Fusus al-Hikam The Seals of Wisdom by Shaykh al ... - ImagoMundi

the universe appeared which is Allah; we find that He hates and loves. The corrupt is
only that which He hates, and the good is only that which He loves. The universe is the
form of Allah, and man is in both forms. There is no nature which only perceives one
matter in everything - rather, the nature distinguishes the good from the corrupt in spite
of the fact that it knows that it is corrupt by tasting and good without tasting. The
perception of the good in it diverts him from the sensation of its corruptness. This can
happen. As for the removal of the corrupt from the universe that is, from phenomenal
being it is not admissible. The mercy of Allah extends to both the corrupt and the good.
The corrupt considers itself good, but the good in itself is corrupt. There is nothing but
good but that an aspect of its disposition is bad, and vice versa.
As for the third by which uniqueness (fardiyya) is completed, it is the prayer. The
Prophet said, "and the coolness of the eye (19) is in the prayer" because it is
contemplation. That is because it is intimate discourse between Allah and His slave as
Allah says, "Remember Me, and I will remember you." (2:152) It is worship ('ibâda)
which is divided in two parts between Allah and His slave one part belongs to Allah
and one part to His slave, as has come in sound transmission from Allah in which He
says, "I divided the prayer into two parts between Me and My slave. One part is Mine
and one part is My slave's, and My slave will receive what he asks for. The slave says,
'In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful,' and Allah says, 'My slave
has mentioned Me.' Then the slave says, 'Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the
Worlds,' and Allah says, 'My slave has praised Me.' The slave says, 'The All-Merciful,
the Most Merciful,' and Allah says, 'My slave has glorified Me. My slave has given Me
authorisation.'" (20) All this part belongs purely to Allah.
"Then the slave says, 'You alone we worship. You alone we ask for help,' and Allah
says, 'This is between Me and My slave, and My slave has what he asks for.'" Sharing
occurs in this ayat. "The slave then says, 'Guide us in the straight path, the path of those
You have blessed, not of those with anger on them nor of the misguided,' and Allah
says, 'This is for My slave, and My slave has what he asks for.'" This is purely for His
slave as the first part is purely for Allah. The knowledge of this makes the recitation of
the Fatiha obligatory. Whoever does not recite it has not prayed the prayer establish
between Allah and His slave.
The prayer is then a secret conversation (munajat). It is remembrance/invocation
(dhikr). When someone mentions Allah, he sits with Allah and Allah sits with him. It is
a sound divine transmission that Allah said, "I sit with the one who mentions Me." (21)
Whoever sits with the One he mentions and has sight, sees the One with whom he sits.
This is contemplation (mushahada) and vision. If he does not have sight, he does not see
Him. Thus the one who prays knows his rank, and whether or not he sees Allah with
this vision in the prayer. If he does not see Him, then let him worship Him by belief
(iman) as if he saw Him, imagining Him to be in the qibla of his conversation, and let
him listen for Allah's reply.
Without a doubt, everyone who prays is an Imam, so the angels pray behind the slave
when he prays alone, as is related in tradition. If he is the Imam for his particular world
and the angels pray with him, then he has attained the rank of the Messenger in his
prayer which is deputyship from Allah. When he says, "Allah hears whoever praises
Him," (22) he informs himself and whoever is behind him that Allah has heard him. The
angels and those present say, "Our Lord, praise belongs to You."