2. Al-Baqara

Then if anyone changes it after hearing it the sin shall rest upon those who change it; surely God is Hearing Knowing. Whoever distorts an utterance the evil and harm of that becomes his. His punishment is that he is denied the smell of the fragrance of sincerity. Whoever aids the religion dīn God aids him and whoever provides aid against the religion God forsakes him.

But if anyone fears injustice or sin from one making a testament and so makes things right between them then no sin shall be upon him; surely God is Forgiving Merciful. Here the allusion is to the one who recognizes a weakness in one of the aspirants murīdūn or sees in one of the novices ahl al-bidāya a laxity of purpose qaṣd. Or [it may allude to] someone giving counsel [who] speaks with pure sincerity to someone who does not have the capacity for it. He understands his kindness to the aspirant as a form of indulgence encouragement persuasion and permissiveness toward him. This is not objectionable for urging people to pure sincerity [on the path] and [encour- aging them] in what is not yet firmly established in them has an ample reward. Showing kindness to novices who are not yet firm in their resolve or sincere in their effort is a crucial element in seeking to make things right.

O you who have faith! Written for you is fasting. In the tongue of allusion and the clarification of wisdom, He is saying, “O you who have faith, fasting has been written for you. It has been written because you will be the guests of the Real, and tomorrow in paradise He wants to take hungry guests to a banquet. When the generous take someone to a banquet, they like the guests to be hungry so that the feast will be sweeter in their hearts. The Lord of the Worlds created paradise and everything within it for the faithful. None of it is of any use to Him, nor does He have any need for it.” A pir of the Sufis sent out an invitation, but no one came. The pir lifted up his hands and said, “Lord God, if you send your servants into the fire tomorrow, paradise and perfect bliss will be like my table!” The value of a table is for people to sit there and eat. Indeed, the Lord of the Worlds created all the treasuries of blessing for the faithful and the eaters, but He Himself does not eat. This is why He says, “Fasting belongs to Me, and with it I recompense.” One of them said, “In other words, 'Self-sufficiency belongs to Me. I do not eat or drink. I reward those who fast without reckoning, for they sought conformity with Me by not eating. They sought friendship with Me, for the first station in friendship is conformity.'” Know then that when you gain conformity with the angels by saying “Amen” at the end of the Surah of Praise, your past and future sins are forgiven-as has come in the report. Hence by means of your conformity with God in not eating-even though your not eating is by self-exertion and temporary, and God's not eating is a beginningless attribute-you should know what eminence and nobility accrue to your heart and religion! It has been said that by saying “Fasting is Mine,” He ascribed fasting to Himself so that the hands of the plaintiffs would fall short of that. Tomorrow at the resurrection, when those plaintiffs gather around you and take away your acts of worship by calling you to account for your acts of wrongdoing, the Lord of the Worlds will keep your fasting in the treasury of His bounty and say to the plaintiffs, “This belongs to Me-you have no hand in this.

For days numbered; and if any of you be sick or be on a journey then a number of other days; Whoever is present in the month fasts for God and whoever is present with the Creator of the month fasts through God. The fast for God leads to recompense while the fast through God leads to nearness. The fast for God is the fulfillment of worship taḥqīq al-ʿibāda and the fast through God is the healing of spiritual desire taṣḥīḥ al-irāda. The fast for God is an attribute of every worshiper ʿābid and the fast by means of God is the quality of every seeker qāṣid. The fast for God is accomplished by the outward ẓawāhir [selves] and the fast by means of God is accomplished by the innermost ḌamāÌir selves. The fast for God is abstention according to the clear explanations of the law ʿibārāt al-sharīʿa and the fast by means of God is abstention through the allusions of reality ishārāt al-ḥaqīqa. Whoever is present in the month [of RamaḌān] abstains from the things that break the fast while whoever is present with the Real abstains at all times from witnessing created things. Whoever fasts with his lower self will drink from the drink of Salsabīl and Zanjabīl. Whoever fasts in his heart will drink from the drink of that which causes love maḥābb through the blessing of [God's] approval ījāb. Those who fast with their innermost selves are those about whom God has said �He will give them a pure drink to drink� [76:21]. What a drink! [It is] a not a drink that is turned about in the hand but rather one that appears from [God's] kindness. [It is] a drink of becoming intimate not a drink from a cup. God most high said �If any of you be sick or be on a journey then a number of other days� that is for anyone who breaks the fast for these reasons [they should] fast a number of other days equaling those in which the fast was broken. The allusion is to one who is losing the vigor of his spiritual desire irāda so that he returns to other than Him either through a permissive interpretation rukhṣat taÌwīl or because of a lack of strength or endurance or a weakness in taking on the burdens of the decrees of reality aḥkām al-ḥaqīqa.

