[Tawqi’i-i-Dhahabiyyih]{#sec-tawqi’i-i-dhahabiyyih .quarto-section-identifier}

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

Praise belongs to God—the One, the Unique, the All-Conquering, the Eternal, the Everlasting, the Compeller, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, the Most Exalted, the Chosen, the All-Powerful, the Just, the Forgiver—who created, by His command, the essential realities of mysteries for those near among the righteous. They abide upon scarlet seats above the Throne of Divinity and glorify God, the Creator of names and attributes, by what He has fashioned within the essences of lights through the ordinance of choice. And praise belongs to God, who opened the door of the jar unto the hearts of the purified among the people of hiddenness, and to veiled mortals among the people of majesty—those whose recognition God set within the domain of the “third Qassab” of the thicket of omnipotence. God ordained for them the abode of permanence therein by banishing all others from the courtyard of nearness to the appearance of the Essence unto the Essence, by the Essence, through the secret of justice in choice.

And praise belongs to God, who sent down the decree for those who recline upon the verdant canopies in the orchard of the Kingdom and the gardens of dominion, who perceive the intimations of the Tree of Sanctity beneath the thick shadows of Firdaws, in the essences of indications, in the essential realities within stations, in the spiritual dimensions within tokens, in the “I-nesses” within verses, in the surging forth within appearances, in the gleaming lights within conditions, in the sanctified realities within emergences, in the effulgent radiances within reflections, and in the shimmering lights in the separated segments of the crimson ruby Tablets will distinguish, at the rising of the sun of Splendor from behind the surging depths of the ocean of decree, every evildoer among those who flee from the righteous, from those who abide among the people of steadfastness.

Thus shall all become aware, in that deaf, dark, blind, mute, dust-laden, searing, infernal, murky, pitch-black trial, of the decree of reversal after judgment and enactment within the very core of decree—then splendor and praise and lofty eminence will appear from those who bring forth the verse made manifest by the crimson visage from the sign of the green pillar. That those who perish may perish with clear proof, by what God sent down in the Qur’an regarding the transgressors—where He said, and His word is truth: “This—let them taste it: boiling fluid and a bitter coldness, and another of its kind in pairs. Here is a crowd plunging in with you—no welcome for them; indeed, they shall burn in the Fire. They say, ‘No, it is you—no welcome for you! You prepared this for us, so what a wretched dwelling!’ They say, ‘Our Lord! Whoever prepared this for us, give him double torment in the Fire!’ They also say, ‘What has happened to us that we do not see men we used to count among the wicked? Did we make them a laughingstock, or have our eyes strayed from them?’ Indeed, this is a true dispute among the inmates of the Fire. Say, ‘I am only a warner; there is no God but God, the One, the Conqueror, Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them, the Mighty, the All-Forgiving.’” So that whoever lives may live by clear proof, according to what God has revealed in the discourse concerning the one who cried to his Lord, “Truly, Satan has touched me with hardship and torment.” He said—and His word is truth, in the decisive decree: “This is Our gift, so bestow or withhold without reckoning. And indeed for him there is nearness with Us and a praiseworthy destination. Strike with your foot—this is cool water for washing and drinking. And take in your hand a bundle, and strike with it, and do not break your oath. Indeed, We found him steadfast—what an excellent servant! He constantly turned back to Us. This is a reminder, and truly for the reverent there is a splendid resort—Gardens of perpetual abode, flung open to them. Reclining therein, they call for abundant fruits and drink; and with them are companions of modest gaze, equal in age. This is what you have been promised for the Day of Reckoning.” Indeed, that applies to whoever takes heed of what his Lord has mentioned in His Book: “You only warn those who follow the Reminder and stand in awe of the All-Merciful unseen; so give them glad tidings of forgiveness and a noble reward.”

So praise belongs to God, who made me witness the scrolls of those near among the righteous and the tablets of the lowly among the virtuous. And indeed, to Him belongs praise in that moment—a dazzling, radiant, sanctified praise, transcendent beyond the grasp of any other—by what descended at that time from One who knows it better than I. And unto Him do I complain of those who show no fairness by mentioning the First at the appearance of the Greatest Signs.

