In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful, whose exalted name sweetens the trials cast upon those who yearn for Him, for whoever seeks an intimate in this world or the next and calls on other than Him will go astray. In His name, no intellect can grasp the reality of His majesty, for none are aware of its truth. In His name, the needy find no refuge but His presence, as the disobedient have no gate but His. In His name, the people of the world have no king but Him, for He alone is God in heaven and earth. O Lord, the seal of Your majesty is the only support for the helpless! O Lovingly Kind, the decree of Your mercy is the only guide for the bewildered! O Generous, the presence of Your beauty and gentleness is the only comfort for those consumed by longing! O Exalted, the cup of Your sweet wine alone stirs the passionate into ecstasy! O Gentle, awaiting Your vision and approval brings the only intimacy to yearning spirits! And God is the giver of success and the helper. Though my feeble steps do not seek You, never think my heart is not Your captive. If I do not come, it is not because my spirit does not desire You—my eyes, after all, cannot behold Your vision. By the Wise Quran, surely you are one of the messengers, sent on a straight path. The name of this surah is Ya Sin, as it is said that God recited it long before creating humankind, and the angels, hearing it, declared the community blessed upon whom this pure speech descends, praising the tongues that recite it and the hearts that cherish it like a hidden pearl. It is said that in the scented garden of paradise, when the faithful arrive at its joy and bliss, a call will come from the Almighty: “You have heard much from others; now hear from Me.” Then He will recite the Opening, Ta Ha, and Ya Sin, and it will be as if the people had never heard the Quran before, for its true scent is caught only from its source. Hearing it from Him who spoke it will ignite burning love, as the rose’s sweetness lies in its branches. It is also said that Ya Sin means “O man!” addressing the Prophet’s human form, as God elsewhere said, “I am but a mortal like you,” for his human nature resembles that of others. Yet, in his role as prophet and messenger, he is called “O Prophet!” and “O Messenger!” This address, “O man,” veils his beauty and perfection, like a mask of jealousy, so that not just anyone may perceive it. As they say, “Call me Arsalan so no one knows who I am.” It would be a shame for such beauty to be seen by eyes like those of Abu Jahl, Ataba, or Shayba, who, blinded by denial, saw only his mortal nature. Only eyes like Abu Bakr’s, purified by seeking forgiveness, can behold the beauty of his prophethood. The eyes of Ataba and Shayba, veiled by rejection, saw only his lineage, but the eyes of Abu Bakr and Umar, brightened by acceptance, perceive the honor and favor bestowed upon Muhammad, God’s messenger. There is no need to reveal the inner sanctum to those unworthy; it requires one versed in the Shariah and the Tariqah, whose eyes, strengthened by following the Master, are fit to see that beauty. It is also said that the “Ya” of Ya Sin alludes to the Day of the Covenant, and the “Sin” to God’s secret with His lovers, as if He says, “By the Day of the Covenant, by My secret with the lovers, and by the Wise Quran, surely you are one of the messengers, on a straight path.” This Quran is sent down by a Lord who is the Exalted, the Ever-Merciful. The Exalted is He whom none can fully perceive, for no understanding or imagination can grasp the essence of His majesty. A sage of the Tariqah said, “O You who are found without being perceived, seen face-to-face yet unseen! O apparent in hiddenness, hidden in plain sight! Finding You comes suddenly, unbidden. One who finds You cares for neither joy nor sorrow. Complete for us the work beyond expression!” He is both exalted and ever-merciful—exalted so the estranged cannot know Him in this world, and ever-merciful so the faithful may see Him in the next. Were He only exalted, none would find Him; were He only merciful, all would. That you may warn a people whose ancestors were not warned, so they are heedless. The heedless are of two kinds: those who ignore the work of faith, unaware of seeking their own salvation, engrossed in this world and drunk with desire, their eyes of reflection closed, destined for the Fire, as God says, for what they earned. A saying goes, “I marvel at one who is heedless though not unnoticed.” Then there are the admirable heedless, who disregard worldly affairs and livelihood, mastered by the truth’s power within them, consumed by the unveiling of divine unity, absent from themselves, with no thought of this world or the next, saying in their state, “This world is held by intellect, the next by spirit—place your aspiration above both.” Have they not seen how many generations We destroyed before them? Do they not look with their eyes to see the wonders of creation? Do they not look with their inner vision to see the subtleties of their duties? Do they not see the signs in the horizons with their eyes, or the signs in their souls with their hearts? Do they not see the lights of guidance with their hearts, or the secrets of divine care with their spirits? Do they not see the Presence of the Witnessed with eyes of witnessing, or the banner of finding with eyes of ecstasy? Do they not see the Friend face-to-face with eyes of selflessness, or a boundless world with eyes of annihilation? How long will this prison deceive you with distractions? It is time to leave this dark well and see a world where every heart is a king, every spirit joyful! O needy one, how long will you gaze at creation? Look once at the Creator! How long will you be swayed by wonders? Look at the Wonder-Worker! How long will you wander from door to door? One who chases every path will never find wholeness. As it is said, “Be not a weathercock, lest you perish.” Tearing down a thousand