His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

Alif Lām Mīm Ṣād

[Sahl said]:

This means, ‘I am God, I divide up (afṣilu)^{1All three MSS (Z515, f. 44b, F638, f. 22a and F3488, f. 218b) have afṣilu, instead of aqḍī in the printed edition. The editor may have read this word in the text, because the implication is of God’s allotting some of His servants happiness (saʿāda), and others wretchedness (shaqāwa) in His pre-eternal knowledge. This doctrine is alluded to in Tustarī’s commentary on 7:172 below.} my servants with truth.’ From these letters is produced the name of God, Exalted is He: al-Ṣamad (the Self-Sufficing, the One who is Eternally-Besought-of-All).^{2This is an example of a specific interpretation being given for the disconnected letters at the beginning of a sūra. See above, Tustarī’s commentary on 2:1, and p. 12, n. 2.}

His words, Exalted is He:

Verily I shall sit in ambush for them on Your straight path.

[Your straight path] meaning the sacred laws (sharāʾiʿ) of Islam, after God, Exalted is He, has clearly expounded [those laws] to them, as is stated in His words, Is it not an indication for them? [32:26], meaning, ‘Did We not clearly [distinguish] for them the path of goodness, which is what He has commanded, from the path of evil, which is what He has prohibited? Yet they inclined towards the desire of their lower selves, just as when They [the messengers] said: “The evil omen is within yourselves [36:19].”’

His words:

Then Satan whispered to them…

He said:

The whispering [of Satan] is [his] mentioning [something] (dhikr) [firstly] in the natural [predisposition] (tabʿ), then in the lower self (nafs).^{1On ‘whispering’ or ‘evil incitement or suggestion’ (waswasa), see above, IT, p. xxxv, n. 138.} [This suggestion] then [becomes] the desire (hamm), and finally the devising (tadbīr). The whispering of the Enemy [i.e. Satan] has three possible situations (maqāmāt): the first is when he calls a person and whispers to him, the second is when he feels secure knowing that the person has accepted [the suggestion], but the third is when his lot is only to wait and hope, and this is [his situation] with the veracious (ṣiddīqūn).

His words, Exalted is He:

…And call on Him, devoting your religion to Him...

He [Sahl] said:

Seek sincerity (ikhlāṣ) secretly with an [inner] intention, for it is only the sincere who can recognise ostentation. However, seek action openly through emulation, for truly whoever does not emulate the Prophet ﷺ in all his affairs is misguided. All other than these two [ways] are erroneous.

His words, Exalted is He:

…And eat and drink, but do not be excessive; He truly does not love those who are excessive.

Eating is of five kinds: that which is a necessity [for subsistence] (ḍarūra); that which is a source of sustenance (qiwām); that which is a source of nourishment (qūt); that which should be of a determined [amount] (maʿlūm);^{1Perhaps this is referring to the medicinal use of certain foods.} and that which one does without. [Beyond this], there is a sixth in which there is no good, and that is [wrongly] mixed (takhlīṭ).^{2Takhlīṭ literally means ‘confusion and disorder’. Since the root kh-l-ṭ can also have the meaning of infecting, it is possible that this could also mean contaminated.} Furthermore, God, Exalted is He, created the world and placed knowledge and wisdom within hunger (jūʿ), and placed ignorance and transgression within satiety (shabʿ). So, when you are hungry ask for satiety from the One who has afflicted you with hunger, and if you are satiated, ask for hunger from the One who has afflicted you with satiety, otherwise you will commit excesses and transgress.

Then he recited: But man is wont to transgress when he thinks himself self-sufficient [96:6, 7]. He also said:

Truly, hunger is a secret among the secrets of God, Exalted is He, on earth, which He does not entrust to anyone who will disseminate it.

