Untitled

The Essence of Reality
A Defense of Philosophical Sufism

Library of Arabic Literature
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Philip F. Kennedy, New York University
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Huda Fakhreddine, University of Pennsylvania
Lara Harb, Princeton University
Maya Kesrouany, New York University Abu Dhabi
Enass Khansa, American University of Beirut
Bilal Orfali, American University of Beirut
Maurice Pomerantz, New York University Abu Dhabi
Mohammed Rustom, Carleton University
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Amani Al-Zoubi
In memory of Richard Blackburn, my first Arabic teacher
Letter from the General Editor
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General Editor, Library of Arabic Literature
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A Defense of Philosophical Sufism
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt
Edited and translated by

Mohammed Rustom
Volume editor
Bilal Orfali
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS

New York
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York
Copyright © 2022 by New York University

All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: ʻAyn al-Quḍāh al-Hamadhānī, ʻAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, -1131,

author. | Rustom, Mohammed, editor, translator. | ʻAyn al-Quḍāh
al-Hamadhānī, ʻAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, -1131. Zubdat al-ḥaqāʼiq.
Title: The essence of reality : a defense of philosophical Sufism = Zubdat
al-ḥaqāʼiq / ʻAyn al-Quḍāt ; edited and translated by Mohammed
Rustom.
Other titles: Zubdat al-ḥaqāʼiq. English | Zubdat al-ḥaqāʼiq
Description: New York : New York University Press, 2022. | Includes
bibliographical references and index. | In English and Arabic;
translated from Arabic. | Summary: "The Essence of Reality consists of
one hundred brief chapters interspersed with Qurʾanic verses, prophetic
sayings, Sufi maxims, and poetry. The book takes readers on a
philosophical journey, with expositions of questions including the
problem of the eternity of the world; the nature of God's essence and
attributes; the concepts of "before" and "after"; and the soul's
relationship to the body"-- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021056520 | ISBN 9781479816590 (cloth) | ISBN
9781479816613 (ebook) | ISBN 9781479816620 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Sufism--Early works to 1800. | God (Islam)--Early works to
1800.
Classification: LCC BP188.9 .A92513 2022 | DDC 297.401--dc23/eng/20211208
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021056520
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,

and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
Series design by Titus Nemeth.
Typeset in Tasmeem, using DecoType Naskh and Emiri.
Typesetting and digitization by Stuart Brown.
Manufactured in the United States of America

c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Table of Contents
Letter from the General Editor iii

Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction xv
Note on the Text xxiv
Notes to the Introduction xxviii
The Essence of Reality 1

Preamble 2
Introduction: The Reason for Writing This Book 6
Chapter 1: Who Will Benefit from This Book? 16
Chapter 2: A Proof of the Eternal 20
Chapter 3: God’s Transcendence 24
Chapter 4: Categories of Existence 26
Chapter 5: Divine Names 28
Chapter 6: Divine Attributes 30
Chapter 7: The Divine Names Are Relations 30
Chapter 8: Necessity, Contingency, Impossibility 32
Chapter 9: Why Did God Effectuate Existence? 34
Chapter 10: The Face of God and Existents 36
Chapter 11: God’s Infinite Knowledge 38
Chapter 12: Knowledge Is a Divine Attribute 40
Chapter 13: God’s Knowledge Is Changeless 42
Chapter 14: A Glimpse at the Stage beyond the Intellect 42
Chapter 15: The Inability to Comprehend God’s Knowledge 44
Chapter 16: True Faith 50
Chapter 17: The Intellect’s Proper Place 50
Chapter 18: The Stage beyond the Intellect and Premises 52
Chapter 19: The Inner Eye 54
Chapter 20: Longing for God 56
Chapter 21: Familiarity with the Spiritual World 56
Chapter 22: The Stage of Prophecy 58
Chapter 23: Faith in the Unseen 60
Chapter 24: The Path to Faith in Prophecy 60
vii
Table of Contents
Chapter 25: The Stage beyond the Intellect and the Divine Attributes 62
Chapter 26: The Intellect’s Relationship to Love 64
Chapter 27: The Lover’s Attraction to the Beloved 64
Chapter 28: The Last Stage of the Intellect 68
Chapter 29: “The Incapacity to Perceive Is Perception” 70
Chapter 30: A Transition 70
Chapter 31: God’s Essence and Attributes 72
Chapter 32: The Divine Essence and Its Standpoints 74
Chapter 33: The Way of the Righteous Predecessors 76
Chapter 34: Scriptural Evidence 78
Chapter 35: The Divine Attributes Are Relations 78
Chapter 36: Nonduality 80
Chapter 37: A Note on the Eternity of the World 82
Chapter 38: Divine Causation 84
Chapter 39: The True Nature of Causation 86
Chapter 40: An Example Using Natural Phenomena 88
Chapter 41: The Oneness of Existence and Causation 90
Chapter 42: An Example Using Mirrors 92
Chapter 43: The Mirror of the Intellect 92
Chapter 44: The Forms in Mirrors Are Relations 94
Chapter 45: A Note on the Limits of the Intellect 96
Chapter 46: Mirrors and the State of Dreaming 98
Chapter 47: Divine Power and Human Power 100
Chapter 48: The Possible and the Impossible 102
Chapter 49: Possibility Means Contingency 102
Chapter 50: The Creation of the World and Time 104
Chapter 51: Clarifications on the Term “World” 106
Chapter 52: The Eternity of the World in the Eyes of the Recognizer 108
Chapter 53: Do “Was” and “Is” Apply to God? 110
Chapter 54: God’s Beginninglessness and Time 112
Chapter 55: A Hint at Perpetual Renewal 116
Chapter 56: Perpetual Renewal 118
Chapter 57: Divine Withness 120
Chapter 58: A Note on Cosmic Order 124
Chapter 59: Witnessing Perpetual Renewal 124
Chapter 60: God’s Coextensiveness in the Eyes of the Recognizer 126
viii
Table of Contents
Chapter 61: The Difference between Knowledge and Recognition 128

Chapter 62: God-Given Knowledge 130
Chapter 63: Types of Knowledge and Instruction 132
Chapter 64: Setting Out on the Path of Recognition 134
Chapter 65: The Next Step on the Path of Recognition 136
Chapter 66: Spiritual Companionship 136
Chapter 67: Felicity 138
Chapter 68: God’s Generosity toward Me 138
Chapter 69: Finding a Spiritual Guide 140
Chapter 70: True Spiritual Guides and False Claimants 140
Chapter 71: Self-Admiration and Spiritual Guidance 142
Chapter 72: Back to the Question of Divine Priority 144
Chapter 73: God’s Withness Does Not Mean Human Withness 146
Chapter 74: Categories of Proximity and Distance 148
Chapter 75: The Last “Day” 150
Chapter 76: The Soul’s Relationship to the Body 152
Chapter 77: The Soul’s Immortality 154
Chapter 78: Souls Precede Bodies 156
Chapter 79: The Diversity of Souls 156
Chapter 80: The Relationship between the Soul and the Body 158
Chapter 81: God’s Self-Disclosure 160
Chapter 82: The Annihilation of My Metaphorical Identity 162
Chapter 83: My Yearning to Return Home 164
Chapter 84: In the Divine Presence 164
Chapter 85: A Final Word about My Journey 166
Chapter 86: Fleeing from This World 166
Chapter 87: Unhindered Souls 168
Chapter 88: Faith in the Afterlife 170
Chapter 89: The Intellect and the Afterlife 172
Chapter 90: Faith in the Unseen 174
Chapter 91: Searching for God 176
Chapter 92: Striving for Understanding 176
Chapter 93: The Evident and the Mysterious 178
Chapter 94: The Coming of the Hour 180
Chapter 95: The Stage beyond the Intellect Is Accessible to All 184
Chapter 96: The Intellect and the Stage beyond It 184
ix
Table of Contents
Chapter 97: Overcoming the Desire to Know 186

Chapter 98: Freedom from Time and Space 188
Chapter 99: Reaching God 190
Chapter 100: An Invitation 190
Conclusion: On Yearning 192
Notes 197
Glossary of Names 210
Bibliography 213
Further Reading 221
Index of Qurʾanic Verses 223
Index 225
About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute 234
About the Typefaces 235
Titles Published by the Library of Arabic Literature 236
About the Editor–Translator 241
x
Acknowledgments
Working on and publishing a bilingual edition of The Essence of Reality has long
been a dream of mine. This dream is now actualized thanks to several fellow-
ships administered by the Library of Arabic Literature (LAL) and Humani-
ties Research Fellowship programs at the New York University Abu Dhabi
Institute, where I had the good fortune of spending several years immersed in
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s writings. No less important was the support of many fine col-
leagues, particularly Philip Kennedy, James Montgomery, Shawkat Toorawa,
Bilal Orfali, Chip Rossetti, Lucie Taylor, Amani Alzoubi, Reindert Falkenburg,
Martin Klimke, Taneli Kukkonen, Alexandra Sandu, and Raya Lakova.
A special note of thanks goes to this volume’s project editor, my dear friend
Bilal Orfali, who assisted me in innumerable ways. I am also grateful to LAL’s
external reviewers for their comments on my translation, as well as LAL’s execu-
tive reviewer, who helped loosen it up in masterful fashion.
William Chittick generously shared his unparalleled knowledge of Sufi texts
with me, and important references and essential resources were provided by
Shuaib Ally, Hassan Arif, Amir Hossein Asghari, Ahab Bdaiwi, Youssef Ber-
rada, Jeremy Farrell, Muhammad Faruque, Hany Ibrahim, Salimeh Maghsoud-
lou, Abdel Baki Meftah, Maurice Pomerantz, Reza Pourjavady, Joel Richmond,
and Ayman Shihadeh. Yousef Casewit, Muhammad Faruque, and Cyrus Zargar
made useful comments and suggestions on early drafts of the translation, as did
Stuart Brown and Keith Miller on the entire volume.
My wife, Nosheen, and our children, Isa, Suhayla, and Sophia, always fondly
smile when I speak about ʿAyn al-Quḍāt. They have no doubt benefited from his
timely teachings as much as I have, if not more. They have always made sacrifices
for my research, but this time they did so amid a pandemic, a global move, and a
makeshift homeschooling endeavor.
Reflecting on my journey in the world of Arabic literature, I vividly recall
my first day of undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto. As a trepid
teenager, I asked the erudite professor of Arabic Richard Blackburn a rather
naïve question after he had finished his first Introduction to Arabic lesson:
“Sir, if I complete this course, will I be able to read the Qurʾan with under-
standing?” He answered in the affirmative, and I never looked back. Professor
xiii
Acknowledgments
Blackburn opened up the world of Arabic (and English!) grammar to me, and
I will forever be in his debt. With profound gratitude, this book is dedicated to
his memory.
xiv
Introduction
The Zubdat al-ḥaqāʾiq, or The Essence of Reality, was dictated over the course
of three days in 1120 by a twenty-four-year-old premodern scholar. This edition
and translation was completed over the course of three years in 2020 by a con-
temporary scholar after twenty-four years of academic preparation. The text,
like its author, is remarkable for many reasons—it is in all likelihood the earliest
philosophical exposition of mysticism in the Islamic intellectual tradition, and
was thus quite influential upon the developed forms of classical Islamic philoso-
phy (falsafah) and philosophical mysticism (ḥikmah).
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt: Life and Work
Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr was the given name of the mystic philosopher and
jurist known as ʿAyn al-Quḍāt (“the most eminent judge”). He was born into
a scholarly family in 490/1097 in Hamadān in western Iran. The young ʿAyn
al-Quḍāt was distinctively precocious, particularly in the Islamic intellectual sci-
ences, Shāfiʿī law, mathematics, and Arabic literature. As a teenager, he became
popular in both literary and philosophical-theological circles, and was eventu-
ally appointed as the main judge of Hamadān, perhaps in his late teens.1
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt was a master of both Arabic and his native Persian, and works
of his in both languages have survived. The earliest of these writings is an Arabic
poem of one thousand lines written at the age of sixteen under the title Nuzhat
al-ʿushshāq wa-nuhzat al-mushtāq (The Lovers’ Excursion and the Beloved’s
Chance).2 This work, unlike his other books, is concerned with human love and
beauty, and its author would later indicate that this excursion of his was an effec-
tive bridge to divine love, the main focus of his mystical theology. But before
diving into the ocean of divine love, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt had to first walk along its
shores, which is where he would place the sciences of philosophy and rational
theology (kalām).
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt had mastered rational theology by the time he was twenty-
one. We know this because he wrote a book in the discipline, although it has not
survived. Thankfully, the one book that has survived, and that clearly demon-
strates his high level of proficiency in the Islamic rational sciences, is the Essence.
This is not an ordinary work of philosophy or theology. In fact, according to
xv
Introduction
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s testimony in the Essence itself, it represents the culmination

of his immersion in, and even departure from, these modes of knowledge. As
already stated, he dictated this work in 514/1120 at the age of twenty-four, and in
a matter of three days. We can confidently assert the length of time it took him to
complete it, not on account of what he says in the Essence (where he remarks he
had finished the work in a “few” days), but on the basis of another text in which
he specifies that these few days were in fact “two or three.”3
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt would also attribute the rapid completion and intellectual and
spiritual achievement of this title to a factor that is often overlooked in the sec-
ondary literature—namely, its having been written in the presence of one of his
earliest spiritual teachers, the great master Barakah Hamadānī (d. 520/1126).
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt had a particularly strong attachment to Shaykh Barakah, and
extolled his virtues and spiritual feats in his writings.4
Before this master’s influence upon the composition of the Essence, two other
important factors led ʿAyn al-Quḍāt to take up the pen, both of which he recounts
in the Essence. The first was a crisis of certainty he encountered in 506/1112 at the
age of sixteen, as had the great Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī, who had passed away the
year before (505/1111). A careful study of al-Ghazālī’s writings over the course of
nearly four years helped ʿAyn al-Quḍāt to recover from this crisis and regain his
spiritual bearings.
Then came ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s meeting at the age of twenty-three with another
al-Ghazālī—that is, Shaykh Aḥmad (d. 520/1126), the younger brother of Abū
Ḥāmid.5 Aḥmad al-Ghazālī was a well-known and highly revered spiritual
master in Persian Sufi circles. It was during one of his visits to Hamadān that ʿAyn
al-Quḍāt formally became his disciple. According to the account in the Essence
of their time together, this discipleship was the main catalyst for ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s
spiritual awakening. When ʿAyn al-Quḍāt began to dictate the Essence, there-
fore, he was already intellectually and spiritually accomplished and wanted to
share the fruits of his spiritual knowledge with his audience, but in a manner that
would be both clear and intelligible.
Six years after ʿAyn al-Quḍāt completed the Essence, Aḥmad al-Ghazālī
passed away and appointed him as his spiritual successor. Thus, alongside his
existing role as a teacher of the Islamic sciences who would give multiple public
lessons in Hamadān each day,6 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt now had the added responsibility
of being a spiritual guide. His function as a Sufi master and visionary extraordi-
naire comes out best in his magnum opus in Persian, the Tamhīdāt (Paving the
Path), which was completed in 521/1127.
xvi
Introduction
Paving the Path is a unique text in the history of Sufism and Islamic philos-
ophy.7 Its style impresses itself immediately upon the reader and defies classi-
fication not only because of the extemporaneous nature of the prose and the
lofty Persian verse interspersed throughout the work, but because it tackles a
variety of issues in metaphysics, aesthetics, epistemology, cosmology, theol-
ogy, psychology, love theory, Satanology, scriptural hermeneutics, and Hadith
commentary from multiple vantage points and perspectives. Reading this work
is akin to walking in a maze that constantly refigures itself even as one tries to
escape. The best one can do is to enjoy the exhilarating journey and let the maze
and its perpetual reconfigurations become one’s guides. This is not to say that
there is no logical structure to Paving the Path. Indeed there is, but it only reveals
itself after one comes to terms with its author’s genius and allows him to say what
he wants to say in the way that he wants to say it.
Reading Paving the Path is a rewarding experience, which explains why it
was so well received in Persianate Sufism, particularly in Indian Sufi circles well
into the eleventh/seventeenth century.8 In many ways, Paving the Path takes the
insights that we find in the Essence and brings them to an entirely new level. It is
grounded in the worldview of the Essence but manages to apply its teachings
largely in the language of myth, symbolism, love, and beauty.
Since many of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s disciples were not only aspiring scholars but
also dignitaries and state officials who were peripatetic in western Iran, one way
in which he offered guidance to them was through written correspondence, as
his own master had done with him.9 We are fortunate in that these letters by ʿAyn
al-Quḍāt, which date from 520/1126 to 525/1131, are extant under the Persian title
Nāmah-hā (Letters).10
Written almost entirely in Persian, this extensive collection of letters reveals
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt in all his glory—as a spiritual advisor, philosopher, theologian,
legal scholar, autobiographer, love theorist, hagiologist, historian, Qurʾanic
exegete, and master stylist of Persian prose writing. The Letters also reveal a
dimension of their author’s personality that cannot be found in any of his other
writings but that is especially relevant to his biography: ʿAyn al-Quḍāt as a vocif-
erous critic of the Seljuq government and its corrupt financial practices, which
oppressed the poor and the less fortunate.
It had been a widely held belief that ʿAyn al-Quḍāt was put to death by the
Seljuqs on account of his “unorthodox” views, such as his robust vindication of
the Devil as a fallen lover of God.11 His execution is also cited by some as being
linked to his supposed claim to be God in some fashion, the same accusation
xvii
Introduction
leveled against al-Ḥallāj (d. 309/922), whom he deeply admired. Thanks to

recent scholarship, we now know the precise reasons behind ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s
execution.12 For the most part,13 they had to do with certain statements he
made—not pertaining to religious dogma, but to the Seljuqs. These criticisms
are enshrined in the Letters, and were also voiced by ʿAyn al-Quḍāt from his
pulpit in Hamadān, an office of high visibility.
The Letters reveal that ʿAyn al-Quḍāt was particularly concerned with social
justice and the feeding of the needy. Thus, he castigated a number of his own
students who were employees of the corrupt Seljuq state, as well as every other
Seljuq, including Sultan Maḥmūd II (d. 525/1131).14 The gist of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s
argument was that service at the court of unjust rulers was incompatible with a
religious and spiritual life.
An opportunity to execute ʿAyn al-Quḍāt presented itself to the ruthless
Seljuq vizier Qawwām al-Dīn Abū l-Qāsim Dargazīnī (d. 527/1133) when he
entered into a feud with one of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s students who worked for the
Seljuqs. Dargazīnī reasoned that by accusing ʿAyn al-Quḍāt of heresy, he would
be ridding the Seljuqs of their problem. He would also be ridding himself of
his problem, since ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s death meant that his student, an enemy of
Dargazīnī, would be left without his influential supporter.15
The charge of heresy, made in 522/1128, had to do with some of his posi-
tions in the Essence. One of these is ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s reference to God as the
“source” (maṣdar) of existence. The Seljuqs were bitter ideological enemies of
the Ismailis, and, at first blush, speaking of God as the source of existence would
seem to imply acquiescence to the Ismaili doctrine that God is beyond being.16
The other view that is cited from the Essence is ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s alleged belief that
the Friends of God (awliyāʾ ) are higher than the Prophets sent by God.
The evidence that the charge of heresy against ʿAyn al-Quḍāt was put together
opportunistically lies in the fact that it was only statements in the Essence that
were used to label him a heretic. However, the text of the Essence shows these
charges to be problematic, both because ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s actual views are to the
contrary and because many of them are derived from well-established theolog-
ical positions that were defended by the likes of al-Ghazālī, who enjoyed the
patronage of the Seljuqs. This is in fact a point that ʿAyn al-Quḍāt made when
the Seljuqs presented him with an “opportunity” to defend himself. He did so in
a small Arabic treatise entitled Shakwā l-gharīb (The Exile’s Complaint), which
he wrote while imprisoned in Baghdad in 523/1129.17 The Exile’s Complaint is
the only contemporaneous Arabic record that documents the accusations
xviii
Introduction
against ʿAyn al-Quḍāt; by the same token, it is the only text we have that directly
addresses these accusations.
The Seljuqs only allowed ʿAyn al-Quḍāt to write The Exile’s Complaint because
of the potential public backlash if the author, beloved to so many, was put to
death without having had the chance to defend himself. And it is clear from the
somber tone of this text that ʿAyn al-Quḍāt saw through this Seljuq smokescreen.
At the order of Sultan Maḥmūd II, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt was publicly executed in
Hamadān in 525/1131 at the age of thirty-five. A shrine was erected in his honor
by as late as the eighth/fourteenth century, but it did not survive the vicissitudes
of time. In today’s Hamadān, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt is regarded as a regional icon, and
there are streets, buildings, and a cultural center dedicated to his name.18
The Essence of Reality in Context
Unlike the Seljuqs, who had used the Essence to undermine its author and
eventually present a case for his unjust execution, the later Islamic intellectual
tradition welcomed it with open arms. The Essence traveled from Hamadān to
Marāghah, which is some 280 miles northwest of Hamadān, in a relatively short
period of time. We know this because the Essence is one of the texts that have
been preserved in what is known as the Marāghah Codex, a document that dates
to 596/1199 or 597/1200, some eighty years after the composition of the Essence.
The Marāghah Codex formed the standard teaching curriculum of the Madrasah
Mujāhidiyyah, an important center of learning that operated in Marāghah well
into the seventh/thirteenth century.19
The Marāghah Codex bears witness to a unique moment in the historical
transmission and teaching of Islamic philosophy, philosophical theology, and
philosophical mysticism in western Iran. Along with the Essence, it includes
major works in these disciplines by such illustrious authors as al-Fārābī
(d. 339/950), Avicenna (d. 428/1037), al-Ghazālī, and ʿUmar ibn Sahlān al-Sāwī
(d. after 537/1143). This reading list gives us considerable insight into how the
worldview of Sufi metaphysics, in which rational discourse is wedded to mys-
tical insight and higher modes of nondiscursive knowledge, was disseminated
at the Mujāhidiyyah in the sixth/twelfth century. At the same time, its pres-
ence gives us a unique window into how texts like the Essence would have been
received and naturalized into the post-Avicennan Islamic intellectual tradition.
Some of the most important figures in this later phase of Islamic thought had
studied at the Madrasah Mujāhidiyyah and would have read the Essence. Among
xix
Introduction
them were Shihāb al-Dīn al-Suhrawardī (d. 587/1191) and Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī
(d. 606/1210).
We also know that, under the auspices of Hülegü Khan in Marāghah, the cel-
ebrated philosopher and scientist Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (d. 672/1274) translated
the Essence into Persian, but the translation is no longer extant.20 The Essence
was still being read six centuries later. This is evidenced by its use in a treatise
in defense of philosophical Sufism by Faḍl-i Ḥaqq Khayrābādī (d. 1277/1861),
an important thinker who witnessed the rise of the British Raj.21 Outside of
Persianate intellectual and spiritual circles, the Essence was also popular in
what were predominantly Arabic zones of the Muslim world. This is particu-
larly evident in the work of the great Arab theologian and mystic ʿAbd al-Ghanī
al-Nābulusī (d. 1143/1731), who praises the book’s ability to locate the “problem”
of reason when one is in search of God.22 Indeed, the Essence is likely the first
fully developed, mystically informed rational case concerning the limitations of
the intellect in the Islamic tradition, and in this regard it goes far beyond works
like al-Ghazālī’s Mishkāt al-anwār (The Niche of Lights).23
But the Essence is not simply an argument against the use of the intellect,
nor is it anti-rational. As we have seen, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt was well trained in ratio-
nal theology and did not see it as an impediment in the search for knowledge.
It only became problematic for him when he was unable to unlock the mystery
of existence through its discursive methods. Having discovered a different mode
of knowing that better accords with the nondiscursive nature of these mysteries,
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt sought to share these insights in the Essence. At the same time,
he tackles a variety of problems that seem out of place in a work on mysticism.
There is, for example, an extended presentation of the problem of causality and
of the nature of God’s priority before the world. How these discussions lend sup-
port to ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s arguments is not always clear at first, but as one moves
through the text the author’s intentions and the lines of influence on his own
thinking become more and more apparent.
This later dimension of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s worldview has been brought out par-
ticularly well by Salimeh Maghsoudlou in her study of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s philo-
sophical and theological doctrines.24 For example, she shows how, in the final
analysis, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt forged his own way between the two intellectual giants
to whose views he was heir and to whom he was in many ways responding: Avi-
cenna and al-Ghazālī. Yet, as ʿAyn al-Quḍāt makes abundantly clear, he was not
trying to chart a new philosophical way, much less a novel method for philo-
sophical theology. He employed these methods insofar as they allowed him to
xx
Introduction
show his readers their utility and also their limitations. By clearing the ground
like this on a number of fronts, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt was then able to put forward some
of his main theses.
His entire perspective in the book is premised on his own lived experience
of God, which is why he intersperses accounts of his “spiritual experiences”
throughout. The key factor to understanding what are higher modes of know-
ing is not more rational argumentation that demonstrates the presence of this
knowledge. Rather, it is a straightforward kind of knowing akin to our affec-
tive and sensory experiences, particularly that of taste. This is why, following
al-Ghazālī,25 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt places throughout the Essence a premium on the
notion of tasting (dhawq).26 Moving beyond the confines of rational thought
and cognitive modes of knowledge, tasting is the exclusive claim of the recog-
nizer (ʿārif)—namely, the person who recognizes God in all things, and espe-
cially within his own soul. Tasting breaks down the barrier between subject and
object, and in fact points the way to the unity between them. After all, when we
taste a thing we know something about it that is much more real and palpable
than if we were to try to discursively wrap our minds around it, describe it, and
trap it in some kind of conceptual grid.
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt states that a number of the doctrines he discusses in the
Essence are themselves the result of tasting and can best be understood through
this enhanced epistemic mode. Chief among these is the vision he attempts to
communicate in which the cosmos is in a perpetual state of renewal (tajdīd al-
khalq). This position is informed by ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s view, perfectly in line with
al-Ghazālī before him and the likes of Ibn al-ʿArabī (d. 638/1240) after him, to
the effect that there is no reality but the divine reality, and hence that there is
nothing in existence but God.27 For the recognizer, all things are therefore like
evanescent images in the mirror of existence. Such a view takes ʿAyn al-Quḍāt to
a unique exposition of what he calls “withness” (maʿiyyah), by which he seeks to
explain how God is “with” His creatures but they are in no wise “with” Him. The
“borrowed” nature of our individual existence is fully felt by someone who can
access this reality, which, again, can only be obtained by way of tasting.
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s arguments are supported by many interesting examples,
which seek to highlight the fact that we cannot entirely rely on our senses or even
our intelligence to know the true nature of things. In the manner of al-Ghazālī,
he explains how the planets in the sky look like little gold coins, or how the sun
looks like a little plate, whereas in truth they are much larger than meets the eye.
This allows ʿAyn al-Quḍāt to drive home an essential teaching: our discursive
xxi
Introduction
reasoning is helpful for knowing what can be known—that is, for knowing things
that fall within its purview and remit. But when it comes to knowing God, the
knowledge in question is quite deceptive. We can, after all, have knowledge of
something, but that does not mean we understand it, or that we know its true
nature. This is also a point that Ibn al-ʿArabī sought to drive home in his famous
letter to Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, which has some parallels with cognate points in
the Essence: there is a fundamental difference between knowledge of God’s exis-
tence and actually knowing God.28
If ʿAyn al-Quḍāt were alive today, he would undoubtedly have many interest-
ing examples to draw on from the physical world and our sensory and ratio-
nal perception of it. For example, in contemporary physics we know that the
behavior of the constituent stuff of the physical universe is incredibly diverse,
dynamic, and, at a subatomic level, even unpredictable. Our senses and indeed
our reason tell us, for instance, that light is a particular kind of thing and that it
behaves in a specific way. But at the quantum level, light shows itself to have a
dual nature—that of a wave and that of a particle.29
Discursive knowledge, the linchpin of rational theology and philosophy, has
a hard time squaring this kind of a circle because it is solely concerned with
either/or propositions, and not with this/that propositions. For ʿAyn al-Quḍāt,
the latter are much more indicative of the true nature of reality. Nowhere is this
more evident to him than when he takes up the question of the ontological status
of God’s names and attributes. Following Avicenna, he sees them as relations
(nisab) and thus not somehow superadded to or inhering in God’s essence.30
This position would be influential in the later Sufi tradition, particularly from
the time of Ibn al-ʿArabī onward.31 Yet, since the divine names do positively char-
acterize God, they can also be said to not not be God—this latter view accords
more with the Ash ʿarī tradition in which ʿAyn al-Quḍāt was trained.
If the intellect has its limitations in knowing the reality of God, then it is
also limited in understanding other aspects of religion, particularly prophecy
(nubuwwah) and eschatology (maʿād). One has to taste these, too, but how is
that possible? In the Essence, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt does not chart a method of how
to access these higher levels of knowledge as such. This is because the work is
almost entirely a theoretical exposition of the subject matter and goals of mysti-
cism insofar as language and the human mind can conceive of them in coher-
ent terms.
What tasting will do is bring a person to complete conviction in something
that ʿAyn al-Quḍāt calls the “stage beyond the intellect” (al-ṭawr warāʾ al-ʿaql).
xxii
Introduction
Although he borrows this term from al-Ghazālī,32 he develops it in a manner

that is entirely unique and very much in line with his project in the Essence.
This stage beyond the intellect cannot be simply spoken about or thought of,
since that would implicate the knowing subject within the very intellect that he
is supposed to transcend. This again is where tasting is extremely helpful as an
epistemic “tool.” One of the things to be tasted at this exalted stage is the true
meaning of love. Before one transcends the intellect, love is a mere concept; but
after going beyond one’s sense of self as an individual lover who has an object of
love somewhere “out there,” love, lover, and beloved are one, and this is because
seeking, the seeker, and the sought are one.
Only by tasting the stage beyond the intellect, by coming to know it firsthand,
can one walk away with a clear understanding of what it is ultimately about.
Since the reality of God and eschatological events transcend time and space, to
know them one must have access to a kind of knowledge that itself transcends
time and space. This is precisely what the stage beyond the intellect is intended
to do. And since there is not just one dimension beyond this realm of ours, ʿAyn
al-Quḍāt also makes it clear that there is not just one stage beyond the intellect,
but many stages. Friendship with God (walāyah), for example, corresponds to
one of these stages (and it itself has many sub-stages), and beyond that stage
there is the reality of prophecy itself.
Throughout the Essence, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt drives home the fact that what is
needed in order to access these higher modes of knowing and to taste them is
spiritual companionship, a Sufi guide, and a heart free of blameworthy character
traits and worldly attachments. By being unfettered to the cage of phenomenal
existence and the desire to know everything on one’s own terms, the heart longs
for the presence of God. It is then ready to receive His light, which will open up
the way to higher stages of knowing. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt puts it best in the following
climactic passage in the Essence:
When your heart is expanded for faith in the unseen, God will cause
a light to pour into your inner self, the likes of which you have not
witnessed before. This is one of the traces of that stage that appears
after the stage of the intellect. So intensify your search, for that alone
is what you need in order to attain awareness!33
xxiii
Note on the Text
Arabic edition
In order to produce my Arabic edition of The Essence of Reality, I applied a rather

straightforward principle: to stick as closely as possible to the source manuscript
of this work (aṣl) as it is to be found in the Marāghah Codex (number 1 below).
I have only deviated from this principle in instances when the reading offered in
the aṣl is absolutely incorrect, or when the text is illegible. In such cases, I have
had recourse to the readings in two other manuscripts (numbers 2 and 3) and
the printed edition of the text (4), indicating on such occasions which reading
I have chosen to adopt. I have only drawn attention to the variant readings, addi-
tions, and omissions to be found in these two manuscripts and the printed edi-
tion when they significantly alter or sufficiently problematize the reading given
in the aṣl.
!
1. Marāghah Codex (aṣl) = "
Dated 596/1199 or 597/1200. At some point in the early twentieth century,
!
the family of the famed Iranian bibliophile Asghar Mahdavi obtained a copy
of " and housed it in their library. Thereafter, the University of Tehran Library
!
obtained permission from Mahdavi to microfilm a number of the manuscripts
from his family’s collection, one of which was " . In the mid-1950s, the editor of
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s writings, ʿAfīf ʿUsayrān, obtained a copy of the relevant micro-
film and used the manuscript of the Essence contained therein as one of the four
!
manuscripts he used to establish his edition of the text (see number 4 below).
Manuscript " became better known some twenty years ago, when it was obtained
by the great scholar of Sufi texts Nasrollah Pourjavady from the Mahdavi family
!
library and published as a facsimile edition.34
I have selected the text of the Essence as enshrined in " as the basis for my
Arabic edition primarily because it can be dated to some eighty years from the
time it was completed by the author (514/1120). Given the relative geographic
proximity between Hamadān and Marāghah, it is possible that the Essence trav-
!
eled to Marāghah at some point during ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s short life. At any rate, the
eighty-year gap between the actual writing of this work and its appearance in "
leaves little room for any serious errors to have crept into it.
xxiv
Note on the Text
It is indeed surprising to read ʿUsayrān’s pronouncement on this manu-

script. He says that he made spare use of it because the manuscript’s copyist had
a weak command of Arabic, which caused him to introduce many errors into
the text when it was being dictated to him.35 Quite the contrary: there are few
real conceptual “errors” in this manuscript, although the scribe’s rather sloppy
style lends itself to many unnecessary but clearly detectable transcription slips.
He also ignores diacritical marks (a scribal custom) and has a particularly bad
habit of not featuring parity between feminine nouns and verbs.
In a number of cases where the readings in ʿUsayrān’s edition and the other
!
two manuscripts are unclear or incorrect, more felicitous readings can be found
in ". This is to say that many of the readings that seem to have been ironed out
!
by copyists of the later manuscripts arguably appear in " in their raw and natural
form. This would explain why close study of this manuscript reveals it to be quite
consistent with the content, tone, and style of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s other writings.
Carullah 2078 (Istanbul) = %$

# !
2.
Dated 669/1270. This manuscript seems to be closely related to " , and is prob-
!
ably based on a copy of it. What lends itself to this hypothesis, apart from the
many similarities between " and %$ , is that the latter’s scribe, Abū Bakr Kazirūnī,
#
tells us at the end of the manuscript that he had copied it in Tabriz, which is less
!
than ninety-three miles north of Marāghah. One can therefore envision copies
of " , the oldest manuscript of the Essence that we have, being circulated outside
of Marāghah and ending up in neighboring regions such as Tabriz, where further
copies of it, like %$ , were produced.
#
Majlis 10190 (Tehran) = '

&
3.
Dated 1047/1637. This manuscript was copied from an older version that likely
dates to 633/1235, effectively making it a copy of the second-earliest, but no
longer extant, manuscript known to us. The editorial glosses and finessed read-
ings in ' might also indicate that the copyist had this older copy of the manu-
&
script, and likely other manuscripts, at his disposal.
! (
4. ʿUsayrān =
Alongside " and %$ , ʿUsayrān used two other late and derivative manuscripts
#
from Berlin and Istanbul, respectively. Surprisingly, he did not know of ' , and
&
therefore did not employ it in establishing his edition. ʿUsayrān does not state
his principles for establishing his text, although it seems that he relied most
xxv
Note on the Text
heavily on %$ . At times, ʿUsayrān’s choices are rather arbitrary or highly ques-

#
tionable. Incidentally, but not insignificantly for our purposes, his editorial prac-
tices have also been called into question with respect to his edition of another of
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s works.36
English translation
Readers of the Essence will surely be humbled by ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s analytical

powers, erudition, and elegance, which are on full display throughout the work.
At the same time, the Essence is a first-rate book of mysticism. Consequently,
for all of the Essence’s logical clarity and refined philosophical analyses of some
key problems in traditional Islamic metaphysics, there is an equally sublime
and even poetic exposition of the limits of the human mind in grasping the true
nature of reality on both sides of death. And this is to say nothing of the text’s
incredibly concise style.
These facts pose serious problems to any translator, for they demand an abil-
ity to strike a balance between two ways of thinking, writing, and even feel-
ing—the philosophical and hence abstract and impersonal, and the mystical
and hence concrete and personal. In other words, the use of a philosophical and
detached register to translate the Essence will fail to convey the concreteness
that is at the heart of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s prose and worldview. If, however, the trans-
lation veers too far in the direction of the concrete and the personal, then the
watertight form and internal coherence of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s arguments can appear
to have fissures and incoherence where they do not.37
Given the Library of Arabic Literature’s focus on making texts from the Arabic
literary heritage (1) accessible and (2) as idiomatic and unencumbered by awk-
ward English as possible, some of these difficulties were rather easy to assuage.
With respect to (1), I have resorted to adding titles to each of the book’s chapter
headings. In addressing (2), I have taken the abstract route in translation when
the terminology in the Essence was so technical as to preclude any other choice
of words in English that were not as reified. A good example involves the Arabic
logical terms jins and nawʿ, which can only meaningfully be translated into Eng-
lish as “genus” and “species,” respectively. But for the most part, I have tended in
the direction of employing more concrete language in my translation, even for
some words that might have specific, technical meanings in works of philosophy
or philosophical theology per se. Thus, one of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s favorite words,
azal, I translate as “beginningless” as opposed to the more usual “sempiternal”;
xxvi
Note on the Text
huwiyyah as “identity” instead of “ipseity”; ījād as “effectuating existence” and

not “existentiation”; and the one nontechnical instance of māhiyyah as “what it
is” rather than “quiddity.”
Throughout the Essence, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt speaks of the ʿulamāʾ. This can be
a blanket reference to “scholars,” and in some instances by ʿulamāʾ he means
the philosophers on the one hand, and the rationalist theologians on the other
(for the latter, it is more common for him to use expressions such as al-ʿulamāʾ
al-nāẓirūn, by which he also sometimes means “rationalists” in general). I have
therefore let the context determine my translation of this term, as I have with the
adjective ʿaqlī, which can mean “intellectual” or “rational.” The same principle
applies, for example, to the verbal noun idrāk. In technical cases, it conveys the
notion of “perception,” but in more generic instances that of “grasping.” One
translation choice that may surprise some specialists of Sufi texts is my render-
ing of maʿrifah not as “gnosis” but as “recognition,” and by extension ʿārif as
“recognizer” and not “gnostic.”38
I have been careful to remain consistent in my choice of translations for tech-
nical and nontechnical expressions, phrases, and verbs, only making exceptions
when adherence to this principle would obscure the point at hand. In preparing
my translation, I greatly profited from consulting Omar Jah’s English rendering
of the Essence,39 as well as Salimeh Maghsoudlou’s unpublished French transla-
tion.40 Needless to say, my translation differs substantially from both of them.
Furthermore, standard pious and reverential expressions such as raḍiya
Allāhu ʿanhu (“God be pleased with him”) have not been translated, and when
the pleonasm fa-ʿlam (“Know that . . .” or “You should know that . . .”) begins a
paragraph, it too has not been translated. In all but a few instances, translations
of Qurʾanic verses are taken, often with substantial modifications, from Nasr et
al. (eds.), The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary.
xxvii
Notes to the Introduction
1 For a detailed account of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s life and times, see the introduction in Rustom,
Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt.
2 For this work, see the introduction in Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart.
3 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, Nāmah-hā, 2:459.
4 For the image of Shaykh Barakah in ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s writings, see Pourjavady, ʿAyn
al-Quḍāt wa-ustādān-i ū, 95–133.
5 A fine presentation of his life and thought can be found in Lumbard, Aḥmad al-Ghazālī,
Remembrance, and the Metaphysics of Love.
6 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, Nāmah-hā, 3:407.
7 For a discussion of this text, see the introduction in Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart.
8 See the introduction in Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart, and Safi, “The Sufi Path of Love
in Iran and India,” 252–56.
9 Their correspondences can be found in Aḥmad al-Ghazālī, Mukātabāt-i Khwājah Aḥmad
Ghazālī bā ʿAyn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī.
10 For their form, content, and relationship to Paving the Path, see the introduction in
Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart.
11 A study of this important dimension of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s thought, which is intimately
related to his theodicy and understanding of cosmic complementarity, can be found
in Rustom, “Devil’s Advocate: ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s Defence of Iblis in Context.” See also
Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 9.
12 See the findings presented in Rustom, “ʿAyn al-Quḍāt between Divine Jealousy and
Political Intrigue,” and Safi, The Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam: Negotiating
Ideology and Religious Inquiry, 182–200. Cf. Griffel, The Formation of Post-Classical Phi-
losophy in Islam, 131–38 and 157–58.
13 I say “for the most part” because there were other factors, both overt and subtle, which
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt himself identified as additional causes that led to his execution. For
these other causes, see Rustom, “ʿAyn al-Quḍāt between Divine Jealousy and Political
Intrigue,” 67–72.
14 See the texts presented in Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 2.
15 Safi, Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam, 194.
16 For the broader question of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s engagement with Ismailism, see Landolt,
“Early Evidence for Nāṣir-i Khusraw’s Poetry in Sufism: ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s Letter on the
Taʿlīmīs” and Safi, Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam, 176–78.
xxviii
17 See the excellent English translation: ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, A Sufi Martyr.

