of Nokounam, may his sanctity remain (Session 166)
The station of Akhbt constitutes one of the exalted stages in the mystical journey delineated within Manzil al-S'irn, guiding the seeker towards a realm of stillness, tranquility, and assurance before the Divine Absolute. This station, which emerges subsequent to faith and humility, manifests the perfection of faith and liberation from the inner turbulences of the nafs (self). Akhbt purifies the heart not solely from the accretions of polytheism and material attachments, but, by relying on divine ardour, it leads the wayfarer to a state of confidence and solemnity wherein the heart remains as a limpid ocean, safeguarded from every impurity and malice.
Akhbt denotes the stillness and serenity ensuing from being irresistibly drawn to the Divine with the power of ardour. This station appears after faith and humility within the seeker's journey and signifies the consummation of faith. The devoted seeker, resting upon the Truth, becomes emancipated from the perturbations of the self such as polytheism, ostentation, and fear of anything other than God, attaining a realm of assurance and purity. Akhbt resembles a celestial breeze which sweeps away the dust of attachments from the seeker's heart, guiding it towards a spiritual sanctuary.
| Key Point: Akhbt is the stillness and tranquility born of ardour towards the Divine, liberating the seeker from the inner unrest and directing them towards divine certainty. |
Faith is the inception of the spiritual journey; however, it may coexist with polytheism, such as a believer who acts ostentatiously or fears other than God. Humility softens the heart, eliminating the residues of polytheism, yet full tranquillity remains unattained. Akhbt, through engendering stillness and reliance on the Truth, elevates the seeker to the perfection of faith. This progression is akin to a symbolic process: the disbeliever is like dry wood (khashb musanda); the believer resembles iron sullied by polytheistic residues; the humble is iron softened in the furnace of the Truth; and the devoted (mukhbit) is iron that is smooth and calm, no longer prone to fracture.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَأَخْبَتُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ (Hud: 23)
: Surely, those who believe and do righteous deeds and humble themselves before their Lord those are the companions of Paradise.
This verse identifies Akhbt as the fruition of faith and righteous action, portraying the devoted as the proprietors of Paradise (ashb al-jannah), not merely those who enter it (yadkhuln).
The heart of the seeker is analogous to iron, ordinarily cold and rigid, contaminated by the dross of polytheism. Humility acts like a divine fire that melts and softens this iron, and with every strike of the hammer of refinement, the dross falls away. Akhbt represents the stage where this softened iron attains stillness and repose, akin to a flexible twig which bends without breaking. This metaphor lucidly illustrates the process of self-purification: polytheism is the turmoil and sediment upon the iron; humility softens it; and Akhbt brings it to purity and serenity.
| Key Point: Akhbt signifies the stage of hearts stillness following the softening of humility, cleansing it from polytheistic residues and guiding it to divine tranquility. |
Akhbt is likened to a spinning hammer that relentlessly strikes the heated iron, rendering it soft and smooth, in contrast to a dull and sluggish hammer which cools and hardens the iron. This metaphor underscores the necessity for persistence in the spiritual journey. Should the seeker pause in the purification process, their heart cools and the residues of polytheism reconsolidate. The Hud (23) verse, by omitting the particle thumma (then) in wa-akhbat instead of thumma akhbat, emphasises the continuity of faith, righteous deeds, and Akhbt as successive hammer blows without interruption, perfecting the heart.
A believer may harbour a form of polytheism, not in the overt disbelief sense, but a subtle polytheism within faith, such as ostentation in worship, fear of others besides God, or concern for what is not the Truth. This polytheism deprives the heart of tranquillity, since the believer relies not solely on the Truth but on other things such as wealth, power, or status. The devoted seeker, possessing insight into these deficiencies, purifies the heart from polytheism and relies exclusively on the Truth.
| Key Point: Polytheism within faith, manifesting as ostentation or fear of others than God, deprives the heart of peace; Akhbt, by reliance on the Truth, eradicates this polytheism. |
Tranquillity derived from wealth, power, or health is illusory, as its loss inevitably breeds anxiety and unrest. Akhbt is the enduring tranquillity arising from certainty in God. A narration in this regard states: Faith does not enter the heart of a person until certainty regarding what is with God exceeds certainty regarding what is in his possession.
The devoted seeker, assured in the Truth, is thus liberated from material anxieties.
