The Second Treaties

Among the things that he wrote to some of his friends, he said (May Allah be pleased with him):

If the eye of the heart (‘ayn al-qalb) sees that Allah is One (waahid) in His blessings (minna), the Law (ash-sharee’a) requires nevertheless that thanks be given to His creatures.

Indeed, in the matter of blessings, people fall into three classes.

The first is that of the forgetful person (al-ghaafil), immersed in his forgetfulness, strong in the domain of his senses, blurred in the inner vision (hadratu qudsihi). He sees generosity as coming from mankind and does not contemplate it as coming from the Lord of the Universe, either out of conviction, in which case his associationism (shirk) is evident or else out of dependence, in which case his associationism is hidden.

The second is that of the possessor of spiritual reality who, by contemplating the Real King, is absent from mankind, and who, by contemplating the Cause of effects, is extinguished from the effects. He is a servant brought face to face with Reality (al-Haqeeaq), the splendor of which is apparent in him. A traveler in the Path, he has mastered its extent, except that he is drowned in the lights and does not perceive created things. His inebriety (sukr) prevails over his sobriety (sahw), his union (jam’) over his separation (farq) his extinction (fanaa’) over his permanence (baqaa’), and his absence (ghayba) over his presence (hudoor).

The Third is that of a servant who is more perfect than the second: He drinks, and increases in sobriety; he is absent, and increases in absence; his union does not veil him from his separation, nor does his separation veil him from his union; his extinction does not divert him from permanence, nor does his permanence divert him from his extinction. He acts justly towards everyone and gives everything his proper due.

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said to ‘Aisha, when her innocence was revealed through the tongue of the Prophet, “O Aisha, be grateful to the Messenger of Allah!” Then she said, “By Allah, I will be grateful only to Allah!” Abu Bakr pointed out to her the more perfect station, the station of permanence which requires the recognizing of created things (ithbaat al-aathaar). Allah says, “Give thanks to Me and to thy parents.” [Quran 37:14] And the Prophet said, “He who does not thank mankind does not thank Allah.” At that time she was extinguished from her eternal senses, absent from created things so that she contemplated the One, the Omnipotent (al-Waahid al-Qahhaar).

The Third Treaties, next