BB00061: Sharh-i-Du’a’-i-Sabah II

Part 1: “Praise be to God Who brought into being…”

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 Who judges between all with justice on the Day when all shall be gathered unto God. And praise be to God Who originated all created things from nothing and without any prior model, and Who invented all inventions in forms of His choosing without any precedent, such that the realities of essential beings cry out in praise of Him Who manifested Himself to the Divine Will at the moment of their existence, and the essences of abstract beings are stirred by the glory of Him Who distinguished the Divine Purpose after their acceptance, until all bore witness in the station of recognition of the Pure Essence and the Pristine Source to that which He testified of His own Self by His own Self, and described thereafter to His servants that there is no God but Him, alone with no partner, in the eternity of eternities, and that He was the Living, the Self-Subsisting before the appearance in existence of the decree of creation, and that He shall remain as He is after the passing of all things without any attribute of transition.

Glorified and exalted is He! He has transcended in the loftiness of His Being above all height, and is sanctified in the holiness of His Essence above all elevation. Whosoever claims to understand His unity as He has unified His Essence has claimed the station of the impossible and has associated partners in the station of his own self through severance. And whosoever claims to know His Being has veiled himself from the station of the manifestation of His presence, for his self-existence severs essential realities from the station of knowledge, and his individuality blocks material things from the station of expression.

There is no way to know Him except through what He has revealed to creation through creation, by extending to them from nothing according to their capacity to receive, and rewarding them according to His all-encompassing knowledge of them. Verily, there is no God but He, the Mighty, the Exalted.

And believe thou, with thy whole heart, in the station of the First Effulgence of the Absolute Outpouring—Muhammad, may the blessings of God rest upon Him and upon His kindred—His servant, Whom He drew forth for Himself from the vast expanse of pre-eternity, and chose from the loftiest heights of creation for His love, and accepted from the sublime realm of origination for His knowledge, and elected from the hidden mystery of invention for His sovereignty; in such wise that He established no distinction between Him and His Manifestation, save only the reality of servitude. And He made Him, by reason of the exaltedness of His own station and His sanctity above association with created things, to be the seat of His creative power, that He might render unto every possessor of a right his due, by His command. Wherefore may God’s blessings be upon Him, so long as the birds of the unseen do warble, and the dove of the concourse of Names doth coo, and the peacock of the kingdom of Attributes doth spread his plumes—yea, beyond all that none can comprehend save God alone. Verily He is the Mighty, the Most Exalted.

And be thou assured of the station of the Manifestations of that Absolute Outpouring—whatsoever God hath ordained for them in the knowledge of the Most Holy—for He hath made them the successors of His Apostle, the pillars of His unity, the trustees of His Revelation, His chosen ones among His servants, the interpreters of His signs, and the exponents of His Names and His Attributes. Send down, O God, Thy blessings upon them, according to the glory, the dominion, the power, and the divinity which are Thine, and according to that bestowal which Thy worthiness requireth. Verily Thou art God, the Most Generous, the Bestower.

And acknowledge thou, in the stations wherein the traces of that Absolute Outpouring appear, what God hath willed for them in the realm of Names and Attributes; inasmuch as God hath appointed them, in the station of bounty, to be single signs, and, in the station of justice, to be manifestations of oneness—so that He hath linked … their obedience with obedience unto His friends, and their recognition with recognition of His chosen ones, and their disobedience with disobedience unto His trusted ones. And raise thou no distinction between them and their Imams, within the sanctuary of the heart, save only the rank of bringing into being within the degrees of their acceptance; for they point in no matter save through them, nor speak in any station save on their behalf. Wherefore may God’s blessings be upon them, so long as the light of the morn of pre-eternity shineth upon the entire temple of contingent existence. There is none other God but Him, the Generous, the Bountiful.

And now, after I had, through constraint, set foot in the land of Tabriz—by reason of the irrevocable decree pronounced by the Sovereign Judge, the Chosen One—there was asked of the Siyyid Abu’l-Hasan, son of the honored Siyyid Ali Zunuzi (may God forgive them both, encompassed as they are by His all-embracing knowledge), that I should expound the mystery of the Morning Prayer transmitted from Ali. I answered him with such reply as befitted, according to what I then knew of him as one of the people of love. And now, in the midst of the mountains, I have not fulfilled what I promised, by bringing forth into open view that which God had veiled within the realm of being. No power and no might is there save in God, the Exalted, the All-Bountiful.

