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Salih’s Advice

Pand-I Salih

By His Holiness

Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Salih ‘Ali Shah

 

Contents:

The Qutbs of the Ni’matullahi Sultan ‘Ali Shahi Gunabadi Order

Foreword

by

The Great Master, the Most Gracious, Hajj Sultan Husayn

Tabandah, Rida ‘Ali Shah

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

  And He who befriends the Righteous

Praise be to Allah, the One. And infinite greetings be upon the spirit of our Prophet, Muhammad Mustafa (may Allah bless him and his Descendants and grand them peace) and his honorable successors.

            The illustrious treatise of Pand-i Salih (Salih’s Advice), recorded by the eloquent words of my Honorable spiritual and corporeal father, His Eminence Mr. Hajj Muhammad Hasan Salih ‘Ali Shah ( may his esteemed grave be sanctified ), contains general rules for the fuqara of the Ni‘matullahi Order. It is the best as the most compendious and most comprehensive book of  [religious] instruction, being short and brief; it is all-inclusive and nothing has been left out. Its greatness and comprehensiveness and the eminence of its author has been admitted and acknowledged by friends and enemies as well as relatives and other people. It has been printed several times so far and has been dedicated to those who requested to have it.

           

It was not until recently that the honorable brother Mr. Hajj Muhammad Ridakhani,  who is one of the sincerest and kindest of fuqara and an educated man, quite familiar with the English language, has requested that it be translated into English so that those Muslims who know English and even non-Muslims might enjoy it. This faqir  (i.e. the writer) agreed to his request. Later, he referred to some of his friends who are versed in the English language to achieve accuracy and to prevent any mistake that might have transpired in the translation of some of the words or phrases. Thus, when the translation was compared with the original text, all confirmed the near as possible accuracy of the translation. Afterwards, Mr. Hajj Ridakhani requested permission to proceed with its publication, which was agreed to.

            I pray the merciful God that his efforts in the propagation of the rules of this Holy Religion (i.e. Islam) and Shi’ite faith and the Gnostic (irfani) truths may be accepted and that the rewards of both worlds be granted to him.

            May God help him and all of us to succeed, and through Him may affairs prosper!

                                                            Faqir Sultan Husayn Tabandah Gunabadi,

                                                                                                Rida Ali Shah

18^th  Dhihajja 1405 A.H.L., the holy day of the  ‘Id (festival) of Ghadir corresponding to the 13^th Shahriwar 1364 A.H.S. (4^th September 1985).

Foreword

By

The Most Venerable Hajj Sayyid Hibatullah Jadhbi

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

The illustrious and holy treatise of Salih’s Advice, written by His Eminence the pillar (qutb) of Gnostics (‘urafa) and the most righteous of believers Mr. Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Salih ‘Ali Shah (may God sanctify his grave),

provides the briefest collection containing the essence of all social, moral, and religious duties and obligations ever written in Persian.

            There are some followers of the glorious order of the Ni’matullahi Sultan ‘Ali Shahi who live out of Iran; that is, in India, Pakistan, and some other Islamic countries as well as in Europe and the United States of America where they do not speak Persian. Therefore, in order that all Muslims of the world, even those who do not speak Persian, might enjoy the above-mentioned epistle, it was requested that it be translated into English which is to a certain extent an international language. For this reason, His Eminence the pillar (qutb) of Gnostics (‘urafa) Mr. Hajj Sultan Husayn Tabandah, Rida ‘Ali Shah (may our souls be sacrificed for him)

agreed to this request, and our and our honorable and learned brother Mr. Hajj Muhammad Ridakhani (may his assistance last for ever), who has been learning English for a number of years for this purpose and has been learning English for a number of years for this purpose and has been granted certificates from several language centers, undertook to do this duty and duly began to translate it.

            After a thorough study of its newly translated English version by several experts in the English language and their confirming of the near as possible accuracy of the translation, it was printed and is now available to those who have a desire for it. Our dear brethren might inform Mr. Hajj Ridakhani of any deficiencies which they may find in the translation, so that it might be improved in the next edition.

