the Lectures of Nekounam, (Session 282)
Mystical spiritual wayfaring, akin to a perilous journey deep within the essence of existence, guides the seeker through manifold stations towards the summits of knowledge and Divine proximity. Patience, a resplendent gem on this path, serves as the fundamental substratum of human character, the cornerstone of ethical virtues, and the essential precondition for traversing the spiritual stages. This virtue fortifies the seeker against lifes adversities from hardship and affliction to blessings and abundance and preserves them from passivity and fracture. The present text, drawn from the lectures of Nekounam in session 282, elucidates the third degree of patience, namely patience in adversity (abr f al-bal). This stage pertains to the seeker who, having renounced sin and fulfilled obedience, has attained the ethical station and is prepared for inner transformation. Through a scholarly and mystical lens, this treatise analyses the characteristics of patience in affliction, encompassing the contemplation of the goodness of reward, the expectation of the spirit of relief, the alleviation of affliction subsequent to divine favours, and the remembrance of past blessings, thereby clarifying its station within the mystical path.
Patience, as the gateway to the ethical domain within mystical wayfaring, constitutes the initial station among the ten chapters of ethics (patience, satisfaction, gratitude, modesty, veracity, altruism, humility, chivalry, and expansiveness). This attribute, like the essential leaven for the maturation of human disposition, guides the seeker from external transactions towards inner transformation. Just as awakening was the point of departure in the initial stages, patience stands as the foundation for the actualisation of other moral virtues. This attribute resembles fertile soil nurturing the seeds of virtues and prepares the seeker for the journey towards perfection.
Patience is analogous to the process of cooking food: it requires time, endurance, and precision. Just as cooking each dish necessitates a specific fire and a defined duration, the maturation of human character depends on patience and steadfastness. The quality of this maturation is contingent upon the nature and length of patience; as if the seeker is a cauldron over the fire of knowledge, to be tempered through the furnace of hardships until they attain a refined and perfected character. This metaphor presents patience as an indispensable condition for ethical transformation, without which the seekers disposition remains immature and unripe.
Modern methods, such as pressure cookers, although accelerating the preparation of food, degrade its quality and exert detrimental effects on the body and psyche. This hastiness seems to infuse deleterious particles into the soul of the food, resulting in irritability and hardness. Implicitly, this critique censures hastiness in mystical wayfaring. Patience, akin to the gradual cooking of food over a gentle fire, demands a natural and continuous process rather than an artificial acceleration that culminates in the corruption of character.
The preparation of dough accompanied by the invocation of "Sab Y Qudds" and combined with purity practices (such as night and morning prayers) demonstrates the profound connection between material action and spirituality. This act, like a golden thread binding matter to meaning, underscores the importance of sincerity and inner purity in daily practices. Patience in the path, when coupled with remembrance and intimacy with the Divine, acquires a spiritual value and guides the seeker towards illumination.
Industrial cooking, performed devoid of love and spirituality, transforms bread into an agent of hardness and violence. This process resembles Shimr Dh al-Jawshan assailing the essence of flour, producing bread that darkens the soul. This critique highlights the influence of insincere acts on the psyche and ethics. Patience on the path must be accompanied by pure intention to guide the character towards light and perfection.
Patience, as the gateway of the ethical domain, underpins spiritual virtues and constitutes a prerequisite for inner transformation. This attribute, akin to the cooking process, demands time and endurance; hastiness leads to corruption of character. The linkage of patience with sincerity and spirituality transforms it into a luminous force guiding the seeker from external transactions towards inner transformation. The critique of modern methods underscores the significance of gradual process and sincerity in the spiritual journey.
Patience in mystical wayfaring is delineated into three levels: patience against sin (abr an al-maiya), patience in obedience (abr al al-a), and patience in adversity (abr f al-bal). The third and sublime level, patience in adversity, is peculiar to the seeker who has abandoned sin and fulfilled obedience. This stage, akin to a summit on the path, invites the seeker to confront affliction and transform it into an opportunity for Divine proximity.
Affliction (bal), which is particular to the saints and seekers, differs from trial (ibtil), arising from the faults of the common people. Although outwardly they may resemble accident or illness, their inner realities diverge. Affliction is like a furnace purifying the soul of the seeker, serving as a means for Divine proximity, whereas trial results from improper deeds and lacks purity. This distinction is akin to a clear line between light and darkness, emphasising the significance of intention and inner reality in appraising difficulties.
Patience in adversity is defined by four characteristics: the contemplation of the goodness of reward, the expectation of the spirit of relief, the alleviation of affliction after divine favours, and the remembrance of former blessings. These attributes, like four wings of a spiritual bird, enable the seeker to soar through the sky of affliction towards horizons of knowledge and tranquility. Each characteristic transforms patience into a psychological and mystical instrument for managing adversity.
