Derived from the forty-third lecture of Neko-Nm, may his secret be sanctified (Session 43 Introduction).
The venerable treatise Manzil al-Sirn, authored by Khwaja Abdullah Ansari and explicated by the consummate mystic Kaml al-Dn Abd al-Razzq Qshn, offers an unprecedented and systematic cartography of the stages of the mystical journey. It guides the seeker from the obscurities of heedlessness towards the luminous proximity of the Divine Presence. The forty-third discourse within this seminal work is devoted to explicating the chapter on competence and the category of realities, a transcendent stage succeeding the levels of beginnings, chapters, transactions, ethics, principles, origins, states, and spiritual authority (wilyah). Competence (tamakkun) denotes the seekers established station in wilyah, adorning him with the light of existence and guiding him towards immediate unveiling (mukshafah) in the station of the hidden (khaf). The category of realities transforms the afflictions of wilyah into the vision of the Divine Essence and, through the gradations of unveiling, witnessing, and inspection, leads the seeker to contraction (qabd), expansion (bast), intoxication (sakr), sobriety (sahw), and ultimately, to divine unity (tawd). This chapter functions as a mirror reflecting divine manifestations within the seekers heart, leading him from the duality of multiplicity (ithnainiyyah) to the unity of tawd.
Competence, signifying the seekers settled state in the station of wilyah, clothes him in the light of existence and directs him toward immediate unveiling in the hidden station. This settlement encompasses both the inward (bin) and outward (hir) dimensions, stabilising the seeker amidst the vicissitudes of spiritual states and the alienation inherent in wilyah. Competence acts as a root firmly anchoring the tree of the seekers existence within the soil of wilyah, preparing him to receive the Divine Light.
The Holy Quran states in Srah Hd, verse 112: فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَمَنْ تَابَ مَعَكَ (Transl. : So remain steadfast as you have been commanded, and whoever turns back with you.). This verse emphasises the necessity of steadfastness in competence, inviting the seeker to perseverance upon the path of truth.
Inward competence denotes the seekers inner stability within the realm of wilyah, shielding him from the fluctuations of the nafs and mutable states. Outward competence refers to the seekers manifest settlement in wilyah, expressed through interaction with creation and the maintenance of social order. These dual aspects function as two wings, enabling the seekers ascent towards the celestial proximity of the Divine.
This stability resembles a mountain steadfast against the storms of the nafs and external forces, preserving the seeker upon the path of truth.
The category of realities represents the stage at which the afflictions of wilyahsuch as estrangement, immersion, and concealmenttransform into vision and perfections. In the domain of wilyah, the seeker is beset by divine afflictions; yet within the realities, these afflictions transmute into the light of Divine Essences vision. Realities resemble a garden where the flowers of gnosis bloom from the soil of wilyahs affliction.
The Holy Quran in Srah al-Baqarah, verse 155, states: وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ (Transl. : And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.). This verse affirms the afflictions of wilyah and their manifestation within the realities.
The realities comprise three stages: unveiling (mukshafah, i.e., immediate vision of the nafs), witnessing (muhadah, i.e., vision of the heart), and inspection (muyanah, i.e., vision of the spirit). Unveiling is an instantaneous vision and the blade of the Divine Essence that belongs to the nafs. Witnessing is the hearts vision of the Essence, accompanied by the removal of nafs-related veils. Inspection is the perceptible vision by the spirit, granting the seeker complete witnessing of the Divine Essence. These stages function as successive steps elevating the seeker from limited vision to comprehensive witnessing of the Divine Essence.
The Holy Quran in Srah An-Nr, verse 35, states: اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ (Transl. : God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp.). This metaphor illustrates the gradations of divine illumination akin to unveiling and witnessing.
The manifestations of realities surface as four prominent spiritual states: contraction (qabd), expansion (bast), intoxication (sakr), and sobriety (sahw). Contraction entails divine ecstasies and inward turning; expansion represents the Divine outpouring and outward extension. Intoxication is the overwhelming presence of divine manifestations, while sobriety is the state of clarity following intoxication. These states cyclically manifest within the seeker, refining his station and deepening his proximity to the Divine Essence.
The Holy Quran in Srah Al-Baqarah, verse 2, states: ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ (Transl. : This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of God.). These states guide the mutaqn (God-conscious) through the depths of spiritual reality.
Divine unity (tawd) emerges as the culmination of the seekers journey through the stations of competence and realities. This unity transcends multiplicity, negating the dualities of self and other, knower and known, manifesting the exclusive reality of the Divine Essence. Tawd is not merely a theological assertion but the existential realization and permanent habitation within the Divine Presence, the final home for the mystics soul.
The Holy Quran in Srah Al-Ikhl, verses 14, states: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ١ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ٢ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ٣ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ ٤ (Transl. : Say, He is God, One. God, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent.). This chapter encapsulates the essence of tawd, the destination of the seekers journey.
The chapter of competence and the category of realities in Manzil al-Sirn present a profound and structured guide for the mystic journey. From the establishment in wilyah (competence) to the transformation of wilyahs afflictions into the vision of realities, and culminating in the sublime spiritual states leading to divine unity, this chapter encapsulates the heart of mystical ontology. The seekers passage from multiplicity to unity is both an ontological transformation and an existential homecoming, realized through the illumination of divine light and the unveiling of sacred realities.