Know that were the seas of the heavens and earth to become ink, they would be exhausted before the meanings of a single letter of that prayer could be fully revealed, even if one were to quote God’s words “though We brought the like thereof in aid.” There is no doubt that the measure of every person’s words corresponds to their station. Just as no one knows his station except God and His Messenger, as declared by God’s Messenger, the same applies to this prayer. No one has access to its understanding, for it speaks of the stations of expression of the Bayan, the meanings, the Gates, and the Imamate. One may say none knows it as it truly is except Him, for He is the Mighty, the Exalted.

There is no doubt that when its Speaker was in the station of “We are He and He is We,” the same applies to its manifestation in this prayer, as though He Himself were speaking these very words before the Qur’an. This is by God’s command—He teaches it to whomsoever He wishes among His servants, for He is the Generous, the Bestower.

Likewise is the judgment regarding the station which al-Sadiq described in the tradition of excellence as the House of Light and the Garments of Manifestation, saying “Neither is it Him nor other than Him.” Understand what We have made known to you, for that is the spirit in the prayer—thy Lord bestows His mercy on whom He pleases, and God is the Lord of great bounty.

As for Him to Whom I referred regarding His words—may my spirit and all in the kingdoms of command and creation be sacrificed for Him—He is in the station of limitation and the judgment of servitude. Otherwise, He is more sublime and greater than to be indicated by any near reference or proven by any distant proof. For its Speaker has described Himself in His words saying:

“I am the Meaning upon which no name or likeness falls, and I am the Gate of His Line.”

There is no power nor strength except through God, the Most High, the Great.

Even so doth the ordinance proceed in the Manifestation of God within the Prayer; and He possesseth a station upon which no name, no sign, no allusion, no form of worship can fall, nor can any comprehend how this may be, save God, His Lord. Verily He is the All-Powerful, the All-Glorious. I have apprehended, therefore, a glimmer of the majesty of the ancient Word of thy Lord. Know thou that every letter thereof hath seven stations—those stations which the Imam, in the realm of recognition, enjoined upon Jabir, when He said (exalted be His remembrance) unto the end of the tradition. And for each of these stations there are the four worlds, which in certain places are expressed as: the Lahut, which is the rank of the heart, and the first atom; the Jabarut, which is the station of the intellect, and the second; the Mulk, which is the station of the soul and the third scene, and the Word of tahlil; and the Malakut, which is the station of the Proof and the fourth scene, and the Word of takbir.

And all the takbir—yea, the whole of the takbir—doth run through these degrees. Each grade of these grades moveth within the chain of the eight, established among the people of truth; and when thou multipliest these numbers by themselves, there becometh for every letter two hundred and twenty-eight meanings—according to a decree that proceedeth beneath that all-embracing rule from which none among them that are endued with understanding can find escape, save by turning aside therefrom.

And as for me, were I to set forth, in recounting these grades, that which pertaineth to the first letter, none could bear it save whom God willeth. It is not for any soul to speak thereof apart from the Truth; for the proof and the argument are in my hand, clear as this sun in the midst of heaven. And if any one should transfer the names of a rank and its meanings into another rank, he would have committed associating partners in his station; for the least of association, as the Imam hath said, is that thou call a pebble a date-stone, and a date-stone a pebble—then dost thou persist therein. For this cause hath the recognition of those numbered grades, and their flowing beneath the divine rule, been made difficult unto hearts; though they move by the indication of the four and the three paths—paths which are the proof of wisdom, and fair admonition, and disputation in the manner that is best.

And were these seven to be struck within the number, there would appear for every letter of this Prayer one thousand five hundred and sixty-seven universal meanings—such as the Imam intended when He expounded it; nay rather, within the realm of possibility, whatever meaning may be possible for this Prayer, He intended it at the moment of its bringing into being. For nothing, in any condition, escapeth His knowledge; and the whole of existence, and its loftiness … through origination, is before Him as a shadow. I seek forgiveness of God for delimiting by “the many”; and by my life! were it not for my fear of the frailty of hearts and the remoteness of souls, I would not mention, in describing the words of thy Lord, that Master at Whose feet my spirit—and all who are in the kingdom of command and creation—would be a ransom.