            I implore God that all brethren may succeed in performing the commandments mentioned in this book, and pray for the reward of both worlds for the honorable translator.

            May I be as dust trampled under the feet of fuqara of the Ni’matullahi Sultan ‘Ali Shahi Order!

                                                                                    Sayyid Hibatullah Jadhbi

*Most regretfully, during the publication of this book, his eminence passed away on the 29^th of Jumadi ath-thani 1405 A.H.L. corresponding to the 22^nd of March 1985 (may his grave be sanctified).

The Life of the Honorable Author

His Gracious Holiness, the pillar (qutb) of the Gnostics and the trusted Master, Mr. Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Salih ‘Ali Shah (may his grave be sanctified), the vicegerent  (khalifa) and son of His Holiness Nour ‘Ali Shah the Second, son of His Holiness Sultan ‘Ali Shah the Martyr (may their graves be fragrant), was born on the 8^th Dhu’l-hijjah 1308 A.H.L. corresponding to the 24^th Tir 1270 A. H. S. (1891A.D.).

            At an early age he began to learn reading and writing. After studying the Holy Qur’an and the Persian texts, he began to study Arabic. He learned the ancient customary sciences under the direction of his honorable grandfather, his eminent father as well as the appropriate masters in Bayducht (a village near Gunabad situated in the northeast of Iran).

            In 1327 A.H.L., after the martyrdom of his honorable grandfather, he proceeded to Tehran and by the order of his father traveled to Isfahan for the completion of his education.

            In 1328 A.H.L. (1910 A.D.), he returned to Tehran and went to the presence of his honorable father, who was in Tehran at that time, and became authorized by his father to hold the position of leader of the “congregational ritual prayer.” On the 11^th Rabi’ath-thani 1329 A.H.L., he was honored with the spiritual title of “Salih ‘Ali Shah” to direct and guide the seekers (taliban) of the Truth. In Ramadan 1330 A.H.L. (1912 AD.), his honorable father, appointed him to be the successor and vicegerent (khalifa). In the same year, by the order of his honorable father, he traveled to Mecca for pilgrimage. He returned to Gunabad in 1331 A. H. L.

            His Gracious Holiness, like his honorable father, was continuously troubled by the opponents who incited people and tormented him.

            After the martyrdom of his noble father in the 15^th Rabi’al-awwal 1337 A. H. L. ( 1918 A.D.) he succeeded him and sat on the throne of guidance by his order and last will and testament. He began by guiding the seekers and travelers (salikan) and assisting people and looking after their affairs as well as performing other charitable deeds. He made a few journeys both inside and outside Iran including several pilgrimages to the “Holy Shrines” (at Baghdad, Karbala, and Najaf) and the sacred places in Syria and Jordan. In Rajab 1373 A. H. L. or 1332 A. H. S. (1954 A.D.), owing to a serious illness, he traveled to Tehran and by the strict orders of physicians and at the insistence of his friends and God’s approval proceeded to Switzerland for a surgical operation. After staying there in one of the hospitals for two months and a half, he returned directly to Tehran and stayed there for some time in order to gain a complete recovery. In the winter of the same year, he returned to Gunabad and thereafter made three trips for visiting the “Holly Shrines” and Mecca the blessed and Medina the radiant in 1375, 1380, and 1385 A. H. L.

            In Gunabad, he would spend his time mostly in guidance of the seekers (taliban), training of the “travelers upon the Path” (salikin), aiding the needy, and performing charitable deeds such as repairing the mosques, digging subterranean canals and reservoirs. He also occupied himself with repairing the building of the sacred tomb of his honorable grandfather and constructing buildings such as hospitals and clinics for public welfare. At the same time he was busy in farming and cultivating by which means he earned his livelihood. His works for public welfare can still be found in all the villages of Gunabad where there is no place in which the traces of his charitable deeds are not seen.

            In the afternoons, he would often spend his time in teaching Bayan Assa’ada (a commentary of the Holy Qur’an).

            In the summer of 1345 A. H. S., he became ill several times and for some time was confined to bed; although upon the slightest sign of recovery, he would leave his bed to alleviate the anxieties of fuqara.