The month of Ramadan is that wherein the Qur'an was sent down as guidance. In other words, the month of Ramadan has come to you. He is saying, “Now the month of Rama- dan has turned to the friends. It is a month that both washes and burns. It washes the hearts of the sinners with the water of repentance and burns the bodies of the servants with the fire of hunger.” The word Ramaẓān is derived either from ramẓāÌ or ramaẓī. If it is from ramẓāÌ, it means hot stone, which burns whatever is placed upon it. If it is from ramaẓī, it means rain, which washes whatever it meets. MuṣṬafā was asked, “What is Ramadan?” He replied, “In it God burns the sins of the faithful and forgives them for them.” Anas Mālik said that he heard God's Messenger say, “Ramadan has come. In it the gates of the Garden are opened, the gates of the Fire are shut, and the satans are fettered. If someone reaches Ramadan and is not forgiven, then when?” He also said, “Were God to give the heavens and earth permission to speak, they would give those who fast during Ramadan the good news of the Garden.” Poor man, you do not know the worth of this blessing. You are caressed everywhere in the world, and eminence has been put down next to you, but you are unaware. The submission, which is higher and better than all the creeds, is your religion. The Qur'an, which is more exalted than all the books, is your book. MuṣṬafā, who is the master of Adam's children, the eyes and lamp of the em- pire, the leader of the world's folk at the resurrection, is your messenger. The Kaabah, which is the most eminent of spots, is your kiblah. The month of Ramadan, which is more excellent and eminent than all other months, is your month and the season of your practice. It is a month in which all acts of disobedience are forgiven, the satans subjugated, paradise embellished and its doors open, and the doors of hell shut. In it the bazaar of the workers of corruption is broken, the deeds of the obedient are joined with self-purification, and past sins and recorded defilements are burned. The Commander of the Faithful ʿAlī said, “Had God wanted to chastise MuḤammad's com- munity, He would not have given them the month of Ramadan, nor the surah, 'Say: He is God, One' [112].

And when My servants ask thee about Me, surely I am near. I respond to the supplication of the supplicator when he supplicates Me. So let them respond to Me and have faith in Me. Perhaps they will be led aright. He is saying, “When My servants ask you about Me, those are the servants who hang on to the ring of veneration for Me. They have fled to My street, put aside everything less than Me, undertaken to serve Me, believed in Me, and cut themselves off from secondary causes. They have wrapped the turban of trial around their heads and bought Our love with spirit and heart. They came into existence with passion, and they are leaving with passion.” With passion my steed set out from nonexistence, my night always bright with union's wine. Of that wine not forbidden by my religion my lips will not stay dry till I'm back in nonexistence. “When servants like this and friends like this ask you about Me and seek My mark from you, know that I am near to them. Uncalled and unsought, I am near. Unhoped for and unperceived, I am near. With My firstness, with My attributes, I am self-standing and near. Not by the worthiness of the servant-I am near by My own description.” This is the same that He said to His speaking companion Moses, on that pitch black night on the edge of the Mount when he was called from the right bank of the watercourse [28:30]. Mo- ses was called from the right bank of the blessed watercourse: “O great Moses!,” for after Adam, no one heard the speech of the Real with the ears of his head except Moses. He was called, “O Moses!” Moses became unsettled, he could not bear it, and his patience fled. How can patience overcome love? Love will always snatch away the hand of patience. In his burning, distraction, and inability to bear, he said to the caller, “You have made me hear You. Where should I seek You?” The call came, “O Moses, seek as you like, for I am with you. I am nearer to you than the spirit is to your body, your life-vein is to you, your speaking is to your mouth. The speech is My speech, the light is My light, and I am the Lord of the Worlds. ” In terms of allusion, it is as if the Exalted Lord said, “O Moses, I am near to you through knowledge, but far from your imagination. O Moses, I am the share of My lovers, and I bestow the shares of the wage-earners. Remembering Me is delight, loving Me celebration, recognizing Me the kingdom, finding Me joy, companionship with Me the spirit's repose, and nearness to Me light. I take the place of the spirit for the friends, I am the resurrection without Trumpet for the recognizers.” I said, “Lovely idol! Are You then my beloved? Now that I look closely, You are my spirit. I will have no spirit if You turn away from me. O Spirit of the world, You are my unbelief and faith.” Surely I am near-I respond to the supplication of the supplicator. He is saying, “I am near to My servants, and I love the near ones. I answer those who call Me, I give access to those who seek Me, I am pleased with those who reach proximity to Me. My servant! Come near to Me so that I may come near to you. 'When someone comes near to Me by a span, I come near to him by a cubit.' My servant, if you call Me, I will …