His words, Exalted is He:

Say: My Lord only forbids indecent acts, such of them as are apparent and such as are hidden…

He [Sahl] said:

This refers to the envy (ḥasad) of a person’s heart and the actions of his bodily members. If he were to give up the management (tadbīr) of both he would be one of the ‘mainstays’ (awtād) of the earth.^{1According to Sufi tradition, the rank of the awtād (sing. watad) lit. ‘mainstays’ or ‘props’, is one of the ranks of spiritual hierarchy, which continue on from the time of the Prophet. These ranks will be discussed further below in Tustarī’s commentary on 10:62 and p. 89, n. 5.} However, the servant is between two states: either he is managing with his heart that which is not his concern, or he is acting through his bodily members upon that which is not his concern. No one is saved from either of these two except through the protection (ʿiṣma) of God, Exalted is He. The source of life for hearts is certainty, and their darkness is brought on through [their own] devising and management (tadbīr).

He [Abū Bakr] said, ‘We were with Sahl at sunset,^{2It is not clear whether the speaker here is Abū Bakr al-Sijzī or ʿUmar b. Wāṣil. ʿUmar b. Wāṣil transmits a saying of Tustarī soon after this in the commentary on 7:99.} and he said to Aḥmad b. Sālim, leave off managing things, so that we may pray the ʿĪshāʾ prayer in Mecca.^{3Meaning that if he would only leave off his own attempt to manage things they might attain a miracle, such as being transported to Mecca in time to pray the ʿĪshāʾ prayer, when at the time it was sunset.}

His words, Exalted is He:

…And [forbids] that you say concerning God that which you do not know.

Whoever speaks about God without permission, in a way which lacks reverence (ḥurma) or without maintaining the due propriety (adab), has rent the veil (satr). Indeed, God, Exalted is He, has forbidden anyone to say anything about Him of which he has no knowledge.

His words, Exalted is He:

We shall strip away all rancour that is in their breasts…

He said:

This refers to whims (ahwāʾ) and innovations (bidaʿ).

His words, Exalted is He:

And on the Heights are men…

He said:

The People of the Heights are the people of gnosis (maʿrifa).^{1Note that the two words aʿrāf meaning ‘the Heights’ and maʿrifa meaning ‘gnosis’ are derived from the same verbal root ʿ-r-f.} God, Exalted is He, said: …who know each by their mark [7:47]. Their standing is due to the honour (sharaf) they enjoy in the two abodes and with the inhabitants of both, and the two angels^{2Munkar and Nakīr are the two angels who question the dead in their graves concerning their faith.} know them. Likewise [God] enabled them to see into (ashrafahum)^{3Note the play on words here using the root sh-r-f. Ishrāf has the meaning of an elevated vantage point from which one has a commanding view over things, as was seen in Tustarī’s explanation of the ‘point of transcendency (maṭlaʿ)’ in his discussion of four levels of meaning in the verses of the Qurʾān. See above IC, p. 2.} the secrets of His servants and their states in this world.^{4Mystics and men of great spirituality were said to be the ‘spies of hearts’ who had a penetrating spiritual perception or, more precisely, physiognomy (firāsa), that is, the ability to understand what is in a person’s heart from their external appearance. Concerning firāsa, the Prophet said in a well-known ḥadīth: ‘Beware the spiritual perception (firāsa) of the believer, for he sees with the light of God,’ and then recited the verse: ‘Therein lie portents for those who read the signs (al-mutawaṣṣimīn)’ (15:75). This ḥadīth is cited later by Tustarī in the context of his commentary on 15:75, where references for the ḥadīth are given.}

His words, Exalted is He:

And work not corruption in the land, after it has been set right…

He [Sahl] said:

[It means that] you should not spoil obedience with sin. This is because whoever persists in sinning, though it be of the smallest kind of prohibited act, will find all his good deeds alloyed by that transgression. Furthermore, his good deeds will not become pure as long as he maintains just one misdeed, until he repents and divests himself of that misdeed, thereby purifying them [his good deeds] from the defilement of sins [he commits], both in secret and openly.

