Letter [to Fatimah Tabataba'i]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Fati who demanded me mystical letter
Demanded Soloman Throne from an ant
She seems not to have heard" ma` arafnaka"
Jabriel demanded him divine blowing
Finally, after insistence you urged me to write a few line parrot-fashion of what my heart is unaware and to which I am strange. This is at a time when languor of old age has made me forget whatever knowledge I had, however superficial, and the unutterable, inexplicable troubles have added to it. Let me quote the date of this piece of writing so as to become clear when started wrting so as notto turn down your request: Sunday Sha`ban 24,1404 AH- Khordad 5,1363 AHS Let the readers study the situation of the world and Iran on this date.
Where do I begin? I had better begin with the human nature." So set thy purpose (O Muhammad) for religion as a man by nature upright the nature (framed) of Allah, in which He hath created man. There is no altering (the laws of) Allah's creation. That is the right religion, but most men know not." «1» Here the verse is concerned with human nature though this is peculiar to creation that" The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein praise Him, and there is not a thing but hymneth his praise; but ye understand not their praise." «2» Everybody recites:
We are hearing, seeing and alert, we are silent towards you the aliens «3»
Let us now cast a look at theoretical mysticism of human beings and say: In his nature and creation, man is unlikely to give attention or feel attached to anything other than absolute perfection. All souls and hearts look to Him and seek none save Him. They will not seek any other but Him and sing His praises; they cannot eulogize others as praising everything is meant to praise Him. As long as the praise is surrounded in veil, he/ she imagines to be praising others. This also applies to the wisdom, which is in veil.
One who seeks perfection, whatever it might be, loves absolute perfection not relative one. Every limited has some shortcomings and human nature hates imperfection. A seeker of knowledge seeks absolute knowledge and loves the absolute knowledge. Such is the case with seeker of power and any other perfection. Naturally, man loves absolute perfection. Whatever man seeks in limited perfections is its perfect form not imperfect ones which nature dislikes. The luminous and dark veils trip man up. Poets and panegyrists imagine to be admiring a certain powerful Emir or scholarly faqih. However, they eulogize and admire power and knowledge not in the limited sense although they may imagine them to be limited." There is no alteration in this nature." «4»
As long as man is in veil, preoccupied with the self, and has not shattered the veils, even the veil of light, one's nature is covered. Leaving this abode calls for multiplied force and guidance of God Almighty. In the Holy ShAbaniyeh Supplications one reads:" O, God! Bestow upon me complete tearing away (from attachments) to attend to thou. Kindle the eye of our hearts by the Ra`diance (luminosity) of seeing You so that the eyes of heart rends the curtains of light, reaches the mine of majesty and grandeur and our worlds would belong to the respect of Your holiness (sanctity)."
This perfect rending requires leaving your own abode and that of relatives, forgetting everyone and everyting, joining Him and separating from anyone except Him. It is a divine gift granted to sincere saints after ecstasy obtained from His Majesty that is followed from the slightest favor of Him. Unless the eyes of the heart are not lightened up by the light of His glance, the veils of light will not be rent and as long as these veils linger, there is no way to the mine of majesty. The spirits of attachment cannot comprehend the respect of sanctity nor can they attain to the stage of annihilation of attributes. «5»" Then be drew nigh and came down." «6» Lesser stage of this nature is absolute annihilation and absolute attachment.
Sufi! Enjoy yourself in the way of love The promise you have made should be fulfilled
As long as you have not abandoned the self, meeting a sweat heart is a dream
One should be annihilated in the cause of the Friend
The secret murmur of the Truth with His special servant will be realized only after unconsciousness and relinguishing the self. «7»
My daughter, Preoccupation with sciences and knowledge, even mysticism and monotheism if it is for accumulation of terminologies, as is the case, and for the sake of the sciences will not get the spiritual wayfarer close to destination if it does not keep him distant." Knowledge is the greatest of veils." If he to motivate one seeks the Truth-, something that rarely occurs- this will serve as torchlight and light of guidance." Knowledge is a light God will implant in the heart of whoever He wishes." «8» To reach part of it calls for purification, cleansing and edification: purifying the self and cleansing the heart from other than Him. The next stage is edification from moral imperfection riding of which calls for great endeavor, the other stage is purifying the action from what is opposed to His satisfaction, and taking care of good practices such as obligatory acts that are on top, recommended ones as much as possible and to the extent that does not trigger man self-love and self-conceit.
