the Discourses of Nokounam, may his sanctity be revered (Session 489)
The Chapter of Love, akin to a luminous gateway leading towards the realm of spiritual states, occupies a pivotal station in the Manzil al-Sirn. It directs the seeker (slik) towards the union with the Divine Truth. This chapter, serving as the pulsating heart of the mystical journey (sulk), designates love as the axis upon which all spiritual conditions revolve. It guides the traveller from the coldness and stagnation of the lower self towards the warmth and vitality of the soul. The present discourse, derived from the profound and meticulous elucidations of Nokounam, may his sanctity be revered, during the four hundred and eighty-ninth session, provides an in-depth exposition of this sublime spiritual rank. Drawing upon Quranic verses and mystical analyses, it offers a comprehensive guide for wayfarers upon the path of gnosis (marifah).
The Category of States (Qim al-Awl), as a transcendent stage within the mystical progression, pertains to the spiritual conditions experienced by the slik after passing through the initial phases of Budyt (beginnings), Abwb (chapters), Mumalt (transactions), and Awiyah (valleys). This category comprises ten chapters: Love (al-Maabbah), Jealousy (al-Ghayrah), Longing (al-Shawq), Restlessness (al-Qalaq), Thirst (al-Aash), Ecstasy (al-Wujd), Astonishment (al-Dahsh), Absorption (al-Haymn), Lightning (al-Barq), and Taste (al-Dhawq). Each chapter functions as a rung upon the ladder of perfection, guiding the seeker toward divine union. Love, as the foremost chapter, constitutes the foundation of all subsequent spiritual states, blazing as a fire within the heart of the slik and steering him from spiritual coldness to warmth and vivacity. This hierarchy reflects an evolutionary progression from elementary conditions to exalted states that culminate ultimately in ecstatic tasting and consummate union.
The mystical journey is akin to the meticulous carving of a colossal mountain with the tip of a needle a process both arduous and gradual, necessitating vigilance, humility, and sustained movement. Contrary to simplistic calls for instantaneous repentance and reformation, inner transformation is not attained effortlessly. Repentance (tawbah) is not an instantaneous act; rather, the slik must traverse the stages of the journey with perseverance and patience to attain certainty (yaqn) and spiritual audacity (jarah). This process begins with the Budyt, advances through the Abwb, Mumalt, and Awiyah, ultimately reaching the realm of spiritual states. The simile of carving a mountain with a needles point underscores the subtlety and difficulty of this path, which leads the seeker toward inner awakening and liberation from the obstacles of the ego.
Bodily and inner preparedness function as the two wings of the sliks flight along the path. Just as a well-prepared and warmed athletes body can endure physical hardship, so too must the seekers inner self be liberated from coldness and stagnation to attain spiritual vivacity and life. A feeble and inert body, which empties of vitality under minimal exertion, is incapable of bearing the heavy burden of spiritual journeying. Physical exercise, as a training regimen for the body, is likened to the preparation of the inner self for arduous acts of worship such as vigils (lyl). The absence of both bodily and spiritual readiness deprives the seeker of access to spiritual states.
Spiritual states resemble an athletes body which, after traversing difficult passes and valleys, attains warmth and freshness. This heat and vitality result from the sliks exertions within the Awiyah, which prime the heart to receive divine grace. Just as an athlete enlivens and invigorates the body through training, so the seeker animates the inner self through the stages of the path, culminating in spiritual life. This analogy emphasises dynamism and the necessity of continuous effort along the way, guiding the heart from stagnation and inertness to movement and vitality.
Love, blazing like a fire in the heart of the slik, constitutes the axis of the Category of States and the driving force behind the mystical journey. This state, arising from passing through the Awiyah, moves the heart from coldness and inertia towards warmth and spiritual life. Love is profoundly linked with faith (mn), creating a balanced interplay of attraction and repulsion within the seeker; love for God and hatred for that which opposes Him signify the intensity of the sliks spiritual ardour. This heat, which boils in the path of truth, liberates the traveller from the coldness of the lower self and directs him towards unity with the Beloved.
Love is partially contingent upon innate disposition and hereditary factors. Some individuals, due to racial or educational characteristics, possess deeper capacities for love, whereas otherseven within favourable familial environmentsare deprived of this grace. This disparity influences the quality of the spiritual journey, as love, the essence of human creation, demands a warm temperament and a living inner self. A society bereft of love pursues material concerns such as lentils and husks, thereby remaining devoid of spiritual life.
Love is a divine gem, a gift bestowed by Gods grace upon the seekers heart, yet this bestowal necessitates preparatory acquisition through passage in the Awiyah. Just as intellect is not solely attained by study, love is not obtained through mere effort alone, but through a conjunction of striving and divine favour. The Awiyah function as a match that ignites the fire of love within the seekers heart, and this fire leads him towards annihilation in God (fan f-llh) and union with the Truth.
As translated by : O you who believe! Whoever among you turns back from his religion, Allah will bring forth a people He loves and who love Him; humble toward the believers, stern toward the disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah and not fearing the blame of any critic.
This verse lucidly delineates the characteristics of the people of love, framing love not merely as an emotional state but as a dynamic force intertwined with faith, humility toward the faithful, honour toward the disbelievers, striving (jihd) in the cause of God, and fearless disregard of blame from others. These traits render love an active, militant practice that elevates the slik to the rank of spiritual authority (wilyah).
