BB00054: Letter to Mirza Hasan Vaqay’-Nigar

Introduction

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

Praise be to God Who brought into being whatsoever is in the heavens and on earth by His command, and established all things through His wisdom, that every created thing might attain to the knowledge of the Manifestation of the Divine Essence and the signs of the revelation of attributes—those signs deposited within the realities of souls and horizons—lest anything in the thought of anything be veiled from the remembrance of God, and that it might behold Him through that whereby He hath revealed Himself, manifest and evident, that there is no God but Him, self-subsisting through all eternity. In every condition His Essence describeth His Essence, and all else is powerless to comprehend the nature of His eternity or to know any decree of His Self-Sufficiency. His Essential Nature is sanctified above the comprehension of all things in the station of knowledge, and His Reality is exalted above all material things in the realm of utterance. None can point to His Presence, so lofty is His Self-Subsistence, nor describe any manifestation of His Will, so glorious is His transcendent holiness.

Glorified and exalted is He! He hath brought the created things into being as manifestations of His power, making them in the beginning a cause unto themselves, then ordaining for them neither an equal rule, nor a parallel mention, nor a comparable attribute, nor a matching description. Then He made them the station of His Self in opinions and the manifestation of Muhammad in creation. God hath ever been, and there was naught else besides Him, nor can any vision perceive Him in the depths of the signs of contingent being, while He perceiveth whatsoever He willeth, howsoever He willeth, as He willeth. Glorified and exalted is He above whatsoever they describe!

Then, after that verse of Divine Oneness, God did bring forth, in the realm of Lahut, the origination of the One; and, in the kingdom of Jabarut, the manifestation of the All-Sufficing—that all might behold the standards of substances and materials, of accidentals and temperaments, and whatsoever God hath decreed beyond these in every thing; the unitive testimony in the stations of Mulk and Malakut, and the merciful dispositions in the degrees of the epiphanies of all that God hath created in the earth of Nasut.

Thereafter the very Breath of Will—amidst the multitudes—brought forth the dawnings of beginnings and of ends, and all that the knowledge of God doth encompass; and those stations were beheld within the limitless realms, that every form in every world might melt away therein, even as each thing receiveth the decree of its Lord.

Then came the Breath of Holiness for the appearance of that which was ordained—the fathomless main of hidden treasuries, stored within the womb of possibility, the uttermost depth within the worlds, that He might distinguish thereby those who, having cast aside the veils and the allusions, turn unto the countenance of the sheer, absolute Manifestation, from those who, in the station of multiplicity, gaze upon the visage of the attributes and are bereft of the manifestation of the Essence.

Then the Breath of Decree, that decree might appear before origination; then the fulfilment within origination itself; then the Breath of Permission, and of the term, and of the Book—whatsoever God willed, in creating whatsoever He pleased as He pleased, that the ordained measures might be disclosed, and the encompassed knowledges perfected, and that which no man’s knowledge can reckon in the station of the mention of signs, save whom God willeth. Exalted is He! There is none other God but He, the Most High, the All-Glorious.

To continue: thy letter hath been sent down and I have been apprised of its contents. Know then, O thou who lookest upon these allusions, that God hath appointed for every thing the signs of His manifestations in the creation of all things fashioned by Him. And since this matter is not purified from the aspects of egoity save through the rising of the Countenance of His Lordship within the human temple, God hath established for it a Balance in utterance and a Scale in exposition, lest any should behold the signs of the manifestations of Lordship—cast into the very reality of servitude—after the manner of the dazzling veils of conventional selves.

For, in the station of Reality, it is pure simplicity; in the station of the Path, it is the posture of steadfastness upon the dawning-places of the light of elemental simplicity; and in the station of the Law, it is action according to what God hath sent down in the Book—on the path of spirit and recompense, in the fear of the Lord of lords, and in the measure of the requital which God hath ordained for the Day of Reckoning. Verily He is the Knower of beginning and return.

As for what you mentioned in writings about people’s differences regarding me, there is no doubt that most people have made their desires their god, saying with their mouths what follows their vain imaginings. God will soon hold them accountable for what their hands have wrought. But one should not be surprised at people, for in every age some have engaged in lies and calumny. Look at the Christians, how they fabricated against God saying He is the third of three, then the Jews who claimed Ezra was the son of God, then the Arabs about whom God quotes their words “God is poor while we are rich”—We shall record what they have said and their slaying of the Prophets without right, and We shall say “Taste ye the torment of burning.”

