In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Praise be to God who has sent down from eternity many kinds of wisdom (hikma, pl. hikam) upon the hearts of the perfect humans (kalim) in a unique right way, even if the sects and religious communities vary because of the variety of nations. May God bless and protect him (Muhammad) who bestows on people spiritual aspirations from the treasuries of His generosity (khazain al-jūd) and kindness through the most valuable statements.
I saw God’s Messenger in a vision (mubashshira) during the latter part of the month of Muharram in the year 627 (1229) in Damascus. Seizing in his hand a book, he said to me, “This is Kitab Fusus al-Hikam (the book of The Bezels of Wisdom); take it and bring it to people so that they might benefit from it.” I said, “I hear and obey God, His Messenger and those in authority among us as we are commanded.” Therefore, I implemented the Messenger’s wish with sincere intention and pure aim and aspiration and made this book manifest as God’s Messenger determined without increase or decrease. I asked God to include me, both in this mission and in all my states (ahwali), among His servants over whom the Devil has no authority. I also asked Him that in all that which my fingers may write, in all that which my tongue may utter, and in all that which my heart may conceive, I should be among those who are guided, not among those who lead astray or are led astray. May God gather us in His group as He made us part of His community. The first chapter which the Lord reveals to the servant is as follows:
The bezel of the wisdom of divinity exists in the essence of Adam
The Real, from the perspective of His Names, wanted to see the essences of His uncountable Most Beautiful Names (asma' husna), as they really operate, or if you wish, say to see His Essence, in an all-inclusive being containing all of them and qualified by existence. Through this being, His mystery will be revealed to Him. That is, because one’s self-seeing is not like one’s seeing oneself in another, which serves as a mirror for the seer. The reason for this preference is that the mirror reveals to the seer himself in a shape which is given by the substrate (mahall) which one observes. If such a substrate does not exist and does not appear to the seer, he cannot see himself. Because of this idea, the Real brought the whole cosmos into existence (awjada), an existence of an indistinct shape without a spirit in it, and it was like an unpolished mirror. According to God’s customary rule, He does not make a substrate unless it receives the divine spirit, which is expressed by “breathing into it.” This breathing means the coming to be of a predisposition (isti‘dad) of this created form to receive the constant revealed overflow (faydh) which has not ceased and will never cease. There is only a receptacle (qabil), which derives from His holy overflow (faydh aqdas). All existents come from Him, their beginning and their end, and “all things are brought back to God,” just as they begin from Him.
The revelation of all things required the disclosure (jala') of the mirror of the world. Adam was equal to the clearness of this mirror and the spirit of this form, that is, the mirror. The angels were among the faculties of this form, that is, the form of the world, which is expressed in popular terminology through “the Great Human Being.” The angels relate to the world like the relationship between the spiritual and sensual faculties in the human structure to the body. Each of these faculties is veiled through itself from seeing something better than its essence, for it claims that it, the human structure, has competence for every high position and exalted rank with God, because it has the divine all-comprehensiveness (al-jam‘iyya al-ilahiyya), which goes back to the divine side (al-janab al-ilahi) and to the side of the Reality of Realities (haqiqat al-haqa'iq), and with respect to the structure which possesses these qualities, it goes back to that which is required by the Universal Nature which comprises all the receptacles of the world, higher and lower. This idea is not known by the intellect (‘aql) through rational observation (nazar fikri), but rather this kind of perception originates only in divine unveiling (kashf ilahi). Through this divine unveiling, the foundation of the forms of the world which contain its spirits is known.
The entity mentioned above is called a human being and the vicegerent (khalifa) of God. As for his humanness, it derives from his comprehensive structure and his comprising of all the realities, because the human being (insan) relates to the Real (al-Haqq – God) as the pupil (insan al-‘ayn) relates to the eye, and through the pupil seeing occurs. Hence, he is called insan, meaning human being and pupil, because through him the Real looks at His creation and has mercy on them. This human being is both created in time and is eternal, coming into being and living forever. He is both the separating and unifying principle, literally word (kalima). The world owes its existence to him. His relation to the world is like the relation of the bezel of the seal ring to the seal ring. The human being is the tool, literally place or substrate, and the sign by which the King seals His treasure. Because of this function, God calls him the vicegerent, for through him God preserves His creation, as the seal ring preserves the treasures. So long as the King’s seal is on the treasures, no one dares to open them, except with His permission. For this reason, God has appointed him as a vicegerent who preserves His possessions (mulk). So long as the Perfect Human Being remains, the world will not cease to exist. Do you not see that when he disappears and the seal of the treasure of the world is broken, nothing of what the Real preserved in the treasure will remain, and all the parts which exist in it will go out being united with each other, and all of them will move to another world (al-Akhira) and he, the Perfect Human Being, will be an everlasting seal on the treasure of another world.
