2. Al-Baqara

And slay them wherever you come upon them It means �It is incumbent on you to show enmity toward My enemies just as it is incumbent on you to establish friendship walāya and assistance muwālā with My friends awliyāÌ. So do not spare them even if there are bonds of kinship or close relation between you.� and expel them from where they expelled you; �First expel [your] love and mutual assistance with them from your hearts and then drive them from the regions of Islam so that they will be diminished.� sedition is more grievous than slaying. Here the allusion is to the ordeal that comes to hearts qulūb from the misfortunes of veiling; this is more grievous than that which comes to the bodily selves nufūs from the exertion of the spirit rūḥ because the pass- ing away of the life of the heart is more grievous than the passing away of the life of the bodily self. The bodily selves live through what is fitting and familiar to them but the heart can only live through God. It is said that sedition is more grievous than slaying means that remain- ing apart from God is much worse than letting go of your spirit ruḥ and your life ḥayāt. But fight them not by the sacred mosque until they should fight you there; then if they fight you slay them-such is the requital of disbelievers. The allusion in it: Do not disturb your time waqt with God [do not] let in the attributes that characterize the bodily and lower self even if these involve supererogatory acts of obedience. If a noisy preoccupation distracts you from God remove that matter from yourself by every means possible so that no attachment remains to block you from God.

But if they desist surely God is Forgiving Merciful. The allusion in it: When the clamor of your thoughts and the enemies of your self nafs cut you off and they separate you from [God] and jostle you give up the chatter of the lower self nafs and stop its combative motion for surely those who have been asked to guard the innermost selves asrār should not have any business with the exertions of the lower selves nufūs in their various oppositional ways.

Fight them till there is no sedition and the religion is for God; then if they desist there shall be no enmity save against evildoers. The allusion in the verse is to combat against the lower selves nufūs for your worst enemy is your lower self nafs within you. That is to say �Hold completely to the precepts of spiritual disciplines riyāḌāt until nothing remains of carnal human traces āthār bashariyya. Submit the self nafs and heart qalb to God so there will be no opponent or combatant from within you [fighting] to protect [yourself] taking instruction [from the lower self] managing [your own affairs] or exercising free choice in any state. The vicissitudes [of life] will flow over you as He wills them and you will be effaced from making any choices aside from what comes with the decree.� When the self nafs surrenders there is no enmity except toward the masters of holding back arbāb al-taqṣīr but those who uphold the right of [God's] command are far removed from any obligation to compel [others to do so].

The sacred month for the sacred month; holy things demand retalia- tion; whoever commits aggression against you then commit aggression against him in the manner that he committed against you; and fear God and know that God is with the God-fearing. [Here] the allusion is to: �When two of the rights of God face off submit the moment waqt to the decree of the moment ḥukm al-waqt and turn with the allusions of the moment ishārāt al-waqt. Beware of preferring one over the other in what you possess in your worldly portion ḥaẓẓ- even a little-for you will be veiled from witnessing the Real ḥaqq and the vision of your heart will be blinded. Everything that is closer to what opposes your whims and further from what attracts and pleases you is in itself more appropriate.� And know that God is with the God-fearing those who fear the prefer- ence of their own whims over that with which He is pleased. When they act for God in what they do rather than for themselves God most high is with them through [His] help: He said �If you help God He will help you� [47:7].