“O my God, indeed You are God—there is no God but You, alone, with no partner. You were as You were, with nothing existing alongside You, and so You remain. You are, in Your station, just as You have always been, and there was nothing in Your domain to compare with You. For Your essence is wholly cut off from the comprehension of others. Your “I-ness” safeguards all material realities from being articulated. How could I possibly enumerate the praises of Your majesty when none besides You can perceive a single aspect of what You are in station, oneness, grandeur, and greatness? Indeed, every attribute ascribed to the vision of Your presence is but falsehood, and every description of the might of Your sublimity is a lie. Nothing has ever known You, nor has any servant ever acknowledged You in true oneness, for genuine recognition requires conjunction, while the reality of oneness necessitates separation. Ever since the beginning, You alone have described Yourself with Your own Self, without alteration, transformation, substitution, or passing. You continue to unify Your Essence in a way none but You can comprehend. So exalted are You, exalted are You, O my God. If I say, “You are You,” then the likeness is comparing the example to the example; yet in that instant, You disprove me—along with all created things—because the manifestation of that “I-ness,” which You have mentioned before the realm of the city of majesty, is the domain of origination and the portion of invention, ever sanctified beyond the attributes of beings and the knowing of possibilities. And if I say, “He is He,” the oneness of Will bears witness, yet it is itself severed from You by virtue of its creative capacity, not derived from anything, indicating only itself and speaking solely of its own identity. If the station of “H” is freedom from need, how can I speak of the station of “W” before the city of praise?

By the might of Your Essence, I have never claimed to unify Your inmost core, nor to know Your very Being, nor to laud the reality of Your existence, nor to magnify the spirit of Your Self, nor to exalt the “I-ness” of Your essence. From the day You created me, I have declared Your transcendence: that all references are cut off from the sanctuary of Your holiness, and that all indications are withheld from beholding Your presence. And though transcendence is itself a mode of description, by Your might, in professing it I intended nothing but pure negation before Your effulgent Self-revelation. Woe to me for my remembrance of You and my professed oneness of Your Being! I call You—and those near You—to witness that if, to repay my mention of You, You chastise me eternally with all Your punishments and might, You are still worthy of praise in Your deed, sovereign in Your decree, and just in Your judgment. Indeed, I would deserve that by virtue of Your grasp over me and by all that Your knowledge encompasses—of which no one else is aware. If this is how You judge the best of my deeds, what then of my misdeeds and offenses, whose extent only You know? For truly, they all emanate from the existence of my own soul. Here I stand, then, O You who are just in judgment and praiseworthy in action—I have cast my soul before You. I seek Your intercession with Your very Self. I flee from Your justice to none but You and hope for Your pardon from You alone, without partner.

O my God, admit me onto the carpet of nearness to Your Presence, so that I see no beloved but You, forget every other known thing but You, remain in the sanctuary of Your holiness, take delight in the remembrance of Your Lordship, and seek Your forgiveness for anything that keeps me from beholding the radiance of Your Beauty. O my God, grant me the summit of detachment toward You, the fulfillment of inaccessibility with You, and join me with the most luminous gleam of Your might. Elevate me to the realm of Your intimacy so that I am not grieved in this world by those who anticipate not Your days, fear not Your punishment, nor are satisfied with Your decree. Truly, O my God, You know I desire no love but through what You love, nor do I wish to abhor but through what You abhor, and Your knowledge encompasses me. You bear witness that I have sought nothing the people of outward splendor pursue, nor do I see any honor or exaltation except in Your remembrance, O Originator of names and attributes.

I have recounted to the people the favor You bestowed upon me, a favor granted to none among the followers of the Imams of justice. I have been true to Your covenant. And indeed, now You behold how each party exults in what it possesses. One day, a gnat flutters its wings to display its might; another day, a fly soars in the air of its dominion to exhibit its power. And You know that if I wished, I could inform them all of what they desire yet fail to recall, and even the sea’s ink would not suffice them. For the truth is with You, and all who seek You are manifest in the brightness of Your light. As for me, I am less than a mote that cannot contain Your knowledge, lower even than my own self. How then could I not endure patiently, when You, in all You are—majesty and might, greatness and glory—have borne what the Christians fabricated, claiming You to be “the third of three,” and what the Jews declared, saying “’Ezra is the Son of God,” and what the desert dwellers stated, “God is poor and we are rich”? Then You said, and Your saying is true: “We shall record what they have said and their slaying of the prophets without right, and We shall say, ‘Taste the torment of the burning Fire.’”

Indeed, O my God, You know that the words of those who speak about me with claims that neither align with Your hidden knowledge nor bear Your permission harm me not, so long as You are pleased with me. Rather, those who deny Your signs—were they to know what You have decreed for them—would cry out, “Woe unto me, for what I neglected regarding God! Would that I had died before this and been a thing forgotten!” O my God, no one can repeal Your judgment or deplete the flow of Your signs. Therefore send down, O my God, upon those who would deny Your chosen ones, the word of fairness, that it may shield them from annihilation before the city of the ocean of praise. Guide among them whom You will, as You will. For You have said—and Your word is true—“God blots out what He wills and confirms what He wills, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.”

