The believer who is truly convinced (muqin) and experienced ('arif) is in isolation from creatures with his heart, his innermost being (sirr) and his spiritual content (ma'na). He reaches a state where he is incapable of either shielding his own self from harm or procuring benefit for it. He becomes prostrate before the Lord of Truth, retaining no power or strength of his own. Then when he is genuinely at this stage, good comes to him from all directions.
Do not try to match the people of the Lord with mere claims and pretensions and wishful thinking. Nothing will come of this. There is nothing to be said until you are blind to material means (asbab). There is nothing to be said until your legs are crippled and desist from running to people's doors. There is nothing to be said until your heart and your mind and your face turn away from creatures and toward the Creator, so that your back is toward creatures and your face toward the Lord of Truth. Your outer being and your physical form must go toward creatures, and your inner being, your kernel (lubb) and your spiritual content (ma'na) toward the Creator. Then your heart will come to be like the hearts of the angels and the Prophets (nabiyyun). Your heart will eat and quench its thirst from their food and drink. This is a matter that relates to hearts and innermost beings and spiritual contents, not to physical forms.
O Allah, delight our hearts, clothe our innermost beings with robes of honor, and set our minds on what is between us and You, beyond the understanding of creatures and our own understanding. O Allah enable me to dispense with everything! Make me satisfied with You to the exclusion of all apart from You!
Note: Extracts from lectures given by Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani in Ramadhan 545 A.H. Reference: The Sublime Revelation (Al-fath ar-Rabbani) Translated from the Arabic by Muhtar Holland.
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