Volume 1. Letter 22.

Glory be to the One who joined light with darkness, and united the spaceless Reality—free from direction—with that which is bound within space and direction. Darkness became beloved to the light, and light fell in love with it, mixing with it in perfect affection. Through this connection, the brilliance of light increases, and by the nearness of darkness, its clarity becomes perfected—just as a mirror, when it is to be polished and its delicacy revealed, is first rubbed with dust. Through contact with the earthly darkness, its purity appears more radiant, and through the touch of clay’s density, its beauty shines brighter.

Thus, the light forgets what it once possessed of holy vision. It becomes ignorant of itself and its existential connections, being completely absorbed in the sight of its dark beloved and attached to the material frame. It thereby falls among the companions of the left hand and is deprived of the honors of the right hand.

If it remains trapped in the narrowness of this absorption and does not free itself into the expanse of divine liberation, then woe upon woe to it! For it has failed to attain the very purpose for which it was created, and the jewel of its readiness has been wasted—it has strayed far astray.

But if Divine Favor has preceded for it, and supreme Grace overtakes it, it raises its head and recalls what it had lost. It turns back in retreat, saying in poetic longing:

To You, O my desire, is my pilgrimage and my circumambulation,
Though others may perform theirs upon earth and stones.

If, after this return, it attains once more a second immersion in the vision of the Most Holy Beloved—in the most excellent manner—and is enabled to direct itself toward the sacred Presence with perfect orientation, then the darkness follows it and becomes engulfed in the overwhelming brilliance of its lights.

When this immersion reaches the point where it completely forgets the material attachment, becoming utterly unaware of itself and all that pertains to its existence, it is consumed entirely in the vision of the Light of Lights. It gains intimate presence with the Desired One beyond veils. It is thereby honored with both bodily and spiritual annihilation.

If it then attains subsistence in that Witnessed Reality after annihilation, both annihilation and subsistence are perfected for it, and the name of sainthood truly applies to it.

At this stage, two paths remain:

1. Complete and continuous immersion in the Witnessed Reality, being wholly consumed therein.

2. Returning to call creation to the Truth, so that his inward reality is with God while his outward presence is with creation.

Through this return, light becomes freed from the darkness that had been mingled within it. It becomes among the people of the right hand. And though in reality it has neither right nor left, yet the right side is more fitting to its state and more befitting to its perfection—since the right side is associated with goodness, blessing, and prosperity. This resembles the Divine statement that both of the Lord’s hands are right and blessed.

The darkness, thus purified and guided, descends from that light to the station of worship and obedience.

By “the spaceless light,” we mean the spirit—its very essence.
By “the darkness bound to direction,” we mean the soul.
Likewise, by “the inward and outward,” we refer to these two realities.

If one asks: The saints who are utterly absorbed—do they not also retain some awareness of the world, interacting with people and engaging with them? What then is the meaning of their total absorption and constant orientation toward God? And what is the difference between them and those saints who return to the world to call others?

We reply: Total absorption and full orientation mean that the spirit and soul together are directed toward God after the soul has been subsumed in the lights of the spirit—as was previously explained.

Yet, the awareness of the world remains through the senses, faculties, and limbs—these being the detailed manifestations of the soul. The essence of the soul, in its summarized form, is absorbed within the lights of the spirit, gazing upon the Witnessed Reality. Its outward details, however, continue their previous functions of perception, without slackness or fatigue.

This differs from the saint who returns to creation, for his soul—after having become tranquil—emerges once more from those lights for the sake of calling others to God. He thereby regains a certain affinity with the world, and it is through this affinity that his call finds a path to acceptance.

To clarify further: the soul is like the essence, and the senses and faculties are its details.

The soul is connected to the physical heart. The heart, in turn, is connected to the spirit through the mediating “reality of the heart.” The spiritual effusions that descend from the spirit first reach the soul in a summarized manner. Through the soul, they then flow to all faculties and limbs in a detailed fashion.

Thus, the essence of these faculties exists within the soul in a condensed form—hence the distinction between the two groups of saints becomes clear.

It should be known that the first group are the people of spiritual intoxication, while the second group are the people of sobriety.

Honor belongs to the former, but virtue to the latter.

The station of intoxication is most fitting for sainthood, whereas the station of sobriety is most fitting for prophethood.

May God ennoble us with the honors of His saints and make us firm in the perfect following of His prophets—may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet and upon them all, as well as upon all their righteous brethren among the near angels and pious servants until the Day of Judgment. Āmīn.

This humble writer, though not eloquent in Arabic due to being non-Arab, has nevertheless dictated this letter in Arabic out of reverence for the blessed recipients, aligning with their noble style.

Peace is the seal of these words.

Summary of Central Themes and Teachings

1. Union of Light and Darkness

   • The spirit is compared to pure light, and the soul to darkness and materiality.

   • God joined the two so that the light could become even purer through interaction with darkness—like polishing a mirror with dust to make it shine brighter.

   • However, the spirit can become absorbed in the material frame and forget its original holy vision, becoming lost in worldly attachment.

2. The Two Possible Outcomes

   • If the spirit remains trapped in material absorption and never regains its original purpose, it fails to achieve its potential and strays far from its goal.

   • But if divine grace intervenes, the spirit remembers its true origin, turns back toward God, and seeks union with Him.

3. Perfect Annihilation and Subsistence

   • When the spirit completely forgets material attachments and even itself, it is annihilated (fanāʾ) in the vision of the Light of Lights.

   • If it then continues to exist in God after annihilation (baqāʾ), it achieves both annihilation and subsistence, attaining true sainthood (wilāyah).

4. Two Paths for Saints After Realization

   • Remaining absorbed: Some saints stay fully immersed in God, continuously in a state of annihilation.

   • Returning to creation: Others return to guide people while keeping their inner self with God. Their light becomes purified of darkness and they become among the “people of the right hand.”

5. Difference Between the Two Groups

   • Those fully absorbed may still outwardly interact with the world because the senses and faculties continue to function, but their inner reality is completely with God.

   • Those who return to creation regain a kind of affinity with the world so that their guidance and calling can be effective.

6. Role of the Soul and Senses

   • The soul is like a summary or essence, while the senses and faculties are its details.

   • The soul is connected to the physical heart, which is connected to the spirit. Divine effusion reaches the soul first in summary, then spreads to the faculties in detail.

7. Spiritual Intoxication vs. Sobriety

   • The first group (absorbed saints) are called people of intoxication (sukr), while the second group (those who return) are people of sobriety (ṣaḥw).

   • The state of intoxication is more fitting for sainthood, while sobriety is more fitting for prophethood.