Permitted to you upon the night of the fast is to go in to your wives; they are a vestment for you and you are a vestment for them; God knows that you have been betraying yourselves and so He has turned to you [relent- ing] and He has pardoned you. So now lie with them and seek what God has prescribed for you and eat and drink until the white thread is distinct to you from the black thread at daybreak; then complete the fast to the night; [God] informs us that in truth the customs that characterize human beings are not attributable to Him. Whether you are engaged in worship ʿibāda which is the right of the Real or in the customs of companionship with your mate which is the goal sought by your lower self and worldly con- cern-both are the same for your state so long as there is refined behavior adab. The verse was revealed regarding the lapse of al-Fārūq. [God] made that [lapse] an occasion for a dispensation for all Muslims until the resur- rection. Thus are the rulings of the [divine] solicitude. It is said that [God] knew there is no escaping worldly concerns for the servant so He divided the night and day in this month between His right ḥaqq and your worldly portion ḥaẓẓ. He said �As for My right complete the fast to the night and as for your worldly portion eat and drink until the white thread is distinct to you from the black thread at daybreak.� and do not lie with them while you cleave to the mosques in devotion [to God]. Those are God's bounds; do not approach them. So God makes clear His signs to people so that they might fear. [God] states that the place of nearness is sanctified from the seeking of worldly concerns. He said �When you are occupied with your [lower] selves you are veiled through yourselves in yourselves but when your business is with Us do not turn back from Us to yourselves.� It is said that the jealousy ghayra of the Real ������ [comes] at the times when serious business is mixed with fun. ʿāÌisha [���� ������] said concern- ing it �O Messenger of God I truly love you and love being near to you.� [Muḥammad] replied �Let me be daughter of Abū Bakr I am worshiping my Lord.� He ﷺ said to her �I have a time wherein none but my Lord is allowed me.�

They ask thee about the new moons. The waxing and waning of the moon and its increase and decrease are allusions to the contraction and expansion of the recognizers and the awe and intimacy of the lovers. The contraction and expansion of the elect are like the fear and hope of the common people. Contraction and expan- sion are higher than fear and hope, and so also awe and intimacy are higher than contraction and expansion. Fear and hope belong to the common people, contraction and expansion to the elect, and awe and intimacy to the elect of the elect. First is the station of the wrongdoers, next the station of the moderate, and third the station of the preceders.14 The furthest limit of all is the intimacy of the lovers. In the state of intimacy, a man reaches a point where, if he enters fire, he is unaware of it and its heat leaves no trace in the repose of his intimacy. Thus Abū Ḥafṣ Ḥaddād was a blacksmith. He had lit up an exceedingly hot fire and placed iron within it, as is the custom of blacksmiths. Someone was passing by and reciting a verse of the Qur'an. The shaykh became happy at that verse and the state of intimacy overcame him. He put his hand into the furnace and pulled out the hot iron. He held it until his apprentice looked at him and said, “O Shaykh! How is that you are holding the hot iron in your hand?!” The shaykh put it aside, and then he left his profession. He said, “I have left this profes- sion many times and then come back to it. This time, the profession left me.”

And fight in the path of God those who fight against you, but do not transgress. God loves not the transgressors. In the language of the recognizers and the path of the chevaliers, this killing and fighting is another way station of the travelers and another state of the lovers. However, as long as you have not been killed by the sword of struggle in the path of the Shariah and you have not been burned by the fire of love, you will not be allowed to enter by this gate. Take care not to believe that fire is simply the lamp that you know and nothing more; or that killing is simply the state that you know. Those killed by the Real are one thing, those killed by the throat something else. Being burned by the fire of punishment is one thing, being burned by the fire of love something else. Thus that great pir said, “How should I have known that this is the smoke of the burning brand's fire? I fancied that wherever there is fire there is a lamp. How should I have known that in friendship the sin belongs to the killed and the judge gives refuge to the adversary!? How should I have known that the bewilderment of union with You is the path, and he who is drowned in You seeks You all the more?” One day Shiblī went into the desert. He saw forty men, distracted, impassioned, and overcome by this talk. Each of them had gone into the desert, a brick under his head, his life having reached the gullet. The tenderness of affinity appeared in Shiblī's breast and he said, “O God, what do You want from them? You have placed the burden of pain on their hearts, You have struck fire in their haystacks. Will You now kill them all with the sword of jealousy?” His secret core was addressed with the words, “I will kill them. Once I kill them, I will pay them the wergild.” Shiblī said, “What is the wergild?” The address came, “When someone is killed by the sword of My majesty, his wergild is the vision of My beauty.” I will fight against Your passion's army and be killed-someone killed has value. The wergild of the one killed by hand is dinars, the wergild of the one killed by passion is seeing.