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1.The
Secrets of Secrets (Translated into English by Shaykh Tosun
Bayrak al - Jerrahi al Halveti)
Dear
Friend, Your heart is a polished mirror. You must wipe it
clean of the veil of dust which has gathered upon it, because
it is destined to reflect the light of divine secrets. (P.
XLIVII)
All
peace and blessings be upon his beloved Prophet Muhammad,
who was taught not by Man, but by him. He is his last Prophet,
the last link in the chain of Prophethood who was brought
to a world gone astray, the most honoured among his Prophets,
honoured by the most honoured of divine books. His progeny
are guides for seekers, his companions were chosen among
the good and benevolent. May abundant peace and blessings
be upon their souls.(P XLXIII)
Yahya
ibn Muadh al Razi, may Allah sanctify his secret, says,
'The beloved of Allah are the perfume of Allah upon this
world, but only the true, sincere believers have noses to
smell them.' They smell that beautiful perfume; they follow
that smell. That perfume creates a yearning in their hearts
for their Lord. (P. 16)
The
intimate of Allah is he who has brought himself to nothingness.
Only then can he see the existence of truth. There is no
will left in him to choose. There is no 'I' left other than
the only existence, which is the truth. (P. 17)
Saints
who are intimate with Allah have to travel through at least
a thousand stages, the first of which is the door of miracles.
(P. 17)
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As
the great saying goes,' Your existence is such a sin that
all other sins are small in comparison with it.' The wise
have often claimed that many good deeds done by good men
who have not reached the level of Allah's intimacy are no
better than the errors of those who have come close to Allah.
(P. 35)
Our
Master the Prophet (peace be upon him) describing the believer
who achieves truth through remembrance says, 'Believers
do not die. They only pass from this temporal life to the
everlasting life'. And they do there what they did here.
As he says, 'The prophets and the ones close to Allah continue
their worship in their graves as they did in their houses.'
The worship he mentions here is inward supplication of Allah,
not the prayer obligatory five times a day in this world,
with its standing, bowing and prostration. Inward supplication
is one of the principal qualities identifying the true believer.
(P. 48)
Shaqiq
al Balkhi, may Allah sanctify his secret, says, 'There are
five signs of righteousness: a gentle disposition and a
soft heart, shedding tears of regret, ascetism and not caring
about the world, being unambitious, and having a conscience.
(P. 62)
Our
Master the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: 'My state of
utter need, my poverty, is my pride.' The utter need and
love of Allah is the basis for the search of the dervish.
The state of poverty which, is the pride of our Master is
not the poverty of the lack of the worldly. It is the abandonment
of everything but the wish for the Essence of Allah. (P.
67)
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Knowledge together with action will bring you close to
the Knower who sends down knowledge from above. If you act
in accordance with this wisdom, which is the primary knowledge,
the fountain of secondary knowledge will also gush forth
upon you. (P. 28)
Reflect
on the work of art and you may attain to the artist.
(P. 32)
The treasures of piety include the concealment of secrets,
of misfortunes, of illnesses and of charitable giving. Give
charity with your right hand, and try to make sure that
your left hand knows nothing about it. (P. 33)
The
Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is reported
as having said: The harshest punishment Allah inflicts on
his servant is the quest for what has not been destined
for him. (P. 55)
Do
not be deceived by these learned men who are ignorant of
Allah. All their learning counts against them, not in their
favour. They are learned in the laws of Allah, but ignorant
of Allah himself. They give people orders which, they themselves
do not carry out, and forbid them to do things from which
they themselves do not abstain. They summon others to their
Lord of Truth, but they flee from him. They rebel and sin
against him flagrantly. I have their names recorded, and
written down and listed. (P. 85)
As
the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said:
Love Allah for providing you with his blessings, and love
me because of the love Alah has for me. (P. 149)
When
you speak, speak with a good intention and when you are
silent, be silent with a good intention. If anyone does
not make the intention before the deed he is not accredited
with the deed. (P.185)
O
Allah, inspire us with our right guidance, and grant us
refuge from the evil of our own selves. Make us preoccupied
with You to the exclusion of everyone apart from you. Separate
us from every separation that separates us from you. Inspire
us to remember You, to be grateful to you, and to worship
You well.
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One
of the wise is reported as having said:"The real meaning
of pious devotion (taqwa) is that if you were to gather
up everything that is in your heart, set it on an uncovered
tray, and then walk all around the market with it, there
would be nothing there to make you feel in any way embarrassed.
(P. 348)
The
Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is reported
as having said: In every specialised craft, you should seek
the help of a qualified expert.
The
Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is recorded
as having said: Part of the excellence of a man's Islam
is paying no attention to that which does not concern him.
(P. 406)
Surely
you have heard His saying (Almighty and glorious is He)
in one of his books: When someone is too busy remembering
Me to ask Me for anything, I give him the best of what I
give to those who ask. (P. 298)
As
Allah has said in one of His utterances: I am the boon companion
of one who remembers Me (P. 298)
He
has also said: I am with those who are broken - hearted
on account of Me. (P. 298)
There
is no escape from trial and tribulation, especially for
those who make pretentious claims. Were it not for tribulation
and trial, many people would lay claim to saintship. This
is why a certain wise man said: 'Tribulation has been put
in charge of saintship, so that it cannot be pretended.'
One of the marks of the saint is his patience with the insults
of creatures and his tolerant attitude toward them.
(P. 354)
Someone
asked him "Which is more intense, the fire of fear or
the fire of yearning ?"
To
this he replied: The fire of fear in the case of the
seeker and the fire of yearning in the case of the sought.
The former is one thing, and the latter is something else.
Which of the two fires do you experience, O questioner?
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