2. Al-Baqara

O people worship your Lord who created you and those that were before you so that you may be fearful. Worship ʿibāda is becoming harmonious muwāfaqa with the command and it is pouring all energy into requests for realization taḥqīq of the unseen. The declaration of oneness tawḥīd enters one through the heart disengagement tajrīd [enters] through the innermost self becoming single-minded tafrīd [comes] through intention qaṣd and humility [comes] through the self. Surrender istislām is to the decree ḥukm. It is said �worship Him� by renouncing prohibited things persevering in performing acts of obedience welcoming obligatory acts with humility and lowliness and avoiding detours through the waystations of laziness and indifference. His saying �so that you may be fearful� is to bring the command closer to them and to make it easier. By the word �may� He keeps them at the bounds of fear and hope. The real meaning of �fear of God� taqwā is protecting oneself through conformity [to God's command] from the threats of punishment.

He who made for you the earth a carpet and the heaven a building, and who sent down from heaven water by which He brought forth fruits for you as provision. So do not set up peers for God knowingly. The wonders of power and the marvels of wisdom in earth and heaven are evidence of a Lord and Creator and witness to His oneness, knowledge, and ability. He placed those seven green domes upon the wind, one on top of one another, without pillar or joint, as a mark of His power. He placed these seven dust-colored hills on top of the water as a clarification of His wisdom. About the one He says, [“We set in heaven constellations] and We adorned them for the gazers” [15:16] and about the other He says, [“And earth,] We laid it out-what excellent spreaders!” [51:48]. Look then at this likeness: two doves, one black and one white, which have come forth within the space of the blue dome. On the wings of one is Then We effaced the sign of the night [17:12], and on the wings of the other We made the sign of the day, giving sight [17:12]. The black was born of the white, and the white appeared from the black: He rolls up the night in the day, and He rolls up the day in the night [39:5]. He makes the night pass into the day and makes the day pass into the night [22:61]. How pure and faultless is the God who brought forth the brightness of day from the pitch black night and made the darkness of the pitch black night appear from the brightness of day! More wondrous than this is that He placed the brightness of knowing in the center point of the black blood of the heart and the brightness of seeing in the center point of the eye's pupil. Thus will you know that He is the perfectly powerful, the bountiful and bounteous bestower. This bright day is the mark of the compact of good fortune, and this dark night is the likeness of the days of tribulation. He is saying, “O you who have the good fortune of ease in the day's brightness, do not feel secure, for the darkness of tribulation's night is upon its tracks.

And if you are in doubt concerning what We have revealed to Our servant then bring a sūra like it; and call your witnesses besides God if you are truthful. And if you do not and you will not then fear the fire whose fuel is men and stones prepared for disbelievers. He covered the eyes of outsiders so that they did not see His beloved ﷺ and they wandered in the wadis of conjecture because they had lost the light of solicitude. When the Messenger brought signs to them and made miracles appear it only increased their doubts and suspicions. This is the way of those who have turned away from the Real ������. The illumination of proofs only increases their blindness to the truth. God most high said But signs and warners do not avail a folk who will not believe [10:101]. In order to bring them to admit the proof He informed them of their inabil- ity to compete with the miracle He gave them in the QurÌān [a miracle] which was triumphant over humankind from the first to the last. He made them acknowledge that even if they were to make common cause among themselves and strengthen themselves with others like them and exert their utmost efforts and stratagems they would not be able to bring a sūra like any sūra of the QurÌān. He said �If you do not� and then stated that they could not and would not do it for He said �and you will not.� It is as if He said �Look to yourselves and be wary of the idolatry that leads to the punishment of the fire whose fuel is men and stones.� If stones with all their hardness cannot withstand this fire how can men with their weakness bear itḍ When the hearts of the believers became terribly concerned from hearing mention of the fire He strengthened them and said �prepared for disbelievers.� In that is good news for the believers. This is the way of the Real ������. When He causes fear in His enemies he brings glad tidings to His friends. Just as the deception of the disbelievers vanishes when it encounters the miracles of the prophets ḍ similarly the claims of the confused disappear when the lights of the truthful appear. The mark of the one who makes false claims is the return of driving cries rujūʿ al-zajr to the heart. The mark of the one with truthful intent is the occurrence of the [divine] subjuga- tion wuqūʿ al-qahr of the heart. It is a rare individual who can separate and distinguish between [these two types of occurrences in the heart].

