Glimpse of Tassawuf - Sufism

• Exposure
• Moses & Khizr
• Divine Immanence

Exposure

Direct Exposition of a spiritual theme is avoided in the holy scriptures of most religious. The glare of the sun is too strong and blinding to the watery eye. If one wishes to have a view even of its penumbra, one must colored glasses. Direct facts are misleading and confusing to the ordinary man ; esoteric writers and speaker have all along clothed realities in many-hued garbs, so that those who have eyes to see may see. Sri Krishna has not laid his truths in their sample nakedness. Jesus Christ has spoken in parables; he, even said that pearls should not be thrown before swines. Common people not realizing the drift of argument, go astray; it requires a certain amount of leaving in one's temperament to grasp facts; culture is not a correct word here to use, as that implies only intellectual ploughing and swing; leavening implies fermentation of feeling to the proper degree, in addition to training of the intellect. Not possessing this leavening, they either go astray or are led to make the confusion of the world worse confounded. Great teachers have therefore hit upon ceremonials as the basis on which training is fixed. These ceremonials are their shari'at or exoteric laws. Shari'at is from shar, the beaten-out path in the desert, which leads to a watering ghat. If you take this way, it leads you straight to the ghat, where the water of life is found- the haqiqat (truth) lies enveloped in this shari'at. To cut through the shell to get at the kernel of the truth is a laborious task. In the Quran itself, the verses are of two kinds- Ayat-i-bayyinat, plain verses; they are writ large, so that one that runs read, e.g the stories of the former prophets, laws about the division of property (ilm-i-farayid) commandments-positive and negative etc. Then there are Ayat-i-Mustashabihat ( verses involving doubt) : which can be interpreted in as many seven different ways.

These latter kind of verses have given rise to as many as 72 sects. They relate to essence and attributes of God, the mysteries of prophet ship- in fact to the Greater Mysteries of Islam ( Ilm-i- Darayaq).

Not only in the Quran are there such narratives, but Sufi writers have exposed their facts in the form of stories.

The Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi is full of stories; and moral is drawn only for those who have eyes to see; the lesser writers of mysteries- Shayakh Saadi, For example, also sometimes draw out their truths in the form of stories. While this form of exposition obscures the mental horizon of those who have no taste for the deeper truths of life, It becomes most palatable to those who are in for it.

"The Intoxication of this wine you do not relish, until you have tasted of it."

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Moses & Khizr

"Verily we have cast veils over their hearts, lest they should understand the Quran, and into their ears caused thickness of hearing." Moses asked God weather there was any one man more knowing than himself; and he was directed to go to Khizr. Khizr is supposed to be one Balaya ibn Malacan, who having drunk of the water if life had become immortal. Moses with his servant, Joshua, proceeded to the place where the two seas met. When they arrived at the meeting of the two seas, they forgot the fish (the roasted one) which they had brought for their dinner; and the fish took its way freely to the sea, when Moses called for dinner, Joshua told him what had actually happened. They then returned to the place from which the fish had jumped into the sea. Here Moses met Khizr and requested him to be allowed to follow him " that thou mayest teach me part of that which thou hast been taught". Khizr answered," Verily though couldst not bear with me: for couldst thou patiently suffer thoes things, the knowledge whereof thou dost not comprehend". Moses replied," thou shalt find me patient if God please". (The Quran continues)

"So they both went on by the seashore, until they got abroad a ship; and Khirz made a hole there-in. And Moses said unto him: " Hast made a hole therein, so that thou mayst drown those who are abroad? thou hast done a strange thing". He answered,: Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me?" Moses said," Rebuke me not because I did forget, and impose not on me a difficulty which I had not anticipated". Wherefore they left the ship and proceeded until they met with a youth; and Khizr slew him. Moses said," Hast thou slain and innocent person, without his having killed another? Now hast thou committed an unjust action". He answered," Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me". Moses said," If I ask thee concerning anything hereafter, suffer me not to accompany thee; now hast thou received and excuse from me". They went forward, therefore, until they came to the inhabitance of a certain city ; and they asked food of the inhabitance thereof ; but they refused to receive them. And they found therein a wall, which was ready to fall down, and Khizr set himself to put it upright. Whereupon Moses said unto him, "If thou wouldst, thou highest doubtless have received a reward for it." He answered, this shall be a separation between significance of that which thou couldst not bear with patience. The vessel belonged to certain poor men, who did there business in the sea: and I was minded to render it unserviceable, because there was a king behind them, who took away every sound ship by force. As to the youth, his parents were true believers and we feared to suffer his being an unbeliever should oblige them to suffer his perverseness and ingratitude; wherefore we desired that their Lord might given them a more righteous child in exchange, and one more affectionate towards them. And the wall belonged to two orphan youths in the city; and under it was a treasure hidden, which belonged to them, and their father was a righteous man; and thy Lord was pleased that they should attain their full age and take forth their treasure, through the mercy of thy Lord; and I did not what thou hast seen, of mine own will but by God's direction. This is the interpretation of that which thou couldst not bear with patience."

