Introduction
 
In the Name of Allah the Most Beneficent the Most Merciful
 
Know that which is explained and transcribed it is disunion and just stories. That which is in union, is beyond words and hearing. Love belongs to union and partition/disunion belongs to mortals.[1] In that time (union) no father and mother even children missing. The race between the union and disunion, which is concealed, has no before and no after, no cruelty and no happiness. In love there is no place and no positions/ranks, no carrier and no distinction between the steps, not infested by the hardship of distance. No clouds of presence and absence, no trace of ascent and no feeling of descent. Bazaar of reunion is flat and has no trades, no scattering due to loss, no thoughts of people and the face of “It will love them” had no sable mole of “They will love It” [2]
 
If not putting on the light on your eyes from the eyeshadow
Of My Self
How could your eyes gaze upon the mighty court
Of My Self  [3] 
 
But when (Beloved) wanted to uncover the hidden seashell of love so some (of the creation) could snatch its pearls, therefore revealed the worth of each individual and separated the rare and valuable from the common and unworthy. The Godly will and holy benevolence dictated such that the sun of “It will love them” to shine lustrous upon the flower of “They will love It” until bloomed and the creation took refuge in this refulgent sanctuary (each finding its own destination).
 
The sun of union shone upon the world of all truth and all meanings, until eyes appeared in the disunion gazing, (and from these eyes) those using the Sifaat to see within turned towards this sun staring.[4] The bliss of this sun unveiled all curtains off all affairs and it was in this time It said (Koran [20:115]):
 
“We had already, beforehand, taken the covenant of Adam, but he forgot: and We found on his part no firm resolve.” [5]


Invocations
 
In the name of the Lord, who is the comfort of the souls and Its Edict the key to unlock the victory and Its Peace the Sobuh (morning wine) for believers at dawn and Its Remembrance (Dhikr) the healing for the injured heart and Its affection the Noah’s Ark for troubled and distressed.
 
O! The righteous be brave on this path and be lone and remarkable in this bravery [6]. And be the companion of the broken hearts [7], commit not foolish acts and if started something carry it to completion [8]. And do not make home in the valley of whims and wishes and tame not the greed and lust for your self [9]:  
 
If you step on the path of lust and desires
May I inform you that you will be miserable
 
Ponder what you are and where you came from
Comprehend what you do and where you go towards


Content

Chapter 1,2: Love & Desire   
Chapter 3: The Quest   
Chapter 4: Sobbing      
Chapter 5: Rememberance    
Chapter 6: Scolding   
Chapter 7: Nightly Conversations   

 

Language: The word ‘Ettehaad’ and “Jam-a” somewhat Farsi usage of these Arabic words is translated into ‘union’. This means to be united with the Creator but it does not mean to become the Creator as one which I read in some inappropriate translations. The Arabic ‘Tafraq’ is used for ‘disunion’ or partition. I feel comfortable about these usages. I hope you can contact me with better translations.
 
[1] ‘Union’ is to indicate being reunited with the Creator and ‘disunion’ to mean separated from the Creator. Ansaari says all things in form of books, narrations, lectures, websites, descriptions, imagination, thoughts, metaphors and paradigms are only applicable to disunion. What applies to union cannot be put into the form of speech, hearing, reading and etc. He goes further carefully outlining the matters of love for the Creator are the latter i.e. the union without description and the matters of disunion and their descriptions/attributes are matters of mortals away from the Creator. All the concepts of parenthood, bliss, sorrow, time, before and after are all matters of the disunion i.e. relating to this mortal world disjoint from the Creator. When we were all united with the Creator, this was a matter of the Majesty's Love in Paradise and we were loved and therefore nothing of worldly attributes applied to us e.g. sorrow, temporarily happiness, time and what not. We did not think and emotions of anxiety or emotions of happiness are so temporal.
 
[2] This entire collection is based upon the Koranic verse [5:54]:

"O ye who believe! if any from among you turn back from his Faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him"
 
I just love this verse it is the only hope I find and the only precious gift we have as humans. And the Scholars in mid east discuss so little about this verse today. Ansaari goes on and talk about this verse non-stop with such fluid ease and caress. My heart heals each and every time he mentions the two words of this verse. Black mole in Farsi means immense facial beauty.
 