Just as they fabricated lies against God, they undoubtedly fabricated against all His chosen ones. One should not be surprised at them. I seek refuge in God from their calumnies against me, which I am ashamed to mention in this book, but I will mention some of what I intended, and God is my witness—sufficient is God as witness. Some fabricated claims of leadership, others claims of divine authority, others the invalidity of independent judgment. God will punish them for their fabrications. I am but a servant who believes in God and His verses. God honored me with the knowledge of understanding, and I spoke to people according to the Qur’an’s command “And as for thy Lord’s favor, proclaim it.” When this knowledge appeared great in their eyes, coming from one who had not received [conventional authority], it became difficult for them, thus causing dissension among people.

In summary, I believe in this religion letter by letter—whoever adds or removes a letter from it is not of me and I am innocent of him. Indeed, this bounty which God bestowed upon me is a great bounty through which the differences between stations became clear, if one of insight looks upon it with the eye of fairness. I make no novel claim, neither in Reality nor in Religious Law. God is witness between me and all, and He will judge between all on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differed.

On the meaning of His exalted words

As for what you asked about the meaning of His exalted words “We are nearer to him than his jugular vein” and the reality of nearness to God in all stations, know that the Divine Essence has ever been and nothing was with Him, nor does He have any attribute in His creation. Names and attributes are cut off from His presence, and signs and tokens fall short of the nearness of His majestic Self-Subsistence. He is as He is—none knows how He is except Him. All names are signs of His Will and all verses are indications of His power. When it was known that none could attain to knowledge of His Essence or draw near to His Being, He manifested Himself to all through all according to the ultimate outpouring of His creation, and attributed this manifestation to Himself, as nothing else was possible in the contingent realm, so that those who seek might find solace in the appearance of the signs of His Will, and those who yearn might find essence in the manifestation of the stations of His power.

The Pre-eternal has ever been and will never be associated with His servants, nor is there in His rank any mention of other than Him, such that I might mention the decree of His nearness. His nearness in every condition has been equal, without mention or association with anything in the contingent realm. He is nearer to everything than nearness itself, for He has ever been, His relationship to all that He has created is like His relationship to that which He has not created, and this is the hidden mystery in this matter. There are many aspects to this in the stations of the divine Command and in God’s purposes which are in your heart, whereby you recognize His oneness, know Him, fear Him, and hope for His reward. This pertains to the station of creation.

Among these is the reference to the dawning-places of the Command and the repositories of wisdom—the Imams of the Faith and Guides of all creation—those servants whom God has chosen for Himself, selected for His Cause, and established in the station of authority from His presence. All that is attributed to Him of knowledge, obedience, disobedience and ignorance—they are closer to all created things than their own selves. The Imams of the Faith in every condition have an equal relationship to all things, for in every state they are the manifestations of nearness. In the uttermost station of remoteness they are nearest, and in the uttermost station of nearness they are in the Greatest Vista where no vision but their own can perceive them and no mind but theirs can know them. They are beyond the stations of manifestation and sanctified above the mention of names and concealment. Glorified be God, their Creator, above what they describe.

And among these, when you wish to understand the reality of this matter, consider for each chain of the eight chains the decree of nearness beside which all else is non-existent, though all degrees of nearness to you are equal. But one who gazes upon the Lord of the earth knows the decree of nearness through spiritual perception. The decrees of that nearness can only be known through primordial vision and the gaze of the heart. That which is nearest, which nothing equals, is that which is most remote, which nothing knows. This is the station of the Point in all the worlds, expressed in the station of the Muhammadan Reality—neither has the sun of creation risen through creation, nor has the sun of invention set through invention.

Then the station of the flexible alif, which is the station of Ali’s nearness to you. Then the station of the hidden alif when released returns to flexibility—this is the station of Hasan’s nearness. Then the station of the extended alif, which is the station of the Qa’im’s nearness to you. Then the station of the letters, which is the station of nearness of the Imams, may God’s blessings be upon them. Then the station of the gathering of letters which form the Word, which is the station of Fatima’s nearness, may God’s blessings be upon her. Then the station of the Word’s indicative trace, which is the station of nearness of the Prophets and Messengers according to their ranks and various stations.