18 Images of these can be found in Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart.
19 See Pourjavady, “Introduction.”
20 Shushtarī, Majālis al-muʾminīn, 4:515.
21 See Arif, “Defending Sufi Metaphysics in British India: Faḍl-i Ḥaqq Khayrābādī’s
(d. 1277/1861) Treatise on waḥdat al-wujūd.”
22 Aladdin, “Aspects of Mystical Hermeneutics and the Theory of the Oneness of Being
(waḥdat al-wujūd) in the Work of ʿAbd al-Ghanī al-Nābulusī (d. 1143/1731),” 405.
23 For a translation of this work, see al-Ghazālī, The Niche of Lights.
24 Maghsoudlou, “La pensée de ‘Ayn al-Quḍāt al-Hamadānī (m. 525/1131), entre avicenn-
isme et héritage ġazālien.” See also Maghsoudlou, “Étude des doctrines du nom dans
al-Maqṣad al-asnā d’al-Ghazālī et de leur origine théologique et grammaticale.”
25 For which, see Ormsby, “The Taste of Truth: The Structure of Experience in al-Ghazālī’s
al-Munqidh min al-ḍalāl.”
26 For a discussion of how tasting features in ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s worldview, see Rustom,
Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 1. A fine survey of tasting in Sufi literature can be found in
Hirtenstein, “Dhawq.”
27 For a survey of this doctrine, which is known as waḥdat al-wujūd (“oneness of exis-
tence”) in later Islamic thought, see Chittick, In Search of the Lost Heart: Explorations in
Islamic Thought, chapter 8. A discussion of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s understanding of the oneness
of existence can be found in Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 3.
28 See Rustom, “Ibn ʿArabī’s Letter to Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī: A Study and Translation.”
29 For a standard, jargon-free explanation, see Hawking, A Brief History of Time, chapter 4.
30 For the divine attributes in Avicenna as being relations (nisab) and/or negations (salbī),
and thus not ontological entities, see Adamson, “From the Necessary Existent to God.”
31 For Ibn al-ʿArabī and his followers, the relationality of the divine names and attributes
was a cornerstone of their highly influential Sufi metaphysical doctrine; see Ali, The
Horizons of Being: The Metaphysics of Ibn al-ʿArabī in the Muqaddimat al-Qayṣarī, 67–91.
32 Al-Ghazālī, al-Munqidh min al-ḍalāl, 111, and Niche of Lights, 36.
33 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, Essence of Reality, §176.
34 Pourjavady, ed., Majmūʿah-yi falsafī-yi Marāghah.
35 ʿUsayrān, “Muqaddimah-yi muṣaḥḥiḥ,” 7.
36 See the substantive inquiry in Pūrnāmdāryān and Ḥafīẓī, “Nigāhī ba-taṣḥīḥ-i Tamhīdāt
pas az nīm qarn.”
37 The subtle tensions between abstraction and concretization in the art of translating
Islamic philosophical and mystical texts have been deftly highlighted by William Chit-
tick in another context. See Chittick, “The Translator’s Dilemmas.”
xxix
38 In doing so I follow the line of reasoning in Chittick, Divine Love: Islamic Literature and
the Path to God, 231–32.
39 Jah, trans., The Zubdat al-Ḥaqā’iq of ‘Ayn al-Quḍāh al-Hamadānī.
40 Maghsoudlou, trans., “La quintessence des vérités.”
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.  
   : ، ،  ٢ .               
 
٢ 2
In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.
My Lord! Make this task easy for me and bring

it to completion, by Your bounty.
Preamble
I praise God for His unceasing blessings, like lush gardens I tend during the day, 1
and for His successive favors, like ponds I frequent into the night. And I invoke
blessings upon the leader of humankind,1 the best of those who have embel-
lished the world with their beauty—Muḥammad, who came with the religion
of Islam and called both humans and the jinn to the Abode of Peace;2 and upon
his family, who were guided by his light, and his Companions, who followed
his footsteps.
This book is entitled The Essence of Reality and is concerned with unveiling 2
the three principles of religion3 in which all people, by virtue of believing in it,
worship God. I have laid it out in one hundred chapters, and have adorned it
with subtle points when treating each principle. It is a complete provision for
seekers and an ample means for the aims of those traveling to the knowledge of
certainty.4 In the Treatise Dedicated to ʿAlāʾ al-Dawla,5 which I composed accord-
ing to the position of the righteous predecessors,6 I discussed what, with respect
to belief in these principles of religion, ordinary believers cannot do without.
In these chapters, I have sought to clearly state what will quench the thirst of
advanced seekers. In writing them, I prayed to God to bring about what is good,7
and He thus imposed thoughts upon me, which I could not but transcribe. Des-
tiny would not have led me down these pathways if there was no good in that.
Indeed, none prays for the good to be brought about in any matter pertaining to
religion or this worldly life but that the means for attaining its highest degree will
assuredly be made easy for him.
Given the fact that I had been busy acquiring knowledge and benefiting 3
from it—having dedicated myself night and day to augmenting it—my brethren
٣ 3
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.         

 
        : ٣ .     : ١
 : ، ،  ٢ .
    
٤ 4
Preamble
had been expecting this book from me. This ambition was cut short after I
renounced the pursuit of knowledge and broke free from it, effectively avoid-
ing it altogether. My heart’s aversion reached a point where I thought it highly
unlikely that I would ever one day devote myself to the trouble of laying the
foundations for such a work, much less preparing to compose one. My heart
was at sea with no shore in sight, an ocean where early and more recent genera-
tions drowned with no one to protect them or to rely upon, and no one to cling
to as their refuge. Then I saw one of my devoted supporters whose soul was
filled with longing to scale the heights of theoretical reflection on the principles
of religion, and to occupy the position the seeker attains on his exploration of
demonstration. When I saw him thus in need upon the journey he had under-
taken, I set aside a few days of my life. This caused the state of my heart to con-
found me, but the sincerity of my friend’s request gave me the resolve to endure.
Actually, when I prayed to God to bring about the good, His decree curtailed
the thoughts that had been repelling me, and He enjoined this affair upon me:
I could find no way to repel His injunction. Moreover, my heart sought solace in
the Prophet’s statement: “Whoever prays to God to bring about the good will
never be at a loss.”8
I began to dictate these chapters and included an introduction, which con- 4
tains an explanation of the initial reasons for their composition. I also provided
a conclusion, which contains a discussion of certain duties incumbent upon the
reader of this book—namely, that these duties be found in him—so that he may
profit greatly from studying it. May God benefit all those who read this book,
strengthening their inner selves with a clarity through which they can grasp and
exhaust its meanings. For God’s blessings are like a firm handle onto which we
can cling, and His perfection and completeness allow us to beseech His aid in
every matter. He alone suffices me, «and an excellent Guardian is He!»9
٥ 5
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    : ،  ١
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. 

 
٦ 6
Introduction: The Reason for Writing This Book
There were two important motives in this regard. 5

The first motive: A group of my brothers—God grant me success in fulfilling 6
the rights of their companionship and friendship, and impel me to carry out what
He loves for me by way of camaraderie with them—suggested that I write some
chapters in which I discuss where theoretical reflection ends with respect to the
essence of God and His attributes, as well as faith in the reality of prophecy and
the Last Day. They also suggested that I arrange these supra-sensory realities on
a necklace of expressions whose terseness would please the eloquent, and whose
wonder would amaze the reader reliant upon his own theoretical powers. How-
ever, time threw obstacles in my way and adversity kept me from addressing
their concerns and the goal of their aspirations. But then I resolved to turn my
attention to explaining these most important of matters when I saw how desper-
ately they needed this, especially with regard to faith in the reality of prophecy
and the reality of the attributes by which the Originator of the heavens and the
earth is described.
I discussed prophecy and the rational premises pertaining to it in my trea- 7
tise entitled The Investigation’s End: On the Meaning of the Prophetic Mission.10
My discussion will quench the seeker’s thirst and suffice the reader reliant upon
his own sound theoretical powers. However, faith in the reality of prophecy is,
at the same time, based on the knowledge of certainty11 and is obtained through
demonstrative methods. The gist of what the intellect perceives vis-à-vis the
reality of prophecy goes back to an affirmation, in a very general way, of the
existence of a certain something in the Prophet without at all perceiving the
reality and essence of that thing. This abstract kind of faith is very far from that
faith in the reality of prophecy that is obtained by the one who tastes this faith.
Assent derived from knowledge of the reality of prophecy almost resembles a
person’s assent to the existence of something very general in a poem, though he
himself has no taste for poetry. Indeed, a person who is not blessed with a taste
for poetry may nevertheless have the ability to obtain some kind of belief in the
existence of something unique to that person who does have a taste for poetry.
However, such belief would be far from that specific reality by virtue of which
the person who does have a taste for poetry stands out.
٧ 7
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         : ‫ ؛‬         : ‫ ؛‬     :  ١
.  
                   
٨ 8
I was twenty-one years old when I wrote The Investigation’s End. Now I am 8
twenty-four. In the intervening years, God’s beginningless mercy has poured
down on me such kinds of unseen knowledge and precious states of unveiling as
I am unable to explain and describe. For it is impossible to express most of this
in a world where people articulate themselves through words and sounds. But
I will strive to the utmost of my ability to mention some of it in these chapters,
through the most beautiful allusions and most elegant expressions.
The simple fact is that most of the terms discussed in this book are extremely 9
ambiguous. So, whenever you encounter an expression that does not commu-
nicate the true meaning of its usual acceptation, do not be too hasty to object;
for I have two clear excuses here. The first is that I was primarily concerned with
discussing supra-sensory realities at the expense of refining my words. Thus,
other than conveying what was intended, I did not craft these words in the most
beautiful way—though to discuss these supra-sensory realities by way of fitting
expressions, while not rendering them unclear, is almost impossible—rather,
it is certainly the case! The second is that I wrote these chapters for people who
are not diverted by the ambiguity of words from perceiving the reality of their
meanings: as a result of their abundant experience with intellectual matters,
they have come to a point where understanding the material realm does not bar
them from the path of intimacy with the spiritual realm.12
The second motive: The path to God is difficult, containing as it does innu- 10
merable treacherous oceans, blazing fires, lofty mountains, thunder-filled des-
erts, and dangerous routes that confuse the eye and baffle the tongue. Every
traveler thinks he is one of those who have arrived.13 Everyone is misguided,
except those whom God protects through His bounty and generosity so that
they are guided along the straight path14 and the true road. May God protect us
from being deluded by a shimmering mirage, keeping us upon the path and away
from misleading attacks until He brings us to that sweetest of drinking places:
«Truly He is powerful over all things».15
Indeed, one area where the stalwart rationalist theologians have strayed, for 11
all their cleverness, is their judgment to the effect that the highest felicity and
the ultimate destination is to obtain knowledge of God’s essence and attributes
through study. This is a great misjudgment, which has overcome both the major-
ity of people who dive deeply into rational theology, and those who have mas-
tered it, to say nothing of those distant from traveling the spiritual path. To think
٩ 9
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 
.   : ،  ١

١٠ 10
that knowledge of the essence of the Beloved and His attributes is actually to
reach Him is simply to be mired in misguidance. And whoever thinks that falling
into the claws of a vicious predator and knowledge of falling into the claws of a
vicious predator are one and the same has sunk deep into the abyss of ignorance!
This is similar to remaining in a state of delusion by virtue of false opinions and
contradictory views! Nevertheless, it is very difficult to reach what the rational-
ist theologians claim—that is, the aforementioned knowledge of God—for it is
but rarely given, and at unique moments.
When I saw how things were, and found myself filled with the desire to 12
remove this difficulty and unmask the truth, I resolved to write these chapters
so that the seeker may take them as provisions for the path of knowledge and its
byways until he is delivered from its perils. For those who vie with scholars in
the pursuit of knowledge but do not believe that there are many goals beyond
this goal will slip and experience great regret. Their errors will be severe and
their mistakes will be on full display and work against them. This is because, for
the most part, when those who believe this reach their goal and excel in their
studies, they stop in their pursuit of knowledge and have no desire for anything
further. This opinion spells fatal poison for those who walk the path of knowl-
edge. But whoever has not actually experienced this cannot possibly recognize
what I am saying!
As I traveled this path, I investigated all forms of knowledge, both heavy 13
and light, and studied that which was harmful and that which was useful, until I
obtained what was important for my purposes. I did not turn to what was of little
profit, knowing full well that there is much to know but little time, and that it is
plain old stupidity to waste this time in obtaining anything that is of little benefit.
My excuse for diving into every aspect of knowledge is clear: the drowning man
clutches at straws, hoping for salvation. Had God in His bounty and generosity
not delivered me from it, I would have been «on the brink of a pit of fire».16 This
is because I would study the books of rational theology, seeking to raise myself
from the depths of blind imitation to the summit of insight. But I did not get
what I sought from these books. In fact, the foundations of the schools of ratio-
nal theology so confounded me that I encountered all sorts of predicaments that
cannot be recounted in this book, nor is there any benefit in hearing about them
for most people—it will seriously harm puny minds and weak hearts.
١١ 11
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I was totally bewildered about my situation. On top of that, it ruined my life— 14

until the “Guide of the bewildered”17 gave me guidance and extended His gener-
osity toward me, bestowing aid and success. In short, after God’s bounty, noth-
ing other than a study of the books of the Proof of Islam Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad
al-Ghazālī revived me from my wretched state. For almost four years, I stud-
ied his books. During this period when I was occupied with true knowledge,
I beheld many wonders, which steered me away from bewilderment, blindness,
error, and unbelief. Explaining this will not do it justice, for it is beyond the con-
fines of analysis and calculation, nor is there any hope in even trying to come to
terms with it. When I obtained my goal of true knowledge and was certain I had
reached it, I began to recite these verses to myself:
Alight at the dwellings of Zaynab and Rabāb

and graze, for these are the pastures of lovers!18
While I was thus encamped and my camels recovered from the voyage 15
by day and night, suddenly, the eye of my insight began to open. Do not be
deluded in your thinking: I do not mean the insight of the intellect. The eye
of insight opened, little by little. I stood there, marveling at the obstacles that
nearly barred me from the path of pursuing what lies beyond rational theology.
I remained like this for almost a year without fathoming the reality of the situ-
ation I was in during that year, until destiny brought my master Shaykh Abū
l-Futūḥ Aḥmad al-Ghazālī, that most illustrious leader, the sultan of the path
and the interpreter of reality, to Hamadān, my birthplace. In his service, the veil
of bewilderment was removed from my situation in under twenty days, and in
that period I bore witness to an unmistakable spiritual state. For the past few
years, and even now, my sole task has been to seek sufficiency in that “thing.”19
I seek God’s aid to help me realize that thing in whose direction I have turned.20
Time would still be too short were I to live as long as Noah21 and devote all my
life to this pursuit!
God bless Abū Firās, who says: 16
We care not for our souls in the pursuit of glory—

no dowry can be too high for the suitor of a beautiful maid.22
١٣ 13
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  :  : ، ،   (  ) ٣ .      ، ، ،   () ٢ .
.   :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (
  ) ١
     
١٤ 14
That thing consumes me entirely, for wherever my vision alights it sees God 17
there:
His face is in every direction:

wherever I turn, I see the moon.23
May every breath that fails to increase my immersion in witnessing Him bring 18
me no blessing! By God! How finely Abū Ṭayyib expresses it in this poem!
We have abandoned every pleasure

for the spearheads—now we only dally with them.
Other hearts are prey for beautiful women,
other fingers grasp the goblet.24
The person who does not regard his every breath as invaluable and does not 19
strive for greatness by day and night is truly duped. Al-Mūsawī puts it well when
he says:
If I don’t ride into danger for her,

despising death, much less battle,
why did I sharpen my sword,
and why is my spear so long?25
I ask God to grant me success and felicity from His beginningless decree so I 20
can take control of my quest and fulfill my aspirations:
Often have I despaired, only to say,

“Despair not! The one who ensures success is generous.”26
I will urge on my camel until I am free from the bonds of space and time, and 21
will make it kneel in the most exalted abode. Then I will ascend to fraternity27
with him who is the most precious of brothers:
Should our wishes come true—a fate most beautiful.

But if not, then at least we enjoyed their comfort.28
١٥ 15
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١٦ 16
Chapter 1: Who Will Benefit from This Book?
Lofty aspirations do not prevent pure souls from reaching the presence of 22
Muḥammad:
Our camels brought us to Muḥammad;

now it’s forbidden for others to ride them,
Taking us to the best of those who graced the earth—
now they are ours to protect and hold sacred.29
These kinds of discussions are extensive.

Now, I will clarify something about the following chapters. After praising 23
God (the one with whose praise every work commences) and invoking blessings
upon Muḥammad, His servant and Messenger, the most important thing, which
we must first discuss in this book, is the fact that most people will not properly
benefit from it. An explanation of this point is in itself vitally important. At the
end of the book, I will lay out a path that will allow you to most properly profit
from this work—that is, if you travel that path.
Those who believe in felicity30 in the afterlife and who seek it are in four 24
categories:
Category 1: This is a group that believes in what the Prophets have brought, 25
and thus believes in God, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last
Day. They do not have a need for theoretical investigation in order to bolster
their faith, as is the custom of the rationalist theologians. For this group, read-
ing this book will basically be of no use, since not a single member of the group
needs what is discussed in it. It is indeed possible for them to profit from it if they
peruse it. But reading it is not important for such people.
Category 2: This is a group of scholars who travel a path of intellectual inves- 26
tigation, though that path is not the preferred way of those who have verified the
truth.31 Thus, in terms of their intellectual positions and in their proofs for these
positions, they blindly imitate a number of leaders of the intellectual schools.
١٧ 17
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   
      

: ،  ٢ .       : ‫ ؛‬          :  ‫ ؛‬،   ( 
           ) ١

             
.  : ‫ ؛‬ 

١٨ 18
This second group is better off than the first group, but they too have no need to
read this book. If they were to read it, it is likely that they too would not profit
from it.
Category 3: This is a group of rationalist theologians who claim that in their 27
beliefs they do not blindly imitate a single person; for in their beliefs, they travel
the path of intellectual investigation and demonstrative reflection. In terms of the
pursuit of knowledge, this group’s method is the most praiseworthy of methods,
except that when they have traversed the waystations of knowledge, they think
they have reached total perfection in their pursuits. The delusions this group have
been led to by the theoretical knowledge they have obtained is astounding! They
think, for example, that obtaining knowledge of God is tantamount to reaching
Him—that very felicity which is the purpose of the pursuit of knowledge. So you
will see members of this group pursue the world and its desires night and day,
all the while surmising that these pursuits will not harm people like them. And
they will try to equate the task of feeding their camels with obeying the com-
mand of God, since God says, «And forget not your portion in this world».32
Only those who take the beginningless solicitude for their provision can be free
from such monumental stupidity. This third group will, likewise, derive no profit
from reading this book. In fact, if they were to read it, you would see them clev-
erly saying, “Since we do not blindly imitate even the Prophets in the absence
of demonstrative proof to establish the veracity of their statements, why would
we blindly imitate someone else? For what difference would there be between
us and all of the simple believers if we were to blindly imitate anyone—be it a
Prophet or someone else—without insight?” This is a grave danger wherein
the rationalists perish, except for those God has protected out of His bounty.
«And how few they are!»33 The best of methods is the method of theoretical
reflection, so long as it does not present dangers like these. To think that you can
travel this path and not be harmed by these dangers is sheer ignorance. Those
who do think this will on their journey come to know the reality of what I have
said, and their pursuit of knowledge will be of no benefit.
Category 4: This is a small group that travels the path of rational theology, 28
but whose thirst is not completely quenched once they have traversed the path’s
steep ascents and waystations. Those whose passions subside when they have
obtained certain and necessary knowledge of the Maker and the existence of His
attributes basically do not belong to this group, for the group’s bewilderment in
knowledge of God only increases their resolve to pursue this knowledge, their
١٩ 19
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   
.   :  ،  ‫ ؛‬ (
 : ‫ ؛‬  ) ١
   
٢٠ 20
Chapter 2: A Proof of the Eternal
longing to augment their insight, and their quest for what lies beyond knowl-
edge and the intellect. I am referring to unveiling through tasting, by which the
Real’s elect are singled out. It is this group that will properly benefit from study-
ing this book. My desire in writing these chapters was for their sake alone, fear-
ing that the words of the poet would apply to me:
What good is there in a man whose life does not benefit his people,
And whose kinfolk do not even mourn his death?34
May God benefit this group in studying this work, as He loves. And may He, by
His bounty and generosity, make it a tribulation neither for me nor for them.
I do not mean to make my book overlong by discussing the rationalists’ exposi- 29

tion of the topics under investigation, nor the extensive demonstrative proofs
they have employed. Rather, I will restrict myself to discussing what they have
disregarded and matters they are not entirely clear on, such as God’s knowledge
of particulars,35 the reality of prophecy, and the fact that it is a world incon-
ceivable for the intellect to reach, and other issues that have stymied their intel-
lects, and that are explained in detail throughout this work. I will not broach
those issues in which their statements have been entirely correct, except as may
happen to arise in context. Such is the case with the issue I am going to discuss
in this chapter concerning the proof of the Eternal existent.36 I only go into this
for an important reason—namely, to compare my discussion of the issue with
all the discussions in their books, thus addressing, in all fairness, whether or not
my statements are to be considered more succinct and closer to the truth than
these statements.
The rationalists have spoken correctly on this issue in many cases, but most 30
of them have strayed from the right way,37 just as those who have tried to prove
its existence—I mean, the existence of the Eternal—by means of speculating
about motion. For, even if this is a clear approach and adequate to the purpose,
٢١ 21
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٢٢ 22
traveling this path will nevertheless be drawn out and require the establishment
of premises with which those who travel along the straight path38 can dispense.
To be sure, I do not deny that there are merits to speculating upon motion, but
I maintain that it can be dispensed with on the very issue of proving the exis-
tence of the Eternal. Indeed, in his book Moderation in Belief, Imam al-Ghazālī
has devoted roughly ten pages to proving the Eternal.39 By my life! He can be
excused, for this book was written using the methodology of rational theology,
even though most of what he says in the book far surpasses what the scholars
of rational theology include in their books. Scholars are well aware that many
people besides al-Ghazālī have wasted ink over this issue. But such excesses can
be dispensed with.
Certain truth40 in proving the Eternal lies in demonstrating it by way of that 31
existence which is the most general of things, for if there were not an Eternal
in existence, there would, fundamentally, not be an existent in existence what-
soever. This is because existence is divided into that which encompasses the
originated and the Eternal—that is, into that whose existence has a beginning
and that whose existence does not have a beginning. If there were no Eternal
in existence, there would, fundamentally, not be that which is originated, since
it is not in the nature of that which is originated for it to exist by virtue of itself.
Indeed, that which is existent by virtue of itself is the Necessary Existent.41 And
that which is necessary in itself cannot be conceived as having a beginning.
From these points a demonstrative proof—referred to by logicians as a “con-
ditional”42—emerges to make the point easier to comprehend for the beginner
who is unable to apprehend intelligible realities. Thus, it can be said: (1) “if there
were an existent in existence, it would necessarily entail that there be an Eternal
in existence.” This is a certain premise: it is inconceivable for anyone to doubt it.
Then it can be said: (2) “existence is clearly known.” This is the second premise,
which, like the first, is certain. Thereafter, (3) the existence of an eternal exis-
tent necessarily follows from these two firm premises.43 Such is the demonstra-
tive proof of the Eternal by way of existence. Be it succinct or extended, further
exposition is inconceivable.
Next, you must investigate the attributes of the Eternal—whose existence has 32
been affirmed by way of necessary demonstrative proofs—and how the Eternal
must be. This type of investigation is well known, and books are replete with
it. But my book does not permit an explanation of all this. For to every context
there corresponds a specific mode of discourse, and the motive of my book is to
٢٣ 23
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   
.  : ‫ ؛‬  :  ‫ ؛‬،   ( ) ١
  
٢٤ 24
Chapter 3: God’s Transcendence
explain a matter nobler than the intellectual sciences themselves. So we will not
prolong the book by discussing these things. You should keep in mind that in
these chapters I only draw on supremely clear theoretical reflection when I need
to cite it in order to launch into something beyond it.
Chapter 3: God’s Transcendence
For those who have insight that penetrates the veils of the unseen and the can- 33
opies of the spiritual realm, there is no doubt that there exists a supra-sensory
reality from which “existence” emerges in the most perfect of ways. Outside of
these veils, this supra-sensory reality is what is called “Allāh” in Arabic. By “those
who have insight” I mean people who perceive the existence of this supra-sensory
reality without rational premises, unlike the rationalists. This supra-sensory real-
ity is too exalted and holy for the gaze of anyone other than it to turn toward its
reality.44 Glory be to Him that anyone should even desire permission for this!
For He is totally unapproachable by others in His essence, but not by Himself.
His essence and self are what demand this unapproachability of others, just 34
as the sun in its essence demands, by virtue of its sheer splendor, that it be unap-
proachable by the sight of bats: «And to God belongs the loftiest similitude»;45
and among His signs is the sun.46 But for His permission and the abundant gen-
erosity demanded by it, not a single person would have the audacity to liken
Him to something. How could it be otherwise, since likening Him to things is
impossible in any case? «There is nothing like Him».47 The sun to which we
likened God does not adequately address our aim, for, in its essence, the sun
demands neither unapproachability by others nor anything else. This is because
the sun’s existence—along with all of its attributes—is derived from something
other than the sun. Indeed, in existence there is no existent with an essence that
necessitates the reality of existence other than the One, the Paramount, who is
far above every perfection attained by the Prophets and the angels in His prox-
imity, let alone the deficiencies imagined by those with weak insight—those to
٢٥ 25
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
.  : ٢ .  : ١
 
٢٦ 26
Chapter 4: Categories of Existence
whom the Eternal has alluded as uttering and thinking «ugly thoughts about
God; upon them is an ugly turn!»48
On the subject of the general inaccessibility of God’s essence, He says in His 35
book, «Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of might, above what they ascribe».49
On the subject of the perfection of God’s generosity and the height of His
solicitude for His servants, He shows them great affection and tenderness and
declares Himself far beyond any deficiencies. He says, «He begets not; nor was
He begotten»,50 and He takes «neither consort nor child».51 In the eyes of the
recognizers, He is far above even the perfection that people can perceive, much
in the same way as, according to the ignorant, He is far above all imperfection.
Chapter 4: Categories of Existence
It is God who is the source of existence in all the diversity of its genera and spe- 36
cies. Existence divides into general categories, which take in all existents, such
as its division into the eternal and the temporally originated, the perfect and
the deficient, and the one and the many. And among existence’s general catego-
ries is its division into existents that are self-aware (namely, that which is alive)
and into existents that are not self-aware (namely, that which is not alive). Each
of these two categories of existents can be divided into diverse categories from
numerous standpoints. The first category of existents—namely, those that are
self-aware in their perception—divides into things that only perceive what con-
forms to their natures, and things that perceive both what precludes and what
conforms to their natures. The category of existents that divides into things that
are not self-aware divides, for example, with respect to color: white, black, and
so on. It also divides into other categories with respect to other things. An expla-
nation would be extensive and a distraction. So let us leave it and turn to our
intended goal.
When the relation of some existents to the category of existents that perceive 37
both what conforms to and what precludes their natures is considered, they
divide into good and bad with respect to that relation only. That which conforms
٢٧ 27
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,6 {Re=- h=¤l {/0,N 5 ÀoL½> N 5 6 QR%& 'c h=ÖiS m Â=× ( Tc "#$f g( @A+ }\( Ø .¦§ 5 Z= 5 7 []0(%= 5 5 7 58 "Ù@A+* @5 A+
ä
( Tc .H%+*( 9:%( dY A+ .H;=>?+*( 5 BA C hl¤ {( /0,ON 5 k nlopm qON 5 ijO 5 ÀoL½=> ON 5 yz$,ON 7( =.H%Kp(« 5 QR;S ( ( O O
٣٩
= @= @= = h= h 8 ä ( ^Ûc []0(%= @5 A+ h=+*ij 9:%( Ü9:@5 A+ =Ê(+* @5 ¢

A 9:5
\ Ú
m ( ³· 9 w
k h=nl) P}\~ O( 5 r( 9:1(+* ^ß(+* 9:%( dON @5 +A 6\ 9: ( ON 5 9:TÆàS +A ( 9:Ó¿¾) 5 .H,ON -.âOá ( .H%+*( 9:%( dY +A .H;=>?+*( 5 BA C m Â×
'=C ´µ¶ 7 :TUÝÞ 8 Ú ' @ r 6 < = @= @ = =
m O zO ( ( m = ( ( ( w 8 ( ( 5 5 ³ · 5 m ( c . ^ >( (dY ³ ·
@A£S k h=nlopqN 5 y$,N QR1+* k h=nlop«( .He-6@Aª& ' ab QR;^ÅdY= r 5 6@v Ax( = r 9:3 r @8A+ , 6 7´8µ¶ Â=× T H;ÒÅ = ´µ¶@A+
( 9 => z Oá C ³ · 9 \(C 85 >( ( ON 5 \ ( ON 5 (+*j \ = å=>æ O \ 8³ · ° 3 O ³ · (4O = (O
r :;ã$äâ= ´µ¶ :TUV< ^ÒÅd @A+ }~ ' h=i hªAij = w 5 hij $%& '´µ¶ 5 Häâá '´µ¶ 5 stuÏ N@A+ .He-6@Aª& ' }\ ~ '( h=¤l {/0,N 5
= = ¯
=> (dON 5 = C âOá C (+* Ú ] ( ( 9 z O &(W=å=>Ûc (+*j 9 =+* 3 Oá 5 9 \c 85 5 5 . O 9 c ³ \·
$ / Å B ç
"# Ê=} ( @A < [ = hij r hl É ) P 0
¡ $
¡ : KLè $ N
, 5 n' h=i UV):
T < Häâ 8 :T @A+ , 6 7 8 H,N :T hij $¡ ´µ¶ 58
O O 8³ · = ³ · ( 8 8 =. O => ( O9:5 O ( 9 ( O 8³ ·
QR;^_`( éâá ( 9:;(> N ´µ¶ 9:e(- P[]0(¡ ´µ¶@+A r 9:%=dY( hij 58 °( 9:%
O =w x= r( 5 ( Tc 6-<êm 5 hÖiS@+A =P[]=0m%34 H,N@ëA ÅÜ éâá :;> N ´µ¶ @5 +A
¯ =
( O O(
.h=ij̀ 9:;^ì9:5 6@AÉ. < âá
٢٨ 28
Chapter 5: Divine Names
to the faculty of perception is good in relation to that faculty as long as its per-
ception conforms to that faculty. But when the relationship between the two
changes, its perception will no longer conform to that faculty; rather, its percep-
tion will be a detriment to that faculty and will be bad in relation to it. This is
why, in relation to two perceivers, it is possible for one thing to be good and bad
at the same time. How true then are the words of the one who said:
One man’s tribulation is another man’s treasure.52
Chapter 5: Divine Names
God, who is the source of existents in all their diverse categories, has many names 38
in relation to these categories. And these names would be virtually countless
were an aspirant to try to enumerate them all. God has a “name” from the stand-
point of His relation to each existent that comes about from Him. The names He
gave Himself in His noble Book and which were expressed by His Prophets, and
those by which He has come to be named by people, are restricted. These words
might need more explanation and clarification for the weak-minded, so I will
now bring down the walls of obscurity.
When God’s essence is considered insofar as it is the source of the category 39
of existents that perceive both what conforms to and what precludes their
natures, and, alongside this, when we consider the relation of this category of
existents to something that both conforms to and precludes their own natures
(insofar as it does conform to and preclude them), we have two names for the
source—namely, Harmer and Benefiter.53 In terms of perception, a thing can
neither harm nor benefit an inanimate object. But if its form can be nullified by
a thing, then that thing is what “harms” its form. At any rate, in their original
and common usage, “harm” and “benefit” only apply to that which has percep-
tion. Their application in everyday speech to other things occurs through trans-
mission in language. And words transmitted in language are numerous and far
too well known to need any explanation; for consideration need not be given to
words when their meanings are evident.
٢٩ 29
)
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.gh i ) / ) .r ) )J ) /H) 7 x z / ) 1 ) / ) W7 7 / #C 7 .h / 1 H 1 / )
1,+ 3) .[ / ),+ 1d 13 U13 =
٤٠
abc4 0N e2P1 f 8 jk1l m nDo 0pb5 qsI 8 t 87 0p5 8 v0wy 0N,+ a,+b&,+ 0DEF{ G |}1'~) 8 :;, 0@AB 8 02X` d 8 023PV (
7 ) . u . ) H H .
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) 1
"#$2? 8 de2XPV (:;, 1 }[ 8 sr * :; N 1 6 1}2 D G 7N ( : n1 ) 9 ) G
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) / H o 1 . . « . 8
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7 H . H 7 ©
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7 1
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)
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.). 17 7 . ) /1 /
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¡pb5 ) Âo ]M$[ }[ 1 /0¹Úº
1 C:;, /02*
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:;m) :â ) ¦Û 9 0¹)k»z 0p)5 :ã ;*G ,+ 1}yz dep)5
1
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8 0Do :8 ,; ¡2X`) 0@BA1 0%&'
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IJ 8
. . ) ) . ß M . / . .r ) )J d .
;m) :;Ø[ 8 a1ÃØ1Jbqsr n) Do b&,+ /0%&Æ¦Û1 1 }[ /0«± 1 ) ) . ;m) ;â./08 ¤$yz 1de.[ ¡¨M$.[
t:< æ ]$[ 0¹Æ¦Ï[ 8 bqsI eK1Z[ 87 ç { G Z~ 8 1 }[ 8 t:< :
  
.  : ،  ،  ‫ ؛‬ ( ) ٣ .  
         : ، ،  ١
  : ، ، ٢ . 

                 
٣٠ 30
)
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.gh i ) / ) .r ) )J ) /H) 7 x z / ) 1 ) / ) W7 7 / #C 7 .h / 1 H 1 / )
1,+ 3) .[ / ),+ 1d 13 U13 =
٤٠
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7 ) . u . ) H H .
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8 0Do :8 ,; ¡2X`) 0@BA1 0%&'
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IJ 8
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t:< æ ]$[ 0¹Æ¦Ï[ 8 bqsI eK1Z[ 87 ç { G Z~ 8 1 }[ 8 t:< :
  
.  : ،  ،  ‫ ؛‬ ( ) ٣ .  
         : ، ،  ١
  : ، ، ٢ . 

                 
٣٠ 30
Chapter 6: Divine Attributes
You might say, Harmer and Benefiter denote two attributes, so how can we say 40
that they are both names? And can it be said that God’s attributes are His names,
or is there a difference between them? When we look at it from the perspective
of the intellect,54 the difference between a name and an attribute is apparent,
for they both differ in their meanings. “Name” is a term linguists use to denote a
referent irrespective of the attributes it has. “Attribute” is the opposite. It is like
when the name “stone” denotes its referent irrespective of its being hard or soft.
For “hard” and “soft” are attributes that are only ascribed to two specific quali-
ties found in stones and similar objects. This is the plain truth when we look at
things from the perspective of the intellect.
But when we look at it from the perspective of revelation, we find that God 41
says, «To God belong the most beautiful names; so call upon Him by them».55
As such, “the Gentle, the Aware,” and “the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful” are
included among these names. Apart from the name “God,” it appears that God
does not have a name that can denote the reality of its referent irrespective of
some of His attributes. Thus, for Him the name “God” functions as proper names
do for others.
Chapter 7: The Divine Names Are Relations
If you think clearly about it, you will come to know that all the attributes God 42
gives Himself or that are given to Him by others are from the standpoint of His
relation to some or all existents. Further light will be shed on this later. It very
much appears to be that the word “God” as a proper name is used so as to denote
that Existent Being who is the ultimate end of the traveler’s gaze. It is like travel-
ing along the path of sensory existence to intellectual existence, with the travel-
ing coming to an end when the doors of the spiritual realm56 are opened up.
٣١ 31
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٣٢ 32
Chapter 8: Necessity, Contingency, Impossibility
When immersion in the oceans of the spiritual realm is over, the traveler seizes
the pearl of divine unity and then coins an intelligible proper name in order
to denote the pearl—not from the standpoint of its relation to an existent that
emerges from it, but from the standpoint only of its essence, insofar as he sees
it as an existent.
The name “Eternal” is given to this pearl only with respect to its difference 43
from other essences, which need a cause to bring about their existence. Like-
wise, if you look at the names “the Living” and “the Real,” you will come to real-
ize that they are used with an eye on the death and unreality of something else.57
When it comes to the name that functions like a proper name for Him,58 you will
find no aspect of this therein. A forced explanation of this name may be offered,
involving all sorts of silly derivations discussed by the grammarians and scholars
of morphology in their books. I have no time to be distracted with commenting
upon these flawed derivations. Indeed, time is too precious to be wasted on this
kind of thing. This book would also not allow it, as this would conflict with its
concise treatment of such topics.
Chapter 8: Necessity, Contingency, Impossibility
The existence of every contingent is necessitated by the Eternal. It is in this way 44

that God’s custom proceeds in the material realm and in the spiritual realm:
«and you will find no alteration in God’s custom».59 Whatever is not yet brought
into existence can be considered “impossible in existence”—that is, impossible
through another, but not impossible in itself: the impossible is not yet destined
to exist. And, as long as something is not yet destined to exist, the beginning-
less power will not bring it into existence. Here is an explanation of this point:
the cause of the existence of existents is God, who is the Existent. And there is
nothing to prevent the existence of the causer vis-à-vis the cause except for the
absence of a certain condition: for the existence of the conditioned with the non-
existence of the condition is impossible. But whenever the conditions for contin-
gents are to be found, the beginningless power will necessarily bring about their
٣٣ 33
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 
.    : ٣ .   : ،  ٢ .     (  ...    ) ١
    
٣٤ 34
Chapter 9: Why Did God Effectuate Existence?
existence. So long as the impossible lacks a certain condition, it will not become
a contingent existent.60 Once this is realized, you should then know that every
existent is a necessary existent, either in itself or through another. And every
nonexistent is impossible in existence, either in itself or through another.
Therefore, the opposing ends of “the necessary” and “the impossible” con- 45
join, with nothing to separate them. However, contingency is a barrier that sep-
arates them, although it fundamentally has no reality, like an imaginary point
positioned on a straight line. Or, contingency is like a barrier of time between
past and future, where the furthest end of the past conjoins with the nearest
end of the future. The point at which they conjoin has no reality except in our
imagination. Thus, if you position an imaginary point on a linear stretch of time
going from past to future, you will find that nothing to separate the past from
the future remains on the time line, serving as the real barrier that separates the
past and the future—namely, the point in your imagination that you positioned
on the line.
Chapter 9: Why Did God Effectuate Existence?
The thought may occur to you, “Why did God effectuate existence? Is it because 46
of a motive on His part?”—which is impossible!—or, “Did He effectuate exis-
tence for a different motive”?—which is also impossible, except by way of pure
nature, though God cannot be described in that way.61 This question has per-
plexed many scholars, and is the very thought that occurred to the Prophet
David, since he said, “O my Lord! Why did you create the universe?” God
replied, “I was a Hidden Treasure and I loved to be recognized.”62 That to which
God alluded in saying “I loved to be recognized” is what demands the effusion
of existence from Him. However, only the recognizers can conceivably compre-
hend this meaning.
The role of the intellect is simply to demonstrate God’s existence by way of 47
the existence of existents, and then to realize beyond doubt that God knows
particulars. For when the intellect realizes the dependence of all existents upon
٣٥ 35
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     
.  :    ٣ .  :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   () ٢ . : ١
  
٣٦ 36
Chapter 10: The Face of God and Existents
Him, and subsequently realizes His knowledge of particulars, it will become

clear beyond doubt that the effectuating existence of the Necessary, given His
knowledge of this, is a necessary attribute of His essence, just as eternity, for
example, is a necessary attribute of His essence. And just as it is impermissible
for the Necessary to not be eternal, so too is it impermissible for Him to not be
the origin of the universe. Thus, to ask “Why is He the source of existence?” is
like asking “Why is He eternal?” Were the Necessary not eternal, He would not
be necessary. Likewise, were He not the source of existence, He would not be
necessary. He who realizes the dependence of existence upon Him will inevitably
say that God’s effectuating existence is one of His attributes. We can thus say that
if this attribute necessarily exists for God, then the question “Why is this attri-
bute attributed to God?” is folly. For this would be like asking why God is eter-
nal. If the attribute of effectuating existence does not necessarily exist for Him,
it would be an accidental attribute, external to His essence. And accidents are
contingent upon causes, while the Necessary, by virtue of His essence, cannot
be contingent upon things. If it were otherwise, He would not be the Necessary.
Chapter 10: The Face of God and Existents
Each originated existent that there is is effectuated by divine power—if it were 48

not, it would not exist. The source of existence is powerful, so each existent is
effectuated by divine power, which means it is desired into existence—if it were
not, it would not exist. Thus, the source of existence desires. Each existent has
some kind of relation to the Necessary. And it has—I mean the Necessary—its
face turned to each existent. Each existent is thus present with the Necessary, for
the Necessary looks at each existent, face-to-face. Whatever is not present with
the Necessary is nonexistent, because the Necessary does not turn its face to it.
Were it not for the face of the Self-Abiding, no existent would have existed at all.
This is like the general observation, “Were it not for the face of the sun, which
sustains the existence of its rays spread over the world, none of the rays would
have existed at all.” Since the Necessary has its face turned to each existent,
٣٧ 37
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    :  ‫ ؛‬        : ،  ‫ ؛‬ (       
 ) ٣ .   : ، ، ١
 : ،، ٢ .    
   