All that exists in the divine forms, that is, God’s names, appears in the human structure. Hence these forms attained the rank of being encompassed and included in the existence of the human structure. And through this existence, God argues against the angels. So take care, because God teaches you a lesson through telling you the story of another, and think what is the reason for blaming someone. That is, the angels were neither aware of the structure of this vicegerent nor of the essential servitude (‘ibada dhatiyya) required by the presence of the Real. For no one knows about the Real except that which is given to him by one’s essence. The angels neither had the comprehensive nature of Adam nor perceived the divine names which particularize his nature and through which God is glorified and sanctified. Moreover, the angels did not know that God has other names by which they can glorify and sanctify Him as Adam did. This situation which we have mentioned overwhelmed them and caused them to say concerning the structure of the human being: “How can You put someone there who will cause damage and bloodshed?” These words express only quarreling and the essence of their behavior, that is, what they said regarding Adam equals their attitude toward the Real. If their structure had not imposed on them such ignorance of God’s names, having been unaware of this imposition, they would not have said what they said concerning Adam. If they had known their souls, or selves (nufus), they would have known their predisposition, and if they had known, they would have been protected from ascribing sins to the human being. Moreover, the angels did not cease disparaging Adam, but added the claim that, contrary to Adam, they glorify and sanctify God. Adam knew the divine Names which the angels did not know, hence they could neither glorify their Lord nor sanctify Him through these names as Adam did.
The Real described to us what happened between Him and the angels so that we know it and behave toward Him accordingly. Consequently, we shall not claim what we have realized and encompassed by limited knowledge. How can we make, without restrictions, comprehensive claims of what we have no experience and knowledge, for we will only be disgraced? This is the divine lesson through which the Real educates His servants, the well-mannered, the faithful, the vicegerents.
Let us now return to the Wisdom mentioned above and say: Know that the universals (al-umur al-kulliyya), even if they have no concrete existence in themselves, they are undoubtedly perceived and known by the mind (fi’l-dhihn). Although they are always hidden (batin) from the concrete existence (wujud ‘ayni), they determine and influence each concrete existent. Moreover, the concrete existents are related only to the universals, by which I mean the fixed entities of the concrete things. The universals are always intelligible in themselves. The universals are manifest from the point of view of concrete existents and hidden from the point of view of their intelligibility. Every concrete existent is dependent on the universals, which cannot be disconnected from the intellect. The universals cannot exist in a concrete manner in such a way that they cease to be intelligible. Whether the concrete existence is temporal or not, its relationship to the universal is one and the same. However, the universal serves as the source of the determining rule of the concrete existents according to the requirements of the latter’s essences; it is like the relationship of knowledge to the knower and life to the living. That is because life and knowledge are intelligible realities which differ from each other. We also say concerning the Real that He has knowledge and life, and hence He is knowing and living. We say regarding the angel that he has knowledge and life, hence he is knowing and living, and the same applies to the human being. The reality of knowledge is one, as is the reality of life, and the relationship of each of them to the knower and living, respectively, is one.
Regarding the knowledge of the Real, we say that it is eternal (qadim), while the knowledge of the human being is brought into being (muhdath). Consider the determining rule which the relationship between the act and its agent creates regarding the intelligible reality, and consider the connection between the intelligible and the concrete existents. Just as the knowledge determines that the entity in which it exists is called knower, so the knower determines that the knowledge is brought into being regarding the knower who is brought into being, and that the knowledge is eternal regarding the eternal entity. Each of the two, knowledge and knower, is both determining and determined.
It is known that even if the universals are intelligible, they have no concrete existence, but only the power of determination, as they are determined by the relationship to the concrete existent. The universals are determined by the concrete existents, but it is inconceivable that they should admit particularization and division, for they exist in their essences in each entity they qualify, as humanity exists in each individual of this particular species, being neither particularized nor divided by the multiplicity of the individuals. Even though the universals are present in concrete existents, they remain intelligible. If the connection between that which has concrete existence and that which lacks such existence is proved, therefore this would be a nonexistent relationship, then the connection between the concrete existents to each other is more easily perceived by the intellect, because the concrete existence unifies them, whereas in the former case, there is no unifying element. Hence, there is a connection without a unifying element; however, a connection with a unifying element is stronger and more correct.
