The Chapter of Tranquillity shines as a resplendent jewel within the constellation of Manzil al-S'irn, a spiritual station that guides the wayfarer from the labyrinthine passes of fear and tribulation to the serene summits of the hearts repose and the souls vision. This station, elucidated in three exalted degrees, portrays the evolutionary journey of the human being from the realm of the heartreplete with exertion and endeavourto the domain of the spirit, abundant with witnessing and contemplation, and ultimately, to the precinct of the unseens unveiling and the Divine Essences manifestation.
Tranquillity, akin to a placid sea amidst existential storms, denotes a state of inner repose and assurance whereby the heart and spirit of the wayfarer in the mystical path reach the safe harbour of Divine mercy. This station is delineated in three distinct degrees: The first degree is the tranquillity of the heart, attained through the remembrance of the Almighty God, guiding the wayfarer from fear to hope, from torment to wisdom, and from trial to reward. The second degree is the tranquillity of the spirit, wherein the seeker, with the intention to uncover truth, ardour for the Promised One, and progression from dispersion to unity, attains the vision of the Ultimate Reality. The third degree, implicitly referenced within the text, is the witnessing of the unseen and the manifestation of the Divine Essence, where the seeker is liberated from all corporeal limitations and attains existential emancipation. Key Insight: Tranquillity depicts the wayfarers evolutionary progression from the station of the heart (marked by effort and action) to the station of the spirit (characterised by vision and witnessing), culminating in the Divine Essences manifestation, with each degree representing a loftier spiritual abode than its predecessor.
Tranquillity, in contradistinction to saknah, which resembles a fleeting breeze contingent upon temporal, spatial, and circumstantial conditions, is an unwavering and enduring serenity. Saknah is a transient, ephemeral calm that descends upon the heart at particular junctures; yet tranquillity, like an immovable pillar, manifests within both the heart and the spirit, safeguarding the wayfarer from existential fluctuations.
The exposition of tranquillity and its gradations presents a comprehensive map of mystical progression, guiding the seeker from ephemeral calmness to permanent repose. The distinction from saknah underscores the steadfastness and durability of this station amidst the transient nature of saknah, whilst its threefold hierarchy delineates the seekers evolutionary trajectory from action to witnessing and from the heart to the spirit.
The station of the heart resembles a furnace wherein the wayfarer, through the fire of endeavour and action, transmutes from rawness to spiritual maturation. In this station, the seeker, by means of Divine remembrancewhich flows like pure water over the parched soil of the heartis conveyed from fear of Divine retribution to love and intimacy. The sublime Quranic verse
Behold! With the remembrance of God do hearts find tranquillity
(Surah Ar-Ra'd: 28), translated by , affirms this verity. Within this degree, hardships and trials, which resemble stones obstructing the path, are transformed into sweetness and delight; pain becomes devotion, poison transforms into honey, and adversity is converted into a Divine boon. Key Insight: The station of the heart, through Divine remembrance, guides the wayfarer from fear to intimacy and from hardship to sweetness, with the verse Behold! With the remembrance of God do hearts find tranquillity serving as the axis of this metamorphosis.
The station of the spirit is analogous to a summit upon which the wayfarer, having arduously ascended from the foothills of the heart, stands to contemplate the truth. Here, effort and striving give way to witnessing and contemplation. The wayfarer, like a weary yet victorious mountaineer who has reached the peak, ceases movement and beholds the revelation and manifestation of the Truth. This vision, springing from yearning and ardent longing, leads the seeker from division to unity and from dispersion to cohesion.
The difference between the stations of the heart and the spirit resembles that between the nafs (lower soul) and the intellect (aql). The nafs perceives through the external sensessuch as sight and hearingwhereas the intellect, with the eye of the inner self and free from sensory distraction, engages in rational contemplation and witnessing. In the station of the heart, the wayfarer treads the path of action and hardship; whereas in the station of the spirit, the wayfarer enters the realm of vision and contemplation of the truth. The heart is the vessel of endeavour, wherein hardships are transmuted into sweetness, while the spirit is the vessel of witnessing, wherein the seeker directly beholds reality.
