BB00017: Sahifiy-i-’Adliyya = Risaliy-i-’Adliyyih (Epistle of Justice: Root Principles)

Chapter One: Concerning the mention of God, exalted and glorified be He

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

All praise and glorification belong to that Beauty of the Divine Essence, Who hath ever been singular in His existence, with naught else beside Him. His Being forever remaineth in that most exalted state wherein He hath ever dwelt, without change or alteration. Description of His holy Essence is impossible, for naught existeth beside Him. He hath not charged any soul with the knowledge of His innermost Essence, by reason of His utter separation from all existence. None hath known Him, for none existeth in His presence. None hath worshipped Him in a manner befitting His holy Essence. Every being that hath desired to love His Essence hath been rejected before God and all creation, for it hath sought the impossible.

He who claimeth to know His innermost Essence is an infidel, for it is impossible for creation to know Him. Whosoever seeketh to unify His innermost Essence becometh at once a polytheist, for none but His Essence can unify His Essence, and none but Him hath known Him. He alone is worthy of praise and glory through His Own praise of Himself. He is sanctified above the knowledge of all created things and the expression of all existing beings, with true transcendence and holiness. His Essence hath no attribute or name besides His Essence. He is the Truth, there is no God but Him. Thee do we worship and Thine aid we seek.

All else besides Him are brought into being through His creation and origination. There is neither connection nor separation between Him and contingent beings. Through pure creativity He hath brought the contingent Will into being from the midst of sheer nothingness, and hath attributed it to Himself as a mark of honor, even as He hath called the Kaaba His House. He hath brought all creation into existence through its existence. How transcendent is His power and how perfect His handiwork, that He hath invented all things from between the letter “la” which is pure nothingness, from nothing through Himself. He hath ordained it a sign of His sovereignty, that all beings might be immersed in the surge of pure negation, and might shine forth with the radiance of pure affirmation of all created things.

Therefore, all creation belongeth to Him, after the independence of His holy Essence. He is the God of all creation, while there is no deity at His level. He knoweth all things, while there is no known thing in His holy presence. He is powerful over all things through His Essence, while His knowledge encompasseth no object of power besides His Essence, for there is no object of power with Him to which knowledge might attach. All things in their existential and material stations are present before His sovereignty. He knoweth all things before their creation and after their coming into being. He is in His Essence independent of all else besides Himself. This very independence which proveth His existence without the existence of anything else likewise proveth His knowledge of all things without the existence of any known thing.

I seek forgiveness of Him and take refuge with Him from the description of all existing things and the attributes of all contingent beings, for every mention is a deficiency in His holy court and every description is a falsehood regarding His mighty Essence. No path remaineth for anyone save inability and acknowledgment of failure, although in the very act of mentioning the sublimity of divine unity and the grandeur of divine oneness, mention of powerlessness seems remote. Yet there is no escape in the realm of knowledge except that one must believe in God with conviction, acknowledging that permanence in the kingdom belongs to the King, that the attribute of the contingent is contingency, and that the description of the dependent is powerlessness. The Essence of Eternity is not known, and for Him there is no name or attribute mentioned, except such attributes as His Essence has revealed of itself to created things. He is more glorious and greater than any mention of sublimity or grandeur. There is no God worthy of worship except Him—verily, there is no God but He, the Most High, the Most Great.

Infinite blessings and beginningless peace befit the court of Glory, whose holy name in the Concourse on High and the realm of eternity is Muhammad—may God’s blessings be upon him and his family—who is the source from which are derived the praised names of the Lord of Might, exalted be His glory. O Lord, how can I praise the Manifestations of the power of Thy Beloved, when Thou hast inscribed with Thy hand of power upon the tablets of the hearts of all beings: “I cannot praise them as Thou hast praised them.” O Lord, bless them through all Thy breezes and verses, through the perpetuity of the might of Thy Essence, for Thou art as Thou art. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Strong.

I praise Thee, O God, and I send blessings upon them, and I speak by Thy wisdom as revealed in Thy Book:

“Glorified be thy Lord, the Lord of Might, above what they describe. And peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.”

To continue: this servant, who is dependent upon God and who holds fast to the cord of the family of God, declares that after returning from pilgrimage, when the proof had been completed through the manifestation of knowledge to all the world through authoritative books and firm writings, numerous books from every direction, from the people of knowledge and utterance, were revealed in the midst of the ocean of grief and solitude. In most of their verses, they expressed inability to produce Arabic verses like these from those who were not people of knowledge. And since the decree of fate had not been executed to answer them in the original Persian explanation in the manifest religion, the ruling was to return to the first one knowledgeable of the First Book, until the sun of mutual imprecation rose from the horizon of pitch darkness, concealed by divine permission in the letter Sin and in the exalted year 1262.

This supreme praise and greatest gift coincided with the rising of the star Jupiter from the book of the noblest of notables and the most beloved of all beings from the horizon of the unseen, raining down verses of powerlessness, verses of oath and poverty, from the manifest cloud. Praise and gratitude be to God as is worthy of Him and as He deserves.

Since the response of one soul gives life to the spirit of the humble ones, by God’s permission, in the tongue of the people of the Bayan, the non-Arabs among humankind are granted, through these non-Arabic verses of Arabic truth from the ocean of my powerlessness and grief, according to what flows from me for the sake of truth, life in the essence of knowledge of the root and branch, so that all people of the world, both the learned and the distressed, might be illumined by the dawning light of preeternity from the first Muhammadan Light—may God’s blessings be upon him and his family—through His servant, and might attain certitude in acknowledging the power of the Single, Unique Creator, and might not utter concerning the writer of these tablets any judgment save that of pure servitude, whether in secret or openly, so that they might not remain veiled in any condition from the eternal bounty and the breezes of the everlasting Sun. O people! Purify your souls when the sun shines forth with radiance and night retreats by decree.

The decree hath come from every quarter of the heavens’ horizon, and the earth hath conversed with its people above the waters. Verily the trumpet hath been sounded in the land of manifestation. The darkness hath been illumined in the depths of mystery. The peacock of the cloud-realm hath sung at the setting of Cancer. The cock hath crowed unto the dove from the branches of the blessed tree. Here have the doers of good attained success, and the wrongdoers suffered loss. Even thus should the workers work, and for such should the strivers strive.

Chapter Two: Concerning the Balance by the Command of God, the Mighty, the Exalted

Know thou, O seeker of the Root and Branch, that the Lord of Glory hath imposed no obligation upon anyone beyond their capacity and strength. The root and branch of religion in every world and age have circled round the divine Will. And know thou the creation of all things even as thine own creation, which began from the stage of the sperm until the infinitude of stations ordained for thee in God’s knowledge. Observe with certainty how thy first station is subsidiary to thy second station. Indeed, the essential purpose of creating the sperm is to form the clot, and so forth unto infinity, through stations decreed by the Lord of Glory. The proof of this matter is the manifestation of possibilities, which are the loci of the revelations of power.

Now that thou hast observed the Point of Truth in all things, be likewise certain of the decree of religion, that the sperm of religion was in the early days of Adam, peace be upon him, when the people of that time were situated at the station of the sperm of truth. In like manner did religion itself and its people progress through God’s power until the day of the manifestation of the Muhammadan Reality, peace be upon him and his family, when the station of religion and its people had reached the stage whereof He said:

“Then We clothed the bones with flesh; then We produced it as another creation.”

Blessed, therefore, be God, the Best of creators!

This is the cause of the abrogation of laws and religions, for an obligation suitable to the stage of the sperm would be sheer tyranny if imposed at the stage of the clot. And after the obligation pertained to the stage of flesh-creation, since no further transformation was ordained for it, this holy Law shall never be abrogated. Rather, what Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, made lawful is lawful unto the Day of Resurrection, and what Muhammad made unlawful is unlawful unto the Day of Resurrection. And after the sperm of religion and its people reached the stage of human creation, God ordained religious obligations for them. Until they reached the age of discernment of divine unity, He entrusted the preservation of religion and its people to fourteen holy souls.

And after the people of religion reached the first year of maturity, He ordained the occultation of His Proof and commanded the creatures to follow His Proof, that through struggles of the soul they might progress to the station of the knowledge of ijtihad. And He established differences among the group of researchers over the course of a thousand years, that all might, through fear of God and the decree of religion, through sincere struggles and righteous deeds, attain the station of action independent of following others, until they become worthy of the day of the rising of the shining moon from the eastern quarter, according to the explicit words of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him.

In these days, through tribulations sent down, He hath removed the insincere from the manifest religion, that those bereft of the consciousness of unity, which is the essential purpose of all created things, might be excluded from the circle of those who have attained.