In the Holy Quran, Surah Ash-Shura, verse 52 states:
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوحًا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا
(s translation: And thus We have revealed to you a spirit from Our command.) This verse affirms the infusion of the spirit (nafkh al-ruh) and the hidden station (maqm al-khaf).
The infusion of the spirit, described in the Holy Quran by the phrase nafakhtu fhi min r (I breathed into him of My spirit), exists inherently within human nature; however, it does not actualise in all individuals. The spiritual wayfarer (slik), upon attaining mastery (tamakkun), actualises this spirit and, akin to the Prophets, becomes capable of creation and origination. This infusion resembles the breath of life cast into the soil of the wayfarers existence, thereby drawing him nearer to the station of divine creatorship.
This actualisation is analogous to a flower blossoming from the soil of the wayfarers being, disseminating the divine fragrance throughout the cosmos.
Upon mastery, the intrusions of the wayfarer (comprising thoughts and volitions) become actualised; nevertheless, he must govern them so as to attain divine unity (tawd). The friends of God (awliy) deliberately restrain their intrusions from actualising to prevent harm to creation. This authority is likened to a sword kept sheathed to avoid inflicting damage upon the created beings.
The Holy Quran in Surah Y-Sn, verse 82 states:
إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ
(s translation: His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, Be, and it is.) This verse manifests the actualisation of divine intrusions, which in the friends of God appear in a controlled manner.
The chapter of realities (bb al-aqiq) is a chapter of concealment. The friends of God refrain from disclosing their perfections and visions, for prodigality is a sign of deviation from the path. Concealment is an indication of humility and the preservation of divine unity, preventing the friends of God from ostentation. This concealment is akin to a treasure hidden within the chest of the friends being, protecting creation from deprivation.
The Holy Quran in Surah Al-Imrn, verse 179 states:
مَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَذَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَىٰ مَا أَنْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّىٰ يَمِيزَ الْخَبِيثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ
(s translation: Allah would not leave the believers as you are, until He distinguishes the evil from the good.) This verse affirms the necessity of distinguishing the genuine friends of God from the pretenders.
The friends of God do not manifest their mastery in order to avoid belittling creation. Manifesting mastery engenders existential censorship and disrupts the cosmic order. This abstention is akin to a veil drawn by the friends over their perfections so that creation may continue its growth under the aegis of free will.
The Holy Quran in Surah Al-Kahf, verse 7 states:
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا
(s translation: Indeed, We have made that which is upon the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed.) This verse delineates the system of choice and testing of creation.
The guide (murshid) restrains the wayfarer from hastening in examination and, through delay and measured progress, expands the path of guidance so that the wayfarer is preserved from constriction (qab) and misguidance. The role of the guide is akin to a lamp illuminating the dark path of the journey, safeguarding the wayfarer from precipices of constriction and ecstatic excess (shaiyt).
The Holy Quran in Surah Al-Imrn, verse 200 states:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
(s translation: O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed and fear Allah that you may be successful.) This verse endorses patience under the guidance of the murshid.
The lovers (muibbn) reach the realities through effort and caution and, during examination, experience constriction (qab). Their path requires endeavour and guidance by the murshid to be preserved from the harms of constriction and misguidance. The lovers are like mountaineers who ascend the peaks of realities with patience and care.
This endeavour resembles sowing a seed that, with patience and vigilance, ultimately bears fruit.
The beloved (mabbn), by special divine grace, behold the manifest essence prior to traversing all chapters, and are free from constriction and expansion. They resemble birds soaring with the wings of divine mercy, flying directly to the heights of spiritual knowledge.
The Holy Quran in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 207 states:
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَادِ
(s translation: And of the people is he who sells himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah. And Allah is kind to [His] servants.) This verse illustrates the endeavour of the lovers and the grace granted to the beloved.
The ultimate aim of the chapter of realities is divine unity (tawd), realised through the removal of duality (ithnyah). The wayfarer, by delegating affairs to God, frees himself from egoism and duality, thereby attaining unity with the Truth. Tawd is akin to a destination to which the entire path of the journey has been directed.
The Holy Quran in Surah Al-Ikhl, verse 1 states:
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
(s translation: Say, He is Allah, [who is] One.) This verse expresses the essence of divine unity.
The chapter of realities is a chapter of concealment; the friends of God preserve unity by refraining from manifesting perfections. Extravagance in revealing perfections is a sign of deviation from the path. Through concealment, the friends of God protect creation from deprivation and themselves from ostentation. This concealment is like a treasure hidden within the treasury of unity.
This treasure is unveiled only in the Divine Presence, and creation benefits from its light through the humility of the friends of God.
The forty-third lesson of Manzil al-Sirn systematically delineates the final stages of the mystical journey by explicating the chapter of mastery (tamakkun) and the section of realities (aqiq). Mastery signifies the wayfarers establishment in the station of guardianship, adorning him with the light of existence and guiding him to direct visionary unveiling. The section of realities, through ranks of unveiling, witnessing, and examination, transforms the afflictions of guardianship into the vision of the Divine Essence. The wayfarer, in examination, experiences constriction but attains ecstatic expansion, sobriety, and authentic union through divine expansion. The friends of God, by regulating intrusions and concealing perfections, preserve creation from deprivation and attain unity, the ultimate goal of the journey.