            In the early month of Rabi’ath-thani 1386 A. H. L. (1966 A.D.), he was taken ill again but after two or three days he had apparently recovered from his illness. On Wednesday the 8^th Rabi’ath-thani 1386 A. H. L. (1966 A.D.) a sudden change appeared in the condition of his health and physicians from Gunabad gave him medical treatment. In the middle of the same night, at the time of the call (adhan) to morning ritual prayer, his condition again changed and his holy spirit flew to the “Holy World” (Thursday, the 9^th Rabi’ath-thani 1386 corresponding to the 6^th Murdad 1345 A. H. S. and (1966 A.D.) Thus his children were left fatherless, his relatives without guardian, and the community of fuqara, shi’ites, and Muslims became mournful.

            His holy body received such a glorified escorting, the like of which was quite unprecedented. He was buried next to his honorable grandfather, and so a world of gnosis (irfan) and knowledge disappeared under the dark earth (may his sacred grave be sanctified).

            His Holiness had married in 1329 A. H. L. the daughter of his uncle, Mulla Muhammad Sadr al-Ulama, and left eight children including one girl. The eldest is his Eminence Hajj Sultan Husayn Tabandah, Rida ‘Ali Shah, who by his father’s decree became his vicegerent (khalifa) and successor.

A Brief Biography of the Late Master,

His Eminence Hajj Sultan Husayn

Tabandah, Rida ‘Ali Shah

His most High Holiness Hajj Sultan Husayn Tabandah, entitled Rida ‘Ali Shah, who is the late leader of the Order of the Ni’matullahi Sultan ‘Ali Shahi, was born on the 28^th Dhu’l-hijjah 1332 A.H.L., corresponding to the 25^th Aban 1293 A.H.S. (1914 A.D.). He is the honorable son of His Eminence Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Salih ‘Ali Shah (may his grave be sanctified).

During his childhood, he began reading and writing; later on he learned the rudiments of Arabic and Persian literature. Then he studied the literary and “transmitted (naqli) sciences” with his honorable father, and other local teachers. In 1350 A. H. L., by the order of his father, he set out for Isfahan to complete his education. There for five years, he studied jurisprudence (fiqh) and its principles (usul), theosophy (hikmat), and the other Islamic intellectual (‘aqli) and transmitted (naqli) sciences and obtained the ijazah (written authorization) for narrating the Traditions (Ahadith). Meanwhile, he obtained comprehensive knowledge of other sciences such as ethics, logic, mathematics, astronomy, traditional medicine, history, and the occult sciences. Later on he returned to Tehran and entered the “College of intellectual and transmitted Sciences”, were he received his B. A. in 1358 A. H. L. He returned to Gunabad

In the same year and under the shadow of the training and protection of his gracious father, began to exercise self-discipline, spiritual struggle (mujahadah) with the lower soul (nafs), purification of the soul, and refinement of the spirit.

In Sha’ban 1369 (1950 A.D.), after completion of the seven spiritual journeys of the Path, he succeeded in obtaining an authorization for leading the “congregational ritual prayer” and inspiring (talqin) the lingual litanies (awrad) and invocations (adhkar). On the 11^th of Dhul-qa’da in the same year, he was honored with the spiritual title of “Rida ‘Ali” to guide the seekers (taliban) and assist and direct the qualified novices. In Dhul-qa’da 1379 A. H. L. (1960 A.D.), he was appointed to be the successor and vicegerent (khalifa) of his gracious father with the spiritual title of “Rida ‘Ali Shah.”

His Holiness has made several journeys to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Arabic countries and succeeded in pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In 1373 A. H. L. (1954 A.D.), he accompanied his father, who traveled to Europe for medical treatment, and visited some European countries. He also made several journeys to visit Ka’ba, the tomb of the Holy Prophet (may God cover him in glory and give him peace), as well as the tombs of the Imams (peace be upon them).

In all of his journeys, he was very interested in visiting the jurisprudents (‘Ulama) and religious authorities. On one of his journeys to Najaf, after holding lengthy discussions about some difficult points of jurisprudence, he obtained

a formal authorization for practicing jurisprudence  (ijtihad).

