LETTER 6: THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A SHEIKH

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate!

Dear brother Shamsuddin, may God honor you in both worlds! It

should be noted that the foundation of the qualifications and claims

to rank of a sheikh or religious leader rests, in brief, on five supports.

These have been extracted from the following Quranic verse: “They

[Moses and a companion] found a servant [Khizr] from among Our

servants to whom We had shown mercy and blessed by granting him

whom we had taught knowledge” (Q18:65). From ourselves when

God sent Moses to Khwaja Khizr for his initiation and instruction,

Khizr taught Moses the five stages to becoming a sheikh, a religious

leader, and a teacher! The first is the submission of servanthood common to our servants; the second is an aptitude to receive truths directly from God without any intermediary; the third is a submission distinguishable from the first submission by a very special grace; the

fourth is the honor of receiving divine knowledge of God without

any intermediary; and the fifth is the riches of receiving infused

knowledge. These five stages, taken together, comprise all that is

meant by perfection in its various levels, explanations, and details,

even though it cannot be set forth in a single letter like this.

The sheikh should be experienced in these specialized affairs. He

becomes well qualified in them by having passed through them all

himself. Generally speaking, each stage has its own goodness and is

well supported by various traditions. Much material is available for

the first stage, and is readily accessible to the sheikh. Until he is freed

from servitude to all that is not God, he cannot become a servant of

God. The second stage—the capability of receiving truths directly

from God without any intermediary—is impossible until you emerge

completely from the natural man with all his disordered inclinations.

\This is also the precondition for experiencing God’s special mercy.

But the special favor of closeness to God that constitutes the third

stage is not granted to those who simply imitate what other people

do. More is required before the luster of divinity can shine on a person’s head and enable him to attain this high post of intimacy with

God. At the fourth stage one acquires knowledge of God without any

intermediary. So long as the tablet of the heart is not wiped clean of

knowledge obtained by the intellect, or by hearing, or by sense perception, it remains impure and cannot receive knowledge without an

intermediary. The special aspect of the fifth stage is that it conveys

infused knowledge inclusive of not only the essence and actions of

God but also the divine essence. The Prophet has said: “I recognized

my Lord by means of my Lord.” Jesus the Prophet also said: “A man

cannot be reckoned among the host of angels in heaven and on earth,

that is, those who have attained divine illumination, unless he be born

again!” This stage is not obtained simply by the act of being born

from a human mother; a once-born person sees only this world, but

everyone who is born again from himself, that is, one who emerges

from bondage to his human inclinations, will. see the other world.

Both this world and the world to come are evident—that is what it

means to be born again.

It has also been said that the hierarchy of stages and the various

ranks of religious leadership are not contained within limits and

numbers. Being a sheikh is not a question of personal appearance,

that is, the contour of one’s face or beard, by which people may discern that such-and-such is a sheikh. To be a sheikh is to experience

great intimacy with God. As has been said, ‘“The saints dwell under

My domes. Except for Me, no one can recognize them.”

Those who travel along this Way live by the life of Another;

The birds flying in His air come from the nest of Another.

Do not look at them with your earthly eye, since they

Belong neither to this world nor the next but Another.

Here a question arises: Where will a novice find a sheikh like

this, and how can he submit himself entirely to him? By what means

can he recognize him as being the man? This is no easy matter, for it is

unseemly that a novice go around weighing men of God in the scale

of his feeble intellect, or should hope that he can see by his limited vision who has attained divine communion and become intimate with

God! Nor is it fitting that anyone should follow another on the mere

‘assertion of a third party. How, then, can the novice know that such-and-such a sheikh is a genuine teacher, a seeker who has become perfectly proficient and already attained his goal?