My daughter, Self-conceit and self-admiration results from utmost ignorance of one's inferiority and immensity of creation. If a little bit thought is given to magnificence of creation as much as man has so far done despite all the advancement in sciences man has become only partially aware of, one will discover one's inferiority and that of all the solar system and galaxies and realizes the majesty of their Creator and feels ashamed of self-conceit, egotism and self-admiration. In the story of Solomon the prophet (peace be upon him) we read when he crosses the desert of Naml:" Till, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an ant exclaimed: O ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you, unperceiving." «9» The ant describes Solomon and his entourage as unperceiving. The hoopoe tells him:" I have found out (a thing) that thou apprehendest not." «10» The blind-hearted cannot tolerate the speech of the ant and hoopoe, let alone the speech of the particles of existence and whatever in the sky and on the earth whose Creator says:" The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein praise Him, and there is not a thing but hymneth his praise; but ye understand not their praise. Lo! He is ever Clement, Forgiving." «11»
Man who considers himself to be the axis of creation- although the perfect mam is- might not be so in the sight of other creatures. Unrefined man is not such as the verse of the Qur'an says;" The likeness of those who are entrusted with the Law of Moses, yet apply it not, is as the likeness of the ass carrying books." «12» This is concerned with scholarly growth minus purification. This state has been described in the following verse:" not. These are as the cattle nay, but they are worse!"
My daughter, Prophets were delegated to bring man spiritual growth and rid them of veils. It is a pity that the sworn Satan through this affliliates did not let prophets realize what they wanted." He said: Then, by Thy might, I surely will beguile them every one." «13» We are all in slumber and entangled in veils." People are in sleep and when they die they become awakened." «14» It appears that hell has surrounded us and veil of nature blocks man from intuition and feeling." Lo! Hell verily will encompass the disbelievers." «15» Disbelief has many stages of which self-conceit, attachment to the world, contemplating other than Him are just some. If we study the first Surah of the Qur'an wisely and with an eye other than the animal vision and reach him without dark and luminous veils, springs of knowledge will flow into our hearts. Unfortunately, we are unaware of its initiation. There is no news of the one who came to realize. «16»
I, the unaware, empty-handed way farer tell my daughter to contemplate in the holy Qur'an- this source of divine blessings. Although mere reciting it that is a letter from the Beloved to the veiled hearer brings pleasant effects, reflection on it would elevate man to higher and loftier stations." Will they then not meditate on the Qur'an, or are there locks on the hearts?" «17» As long as these locks are not untied and crushed, meditation will not bring the result it is expected of. After the big swear, God almighty says:" That (this) is indeed a noble Qur'an. In a Book kept hidden. Which none toucheth save the purified," «18» Their ringleaders are those about whom the holy verse Tathir has been sent down for them.
You should not be disappointed as despair is one of the big locky. As much as possible, you should struggle to remove the veils and break the locks to reach the limpid water and source of light. When still young, struggle to improve practice, purify the heart, break the locks and remove the veils, as thousands of young people who are close to the celestial horizon will succeed while an old person will not.
If satanic bonds and locks are neglected in youthful days, they will take root and grow stronger day after day.
The tree now has taken root can be plucked out by person's force
If the day passes by it age cannot rend it apart from the root
Of the tricks of Satan and the more dangerous self is that it promises correction in the old days and postpones edification and repentance towards Allah for a day when the tree of corruption and the ZaQum tree (a tree in hell for the people of hell to eat its bitter fruits) grow strong and the will for purification weakens if not dead.
Let us not move away from Qur'an. In this conversation between the lover and the beloved and the dialog between lover and Beloved lie secrets which no one can decipher except man and his Beloved. Perhaps the interrupted letters in some chapters such as" alam"," sad"," yas" are of this nature and many of the holy verses for which externalists, philosophers, gnostics and mystics present their own interpretation. This is of the same kind. Although each group reaps benefit as much as its capacity or imagines to do so and a portion of these secrets are revealed to them through household of revelation from the bubbling spring of revelation, others will benefit from it as much as their capacity. It appears that most of the invocations and supplications have been selected for this purpose. What we find from the supplications and invocations of Immaculate Imams (peace upon them) are found less in narrations that are mostly in common language. However, language of the Qur'an is different, a language with which every scholar and interpretive considers to be familiar but is not. The holy Qur'an is among the Books whose disciplines are unprecedented and conceiving its various disciplines is more difficult that their verification. Many a time with philosophical argument and mystical viewpoint one can demonstrate a subject but may fail to conceive it. Conception of the bearing of the contingent on sempiternal cited in the Qur'an in different expressions and the quality of association (company) of Truth with people that some say to be" self-existent company" the conception of which is a riddle for the as well as the emergence of the Truth in people and presence of creation in Truth and His propinquity, the glorified and the sublime, from the jugular vein to the creatures and contents of the following verses:" Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth." «19»" He is the First and the Last, and the Outward and the Inward." «20»" There is no secret conference of three." «21»" Thy only we worship and thy only we seek for help." «22» I do not think the concepts of these and corresponding verses have been appreciated by anyone except by the addressee and the close friends nurtured in this school being versed in such matters. Finding a way into an aperture of it calls for efforts of creatures in purification. Alas the life of this broken pen rolled by and:
Nothing was gained of school debates
But heart-rending words after all those uproars
Today, there is no news of youth that is the spring of finding. I see the former findings but a handful of words and advice you and other youth who seek knowledge that you and all creatures that are His manifestation and appearance strive to find a ray of Him, annihilate in it, and reach from non-existence to absolute existence.
