The Fifteenth Letter

بِاسْمِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَاِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ اِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ

My ‘azîz brother!

Regarding your first question: Why could the Sahabah not discover the corrupters with the eye of walâyah, leading to three of the four Rightly-Guided Khalîfahs falling as shahîds? Whereas it is said that the lesser Sahabah is greater than the greatest awliyâ?

The Answer: There are two Stations in this matter.

FIRST STATION: This question is solved by explaining a subtle mystery of walâyah. It is as follows:

The walâyah of the Sahâbah, referred to as the Greatest Walâyah (Walâyah al-Kubra), is a walâyah — aring from the legacy of nubuwwah and passing directly from the dhâhir1 to haqiqah without traversing the barzakh of tarîqah — that looks to the unfolding of closeness (Aqrabîyyah2 ) to Allah. Although this path of walâyah is exceptionally short, it is immensely elevated. Its wonders are few, but its virtues abundant. Kashf and karâmât appear infrequently upon it. Moreover, the karâmât of the awliyâ is mostly involuntary; wonders manifest through them unexpectedly as a bestowal (ikrâm) of Allah. The majority of these kashf and karâmât occur during the ma’nawî journey of their rûh as they traverse the barzakh of the tarîqah; they become a place of manifestation for these extraordinary states because they have detached, to a degree, from ordinary human limitations. The Sahâbah, however, by virtue of the reflection, gravitational attraction and elixir of prophetic companionship, were not obliged to traverse the vast sphere of the ma’nawî journey of the rûh within the tarîqah. In a single step and through a single gathering, they could pass directly from the dhâhir to haqiqah.

For example: Just as there are two ways to reach the Night of Qadr of last night:

One is to travel for a whole year until one arrives at that night again. In order to gain this proximity (Qurbiyyah), the distance of a year must be traversed. This is the way of those who enter upon ma'nawî journeying, which most of the people of tarîqah follow.

The second is to strip off the sheath of the material body bound by time, to rise by the rûh through divesting of materiality and to see last night's Night of Qadr along with the Night of 'Id, which is the day after tomorrow, as present together like today. For the rûh is not bound by time. When human feelings and senses rise to the level of the rûh, present time expands. Times which are the past and the future for others are the present itself for such a person.

Thus, according to this analogy, in order to reach last night’s Night of Qadr, one must rise to the level of the rûh and see the past just as one sees the present. The basis of this profound mystery is the unfolding of closeness (Aqrabîyyah) to Allah.

For example: The sun is close to us because its light, heat and similitude are in our mirror and in our hand. But we are far from it. If we perceive its closeness in terms of its luminosity, understand our relation to its reflected image in our mirror, which is its similitude, come to know it through that means and know what its light, heat and overall form are, its closeness (aqrabîyyah) unfolds to us and we recognise it as near to us and become connected with it.

If we wish to draw close to it and get to know it from the standpoint of our distance, we are compelled to an extensive journeying of thought and an intellectual ascent; such that, by ascending in thought to the samâwât via scientific laws and conceiving of the sun in there, and after understanding the light and heat in it as well as the seven colours within its light through lengthy scientific investigations, we can barely attain that ma’nawî proximity (qurbîyyah) which the first man attained through a little tafakkur in his own mirror.

Thus, just like this analogy, nubuwwah and the walâyah within the inheritance of nubuwwah look to the unfolding of the mystery of closeness (aqrabîyyah). Other kinds of walâyah, however, proceed mostly upon the basis of proximity (qurbîyyah) and are compelled to traverse numerous degrees in their ma’nawî journeying and ascent.

SECOND STATION: Those who gave rise to those events and instigated the fitnah did not consist merely of a few Jews, such that discovering them would prevent the fitnah. As numerous diverse nations entered Islam, many conflicting and contradictory currents and ideas became intermingled. Especially since the national pride of some among them was grievously wounded by the blows of 'Umar (ra), out of their very disposition, they were waiting for an opportunity to take revenge. For not only had their ancient religion been abolished, but their ancient rule and sovereignty, which were the source of their honour, had also been destroyed. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, they became emotionally inclined to seek revenge upon Islamic rule. For this reason, it was said that a group of clever and scheming munâfiqs, such as the Jews, exploited that social condition.

This means that preventing those events could only be achieved by rectifying the social life and diverse ideas of that time, not by the discovery of one or two instigators of fitnah.

If it is said: “While standing on the minbar, Hazrat ‘Umar (r.a.) called out

يَا سَارِيَةُ اَلْجَبَلَ اَلْجَبَلَ 3

to his commander Sâriyah, who was a month’s journey away, enabling Sâriyah to hear him and causing a victory in terms of military strategy through a command manifested as a karâmah. Although this demonstrates how keen his sight was, why did he fail to perceive his assassin, Fîrûz, standing right next to him through that piercing gaze of walâyah?"

The Answer: We answer this with the very answer that the Hazrat Ya’qûb (as) gave. {Note:

زِ مِصْرَشْ بُوىِ پِيرَاهَنْ شِنِيدِى چِرَا دَرْ چَاهِ كَنْعَانَشْ نَدِيدِى بَگُفْتْ اَحْوَالِ مَا بَرْقِ جِهَانَسْتْ دَمِى پَيْدَا و دِيگَرْ دَمْ نِهَانَسْتْ گَهِى بَرْ طَارُمِ اَعْلَى نِشِينَمْ گَهِى بَرْ پُشْتِ پَاىِ خُودْ نَبِينَم

That is to say, Hazrat Ya’qûb was asked: 'How was it that you caught the scent of Yûsuf's shirt coming from Egypt, yet failed to see him in the well of Canaan nearby?' He answered: 'Our state is like flashing lightning; at one moment it appears and at another it is hidden. At times it is as though we are seated on the highest spot and see everywhere, while at other times we cannot even see the top of our own foot.’

In conclusion: Although man is an agent endowed with free choice, according to the mystery of the âyah,

وَمَا تَشَاؤُنَ اِلاَّ اَنْ يَشَاءَ اللّٰهُ 4 ,

the execution of the Irâdah of Allah is fundamental and qadar is dominant. The execution of the Irâdah of Allah turns back human desire. The hadîth,

اِذَا جَاءَ الْقَدَرُ عُمِىَ الْبَصَرُ5

executes its decree. Once qadar speaks, human power cannot speak, and his partial will (juz’ al-ikhtiyârî) falls silent.