Then the station of nearness of the Shi’ih leaders of justice according to what God has ordained for them in the signs of His Cause and the purposes of its seal. This rank has many stations which one endowed with spiritual perception knows through the light of reality. Likewise you know the decree in the station of relationship and purpose of drawing near.

What is meant by drawing near is the aspect of pure, absolute unity which indicates God, glorified be He. The servant is obligated in the station of all deeds, movements, intentions and ends to act solely for God alone, not associating any description or attribute in His worship. Whoever desires pure nearness must enter the depths of oneness revealed in the words of Ali, peace be upon him, when he said, glorified be his mention: “Lord, cause me to enter the depth of Thy oneness and the ocean of Thy unity.” And verily, most men, in the plane of reality, behold not the Real; for were they upon the pure Straight Path wherein no trace of association is mentioned, it would be otherwise. For the speaker hath not beheld God; hence his deed—and even his own self—worketh not for God in utter purity, nor doth he set in motion the intention of drawing nigh unto Him. This is the creed of the Christians—exalted is God above what they allege—inasmuch as they have said: “God is the third of three.”

Verily, should one act in such wise that he beholdeth not God, nor observeth in his deeds aught save Him, then hath he acted with pure devotion unto God, and the decree of drawing nigh unto Him is established in his deeds. Otherwise, the intention of drawing nigh is impossible save through the remembrance of that station and acting in accordance therewith. This is indeed a matter most difficult and arduous, which none can bear save by God’s leave.

If thou wouldst but purify thy sight, thou wouldst perceive polytheism in many deeds. Nay, the station of drawing nigh is the station of divine manifestation, which none can know save through the Manifestation Himself. It behooveth the servant to act for God along this path, for without it none can enter the depths of divine unity. This is the ultimate decree concerning the outpouring of contingent being in the realm of created things. None can attain the station of justice and the summit of grace save through pure devotion and constant steadfastness.

It is incumbent upon all to act in no wise save for God and in His love. When one acteth upon this luminous path and crimson sign, he hath indeed worshipped God with the utmost bounty which God hath promised him in the Book. Thus did the Imam, peace be upon him, indicate in the station of worship, saying: “O Hisham! The word Allah’ is derived from ilah’, and ilah’ requireth one who is worshipped. The name is other than the named. He who worshippeth the name without the reality hath indeed disbelieved and worshipped naught. He who worshippeth both the name and the reality hath indeed committed polytheism and worshipped two. But he who worshippeth the reality without the name—this is true unity.

Dost thou understand, O Hisham?” He said: “Tell me more.” The Imam continued: “God hath ninety-nine names. Were the name identical with the named, each name would be a god. But God […] these names, and they are all other than He. O Hisham! Bread’ is the name for that which is eaten, water’ is the name for that which is drunk, garment’ is the name for that which is worn, and ʿfire’ is the name for that which burns. Dost thou understand, O Hisham?” Hisham said: “By God! None hath ever vanquished me in the matter of Divine Unity since I took my stand in this station; for this—verily—is the meaning of nearness in the realms of beings and essences, of substances and materials, of the soul and the ego, and of the tokens and allusions.”

In this, […] is the cause of its mention; otherwise there is no path for anyone unto the nearness of the Essence, nor any theophany issuing from the station of the indications of the attributes. Sufficient is the mention of these words as an answer to that question for him who possesseth knowledge of the beginning and the end.

On His saying “The All-Merciful sat Himself upon the Throne”

As to that which thou didst ask concerning His saying—exalted be He: “The All-Merciful sat Himself upon the Throne”—the Throne hath many applications. There is a Throne in the station of Will, and He Who is established thereon is ʿAli—peace be upon him. There is a Throne in the station of Decree (Qadar), and He Who is established thereon is Hasan—peace be upon him. There is a Throne in the station of Determination (Qada’), and He Who is established thereon is Husayn—peace be upon him. There is a Throne in the station of Permission (Idhn), and She Who is established thereon is Fatimah—may God’s blessings rest upon her. There is a Throne in the station of the Term (Ajal), and He Who is established thereon is Ja’far, son of Muhammad—peace be upon them both. There is a Throne in the station of the Book (Kitab), and He Who is established thereon is Musa, son of Ja’far—peace be upon them both. And there is a Throne in the degrees of substances; a Throne in the indications of materials; a Throne in the signs of beings; and a Throne in the tokens of essences.