Expend in the path of God.... And do what is beautiful. Surely God loves the beautiful-doers. The rich remove money from their wallets, the poor remove the rich from their hearts, and the tawḤīd-voicers remove all creatures from their secret cores-to this He alludes with His words, “Say 'God,' then leave them” [6:91]. The rich let wealth go from their wallets for the sake of the reward of that world, the poor let the rich go from their hearts for the sake of the Lord's religion, and the recognizers let the creatures go for the sake of seeing the Glorified. The rich spend their possessions in alms tax and charity in order to escape from hell, the worshipers spend their souls in the duties of worship to reach paradise, and the recognizers spend their spirits and hearts in the realities of witnessing to reach union with the Real. And do what is beautiful. Surely God loves the beautiful-doers. MuṣṬafā said, “Beautiful doing is that you worship God as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, surely He sees you.” Doing the beautiful is that you worship God in wakefulness and awareness as if you are gazing upon Him, and you serve Him as if you are seeing Him. This hadith alludes to the heart's encounter with the Real, the secret core's convergence with the Unseen, and the spirit's contemplation of the Patron. It is an incitement to self-purification in deeds, curtailment of wishes, and loyalty to what was accepted on the First Day. What was accepted on the First Day? Hearing Am I not your Lord and saying Yes indeed [7:172]. What is loyalty to what was accepted? Serving the Protector. How does one curtail wishes? In “As if you see Him.” Where is self-purification in deeds? In “He sees you.” When an eye has seen Him, how can it busy itself with glancing at others? When a spirit has found companionship with Him, how will it make do with water and dust? The word “Return!” [89:28] is addressed to the pure spirit. How will it make its home in the frame of water and dust? When someone has become accustomed to that Presence, how long will he put up with the abase- ment of the veil? How will the ruler of his own city spend his life in exile? The attribute of the spirit is subsistence. Water and dust undergo annihilation. He who lives in the Real is not like him who lives in this world. The realizer is aware of the secret of the Real: the Real is seeable. “As if you see Him” in the report bears witness to this.

And complete the hajj and the umrah for God. It is narrated from Wahab ibn Munabbih that God sent a revelation to Adam: “O Adam, I am the Lord of the world and the world's folk, the creator of all, the king doing what I desire. I am the Lord of Bakka, and those who dwell there are My neighbors. Those who visit are My delegates, My guests, and under My protection. I will populate this spot with the folk of heaven and earth. They will come in droves from every direction and every region, their hair disheveled and their faces covered with dust from the suffering of the road, saying 'God is greater' and reciting 'Here I am,' their faces turned toward the blessed desert, the earth colored with the blood of sacrifice. “O Adam! When someone visits this house and is self-purifying in that, he is My guest and one of Mine, one of those near to Me. It is worthy of My majesty to honor him and to bring him to forgiveness through the gift of mercy and bestowal. O Adam! Among your children is a prophet by the name of Abraham, My bosom friend, chosen by Me. With his hand I will establish it, and I will command him to build it. I will make its eminence appear, bring to light its watering place, mark its sanctuary, and teach him how to worship Me there. After him I will have the world's folk keep it inhabited and place respect and reverence for it in their hearts. Then will come the turn of MuḤammad the Arab, the Seal of the Prophets, the lamp of heaven and earth. I will make it his birth place and origin, the place where revelation falls upon him, and the domicile of his honor. I will put its watering place, deputyship, and rulership in his hand. Then I will put love for it in the hearts of the faithful from the corners of the earth. They will come, bareheaded and barefoot, their goods and means put aside, their lives placed in their hands, their hair disheveled, their faces covered with dust. They will all go and circumambulate that house, asking Me for forgiveness. O Adam! If someone asks you what I will do with them, say that I am with them in knowledge, I am found by their souls and present in their hearts, and I am the cure of their pain. I am concealed from their eyes, but I am face-to-face with their spirits.” So apparent are You to my heart, so hidden are You from my eyes! And complete the hajj and the umrah for God. The hajj of the common people is one thing, the hajj of the elect something else. The hajj of the common people sets out for the street of the Friend, the hajj of the elect sets out for the face of the Friend. That is going to the Friend's house, this is going to the Friend. I was in pain-not for the Kaabah but for Your face. I was drunk-not from wine but from Your fragrance. The common people went with their souls and saw doors and walls. The elect went with their spir- its and found conversation and vision. The elect travel this path just as that chevalier said: “The blood of the sincerely truthful was purified and made into a road- unless the spirit takes a step in this road, you will have no access.” He who goes with the soul finds suffering and carries burdens in order to circle the Kaabah. He who goes with the spirit finds rest …

