llahi 'lladhi  sadaqa-na wa'da-hu wa awratha-na 'l-arda natabawwa'u min al-jannati haithu nasha':  fa-ni'ma ajru al-'amilin.

Click here to return to the Fifteen Letters Table of Contents

Click here to return to the main page

The information presented here is copyright of Al-Baz Publishing, Inc. and may not be reproduced by any means for distribution or commercial gain.

Copyright holder grants to reader license to print single copy for personal use or study only.