Aslam

ear hath heard and no heart of man hath conceived. If the soul of any man can be turned completely, he can get some taste in this world. For this reason, a certain sage said : If I say, O Lord, O God I find it in my heart heavier than a mountain, a voice comes from behind the screen : Have you ever heard a man calling a friend with a loud voice ? He said : When a man reaches the highest stage of this spiritual matter people throw stones at him. In other words, his words go out of the limit of intelligence of man. He is then called either a man or an infidel. The object of a gnonstic is His vision, When he reaches this stage, he does not feel the pangs of burning if he is thrown in to fire. How can a worldly man believe this thing when he is engaged in the pleasures of his senses ?

DIFFERENT STAGES OF PLEASURES

(1)A boy takes pleasure in plays and sports but not in power, name and fame. (2) In the second stage, when he is a grown up young man, he takes pleasure in cohaiting with women. In comparison with this pleasure, he thinks his pleasure of plays and sports as trifling. (3) In the third stage, he takes pleasure in power, name and fame. (4) In the fourth stage he is eager to have taste of spiritual pleasure leavingall the earlier pleasures behind.
At that time, the people of earlier stages laugh at them as they laugh at the boys in the second stage. (5) Spiritual knowledge in the world is less than that in the next world. All things are of two kinds. One kind comes in imagination such as figure of various kinds and the second kind is out of imagination, such as God's being and attributes. He who sees a man and then shuts up his eyes can see his figure in imagination. The second kind is out of imagination such as God's being and attributes, knowledge, power, will etc. Knowledge by sight is more clear than knowledge by imagination. There is some difference in clearness it you see a man very early in the morning when there is still darkness and when you see him in sun. The latter is more clear.
Imagination is like the sight of a man in the morning darkness.
That is made.more clear when he is seen in clear sun. This latter vision by mind or soul is the last stage of sound . This is clear sight by mind and not by eye.

The object of knowledge can be known by imagination in two way- one is corroborative and the other is real. The utmost limit of Kashf is direct sight. If one shuts up eye sight, direct sight can

Vol-IV THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES 261