O my God, I ask forgiveness from You on behalf of those who seek Your face yet the path is obscured for them—make known to them the way of Your love, and reinforce them with the recognition of Your mercy. Do not take their souls until their hearts are calmed by extolling You, their innermost selves by remembering You, and their beings by Your pardon. Truly, You are God, the support of the heavens and the earth. Indeed, You are God, the beauty of the heavens and the earth. Indeed, You are God, the majesty of the heavens and the earth. Indeed, You are God, the splendor of the heavens and the earth. Nothing in heaven or on earth can overwhelm Your power, for You are the Mighty, the Merciful. I bear witness in that moment, O my God, to all that You love, in the manner You love, and to all that angers You, in the manner You deem displeasing. And I say what was revealed in the Qur’an: “There is no God but You. Glory be to You! Truly I have been among the wrongdoers.” I call You to witness, O my God, that I now name this blessed manuscript “Golden,” so that it may free the indications from merely alluding to signs in the presence of majesty and lead thereby to the sanctuary of holiness and beauty.

And now—O you the bountiful one, who draws forth the waters of ink upon the protective Tablets, you who wish to guide the people of the lands to the dawning of fulfillment and the secret of existence—fear God, according to the decree of the Lord of all beings. For the Day of Decision is indeed the appointed time. He has not recognized me nor does he see me; and if he had observed what God inspired in me, seeking the pure truth, he would not have shaped words of escape as hints of desertion from the abode of permanence, made clear by the verses. By the One in whose hand is my soul, what was said—that he quoted in his book from those of his kind to bring forth an equal example—is deceit, slander, and falsehood. What concern have you with that lie of theirs? How immense the word that leaves their mouths; they speak nothing but falsehood. Perhaps you will grieve yourself to death over their traces if they do not believe in this discourse out of sorrow. Indeed, aggression is upon the wrongdoers, and God’s curse is upon the liars.

As for him, in all his self-proclaimed eminence, described in the depths of his expressions, and in the greatness of his rank—implied by the hints of his phrases—he wrote pages without proof, bringing forth no wondrous sign from innate nature, as if he were heedless of it and unmindful of its wisdom. Say, “O man, be fair in the presence of God, and do not follow the whims of those who disbelieve. If today you wish to contend in the field of argument, then hurl at me all the might, cunning, and power you can. For on this day, no bird can soar to my height.” And I shall wrestle with you by virtue of what We revealed previously in reply to your statement.

If you would set forth dreams as your proof, as you did in your book, then by the might of your Lord, I have written down more of them than you in the well-known writings. And if you would set forth eloquence in that mentioned sermon as your proof, then by your Lord, I have composed, from my own pen, some thirty treatises thus far—on supplications, sermons, the sanctified allusions, the subtleties of transcendence, the paradisical stations, and the corporeal signs—none of which had been matched by anyone before, nor is there anyone today capable of doing so. If you claim proof through disclosures regarding the allusions to the stations of the Divine Essence, the realm of omnipotence, the kingdom, and the human world, by God, I have mentioned more of those than you, in a manner no one can fathom except whom God wills. If you wish to learn of it, read the Scrolls of Invocations, where radiance distinguishes the spirit of the supplications from any recounting of tales. And if you set forth as proof the abundance of exposition, by the might of your Lord, I could compose in six hours a firm treatise, with no pause for reflection or break of the pen in bringing it forth, as the balance has been established before men of true insight. Who today can match that, or who in the past has done so? That was indeed the greatest argument for any who would remember or fear. If you claim as proof the paths of self-discipline and attractions, know that God can elevate a servant to the utmost station of possibility and the outpouring of creation without those means, for He does as He wills, in the manner He wills.

My statement here to you is a token of lenience regarding such demonstrations, otherwise—the exaltation of those stations lies in attaining recognition of the manifestation of the Essence. Thus, whoever God brings there by other means has no need of them. If you set forth as proof the love of God, the secret of lordship, the temple of self-sufficiency, the divine light, the image of detachment—sanctified beyond the traces of any vile land—along with the sacred attributes, the sovereign revelations, the royal conditions, the mighty indications, the divine stations, the merciful surges, the effulgences of divinity, the essential emergences, the revelations of being, the theophanies of the Essence, the everlasting fragrances, and whatsoever God has created beyond them in an infinite world leading to endlessness—by them, unto them—God bears witness that He has ordained for every truth a reality and for every reward a light. And you know today that the mystics of your own sort in that land and elsewhere all claim such a station, though some deny one another. The same holds in matters of religious law, for every jurist today claims the station of authority, and by the very text of proof from His Holiness—peace be upon him—they deny themselves and thereby deny God—yet some of them curse others. Now, by the right of Him whose due upon you is greater than all else, be just and do not hesitate. How, then, is truth established and falsehood banished when every party rejoices in what it possesses?

