Chapter I: Repentance
BRANCHES OF FAITH: There are more than seventy branches of faith. The highest branch is "There is no deity but God" and the lowest branch is to remove injurious things from path ways. This truth is found from the following instance. A man is not composed with one thing only but with more than seventy elements. The highest element is soul and life and the lowest element is removal of undesirable things from the body, such as trimmning moustache nails etc. Faith is also like a man.
The highest element of faith is Tauhid. Faith does not remain if Tauhid goes just as a body does not live if life goes out of it. He who has got only Tauhid is like a man chopped of hands and feet and he is near death. Similarly, if a person has got nothing except basic faith, his tree of faith is about to crumble down. If a great tempest attacks it, it faces the angel of death. The faith of one, if not established upon firm foundation and not expressed in actions does not stand firm at the great tempest or the attack of the angel of death. The condition of his end becomes fearfuU The faith which is watered constantly by divine services remains intact at the time of death.
EXAMPLES OF A SINNER AND A VIRTUOUS MAN
If a sinner says to a virtuous man : I am a believer as you are a believer, his saying is just like the saying of a creeping plant to a big tree : I am a tree just as you are a tree. The big tree says to the creeping plant : You will know soon how false is your claim. At the time of tempest, your root will be uprooted. The tree of a Refin or gnostics has got the fear to be cut off even at their advent of death. He who is a sinner does not fear to live forever in hell.
His condition is like that of a sound man who remains immerged in harmful passions and low desires, as he does not fear death owing to his robust health. He should be said this : A sound man should fear illness and death may come to him if diseases attack
14 TAUBA Vol-IV
him. Similar is the condition of a sinner. He should fear his end and the consequent punishment in Hell.