The Sacred Light, the Concealed & the Deeply Concealed
The sublime spirit envelops the pure intellect in the same way as a piece of cotton is wrapped around a precious pearl; and the purity and fineness of that pearl is not seen save behind that veil. The influence of the sublime spirit is dominant, whether or not the influence of the heavenly spirit, or of the rational soul, or both of them is also present; and the influence of the pure intellect is likewise overruled by it and concealed under its veil. It is for this reason that perception of the Pure Essence produces nothing but bewilderment and nothing can be said of it except that it is a forgotten dream. Whoever attains to this level, whether he arrived by this path or that path, or both paths, "... is most perfect, most magnificent in rank and most illustrious in degree."
It frequently happens that the pure intellect declares its independence, stirs within itself and rises up in agitation. Somehow it tears down the veil, so that its purity and fineness come into view. Thereupon all these subtle faculties are somehow annihilated and only the pure intellect remains. The person who has achieved this stage is spoken of in one of two ways: either from the viewpoint of the supreme manifestation, or from the viewpoint of the universal soul. He is able to distinguish one from the other; but in point of fact both of them are beyond his understanding. It is as if a conversation were percolating through to him from above: an inspiration is reaching him; an impulse is pouring down on him.
From the foregoing you will have understood, among other things, that the reality of man is vastly increased by the diversity of these relationships. The several faculties form into subdivisions, each of which is given a name.
Thus, the combination of the sublime spirit with a dominant celestial spirit and a quiescent pure intellect [is named the] "sacred light".
The combination of the sublime spirit with a dominant rational soul and a quiescent pure intellect [is] referred to as the "concealed" faculty.
When the pure intellect appears and subjugates both these spirits and assimilates their properties, then this [is named the] "deeply concealed" faculty.
This concludes our review of these most excellent qualities...
The Pure Essence & the Major Selfhood
Some people experience yet another state which the intellect is unable to comprehend. The intellect has an area within which it may run about and exert itself; but beyond that area it cannot pass and it has no idea of the conditions obtaining outside. Of course, the intellect does not see the situation like this; in fact, it emphatically denies that it is so...
The perfection of the gnostic rises above the pure intellect: a stage is reached when the universal soul takes the place of his body and the Pure Essence becomes his soul. Then, by dint of the science of presence, he sees the whole universe within himself.
Now the science of presence is fundamentally rooted in the Pure Essence, so he regards this particular selfhood as being distinct from the other forms of selfhood. Or perhaps it may be that he is simply oblivious of it; in which case it does not seem to him that knowledge or inspiration percolate down to him from above; instead he sees the upheavals of fate and the inner ferment of knowledge and inspiration as having arisen from within himself, with one intuition giving rise to another, and one thought causing depression and another giving rise to pleasure. This state is called the "illumination of the essence"; and it is impossible to render it full justice, either in this world or the next.
However, a hint of that state does appear, and time after time something is manifested from behind the veil. God willing, it will appear more clearly when the elemental garb is cast aside. "The veil of my soul's face is covered in dust: happy the day when I throw off that veil!"
It is an exquisite state. We know that it is beyond our powers to do justice to this stage of development. We know, too, that we have encompassed it and reached its summit; but nevertheless the intellect is at a loss to explain it, and as for expressing it in words, the tongue is dumbstruck. It is quite different from the state of agitation and ferment of the pure intellect which was described before. That was all a shadow, and this is the original reality; that was all words, and this is action. That was all hearsay, and this is the one who knows.
The annihilation of spiritual existence and the permanency of the Divinity are terms which refer to the power which the Real exerts over created being, and the power which the concealed faculty exerts over all the other faculties – or simply over the faculty of the sacred light together with the pure intellect. A special connection arises between the major selfhood and the other faculties, including the hidden faculties. This power can be of two types: power of actions, and power of the Essence.
The power of actions is seen when a trace of the absolute selfhood percolates down to the individual selfhood. A dewdrop of absolute being may penetrate a particular being through the channels of the subtle faculties. Influences from the absolute world pour down into the world of particularisation, by way of analogy and imitation. It could be compared to the way in which black bile is associated with earth, yellow bile with fire, and phlegm with water. Similarly there are certain faculties in the reality of man which take after devils, angels, beasts or plant life. Likewise, certain knowledge and states are found in the individual selfhood, which may be regarded as mimicking those of the absolute selfhood. It is from there that they are inherited, and to this that they are attached.
One of the greatest of all capacities is to be able to see the universe in the Real and Real in the universe; or to close one's eyes and forget the universe in one's contemplation of the Real; or in some such way to discover the universal order. The first two states cannot be realised until both capacities are combined. If there were only the capacity for absolute being, then the characteristics of the universe could not be witnessed; and if there were only the capacity for individual being, then absolute reality could not be observed. The one combines with the other, and together they produce wonders. The ecstatic transports of the Sufis, such as incarnation and union, are the result of this mixture. But once the seeker has seen the Real within the Real, he has no more to do with such fantasies.
