Count not those who were killed in God's path as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, provided for. O life of the spirit, what is it with me that I know nothing of my state? The spirit from You fills me, but my heart's blood is empty of You. O God, our life lies in remembering You, our happiness in finding You, our spirit in recognizing You! The Pir of the Tariqah said, “The living are three: one lives through the spirit, one lives through knowledge, and one lives through the Real. He who lives through the spirit lives on food and wind. He who lives through knowledge lives on love and remembrance. He who lives through the Real is happy indeed with Him. “O God, if the body's spirit is deprived of You, it will be a captive corpse, but if someone is killed in Your path hoping for union with You, he will live forever.” You said, “Don't pass by my street drunk lest you be killed, for my suitor is jealous.” Let me say a word, my dear, perhaps I'll be excused- “Killed in your street is better than far from your face.” Indeed, when friends are wounded in the Friend's street, that is a good omen, for gambling away the spirit in the gaming-house of passion is their habit and disposition. Wealth, gold, things-gamble them away for nothing. When the work reaches your spirit, gamble it away! Beware, beware! Take care not worry that your spirit will perish in the Friend's path. When the spirit perishes in loyalty to the Friend, that is true eminence. The precondition for your spirit's undertaking friendship's rightful due is its destruction. Love is intoxication, its craving destruction, its wilting and emaciation beautiful. He has clothed me with abasement in His love- abasement in love for the likes of Him is eminence. That tumultuous one of the time, Shiblī, said, “When someone is destroyed in God, God takes his place.” When you are loyal in friendship and gamble away your spirit, you will receive good fortune for free, for you will have the Friend in place of the spirit. If you had a hundred thou- sand spirits, you should sacrifice them to this union, for in truth that would still be something for nothing. Why should I not be happy? I paid one soul for a union worth a thousand sweet spirits! In this road no one truly passionate rose up like Ḥusayn Manṣūr Ḥallāj. He saw union with the Friend flying like a falcon in the air of solitariness. He tried to hunt it, but his hand could not reach it. It was said in his secret core, “Ḥusayn! If you want your hand to reach it, put your head beneath your feet.” Ḥusayn put his head beneath his feet and rose up to the seventh heaven. If you come from the field of appetite to the portico of intellect, you'll see yourself like Saturn in the seventh sphere. If today in this domicile you have a state of loss- what fine capital and fervor you'll see tomorrow! [DS 705-6] Take care never to call the spirit-gambling chevaliers who emigrate from this house “dead,” for the quarry of life's jewels is nothing but their heart. The water of life flows only from the spring of their spirit. The Lord of the Worlds says, “Rather, they are alive with their Lord, provided for.” Upon them is the cloak of awe in the shadows of …