Patience in adversity, as the third degree of patience, is reserved for the seeker who has renounced sin and fulfilled obedience, thereby attaining the ethical station. The distinction between affliction and trial underscores the importance of intention and inner reality in evaluating hardships. The fourfold characteristics of patience in adversity guide the seeker from the bitterness of affliction towards the sweetness of Divine proximity, strengthening their steadfastness against hardships.
Attending to the noble Divine recompense strengthens patience in the heart of the seeker. This characteristic, like a radiant torch, illuminates the darkness of affliction and encourages endurance of hardships. The contemplation of the goodness of reward acts as a scale that weighs affliction against Divine grace, guiding the seeker towards complete sincerity.
The expectation of relief itself is an independent act of worship that renders patience sweet and pleasant. This expectation, like a cool breeze amidst the heat of affliction, soothes the seekers heart and connects them to the Divine. The anticipation of spiritual relief is akin to a window through which the seeker beholds the light of deliverance and serenity at the moment of adversity.
Enumerating the Divine blessings (Iyd al-Manan) renders the experience of calamity diminutive in the perspective of the spiritual traveller (slik). This process, analogous to pouring pure water upon the flames of hardship, attenuates the bitterness of affliction and restrains the slik from discontent and complaint. Recollection of Divine benevolences functions as a balance, weighing the countless blessings against the calamity, thereby rendering it insignificant.
The recollection of past blessings (Suwlif al-Niam) coupled with hope in future graces softens patience and facilitates endurance of affliction. This remembrance, akin to a clear spring, guides the heart of the slik towards gratitude and contentment, rendering the calamity trivial in comparison to the magnitude of Divine favours. Consequently, this process directs the slik toward knowledge and tranquility.
Among the common folk, patience is perceived as bitter but with a sweet fruit. However, the sliks patience, by virtue of intimate association with Divine blessings and anticipation of relief, is neither bitter nor burdensome but rather a delicious and sweet honey. This patience, blooming with sincerity and knowledge like a flower in the garden of faith, directs the slik toward spiritual perfection.
Patience, by strengthening the heart and diminishing hardship, tames affliction for the slik and renders it bearable. This process, comparable to the softening of clay in the hands of an artisan, eradicates the bitterness of calamity and grants the slik inner peace and fortitude. This viewpoint conceptualises patience as a psychological mechanism that alters the sliks perception of adversity.
The general populace, due to lack of knowledge of Divine blessings or psychological frailty, are incapable of spiritual patience. These individuals resemble rootless treesfragile in the face of calamity and averse to patience. Conversely, the slik, endowed with authenticity and knowledge, resembles a steadfast mountain, transforming patience into a spiritual experience.
The narrative of Job (Ayyb, Peace Be Upon Him) presents a unique paradigm of spiritual patience. When urged to beseech God for relief from calamity, Job (Ayyb) refrained from complaint by recalling days of prosperity (blessings) and contrasting them with the days of affliction. This restraint, like a beacon in darkness, illuminates the path of spiritual patience.
Remembering the abundance of blessings mitigates the pain and bitterness of affliction and facilitates patience. This process, like pure water upon the fire of hardship, directs the slik towards gratitude and contentment, trivialising the calamity in view of Divine generosity.
Awareness of the finitude of calamity (Inqi) eases patience and alleviates sorrow. This perspective, like a window opening toward hope, guides the slik to accept the temporality of trials. Consciousness of the worlds transience transforms patience into a tool for divine proximity.
The experience of imprisonment, accompanied by devotion to prayer and remembrance of Divine blessings, illustrates the practical role of patience in transforming affliction into an opportunity for worship and knowledge. This experience, like a jewel within hardship, guided the slik toward proximity and tranquillity.
Patience in adversity (abr f al-Bal), as a sublime station in mystical wayfaring, guides the slik from the bitterness of calamity toward the sweetness of divine proximity. This virtue, characterised by the fourfold attributes of consideration of good recompense (Mulaaat usn al-Jaz), expectation of the spirit of relief (Intizr R al-Faraj), mitigation of calamity following Divine bounties (Tahwn al-Bal bada Iyd al-Manan), and remembrance of past blessings (Tadhakkur Suwlif al-Niam), renders calamity light and agreeable to the sliks perception. The distinction between calamity and trial emphasises the necessity of purity and obedience as prerequisites for patience. The narrative of Job (Ayyb, PBUH) and personal experiences provide practical exemplars of spiritual patience. Awareness of expiration transforms patience into a tool for accepting hardship and drawing near to the Divine. This treatise, by precisely elucidating these concepts, clarifies the station of patience in adversity within mystical wayfaring and guides the slik toward knowledge and divine proximity.
Under the supervision of SSadegh Khademi