Whenever bodies shudder at the hearing of them—hast thou not beheld thy Lord, how He lengtheneth the shadow? Had He so willed, He would have made it still; then did We make the sun to be a guide thereunto. Know thou, then, and ponder, O man of understanding; otherwise submit, that thou mayest be of them that have prospered.

And He—exalted be His remembrance—hath said: “O my God! O Thou Who hast caused the tongue of morning to speak with an utterance that ….” And that Spirit—may my life be offered up for His sake—intended, in this station of supplication, the turning of the face unto the pure Essence, unto Whom none is like, Who is joined with no thing, and Whom no thing can know as is His due; for “vision apprehendeth Him not, but He apprehendeth vision; and He is the Subtle, the All-Aware.”

In the station of prayer, it is necessary to know five stations: the description, the described, then the description, that by which description occurs, and that to which description tends. These are five gates, the first of which cannot be known except through the last. In the terminology of the people of definition, these are the station of the Point, the soft Alif, then the extended one, then the letters, then the Word, which is the station of the ranks of the divine unity of the believers, as explained by the Shaykh, may God’s mercy be upon him, in the commentary on the Benefits.

It behooves the supplicant to behold none but the countenance of his Lord at the time of prayer, for if he finds himself or his desire while turning to his Lord, he has associated partners with his Master and has not truly turned in the station of prayer. This is the doctrine of the Christians, about whom God has said regarding their belief: “The Christians say: He is the third of three,” etc. Therefore, be conscious of God and flee unto His presence from the mention of anything other than His Essence in the station of His worship. This is difficult for the sincere ones except for whom God wills, for He is the Generous, the Bestower.

For this reason, God does not accept the prayers of most supplicants, nor are they answered, because they call upon what they do not know. When anyone calls upon God in this way, God answers immediately, for turning to God in true unity is greater than what the servant asks of his Lord. Prayer in that station is itself the answer, and therefore God has said: “Call upon Me; I will answer you.” There is no doubt that God’s promise is fulfilled.

When you have understood the laws of prayer, then be certain that everything in its rank glorifies its Lord, as the Qur’an has pronounced: “There is nothing that doth not celebrate His praise.” Reason indicates that the fruit of existence is the praise of the Worshipped One and nothing else. Therefore, the tongue of morning unfolds at every moment with praise of its Creator, and what is meant by morning is His station—may my spirit be His sacrifice—for the light of dawn has been realized from the light of the sun, and it is the light of the Eternal Dawn which has shed its effects upon the temples of all. And there is, in this respect, an obligation to acquaint thyself with the realities of those allusions, lest, when confronted with the forms of abstruse questions, the union of essences be imagined; for in that station it is known that the learned stand distinguished from the rest of the kindreds of men.

Part 2: “Know thou that the Point of Existence…”

Know thou that the Point of Existence, which is the station of the Absolute Effulgence and the rank of the radiant, unified Primal Will in the Muhammadan Presence, hath caused the sun of creation to dawn, O Identity, and the moon of origination through oneness. Then after the station of the Point is the station of the Hidden Alif, which is the station of the First Effulgence’s manifestation, expressed as the rank of Will, and the investiture of light in the house of outward Guardianship appearing in the form of abstraction, whereof it was said:

“Its outward aspect cannot be described and its inner reality is an impenetrable mystery that cannot be grasped.”

Then after the station of the Hidden Alif is the rank of the Soft Alif, which is the station of Destiny and contingent geometry, expressed as the station of Beauty. Then the station of the Unjoined Alif is the rank of Decree, Implementation and Origination. Then the station of the Joined Alif is the station of the Qa’im, which is the rank of Permission. Then the station of the Letters, which is the station of the Eight Imams and is the rank of Term. Then the station of the Word, which is the station of Fatima. These are the seven ranks through which nothing in contingent existence can come to be except through them, as is clearly stated in the tradition of al-Sadiq, who said, exalted be His remembrance:

“Nothing existeth in earth or heaven save through seven: through Will, Purpose, Decree, Destiny, Permission, Term and Book. Whoso claimeth one of these to be lacking hath indeed disbelieved.”

These indicated ranks are the manifestations of the Imams of Justice in the unseen realm, and when the lights descend to the realm of witnessing, they are sacred temples in this world. The name “Morning” in the primary reality applieth to them and none else. When the Cause descendeth to the realm of limitations, it hath been realized from the light of the Sun, and none uttereth God’s praise except that the name “Morning” truly applieth to him. The praise of all things is according to their rank, for things differ in their manifestations of orientation, since the “Morning” spoken of by the Chiefs is pure essence compared to the praise uttered by the Nobles, which is but a shadow and accident, even if appearing in similar and identical form.