There is a state far superior to this, in which a divine impulse is transmitted, either from the supreme manifestation, or from the universal soul, or from a place where there is no differentiation whatsoever into supreme manifestation and universal soul – a place where all is oneness in oneness, simplicity in simplicity. This divine impulse, then, pours down from one of these sublime regions, becomes suspended with the individual selfhood and mingles with the substance of this bubble. Subsequently this person becomes like a limb in relation to the universal expediency and the major administration.
A state is created in the intellect, self and heart of this person which originally is one of the spiritual states, but which is more akin to the states of the exalted assembly. Eventually, in keeping with the requirements of the universal administration, the attention of human minds is turned towards this person. An effect corresponding to the power of the supreme manifestation, which is present in the heart of the greater body, is transmitted by this person to the people. Such a person is called perfect. His effect takes the form either of a new religious dispensation, or a new science, or the foundation of one of the mystical orders, or the removal of tyranny, or a change in the customs and habits of the people. The bringer of a new dispensation would be a great prophet; while the remover of tyranny would be the deputy of God.
Here there arises a great ambiguity, which can only be resolved by those who have achieved absolute establishment. The ambiguity is this: that sometimes the divine impulse does not come down from the sublime regions; what occasionally happens instead is that the impulse is represented in the world of ideas in the likeness of a mighty form, and then descends into the minds of certain human beings. It is not possible to distinguish between the impulse which arises out of the sublime regions expressly for one particular individual, and the impulse which arises out of the world of ideas for whomsoever should chance to receive it. Thus one situation can be mistaken for the other.
A further complication arises from the fact that when an impulse from the sublime regions is directed towards one particular perfect man, every limb and organ of the greater body is filled with that impulse by order of the universal expediency. As a result of this, a wide avenue is opened up from the world of ideas to the intellect and heart of this perfect individual. This circumstance has doubled the possibility of confusion and made discrimination even more difficult.
The power of the Essence is not itself susceptible to description. In trying to comprehend such matters, the intellect gains nothing but disappointment. However, what little can be said is this: just as the pure intellect is a secret which is derived from the Essence, and this derivation is a matter which is known as to its reality but unknown as to its quality, in the same way a secret is derived from the pure intellect which is known as to its reality but unknown as to its quality. This secret encompasses all the faculties, both manifest and hidden, and it influences and controls them all, even the bodily organs and limbs, and in some way makes them implicitly follow its lead and tinges them with its own colouring.
The faculties, then, are derived by means of this secret from the pure intellect, and the pure intellect itself has a special relationship with the major selfhood. An analogy for this relationship might be the sun shining upon some glasses of varying shape, size and colour. All these glasses produce a wonderful lustre, and light streams continuously from them. Or else it is like a ruby set in the middle of a piece of crystal, permeating the whole with its color.
If you examine the reality of this situation closely, it is apparent that the power of actions and that of the Essence are basically the same. The difference lies in the amount of power present. When there is little of it present, it is impossible to recognise its effects apart from those of the world; and when there is more power, it effects appear without any admixture...
To sum up, there is no point in saying more than this. All in all we should be better advised to step back from this abyss, and return to discussing certain essential points concerning the subtle faculties.
'Taste'
It should be understood that whereas the actions of the bodily limbs and organs are manifest, clear and perceptible, the states of the self, heart, spirit and secret are latent and concealed. The former belong to the visible world and the latter to the invisible. By the same argument, whatever proceeds from the visible faculties is manifest and clear, and whatever proceeds from the invisible faculties is latent and concealed and cannot be comprehended either intellectually or emotionally. For this purpose there is another extremely subtle and delicate sensory faculty which in Sufi parlance is called 'taste'.
At this point a great many people fall into error: since they are familiar with what can be comprehended by intellect and emotion, they do not relish the thought of something which is comprehended by means of a finer sense. It may even be that they can in fact comprehend it, and yet they still deny comprehension of it. The reason for this is that the aspirations of the majority have sunk to such an extremely low level, that they can only recognise the pleasures of the senses. If ever there is anything that is not apparent to the external senses, they deny its existence.
The remedy for this spiritual malady is, first, to find out about this sensory faculty and to recognise the scope and quality of this type of comprehension. After that, habitual attachment to familiar things should be broken off, and one should cultivate the habit of acquiring this subtle form of comprehension. The intuitive sense is an imaginative power, not one of the outward senses; the characteristic of this form of comprehension is that it is devoid of any connection with form and dimension.
The perception of incorporeal things belongs exclusively to the rational soul, not to comprehension, imagination and fantasy. What characterises the rational soul is that it is completely free of material attributes.
It should also be understood that the purification of the sublime spirit would be quite unthinkable without the seeker's turning his attention to the supreme manifestation and uniting himself with it in humble adoration, and accepting the signs of the exalted assembly and taking on its colouring.
