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10: The Se<strong>al</strong> <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Wisdom</strong> <strong>of</strong> Divine Unity (Ahadiyya)<br />
in the Word <strong>of</strong> Hud<br />
Allah has the straight path which is manifest<br />
and unhidden among the common people.<br />
Its source exists in great and sm<strong>al</strong>l,<br />
in those who are ignorant <strong>of</strong> matters<br />
and those who know.<br />
For this reason, 'His mercy encompasses everything,' (1) great and sm<strong>al</strong>l. "There is no<br />
creature He does not hold <strong>by</strong> the forelock. My Lord is on a Straight Path." (11:56) So <strong>al</strong>l that<br />
w<strong>al</strong>ks on the Straight Path <strong>of</strong> the Lord, and is not <strong>of</strong> those "against whom Allah is wrathful"<br />
from this aspect, nor is he "astray". (2) As being astray is a non-essenti<strong>al</strong> qu<strong>al</strong>ity, so divine<br />
wrath is <strong>al</strong>so a non-essenti<strong>al</strong> qu<strong>al</strong>ity. The source to which they return is the "mercy which<br />
extends to <strong>al</strong>l things", and which preceded wrath. Everything which is other-than-Allah is a<br />
creature which crawls and which has a spirit. There is nothing which crawls <strong>by</strong> itself, rather it<br />
crawls <strong>by</strong> other than it. It crawls <strong>by</strong> the principle <strong>of</strong> following the One who is on a Straight<br />
Path. It is only a path <strong>by</strong> virtue <strong>of</strong> the fact that it is w<strong>al</strong>ked on.<br />
If creation draws near you, Allah draws near you.<br />
If Allah draws near you, creation does not follow.<br />
So re<strong>al</strong>ise what we say on it,<br />
and everything I have said to you is true.<br />
There is no existent thing in phenomen<strong>al</strong> being<br />
that you see which does not have articulation.<br />
The eye only sees <strong>of</strong> creation<br />
that its source is Allah.<br />
But He is stored in it,<br />
and for this reason, its forms are true.<br />
Know that divine knowledges <strong>of</strong> taste (dhawq) which are acquired <strong>by</strong> the people <strong>of</strong> Allah<br />
differ according to the different faculties acquired from them, even though they derive from a<br />
single source. Allah said, "I am his hearing <strong>by</strong> which he hears and his sight <strong>by</strong> which he sees<br />
and his hand <strong>by</strong> which he strikes and his foot <strong>by</strong> which he w<strong>al</strong>ks." (3) So He mentioned that<br />
His He-ness is the source <strong>of</strong> the limbs which are the same as the slave. Thus He-ness is one,<br />
but the limbs are different, and every limb has one <strong>of</strong> the knowledges <strong>of</strong> taste which are<br />
specified from a single source, and differ according to the different limbs. It is like water<br />
which is but a single re<strong>al</strong>ity, yet differs in taste according to the different locations. The water<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Euphrates is sweet, and brackish water is s<strong>al</strong>ty, yet it is water in <strong>al</strong>l its states and its<br />
re<strong>al</strong>ity does not change, even though the taste differs.<br />
This wisdom is from the wisdom <strong>of</strong> the feet. It is the words <strong>of</strong> Allah, that whoever establishes<br />
His Books will eat "from beneath their feet" (5:66). The path which is the Straight Path is<br />
travelling on it, and w<strong>al</strong>king and running on it. It is only <strong>by</strong> the feet. So this witnessing <strong>of</strong> the<br />
taking <strong>by</strong> the forelock <strong>by</strong> the hand <strong>of</strong> the One who is one the Straight Path only results in this<br />
speci<strong>al</strong> art from the knowledges <strong>of</strong> taste. "We will drive the evildoers" (19:86), (4) who are<br />
those who deserve the station to which they are sent, and destroy them <strong>by</strong> the west wind. (5)<br />
The wind takes them <strong>by</strong> the forelocks and carries them on, and it is the source <strong>of</strong> the passions<br />
which take them to Jahannam. It is the distance (6) which they imagined. When it carried<br />
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