.   
٣٨ 38
Chapter 11: God’s Infinite Knowledge
it necessarily follows that He knows each and every tiny speck in existence. This
is the intellect’s limit in its upward ascent, for it has a relation to the Necessary
only with respect to each thing that it sees as necessary for the Necessary, as a
result of seeking to prove it through existents and their attributes. It is the same
when you see the intellect seeking to prove, through existents and their contin-
gency, God’s eternity, power, desire, and knowledge. The intellect is unable to
perceive what is beyond this.
Chapter 11: God’s Infinite Knowledge
The relationship between each thing in existence and the expanse of God’s 49
beginningless knowledge is like the relationship between nothing and the infi-
nite. Through their insight, the recognizers perceive this statement as verified
truth. Thus, it is impossible for them to doubt it, much as rational people natu-
rally perceive that the whole is greater than the part, and that the existence of
something simple is logically prior to something composite. For them, such per-
ception is certain and entirely uncontaminated by doubt. Even though this is so
clear to rational people, animals cannot perceive it because they do not have the
senses appropriate to this kind of perception. Likewise, rational people devoted
to the scope of the intellect—which they are unable to transcend—cannot per-
ceive the meaning of our statement to the effect that the relationship between
each existent and God’s knowledge is like the relationship between nothing and
the infinite. Thus, they are perplexed and at a loss in understanding how God’s
knowledge of particulars works, conjecturing that a change in His knowledge is
a concomitant of change in any of these particulars.63
٣٩ 39
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٤٠ 40
Chapter 12: Knowledge Is a Divine Attribute
One of the wonders of the Qurʾan’s verses is God’s statement, «Then We will 50
recount to them with knowledge, for We are never absent»,64 which makes one
aware that each thing is present to Him, and that He is with each thing. This
is why nothing evades His knowledge. As for His statement, «He embraces all
things in knowledge»,65 the use of “embrace” alongside “knowledge” is simply
wondrous. What it means is that existents are derived from God’s knowledge,
and that His knowledge encompasses each thing, as He says, «God embraces
all things in knowledge».66 The truth is that God is the many and the all, and
that each thing apart from Him is one and particular. Indeed, everything other
than God is only “particular” and “one” insofar as His all-ness and many-ness
accompany it. Now, take for this discussion, which is obscure in itself, the fol-
lowing simile that accords with the extent of your blindness! Though the sun is
one, the rays that emanate from it are many, but it is actually correct to say that
the sun is many and its rays are one. If knowledge derived from the existence of
known things can be called “knowledge” (namely, human knowledge), why can
the divine attribute that is the fountain of all existents not be called knowledge?
The truth is that it is the only thing to which the word “knowledge” can apply.
In the view of the recognizer, when the word is used but not applied to this
divine attribute, it is completely metaphorical, deployed with maximal license
and in a purely homonymous manner with respect to the way things really are
(even if scholars have decided to ambiguously apply the word “knowledge” to
both God’s knowledge and human knowledge).
It is as if those who say that God does not know particulars—exalted is He 51
above what they say!67—have arrived at this belief from the perspective that God
sees particulars as subject to past and present. They think that change in particu-
lars necessarily entails change in God’s knowledge of them, which is stupidity in
the eyes of those who have verified the truth. This is because time is a part of exis-
tents as it is an expression of the measurement of motion, and motion is one of the
specific attributes of bodies. And it is well known that bodies belong to the lowest
category that exists in God’s beginningless knowledge. All existents—be they
noble or lowly—are derived from this beginningless knowledge whose existence
is not dependent upon the existence of anything. Rather, the existence of each
٤١ 41
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٤٢ 42
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      : ، ،  ٢ .
     
.        :  ،، ١
٤٢ 42
Chapter 14: A Glimpse at the Stage beyond the Intellect
thing is dependent upon its existence! Since time is a part of existents, as has been
shown, how can it be said that, from the change that takes place among some exis-
tents, there must also be change in God’s knowledge? This could only be the case
if His knowledge were dependent upon the existence of existents, as is the case
with human knowledge. But since God’s knowledge is not like that, why would
change in particulars entail change in the knowledge that encompasses them?
Chapter 13: God’s Knowledge Is Changeless
Whoever thinks that a change in the sun’s rays, because of an obstacle that veils 52
the earth’s capacity to receive them (such as a cloud, for example), requires
that there also be a change in the attribute which is the source of these rays,
«has gone very far astray».68 By my life! The sun can change and its rays can
change because of that change. But what I have supposed above is that when
there is a change in the sun’s rays, it will have occurred as a result of an obstacle
that veils the earth’s reception of sunlight. I did not say that an obstacle will
obstruct the emanation of light from the sun. Being what they are, the sun’s attri-
butes cannot change on account of an obstacle. So an obstacle can only obstruct
the earth’s reception of the light emanating from the sun.
Chapter 14: A Glimpse at the Stage beyond the Intellect
In itself, the sun is perfect by virtue of the power of its radiance: it is not depen- 53
dent upon something else to achieve this perfection. The sun faces a body, its
rays shine onto it, and its effect reaches it; to think this is a perfection belonging
to the body is a sad mistake. This can never be the case! The perfection of each
٤٣ 43
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( |u ( ,-%(u wyz 1 A0B\U mn+ 1 gh%( mnimn+ mn& ')Z,-1 (& / Z Y A0+*B\ A
0 ) \_$k( " -% A0B -. 2 0L >( ?@ 1 gh.i
B
0Z 9u 1 0 9u , ( , @ 0 7¡ , 0 L I ¤F0¥0 ( 7 9u 1 0V : ( 0 0 9C ( , ( 9u7v { ( 9 r9U 1 9 :<= I : 9
٥٤
"# 0%&

$* '( -. /0 -.[ -.Z¢ AB\_$£( ~ 1 gh.¦( W§0Y $¨ gh.¦( ©D -.Z wyz 1 gh.imn+ "8 :$$+ #; "8 $$#; mn+ ( S$Tu 1
7 3 9 I(
0 ª
( (
'( 0«+* 1 mn,:$e+* VW%( @ ] A0H^&6 ¬:$%& ( D9C ,-§Y A(+*B\ ~( ,-<= , 0Z u 1 9C 9 9
n DC AB\U 17 ,-./t<³ 1± 17 ,-bPc m17n+
( 0 a -?®¯/°@mn+ "#$* ±m² n D ] 1±mn+ ±m²
9 · v { :<= <ox 7 : : X:$¨( : 9 ( (Z 3 9,- 0 ½ 0 I <= 0 v { 0 9,
( S:$fDC >(µ¶d ´ 0 wyz $$#; m+n ٢ pW%& ' 1 ¬¸$%0 ¬$Tu º¹ [¶d·0 ¼ ghk l m1 +n VW.¾(+* ,-.¿/ :$a wyzmÀn Z-1 ¬:$%0X:$¨
9 »
(9 9 9
A0ÁH Â½Tu 1 ±mn²DCtu ,-§(Y >ÃDmn&
( -1 (+* ,-.9u 1 S:$fD9C : 9u (-e
Ä
F ('+* ( (£
F 3 D9C )9u 1 S:$fD9C vwyz{ n+ ] ,-b9,- ,-§Y 7È ,-£
Æ(9U ,-§Y ~( ,-j¶Nª Æ9U
'E Å± ( ¬$T Â ( ( m ( ÇF( 1
v { 0Z 9,- , Y ( v{ 0 9
.0 wyzmÀn -§( >µ¶d ´ ·0 wyz "#$*Zu 1 ] 1±mn+
(
')+*
١٥ "#$ÉÊª
,-.(@ ^H& ( , 9, 0 ( (7v { ( ( , F Æ9U ,-e(+* 0g½hk I I( ÌI 9U , I <= 0 9 0 (

/ A0 ' -b-m1 n+ VW%@±wyz 1 >?@24ª ' -£ l m1 n+ "#$kl( mn+ 2Ë VÍÎ 1 AB\ 17 -.¿ / :$a 1 mÏ nL( mÐn ,-1 VW%.Ê ( ¶d·
I( ( 0 0́ 0 9 9 ( 9u 1 0¹ D9C t( (¡ 1 ( 1 0 1 Ï 9 9 0 (9 Á , 0 0Z 0 NO9,-1
٥٥
~ ,-7e+* ( 0/2 "#$*Zu 12DC (( ,-./0 7 2 7 nmL( mnÑÒÓ:$Tum+n VW%0u 17 VWjÔ¶N (
Tu 1 A 0H m +
n -
j ¶N
? @ # Õ
" ÖÔ¶ m+n
$ % (

×0 ( V 9u ×0 ( ( ( , I( 7 9 ³ 9, I ( 9,-1 Û ghI 0Z0 9 x I 0 ( 9
· n+ 1 ØÖZ 0ª ' 1 1 17 -. « umn+ ( <
/ Ù24¼-1 B\_$¨ 2ÚZ .¦<Ü« >ÃD( )¦(u 1 AB\_$¨ ,-?@ gh.0Z Y ,-./tª ')¦(u
AB\_$¨7 (j¶d m× W%0 7 ¹ A
x × 3 ¹I ¹ ¹ 9 0 (+* V 9u 1 , 0 (· 0 , 0 I0F 9 9
A0ÁH 1 .{,-ÉÊÒÓ:$¨¹ x] AH^&6 "#$0 ÝÉ¹Ê56mn+} [56 m1 n+ AB\U ,-.È mnÞ) / W%0 7 -. / ß(j¶d mn+ -j¶d· Ï ÆU 1 VWk l( mnu 1
0 Ç Ç9, Á ( ½ 9 ½ Á ( ½ 9 , (+* ½ , 9, L V Ó: v { 9u
VW?ÒÓ:$¨ 0 K G AHÁmn+ ,-j¶N0T9u 1 \_$¨ ~( <opWk
F ( 1 g½hk
l l( mn 0¡ »¼- A0H ÂTu m1 n+ ghk
l( mn+ A0H ÂTu -e ghk l( mn+ -b- mÏ n ( mn ¡( W?Ò $¨ wyzmn
0 AB 7 9
VW%0Õ0Z¦0Õ0Z¢ ( L<o W?@ ( +n ¯t9u Àn 0Z1 ^H&36 <o W%00 +n V<
L 0VWfD9C E ( 0F Æ(9U 1 Û ,-.) (+* ( F â(0È A0HÁ Â( ½T9u 1 ©D9C ã Ä-1
p ~m »à / m A p m ½³e 1± 17 ~m+n ,:$£ / 1 2á 0 F
9, :<= 0 : Æ(9U å <x 7 : v { ( , 3æ ( 3́7 9U 9 9 ( 0+* 0F ( 0́
3 F -
VWj(Ô¶d·0 ¼- $$#; ,$£1 ¼ä opW%&¨ Ó 3
' 1 VW?Ò $¨ VWj(Ô¶d·0 wyz 17 ± -§Y 1 >?@2 1 AB\ 17 "8mn& u 1 â i 1 Ä QP
» »
' m m m mn+

n ~ +
n Ñ
n Ï

               
.   :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( ) ٢ .      : ، ،  ١
   
٤٤ 44
Chapter 15: The Inability to Comprehend God’s Knowledge
illumined body lies in its facing the sun such that it obtains, in some measure,
a part of the perfection of the sun’s radiance. It is impossible and can never be
the case for the sun to face a body in order to obtain a perfection that belongs
to that body!
In terms of general observation, the foregoing example lucidly conveys an 54
understanding of the point at hand. And for the people who have deep insight,69
this example gets to the heart of the matter. Yet the insight of the intellect is very
far from the reality contained in the meanings of these expressions. Perceiving
their meanings only belongs to a stage beyond the intellect. When something of
this stage is in your soul, your thirst would simply not be satisfied even if all of
the intelligibles were to pour down upon you all at once. As a hungry person will
not be satisfied by water and a thirsty person will not be satisfied by bread, so
too will the apprehension of intelligibles not satisfy the quest of the recognizer
singled out by that stage beyond the intellect.
The relation of all existents to God is one: past, present, and future are all equal 55
in relation to Him. Existents have order when you look at them rationally. Some
precede others, just as the simple logically precedes the composite. However,
when existents are ascribed and attributed to God, their relation to Him is equal.
For «He embraces all things in knowledge».70 That is, were it not for His knowl-
edge of the existence of each thing, it would not exist. So that which exists and
that which does not exist equally apply to His all-encompassing knowledge,
which is beyond human understanding (let alone human perception): intellects
are annihilated before they can behold His reality and their faculties obliterated
before they can attain even a trace of it. For human knowledge is utterly dissimi-
lar to His knowledge, just as the sun’s rays are utterly dissimilar to its essence in
the realm of sensory images to which the vision of ordinary people is confined.71
How can it be otherwise, seeing that God’s beginningless knowledge existed
before time and before all existents, just as it exists right now? It is not for our
٤٥ 45
(
')+*
١٥ "#$%&
I 9 9 ( ( 0Õ0Z Y HÁ ( ½ 9 34 F 9 7 x 3 9
( <
º¦Z 0Ü«mn+ VW%0X:$¨ Û m1 Àn u 1 2DC t¡ 24ª ' 0 A0 ÂTu 1 > mçn ¶NK Ä-1 "98 ,-%3è9,-1 A(+*B\ <opx W%& ' 1 :$¨ ,-.[56 MNOQPRd3 |U 1 0 1 (
0 >
x
1 mÏ L @ ( æv { 1 <
:= 0 1 L 9, 5 é «
0+* ( , ( 9ú 0+* x L ( ,<=
@ 1 « 1 @ a I \9U (7v { 1 V Ó: v {
n ( mnÑ ~wyz mn $$#; mÏ i 1 Ò
n ( mnÐ- ¦0 ( "#$%( mn ~ -?2 "#$%( mÏ + n ( mnÑ ~ - A0B±wyz W?Ò $¨m+n wyz
Ç
( ê ,-.i ( á 6( 7± Âh§0Y ,-.
I( 9 ,-?@ _$¨ 0 ,-%I 7( á 9U , Ó: 0Y ( 71 0VW.(¦Z Õ¦& (9 ,9 09 9
> 2 F
«
u
/ m ( ( AB +
n KG
F 0 \ 02 ( (
FÆ -
§Y V W
? Ò $¨ 7 ± ~ 0 'tu 1 -%( umÀn Zu >MN0Tumn+
Âh
§
{ 9 9 ( ( { L @ 0V 0Z 0Z L 1 1 ( ( F 6( âimn9u 1 7± Âh§0Y :<$$=
VWk l( ± ,-k l( vwyzmn+ ¼,- ,-.u 1 "#$k l 1 ~mn0 vwyz mÏ n ( mÑ W.¦0Õ¢ 7 ± 7 >ê 2á
n
<
#; V½³e 1± 17
»
x ( ( v { <x ¹ 0I @ v {
.VW%( <opW%& ')¦Z @ wyzmn+ VW§(Y opW%& ' wyzmn+
I
0V ( 9, 0 , 9u 1 ( v { å-.9U 1 0 ¡ 9C ( @ I \9U ( v { å-.9U 1 0V 0 0Z L ( I È ( ( 7 7 v{
W¨m& n 'mnÐ-1 ± -%(Õ gh./t(¡ wyz 17 ¼ä 02D >? A0B±wyz 1 ¼ä W.Z¦0Õ¢ >ê (.0 ~ 1 >èP ´ c0 wyzm+n
» »
9( (+*7v { 98 0Z 9u 334 I 30 : 9 ( ½ 9 , ( , V 7 ÁH ( ½ 9 ( µ9,-1 ( ( µ9,-
٥٦
(
¬:$Tu 7 1± 17 ~mn+ Û ,-.) w z
y
/ m m >m 1 +
n " À
n
1 ç¶d
n · ¬ $
Tu Â m Õi -.i W§(Y Âh§0Y± 1 A0 ÂTu 1 A^H 0¨ A^H
u
T +
n -%
Ī ( 0 ( 9 ( ( I 9 0 0 0I 0 ( 9U , I ¥$e(+* < ( 0 (
VW?® ) / Z Y A0+*B\ 2DC t¡ ±2 ´ ë0umn+ VW§Y± ghe+*mn+ VW§mY Ñn+* AB\_$¨2á â( -§Y #$£
F ( " ¤F}0 V½³e 1± 17 >ê VW?ÒÓ:$¨mn+ VW}:$.0Z1mn+ VW%0ÒIìi24ª ')+* >( ?Ò+*\
Æ9U 1 ( ?@ : 0Z 9u 1 I 9C ¡ , 9,- 0 «+*( 09u 1
9 I I( ÌI , ( 0 9 ( 9 0¥*(¦Z ( , (+*
K8
F
( ( > ( S$. ±:; / Dt0 -b 0mn AB\_$¨ "#$k l( mn+ 2Ë VÍÎ -§(Y >;ÕµÔ¶N0Tumn+ VW%@ ( ,-§(Y VWTu î ï 0 -j¶NØ¾
I 9
( 0u 1 9U ( , v { I 0 0Z F I 9 í
gh.0Z¦0Õ[@ 1 gh.)
( (+* +*( ( 0+ 09 ( ÆU 1 7 1 vwyz{ 1 ( ê VWT9u 0VW.(È ,-b9,-1
/ VW%0« ºZð*mn u 1 ~m+n ( 0ñ Â-e ë AB\ 17 ~± -%(0wyzm+n nB\ 0Õ¢
A ± 7 >
9\U , 0È ÌI 1 âi 1 I0 L 9 0ójÔ56 ¦& 1 '(t(¡ m1 n+ gh.¦Z0 1 ÛmÑn+*
x » Ç x (
(á â(È( 0VWe(+* Ú[@ âi Âh§20
F ( ´ I$k I( V ÌI 1 n+ ,xY , ïF¥ô0õ56 1 n+ (@ ,x0+* , 0Z ¤F0¥ô56 1 v { ,x@ < ( < '( )+* n( (
2 2 0 "# ( m 2 Y l +
n Ë ÍÎ -§
m ( (0 m » /-£ ¯
à -
e -. ¢ w z
y -? 2 m VW%@ opW%&
³́ +
n ±m
0V I Ì9u v { 7v {
( 9 0
. W%& 0 /t w7yz 1 ±mÑn @wyz 1 7 1± 17 >ê »à¯/tumÀn Z1
0 9 0 ( 9 0 x L @ ( ,<= 7
nmim+n "#$%(ÕZ u 1 "#$%(«+*m+n ~mnu 1 "#$%(«+* 1 mÏ n ( mnÑ ~ -a ¼å-ä¨ VW.Z¦0ÕZ¢
00 0F G( VW}:$.0Z1m+n VW?ÒÓ:$¨ ©D9C ã 0 G0 ~( 1 [®öfD9C ( ?Ò(+*\
F
» >
( 71 I 0 v { 0V 9C , 1 I s 9U , 9 ÷ 0 9, Ç 9
٥٧
0(Z 0V 9C , 1 , ] 1 + (
+
* r
q̀ F L L
gh.ð WfD -k l 7 -.i ±mn ~mn0 ~ ±mn& ' 0 wyz WfD -k l 7 "_W -§(Y ©DC ã 0 mn+ 1 mÏ n ( mnÐ-1 mÏ n ( mnu ( (j56
( 71 I ÁH F 9ÆU , 0Z 9u 0 ( ( ( 0 0 0 F 9ÆU , : G( ( 0 I 9 9 , ( 0 (+* 9 0 (7v { (
F m1 n+ +*mn 0Õu 1 "8mn+ -% AB\ [®öfDC mn+ +*mn ¡wyz 1 ÃD0( S:$fD9C
~ A0 2á -§(mY n+ "#$* 1 20́2Ë >ê VW.¦Z 0ÕZ¢ -§(Y ø$£ (
v { (Q9Ú 1 ( ?@ I \9U (7v { 1 å-ä.9U 1 1 1 ( ê ( F
Ç7 9 (
0 ( ( 9 70 Ç ( ( 9 > 9 7 I
,
6( 1 -%( umÀn Z¾+* #$%& ( , - ( ,
Ä( 1 ?@ VWTu -%3@ 1 gh.È0
wyz "#$bP > A0B±wyz ¼ 7 ± 7 > 2á
» " ')Z u 1 "#$.i 1 gh% >0ó§Y -£ F >
( 3
0 0 0
< , ( Ó: U : 9 0 ( 0
< 0 , l Âh§Y ,-%( ÒÓ:$¨ 7 1 1 ( ê 0 1 :$#ú Æù;9U ( 1 ( ?@ #$TY(
VW§Y± ghe+* VWjÔ¶N ( ³e -%Ò $¨ AB\ 17 VW?ÒÓ$¨ VWjÔ¶d ( ·m+n 0%Ü« -k (± ( ± 7> > "
: 9( 9 36 ( v { , G ( 7 &36 0 ( , ( 0 0 (+* ¤F0¥ô¶d· :r(+* , ( 0 0 9U
&
¬$Tu >MN0Tumn+ ] A0^H >?@ wyz -£ F( 0 17 AH^ê 1 ] A^H 1 k
0
l 1 -%± ghe A0B\ "#$%0ã 0 $$#; -%± ghe+* AB\ 17
+
* + '
¹ 0× û <
,-?®¯ü 0£ ( , l Ñ@ ÁH 71 { ÃD( ×7vw{ <1 ¹n+ 0 Ì¹ÑÌ¹®öýÊ¶d ¹I 9 ¹ I(7v { 9 (7v { 0 0 (+* ¤0¥ô¶d·
/ ÷Fmn+ -?Òìi g½hk ( mn A0 >¹ ± yz m ¹ mn | Ç
u 1 È ghÉþ¡ } VW§Y wyz "8±wyz 1 ± ghe+* AB\ #$%0ã
0¹ ( 0 "
F 0
I( 7v { , : ( ( x I ( 0 { I 7 0 ( 3 {
~ wyz -%( ÒÓ$¨ A0+*B\ VW%0«+* 10.È ( K L( mn 0¡ vwyzmn+ Ûmn,:$.9,-1 0.(¦00 ~( 1 ,-%( ÒÓ:$¨ A(+*B\ "#$%0ã ¤F¥ô¶d·0 ¬:$T9u Â-e ('+* ] A^H&6 >( ?@ vwyz
0 0
L 9 ( Á ( ½ 9 9U , 0 ÌI å-¨ (+* : 9 ( ¤F0¥ô¶d· v { : 9, ( @ , ( 0 , ( Ó:
mÏ + V 1 · u \ È
n ( mn W%0 7 ghjÔ¶d0 A0 ÂT 1 AB -. ÍÎ ¼ä A0B ¬$Tu "#$%0 0 wyzmn mn,$.- >? -.ÖÔ¶dÿ@ -%Ò $¨
u H V 1 \ ã + Û 1 Z
»
٤٦ 46
weak minds to perceive God’s knowledge of particulars as it should be. But they
can perceive their own incapacity to perceive it,72 just as sense-intuition can per-
ceive its incapacity to perceive the reality of an existent that is neither internal
nor external to the world, and neither conjoined to nor separated from it.
It is impossible to express the reality of God’s beginningless knowledge by 56
means of a formal method of knowing except through an established expression
that conveys a meaning distinct from the meaning intended in that context. This
is why the human intellect and understanding are confounded by God’s begin-
ningless knowledge, much less able to perceive it. Thus, those constrained in
their aspiration, intellect, and knowledge vis-à-vis perceiving God’s beginning-
less knowledge should come to terms with their incapacity and inabilities but
should repeatedly employ their rational powers in trying to comprehend it, for
a door might be opened up. They should ask for God’s assistance to attain what
will free their hearts of the obstacles that prevent true perception. They should
not be too hasty to deem this as false, let alone suspend judgment over it. This
was a belief held by one group for some years about God’s eternal knowledge
that accorded with the belief of the rest of the misguided. But then God guided
them with His light, as a blessing from Himself out of His generosity, without
them deserving it or meriting it. May God continue to help them to recognize
the incapacity of their intellects in perceiving divine matters!
Whoever desires that his knowledge and intellect encompass the reality of a 57
knowledge that existed before the cosmos and even before a “before,” a knowl-
edge which is the cause of the existence of existents, and which encompasses
the totality of things so completely that no kind of encompassing that is beyond
it can be conceived, would be asking camels to lay eggs, or trying to grab hold
of the stars, and would truly have lost his mind. Such a person should be con-
sidered by the learned as mad! Our intellects are even less capable of perceiving
God’s beginningless knowledge than ants, or, rather, than inanimate bodies are
able to perceive our knowledge—in fact, by many degrees less capable! The rela-
tionship between God’s knowledge and our knowledge is like the relationship
between His power and our power, since it is impossible for our power to create
a thing—that is, to bring it into existence from nothing. But that is not impos-
sible for God’s beginningless power because He is «the originator of the heavens
and the earth»73—that is, He is the one who brought them into existence and
created them from nothing. In this vein, with respect to our knowledge, it is
impossible for a known object to change without necessitating change in our
٤٧ 47
(
')+*
١٥ "#$%&
9 ( 0 0 9 ( ,x0 , ( 0 9 ( ( 9 I 7 (+* 0 9 a ,I 9, (È , I:<= 9

7± Âh§0Y ¼,-mn+ >0 ó§Y± gh.Z u 1 >ó§(Y -§mY n+ -.Z Y 2DC t¡ "8mn+ 1 A0B\ 7± Âh§0Y "#$*Zu 1 ~( ,-<= -b- â -.¿ / $a 0 1 mÏ nL( mÐn ,-1
» 0
0 9 L7v { ( I 0 0 9 ( 7v { ( ( ( Æ9U (+* , 0 ( : 9 ( ,x0 , ( 0
.VWTumn (ã wyz 1 gh./t(¡ gh.0ZÈm+n VWfDC mn,:$¨wyz 1 gh.i A0+*B\ ¾0+*mÑn+* \ F 1 A0B\ -§Y >0ó?ÒÓ$.u 1 >ó§(Y -§mY +n -.Z Y
ã 0
0 9 9 G ( I 0 ( (+* 0 9 , 9 ÷ 0 9 0 ( 9U , 0 ÌI
7 Ç
0 , ( u F u F u +
* +
*
VW§Y -.Z¦&'t(m¡ n+ VW§(Y "#$*Z 1 ©DC ã 0 0 ~ 1 ±mn& '0 º¦Z 0 « ' "#$*Z -§(Y ©DC ã 0 mn+ "#$*Z 1 mÑn AB\ -.È VÍÎ m1 n+
9 9 I ( I ( 9 9 0 ( ( Ir q̀ 9U ,-§Y ]( á Æ9U 0 9 , l m1 n+
٥٨
0 0 0
ghe+*mn+ VW%( @ "#$%& ' ,-£ÆU 1 mÏ
F nL( mnu 1 0 1± >( ?@ ± "#$*Zu m1 n+ gh.¦(u 1 VW§0Y :$¨ A0+*B\ "_Ws ( 2F( 1 VWfDC -k 7
$
*
0Z 9u , 0 : Y (Z
Y X$
«
('+* I \9U (7v { 1 å-ä.9U 1 0V 6 ( ?@ <ox & 71 , 9u 0V (· v { , I:<= a 0 1 L 9, I( 7 , ( <(
- 1 1 Y ³́
-§ T
"# ( 0 0 º 0 A0B± yz »¼ ¦ w W
. [5 > p ' /t ( yz / mn ( mn ~ 2
W
% -
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. ¿ $
Ï Ð -
§
(+* 9C ¡ ( 7
١
I 9
1 gh.µÔ5 0 6 1 0V :$e0+* +n V :$.E
W} m W} / F Æ9U( nÞ) (+* ( F
â
á
(
U 1 1 gh.i 7 1 1 ( ê VW?®¯) (+* 0+* ( <
4ª
' ) ?@ +
n V½
³
e 1 1 \ [®öfDt0 ~ 1
m 2 / ( ± 7 >
I
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0 0V :$%& v{ 0 09 9 F 6( 7 1± vwyz{
[] VW}:$.Z1 nL0 !0ª
W} 'mÏ '( wyz 17 gh%( ßj¶dÿ@ ±mn& ')Z u >MN0Tumn+ 2( á 7
?0¹ ×9 < @ ×( 0 ¹( ¹( ¹
× 9,¹ ¹I¹$¹̈ ,-?¹@ ¹+n ٢ ,-¹̀ c( ,-.¹[¹@ ×( ?@ (+*B\ 1 ¹À¹0Z×9u <1 0 ×K G ¹I \_$¹̈
±ö."¦Z (u 1 ٣#¹®öýABCZ Y »
¼- 1 17¹
A0B_
\ m B ¹¹ > 0¹ m ¹ A n F
A0B
I 9 Iå Ì I xI 7 (
I0F
Ï
Æ9U ,-§Y VW§(Y ,-j¶d|9u \_$¨ 0²
9C (¡ 0 : F
D t m +
n ,
$Æ(9U 1 0VWe(+* ,-<=
£ a
A U 17 ¼-äj56mn+ VW%0X:$¨ VÍÎI 1 B\_$%&
\
B ' 1 g ½h$;÷úù #$j56± 1 ( ?@ ~( ,-£ ¤F¥ô
( ¶dÙ+*
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A A ¹ " >
9, 9 ¹̈ D Ì Ì < ¹I Ì < » × ¹ ¹I ¹3 ¹(+* E I9¹0 , ¹ ¹( × 7,¹( I 9 ,0(
٥٩
-¼ mnum+n .{#D®öÉÊ0S:$¹ ÝÉ¹Ê56m¹+n ¹VÍÎI 1 ~( 17¹ V¹ÍÎI 1 VWÉ% L( m+n #®öÉÊÙ m1 n umn ¡ -?®öÉÊ0ñ -e+*} "#$T7Y ,-e0+* >( ?@ "#$k l( "8 -.Zð+*
» I 9 Ç æ æ
( ( ,-1 >( ´0g½hk l ,-£ Æ9U( 1 #$.E 0 , 3 9 (+* ,x +( ,<= ( ,r { (
q̀ 9U 0VW§0Yvwyz 1 gh.i AÁHmnç56 ~( 21 Ú0Z u 1 A+*B\ (
9 (
>0ó§(Y Â-eè F " / L( AB\_$¨ -./õ¶d|u 1 A0B\ -%0«* -a ~ -s 0
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>
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F
E I9¹0 ¹¹( ×¹7¹( 9 0 ( 7 9 ( 0 ( 0 æ 0B±wyz »¼ Wf -k 7-7§(
(
9
å U <( [@ [56 1 n u 1 0VW.(Z¦& 9 0v{ 0 ( ( I
, , , , :
m1 n umn ¡ -?®öÉÊ0ñ -e+*} "8 -e+* ~ -§(Y ¬$Tu +*2F+*mn+ »¼-ä. 1 2³́ Ç m ' VW§0Ywyz 1 ¬:¸:$TY A0+*B\ 2<³́ VW§(Y 1
9 , 0 ( V : (+* L @ I<= à
I( 7 9 0 0V ( 9C Ç 90 ,3 ( ÌI < × ¹ ¹I ¹3 ¹(
L( m+n #®öÉÊÙ+*
AB\U 17 -?@ VWjÔ¶d ( · W}$e mmÏ
n ( Ñ
n " _W ~ 1 ABU
\ 1
7 V W
£G
F 20 4ª' W.Z
¦&0 Dt u ± - j5 6 1
7 gh.i m +
n .{ V
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7
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0 , I 7 ( 9ÆU , Ó:
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    
.     : ‫ ؛‬    :  ٣ .  : ٢ .  :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   () ١
       
٤٨ 48
knowledge. This is because our knowledge is derived from what is known; but
this is not impossible with respect to God’s knowledge, upon which the exis-
tence of every existent depends. Indeed, when the intellect initially perceives
that there is a difference between divine power and human power but does not
perceive a difference between divine knowledge and human knowledge, it will
get lost in its judgments, thereby falling into this captious question and getting
caught up in this intellectual trap.74
God is above the intellect and encompasses it, so how is it conceivable that 58
the intellect should encompass Him and His attributes when the part can never
encompass the whole? The intellect is one of the tiny specks of existence effectu-
ated by God. We have already stated that each existent has absolutely no relation
to the embrace of God’s beginningless knowledge, so how is it fitting for the
intellect to desire to perceive it? To be incapable of understanding the percep-
tion of this incapacity is due to ignorance and insufficient preparation. And this
incapability goes back solely to the constrained capacity of the intellect.
I am tasked with carving rhymes from the source—

what do I care if animals cannot comprehend?75
Glory to Him who sent Muḥammad to all people and spoke the truth through 59
him! «Wherever you turn, there is the face of God. God is all-encompassing,
knowing».76 If the Qurʾan contained only this verse, it would have been testa-
ment enough to the ignorance of those who oppose and deny that God’s begin-
ningless knowledge encompasses particulars. How could it be otherwise, given
that every single letter serves as a testament to their blindness? Alongside
the mention of knowledge, in the verse God mentions the divine attribute of
“encompassing” and highlights it by saying, «Wherever you turn, there is the
face of God».77 This is a subtle but clear allusion to the effect that each existent
has some kind of relation to God’s face, without which relation the thing would
not exist. So God is face-to-face with it in that His face is turned toward it. This
is what is meant by God’s knowledge of particulars.
٤٩ 49
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2
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٦١
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٥٠ 50
(
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٦٠
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٦١
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٥٠ 50
Chapter 16: True Faith
So long as you desire to assent to the reality of God’s beginningless knowl- 60

edge by means of premises, you will be hammering cold iron. True assent to
it is dependent upon the appearance of a light within and through which your
heart expands, thereby broadening your capacity. Then, through that light, you
will come to perceive that God’s knowledge is not similar to human knowledge.
This will put an end to your desire for faith acquired by way of conventional
knowledge. For you will realize with certainty that as long as this light does not
appear within the self, it is inconceivable that anyone can believe properly in
the divine attribute of knowledge and the other divine attributes. True faith
means that, at the outset, you relinquish your attempt to grasp the beginningless
divine attributes and that you even relinquish any desire for such an attempt.
Without such a resolve, you will not desire true faith. The “light” discussed here
appears within the self with the emergence of the stage beyond the intellect. Do
not deem this stage to be far-fetched, for there are in fact many stages beyond
the intellect—and none knows their number but God. At this stage, the merest
things to be perceived are the objects of perception, which need demonstrative
proof by way of premises in order for them to be perceived. For the person who
can see does not need demonstrative proof in order to perceive the objects of
his sight. It is only the one who is born blind who would need such a proof of
their existence to perceive them, just as he would seek to prove the existence of
an object of sight by touching it. It would be impossible for him to perceive the
reality of color because he does not have a way to demonstratively prove it.
Chapter 17: The Intellect’s Proper Place
The intellect has essentially been created to perceive primary concepts,78 61

which do not require premises. And when it grasps recondite points involving
٥١ 51
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٥٢ 52
Chapter 18: The Stage beyond the Intellect and Premises
theoretical reflection through demonstrative proof and the articulation of prem-