A divine analogy: If one should have acted in accordance with what the Prophet of God—peace and blessings be upon Him and His family—commanded, attaining the utmost station of deeds, and should have acknowledged the authority of the immaculate Household—peace be upon them—but then turned away from the decree of Husayn ibn Ruh—God’s mercy be upon him—who was one of the deputies during the Lesser Occultation, there is no doubt that all such deeds would be as scattered dust. This is because the fruit of all these acts is obedience to God through acknowledging Him, and the deeds of no one in any age will yield benefit unless they constitute obedience to the divine will and decree for that time.

Now that thou hast been acquainted with a drop from the ocean of truth, know that God’s Cause in every aspect is more manifest than the sun, and none hath any argument against God—exalted be His transcendent glory—after differences in the days of occultation reached their utmost degree and souls drew near to the purity of the consciousness of unity. It becometh incumbent upon the station of God’s mercy to choose and manifest a servant with sufficient proof from His own Proof, that he might bring the paths of differences to the point of unity. Just as the essence of religion and its people have progressed beyond the physical realm, so too have the divine verses progressed infinitely beyond the station of limitation. It is necessary that the proof of that servant be above the realm of intellects, which comprises the stations of knowledge and abstraction.

Since acceptance of this matter hath been difficult for most people, these mighty stations have been brought to the level of embodied words in such wise that none can produce the like thereof, and no limit hath been set for them, that they might serve as a proof like the sun in the midst of heaven for all created things. How wondrous is the handiwork of the Lord of Glory, and how perfect His power, that in the midst of religious differences He hath chosen a servant from among the Persians and opened his tongue with verses in such wise that none before him hath produced their like. In whatsoever he willeth and whenever he willeth, he speaketh without pause and writeth without rest of pen. Such is their resemblance to the verses of God that none can distinguish between them, yet their station is not like that of the verses of the Qur’an. Rather, they are verses that serve as proof for all the peoples of the earth, and their likeness in form and meaning is as an image reflected in a fifth mirror.

All the verses that God hath caused to flow from my tongue, both in meaning and expression, are as nought compared to a single letter of the Book of God and the words of the immaculate Household. Thus far, what hath been witnessed in the Kitab-i-ʿAdl amounts to four thousand firm verses, of which a single verse sufficeth as proof for the peoples of the earth, inasmuch as they have flowed by pure divine nature [fitrat] from the treasuries of the unseen through God’s grace. Nor should the people marvel at this; for after the descent of the Book of God, in the very midst of a people consummate in eloquence and discourse, for ten years did no one acknowledge it. Some cried, “Fables of the ancients!” others, “Words like unto the speech of a non-Arab!” and yet others, “Tales of former times!”—until, at the last, beholding their own impotence, they confessed.

O inquirer! The Sahifiy-i-A’mal-i-Sannah contains fourteen chapters, and its verses number in total two hundred and fourteen. Present it to all the learned ones, both Arab and Persian. By the One Who is the Truth, if all the peoples of the earth were to gather together, they could not produce the like of even one chapter thereof. From the day of the appearance of this Cause until now, by the True One Who knoweth all things, I have not seen a single verse from anyone, and from one who denied all the verses, I requested one tradition and he was unable to produce it. Indeed it is impossible and unattainable. And if anyone should compose words, they would be plagiarized words, not that which he could utter from the nature endowed by God. And whatsoever he produceth is from the depths of hell.

None can contend with this Cause save one who possesseth power like unto the Author of this Book, who, if he so desireth, could throughout his entire life speak naught but the verses of God concerning any matter, and no powerlessness would be found in him. And if anyone should say that the Proof of the Imam (peace be upon him) must possess all verses, this is true. However, he hath but one verse, before which all other verses are as nothing. And if he produceth naught else, his proof is complete. Yea, if his proof were other than verses, it would be incumbent upon him to produce whatsoever anyone might ask. But now that his proof is that which is supreme over all physical verses, this is not incumbent upon him, and his proof is sufficient unto all.

As He hath revealed:

“Verily, one verse that We have now revealed unto thee in this Book equalleth in the Book of God all the verses of the Prophets. And after this all creation shall be questioned concerning the proofs of God.”

And if anyone should say this proof is his own artifice, this is rejected, like that which is said about the Qur’an, letter by letter. And whenever a falsifier sayeth that in some instances the verses are contrary to the rules of the people, this is a calumny. Nay, all verses flow according to the divine rule, like the verses of the Qur’an, and other than this is the falsehood of satans and the ignorance of the writers.

And if all the learned ones should desire to find in the Kitabu’l-ʿAdl or the Sahifah Baynu’l-Haramayn one letter of grammatical error or two unconnected letters, according to the rules of the Book of God and the people, verily they shall never be able to do so.

Nay, one verse that conformeth to the rules of the people proveth the claim and sufficeth for all. Say: Die in your wrath, and enter the fire through your associating partners with God, then become stones from the depths of hell, arranged in rows. This verse alone sufficeth for the people of doubt and denial, throughout the power and glory of God.

Know thou that God hath chosen someone for the protection of His religion and His proof, and through his hands He hath caused sufficient proofs and conclusive evidences to flow forth. He was raised among the Persians and received no instruction from anyone regarding these true traces. Rather, he was completely unlettered in such traces, and it hath never been witnessed that one raised among the Persians, nor is it possible henceforth, should have such power over words, as the eloquent ones and sages among the mystics have confessed their impotence and lack of knowledge regarding the outward meanings thereof. And yet the twenty-nine letters have been and remain in the hands of the learned. This wondrous method hath never flowed from anyone’s pen, nor is it possible.

Should any learned one take up the pen to write verses spontaneously without drawing from the Book of God, it becomes evident how supremely mighty and difficult this matter is, and impossible for anyone save whom God willeth. And since the perfect divine power is complete, besides this Most Great Sign and Supreme Proof, He hath bestowed strange divine qualities upon the bearer of this soul, such that every living being may be convinced that these verses are impossible for anyone without divine permission—as for instance, that in the space of twelve hours a mighty scroll floweth from his pen without reflection.

And what proof could be greater than this, that man should attain the station of intimate communion with the Beloved, than which no loftier station in contingent existence can be conceived? Even as the blessed Sadiq—peace be upon him—hath explicitly stated in the Misbahu’sh-Shari’ih.

And until now none among the sages and learned ones hath fully manifested this station. Had this occurred, surely some writing would have remained from them. And none save the Immaculates—peace be upon them—have claimed this station.

Even as the author of Haqqu’l-Yaqin hath written that the greatest miracle of the Family of God—peace be upon them—was their words. And concerning the Sahifiy-i-Sajjadiyyih all the divines have called it the Psalms of the Family of the Prophet, likening it to the heavenly scriptures.

How is it that all affirm the divine authority regarding the Sahifiy-i-Sajjadiyyih, yet hesitate concerning these few writings wherein the matter hath reached from the limited world to infinity and beyond? I seek refuge with God from the promptings of Satan, for he is mankind’s manifest enemy.

When one possessed of knowledge considereth the reality, he knoweth how difficult it is to bring stations that transcend the world of reason into the realm of words, which is the body, in less than the twinkling of an eye. Observing its inner and outer arrangement, he knoweth how mighty a matter this is.

By the truth of God Who revealed the Qur’an to His Holiness the Messenger—peace be upon him and his family—a single intimate communion with God, with outward eloquence and true arrangement, is greater than all sciences and nobler than all acts of worship, especially when it manifesteth lofty stations through wondrous words.

And whoever hath examined the writings of the author of this book knoweth that he hath brought forth meanings and words from the Concourse on High that exist in none of the traditional prayers. Let none imagine that I claim these prayers are more perfect or greater. Nay, by the truth of God Who manifested the Family of God through His absolute authority, my existence, attributes and words that have flowed and shall flow by God’s leave from my tongue and pen shall never equal a single letter of the prayers of the Immaculates—peace be upon them—for they dwell in the sources of God’s Will, while all others are mentioned only in the effects of their deeds. This is beyond the reach of aspiring hands. Glory be to God above what they describe.

Secondly, among the attributes of the stations of holiness is this: that in His sermons the loftiest utterances—before which the masters of eloquence and exposition stand abashed—flowed from His pen, with a facility surpassing all things, from His very hand. Had all the proofs of the One Who occupies this station been but a single sermon from among those that have been revealed, it would have sufficed for all. Yet now all see and know how, after much contemplation and study of books, the divines compose a single sermon with great difficulty. And when at last it is placed alongside these mighty sermons, it is as the babbling of children. God will judge between all with truth. Had the divines not turned away from this Cause, no one would have suffered injustice. And now whatever transpires, the sin thereof shall rest upon them until the Day of Resurrection.