[3] The Arabic word ‘Kohol’ was translated into ‘Eyeshadow’. The Arabic word ‘Hadrat’ rarely used by Arabs mostly used by Farsi and Urdu speakers translated into ‘Court’. In general it means “In the noble presence of” for some royalty holding court to hear subjects. ‘My Self’ refers to the Creator. Ansaari narrates as if Allah was saying, “I beautified your eyes by my light so that you are able to see me, how could you behold my majesty if your eyes ugly and blind”. Allah beautified us to see It, read this again, we were beautified by Allah to see It. Wow! Tell me who can call someone ugly, that caller is the enemy of Allah.
 
[4] “Those using the Sifaat” is the human beings. The Creator has the Sifaat(Attribute) of ‘Basir’ which means to ‘see’ and we are allowed to use Its Sifaat to see as well. The Creator has the Sifaat(Attribute) of ‘Sami’ which means to ‘hear’ and we are allowed to use Its Sifaat to hear as well. Ansaari says that when were in union with the Creator, we were collectively like a sun, shining upon this world and this time, those who have the eyes and vision they will see themselves (imagine, sense something in their own depth) in this lustrous ensemble in love with the Creator. And are convinced the Creator shall love them in return thus that word Beloved!
 
[5] Each and every human being somehow prior to their formation into materials of this world, came to meet the Creator and a conversation was carried out (Koran [7:172]:
 
“When thy Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam - from their loins - their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): "Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?"- They said: "Yea! We do testify!" (This), lest ye should say on the Day of Judgment: "Of this we were never mindful" “
 
But once we were born, we simply forgot. The Sufi tries to remember this meeting and this discussion. If you look deep within you and if waft above your surface shallow waters, something gnaws at your memory…
 
 
[6] Path of love is a scary and unpredictable voyage and I laugh when I see the Sage-wanna-be happy calm faces with nicely groomed and oiled beards on books and TV screens talk about serenity and calm of this path. These are self-help people cashing on the Sufism and other spiritual forms of the east. In truth, the Muslim Sufi is scared of this path of love. Much scared! The dangers the deceptions and false-righteous desires that can prey on his body and soul. The true Sufis, the past maters I know off came to this path reluctantly. Something happened and their heart was shattered and the pain was so terrific that they brave this path to run away from it all.
 
[7] Do you want the Beloved to be the companion of your heart and soul? To love you and you love It? Ansaari throughout his writing indicated that we must attend to the fallen in order for the Almighty the Lofty Beloved to attend lovingly to us. Just like there is a law of gravity applied to all objects of the universe, this is the “law of the loving” applied to all lovers. You see a broken heart, no matter whom and why, rush to them because amongst the smithereens you find the Beloved staring at you. I am no Sufi, no master poet definitely not a Sheikh or some scholar and seek no following, all I am endowed with is the last sentence. As the colloquial Farsi proverb says the gift of a Dervish is a green leaf. I gave you my green leaf. My only prized possession.
 
[8] Our Sayyad (Master) Mustafa (The Chosen), Prophet Mohammad PBUH, who completed all he promised and paid all his debts and no vow he left unfulfilled taught the lovers and believers, that most loved action in the eyes of Allah is that which is done regularly and to completion. Even if it is a little bit of effort but everyday done and complete. I will find this Hadith at a later time INSHALLAH. For example if you wake up each dawn for ‘Dhikr’ and you do it some days for an hour and some days you slack away and not do it at all, then change the strategy. Do 5 minutes each day but each and every day and complete the act with devotion and completeness. If you feed the poor, sometimes write a fat check, some month you may not be able to do so. Then change your strategy. Spend each week a little bit of money, be kind and feed them in person, be not proud and make sure there are no weeks that you did not perform this.
 
[9] ‘Taming’ means not to get used to doing sins and inappropriate behavior.


Background: South African Kwazulu homeless AIDS orphan raising another orphan. Ansaari and Sanaa-ee told you the path of love towards Beloved is a horror infested one. Be brave lovers! When you get scared prance upon the dangers with your bosom wide open and strike hard with the saber of your love. Look upon this picture with all you have and you shall see the beautiful face of the Beloved, because Its Majesty is the close companion of the sick and the orphans.


© 2003-2002,  Dara Shayda