His words, Exalted is He:

…I am your [sincere] truthful advisor.^{1The words used here are nāṣiḥ amīn. As was stated above, the verbal root n-ṣ-ḥ may convey both the meaning of advising and of being sincere towards others. This verse occurs as part of the story of the prophet Hūd, when he was trying to bring the message of the oneness of God to his people, the ʿĀd.}

Whoever is not sincere towards God within his own soul, and sincere towards Him with regard to His creatures, will be ruined. To act with sincerity (naṣīḥa) towards God’s creatures is more difficult than being sincere within one’s own soul. The lowest level of sincerity [towards God] within the soul is gratitude (shukr), which is not to disobey God by [abusing] the blessings He has bestowed [on you] (bi-niʿamihi).

On another occasion I heard him say:

Sincerity is not to involve yourself in anything which you do not have the power to put right.

His words, Exalted is He:

And We did not send a prophet to any city but that We seized its people with misery and hardship…

He [Sahl] said:

This means they lost their hearts through their lack of knowledge, and because of severe hardship in their lives, such that they became preoccupied with their world[ly concerns] to the exclusion of their [concern for the] Hereafter.

Then We gave them in place of evil, good, until they multiplied…

[He said]:

[The fact that] they multiplied does not signify a pardon (ʿafw) in the essential [meaning of that word].^{1The verbal root ʿ-f-w has the meaning of being obliterated, or effaced, and hence the effacement of sin and being pardoned or excused, but it also has the meaning of becoming abundant in quantity, as here in this verse.} God, Exalted is He, has said: Indulge [people] with forgiveness (ʿafw) [7:199], which [actually] means, ‘[Take] the surplus (faḍl) of their wealth which is a deposit from God in their keeping, because God most High has purchased it from them.’ And ⸢the believer⸣^{2Added on the basis of all three MSS: Z515, f. 46a, F638, f. 22b and F3488, f. 220a.} possesses neither his soul nor his wealth.

He was asked, ‘Where is [the believer’s] soul?’ He replied:

It has been placed under contract with God, Exalted is He. He said: Indeed God has purchased from the believers their lives and their possessions, promising them Paradise in return. [9:111]

His words, Exalted is He:

Do they feel secure from God’s plotting?...

He [Sahl] said:

The plotting (makr) belongs to His design (tadbīr) within His prior knowledge, and it pertains to His omnipotence,^{1In other words, it is a manifestation of His prior knowledge (ʿilm) through His omnipotence (qudra).} hence no one should feel secure against His plotting, for feeling secure against it does not repel anything that has been preordained (qadar). No one can exit the [sphere of] His omnipotence, Exalted is He. No one should feel free of fear, even if they [think] they have experienced all [possible] fear. However, once someone recognises his station (manzila) with God, Exalted is He, his knowledge will increase and his desire (raghba) will be fulfilled. But as for the one who does not know his station, that will be a source of shame (ʿār) for him.

ʿUmar Wāṣil said that he then asked [Sahl], ‘How does a person’s station rise in accordance with his knowledge?’ He answered:

There are two [kinds of] men: there is the man who rises [in his spiritual station] and asks for [further] elevation,^{2lit. ‘the man who grows [in his spiritual station] and asks for further increase.’} being avid for this; and then there is the man who is weaker than the other, whose [request] derives from gratitude, lest God should take back what He has given him.

His words, Exalted is He:

Moses said to his people, ‘Seek help from God and be patient.’

He [Sahl] said:

He ordered them to seek help from God in keeping God’s commandments, so that they might enforce what is contained within them, take a firm hold on them and a firm stand against any breach of them, and show fortitude in this out of propriety.

