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AFFIRMATIONS
OF THE DIVINE UNITY
AND
THE GLAD TIDING EACH
GIVES TO HUMAN SOUL
Each
one of the eleven
phrases in the sentence
quoted above affirming
the Divine Unity carries
a message of happy
tidings for believers.
Each message offers a
cure, and from each cure
emanates a spiritual
pleasure.
There
is no god but God
This
phrase provides for the
human spirit, which is
subject to innumerable
needs and prey to the
attacks of countless
enemies, an
inexhaustible source of
help, it opens for it
the door to a treasury
of mercy that can secure
all its needs. The
spirit finds in it a
point of support that
shows and makes known to
it its Master and Owner,
its Creator and True
Object of Worship, Who
possesses an absolute
power that will secure
the spirit against the
evil of all its enemies.
In this way, this mighty
phrase saves the heart
from utter desolation
and the spirit from
grievous suffering, it
is forever uplifting and
the means of a continual
felicity.
(He
is) One
This
phrase implies the
following happy news,
both healing and
auspicious: the human
spirit, which is
connected to most
species in the universe,
and is overwhelmed in
misery and confusion
because of that
connection, finds in the
phrase, (He is) One, a
refuge and savior that
will deliver it from all
that confusion and
misery.
This
phrase means to man:
God
is One, so do not
tire yourself out
having recourse to
other things; do
not demean
yourself and feel
obliged before
them; do not
humiliate yourself
before them for
security; do not
give trouble to
yourself by
following them,
and do not tremble
before them in
fear; because the
King of the
universe is one,
with Whom is the
key to, and in
Whose hand are the
reins of, all
things. Everything
is resolved by His
command. If
therefore, you
have found Him,
this means that
you have obtained
whatever you wish
for, and been
liberated from an
(otherwise)
interminable
indebtedness and
innumerable fears.
He
has no partner
God
is One in that He has no
partner in His Lordship,
in His acts and in His
creating, as also that
He has no partner in His
Divinity and
Sovereignty.
A
worldly monarch may in
principle have no
partner in his
sovereignty, but in the
execution of his
sovereignty his
officials act as his
partners and/or as
intermediaries between
him and his people.
Whereas, God, the
Monarch of all times,
has no need for partners
or helpers in the
execution of His
Sovereignty, just as He
has, in principle, no
partner in His
Sovereignty. Without His
command and will,
without His leave and
power, not a single
thing can interfere with
another. Also, since He
has no partner or
helper, and there are no
intermediaries between
Him and His creatures,
everyone can have
recourse to Him directly
at any time and in any
place.
This
phrase, therefore,
provides for the human
spirit this glad tiding:
A
man who has
attained belief
may, without
hindrance,
opposition or
interference, in
any state, for any
desire, at any
time and in any
place, enter the
Presence of the
Majestic, the
All-Gracious, the
All-Powerful One
of Perfection, Who
is the Eternal
Owner of the
treasuries of
mercy and bliss,
and may present
before Him his
needs. By finding
His Mercy and
relying upon His
Power, he can
attain perfect
ease and
happiness.
His
is the Kingdom
His
is the Kingdom of all
the heavens and the
earth. So you are owned
by Him and working in
His Kingdom. This phrase
implies the following
joyful and healing news:
O
man! Do not
imagine that you
own yourself, for
you are unable to
administer even
your own affairs.
You can neither
maintain your
spirit and body by
providing for
their needs and
securing them
against
calamities, nor
can you avoid
exhaustion and
aging since you
have no dominion
over time or other
erosive factors.
Therefore, do not
suffer pain and
torment without
reason. Somebody
else, not you,
owns everything.
That Owner is both
All-Powerful and
All-Compassionate;
rely on His Power
and do not accuse
His Compassion.
Renounce grief and
anxiety, and
accept relief. Be
rid of your
troubles and find
serenity.
This
phrase also means:
This
world that you
love, to which you
are connected, and
which you see in
disorder and are
unable to put
right, is the
property of an
All-Powerful and
Compassionate One.
So hand over the
property to its
Owner, leave it to
Him, mind your own
duty and do not
interfere with His
acts. Do not be
troubled by what
you are unable to
overcome, and be
at ease. The Owner
of this property
has free disposal
of it and
administers it as
He wishes. But He
is All-Wise,
always acts for a
wise purpose, and
also He is
All-Compassionate.
So, whenever you
take fright, say
like Ibrahim Haqqi,
Let’s see what
the Master does;
whatever He does
is always best,
and observe His
acts with complete
trust in Him.
To
Him belongs all the
praise
Only
God absolutely deserves
praise and acclaim and
only to Him is all
indebtedness. His are
all bounties and they
come from His treasury.
As for the treasury, it
is infinite and
inexhaustible. This
phrase, therefore,
implies this happy news:
O
man! Do not be
anxious that one
day, the bounties
(you presently
enjoy) will cease.