The devoted heart resembles a limpid sea, untainted by any impurity such as malice, resentment, or polytheism. A small heart, analogous to a cup or a shallow basin, becomes sullied by the slightest impurity, drawing the seeker into anxiety and spiritual ailments (such as metaphorical cancer or nervous weakness). The metaphor of the sea dog, pure in the sea, emphasises this notion: the sea-heart, with its vast purity and capacity, is impervious to defilement.
| Key Point: The devoted heart, like a clear sea, is protected from the defilements of malice and polytheism, guiding the seeker towards purity and tranquillity. |
A heart harbouring malice and grudges (towards neighbours or kin) for years resembles a narrow cup incapable of containing the tranquillity of Akhbt. Such a heart begets both corporeal and spiritual maladies (such as cancer or spiritual death). The devoted seeker, by becoming a sea-like heart, is freed from such grudges, connecting the heart to the Divine realm.
To attain Akhbt, the seeker must dissociate from all creation during the night, forgetting malice and discord, cleansing the heart from spiritual impurity. At dawn, by uttering As-salmu alayka y Allh
(Peace be upon You, O God), the heart is connected to God. This practice liberates the heart from anxiety and unrest, leading to the tranquillity of Akhbt. It is akin to washing an impure vessel, which can only be purified by the limpid water of the Truth.
| Key Point: Nightly purification by forgetting grudges and morning salutations to God direct the seeker towards the tranquillity of Akhbt. |
Social anxieties arising from greed, avarice, and worldly attachment such as ailments like cancer, stroke, and nervous disorders are the inevitable consequence of estrangement from ikhbt (humble submission). The mukhibb (one who is humbly devoted), imbued with purity and confidence in God, is thereby shielded from these afflictions. This critique identifies the root of social maladies in the absence of ikhbt-based tranquility and underscores the indispensable necessity of the purification of the soul (tazkiyah al-nafs).
The Holy Quran states in a verse:
وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ فَلَهُ أَسْلِمُوا وَبَشِّرِ الْمُخْبِتِينَ (ajj: 34)
s translation: And your God is One God, so submit to Him and give glad tidings to those who are humbly devoted.
This verse portrays the mukhibbn as transcending mere outward submission (aslim), embodying an inner spiritual soundness that, by virtue of their ardent longing for the Truth, entitles them to divine glad tidings.
| Key Insight: The mukhibbn, through heartfelt submission and passionate yearning for the Truth, attain divine tranquillity and glad tidings. |
Another Quranic verse declares:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَأَخْبَتُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ (Hd: 23)
s translation: Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds and humbled themselves before their Lord those are the companions of Paradise.
The mukhibbn not only enter Paradise but are described as its owners (ab al-jannah). This proprietorship signifies their exalted station, attained through serenity and trust in the Truth.
False courage, exemplified by Saddams recklessness unafraid of execution yet boasting of his slaughter is fundamentally distinct from the humility of ikhbt. The courage of the mukhibb arises from reliance upon the Truth, rather than from arrogance or heedlessness. Saddam exemplifies those devoid of faith and ikhbt, ensnared in polytheism and turmoil.
| Key Insight: The courage of the mukhibb stems from assuredness in the Truth, contrasting with the bravado rooted in shirk (polytheism) and neglect. |
The world is a divine alchemy, whereby a moment in this realm outweighs hundreds of years in Barzakh (the intermediary state), for it is here that one may, with purity and ikhbt, cleanse sins. The divine limit in this world is Gods grace, which purifies sins through lashes or pain, unlike the protracted chastisement of Barzakh. The mukhibb traveller, by utilising this opportunity, purifies the heart of impurity.
| Key Insight: The world offers a precious opportunity for purification via ikhbt, wherein divine grace expiates sins. |
The mukhibb seeker, owing to serenity and trust in the Truth, is incapable of committing sin or impurity. This station leads the seeker to inner unity and the manifestation of divine reality, as though their heart were a pristine mirror reflecting solely the lights of Truth.
Ikhbt is distinguished by ardent yearning for the Truth rather than fear. The God beloved through longing is distinct from the God worshipped out of fear. Yearning propels the seeker towards movement and tranquillity, whereas fear agitates and unsettles the heart.
| Key Insight: Ikhbt, through yearning for the Truth, liberates the seeker from fear and anxiety, bestowing divine tranquillity and love. |
The station of ikhbt in the Stations of the Wayfarer (Manzil al-Sirn) constitutes a sublime dimension of mystical practice, guiding the seeker towards serenity, calmness, and trust in the Truth. This station, achieved subsequent to faith and humility, is marked by divine yearning and emancipation from polytheism. The heart of the mukhibb, like a clear sea, is protected from egoic defilements and, through purity and reliance on the Truth, attains ownership of Paradise. The Quranic verses, metaphorical iron analogies, and social critiques eloquently elucidate this lofty station. The seeker, through nightly purification and morning salutations, leads the heart to the tranquility of ikhbt and emancipation from worldly anxieties.
| Supervised by Sadegh Khademi |