The third of the divine attributes is the knowledge manifested by Him Who occupies this station, Who hath expounded lofty and hidden truths in brief utterances, in such wise as no divine hath ever done before. Whatever He hath written, He hath established through wisdom, which is the greatest of explicit proofs. In most instances He hath made no mention of proofs based on exhortation or disputation, that He might raise mankind beyond such limited bounds to the highest heaven. Every person of understanding who hath beheld His commentary on the Surih of the Cow, His treatises, and His answers to the questions of the learned, hath attained certitude regarding what hath been mentioned. Matters which the divines have discussed at length in numerous debates have been set forth more perfectly and concisely in His wondrous words, such that all the learned have acknowledged that this is indeed from God, the Almighty.

As to His alteration of certain words in some passages and His departure from the rules observed by the people of limitations, this is so that men might be assured that the One Who occupies this station hath not acquired His verses and knowledge through study, but rather His breast hath been dilated with divine knowledge through the light of God. They will then recognize that His alterations are of a wondrous nature and His departure from rules conforms to a divine pattern. Indeed, numerous examples of such expressions have been revealed in the Book of God. For instance, where a feminine word should appear, the Lord of the worlds hath revealed a masculine pronoun, as in His words “and a Word from Him, whose name is the Messiah.” And in describing a feminine attribute He hath revealed “one of the greatest,” as in His exalted words “Verily it is one of the greatest warnings to mankind.” And He hath given permission to whomsoever wisheth to follow either the divine rules or to hold back, meaning to follow the rules of the people, for verily they were an ignorant folk.

Similarly, He hath revealed contrary to the rules of all the learned this phrase: “These two are certainly sorcerers.” This is so that all might know with certainty that the creation of words is dependent upon divine decree, not upon the conventions of those who are not people of the Bayan. Indeed, just as the worlds have progressed, so too have words and their inflections progressed. How near is the day when the verses of God shall be recited without regard for the rules and inflections customary among the people. O Lord, hasten by Thy grace the deliverance of the family of God. Verily, Thou art the Lord of ancient bounty.

And after thou hast become aware of these subtle and celestial allusions, know that today among the Twelver sect discord hath reached its height. Some are known as Usulis and consider truth to be with themselves after acting upon conjecture, which is agreed upon among them. And others are known as Akhbaris and who recognize no authority but radiant reason, and those who are known by the name of the late Shaykh Ahmad ibn Zayn al-Din (may God sanctify his resting place) and who claim for themselves pure and absolute truth—yet they have not grasped even the outer shell of the words of that great monotheist. And some are known as Sufis and claim to possess the inner meaning of the Law, while they are veiled and distant from both the inner and outer meanings. Rather, they have chosen the path of pure darkness and polytheism, though they perceive it not.

And there is no doubt that within each of these four schools there are endless differences, to such an extent that some declare others to be unbelievers. Although besides these four well-known sects, there are others who have made themselves leaders and founders of schools, such as the followers of Mulla Sadra and their like. Each regards itself as absolute truth and all others as absolute falsehood. How well spoke the Arab poet:

“Each claims connection with Layla, but Layla acknowledges them not. When tears flow down cheeks, it becomes clear who truly weeps and who feigns weeping.”

There is no doubt that among all these differences, the pure truth has been with the Twelver sect alone, although those of other sects, when they have acted for the love of God and exerted their utmost effort, have been rewarded. When matters reached this point, through the grace of the Hidden Imam (may God hasten his appearance), He chose one of His servants from among the common people and nobles to preserve the Faith, and bestowed upon him the knowledge of divine unity and true wisdom, which is the greatest of all good things. And since in every age people have prided themselves on their greatest signs, the one who is sent must appear among the people with the greatest of those signs, so that people of understanding may not hesitate to acknowledge him.

There is no doubt that in this age, the glory of the scholars has been in their knowledge of Qur’anic verses and traditions, and the glory of the mystics in their understanding of the subtleties of the Supreme Assembly. Therefore, it is necessary that the chosen servant appear among the people with the greatest of these signs—which is knowledge of the innermost mysteries and eloquence both outward and inward—so that the proof may be complete for all scholars and mystics. Any person of subtle perception who examines the verses and words will find the matter clearer than the sun at its zenith, and any discerning scholar who observes the eloquence of the verses will see the truth with the eye of certainty.

Today, after the rising of the manifest moon from the East, which was foretold in the tradition of the Prince of Believers (peace be upon him), it is incumbent upon all to obey and love him and follow his ordinances. This is the pure religion of the One God. Whoever wishes to acknowledge it does so for their own sake, and whoever wishes to deny it does so to their own detriment. God’s proof is complete for all the world. O people! Whosoever knoweth Me knoweth God and His Messenger and His chosen ones, and whosoever knoweth Me not knoweth not God and His Messenger and His chosen ones, and this sufficeth as glory unto Me, and God sufficeth as a witness.

Know thou that this revelation of verses and supplications and divine knowledge is from a dream wherein was beheld the holy head of the Prince of Martyrs, peace be upon Him, severed from His pure body, along with the heads of His kindred, and seven draughts of blood were drunk from the blood of that martyred one with utmost love. And it is through the blessing of His blood that my breast was expanded to reveal such firm verses and decisive supplications. Praise be to God Who caused me to drink the blood of His Proof and made it the reality of my heart, and for this have I consented to affliction. Verily we are God’s and to Him do we return, and for the like of this let all strivers strive.

Chapter Three

Part 1: “Concerning the Knowledge of God and the Knowledge…”

Concerning the Knowledge of God and the Knowledge of His Chosen Ones as God, the Mighty, the Glorious, Hath Commanded

Know thou that the foundation of religion is the knowledge of God, and the perfection of knowledge is unity, and the perfection of unity is the negation of attributes and names from His holy Essence, and the perfection of negation is entrance into the depth of oneness, through certain knowledge and witnessing the manifestation of His bounty. The reality of these stations is the sign of God alone, through which knowledge and certitude of the existence of the Lord of Glory is attained.

And know thou that the Ancient Being’s outer reality is His very inner reality, and His essence is His very being. He hath ever been, and no thing had existence, and now too He is as He was in eternity, and no thing hath existence at His level. Whatsoever can be termed a thing, apart from the Essence of God, is His creation. His Essence is known to none, for knowledge requireth existence and association, and all else hath no existence at His level, much less requiring association. None hath known God save His holy Essence, and none hath unified God save His holy Essence.

Whosoever claimeth to know Him is an infidel, by the testimony of his own self which is contingent and temporal. And whosoever claimeth to unify Him is a polytheist, by the testimony of his own self, for association with Him is impossible, and it is impossible to attribute names and descriptions to His Essence. No one hath any way or means to know Him. His proof from all eternity hath been His Essence, and it is impossible for anything contingent to become His proof. Whosoever manifesteth the unity of His appearance through His Essence for His Essence hath plunged into the ultimate bounty of contingency. And whosoever taketh contingent beings as proof of knowledge of Him remaineth veiled from the bounty of the ultimate creation by Himself through Himself. The manifestation of divinity is too well-known and evident and exalted and honored to be known through His creation. Nay, all besides God are known through His existence. Those who claim the unity of existence are polytheists, by the testimony of existence itself, for the unity they affirm is contingent upon the existence of two, else from what station would come the negation of two and affirmation of unity? Likewise those who consider the Essence of Truth to be the cause of contingent existence.

Those who believe in causation are infidels. For causation is contingent upon the connection between cause and effect, and connection is contingent upon the existence of duality. Both stations are utterly false. Rather, the True Reality is the Essence of Truth. Creation is contingent, and nothing beyond contingent creation is conceivable. Truth has ever been Truth, and no thing is known. Creation will ever be creation, and connection with the Essence is impossible.

And since God, the Ancient One, created creation for the recognition of His power manifested within them, and made reward and punishment the cause of this same matter, He created the Will ex nihilo through His own causation—a Will without qualification or explanation. And after that He created all things through its causation. And it is impossible for anything to be created upon which the word “thing” may be applied except through seven stages of contingency, less than which is impossible for any contingent thing. These seven stages are Will, Purpose, Destiny, Decree, Permission, Term, and Book. And whoever believes that God created a thing without the causation of these seven stages is, by the explicit text of tradition, an infidel.

The first mention of a thing without relation to thingness is the existence of Will. At the time of relating existence to thingness it is Purpose. At the time of mentioning meanings it is Destiny. The manifestation of these three ranks is Decree. And at this station it is obligatory upon all contingent things to acknowledge the origination of God, glory be to Him, the Most High. For there is no origination after Decree. And the ruling of Permission, Term and Book is established after confirmation, nay rather, the reality of origination. And the mystery of invention is the existence of these seven in the world of the unseen and the visible, which is the manifestation of fourteen holy souls. Glory be to God above what they associate with Him.