The answer given is this: Each one of those who seek God has

been allotted all that is necessary for him and in the measure that is

required! It is fitting that he should be completely unable to go beyond what has been destined for him exactly as it has been decreed

and measured out for him, since along this Way not even a straw falls

by the wayside. The lot of each student has been measured out from

the very beginning and no one can place a hindrance of any sort in

his path.!7

Another question arises: Is there any ‘sign to distinguish a pretender from a genuine teacher, or one who is capable from one who is

incompetent? The answer given is that there are many signs, but it is

difficult to interpret them; there is no sign that subsumes all the others, nor is there a single one to which we could point and say, “This

certainly shows he is a sheikh!” or, if it is not present, that he is not a

sheikh. In short, it has been said about someone who has been previously favored, ‘“God has favored his servants before the creation of

earth and water!’ Those people who struggle on Our behalf (Q29:69)

and place their feet on the path of seeking due to the irresistible at-

traction of the divine favor should turn their hearts away from their

all-too-familiar sloth and the sinful delights of their soul, as has been

divinely decreed from the beginning of time. The beauty of the

sheikh who has attained his end and become perfected is mirrored in

his heart. The seeker desires that the sheikh be a pilgrim himself, not

an ecstatic, since such people do not make suitable sheikhs, although

they, too, may experience ecstasies. But the ecstasy of sheikhs is of a

different order. It hallows them, enables them to teach and guide others, and is quite different from unrestrained ecstasy. When a righteous novice perceives, in his own heart, the beauty of a sheikh, he becomes enamored of the beauty of his saintliness, draws peace and

contentment from him, and begins his search. The origin of all goodness is a certain uneasiness; this is how a lover is born. Until the novice falls completely in love with the beauty and saintliness of the

sheikh, he will not come under the full influence of his guidance. The

novice should follow the wishes of the sheikh, not his own! In this respect it has been said: “Discipleship is the abandonment of all one’s

own desires.”

O heart, if you seek the pleasure of the Beloved,

It is necessary to do and say what He commands.

If He says, “Shed tears of blood!” do not ask, “Why?”

If He says, “Give your life!” do not quibble about protocol.

Sheikhs who have attained differing stages are in disagreement

about whom they should’ call “novice” and whom they should call the

“desired one” or sheikh. Some say this: The person who enters the

company of great and saintly persons and submits himself to their orders régarding activities and meditations can be called a novice, while

the other person is the desired one, that is, the sheikh. Others say that

you can call anyone a novice when a perfect sheikh, a saintly man, a

mystic, or a learned man takes a pair of scissors in his hand and, having run it over the novice’s head, accepts him. Such a person becomes

a novice, while the one using the scissors is called a desired one, or a

sheikh. In truth, when God’s servants submit to the Prophet and,

moving ahead, find that they get lost in the resplendent qualities of

His beauty and His majesty, then they reach the stage described in

the tradition: “When I make him my friend, I become his ears, eyes,

hands, and tongue.”

If you cast a kindly and inspiring glance toward a stranger, he

becomes one of you; and if your glance falls on a sinner, he submits;

and if it falls on one who has already submitted himself to God, then

he will be placed on the throne of saintliness.

It is said that there is no nook or cranny where a saintly teacher

cannot be found. Even if such a place were to exist, it would still be

under the protection of the shadow of His bounty and there will remain no distinction between his will and the will of God, and he will

breathe the divine inspiration in every breath, to such an extent that

he comes to exemplify the tradition “Whoever is for God, God is for

him.” There is only one caliph and sultan for an age, but ordinary

teachers, like vegetable sellers, are found in every town. [An expression of the intercessory power of the saints follows.]

O brother, know for certain that this work has been going on

since long before you or I appeared! Each person has arrived at his

resting place and the stage he has attained has been made clear. There

is no one who has begun a completely new work. That which was ordained has now become manifest in its entirety. Do you think that

any of the 124,000 prophets who entered this world brought a new

revelation with him? Not at all! On the contrary, they have stirred up

what was in your heart and turned your attention to what God has

ordained. The purpose of books and prophets and intermediaries is

merely to propel you forward to the established goal. [A saying of

Abul Hasan Kharaqani is quoted.]