fortresses is easier than guiding a wanderer back to one path. Abu Yazid Bastami said of the heart, “It is that which holds no speck of desire for created things.” Whenever Salman Farsi passed ruins, he would stop and weep, remembering those who built them, saying, “Where are they who laid these foundations and adorned these homes? They gave their hearts, wealth, and lives to them, bloomed like roses on a wall, then fell and slept in the earth.” Ask a lofty palace about its dweller, who thought it shielded him from life’s hardships. He built his kingdom and ruled, but death’s messenger cast him down. Glory be to Him who created all pairs, from what the earth grows, from themselves, and from what they do not know! Pure and flawless is the God who reveals these wonders from one water, one dust, one air, displaying His power to make His servants see! He shows signs so those who have not seen may see, and those who have not understood may understand, that all is the work of a Doer, the craft of a Maker. These adorned creations have an Adorner, these growing things a Grower, all testifying to God’s existence and oneness, though they lack intellect or voice. Every thing bears a sign proclaiming His unity. A sign for them is the night; We strip from it the day. A great man was asked, “Is night or day more excellent?” He replied, “Night, for it brings ease and comfort, akin to paradise, while day brings toil and struggle for livelihood, akin to hardship.” He added, “Night is for the pure, who worship sincerely without show; day is for the insincere, who worship for others’ eyes. Night is the time of seclusion for friends, the meeting place for seekers of peace, the solace of yearners, the moment for lovers’ mysteries.” A prophet was told, “One who claims to love Me lies if he sleeps through the night, for every lover cherishes seclusion with the beloved. I am aware of you; I hear and see.” Night and day mark the contraction and expansion of the knowers. At night, in contraction, they see all in awe and weariness; in day, in expansion, they find gentleness and mercy. In the night of contraction, the cold wind of severity blows, signs of majesty appear, and the servant weeps in supplication. In the day of expansion, the breeze of gentleness carries the scent of union, signs of beauty shine, and the servant rejoices in ease. A sage of the Tariqah said, “At times, I am in constant contraction, so heavy is the veil. At times, a light shines, dissolving mortal nature—a light that is the mark of eternal love, the title of life’s scroll, the ease, delight, and pain of the spirit.” You are the pain in my heart and the ease of my spirit; You stir tumult and calm it. And the moon, We have set stages for it, until it returns like an old palm branch. It is said that the moon, once perfect in light, gazed upon itself with pride. The Exalted Lord commanded Gabriel to strike its face with his wing, dimming its light, leaving the mark of Gabriel’s wing, the words of divine unity written on its forehead: “There is no god but God; Muhammad is God’s messenger.” When its light was taken, the moon was barred from serving at the Divine Threshold. It sought the angels’ intercession, who pleaded, “Lord, the moon is accustomed to serving at Your Exalted Threshold; must it be wholly deprived?” God accepted their plea and commanded it to prostrate once a month on the fourteenth night. As the time of service nears, its light grows until it shines fully on the fourteenth night, then fades as it moves farther from the divine carpet. It is also said that the sun is like a servant radiant with constant recognition, stable and unchanging, its light never eclipsed or clouded. The moon is like a servant whose states shift, moving from expansion at the peak of union to contraction in weariness, diminishing until divine grace lifts him back to clarity and nearness to perfection. At that peak, he says in his state, “In Your love, I descended to a station whose depths bewilder the mind.” In paradise, the faithful delight in listening, as it is said, “They will be made happy in a garden,” and “You and your spouses, made happy.” Seraphiel will recite the Quran on their right, David the Psalms on their left, and the servant will listen until his spirit rises, his heart rejoices, and his inner core engages. The body will be left with only the tongue, the heart with only a trace, the spirit with only the vision of the Divine. The body will be lost in ecstasy, the heart consumed by witnessing, the spirit drowned in finding. The eyes will yearn to see the Majestic, the heart for a pure wine, the spirit for listening to the Real. The Exalted Lord will lift the veil of majesty, grant the vision, offer cups of wine, and recite Ta Ha and Ya Sin, and the servant’s spirit will truly hear. O noble one, the body cannot listen, for it seeks dominance; the heart cannot, for it is fleeting. Only the spirit listens, solitary for the Solitary, free of defect and pain. Your seeker must be solitary like You, untainted by flaws. The paradise-dwellers’ occupation includes a kingdom without end, youth without age, health without sickness, exaltation without disgrace, ease without hardship, blessing without trial, existence without end, life without death, approval without wrath, and intimacy without distance. A sage of the Tariqah said, “This is for the common faithful, whom the Prophet called simpletons. But the elite, the proximate of the divine presence, will not turn from contemplating the Divine for even a moment, saying in their state, ‘On the day I reach union with You, I will scorn the joys of paradise.’ When all depart the Resurrection’s courtyards, this group will remain, refusing paradise’s bliss, saying, ‘Why go? What we seek is here now.’” A sage said, “If some were parted from Him for an instant, their hearts would break, their limbs collapse.” The Commander of the Faithful Ali said, “Were I veiled from Him for an hour, I would die.”