Although he used to live in Tehran, his real residence was in Bayducht. There he was usually engaged in attending to the affairs of fuqara and in completing the construction of the building of the illuminated tombs of his honorable great grandfather and his gracious father.

     In the afternoons, as his father did before him, he usually thought Bayan Assa’ada in a plain and comprehensive language and with necessary explanations of the Gnostic truths, spiritual instructions and advice.

In the mornings, he would spend a few hours for meeting fuqara, receiving visitors, and looking after his own

and others’ affairs.

He earned his livelihood by farming and raising domestic animals and strictly forbade others to beg, to be a burden to society, or to be idle. He was quite disgusted with those who were addicted to unlawful habits and did not admit them to his presence.

On II Rabi al-Awwal 1413, 18 Shahrivar 1371, September 9, 1992 his most holy graciousness passed from the corporeal world to be united with his Beloved. He was buried in Gunabad beside his esteemed father; may they rest in Peace. He has been succeeded by his son, Mawlana Hajj ‘Ali Tabandah, Mahbub ‘Ali Shah.

His Gracious Holiness has written many books, some of which have been reprinted several times. They are as follows:

1.     A Theophany of the Truth: On the Mysteries of the Tragedy of the Karbala.

2.     A Treatise on Hypnotism.

3.     A Biography of Khwajih ‘Abdullah Ansari.

4.     Niyaz-I Tajalli: A Translation of Abu Hamza Thumali’s Supplication.

5.     The Philosophy of Plotinus.

6.     The Genius of Knowledge and Gnosis in Fourteenth Century (A.H.L.): A Biography of the Late Hajj Mulla Sultan Muhammad Gunabadi, Sultan ‘Ali Shah.

7.     Memories of a Pilgrimage to Mecca.

8.     Treatise on the Removal of Doubts.

9.     A Guide to Happiness.

10. A Religious Commentary on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (translated into English under the title of A Muslim Commentary on…).

11. From Gunabad to Geneva.

12. The History and Geography of Gunabad.

13. Notes from Visits to Arabic countries.

14. A visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

15. The Holy Qur’an and the Three Mysterious Gnostic Stories.

16. Ten Lectures.

17. A Short History of the Fourteen Innocents.

18. The Three Radiant Gems of the Most Blessed Sea of the Divine Word.

19. Progression and Transubstantial Motion (unpublished).

20. The Philosophy of Averroes (unpublished).

 

Prologue

Hu

121

 

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate;

Upon Whom I rely and in whom is all My Hope

 

 

            Praise be, with praise most pure, to the One Who owns all things, to the One Who by His radiance brings to being everything, to the One most worthy of worship, most worthy of all blessings, to the Almighty One, Who knows and sees all things, to Whom all shall return and from Whom all have come. He is the Beneficent, Who at every stage of being grants every fitting need of every individual. He is the Merciful, Who opens the door for His servants to the road leading back to Him, to the highest road, the path of servitude to Him, the path shown by His prophets, And the best of the blessings He has granted to us is to have chosen us to follow the prophet of the end of time.

            O Kind God! We boast of servitude to You, for we have seized hold of the rope You have extended to us. Grant us success through the guidance of Your beloved prophet and pure servant Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah, Peace and Blessings of Allah to him and to his progeny. Grant us the success of turning our faces toward You and of complying with the orders of Your Prophet. Grant us success through the illumination of our hearts with friendship (walayat) and obedience to the heirs to Your esteemed Prophet’s legacy (awsiya).

            With this supplication for success to the Beneficent God, at the request of some of the wayfarers in the Murtadawi way and travellers in the Ni’matullahi Sultan ‘Alitshahi Order, this poor helpless servant of the dervishes, Muhammad Hasan Gunabadi, who has been honored in the way (tariqat) with the title Salih ‘Ali Shah, has undertaken to write this letter of instructions to remind our spiritual brethren of duties pertaining to Islam and faith. Consideration of the following points has aided in the writing of this letter:

(1) For some time now an increasing number of letters with many questions have been arriving from seekers (taliban) and novices among the brethren, especially from those who live in places where authorized shaykhs are not readily avialable to them, and where they do not frequent the knowledgeable veteran fugara and they are not aware of the books of the gnostics (‘urafa) or such books are not readily available. They also have asked about precepts of outward form and precepts of inward meaning; and I have written answers to them. However, since the answer to each  letter cannot be written in great detail, and since these replies inform none but those who sent the questions, the same questions are often repeated, and so the answers must also be repeated. Therefore, I have resolved to write on those topics pertaining to the various questions which have been posed in as much detail as is possible in such a letter, so that it might be generally applicable and useful to all. The answers to the remaining questions must be sought from the lips of those who tread the Path.