His words:

I shall turn away from My signs those who behave arrogantly in the earth without right…

He [Sahl] said:

It means that He will deprive them of understanding the Qurʾān, and following the Messenger ﷺ. It has been related from the Prophet ﷺ that he said, ‘Whoever has been given understanding of the Qurʾān has been given abundant good. However, whoever has been denied understanding of the Qurʾān has been denied access to a great science (ʿilm ʿaẓīm).’ Also, the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘A part of magnifying (taʿẓīm) God is honouring (ikrām) the elderly in Islam, honouring the just leader, and honouring the person who has memorised the Qurʾān,^{1lit. ‘bearer’ (ḥāmil) of the Qurʾān.} whilst not exceeding the proper bounds in this.’^{2That is to say, not being excessive in honouring them. The ḥadīth is listed in ʿAjlūnī, Kashf al-khafāʾ, vol. 1, p. 284.}

His words:

…[those who] if they see the way of error, adopt it as a way…

He [Sahl] said:

He returned them to what He knew concerning them in His prior knowledge, which was that they would do that [which is mentioned in the verse].^{3The whole verse [7:146] reads: I shall turn away from My signs those who behave arrogantly in the earth without right, and if they see every sign do not believe in it; and if they see the way of rectitude, do not adopt it as a way, but if they see the way of error, adopt it as a way. That is because they have denied Our signs and were heedless of them. Thus God says that He will turn away from His signs those who have acted arrogantly on earth, and, according to Tustarī’s interpretation, will forsake them because of His foreknowledge that they would do so.} His forsaking (khidhlān) them is because of what they were directed to by their natural selves (anfusuhum al-ṭabīʿiyya), namely, being active regarding His prohibitions, and passive regarding His commandments, and [falsely] claiming to have the power and strength [to do] that which their souls had a propensity for, and their conceit (ightirār) in that.

His words, Exalted is He:

In his absence, Moses’ people made of their ornament a calf; a body, which lowed…

He [Sahl] said:

The calf of each person is anything to which he devotes himself which diverts him away from God, be it a spouse or children. Furthermore, he will not rid himself of that until he has annihilated all the interests (ḥuẓūẓ) he has,^{1Ḥaẓẓ (pl. ḥuẓūẓ) being either a [personal] interest, portion, share or pleasure.} that are its [his calf’s] means [of existence], just as the worshippers of the calf are not freed from its adoration except after slaying themselves.^{2A reference to Sūrat al-Baqara [2:54].}

His words, Mighty and Majestic is He:

And when they became at a loss...^{1lit. when it ‘fell into their hands’.}

He [Sahl] said:

That is, they regretted [what they had done]. You say that ‘it falls into a person’s hands’ when he regrets something.

His words, Exalted is He:

…We have turned to You…

That is, We have repented to You.

His words, Exalted is He:

…How they would transgress the Sabbath…

He [Sahl] said:

They transgressed because they followed their desire (hawā) on the Sabbath.

His words, Exalted is He:

…And they have studied what is in it…

That is they gave up acting upon it.

His words:

When we wrenched (nataqnā) the mountain [and held it above them]…

That is, ‘We rent it (fataqnā) and shook [it] violently, just as al-ʿAjjāj said: [rajaz metre]

They nurtured our great dreams,

And tore apart (fataqnā) our nightmares.^{1i.e., obliterated them. The editor of the Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya states that this couplet is not by al-ʿAjjāj.}

His words, Exalted is He:

And remember when your Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seeds, and made them testify about themselves…

He [Sahl] said:

God, Exalted is He, took the prophets عليهم السلام from the loins of Adam, and then He extracted from the back of each prophet his progeny in a molecular form [lit. in the shape of specks] possessing intellects (ʿuqūl). Then he took from the prophets their pledge (mīthāq), as is stated in His words, We took from the prophets their pledge: as (We did) from you and from Noah [33:7]. The Covenant that they were bound to was that they would convey from God, Exalted is He, His commandments and prohibitions. Then He called them all to affirm His lordship, with His words, Exalted is He: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ Then He manifested His omnipotence [to them], so They said: ‘Yes, we testify’ [7:172].^{1On the Covenant and Tustarī’s interpretation of 7:172, see above IT, pp. xxxi–xxxii and xxxv–xxxvi.} Thus did God gather what He wanted (murād) from His creatures, and the beginning and end that was in store for them in their saying ‘Yes’, since this was in the manner of a trial (ibtilāʾ).^{2The implication here seems to be that in this manifestation of the divine omnipotence, God had all His creatures testify (through Him) to His lordship, and within this testimony (their saying ‘Yes’), was also their acknowledgment of their divinely decreed beginning and end. This was, moreover, a test and a trial (ibtilāʾ), for while it was testing them as to whether or not they would bear witness to His lordship, their very answering ‘Yes’, implied their acceptance of the trials of human existence.} Indeed, God, Exalted is He, said: And His Throne was upon the water, that He might try you [11:7]. He also made the prophets testify for themselves as a proof (ḥujjatan), as God, Exalted is He, has said, and made them testify concerning themselves. Then He returned them to the loins of Adam عليه السلام, and subsequently He sent the prophets to remind them of His Pact and Covenant. Furthermore, within His knowledge on the day when they affirmed what they affirmed, were those who would deny it and those who would verify it,^{3According to the tradition that some made the affirmation willingly, others unwillingly. See for example, Daylamī, ʿAṭf al-alif, p. 53; English trans., Bell as A Treatise on Mystical Love, p. 133. For the numerous ḥadīths commenting on 7:172 see Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, vol. 13, pp. 222–50; also idem, Tārīkh al-rusul wa’l-mulūk (Cairo, 1960–9); English trans. of vol. 1 by Franz Rosenthal as The History of al-Ṭabarī I (Albany, 1989), pp. 304–7. On the development of the doctrines surrounding 7:172, according to Sunni and Shīʿī thought as well as in Sufism, see Nasrollah Pourjavady, ‘ʿAhd-i Alast: ʿAqīda-yi Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazzālī wa jāygāh-i tārīkh-i ān’, Maʿārif 7, no. 2 (1990), pp. 3–47, now expanded and republished as ch. 2 in idem, Du mujaddid (Tehran, 2002). On the Covenant of Alast, see references given in n. 25 above.} and the last hour will not arrive until every person who made the Covenant has appeared.

He was asked, ‘What are the signs of happiness (saʿāda) and wretchedness (shaqāwa)?’^{4These two words, saʿāda and shaqāwa, are often used, as in this context, to denote our predestined and eventually eternal happiness or misery, hence felicity or wretchedness.} He said:

Truly, among the signs of wretchedness is the denial of His omnipotence, and truly among the signs of happiness is the expansiveness of your heart in faith,^{5A reference perhaps to 6:125: Whomever God desires to guide, He expands his breast to Islam.} your being provided with riches in your heart, protection in obedience, and success in renouncing [the world] (zuhd). Whoever is inspired with propriety (adab) in that which is between him and God, Exalted is He, will be purified of heart, and bestowed with happiness. There is nothing more exacting than preserving propriety.

He was asked, ‘What is propriety?’ [He answered]:

[It is that you should] let your food be barley, your sweetmeat dates, your condiment salt, your fat yoghurt. You should let your clothes be of wool, your houses be mosques, your source of light the sun, your lamp the moon, your perfume water, your splendour cleanliness, and your adornment wariness (ḥadhr). Moreover, you should let your work consist in being content (irtiḍāʾ) — or he said contentment (riḍā) — , your journey’s provision (zād) be mindfulness of God (taqwā), your eating be at night, your sleep in the day, your speech be remembrance (dhikr), your resolve (ṣamma) and your aspiration (himma) be for contemplation (tafakkur),^{6Tafakkur instead of fikr on the basis of all three MSS: MSS Z515, f. 48a, F638, f. 23b and F3488, f. 221b.} your reflective thought (naẓar) be to take example (ʿibra),^{7ʿIbra means the salutary lesson that can be drawn from things, often things which have happened to other people.} and your refuge (maljaʾ) and the one who helps you (nāṣir) be your Lord. Persevere in this until you die.^{8Bayhaqī, Kitāb al-Zuhd al-kabīr, vol. 2, p. 356.}

He also said:

Three of the signs of wretchedness (shaqāwa) are that a person misses the congregational prayer while he is close to the mosque; that he misses the congregational prayer while in Medina; and that he misses the Hajj while he is in Mecca.

