16. An-Nahl

Then We revealed to thee, “Follow the creed of Abraham, an unswerving man.” “O MuḤammad, go in the tracks of Abraham's creed.” Abraham's creed was upright character, generosity, largesse, and loyalty. So the Prophet followed him and surpassed him to the point that he gave away the two worlds in exchange for the Real. God says, “Surely thou hast a tremen- dous character” [68:4].

Invite to the path of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful admonition. In another place He says, “Say: 'This is my path. I invite to God upon insight, I and whosoever follows me'” [12:108]. Inviting to God's road is one thing, and inviting to God is something else. The former has an intermediary in the midst, and the latter has the Real as spokesman. The result of what He said with intermediary is obedience and abandoning opposition. The fruit of what He said without intermediary is solitariness and abandoning self-governance. Solitariness is to make the aspiration one-pointed in both remembrance and gazing. In remembrance it is that you want only Him in remembering Him and you fear none but Him in remembering Him. In gazing it is that at whatever you gaze you see Him and you put down your head before no one but Him. The secret of these words is that whenever He brings an intermediary on the path into the midst, of all His names He mentions Lord, for it is the portion of the common people, and its mean- ing is nurturing. Whenever the path has no intermediary, He says God-of Him the creatures have no portion, and in His beginningless majesty He is without need. O chevalier! Were it not for His intimacy with the spirits of the passionate, why did He dis- close the beauty of the name God in the unneediness of His majesty and exaltation to the spirits and hearts of the passionate? If not that it would be a salve for the pain of the burnt and a mercy on the weakness of the helpless, why did He say, “Invite to the path of thy Lord”? Yes, He calls and invites to see who is worthy to accept and answer the Real's call with heart and spirit. The world's folk are two groups: One group came forth and placed their own spirits and hearts like incense on the fire of love in the censer of recognition, and they burned. They are the ones who heard the Real's call, accepted and responded to the Messenger's invitation with spirit and heart, and came back to the loyalty of the day of Yes indeed [7:172]: They are loyal to God's covenant and do not break the compact [13:20]. The spirits of the other group were inscribed by the Beginningless Threshold with the sigil of severity and stamped with the brand of abandonment, so they made their hearts the kingdom of satans. The Real's call did not reach their hearts' ears, nor were they worthy to respond to the Messenger's invitation. About the two groups the Lord of the Worlds says, “Surely thy Lord knows better who is misguided from His path and He knows better who are the guided” [6:117]. He says, “I am aware of the states of both groups and I have given to everyone what is fitting for him. I see the pearl of the recognizer's makeup, and I know the disposition of the denier's attributes. Tomor- row I will convey everyone to the fitting recompense and settle each of them down in their own places and dwellings. I am the Lord who is vast in ability, without guidebook and helper, able to do any work before that work. Nothing is far from Me, nor is any work difficult for Me.”

Surely God is with those who are godwary and those who are beautiful-doers. This is one of the all-comprehensive verses of the Qur'an. All of God's caresses of His servant in the two worlds, the rewards and the generous gifts, are included in what He says: “Surely God is with.” Every sort of service, every type of obedience, and all the roots of worship that the servant performs for God come under godwary. All that is rightfully due to people from each other in the various sorts of interactions come under beautiful-doers. In reality the godwary and the beautiful-doers are such that the scent of love's breeze comes from the dust beneath their feet. If the tears of their eyes were to fall on the ground, the narcissus of desire would bloom. If the disclosure of their present moment were to fall on a stone, it would turn into a carnelian. If it fell on water, it would become wine. If the fire of their yearning were to flame up, the world would burn. If the light of their recognition were to shine, the universe would be radiant. They have no station in the cities, no ease with the people. The common people have two festivals in the year, but they have a festival with every breath. The common people have festivals because of seeing the moon, but they have their festival because of contemplating God. The common people have festivals because of the turning of the year, but they have their festival because of the bounteousness of the Possessor of Majesty. For thousands of years the moon-faced beauties of Firdaws and the houris of paradise have been standing in wait in that busy bazaar: When will they convey the fortunate procession of the godwary and beautiful- doers to High Chambers so that they, as hangers-on, may step into the pageant of good fortune in a seat of truthfulness, at an Omnipotent King [54:55].