Know that the
treasury of Mercy
is inexhaustible.
Nor cry out with
anxiety for the
possible cessation
of enjoyment,
every enjoyment
you are granted is
the fruit of an
infinite Mercy.
Now, the tree of
that Mercy is
undying, for each
exhausted fruit is
replaced with a
new one.
Furthermore, by
reflecting on what
you enjoy, in an
attitude of thanks
and praise, since
every enjoyment is
in essence a favor
from the Divine
Mercy and, in so
being, a hundred
times more
enjoyable than the
enjoyment by
itself, you will
be able to
increase it a
hundredfold. If a
glorious king
presents you with
an apple, the
pleasure you take
in being honored
by a royal favor
will be superior
to the material
pleasure of a
hundred, even a
thousand, apples.
Similarly, through
the phrase, To Him
belongs all
praise, will be
opened to you the
door of a
spiritual
enjoyment a
thousand times
sweeter than that
you enjoy by
itself, since this
phrase makes you
consider the
bestowal of
bounty, which in
turn leads you to
recognize the
Bestower and to
reflect on His
merciful favors
which are pouring
out continually.
He
alone gives life
The
One Who gives life and
sustains it through
provision is He. Also
the Provider of the
necessities of life is
He, and the sublime aims
of life and its
important results are
related to Him. This
phrase, therefore calls
out to mortal and
helpless man and gives
him this joyful tiding:
O
man! Do not bother
to shoulder the
heavy
responsibilities
of life; do not
feel unease
because the world
is transient. Do
not let the
insignificant
worldly fruits of
life drive you to
regret that you
came to this
world. Rather, the
‘life mechanism’
in ‘the ship of
your being’
belongs to the One
Ever-Living and
Ever-Self-Subsistent
One, so it is He
Who provides for
all of life’s
needs and
expenditures.
Further, there are
innumerable aims
in life directing
it to many
important results,
nearly all of
which are related
to Him. You are
just a ‘helmsman’
on that ‘ship’
of your being, so
perform your duty
properly. Obtain
your wage and take
the enjoyment that
comes with doing
so. Ponder how
precious that ‘ship’
is and how
valuable its
benefits; and
consider how
generous and
compassionate is
the Owner of that
‘ship’. So,
rejoice and give
thanks and
perceive that if
you perform your
duty righteously,
all the results
that life yields
will, in one
respect, be
recorded as your
good deeds to
secure an immortal
life for you in
eternity.
and
makes to die
He
discharges you from the
duty of life, changes
your abode from this
transient world and
releases you from the
burden of service. That
is, he takes you from a
transient life to an
eternal one. This
phrase, therefore,
explicitly says to
mortal jinn and man:
Good
news for you:
death is not
annihilation or
going to
non-existence, nor
is it eternal
separation or a
chance event
without an author.
Rather, it is
being discharged
from service by
the Author, Who is
All-Wise and
All-Compassionate;
it is a change of
abode. It is being
dispatched to
ever-lasting
happiness, to your
true home. It is
the door to union
with the
Intermediate
World, which is
the place where
you will meet with
ninety-nine
percent of your
friends.
He
is living and dies not
The
Undying Object of
Worship and the
Everlasting Beloved, One
Who possesses a beauty,
perfection and
munificence wholly and
utterly superior to the
beauty, perfection and
munificence to be
observed in all
creatures that arouse
love, and one single
manifestation of Whose
Beauty is sufficient to
replace all other
beloveds, has an eternal
life free from any trace
of cessation or
ephemerality and exempt
from any flaw or defect.
So, this phrase makes
this joyful announcement
to all conscious beings,
including jinn and
mankind, and to people
of love:
Here
is good news for
you! There is an
Eternal Beloved
Who will heal your
wounds caused by
countless
separations from
the ones to whom
you give your
heart. Since He
exists and is
undying, whatever
may happen, do not
worry about those
others. Moreover,
the beauty and
good in them, the
grace and
perfection which
cause you to love
them, are but a
dim, shadow-like
manifestation of
the Eternal Beauty
of the Everlasting
Beloved, which has
passed through
many veils. Do not
grieve, therefore,
at their
disappearance, for
they are ‘mirrors’
of some sort:
through the
changing of
mirrors the
reflection of that
Beauty is renewed
and becomes more
radiant. When you
find Him, you have
found everything.
In
His hand is all good
That
is, He possesses all
good, and only He guides
you to do good. Also, He
records on your behalf
any good, righteous deed
that you do. Thus, this
phrase announces to jinn
and mankind this happy
news:
O
you helpless ones!
When you move to
the grave do not
cry out in
despair: “Alas!
Everything we
owned is destroyed
and all our
efforts have come
to nothing. We
have left that
wide, beautiful
world and entered
this narrow grave.”