If you wish one to deny something, they will do so, bringing forward as proofs for themselves the verses of the Qur’an, the sayings of the people of the Bayān, and the revelations of human attraction. And when one seeks to deny you, they use the same kind of evidence, relying on suggestions. Indeed, truth bears no doubt: once it becomes pure for someone, none can refute it; and falsehood is likewise beyond doubt: if it is not mixed with truth, none would accept it. I seek refuge in God, the All-Conquering, from the evil of every malicious devil who has turned away from the signs of the Almighty by means of the words of evildoers. Today I behold the station of certain idolaters in faith as even lower than Pharaoh’s degree of disbelief. For when he wanted to reject the proof of his Lord, he at least displayed something of sorcery. But these, being obstinate, could produce nothing, nor will they ever. They denied the truth and became a worthless, ignorant people.

Do not imagine, O human being, that when one speaks of my allusions to those whose station you know, and whose acts you observe, it stirs even a particle of attachment in love. When he wrote down his words, I recognized him as sincere, and I would wish that his fairness incline him to mercy upon me. Does the truth stand without a balance or not? Beyond doubt, the matter of truth has a balance from God, or else truth would not prevail over falsehood. Whatever comes from God descends with signs that cannot be mistaken for anything else and that none of His servants can acquire by their own power. If the miracles with which God has honored me and made them my proof could be gained by acquisition, then three years have already passed—why has no one succeeded in acquiring them so as to produce even one verse by innate ability?

Reflect for a moment, O human being: the letters of the alphabet are in everyone’s hand, yet He who speaks, saying that if all were to gather to bring the like of His words they would fail—if they could, why have they not? And if they have not, why then do they not believe in God’s cause? Exalted is God beyond what they associate with Him. So be fair, O beholder. Today you pray according to the rulings of the Qur’an, you fast, you perform pilgrimage, and you marry by its ordinances. How then can you now reject a matter God established as a proof against those who disbelieved in the Imams of the faith in past times? Today there is no escape for whoever believes in the Qur’an but to accept those signs. Yet do not confuse yourself, imagining that the station of those signs is identical to that of the Qur’an—no, by your Lord. My very being and all my traces are nothing compared to a single letter of the Qur’an, or the transmitted prayers from the people of the Bayān, or the traditions shining forth from the suns of possibility. I have no existence but within my rank, and no portion but in my station.

Just as God made spirits the meanings of bodies, so too He created meanings as the spirits of words, so that on every level they may be distinguished. Thus, the words of the people of the second chain are but a semblance, a mere phantom, compared with the first chain. Consider that reflection: God revealed in the Qur’an “Alif Lām Mīm.” Indeed, the Messenger of God—may God’s blessings be upon him and his family—wrote “Alif Lām Mīm.” The Imams—peace be upon them—also wrote that expression in the same manner; and even today, you write that very phrase. To those who do not witness the true reality, these forms appear alike. Yet the “Alif Lām Mīm” you write is essentially nonexistent compared to the one penned by the Family of God. The same applies to the “Alif Lām Mīm” written by the Messenger of God—may God’s blessings be upon him and his family—when confronted with what God revealed in the Qur’an. Following this same method of white-hot clarity, most people have associated others with the signs of their Lord because they lack awareness of that station and thus cannot distinguish between those verses and the verses of the Qur’an. Consequently, such verses weigh upon their hearts more heavily than the creation of the heavens and the earth. If they would only look in all truth, they would behold the matter in the sphere of justice and differentiate the words of the people of justice and excellence. And you, O questioner—grasp what we have confirmed for you.