(2) Some of the novice fuqara or others hear words from certain friends or from those who are against Faqr and many a time, without investigating, it happens that they fall into doubt.

They read in the books of gnostics the mysteries of the Path, which are perceptions of the heart and Divine inspirations, or they have heard about them from the men of the Path but have not understand them and have thus considered the mysteries to be nothing more than mere words and utterances or certain acts [as performed by the fugara]. They have not even referred to the books by the Saints, nor do they ask the learned men about them. They have read and heard about them but, supposing them to be mere religious differences or suchlike, their problems have remained unsolved. Sometimes it happens that they are caught in the snare of blasphemous beliefs or indecent acts, or are inclined to think poorly of the righteous. Therefore, the necessary explanations will be given in this letter, [some] explicitly and [others] implicitly, so that the answers to their problems will be clearly understood.

(3) A group of those unfamiliar with the stages of Faqr and gnosticism, especially in our time, have not carefully considered the gist of the subject and have not looked into the meaning of the words of the gnostics. Besides, they have not read their books, although, thank God, they have frequently been printed and made available; or they might have read them but have interpreted and distorted the words as they wished and misrepresented them to the people. Moreover, some opponents, out of hostility and obstinacy, in order to give a false account and to create opposition, try to assert that Faqr or dervishhood – which is a following of the prophets and the Saints, the uniting of form and spirit, having one’s heart with the Beloved while having one’s hands busy work, and being kind and sincere to all creatures – is a new claim. They try to represent Faqr to certain people as a form of idleness and shamelessness; as being a burden to society; as not being bound to the rules (adab) of religion and the laws; as not observing the manners of religiousness; and as opposing civilization. They do this so as to humiliate Faqr before all groups, so that some seekers (talibin) might consider their words true and believe in them and thus be led astray from the Truth.

Therefore, a brief account of the beliefs and practices [of fuqara] was deemed necessary to be given as a reminder.

(4) Some of the seekers of the Path of those who have passed along the Path, on hearing that [walking on] the Path (tariqat) is to refine one’s morals, have considered refinement through knowledge and learning, as written in the ethical books, sufficient; or have considered morals, which are “fixed habits of the soul”, by nothing more than their practical effects and good relationship. For this reason, Islamic ethics in its gnostic sense will also be pointed out briefly so that it might be of help.

(5) Since fuqara consider it their duty to be related at all times to the living, religious scholar (‘alim) and gnosic (‘arif) of their time and to renew their Covenat (‘ahd) [with them] and to inquire of them about their duties, some of them do not pay attention even to the minor details or do not understand the general instructions or they consider them to be insufficient or by way of precaution and assurance, they ask about even the slightest duties.

 Some of them fall into another error by considering dervishhood as nothing more than oral litanies (awrad) and invocations (adhkar), resorting to them as a means of furthering their worldly affairs. Or they make use of litanies and invacations – which are actually amorous whisperings to the Beloved and the declaration of helplessness and nothingness before the Throne of the Almighty which should be performed with absolute heartfelt attention – as a means to fulfil their worldly desires. They resort to the outward appearance of the words, thereby thinking to solve their problems. They should become aware of this negligence.

There are others who according to the saying “Is religion anything but love?”² assume that mere love is sufficient and, knowingly or unknowingly, fail to be attentive to the performance of good deeds. They do not rightly observe the dos and don’ts which are required for the protection of the state of [spiritual] love and Relationship as well as the watering of Faith. They are not aware even of some of the outward manners (adab) and are therefore not very attentive to them.

