T h e T aw as in

of Man s u r Al -H al l aj
T r an s lat ed by
Ais h a Abd Ar -R ah m an At -T ar j u m an a

T h e T a-S i n of t h e P r oph et i c L am p
1. A lamp appear ed fr om the Light of the Uns een. I t appear ed and
r etur ned, and it s ur pas s ed the other lamps . I t was a r uling
moon, manifes ting its elf r adiantly among the other moons . I t
was a s tar whos e as tr ological hous e is in the Empyr ean. Allah
named him ‘unletter ed’ in view of the concentr ation of his
as pir ation, and als o ‘cons ecr ated’ becaus e of the maj es ty of his
bles s ing, and ‘Makkan’ becaus e of his r es idence in His vicinity.
2. He ex panded his br eas t, and r ais ed his power , and lifted fr om his
the bur den ‘that had weighed down thy back,’ and He impos ed
his author ity. As Allah made his B adr appear s o his full moon
r os e fr om the cloud of Yamãma and his s un ar os e on the s ide of
T ihãma (Makka), and his lamp s hone fr om the s our ce of all
divine munifence.
3. He did not r epor t about anything ex cept accor ding to his inner
vis ion, and he did not or der the following of his ex ample ex cept
accor ding to the tr uth of his conduct. He was in the pr es ence of
Allah, then he br ought other s to His Pr es ence. He s aw, then he
 r elated what he was . He was s ent for th as a guide, s o he defined
the limits of conduct.
4. No one is capable of dis cer ning his tr ue s ignificance, ex cept the
S incer e, s ince he confir med its validity, and then accompanied
him s o that ther e would not r emain any dis par ity between them.
5. No Gnos tic ever knew him who was not ignor ant of his tr ue
quality. His quality is made clear only to thos e to whom Allah
under takes to dis clos e it. ‘T hos e to whom We have given the
B ook, and the r ecogniz e their s ons , even though a par ty of them
conceal the tr uth, and that wittingly.’ (2.46)
6. T he lights of pr ophecy is s ued fr om his light, and his light
appear ed fr om the light of Mys ter y. Among the lights ther e is
none mor e luminous , mor e manifes t or mor e uncr eate- than-
uncr eatednes s than the light of the Mas ter of Gener os ity.
7. His as pir ation pr eceded all other as pir ations , his ex is tence
pr eceded non- ex is tence, his name pr eceded the Pen becaus e it
ex is ted befor e.
8. T her e was never on the hor iz ons , beyond the hor iz ons , nor
below the hor iz ons anyone mor e gr aceful, nobler , wis er , mor e
j us t, kinder , mor e God- fear ing or mor e s ympathetic than the
holder of this r ole. His title is Mas ter of Cr eation, and his name is
Ahmad, and his attr ibute is Muhammad. His command is mor e
cer tain, and his es s ence is mor e ex cellent, and his attr ibute is
mor e glor ious , and his as pir ation is unique.
9. Oh mar vel! What is mor e manifes t, mor e vis ible, gr eater , mor e
famous , mor e luminous , mor e power ful or mor e dis cer ning than
him? He is and was , and was known befor e cr eated things and
ex is tences and beings . He was and s till is r emember ed befor e
‘befor e’ and after ‘after ’, and befor e s ubs tances and qualities . His
s ubs tance is completely light, his s peech is pr ophetic, his
knowledge is celes tial, his mode of ex pr es s ion is Ar abic, his tr ibe
is ‘neither of the Eas t nor the Wes t’ (24.35), his genealogy is
patr iar chal, his mis s ion is conciliation, and he has the title of the
‘unletter ed’.
10. T he eyes wer e opened by his s igns , s ecr ets and s elves
per ceived by his being ther e. I t was Allah who made him
ar ticulate by His Wor d, and being the Pr oof, confir med him. I t
was Allah who s ent him for th. He is the pr oof and the pr oven. I t
is he who quenches the thir s t of the vehemently thir s ty hear t, it
is he who br ings the uncr eated wor d that is not touched by what
touches it, nor phr as ed by the tongue, nor made. I t is united to
Allah without s epar ation, and it s ur pas s es the conceivable. I t is
he who announces the end and the ends and the ends of the
end.
11. He lifted the cloud, and pointed to the S acr ed Hous e. He is
the limitation, and he is a her oic war r ior . I t is he who r eceived
the or der to br eak the idols , and it is he who was s ent to
mankind for the ex ter mination of them.
12. Above him a cloud flas hed bolts of lightning, and below
him a bolt of lightning flas hed, s hone, caus ed r ain, and fr uctified.
All knowledge is but a dr op fr om his ocean, and all wis dom is but
a handful fr om his s tr eam, and all times ar e but an hour fr om his
life.
13. Allah is with him, and with him is r eality. He is the fir s t in
union and the las t to be commis s ioned as a pr ophet, the inwar d
by r eality, and the outwar d by gnos is .
14. No s cholar ever attained his knowledge nor did any
philos opher become cogniz ant of his under s tanding.
15. Allah did not s ur r ender (His Reality) to His cr eation,
becaus e he is he, and his being ther e is He, and He is He.
16. Nothing came out of the M of MHMD, and none enter ed
into his H, and his H is the s ame as his s econd M, and his D is as
his fir s t M. His D is his per petuity, his M is his r ank, his H his
s pir itual s tate, as is his s econd M.
17. Allah made his s peech manifes t, and enlar ged his mar k,
and made his pr oof known. He s ent down the fur qan to him, he
made his tongue adequate, and He made his hear t s hine. He
made his contempor ar ies incapable (of imitating Qur ’an). He
es tablis hed his clar ification and ex alted his glor y.
18. I f you flee fr om his domains , what r oute will you take
without a guide, oh ailing one? T he max ims of the philos opher s
ar e like a s lipping heap of s and befor e his wis dom.