Know, O questioner, that the philosophers have mentioned in their books proofs for the existence of the Creator, and the mystics for His unity. All are rejected by the testimony of their own proofs which are contingent. It is impossible for proof to be contingent essence. Rather, whenever anyone gazes upon the Point of Reality and removes the veils and allusions, he becomes immediately certain that mentioning proof of the One, and establishing unity through other than God’s attributes, is among the greatest of sins and the most grievous of abominations. Rather, there is no proof with me for His existence and unity other than Him. None has known His Essence except His Essence, and all description by created things returns to their own selves.

How greatly have the expositors of certain truth presumed in mentioning affirmative and negative attributes, while remaining veiled from the words of the Prince of Believers, peace be upon him, negating attributes. Not even a letter’s worth of reality in mentioning this matter have they expressed or understood. If they affirm unity, whence comes mention of eight? And if they do not affirm it, they remain veiled from unity. Rather, in truth His holy Essence has no attribute other than His Essence. And the attributes which the Holy Household, peace be upon them, have explained are, by the explicit word of His Holiness Rida, peace be upon him, for sweeping away delusions. God has ever been Knowing while nothing was known with Him. His Knowledge is His Essence. And whoever has sought to know His Knowledge and its modality, he is an infidel. For His knowledge is not attainable by anyone. He hath ever been the All-Powerful, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

And there was no object of power, nor anything heard, nor anything mentioned with Him. He knoweth all things before their existence, even as was explained in the first sermon of the Book as a drop from the ocean of truth. The mention of negation is a branch of affirmation. God is sanctified from all else besides Him. All attributes are but mention of the existence of His Will. All names are but the name of His Purpose. He is sanctified from all else besides Himself through His own Essence. I seek forgiveness from Him for mentioning aught else besides Him before the court of His nearness. Glory be to God above what they attribute unto Him.

And after thou hast witnessed that there is no way unto the knowledge of God, the Most Merciful—neither through attributes, nor through explanation, nor through names, nor through recognition, nor through inability, nor through the reality of contingent existence—for all else besides Him were pure nothingness before existence, and now too there is none with Him and in His station all are pure nothingness. And after the existence of contingent beings, He hath described His own Self in the realm of possibility through possibility. And it is incumbent upon all the world to worship His sacred Essence, alone, alone, there is no God but He, with such attributes as He hath revealed in the Qur’an. Exalted be God far above what the wrongdoers say with great exaltation! Know thou that the foundation of knowledge in the affairs of causality hath seven stages, which all are bound to acknowledge, and knowledge is not complete without them, and the first is not acceptable without the last. And this, in truth, is according to the detailed explanation which His Holiness Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon them both, emphasized and commanded to Jabir. And the original hadith in Arabic is as follows:

“As related in the Book of Anis al-Samra, Ahmad ibn Abdullah related to me, saying Sulayman ibn Ahmad related to me, saying Ja’far ibn Muhammad related to me, saying Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Mawsili related to me, saying my father informed me from Khalid from al-Qasim from Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju’fi from Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon them both, in a long tradition. Then he recited His word, exalted be He: ʿThis Day We will forget them as they forgot the meeting of this their Day, and as they were wont to deny Our signs.’ By God these are Our signs and this is one of them, and by God it is our authority. O Jabir… until he said: O Jabir, dost thou know what knowledge is? Knowledge is first the affirmation of Divine Unity, then knowledge of the Meanings second, then knowledge of the Gates third, then knowledge of the Imam fourth, then knowledge of the Pillars fifth, then knowledge of the Chiefs sixth, then knowledge of the Nobles seventh.

“And this is His word, mighty and glorious: Say: If the sea were ink for the Words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the Words of my Lord were exhausted, though We brought the like thereof to help.’ And he also recited: And if all the trees on earth were pens and the sea (were ink), with seven more seas to help it, yet would not the Words of God be exhausted: for God is Exalted in Power, full of Wisdom.’

“O Jabir, the affirmation of Divine Unity and knowledge of the Meanings—as for the affirmation of Divine Unity, it is knowledge of God, the Ancient, the Hidden, Whom sight comprehendeth not while He comprehendeth all sight, and He is the Subtle, the All-Aware, and He is the unseen, the hidden, as We shall mention it as He hath described Himself. And as for the Meanings, We are His meanings and His manifestation among you. He hath chosen us from the light of His Essence and entrusted unto us the affairs of His servants. We act by His leave as We will, and when We will, God willeth, and when We purpose, God purposeth. We have made God, exalted be His glory, the source of this station. He has chosen us from among His servants and made us His proof in His lands. Whosoever denies anything that proceeds from us has denied God, glorified be His name, and disbelieved in His signs, His Prophets, and His Messengers.”

Were I to expound but a single letter of this tradition with what God has ordained, all the oceans of the contingent world would vanish before a single letter could be explained. Since this book was written for the conviction of those endowed with understanding, that they might ascend from the realm of limitations to the revelations of the heaven of glory, and since no proof save that of wisdom—which leads to certitude—was intended to be mentioned, divine words are set forth for the conviction of all, that all might become worthy of attaining the presence of the Beloved.

Know thou that there are seven degrees of knowledge [ma’rifat]. The first is the knowledge of God, to which reference has been made, and verses have been revealed for the knowers in the first sermon and second gate, that all might acquire knowledge through separation from the point of union to distinction. The four stations of unity return to the essence of unity itself. Whoso truly understands unity has acted according to its stations. Most people have become polytheists in the station of the unity of worship and unbelievers in the station of the unity of deeds, though they perceive it not.

Know thou that the One Essence, alone, without partner, is worthy of worship and none other. Whosoever worships His Essence without attention to aught else in His creation, and without desire for any recompense save Him, has truly worshipped God in the manner possible within the realm of contingency. One must be certain that the Essence in its essence was and is beyond description, recognition, or worship. The worship of none is worthy of His sanctified presence. This station is the ultimate divine gift to the servant, for when one attains it, all are beheld beneath the shadow of His grace. Should anyone turn in worship to any name, attribute, or any of the family of God, peace be upon them, he has become an unbeliever and has not worshipped God.

Should anyone worship Him or call upon Him in hope of paradise or fear of hell-fire, he has indeed been veiled from true worship of God and is unworthy of His Essence. Rather, the way of worship is to worship Him according to how He has described Himself, without mention of aught else. Even had He decreed the firm verdict of hell-fire for the worshippers, it would be true, and the worshipper should worship Him for His Essence’s worth and be content with the fire. However, the decree is contrary to this, and paradise is the first gift from the Worshipped One to the sincere believer. Glorified be God above what they associate with Him.

In the station of the unity of deeds, it is incumbent upon the believer in God to acknowledge no creator but Him and to transcend the decree of compulsion and delegation in all things, which is pure unbelief. Rather, for everything to which the word “thing” can be applied, God alone is its Creator, through the causality of seven characteristics by the thing’s own choice. In the perspective of Truth, it is neither predestination nor delegation. Rather, the Command of God transcends these two matters. And this Command is vaster than what lies between the heaven of Will and the earth of inanimate matter, which is the ultimate degree of receptivity. The secret of the Command is that God knows the volition of all things, and through the path of volition creates all things, and rewards them according to their volition.

Were He to create anything contrary to its own degree of receptivity, He would have wronged it. However, He has created all through His love and the love of His chosen ones, and thereafter caused His decree to flow through their sanction, that all may receive their portion. In four stations has He created all things through His Will and taken a covenant, that none may have argument against Him. In the first realm, He took from all the covenant of His Divinity. In the second realm, He took from all the covenant of the Prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon Him and His family. In the third, He established firmly the covenant of the guardianship of the Family of God. And in the fourth, He took the covenant of love for the people of guardianship.

He created all with volition, and volition with the self, and none can possess any deed save through their own volition. It is incumbent upon all to acknowledge the unity of His Essence, Attributes, and Acts, and to worship as befits the One God. Creation has no way to know His unity, neither through affirmation nor through inability. Rather, it is incumbent upon all to witness the four signs in the Being whom God has associated with His Self. The most perfect words regarding the unity of acts is “There is no power nor strength save in God,” revealed from the treasuries of the unseen.

As for what has spread on the tongues of some opponents—that the late Shaykh Ahmad, may God’s mercy be upon him, and his successor in knowledge, in their worship turn to the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and consider him the Creator—this is pure falsehood and calumny. One who believes this is an infidel and polytheist by consensus. Rather, that great one and his successor in knowledge hold the same belief as was explained regarding unity. They consider him and his pure Family, God’s peace be upon them, as the loci of knowledge, the origin of Will, standing in the place of the Divine Identity, and the ultimate station of Divine Absoluteness. And they consider the Family of God, peace be upon them, in these stations that were mentioned, as honored servants who will not act before He acts, rather their will in every station is the Will of God itself, and their volition in every station is God’s volition itself.

