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One of the most illustrious figures of tenth- to eleventh-century Persia is shaykh Abū Sa’yd Abu el-Khayr (967 – 1049), a native of Khorasan, where he lived all his life. It was his great-grandson who would recount his life and teachings some 130 years later, in famous book called “Asrâr el-Tawhîd”, the secrets of affirming the oneness of God. Here’s an excerpt that summarizes the different stages through which those who wish to see themselves in the service and adoration of God may pass, and also highlights the possible pitfalls into which those driven by the zeal of God’s adoration may fall.
Asrâr Al-tawhid, fi maqamât Abu Sa’yd, Persian text by Mohammad Ibn-e Monavvar, book 2, chapter 3
شیخ را پرسیدند که بنده از وايست خود کی باز رهد؟ گفت آنگه کی خداوندش برهاند. این بجهد بنده نباشد بفضل و خداوندی وی بود و بصنع و بتوفيق وی. نخست وايست این حدیث در وی پدید آرد، آنگه ﺩر توبه بر وی بگشاید، آنکه در مجاهده افگند تا بنده جهد می کند، يک چند در ان جهد خود سر می کشد پندارد کی از جایی می آید ویا کاری می کند
The Shaykh was asked how a servant of God can free himself of his own will. He said: “When his God frees him.” This is not due to the servant’s effort but to divine generosity, His work and the favor He grants. First God makes the necessity of this apparent, then opens the door of conversion before his servant, then throws him into the desire of an effort in order to repair (the harm previously done), an effort of mortification, until he does something. After some time spent in this effort, he raises his head and proudly considers how far he has come and the work he has accomplished.
پس از ان عاجز آید و راحت نیابد کی حايض است و آلوده است
Then he becomes incapable of this and finds no peace, because he is still impure and dirty.
، آنگه بداند کی آن طاعتها پنداشت کرده است توبه کند و بداند کی بتوفيق خداوند بوده است
So he realizes that these acts of obedience were performed with pride, considering himself, and he converts. He thus realizes that this (the efforts he had been able to make) had been accomplished with God’s help.
چون این بداند آنگه راه حق بدلش درآید آنگه ﺩر یقین بروى بگشایند،
When he knows this the truth makes its way into his heart and the door of certainty opens before him.
یکچندی می رود و از همه کسی هر چیزی فرا می ستاند و خواریها بکشد و بیقین میداند کی این فراز کردهء کیست آنگه شك از دلش برخیزد.
He goes on like this for some time and endures everything from everyone and accepts humiliations, but he knows who the One is who presents him with all these trials and so doubt abandons his heart.
پس درِ محبت بروی بکشانید تا در ان دوستی یکچندی فرانماید و در ان دوستی منی سر از مردم برزند و در ان منی ملامتها بر پذیرد
Then the door of love (of God’s friendship) opens before him, and as he advances in this friendship the selfishness of men is revealed to him and receives reproof.
و ملامت این باشد کی هر چیزی پیش آید بر پذیرد در دوستی خدای و از ملامت نیندیشد
Whatever blame there is, whatever happens to him, he accepts everything in God’s love and pays no heed to reproaches.
پنداشتی در وی پدید آید گويد من دوست دارم، در ان نیز یک چند بدود، ازان نیز برآید و بنه آساید و نیارامد و بداند کی خداوند را دوست میدارد و خداوند را با او فضلست این همه بدوستی و بفضل اوست نه بجهد ماام
But at that moment a pride arises because he says to himself, “I possess love” and he goes on like this for some time and from that moment on he no longer has tranquility and peace and it is at that moment that he realizes that it is God who possesses love and it is God who grants it to him by grace, that it all comes from His love and grace, not from our effort.
چون این همه بدید بیاساید، آنگاه ﺩرِ توحید بر وی بگشاید تا بداند و ببیند و شناسا کرداندش تا بشناسد کی کارها بخداوندست جل جلاله إنمالاشیاء برحمة الله
When he sees all this, he regains tranquility, then opens before him the door of Tawhid, the Oneness of God, so that he may know, see and become aware that actions are in God, glory be to Him. “Indeed, things are in God’s mercy”.
اینجا بداند کی همه اوست و همه [بدوست و همه ازوست] و [این] پنداشت است کی بدین خلق نهادست ابتلای ایشانرا و بلای ایشانرا و غلطیست کی بریشان میراند بجباری خویش برای آنكِ صفت جباری او راست
At that moment he realizes that everything is Him and everything is in His love (friendship). And he considers all that God puts into creation as trials, difficulties and errors through which He leads them, in His omnipotence, in His greatness, to recognize the righteousness of the attribute of God’s greatness.
بنده بصفتهای او بیرون نگرد بداند کی خداوند اوست و آنچ خبر باشد عيانش می شود و معاینه می بیند و در کردار خداوند نظاره می کند آنگاه بجمله بداند کی او را نرسد کی گوید من یا از من، اینجا درین مقام بنده را عجزی پدید آید و وایستها از وی بیفتد، بنده آزاد و آسوده گردد
The servant who contemplates His attributes knows that He is the Lord and what he had heard about Him, now becomes clear to him and sees it with his own eyes and glimpses the ways, the actions of the Lord. Now he fully knows that it is not up to him to say “me” or “of me”, this is the stage where the servant experiences his powerlessness and the desires born of his own will fall away, the servant is free and pacified.
آنگه] بنده آن خواهد کی او خواهد خواست، بنده رفت و با سایش رسيد، همه اوست و توهیچ کس نیستی، اکنون همی گویی که هیچ کس نه ام [ولیکن اگر سرمویی فراتر کند در فریاد خواندن ایستی]
At that time the servant will want what He (the Lord) will want, the servant has gone he has been consumed , all is He and you are no one. Now you say: “I am no one”. (But if someone pulls a hair out of your head, you cry out for help).
اول کار می باید آنگه دانش کی تا بدانی هیچ چیز نمی دانی و بدانی که هیچ کس نه، این چنین آسان نتوان دانست و این بتعلیم و تلقین بنه آید و این بسوزن بر نتوان دوخت و برشته بر نتوان بست، این عطای ایزدست [تا بکه ارزانی دارد و این ذوق کرا چشاند]، تعلیم حق می باید ذلک مما علمنی ربی آلرخمن علم القران
First you need action, so that you know that you know nothing and you know that you are nobody, it’s not easy to learn this. It doesn’t come by teaching and instruction, it can’t be sewn by a needle, nor can it be bound by a thread. It is a gift from God, freely received by those who are given to taste it. It must be taught by God: “This is what God has taught me, He has taught me the Qur’an”.