So I become non-existent like an organ I am told verily all return to Him
My daughter, The world and whatever in it is hell the end of which is manifested at the end of the course; what is beyond the world to the end of the stages is paradise, appearing at the end of the journey after removing the veil of nature and you, we and all either move towards the abyss of the hell or paradise and the assembly of angles.
A narration has it that once the holy prophet( peace be upon him and his progeny )was sitting among his companions. Suddenly a horrible sound came. What was the sound, asked one?" A stone on the edge of hell hit the abyss of hell after falling 70 years ago." «23» The wise people said:" In that state, I heard a 70 year old heathen man just died and reached the bottom of hell." «24» We are all on the road and the path moves through hell. «25» Its inner aspect is revealed in the next world. Here every man has a path exclusive to him/ her and is in the process of travel either in the straight that leads to heaven or higher stations or devious path tilting to left or right both of which lead to hell. We seek the beneficent God to grant us the straight path." Guide us on the straight path, the way of those to whom thou have given blessing and not the way of those whom you have shown wrath." «26» That deviation from one way and" not the devious" is the deviation from the other side. These facts will become fully apparent in Resurrection.
The path leading to hell whose darkness has been precisely and minutely described in the runner side of the direct path in this world. This dark and narrow road is very difficult for the laggards like us to traverse. Those who kept on the path without straying all will say," We crossed hell, while it was cold." «27» Everyone is rewarded proportionate to his strive on this path and the same path will be reflected in the next world.
Put aside false satanic prides and hopes and strive in action, edification, and education for departure is close. Any day that passes by and one is negligent will be late. Do not relate why you are not prepared." Look at the word and not the speaker." «28» Whatever I am, I am for myself as is the case with all others. Hell and Paradise of everyone is the result of their actions. Whatever we harvest we reap.
The mold and nature of man tends towards resistence and goodness. Love of goodness is in our nature. We lead the nature astray, spread the veils and weave the webs around ourselves.
The devotees who are on the path all seek the spring of life all
They quest for right but not know it they seek Euphrates in water
Last night you asked me about the titles of mystical books my daughter. Try to eliminate egotism, not collect books. Suppose you bring some books from the market to home, more than from one place to another, make your self a repository of terms and jargons, present whatever knowledge you have in meetings and gatherings, enchant the audience, with your knowledge, add to your burden through traps of Satan and the tempting self which is more evil than Satan, become the life and soul of parties by the tricks of Satan, and, God forbid, where overtaken by the vanity of knowledge or mystics, do you think in such cases you have added or removed from the veils? God the glorified has brought the holy verse:" The likeness of those who are entrusted with the Law of Moses, yet apply it not, is as the likeness of the ass carrying books." «29» to waken up the `ulama' and so that they know that accumulation of sciences, even science of religious and monotheism will not reduce egotism but, on the contrary, may increase it, leading one from minor egoism to major one. I do not mean to escape knowledge, mysticism and philosophy and lead a life of ignorance, as this is deviation. I want you to struggle and strive to make your incentive divine and for Friend and if you prove it is for God and training His servants and not for hypocrisy and ostentation in which case you will, God forbid, be classified in the category of evil `ulama' whose stink makes the people of hell feel uneasy. «30»
Those who found Him and nurtured His love have no incentive save Him and with this incentive all their acts will become divine. War, peace, fighting and everything that you can imagine" the strike that `Ali (`a) inflicted on Amr ibn Abdevad on the day of Khandaq is superior to the worship of jinn and human." «31» even if they result in a great victory will not bring any virtue without divine intention. It should not be imagined that the position of the Immaculate Imams, particularly the commander of the faithful `Ali (peace be upon him and his household) ends in here. The pen does not dare proceed, and the tongue is unable to discribe. What can we say with the veiled ones? What do we, veiled ones, say and what do we know to say? What is there is not expressible and goes beyond the horizon of our existence. It is hoped that the remembrance of the Beloved and His remembrance affects our heart and soul however no news of it is obtained just like the illiterate lover who looks at the letter of the Beloved and is merely content with knowing that this is the Beloved's letter. It is like a distressed Persian-speaker who does not know `Arabic, but because of inner intimacy with it recites the Qur'an and drives an ectasy thousands of times greater than that experienced by those versed in diacritical marks and literary excellence and eloquence of the Quran occupy himself and that of philosopher and mystic concerned with rational and aptitudinal issues and is heedless of the Beloved, for philosophical and mystical books are concerned with the contents of the book and have nothing to do with its speaker.