There is no doubt that the bringing into being (ihdath) of that which is brought into being (muhdath) and the need of the latter to a bringer into being (muhdith) is proved, because the muhdath is possible by virtue of itself. Consequently, its existence derives from another, and it is connected to another with a connection of need (irtibat iftiqar). The entity on which the muhdath relies for its existence is undoubtedly a necessary existent by virtue of its essence (bi-dhatihi); for its existence, it does not need another entity. It is He (God) who bestows existence to this coming-into-being thing (hadith) by His essence, and the hadith relies on Him for its existence. Since God’s Essence necessitates the existence of the muhdath, the muhdath is a necessary entity by virtue of God. Since the hadith relies on the entity from which it emerges, because of the essence of this entity, this connection between the hadith and its source necessitates that the hadith reflects the source’s form. This means that each name and attribute of the source is ascribed to the hadith except essential necessity (wujub dhati), for the latter is inadmissible regarding the hadith; although the hadith is the necessary existent, it is necessitated by another, not by itself.
Moreover, you should know that since what we have said concerning the emergence of the human being in His form is right, God caused us to know Him through the observation of the hadith and pointed out that He showed us His signs in the hadith, so we adduced evidence from ourselves about Him. The description through which we described Him was not but the description of ourselves, except for the unique essential necessity which belongs to Him alone. Since we know Him through knowing ourselves and from ourselves, we ascribe to Him all that which we ascribe to ourselves. This point is corroborated by divine messages which come to us through the prophets (tarajim). In these messages, He described Himself for us through us. If we witness Him, we witness ourselves, and if He witnesses us, He witnesses Himself. We are doubtless many in terms of being numerous individuals and species. Even if one reality unites us, we definitely know that there is a difference through which individuals are distinguished from one another. If this rule did not exist, multiplicity would not subsist in one entity. Likewise, even if He describes us through what He describes Himself, that is, through all aspects, still there should be a difference, which is our need of Him for our existence and the fact that our existence depends on Him. This is because we are possible things, whereas He does not need that which we need. Consequently, it is right to ascribe to Him eternity and pre-existence, and to deny of Him antecedence, which means the beginning of existence from nonexistence. Although He is the First, antecedence is not ascribed to Him. For this reason, it is said of Him He is the Last. If His antecedence were antecedence in the sphere of limited existence, it would be impossible that He should be the Last existent, for there is no last possible thing, because the possible things (mumkinat) are infinite, hence there is no last possible thing. He is the Last, only because everything goes back to Him, after it has been attributed to us. Hence, essentially He is both the Last and the First.
You should know that God characterized Himself as the Outward and the Inward and brought the world into existence in two forms—invisible and visible—so that we might perceive the Inward through the invisible things in ourselves and the Outward through the visible things in ourselves. And He described Himself through satisfaction (rida) and anger (ghadab), and brought the world into existence as containing fear (khawf) and hope (raja'), so that people would fear His anger and hope for His satisfaction. And He depicts Himself as beautiful and possessing majesty, and hence brought us into existence with the attributes of reverence (hayba) and intimacy (uns). In this manner, one should understand all that is ascribed to God and all His names. He expressed each pair of attributes by His two hands, which turn from Him toward the creation of the Perfect Human Being, because he combines the realities of the world and its individual things. That is, because the world is visible, literally witness (shahada), and the vicegerent is invisible, therefore the Ruler (God) is veiled. The Real describes Himself as concealed through dark veils, which are the natural bodies, and through luminous veils, which are the subtle spirits. The universe is either dense (kathif) or subtle (latif), and it veils itself, hence it cannot perceive the Real as it perceives itself. It does not cease to be covered by a veil which is not removed, knowing that because of its need for its creator, it is distinct from Him. Moreover, it has no part in the essential necessity which characterizes the existence of the Real, hence it will never perceive Him. The Real will never be known by the universe, either by mystical experience (dhawq) or by physical witness (shuhud), for the created in time has no part in the knowledge of the eternal.
God combined in Adam the pair of contradictory traits to honor him. For this reason, He said to Iblis: “What prevented you from prostrating to the human being that I created with my two hands?” Iblis did not prostrate himself because Adam combined in himself two forms: the form of the cosmos and the form of the Real; both are the two hands of the Real, while Iblis is part of the cosmos which does not possess this combination. Therefore, Adam was vicegerent, and if he were not manifest in the form of that which made him vicegerent for the purpose of his vicegerency, he would not be vicegerent. And if he did not combine in himself all that which the subjects, for whose sake he was made vicegerent, require from him, because they depend on him and hence he must implement what they need, he would not be their vicegerent. Consequently, vicegerency is valid only regarding the Perfect Human Being. Therefore, God created his manifest form from the realities of the cosmos and its forms, and his invisible form in the form of God. For this reason, God said of him: “I was his hearing and seeing,” and He did not say, “I was his eye and ear.” He made a distinction between the two forms. Just as the Real is in the Perfect Human Being, He is in each existent of the cosmos in the measure that the reality of each existent requires. However, no existent possesses the combination of traits possessed by the vicegerent. He gained this status of vicegerency only because of this combination.
