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Excerpt from:
The Secret of Secrets (Sirr al-Asrar)
Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
Interpreted by:
Shaykh Tosun Bayrak RAK, PB, 172PP
Paperback pages:
172 size: 216 x
138mm Published:1992
Available at www.kitaabun.com
On the Vision of
Allah: Arriving at the Level of Seeing the Manifestation of the Divine Essence
The vision of Allah is of two kinds: one is seeing the manifestation of
Allah’s attribute of Perfect Beauty directly in the hereafter, and the other
is seeing the manifestation of the divine attributes reflected upon the clear
mirror of the pure heart, in this life, in this world. In such a case the vision
appears as the manifestation of light emanating from the Perfect Beauty
of Allah and is seen by the eye of the essence of the heart.
Allah describes the vision seen by the eye of the heart: The heart did not
deny what it saw. (Sura Najm, 11)
On seeing the manifestation of the divine through an intermediary the Prophet
says, ‘The faithful is the mirror of the faithful’. What is meant by the
first ‘faithful’, the mirror in this phrase, is the pure heart of the
believer, while the second ‘faithful’ Who sees His reflection in that mirror
is Allah Most High. Whoever arrives at the level of seeing the manifestations of
Allah’s attributes in the world will certainly see the Essence of Allah in the
hereafter without shape or form.
The reality of this has been confirmed by many of the beloved and the lovers
of Allah. Hadrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘My heart saw my
Lord by the light of my Lord’. And Hadrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him,
said, ‘I will not pray to Allah unless I see Him’. They both must have seen
the manifestation of divine attributes. If someone sees sunlight coming through
the windows and says, ‘I see the sun!’ he is telling the truth.
Allah gives the most beautiful example of the manifestation of His
attributes.
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His
light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp, the lamp enclosed in
glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star lit from a blessed tree, an olive
neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil is wellnigh luminous, though
fire scarce touches it; light upon light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His
light. (Sura Nur, 35)
The meaning of the niche is the faithful heart of the believer. The lamp
enlightening the niche of the heart is the essence of the heart, while the light
that it sheds is the divine secret, the sultansoul. The glass is transparent and
does not keep the light within, but protects it and allows it to spread, which
is why it is likened to a star. The source of the light is a divine tree. That
tree is the state of unity reaching out with its branches and its roots,
inculcating the principles of faith, communicating without any intermediary in
the language of purity.
It is directly in this language of purity that our Master the Prophet
received the Qur’anic revelations. In reality, the angel Gabriel brought the
divine messages only after they had already been received—this for our
benefit, so that we might hear in human language. This also made clear who were
the hypocrites and non-believers by giving them the occasion to deny, as they
would not believe in angels.
The proof that the Holy Qur’an was revealed directly to the Prophet is in
the Qur’an itself.
And thou art surely made to receive the Qur’an from the AllWise, the
AllKnowing. (Sura Naml, 6)
Since the Prophet received revelation before the angel Gabriel brought it to
him, each time Gabriel delivered the holy verses, the Prophet found them in his
heart and recited them before they were given. That is the reason for the verse:
And make not haste with the Qur’an before its revelation is made
complete to thee ... (Sura Ta Ha, 114)
This situation is made clear by the fact that when Gabriel accompanied the
Prophet on the night of his ascension, he could not go any further than the
seventh heaven, and saying, ‘If I take another step I will burn to ashes’,
he left our Master to continue on his own.
Allah describes the blessed olive tree, the tree of unity, as being neither
of the East nor of the West. In other words, it has neither a beginning nor an
end, and the light of which it is the source has no rising or setting. It is
eternal in the past and neverending in the future. Both Allah’s Essence and
His attributes are ever-existent, because His attributes are light generated
from His Essence. Both the manifestation of His Essence and the manifestation of
His attributes are dependent on His Essence.
True worship can only be performed when the veils hiding the heart are lifted
so that that eternal light shines upon it. It is only then that the heart is
enlightened by the divine light. It is only then that the soul sees the truth
through that celestial niche.
The purpose of the creation of this universe is to discover, to see that
hidden treasure. Allah says through His Prophet, ‘I was a hidden treasure, I
willed to be known. I created the creation so that I would be known.’ That is
to say, that He would be known in this material world through His attributes
manifested in His creation. But to see His very Essence is left to the
hereafter. There, the vision of Allah will be direct, as He wills, and it will
be the eye of the child of the heart that sees Him.
On that day some faces will beam (with joy and beauty), looking
at their Lord. (Sura Qiyama, 223)
Our Master the Prophet says, ‘I have seen my Lord in the shape of a
beautiful youth.’ Perhaps this is the manifestation of the child of the heart.
The image is the mirror. It becomes a means, rendering visible that which is
invisible. The truth of Allah Most High is exempt from and free of any kind of
description or any kind of image or form. The image is the mirror, though what
is seen is neither the mirror nor the one who is looking into the mirror. Ponder
on that and try to understand, because that is the essence of the realm of
secrets.
Yet all this is happening in this world of attributes. In the realm of the
Essence all means disappear, burn into thin air. The ones in that realm of
Essence themselves do not exist, but they feel the Essence and nothing else. How
well the Prophet explains this when he says, ‘I knew my Lord by my Lord’. In
His Light, by His Light! The truth of man is the secret of that light, as Allah
says through His Prophet: ‘Man is My secret and I am his secret’.
The place of the Prophet Muhammad, whose light is the first of Allah’s
creation, is described in his own words, ‘I am from Allah and the believers
are from me’. And Allah, speaking through His Prophet, says: ‘I have created
the light of Muhammad from the light of My own existence’. The meaning of
Allah’s own existence is His divine Essence manifested in His attribute of the
Most Compassionate. This He declares through His Prophet, saying: ‘My
compassion far surpasses My punishment’. The beloved Messenger of Allah is the
light of the Truth, for Allah says, We sent thee not but as a mercy to the
whole creation. (Sura Anbiya’, 107) and
Indeed Our Messenger has come to you, making clear to you much of that
which you concealed of the Book and passing over much. Indeed, there has come
to you from Allah a light ... (Sura Ma’ida, 15)
The importance of the beloved Prophet of Allah is made clear when Allah
speaks to him and says: ‘But for you, I would not have created creation’.
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© The Islamic Texts Society 2002
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This work, which contains a biographical introduction to one of the
author’s least-known works, represents a valuable contribution to the
field...The translator’s introduction provides an insight into the various
personal qualities and divine graces which are recognised in combination as a
proof of sainthood...It is clearly and elegantly presented, accessible, and has
the merit of combining metaphysical doctrine with devotional ethics as
encapsulated in the life and work of one of the most endearingly popular Sufis
of all time.’ Journal of Islamic Studies
‘A book of great importance to Sufism...Sheikh Tosun has done an
admirable job in presenting not only a translation but a lucid interpretation of
one of Jilani’s most important works.’ Gnosis
The Secret of Secrets (Sirr
al-Asrar)
Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
Interpreted by:
Shaykh Tosun Bayrak RAK, PB, 172PP
Paperback pages:
172 size: 216 x
138mm Published:1992
Available at www.kitaabun.com
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