ises, it is as if it has had to depart from its original nature in order to do so. Like-
wise, since the sense of touch has essentially been created in order to perceive
objects of touch insofar as they are objects of touch, were a person born blind to
use it in order to demonstratively prove the existence of that which is perceived
by the faculty of vision, that would be a departure from its nature (that is, from
the nature of the sense of touch). Such too is the case with the act of writing,
which is specific to the hand. Were an amputee who had lost a hand to write with
his feet, that would be a departure from the foot’s nature. For God’s beginning-
less power did not bring feet into existence for the act of writing, but for other
functions. From this you should know that the stage beyond the intellect does
not require the perception of obscure intelligibles based on premises. Indeed,
the relationship between it and such obscure matters is like the relationship
between the intellect and primary concepts.
Chapter 18: The Stage beyond the Intellect and Premises
You might say, “This is difficult for me to grasp, so explain a little more.” The 62
relationship between the stage beyond the intellect and the objects of percep-
tion is like the relationship between the ability to taste poetry and being able to
perceive the distinction between poetry with its meter correct and poetry that
drags its feet. This ability does not need premises in order for such a distinction
to be grasped. Likewise, the stage that is beyond the intellect does not need
premises in order for the distinction between truth and falsehood in recondite
matters to be perceived, unlike the rational thinker who needs intellectual meth-
ods to do so because of the intellect’s deficiency. It is also unlike the blind man
when it comes to perceiving the existence of the objects of sight—he needs to
perceive them by going to them and touching them. And it is unlike the one who
does not have a taste for the principles of prosody—he needs to perceive them
through the medium of the accuracy and inaccuracy of meters and feet.
٥٣ 53
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٥٤ 54
Chapter 19: The Inner Eye
The intellect has a method by which it perceives the meaning of magnitude and 63
paucity, which are relational attributes appropriate to numbers. The intellect has
a method to perceive the fact that the absolutely smallest number (which no
number can be smaller than) is two,79 but it does not have a method to perceive
the largest number possible, which no number is greater than. In terms of per-
ception, the relationship between the largest number and God’s beginningless
knowledge is like the relationship between that number and the smallest pos-
sible number. For there is no distinction in God’s knowledge between the great-
est number and the smallest number, but the intellect cannot perceive how it is
that God’s beginningless knowledge encompasses them. Rather, the perception
of this is dependent upon the opening of an eye inside the human self—the eye
for which the recognizers have been singled out. It is then that the reality of the
stage beyond the intellect will be made clear. The relationship between the intel-
lect and this eye is like the relationship between the rays of the sun and the sun.
And the intellect’s deficiency in perceiving the objects of perception appropriate
to this eye can be compared to the imaginal faculty’s deficiency in perceiving the
intellect’s objects of perception—but for those in whom an assent necessarily
occurs, there is no room for doubt.
There is no doubt that in God’s knowledge the largest possible number is like 64
the smallest possible number—there is no distinction between them. We should
realize that, were the eye of recognition to open up inside of us, it would quickly
become a source for this kind of wisdom. We should thus be on guard to ensure
that this eye does not get blinded in the many ways that it can, by being afflicted
with some kind of blight and obstruction of its vision—in a nutshell, causing it
to lose its status as a special, perceptive faculty. One should take a lesson from
God’s words: «Their parable is that of one who kindled a fire».80 The relation-
ship between the eye of recognition and these things that can happen to it is like
the relationship between the sun and those things that can happen to the earth,
destroying its ability to receive the effusion of the sun’s light.
٥٥ 55
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٥٦ 56
Chapter 20: Longing for God
One of the special attributes of the stage after the intellect is that when one per- 65
ceives the existence of the Real there necessarily follows a tremendous longing
for Him, which cannot be conceived through expressions or a thorough search.
The intellect delights in perceiving the existence of the Real. However, this is not
a delight in the perception of His perfection. Rather, it is delight insofar as He
is an object of knowledge, as is the case with other objects of knowledge, such
as mathematics, medicine, and the like. By my life! I do not deny that there is a
difference between perceiving God and grasping a problem in mathematics. But
this is the kind of difference that we notice in every form of knowledge, however
noble or base, and insofar as some of them are naturally above others. But when
the intellect delights in perceiving the existence of God insofar as He is an object
of knowledge, it is similar to the delight the external eye takes in a pleasant scent
insofar as it is an object of vision with a beautiful color. But such delight is far
removed from the delight the sense of smell takes in the object’s scent when this
scent is perceived. Thus, when we perceive musk with the sense of sight and
take delight in the perception of its color we will not experience a tremendous
longing for the musk and will not want it as much as those who perceive its scent
with the sense of smell. Likewise, the perception of the one who perceives God’s
existence by way of intellectual premises will not excite the same longing as that
of the recognizer, for the intellect can only perceive God’s existence insofar as
He is an object of knowledge.
Chapter 21: Familiarity with the Spiritual World
When the eye of recognition is opened for the traveler, subtle and divine mat- 66
ters will, in accordance with its perfection and capacity for perception, pour
down on him. And, in accordance with this outpouring, the traveler will obtain
٥٧ 57
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  
٥٨ 58
Chapter 22: The Stage of Prophecy
familiarity with the spiritual world, intimacy with God’s subtle blessings, and
love for the beauty of God’s presence. The traveler’s intimacy with the world will
gradually diminish, and his intimacy with the divine world will proportionately
increase. You may now want to compare this intimacy with what the rational-
ist theologians know “intimacy” to be through rational knowledge. But such
a conjecture would be bad—a horrible mistake, a terrible thought. The word
“intimacy” and other terms such as “love,” “beauty,” and the like are used meta-
phorically here, out of necessity. So do not let their ambiguous resemblance to
various other meanings delude you, for you will then fall into error in ways that
you do not know, contenting yourself with fanciful expressions dreamed up by
your weak intellect!
Chapter 22: The Stage of Prophecy
The intellect of a person who has not been blessed with even a little experience 67
of this stage will not accept its existence as true merely by way of premises. Faith
in prophecy is almost impossible for him since prophecy is an expression of a
stage beyond that stage to which I have alluded. And whoever does not believe
in this is far away, essentially not accepting prophecy as true. What then do
you think of those who disbelieve in the stage of friendship with God,81 which
appears beyond the intellect, and beyond which the stage of prophecy appears?
For even if they were to state or believe that they accept the reality of prophecy
as true, they would still be wrong. Their belief would be like a blind man when
he believes in the existence of color and perceives its reality insofar as he per-
ceives something colorful, but does so with his sense of touch. That is absurd,
being very far as it is from perceiving the reality of color!
٥٩ 59
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٦٠ 60
Chapter 23: Faith in the Unseen
For the intellect, faith in prophecy means faith in the unseen. Were it to liken 68
the unseen to something within the purview of its perception, it would be very
far from the truth. If you have faith in the unseen, then you believe in prophecy.
And if you do not have faith in the unseen, then you should be forbidden to
eat, drink, and sleep (except when necessary) until you arrive at this faith! Take
this counsel and prosper. But if you disregard it, then you will be disregarded:
«And whoever strives, strives only for himself. Truly God is beyond need of the
worlds»;82 and it will all become clear to those like you when death prevails:
«And from God there will appear to them what they had not expected».83
Chapter 24: The Path to Faith in Prophecy
You might ask, “What is the path the intelligent person must follow in order to 69
have firm faith in prophecy?” I would say that this path should be that of a person
who does not have a taste for poetry but spends time with those who do, in order
to achieve his goal. There are many people who do not have a taste for poetry
and cannot grasp the difference between verse and prose but who believe in the
existence of this ability in others. By spending enough time with those who do
not lack this ability, they become believers—with faith and certainty—in some-
thing unseen.
٦١ 61
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٦٢ 62
Chapter 25: The Stage beyond the Intellect
and the Divine Attributes
God’s attributes can be perceived by reflecting upon certain existents and quali- 70
fying them with specific attributes, such as “wise,” “artisan,” and “creator.”
The intellect can conceivably grasp these attributes. As for those attributes
that are not tied to any existent in any way, perceiving them and their reality is
dependent upon the appearance of the stage beyond the intellect. These would
be attributes like pride, greatness, beauty, and splendor. Indeed, all of the mean-
ings of these terms that the intellect perceives are far removed from what they
really are. So be careful not to be deluded by externalities, for people are natu-
rally inclined toward all things that appear to be perfect, even though they may
be devoid of perfection. And they never acknowledge their incapacity to know,
but instead dive into things that admit of being dived into and those that do not,
thus disputing over what they can perceive and what they cannot. The fact that
the imaginal faculty can compete with the intellect over its objects of perception
and your senses is proof of the falsity of this natural inclination. Now, if someone
were to say to you, “It is indeed possible for the intellect to perceive beauty,” you
should respond, “If a thing of beauty is to be put aside for something more beau-
tiful, why would you then not put aside all things for God, for the most beautiful
thing in relation to His beauty is the vilest of things out there!” At that point,
the questioner will naturally resort to nonsensical statements—but time is too
precious for me to waste in discussing them and addressing all of their defects.
Whoever is aided by that realm, and is blessed with some of the aforementioned
stage so that thereby he can grasp whatever portion of God’s beauty has been
assigned to him, will have enough proof for the point being made.
٦٣ 63
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 
   :  ‫ ؛‬ 
.    :  ، ١
٦٤ 64
Chapter 26: The Intellect’s Relationship to Love
Love is one of the things specific to the stage beyond the intellect. For those 71
who have witnessed the states of love, there is no doubt that the intellect is far
from perceiving these states. To the understanding of the person restricted by
his intellect and who has no taste of an intimate experience with love, there is
no way for the lover to convey the meaning of that love with which he is so
intimate. That can only happen when such a person stands in the same position
as the lover who tastes love. This is what the intellect is like in every state, such
as anger, joy, and shame. For the intellect perceives knowable things, but has
no way to perceive such states. To be sure, it can perceive their existence and
pronounce judgments about every single one of them in various ways. But the
intellect cannot perceive what love and other states are about by way of premises
in the way a person can perceive intelligible, perceptible objects when he hears
of their premises from someone else, and then uses those premises to perceive
those objects as adequately as the other person does.
Chapter 27: The Lover’s Attraction to the Beloved
The pursuit of the beloved follows on from falling in love. This pursuit is fully 72
actualized when the gaze of the pursuer is entirely turned toward the pursued.
It is then that pursuit and ecstasy are twins. The reality of this pursuit can be
expressed by the attraction of iron to a magnet: if the iron is unalloyed, the
magnet will attract it, with nothing to impede the iron’s attraction to the magnet.
But if the iron is mixed with some gold, silver, or the like, this will compromise
its attraction. Likewise, when the iron is uncontaminated, its fully actualized
attraction to the magnet will ensue. It is then that ecstasy—namely, the iron
reaching the magnet—will necessarily occur. This is the meaning of our state-
ment, “pursuit and ecstasy are twins.”
٦٥ 65
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   
  
      
           :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (  ) ٢ .    
    :  ٣ .     :  ،  ‫ ؛‬ ، ( ) ١
      
       
    : ‫ ؛‬       
      
.    
       : ‫ ؛‬   

٦٦ 66
Chapter 27: The Lover’s Attraction to the Beloved
Moreover, iron may be prevented from being attracted to the magnet by an 73

external object, but this will not cancel out its attraction to the magnet. The
only thing that will do so is if, in its essence, there is a contaminant, or plaster,
or some other substance mixed in with its ore. Indeed, an external impediment
may not greatly affect the iron’s ability to cover the path of its attraction toward
the magnet. As long as the lover’s essence does not contain a contaminant that
will cause it to turn its face away from the Beloved, he will obey the call to
consecrate himself in turning toward the object of his pursuit—namely, the
face of the Beloved.84 It is then that he will become a novice in his pursuit, and
the reality of God’s statements will become clear: «I submit to the Lord of the
worlds»;85«Truly the religion in the sight of God is submission»;86«the pri-
mordial nature from God, upon which He originated people»;87«Indeed, pure
religion is for God»;88«There is no coercion in religion»;89«Yet he has not
assailed the steep pass».90
The difference between what impedes the lover internally (this is like gold 74
mixed in with iron) and what impedes him externally (this is like a feeble hand
that prevents the iron’s attraction to the magnet) is quite difficult to perceive—
but not for a person firmly rooted in this kind of an inquiry. You who are life-
less in your knowledge and deluded by your intellect, be wary of reading this
and similar chapters with derision, puzzling over them and deeming them to
be those ecstatic utterances91 that have brought ruin to a certain group of seek-
ers who did not obtain a single taste of their meanings!92 Be wary, otherwise
you will be among those about whom the Qurʾan says, «Since they will not be
guided by it, they will say, “This is an ancient perversion”»;93 «Nay, but they
disbelieve in that whose knowledge they cannot comprehend and whose inter-
pretation has not yet come to them».94 This is your share of the counsel that
I am obliged to offer to you. It is all the same to the recognizers whether you
believe or disbelieve them. To them, the knowledge you refer to is similar to
how erudite scholars view weaving and cupping. What would a scholar whose
knowledge encompasses the realities of things care if he did not know weaving
and cupping?
٦٧ 67
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٦٨ 68
Chapter 28: The Last Stage of the Intellect
The intellect of those fortunate enough to access this stage will “see” its incapac- 75
ity to perceive the reality of the First and the reality of His attributes. The last of
worlds containing intellectual objects of perception is where the intellect will
perceive its incapacity to perceive many existents. This incapacity is one of the
first things to appear in the stage after the intellect. For the last border of the
stage of the intellect is connected to the first border of the stage that comes after
it, just as the last border of distinction-making is connected to the first border
of the intellect. One of the special attributes of a true knower, when he perfects
his knowledge, is that he comes to know with certainty that it is inconceivable
for him to perceive the divine reality. According to the rationalists, he can only
know this after having mastered many well-known premises. At any rate, there
is a great distance and a tremendous divide between the intellect’s perception
of its incapacity to perceive by way of these premises and the recognizer’s per-
ception of this incapacity (which is to say that the intellect is incapable of per-
ceiving the recognizer’s objects of perception). This incapacity that appears to
the intellect is almost like the incapacity that appears to the imaginal faculty
when attempting to perceive the intellect’s objects of perception. For the imagi-
nal faculty’s incapacity to perceive obscure intelligibles is obtained from prem-
ises. The intellect can perceive the imaginal faculty’s incapacity through its own
objects of perception and without any premises; therefore, the imaginal faculty’s
objective is for it to acknowledge its incapacity to perceive intellectual matters
when the intellect affirms them by way of premises incontrovertible to the ima-
ginal faculty. Likewise, when the intelligent person affirms the incapacity of the
intellect to perceive the recognizer’s objects of perception, he reaches the last
station of the intellect and comes to perceive the ultimate end that is possible
for him to perceive through the intellect. Permanently residing in the Kaaba of
his quest, it is here that the traveler encounters the first waystation in the stage
of recognition.
٦٩ 69
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٧٠ 70
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٧٠ 70
Chapter 29: “The Incapacity to Perceive Is Perception”
The intellect is necessarily incapable of perceiving its true incapacity and of 76

perceiving the recognizer’s objects of perception, just as the imaginal faculty
is necessarily incapable of perceiving the reality of its incapacity to perceive
intelligibles. It is the intellect that perceives the true incapacity that accompa-
nies the imaginal faculty in terms of perceiving intellectual matters. Since the
intellect is incapable of perceiving its true incapacity, how can anyone wonder
at our statement that the intellect is incapable of perceiving the reality of God
and the reality of His knowledge, the fountain of existence? Thus, the different
ways intellects understand this point go back to their different capacities to per-
ceive “incapacity.” To be sure, the incapacity acknowledged by Muḥammad95
is not like the incapacity acknowledged by Abū Bakr.96 Indeed, the disparities
in acknowledging incapacity are also great. It might be that, when the soul is
engulfed by the incapacity to perceive the fullness of its incapacity, it will per-
ceive its incapacity by way of recognition, not by way of premises. Perhaps the
statement of Abū Bakr the Truthful,97 “The incapacity to perceive is percep-
tion,”98 is an allusion to something similar. Or perhaps the recognition men-
tioned in the Sufi saying, “Whoever recognizes God becomes speechless,”99
comes close to the meaning alluded to here.
Chapter 30: A Transition
My discussion has now gone beyond the boundaries of intellectual reflection, 77

and what I have delved into may just about harm many a listener. Indeed, the
people who can grasp it and not reject it are few. It is thus fitting that I return to
my purpose. You are in much greater need of a clear discussion about the points
I was making concerning the divine attributes and about my demonstration of
the divisions of existence into numerous attributes, which in reality are not the
٧١ 71
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 :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( ) ١
.
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٧٢ 72
Chapter 31: God’s Essence and Attributes
divine essence itself and are not other than it,100 as the people of truth have said
and agreed upon—every last one of them. But judgments like this are disdained
by weak intellects!
Chapter 31: God’s Essence and Attributes
You might say, “To the intellect, it is manifestly impossible for a thing to both not 78
be that thing itself and yet not be other than it. Can you explain a little bit more
so that perhaps my thirst may be partially quenched?” The statement to the
effect that a thing, for example, is not that very thing itself and not other than it
is impossible from one perspective. Not a single intelligent person would believe
such a thing. However, this is not impossible when there are two standpoints.
For example, it can be said that something is neither nonexistent nor existent.
This is totally impossible, and its impossibility is extremely clear for the intellect.
However, this would only be the outward aspect of such an assent if this state-
ment, in terms of meaning, were expressed as having two senses and if it equally
applied to what is demanded by these two different meanings. To explain: some-
thing might be existent in one sense and nonexistent in another. This is the situ-
ation of everything other than the One Existent whose existence abides through
itself. Any contingent, seen in itself and without consideration of the self-abid-
ingness of the Necessary with respect to it, would be nonexistent in terms of
itself. But seen from the perspective of the self-abidingness of the Necessary, it
is existent. The majestic Qurʾan and the eternal Word allude to this when it says,
«All that is on the earth passes away».101 The Prophet’s statement also called
attention to something similar when he said, “The truest words uttered by the
Arabs are those of Labīd:
Truly, everything other than God is unreal.”102
٧٣ 73
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       
         : ‫ ؛‬
  ٣ .       : ،  ٢ .     
   
      : ، ،      ١
 
      
        
. : ، ،  ٥ .   : ،      ٤ .    : ، ،  
         
     
٧٤ 74
Chapter 32: The Divine Essence and Its Standpoints
When viewed from the perspective of God’s essence, the divine attributes are 79
the essence itself. But they are other than it when viewed from the perspective
of existence into multiple divisions. It is from this perspective that the divine
attributes are different and multiple. This point is illustrated with a clear exam-
ple—perhaps you will only be satisfied after hearing it. It will raze the walls of
your rejection, leaving not so much as a trace of denial among those pretending
to be clever.
In its essence, the number ten has one obvious meaning, which cannot be 80
divided, and which is indicated by the expression “ten.” When ten is consid-
ered in relation to the number five, it is indicated by the expression “double.”
When considered in relation to twenty, it is indicated by the expression “half.”
And when considered in relation to thirty, it is indicated by the expression
“one-third.” In this way, ten can be indicated by other expressions. From one
perspective, the attributes by which ten can be described in accordance with the
diversity of their relations to it are one, and from another, many. If these attri-
butes are considered from the perspective of the essence of ten, no multiplicity
will be found in ten. But if these attributes are considered from the perspective
of the divisions of numbers relative to ten, it will be multiple from this stand-
point, on account of the multiplicity of numbers related to it.
Oneness is a concomitant of the essence of the true Necessary Existent. How 81
can oneness not be its concomitant when uniqueness, which is more particular
than oneness, is a concomitant of it, as it is impossible for any other essence
with its own existent characteristic to be brought into existence for it? On the
contrary, oneness is a concomitant of the sun since there is not a second sun in
existence, but uniqueness is not a concomitant of the sun since it is possible for
there to be a second sun. If you reflect upon the relation of the essence as such,
which is Necessary in itself, you will discover that it is one, without multiplicity
in any way whatsoever. When the travelers look at this essence with the eyes
of their hearts, they discover it to be this way, with no distinction. However,
on account of the multiplicity of the relations of this essence to the other exis-
tents that derive existence from it—not from themselves—the travelers have to
depend upon the alternation of its standpoints such that the realities of these
٧٥ 75
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٧٦ 76
Chapter 33: The Way of the Righteous Predecessors
relations can be conveyed, by way of these standpoints, for the weak-minded to

understand. Thus, since this essence is related to the effusion of the existents that
emerge from it, and it is known that they are contingents and that it must be the
Necessary who brings the contingent into existence, it is called “power” from
the standpoint of this relation between it and the existents, and sometimes it is
called “desire” from the standpoint of another relation. But the weak-minded
think there is a difference between power and the Powerful, and desire and the
Desiring! This is the very limit of intellectual reflection.
Chapter 33: The Way of the Righteous Predecessors
Therefore, our statement that the divine attributes are not the divine essence 82
itself nor are they other than it is true, and it is definitely impermissible for any
Muslim to go against it. To do so is to stray in one’s religion. This is the position
of the righteous predecessors and leaders who have come before us. In them, we
have a beautiful example and a most pleasing model. They were unanimous in
their agreement on this thanks to its necessity as recognized by those scholars
who have verified the truth (with no care for the exoterically minded among
the religious formalists!). To affirm the divine essence and not affirm the divine
attributes is to be guilty of ignorant innovation in religion; and to affirm the
divine attributes as actually different from the divine essence is to be guilty of
dualism103 and disbelief, and ignorance to boot.
٧٧ 77
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. 8 * 7 . * yz{| h- D. 89bª*76 W .XYbÖcd L<T * p 8 ]6 W .XYbÖc* yz{| h- PQ 893]6 W .XYbÖcd* L<T
7 } p 7
tÃ̈0z{| W XYbÖcd * s D 9b*ª6 W XYbÖc * g * * s OPQ 93 ±* * g O ± * * s
٧٨ 78
Chapter 34: Scriptural Evidence
On several occasions, God describes Himself in His noble book with multiple 83
attributes, such as power, will, exaltation, abasing, hearing, seeing, life-giving,
and death-causing: «Truly God is powerful over all things»;104 «And you do not
will until God wills»;105 “You exalt whomever You want, and abase whomever
You want”;106 «There is nothing like Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing»;107
«He is the one who gives life and causes death».108 Look at how these divine
attributes are multiple by virtue of the multiple relations of the existents to the
divine essence (which is their source), but how they are united in their essences
from the perspective of the divine essence. Make analogous judgments based
on this for the remaining divine attributes, for I do not think you are incapable
of perceiving some relations in each divine attribute—if you are in fact one of
those who delve into recondite, intellectual matters. But first, strive to under-
stand what I am saying!
Chapter 35: The Divine Attributes Are Relations
One of the things that are well known and cannot be doubted is that when the 84
beginningless Reality from which existence emerged is looked at, taking into
consideration what has come into existence from it, what has not come into exis-
tence from it, and what will come into existence from it at an appointed moment
and specified time, it will be seen that whatever has come into existence from
the beginningless Reality has a relation that is not there for anything that has
not yet emerged from it. This explains the diversity of existents and nonexistents
in relation to God. Moreover, the existents themselves are diverse in their rela-
tion to God. An angel’s relationship to God’s essence is not like a human’s rela-
tionship to it; a human’s relationship to God’s essence is not like an animal’s; an
animal’s relationship to God’s essence is not like a plant’s; a plant’s relationship
٧٩ 79
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      
.
   :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (
  ) ٢ .  :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (
  ) ١
   
٨٠ 80
Chapter 36: Nonduality
to God’s essence is not like that of the heavens and the earth; the color white’s
relationship to God’s essence is not like that of the color red; and the relation-
ship to God’s essence of an individual exalted in this world and in the next is not
like that of a person abased in both of these worlds.
The relationship of someone exalted in some way to God requires that God be 85
called “the Exalter.” And the relationship of abased people to God requires that
He be called “the Abaser.” When God is viewed as the source of life and death,
it is said that «He is the one who gives life and causes death».109 When people
look at the manner in which His knowledge encompasses all existents and grasps
it with the senses of hearing and sight, it is said that «He is the Hearing, the
Seeing».110 When all existents stand in relation to God and each of them are seen
as connected to Him, it is said, “Whatever God wills is, and whatever He does
not will is not.”111 When the existents that issue from Him and the nonexistents
whose existence has not yet issued from Him stand in relation to God, it is said,
«And He is powerful over all things».112 Divine power comes about from the
relation between God and existents and nonexistents, while the divine desire
and will come about from the relation between God and existent things only.
The divine desire comes about from the existents that belong to the spiritual
world, while the divine will comes about from the existents that belong to the
sensory world. The divine names “Life-Giver” and “Death-Giver” come about
from the relation between God and things that are respectively living and dead.
Now, go on and make analogous judgments based on this for the remaining
divine attributes.
Chapter 36: Nonduality
Our essences are deficient and are only perfected by attributes that complete 86
them. This is why our power needs desire, and our desire needs knowledge.
Power alone can only acquire its object of power with desire. This is as it per-
tains to us. God’s essence is complete and is never in need of anything at all, for
that which is in need of something is deficient, and deficiency does not pertain
٨١ 81
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  
                              
                 : ‫ ؛‬،  (       ...  ) ١
       
           
               
    
‫ ؛‬                                   
  
   
 
.   
   : 
٨٢ 82
Chapter 37: A Note on the Eternity of the World
to the Necessary Existent. Thus, God’s knowledge of something is not other than
His desire, and His desire is not other than His power. His essence is entirely
self-sufficient. It has “knowledge” in relation to things that are known, “power”
in relation to objects of power, and “desire” in relation to things that are desired.
God’s essence is one and contains no duality in any way whatsoever.
The existence of duality is totally inconceivable with respect to the Neces- 87
sary, for there cannot exist two things, each part of which is necessary in itself.
Indeed, there must be a difference between the two things in some sense. If not,
there would be no duality with respect to them. And if there were two necessary
beings in existence with no distinction between them in any sense, then that
which they lacked would either be necessary for each thing that is necessary
in itself, or it would not be necessary. If necessary, it would equally exist in the
two necessary beings.113 If not necessary, then its existence would have to be
the effect of some cause.114 But the Necessary is far removed from anything like
this! If this is not enough for you on the topic, then you must seek it out in those
books whose authors have fully dealt with it, for my time does not permit me to
say anything more, and my intention—in this book at any rate—is to not prolong
a discussion that the rational theologians have already dedicated themselves to
proving through demonstrative methods—so feel free to go to those sources.115
Chapter 37: A Note on the Eternity of the World
You may ask, “What do you say about the relationship between the Necessary 88
and the heavens and the earth? For example, has the relationship always existed
or not? If it has always existed, this would entail the pre-eternity of the heavens
and the earth. But if the relationship has not always existed, then how did they
come into existence after having been nonexistent? Was it due to a cause that
appeared in the essence of the Necessary after not having been there? But this
would be impossible. Or was it because of an effect that appeared in something
nonexistent and that continued to be nonexistent until a specific time, prior to
which this effect had not appeared? This would also be impossible. Or did it
٨٣ 83
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.  :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( ) ٢ .
   : ، ،  ١
   
٨٤ 84
Chapter 38: Divine Causation
come to exist without the appearance of something originated in time? Yet this,
too, would be impossible.”
Many scholars have addressed this matter in abundance.116 For those who 89
have insight, the truth beyond a shadow of a doubt is that the relation of the
heavens and the earth to God is, for example, like the relation of something that
is at this very moment nonexistent but that then comes into existence tomorrow.
I would like to know what the poser of this question would say about a nonexis-
tent thing that appears to be nonexistent even when it is subsequently brought
into existence. He would say that an effect has appeared in the Eternal, or that
an effect has appeared in this nonexistent thing, or that the nonexistent thing
came to exist without the appearance of an effect. But all of that is impossible!
There remains no option but to say that the cause of the existence of the nonexis-
tent thing is God, who exists, beginninglessly and endlessly, at one and the same
moment. The only reason God did not bring about the nonexistent thing’s exis-
tence before is because of the absence of a condition that would cause it to war-
rant existence and be prepared to receive the light of the beginningless Existent.
Chapter 38: Divine Causation
When the form of existence flows into a nonexistent thing, like, for example, 90
the form of a fruit that was nonexistent and then, after nonexistence, became
an existent thing, that must be a cause for the form’s existence after its nonexis-
tence. The cause for the existence of every existent is God. Since every existent
other than God does not have an essence insofar as its reality is concerned, and
does not have existence, how can it be a cause? Indeed, in general observation
it can be called a “cause,” just as it can be called an existent, and just as its being
an existent only has an ontological root insofar as God’s eternal essence is con-
cerned. Likewise, its being a cause only entails that it has an ontological root
from that perspective. Just as there is no reality to its existence, so too is there
no reality to its causality (which is an attribute that is one of the concomitants
of existence). There is nothing left to say but that the cause is God. Now, why
٨٥ 85
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
.    : ، ،  ١
 
٨٦ 86
Chapter 39: The True Nature of Causation
was the effect not brought into existence when the cause existed? Because of
the absence of one of the cause’s conditions. Since greater detail is needed, I will
explain further.
Chapter 39: The True Nature of Causation
You might say, “It is clearly known by the rationalists that God is only a cause 91
for one existent, and then that thing is a cause for the existence of another thing,
and then that second thing is a cause for a third thing, and so on until it comes
to the existence of human beings. In every respect, only one thing can emanate
from the One.”117 No tongue should utter the likes of this astonishingly audacious
statement, for it is outright unbelief as far as those with insight are concerned.
There is no difference between affirming two eternal existents, with each being
Necessary in itself, and affirming two causes, with each effectuating existence.
Rather, the indubitable truth is that, apart from God, there is no existent that
can be a cause for the existence of something else. The reality of causation stems
from the act of imposing the form of existence onto a nonexistent. And you
cannot conceive of the existence of a cause until an effect is found, since cau-
sation cannot apply to a nonexistent. There must then be a perpetual cause of
existence so that it can uphold the existence of the effect perpetually. Among
possible existents there is no essence that has true existence. True existence and
a necessary essence belong to God alone. So how can a thing that does not have
existence insofar as its reality is concerned be a cause for another thing? And
how can a thing that does not have existence in itself bring another thing into
existence? In reality, the Cause is that which is complete in its essence and which
abounds in existence, overflowing onto the nonexistents and draping them with
the form of existence. But whatever is not complete in its essence—or rather,
whose existence and the attributes of whose existence are attached to the exis-
tence of some other thing, and by which it subsists—is in fact extremely deficient
in its essence and is not fit to bring things into existence, let alone exist itself.
٨٧ 87
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t) R I
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,
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/
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{ ¾1É Â Ècd] HIQ),+ -./ 13
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) 2̀ ^ 6 6 S
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٨٨ 88
Chapter 40: An Example Using Natural Phenomena
There is an everyday example of the preceding discussion. When the sun shines 92
its light on the moon at night and the moon’s light shines on the earth, there is
no doubt that the moonlight does not merit existence in itself—rather, its light
comes from the sun. So, given this deficiency, how can the moonlight be a cause
for the existence of the light that shines upon the earth? Let the contemplative
person ponder this carefully, consulting his soul for the answer. There is no
doubt that if he looks at this example with a fair eye, he will see that it is more
appropriate that the light of the sun and not the light of the moon be the cause of
the earth’s light. How can the moonlight bring something into existence if it does
not have existence? For bringing something into existence is necessarily built off
of existence, and existence is naturally prior to the act of bringing into existence.
Moreover, the moonlight is never called a cause, technically speaking, and that
is indisputable. At the same time, one should not forget the subordination of the
moon’s light to the light of the sun, and that, were it not for the sun’s light, the
light of the moon would basically not have existence. The truth is that affirming
that the cause could be something other than the Necessary, who is the Real in
His essence and the Self-Abiding in His attributes, is to assign an associate to
Him and to affirm that He has an equal. This would be tantamount to affirming
that the moon is the sun’s partner in the act of bringing about light. There is no
doubt that, if the Necessary were posited as nonexistent, nothing at all would
remain in existence. Since nothing can in any way do without the Necessary,
nothing at all would remain in existence were He to be nonexistent. How truly
astonishing is the intelligent person who understands this but then hesitates to
say that God is better suited to have causal efficacy than others!
٨٩ 89
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   :  ٢ .     
         :  : ، ،   (    
        
    

  ) ١
      
       
                          :     ٣ .    : ، ‫ ؛‬ 
   
     
      
     
    
  
. : ،  ٤ .                 
  
٩٠ 90
Chapter 41: The Oneness of Existence and Causation
The truth is that my statement that the Necessary is “better suited to have causal 93
efficacy than others” gives one the impression of a significant deficiency in the
Necessary, for it seems to indicate that these “others” have a rightful claim to
something. But God is better suited to have a rightful claim. In fact, the “rightful
claim” of these others to something is only possible by virtue of God’s neces-
sary essence. At this juncture an ambiguity persists: “If the Necessary has com-
plete causal efficacy, why then does He delay the existence of the effect, seeing
that it is impossible to put off the existence of an effect from its existing cause
when the cause is complete? If God is deficient in terms of causal efficacy and
His causal efficacy can only be complete with the presence of certain conditions,
then He has a partner in His being a cause. So why then do you maintain that
something other than God cannot be called a ‘cause,’ despite the fact that you
acknowledge that the existence of certain things is a condition for the existence
of other things?”
It is easy for me to resolve this ambiguity. The existence of a condition only has 94
an effect on the conditioned thing’s capacity to exist, not on the causal efficacy of
God’s necessary essence. It is just like the disappearance of a cloud, which only
has an effect on the earth’s capacity to be illuminated by the light of the sun—but
the disappearance of the cloud itself has absolutely no effect on bringing the
light of the sun to completion. One cannot say that, through the disappearance
of the cloud, the sun’s causal efficacy for the existence of the conditioned thing
is completed—namely, the earth’s being illumined. In its design and imagery,
this example represents the highest kind of explanation, beyond which nothing
greater can be conceived. If the light of the moon is derived from the light of the
sun, but the moon in its essence is vanishing, perishing, and nonexistent, then in
reality the moon only has the light of the sun. So the light of the moon is the light
of the sun—it is as if they are one and the same. Given this, how can the moon
be a partner with the sun in diffusing light? Just as there is no light other than
the light of the sun, so too is there no existence other than the existence of God.
Thus, the existence of existents is not external to the existence of God—it is as if
they are one and the same.
٩١ 91
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                       
      
 :  ‫ ؛‬ ،  (
   

     :  ‫ ؛‬    
           

  ) ٢ .  :  ١
         
.  :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( ) ٣ . 
  
 
٩٢ 92
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   

     :  ‫ ؛‬    
           

  ) ٢ .  :  ١
         
.  :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( ) ٣ . 
  
 
٩٢ 92
Chapter 42: An Example Using Mirrors
From the perspective of reality, everything in existence is transitory, and the 95

only thing that remains is the face of the Living, the Self-Abiding. It is just like a
transitory form in a mirror—only the form outside the mirror remains insofar as
general observation is concerned, satisfied as it is with sensory imagery. In the
eyes of the recognizer, the form outside the mirror is also transitory, just like the
form inside the mirror, with no distinction between them.
Chapter 43: The Mirror of the Intellect
A mirror is a tremendous example for those who are intelligent. If you look into 96
one properly and still do not have many of your difficulties resolved, you do not
deserve to be considered intelligent. By my life! When an intelligent person looks
into a mirror, he is beset by tremendous problems and comes to doubt many
things he had taken for granted. Nevertheless, many difficulties will be resolved.
If the forging of mirrors was the only benefit to be derived from iron, that alone
would testify to the truth of God’s statement, «And We sent down iron which
has great might, and benefits for people».118 How can it be otherwise, given that
the benefits derived from iron include those that would make even mirrors look
insignificant, despite the fact that mirrors contain many tremendous wonders,
which the intellect cannot enumerate? In reality, mirrors function as “mirrors”
for the intelligent, since in them they can see the form of the intellect, which is
incapable of perceiving many realities. This should be sufficient testimony for
you of the fact that the intellect can barely perceive many sensory objects that
are in plain sight, let alone intelligibles that are hidden. Spend a great deal of
time looking into a mirror if you want to witness your intellect’s incapacity. How
fine an aid it is for the intellect to see its own incapacity and its deceit in making
long-standing claims about its ability to perceive the realities of divine matters!
٩٣ 93
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         
   : ٣ .   ، ‫ ؛‬       
         
                 :  ٢ .   :  ،، ١
.   : ، ،  ٤ .    : ،  ‫ ؛‬ 
   
٩٤ 94
Chapter 44: The Forms in Mirrors Are Relations
I do not deny that the intellect has the disposition to perceive many great, recon-
dite matters. I am just unimpressed when it steps outside of its scope in its claims
and seeks to go further than it can.
Chapter 44: The Forms in Mirrors Are Relations
In a mirror, an imprinted form appears that corresponds to the form outside 97

of it. At first glance, the intellect makes a distinction between the existence of
the form outside of the mirror and the one inside it, with the first preceding the
second. It is inconceivable for anyone to doubt this. The actual existence of the
form inside the mirror goes back to a relation, which comes about in a specific
way, between the form outside the mirror and the mirror itself. When the eye
sees the relation that obtains between the two, it perceives the form inside the
mirror as nonexistent in relation to the existent reality of the external image. But
the intellect never doubts that the form inside the mirror is not independent
and existent in its essence—it does not have an existence of its own. Rather, it is
an existent in relation to four things: (1) the mirror, (2) the external form, and
(3) the relation that obtains between them when (4) seen by the eye. That is,
when this relation terminates, the existence of the form inside the mirror also
terminates. Intelligent people know that this form does not have an existence of
its own. If we conceive of the existence of the mirror, or of water, or of anything
corresponding to them that produces images of forms, and conceive of them as
unchanging, not a single one of us would fail to perceive that the existence of
the forms inside the mirror derives from a form outside it, and this is because
no other body, such as clay, plaster, and the like, shares the special attribute that
belongs to mirrors and water. But when the form outside the mirror changes, the
relationships between it and the mirror also change—and that is when the form
inside the mirror changes in accordance with the change of the form outside
it, in one and the same manner. An intelligent person would not even bother
٩٥ 95
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
     : ، ،  ١
.     : ، ،  ٢ .
    
٩٦ 96
Chapter 45: A Note on the Limits of the Intellect
to doubt that the form inside the mirror comes from the existence of the form
outside it, and that the existence of the latter precedes the former in terms of
hierarchy, not in terms of time.
Chapter 45: A Note on the Limits of the Intellect
The intelligent person should truthfully ponder this: if the mirror were not exis- 98
tent and if someone were told about how he could see forms imprinted in it, would
he believe in the existence of such a thing or not? I do not think that a single fair-
minded person who looks at this clearly would doubt that he would not believe
in the existence of such a thing. He might even set out to prove its impossibility
by way of demonstration, and it would indeed be impossible for there to be flaws
in his proof. Now, consider this, and do not be so quick to reject what your weak
intellect cannot grasp: the intellect was created to perceive some existents just as
the eye was created to perceive some existents; but the eye is incapable of per-
ceiving objects of smell, hearing, and taste. Likewise, the intellect is incapable of
perceiving many existents. To be sure, what it perceives are limited and restricted
in relation to the many existents it cannot perceive. Moreover, in relation to God’s
beginningless knowledge, all existents are like specks in relation to His Throne.
But these specks in relation to the Throne are things in some sense, whereas all
existents in relation to God’s knowledge are nothing at all! I only mention this out
of fear that your weak intellect would hastily say, “The intelligibles are infinite, so
how can you say they are restricted and yet infinite?” For the One in whose eyes
each existent is restricted—and indeed is nothing!—such a proposition is not of
great consequence. The beginningless divine attributes, such as power, desire,
knowledge, and the generosity that flows onto the forms of existents, are the only
things in God’s eyes that are impossible to be restricted. This generosity is a con-
comitant of the divine essence, and since the essence is perfect and above perfec-
tion, there is no doubt that the generosity which requires that nonexistents be
dressed in the robe of existence is a concomitant of the divine essence, just as, for
example, necessity is a concomitant of the essence. The divine essence would be
٩٧ 97
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 
       :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( 
.   : ،  ،  ‫ ؛‬ (   ) ٣ .  
     ) ٢ .    : ، ،  ١
        
٩٨ 98
Chapter 46: Mirrors and the State of Dreaming
deficient were it bereft of this generosity. It is like the sun: when it illuminates the
horizon, its illumination is an aspect of its perfection. The sun would be deficient
if this attribute did not exist in it and something was needed in order to perfect its
luminosity. But to God «belongs the loftiest description in the heavens and the
earth, and He is the mighty, the wise».119
Chapter 46: Mirrors and the State of Dreaming
The people of intelligence take lessons from mirrors from many different per- 99
spectives, and it is nearly impossible to enumerate them. One lesson is that,
when they look into mirrors, they witness the reality of God’s words, «All things
perish, except His face»,120 and the Prophet’s statement, “People are asleep;
when they die, they awaken.”121 They know that the relationship between the
existence of the earthly and spiritual realms to the face of the Living and the
Self-Abiding is like the relationship between forms inside mirrors to forms out-
side of them. For there is no reality to the existence of the earthly and spiritual
realms—their existence comes from the existence of the face of the Real, the one
to whom existence truly belongs. Some, or rather most people, think that the
existents they behold in this world have true existence. But when the relation
between their eyes and these sensible existents is negated, the veil will be lifted
from their eyes and the delusion disclosed. They will then awaken from their
state of sleep and come to know with certainty that «All things perish, except
His face»122 (unless of a course there is another existent that has always abided
through God’s subsisting face and is thereby also endless thanks to the existence
of the Self-Abiding and His everlastingness!). At that time, from the very depths
of the Throne, people will be summoned with His words, «Whose is the sover-
eignty this day? It is God’s, the One, the Paramount».123 They will witness this in
a way that leaves no room for doubt. Those who study these statements and do
not understand the realities of their meanings should hesitate before rejecting
them. For indeed, beyond these statements lie wondrous mysteries that speech
cannot expound, nor can their reality be expressed through explanation.
٩٩ 99
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1 B _ ) G _
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- s ~ - ) ) _
}| b- = H 0$R 879:>?H WK$^ eop k ceu- p = >?@A56DEF NH O, k ce,+ -J%K$ ) ) C - - ) _
l >?@YXZ .87m< Sno-Np Oqrt9YZ ceu:vw) y{?z / . ) - B
f ( H
I H n'
x .
- -,+ 1 34_?H S < }| _f H N
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> ¶· O, SngB®©@A
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) ) ),+ > C G ),+ K )
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t ()£DEF H .-/0 "ª$L t¹ - y? ?uºÃ Hk H HB ¦) < P\' ( ?g ) ¹ 3¹ y?
NËO ¦rtÌ2
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, >½ ¶,·
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Í x ) N _ -_ 1 B ) O ) N -
)SngÐR :;AX Î- )p H H >?),+ _ ) C G - - _ ) ) _ C G _ _
B NOj) NOq^ H "± ?
> · >
¶ ceu:vw) NO, ceu:?H = DEF "#$p) k ceu ^ H ./0 "ª$ ,
+ K X
DEF ¯ P\A5]^ H ceR ¾) >?
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. >?@AX Î pDEF H ceg) ÐR ¦Á3245]f H kNqO £ "±NÖO ×) ^ ceu:9ØA5È< ¦ÙkDEF H
Õ
١٠٠ 100
Chapter 47: Divine Power and Human Power
Let us return to our earlier discussion. There is no doubt that God created a 100
supra-sensory reality in people, which in conventional terms is called “power.”
After having been silent, they can decide to speak whenever they want by virtue
of this supra-sensory reality. In the eyes of the majority of people, the apparent
cause for the existence of speech after its nonexistence is what is called “power.”
It is known that this power can exist without its effect—speech—being brought
into existence. And that would not be on account of any defect in the cause,
but because of the absence of a certain condition—namely, volition. The coming
into existence of speech from its cause, called “power” in conventional terms,
depends on the existence of the condition of volition. But it is impossible for that
which is conditioned to come about when the condition is itself nonexistent! Yet
something impossible cannot be an object of power since the effect of power can
only appear in an object of power, just as the effect of sight can only appear in
an object of sight and the effect of smell in an object of smell. This applies to all
sensible objects. For example, when planets are veiled by clouds and the faculty
of vision does not have the ability to perceive them, this is not proof of an ocular
defect. In the same vein, if a nonexistent is veiled by the nonexistence of a condi-
tion, then God’s beginningless power will not bring it into existence as long as
the veil of the nonexistence of the condition is present. This is not due to a defect
in God’s beginningless power. Rather, it is because it is as yet impossible for the
nonexistent to exist. But when the veil is removed, it will become a contingent
thing, necessarily existent through God’s beginningless power.124 This is just like
when a veil of clouds disappears, and the earth is then prepared to receive the
light of the sun.
١٠١ 101
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4: * = M:N9; * > R:T ; W:X ; DEZ 4[\ / 5678 4 : = *Dc =] d :T *Yg k = =n :T W:X :p N r :9 =
; ]G@$'`t*u
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H G
@ =ef h ij ; If lm Qo ; U V ;Y # 9
qs *
. .
: k : : d Y k Y k * : k Z ZY
١٠١
* g : g
* 7a?T ]G* hij $% N9@A g = =
d1-, -,VW {%q * g
v0w 1x* 01yT ; ]G@=z{%|} O~*L=on= hij #p N9q s90; 1- K(
r ) L
J * O = M3 # * f * 0 U= #)B Ch j
i ; I
r X h j
i J * m* ;
; K( ) L [\ ;
: : d Y k : : k Y k
*c
N9; /01- lmQRN9; ]G^_`t
: = *
u01- f01- lmQ=n\ <>=?|}* #p N9q
:
r *
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r = : *
O[ . * :9 # = = O
* = * d* N *- : = d = :X N
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Ron f ; ; v ;Y ]G 9H, . K( )L*eT ; I01-, UVW ;Y * 9q %
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£¢f v ; * N9q :X ;
r&
%
. ) *
* c : * : g k : : : * : * = d : * Yg k = =:
O N90; 1- ]G= ; ?T hij I<>=?QR*ST v0w
]G= ; m* *[ 1x* 01yT ; #p N9q ¤r¥ lmQRS¦* 01§+ 4 N
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:
s90; 1- ]G: 01- K4 v0w * = N9\
r
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O
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١٠٢
* = 4 x N*
O\ ]G^`t° 9H-, À0; y1 C 9* 9Q̈L=¢ U V+ r =0 &' 9H Z 9Q © 9Qo hij O\ ÂÃn =RÃA #$ =r = ]G ; v
* * * = `7a?:T ]G= ; v* -1 ١ ]G= ; v* * \ *c :N * c * Dc YN : *:X
ÇÆ ; v N9YH*-, .I<>=?|}* O* \ #$%* ]G= ; v O* \ ¯É
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[
r;
= d* * * *c * : Y Y =* * : * ¼ g k * NDÈ
v N9@* Ê?^ ; N9YH-, I<>=?|} O* \ 01y=µ ; UVWX01- ; ]G= N9Q*nÃA ) O* \ ]GQnÃA »º \hYij ; 9ÇÆ I<>=?|}* O* \
) 01Ë¿ U=²± ?T ; N9½[
   
.      
   