[Returning to the interpretation of the verse 7:172], Sahl said:

The progeny (dhurriyya) comprise three [parts], a first, second and third: the first is Muḥammad ﷺ, for when God, Exalted is He, wanted to create Muḥammad ﷺ He made appear (aẓhara) a light from His light, and when it reached the veil of divine majesty it prostrated before God, and from that prostration God created an immense crystal-like column of light, that was inwardly and outwardly ⸢translucent⸣,^{9That is, reading yurā ẓāhiruhu wa bāṭinuhu as in all three MSS: Z515, f. 48a, F638, f. 23b and F3488, f. 221b), to mean literally both its exterior and interior could be seen, i.e., as Böwering has translated, it was translucent, like a crystal.} and within it was the essence of Muḥammad ﷺ. Then it stood in service before the Lord of the Worlds for a million years with the essential characteristics of faith (ṭabāʾiʿ al-īmān), which are the visual beholding of faith (muʿāyanat al-īmān), the unveiling of certainty (mukāshafat al-yaqīn) and the witnessing of the Lord (mushāhadat al-Rabb). Thus He honoured him with this witnessing, a million years before beginning the creation.

There is no one who is not overcome by Iblīs, may God curse him, or captured by him, save the prophets عليهم السلام, and the veracious (ṣiddīqūn), whose hearts bear witness to their faith according to their [different] stations (maqāmāt), and who know that God observes them in all their states. Furthermore, according to the measure of their witnessing (mushāhada), ⸢they experience trial[s] (ibtilāʾ), and according to the measure of their experience of trials, they seek protection. Likewise according to the measure of their poverty (faqr) and need (fāqa) for Him⸣,^{10The section between the brackets is absent from the MS Z515, but is present in F638, f. 23b and F3488, f. 222a, though the words wa ʿalā qadri maʿrifatihim al-ibtilāʾ yaṭlubūna’l-ʿiṣma are absent from F638.} they recognise harm (ḍurr) and benefit (nafʿ), and increase in knowledge (ʿilm), understanding (fahm) and reflective thought (naẓar).

Then he said:

God has not placed a burden of service (khidma) upon any of the prophets عليهم السلام as great as that which he placed upon our Prophet ﷺ. Furthermore, there is not a position of service in which God, Exalted is He, has been served by the children of Adam عليه السلام up to the time when He sent our Prophet ﷺ, in which our Prophet ﷺ has not served God.

He [Sahl] was asked about a saying of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Truly, I am not like any of you, verily my Lord feeds me and gives to drink.’^{11Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, ‘Kitāb al-Ṣawm’.} He answered:

[He was not speaking about] food and water that he had, but he was mentioning his particular quality with God, Exalted is He, such that he was [in His presence] as someone who has eaten food and drunk water.^{12i.e. he received in a direct manner spiritual nourishment from God.} Indeed, had he had any food and water he would have given priority to his family and the People of the Bench (Ahl al-Ṣuffa) over himself.^{13On the People of the Bench, see above Tustarī’s commentary on 2:273 and p. 37, n. 146.}

The second among the progeny, is Adam عليه السلام. God created him from the light ⸢of Muḥammad ﷺ⸣.^{14All the MSS (Z515 f. 48b, F638, f. 23b and F3488, f. 222a) have the words Muḥammad ʿalayhi al-salām, instead of qāla ʿalayhi al-salām in the printed edition.} And He created Muḥammad ﷺ, that is, his body, from the clay of Adam عليه السلام.