Indeed, in every station—from the farthest limit of the inception of act—doth the application of the name “Throne” hold true, even unto the uttermost bounds of dust; as the Imam alluded: “Whoso visiteth Husayn—knowing [his right]—it is as one who hath visited God upon His Throne.” And the bearer of glad-tidings, in the ordinance of mention, is that he become the very eye of the thing whereof he beareth glad-tidings; and that earth is a throne in the station of dust.

And the one who gazes upon the Lord of heaven and attributes, were he to purify his vision and refine his perspective and extend his hand, would know the signs of the people of the Bayan in the stations of the Command, the manifestations of wisdom, the revelations of pure truth, the signs of justice, the stations of grace, and what God has ordained beyond that in all stations from infinity unto that which has no end. And if you were to apply the Throne in the rank of Will, none is established upon it save itself, and naught can be attributed to its station except its own essence. But beneath that rank, if applied to the station of Purpose, it is fitting that what is established upon it be Purpose itself, until the Command descends from the origins of action to the ultimate ends which God has ordained in His knowledge.

And what has been related in the traditions that those who bear the Throne were four from the first ones and four from the last ones is the truth, for when the seven stations are gathered together they form a comprehensive image, as God has indicated in His Book: “And eight shall bear the Throne of thy Lord above them that Day.” This indeed is the reality of the mystery, and the Command must needs be thus in all worlds. And God has assigned to each pillar of the Throne a light: from the first pillar, bearing the name of God “the Constrictor,” which is the color white, and from it all things in contingent existence become white; and from the second pillar, bearing the name of God “the Ever-Living,” which is yellow in color, and from it all things in creation become yellow; and from the third pillar, bearing the name of God “the Life-Giver,” which is green, and from it all things in existence become green; and from the fourth pillar, bearing the name of God “the Death-Giver,” and from it all things in the ranks of souls and horizons become red.

And if all that God has created in contingent existence were to be made an interpretation of the word “Throne”… but God… in manifestation except some purifications which are in the station of inner meaning. And if you were to make the All-Merciful the station of the Essence, conjunction would be necessary. And if the people of the Bayan desired to… in the station of the Essence, they would interpret the Throne only as Knowledge, and likewise you know the wisdom of the Names and Attributes if the interpreters desire to interpret the Word with the most excellent exposition in clear evidence. And the bearer of the name of the All-Merciful in the station of Divine Authority is Ali, and he is my spirit, and those in the kingdom of Command and Creation… established upon the throne of bestowal to all things, and he is the giver to each of its right, and the driver of sustenance to all things, and God encompasses all from behind; nay, it is a glorious Qur’an in a preserved tablet.

On the movement of the celestial spheres being by way

And regarding what you asked about the movement of the celestial spheres being by way of free will, there is no doubt that God, hallowed and exalted be He, created nothing with free will save after the manner of the primal creation in the rank of the Divine Will [mashiyyat]. Nor can any thing be clothed with the robe of existence except through its acceptance thereof. Such is the ordinance governing all the conditions of the servant. Even as thou, at every instant, art in need of a fresh effusion from God for thine own being, so likewise, for all thy states, thou standest in need of that which the Book of thy Lord doth enumerate.

And concerning that which thou hast mentioned regarding free will—how can it not be evident to one who gazeth with the eye of insight and witnesseth with the glance of truth? Consider thyself: thou performest an action of thine own free will, yet once done thou canst not reverse it. If thou shouldst act otherwise, would not the same hold true? The celestial spheres move by God’s leave according to their own volition, even as He hath decreed man’s lifespan which he cannot alter. This returneth to the station of free will, for without knowledge of the reality of the matter, the servant cannot comprehend the truth of the matter.

And concerning thy question about the permanence of the denizens of the fire in the fire, and how a servant could choose punishment despite possessing reason both in origin and return, when all know they have freedom to choose reward and have the power for it: Know that the reality of these matters cannot be explained except through knowledge of destiny and the mystery of what is ordained. For God hath knowledge of the free will of all created things and what their hands have wrought in the kingdom of names and attributes, and He hath rewarded them according to their qualities from the time of their creation. The question posed at “Am I not your Lord?” was none other than its own answer.