The saints (awliy) of God, as torchbearers of the path of truth, united love with action and striving, shunning silence and lethargy. Exemplars such as Al ibn Ab lib (peace be upon him) and Maytham al-Tammr manifested love in both their uprising and repose, stepping resolutely upon the path of truth with utmost sincerity and fearless disregard of blame. This love was not a mere internal feeling but a dynamic and militant practice that leads the seeker to divine union. Love devoid of action is akin to a theatrical display of guardianship, failing to attain its true essence.
Love, regarded as the very essence of the final stage of human creation, is the direct consequence of the divine breath. This concept is eloquently articulated in the noble verse: So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My spirit (Surah Al-Hijr, 15:29), as translated by Fooladvand. This divine infusion of spirit, which breathes love into the human heart, elevates man to the pinnacle of creation and, as expressed in Blessed be Allah, the best of creators (Surah Al-Muminun, 23:14), transforms him into a blessed being. Love distinguishes humanity from all other creatures and prepares the ground for union with the Truth.
Love functions as a crystalline fountainhead from which other spiritual states such as zeal (ghayrah) and yearning (shawq) emerge. Zeal, entailing defence of the Beloved, is the fruit of profound love, compelling the seeker to safeguard divine values. Yearning, the ardent desire for union with the Beloved, draws the seekers heart irresistibly towards the Truth. These states, akin to branches emanating from the tree of love, gradually blossom within the seekers heart, guiding him towards elevated stages of the spiritual path.
The category of Qasam al-Ahwal (Oaths of States) encompasses a graduated hierarchy of spiritual conditions, commencing with love and culminating in qalq, thirst, ecstasy (wajd), fear (dahsh), longing (hayman), radiance (barq), and spiritual taste (dhawq). Thirst denotes the intense longing for union with the Truth; ecstasy is the fervour arising from this thirst; fear is the dread of losing the Beloved; and longing, radiance, and spiritual taste represent the ultimate stages of mystical vision and spiritual delight. This hierarchy functions as a ladder, ascending the seeker to the zenith of divine union, with each stage deepening the intensity of the mystical experience.
Within the Awadiyah (Oaths of Acts), the seekers acquisition and exertion predominate, whereas in the realm of Ahwal (Oaths of States), the divine gift assumes the principal role. Love, as the initial gateway to the states, emerges from a synthesis of acquisition in Awadiyah and divine bestowal. At higher stages such as tranquility (tuma'ninah) and resolution (himmat), the gift fully predominates, concealing human effort. This transition from human endeavour to divine grace directs the seeker toward the ranks of sainthood (wilayah), wherein his will aligns harmoniously with the Divine Will.
The seekers love constitutes the manifestation of Divine love bestowed upon him. God, by granting affliction and suffering, awakens the seekers heart from coldness and heedlessness, igniting the fire of love therein. Affliction, like a divine lancet, vivifies and enlivens the heart, whereas comfort breeds negligence. This pain, a bounty of divine grace, liberates the seeker from spiritual inertia and directs him towards spiritual life. Love is the fruit of this divine benevolence, drawing the heart towards the Truth.
Prayers such as Allhumma Ifal B M Anta Ahluhu and Waffiqn Lim Tuibbu Wa Tarda express the seekers complete surrender to the Divine Will. The prayer Waffiqn Lim Tuibbu Wa Tarda, encompassing acceptance of all that God willsincluding affliction as a divine goodis weightier. Conversely, Allhumma Ifal B M Anta Ahluhu, more suitable for those at intermediate levels, seeks divine good. These prayers manifest varying degrees of submission, leading the seeker towards full divine satisfaction.
In the domain of love, the hardship of exertion and endeavour is lifted from the seekers shoulders, who, with delight and joy, mounts the steed of divine affection (wudd) to journey towards the Truth. This journey, accompanied by divine success and fulfilment, frees the seeker from the arduous struggles characteristic of Awadiyah and leads him to mystical bliss. Love, as a divine attraction, draws the seeker joyfully and without compulsion towards the Beloved, illuminated by the light of divine unveiling and guidance.
Love functions as the portal to the station of sainthood (wilayah), liberating the seeker from egotism and self-conceit, and guiding him towards annihilation in God (fan f-llh). This station, inflamed by the fire of love, imparts certainty and spiritual courage to the seekers heart. The saints, who have linked love with action and striving, serve as exemplars for this amorous journey. Love devoid of action is a hollow claim, leading the seeker into a mere semblance of sainthood devoid of its essential reality. Only love accompanied by sincerity and exertion culminates in wilayah.
Affliction, like a lancet from the Divine, awakens the seekers heart from heedlessness and ignites the fire of love therein. Contrary to comfort, which engenders negligence, affliction and pain are divine bounties that vivify and invigorate the heart. The saints, embracing affliction with ardour, demonstrated that pain is an essential factor in spiritual life. The seeker, by accepting affliction, is led towards love and sainthood, whereas seeking comfort deprives him of this grace.
The chapter on love, as a luminous gateway to the realm of spiritual states, occupies a pivotal role in the mystical path. Love, the product of divine gift and the seekers endeavour, propels the heart from coldness and stagnation towards warmth and spiritual vitality. This state is intrinsically linked with faith, striving, and complete submission to the Divine Will, and forms the foundation for loftier spiritual states such as zeal, yearning, and spiritual taste. The saints, through their integration of love and action, exemplify the sincerity and fearlessness required on the path of Truth. The noble verse concerning love, by delineating the attributes of those possessed of love, paves the way for attaining the station of wilayah. This treatise, with profound and precise exposition, presents love as the essence of human creation and the driving force of the spiritual journey, employing Quranic allegories and verses to chart a comprehensive roadmap for seekers of gnosis.
Supervised by: Sadegh Khademi