If the Real did not pervade the existents through His form, the cosmos would not exist. Likewise, if the universal intelligible realities did not exist, the concrete existents would not be determined. Hence, from this truth mentioned above, we learn the cosmos’s need of God for its existence.
All things need God and cannot dispense with Him;
this is the truth that we express plainly.
If you mention He who does not need anything,
you know whom we mean.
Everything is connected to everything without
being separated, so learn from me what I say.
this is the truth that we express plainly.
If you mention He who does not need anything,
you know whom we mean.
Everything is connected to everything without
being separated, so learn from me what I say.
Now you know the wisdom of the creation (nash'a) of Adam, that is, his external form, and you know the creation of his spirit, that is, his internal form, and this is the truth regarding creation. And you know the creation of his position, which is the combination of traits that made him worthy of the vicegerency. Adam is the single soul from which God created the human species. This is attested in God’s saying: “Mankind, fear your Lord, who created you of a single soul, and from it created its mate, and from the pair of them scattered abroad many men and women.” His saying “fear your Lord” means make your external side a protection for your Lord and your internal side, that is God, a protection for you. That is because the attitude toward human behavior consists of blame and praise; you should protect Him from blame—do not blame Him—and protect yourselves from praise—do not ascribe to yourselves praise—only then will you be well-mannered and knowers.
Then, God showed Adam what he placed in him, and he made it abide in two aspects relating to Adam: the first aspect is the world, and the second is Adam and his progeny, explaining the grades of his progeny.
The author said: Since God showed me in secret what he placed in this great progenitor, I have recorded in this book what he established for me, not all of what I have been taught, for this—all the knowledge I was given—cannot be included in a book or in the world existing now. The following is what I witnessed, that is, what God’s messenger deposited in this book as He established it for me: The book explores a series of wisdoms, each tied to the essence of a specific figure. It begins with the Wisdom of Divinity in the Essence of Adam, followed by the Wisdom of Expiration in the Essence of Seth (Shith), and the Wisdom of Transcendence in the Essence of Noah (Nuh). It continues with the Wisdom of Holiness in the Essence of Enoch (Idris), the Wisdom of Excessive Love in the Essence of Abraham (Ibrahim), and the Wisdom of Reality in the Essence of Isaac (Ishaq). Further chapters address the Wisdom of Loftiness in the Essence of Ishmael (Isma‘il), the Wisdom of Spirituality in the Essence of Jacob (Ya‘qub), and the Wisdom of Light in the Essence of Joseph (Yusuf). The exploration progresses through the Wisdom of Unity in the Essence of Hud, the Wisdom of Opening in the Essence of Salih, and the Wisdom of the Heart in the Essence of Shu‘ayb. It includes the Wisdom of Spiritual Power in the Essence of Lot (Lut), the Wisdom of Predetermination in the Essence of Ezra (‘Uzayr), and the Prophetic Wisdom in the Essence of Jesus (‘Isa). The journey encompasses the Wisdom of Mercy in the Essence of Solomon (Sulayman), the Wisdom of Existence in the Essence of David (Da'ud), and the Wisdom of Breath in the Essence of Jonah (Yunus). It delves into the Wisdom of the Unseen in the Essence of Job (Ayyub), the Wisdom of Majesty in the Essence of John (Yahya), and the Wisdom of the Dominion in the Essence of Zakariah (Zakariyya). The text also covers the Wisdom of Intimacy in the Essence of Elias (Ilyas), the Wisdom of Virtue in the Essence of Luqman, and the Wisdom of Leadership in the Essence of Aaron (Harun). Finally, it concludes with the Wisdom of Exaltation in the Essence of Moses (Musa), the Wisdom of Recourse in the Essence of Khalid, and the Wisdom of Uniqueness in the Essence of Muhammad.
The bezel of each kind of wisdom is the essence ascribed to it. In the kinds of wisdom I mentioned in this book, I limited myself to what was established in the Source of the Book (umm al-Kitab). I copied what the Messenger dictated to me and did not go beyond what was established for me. Even if I wished to increase the contents given to me, I would not be able to do so, for God’s presence (hadra) prevents this action. It is God Who grants success, and there is no Lord except Him.