Chapter V: Oneness of God and Trust in God
Then there came the proclamation from behind the screen:
Take care from the greed of praise don't go forward over the Prophet, rather return to him. Take what he gave you and forbid yourself from what he prohibited you - 59 : 7. Say what he said to you as he said nothing about God except: Thou art pure, I can't recount Thy praise. Thou art, as thou hast praised Thee. Then he said: O God, if there is no power of tongue to praise Thee, should there be no greed of soul to know Thee? Then there came the proclamation: Be careful of treading the necks of the truthful.
Return to the greatest truthful man and follow him and the companions of the Prophet who are like stars. You will find guidance from any of them. Have you not heard that He said: To be baffled in the search of My knowledge is the limit of knowledge. It is sufficient for you to be deprived of My knowledge of meeting with Me staying in front of Me. It is sufficient for you to be baffled in appreciating My grandeur.
At this time, the sojourner in the path of religion returns and finds excuse to ask him. He says to the angel on the right and to the pen, knowledge, will and strength: Take my excuse. I have first entered this city. There is fear for every first entrant. Now it is clear to me that your excuse is true and the truth has come to me vividly that He who is the master of the material, spiritual world and the world of strength and power is the Almighty God.
You are subservient to His will. He is the first and the last, the open and the secret.
He is then asked: How is He the first and the last? These are contradictory terms. How is He the open and the secret? The first is not the last and the open is not the secret. He said: He is the First in comparison with the things created as all things come from Him in seriatim one after another. He is the Last in comparison with the things that will remain, as they will return from stage to stage till they return to God. That is the end of their journey. So He is the first of the past things and He is the last of the future things. He is secret to those who are in this material world and who search Him by their five external organs. He is the Open to those who search Him in the spiritual world in their
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lighted lamps of their hearts by the secret insight. This is true Tauhid and it is now clear to them that the cause of action is He.