Indeed, God’s volition is their very volition. To say that volition is an attribute of the Essence is pure infidelity. Rather, volition is determination upon Will, which is the first creation. Whoever considers anyone other than God to be the creator of things is an infidel, whether they believe this independently or dependently. I seek God’s forgiveness for what I have expressed regarding the stations of unity, for none save the Holy Essence is capable of knowing the science and reality of unity. He and His knowledge suffice for the servants’ acknowledgment of His unity. He is the Most Great, the Most High.

The second [degree of knowledge] is the knowledge of meanings—and for this station God, the One, the Single, has ordained infinite stations. Indeed, He has created a meaning for every name. And the foundation of certitude is in meanings and submission to all its stations. It is the recognition of Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, that he is the first creation and noblest being, whom God the All-Knowing has created. He established him to stand in His own station in giving, decreeing, originating and executing. And in the realm of God’s knowledge there is none like him, nor can there be any semblance of him in innovation and creation. Rather, all that power, like the existence of the First Mention which is the Will, is connected to and is precisely the support of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family. And his likeness is impossible in the forms of the highest heaven, nay even in the forms of the lowest depths—all return to the Primal Point and are impossible. And God the All-Knowing has been and is in every condition powerful over and knowledgeable of all things.

And for the knowledge of His Holiness, may my spirit be sacrificed for him, there are seven fundamental stations, which are the reality of the seven characteristics revealed in the tablets of the Book of Truth.

The first station is that of the Primal Point. And in this station its beginning is identical to its end, and its outward is identical to its manifest aspect, as it has ever been by God’s command, and no beginning or end is mentioned for it. It is pure essence and the sign of oneness that indicates itself by itself for God, the One, the Single, besides Whom there is no God. And in this station no one has any share in the knowledge of that Eternal Sun. Rather, limits, allusions, names and attributes are cut off from His holy precincts and are prevented by His sublime majesty. And in this station of contingent existence He is without likeness or semblance. And the People of the House of Infallibility, God’s peace be upon them, have no mention in this station before that Most Great Lord. All are pure servants and signs of servitude for the manifestation of that noble one’s majesty. None has known Him in this station save God the All-Knowing. Indeed, in contingent existence nothing but this explanation is possible. And this is the most exalted aspect of the Will and its hiddenness. None knows it save God Who created it. And glorified be God, its Originator, above what they associate with Him.

The second station is that of the Point of Contingency. And His Holiness in this station is the First Mention and the Wondrous Adam, which is the station of the determination of the First Point. And in this station he is mentioned by his self, essence, hand, face, eye, hearing, sight and all active names in their state of attribution to God. And the People of the House of Infallibility, God’s peace be upon them, are mentioned in this station in the manner of contingent mention before His presence. And none besides has any share in the knowledge of this station, and in this station none has known His Holiness save God alone. And glorified be God above what they describe.

Part 2: “The third station is that of the Point…”

The third station is that of the Point of Separation—and in this station His Holiness is the gate of bounty for the Family of God, God’s peace be upon them. And upon the people of infallibility, God’s peace be upon them, as befits their station. And none else has any share in the recognition of this rank and the expression of this divine remembrance. And may God’s blessings be upon Him as befits Him. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

The fourth station is that of the Point of Connection—and in this station that Exalted One is the Pole of the realm of the heart and the Mystery of the world of creation, whom God has sent forth unto all. For His Holiness in this station, knowledge of the beginning is obligatory and belief in the end is unbelief. The Family of God, God’s peace be upon them, in this rank are His Family, illumined by that Light and branches of that blessed Tree. And none else, even the Prophets, have in this station any mention or share of recognition. Glory be to God above what they describe.

The fifth station is that of the Point of Reality—and in this station all prophets and successors are created from the light of that Most Great Luminary. And in this station He alone is the First to respond in the world of pre-existence, none other. And all are mentioned through His mention, may my spirit be sacrificed for Him. And He is independent of all save Himself through God the Glorified, and He is the Most High, the Most Great.

The sixth station is that of the Original Point—and in this station all lights circle round His Holiness. And the believers among humankind and the angels are manifestations of His grace. This is the station of multiplicity and mention of the most glorious rank, which is the sixth degree of action. And the tradition “I was a Prophet while Adam was between water and clay” refers to this station, wherein believers among humankind recognize His Prophethood and receive their portion through acknowledging the majesty of that Unique One. Glory be to God, His Creator, above what they describe.

The seventh station is that of the Point of Being—wherein it is obligatory upon all things, even unto the atoms in minerals, to acknowledge His Prophethood from the day of His mission, which was after forty years, when He arose by God’s command. The descent of Gabriel, peace be upon him, the decree of revelation, scripture, command of reward and prohibition of punishment pertain to this rank, wherein contingent beings have reached from beginning to ultimate remoteness. The obligation of holy war pertains to this rank, wherein those who do not believe in Him appear. Recognition of these seven stations through the signs deposited therein is obligatory upon everyone. The first is not accepted except through the last, that one may be certain of the day of His mission after the passing of forty years.

His Holiness in this station is the poorest of all beings and human like other men. The requirements of the stations of this rank are too mighty to mention and too great to write. This much suffices for complete certitude in the station of belief; nay, it is obligatory upon all souls to believe in His Holiness as He is through God’s grace, even if they cannot comprehend it. Rather, they should witness His grace as the grace of the Lord of Glory upon all beings. Glory be to God above what they describe.

The third [degree of knowledge] is recognition of the Gates—and in this station it is obligatory to acknowledge the Successorship of the Prince of the Believers, peace be upon him. In this realm there exists naught without interval save His holy Self. And all the aforementioned degrees in the knowledge of meanings are obligatory in this station, with their conditions and pillars. And this means that in all these stations thou must know the holy Being Who bears absolute Sovereignty to be the servant of the Messenger of God, peace be upon Him and His family. Indeed, the absolute sovereignty of that Most Great Lord is His very Successorship to Muhammad, peace be upon Him and His family. And none hath comprehended the essence of the knowledge of His Holiness save the One God and the Most Great Lord, the Messenger of God, peace be upon Him and His family.

And He is the absolute Gate of God, through whose permission alone can any word of creation come into being, and no letter can ascend unto God except by His decree. And the knowledge of His Holiness is identical to the knowledge of the Messenger of God, peace be upon Him and His family. Indeed, the word of unity and the testimony to prophethood are themselves acknowledgment of His Holiness’ sovereignty. By the decree that none knoweth the Essence save Him, and that the Kingdom endureth in the Kingdom, and none can unify Him save Him, and that the knowledge of God was identical to His knowledge, eternally without mention of aught or description of decree.

And this is the pure religion of God: that the servant should believe that His Holiness is a created and sustained servant, and hath no life except by God’s leave. And whosoever believeth aught regarding His Holiness save absolute servitude is undoubtedly an infidel. And all the words of His Holiness concerning divine knowledge and His own station return to this point of justice. And His Holiness, may my spirit be sacrificed for Him, hath been the Shirt of Light, and the House of Manifestation, and the Sign of the Worshipped One, and the Public Declaration of Ahmad, peace be upon Him and His family. Indeed He was He after there was no he in Him, nor He other than they.

Glorified then be God, His Creator, above what they describe. This much the servant of my Lord must believe with certainty regarding His Holiness. Thereafter, any description other than the Ahmadic station that one attributes to His Holiness is fitting and true. Indeed, all existence in the presence of His Holiness, whether in life or in death, is pure nothingness, and if mentioned is like a ring in His hand. And He is above the praise of those who speak and the comprehension of those who perceive. And He is the one who was patient in God’s religion and bore all that came from God’s enemies until He attained the station of martyrdom at the hand of an infidel. We are God’s and unto Him do we return. And may God’s blessings be upon Him as befitteth Him, verily He is the Most High, the Great.

The fourth [degree of knowledge] is the knowledge of the Imamate. And in this station it is incumbent upon all beings to know the twelve holy Souls who were the representatives of absolute sovereignty. And the stations mentioned in the knowledge of meanings are, as they are, obligatory in this rank. And their holy names, which are the mirrors of explanation, are these: Al-Hasan ibn Ali, Al-Husayn ibn Ali, Ali ibn Al-Husayn, Muhammad ibn Ali, Ja’far ibn Muhammad, Musa ibn Ja’far, Ali ibn Musa, Muhammad ibn Ali, Ali ibn Muhammad, Al-Hasan ibn Ali, and the Proof, the Qa’im, Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan, the Lord of the Age.