Know that God has put forth His argument in His Book, addressing those who would deny His proof: “Bring a discourse like it, if you are truthful.” If you were truthful, you would never manage it. Indeed, as for the liar—if he cannot produce anything—his denial avails him nothing. According to what al-ʿAskarī—peace be upon him—said in his commentary on the sūrah of al-Baqarah, the reason the Messenger of God—may God’s blessings be upon him and his family—was unlettered became itself a proof; whoever is not unlettered cannot provide such a testimony. I declare to all that I, by inherent capacity and power, have set forth words such that if everyone united to bring their like, they would never succeed. And whoever might manage to bring a single verse by natural ability would then be obliged—infinitely and without end—to do likewise, for anything whose origin lies in God will not fail its bearer, nor can anyone oppose it. All the objections in your book are but fortified sophistries; the real evidence is that which I have placed before you. If you wish to see the words of the proof in their balance, then read them with your companion, for thereby does God establish truth and annul falsehood, even though those who associate others with God may abhor it. What I have conveyed to you through those allusions pertains to the people of the realms of transcendent sanctity. Nevertheless, the decree of the people of majesty in the limited domain has not appeared except by explication and utterance, just as God revealed the Qur’an in that manner.

He said in his book that on this day, the proof does not lie in exposition but rather in a demonstration of power to accomplish what incapacitates the people. Yet he did not differentiate that ruling from his own words, for truly, exercising influence over any thing in endless ways with endless means pertains to the physical realm and bodily nature. Even now, if someone were to transform your heart or body, or alter a stone or letters in some manner beyond anyone’s ability, it makes no difference in the principle at hand. If you clarify your sight and refine your perception, you would understand the meaning of the verse: “Is he who stands on a clear proof from his Lord…” and likewise God’s exalted words: “Say: If I possessed that which you seek to hasten, the matter between me and you would be decided, and God knows the wrongdoers best.” Indeed, for every letter of His Book—were you to desire its explanation—the seas would be exhausted, so long as it is grounded in the path of love, the very root of faith and the tree of certitude. If you wished to refute the claims of the conjecturing deniers and slanderers, then for every letter of theirs there would be proofs upon proofs without limit, so that one looking into the ocean of oneness would perceive all of it with the eye of certainty. I merely hint at each matter with a slight sprinkling, that afterward no one might commit aggression against the Cause of God or treat it lightly, while it is great in God’s sight.

Yet I did not intend to refute the words that their author presented to you as a gift; rather, his station is too exalted for those references to be mistaken. Everything he wrote about the signs was but echoing what is said by certain people, in witness of what appears in this book of his.

We desire only that truth be established by truth and falsehood laid low by truth. Therefore, I shall interpret some of what has been uttered by those who speak without understanding, so that it becomes a proof for the believers, a decisive word for the affirmers of oneness, a sign for the humble, and a chastisement for those who turn away. And now—having established that all he wrote is of no benefit in the arena of dispute—if he were to compose a page or a verse concerning the verses as a means of argument, it would be useless to prolong discourse that does not suffice. So you, O man, fling back at him what he flung at you in this contest, for without that, truth will not be established and words will only multiply. And you, O observer, must act with fairness or with love, for such is the principle of all religion. Do not make the matter difficult for yourself. Reflect upon the station of the balance.

If you are able to contend, then take up the pen and run it across the tablets. Otherwise, offering an answer in the realm of scholastic knowledge, through the words of formal scholars, benefits no one—even if true. I did not write that book for you to serve as a scale, nor do I present it as a proof to anyone among the people of the Bayān. But since truth became confused for that person, and he desired to remember and be guided, I do say that all the doubts of the people of the camel and the objections of the people of tradition revert—by the validity of the balance and the inability of the people of the Bayān—to what is plain. View it with the eye of certitude.

You pointed out that this is similar to the learned men of the Muslims, elevated in their importance. Far, far is your supposition! How can you replace the spirit of the angels within yourself with that of the animal? I have never made knowledge of alchemy my proof, nor geometry my argument. Rather, I made my proof into something, by God’s permission, from which no one can flee, save by turning away from it beforehand. And if you wish to speak of it, you are obliged first to address the signs of the Merciful One, for my proof is the power that speaks innately through verses such that if all humankind gathered to bring something like them, they could not. Or, if you demand, “How and with what did you produce a verse, if indeed you are truthful?”—that is the same proof with which the religion of Islam, via the Qur’an, argued against all the idol-worshiping communities. You cannot escape that fair scale, for it is the balance in the sight of the Bayān, and it is the same balance that God sent down upon Muhammad, the Messenger of God—may God bless him and his family. By it, the matter of oneness, prophethood, guardianship, and all the realities of the inner path and the law are confirmed. Indeed, you still debate it this day. So abandon those other avenues of evidence and ascend to the source of proof by which prophethood, guardianship, and the law were established—the Word that God revealed upon His Beloved. The demonstration of its validity is the utter incapacity of everything else, not recognition of its eloquence, for you are incapable of perceiving true eloquence that flows from the treasuries of innate capacity. All that your soul brings forward of verses, signs, devotions, and allusions is mixed with so much multiplication of forms within you. In truth, the divine Book’s authority was proven through the impotence of all, not through their comprehension of it.

