Summary:
The Book of Existence and the Nature of Revelation: The opening letters, Alif Lām Rā’, are interpreted as symbols for the divine Essence (Alif), the Essence with knowledge (Lām), and the Muhammadan mercy (Rā’), which together are the pillars of the universal Book of wisdom. The people's wonder at a human messenger stems from their remoteness from his spiritual station and their being veiled by their own devilry, which causes them to attribute his divinely-sourced power to sorcery. True believers, however, are those for whom a "prior promise of truth" was made with their Lord, a pre-eternal station of propinquity that prepares them to accept the message.
The Cosmic Cycle of Creation and Return: The universe is depicted as a manifestation of divine names and attributes. God "originates creation" by hiding Himself and manifesting creatures, and then "recreates it" by annihilating them and manifesting Himself. The "sun of the spirit" provides radiance and the "moon of the heart" provides light, and their journey through spiritual mansions and stations allows the wayfarer to reckon the degrees of the path. The alternation of the soul's darkness ("night") and the spirit's light ("day") are signs for those who fear the ego-centric veils, with the ultimate return for all being to God at the source of non-delimited union.
Divine Mercy, Trial, and Human Preparedness: God's mercy is the effusion of goodness and perfection upon receptive entities in a manner commensurate with their preparedness (isti'dād). Evil deeds are veils and impediments that block this effusion. Divine trials, such as adversity, are a mercy that breaks the soul's vehemence and thins its veils. Conversely, an abundance of grace can become a "plot," strengthening the soul and leading to insolence and a deeper veiling. God's "swifter plotting" is His concealing of true vanquishing power within this apparent graciousness.
The Station of God's Friends: God's friends (awliyā’) are defined as those who are completely immersed in the source of divine unity through the annihilation of their ego. Consequently, they experience no fear of privation and no grief for anything lost, as they have attained the ultimate goal. Their love for one another is purely for God's sake, their faces are made of light, and their faith is one of true certainty. Their final supplication is the praise of God, which is the manifestation of His perfections upon them after they have returned to subsist through Him.
Key Ideas:
The disconnected letters of the Qur'an are symbolic pillars of the universal Book, alluding to the divine Essence, knowledge, and mercy.
The cosmic cycle consists of creation (God's concealment in creatures) and recreation (God's manifestation through the annihilation of creatures).
The sun (spirit) and moon (heart) are allegories for the primary spiritual faculties whose stages mark the progress of the wayfarer.
A soul's receptivity to divine grace is determined by its pre-eternal preparedness (isti'dād), which can be veiled by evil deeds.
Divine trials are a form of mercy that purifies the soul, while an abundance of grace can be a test that leads to insolence.
The friends of God (awliyā’) are those annihilated in the divine unity and are thus beyond fear and grief.
True trust in God (tawakkul) is a concomitant of submission (islām) and represents the annihilation of one's personal agency.
The Unseen (al-ghayb) has multiple levels, from God's essential knowledge to the imaginal world, all of which are encompassed by Him.
Unique Events:
A hadith is quoted stating that the love between God's friends is not based on kinship or business, and that they will stand upon "minbars of light."
The phenomenon of beasts raising their heads to the sky during a drought is mentioned as an example of spiritual connection sensing an effusion from above.
The commentary describes the angel on the right recording a good deed instantly, while the angel on the left waits six hours before recording an evil deed to allow for repentance.
A hadith is cited: "Injustice shall be [a heap of] darknesses on the Day of Resurrection."
A Sufi shaykh is quoted as saying, "Rarely does an insolent [tyrant] die a natural death and rarely does a wicked person reach old age."
The story of Noah's sound trust in God is recited as an example for the Prophet Muhammad.
A hadith from Sa‘id b. Jubayr and ‘Umar b. al-Khattab describes God's friends as those whose sight provokes remembrance of God.
Keywords & Definitions:
Aḥadiyya – The [exclusive] unity of the Essence.
Alif lām rā’ – An allusion to the divine Essence, His knowledge, and the Muhammadan mercy.
Awliyā' – Friends of God; those annihilated in the ipseity of unity.
Day (nahār) – The irradiation of the light of the spirit upon the heart.
Dhuḥūl – Obliviousness; a state that makes one unaware of the passage of time.
Jabarūt – The realm of divine power.
Keys of the Unseen (mafātiḥ al-ghayb) – The storehouses of the unseen, or God's Names which are its keys.
Malakūt – The angelic realm.
Mansion (manzil) – A station on the spiritual journey.
Moon (qamar) – The heart.
Nafs muṭma’inna – The self-reproaching soul.
Nash’a – Creation; the first creation is God's hiding, the second is His manifesting.
Night (layl) – The victory of the darkness of the soul over the heart.
Qadam ṣidq – A prior [promise of] truth; a pre-eternal station of propinquity.
Raḥamūt – The realm of divine mercy.
Shirra – Enthusiasm for evil; the soul's vehemence.
Sun (shams) – The spirit.
Tawakkul – Trust [in God]; a concomitant of submission.
Unseen (al-ghayb) – A reality with multiple levels: the unseen of unseens (God's knowledge), the world of spirits (Mother Book), the world of hearts (Preserved Tablet), and the imaginal world.
Wāḥidiyya – The inclusive unity of the attributes.