Reflections

The Tenth Note

O heedless and bewildered Said! If you wish to attain and perceive marifatullah, which appears as a light; if you wish to behold its manifestations through signs and witnesses that serve as mirrors, and contemplate it through the windows of proofs, then never look with criticism or doubt upon any light of marifatullah that comes to you, shines within your heart, or flashes across your mind.

Do not stretch out your hand in an attempt to seize the light that appears before you. Rather, free yourself from all that leads to heedlessness, turn toward those lights, and wait in stillness. For I have observed that the testimonies and proofs of marifatullah are of three kinds.

The first is like water: visible and perceptible, yet impossible to grasp with the fingers. To experience this kind of proof, one must free oneself from illusions and immerse oneself in it completely. It cannot be approached with a critical or doubtful gaze; if it is, it slips away and disappears. This water of life will not remain within your fingers.

The second is like air: perceptible, yet neither visible nor graspable. Turn your face, your mouth, and your soul toward that breeze of mercy. Do not extend the hand of criticism toward it, for you cannot seize it. Breathe it in with your soul. Do not approach it with a critical gaze, or it will flee and disappear. It will not remain in your hand; it takes no pleasure in being held there.

The third is like light: visible, yet neither tangible nor graspable. Therefore, direct the eye of your heart and the gaze of your soul toward it, keep your attention fixed upon it, and wait. It will reveal itself of its own accord.

For light cannot be seized by the hand or caught between the fingers; it can only be perceived by the eye of the heart. If you stretch out your material hand toward it and attempt to weigh it with material instruments, it may not be extinguished, but it will conceal itself.

Such a light does not submit to material confinement. Such a manifestation cannot exist under restriction, nor will it ever acknowledge matter as its owner or master.

The Eleventh Note

Know that the expressions of the Qur’an are filled with mercy and compassion, for the majority of those it addresses are ordinary people whose understanding is simple. Since their vision cannot readily penetrate to subtle and intricate wonders, the Qur’an repeatedly draws their attention to the great signs and miracles manifested in the heavens and on the earth. By presenting these vast and evident signs, it takes into account the limitations of their perception.

For example, it teaches through clear and readily observable signs such as the creation of the heavens and the earth, the sending down of rain from the sky, and the revival of the earth. Only rarely does it draw attention to the subtle and minute signs concealed within those greater signs, for most people would find it difficult to reflect upon and comprehend them.