And upon Fatima the Most Truthful be the blessings of God upon them all. These suns of grandeur and stars of might have, in every aspect, stood in the place of the Messenger of God, may God’s blessings be upon Him and His family—whether in performance, in judgment, in confirmation, or in origination. Their will in every station is identical to the will of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. Indeed, the verse “they will not except as God wills” is true regarding them, through the love of God and His good-pleasure. How can the pen move to describe their attributes, when it itself bears witness to its utter inadequacy in their station? It is incumbent upon the believer in the Family of God, peace be upon them, to regard the relationship of the phrase “there is no god but God” as one in relation to all created things.

And regarding their own stations, the precedence of some over others is mentioned in the traditions, such as the excellence of Hassan over Hussein, peace be upon them both, and the excellence of the Imam of the Age, the Lord of the Era, peace be upon him, over the other Imams, blessings of God be upon them, and the excellence of the Eight Letters over the Holy Leaf from the Primal Tree, who was Fatima, blessings of God be upon her. These ranks are due to their proximity to the Act of God, and none can reckon them save the Lord of the worlds. Belief in their return is a pillar of faith in them, and today the existence of all things is by the will of the Remnant of God, the Imam of the Age, peace be upon him.

Belief in his occultation is like belief in the return, and among the greatest signs of the return is the appearance of the Commander of the Faithful’s form upon the orb of the sun—though it exists now, but is veiled from the eyes of creation. And on the day of the approaching manifestation, by the blessing of that True Sun, the cover shall be removed from all eyes, God willing. The detailed ranks of this station are infinite unto infinity, and it is for the Lord to expound and inspire, and for the servants to submit and be assured. These clear indications suffice for the believer in the Family of God, peace be upon them, and they are an excellent helper for the servant of infallibility. Trust in them suffices as a guardian for myself and for the souls of the believers.

The fifth [degree of knowledge] is knowledge of the Pillars, like the stations mentioned in the rank of inner meanings, and the degrees that pertain to this station. In this rank, certainty in the existence of all Prophets, Successors, verses and their books is incumbent upon the believer, that he may be assured that the realities of the hearts of the Prophets and Successors were created from the light of the noble form of Fatima, peace be upon her, and they guide to God through her and her light. The pillars of this chain in prophethood are the four Prophets endowed with constancy, who are Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them. The rank of Imamate that exists in their realities is utter nothingness before the Imamate of the Family of God, peace be upon them.

In every age the existence of pillars is necessary, just as from the mission of the Messenger of God and His family until the days of the return, four prophets were the pillars for receiving grace, and they are Jesus, Khidr, Elias and Enoch, peace be upon them. All receive grace from the Imam of the Age, peace be upon him, and acknowledgment of them is from the foundation of religion. The ranks of acknowledgment of this station exceed mention and expression. And God encompasses all. Nay, this is a glorious Qur’an inscribed on a preserved tablet.

The sixth [degree of knowledge] is the knowledge of the Nuqaba (Chiefs). Know thou that the Path of God extends through this station. They are nearest to the Imam through the Pillars, from among all created things. No fixed number is prescribed for them. Without their existence, grace reaches no one. Their minimum number is one, and their maximum thirty. Nay, should God will it, even more than that is possible. Even now there are those who attain the presence of the Imam of the Age, peace be upon him, as mentioned in the tradition:

“How excellent is the pure abode. With thirty there is no loneliness.”

They are never veiled from the presence of the Imam of the Age—may God hasten his days—for less than the twinkling of an eye. They behold none save him, and knowledge of them through the seven aforementioned stations is obligatory. However, these seven stations are interwoven in their rank, as they are interwoven in the final rank of the Pillars, just as in the Pillars up to the station of Ahmad—peace be upon him and his family—the matter remains concealed.

The nobility of man lies in knowledge of this station, and his nearness to God the All-Knowing stems from nearness to the Source. For it is possible in the mystery of this rank that one might surpass another without knowledge or deeds, but rather through the nobility of precedence in existence and nearness to the Worshipped One. The obstacles of this rank are beyond counting or mention.

The greatest sign of knowledge of the Nuqaba is knowledge and deeds concerning the Family of God—peace be upon them. They dwell among the people and associate with them, yet none knows them except some of the Nujaba who recognize some of them. Even their own families and children know them not. When one of them passes away, God the All-Knowing casts into the heart of one who is worthy to become his successor and attain the presence of that Most Great Luminary—may my soul be sacrificed for him. By God’s leave, they are the bearers of grace in creation and legislation. The training of the Nujaba is entrusted to them. They have power over wondrous signs and remarkable marvels, yet they manifest none without the Imam’s permission, peace be upon him.

They manage the earth and all upon it by the Imam’s leave, peace be upon him. Their vision of the Proof, peace be upon him, is a vision of the heart, which is identical to physical vision with these same eyes. Wherever they may be on earth, they are present in the pure and blessed land. Should anyone acknowledge the five stations of knowledge but deny this station or any soul among them, all his knowledge would be as scattered dust, for the thread of knowledge has been ordained in this pattern. No deed of any doer shall be accepted save through knowledge of this station, as it is and as befits its people. It is obligatory upon all servants to act with mercy and love toward all, lest they deviate from the path of servitude in dealing with the people of the letter Lam.

Knowledge of the name and person of each is not incumbent upon all save for one person, as none knows them. Yes, it is possible that if one asks the Imam, peace be upon him, for their names, and he reveals them either in sleep or through true possible circumstances whereby the servant becomes certain of their authenticity, and whoever gains knowledge receives a portion.

The seventh [degree of knowledge] is the knowledge of the Nujaba—and the perils of this station are neither comprehended nor mentioned. The Nujaba are servants who, after the Nuqaba, have received divine grace in the chain of existence—and from them it flows to all creation. Their number is not specified in the words of the Household of the Prophet, peace be upon them. Some of the people of the Bayan have recorded their number as forty, but the truth is that there is no specific number. They are, during the occultation of the Imam, peace be upon him, scholars who convey divine ordinances to the people. No share of meeting the Eternal Sun has been written for them, except as God may will. However, in dreams they attain the presence of His Holiness the Imam, peace be upon him, and receive divine ordinances. No one knows these noble ones by name or lineage. Rather, all people are gathered with them, and they convey divine grace to all through the Nuqaba, in both creation and legislation.

The sign of knowledge of them is that they are related to a word, the lightest of which is not uttered in contingent existence. Indeed, the number of the letter “Ha,” which is the mystery of letters and the station of unity, is the number of that good word, which is the very manifestation of “Ha” in the station of letters.

Today these near ones of the Most Exalted Horizon are veiled from people’s sight. Indeed, some of them have been rejected and reviled by certain human devils, who know not what they do. Most men and women of the Twelver sect will enter hellfire due to their lack of recognition of this station. If a soul accepts with certainty all six ranks but denies the decisive point in this station among the seven mentioned stations regarding the knowledge of one of the Nujaba, all their deeds become void and scattered dust.

Indeed, the knowledge of God in the station of manifestation is not complete except through the knowledge of these seven. As soon as a servant becomes certain of these stations and receives their duties from one who is divinely supported, they need have no fear, for they will assuredly be forgiven, God willing.

It is incumbent upon all to act with love toward all people, lest they enter into rejection of one of these near ones. For rejection of one of them is rejection of all, and recognition of one of them is recognition of all.

They are the men who preserve the traditions of the Imam, peace be upon him. Rejection of them is rejection of the Lord of the worlds, and obedience to them is obedience to Him.

In the station of brotherhood, it is incumbent upon all that whatever they desire for their believing self, they should desire for their brother who is with them in the fourth particle. There is no brotherhood between one who denies the fourth particle. Rather, it is incumbent upon the believer to use their forbearance to make the denier believe in this firm principle, which is part of the fundamentals of religion.

The conduct of servitude and the journey toward God has been mentioned in detail in the scroll of the Two Sanctuaries. It behooves all who seek advancement to act upon it. And the brief point of conduct for all is that they move in every condition for God’s sake.

The recognition of this matter is exceedingly difficult and momentous. How often does a person act, in his own belief, for God’s sake, yet is in fact an unbeliever, moving in reality out of enmity towards God. Such are the deeds of the Sunni group, who act, in their own belief, for God’s sake, yet are unbelievers, and God is innocent of their deeds.

Indeed, in reality their orientation is not towards God, but towards idols and false deities. As the Qur’an states that they say: “By God, we desired only good,” yet God revealed their denial in the Qur’an.

And like them are those who deny and revile Shaykh Munfarid in the station of unity (may God’s mercy be upon him), and his successor and those who love him. Though they act, in their own belief, for God’s sake, Satan has made truth appear as falsehood in their eyes.

And according to the explicit tradition, a Nasibi is one who denies our Shi’ihs. And there is no doubt among the possessors of wisdom that that unique one is like unto a pure Shi’ih.