O you who behold the revelations of the celestial paradise, do not belittle my Cause, for a might surrounds it on all sides. Despite your striving, you wrote a few lines at the end of your sermon, one portion of which was purely a Qur’anic verse, while the rest was composed, unrefined in expression, containing two slips from genuine eloquence. That phrase was unnatural, far removed from pure innate capacity. What you mentioned about the flaws in speech and lack of coherence stems from people’s ignorance, just as the eloquent among the Arabs formerly claimed that words like “qisṭās,” “tannūr,” and “sijjīl” are foreign terms, and that some phrases come from ancient tales. They also said there is no outward connection between the verse about the sky being raised and the setting up of the balance, and that certain passages in it deviate from standard Arabic grammar—such as His exalted words, “a word from Him—His name is the Messiah,” or “truly it is one of the greatest (calamities),” or “indeed these two are sorcerers.” They all disbelieved in God with what they said, for the true balance is what God sent down in the Qur’an, not the whims of those transgressors. Today, the learned among the non-Arabs certainly do not possess the native eloquence of the Arabs, so if they speak as they do, it is unsurprising. The difference is that today these non-Arabs believe in it, whereas those who mocked it in the dawn of Islam disbelieved in it. So be conscious of God, O human being, and reflect a moment on the balance of the Bayān. I never intended to abrogate any law or add a single letter without God’s permission. I only made manifest the favor He granted me, so that those who disbelieved in the Imams of justice would perish through a rightful proof—just as they came to believe in Muhammad, the Messenger of God—may blessings be upon him and his family—so that the differences of religion might be brought back to a single point, making them all submit. By your Lord, those who slander me contrary to the judgment of the Qur’an and the path of the people of the Bayān—be it by so much as a single letter—such ones are the inmates of the Fire in the Book of God, and they are the losers.

Were you to grasp what your own hands have wrought in your book, you would raise such a clamor that nothing could quiet it. For ʿAlī—peace be upon him—said: “Whoever takes on one sin is as though they bore all sins,” and what sin is greater than lying about me without evidence? May God curse those who are able to produce a discourse like what We have sent down in the book yet have not done so, or who know that no one on earth can accomplish this and have still made no acknowledgment. God is indeed witness over all things, though most people do not give thanks. So how could I unveil the true proofs to invalidate those who slander me? I said these words: if the claimant is not one who speaks by His authority, then God would assuredly make his proof fail by the same means he uses to assert it. By your Lord, be fair: can anyone possessed of understanding deny this statement? It is accepted by all. I do not comprehend how that beloved of yours, described as “enraptured,” could deny and oppose by mentioning the case of a false claimant. After all, many such claimants are beyond reckoning, whether in their pretension, their “proof,” or their presentation—he claimed a matter whose very assertion revealed his lie, lacking any proof that renders everyone incapable. Indeed, God nullified him by manifesting His signs and evidences. Today, there is no claim but servitude itself—while in the eyes of those who perceive true reality, even the mention of servitude is a grave offense, because my reality has no existence before the Proof—peace be upon him—that I might be his servant. Yet in the realm of self-disclosure and speaking of the One disclosed, I have claimed nothing but a fortified servitude. All good names in that station are attributes of it. Indeed, the rank of the believer, as clarified in the reports, is that he cannot be described, just as the Proof—peace be upon him—cannot be described. If you wish to act on my oath in the Book and stir my heart with your speech, then be fair first and set aside lengthy wording, for it veils the intended purpose. Should you confirm the balance, all matters are rightly ordered by it. If you do not confirm it, I will not make my supplications, sermons, sciences, or universal manifestations a proof for someone like you—even though, from the time I was unlettered, anything that has appeared from me, by God’s permission, might serve as a sign for all peoples.

Do not feel constrained by words, for I have relinquished quarreling, nor do I desire to dispute with anyone—though the truth is with me. By certainty, I see that none can stand with me regarding the proof-filled words flowing from the depths of the sea of innate potential and the surging ocean of power. If all would reflect upon what they say, they would fall silent and find justification. What was mentioned in the station of the spirit of supplication is the essence of the matter, but he erred in drawing his conclusion. Indeed, the truth in that loftiest realm and greatest vantage is the manifestation of that which has neither name nor form, expression nor station. All essential realities are severed from its precincts, and all material realities are barred from addressing it. For that is the station of the letter of the Essence’s disclosure in the visage of the Proof and the station beyond.