Besides, it so happened that some friends requested me, in order to make such people aware [of them], to write a brief and comprehensive instruction, so that one might carry it on his person and frequently refer to it, because books are read less for their detailed descriptions and are easily forgotten.

Therefore, I have compiled with their wishes and have collected a summary of the instructions of the Saints of the past, which have often been written down in books and I have put them down briefly and enumeratively. Since it is a letter of advice and instruction rather than a book, I present it to the brethren as Salih’s Advice. I hope to succeed in writing The Commentary of Salihiya in a few volumes in the future, and I hope to present it to the readers.

As most of them have neither a knowledge of Arablic nor an acquintance with the technical terms and important gnostic subjects. I have written this letter in simple,  none technical Farsi. I have pointed out, briefly and for the use of all, what they should almost always know, which are general religious duties or are things of which whose good or evil is understand by any [normal] intelligence and need only a reminder. I have explained [in more detail] things that are less taken into consideration whereas close attention should be paid to them, however unimportant they might seen.

And, first of all, I insist that the Friends should try to learn the manners (adab) and rules (ahkam) of the Divine Law (shar’), the learning of which has natural priority over the manners (adab) of the Path, and the manners of the Path are for animating and adorning them and have priority over the rules of the Divine Law in terms of honor.  They should learn about them, as much as a Muslim needs or requires, from their source in order that they might know their Islamic duties.

And for increasing their insight into affairs related to Faqr, they might refer in general to the detailed books written by the gnostics and chiefly to the books by this faqir’s honorable grandfather, the late Sultan ‘Ali Shah the Martyr, and my deceased honorable father, Nour ‘Ali Shah the Second (may their graves be sanctified), which are full of truths and replete with advice.

In fact, they should consider this letter both a complementary chapter and a summary of those books and a description of the Promise and Covenant (‘ahd) made [with God], which under certain circumstances has been added to them and their allusions have been thus clarified.

I hope the Faithful will become aware of the attributes and morals concerning Faith and will not consider the mere relationship [with the Master] sufficient, that they will endeavor to travel along the Path so that they might not fall behind, and that they will be always ashamed of their failure and rebuke the self (nafs).

Although there are some exceptions to what has been written, however general it might be, and every general [regulation] has its particular [exception] and a duty might change in special cases, commandments have been made for prevailing cases. But rare cases require special instructions and orders which can be understood only by intelligent people.

In Islam and as regards Faith, women and men, according to Holy verse³, are equal and religious sisters are charged with religious duties like those of the brethren. But since women are equal to men with respect to Faith, and should endeavor in the same way, I shall address the brethren in general and have in view the subtle essence (latifa) of Faith.

I resort to the spirits of the Saints of religion and thus expect my brethren to study this letter frequently, which care and thought, and to regard it with love and show an interest in it and act according to it. They should not make the failure of another believer a pretext [for disobeying], but should strive, as far as possible, to be a true bearer of the title of faqir, which is, in other words, another name for servant.

In fact, revolutions and changes in the world, ass are manifest everywhere, should also affect us, and we should wake up and avail ourselves of every opportunity. Although there is no room for parties, sectarianism, and involvement in worldly affairs in Faqr and servitude; nevertheless, the believer should be clever, have foresight, value peace, and give thanks to God. And whenever obstacles are few, he should endeavor to pay attention [to religious duties] and to act according to them. And he should not fail to remove religious doubts and disagreements. May the Kind God grant my brethren and me success!

My Brethren

[1]

Thinking and Verification

Man’s privilege over other animals is his reason and far-seeing thought. A child from the very first day of his birth is similar to other animals but with the growth of the body, his power of thought also develops and his foresight increases.

            He finds out from what is known to him or from what he has seen and heard that which was formerly unknown to him as well as discovering the works and influences of other beings.

            He engages in embellishing and grooming his corporeal body and attends to its requisites both internal and external. The more he employs his mind, the better requirements that are provided, the better he will progress.

            It is evident that gradually he begins to find out the effects and the mysteries of the world of creation, and makes inventions and creates arts and techniques for the benefit of his fellow-creatures.

