Seadet-i Ebediyye - Endless Bliss Third Fascicle

55 — THIRD VOLUME, 50th LETTER
This letter, written to Qâdî Nasrullah, explains the difference
between the istidlâls of the ’ulamâ-i rasikhîn and that of other
Islamic scholars:
Istidlâl means to infer the existence of the doer of the work by
seeing the work, that is, to know the existence of the Creator by
seeing creatures. The ’ulamâ-i râsikhîn and the ’ulamâ-i zâhir
always perform istidlâl and say that creatures have been reporting
[the existence of] the Creator. Savants who, as stated in a hadîth,
are Prophets’ inheritors are called ’ulamâ-i râsikhîn ‘rahmatullâhi
ta’âlâ ’alaihim ajma’în’. Not all the Islamic scholars are so. Savants
who are not râsikh understand the existence of the Creator by
knowing the existence of creatures. They say that the existence of
the work reports existence of the doer. Thus, they believe in the
existence of the doer. But the ’ulamâ’-i râsikhîn have passed
beyond all the high grades of Wilâyat, that is, of being Awliyâ, and
have reached the grade of da’wat (call, invitation), which is
peculiar to Prophets. After the happening of tajallîs and
mushâhadas in them, they, too, deduce the doer from the work.
And through this way they believe the real doer, that is, have îmân
in the existence of Allâhu ta’âlâ. After reaching the end, they
realize that everything which they have found through mushâhada
and tajallî is not the real being but one of the images of the
appearances of the real being. “It cannot be believed as the real
being. One cannot have îmân in the real being without istidlâl,”
they say. By doing istidlâl, they go on searching for the real being
without the images in between. Because they love the real being
only and because they will sacrifice everything else for the real
being, they attain the real being through such istidlâl. As is stated
in the hadîth-i-sherîf, “A person will be together with whom he
loves,” they attain the real being, who actually exists beyond the
tajallîs and zuhûrs, which are mixed with images. Being pulled with
the lasso of love, these great people reach the true origin in person
while the savants of zâhir reach there in knowledge only. There
happens an attainment which cannot be understood. The
difference between these two types of attainments comes from
love. He who loves and ceases from everything other than his
beloved attains his beloved. But he who does not have such a love
only learns, knows about this attainment and considers this
knowledge of his as a great blessing. However, such savants do not
know precisely the grade which those great superiors have
– 268 –