My daughter, Subject matter of philosophy is absolute existence, ranging from the almighty God to the last stages of existence. The subject of knowledge of mysticism and practical mysticism is absolute existence or let us say God almighty, not being concerned with any other discussion except God almighty and His manifestation that is not separate from Him. If a book or mystic discusses something other than God, neither the book nor the speaker is respectively mysticism and mystic. If a philosophy looks at existence as it is and discusses it, his view is divinely oriented and his discussion mystical. All of these is different from mystical verve which is beyond the scope of the present discussion and others are estrange from it let alone moral intuition and thereafter non-existence amid being drowned in existence." Put out the light as morning appeared." «32»
My daughter, I heard you say: I fear lest I should regret during examination because I did not work during holidays." This regret and the likes of it, whatever they maybe, are easy and ephemeral. That regret is permanent and eternal that when you come to your senses you would notice that you see everything save Him and that day curtains cannot be pulled aside nor veils could be removed.
Commander of the Faithful in Komail Supplication recites" O, my Beloved, Master, Lord and Nourisher! Supposing I put up with your chastisement, how can I endure being away fro thy?" «33» I, the blind-hearted, could not recite this item and some other items of this noble invocation seriously, yet I read it through the tongue of `Ali (peace be upon him) and I don't know what is it that is more difficult than God's chastisement in hell. The chastisement that" (It is) the fire of Allah, kindled, which leapeth up over the hearts (of men)" «34» appears to be the very" fire of God" that burns the hearts. Perhaps this chastisement is superior to the chastisement of hell. We, blind-hearted, cannot perceive and acknowledge these ultra-human concepts. Let us leave them for those conversant with these concepts, those who are few in number.
Mostly, philosophical books, particularly from Muslim theosophists and those of the mystics have each their own impact. The former acquaints man with metaphysics however in panoramic picture and the latter, particularly some of them such as" Manazil as-Sa'irin" «35» and" Misbah as-Sharayi`" «36» appearing to have been written by a mystic quoting Imam Sadiq (`a). These books prepare hearts for reaching the Beloved. More exhilarating than all are the supplications and prayers left by Imams of Muslims who are leaders, not guides, carrying one towards the destination. They hold the hand of the truth-seeking men and take him towards Him. What a pity that we are interdicted and miles away from them.
My daughter, if you are not of the mystics, try not to reject the mystical stations of mystics and the righteous ones and do not consider antagonism with them as a religious duty. Much of what they have said has been reiterated the holy Quran in an esoteric and implicit language and in more openly supplications and prayers of Immaculate Imams. Since we ignorant ones are deprived from them, we show hostility to them. It has been said that Sadr al-Muteallehin saw a person howling imprecations against him in the vicinity of the holy Shrine of Hadrat Masomeh (peace be upon her) and asked: why are you cursing Sadra? The man replied:" He maintains the unity of self-existent." Sadra said; Then curse him! If this episode is a story, it speaks of a reality, painful reality which I have heard or experienced in our own time.
I do not want to clean the claimants, as" Many a time when clerical robes deserve fire." I want you not to deny the original concept and spirituality, the same spirituality expounded in the Book and tradition and which the opponents have either ignored or justified simplicity. I tell you that the first step is to be relived of the thick veil of denial that hampers any growth and positive step. This step is not perfection, yet opens the way towards perfection, as" yaqzah" (literally meaning vigilance and consciousness and in mystical parlance) which is regarded as the first stage in the journey of way farers cannot be counted as a stage but preliminary step opening the way for the spiritual wayfarer to enter the stages of the spiritual journey. «37» Anyhow, one cannot find a way towards the truth by way of negation.