  : ،، ١

١٠٢ 102
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; ]G@$'`t*u
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H G
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١٠١
* g : g
* 7a?T ]G* hij $% N9@A g = =
d1-, -,VW {%q * g
v0w 1x* 01yT ; ]G@=z{%|} O~*L=on= hij #p N9q s90; 1- K(
r ) L
J * O = M3 # * f * 0 U= #)B Ch j
i ; I
r X h j
i J * m* ;
; K( ) L [\ ;
: : d Y k : : k Y k
*c
N9; /01- lmQRN9; ]G^_`t
: = *
u01- f01- lmQ=n\ <>=?|}* #p N9q
:
r *
s9; ghij $%* =If lmQ=on T ; U-,VW #{%q * *X ghij ]G@d eTfghij ; =If lmQ=on :T ; * \
r = : *
O[ . * :9 # = = O
* = * d* N *- : = d = :X N
& s
& ; :N = *Dc = d : *Yg k = = : : = *
Ron f ; ; v ;Y ]G 9H, . K( )L*eT ; I01-, UVW ;Y * 9q %
r* * * 0w 1%r* JK( )L*M9; ]G^_`7 * a?bH ]G@=eTfhij ; If lmQon T ; UVW ;Y ]G ; m*
X
Y : Y J
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:
N9; /0-1 lmQRN9; {%T 'H
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.      
   
  : ،، ١

١٠٢ 102
Chapter 48: The Possible and the Impossible
The relationship between the impossible and God’s beginningless power is like 101
the relationship between an object of smell and an eye that is able to see. An
object of smell will never become an object of vision, not because of some defect
in the faculty of vision but because it simply cannot be seen. Existence cannot
flow from God’s beginningless power to something impossible, not because of
a defect in God’s power, but because the impossible is simply not an object of
power. And the relationship between the nonexistent that is contingent in its
essence and God’s beginningless power is like the relationship between a veiled
object of vision and the power of vision. If the veil were removed, the faculty of
vision would perceive the veiled object. Likewise, when the conditions are there
for the nonexistent that is contingent in its essence, God’s beginningless power
will bring it into existence. However, for as long as it is in need of a condition,
it will be impossible for it to exist through another (let alone through itself ).125
The contingent in itself is that whose conditions for its existence are necessary,
whereas the impossible in itself is that whose conditions for its existence are
impossible. So reflect upon this properly and do not object to it with your pre-
tend cleverness—otherwise your foot will slip, and you will not even know.
Chapter 49: Possibility Means Contingency
A person given to rational consideration might say, “A contingent thing’s contin- 102
gency is from itself, whereas an impossible thing’s impossibility is in itself and
from itself.” A dimwit might concoct some corrupt notions from these words,
erring in several dreadful ways. How can the contingent be from itself when its
essence is not from itself but is from another? If its essence is from another, then
it is even more fitting that contingency, one of the attributes of the contingent, is
from another. For the dependence of essences that are qualified by what brings
١٠٣ 103
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     
.    ،    : ، ،  ٣ . :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( ) ٢ .   : ، ،  ١
      
١٠٤ 104
Chapter 50: The Creation of the World and Time
them into existence is on one level, but the dependence of attributes that come
from these essences is on a level twice removed. This pertains to contingents in
their contingency, when they are brought into existence. The contingent that is
not yet brought into existence has neither essence nor attributes. So how can
a cause be sought for it and its attributes when a cause cannot be sought for a
nonexistent? A cause can only be sought for an existent after its having been
nonexistent. I mention this because the statement, “A contingent thing’s con-
tingency is from itself,” has a true meaning, but most minds fall into error about
it. So one should seek help from my words, being wary of falling into errors of
the mind. The same remarks apply in answering the statement, “An impossible
thing’s impossibility is from itself.” Since that which is impossible does not have
an essence, how can one seek its impossibility, which itself is an attribute that
would follow from a cause? The statement that a nonexistent’s nonexistence is
from itself does have a true meaning for those who are firmly rooted in knowl-
edge. But one cannot imagine an essence for a nonexistent, let alone imagine
nonexistence to be an existent for that essence. Indeed, “nonexistence” indicates
an attribute, but an attribute can only come into existence after the existence of
that which is qualified. So how can nonexistence be brought into existence when
a nonexistent, which is what qualifies nonexistence, is itself nonexistent? Weak
minds have erred many times in matters like this, but it is rather easy for those
who have verified the truth to avoid these kinds of errors.
Chapter 50: The Creation of the World and Time
The heavens and the earth came to exist when they were brought into existence 103
by God’s beginningless power. Before their existence there was no “before” or
“after.” There is thus no point in asking why God did not bring them into exis-
tence “before” that point. Indeed, before and after are accidents of time, which
itself only comes to exist after the existence of bodies. So, just as there cannot
have been an “above” and a “below” before the existence of bodies—since they
are both accidents of space—so too, before the existence of bodies, could there
١٠٥ 105
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١٠٦ 106
Chapter 51: Clarifications on the Term “World”
not have been a “before” and an “after.” This is undoubtedly because their exis-
tence is dependent upon the existence of time, and the existence of time is
dependent upon the existence of motion, and the existence of motion is depen-
dent upon the existence of bodies. Indeed, time is a locus for motion, just as
space is a locus for bodies.
Chapter 51: Clarifications on the Term “World”
A person’s statement to the effect that the world is eternal in time is pure and 104
outright foolishness. For, if asked, “What do you mean by ‘world’?,” he will say,
“By ‘world’ I mean all bodies, such as the heavens and the elements.”126 Or he
will say, “By ‘world’ I mean every existent other than God”—the word “world”
in this sense would thus comprise all souls, intellects, and bodies. If he says,
“By ‘world’ I mean every existent that is contingent, such as bodies and the like,”
the existence of most existents subsumed under the word “world” would not be
dependent upon the existence of time, for they would necessarily precede its
existence. How then can it be said that the world is eternal in time when most
of the existents in the world precede the existence of time? If the person says,
“By ‘world’ I mean all bodies,” this idea would also not be tenable, for it would
amount to saying, “Bodies are eternal in time.” That would mean that bodies
were existent from when time was existent, which would indicate that time pre-
ceded bodies in existence; but such is not the case since bodies precede time
in existence, and the existence of time comes after them (even if it is only with
respect to logical hierarchy and essence). If this person were to say, “In propos-
ing that the world is eternal in time, I did not have in mind the things you men-
tioned,” well, I would be unable to understand his proposition in any other way.
Our discussion is based on what we have understood this person’s proposition
to be. As for what he does mean but which we cannot understand, that would
be like groping for something in the dark. The onus is on him to explain what he
means, as he understands it. If his point is correct, I will accept it. But if not, then
I will have already done my best to address his proposition.
١٠٧ 107
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  
 : ،  ٢ .     : ، ،  ١
.   : ، ،  ٣ . 
       
١٠٨ 108
Chapter 52: The Eternity of the World
in the Eyes of the Recognizer
The truth of the matter is to say that time was existent from when motion was 105
existent, but one cannot say that motion was existent from when time was exis-
tent. Even though there is a way to consider this, it would be an extremely cor-
rupt view. If this cannot be, then how can one say that bodies were existent when
time was existent? For if bodies were not brought into existence up until now
because of the nonexistence of a condition, and then were brought into existence
at this very moment because of the existence of that condition, that could be the
case. Yet neither before the existence nor at the moment of the existence of these
bodies was there a before or an after. Bodies came into existence without any dis-
tinction between before and after. Now, it would be a tremendous error to claim
that bodies are existent with God’s existence; such is the view of most philoso-
phers, who claim that, in reflecting correctly, they have gone beyond all those
who went before and those who are to come after them. At this point, one of the
things you must comprehend is that bodies do not exist in any way whatsoever
insofar as God exists—be it in the past, the present, or the future. To maintain
that the world exists right now insofar as God exists is to be guilty of a great error.
With respect to God, there is neither time nor space, as He encompasses time,
space, and every existent. Indeed, the precedence of God’s existence to every
thing is one and the same. God is precedent in existence over the existence of
the world just as, for example, He is precedent in existence over the existence of
the form of the words inscribed in this book, without any difference at all in His
precedence over both things. To differentiate between them is to be far from the
mark, for it delimits the true nature of God’s relationship to them. According to
this view, God does not transcend time, just as He does not transcend space in
the opinion of ordinary people who claim that God is a body like other sensible
objects. This kind of belief is far removed from the true faith obtained by the
recognizer at the outset of his journey and at the beginning of his spiritual vision.
God precedes the future just as He precedes the past, without any difference 106
between them. This is certain knowledge for the recognizer, but the philoso-
phers are perforce incapable of perceiving this. If they were not incapable of per-
ceiving this, they would not have said that the First Intellect is coextensive in
١٠٩ 109
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  :      ٣ .  
                      
         
.       :  ‫ ؛‬،،  (              
    ) ٤ .    

١١٠ 110
Chapter 53: Do “Was” and “Is” Apply to God?
existence with God’s existence,127 nor could they say, for example, that the form
of these letters imprinted on this page is coextensive with God’s existence (who
is exalted far beyond the likes of their opinions, and even those of the Prophets
and the proximate angels!). Look at this carefully, and your puny intellect will
inevitably grasp some of its meaning to some degree—even if understanding
what is truly intended depends on opening the eye of recognition, which, in
relation to the vision of the intellect, is like a womb is to a fetus, or like the intel-
lect is to a baby’s eye. I will explain this further in a more suitable context so that
hopefully the puny-minded will catch a whiff of its fragrance.
Chapter 53: Do “Was” and “Is” Apply to God?
The truth is that God was existent and there was nothing with Him. And right 107
now He is existent and there is nothing with Him.128 And He will be existent, and
nothing will be with Him. His beginninglessness is present with His endlessness,
with no distinction between them. But bats cannot conceive of the power of the
sun’s radiance at all. So take from this general example whatever the weakness
of your puny intellect and your vain learning can bear, and strive hard so that
maybe your weak understanding will still derive some benefit from it. But be
wary of declaring God to be similar to anything.
The existence of the Real One is not temporal such that it can be said that 108
“God ‘was,’ and nothing was with Him.” Nor can it be said that “He ‘is,’ and noth-
ing is with Him.” You should take a thousand precautions not to desire to com-
prehend what you have heard with your intellect, which in relation to perceiving
God is like the relation of bats to perceiving the light of the sun. So you should
either completely turn away from the contents of this and similar chapters, nei-
ther rejecting them nor accepting them; or you should remember these words
and ask God to single you out with an eye that can perceive what this is like,
not by means of words (for that would be impossible), but from another stand-
point. If you perceive it from that standpoint, then you will undoubtedly know
that no expression concerning existence can convey the truth of what you have
١١١ 111
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١١٢ 112
Chapter 54: God’s Beginninglessness and Time
perceived better than my discussion. And you will also undoubtedly know that
it is extremely unjust to try to put the likes of these supra-sensory realities into
words.
It is ambiguous to say that God “was” and that there was no existent with Him 109
because the word “was” points to the existence of an existent at a time in the
past. And when we say that no existent “was” with God, how can time be an exis-
tent thing with God? Since this is the case, there is no difference between our
saying that God “was” and that there was no existent with Him, and our saying
that He “is” and that there is no existent with Him. This is the extent of what can
be discussed within the limitations of words and expressions.
When a window inside of you opens up onto the spiritual realm, you will come 110
to see all that will happen during your flight in their true state of affairs, thus
freeing you from having to listen to representations of it. Maybe even now you
have the desire to recognize the meaning of God’s beginninglessness and how to
fly to the spiritual realm, although these seem to be impossible to get at. It is an
egregious error to think that God’s beginninglessness extends to the past. This
is an illusion that most people labor under. In terms of God’s beginninglessness,
there is neither past nor future, for it encompasses the future in the same way
that it encompasses the past, without any distinction between them. If your
mind busies itself with any distinction between them, then your intellect is still
a captive to your illusion! Adam’s era is not closer in time to God’s beginning-
lessness than our era because the relation of all eras to it is one and the same.
Perhaps the relationship between God’s beginninglessness and time is like the
relationship, for example, between forms of knowledge and location. For forms
of knowledge are not described in terms of proximity to or distance from a given
location, because their relationship to every location is one and the same since
they are “with” every location; but, by the same logic, every location is devoid
of them. This is easy to perceive for anyone who has studied the rational sciences
١١٣ 113
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١١٤ 114
even a little; it is only hard for those whose shortcomings hold them back in the
material realm, and whose roaming eyes have not yet been opened up to the
spiritual realm.
You should therefore believe in the relationship between God’s beginning- 111
lessness and every temporal referent in this manner. For it is with every time,
is in every time, and encompasses every time; in existence it precedes every
time (but time cannot embrace it, just as location cannot embrace knowledge).
When you have understood these points, you should know that, in their supra-
sensory reality, there is absolutely no difference between God’s beginningless-
ness and His endlessness. Indeed, if the existence of this supra-sensory reality is
communicated in relation to the past, the term “beginninglessness” is used as a
metaphor for it. And if its existence is communicated in relation to the future, the
term “endlessness” is used as its metaphor. The two terms must differ because of
the different relations involved. If it were not for these terms, people would stray
far from the right way. Now, when we say that God desired and desires, knew
and knows, and determined and determines, the same obtains necessarily. Oth-
erwise, it would be meaningless to apply differentiation to His actions, be they
in the past or the present, since He does not have a past or a present. Indeed,
when God’s desire is related to the past one says, “He desired,” and when it is
related to the future one says, “He desires.” This is a key to unlocking many mys-
teries and great difficulties. Since this is the case, it is evidently impossible for
the traveler to arrive at the meaning of God’s beginninglessness by way of formal
knowledge. True, he can perceive its meaning through this kind of knowledge;
however, perceiving the meaning of a thing is one thing, and attaining it is quite
something else. I only say that it is impossible to arrive at God’s beginningless-
ness by way of formal knowledge because the person who is exclusively devoted
to the pursuit of formal knowledge remains a prisoner of time. And he can only
arrive at God’s beginninglessness after breaking free from this prison.
١١٥ 115
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١١٦ 116
Chapter 55: A Hint at Perpetual Renewal
The illumination of the earth by the light of the sun calls for a specific relation- 112
ship between the earth and the sun. If that relationship is nullified, the earth’s
capacity to receive the light of the sun will also be nullified. But were this rela-
tionship between them to persist, the earth’s reception of the sun’s light would
persist in keeping with the persistence of this relationship. So every moment
that this relationship exists, the earth’s reception of the sun’s light will exist, and
every moment that this relationship is nullified, the earth’s reception of the sun’s
light will also be nullified. Moreover, were this relationship to persist over the
course of a number of moments, the earth’s reception of the sun’s light would be
unchanged over the course of these moments. But the puny-minded think, for
example, that the sun’s rays that exist at every moment are the selfsame rays that
exist in preceding and successive moments, which is an error in the eyes of the
recognizers who see with the light of God. Rather, in every moment, the rays
that exist are demanded by the relationship that exists at that given moment, for
the relationship that exists in each moment necessarily changes. This is why one
can make a pronouncement about one such relationship in a way that cannot
apply to other relationships, as, for example, when it is said that a given relation-
ship is coextensive in existence with a given motion, but that any subsequent
relationship is not coextensive in existence with this motion. In this way can you
assuredly verify the difference between these two relationships.
Since these relationships are different, the earth’s reception of the sun’s 113
light at every moment is demanded by another relationship, independent and
unique. The rays that exist in a specific moment are different from the rays that
exist before and after it, even if it is in one moment.129 Indeed, since these chang-
ing relationships are one in demanding the earth’s reception of the sun’s light in
exactly the same way, some weak-minded people think the rays that exist in this
given moment are the selfsame rays that are seen in preceding and successive
moments. This is like viewing Zayd, ʿAmr, Khālid, and Bakr as “one” in the sense
of being human, and then thinking that each is identical to the other! This should
be verified, for it will form the basis of a general example in the next chapter, and
a tremendous foundational principle will be built upon it.
١١٧ 117
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١١٨ 118
Chapter 56: Perpetual Renewal
There is no doubt that the illumination of a nonexistent by the light of existence 114
calls for a specific relationship between it and God’s beginningless power. If this
relationship were to persist, the reception by the nonexistent of illumination
from the light of God’s power would persist. If this relationship were to be nulli-
fied, the reception by the nonexistent of this illumination would also be nullified.
So it persists in accordance with the persistence of this relationship and, at every
moment, the reception by the nonexistent of this illumination is determined by
a relationship that exists at that moment—and these relationships vary. So if, for
example, the reception of this illumination by the nonexistent at moment x is
different from its reception of this illumination at moment y, even though the
numerous moments resemble one another as far as the reception of this illumi-
nation is concerned, because the different moments themselves resemble one
another, then it is the conjunction of these moments that demands the recep-
tion of this illumination by the nonexistent.130 So if, for example, over the course
of many years you see something as existent in one and the same manner, that
would be on account of the persistence of the relationships that demand exis-
tence during these years, moment by moment. You should know with certainty
that, at every moment, it is existence which is demanded by an existing rela-
tionship. Thus, the existence that you see at this very moment in the heavens,
the earth, and in other existents is different from the existence that you saw
previously and will see afterward. Indeed, since the different relationships that
demand the existence of these existents are one and the same in respect of every
such relationship that demands existence, most people fall into the illusion of
this mistake, «except those whom God wills»,131 «And how few they are!»132
This chapter is very obscure, hard to grasp, difficult to perceive, and forbid- 115
ding to the human mind—indeed, many have slipped over the likes of this. The
only way the intellect can perceive these points is through deep reflection, care-
ful study, extensive investigation, mental acuity, and serious application. To be
sure, with the eye of recognition the recognizers perceive this without any dif-
ficulty at the start of their spiritual quest. The points in this chapter will be easy
to grasp by those intellectuals who seek aid in understanding it with the light of
the lamp whose existence is renewed at every moment. For children think that
١١٩ 119
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  
.   :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   () ١
 
١٢٠ 120
Chapter 57: Divine Withness
the light of the lamp that they see is lit in one and the same manner and is one
thing. But those who understand know with certainty that, at every moment,
the light is renewed in another form. This is what is required by the vision of the
recognizers with respect to every existent other than God. Perhaps your intel-
lect will encompass some of this if you persistently reflect on this point, applying
all of your understanding to it. But in most cases, this door will remain closed
to the intellect.
God is existent, and there is nothing with Him, nor can it ever be conceived that 116
something will be with Him. For nothing shares the rank of withness133 with
His existence. Thus, nothing is with God, but He is with each thing. Were it
not for His withness with each thing, no existent would remain in existence.134
In acquiring their existence from Him, existents are hierarchically ordered with
some preceding, such as the simple, and others following, such as the compos-
ite. This is how it is when we look at it with the eye of a sound intellect. But if
we look at it with the eye of recognition, it is incorrect. Yet the intellect cannot
perceive the reality of this vision at all. When presented to an intellectual, he
will be up in arms, inveighing against this vision: “How can one thing be both
correct and incorrect?” If possible, you should try to assuage his perturba-
tion with the following everyday example, saying to him, “If you are assuaged
thereby, well and good. But if not, be careful not to disbelieve in and reject it
as long as you remain a captive to the realm of the intellect, imprisoned within
its confines.”
Here is the everyday example. A child makes a judgment, for example, 117
between two people, saying that one of them is physically closer to him than the
other. But then he is told by an adult, who happens to be an exacting scholar,
“Your judgment is correct, if you view the two people with the sensory eye. But
if you look with the eye of your intellect, you will come to know that your judg-
ment is wrong. For that which is closer for the sensory eye is more distant for
١٢١ 121
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¬
 
       
.    :  ‫ ؛‬ ،،  ( ) ٢ .  : ، ١
١٢٢ 122
the eye of the intellect.”135 Now, this statement is correct, as is the child’s state-
ment (as far as the scholar is concerned). But the child would be wrong were
he to disbelieve in the scholar’s claim. Yet the child will necessarily disbelieve
him because he cannot believe otherwise, as the scholar has no way to make
him understand.
Therefore, the effusion of existents from God’s beginningless power must be 118
clarified in a way that the intellect can perceive, even if it is incorrect in the eyes
of the recognizer. The philosophers have explained this process often, but their
conclusions about it are based on their own conjectures. The truth is what is
clear to our intellects, which is to say that existence first emanated from God
upon the first existent—namely, the angel most proximate to Him,136 the clos-
est of all existents to God in the eyes of the intellect. It is probable that this is
the spirit referred to in God’s statement «That day the spirit and the angels will
stand in rows».137
The existence of this spirit is a condition through which the capacity of some- 119
thing else to receive the light of God’s beginningless power becomes complete.
The capacity of this second thing with the condition of the existence of the spirit
is like the capacity of the unconditioned spirit. The existence of this second thing
is a condition for the existence of a third thing, and can be a condition for the
existence of two things—namely, a third and a fourth thing. It is not for weak
intellects to perceive the reality of this point as it must be understood. Rather,
they can only perceive the possibility of these two aforementioned things—
namely, that the existence of the second thing can be a condition for the exis-
tence of two things and that the second thing can also be a condition for the
existence of one thing solely in consideration of its essence being a condition
for that thing. And the second thing can be a condition for another thing in con-
sideration of its essence and the spirit. Both possibilities are intelligible. This
should be enough for you concerning how it is that many existents emanate from
the Real One. Indeed, if it is possible that the second thing can be a condition for
the existence of two things, then it is possible for each of the two things to be a
condition for the existence of a third and a fourth existent.
١٢٣ 123
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١٢٤ 124
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١٢٤ 124
Chapter 58: A Note on Cosmic Order
The position that the only intermediaries between the Necessary Real and the 120
first heaven (which is the sphere of Atlas) are three angels (one being spiritual
and two being cherubs) is conjectural and not properly established.138 There
might be a thousand or more intermediaries between them—indeed, that is the
truth in the eyes of the masters of recognition. Since, in their upward ascent
to the One, the philosophers were only able to provide demonstrative proofs
for the existence of these three intermediaries by way of the motion of the first
heaven, during their downward descent they undoubtedly only sought for an
intermediary cause in these three entities. But this is completely conjectural,
and such things do not pass muster in the theoretical sciences. My position that
the intermediaries between the Necessary and the first heaven are many is right
and true. The people of recognition witness this not by means of demonstrative
proofs, but by another means. If this could be shown by means of demonstra-
tive proofs, it would be possible to discuss it. But since it depends on the open-
ing of the eye of recognition inside the self, it cannot be discussed. At the same
time, since its possibility is intelligible, remarks can be made to some extent.
To aid the intellect in assenting to my position, one should repeatedly gaze at
the planets that exist in the eighth heaven, referred to in religious language as
the “Footstool.”139
Chapter 59: Witnessing Perpetual Renewal
Every existent perpetually exists and is made perpetually continuous through 121
the Living, the Self-Abiding. In every moment, another existence similar to the
one preceding it is renewed for it. The recognizers clearly witness this, whereas it
is impossible for the scholar to perceive it. So reflect continuously on what I said
earlier—perhaps the reality of these matters will be disclosed to you! May God
١٢٥ 125
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١٢٦ 126
Chapter 60: God’s Coextensiveness in the Eyes of the Recognizer
not make discussing these things a tribulation for myself and my readers, and
may He make it benefit people more than harm them. God bless the person who
reads this discussion with the eye of recognition, immediately setting out to
understand it and relinquishing bigotry, self-interest, and the artificiality usually
found among the various schools of thought. Indeed, nothing should incite a
person to read this discussion and reflect upon it other than the pursuit of God,
being certain that attachment to Him will yield felicity for his soul.
The supra-sensory realities I have discussed in these chapters are witnessed 122
by way of tasting in a manner not less than the intellect’s beholding primary con-
cepts; it is just that it is only possible to convey these supra-sensory realities by
means of these words. The indubitable truth is that “Whoever recognizes God
becomes speechless.”140 That is, he has no way to convey to people’s minds the
meaning he has understood by way of tasting.
Chapter 60: God’s Coextensiveness in

the Eyes of the Recognizer
Those who look with the eye of the intellect see existents in their essences as 123
logically ordered, with some necessarily being closer than others to the Real and
the One. All else is inconceivable to them. They also see the source of existence
as one, and the existents that emanate from Him as multiple. In seeking to clarify
how the many emanate from the One, they undoubtedly rely on inane, forced
explanations. But those who look with the eye of recognition simply do not see
existents as logically ordered, with some being closer to the Real than others.
Rather, they see His identity as being coextensive with every existent, which is
not dissimilar to the manner in which the philosophers see the coextensiveness
of existents with the First Existent. As long as this station is not reached, the
meanings of God’s following statements will not be disclosed: «Truly God main-
tains the heavens and the earth so that they do not fall apart. Were they to fall
apart, none could maintain them in His place»;141 «Wherever you turn, there is
the face of God».142 Only the sounds of the letters and words will be heard.
١٢٧ 127
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     :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (
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         
١٢٨ 128
Chapter 61: The Difference between Knowledge and Recognition
Moreover, the recognizers do not see God’s coextensiveness with existents in 124
the same way that the philosophers see His coextensiveness with the First Intel-
lect. The recognizers see the source of existents as many, and each existent thing
as a speck in relation to His greatness. To see God and His actions with such an
eye does not require knowledge of how it is that multiplicity emanates from one-
ness; in such a context, all that has been discussed on this issue is unimportant
and can be done away with. Strive to assent to the existence of this inner eye.
Once opened, the objects of its perception will be like what I have alluded to in
my statement concerning the beginningless identity as coextensive in existence
with the existence of every existent. The intellect is too limited to perceive this,
for it certainly sees some things as closer to the Living, the Self-Abiding than
others. So, when you perceive something that you can only convey using expres-
sions that are exclusively perceived by the recognizer (which is the topic of this
chapter), you can be certain that the eye of recognition has been opened inside
you. At that time, all the knowledge you have acquired will become seeds for the
fruits of recognition.
Chapter 61: The Difference between

Knowledge and Recognition
You might yearn to perceive the difference between knowledge and recognition. 125
Knowledge pertains to any meaning that can be conveyed through expressions
that conform to that meaning, even if a teacher must explain these expressions to
a student one or more times so that the student can have the same knowledge of
the expression as the teacher. Recognition pertains to any meaning that simply
cannot be conveyed, except, of course, through ambiguous terms. This is the
way these terms are used in this book, and this is mostly how the masters of the
heart143 use them. The expression “knowledge” can be used in an absolute sense
and it can be used as a synonym for recognition. There are many instances of
this in the Qurʾan. God says, «Indeed, they are signs in the breasts of those who
have been given knowledge»;144 «God bears witness that there is no god but He,
١٢٩ 129
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 
١٣٠ 130
Chapter 62: God-Given Knowledge
as do the angels, and the possessors of knowledge»;145 «he whom We had taught
knowledge from Our presence».146 Knowledge that is God-given cannot in any
way be conveyed through expressions that conform to its meaning.147 This is
why, when Moses wanted to obtain this knowledge from Khidr through instruc-
tion, Khidr refused, saying, «If you follow me, then do not question me about
anything until I relate something about it to you».148 That is to say, “Do not ques-
tion me about anything until the eye of recognition is opened inside you; then
you will be convinced of the reality of my earlier actions.149 But you have no way
of perceiving these realities before this eye is opened, except by way of being
taken to the original meaning of my actions.” This is why, when Khidr decided
to part ways with Moses,150 he said, «I will take you to the original meaning of
what you could not bear with patiently».151 Had Moses been patient until the eye
of recognition opened up for him, Khidr would have “related something about it
to him,”152 which alludes to Moses witnessing the reality of certainty and having
no need to be taken to the original meaning of Khidr’s actions. This is why the
Prophet said, “God bless my brother Moses. Had he been patient with Khidr,
he would have seen many wonders.”153 The actual wording of this tradition may
differ from what I have here.
Chapter 62: God-Given Knowledge
Prophetic knowledge is God-given, so anyone whose knowledge is derived 126

from books and teachers is not one of the inheritors of the Prophets in his
knowledge,154 except in the widest sense conveyed by the term “knowledge of
inheritance.” Prophetic knowledge is only derived from God, as He says, «And
your Lord is the most generous, who taught by the pen, and taught people what
they did not know».155 Never suppose that only a Prophet is singled out for
God’s instruction. God says, «Be God-wary, and God will teach you».156 Thus,
those who arrive at the reality of God-wariness along their spiritual journey will
inevitably learn from God what they do not know, and God will be with them:
«Truly God is with the God-wary, and those who act beautifully».157 Since
١٣١ 131
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١٣٢ 132
Chapter 63: Types of Knowledge and Instruction
knowledge like this is expressed through ambiguous terms, none can under-
stand the realities of these terms but those who attain these realities by way of
tasting the instruction that comes from God. To this effect, He says, «These
are the parables we lay out for people. But none understand them except those
who know».158
Those who do not learn the Qurʾan from God without an intermediary do 127
not belong to the “knowers” alluded to in God’s words, «But none understand
them except those who know».159 In terms of an everyday example, this resem-
bles the statements of lovers about union, separation, and other such things that
happen in situations of love. When people hear lovers’ statements, they do not
understand their meaning as they should be understood, except of course if they
have tasted the state of love. This is the meaning of al-Junayd’s words, “Our state-
ments are allusions.”160 It is indeed inconceivable that a recognizer would use
language in any other way. Thus, trying to penetrate such supra-sensory reali-
ties with one’s own intellectual capacity and knowledge will cause you to slip.
God bless Abū l-ʿAbbās ibn Surayj; when one of his disciples asked him about
al-Junayd’s words, he said, “We do not recognize the symbols used by the Sufis.
But al-Junayd’s words have light.”161 It is most likely the case that Ibn Surayj was
one of the people who knew through tasting, as these words of his testify to that.
It is just that he and those like him were dominated by formal knowledge, as has
often been the case with scholars.
Chapter 63: Types of Knowledge and Instruction
Intellectual problems divide into two or three dimensions. It is assumed that 128
issues which have three dimensions belong to the way of recognition, not the
formal sciences. This is an unsound assumption. I have written this chapter
simply for you to dispel such assumptions from your mind. The first division,
which has two dimensions (one being a teacher’s words and the other a student’s
understanding), pertains to sciences such as grammar, medicine, mathemat-
ics, and the like. The second division, which has three dimensions (one being a
١٣٣ 133
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  :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( 
  
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 ) ٢ .      :  ‫ ؛‬،،  (      ...     ) ١
                 
    :  ‫ ؛‬، ،  (   ) ٣ . 
.  :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (  ) ٤ .   
      
١٣٤ 134
Chapter 64: Setting Out on the Path of Recognition
teacher’s words, the other being a student’s understanding, and the third a stu-
dent’s tasting that understanding), pertains to most of the problems related to
the divine attributes and pronouncements about them. Likewise, this division
pertains to pronouncements about the human self, such as the question of its
prior existence to the body and a person’s state after death.
Problems such as these are difficult for the intellect to grasp, especially 129
(1) the reality of the divine attribute of beginningless knowledge and how it
encompasses particulars, (2) the divine attribute of beginningless power and
the reality of the meaning of “bringing into existence” and “originating” with
respect to God, and (3) the meaning of God’s beginningless will and how it is
distinct from God’s desire. Most scholars who delve deeply into this think they
know the meanings of these divine attributes, but all they really do is declare
God to be similar to humans.
Chapter 64: Setting Out on the Path of Recognition
When it comes to these problems I have alluded to, it is probably best for the 130
student to avoid memorizing too many of the technical terms discussed in the
relevant books, for in most cases this will only increase his perplexity. Studying
the realities of these metaphorical, ambiguous, and equivocal terms is extremely
difficult. Thus, the student should make do with the few technical terms he can
learn from contemporary scholars and the books of more recent rational theolo-
gians, not the earlier ones.162 When the student has memorized these terms, he
should devote all of his attention to their review, all the while avoiding the study
of those earlier books until his teacher directs him to them.
١٣٥ 135
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١٣٦ 136
Chapter 65: The Next Step on the Path of Recognition
When the truth-seeker learns as many of these theological problems as are easy 131
for him to understand, he should review them over and over, and spend time
with those who have mastered the science of rational theology (if he can find
and serve them as much as possible), expressing all of his thoughts about these
problems to them. He should also seek help in grasping the realities of these
problems by purifying his inner self, for he might be able to grasp them on his
own. Indeed, so long as the student does not have the inner strength to reach
a sweet-watered well, no consummate scholar can take him to it. All that such
a scholar can do is guide the student, showing him how to travel to the well.
If the student follows the scholar’s guidance, he will likely reach it—if he is
meant to do so.
Chapter 66: Spiritual Companionship
What will help the one seeking to purify his inner self is for him to wholeheart- 132
edly keep the company of people who know by way of tasting, spending time
with them and serving them. By “people who know by way of tasting,” I mean
those who purify their inner selves from vile character traits to such an extent
that, from God’s generosity, such knowledge pours down on them that is impos-
sible to attain by acts of devotion alone. These are the “people because of whom
their companion will never be miserable.”163 And rarely is there a place devoid
of them.
١٣٧ 137
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١٣٨ 138
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١٣٨ 138
Chapter 67: Felicity
The seeker’s greatest felicity lies in entirely devoting his spirit and heart to serv- 133
ing one of the people who have arrived,164 who is annihilated in God and in wit-
nessing Him. If the seeker spends his life in his service, God will cause him to
live a most pleasant life165 (which scholars only know by name). The reality of
its name and meaning are only experienced by a group of people who suckle the
milk of divine generosity in the lap of God’s special care.
Chapter 68: God’s Generosity toward Me
If the beginningless generosity had not guided me and granted me the success to 134
serve one of these great masters, it would be inconceivable that I would be freed
from these errors which were firmly rooted in my inner self on account of delv-
ing too deeply into the pursuit of rational theology. I surely would never have
benefited from serving the master and leader Aḥmad al-Ghazālī. Had I not per-
sisted at the door of this master, for the rest of my life my heart would have accu-
mulated blameworthy attributes, the escape from which is hopeless and impos-
sible. This is exactly what we see with most people destined to be imprisoned in
the narrow confines of their knowledge and intelligence, never expanding their
capacity to assent to the clarities beyond knowledge and intelligence, let alone
to assent to obscure subtleties. I thank God for pouring down on me blessings I
can never count, and do not even deserve. He is my support, and I place my trust
in Him to bring these blessings to completion.
١٣٩ 139
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١٤٠ 140
Chapter 69: Finding a Spiritual Guide
You may ask, “How is the seeker to obtain such a master? And how can a novice 135
easily follow someone at the end of the path, as well as his recognition, when a
traveler on the path cannot, by means of the scales of his own reflection, weigh
those who have arrived, nor can he just blindly imitate someone else based
on his claims alone? And how, for example, is the traveler to know whether a
given individual is a false claimant to spiritual guidance with no substance to
his claims, or a perfect master who has reached a point on the path that he can
be followed?” This is a question about a topic that will not greatly repay diving
into. For each seeker is subject to causes that have been destined for him in such
a way that he has no way of escaping them. Obtaining a spiritual guide who can
take the seeker along the path is made easy for the seeker in accordance with
the provision that has been apportioned to each person. Just as a student’s seek-
ing and his spiritual guide are given to him in accordance with his provision as
dictated by God’s beginningless knowledge, so too is it the case here, with no
distinction between them.
Chapter 70: True Spiritual Guides and False Claimants
If you ask, “Is there a marker by which a false claimant can be distinguished from 136
one who has arrived at the end of the path?,” I will reply that there are many
markers, but it is hard to put them into words, and comprehending all of them
is absolutely impossible. It is virtually impossible to find a marker for pinning
down and reining in such a one, and I do not have any information about where
it would be. What you must do is strive in your search, as that will resolve all
difficulties, keeping you away from every obscurity, delivering you from every
terrifying danger, and releasing you from every unfortunate plight. Indeed,
without tasting, there is no recognition; without your own experience, there is
١٤١ 141
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   : ،، ١
   ) ٣ . :  ، ، ‫ ؛‬ (  ) ٢ .  
١٤٢ 142
Chapter 71: Self-Admiration and Spiritual Guidance
nothing to gain from someone else’s; discussing food with someone who has just
eaten will never fill your stomach; and talking about drink with someone who
has just drunk will not quench your thirst.
Chapter 71: Self-Admiration and Spiritual Guidance
Be wary of being deluded by your knowledge, thus busying yourself with travel- 137
ing the path without a leader to guide you and being misguided in ways that you
do not even know. You would be like a craftsman extremely proficient in his craft
who busies himself with studying the rational sciences on his own, disdaining to
follow the rationalist theologians, unwilling to rely on them because of his self-
admiration that results from his extreme proficiency in his own craft! Thus, one
of the errors that overcome the learned when they entertain the idea of traveling
the path is that they think that they can do without someone who recognizes
the dangers of the path and who can guide them every step of the way. How rare
it is for one of the rationalist theologians and philosophers to be free from this
self-admiration, which produces pride in not wanting to follow the recognizers!
For a scholar who sees the perfection of the knowledge that he has acquired, it
is indeed far-fetched to regard the one who is ignorant of this knowledge to be
above him, on account of the corruptness of his conjecture. The error consists in
the fact that his perfections all lie in the topics he has studied and acquired, but
he knows nothing beyond them. By God! I truly and honestly swear that even if a
scholar were to serve a master but continued to see a difference between himself
and the most ignorant of his colleagues in terms of need for spiritual guidance,
he would be squandering his time, wandering about aimlessly. You will simply
never know these supra-sensory realities until you are worthy of experiencing
them. And if you think you will attain them before experiencing them, then you
would bring a smile to the Devil’s face. It is said about people like you:
When the Devil saw his noble face,

he greeted him, “At your service, unlucky fool!”166
١٤٣ 143
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١٤٤ 144
Chapter 72: Back to the Question of Divine Priority
These chapters that have come up in the course of our discussion167 are very 138
beneficial, but only for a limited number of people. For the most part, those
who admire their intelligence and knowledge will not be affected by these chap-
ters’ contents, and will derive no benefit from them. Since the discussion in
these chapters was rather incidental, it is best that I confine myself to what has
been said.
Now, it is obvious that the position to the effect that the world is eternal in 139
time is pure foolishness, and its logical ordering is extremely corrupt. Given
that, one might say, “Consider that I have conceded that the question of eternity
cannot apply to the heavens and the earth; what do you say about the first exis-
tent? Can it be coextensive with the existence of the Creator? If you say yes, then
you have affirmed something eternal alongside Him. But if you say no, then we
will suppose the following: if the first existent was not existent and then came
to exist, why was it not an existent before that, when the cause for its perfection
was already existent? And, when it came to exist, did the cause appear then,
or not? If you say it did not, that would be impossible since it would entail the
temporal origination of something without a cause. But if you say, ‘Yes, it came
to exist when the cause appeared,’ then a nonexistent cause that has always
been nonexistent appeared in one and the same manner, which is when the
first existent appeared. That too would be impossible, because the appearance
of the cause in the essence of the Necessary is impossible as there cannot be
an existent other than the Necessary whose existence is affirmed as a condition
for that thing (as you yourself stated about an existent that comes to exist after
being nonexistent).”
“Before” and “after” came to exist after the existence of time, when there 140
was nothing but the priority of eminence and essence. My use of “when” here
is ambiguous, for it marks the existence of time. The priority of eminence and
essence between the Necessary Existent in itself and a temporally originated
existent is without limits or end. Thus, I can make no truer statement than to say
that God was existent before the first existent in an infinitely prior manner.168
Perhaps now the reality of the Prophet’s words will be disclosed to you, “God
created spirits two million years before bodies.”169 But why did God give a finite
١٤٥ 145
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.      
   


