His words, Exalted is He:

…If you give thanks He will approve…

He said:

Gratitude (shukr) begins with obedience (ṭāʿa) and ends with the vision of Paradise (ruʾyat al-janna).^{1By which Tustarī may mean the vision of God in Paradise. See above the commentary on 2:214 and 14:7, and Tustarī’s words on gratitude vis-à-vis acting upon one’s knowledge, which could also be seen as obedience.}

His words:

…Say: ‘Are those who know equal with those who do not know?…’

He said:

Knowledge [comes from] the Book and emulation (iqtidāʾ) [of the Prophet’s example],

not [from] reprehensible suggestions (khawāṭir madhmūma). Any knowledge that the

servant does not seek from the position of emulating [the Prophet’s example] will be a

curse (wabāl) to him because he will make false claims on account of it.^{1For Tustarī’s teachings regarding emulation (iqtidāʾ) see IT, pp. liii–liv.}

His words:

Say: ‘Indeed I have been commanded to worship God devoting [my] religion purely to Him.’

He said:

Sincerity (ikhlāṣ) is responding (ijāba), and whoever has no response has no sincerity.^{1With this elliptical comment Tustarī is indicating that all that is required for sincerity is to devote our religion purely to God, which is the only worthy response to the divine command. What is implied by the [true] response is explained in the statement that follows.}

And he said:

The astute (akyās) reflected upon sincerity and did not find anything except the following: that everything the servant does, whether done in secret or openly, is for God alone, Mighty and Majestic is He, and is mingled neither with desire nor with the self.

His words:

Those who steer clear of [the worship of] false deities…

He said:

Evil (ṭāghūt)^{1Ṭāghūt is a word for idols or Satan, but by extension it has come to mean evil.} is the world, its root is ignorance (jahl), its branch is what is eaten and drunk, its adornment is hubris (tafākhur), its fruits are transgressions (maʿāṣī) and [in] its scales [of recompense] (mīzān) are severity (qaswa) and punishment (ʿuqūba).^{2That is, according to MSS Z515, f. 91b, F3488, f. 268a and the published edition, whereas MSF638, f. 43a, has mīrāth instead of mīzān, which might be translated as ‘legacy’.}

His words:

[Say] ‘…If God should desire some harm to befall me, would they [be able] to remove the harm imposed by Him?’…

He said:

That is, ‘If God removed from me protection against acts of opposition (mukhālafāt), or the knowledge (maʿrifa) of acts of conformity (muwāfaqāt), could anyone bring them back to me? Or if He should desire some mercy for me, that is, in granting me forbearance (ṣabr) in avoiding what He has forbidden, and assistance (maʿūna) in carrying out what He has commanded, and in granting me full reliance (ittikāl) on Him at the end [of my life], [could they withhold His mercy?].

And he said:

Mercy (raḥma) is well-being (ʿāfiya) in one’s religion, in this world and in the Hereafter. In other words, it is [God’s] taking charge and taking care (tawallī) [of His creatures] from the beginning to the end.

His words:

Truly, We have revealed the Book to you for [the sake of] mankind with the Truth…

That is, He revealed it for them so that they may be guided by the Truth to the Truth (bi’l-ḥaqq ilā’l-ḥaqq),^{1Or it might be translated as ‘by God to God’ since the name al-Ḥaqq (‘the Absolute Truth’) has often been used to refer to God.} and that they may find illumination through Its [His] lights.

His words:

God takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that have not died, in their sleep…

He said:

When God takes the souls (anfus) to Himself, He extracts the luminous spirit (rūḥ nūrī) from the subtle substance (laṭīf) of the dense natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ al-kathīf). The taking up [of souls] (al-tawaffī) in God’s Book is of three kinds: the first is death (mawt), the second, sleep (nawm), and the third, ascension (rafʿ). Death is as we have just mentioned. Sleep is as [described] in His words: and those that have not died, in their sleep, which means that He also takes unto Himself (yatawaffā) those who have not died, in their sleep (manām). [God also] said, It is He who takes you at night [6:60] meaning, in sleep. Ascension (rafʿ) is mentioned in relation to Jesus عليه السلام, to whom God said, ‘O Jesus, I am gathering you and raising you to Me’ [3:55]. Thus when a person dies, He [God] removes (yanziʿu) from him the subtle substance (laṭīf) of the luminous spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ al-nūrī) [separating it] from the subtle substance (laṭīf) of the dense natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ al-kathīf), and by this [luminous spiritual self] he comprehends things (yaʿqilu al-ashyāʾ), and is given the vision (rūʾyā) in the heavenly kingdom (malakūt).^{1For a discussion of this passage in the context of Tustarī’s ‘spiritual psychology’, see IT, pp. xxxix–xl.} However, when a person sleeps, He extracts from him the subtle substance of the dense natural self, not the subtle substance of the luminous spiritual self. Therefore, when the sleeping person awakens, he recovers a subtle breath (nafas laṭīf) from the subtle substance of the spiritual self, for if this were to part from him, it would leave him without motion (ḥaraka), and lifeless (mayyit). Thus, the dense natural self has a subtle substance (laṭīfa) and likewise the spiritual self has a subtle substance (laṭīfa).^{2All three MSS (Z515, f. 93a, F638, f. 43b and F3488, f. 269a) have laṭīfa here instead of laṭīf in this sentence, though Böwering (Mystical Vision, p. 245) has in any case read them as laṭīf as in the rest of the passage.} The life of the subtle substance of the natural self is by virtue of the light of the subtle substance of the spiritual self (nūr laṭīf nafs al-rūḥ). The spiritual life of the subtle substance of the spiritual self (ḥayāt rūḥ laṭīf nafs al-rūḥ)^{3Or more precisely we might translate this as ‘the life of the spirit of the subtle substance of the spiritual self’. MS F638, f. 43b, however, has ḥayāt rūḥ nafs al-rūḥ without the word laṭīf, which would read literally as ‘the life of the spirit of the spiritual self’.} is by virtue of remembrance [of God] (dhikr), just as He has said: rather they are living with their Lord, provided for [by Him] [3:169], that is, they are sustained by remembrance, due to what they attained through the subtle luminous self.^{4In its outward meaning, this verse [3:169] describes the situation of those who became martyrs in the Battle of Uḥud. There were those who had stayed behind, who urged their brothers not to go, saying: ‘Had they obeyed us, they would not have been slain’ [3:168], at which the Prophet was commanded to give the reply, in the same verse, Then avert death from yourselves, if you speak the truth, which is an ironic answer, indicating that they have, in any case, no power to avert death when it is decreed for them. There follows the admonition: Count not those who are slain in battle as dead, but rather living with their Lord, provided for [by Him] [3:169]. As is often the case in his esoteric interpretations, Tustarī has widened the application of the meaning of the verse here so that it refers to the spiritual life of the subtle substance of the spiritual self.} The life of the dense nature (ṭabʿ kathīf) is through eating, drinking and [physical] enjoyment (tamattuʿ).

Whoever cannot reconcile these two opposites, by which I mean, the natural self and the spiritual self, so that the two together are sustained by remembrance (dhikr) and by the endeavour [to accomplish] remembrance,^{5lit. ‘so that the sustenance of the two together is remembrance and the endeavour (saʿī) for remembrance.’} is not a mystic (ʿārif) in reality.

ʿUmar b. Wāṣil said, ‘The grammarian al-Mubarrad used to say that the spirit (rūḥ) and the soul [or self, nafs] are two interconnected things; the one cannot subsist without the other.’ He continued, ‘I mentioned this to Sahl and he said’:

He is mistaken. The spirit subsists by His grace (bi-luṭfihi) within its own essence (bi-dhātihi), independent from the dense natural self. Do you not see that God, Exalted is He, addressed everyone while still in a molecular form,^{6An allusion to the Covenant of Alast, for which see the commentary on 7:172, and IT, pp. xxxi–xxxii and xxxv–xxxvi. In connection with this passage see also IT, p. xl, n. 156 and p. xliv, n. 184.} by virtue of the existence of the spiritual self, the understanding of the intellect, the intuition of the heart, and the presence of a subtle kind of knowledge, without the presence of [man’s] dense nature (ṭabʿ kathīf).

His words:

Or have they taken intercessors besides God?…

He said:

Have they followed the path of innovation in religion as a way of drawing closer to God through their religion, on the basis that this would benefit them?

His words:

And when God is mentioned alone, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink [with aversion]...

⸢He said:

That is,⸣^{1The addition was made on the basis of all three MSS: Z515, f. 93b, F638, f. 43b and F3488, f. 269b.} their hearts disavow the gifts of God that they possess (ʿindahā).

His words:

Say [that God declares]: ‘O My servants who have been prodigal against their souls! Do not despair of God’s mercy…’

He said:

God, Exalted is He, has given his servants respite, out of His bounty, up to their last breath, and He says to them, ‘Do not despair of My mercy; even if you came back to Me in your last breath, I would receive you.’