Know thou this hidden secret, for through it hearts and minds are illumined and souls emerge from the darkness of reflections into the effulgence of the suns. Were one not to know this wisdom, they could not distinguish between deeds, movements, glances and words, for two words may be similar in outward form while none knoweth the difference between them save God. Thus thou mayest see the letter Alif from one of the Nobles and the letter Alif from one of the Chiefs, perceiving no outward difference between them, yet in God’s knowledge the latter dominateth over the Alif of the Noble who standeth in fear before Him.

This is the wisdom of the glorification of essences in the kingdom of names and attributes, which none comprehendeth save whom God willeth, for He is the Guardian in beginning and return. In the station of mentioning utterance, the servant must know its ranks, for utterance is the manifestation of potentiality into actual existence. It hath ranks: The utterance of the heart is will and its manifestations; the utterance of the tongue is exposition and what is realized thereby; the utterance of the pen is the flow of what God hath ordained for it; and the utterance of the tablet is the acceptance of forms and figures—each having its own aspect and utterance that none knoweth save Him.

The intended meaning of “exhalation” in His words—may my spirit be sacrificed for Him—is in language the meaning of breathing and exhaling, and in that station it indicateth all that is attributed to Him of manifestations, conditions, endpoints, indications, stations, signs, verses and what resembleth His wisdom in wisdom among the inscribed figures. Indeed the people of inner vision recognize in that pronoun the name of theophany in the form of the Manifestation, which is the indication in that word.

He returns in both stations to a single station—a clear proof of the connection between the high and the low according to the path of truth, for the effect must necessarily reflect the attributes of its cause. Even though the rank of manifestation appears through connection, the effect does not indicate the station of its cause. And it transcends the station of relating the manifestations of the Countenance of the Divine Unity, for that is the mystery of contingency in the realm of exposition. No one can distinguish the station of the reality of creation except as God wills, for He is the Exalted Protector.

Similarly, you understand all the words of this prayer just as was distilled in those words. But since today all people have been tested by the deaf, dumb, overwhelming trial which the Imam mentioned in his words, saying gloriously that they did not perceive the clear verses in the station of exposition, nor did they follow their own desires in what they inclined toward from limited reflections. Their hearts were not at peace with the flowing verses from the ranks of nature and the prayers speaking of nearness to the presence of the Manifestation of Truth.

Yet al-Sadiq said in al-Misbah:

“When knowledge is realized in the breast it fears, when fear is confirmed it flees, when it flees it is saved. When the light of certainty shines in the heart it witnesses grace, when grace is established in vision it hopes, when it finds the sweetness of hope it seeks, when it succeeds in seeking it finds. When the radiance of knowledge is unveiled in the inner heart, the wind of love stirs; when the wind of love stirs it finds intimacy in the presence of the Beloved and prefers the Beloved over all else, implementing His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, choosing them over everything else. When [one reaches] the Beloved while fulfilling His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, one attains the spirit of communion and nearness.”

The parable of these three principles is like the Sacred Precinct, the Mosque, and the Ka’bah. Whoever enters the Sacred Precinct is safe from creation; whoever enters the Mosque, their limbs are protected from being used in disobedience; whoever enters the Ka’bah, their heart is protected from being occupied with other than God. This is only due to their distance from observing the lights of Divine Unity.

And this hath come to pass only because of their remoteness from beholding the lights of oneness; otherwise they would have chosen, for their own selves, naught save that which God—glorified be He—hath caused to flow forth from the outpouring of His power, and hath chosen after His own Self. And this is the grace of God: He bestoweth it upon whom He willeth of His servants; and He is the Mighty, the Wise. And if thou dost gaze upon the mystery of the worlds, thou shalt behold, in this world, none other but Him.

Even as al-Baqir hath spoken, as is mentioned in al-Ikmal:

“God created a thousand thousand worlds, and a thousand thousand Adams; ye are in the last of those worlds, and those two Adams…”

For the temple of oneness hath not appeared save in this human form—according as the saying of Ali hath indicated, as mentioned in al-Azr … and al-Qadr—its purport being that the human form is the greatest proof of God unto His creation; it is the Book which God hath written with His own Hand; it is the temple He hath reared by His wisdom; it is the gathering-place of the forms of the two worlds; it is the abridgment of the Preserved Tablet; it is the witness over every absent one and the proof against every present one; it is the Straight Path; it is the Path stretched out between Paradise and fire—so runneth the tradition.