              : ، ،  ١
   
 
١٤٦ 146
Chapter 73: God’s Withness Does Not Mean Human Withness
measure of time to this priority? This is a great mystery. The distance from a
contingent to another contingent is finite, but the distance from a contingent
to the Necessary is infinite. If it were not like this, it would entail that the finite
be greater than the infinite, which is impossible. These premises are primary
concepts, which are perceived by the eye of recognition, but the way is blocked
for the eye of the intellect. So never desire to perceive this with your formal
knowledge and cheap intellectual inventory!170
Chapter 73: God’s Withness Does

Not Mean Human Withness
Thus, from the foregoing it is realized that there is no existent whose existence 141
is coextensive with the existence of the Necessary, nor can it be conceived to be
the case. Indeed, the Necessary is coextensive in existence with the existence of
everything. And His coextensivity with what is not yet brought into existence is
like His coextensivity with the first existent, with no distinction between them.
This, then, is the Necessary and the Real. When the recognizer looks with the
eye of recognition, he perceives as correct our statement that the existence of
the Necessary is coextensive in existence with every existent. But the intellect
and conventional ways of knowing grow weary before they perceive this. Thus,
the recognizer says, “God is with all things, all the while being prior to all things
by way of an infinite priority.” And he says, “There is not a thing in existence that
is with God, nor is it posterior to Him. It is also inconceivable for there to be
something in existence that has this attribute.”
Be wary of rejecting our statement that there is nothing with God, nor is 142
there anything posterior to Him. For you will then be like a blind man who
rejects colors and even disbelieves in their existence. Indeed, our statement is
true. It is clearer and more manifest to the eye of recognition than primary con-
cepts are to the eye of the intellect! The intellect may grasp the meaning of our
statement that God is with everything and is prior to everything to be correct.
But that meaning is nothing like what is perceived by the eye of recognition.
١٤٧ 147
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          : ‫ ؛‬               : ‫ ؛‬                :  ١
     
 
     : ‫ ؛‬         :  ‫ ؛‬،  (          ) ٣ . 
                    :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (
  
 ) ٢ . 
   
.        
   

١٤٨ 148
Chapter 74: Categories of Proximity and Distance
Our statement that there is nothing with God and nothing posterior to Him is,
fundamentally, one of those things whose meaning is absolutely inconceivable
for the intellect to perceive. A lengthy disquisition explaining these premises
will be of no benefit to the intellect, for all of its recalcitrance and refusal. So it is
better for me to be concise and restrict myself to the few words that have already
been stated. The seeker should also have a look at the following chapter, which is
like the seed of the present one—maybe one day he will harvest its fruit.
Chapter 74: Categories of Proximity and Distance
Proximity and distance are in three categories. 143

Category 1: This pertains to time and space, as when the moon is said to be 144
closer to us than the sun, and the Prophet’s era is said to be closer to our era than
Adam’s era.
Category 2: This pertains to intelligible proximity. With the existence of this 145
category of proximity, any benefit in talking about temporal and spatial proxim-
ity is nullified. For example, al-Shāfiʿī was closer to Abū Bakr than Abū Jahl, even
though, temporally and spatially, Abū Bakr was closer to Abū Jahl than al-Shāfiʿī.
When of any two things one is described as proximate to or distant from the
other in time and space, they can only be described as intelligibly proximate and
distant in an ambiguous manner, and in the broadest sense of these expressions.
For one cannot say that the sense in which al-Shāfiʿī was closer to Abū Bakr
than anyone else is the same as his proximity to or distance from the heavens
and the earth, for such a meaning does not extend to them. Based on this, you
should understand that there is no relation between, on the one hand, anything
described as temporally and spatially proximate and, on the other, proximity
and distance with respect to God. In this vein, the Prophet quoted his Lord’s
١٤٩ 149
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            
. ،  (     ...             ) ٢ .      : ،  ‫ ؛‬   
     :  ١
    
        
                                 
   
                         :   
                        
                      :      
          .

      
    
.                         
          
  
١٥٠ 150
Chapter 75: The Last “Day”
words: “Neither the heavens nor the earth can contain Me, but the heart of My
faithful and humble servant can contain Me.”171
Category 3: This is the proximity perceived by the recognizers, and it is incon- 146
ceivable that scholars should perceive it. One of the judgments derived from this
recognition is for the recognizer to say that God’s proximity to every single thing
is the same, with no trace of difference in any respect. Thus, bodies and spirits
have the same relationship to Him. That is why I say that God is coextensive in
existence with each existent, with absolutely no difference in His coextensiv-
ity. What I have described concerning proximity and distance in Category 1 is
sound in relation to the sense of sight, and what I have described in Category 2
is sound in relation to the intellect’s insight. But what I have described in the
present category is sound in relation to the recognizer’s insight. Category 2 per-
tains to the knowledge of certainty, whereas the present category pertains to
the eye of certainty. As for the truth of certainty,172 I have not arrived there yet
and have not stumbled upon it on my journey, but I have faith in it, just as a man
born blind has faith in the existence of colors. And, just as it is impossible for a
person fixated on sensory objects to perceive the meanings of proximity and
distance as indicated in Category 2, so too is it impossible for a person fixated on
intelligibles to perceive the reality of proximity and distance as indicated in the
present category. So strive to have faith in it, just as you have faith in the unseen!
«Perhaps God will bring something new to pass thereafter».173
Chapter 75: The Last “Day”
You might say, “Why did you say that the chapters in this book deal with knowl- 147
edge of God, His Messengers, and the last day, when thus far you have gone on
and on about knowledge of God and His attributes, as well as the stage beyond
the intellect, which itself depends on faith in prophecy? You have paid no
١٥١ 151
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  ) ١
   
١٥٢ 152
Chapter 76: The Soul’s Relationship to the Body
attention at all to the last day, and have not even mentioned it in any chapter.
Why have you not touched on the states of the soul and the reality of its stages in
both the material and spiritual realms?”
Before anything else, you should know that the last day is not the same kind 148
of day as days are for us, known through the rising of the sun. That is because, on
the day of resurrection, the sun will be folded up.174 So it is only referred to as the
last “day” because of the narrow confines of human expression, as the Prophet
stated, “Time goes around just as it did the day God created the heavens and the
earth,”175 and as the Qurʾan states, «Truly your Lord is God, who created the
heavens and the earth in six days».176 As long as the earth does not change to
something other than the heavens and the earth,177 it will be impossible for the
traveler to arrive at a comprehension of the day of judgment. If you have under-
stood this, then the next thing for you to understand is that the human soul has
many stages, and they are almost infinite and innumerable. As long as the soul
dwells in certain specific stages, it is spoken of as being in this world; as long as
it dwells in certain other specific stages, it is spoken of as being on the vast plains
of the day of judgment; as long as the soul dwells in certain other specific stages,
it is spoken of as being in the afterlife.
Chapter 76: The Soul’s Relationship to the Body
The human intellect can only perceive the reality of the soul as something whose 149
existence is entailed by examining the body and its accidents, such as the soul’s
causing the body to perceive and to move, which are two attributes that are
common to all animals. What we perceive of the soul’s subsistence after the sev-
erance of its control over the body is recognized by way of examining the nature
of intellectual perception insofar as the soul is the locus of knowledge. And since
knowledge is indivisible, the division of its locus is inconceivable. Given this to
be the case, there is no way that the soul can suffer annihilation. As for the judg-
ment that the soul existed before the body, nobody has offered a clear demon-
strative proof of it in a way that is free of obscurity and doubt. The philosophers’
١٥٣ 153
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        : ، ، ١
.      ‫ ؛‬، ، ،   ( 
 ) ٢ .  
      
١٥٤ 154
Chapter 77: The Soul’s Immortality
shortcomings here go back to the limitations of technical terms in being able to

properly convey its meaning. The position that the soul comes to exist with the
existence of the body, as the body is a condition for the existence of the soul as a
result of the cause that necessitates the soul’s existence, is wrong.178 Indeed, it is
well known that the states of a soul change when it dwells in a body.
The truth of the matter is that the soul was existent before the body. This is 150
very clear to me, but I have no way of expressing it in a way that does not leave
room for objections and potential doubts. Generally, to perceive this is to be
incapable of expressing what has been perceived. I did not acquire the fullness
of this belief in the soul by the study of intellectual proofs and logical premises,
although the intellectual journey aided me greatly thanks to the premises dis-
cussed in the books of the rational theologians. This much can be stated in this
book: in the perfection of its causal efficacy, the Cause of the soul’s existence
existed before the body, and the body is its concomitant effect.179 Furthermore,
the soul’s control of the body depends on the existence of specific conditions, so
this control can only be brought into existence after their existence.
Chapter 77: The Soul’s Immortality
It is well known that the soul is originated and endlessly subsistent after death, 151
and that is only because its Cause subsists forever and ever. If you have cer-
tain knowledge that the Cause of the soul existed before the body, then you
will of necessity know that the soul was an existent before the body. In rational
theology, the existence of the soul’s Cause before the body is a given, but how
the perfection of its causal efficacy is realized is postulated and unconvincing.
This much I have come to know by way of tasting, and not by way of formal
learning. Indeed, if the soul’s existence from a cause that brought it into exis-
tence is only conceivable on the condition that it must assume control of a
body, then it follows that, after the soul’s control of the body ceases,180 it will
become nonexistent.
١٥٥ 155
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١٥٦ 156
Chapter 78: Souls Precede Bodies
God is too exalted and holy for His greatness to be encompassed by the paltri- 152
ness of space and time. The same judgment applies to spirits,181 for they are not
bodies that can be encompassed by time and space. Given that this is so, the
Prophet, master of the first and the last,182 stated that God existed before the
temporal and spatial realms with a priority that is infinite (if you measure it with
our measurement of time). The measurement of the priority of spirits to bodies
is that of two million years.183 I praise God that my perception of this priority
is stronger and clearer than the intellect’s perception of primary concepts. The
reality of the determination of this priority with the aforementioned measure-
ment alone cannot be perceived yet. May God, through His bounty and gener-
osity, prepare our inner selves for its perception, including us among those who
merit it from His beginningless munificence.
Chapter 79: The Diversity of Souls
Now, you may desire to know the cause that necessitates the soul’s existence. 153
For the masters of the heart who have been singled out with insight to perceive
those realities known through recognition (but which the intellect is necessarily
unable to perceive), the absolutely indubitable truth is that souls are diverse by
limitless degrees. This diversity is not like the diversity among genera or species.
Rather, the diversity of souls is completely beyond all of that.
For some souls, there is no intermediary between them and God, the First. 154
This is a proposition that formal knowledge and the intellect are unable to per-
ceive. You will notice that when a person who thinks he is clever hears that
proposition, he is quick to retort, “How is that conceivable, seeing that the soul
alters in various well-known ways, while God is far above the occurrences of
change? So how can God in His essence be a direct cause for some souls without
١٥٧ 157
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١٥٨ 158
Chapter 80: The Relationship between the Soul and the Body
an intermediary?” The Qurʾan alludes to this point when God says, «Iblīs! What
has prevented you from prostrating to the one whom I created with My two
hands?»184 The Prophet’s statements indicate this as well: “God created Adam
in the form of the All-Merciful”;185 “God created nothing that resembles Him as
much as Adam.”186 If you perceive God’s existence as it should be perceived, as
equally encompassing all past and future times, then perhaps you will catch a
whiff of this!
It is not permissible to speak about these kinds of souls, nor is it manageable. 155
And how can it be otherwise, when intellectual comprehension dismisses and
disagrees with the tiny amount I have said about them? It is thus best for me to
shift my focus to what is accepted by each and every intelligent person. With the
exception of a few souls, there are many intermediaries between their existence
and the existence of the First. The number of intermediaries for each soul is only
encompassed by God’s knowledge or the knowledge of those prepared by Him
to have it. This explains why all of these souls have something in common: they
are all implicated in a causal chain that proceeds from the unseen, spiritual realm.
Chapter 80: The Relationship between the Soul and the Body
Each body is designated for a specific soul because specific to each soul is an 156
attribute that requires this relationship, in addition to the existence of other
conditions connected to celestial motion.187 Technical expressions are too lim-
ited to express the realities of both this attribute specific for each soul and all
these conditions. And it is likely that there are only a few people whose range of
knowledge is capable of conceiving this. By “knowledge,” I do not mean what
is derived by way of learning, for grasping these points in that way is nearly
impossible. Perhaps each soul’s attraction to the body specific for it resembles
the attraction of iron to a magnet, or gold to mercury, or each body to a specific
place. For the recognizers, none of this is obscure. Since the intellect is inca-
pable of perceiving the reality of the sense in which iron is attracted to a magnet,
though it is a phenomenon that can be sensed by every intelligent person, why
١٥٩ 159
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
  : ،  ،  ‫ ؛‬ (      
.       

      ) ١
١٦٠ 160
Chapter 81: God’s Self-Disclosure
would it be surprising if the intellect is incapable of perceiving the relationships

between spirits and bodies, which are innumerable and unlimited? You should
know with total certainty that the recognizer does not at all consider how the
soul is attracted to a body to be far-fetched, much in the same way that intel-
ligent people do not at all consider how a body is attracted to a specific place to
be far-fetched.
Chapter 81: God’s Self-Disclosure
Just as each body has a specific space within which there is a supra-sensory real- 157
ity that moves the body to its ambit, not causing it to stop short, so too does each
soul emerge from a specific source. Thus, the diversity of souls comes from the
diversity of the sources from which they have emerged. For “People are sources,
like gold and silver mines,”188 as the master of the Prophets is reported to have
said.189 God has created a specific supra-sensory reality in each soul, which
moves it to its original source, not causing it to stop short. This is the indubitable
truth that is observed by the recognizer.
The Qurʾan alludes to the likes of this supra-sensory reality: «each group 158
knew now their drinking place».190 The movements of the body’s limbs are the
effects of this supra-sensory reality, which the beginningless power has placed
within the soul as a way of bringing God’s wisdom to completion, and manifest-
ing the perfection of His gentleness and awareness. Thus, those souls that do not
have an intermediary between themselves and the First are naturally attracted to
Him, just as iron is attracted to a magnet. These souls truly recognize God. His
words, «He loves them, and they love Him»,191 allude to those who are worthy
of this recognition. Such souls truly recognize God because He makes Himself
recognizable to them in His self-disclosure, without any intermediary. In recog-
nizing God, they are therefore immersed in their entirety. The question «Am I
not your Lord?»192 is an expression of His making Himself recognizable to them
in His self-disclosure, and their reply, «Yes indeed!»,193 is an expression of their
immersion in witnessing His beauty.
١٦١ 161
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١٦٢ 162
Chapter 82: The Annihilation of My Metaphorical Identity
God have mercy on the Shaykh of Islam ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī, who spoke 159
most eloquently on this. In one of his sermons, he said, “In His utter inaccessibil-
ity and complete transcendence, God desires to be recognized and so He makes
Himself recognizable. He is then recognized, but neither by knowledge that can
express Him, nor by any cause that can point to Him, nor by any description
through which He can be affirmed. Rather, it is through a recognition that over-
powers and forbids, leaving no room for opposition; for all that remains in real-
ity is the Real. My Lord! You are generous to Your Friends, and so they recognize
You. But if You are generous to Your enemies, they would not oppose You!”194
This, then, is the situation of those souls that do not have a barrier between
themselves and the First. They recognize God as He should be recognized
precisely because He makes Himself recognizable to them without a veil. God
makes Himself recognizable to those souls that have an intermediary between
themselves and Him, but from behind a veil. The recognition of this latter class
of souls falls short of the recognition of those souls standing in the former class.
Chapter 82: The Annihilation of My Metaphorical Identity
When I got to writing this chapter, the splendor of majestic beginninglessness 160
shone forth: knowledge and intellect became naught, and there remained only
the writer, but without himself. Rather, the real identity enveloped me and
drowned my metaphorical identity. When the beginningless beauty returned
my intellect, knowledge, and self, my tongue began to ring with the words of
the poet:
What happened, I will not mention.

Think well, and ask no more!195
١٦٣ 163
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.   : ‫ ؛‬    : ، ٣ .   :  ‫ ؛‬،،  (  ) ٢ . 
   : ،  ١
: ‫ ؛‬
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١٦٤ 164
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    
.   : ‫ ؛‬    : ، ٣ .   :  ‫ ؛‬،،  (  ) ٢ . 
   : ،  ١
: ‫ ؛‬

     
١٦٤ 164
Chapter 83: My Yearning to Return Home
My eyes were filled with tears and death was knocking at my door; troubled 161
by the fervor of my love and in the depths of despair, I exclaimed, “How long
will this empty madness last? What good can there be in remembering the
Beloved when the lover is trapped in the prison of separation?” As the desire
in my wretched self grew stronger, I was given a way back to my original home.
Now the pen remains, but the writer is gone.
Chapter 84: In the Divine Presence
When the command came to enter into the presence of the King, the bird of 162
my soul flew back to its original nest and primordial home, leaving the cage of
this world behind. Then something happened between myself and the King that
cannot be put into words. When He allowed me to leave, I asked for permission
to relate this tale to those poor souls still confined by time and space, and He
allowed me to do so. Returning to my lodging in this worldly prison, I returned
to the task at hand and wrote these chapters that tell my tale.
١٦٥ 165
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: ،  ٥ .   :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( ) ٤ .    : ، ،  ٣ .   : ،  ٢ .    : ، ،  ١
         
 
.     : ‫ ؛‬   

١٦٦ 166
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: ،  ٥ .   :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( ) ٤ .    : ، ،  ٣ .   : ،  ٢ .    : ، ،  ١
         
 
.     : ‫ ؛‬   

١٦٦ 166
Chapter 85: A Final Word about My Journey
If the thought occurs to you, “What is it that happened when you were called 163
from behind the veil of the unseen?,” I would say, “Have etiquette! Why should a
blind man ask about the reality of colors?” I swear by Him who holds the earthly
and spiritual realms in His hands, and whose power rules the invincible realm,196
if even a speck of what took place between us were to appear in this world of
yours, the Throne and the Footstool would come to naught, let alone the heav-
ens and the earth!
Chapter 86: Fleeing from This World
Be extremely wary of the desire to try to perceive these supra-sensory realities by 164
means of human expressions, poring over them with your vain intelligence and
defective acumen. Take this advice for free, although I do not see you accept-
ing it. And your reasons are plain for me to see. Indeed, in pursuing rational
theology I have beheld some marvels, so I do not wish to discourage you or any
other thinker from them. But if you want to reach the reality of this path, leave
this impure world and its defilements to those in pursuit of it, those with lowly
aspirations who are preoccupied with it. As for the afterlife, do not think it is a
game! The lover is content to stop short of union with his Beloved, shamed and
disgraced. By my life! «Among you are those who desire this world, and among
you are those who desire the afterlife».197 But you are still very far from those
people who have cast this world aside, and whom the Qurʾan praises when it
says, «they desire His face».198 If you also cast this world aside, God’s beginning-
less munificence and everlasting generosity will join you to a heart that has no
attachment to anything in the heavens and the earth;199 for nothing will quench
your thirsty heart but the state of lowliness,200 which is the water of life.
١٦٧ 167
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    
١٦٨ 168
Chapter 87: Unhindered Souls
How true is the proverb, “Words draw out more words.” In discussing souls and 165
their states, I have been taken to worlds replete with endless wonders and into
oceans filled with priceless jewels. I will now return to my intended goal, dedi-
cating all of my efforts to it.
Just as a body naturally moves to a specific place and must do so by way of 166
the most proximate of paths (namely, a straight line, the deviation from which
is inconceivable, as can certainly be shown through demonstration and is well
known to anyone who has examined similar things), so too is the case with each
soul. It moves to its original place (which is the source from which it has been
brought forth) by way of the most proximate of paths, its motion being unim-
peded by obstacles that would bar it from attraction to its source. But this point
should not detract me from my goal.
When the noblest of souls naturally move to God, they are unburdened along 167
the straight path, which is the most proximate of paths. Indeed, some souls will
pay no attention to some burden or other that they may encounter along the
way: these burdens are external to their original nature. For as long as these souls
travel the path, you will find them whispering God’s words, «Guide us upon the
straight path».201 It is just as the Qurʾan has reported specifically about Abra-
ham, relating his words, «I am indeed going to my Lord. He will guide me».202
Likewise, you would never doubt that when a magnet attracts iron by way of
the most proximate path, it has guided it to the straight path. Since the souls
that are attracted in this way are the noblest of all souls, God says in His book,
«And who is more beautiful in religion than one who submits his face to God,
acting beautifully and following the creed of Abraham, unswerving? And God
did take Abraham as an intimate friend».203
١٦٩ 169
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.   :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (     ) ٣ .
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
      
١٧٠ 170
Chapter 88: Faith in the Afterlife
The supra-sensory realities that have been placed in these words are very far 168
off from the apparent sense of these words. Indeed, these words are conven-
tionally used to denote meanings quite different from the supra-sensory realities
in question. When these words are heard, they will inevitably be understood
in the sense they have acquired. To be sure, there are but a few stalwart ratio-
nalists who can even catch a whiff from where it is that the fragrances of these
words emanate!
My excuse for employing linguistic expressions to convey these supra-sensory 169
realities is clear: if you want to make a person who is born blind understand how
to perceive color, or to make an impotent person understand the reality of sexual
pleasure, you have no other recourse than to tell them that people have a certain
sense, much like other senses, through which things can be perceived. However,
this sense’s objects of perception do not correspond to what is normally tasted,
smelled, understood, or heard. This is very difficult for the person born blind to
assent to, even if he were to acknowledge it verbally, saying, “I believe in this
with utter certainty.” But I know that his acknowledgment of this other sense
would be tantamount to having faith in the unseen, and that it would inevitably
be made up of corrupt images caught up in his mind.
In the same vein, when we are told that things in the afterlife will not corre- 170
spond to what is sensory or intelligible, it is difficult for us to assent to this except
by having faith in the unseen in the same way the person born blind has faith in
colors—until, of course, we taste these things. This is why it is best for me to be
brief in discussing the states and stages of the soul. Perhaps it is also best to put
aside the little that I have said, for most people will deem it far-fetched and reject
it, harming themselves in the process.
١٧١ 171
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 ( ) ٣ .   : ،  ‫ ؛‬   :  ‫ ؛‬ ( ) ٢ .  :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (  ) ١
     
. :  ‫ ؛‬، ، 
 
١٧٢ 172
Chapter 89: The Intellect and the Afterlife
With your weak mind, you will probably be quick to reject my statement that 171
things in the afterlife will correspond to neither the sensory nor the intelligible:
“The intellect’s certainty that existents divide into the sensory and the intelligi-
ble is alone sufficient proof of the falsehood of your statement. For, if the things
in the afterlife are existent, then how can one say that they will correspond to
neither the sensory nor the intelligible?” Now you must patiently bear with me
until I explain the flaw in your position. Then, when I am done, you should go
back and in all fairness examine yourself so that your ignorance regarding what
you have heard does not get the better of you.
The person born blind confines all existents to what is intelligible and sen- 172
sory, and confines them further in many other ways, such as eternal and origi-
nated, cause and effect, and perfect and deficient. Nevertheless, when he is told
that colors correspond to neither the intelligible nor the sensory, which would
be a true proposition if by “sensory” we mean what the blind person’s four
senses can grasp, he would reject that statement, saying, “Since all of existence
is confined to the intelligible and the sensory, how can colors be neither sensory
nor intelligible given that colors are existents?” But this denial of his has no basis
but the fact that he confines what is sensory to objects that can be perceived by
his four senses.
Likewise, if I were to say that the things in the afterlife correspond to neither 173
the sensory nor the intelligible, and the naysayers were to reject it, their rejec-
tion would have no basis but the fact that they confine the sensory to what can
be perceived by the five senses. Of course, this conclusion is not logically neces-
sary. This is because it is not logically necessary that every existent should be
confined to what can be perceived through the senses and the intellect. Indeed,
how many things there are that the intellect is simply incapable of perceiving!
And when the intellect cannot perceive the many obscure, purely intellectual
matters that are out there, it functions more like the imaginal faculty. But this
does not indicate that all of the things the imaginal faculty perceives are unreal.
In the same vein, sight perceives sensory objects, and judgments about them are
divided into either true or false. So the judgment is true that a part of something,
for example, has a certain size, but the judgment is false that the sun is the size
١٧٣ 173
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                        

  :        .
                       : ،   ١
  
  
               
         
‫ ؛‬  ( ) ٤ .   : ، ،      ٣ .      : ، ،      ٢ .     
     
.
 : ‫ ؛‬  : ‫ ؛‬  :
 
١٧٤ 174
of a plate, or that the planets are the size of gold coins. Yet the basis for this kind
of false judgment is simply the fact that sight cannot perceive what is far away as
well as it can what is near.
In the same vein, the intellect’s judgment that God exists, is one, eternal, and 174
the creator, is absolutely true; but the intellect’s judgment that it must be able
to perceive every existent (for instance, the matters of the afterlife) is absolutely
false. After all, God is infinitely further away to the insight of the intellect than
the sun is to the sense of sight! It is thus impossible for the intellect to perceive
God’s utter distance and the perfection of His luminosity. In relation to perceiv-
ing God, the insight of the intellect is like that of bats in relation to perceiving
the light of the sun. The sun in itself cannot be perceived by bats, and Reality in
itself cannot be perceived by humans.
The truth is that knowledge of the Hour goes back to God, as He says, «Knowl- 175
edge of the Hour goes back to Him».204 You basically have no way to believe in
any of its mysteries other than to have the faith that a person born blind has in
colors. First, think about how when a person born blind believes in colors as an
unseen reality he turns away from his four senses and objects of perception so
that he can have faith in what is unseen, with no resemblance or likeness in his
mind. Then, search within yourself for this kind of faith until you come to have
faith in the unseen and come to be certain of the afterlife. As God says, «Those
who believe in the unseen, perform the prayer, and spend from what We have
provided them . . . and who are certain of the afterlife».205 If you do not find your
soul adorned with this kind of faith, you should know that Satan has encircled
you, pulling you along with the rope of his delusion.
١٧٥ 175
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   
.       :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (       ) ١
 
١٧٦ 176
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   
.       :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   (       ) ١
 
١٧٦ 176
Chapter 91: Searching for God
If you are a true seeker, you should carefully think about the conditions of faith 176
in the unseen that I have put in your charge, scrutinizing them over and over
until belief in the truth of the unseen becomes natural to you so that you no
longer need to reflect on logical premises. At that time, your inner self will very
much be prepared for God to cause a light to pour forth, resulting in an expan-
sion of your heart and a widening of your spiritual capacity; as God says, «What
of one whose heart God has expanded for submission so that he follows a light
from his Lord?»206 When your heart has expanded for faith in the unseen, God
will cause a light to pour into your inner self, the likes of which you have not wit-
nessed before. This is one of the traces of that stage that appears after the stage of
the intellect. So intensify your search, for that alone is what you need in order to
attain awareness! Because “the one who fervently searches will find what he is
after.”207 God inspired David: “O David, whoever searches for Me will find Me,
but whoever searches for anything else will never find Me.”208 A logical conclu-
sion necessarily follows: it is inconceivable that a person in search of God would
search for anything else. Something similar has been alluded to in the Prophet’s
words: “If you keep knocking at the door, it is likely to be opened.”209
Chapter 92: Striving for Understanding
What is perceived in the stage beyond the intellect is in one respect divided 177
into those things whose relationship to this stage is like the relationship of pri-
mary concepts to the intellect, and those things whose relationship to it is like
the relationship of theoretical obscurities that can only be perceived through
an intermediary—namely, the intellect. These issues are easy to perceive, but
١٧٧ 177
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١٧٨ 178
Chapter 93: The Evident and the Mysterious
difficult to obtain. So do not desire to attain them, but rather strive to assent to
them just as you assent to the unseen. Perhaps God will grant them to you, and
tasting them will free you from the need of hearsay.
Chapter 93: The Evident and the Mysterious
What is perceived in the stage beyond the intellect is a mystery to knowledge 178
based on distinctions and to the human intellect, just as what is perceived by
eyesight is a mystery to the sense of smell, what is perceived by the faculty of
estimation is a mystery to the faculties of imagination and memory, what is per-
ceived by the sense of touch is a mystery to the faculties of hearing and taste,
and what is perceived by primary concepts is a mystery to all the five senses.
The fact is that “mystery” and “evident” are relative terms, for there are many
things that are a mystery to one perceiver but evident to another. Primary con-
cepts, for instance, are evident to the intelligence but a mystery to the senses.
Indeed, most of what is called a mystery in the language of the revealed law
and by the Sufis is a mystery to both the human intellect and to language. And
whatever cannot be conceived of through expressions will remain a mystery to
expressions, which is why the Prophet said, “When destiny is discussed, desist
from it!”210 In other words, destiny is a mystery to human speech and language,
and we simply cannot conceive of an expression for it. This explains why Sahl
al-Tustarī said, “Discussing destiny in a contentious manner is a reprehensible
innovation in religion.”211 Now verify what is in this chapter, as you will need it
for what will come next.
١٧٩ 179
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١٨٠ 180
Chapter 94: The Coming of the Hour
Everything that will happen on the Day of Resurrection is a mystery to human 179
knowledge. It is inconceivable for anyone to encompass it while he remains in
this world and is not free from the bonds of fantasy and the error of imagina-
tion. The statement of the disbelievers, «When will this promise come to pass,
if you are truthful?»,212 is a question that is impossible to properly answer. Since
the coming of the Hour «is like the blinking of an eye, or even closer»,213 and
the question “when?” is one that pertains to time, it is impossible to answer it.
It is like the question posed by a person born blind when we describe color-
ful objects to him: “How can these objects be tasted or smelled?” The correct
response to this would be for us to say, “The person who can see can know these
objects.” So if, by means of analogy, you try to imagine a fraction of the meaning
of what we have described and related to you, it will necessarily be incorrect.
Therefore, the correct response to the disbelievers’ question, «When will 180
this promise come to pass?»,214 is to say that its knowledge lies with God. Who-
ever returns to God and is mustered from the grave and brought before Him
will inevitably come to know the reality of the Hour at that time, since «Knowl-
edge of the Hour lies with Him».215 The Prophet, master of the first and the last,
said, “The Hour will not come so long as there is someone on the earth who
says, ‘There is no god but God.’”216 Those who are still on the earth will not yet
be brought before God, whereas the Resurrection has already come for those
who are «upon a firm seat before an omnipotent King».217 The same applies to
the guilty. When they «bend their heads low»,218 the Resurrection has effec-
tively come for them, since they will be with their Lord. Perhaps the one who
said, “I spend the night with my Lord who feeds me and gives me to drink”219
confirmed this point when he also said, “I have been sent while the coming of
the Hour is as short as the distance between my two fingers; even if it is almost
before me, I have come before it.”220
The Hour is within the veils of the heavens and the earth like a fetus in the 181
womb of its mother, which is why the Hour will only come «When the earth is
violently shaken»,221 the sky is split apart,222 the stars are dispersed,223 the sun
is enfolded,224 the mountains are set in motion,225 pregnant camels are aban-
doned,226 and «when what lies in the graves is turned inside out, and what lies
١٨١ 181
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١٨٢ 182
Chapter 94: The Coming of the Hour
in hearts is made known».227 In short, the Hour will come when «the earth will
be changed into something other than the earth, and the heavens as well».228 So
long as the traveler is outside of the veils of the earth and the heavens, the Res-
urrection will not happen for him, for the Resurrection is only within the veils
because God is within the veils: «Knowledge of the Hour lies with Him».229
Therefore, the Prophet’s statement, “The Hour will not come so long as there 182
is someone on the earth who says, ‘There is no god but God,’” means that so
long as a person remains outside of the veils, the Resurrection will be a mystery
to him. But when he cuts through these veils on his journey, delighting in the
presence of divine proximity, the mystery of the Resurrection will come into the
open for him. It is for this reason that absolutely nobody (not even a Prophet
or a Friend of God) is allowed to see God in this world. The Messenger of God
only saw God in this world after he had cut through the veils on the night of the
Ascension.230 When it was said to Moses that «the Hour is coming»,231 he asked
to see God,232 but was told, «You shall never see Me».233 You should thus know
that the Resurrection only came into the open for Muḥammad when he cut
through the veils of the heavens and the earth and penetrated their regions.234
When he settled back down in this world outside of the veils, knowledge of the
Resurrection was a mystery for him just as it had been before the Ascension, yet
this time it was out in the open for him, and thus beyond any veils.
A mystery is always a mystery as such, and what is out in the open is always 183
out in the open as such. Both “change” only as the states of the travelers change.
God alludes to this when He says, «They ask you about the Hour: “When will
it set in?” But what have you to do with its mention?»235 In other words, “If the
mystery of the Resurrection came into the open for you on the night of the
Ascension, what is left for you to know and say?” To try to make do with the
intellect alone in understanding these words is to have wronged oneself. Be care-
ful, wretch, not to be led by your thoughts, rejecting or doubting these things and
thereby coming to disbelieve in what God has revealed to His Prophets. Were it
not for you and those blind like you, God would not have addressed the Prophet
with these words: «Your people have denied it, though it is the truth».236
١٨٣ 183
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   :  ‫ ؛‬،،  (            
.            
    ) ١

١٨٤ 184
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               
   :  ‫ ؛‬،،  (            
.            
    ) ١

١٨٤ 184
Chapter 95: The Stage beyond the
Intellect Is Accessible to All
You might ask, “Do you hold that every intelligent person will inevitably reach 184
the stage beyond the intellect, just as every nursing child will inevitably reach
the stage of discretion at its proper time?” Well, there are many stages, and
every single person will inevitably reach the stage beyond the intellect, even
if it is after death. But it is impossible for everyone to reach the stages that are
only possible for a few. Rather, it is true and necessary that, without shedding
the bodily frame he is clothed in, a person can reach many stages beyond the
intellect (which are beyond this world); but it is inconceivable that others can
reach most of these stages, whether in this world or in the afterlife. This is the
truth that the recognizers witness by means of their insight, just as the intellect
beholds the fact that ten is greater than one. For the most part, a person who
is not destined to reach the stage alluded to will persistently deny its existence,
and may even die in his denial, until the covering is lifted from his eyes, as is
indicated by the Qurʾan with reference to the disbelievers: «Woe to those who
disbelieve at the witnessing of a momentous day! How well they will hear and
how well they will see on the day they come to Us.»237 Whoever naturally and
unforcedly assents to the truth of the kind of thing I have related here will inevi-
tably be granted some of it.
Chapter 96: The Intellect and the Stage beyond It
In beholding bodies, an intelligent person will undoubtedly infer the existence 185
of their respective souls, just as in beholding the bodies of horses, donkeys,
monkeys, camels, and humans he will infer the differences between the souls
that control these bodies. And it would be easy for him to perceive the distinc-
tion between those bodies that are still under the control of their souls and those
١٨٥ 185
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.  : ،  ‫ ؛‬،   ( ) ٣ .    :  ‫ ؛‬، ،   ( ) ٢ .    : ، ،  ١
      
١٨٦ 186
Chapter 97: Overcoming the Desire to Know
bodies whose souls have separated from them upon death. Likewise, you should
know with certainty that, in relation to the forms beyond it, the human intellect
is like a body in relation to a soul. For, by beholding the frame of the intellect,
the recognizers who are complete in their recognition can infer the difference
between the frame of the intellect and the spirits of the stages latent within it
like fire’s latency in a stone. Thus, it is easy for them to perceive the distinction
between an intellect that has many stages within it and one that has no stages
within it. Indeed, the latter is like a bodily frame from which the soul’s control
has been severed.
Chapter 97: Overcoming the Desire to Know
When the silly desire that has overcome the rationalist theologians to know the 186
realities of all things bids you farewell, the reality of the Prophet’s words will be
disclosed to you: “Follow the religion of old women.”238 That is when the dawn
of this stage will break through,239 just as when the dawn of a baby’s intellect is
signaled by his coming to perceive primary concepts. The rationalist theologian
who desires such knowledge is like a man who sees a scale in which gold is being
weighed and desires that a mountain, for example, be weighed with it. But that
is impossible. However, it does not mean that the scale is untrue in what it can
weigh and measure.
The intellect is a valid scale and its measurements are certain and true, with 187
no falsehood in it; and it is a just scale: it is inconceivable that it can ever be
unjust. Having said that, when an intelligent person desires to weigh every-
thing with the intellect—even the matters of the afterlife, the reality of proph-
ecy, and the realities of the beginningless divine attributes—that is a desire for
the impossible.
With the illumination of the light of the stage beyond the intellect, this 188
desire will diminish bit by bit, just as the light of the planets diminishes bit by
bit at the crack of dawn. There is a distinction between a desire bidding you
١٨٧ 187
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   
١٨٨ 188
Chapter 98: Freedom from Time and Space
farewell through compulsion, and your bidding farewell to a desire through

choice. This is a pitfall, so be wary of it. Indeed, bidding farewell to this desire
is not your choice so that you cast it aside whenever you choose. Rather, it is
dependent upon the emergence of the aforementioned dawn, which is when
you are compelled, irrespective of whether you want it or reject it. Thus, the
complete obliteration of this desire is dependent upon the illumination of the
Sun’s light.
Chapter 98: Freedom from Time and Space
When you have next to no doubt in perceiving intellectually recondite matters 189
by way of true and unequivocal proofs so that you enjoy the same kind of inti-
mate familiarity, for example, as do the rationalist theologians (who are adept in
the intellectual sciences through grasping its supposed problems), then perhaps
it is time for you to set out on your journey. You must take the spiritual path, so
that the Sun may rise for you and you can witness the beauty of the primordial
nature mentioned in God’s statement, «the primordial nature from God, upon
which He originated people».240 This is when you will be set free from the cap-
tivity of time and space, leaving every kind of worldly defilement behind you
in exchange for the robe of divine selection. You will thus naturally go to God,
without any difficulty, as the Prophet said, “The God-wary among my people
and I are free from difficulty.”241
١٨٩ 189
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،     ‫ ؛‬       
              :      ٢ .
     
  
.  
١٩٠ 190
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،     ‫ ؛‬       
              :      ٢ .
     