T h e T a-S i n of U n der s t an di n g
1. T he compr ehens ions of cr eated natur es ar e not attached to
r eality, and r eality is not attached to cr eated natur es . T houghts
(which come) ar e adher ences , and the adher ences of cr eated
natur es do not attach thems elves to r ealities . T he per ception of
r eality is difficult to acquir e, s o how much mor e difficult is the
per ception of the r eality of the Reality. Fur ther mor e, Allah is
beyond r eality, and r eality does not in its elf imply Allah.
2. T he moth flies about the flame until mor ning, then he r etur ns to
his fellows and tells them of his s pir itual s tate with the mos t
eloquent ex pr es s ions . T he he mix es with the coquetr y of the
flame in his des ir e to r each per fect union.
3. T he light of the flame is the knowledge of r eality, its heat is the
r eality of r eality, and Union with it is the T r uth of the r eality.
4. He was not s atis fied with its light nor with its heat, s o he leapt
into it completely. Meanwhile, his fellows wer e awaiting his
coming s o that he could tell them of his actual vis ion s ince he
had not been s atis fied with hear s ay. B ut at that moment, he was
being utter ly cons umed, r educed and dis per s ed into fr agments ,
and he r emained without for m or body or dis tinguis hing mar k.
T hen in what s ens e can he r etur n to his fellows ? And in what
s tate now that his has obtained? He who had ar r ived at the
vis ion became able to dis pens e with r epor ts . He who ar r ives at
the obj ect of his vis ion is no longer concer ned with the vis ion.
5. T hes e meanings do not concer n the negligent man, nor the
tr ans itor y man, nor the man of wr ong action, nor the man who
follows his whims .
6. Oh you who ar e uncer tain, do not identify ‘I am’ with the divine
‘I ’ - not now, nor in the futur e, nor in the pas t. Even if the ‘I am’
was a cons ummated Gnos tic, and if this was my s tate, it was not
the per fection. Even though I am His I am not He.
7. I f you have under s tood this , then under s tand that thes e
meanings wer e not tr ue fr om anyone ex cept Muhammad, and
‘Muhammed is not the father of any one of your men,’ but the
Mes s enger of Allah and the s eal of the pr ophets . He abs ented
hims elf fr om men and j inn, and he clos ed his eyes to ‘wher e’
until ther e no longer r emained any veil on the hear t nor any
fals ehood.
8. T her e was a ‘length of two bows ’ lengths or near er ,’ when he
r eached the des er t of the ‘knowledge of r eality,’ he r epor ted
fr om the outwar d hear t. When he ar r ived to the tr uth of the
r eality he left his des ir e ther e and gave hims elf up to the
B ountiful. When he r eached the T r uth he r etur ned and s aid: ‘the
inwar d hear t has pr os tr ated to You, and the outwar d hear t has
believed in You.’ When he r eached the Fur ther mos t Limit he
s aid: ‘I cannot pr ais e You as You s hould be pr ais ed.’ When he
r eached the r eality of the r eality he s aid: ‘You ar e the only One
who can pr ais e Your s elf.’