Those who, by God’s grace, reach that resplendent white brilliance, that divine red tree of radiance, that primal yellow effulgence, and that eternal green leaf, declare what ʿAlī—peace be upon him—said in his Ṭuṭunjiyyah sermon: “I saw God, and paradise, with the vision of the eye.” They seek only to behold the countenance of the One revealed to them and through them in origination, as conveyed in the narration wherein He—exalted be His mention—was asked if the believers would see God on the Day of Resurrection. He replied, “Yes, and they have already seen Him before the Day of Resurrection.” They asked, “When was that?” He said, “When He said to them, ‘Am I not your Lord?’ and they said, ‘Yes indeed!’” He was then silent for a while and said, “Indeed, the believers do see Him in this world before the Day of Resurrection. Do you not behold Him in your station even now?” Then he added, “Report this from me.” The other said, “No, for if I do so and an ignorant denier rejects it—failing to grasp what you mean—they might ascribe anthropomorphism, and thus disbelieve.” Vision of the heart is not like vision of the eye—exalted is God above what the anthropomorphists and heretics attribute to Him. These are a people whom no veils conceal, no hints can oppose, nor can any signs equal them. They lie down upon the dust to behold the Throne of Majesty, and in any matter they speak of none but God, the Possessor of Majesty and Beauty. They find rest only in Him, utter only from Him, and perceive no hope, fear, or remembrance apart from that of God—supreme, most exalted, most noble. Indeed, these are they who are sanctified from ever naming names or attributes that derive from anything other than themselves. Glorified is God, Lord of the Throne, beyond what they describe. This is but a drop from the ocean of that station’s knowledge. When deriving conclusions, he linked the effects of that station to the words concerning the reality of water. Exalted is God, the Lord of creation, beyond every decree and inception.

How, then, did the Family of God—peace be upon them—act, given that none can doubt their station? They held that the scrolls of ʿAlī and of as-Sajjād were imbued with the essence of water, truly reciting them and commanding everyone to do likewise. If, in your estimation, matters stand as such, how is it that he did not act in accordance with what he wrote, though he deemed himself more entitled to that loftiest station than others? By your Lord, the station of the spirit of supplication is not proven to people except through such prayers; whoever cannot commune with his Lord through similar invocations has not attained that station. For those with true understanding perceive what is there only by means of what is here. Say: “Produce a scroll in the station of the spirit of supplication, drawn from within yourself, in my presence—just as I composed one in the presence of witnesses.” God is sufficient as a witness to all.

That your companion gained knowledge solely by negating names and attributes from the sanctuary of the sacred Essence—by your Lord, it was a statement of pure truth. I beseech God to rectify his case by that allusion to the station, for he intended nothing but to negate [descriptions] from the standpoint of affirming [the Divine]. Indeed, that is the supreme nobility and immeasurable bounty in my sight, and by it I glory over all atoms God has fashioned in my rank. For the foundation of religion is the knowledge of God, and such knowledge ascends and is purified until it reaches its limit in that station. As ʿAlī—peace be upon him—said, “Perfect oneness lies in negating attributes from Him,” bearing witness that every described thing is other than its attribute, which implies a duality not applicable to the One, the First. This is the station of the letter Káf that loops back upon itself, as he taught all in the sermon known as the “Yatīmiyyah Sermon”: “If you ask, ‘From what is He?’ He transcends all things, so He is He. And if you say, ‘He is He,’ then the hāʾ and the wāw are descriptive sounds, signifying an inference about Him, not attributes unveiling Him. If you say He has a boundary, then the boundary is for something else. If you say the air is His relation, then air is His creation. One returns from one description to another, and the heart becomes blind to understanding, understanding is blinded from perception, and perception is blinded from true discernment. Thus dominion remains in the realm of dominion. The creature ends with something akin to itself; the one seeking status halts at what is like him. The probing, as it surges forth, arrives at the threshold of incapacity, words fail in the face of absence, denial overtakes despair, fulfillment succumbs to finality, the path is barred, and the quest is rejected. Its proof is found in its signs, and its existence attests to it. Whoever contemplates the allusions of that luminous “Yatīmiyyah” sermon, resounding with the praises of the Divine, perceives that the description of the contingent is only of the contingent, and the attribute of the needy is only of the needy. Dominion endures in the realm of dominion. Concerning this, ar-Riḍā—peace be upon him—said, “Tools only define themselves; instruments only point to their counterparts; and in things, one finds their agents,” and so on. No one has any honor in the realm of possibility except through certain knowledge in the expanse of pure theophany. Whoever has not tasted that water has no share in oneness, nor any path to the station of absolute detachment.