  
.  
١٩٠ 190
Chapter 99: Reaching God
When you are guided and the Trust242 emerges from her domicile (namely, the 190
Prophetic treasury) so that you penetrate «the regions of the heavens and the
earth»,243 and time moves for you as if there were no days to come, then your
sun will rise and your future will be the envy of your past. You will turn your face
toward the originator of the heavens and the earth,244 drawing near to the living
and self-subsisting springs and imbibing the water of life. At that moment, they
will pierce your heart, opening up a way to your Lord; this is the path of your
flight to the Beginningless. And the beginningless Sun will illuminate you as long
as you wish.
The least sign of this illumination is that you will come to naught, as it is only 191
possible for a lover to reach his beloved after his having come to naught. So do
not in any way suppose that your existence can get in the way of reaching God!
Any explanation of this is inconceivable, for it passes beyond the limits of knowl-
edge and the intellect.
Chapter 100: An Invitation
With this hundredth chapter, I hereby complete the foregoing ninety-nine. How 192
fine a provision it is for a seeker on the path of knowledge who obtains his goal,
and whose lofty aspiration does not stop there, but whose pure soul incites him
to press on in search of what is beyond this knowledge. This, then, is as much
as I could convey about what was disclosed to me after I had disposed of formal
learning.
١٩١ 191
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١٩٢ 192
Conclusion: On Yearning
This book is practically useless except for those who assiduously reflect on intel- 193
lectual realities, exhausting themselves a great deal in their pursuit until they
become adept. But such learning is not enough if they do not experience yearn-
ing for something beyond knowledge and the intellect. Therefore, those who do
not have this yearning inside themselves should study this book over and over,
since it is very likely that this yearning will appear within them. But if blamewor-
thy attributes distract them from constant study of this book, they will get noth-
ing from it. There are many attributes that will block this yearning. But there is
no time to elaborate, and I am fatigued.
This is my excuse for any chapter whose topic I did not do justice to in terms 194
of fully laying out those premises that pertain to the study of that chapter. I was
ultimately prevented from doing so because of my heart’s attraction to what
is much more important. Moreover, I dictated this book to a group of people
whom I did not think were in need of more premises than those I laid out. I thus
condensed my statements for these two reasons.
To desire to properly encompass the reality of the meanings mentioned in 195
these chapters simply by studying this book once, twice, or even more, is to
desire the impossible. The only way it can properly be studied is by dedicat-
ing days and nights to reviewing it, repeatedly reflecting upon its contents until
the image of each word becomes imprinted in the mind. Whatever has been
understood will then become seeds for proper understanding. This can only be
achieved through regular practice and patient perseverance in that practice, day
and night. As long as a person’s heart is not infertile, the meanings contained in
this book will inevitably be planted in it as seeds are planted in rich and healthy
soil, quickly bearing fruit (on condition that the seeds are maintained and cared
for through being watered at the right time and protected from the kinds of
damage that affect vegetation). Those who find that they are averse to this kind
of patient pursuit or that they do not have the abovementioned attributes for
theoretical knowledge should not study this book. After all, “There is always a
right man for the job”245 and “What each person is created for is made easy for
him.”246 How fairly has the poet spoken with these words:
١٩٣ 193
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
١٩٤ 194
Conclusion: On Yearning
If you cannot do something, leave it

and move on to what you can do.247
The strength of every bird’s power accords with its given capacity: «each 196
group knew now their drinking place».248 Have you ever seen street cleaners
contend with kings for their kingship?
The path that a man tries to travel

accords with the steps his feet can take.249
Praise be to God, who fulfills every righteous need with His blessings and 197
whose knowledge, power, and wisdom are pointed to by the merest specks of
existence. Blessings be upon His Messenger Muḥammad, the best of creatures,
who unceasingly walked the most praiseworthy of paths and whose sun rose
over the horizon, illuminating it entirely. And blessings be upon his progeny,
lamps of guidance and springs of munificence and magnanimity; his compan-
ions, like resplendent stars; and his goodly and pure wives.
١٩٥ 195
Notes
1 The reference here is to an eschatological hadith where the Prophet says that he will be
the leader of humankind on the Day of Resurrection, and will be given “the banner of
praise” (liwāʾ al-ḥamd). See al-Tirmidhī, Sunan, no. 3975.
2 The Abode of Peace is a reference to Paradise. See Q Yūnus 10:25 and the commentary
in Study Quran, 551.
3 That is, God’s oneness (tawḥīd), prophecy (nubuwwah), and eschatology (maʿād).
4 The knowledge of certainty alludes to Q Takāthur 102:5. The Qurʾan outlines the process
of attaining certainty in three steps. First there is the knowledge of certainty, which is
followed by the eye of certainty (Q Takāthur 102:7). Last comes the truth of certainty
(Q Wāqi ʿah 56:95 and Ḥāqqah 69:51). The Sufis offer a number of metaphors to con-
cretely illustrate how these ascending stages of certainty function. The most famous of
these draws on imagery from Moses’s meeting with God on Mt. Horeb, recounted in the
Bible and the Qurʾan. First, one learns of the existence of a fire (knowledge of certainty)
and then sets out toward it, whereupon he sees the fire (eye of certainty). Finally, he
enters into the presence of the fire and is consumed by it (truth of certainty). For more
on these three modes of certainty in the Qurʾan, see Study Quran, 929 and 1329. As ʿAyn
al-Quḍāt states here, the Essence is primarily concerned with taking its readers to the
knowledge of certainty.
5 A no longer extant Arabic theological treatise, which ʿAyn al-Quḍāt dedicated to an
important Seljuq state official (for whom, see Safi, Politics of Knowledge in Premod-
ern Islam, 190). In Nāmah-hā, 2:483, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt says that he wrote the treatise in
order to refute erroneous positions in matters of creed. He also mentions this work in
Shakwā, 40.
6 Namely, al-salaf al-ṣālihūn, a term deployed especially by Sunnis to affirm the probity of
the first three generations of the Muslim community.
7 The reference is to a special kind of prayer known as the istikhārah. See Study Quran,
xxxix.
8 For this hadith, see al-Ḥusaynī, al-Tanwīr: Sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-ṣaghīr, 9:388.
9 Q Āl ʿImrān 3:173.
10 Another no longer extant theological treatise in Arabic. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt makes a passing
reference to it in Shakwā, 40.
11 Alluding to Q Takāthur 102:5. See n. 4 above.
١٩٧ 197
Notes
12 In Islamic cosmology, the material realm (ʿālam al-mulk) and the spiritual realm (ʿālam
al-malakūt) generically refer to two distinct “worlds.” The former is characterized by
bodies, visibility, and darkness (namely, the entire cosmos), and the latter by spirits,
invisibility, and light (namely, the entire domain of the unseen). See Murata, The Tao of
Islam: A Sourcebook on Gender Relationships in Islamic Thought, 60–61.
13 “Those who have arrived” (al-wāṣilūn) refers to people who have reached the end of
the Sufi path and now find themselves perpetually in the divine presence, in union with
God. The Sufis most commonly convey this notion by employing two nouns that are
etymologically related to wāṣilūn: wuṣūl, which denotes “arrival,” and wiṣāl, which
denotes “union.” See Chittick, Divine Love, index s.v. “union (wiṣāl).”
14 An allusion to Q Fātiḥah 1:6.
15 Q Fuṣṣilat 41:39 and Aḥqāf 46:33.
17 A reference to part of a statement that goes back to al-Shiblī. See Chittick, Divine Love,
294.
18 I have been unable to identify the author of this poem, although it goes back to at least
the late third/ninth century, since a version of the second hemistich was cited by a
Sufi figure from that era at the moment of his death. See Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh madīnat
Dimashq, 66:148.
19 This “thing” is the presence of God. For a related discussion, see Rustom, Inrushes of the
Heart, chapter 1.
20 An allusion to Q Baqarah 2:144 and 149–50.
21 In Q ʿAnkabūt 29:14, Noah is said to have lived 950 years.
22 Al-Ḥamdānī, Dīwān Abī Firās al-Ḥamdānī bi-riwāyat Ḥusayn ibn Aḥmad ibn Khālawayh,
2:214.
23 Cited in al-Thaʿālibī, Yatīmat al-dahr, 5:74.
24 Al-Mutanabbī, Dīwān, 479.
25 Al-Mūsawī is al-Sharīf al-Raḍī: Dīwān, 2:151.
26 Abū l-ʿAtāhiyah, Dīwān, 407.
27 By virtue of their proximity to the Prophet, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt says that a select group of
individuals can come to enjoy this special kind of brotherhood with him. See Rustom,
Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 7.
28 Al-Marzūqī, Sharḥ Dīwān al-Ḥamāsah, 1413.
29 Abū Nuwās, Dīwān, 1:127. The lines appear here in reverse order. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s use
of these verses is a fine example of how he spiritualizes a poem written in a different
context and for a different purpose. The “Muḥammad” referred to in the poem by Abū
Nuwās is the sixth Abbasid caliph, al-Amīn, whose first name was Muḥammad, and the
١٩٨ 198
Notes
“camels” seem to refer to actual camels. Based on his prefatory remarks to the citation,
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt understands these camels to refer to the Sufi concept of aspiration, and
the Muḥammad in question is of course the Prophet. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt thus takes the verses
to mean that, when the Sufi has entered into the presence of the Prophet (and thus
proximity to him) by virtue of his high aspiration, it becomes entirely forbidden to him
to direct his aspiration elsewhere, since that would naturally remove him from his state
of proximity with the Prophet.
30 Felicity (saʿādah) specifically refers to the soul’s ultimate deliverance and its permanent
state of joy in the afterlife. Its antonym is misery (shaqāwah).
31 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt gives us here a juxtaposition between two kinds of scholars, which
became standard fare in Sufi culture after his time: there are those who are given to the
formal aspects of learning, but are not transformed by their knowledge—in the Essence,
they are the “rationalists.” In contrast to this group are those who put their learning
into action until it transforms their entire being. They are the ones who verify the truth
(al-muḥaqqiqūn). What this latter group verifies is the reality of God and the situation of
their souls vis-à-vis God and the cosmic order.
32 Q Qaṣaṣ 28:77.
33 Q Ṣād 38:24.
34 Al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī, Muḥāḍarāt al-udabāʾ wa-muḥāwarāt al-shuʿarāʾ wa-l-bulaghāʾ,
1:426.
35 For the problem of God’s knowledge of particulars, see Avicenna, The Metaphysics of the
Healing, 283ff., and al-Ghazālī, The Incoherence of the Philosophers, 134–43.
36 That is, al-qadīm, which conveys the sense in which God is logically prior to not only
time, but eternity itself.
37 An allusion to a phrase that occurs in the singular in Q Baqarah 2:108 et passim.
38 An allusion to a phrase that occurs in the singular in Q Aḥqāf 46:30.
39 See al-Ghazālī, Moderation in Belief, 41–45.
40 An allusion to Q Ḥāqqah 69:51. See also n. 4.
41 That is, wājib al-wujūd, or that which necessarily exists by virtue of itself and thus cannot
not be (namely, God); see Adamson, “From the Necessary Existent to God,” and Benev-
ich, “The Necessary Existent (wājib al-wujūd): From Avicenna to Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī.”
42 This is a kind of hypothetical proposition (al-qaḍiyyah al-sharṭiyyah), which takes the
form “if x, then y.” See El-Rouayheb, Relational Syllogisms and the History of Arabic
Logic, 900–1900, 263–64.
43 In this section, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s exposition is in some ways indebted to the corresponding
discussion in al-Ghazālī, Moderation in Belief, 41–45.
١٩٩ 199
Notes
44 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt has in mind the well-known Sufi teaching that “none knows God but
God.” See Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 7.
45 Q Naḥl 16:60.
46 An allusion to Q Fuṣṣilat 41:37.
47 Q Shūrā 42:11.
48 Q Fatḥ 48:6.
49 Q Ṣāffāt 37:180.
50 Q Ikhlāṣ 112:3.
51 Q Jinn 72:3.
52 This famous line goes back to al-Mutanabbī, having first made its appearance in antholo-
gies of Arabic poetry and then been incorporated into the commentarial tradition. See
al-Yāzijī, Al-ʿArf al-ṭayyib fī Sharḥ Dīwān Abī l-Ṭayyib, 351.
53 For an extensive treatment of the divine names written in the same generation as ʿAyn
al-Quḍāt and which in many ways mirrors his overall concerns, see Samʿānī, The Repose
of the Spirits: A Sufi Commentary on the Divine Names (the two names featured in the
present context are discussed on pp. 457–61). A standard theological exposition of the
divine names can be found in al-Ghazālī’s popular work The Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names
of God.
54 As will be clear at the end of the paragraph, by min ḥayth al-ḥaqīqah ʿAyn al-Quḍāt
means “from the perspective of the intellect” (min ḥayth al-ʿaql).
55 Q Aʿrāf 7:180.
56 That is, the malakūt, which is juxtaposed with the earthly realm or mulk.
57 This is to say that God is called Living because all else is dead, and He is called Real
because all else is unreal.
58 That is, God (Allāh).
59 Q Aḥzāb 33:62.
60 Which is to say that it will not become a contingent existent in actuality.
61 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt entertains the possibility here that the universe came about by virtue of
God’s nature, which would imply that God’s existence necessarily entails ontological
production (i.e., that all things come from God by virtue of a necessity in the divine
nature).
62 This is a noncanonical ḥadīth qudsī (an extra-Qurʾanic statement made by God) used by
Sufis of various persuasions throughout the centuries to explain the origin and goal of
the cosmos. For ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s use of this tradition, see Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart,
chapters 5 and 10. See also Maghsoudlou, “La pensée de ‘Ayn al-Quḍāt al-Hamadānī,”
381n929. For the ḥadīth qudsī genre, see Graham, Divine Word and Prophetic Word in
Early Islam.
٢٠٠ 200
Notes
63 In other words, they wrongly think that any change in particulars—all of which God
knows—also spells a change in God’s knowledge; this is untenable since it would intro-
duce change in the divine nature itself.
64 Q Aʿrāf 7:7.
65 Q Ṭā Hā 20:98.
66 Q Ṭalāq 65:12.
67 An allusion to Q Isrāʾ 17:43.
68 Q Nisāʾ 4:116 and 136.
69 That is, the ūlū l-albāb. For this special class of people mentioned in the Qurʾan on many
occasions, see Study Quran, 78 and 1121.
70 Q Ṭā Hā 20:98.
71 By “sensory image” (al-mithāl al-maḥsūs), ʿAyn al-Quḍāt has in mind things like draw-
ings and paintings.
72 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt is alluding to an important saying in the Islamic tradition, “The incapacity
to perceive is perception,” to which he will return in Chapter 29.
73 Q Baqarah 2:117 and Anʿām 6:101.
74 That is, the question of how the human intellect can fathom God’s knowledge.
75 Al-Ṣūlī, Akhbār al-Buḥturī, 160.
76 Q Baqarah 2:115.
77 Q Baqarah 2:115.
78 In Arabic logic, primary concepts (al-awwaliyyāt) are more commonly referred to as
“primary intelligibles” (al-maʿqūlāt al-ūlā). They refer to the basic building blocks of all
logical propositions, and are thus simply givens to the mind. A common example of a
primary concept is the notion that the whole is greater than the part.
79 One would not qualify since it is the basis of all numerical multiplicity and is thus not a
number per se.
80 Q Baqarah 2:17.
81 For the phenomenon of friendship with God (walāyah) and the revered status of God’s
Friends (awliyāʾ ) in the Sufi tradition, see Renard, Friends of God: Images of Piety, Com-
mitment, and Servanthood.
82 Q ʿAnkabūt 29:6.
83 Q Zumar 39:47.
84 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt is employing imagery from the ritual pilgrimage to Mecca in a way that is
difficult to capture in translation. The pilgrims consecrate themselves by wearing a ritual
garb (iḥrām), which places certain restrictions on their physical person, thus allowing
them to fully turn themselves to God. Throughout the rites of the pilgrimage, they chant
the talbiyah (“At your service, O God, at your service . . .”), a response to God’s invitation
٢٠١ 201
Notes
to them to make the pilgrimage. The Kaaba, the Muslim direction of prayer, plays a
major role in the pilgrimage as well. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt sees the Kaaba here as a symbol for
the face of God. At the same time, he is alluding to Q Baqarah 2:115, which, as we have
seen in §59, speaks of God’s face being wherever one may turn.
87 Q Rūm 30:30.
88 Q Zumar 39:3.
89 Q Baqarah 2:256.
90 Q Balad 90:11.
91 The term used here is ṭāmmāt (derived from Q Nāzi ʿāt 79:34), and is a synonym for the
better-known Sufi expression shaṭaḥāt or “ecstatic utterances” (for which, see Ernst,
Words of Ecstasy in Sufism).
92 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt clearly thinks that at least some people who uttered these ecstatic utter-
ances were blameworthy. At the same time, he has the highest respect for two early Sufi
figures known for such statements—namely, al-Ḥallāj and Basṭāmī; see Rustom, Inrushes
of the Heart, passim. For al-Ḥallāj and Basṭāmī’s shaṭaḥāt, see Ernst, Words of Ecstasy;
a recent study that focuses on Basṭāmī in this regard can be found in Keeler, “Wisdom
in Controversy: Paradox and the Paradoxical in Sayings of Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī (d. 234/
848 or 261/875).”
93 Q Aḥqāf 46:11.
94 Q Yūnus 10:39.
95 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt is referring to a famous prayer of the Prophet in which he declares his
inability to fully praise God as He should be praised. See Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart,
chapter 5.
96 For which, see n. 98.
97 I.e., al-ṣiddīq al-akbar (literally “the greatest truthful one”), which is a special title of
Abū Bakr.
98 This famous saying goes back to Abū Bakr. See Aḥmad al-Ghazālī, Sawāniḥ, 26 and
41–42, as well as Baqlī, Sharḥ-i shaṭḥiyyāt, 86–87.
99 This saying is not listed in the traditional Hadith sources. See al-Ḥaddād, Takhrīj aḥādīth
Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn, 4:1758, and Forouzanfar, Aḥādīth-i Mathnawī, 231.
100 For the background to the problem of the relationship between God’s essence and attri-
butes, to which ʿAyn al-Quḍāt will now turn more fully, see al-Ghazālī, Moderation in
Belief, 129–55.
101 Q Raḥmān 55:26.
٢٠٢ 202
Notes
102 The standard Hadith sources all have “poet” or “poets” in place of “Arabs.” See, for exam-
ple, al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 6568.
103 For ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s refutation of dualism, see Rustom, “Devil’s Advocate,” 74–75, and
Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 4.
104 Q Nūr 24:45.
105 Q Insān 76:30.
107 Q Shūrā 42:11.
108 Q Muʾminūn 23:80.
109 Q Muʾminūn 23:80.
110 Q Shūrā 42:11.
111 Abū Dāwūd, Sunan, no. 5077.
112 Q Māʾidah 5:120.
113 Meaning the two would in fact be one.
114 If this were the case, then the two necessary beings would still stand in need of some-
thing above them.
115 See, for example, the discussion in al-Ghazālī, Incoherence of the Philosophers, 92ff.
116 On the problem of the world’s eternity and its defense, see Avicenna, al-Ishārāt wa-l-
tanbīhāt, 3:57–117. On the problem of the world’s eternity and its refutation, see
al-Ghazālī, Incoherence of the Philosophers, 12–54. See also Davidson, Proofs for Eternity,
Creation, and the Existence of God in Medieval Islamic and Jewish Philosophy.
117 The referent in question is a well-known Islamic philosophical principle (inspired by
but distinct from a Neoplatonic doctrine), which states that “Only one emanates from
the One.” In Islamic philosophy, the one that emanates from God is the First Intellect
(al-ʿaql al-awwal), the first of ten intellects, which emanate successively until there
arises the realm of matter. See Avicenna, Metaphysics of the Healing, 328–30 (defense)
and al-Ghazālī, Incoherence of the Philosophers, 65ff. (rejection), as well as the helpful
discussions in Amin, “‘From the One, Only One Proceeds’: The Post-Classical Recep-
tion of a Key Principle of Avicenna’s Metaphysics,” and Dadikhuda, “Rule of the One:
Avicenna, Bahmanyār, and al-Rāzī on the Argument from the Mubāḥathāt.”
118 Q Ḥadīd 57:25.
119 Q Rūm 30:27.
120 Q Qaṣaṣ 28:88.
121 For this tradition and its attribution and uses in Islamic philosophical and mystical liter-
ature, see Rustom, “Psychology, Eschatology, and Imagination in Mullā Ṣadrā Shīrāzī’s
Commentary on the Ḥadīth of Awakening,” 10nn1–2.
122 Q Qaṣaṣ 28:88.
٢٠٣ 203
Notes
123 Q Ghāfir 40:16.

124 In the language of Islamic philosophy, things are contingent in themselves, and neces-
sary through others. This stands in stark contrast to God, the Necessary Existent, who
is simply necessary in Himself and is the ground of all contingent, existential necessity.
125 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt is being rhetorical here, since a thing’s existing through itself is always
impossible.
126 Namely, earth, air, fire, and water.
127 For the First Intellect, see n. 117. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt is not against the notion of existence
being coextensive (taswīq al-wujūd) per se. What he is opposed to is that anything
should be seen as coextensive with God, even if the coextensivity in question entails
God’s logical priority (which is surely the case with the view he is refuting here). As ʿAyn
al-Quḍāt will go on to argue in §116, God is coextensive with everything, but nothing is
coextensive with Him; and He is “with” everything, but nothing is “with” Him.
128 These two sentences (1) allude to a famous Prophetic saying recorded in al-Bukhārī,
Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 3227, which ʿAyn al-Quḍāt quotes in §108, and (2) a qualification of this
hadith attributed to al-Junayd; see Chittick, The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn
al-ʻArabī’s Cosmology, 70, 180, and 182.
129 That is, if we look at any one moment in time x, that moment can be split up into many
sub-moments (y). This means that the specific relationship between the sun and the
earth will be different at every y; thus, no two rays in x will ever be the same.
130 In other words, the various relationships in question obtain amid the sub-moments that
run across any given moment in time.
131 Q Zumar 39:68.
132 Ṣād 38:24.
133 “Withness” translates maʿiyyah, which is a concrete synonym for taswīq al-wujūd (see
n. 127).
134 Informing this position is ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s disagreement with the view that God is the
“causer of causes” (musabbib al-asbāb), since, for him, God is the only real cause. See
Izutsu, “Mysticism and the Linguistic Problem of Equivocation,” 167–68. Cf. Magh-
soudlou, “La pensée de ‘Ayn al-Quḍāt al-Hamadānī,” 245–65.
135 The two types of proximity being referred to are proximity in time and space, and intel-
ligible proximity. See §§143–44.
136 Here, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt subscribes to the position that sees the First Intellect as the first
descent from the Godhead, since in Islamic philosophy the Intellects are identified with
angels. See Corbin, Avicenna and the Visionary Recital.
137 Q Nabaʾ 78:38.
٢٠٤ 204
Notes
138 For the complex structure of classical Islamic cosmology, see Nasr, An Introduction to
Islamic Cosmological Doctrines.
139 In Islamic cosmological teachings, God’s Throne (ʿarsh) is in the ninth heaven, and situ-
ated below it is His Footstool (kursī) in the eighth. For more on the Throne and the
Footstool, see Study Quran, 111, and Murata, Tao of Islam, 156.
140 See n. 99.
141 Q Fāṭir 35:41.
142 Q Baqarah 2:115.
143 Masters of the heart (arbāb al-qulūb) is a synonym for the recognizers.
146 Q Kahf 18:65.
147 That is, al-ʿilm al-ladunī, which is contrasted with al-ʿilm al-muktasab or knowledge that
is acquired by human effort.
148 Q Kahf 18:70. The meeting between Moses and the mysterious Khidr (whose image
is central to Sufi teachings) is recounted in Q Kahf 18:65–82. In Kahf 18:65, Khidr is
singled out as having that God-given knowledge which ʿAyn al-Quḍāt is discussing in
this chapter.
149 These actions refer to three things Khidr does that perplex Moses, leading him to ques-
tion Khidr about each of them. See Study Quran, 751–56.
150 Moses’s last question served as the catalyst for Khidr’s parting with him.
151 Q Kahf 18:78.
152 The allusion here is to Khidr’s statement to Moses in Q Kahf 18:70, which was cited
several lines earlier.
153 Cf. al-ʿAsqalānī, Fatḥ al-Bārī fī sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 6:337.
154 This is an allusion to a famous hadith to the effect that the knowers (al-ʿulamāʾ ) are the
ones who inherit from the Prophets. See Ibn Mājah, Sunan, no. 228. In Nāmah-hā, 1:47,
ʿAyn al-Quḍāt understands the knowers in this tradition to be a reference to spiritual
masters in particular.
155 Q ʿAlaq 96:3–5.
156 Q Baqarah 2:282.
157 Q Naḥl 16:128.
160 See Aḥmad al-Ghazālī, Sawāniḥ, 3–4.
161 Cf. al-Sīrjānī, Sufism, Black and White: A Critical Edition of Kitāb al-Bayāḍ wa-l-Sawād
of Abū l-Ḥasan al-Sīrjānī (d. ca. 470/1077), 30.
٢٠٥ 205
Notes
162 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt distinguishes between the first generations of rationalist theologians who
discussed technical terms in their books and the later generations, the most eminent
of the latter category in his eyes being al-Ghazālī. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s position is informed
by the practical fact that the technical expressions employed in later books of rational
theology are more likely to be precise and refined, drawing as they do on the cumulative
tradition that preceded them.
163 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 7015.
164 For an extended analysis of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s teachings on the master-disciple relation-
ship, see Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 6.
165 An allusion to Q Naḥl 16:97.
166 Al-Qurṭubī, Bahjat al-majālis wa-uns al-mujālis, 1:341.
167 That is, Chapters 64–71.
168 See also the helpful discussion in al-Ghazālī, Moderation in Belief, 41–45.
169 Al-ʿAjlūnī, Kashf al-khafāʾ, 315 and 704. It is important to note that in the Essence, ʿAyn
al-Quḍāt will occasionally use the term “spirits” (arwāḥ) as a synonym for souls (nufūs).
Elsewhere, he explains that the “subtle human reality” (laṭīfat ḥaqīqat al-insāniyyah)
consists of three distinct levels: soul (nafs), heart (qalb), and spirit (rūḥ); see Rustom,
Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 5. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt departs in this regard from al-Ghazālī,
who sees human personhood as comprised of four levels (namely, spirit, heart, soul, and
intellect); see al-Ghazālī, The Marvels of the Heart, chapter 1.
170 The wording, “cheap inventory,” is an allusion to Q Yūsuf 12:88.
171 This hadith is considered to be a ḥadīth qudsī by many Sufis, although it is not found in
the standard sources. See the inquiry in Nasr, “The Heart of the Faithful Is the Throne
of the All-Merciful.”
172 For these levels of certainty, see n. 4.
173 Q Ṭalāq 65:1.
174 For the eschatological picture that ʿAyn al-Quḍāt takes for granted in this and the follow-
ing related chapters, see Rustom, “Qur’anic Eschatology.”
175 Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 4708.
176 Q Aʿrāf 7:54 and Yūnus 10:3.
177 An allusion to Q Ibrāhīm 14:48.
178 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt is responding to Avicenna’s position concerning the manner in which a
body’s specific constitution acts as an accidental cause for a particular soul’s emergence
into the sublunary realm. See Maghsoudlou, “La pensée de ‘Ayn al-Quḍāt al-Hamadānī,”
307.
179 In the following chapter, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt will clarify this statement.
180 Which is to say, after the death of the body.
٢٠٦ 206
Notes
181 By “spirits” here ʿAyn al-Quḍāt intends what he has been calling “souls” throughout the
book. See also n. 169.
182 Sayyid al-awwalīn wa-l-ākhirīn is a famous title of the Prophet.
183 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt is referring to the hadith that he cited in §140.
184 Q Ṣād 38:75.
185 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt cites this hadith in Tamhīdāt, 323; a slight variant is in al-Ṭabarānī,
al-Muʿjam al-kabīr, 12:430. Another popular version can be found in al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ,
no. 6299.
186 This hadith is untraced, but cf. the related discussion in ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, Tamhīdāt, 323.
187 For ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s appropriation of this Avicennan position, see the fine discussion in
Maghsoudlou, “La pensée de ‘Ayn al-Quḍāt al-Hamadānī,” 311–12.
188 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 6877.
189 Another title of the Prophet Muḥammad.
190 Q Baqarah 2:60.
191 Q Māʾidah 5:54.
192 Q Aʿrāf 7:172.
193 Q Aʿrāf 7:172.
194 This statement is not to be found in al-Anṣārī’s extant writings. Cf. the report of his
interpretation of this verse in Maybudī, The Unveiling of the Mysteries and the Provision
of the Pious, 213.
195 Ibn al-Muʿtazz, Dīwān, 247.
196 “Invincible realm” translates jabarūt, which is the highest spiritual world.
198 Q Anʿām 6:52.
199 Namely, a spiritual master.
200 Dedication to the spiritual path under the guidance of a master requires one to become
nothing, hence the reference here to the “state of lowliness” (ḥāl al-dhull). This is why
the realized Sufi is called a faqīr, or one who is poor. For the important role of the faqīr
in ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s writings, see Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 10.
201 Q Fātiḥah 1:6.
202 Q Ṣāffāt 37:99.
203 Q Nisāʾ 4:125.
204 Q Fuṣṣilat 41:47. For the Hour (al-sāʿah) in Islamic eschatological teachings, see Rustom,
“Qur’anic Eschatology.”
205 Q Baqarah 2:3 and conclusion of verse 4.
206 Q Zumar 39:22.
207 A well-known Arabic proverb.
٢٠٧ 207
Notes
208 Cf. Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9. See al-Ghazālī, Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn, 8:459, where Abū
l-Dardāʾ attributes this saying to the Prophet Muḥammad. Among other Sufi texts, a
shorter version is anonymously cited in Samʿānī, Repose of the Spirits, 210 and 342.
209 This saying is not found in the standard Hadith collections, and is attributed to various
individuals in the Islamic tradition. After the Prophet, Abū l-Dardāʾ is one of the earliest
figures to whom a version of this saying is ascribed. See Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Muṣannaf,
10:16.
210 Al-Ḥaddād, Takhrīj, 1:112–13. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt discusses this tradition in Nāmah-hā,
2:292–93.
211 Cf. al-Tustarī, Tafsīr al-Tustarī, 143.
212 Q Yūnus 10:48.
213 Q Naḥl 16:77.
214 Q Yūnus 10:48.
215 Q Zukhruf 43:85.
216 Cf. Aḥmad, Musnad, no. 14041.
217 Q Qamar 54:55. The allusion before the verse is to a hadith: “Whoever dies, his Resur-
rection has already happened.” See ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, Tamhīdāt, 177 and 322. On occasion,
the saying is attributed to Ziyād al-Namarī. See al-Iṣfahānī, Ḥilyat al-awliyāʾ, 6:268.
218 Q Sajdah 32:12. This verse relates the debased state of, and the statements made by, the
guilty sinners at the time of their individual deaths. See Study Quran, 1012.
219 Al-Bazzār, al-Baḥr al-zakhkhār, 15:391.
220 Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 4986 (with a slight variation). Since ʿAyn al-Quḍāt is saying that
the Resurrection happens for any person who is “with” God, this equally applies to
those who have undergone physical death, as well as those who have died to themselves,
been resurrected in the divine presence, and are with God even during their earthly
lives, as was the case with the Prophet. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s understanding of these two types
of death is discussed in Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 5. See also Lewisohn,
“In Quest of Annihilation: Imaginalization and Mystical Death in the Tamhīdāt of ʿAyn
al-Quḍāt Hamadhānī.”
221 Q Zalzalah 99:1.
222 An allusion to Q Inshiqāq 84:1.
223 An allusion to Q Infiṭār 82:2.
224 An allusion to Q Takwīr 81:1.
227 Q ʿĀdiyāt 100:9–10.
228 Q Ibrāhīm 14:48.
٢٠٨ 208
Notes
229 Q Zukhruf 43:85.

230 That is, laylat al-miʿrāj, which refers to the Prophet’s famous ascension to the divine
presence. See Study Quran, 694–95 and 1290–92.
231 Q Ḥajj 22:7.
232 An allusion to Q Aʿrāf 7:143.
233 Q Aʿrāf 7:143.
234 An allusion to Q Raḥmān 55:33, which ʿAyn al-Quḍāt will cite toward the end of the
book.
235 Q Nāzi ʿāt 79:42–43.
236 Q Anʿām 6:66.
237 Q Maryam 19:37–38.
238 Al-Ḥaddād, Takhrīj, 4:1590–91. ʿAyn al-Quḍāt discusses this saying in Tamhīdāt, 111.
239 A subtle reference to Q Takwīr 81:8.
240 Q Rūm 30:30.
241 Cf. al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 7379.
242 A discussion on the significance of the Trust (amānah), which is mentioned in Q Aḥzāb
33:72, can be found in Study Quran, 1040–41. For ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s understanding of the
Trust and its relationship to the pact (mīthāq) between God and humankind (men-
tioned in Q Aʿrāf 7:172), see Rustom, Inrushes of the Heart, chapter 8.
243 Q Raḥmān 55:33.
244 An allusion to Q Anʿām 6:79.
245 Part of an Arabic proverb, the full version of which is, “There is always a right man for
the job, and there is always a right word for the occasion.”
246 Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 7646.
247 Cited in Ibn ʿAbd Rabbihi, al-ʿIqd al-farīd, 3:406.
248 Q Baqarah 2:60.
249 This poem is attributed to al-Mutanabbī. See Yāqūt al-Ḥamawī, Muʿjam al-buldān, 3:109.
٢٠٩ 209
Glossary of Names
ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī (d. 481/1089) mystic and theologian whose intimate
prayers in Persian are particularly popular in Sufism and Islamic oral
culture.
ʿAbd al-Ghanī al-Nābulusī (d. 1143/1731) important Arab theologian and Sufi
follower of Ibn al-ʿArabī.
Abū l-ʿAbbās ibn Surayj (d. 306/918) jurist in the early Shāfiʿī school of Islamic
law responsible for its widespread popularity.
Abū Bakr (r. 11–13/632–34) father-in-law and close friend of the Prophet who
became the first caliph of Islam.
Abū l-Dardāʾ (d. 32/653) companion of the Prophet best remembered for his
renunciation of the world and dedication to worship.
Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111) one of the most revered authors in Islam in
the fields of legal theory, philosophy, theology, and mysticism.
Abū Nuwās (d. 200/815) court poet of the early Abbasid era generally seen as
the popularizer of the wine song.
Abū Firās al-Ḥamdānī (d. 357/968) member of the ruling family of the Hamda-
nid dynasty and poetic rival of al-Mutanabbī.
Abū l-ʿAtāhiyah (d. 211/826) contemplative bard whose poetry deals with the
themes of renunciation and asceticism.
Abū Jahl (d. 2/624) one of the Prophet’s main enemies, killed at the battle of
Badr.
Aḥmad al-Ghazālī (d. 520/1126) younger brother of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī,
spiritual master of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, and author of profound works on love
and beauty.
al-Amīn, Muḥammad (r. 193–98/809–13) son of Hārūn al-Rashīd and Abbasid
caliph who was deposed and killed by his half brother al-Maʾmūn.
Avicenna (d. 428/1037) highly innovative philosopher and towering figure in
the Islamic intellectual tradition whose writings were also influential in
the medieval Latin West.
Barakah Hamadānī (d. 520/1126) early spiritual teacher of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt
distinguished by his charismatic personality, sagacity, and clairvoyant
powers.
٢١٠ 210
Glossary of Names
Basṭāmī, Abū Yazīd (d. ca. 260/874) widely venerated Sufi figure legendary for
his ecstatic utterances and esoteric knowledge.
Dargazīnī, Abū l-Qāsim (d. 527/1133) ruthless Seljuq vizier responsible for the
execution of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt.
Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210) preeminent philosopher and theologian
whose writings include a voluminous and penetrating commentary on the
Qurʾan.
al-Fārābī, Abū Naṣr (d. 339/950) founder of Neoplatonic Islamic philosophy
who wrote widely on a variety of subjects, from metaphysics and political
theory to music and logic.
al-Ḥallāj (d. 309/922) celebrated mystic and martyr known for his ecstatic
utterance “I am the Real!” and his defense of Satan’s monotheism.
Hārūn al-Rashīd (r. 170–93/787–809) fifth Abbasid caliph, whose reign is
characterized as a golden age of prosperity and imperial expansion.
Hülegü Khan (d. 663/1265) grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of the
Ilkhanid dynasty who patronized Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī’s observatory in
Marāghah.
Ibn al-ʿArabī (d. 638/1240) profound Andalusian mystic whose teachings left
an indelible mark upon the later Islamic intellectual tradition from North
Africa to China.
Ibn al-Muʿtazz (d. 296/908) poet and Abbasid caliph who was murdered after
ruling for a day.
Ismailism significant branch of Shī ʿī Islam, which played an important role in
the development of classical Islamic thought.
al-Junayd (d. 298/910) universally respected early Sufi master who trained a
number of illustrious figures, such as al-Shiblī and al-Ḥallāj.
Labīd ibn Rabī ʿah (d. ca. 40/660) poet of the Kilab tribe and one of the com-
posers of the classics of early Arabic poetry known as the Muʿallaqāt or the
“Suspended” Odes.
Maḥmūd II (d. 525/1131) Seljuq sultan who ordered ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s execution.
al-Mutanabbī (d. 354/965) itinerant poet noted for his panegyric verse and
innovations in the qasida genre.
Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (d. 672/1274) Shī ʿī polymath who authored widely
acclaimed works in philosophy, logic, theology, political theory, astron-
omy, and ethics.
Seljuqs major Turko-Persian Sunni empire that came to prominence during
the Abbasid era. They were bitter enemies of Ismailism. At the peak of
٢١١ 211
Glossary of Names
their power during the fifth–sixth/eleventh–twelfth centuries, they ruled

over a large area of Asia from Anatolia, Syria, and the Hejaz in the west to
Transoxania in the east.
Sahl al-Tustarī (d. 283/896) influential early Sufi master and esoteric com-
mentator on the Qurʾan.
al-Shāfiʿī, Muḥammad ibn Idrīs (d. 204/820) eponymous founder of the Shāfiʿī
legal school and pioneer of Islamic legal theory.
al-Sharīf al-Raḍī (d. 406/1015) Shī ʿī nobleman from Baghdad skilled in Arabic
rhetoric and panegyric poetry.
Shihāb al-Dīn al-Suhrawardī (d. 587/1191) philosopher and mystic of the first
magnitude and founder of the School of Illumination who was put to death
at the order of Saladin.
al-Shiblī, Abū Bakr (d. 334/946) close friend of al-Ḥallāj and disciple of al-
Junayd admired by Sufis for his single-minded devotion to God.
ʿUmar ibn Sahlān al-Sāwī (d. after 537/1143) key logician and philosopher
known for his reevaluation of Aristotle’s Organon.
ʿUmar Khayyām (d. ca. 517/1124) poet, philosopher, and mathematician whose
quatrains were well received in the literary circles of nineteenth-century
England.
Ziyād al-Namarī (d. ca. 279/892) Basran scholar of Prophetic traditions who
taught some famous masters of Hadith.
٢١٢ 212
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. “Muqaddimat al-muṣaḥḥiḥ.” In ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, Zubdat al-ḥaqāʾiq, 1–73.
Wakelnig, Elvira, ed. and trans. A Philosophy Reader from the Circle of Miskawayh.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Wisnovsky, Robert. “Essence and Existence in the Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Islamic
East (Mašriq): A Sketch.” In The Arabic, Hebrew and Latin Reception of Avicenna’s
Metaphysics, edited by Dag Nikolaus Hasse and Amos Bertolacci, 27–50. Berlin: De
Gruyter, 2012.
Wolfson, Harry. The Philosophy of the Kalam. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,
1976.
Yāqūt al-Ḥamawī. Muʿjam al-buldān. 5 vols. Beirut: Dār Ṣādir, 1977–93.
Al-Yāzijī, Naṣīf. Al-ʿArf al-ṭayyib fī Sharḥ Dīwān Abī l-Ṭayyib. Edited by ʿUmar Fārūq
al-Ṭabbāʿ. Beirut: Dār al-Arqam, 1995.
Yūsuf-i Thānī, Maḥmūd and Ḥasan Mahdīpūr. “Tabyīn-i kathrat wa-waḥdat-i wujūd dar
andīshah-yi ʿAyn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī bar asās-i ṭawr-i ʿaql wa-ṭawr-i warā-yi ʿaql.”
Jāwīdān khirad 21, no. 4 (2012): 135–64.
٢٢٠ 220
Further Reading
Ali, Mukhtar H. Philosophical Sufism: An Introduction to the School of Ibn al-ʿArabī. London:
Routledge, 2021.
Chittick, William. The Heart of Islamic Philosophy: The Quest for Self-Knowledge in the
Writings of Afḍal al-Dīn Kāshānī. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Dagli, Caner. Ibn al-ʿArabī and Islamic Intellectual Culture: From Mysticism to Philosophy.
New York: Routledge, 2016.
Corbin, Henry. En islam iranien. 4 vols. Paris: Gallimard, 1971–72.
Faruque, Muhammad. Sculpting the Self: Islam, Selfhood, and Human Flourishing. Ann
Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2021.
Ha’iri Yazdi, Mahdi. Universal Science: An Introduction to Islamic Metaphysics. Translated by
John Cooper. Edited by Saiyad Nizamuddin Ahmad. Leiden: Brill, 2017.
Izutsu, Toshihiko. Creation and the Timeless Order of Things: Essays in Mystical Philosophy.
Ashland, OR: White Cloud Press, 1994.
Kaukua, Jari. Self-Awareness in Islamic Philosophy: Avicenna and Beyond. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Koca, Özgür. Islam, Causality, and Freedom: From the Medieval to the Modern Era. New
York: Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Landolt, Hermann. Recherches en spiritualité iranienne. Tehran: University of Tehran Press,
2005.
Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Knowledge and the Sacred. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1989.
Nasr, Seyyed Hossein and Mehdi Aminrazavi, eds. An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia.
Vol. 4, From the School of Illumination to Philosophical Mysticism. London: I. B. Tauris in
association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2012.
Orfali, Bilal, Atif Khalil, and Mohammed Rustom, eds. Mysticism and Ethics in Islam. Beirut:
American University of Beirut Press, 2022.
Rustom, Mohammed. “The Great Chain of Consciousness: Do All Things Possess
Awareness?” Renovatio 1, no. 1 (2017): 49–60.
Shah-Kazemi, Reza. Paths to Transcendence. Bloomington, IN: World Wisdom, 2006.
Shihadeh, Ayman, ed. Sufism and Theology. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007.
Tabataba’i, Sayyid Muhammad Husayn. The Elements of Islamic Metaphysics. 2nd ed.
Translated by Sayyid ‘Ali Quli Qara’i. London: ICAS Press, 2018.
٢٢١ 221
Further Reading
Todd, Richard. The Sufi Doctrine of Man: The Metaphysical Anthropology of Ṣadr al-Dīn
al-Qūnawī. Leiden: Brill, 2014.
Zargar, Cyrus. The Polished Mirror: Storytelling and the Pursuit of Virtue in Islamic Philosophy
and Sufism. London: Oneworld, 2017.
٢٢٢ 222
Index of Qurʾanic Verses
Paragraph numbers marked with * indicate the reference is a paraphrase or allu-

sion rather than a literal quotaion.
Surah Verse Paragraph(s) Surah Verse Paragraph(s)

