Divine Flash 24
Araqi



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The seeking and searching of the Lover is a sample of the beloved’s seeking and searching! Whatever attribute is assigned to the lover e.g. Haya' (Timidity), Shauq (Yearning), Farah (Rejoicing), Dhauq (Experiential Taste) or Dhahik (Laughter), any and all such attributes of the lover are originally the attributes of the beloved entrusted to the lover for safekeeping. Yet, there is no sharing of these attributes, since the sharing would cause the discernment of duality. However, within the vision of the Shuhud (Divine Observation), and within all Wujud (Being), other than one Dhat (Divine Essence) for observation in truth and reality there is none else:

The objects, may be hundred or may be hundred thousand more,
Collectively are all but One! If you could look into the reality

Therefore all attributes are the attributes of the Beloved, and the lover as such has no attributes whatsoever!

Dara: When you love someone, your Nafs (Self) creates perpetual confusion that it is ‘you’ that is loving that person, in reality IT is Allah who loves that person. Going even further, you and that person do not even exist! IT is Allah loving ITself and we all are entangled with this Divine Love. Nafs (Self) is a perpetual ambiguity-machine which confuses the human being in thinking that s/he has attributes of loving/lover/beloved. Actually, we do not! It is only a confusion—A mirage.

Q: In the absence of attributes, how can there be Wujud (Being)?
A: (Symbolism) The Beloved steps within the home of the lover and illuminates it with ITs own Divine Beauty thus ennobling the owner of this home. IT exhibits ITself to ITself wearing the cloak of a Lover, therefore the lover should not be confused (thinking that the loving attributes are his or hers):

All are nothing, nothing whatsoever, it is Hu that is Hu
All existences are due to the existence of Hu

Note: Hu means Divine IT/He.

Abdallah Ansari, may Allah’s Mercy be upon him, said: "Allah wished to show ITs inventiveness, therefore IT created the cosmos; and Allah wanted to show ITself therefore IT created Adam!"

Dara
“‘show ITself’ is derived from the verb Zuhur (Appearing) which in metaphysical terms means Emergent Abstraction e.g. when the words were etched on the tablet for Moses, they were a form of Emergent Abstraction, when the miracle of crossing the Nile took place that was again an Emergent Abstraction. Therefore the above statement from Sheikh Ansari should be rephrased: "When Allah wished to exhibit an ‘Emerging Abstraction’ of ITs creativity, IT created the cosmos and when Allah wanted to emerge an abstraction to display the very existence of ITself IT created Adam (the primordial human being).”

That regal king, who was behind locked-up gates concealed,
Wore the garment of Adam and suddenly appeared at the door-step

Dara
When Allah willed to place Mankind upon this earth, IT announced the dispatch to the angels and they, by simply looking at Adam , protested "why would you place on the earth ‘another creature’ that will corrupt it and shed blood". Allah answered: "I KNOW SOMETHING THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW"![2:30] i.e. a Divine Secret that was enrobed by the creation of Adam! In other words, what we understand of the human being is nothing more than a cloak or a vault, which hides, deep within it, a Divine Secret unknown to all except to Allah.

Warning: There are those who read Araqi’s words thinking that Allah manifested ITself as a human being—some notion of theophany. These interpretations are those of the Western Orientalists who wanted to Christianize (Catholicize) Sufism and they misinterpreted the Farsi and the Sufi code-words unfortunately. Araqi and others like Ansari used careful grammar of Farsi and Arabic and used  the standard terminologies of Sufism. When we pay careful attention to the details of the language, we read no trace of theophany or of the humanization of the Divine Being.

 
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© 2007-2002,  Dara O. Shayda, Dr. Hind Rifai