And the judgment of those who deny the Shi’ihs of the family of God will be made manifest in the Return, God willing. And today their judgment in association is like unto the judgment of pardoned blood. And God is sufficient and witness to all, and He is the Most High, the Most Great.

Chapter Four: On the Explanation of the Return unto God, Mighty and Glorious

I counsel all in this book to fear the justice of God, and not to take lightly the denial of those drawn nigh to the Supreme Concourse. And according to the command of the Qur’an: “O ye who believe! Fear God and speak a straightforward word,” guard your tongue, for the life of this world compared to the life of the hereafter is as nothing. And on the Day of Resurrection, by the one true God Who hath no partner, the severest punishment and greatest chastisement shall be for those who cast satanic words at the people of the knowledge of the family of God, peace be upon them. Nay, in this world, were they to witness God’s judgment, they would burn in the fire of justice at the moment of denial and rejection. As the all-knowing God hath indicated: “Did ye but know with certainty of knowledge, ye would behold hell-fire. Again, ye will behold it with certainty of sight. Then shall ye be questioned that Day about the delights.” And these are they who are in delight in this world and the next, and these are they who are truly heedless.

O concourse of religious leaders and scholars of certainty! Fear the judgment of this noble verse in every condition: “And verily hell shall encompass the unbelievers.” And God the All-Knowing is in every condition All-Knowing and Witness, and He is the Absolute Independent One. And I seek forgiveness from Him as I deserve, and He is the Kind, the Merciful. And know, O questioner, that the foundation of religion is the recognition of the seven matters commanded in the tradition, and the laws of the Return and the hereafter are also recorded under its shadow. Indeed, these seven ranks of recognition are the judgment of the seven holy paradises. And the laws of the Return are in the next world, and the obligations of that world are like unto the obligations of this world, letter by letter, and certainty in the Return and the gathering of spirits and bodies, and the stations which God the All-Knowing hath ordained after death.

Recognition of God is part of certitude. And whosoever denies any aspect of the sacred law which is binding in this world, or any word concerning the stations of the next world which pertain to existence after death, is as one who has denied the unity of God. Affirmation of all aspects of this world, from the ascension and its prescribed stations to the laws that lie beyond it, is in all stations obligatory like belief in divine unity. Belief in His ascension in His physical body, with His garments and sandals, is obligatory and certain. And belief in the tradition and intention regarding Humayra is likewise obligatory in this station—that at the hour of ascension the Prophet was in His house. Indeed, at that very hour He ascended bodily to the kingdom of the heavens and earths, while simultaneously remaining physically in His place.

The explanation of this matter and mention of the resurrection and the doubts of philosophers and sages has been made in the Sahifiy-i-Sharh Du’a-i-Ghayb [Sahifiy-i-Ja’fariyyih]. It suffices that man look to the power and action of God. He will then affirm these matters with absolute certitude, even if he cannot fully comprehend them.

One who claims spirits return without bodies shows lack of knowledge of the Most Holy Essence of the Lord of Might. That which has become widespread among people—that the late Shaykh Ahmad, may God sanctify his dust, did not believe in bodily return—is pure falsehood. The source of this doubt is from religious students who did not understand the words of that pole of the realm of hearts. Rather, that one established upon the throne of unity in the paradise of rafraf before God is innocent of believing such a thing. Indeed he affirms the return of all things, through a knowledge that encompasses the Book of God—the heart in its station, the mind in its station, the soul in its station, and the body with the three in its station. Whoever deviates from this is among the polytheists.

Know that certainty in the existence of paradise and hell is also obligatory. In both are creatures, as God wills, who entered their stations after resurrection and gathering, before the existence of this wondrous cycle. The origin of paradise and its blessings was created from the light of the Prince of Martyrs. One who knows the truth of His station sees himself in paradise and partakes of its blessings, even while in this world. Do not imagine this refers to something internal and imaginary. No, by God! Rather in truth, were the veil lifted from your eyes, you would witness the stations of paradise just as you witness the created things of this world, just as Musa ibn Ja’far (peace be upon them both) showed to Harun’s servant girl.

By the God in whose hand is my soul—due to the perfection of my certainty in God’s existence, were all veils to be lifted, my certainty would not increase. I see with the knowledge of certainty, in this land of unity where I sit, all the blessings of paradise and its stations, like one established upon raised couches in paradise. If you wish to witness and drink from the Kawthar in this limited world, visit Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon them both). For by God, at the time of visitation and belief in this matter, you will have drunk from the spring of God’s hand in the cup of God’s Messenger (peace be upon him and his family). So blessed are you, rather blessed are those who perceive.

The sincere ones can distinguish the stations of the people of Paradise by their words, and judge them in this world by their deeds. Yet God is witness that despite these manifest stations, time has not grieved me to such an extent that it can be mentioned. The divines of this age, in truth, can only confess their powerlessness, due to their inability to comprehend my words. Nevertheless, that which was decreed came to pass. The human devils who were incapable of producing a single tradition have dared to pronounce God’s judgment, and have committed acts unprecedented in creation.

Should an observer behold the reality with insight, he would see that the number of the inverse letters ʿyad’ bore all the letters of negation in the face. This, despite knowing that whoever leads a single soul astray is as though he has led all humanity astray and slain them. Sufficient is the testimony of God, the Almighty, against the perpetrators, and sufficient for their helper is the man who seized the verses of divine judgment. And the enmity of the Family of God, peace be upon them, shall face them on the Day of Resurrection. Soon shall the wrongdoers know what fate awaits them. Nay, should they turn to their own souls and witness the grandeur of God’s justice, they would surely read the Book with certitude. This very judgment is hotter for their hearts than the fire of hell, did ye but know. Were ye to know with the certainty of knowledge, ye would see the Hellfire. Then would ye see it with the eye of certainty. Then, on that Day, shall ye be questioned about the bounties. I know that whatever has passed in God’s knowledge shall come to pass, but the Day of Meeting is in God’s hands. And I say, by the decree of the Qur’an:

“Nothing will befall us save what God has prescribed for us. He is our Protector, and in God let the faithful put their trust.”

By the truth of the Most Great Lord, may my soul be sacrificed for Him, I long for death more intensely than a suckling babe for its mother’s breast. Verily, there is no power nor strength save in God, and to God do we belong and to Him shall we return. The wrongdoers shall soon know what fate awaits them, and think not that God is unaware of what the wrongdoers do.

Know, O questioner, that matters of belief concerning the Hereafter are beyond counting. It is incumbent upon those who believe in the eight Paradises to believe with certainty in the six Precincts and their people, and to believe in the seven Hells and their stations.

Know that the fruit of belief in these and their people is this: that in this world, one should conduct oneself with love and mercy toward the people of Paradise, and deal with the people of each rank according to their stations as ordained by the Lord of Might. Should one explain the mysteries of the knowledge of the people of Ridvan to the people of the Paradise of Peace, one would have strayed far from perfect faith and wronged them. Nay, it is incumbent upon the believer in God to explain the stations of the people of the eight Paradises as they are, according to what is befitting them.

There is no doubt that were the knowledge of the Paradise of Oneness to be bestowed upon the people of the seven Paradises, they would all become polytheists and be expelled from Paradise. And likewise are the ordinances of the people of the Paradises to the people of the Precincts. How mighty is the conduct of the pure servant in this world with all creation, for every soul deserves a particular kind of bounty for each thing. The example of the believer is the station of the All-Merciful, who bestows equally upon all from the throne of bounty. So, too, is the decree regarding the people of hell and its confines, and the stations which God, the All-Knowing, has ordained for the infidels. And whenever in this world the rejection and denial that is destined for those of the first station is given to those of the second, injustice has occurred. Nay, it is incumbent upon the believer in God to dissociate himself secretly, openly and in all ways from the people of hell and its confines. And if, God forbid, due to love of anything, one hesitates in rejecting them, he has instantly entered the fire, and the verse “verily hell encompasses the unbelievers” is true regarding him.

And none of the seven stations of mystic knowledge pointing to the knowledge of the hereafter are acceptable except through dissociation from the enemies of all these stations. And if anyone doubts the judgment of dissociation from any one of these enemies, he himself is an enemy, and the Cause of God is far greater and more exalted than can be indicated. And if anyone dissociates from the enemies of these seven stations but does not dissociate from the enemy of the station of the connecting point in the final rank, he is surely a polytheist.

And the matter is exceedingly difficult, while the Law is easy and tolerant. Nothing easier than the letter of the word “Gate” has been revealed in the Word of God regarding its tolerance. And this is evidence of the mystery of the Cause. Those possessed of understanding know that what is here can only be known through what is there.

And belief in the questioning of the grave and its pressure, and the world of Barzakh, and the Day of Resurrection, and the Balance, and the Bridge, and the Reckoning, and the conditions of the gathering place, in the manner transmitted in the words of the Immaculate Ones, peace be upon them, is obligatory. And elaboration of the stations causes the servant to be veiled.