The explanation of this point lies in the fact that the meaning of purification is changing a bad characteristic for a good one. The quality of everything depends on its fineness. The immediate cause of that change will also be whatever is closest and most suited to the thing to be changed. Now there is nothing closer to the human soul than the supreme manifestation; and of all the qualities of Divinity, the one which accords with the qualities of the human soul is none other than to unite with that Supreme Being and adore it. Thus, whoever seeks the purification of the soul through pure unity, or through its preliminaries, has taken the wrong path. Hence the clear instructions given by the Law to turn our attention towards the Supreme Being.
Human Perfectibility
At this point an extremely sacred truth emerges, which will require a moment's careful consideration. People through the ages have differed on one point, and the judgement concerning that difference is beset with perplexity.
Some people say that the fundamental purpose is total annihilation in the Divinity and complete withdrawal from the world of particularisation – in short, the requirements of the hidden faculties. The Lawgiver has clearly explained that basic principle; he has invited those who have the capacity to approach that fundamental purpose, and brought detailed knowledge of it to their ears. The close attention shown to matters of lifestyle, and the establishment of bodily acts of devotion have been introduced into the Law because, in view of the fact that not everyone is able to fulfil the fundamental purpose, it does not follow that just because one cannot manage the whole thing, one has to give everything up. The former mode has the force of an obligatorily ordinance, since it is what was originally intended; while the latter is more of a dispensation, being based as it is on man's faithlessness.
There are others who say that anything other than the course laid down by the outward form of the Law is undesirable, and that to affirm such a course is in fact contrary to the law. Thus, to mention the knowledge of the hidden faculties is some kind of heresy.
Our own view on this is that the desired objective with regard to the human species is no more nor less than the purification of the bodily members and organs through actions and, and the purification of the manifest faculties by means of states and stages. The human race has come into being in such a manner that its happiness lies in turning its attention towards the supreme manifestation and the exalted assembly; while its wretchedness lies in deviating from these.
Human beings had fallen into such a condition that most of them would have been punished in the intermediate world [between death and resurrection] and in the world to come. Merely thought alone would not have been enough to deliver them from such dire straits. [Merciful God] came to their assistance and established a way out for them. He sent them an interpreter of the language of the invisible world – the Holy Prophet, who was a man of their own kind. This was done in order that God's favour towards them might be complete, and that the supreme power which had required their creation in the first place might come to their aid a second time.
Thus, the very condition of mankind itself cried out for nothing more nor less than the imposition by the Source of Bounty of the Law and the purification of the bodily members and manifest faculties. Other than these influences, nothing else is required to ensure the needs of the species and the penetration of specific properties to the individual level. What the Law and the purification of the manifest faculties require is a carrier medium to root them firmly in the specific form. This implies that individuals are required, but individuality does not really come into it. As for the annihilation of spiritual existence, the permanency of the divinity, and the obliteration of the manifest faculties under the influence of the hidden faculties: none of these is necessary as far as the species is concerned. Sometimes, however, these things are required in the case of certain special individuals who have been created with extremely exalted and subtle capacities; hence a natural inclination is lodged in them towards these stages of attainment, and they are inspired with an ardent longing for them. Because of their individual qualities they are called in that direction, and eagerly they hurry there.
It is part of the wisdom of omniscient God to perfect any person who is perfectible, and to make the reality and the properties of that perfection easy for him to understand, and to enable him to reach his desired goal....
However this process is most emphatically not one of the universal divine decrees, nor does it come under the heading of a major impulse issuing from the specific form. It is rather a particular law relating to certain individuals – a minor impulse issuing from a particular selfhood. The words of the Lawgiver never convey such an idea either explicitly or implicitly.
To be true, there are people who when they hear certain words of the Lawgiver are reminded of these matters, just as when someone hears the story of Layla and Majnun, he may evoke his own past adventures. However, it is our understanding that the intention of the Lawgiver is to conceal those secrets and keep silent about them, so that whoever is capable will understand, and whoever is not capable will remain in his natural way of thinking and will thus be saved from falling into multiple error and confusion, which is an incurable disease. The writings of Sufis may well be an amazingly effective alchemy for the specially gifted, but for the masses they can be a deadly poison. God's blessing on whoever hides them from the eyes of the unworthy!
However, now that "the cup has fallen from the roof", and it has become impossible nowadays to conceal these things any longer, a divine impulse has stimulated an inclination in my mind to specify the current meaning of these things, and to explain this knowledge with a clarity and plainness that few have previously achieved. And I should now like to affirm that this knowledge is not what is meant by the Law, and that to ascribe such a meaning to the words of the lawgiver is not correct – except by way of subjective association. "And that is the decree of the Mighty, the Knowing." However hard these words may seem to the mystics of today, I have been given a task to perform, and it is on that account that I say this. I am not concerned with what this or that person may think.
Concerning the knowledge relating to these hidden faculties, it should be remembered that because they are so extremely obscure, a large number of mistakes have been made, with the result that seekers have been considerably confused at every turn. They struggled in vain to understand, and ended up talking nonsense. It would therefore seem appropriate to turn our attention next to the question of what has caused so many mistakes. After that, if time permits, we should also consider the remedy for some of these errors. We should not, however, abandon anything that is utterly fundamental. May God help you and show you the realities of things as they really are!
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