1 Fātiḥah 6 §10*, §167 7 Aʿrāf 7 §50
2 Baqarah 3–4 §175 54 §148
17 §64 143 §182
60 §158, §195 172 §158 (2)
108 §30* 180 §41
115 §59 (2), §73*, 10 Yūnus 3 §148
§123 39 §74
117 §57 48 §179, §180
144 §15* 12 Yūsuf 88 §140*
149–50 §15* 14 Ibrāhīm 48 §148*, §181
256 §73 16 Naḥl 60 §34
282 §126 77 §179
3 Āl ʿImrān 18 §125 97 §133*
19 §73 128 §126
20 §73 17 Isrāʾ 43 §51*
26 §83 18 Kahf 65 §125
103 §13 70 §125
173 §4 78 §125
152 §164 19 Maryam 37–38 §184
4 Nisāʾ 116 §52 20 Ṭā Hā 98 §50, §55
125 §167 22 Ḥajj 7 §182
136 §52 23 Muʾminūn 80 §83, §85
5 Māʾidah 54 §158 24 Nūr 45 §83
120 §85 28 Qaṣaṣ 77 §27
6 Anʿām 52 §164 88 §99 (2)
66 §183 29 ʿAnkabūt 6 §68
79 §190* 43 §126, §127
101 §57 49 §125
٢٢٣ 223
Index of Qurʾanic Verses
Surah Verse Paragraph(s) Surah Verse Paragraph(s)

30 Rūm 27 §98 54 Qamar 55 §180
30 §73, §189 55 Raḥmān 26 §78
32 Sajdah 12 §180 33 §182*, §190
33 Aḥzāb 62 §44 57 Ḥadīd 25 §96
35 Fāṭir 41 §123 65 Ṭalāq 1 §146
37 Ṣāffāt 99 §167 12 §50
180 §35 69 Ḥāqqah 51 §31*
38 Ṣād 24 §27, §114 72 Jinn 3 §35
75 §154 76 Insān 30 §83
39 Zumar 3 §73 78 Nabaʾ 38 §118
22 §176 79 Nāzi ʿāt 42–43 §183
47 §68 81 Takwīr 1 §181*
68 §114 3 §181*
40 Ghāfir 16 §99 4 §181*
41 Fuṣṣilat 37 §34* 8 §186*
39 §10 82 Infiṭār 2 §181*
47 §175 84 Inshiqāq 1 §181*
42 Shūrā 11 §34, §83, §85 90 Balad 11 §73
43 Zukhruf 85 §180, §181 96 ʿAlaq 3–5 §126
46 Aḥqāf 11 §74 99 Zalzalah 1 §181
30 §30* 100 ʿĀdiyāt 9–10 §181
33 §10 102 Takāthur 5 §2*, §7*
48 Fatḥ 6 §34 112 Ikhlāṣ 3 §35
٢٢٤ 224
Index
ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī, §159 attributes (divine), xxii, §6, §11, §32; divine
Abraham, §167 self-disclosure of, §83; effectuating
Abū Bakr, §76, §145 existence, §47; and essence, §§77–82;
Abū Bakr Kazirūnī, xxv infiniteness of, §98; names of God and,
Abū Firās al-Ḥamdānī, §16 xxii, §§40–42; relation to existents,
Abū Ḥamīd al-Ghazālī, xvi, xviii, xix, xx, §85; stage beyond the intellect and,
xxi, xxiii, §14, §15, §30, 199n43, 206n162, §70. See also beginninglessness (of
206n169 God); generosity (divine); knowledge
Abū Jahl, §145 (divine); power (divine); transcendence
Abū l-ʿAtāhiyah, 198n26 (divine); volition (divine); will (divine);
Abū l-Dardāʾ, 208n208, 208n209 wisdom (divine)
Abū Nuwās, 198n29 Avicenna, xix, xx, xxii, 206n178
Abū Ṭayyib, §18 ʿAyn al-Quḍāt: execution, xvii–xviii, xix;
accidental cause, §47 life and work, xv–xvii; the Seljuqs and,
accidents, §47, §103, 206n178 xvii–xix, 197n5; writing The Essence of
Adam, §154 Reality, xv–xvi, §§3–4, §§5–23, §194
afterlife, §170, §175; the intellect and,
§§171–74 Baghdad, xviii
Aḥmad al-Ghazālī, xvi, §134 Barakah Hamadānī, xvi
allusions, §46, §59, §76, §127 Basṭāmī, Abū Yazīd, 202n92
al-Amīn, Muhammad, §22 bats, §34, §§107–8, §174
angels, §34, §84, §106, §118 beauty, §66, §70, §158, §160, §189
annihilation, §55, §133, §149, §160 Beginningless Existent, the, §107, §190
al-Anṣārī. See ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī Beginningless Reality, §84
Arabic, xv, xviii, xxiv–xxv, §33, 201n78, beginninglessness (of God), xxvi, §31,
207n207, 209n245 §107, §160; versus creation, §§88–89;
arrived (those who have), §10, §133 decree, §20; generosity, §134; identity,
Ascension, night of the, §182, §183 §124; knowledge, §49, §51, §§55–57,
Ash ʿarism, xxii §§59–60; mercy, §8; power, §44, §57,
aspiration, §56 §61, §§100–101, §103; solicitude, §27;
attributes (blameworthy), xxiii, §134, §193, time and, §§109–11. See also attributes
202n92 (divine)
٢٢٥ 225
Index
beloved, §72, §191 al-Dargazīnī, Abū l-Qāsim, xviii

Beloved, the, §11, §73, §161, §164 David, §46, §176
bewilderment, §14, §15, §28 day of judgment, §148
Bible, 197n4, 208n208 death, §151, §185, 208n220
blindness, §50, §59, §62, §64, §67, §142, delight, §65
§163; from birth, §60, §61, §146, demonstrative methods, §7, §87
§§169–170, §172, §175, §179 demonstrative proof, §29, §§31–32, §60,
bodies, §51; eternity and, §§103–5; §61, §120, §149
perfection and, §53; relationship of the demonstrative reflection, §27
soul to, §§149–150; souls and, §§156–57, destiny, §178
§§166–67, §185 Devil, the, xvii, §137, §154, §175
discursive knowledge, xx, xxi–xxii
camels, §§21–22, §27 distance and proximity, §110, §§143–46
causation, §89; souls and, §§149–151, dreaming, §99
§§153–54 dualism, §82
cause: contingency and, §102; First
Intellect and, §139; of speech, §100; earth, §§88–89, §103, §§112–13, §114, §148,
causer of causes, 204n134 §163, §164, §181
celestial motion, §120, §156 earthly realm, §99, §163, 200n56
certainty. See eye of certainty; knowledge ecstasy, §72
of certainty; truth of certainty ecstatic utterances, §74
Chittick, William, xxixn37 effect, §87, §§88–89, §§90–91, §§93–94,
coextensivity, §106, §112, §§123–24, §139, §100, §150
§§141–42, §146 effectuating existence, xxvii, §§46–48, §58,
color, §60, §67, §84, §163, §§169–170, §172, §91
§175, §179 emanation, §§118–19, §§123–24, 203n117
Companions (of Muhammad), §1, §197 endlessness (of God), §107, §111
condition, §105; existence and, §§93–94, epistemology. See knowledge
§101; speech and, §100 eschatology, xxii, xxiii, §6, §§147–48, §175,
constitution, 206n178 §§179–83, 197n1, 197n3
contingency, §§44–45, §78, §81, §§100–101, essence (divine), §6, §11, §§33–35, §39,
§140; possibility and, §§101–2 §§42–43, §102; and attributes, §§77–82;
contingent existents, §44, §104 causation and, §§139–140; effectuating
cosmos, §120, 198n12 existence, §47, §§91–92; necessity
creation, §103, §148, §154; renewal of, xxi, and, §§91–94, §98; nonduality of, §86;
§121 relations and, §84
٢٢٦ 226
Index
Essence of Reality, The: reception of by eye of recognition, §64, §66, §106, §115,
Islamic intellectual tradition, xix; the §116, §120, §121, §140; coextensivity
Seljuqs and, xviii; tasting metaphor used and, §§123–24; Moses and, §125;
in, xxi–xxiii; writing of, xv–xvi, §§3–4, withness and, §141
§§5–23; The Exile’s Complaint, xviii–xix eye of the intellect, §§116–17, §123, §140,
Eternal, the, §§29–32, §34, §§43–44, §47 §142
eternity, creation and, §§88–89, §§103–5,
§139 face (of God), §48, §59, §73, §99
execution, of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, xvii–xviii, xix Faḍl-i Ḥaqq Khayrābādī, xx
existence, §33, §34; categories of, §§36–37; faith, §60; in prophecy, §67, §§67–69; in
causation and, §§90–93; coextensivity the unseen, §68, §§169–170, §§175–76
and, §124; effectuation of, §§46–47; al-Farābī, Abū Naṣr, xix
eternity and, §§88–89, §§103–5, felicity, §24, §27, §133
§§139–140; of God, §§30–32, §43, §65, First Intellect, §106, §§123–24, §139,
§§107–9; impossibility and, §78, §§101– 203n117, 204n136
2; intellect and, §47, §57; relations and, flight, §110, §190
§84, §99, §114; of the soul, §§149–151; Footstool (of God), §120, §163
speech and, §100; of spirit(s), §§118–19; Friends of God, xviii, xxiii, §159, §167,
transitory nature of, §95; withness and, 201n81
§§116–19 friendship with God, stage of, §67
Existent, the, §42, §44, §78; future, §45, §55, §§105–6, §§110–13, §154,
beginninglessness of, §89 §190
existents, §34; the afterlife and, §§171–73;
causation and, §116; divine attributes generosity (divine), §10, §13, §14, §20, §28,
and, §§50–51, §55, §70; emanation of, §34, §35, §56, §98, §§133–34, §164
§§118–19, §§123–24; the Eternal and, genus/genera, xxvi, §36, §153
§§29–31; eternity and, §§104–5; face al-Ghazālī. See Abū Ḥamīd al-Ghazālī;
of God and, §48; First Intellect and, Aḥmad al-Ghazālī
§139; the intellect’s perception of, §174; God, §197; beginninglessness of, §§109–11,
mirrors and, §§97–98, §99; names §152; as cause of existence, §44,
of God and, §§38–39, §42; perpetual §§89–94, §151, 204n134; coextensivity
renewal of, §121; proximity to God of, and, §§123–24, §146; essence of, §6,
§146; withness and, §141 §11, §§33–35; as giver of knowledge,
eye (external), §97 §126; heretical claims to be, xvii–xviii;
eye (internal), §§63–64, §124 the intellect’s perception of, §174;
eye of certainty, §146, 197n4 knowledge of particulars, §29, §49;
eye of insight, §15 names of, xxii, §§38–43;
٢٢٧ 227
Index
God (cont.), nature of priority of, xx; impossible in existence, §78, §§88–89,
oneness of existence, xxi; perception of §§101–2
reality of, §76; proximity and, §§145– incapacity (to perceive), §§75–76, §156,
46; and the seeker, §176; as source §§169–170, §173
of existence, xviii, §48, §124, §157; infinite knowledge. See knowledge (divine)
withness of, §§116–19. See also attributes inner self, §§131–32
(divine); transcendence (divine) innovation in religion, §82, §178
gold, §74, §156, §186 insight, §54, §146
grammar, §128 intellect, §104; the afterlife and, §§171–74;
guide (spiritual), xxiii, §§134–37, §164 divine knowledge and, §§55–58, §63;
existence of God and, §47; incapacity
Hadith, §3, §145, 197n1, 204n128 to perceive and, §§75–76, §116, §156; as
ḥadīth qudsī, 200n32, 200n62, 206n171 intermediary of knowledge, §177; the
al-Ḥallāj, xviii, 202n92 internal eye and, §§63–64; last stage
Hamadān, xv, xvi, xviii, xix, xxiv, §15 of the, §75; limitations of, xx, xxi–xxii,
Harmer and Benefiter, §§39–40 §15, §48, §49, §§55–58, §62, §63, §96,
Hārūn al-Rashīd, 211 §98, §115, §124, §141, §§186–87; longing
heavens, §103, §104, §114, §120, §163, §164; and, §65; mirrors and, §96, §§97–98;
eternity and, §139; at the Hour, §181; names of God and, §40; proper place
on the Last Day, §148; relation to God, of, §61; relationship to love, §71; soul
§§88–89 and, §§149–150, §§152–53; stage beyond
heresy, xvii–xix the, §§53–54, §60, §63, §188; stage of
Hidden Treasure, §46 prophecy and, §67; stages of, §§184–85
home, returning to, §§161–62 intellectual investigation, §26, §27
Hour, the, §175, §§179–83 intelligibles, §54, §61, §71, §§75–76, §96,
Hülegü Khan, xx §146, §§171–73
hypothetical proposition, 199n42 intermediaries, §120, §127, §§154–55, §159,
§177
Ibn al-ʿArabī, xxi, xxii intimacy, §66
Ibn al-Muʿtazz, 207n195 Investigation’s End: On the Meaning of the
Ibn Surayj, Abū al-ʿAbbās, §127 Prophetic Mission, The, §§7–8
identity, xxvii, §160 invincible realm, §163
illumination, §98, §112, §114, §188, §191 iron, §§72–74, §96, §156, §158, §167
illusion, §110, §115 Islamic philosophy, xv, 203n117, 203n121,
imaginal faculty, §70, §§75–76, §173 204n124, 204n136; Marāghah Codex
impossibility, §§44–45 and, xix
Ismailis, xviii
٢٢٨ 228
Index
Jah, Omar, xxvii Maghsoudlou, Salimeh, xx, xxvii

jinn, §1 magnets, §§72–74, §156, §158, §167
al-Junayd, §127 Mahdavi, Asghar, xxiv
Maḥmūd II, Sultan, xviii, xix
Kaʿ bah, §75 Marāghah, xix, xx, xxiv
Khidr, §125 Marāghah Codex, xix, xxiv–xxv
knowledge (divine), §49, §§50–52, masters, xv, xvi, §15, §120, §125, §131,
§§55–60, §63, §76, §85, §86, §129 §§134–35, §137, §152, §153, §164; the
knowledge (human): forms of, §110; Prophet as, §157, §180
God-given, §§126–27; of rationalist material realm, §9, §44, §110
theologians, §186; versus recognition, mathematics, xv, §65, §128
§125, §154; soul and, §149; types of, medicine, §65, §128
§§128–29 mercury, §156
knowledge of certainty, §2, §7, §75, §99, mercy, §8, §41, §154
§115, §146 metaphysics, xix
mirrors, §§95–97, §99
Labīd ibn Rabī ʿah, §78 Moderation in Belief, §30, 199n43
Last Day, §6, §§147–48 Moses, §125, §182, 197n4
Letters, The. See Nāmah-hā (The Letters) motion, §30, §51, §103, §105, §112, §166
light, xxii, xxiii, §56, §60, §92, §94, §127, celestial, §120, §156
§188, §190; from God, §176; of God’s Mt. Horeb, 197n4
power, §§114–15, §119. See also rays of Muḥammad. See Prophet, the
the sun Mujāhidiyyah (Madrasah), xix–xx
Living, the, §43, §95, §99, §121, §124, multiplicity, §§79–81, §83, §124
200n57 al-Mūsawī. See al-Sharīf al-Raḍī
location, §110, §111 al-Mutanabbī, 200n52
logic, §49, §55, §110, §123, §173, §176; mystery, xx, §140, §§178–79, §§182–83
eternity and, §139 mysticism, xv, xix, xx, xxii
logicians, §31 myth, xvii
longing, xxiii, §65
love, xxiii; poetry on, xv; relationship to al-Nābulusī, ʿAbd al-Ghanī, xx
the intellect, §71; tasting of, §127 Nāmah-hā (The Letters), xvii–xviii, 197n5
lover, xxiii, §§71–74, §164 al-Namarī, Ziyād ibn ʿAbd Allāh, 208n217
Lovers’ Excursion and the Beloved’s Chance, names (divine), xxii, §§38–43
The, xv Nasrollah Pourjavady, xxiv
lowliness, §164 nature, intellect and, §61
nature (divine), 200n61
٢٢٩ 229
Index
Necessary, the, §47, §48, §78, §81, §120, mirrors and, §§96–98; objects of, §§62–
204n124; causation and, §§91–94, 63; of the Real, §65; of reality, §65, §67;
§§139–140; nonduality of, §§86–87; of the soul, §§149–150, §§152–54; the
relation to creation, §§88–89; withness stage beyond the intellect and, §178
and, §141 perfection, §34, §35, §53, §139, §158;
Necessary Existent, §31, §34, §44, §81, §86, perception and, §70, §174
204n124 Persian: ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s use of, xv, xvi–xvii;
necessity, §§44–45, 200n61; logical, §173 the Essence translated into, xx
Neoplatonism, 203n117 philosophers, xxvii, §106, §120, §124
Niche of Lights, xx philosophical mysticism, xix
Noah, §15 philosophical theology, xix, xx–xxi
nondiscursive knowledge, xix, xx physics, xxii
nonduality, §§86–87 pious predecessors, §82
nonexistence, §44, §48, §78, §100, §102, poetry, §7, §14, §16, §62, §160, §195; ʿAyn
§105, §114 al-Quḍāt, xv; faith in prophecy and,
numbers, §§63–64, §80 §69; al-Mutanabbī, 200n52
possibility, §101, §102
oneness, §81 post-Avicennan intellectual tradition, xix
oneness of existence, xxixn27, §§123–24; power (divine), §81, §83, §85, §98, §129;
causation and, §§93–94 beginninglessness of, §44, §57, §61,
oneness of God, 197n3 §101, §103, §114, §118, §119, §158; and
Originator, the, §6, §57, §73, §189, §190 human power, §100; nonduality of, §86
power (human), §86, §100
particles, xxii pre-eternity, §§105–6
particulars, §47, §49; God’s knowledge of, presence (divine), §162
§29, §§50–51, §55, §59 present, §48, §50, §51, §55, §105, §107, §111
past, §45, §55, §§105–6, §109, §§110–13, primary concepts. See primary intelligibles
§154, §190 primary intelligibles, §61, §152, §§177–78,
path (spiritual), §§26–28, §30, §42, §186
§§130–31, §§135–37, §§163–67, §189; to principles of religion, §2, §3
faith in prophecy, §69 prophecy, xxii, xxiii, §§6–7, 197n3; faith in,
Paving the Path, xvi–xvii §§67–69; stage of, §67
perception, faculty of, §§36–37, §39, §55, Prophet, the, §1, §7, §59, §76, §99, §157,
§60, §61, §62; of divine attributes, §70; §197, 208n208; on the beginninglessness
of God, §174; incapacity to perceive, of God, §152; brotherhood with,
§§75–76, §156, §§169–170, §173; of §§21–22; on existence of God, §107; on
the intellect versus recognition, §142; the Hour, §180, §182;
٢٣٠ 230
Index
Prophet, the (cont.), on Moses and Khidr, §§128–29, §§153–54; path of, §§130–31,
§125; on reality of God, §78 §135
Prophets, xviii, §34, §106; God-given recognizer(s), xxi, xxvii, §35, §46, §115;
knowledge of, §126; names of God and, coextensivity and, §§123–24; different
§38 perceptions from the intellect, §116,
proximity and distance, §110, §§143–46 §118, §156; eternity of the world and,
§§105–6; God’s infinite knowledge and,
Qurʾan: on certainty, 197n4; divine self- §49, §50; incapacity to perceive and,
disclosure in, §83; on knowledge, §59, §76; on intermediaries, §120; internal
§§125–27; names of God in, §38 eye and, §63; last stage of the intellect
and, §75; longing of, §65; as masters of
radiance, §53, §107 the heart, §125; perpetual renewal and,
rational premises, §7, §31, §33, §§60–62, §121; proximity and, §146; seeing with
§65, §67, §71, §75, §140, §142, §150, the light of God, §112; stage beyond
§176, §194 the intellect and, §54, §§184–85; of
rational theology, xv–xvi, xx, xxi, §11, §13, transitory nature of existence, §95;
§15, §28, §30, §131, §134, §§150–51, §164, withness and, §141
206n162 relations, xxii, §§42–43, §48; of bodies to
rationalist theologians, xxvii, §11, §25, souls, §185; within creation, §§112–13;
§§26–28, §66, §137, §186, §189, 206n162 of creation to God, §88, §111, §114; of
rationalists, xxvii, §27, §30, §33, §49, §75, divine attributes, §84; of existents to
§91, §168, 199n31 God, §55, §§55–59, §81, §83, §§84–85; of
rays of the sun, §48, §50, §§52–53, §55, §63, the impossible with God’s power, §101;
§§112–13 mirrors and, §97; of primary concepts
al-Rāzī, Fakhr al-Dīn, xx, xxii to the intellect, §177; between souls and
Real, the, §43, §65, §92, §99, §108, bodies, §156
§§119–20, §123, §141, §159 religious formalists, §82
reality, §174; contingency and, §45; of renewal of creation, xxi, §121
divine attributes, §70; of existence, §34; Resurrection, the, §§179–83
of existents, §99; of God, §78; oneness root (ontological), §90, §102
of existence, xxi, xxii; perception of,
§76; of prophecy, §§6–7, §29; stages Satanology, xvii, §175
beyond the intellect and, xxiii al-Sāwī, ʿUmar ibn Sahlān, xix
reason: limitations of, xxi–xxii; al-Nābulusī scale, of the intellect, §187
on, xx scholars, xxvii, §12, §§26–28, §30, §74, §117,
recognition: divine self-disclosure and, §137; perpetual renewal and, §121; pious
§§158–59; versus knowledge, §125, predecessors and, §82;
٢٣١ 231
Index
scholars (cont.), proximity and, §146; sublunary realm, 206n178

search, §176; reason and, xx subtle human reality, 206n169
seeker, xxiii, §7, §12, §142, §176; felicity of, Sufi metaphysics, xix, xxii
§133; spiritual guides and, §§135–37 Sufism: arrived (those who have), 198n13;
seeking, xxiii concept of aspiration in, 199n29; Khidr
self-disclosure (divine), §83, §§157–59 and, 205n148; mystery in, §178; “none
Seljuqs, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt and, xvii–xix, 197n5 knows God but God,” 200n44; Paving
sensible objects, §100, §105 the Path and, xvii; stages of certainty
sensory images, §55 in, 197n4; on the two types of scholars,
sensory world, §§169–73 199n31
al-Shāfiʿī, Muḥammad ibn Idrīs, §145 al-Suhrawardī, Shihāb al-Dīn, xx
al-Sharīf al-Raḍī, 198n25 sun, xxi, §34, §64, §81, §92, §94, §98, §100,
al-Shiblī, Abū Bakr, 198n17 §§107–8, §§173–74, §188, §189, §190; on
sought, the, xxiii the Last Day, §148; rays of, §48, §50,
soul(s), §104, §§148–56, 206n169; §§52–53, §55, §63, §§112–13
bodies and, §§156–57, §185; divine supra-sensory realities, §6, §9, §33, §100,
self-disclosure and, §§158–59; §108, §111, §122, §137, §§157–58, §164;
intermediaries and, §§154–55; sources expression of in words, §§168–69
of, §157; spiritual path of, §§165–67 symbolism, xvii, §127, 202n84
source of existence, xviii, §36, §38, §48,
§§84–85, §124 Tabriz, xxv
space, xxii, §103, §144, §152, §189 tasting, xxi–xxiii, §7, §28, §62, §122,
species, xxvi, §36, §153 §§126–27; ecstatic utterances and,
speech, §100 §74; faith and, §69, §§169–70, §177; as
spirit(s), §§118–19, 206n169 knowledge, §128, §132, §136, §151; love,
spiritual realm, §9, §33, §42, §44, §66, §99, §71
§110, §163 theoretical reflection, §6, §27, §61
stage beyond the intellect, xxii–xxiii, Throne (of God), §98, §99, §163, 205n139
§§53–54, §60, §§61–62, §63, §65, §75, time, §51, §§104–5; accidents of, §103;
§§176–78, §188; divine attributes and, eternity and, §§139–40; existence
§70; love and, §71; those who are and, §114; freedom from, §189; God’s
destined for, §§184–85 beginninglessness and, §§109–11;
standpoints, §36, §38, §42, §§78–81, §108 proximity and, §144; souls and, §152
state(s), §147, §149, §165, §170, §183; after transcendence (divine), §§33–35, §§105–7,
death, §128; of dreaming, §99; of love, §159
§127; of lowliness, §164 traveler, §10, §42, §66, §75, §81, §111, §135,
subatomic level, xxii §148, §181, §183
٢٣٢ 232
Index
Treatise Dedicated to ʿAlāʾ al-Dawla, §2 wave, xxii

Trust, the, §190 will (divine), §81, §83, §85, §98, §129;
truth of certainty, 197n4 nonduality of, §86
al-Ṭūsī, Naṣīr al-Dīn, xx wisdom (divine), §98, §158, §197
al-Tustarī, Sahl, §178 withness, xxi, §§107–8, §§116–19, §§141–42,
204n127
unseen, §33, §68, §§169–70, §§175–76 witnessing, §16, §18, §71, §99, §§120–22,
unveiling, §2, §8, §15, §28, §99, §101 §125, §133, §158, §176, §184, §189
ʿUsayrān, ʿAfīf, xxiv–xxvi world. See creation
wretchedness, §14, §161, §183
veil, §15, §33, §52, §99, §100, §101, §159,
§163, §§181–82 yearning, §125, §161, §193
vision, §100, §101, §106
volition (divine), §85, §100, §129
٢٣٣ 233
About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
The Library of Arabic Literature is supported by a grant from the NYU Abu
Dhabi Institute, a major hub of intellectual and creative activity and advanced
research. The Institute hosts academic conferences, workshops, lectures, film
series, performances, and other public programs directed both to audiences
within the UAE and to the worldwide academic and research community. It is a
center of the scholarly community for Abu Dhabi, bringing together faculty and
researchers from institutions of higher learning throughout the region.
NYU Abu Dhabi, through the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute, is a world-class
center of cutting-edge research, scholarship, and cultural activity. The Institute
creates singular opportunities for leading researchers from across the arts, hu-
manities, social sciences, sciences, engineering, and the professions to carry out
creative scholarship and conduct research on issues of major disciplinary, multi-
disciplinary, and global significance.
٢٣٤ 234
About the Typefaces
The Arabic body text is set in DecoType Naskh, designed by Thomas Milo and
Mirjam Somers, based on an analysis of five centuries of Ottoman manuscript
practice. The exceptionally legible result is the first and only typeface in a style
that fully implements the principles of script grammar (qawāʿid al-khaṭṭ).
The Arabic footnote text is set in DecoType Emiri, drawn by Mirjam Somers,
based on the metal typeface in the naskh style that was cut for the 1924 Cairo
edition of the Qurʾan.
Both Arabic typefaces in this series are controlled by a dedicated font lay-
out engine. ACE, the Arabic Calligraphic Engine, invented by Peter Somers,
Thomas Milo, and Mirjam Somers of DecoType, first operational in 1985, pio-
neered the principle followed by later smart font layout technologies such as
OpenType, which is used for all other typefaces in this series.
The Arabic text was set with WinSoft Tasmeem, a sophisticated user inter-
face for DecoType ACE inside Adobe InDesign. Tasmeem was conceived and
created by Thomas Milo (DecoType) and Pascal Rubini (WinSoft) in 2005.
The English text is set in Adobe Text, a new and versatile text typeface family
designed by Robert Slimbach for Western (Latin, Greek, Cyrillic) typesetting.
Its workhorse qualities make it perfect for a wide variety of applications, espe-
cially for longer passages of text where legibility and economy are important.
Adobe Text bridges the gap between calligraphic Renaissance types of the 15th
and 16th centuries and high-contrast Modern styles of the 18th century, taking
many of its design cues from early post-Renaissance Baroque transitional types
cut by designers such as Christoffel van Dijck, Nicolaus Kis, and William Caslon.
While grounded in classical form, Adobe Text is also a statement of contem-
porary utilitarian design, well suited to a wide variety of print and on-screen
applications.
٢٣٥ 235
Titles Published by the Library of Arabic Literature
For more details on individual titles, visit www.libraryofarabicliterature.org
Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology

Selected and translated by Geert Jan van Gelder (2012)
A Treasury of Virtues: Sayings, Sermons, and Teachings of ʿAlī, by al-Qāḍī

al-Quḍāʿī, with the One Hundred Proverbs attributed to al-Jāḥiẓ
Edited and translated by Tahera Qutbuddin (2013)
The Epistle on Legal Theory, by al-Shāfiʿī

Edited and translated by Joseph E. Lowry (2013)
Leg over Leg, by Aḥmad Fāris al-Shidyāq

Edited and translated by Humphrey Davies (4 volumes; 2013–14)
Virtues of the Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, by Ibn al-Jawzī

Edited and translated by Michael Cooperson (2 volumes; 2013–15)
The Epistle of Forgiveness, by Abū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī

Edited and translated by Geert Jan van Gelder and Gregor Schoeler
(2 volumes; 2013–14)
The Principles of Sufism, by ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah

Edited and translated by Th. Emil Homerin (2014)
The Expeditions: An Early Biography of Muḥammad, by Maʿmar ibn Rāshid

Edited and translated by Sean W. Anthony (2014)
Two Arabic Travel Books

Accounts of China and India, by Abū Zayd al-Sīrāfī
Edited and translated by Tim Mackintosh-Smith (2014)
Mission to the Volga, by Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān
Edited and translated by James Montgomery (2014)
Disagreements of the Jurists: A Manual of Islamic Legal Theory, by al-Qāḍī

al-Nuʿmān
Edited and translated by Devin J. Stewart (2015)
٢٣٦ 236
Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad, by Ibn al-Sāʿī
Edited by Shawkat M. Toorawa and translated by the Editors of the Library
of Arabic Literature (2015)
What ʿĪsā ibn Hishām Told Us, by Muḥammad al-Muwayliḥī

Edited and translated by Roger Allen (2 volumes; 2015)
The Life and Times of Abū Tammām, by Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā
al-Ṣūlī
Edited and translated by Beatrice Gruendler (2015)
The Sword of Ambition: Bureaucratic Rivalry in Medieval Egypt, by ʿUthmān

ibn Ibrāhīm al-Nābulusī
Edited and translated by Luke Yarbrough (2016)
Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abū Shādūf Expounded, by Yūsuf

al-Shirbīnī
Edited and translated by Humphrey Davies (2 volumes; 2016)
Light in the Heavens: Sayings of the Prophet Muḥammad, by al-Qāḍī

al-Quḍāʿī
Edited and translated by Tahera Qutbuddin (2016)
Risible Rhymes, by Muḥammad ibn Maḥfūẓ al-Sanhūrī

Edited and translated by Humphrey Davies (2016)
A Hundred and One Nights

Edited and translated by Bruce Fudge (2016)
The Excellence of the Arabs, by Ibn Qutaybah

Edited by James E. Montgomery and Peter Webb
Translated by Sarah Bowen Savant and Peter Webb (2017)
Scents and Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook

Edited and translated by Charles Perry (2017)
Arabian Satire: Poetry from 18th-Century Najd, by Ḥmēdān al-Shwēʿir

Edited and translated by Marcel Kurpershoek (2017)
In Darfur: An Account of the Sultanate and Its People, by Muḥammad ibn

ʿUmar al-Tūnisī
Edited and translated by Humphrey Davies (2 volumes; 2018)
٢٣٧ 237
War Songs, by ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād

Edited by James E. Montgomery
Translated by James E. Montgomery with Richard Sieburth (2018)
Arabian Romantic: Poems on Bedouin Life and Love, by ʿAbdallāh ibn Sbayyil
Dīwān ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād: A Literary-Historical Study

By James E. Montgomery (2018)
Stories of Piety and Prayer: Deliverance Follows Adversity, by al-Muḥassin

ibn ʿAlī al-Tanūkhī
Edited and translated by Julia Bray (2019)
The Philosopher Responds: An Intellectual Correspondence from the Tenth

Century, by Abū Ḥayyān al-Tawḥīdī and Abū ʿAlī Miskawayh
Edited by Bilal Orfali and Maurice A. Pomerantz
Translated by Sophia Vasalou and James E. Montgomery (2 volumes; 2019)
Tajrīd sayf al-himmah li-stikhrāj mā fī dhimmat al-dhimmah: A Scholarly Edi-

tion of ʿUthmān ibn Ibrāhīm al-Nābulusī’s Text
By Luke Yarbrough (2020)
The Discourses: Reflections on History, Sufism, Theology, and Literature—

Volume One, by al-Ḥasan al-Yūsī
Edited and translated by Justin Stearns (2020)
Impostures, by al-Ḥarīrī
Translated by Michael Cooperson (2020)
Maqāmāt Abī Zayd al-Sarūjī, by al-Ḥarīrī

Edited by Michael Cooperson (2020)
The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, by Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī

Edited and translated by Mario Kozah (2020)
The Book of Charlatans, by Jamāl al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥīm al-Jawbarī

Edited by Manuela Dengler
Translated by Humphrey Davies (2020)
A Physician on the Nile, by ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī

Edited and translated by Tim Mackintosh-Smith (2021)
٢٣٨ 238
The Book of Travels, by Ḥannā Diyāb

Edited by Johannes Stephan
Translated by Elias Muhanna (2 volumes; 2021)
Kalīlah and Dimnah: Fables of Virtue and Vice, by Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ

Edited by Michael Fishbein
Translated by Michael Fishbein and James E. Montgomery (2021)
Love, Death, Fame: Poetry and Lore from the Emirati Oral Tradition, by al-
Māyidī ibn Ẓāhir
The Essence of Reality: A Defense of Philosophical Sufism, by ʿAyn al-Quḍāt

Edited and translated by Mohammed Rustom (2022)
English-only Paperbacks
Leg over Leg, by Aḥmad Fāris al-Shidyāq (2 volumes; 2015)

The Expeditions: An Early Biography of Muḥammad, by Maʿmar ibn Rāshid
(2015)
The Epistle on Legal Theory: A Translation of al-Shāfiʿī’s Risālah, by
al-Shāfiʿī (2015)
The Epistle of Forgiveness, by Abū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī (2016)
The Principles of Sufism, by ʿĀʾishah al-Bāʿūniyyah (2016)
A Treasury of Virtues: Sayings, Sermons, and Teachings of ʿAlī, by al-Qāḍī
al-Quḍāʿī, with the One Hundred Proverbs attributed to al-Jāḥiẓ (2016)
The Life of Ibn Ḥanbal, by Ibn al-Jawzī (2016)
Mission to the Volga, by Ibn Faḍlān (2017)
Accounts of China and India, by Abū Zayd al-Sīrāfī (2017)
A Hundred and One Nights (2017)
Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad, by Ibn al-Sāʿī
(2017)
Disagreements of the Jurists: A Manual of Islamic Legal Theory, by al-Qāḍī
al-Nuʿmān (2017)
What ʿĪsā ibn Hishām Told Us, by Muḥammad al-Muwayliḥī (2018)
War Songs, by ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād (2018)
The Life and Times of Abū Tammām, by Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā
al-Ṣūlī (2018)
The Sword of Ambition, by ʿUthmān ibn Ibrāhīm al-Nābulusī (2019)
٢٣٩ 239
Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abū Shādūf Expounded: Volume One, by

Yūsuf al-Shirbīnī (2019)
Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abū Shādūf Expounded: Volume Two, by
Yūsuf al-Shirbīnī and Risible Rhymes, by Muḥammad ibn Maḥfūẓ al-Sanhūrī
(2019)
The Excellence of the Arabs, by Ibn Qutaybah (2019)
Light in the Heavens: Sayings of the Prophet Muḥammad, by al-Qāḍī al-Quḍāʿī
(2019)
Scents and Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook (2020)
Arabian Satire: Poetry from 18th-Century Najd, by Ḥmēdān al-Shwēʿir (2020)
In Darfur: An Account of the Sultanate and Its People, by Muḥammad al-Tūnisī
(2020)
Arabian Romantic: Poems on Bedouin Life and Love, by ʿAbdallāh ibn Sbayyil
(2020)
The Philosopher Responds, by Abū Ḥayyān al-Tawḥīdī and Abū ʿAlī Miskawayh
(2021)
Impostures, by al-Ḥarīrī (2021)
The Discourses: Reflections on History, Sufism, Theology, and Literature—
Volume One, by al-Ḥasan al-Yūsī (2021)
The Book of Charlatans, by Jamāl al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥīm al-Jawbarī (2022)
The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, by Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī (2022)
٢٤٠ 240
About the Editor–Translator
Mohammed Rustom is Professor of Islamic Thought at Carleton University.

A specialist in Sufism, Islamic philosophy, and Qurʾanic exegesis, he is author
of the award-winning book The Triumph of Mercy: Philosophy and Scripture
in Mullā Ṣadrā (2012), co-editor of The Study Quran: A New Translation and
Commentary (2015), translator of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī, The Condemnation of
Pride and Self-Admiration (2018), and author of Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi
Philosophy of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt (2022).
٢٤١ 241

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The Essence of Reality

A Defense of Philosophical Sufism

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Fellowship Program Coordinator

A Defense of Philosophical Sufism

Edited and translated by

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS

Copyright © 2022 by New York University

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: ʻAyn al-Quḍāh al-Hamadhānī, ʻAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad, -1131,

New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,

Series design by Titus Nemeth.

Typeset in Tasmeem, using DecoType Naskh and Emiri.

Typesetting and digitization by Stuart Brown.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Letter from the General Editor iii

The Essence of Reality 1

Chapter 61: The Difference between Knowledge and Recognition 128

Chapter 97: Overcoming the Desire to Know 186

ʿAyn al-Quḍāt: Life and Work

ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s testimony in the Essence itself, it represents the culmination

leveled against al-Ḥallāj (d. 309/922), whom he deeply admired. Thanks to

The Essence of Reality in Context

Although he borrows this term from al-Ghazālī,32 he develops it in a manner

In order to produce my Arabic edition of The Essence of Reality, I applied a rather

It is indeed surprising to read ʿUsayrān’s pronouncement on this manu-

Carullah 2078 (Istanbul) = %$

Majlis 10190 (Tehran) = '

heavily on %$ . At times, ʿUsayrān’s choices are rather arbitrary or highly ques-

Readers of the Essence will surely be humbled by ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s analytical

huwiyyah as “identity” instead of “ipseity”; ījād as “effectuating existence” and

17 See the excellent English translation: ʿAyn al-Quḍāt, A Sufi Martyr.

       : ‫ ؛‬             : ، ١

My Lord! Make this task easy for me and bring

.         

1 C 1 1 B1 * . 1 ?.a 1?b * 1 . C1 <

There were two important motives in this regard. 5

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I was totally bewildered about my situation. On top of that, it ruined my life— 14

Alight at the dwellings of Zaynab and Rabāb

We care not for our souls in the pursuit of glory—

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His face is in every direction:

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If I don’t ride into danger for her,

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Should our wishes come true—a fate most beautiful.

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Our camels brought us to Muḥammad;

These kinds of discussions are extensive.

Chapter 1: Who Will Benefit from This Book?

Chapter 2: A Proof of the Eternal

I do not mean to make my book overlong by discussing the rationalists’ exposi- 29

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