The prayer mentioned in the fifth gate encompasses all stations of belief, such that after reciting it, the servant has acted according to the fundamental principles of his religion. And this prayer suffices all in the station of belief. And in every state be aware of God’s Bada’ and justice, which is the greatest of all stations of good.

And take all the indications made in these four gates regarding the fundamental principles of religion, and know them as the leaves of the Blessed Tree. And behave with your women in the most excellent way of love, for believing women are the leaves of the camphor tree in Paradise. And harm them not even with a glance, for to the extent of that glance you will be veiled from God’s decree.

And in every state be prepared for the meeting with God, for death is nearer to man than all things. And avert your gaze from the world and its ornaments, for all the pleasures of this world compared to one hour of the next world are pure torment. And be certain in all indications, and the extent of certainty is that you fear no one given God’s existence in His obedience and decree.

And these four gates suffice all in the station of belief. And God encompasses all from beyond, nay, it is a glorious Qur’an in a preserved tablet.

Chapter Five: Concerning the Prayer of Sincerity to God, Mighty and Glorious

In the Name of God, the Most High, the Most Great

Praise be to God Who brought forth the heavens and earth by His command. Then those who disbelieve in His signs shall be gathered unto God. O God! I bear witness unto Thee, as Thou dost bear witness unto Thyself before all things, that Thou art God, the One, the Self-Subsisting, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. No description of anything can grasp Thee, nor can any mention of anything define Thee. Thou hast ever been without the existence of anything, and wilt ever remain without reference to anything. And now Thou art as Thou hast been in the eternity of eternities. Nothing was with Thee, nor can anything be mentioned in Thy station.

Glorified, glorified art Thou! None can know Thee as befits Thy true essence, nor can any servant worship Thee as befits Thy reality. I testify before Thee in this my station that Thy Self points to absolute severance and prevention, and Thy Being bears witness to complete restraint and despair. Every description returns to the station of Thy creation, and every attribute points to the station of Thy invention. If I say “Thou art Thou,” I have but compared like with like, for Thou canst not be known through Oneness. And if I say “He is He,” I have but indicated Unity through Majesty, for Thou canst not be described through Identity.

Glorified, glorified art Thou, O my God! None hath any way unto Thee—neither through mention, nor certitude, nor praise, nor explanation, nor through inability, nor through names, nor through attributes. I seek Thy forgiveness, O my God, in this hour when the Angel of Death descends by Thy leave, for all that Thy knowledge encompasses about me and Thy Book enumerates. O my God, Thou knowest my secret and my public self. I have never denied Thy unity, and if I have done evil, I seek Thy forgiveness and turn unto Thee. All hope hath been cut off from me in that state from all things, and I find no helper for myself other than Thee alone, there is no God but Thee.

O God! I believe in Thy justice and Thy origination, and verily, O my God, if Thou shouldst punish me with all Thy punishment for all eternity, by the permanence of Thy Essence, as recompense for my mention before Thee, I would deserve that, for Thou art praised in Thy deeds and obeyed in Thy judgment. I have no intercessor other than Thyself, so forgive me, O God, through Thy generosity and mercy, for Thou art independent of my punishment, while I am in desperate need of Thy forgiveness. If Thou shouldst abandon me, I would surely be among the perishing ones. Send down victory upon me in that hour through Thy origination and Thy presence, and through the forgiveness of Thy angels and the descent of Thy mercy, for Thou art who Thou art.

My breath hath been cut off from me, and I am who I am, so do with me as Thou art who Thou art. Verily, Thou art the Lord of bounty, generosity, might, grace, sovereignty, utterance, favors, and grandeur. There is no God but Thee and no creator for me besides Thee. Thou art the Lord of might over all creation.

I bear witness, O my God, to Muhammad, Thy Beloved, Thy Messenger, Thy Chosen One, and Thy Best Beloved, to his Prophethood, to all that Thou hast ordained regarding his station, making him stand in Thy stead in performance, decree, origination and execution, and all that Thy knowledge encompasses concerning him, and what Thou hast sent down to him of the Qur’an and Thy verses, and what Thou hast prescribed for him of Thy laws and stations, and how Thou hast honored him on the Night of Ascension with Thy signs and evidences, and what Thou hast sent down concerning the decree of his religion which overshadows all. Verily, Thou art witness over all things.

O God! I believe in him, in his Book, in all his obligations and traditions, and in what Thou hast sent down to him of Thy pure religion. I bear witness that he hath delivered that which was entrusted to him of Thy revelation, and hath counseled truly regarding the Cause among his people. May God reward him according to his obedience to Thee and his love for Thee. O God! Send Thy blessings upon him with all Thy prayers, benedictions, gifts and signs, through Thy grace which Thou hast made the grace of Muhammad, may the peace of God be upon him and his family, over all creation. And I bear witness to the successors of Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family after him, to Ali, then after him to Hassan, then Husayn (4); then after Husayn, Ali (4); then after Ali, Muhammad; then after Muhammad, Ja’far (4); then after Ja’far, Musa; then after Musa, Ali (4); then after Ali, Muhammad; then after Muhammad, Ali (4); then after Ali, Hasan (4); then after Hasan, the Master of the Age, Thy Proof and Thy Remnant. May Thy blessings be upon them all.

And I bear witness that they stand in the station of Thy Beloved in all things, save that Letter which Thou hast specially assigned unto Him alone among His successors. And I bear witness that they have been the repositories of Thy knowledge, the treasuries of Thy grandeur, the seats of Thy glory and the signs of Thy oneness from all eternity. None precedes them in nobility, nor equals them in rank. Therefore, O my God, bless them as they have proclaimed Thy unity, upheld Thy Faith, and endured tribulation in Thy path. And I bear witness that they are Thy honored servants who speak not until He hath spoken, and who act by Thy command. And I bear witness that their Qa’im, Thy blessings be upon Him, is Thy Proof and my true Imam.

Through Him do I turn to Thee, through Him do I hold fast to Thy cord, through Him do I hope to attain Thy presence, and through Him do I seek Thy good pleasure. O God, aid him who seeks Him, and abandon him who knows not His right and denies His servant. Verily, Thou art knowing of all things. And I bear witness that their followers have been the champions of Thy Faith, the bearers of Thy Book, the interpreters of Thy revelation, and the pillars of Thy unity. And I hereby believe in their hidden and manifest aspects, their first and their last, their outward and their inward, their living and their dead, their present and their absent, their foremost and their greatest, even as they are through Thy grace. Therefore, O God, send down upon them Thy mercy and Thy blessings as Thou art what Thou art. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.

And I bear witness that today, obedience to Thy servant, Thy Proof, whom Thou hast honored with Thy signs and established in the station of those near to Thy chosen ones, is obligatory by Thy decree. And I recognize His right and am free from all His enemies. And I bear witness that He hath conveyed that which was entrusted to Him from the bounty of Thy Expected Remnant, and that He is among those who believe in Thee and in Thy signs. Therefore, O God, reward Him in Thy Faith as Thou art what Thou art, and forgive those who acknowledge His authority as Thou art what Thou art, and abandon those who show enmity towards Him as Thou art what Thou art. Verily, Thou knowest all things, and nothing is hidden from Thee in the heavens and the earth, and Thou art witness over all things.

And I bear witness that death is true, and the questioning in the grave from the pillars of Thy Faith is true, and the resurrection is true, and the reckoning is true, and Paradise is true, and the Fire is true, and that the Hour will come, there is no doubt about it, and Thou wilt raise those who are in the graves, in the return of Thy chosen ones and the day of the passing of Thy servants. Nothing escapes Thy knowledge, and Thou art the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy.

O my God, I hereby bear witness before Thee to all that Thou lovest as Thou lovest it, and to all that Thou abhorrest as Thou abhorrest it, and that these words constitute my belief before Thee. By them do I live, and upon them shall I die by Thy leave, and through them shall I be raised, God willing, before Thee. Therefore, make them by Thy leave a trust with Thee now, and return them to me through Thy grace in times of fear, and make them for me signs of intimacy in tokens of remoteness. For Thou art the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Powerful, the One, the Eternal, the Single, the Unique, Who begets not nor is begotten, and there is none like unto Thee nor equal to Thee. And Thou art God, the Lord of all worlds. I bear witness that there is no God but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, and I bear witness that Ali and His successors and Fatima, God’s blessings be upon them, are God’s trustees and His beloved ones. And I bear witness that Ali was the servant of God’s Remnant in every preserved tablet.

Send down Thy blessings, O my God, unto Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. And verily I speak through Thy wisdom concerning what Thou hast sent down in the Qur’an for the remembrance of the people of Paradise. And praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.