Khizr met Moses at the junction of the rivers; Love and Humanity the unmanifest and manifest of Nigruna and Sarguna or exotericism and esotericism. The Quran says: "We have issued two seas that never mingle with one another; there is a partition between them that is irremovable."

Marajal -bahrayni yalaqiyan bayna-huma barza khun to yabghiyan.

David too refers to this partitions :"Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of the of thy water spouts; all thy waves and billows are gone over me."

When one on this cataract, one requires a boat and a boatman to tide over it. Moses met the boatman in the person of Khizr and the boat was the boat of spiritual training. When he boat reaches the other side of the river, there lives a King who confiscates all sound boats. To save his ship, Khizr, the spiritual guider springs a leak in it. This is hole of love in the bottom of humanity .Satan is unable to confiscate it, a leaky boat is of no good to him In such a boat humanity passes over to spirituality.

Love in the bottom of Humanity. Satan is unable to confiscate it; a leaky boat is of no good to him. In such a boat Humanity passes over to Spirituality.

Khizr and Moses, the guru and disciple, it may be, landed on the other side of river, in the country over which the tyrant ruled. Khizr took hold of a youth, i.e., desire and slew him outright. This youth was Nafs (desire-body); unless desires are killed, there can be no progress; this demon in the shape of a youth will be shadowing our steps. The two men leave this country and enter another country—a country inhabited by plunderers no doubt—and in a state of ruin. Here Khizr and Moses have to satisfy their creature comforts, but no body would give them a crumb of bread. Khizr, however, sets about repairing a wall in imminent danger of falling. Under the shadow of this wall, two precious treasures lie buried—Treasure of Prophetship and Saintship, the two orphans referred to. In this country of plunderers, the wall of shari'at is protecting these two treasures. Under the protection of ceremonial institution, the peace of the country was maintained. If the wall of shari'at had collapsed, the two treasures would have fallen into unworthy hands. Hence shari'at (ceremonial institution) protects spiritual treasure.

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Divine Immanence

Here is another story from Shaykh Sa'di's 'Gulistan' (Chap. I). A King was traveling in a boat with his 'Ajami salve'; the salve who had not seen the troubles of the sea, began to tremble and wail and gnash his teeth. A physician was sitting in the same boat. He said, "If your Majesty orders me, I shall make him quiet by a device". The King agreed. The physician ordered that the slave should be thrown into the sea, and after he had two or three dipping to be pulled up by the hair of his head. The slave was accordingly pulled up after this trial. He then went and sat quiet in a corner. The King asked the physician what was the wisdom of this experiment. He replied that the slave had not realized the danger of drowning, and was excited. When he actually went through the danger, he realized the safety of being on board a ship. Similarly a man does not understand and realize the doctrine of Hama ust or Divine Immanence, until he is involved in a variety of dangers and comes out safe. The 'Ajami slave (other than Arabs are 'Ajamis) is a term for an uninitiated man; such a man is subject to "Affection of the heart," Khatarat); and he gets confused and his mental balance is upset. Even when he is told that all saints had realized this doctrine, he does not resume a mental equilibrium. The Perfect Pir throws him overbroad into the sea of doubts and infidelity, and then pulls him up towards the shore of safety and a correct appreciation of the underlying reality. It may be objected to, that this story has no perceptible application to the doctrine of Hama ust. The intention of Shaykh Sa'di in plain from his concluding verse: "There is difference between a man whose beloved is in his bosom and one whose eyes are expectant at the door." The believer in Hama ust has observed the Truth with the eyes of certainty and the non-believer is looking forward to the prospect of a beatific vision in a future life.

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