Assuredly God�s friends, no fear shall befall them, neither shall they grieve.Sahl said:They are those whom the Messenger of God described, saying, �When they are seen, God is remembered.� They are those who strive in God�s cause, who outstrip others in their [journeying]towards Him, and whose actions are constantly in conformity (muwāfaqa). Those are the true believers [8:4].And he [Sahl] said:All goodness comes together in four things, and through these they [believers] become �Substitutes�(abdāl): an empty stomach, seclusion from people, the night vigil, and observing silence.He was asked why the Substitutes (abdāl) are called Substitutes. He answered:It is because they substitute their spiritual states (aḥwāl) [one for another]. They have submitted their bodies to the vigour (ḥīl) in their innermost secrets (asrār). Then they move from state (ḥāl) to state, and from knowledge (ʿilm) to knowledge, so that they are constantly increasing in the knowledge of that which is between them and their Lord.He was asked, �Who are more excellent, the Mainstays (awtād) or the Substitutes (abdāl)?� He answered, �The mainstays�. Then he was asked, �And how is that?� He replied:It is because the Mainstays have already arrived and their principles (arkān) are well established, whereas the Substitutes move from state to state.[On this subject] Sahl also said:I have met with one thousand five hundred veracious [servants of God] (ṣiddīq) among whom were forty Substitutes (abdāl) and seven Mainstays (awtād), and I found their way (ṭarīqa) and method (madhhab) to be the same as that which I follow.Furthermore, he used to say, �I am the proof of God (ḥujjat Allāh) against you in particular and against the people in general.�It was [Sahl�s] way and his conduct to be full of gratitude and remember [God] a great deal. He was also constant in observing silence and reflection. He would dispute little and was of a generous spirit. He led people through his good character, mercy and compassion for them, and by giving them good counsel. He held fast to the principle[s] (aṣl) [of religion] while putting into practice [the rules] that are derived from it (farʿ). Truly God filled his heart with light, and invested his speech with wisdom. He was among the best of Substitutes, and if we include him among the Mainstays he was the Axis (quṭb) around which the millstone [of the world] revolves.