And give good news to those who have faith. This verse is a caress for the friends, giving them hope for everlasting largesse and bliss, and an en- couragement to the faithful, inciting them to obey and to seek increase of blessings. The previous verse warns the strangers against confusion in the heart and associationism on the tongue, and it threatens with the fire of punishment and the harshness of being cut off from the Real. The person of faith is he who becomes frightened and without ease when he hears the first verse and thinks about the chastisement of hell. He becomes happy when he hears the second verse, he makes his heart fast and his hope strong, and he brings ease into his heart. The Lord of the Worlds praises both the frightened and the one at ease. Concerning the frightened He says, “The faithful are only those whose hearts quake when God is remembered” [8:2]. Concerning the one at ease He says, “Those who have faith and whose hearts are serene in the remembrance of God” [13:28]. The custom of the Generous Lord is that whenever He sends a verse of fear with which He frightens the servants, after it He sends down a verse of hope and mercy to give ease to their hearts so that they will not despair. And give good news to those who have faith. Let there be good news for all those who are today in the playing field of service, for tomorrow they will be in the assembly of repose and ease [56:89]. Not everyone who reaches the paradise of approval will reach the generous gift of repose and ease. The paradise of approval is the furthest limit of the pleasure of the worshipful servants, and repose and ease is the kiblah of the spirits of the lovers. The paradise of approval is the High Chambers and the Abode of Peace. Repose and ease in the Presence of At-ness is the gift for the spirit of the passionate. Everyone who watches over his actions will reach the paradise of ap- proval; everyone who watches over his breaths will reach repose and ease. Who can explain this repose and ease and how can it be given expression!? When something does not come to the tongue, how can it be explained? A wind begins to blow from the World of the Unseen that is called “the wind of bounty.

God is not ashamed to strike a similitude even of a gnat or anything above it. For God most high being ashamed would mean the relinquishment tark [of His free agency]. When He describes Himself as being ashamed of something it means He does not do that and when it is said �He is not ashamed� it means He does not mind doing that. Creation in relation to the existence of the Real is in actuality less than a speck of dust in the air habāÌ fī hawāÌ because this is the perishing of one limited thing in another. Therefore the two-the throne and the gnat-are the same in His power. The creation of the throne is not too troublesome or difficult for Him and the creation of the gnat is not too insignificant or easy for him. He ������ is too holy to be attached to difficulty or ease. Since the matter can be described in this way He is not ashamed to strike a similitude of the gnat just as He is not ashamed to strike a similitude of the throne and what is below it. It is said that one aspect of the similitude of the gnat is the fact that when it is hungry it becomes strong and flies but once it is satiated it splits open and dies. Similarly Surely mankind goes too far for he thinks himself self-sufficient [96:6-7]. It is said that or anything above it means a [larger] flying insect dhubāb. [Here] one aspect of the allusion is the insolence of the fly in that it keeps returning no matter how much it is driven away. If that [quality] were to be in the lion no human being would be safe from him. But when He created power in the lion He created in him an aversion to humankind. When He created insolence in the fly He created weakness in him calling attention through this to the perfection of His wisdom and the effective- ness of His power. as for the believers they know it is the truth from their Lord; but as for the disbelievers they say �What did God desire by this as a similitudeḍ� As for those for whose eyes of inner consciousness have been opened they do not look to others or to traces or effects āthār unless it is to take heed iʿtibār or to increase the effectiveness of the faculty of insight ibtiṣār.

