The Third Degree of Adab in Manzil al-Sirn: Divine Discipline and Annihilation of the Rules
Derived from the Lecture Series of Nokounam, (Session 412)
Introduction: Adab, the Harmonious Essence of Mystical Progression
Within the mystical compendium Manzil al-Sirn by Khwajah Abdullah Ansari, adab occupies an unparalleled station as one of the exalted ranks of spiritual journeying. Session 412 of the lectures, as delivered by Nokounam, , elucidates the third degree of adab with a profound monotheistic depth. Herein, adab transcends mere balanced speech, conduct, and thought; it manifests as annihilation of the self and Divine discipline, guiding the seeker towards the station of witnessing the Truth. This rank is scripturally anchored in the noble verse:
وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ رَمَىٰ
(Surah al-Anfal, 8:17; translated by : "And you did not throw when you threw, but God threw.")
This verse binds this station intimately with annihilation in the Divine Reality.
Part One: Explication of the Concept of Adab and Its Degrees
1. Definition of Adab: Harmonious Speech, Action, and Thought
Adab, akin to a precious gem within the shell of spiritual conduct, is defined as harmonious speech, action, and thought. This congruence originates from a sound intellect and is manifested in measured behaviour and utterance. As a precise balance, adab eschews both excess and deficiency in expression and deed, guiding the seeker towards equilibrium.
Mystical adab serves as a scale maintaining the harmony and moderation of speech, action, and thought, thus safeguarding the seeker from extremes and deviations.
2. The Adb: Architect of Harmonious Discourse
The adb is akin to an architect who constructs a symmetrical edifice, meticulously arranging expressions with precision and propriety. Mastery over the rules enables the adb to present flawless, balanced discourse, neither excessive nor deficient. This quality distinguishes the adb from novice orators, who may at times succumb to verbal disarray.
3. The Threefold Stages of the Third Degree of Adab
The third degree of adab unfolds through three transcendent stages:
Knowledge of Adab: Recognition of the essence of adab, which, like a beacon, illuminates the path of spiritual journeying.
Freedom from Discipline: Liberation from egotistic disciplinary rules through Divine discipline, freeing the seeker from self-imposed regulations.
Release from the Burdens of Adab: Deliverance from the rigours of rules, leading the seeker to annihilation in the adab of the Truth.
The third degree of adab delineates the seekers progression from understanding adab to becoming independent of egotistic rules and ultimately annihilated within Divine discipline.
4. Divine Discipline: Adabbani Rabbi
At the highest degree of adab, the seeker no longer claims mastery but receives adab directly from the Divine:
أدَّبني ربي "My Lord disciplined me."
This Divine discipline, like a luminous light in the heart, liberates the seeker from self-conceit and egotistical rules, making their speech and conduct a direct emanation of the Truth.
Divine discipline flows like a pure stream from the Truth, emancipating the seeker from selfhood and egotistic regulations, culminating in the station of true adab.
5. The Three Types of Adab: Nafs, Qalb, and aqq
Adab manifests in three tiers:
Nafs Adab: Balanced between fear and hope, where the seeker maintains equilibrium at the level of the self (nafs).
Qalb Adab: Balanced between contraction and expansion, preparing the heart against spiritual constriction and dilation.
aqq Adab: Annihilation within the adab of the Truth, actualised through the declaration l ilha ill llh, leading the seeker to the vision of Reality.
Part Two: Critique of Rules and Cultivation of the Adb
6. Yaq Riyatuhu: Observance of Rules in Adab
According to al-Suy, observance of rules (yaq riyatuhu) is a prerequisite for becoming an adb. Beginners and intermediates regulate their speech by adherence to rules; however, the accomplished adb, like a reader who intuits poetry spontaneously, transcends the necessity of rules and delivers harmonious speech through innate skill.
7. Critique of Literary Education in Religious Seminaries
Education within religious seminaries, though fertile ground, suffers from lack of practical training. Students acquire literary knowledge but, owing to insufficient mentorship and practice, fail to operationalise the rules effectively, thereby remaining at the level of novices.
8. The Tailors Analogy: From Rules to Self-Sufficiency
The adb resembles a tailor operating at various levels: a novice employs patterns, the intermediate uses measuring tape, and the master tailors instinctively without instruments. The tailor who can sew trousers in the moment exemplifies this masterful skill.