Many among the Illuminationist philosophers, the Peripatetics, the followers of Ṣadrā, and those called “divine philosophers” have slipped in articulating that station. Signs of the origination of creation became confused in their view with the appearance of the Essence, so they embraced false doctrines upon false doctrines—on the “immutable entities” in the Essence to prove God’s knowledge; on the notion of a “simple reality” to affirm the causality of the Essence; on linking Essence with actions and attributes; and on the unity of existence between the Originator and that which is nonexistent. All of these, in the eyes of the Family of God, the Imams of justice, are pure idolatry. For God has eternally been All-Knowing without any created thing—just as He has eternally been All-Living—nor does He need any other in order to live; likewise, He needs no “known object” in order to know.

The Essence has eternally remained unbound by anything whatsoever. The contingent realities were His handiwork, embodied in the Will which God created—by It, through It, and in Itself—without the flame of the Essence ever touching it. Through that Will, God brought beings into existence. It has ever signified only itself, referring solely to its own identity. There is no sign in the realm of possibility that points directly to His Essence, for His very being removes all other realities from true knowledge; His Essence is inaccessible to all other essences in expression. Attributing the Will to Him resembles attributing a House to God, being an ennobling connection to origination, not to the Essence; for He is sanctified above any reference, relation, indication, token, station, theophany, or breath directed toward Him. As He is in Himself, none knows Him but He. The claims of “unity of existence” and “the simple reality” are recognized by those of true covenants to be invalid: if there was nothing alongside Him, how could one speak of existence? Indeed, all references in the realms of divinity, might, sovereignty, and dominion pertain to the possible hearts and souls and whatever fleeting thought arises in the mind.

Every attribute ascribed to God by something other than Him is a lie and a falsehood, for anything else has no equal, so how could one claim unity of being in that sense? Indeed, I have extensively presented the proofs in the treatise Al-Alfayn regarding the secret of the letter “Hāʾ,” to refute the words of these individuals. The origin of this statement traces back to a passage by Muḥyī’d-Dīn—may God magnify His retribution—who mentioned it in the Fuṣūṣ. In the eyes of those who grasp the hidden realities, that is pure idolatry. God’s self-description, followed by the description given by the Family of God—peace be upon them—and the people of the Bayān regarding God, is nothing more than the highest possible tribute to the All-Merciful, namely that a human being praises Him as sanctified above the mention of names and attributes. Thus ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn—peace be upon both—pointed to this in his supplication for Abū Ḥamzah al-Thumālī: “My God, through You I have known You, and You guided me to Yourself and called me to You. Had it not been for You, I would not have known what You are.” And his father, the martyr—my soul be his ransom—likewise hinted at it in the station of the appearance of his light and the unveiling of his countenance, saying: “Exalted be His mention! Does anything other than You possess a manifestation that You do not, so that it might become the place of Your appearing? When were You ever absent, such that You would need a guide to point toward You? When were You ever distant, that some trace might lead to You? May the eye be blinded that sees You not, while You ever watch over it. And how fruitless the deal of the servant who attains no portion of Your love!”

O my God, You know that in presenting these allusions, I have only carried out what You ordained for me, according to the stations—so the truth will not be confused with falsehood, nor anyone suspect me of lacking love for You. And indeed, concerning the verses setting limits on You, You know I meant only to manifest Your proof and to invalidate the suspicions of those who think ill of me. Meanwhile, I recounted far more verses of Your mercy. Therefore, O God, forgive me and whoever seeks Your pure religion, as well as the one who conveyed a gift to my friend in the depths of the heart, along with those who observe the effect of the ink on these tablets. Pardon me for what You do not love to be mentioned before Your majesty, by Your grace, Your benevolence, and Your mercy, O Possessor of might and generosity.

O my God, You know that my very existence is a sin—so what then if that sin should commit yet another sin? But since You have promised to turn believers’ misdeeds into good deeds, I implore You—O my God—to inspire, in the one who might reject Your clemency out of love for pleasing You, a word of patience and forgiveness. For I have no power to listen to a single harsh word from anyone. Unto You I surrender my affair, O Possessor of majesty and generosity. Glorified is God, Lord of the Throne, above all that they ascribe to Him. Peace be upon the messengers, and praise belongs to God, Lord of all creation.