Everything of
yours is
preserved: all
your deeds were
written down and
every service you
rendered was
recorded. The One
of Majesty, in
Whose hand is all
good and Who is
able to do
whatever is good,
has summoned you
in order to reward
your service: He
will keep you
under the ground
temporarily and
then will bring
you to His
Presence. How
fortunate you are
that you completed
your duty and
service; your
labor has ended,
you are on the way
to ease and mercy.
Having gone
through your
period of toil,
you are going to
receive your
wages.
The
All-Powerful One
of Majesty, Who
preserves seeds
and grains, which
are the records of
the activities and
the deposit-boxes
of the services
done in the last
spring, and
unfolds and
publishes them the
following spring
in the most
dazzling, abundant
and benevolent
manner, is
undoubtedly
preserving the
results of your
deeds also, in the
same way, and will
likewise reward
your service in
the most abundant
manner.
He
is powerful over
everything
That
is, He is the One and
Singular and He has
power over everything.
Nothing is difficult for
Him. To create a whole
spring is as easy for
Him as to create a
single flower, and He
creates Paradise with as
much ease as He creates
the spring. The
countless creatures that
He continually brings
into existence every
day, every year, every
century, bear witness
with innumerable tongues
to His limitless Power.
Thus, this phrase, too,
implies these glad
tidings:
O
man! The service
you offer and the
worship you
perform do not go
for nothing. A
world of reward,
an abode of bliss,
has been prepared
for you. In place
of this transitory
world of yours, an
everlasting
Paradise is
awaiting you. Have
faith and
confidence in the
promise of the
Majestic Creator,
Whom you know and
worship. It is
inconceivable that
He should break
His promise. In no
respect is there
any deficiency at
all in His Power.
Impotence can
never interfere in
His works. As He
creates your small
garden, He can
also create
Paradise for you.
And He created it
and has promised
it to you. Since
He has promised,
He shall certainly
admit you to it.
We
plainly observe how
every year on the earth
He revives most
speedily, yet with
perfect order and ease,
hundreds of thousands of
species and groups of
animals and plants. Such
an All-Powerful One of
Majesty is most
certainly able to carry
out His promise.
Further, since He
creates every year
samples of Paradise,
which He has promised
through all His revealed
books; since all His
acts and functions are
performed with truth and
seriousness, and, as we
witness in all His
works, all perfections
point to and testify to
His infinite Perfection,
with no flaw or defect
at all in Him, and since
the breaking of a
promise, lying,
falsehood and deception
are the ugliest of
qualities, then most
decidedly will that
All-Powerful One of
Majesty, that All-Wise
One of Perfection, that
All-Compassionate One of
Grace fulfill His
promise. He will open
the gate to eternal
happiness and admit you,
O people of faith, into
Paradise, which was the
original home of your
forefather, Adam.
And
unto Him is the return
Human
beings are sent to this
world of trial and
examination with
important duties and
business and to do some
particular services.
After they have
completed their duties,
they will return and
meet once more with
their All-Munificent
Master, the Majestic
Creator, Who sent them
out in the first place.
That is, they will leave
this realm of
transience, be delivered
from the turbulence of
cause-and-effect cycles
and from the obscure
veils of intermediaries,
and will be honored in
the eternal abode in the
Presence of their
Compassionate Lord and
meet with Him without
veil before His Seat of
Everlasting Kingdom.
Everyone will find out
directly who his creator
is, the Worshipped One,
Lord, Master and Owner.
Thus, this phrase
implies the following
news, much happier than
all the rest:
O
man! Do you know
where you are
going? To where
you are being
impelled? You are
going to the
sphere of Mercy,
to the peaceful
Presence of the
All-Beautiful One
of Majesty. A
thousand years of
happy life in this
world cannot be
compared to one
hour of life in
Paradise, and a
thousand years of
life in Paradise
cannot be compared
to one hour’s
vision of His
Countenance of
utmost beauty. The
loveliness and
beauty in all the
creatures of this
world, including
those worldly
loved ones by
which you are so
fascinated and
stricken, are
merely a kind of
shadow of a single
manifestation of
His Beauty and of
the loveliness of
His Names; and the
whole of Paradise,
with all its
charm, is merely a
manifestation of
His Mercy, and all
longing, love and
attraction are
merely a flash
from the light of
His Love. You are
going into the
Presence of the
One Eternally
Worshipped and
Everlastingly
Beloved, and are
invited to
Paradise, which is
His eternal
feasting place.
Since this is so,
enter the grave
not with tears but
with a smile.
The
same words also give
this glad news:
O
man! Do not be
apprehensive,
imagining that you
are going to
extinction,
non-existence,
nothingness,
darkness, oblivion
and decay and
dissolution. You
are going not to
extinction but to
permanence. You
are being impelled
not to
non-existence, but
to eternal
existence. You are
entering not the
world of darkness
but the world of
His Light. You are
returning to your
true Owner, to the
Seat of the
Eternal King. You
will not drown in
multiplicity, but
you will take your
rest in the sphere
of unity. You are
bound not for
separation, but
for union.
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