Those who break the covenant with God after its solemn binding and who cut what God has commanded to be joined; and who do corruption in the land-they shall be the losers. In this the allusion is to the state of one who has traveled the way of spiri- tual desire irāda then returned to what ordinary people have. Although he claimed to be willing to abandon his lower self he proved insincere when things became serious. He gave up allusions to reality ishārāt al-ḥaqīqa for concessions to the sharīʿa rukhaṣ al-sharīʿa. Just as the return of one who travels the way with his [outward] self nafs is not praiseworthy so long as a dirham remains in his bag so the return of one who seeks with his heart qalb is not pleasing so long as a breath nafas remains in his spirit rūḥ: Verily those who have died to the religion of whims find the decree of death a sweet watering place. And who cut what God has commanded to be joined: The cords of the Real are joined through the cutting of the cords with creation. The joining of what belongs to Him is not completed without cutting what belongs to you. When the matter is the reverse it is the opposite. Among that which the servant has been commanded to join is the protection of the sacred relationship of the people of this path. One expends sincere concern to achieve [this joining] rather than offering favors. [The servants' outward] efforts of concern are dedicated mawqūfa to connecting the cords of this path and arranging its conditions while their hearts are directed maṣrūfa in expectation of the guardianship of God most high for His people. The corruption of this path in the land [happens] when [elders on the path] do not pay attention to the small details of the affairs [of those less advanced on the path]. They make themselves too busy to guide an aspirant murīd with their words and too busy to sharpen the aim of a seeker qāṣid with their concerned efforts. This is some of what they neglect that displeases the Real ������. Part of breaching the covenant [happens] when your innermost self turns away from witnessing Him for even a moment. Part of the cutting off of what you have been commanded to join [takes place] when even a breath appears of your worldly concerns at any moment [causing you to not] uphold His right. Part of your corruption in the land is any hour which passes you in which you do not see Him. Surely that is the manifest loss the grave trial and the vast calamity.

How do you disbelieve in God, seeing that you were dead, and He brought you to life. Then He shall make you dead, then He shall bring you to life. By way of allusion He is saying, " O you who have lost the end of your own thread! O you who have fallen into the well of your own mortal nature! If you want the road clearer than this, why do you not go forward? If you want the field wider than this, why do you not mount up? If you want the candle brighter than this, why are you falling off the path? O you over whom so many years have passed and you have still not caught a scent! O you who have sat at so many tables and are still hungry! O you who have worn a thousand clothes and are still naked! O Muslim! The playing field is open, where are the mounted riders? The tribunal is open, where are the plaintiffs? The physician is present, where are the ill? The beauty is unveiled, where are the passionate? " You were dead, and He brought you to life. " You were dead, but I brought you to life. Why do you not look? You were ignorant, but I made you knowers. Why do you not perceive? I showed you the road, why do you not go? " It wants a man to catch the scent- otherwise, the world is full of the east wind's fragrance. The Pir of the Tariqah said, " O God, how can the servant overcome the beginningless decree? When he does not have, what can he do? What is the servant's effort? The work is done by what You want. How can the servant save himself with his own effort? " Then He shall make you dead, then He shall bring you to life. It is said that death is of three sorts: death by the curse, death by regret, and death by generous gift. Death by the curse belongs to the disbelievers, death by regret to the disobedient, and death by generous gift to the godwary. Life also is of three sorts: first the life of fear, then the life of hope, then the life of love. The life of fear appears in kindness, the life of hope appears in service, and the life of love appears in remembrance.