And wert thou to look with the eye of inner discernment, thou wouldst behold the ordinances of this “Anza’i” form in these verses, as the sun in the midst of heaven. He—exalted be His remembrance—hath said in the Surih of …: “God hath sent down…”—the tradition—“a Book, mutually resembling…”; and then His saying in the Surih of Bani Isra’il …

… “We have written in the Psalms, after the Remembrance, that the earth shall be inherited by My righteous servants.” And the Imam hath said in his commentary: “As for the Remembrance with God, and ʿMy righteous servants,’ they are the Qa’im and his companions—may God hasten their deliverance.” And God hath warned His servants, in the station of turning away, by His saying—exalted be His remembrance—“Whoso turneth away from My Remembrance, his shall be a straitened life.” And this is the ruling of inner realities in the verses, according to the pattern whereby the tidings have descended from the Suns of greatness and the mysteries—an admonition to such as possess insight.

Thus spake the Lord of the prostrate ones: “Dost thou know what recognition is?” He said, “No.” He—may my spirit be a sacrifice for Him—said: “Recognition of the Bayan first; and recognition of the Bayan first; and recognition of the meanings second; and recognition of the Gates third; and recognition of the Imam fourth; and recognition of the Pillars fifth; and recognition of the Deputies sixth; and recognition of the Nobles seventh.”

And al-Baqir hath said—according to that which is related in al-Kafi concerning His saying, exalted be His remembrance, “Nay! I swear by the retreating stars, that run and hide”—“The Imam withdraweth in the year two hundred and sixty, then appeareth like a meteor in the darkness. If thou dost attain unto his time, thine eyes shall be refreshed.” And al-Baqir said: “I seem to behold a people who have arisen in the East, seeking the truth, but it is not given unto them; then they seek it again, but it is not given unto them; and when they see this, they lay their swords upon their shoulders, and what they asked is granted them, yet they accept it not, until they rise up; and they will not offer it save unto your master.

Their slain are martyrs.” And our Master ʿAli said: “When the thousands are arrayed and the ranks set in order, and the ram meeteth the letters, then shall the latter arise, and the avenger shall cry out, and the unbeliever shall perish. Then shall the promised Qa’im arise, the fashioned Imam, to whom belong honor and bounty. He is thy son, O Husayn—none like unto him shall appear. He shall appear between the two supports, at the summit of his advance; he shall prevail over both realms, and shall leave none upon the earth … Blessed is he who attaineth unto his time, reacheth his appointed hour, and witnesseth the days foretold in the tradition.

Consider what has been recited to you from God’s verses and be among the learners, as Ali said: “People are of three kinds: the divine scholar, the learner on the path of salvation, and followers of every crier, swaying with every wind, not illumined by the light of knowledge nor taking refuge in a firm support.” That he may witness with certainty what al-Sadiq said: “You shall surely be confounded with confusion, and scattered with scattering, and whipped with the whip of destiny until your lowest becomes your highest and your highest becomes your lowest. And those who gave to drink though they fell short shall give drink, and those who took the lead though they preceded shall be cut off. By my life, our Cause in that time is clearer than this sun at its zenith.”

Therefore you must discipline yourself. Al-Sadiq said:

“You are not what you made yourself to be, nor did one like you form you. The nobility of the servant is through fear of God and knowledge, and it is not attained through the means by which all students today seek it. Rather, fear God and He will teach you what you desire.”

And the Commander of the Faithful said:

“Knowledge is not in heaven that it should descend upon you, nor in the earth that it should ascend unto you. Rather it is hidden within you, created in your hearts. Adopt the character of the spiritual ones, that it may be manifested to you.”

And if you stand firm in God’s covenant by arising upon the carpet of His Cause, you will be of me; otherwise God will execute His judgment upon you and distance you between the two Easts—and evil is that companion.

I have abbreviated the answer regarding the meaning of the prayer; indeed I have not interpreted a single letter of it, though I am able to do so in a way none other than myself can encompass in knowledge. What has come to you suffices. Seek forgiveness of God your Lord and be among the thankful.

And I say what God, exalted be His mention, has said: Glory be to your 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.