Most philosophers who sought to understand this matter established measures of comprehension and distinction, yet failed to explain its reality, for the mind can only perceive things within limits and cannot grasp the meaning of “neither compulsion nor delegation, but a position between the two” except through the vision of the heart, which can hold in a single thing and moment opposing aspects. No doubt is there that God did not compel the servants, at the moment of creation, to [accept] existence; rather did He proffer it unto them. Whoso accepted, him did God bring into being; and whoso turned away, him did God consign to the station of rejection.

Now, that which occurreth to the heart of man is this: if, at the presentation of existence, he were conscious and endowed with reason, how could he choose unbelief? And if he were not conscious, how could obligation be laid upon him by the All-Gentle Lord—exalted be His remembrance? In this lieth the cause of the soul’s misgivings and of the servant’s failure to melt in the knowledge of the inner meanings.

Verily, that by which the servant attaineth knowledge in the station of Reality removeth doubt in the station of the Law. For the cause of choice, at the time when his own existence was as the existence of all else, is that the very Essence wherein God originated the Divine Will was naught but itself: no origination save itself, no affair of existence but from itself, and no precedence save through itself. Even so is the ordinance in every degree: the existence of a thing, in the choosing to accept a thing, is only by itself.

And God, indeed, doeth whatsoever He willeth by His command; while the servant doeth whatsoever he willeth by the power and might of his Lord—each according to measure. [Thus, too, it is:] the servant in this world knoweth that wine, when drunk, altereth his state through intoxication; he knoweth as well God’s decree of fire on the Day of Resurrection; yet, thereafter, he drinketh. Such is the judgment in the beginnings of causes and the primal Covenant: that the servant, after attaining certitude that the recompense of disbelief is everlasting fire, still accepteth and saith, “I care not.”

And as hath been stated: how can the “chooser” be meant by abiding in the Fire, seeing that the cause of his abiding is his very act of acceptance? Let none confuse the matter by saying, “Were I certain of the Fire I would neither choose it nor enter therein.” Nay, in the station of the beginnings of causes there is for thee a corporeal fire; and if, in that station, the servant uttereth but the single letter “No (la),” that letter, at the furthest limit of descent, becometh for him the Fire of Hell. Therefore when this is realized, he cannot escape therefrom, even though in reality the disbeliever cannot endure in the fire if he were to look with truth, nor can he judge himself except by that which God hath judged for him, for the cause of that fire was his own acceptance thereof, as with all else.

These signs will lead thee to the station of true knowledge, so render thanks unto God, thy Lord, for He is the Truth in both beginning and return. Otherwise, ask of His grace that He may open unto thee the gate of the heart, for without the light of that consciousness the servant cannot conceive how contradictory attributes may exist in a single thing—how, despite the presence of reason, the servant would accept the fire. No one can know his Lord while turning away from His decree. Yea, as We have made known to thee, this is the pure command and the established balance, for God hath created all things as they should be according to their capacity, and the judgment of what a thing is in its own station is naught but what it actually is, since the answer is identical with the question itself in all contingent realms, from beginning to end. Ask thou about the knowledge of these signs from him who hath recognized the true attributes in the decrees of the beginning and the return.

On the meaning “nor is there anyone equal unto Him”

And concerning what thou didst ask about the meaning of “nor is there anyone equal unto Him,” there is no doubt that He hath ever been and naught existed with Him besides Himself, and verily now it is likewise […] there is none like unto Him nor equal unto Him. The meaning of “anyone equal unto Him” is true sanctification and glorification, like unto the stations revealed in the Book and Tradition. In form there are two names for that wherein a partner with the Creator might be imagined, and certain aspects of the cycle which pertain to creation. God, glorified be He, hath mentioned in the Book for the purpose of dispelling delusions and sweeping clean the hearts—otherwise in reality there is no mention of God in contingent existence, neither in the station of affirming attributes nor in the station of sanctifying His glory. And verily such words are identical to “Take not two gods. There is only one God, so fear ye Me.” There is no doubt that there cannot be two gods, and God hath revealed these words to nullify the forms of the prison, even though in reality He hath never mentioned any god besides Himself, nor any likeness, nor any equal.

He is the Exalted, like unto Whom there is nothing in the heavens or on earth. Nothing escapeth His knowledge and He is the All-Subtle, the All-Informed.