He it is who created for you all that is in the earth, then He went up to heaven and propor- tioned it as seven heavens, and He is knower of everything. In another place He said, “He subjected to you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, all together, from Him” [45:13]. He is saying, “I created everything in the empire of the earth for you and subjected it to you. My bestowal is not tiny, My generosity toward those who are burnt for Me is not trivial. There will never be any backsliding in My caressing you. Nor is it as if I limited Myself to the empire of the earth, for I also set up the heavens for your gaze, for the pleasure of your eyes, and as a storehouse for your daily provision. My servant! When you step into the street of My covenant, you do not know what good news reaches the heaven-dwellers and the earth-dwellers and how they congratulate each other. I know, for I know everything and reach everyone.” And He is knower of everything. In this verse there is a subtle point. He did not say, “Who created you for all that is in the earth.” He said, “Who created for you all that is in the earth.” In other words, “I created every- thing that is in the empire of the earth and the heavens for your sake, and I created you for My sake.” Do you not see that He said specifically to Moses, “I chose thee for Myself” [20:41], and generally to the creatures, “I created the jinn and mankind only to worship Me” [51:56]? It was MuṣṬafā who understood the worth of this declaration and gave thanks for this one of His blessings. On the night of proximity and generosity when he was taken to the heavens, all of creation and the empires of the two worlds were scatted at the feet of his truthfulness. That paragon did not look at it from the corner of his eye. He said, “I was not created for this.” The eyesight did not swerve, nor did it trespass [53:17]. Hail to him! Abū Yazīd BasṬāmī, who beautifully traveled in the road of MuṣṬafā's Sunnah and beautifully observed courtesy toward the Presence, said, “I kept on crossing perils until I found the empires.

And when thy Lord said to the angels, “Surely I am setting in the earth a vicegerent,” they said, “What, wilt Thou set therein one who will work corruption there, and shed blood, while we glorify Thy praise and call Thee holy?” He said, “Surely I know what you do not know.” There was a world at ease. No heart burned with passion and no breast was deluded by mad fervor. Then the ocean of mercy began to boil. The treasuries of obedient deeds were full, and no dust of lassitude had settled on the foreheads of the obedient in their obedience. The banner of their boast- ful claim, “We glorify Thy praise,” was raised to Capella. All those in the cosmos who had any subtle substance began craving for their own selves. The majestic Throne was looking at its own tremendousness and saying, “Perhaps the script of these words is written for me.” The Footstool was looking at its own amplitude-“Perhaps this sermon is being read in my name.” The eight paradises gazed on their own beauty-“Maybe this rulership will be given to us.” None wanted anything to do with dust. Each fell into delusion, each caught by mad fervor. Suddenly, from the Presence of Exaltation and Majesty, this report was given to the world of the angels: “Surely I am setting in the earth a vicegerent.” It was not that He was consulting with the angels. Rather, He was laying the foundation of Adam's exaltation and tremendousness. He was not asking for help, but spreading the carpet of Adam's dignity. He was saying, “The ruling property of My severity has acted. I have commanded the pen of generosity to write out an inscription from the beginning of the world's ledger to its end. This resolution is written for the inhabitants of both worlds, from the top of the Throne to the bottom of the Carpet: 'The dust-dwelling Adam is granted chieftainship over all the empires. His exalted breast will be bright with the light of recognition. In him the subtleties of My generosity and the artifacts of My bounteousness will become apparent.'” This exalted declaration caused the hearts of the proximate angels to quake with awe. They said, “What is this all about? He has not yet been created.” The exalted Qur'an was beating the drum of his vicegerency at the threshold of his beauty even though he had not yet entered into the bonds of creation. The majesty of predetermination was reporting on the basis of the hidden affairs of the Unseen: “You must not come around the field of Adam's good fortune, for you do not recognize the secret of his innate disposition. No falcon of anyone's mind has sat upon the branch of Adam's good fortune! No eye of anyone's insight has grasped the beauty of Adam's limpid sun!” Where did this eminence come from? From whence did this good fortune arise? It came from the fact that Adam was the oyster shell of the mysteries of lordhood and the treasury of the jewels of the empire. How many precious pearls and royal sparklers were placed in that oyster shell! Along with every pearl He arranged a black bead on the string. Along with the pearl of every prophet He placed a black bead as its counterpart: With a pearl like Adam the chosen was a bead like Satan the wretched; with a pearl …