Peace !

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate!

Dear brother Shamsuddin, may God honor you in both worlds! It

should be noted that the foundation of the qualifications and claims

to rank of a sheikh or religious leader rests, in brief, on five supports.

These have been extracted from the following Quranic verse: “They

[Moses and a companion] found a servant [Khizr] from among Our

servants to whom We had shown mercy and blessed by granting him

whom we had taught knowledge” (Q18:65). From ourselves when

God sent Moses to Khwaja Khizr for his initiation and instruction,

Khizr taught Moses the five stages to becoming a sheikh, a religious

leader, and a teacher! The first is the submission of servanthood common to our servants; the second is an aptitude to receive truths directly from God without any intermediary; the third is a submission distinguishable from the first submission by a very special grace; the

fourth is the honor of receiving divine knowledge of God without

any intermediary; and the fifth is the riches of receiving infused

knowledge. These five stages, taken together, comprise all that is

meant by perfection in its various levels, explanations, and details,

even though it cannot be set forth in a single letter like this.

The sheikh should be experienced in these specialized affairs. He

becomes well qualified in them by having passed through them all

himself. Generally speaking, each stage has its own goodness and is

well supported by various traditions. Much material is available for

the first stage, and is readily accessible to the sheikh. Until he is freed

from servitude to all that is not God, he cannot become a servant of

God. The second stage—the capability of receiving truths directly

from God without any intermediary—is impossible until you emerge

completely from the natural man with all his disordered inclinations.

\This is also the precondition for experiencing God’s special mercy.

But the special favor of closeness to God that constitutes the third

stage is not granted to those who simply imitate what other people

do. More is required before the luster of divinity can shine on a person’s head and enable him to attain this high post of intimacy with

God. At the fourth stage one acquires knowledge of God without any

intermediary. So long as the tablet of the heart is not wiped clean of

knowledge obtained by the intellect, or by hearing, or by sense perception, it remains impure and cannot receive knowledge without an

intermediary. The special aspect of the fifth stage is that it conveys

infused knowledge inclusive of not only the essence and actions of

God but also the divine essence. The Prophet has said: “I recognized

my Lord by means of my Lord.” Jesus the Prophet also said: “A man

cannot be reckoned among the host of angels in heaven and on earth,

that is, those who have attained divine illumination, unless he be born

again!” This stage is not obtained simply by the act of being born

from a human mother; a once-born person sees only this world, but

everyone who is born again from himself, that is, one who emerges

from bondage to his human inclinations, will. see the other world.

Both this world and the world to come are evident—that is what it

means to be born again.

It has also been said that the hierarchy of stages and the various

ranks of religious leadership are not contained within limits and

numbers. Being a sheikh is not a question of personal appearance,

that is, the contour of one’s face or beard, by which people may discern that such-and-such is a sheikh. To be a sheikh is to experience

great intimacy with God. As has been said, ‘“The saints dwell under

My domes. Except for Me, no one can recognize them.”

Those who travel along this Way live by the life of Another;

The birds flying in His air come from the nest of Another.

Do not look at them with your earthly eye, since they

Belong neither to this world nor the next but Another.

Here a question arises: Where will a novice find a sheikh like

this, and how can he submit himself entirely to him? By what means

can he recognize him as being the man? This is no easy matter, for it is

unseemly that a novice go around weighing men of God in the scale

of his feeble intellect, or should hope that he can see by his limited vision who has attained divine communion and become intimate with

God! Nor is it fitting that anyone should follow another on the mere

‘assertion of a third party. How, then, can the novice know that such-and-such a sheikh is a genuine teacher, a seeker who has become perfectly proficient and already attained his goal?