The third is the progeny of Adam. God, Mighty and Majestic is He, created the seekers [of God] (murīdūn) from the light of Adam, and He created the [divinely]-sought (murādūn) from the light of Muḥammad ﷺ. Thus, the generality among people live under the mercy of the people of proximity (ahl al-qurb) and the people of proximity live under the mercy of the one brought near (al-muqarrab) — With their light shining forth before them and on their right. [57:12]^{15This is a description of the believing men and women on the Day of Resurrection. The ‘one brought near’ is an allusion to Muḥammad. See above, the commentary on the poem cited under 2:41, p. 33.}

His words, Exalted is He:

Had We willed, We would have raised him up [with Our signs]…

This refers to Balʿam b. Bāʿūrāʾ.^{1Balʿam b. Bāʿūrāʾ (Balaam son of Boer) is not mentioned by name in the Qurʾān, but he is said to be the subject of 7:175–6. According to Thaʿlabī, he was a Canaanite descended from Lot, who lived in the Syrian city of Balqāʿ, said to be inhabited by giants. As Moses was approaching their land, Balʿam, who knew God’s Highest Name and whose prayers were answered, was approached by the people of that land, who, fearing that they would be driven out by the Israelites, importuned him to pray against Moses and his people. At first, Balʿam refused to curse one of God’s prophets, but eventually he was persuaded to do so and ascended the mountain to pray against the Israelites. However, as he prayed against them his tongue was turned around so that his prayer was directed against his own people, and as he prayed for his own people, his tongue was turned around so that he prayed for the Israelites. When he returned to his people, they chided him for having prayed for the Israelites and against them. Balʿam then admitted that this was out of his control and his tongue stuck out so far that it fell on to his chest. He then devised a strategy whereby women would be sent among the Israelites to tempt them into fornication. This brought about a plague upon the Israelites. See Thaʿlabī, ʿArāʾis al-majālis, pp. 257–9; trans. Brinner, ʿArāʾis, pp. 392–6. See also Ṭabarī, History, vol. 3, Children of Israel, trans. Brinner, pp. 91ff. The Qurʾān compares Balʿam to a dog: Therefore his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if you attack it, it lolls its tongue out, and if you leave it, it lolls its tongue out. As is the case in Tustarī’s commentary, Balʿam is often shown in Sufi literature as a prototype of a man of religion or spirituality brought down by his own desires.} But he was disposed to the earth and followed his [lower] desires. He turned away [from God’s signs] due to his following his [base] desire (hawā). God, Exalted is He, distributed desire among the bodily members such that each bodily member has a portion of it. If one of the bodily members inclines towards that desire, its harm will return to the heart. Know that the self has a secret which did not manifest itself except with Pharaoh when he said: ‘I am your Lord most High’ [79:24].

Then [Sahl] was asked, ‘How can we be preserved from [base] desire (hawā)?’ He replied:

Whoever keeps himself in propriety (adab) will be preserved from it, for whoever subdues his lower self through propriety serves God, Mighty and Majestic is He, with true sincerity (ikhlāṣ).

He also said:

The self (nafs) has seven heavenly veils and seven earthly veils. The more the servant buries his [lower] self in the earth the higher will his heart soar heavenwards. Furthermore, if he [completely] buries his lower self beneath the earth his heart will reach the Throne. He also said about Kahmas that he used to pray a thousand rakʿas (cycles of prayer) during the course of the day and night. He would make the closing greetings of peace (salāms) between each pair of rakʿas then say to his lower self, ‘Get up O refuge of evil, I am not satisfied with you.’

His words, Exalted is He:

And to God belong the Most Beautiful Names, so invoke Him by them.

He [Sahl]said:

Truly behind the names and attributes are attributes which no comprehension can penetrate, for God is a blazing fire and is inaccessible. Yet we have no option but to plunge in [and try to reach Him]. And leave those who blaspheme His names [7:180], that is, those who are blasphemous with His names and deny [the truth].’

His words:

We shall draw on those who deny Our Signs, by degrees, in such a way that they will not perceive it.