The stations of the heart and spirit constitute two distinct yet complementary abodes within the mystical journey. The heart, through endeavour and remembrance, grants the wayfarer practical tranquillity, whilst the spirit, through vision and witnessing, guides him to Divine presence. Their difference elucidates the seekers spiritual progression from dependence on external senses to inner perception.
At the station of the heart, the wayfarer initially fears Divine chastisement, yet through the descent of the promised saknah, attains hope and security. This transformation, akin to the transition from dark night to dawn, actualises the tranquillity of the fearful into the hopefulness of the aspirant. While saknahs repose stems from the Majesty of the Truth, tranquillity is sourced from love and intimacy.
Confronted with hardships and onerous duties, the wayfarer attains serenity through the perception of Divine wisdom. The sublime Quranic verse
My Lord, bestow upon me wisdom and join me with the righteous
(Surah Ash-Shuara: 83), as translated by , affirms this stage. Divine wisdom, like a lantern amid darkness, transmutes trials into spiritual blessings.
The seeker, when afflicted, attains satisfaction and serenity upon perceiving the merit and benevolence embedded within the trialakin to a patient who willingly ingests a bitter medicine in hope of cure. This satisfaction, initially commencing with reluctance, gradually transforms into genuine delight and pleasure, whereby the seeker perceives adversities as divine blessings.
The station of the spirit resembles an infinite firmament where the seeker beholds the Divine Reality directly. This vision, encompassing both immediate presence and manifestation of the Truth, arises from ardent yearning and culminates in unity and consolidation. The seeker, liberated like a bird from the cage of division, attains existential unity in this lofty station.
Within the spiritual station, the seeker gains the faculty of the inner eyecapable of perceiving realities beyond the scope of external senses. The perfected saints, even if they employ the external eye, do so as a function of their worldly role rather than necessity. This inner eye, akin to a light in the hearts darkness, guides the seeker towards the vision of the unseen and the hidden.
The unseen, originating from the inner eye of the infallible saints (peace be upon them), is categorically distinct from intellectual insight (farasat), which is a keen perception limited by time and place. The unseen is like an inexhaustible ocean, transcending all temporal and spatial constraints.
Before attaining unveiling, the seeker is like a traveller traversing perilous mountain passesplagued by anxiety and fearful of their ultimate fate. This anxiety, a heavy shadow over the heart, stems from uncertainty regarding the spiritual paths outcome.
Upon the advent of unveiling, the seekers soul finds rest and attains its goal. This tranquillity, resembling a refreshing breeze after a tempest, liberates the seeker from fear and distress. The noble verse of the Holy Quran,
This is what the Most Merciful had promised, and the messengers told the truth (Y Sn: 52),
as translated by , confirms this tranquillity.
Humankinds responses to death resemble travellers encountering divergent passages. Some perceive death with lamentation and restlessness, as a grievous calamity; however, the mystic seeker experiences death as a bridge towards liberation and delight.
The Divine saints regard the worldly life as the prison of the believer and conceive death as the key that liberates them from this confinement. This sweet death, like a honeyed nectar, results from complete composure and preparedness to meet the Beloved.
The phrase Fuztu wa Rabbi al-Ka'bah in mystical parlance is not merely an oath of salvation but an exclamation of ecstatic presence and joy in the Divine Court. This utterance, like a spark within darkness, manifests the summit of composure and deliverance.
The chapter on composure in the Manzil al-Sirn shines like a brilliant beacon illuminating the mystical path from the station of the heart to the station of the spirit, and ultimately to intrinsic vision. Tranquillity of the heart, achieved through Divine remembrance and the transformation of hardships into sweetness, imparts the seeker with operative serenity. Tranquillity of the spirit, by vision of truth and progression from fragmentation to unity, leads the seeker to witnessing and presence. The third degree, involving the vision of the unseen and manifestation of Essence, guides the seeker to complete liberation and consummation. This station, elucidating the seekers evolutionary journey with precision, offers researchers and scholars of theology and mysticism a comprehensive and profound guiderich both scientifically and spiritually inspiring.
Supervised by Sadegh Khademi