The consummate adb, like an expert tailor, creates harmonious speech and conduct without reliance on patterns or rules.
9. Critique of the Egos Agency: Polytheism in Adab
Egotistic agency acts as a veil over the Truth, constituting polytheism (shirk). At the nafs stage, the seeker states, aqmu wa-aqudu bi-awli llh (I rise and sit by the power of God); at the qalb level, l awla wa-l quwwata ill bi-llh (There is no power or strength except through God); and at the aqq level, l ilha ill llh, negating all personal agency.
10. Qurnic Reference: Annihilation in the Divine
The noble verse وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ رَمَىٰ (Surah al-Anfal 8:17; : And you did not throw when you threw, but God threw) confirms the annihilation of the seekers agency within Divine adab. The seeker at this stage attributes agency to the Truth, perceiving themselves solely as a conduit for Divine discipline.
Part Three: The Divine Scholar and True Adab
11. The Divine Scholar versus the Empirical Scholar
The Divine scholar (lim rabbn) speaks as a fountain flowing from the Truth, drawing upon Divine revelation rather than memory or texts. They articulate harmonious and Divine speech unaided by external instruments. In contrast, the empirical scholar (lim malmt), reliant on memory and texts, remains at an intermediate level.
The Divine scholar, like a clear spring, speaks from the Truth, free from dependence on memory and rules.
12. Critique of Written Examinations: Memory versus True Knowledge
Written examinations resemble a shattered mirror, reflecting memory alone rather than genuine knowledge. Oral examinations, which assess harmonious speech and conduct, distinguish the Divine scholar from the non-Divine. In traditional seminaries, the master gauged the students knowledge through observation of conduct and speech.
13. Personal Experience: The Limitation of Memory
The anecdote of a scholar who taught advanced lessons strictly from books, and whose student critiqued his memory-centred approach by anticipating his utterances, exemplifies the inherent limitations of a knowledge-based scholar. The Divine Scholar transcends mere memory, speaking instead of inspiration derived from the Divine.
14. The Metaphor of the Reader: Innateness in Literature
The consummate literary figure, akin to a reader who recites poetry instinctivelywithout reliance on paper or prescriptive rulesdelivers metrically harmonious discourse. This innateness is the fruit of rigorous practice and ascetic discipline, which ingrains literature deeply within the seekers being.
Part Four: Annihilation in the Divine Literature
15. Liberation from the Burdens of Literature
At the third stage, the seeker is emancipated from the rigours of literary conventions (b al-adab). This emancipation resembles a birds flight from its cage and is the consequence of annihilation within the Divine literature. The seeker no longer deliberately constructs rules; rather, the Divine directly places the literature upon their tongue.
16. The Station of Unity and the Vision of Reality
At the station of unity, the seeker, like a single drop merging into the ocean, becomes absent from their own literature and is annihilated within the Divine literature. He no longer identifies as a literary figure but rather declares,
I am the Messenger of God
a divine envoy. This station represents the pinnacle of mystical progression, wherein literature is fused with ultimate reality. Key Point: The seeker at the station of unity, like a drop dissolving into the sea, is annihilated from his own literature and transforms the Divine literature into the very channel of his existence.
17. Divine Literature: La Ilaha Illa Allah
Divine literature is actualised through the proclamation La ilaha illa Allah (There is no god but God). At this stage, the seeker negates his own agency and attributes all actions solely to the Divine. This literature, akin to a radiant light emanating from the Throne, illuminates his very being and leads him to the direct vision of truth.
Summary
The third stage of literature in Manzil al-Sirn, resembling a summit in mystical ascent, guides the seeker towards Divine discipline and annihilation of egotistic conventions. Literaturecomprising harmonious speech, deed, and thoughtmanifests in three levels: the nafs (of the self), qalb (of the heart), and aqq (of the truth). The noble verse And you did not throw when you threw, but Allah threw (Quran 8:17) confirms the seekers annihilation within Divine literature. Critique of memory-dependence, ineffective instruction, and egotistic agency delineates a framework centred upon divine unity. The consummate literary artist, like a skilled tailor or an instinctive reader, performs metrically without recourse to rules. The Divine scholar speaks solely of the Truth, independent of memory.