He [Sahl] said:

This means, ‘We shall abundantly increase their bounties, and make them forget to show gratitude for them. Then when they are contented while veiled from the Bestower [of those bounties] (al-Munʿim), they will be seized.’

His words:

Have they not contemplated the dominion of the heavens and the earth…

He [Sahl] said:

[This is] God’s reminder of His omnipotence (qudra) [manifested] in His creation, and a portrayal of their need for Him, Exalted is He. With regard to whatever He created that they have heard about but not seen, and those things that they have been deluded by, [He says], ‘If only they had perceived them with their hearts, they would have believed in the unseen, and their faith would have led them to witness the unseen which was hidden from them. Then they would have inherited the ranks of the righteous (abrār) and become beacons of guidance.’

His words:

He alone will reveal it at its proper time…^{1In this verse the Prophet is being informed that he will be asked about the Hour and when it will come, and instructed what he should answer.}

That is, no one can reform the natural self (nafs al-ṭabʿ) from being ruled by passion (hawā) to obeying God, save He.^{2On Tustarī’s use of the terms nafs al-ṭabʿ and nafs al-rūḥ see IT, pp. xxxviiiff. above, and Böwering, Mystical Vision, pp. 158–9, and 160–1.} This is the inner meaning of the verse.^{3The context for the words which Tustarī is commenting upon here is God’s command to the Prophet regarding the answer he should give when he is questioned about the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection).}

His words:

…They will question you as if you were eager to find it out… that is, as if you knew the time it would occur.^{4Tustarī is returning here to the outer meaning of the verse.}

His words:

I have no power to benefit or harm myself except as God wills…

So how can anyone benefit another when he does not have the power to benefit himself? That is for God alone, Exalted is He.

His words:

…You see them staring at you, but they do not perceive.

He [Sahl] said:

It [refers to] those hearts that God, Exalted is He, has not adorned with His lights and with proximity, so that they are blind to the apprehension of realities (ḥaqāʾiq) and the recognition of great people (akābir).

His words:

And remember your Lord inwardly, humbly and fearfully…

[Sahl was asked], ‘What is the true reality of remembrance (ḥaqīqat al-dhikr)?’ He answered:

It is the realisation (taḥqīq) of the knowledge that God, Exalted is He, witnesses you, and it is that you see Him close to you with your heart. Thus, you feel shame before Him and give Him priority over yourself in all your affairs.

Then he said:

The one who claims to keep remembrance (dhikr) is not necessarily one who [truly] remembers [God] (dhākir).

He was asked, ‘What is the meaning of the saying of the Prophet ﷺ: “The world is accursed and what it contains is accursed save the remembrance of God (dhikr Allāh), most High?”’^{1Tirmidhī, Nawādir al-uṣūl, vol. 1, p. 255; Tirmidhī, Sunan, ‘Kitāb al-Zuhd’.} [He replied]:

His saying ‘the remembrance of God’ here means renouncing what is unlawful (zuhd ʿan al-ḥarām), that is, when something unlawful comes a person’s way he remembers God, Exalted is He, and he knows that God is watching him, so he avoids that unlawful thing.^{2Again, this recalls the teaching imparted to Tustarī by his uncle. See above, IT, p. xv.}

His words:

…and do not be one of the heedless…

Sahl said:

In truth I say to you without any falsehood, in certainty without a doubt, that any person who spends a breath in other than God’s remembrance does so while being heedless of God, Mighty and Majestic is He.

He also said:

Heedlessness (ghafla) among the elite (khāṣṣ) is acquiescing (sukūn) in anything [other than Him]. Heedlessness among the generality (ʿāmm) is taking pride (iftikhār) in anything [other than Him], that is to say, it is [also] acquiescing (sukūn) [in other than Him].^{3Note that Tustarī is here using the term sukūn in a pejorative way, in the same way he used the term musākana in his commentary on 2:30, above. It will be recalled that in his commentary on 4:81 and 6:151, he used the word sukūn in the positive sense of tranquil repose and acquiescence in God.}