Those who deny the stations of mystics and stages of wayfarers do not attribute whatever they do not know to their ignorance and deny it because they are self-conceited and selfish so that their self-centeredness and selfishness would not be impaired." Mother of idols is the idol of self. «38» As long as this big idol and strong Satan is not removed thee is no way towards Him the glorified. Alas! It is too difficult to break this idol and tame this devil? An Immaculate Imam has been quoted as saying:" My Satan embraced the faith through my effort." «39» It is clear from this quotation that anyone however great has a Satan and that the saints of God have succeeded in bridling it and even making a believer out of them.
Do you know what Satan did to our grandfather, Adam, God's chosen one? Satan pulled him down from the vicinity of the Truth and after Satan's temptation and approaching the tree, maybe the self or some of its manifestations, came the command" fall down," «40» initiating all corruptions and enmities. Adam (peace be upon him) repented with the aid of God Almighty. God made Adam His chosen one. You and I who are afflicted with the satanic tree should repent and implore God the glorified in private and openly to help us in whatever manner He wishes and we can repent so that we can benefit from human blessings. This cannot be achieved unless by effort and abandonment of the tree of Satan with all its branches, leaves and roots scattered in our existence, gaining firmer and wider with every day passing.
By attachment to the evil tree and its branches and roots one can undoubtedly not find a way towards destination. Eblis (Devil in Islam) made this very threat and was successful. Excluding a rare number of the righteous servants and saints nearest to God, no one can escape the tricks of Satan and evil self embodying Eblis. If one can, one cannot escape all the branches and its precise and very complex roots unless by God's help, aas He liberated the chosen one of God, but there is a nog way for us to acquire that capacity.
The holy verse in this regard is worthy of contemplation where it says:" Then Adam received from his Lord words (of revelation), and He relented toward him." «41» It has not said It appears that he has received the words by journey towards Him even though if it said Acceptance would not be possible minus journey towards perfection. One should also reflect on another verse about the same story where it says:" And when they tasted of the tree." «42» It appears that the practice has not been anything more than taste and savor, but since it has been done by the chosen one it has brought about those problems. Outcome! We should now study our condition that we have indeed been grafted with all the branches, leaves and roots of this tree.
My daughter! Plagues on the way are many. Each outward and inward member of ours has its pests each of which being veils. Unless we do not pass these veils we cannot reach the first stage of the spiritual journey towards God. I who am afflicted and my body and soul is Satan's plaything allude to some calamities of tongue, this small member that the unruly tongue endangers the whole body. When it is the Satan's plaything and his pawn, it ruins soul, spirit and heart.
Do not neglect this great enemy of humanity and spirituality. When you are at parties with friends enumerate the big sins of this small member as much as you can. See what is does with one hour of your life that should be devoted to winning God's gratification and what calamities it brings about. One of these pests is speaking behind the back of brothers and sisters. See with whose prestige you are playing and what secrets of the Muslims you are revealing and what prestige you impair and characters you break? Then calculate this satanic party and see in one year what you have done in this commonplace thing and what you will do in 50- 60 years to come and what calamities you may cause for yourself. But you do not take it into account. This understatement is a trick of Satan against which may God protect us by His favor.
My daughter! A cursory look at what has been handed down about backbiting and harassing believers, finding fault with them, uncovering their secret and slandering them trembles the hearts not sealed by Satan, and makes life bitter for man. Now, due to the love I have for you and Ahmad, I recommend you to keep away from satanic plagues, particularly the many pests of tongue and endeavor harnass it. Obviously, it is difficult at the beginning, but by resolution and reflection on the consequences, it will become easy. Take lessons from how the holy Quran has described the person who divulges the secrets of others where it say;" And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother?" «43» Perhaps narrations speak of the limbo form of the action and maybe the narration quoted from Master of Monotheists in the many advices he has given to Nouf al-Bakali allude to this very sense. According to one probability, the narration reads that Nouf sought some advice from the Commander of the Faithful and he said;" Shun backbiting which is the food of the dogs of hell. Then the Imam observed; O, Nouf! One who eats the flesh of people by backbiting tells a lie to be a legitimate child." «44» The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has been quoted as saying that " Does anything other than what their tongue has harvested throw people in the fire on the Day of Judgment?" «45» From this narration and numerous others it is understood that hell is the inner form of our deeds.
O, God! Save us, this family and the families related to us from the satanic plagues and do not classify us in the category of those who have tortured Muslims by their tongue and deeds.
I wrote these few pages at the request of Fati. I admit that I could not escape the tricks of Satan and hope Fati who enjoys the gift of youthfulness finds this success. Greetings upon the righteous servants of God!
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini
Ramadan 12,1403 AHS