He said:

This verse is the most far reaching in conveying the compassion (ishfāq) shown by God, Exalted is He, to His servants; because, in accordance with His knowledge, He does not deprive them of that which He bestows on others, rather He showers mercy upon them to the point that He admits them to the very essence of [His] generosity (ʿayn al-karam), by virtue of [His] eternal remembrance of them.^{1This may mean that He has remembered them in this very verse, which is the word of God and in its essential form, eternal (qadīm).}

It was related of the angel Gabriel عليه السلام that he heard Abraham عليه السلام pray, ‘O You who are Most Generous in pardoning!’ Then Gabriel عليه السلام said to him, ‘O Abraham! Do you know what the generosity of His pardon (ʿafw) [implies]?’ He answered, ‘No, O Gabriel.’ He continued, ‘It is that when He pardons a misdeed, He converts it into a good deed.’^{2Bayhaqī, Shuʿab al-īmān, vol. 5, p. 389. The tradition appears in Makkī, Qūt al-qulūb, vol. 1, pp. 376–7, where it is the Prophet Muḥammad instead of Abraham who is spoken to by Gabriel.}

Then Sahl said:

Witness this of me: it is part of my religion that I do not disown the sinners among the nation of Muḥammad ﷺ, nor the wicked, the murderers, the adulterers or the thieves, for truly, the extent of the generosity, bounty, and beneficence that God, Exalted is He, shows, especially to the nation of Muḥammad ﷺ, cannot be fathomed.

His words:

‘And turn [penitently] to your Lord, and submit to Him….’ ^{1This is a further exhortation that the Prophet has been commanded to give to those mentioned in the previous verse.}

That is, ‘Return to Him through supplication (duʿāʾ), and by humbly beseeching (taḍarruʿ) and petitioning (masʾala) [Him]’; ‘and submit to Him’. That is, ‘Commit all your affairs to Him’.

His words:

Lest any soul should say, ‘Woe is me for what I have neglected of [my] duty to God!...’

He said:

[That is, lest any soul should say], ‘I was preoccupied by the present world (ʿājil al-dunya), the pleasure of passion (ladhdhat al-hawā) and with going the way of the lower self. I neglected [my] duty to God, that is, with regard to God’s person (dhāt Allāh), [and I neglected] being intent upon Him (qaṣd ilayhi), and dependent upon Him (iʿtimād ʿalayhi), on account of my neglecting to observe His rights (ḥuqūq) and adhere to His service (khidma).’

His words, Exalted is He:

To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth…

That is, in His hand are the keys to hearts. He gives success to whomever He wills, so that they obey him and serve Him with sincerity, and He turns away from His door whomever He wills.

His words:

And they do not esteem God as He should be esteemed…

That is, they did not come to know Him as He deserves to be known (ḥaqq maʿrifatihi), [either] in the fundamental[s of His knowledge] (aṣl),^{1i.e. knowledge of Him.} or in its branch[es] (farʿ).^{2The fundamentals of religion (uṣūl al-dīn) and its branches (furūʿ) being the two main categories of religious sciences: theology and substantive law, that is, the positive rules of law, including worship (ʿibādā) and transactions (muʿāmalāt).}

His words:

…when whoever is in the heavens and earth will swoon...^{1That is, on the Day of Resurrection, when the Trumpet will be blown for the first time. The latter part of this same verse states that when it is blown again they will rise up, looking on.}

He said:

The inner [meaning] of the verse is that [this will happen] when the angels are commanded to desist from remembrance, and not due to the Trumpet’s blast, nor Azrāʾīl’s removal [of the souls of all living creatures].^{2The complete verse reads: The Trumpet will be sounded when whoever is in the heavens and earth will swoon. According to tradition, on the last day Isrāfīl will blow the Trumpet and the Angel of Death, Azrāʾīl, will capture the souls of all living creatures, including the other angels and himself. What Tustarī is saying here is that the real cause of the end is not the Trumpet or the Angel of Death, but God’s commandment that the angels should stop praising and remembering Him.} This is because He gave them life through His remembrance just as He gave the children of Adam life through their breathing.^{3See the discussion above in Tustarī’s commentary on 39:42.}

God, Exalted is He, has said: They glorify [Him] night and day and do not falter [21:20] But when He withholds remembrance from them they perish.

His words:

And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord…

He said:

The hearts of the believers will shine on the Day of Resurrection with the light of [their realisation] of the oneness of their Lord,^{1That is according to MS F638, f. 43b, which has: bi-nūr tawḥīd sayyidihim, while the published edition and MSS Z515, f. 94b and F3488, f. 270b have bi-tawḥīd sayyidihim which might be translated as ‘they shine or are radiant due to [their knowledge] of the unity of their Master’.} and their following of the Sunna of their Prophet ﷺ.

His words:

[And they will say,] ‘Praise be to God who has fulfilled His promise to Us...’

He said:

Indeed, their praise (ḥamd) in Paradise does not take the form of an act of worship (taʿabbud), since they are exempted from that, just as they are exempted from the fear (khawf) related to the [need for] earning (kasb) and the [possibility] of alienation (qaṭʿ). What remains, though, is the [reverential] fear [that accompanies] the exaltation (khawf al-ijlāl) and magnifying (taʿẓīm) of God, Mighty and Majestic is He. So their praise is simply a delight for the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ), the spiritual self (nafs al-rūḥ), the intellect (ʿaql) ⸢and the heart (qalb)⸣.^{1Added on the basis of all three MSS Z515, f. 94b, F638, f. 44a and F3488, f. 270b.} But God, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.