            He should not, however, limit himself to this alone; nor devote all his thought to the outer life; nor use up all his endeavors for his body and its requirements which is mortal; rather, he should awaken and ponder on this:

Where have I come from and for what purpose?

Where am I to go, and where shall my home be?

[2]

Proofs of the Immortality of the Spirit,

Incorporeality of the Soul, and

the Next World

And from the limitation of the body and material things and their transformations, from the gradual and complete annihilation of the body, from the unceasing burning of the innate search and passion for worldly desires, from the pursuit of wishes and the longing for that which he has lost, he will be brought to realize that this unending agitation of thought is not restricted to the world and that human reality is something other than this body. Rather, that which controls the [human] faculties and organs and remains unchanged throughout all the transformations of the body and is single despite the plurality of its faculties and is strange to all despite its familiarity with them and is the knowing, the seeing, and the powerful in the body and is enduring and single in spite of the unawareness of the body and the heedlessness of imagination and throughout childhood, youth, and old age as well as during happiness and unhappiness, corpulence and leanness, illness and health and to which are attributed thought and reason is called “soul” or “spirit”, it is the reality and the personality of man and is neither corporeal nor perceptible. The heart and the center of thinking are the intermediaries between spirit and body and spirit dominates over the heart and the heart dominates over the body.

            We should, therefore, not entangle the spirit constantly in the well and prison of the body with illusion (wahima); rather, the body should be illuminated through the heart with the light of spirit.

            And one’s truth should not be sacrificed to the world, but one should attend somewhat to one’s own self and discover that the effects, words, thoughts, and deeds which are with us throughout life and even unto death are perceptible, but are not found in the body. Therefore, as they are kept on the tablet of the spirit, they remain non perished and stay with the spirit forever, even after natural death and complete annihilation of the body, which during lifetime is also in the process of perishing.

            As man lives without the body when asleep, and becomes happy or sad after waking up due to the states and the occurrences that he has undergone [during his sleep], and if he has had a good or a bad dream, whether he wants to or not, he will feel the happiness or unhappiness arising from it after waking up and later on he will see the effects or [the realization of] the dream itself; in the same way, our deeds will accompany us and will bring about ease or torture after death. We should, therefore, give thought to the comfort of the hereafter.

            But thought cannot find its way there by itself: hence we have to seek for a path and a guide in order to arrive there. As the prophets and the Saints have already passed along the Path, have experienced its troubles, have gained a knowledge of the provisions for the Path, have been commissioned to awaken [people], and have indicated the right and the wrong way, we should, therefore, seek to comply with their orders. The birth of such far-sightedness is the beginning of journeying towards God.

            If this search and desire intensifies, if the believer resolves to correct himself, and if he realizes that he will not attain his Goal by mere outward religiousness or by merely professing to be religious by enacting the outward appearance of religion and that he cannot travel along the Path simply by the writings and the instructions of the Guide and that a Path with endless dangers and innumerable highwaymen should be traveled with a guide and a weapon, he will begin to do research or to investigate in order that he might find out the explicit decree (nass) of the Predecessors, who have been clear-sighted and well-informed and whose words he considers to be the truth. This decree is the only means by which the Guide can be recognized and is also conjoined with the [divine] effect.

            He should, then adhere [to the Guide] with insight and with good belief, and surrender himself like Moses in his following of Khidr. Such adherence is called, in Gnostic usage and terminology, the “beginning of the journey”.

            He should, afterwards, in accordance with the orders that he has received, pass along the Path with the steps of an aspirant. And without any objection or doubt, he should maintain his steadfastness in his inspirations (halat-I warida), removing himself from temptations by using the remembrance (dhikr) [of God] as a weapon, and be always in the state of meditation (fikr).

            He should take thought of the end, not cling only to outward appearance, and as long as he lives, should not take the grip of his heart from the skirt of the Pir (i.e. should cling to him). He should also turn his face in the direction (wijha) of the Divine Order and consider showing reverence to him likewise as that paid to God and comply with what pleases him. Doing so is praiseworthy, though blind imitation (taqlid) founded on an unstable basis is blameworthy.

            And he should for the attainment of [spiritual] luminosity and insight