The answer given is this: Each one of those who seek God has

been allotted all that is necessary for him and in the measure that is

required! It is fitting that he should be completely unable to go beyond what has been destined for him exactly as it has been decreed

and measured out for him, since along this Way not even a straw falls

by the wayside. The lot of each student has been measured out from

the very beginning and no one can place a hindrance of any sort in

his path.!7

Another question arises: Is there any ‘sign to distinguish a pretender from a genuine teacher, or one who is capable from one who is

incompetent? The answer given is that there are many signs, but it is

difficult to interpret them; there is no sign that subsumes all the others, nor is there a single one to which we could point and say, “This

certainly shows he is a sheikh!” or, if it is not present, that he is not a

sheikh. In short, it has been said about someone who has been previously favored, ‘“God has favored his servants before the creation of

earth and water!’ Those people who struggle on Our behalf (Q29:69)

and place their feet on the path of seeking due to the irresistible at-

traction of the divine favor should turn their hearts away from their

all-too-familiar sloth and the sinful delights of their soul, as has been

divinely decreed from the beginning of time. The beauty of the

sheikh who has attained his end and become perfected is mirrored in

his heart. The seeker desires that the sheikh be a pilgrim himself, not

an ecstatic, since such people do not make suitable sheikhs, although

they, too, may experience ecstasies. But the ecstasy of sheikhs is of a

different order. It hallows them, enables them to teach and guide others, and is quite different from unrestrained ecstasy. When a righteous novice perceives, in his own heart, the beauty of a sheikh, he becomes enamored of the beauty of his saintliness, draws peace and

contentment from him, and begins his search. The origin of all goodness is a certain uneasiness; this is how a lover is born. Until the novice falls completely in love with the beauty and saintliness of the

sheikh, he will not come under the full influence of his guidance. The

novice should follow the wishes of the sheikh, not his own! In this respect it has been said: “Discipleship is the abandonment of all one’s

own desires.”

O heart, if you seek the pleasure of the Beloved,

It is necessary to do and say what He commands.

If He says, “Shed tears of blood!” do not ask, “Why?”

If He says, “Give your life!” do not quibble about protocol.

Sheikhs who have attained differing stages are in disagreement

about whom they should’ call “novice” and whom they should call the

“desired one” or sheikh. Some say this: The person who enters the

company of great and saintly persons and submits himself to their orders régarding activities and meditations can be called a novice, while

the other person is the desired one, that is, the sheikh. Others say that

you can call anyone a novice when a perfect sheikh, a saintly man, a

mystic, or a learned man takes a pair of scissors in his hand and, having run it over the novice’s head, accepts him. Such a person becomes

a novice, while the one using the scissors is called a desired one, or a

sheikh. In truth, when God’s servants submit to the Prophet and,

moving ahead, find that they get lost in the resplendent qualities of

His beauty and His majesty, then they reach the stage described in

the tradition: “When I make him my friend, I become his ears, eyes,

hands, and tongue.”

If you cast a kindly and inspiring glance toward a stranger, he

becomes one of you; and if your glance falls on a sinner, he submits;

and if it falls on one who has already submitted himself to God, then

he will be placed on the throne of saintliness.

It is said that there is no nook or cranny where a saintly teacher

cannot be found. Even if such a place were to exist, it would still be

under the protection of the shadow of His bounty and there will remain no distinction between his will and the will of God, and he will

breathe the divine inspiration in every breath, to such an extent that

he comes to exemplify the tradition “Whoever is for God, God is for

him.” There is only one caliph and sultan for an age, but ordinary

teachers, like vegetable sellers, are found in every town. [An expression of the intercessory power of the saints follows.]

O brother, know for certain that this work has been going on

since long before you or I appeared! Each person has arrived at his

resting place and the stage he has attained has been made clear. There

is no one who has begun a completely new work. That which was ordained has now become manifest in its entirety. Do you think that

any of the 124,000 prophets who entered this world brought a new

revelation with him? Not at all! On the contrary, they have stirred up

what was in your heart and turned your attention to what God has

ordained. The purpose of books and prophets and intermediaries is

merely to propel you forward to the established goal. [A saying of

Abul Hasan Kharaqani is quoted.]

Peace !