The pilgrimage is in months well-known; The pilgrimage for the bodily selves nufūs is in months well-known. The iḥrām is only binding in it and it is not possible to undertake the pilgrimage during the rest of the year rather [it is] only in a specific time period. One for whom that time has passed the pilgrimage has passed him. Likewise the pilgrimage of the hearts has times [that are] well-known and [it] is only appropriate during them. These are the days of youth for one who has no spiritual desire irāda in his youth has no communion in the state of his old age. Likewise the one for whom the time of his quest qaṣd and spiritual desire irāda has passed only the worship whose outcome is the garden is appropriate not the spiritual desire irāda whose outcome is communion. whoever undertakes the duty of pilgrimage during them then no lewdness nor wickedness or disputing in the pilgrimage. The allusion is also to whoever travels the path of spiritual desire that he should not stop at anything in the path nor mix his spiritual desire with anything. Whoever argues opposes or is rude with him-he yields to them all. He does not dispute with anyone for the sake of this world nor does he compete with anyone for some worldly fortune for the self or honor. God most high said �And when the ignorant address them they say 'peace'� [25:63]. Whatever good you do God knows it. You should be content with His knowledge and His judgment rather than being seen judged or known by His creatures. And take provision. But the best provision is piety; and fear Me O people of pith! The piety of ordinary people is the avoidance of errors while the piety of the elect is the avoidance of anything other [than God] in the inner secrets of their hearts.

You would not be at fault if you should seek bounty from your Lord; [Here] the allusion is that whatever you seek from the bounty of God-from what has been determined for you according to His rightful decree-is praiseworthy if it has a portion for the Muslims or the strength of the religion dīn. Whatever you seek solely for your worldly fortune or for what benefits you is flawed. but when you press on from ʿArafāt then remember God at the sacred waymark; and remember Him as He has guided you though previously you were astray. [Here] the allusion is to when you have gone so far as to perform what He has requested [you should] remember His favor with you for if He had not desired you you would not have desired Him. If He had not chosen you you would not have preferred His good pleasure.

Then press on from where the people press on and seek God's forgive- ness; God is Forgiving Merciful. The allusion [in this part of the verse] is that you should not see yourself as different from others because of some manner of dressing patched clothing or some quality that distinguishes you outwardly. Rather you should [consider yourself only as] one among [all] humanity. When the thought comes to you that you have done something or that anything [happens] through you for you or with you seek God's forgiveness and renew your faith for [this kind of thought] is a hidden idolatry shirk that infects your heart.

And when you have performed your holy rites remember God as you remember your fathers or yet more intensely. And when you have performed your holy rites is an allusion to carrying out the rightful due ḥaqq of servanthood ʿubūdiyya. Remember God as you remember your fathers is an allusion to carrying out the rightful due ḥaqq of love maḥabba. The performance of the holy rites is an undertaking through the self nafs. Remember God as you remember your fathers is an undertaking for His sake through the heart qalb continuously in the moment and throughout one's life. It is said that �Just as others boast of their fathers and delight in their ancestors let your boasting and delight be in Us.� It is said that �If your fathers have a right to raise and educate you Our right over you is even more binding since Our favors to you are more perfect.� It is said �Your ancestors may have glorious deeds and virtues but Our worthiness from the attributes of sublimity jalāl is far beyond anything due to your ancestors from the best of their states.� It is said that �If you never grow weary of remembering your father and you rarely forget him then remember Us continually and do not let weariness boredom or forgetfulness stop you.� It is said that �If someone speaks ill of your lineage you are not pleased. Similarly do not listen to the words of those who err and contrive but rather defend Us.� It is said that �The father is remembered with respect and deference. Similarly remember Us with awe even as you [also] remember the kind- ness of nearness and the best of caring.� He said �Remember God as you remember your fathers� but did not say �your mothers� because the father is remembered out of respect and the mother is remembered out of com- passion for her. God shows mercy-He is not the recipient of it. Or yet more intensely because the Real ḥaqq is more deserving aḥaqq. You might be much estranged from your father while the Real ������ is free from any thought coming to those who have knowledge of Him that they would oppose what has been made obligatory in even the smallest way. As you remember your fathers the father according to his rightful due and the Lord according to His rightful due.