59:7 Whatever the Messenger gives you, take; whatever he prohibits you, forgo.

The call came from the Real: “Whatever drink comes to you from the auspicious hand of Muḥammad the Arab, the Hashimite prophet, take, for your life lies in that. Read the tablet that he writes, learn servanthood from his character traits, take seeking from his aspiration, put his Sunnah to work, walk behind him in all states. The final goal of the traveling of the servants and the perfection of their states is My love, and My love lies in following the Sunnah and conduct of your prophet. Whoever walks straight in his tracks is in reality My friend. Say: ‘If you love God, follow me; God will love you’ [3:31].”

The faithful Companions came back to being loyal to the beginningless Covenant and kept their feet straight in following Muṣṭafā’s Sunnah. They put to work truthfulness in acts, and the Lord of the Worlds praised them for their truthfulness:

59:8 Those—they are the truthful.

Truthfulness [ṣidq] is the charity [ṣadaqa] of the secret core, the dower [ṣidāq] of the Garden, and the true friend [ṣadīq] of the Real.

Make truthfulness your trade, for among the ranks at the resurrection,

none are delivered from God’s anger but the truthful. [DS 188]

59:18 O you who have faith, be wary of God and let every soul consider what it has sent on ahead for tomorrow, and be wary of God.

In this one verse He mentions godwariness twice. First is the godwariness of the common people, namely the avoidance of forbidden things. Second is the godwariness of the elect, namely the avoidance of everything other than the Real.

It has also been said that the first alludes to the root of godwariness and the second to the perfection of godwariness. No one can pass over the steep road of the resurrection without the perfection of godwariness. One must be detached from all objects of desire, one must seize on not reaching one’s desires, and one must consider all sweet drinks as poison. When someone’s feet reach this point, he has reached the perfection of godwariness.

Wāsiṭī said, “When the folk of godwariness act proudly toward the sons of this world, they are making claims in godwariness.” For, if this world had no impact on their hearts, they would not be proud about turning away from it.

A great one said, “This world is a shard of pottery seen in a dream. The next world is a pearl found in wakefulness. The man is not someone who is wary of a shard in a dream—the manly man is he who is wary of a pearl found in wakefulness.”

In short, know that the steps of the travelers in the road of godwariness are three: The step of the Shariah illuminates the door of the bodily frame. The step of the Tariqah illuminates the door of the heart. The step of the Haqiqah illuminates the door of the spirit. When those who travel in the bodily frame arrive, the hospitality of Surely the godwary will be in the midst of gardens and a river [54:54] will be brought for them. When those who travel in the heart arrive, the hospitality of a seat of truthfulness [54:55] will be brought for them. When those who travel in the spirit arrive, the hospitality of at an Omnipotent King [54:55] will be brought for them.