He r enounced his des ir e and followed his vocation, ‘the hear t did
not lie about what it s aw’ at this s tation near the Lote- T r ee of
the B oundar y. He did not tur n to the r ight to the r eality of
things , nor to the left to the r eality of r eality. ‘His eyes s wer ved
not, nor s wept away.’
 T h e T a-S i n of P u r i t y
1. Reality is s omething ver y s ubtle and minute in its des cr iption,
the paths of acces s to it ar e nar r ow, and on them one
encounter s s ighing fir es bes ide deep des er ts . T he s tr anger
follows thes e paths and infor ms about what he has ex per ienced
in the for ty S tations s uch as :
1. manner s (adab)
2. awe (r ahab)
3. fatigue (nas ab)
4. s er ach (talab)
5. wonder (‘aj ab)
6. per is hing (‘atab)
7. ex altation (tar ab)
8. avidity (s har ah)
9. pr obity (naz ah)
10. s incer ity (s idq)
11. comr ades hip (r ifq)
12. emancipation (litq)
13. s etting out (tas wih)
14. r es t (tar wih)
15. dis cer nment (tamyiz )
16. witnes s ing (s huhud)
17. ex is tence (wuj ud)
18. enumer ation (‘add)
19. labor (kada)
20. r es titution (r ada)
21. dilation (imtidad)
22. pr epar ation (I ’dad)
23. is olation (infir ad)
24. captivity (inqiyad)
25. attr action (mur ad)
26. pr es ence (hudur )
27. ex er cis e (r iyada)
28. cir cums pection (hiyata)
29. r egr et for things los t (iftiqad)
30. r es is tance (is tilad)
31. cons ider ation (tadabbur )
32. per plex ity (tahayyur )
33. r eflection (tafakkur )
34. patience (tas abbur )
35. inter pr etation (ta’abbur )
36. non- acceptance (r afd)
 37. s tr ong cr iticis m (naqd)
38. obs er vation (r i’aya)
39. taking a guide (hidaya)
40. beginning (bidaya)

T he las t S tation is the S tation of the people of S er enity of

Hear t and pur ification

2. Each S tation has its own gift of which one par t is conceivable
and the other not.
3. T hen the s tr anger enter ed the des er t and cr os s ed it and
embr aced and compr ehended the whole of it. He did not find
anything familiar or us eful, either on the mountain or on the
plain.
4. ‘When Mus a accomplis hed the ter m’ he left his people s ince
r eality was going to take him as ‘his ’. And yet he was s atis fied
with indir ect infor mation without dir ect vis ion, and ther e s hould
be a differ ence between him and the bes t of mankind
(Muhammad). T her efor e he s aid: ‘Per haps I will br ing you s ome
infor mation.’ (20.10)
5. I f the Well- Guided was pleas ed with indir ect infor mation how
s hall he who s ear ches the r oute not s uffice hims elf with an
indir ect tr ace.
6. Fr om the B ur ning B us h, on the s ide of S inai what he hear d s peak
fr om the B us h was not the B us h nor its s eed but Allah.
7. And my r ole is like this B us h.
8. S o r eality is r eality and the cr eated is cr eated. Rej ect your
cr eated natur e, that you may become Him, and He, you - in
r es pect to r eality.
9. I - nes s is a s ubj ect, and the obj ect defined is als o a s ubj ect in
r eality, s o how is it defined?
10. Allah s aid to Mus a: ‘You guide to the Pr oof, not to the
Obj ect of the Pr oof. And as for Me I am the Pr oof of ever y pr oof.
11. Allah made me pas s by what is r eality
B y gr ace of a contr act, a pact, and an alliance.
My s ecr et is a witnes s
without my cr eated per s onality.
T his is my s ecr et and this is r eality
12. Allah enunciated my knowledge with me fr om my hear t.
He dr ew me near to Him after I had been s o far fr om Him. He
made me His intimate and chos e me.
 T h e T a-S i n of t h e Ci r cl e

1. T he fir s t door r epr es ents the one who r eaches the cir cle of T r uth.
T he s econd door r epr es ents the per s on who r eaches it, who after
enter ing it comes to a clos ed door . T he thir d door r epr es ents the
one who goes as tr ay in the des er t of the T r uth- Natur e of the
tr uth.
2. He that enter s the cir cle is far fr om the T r uth becaus e the way is
blocked and the s eeker is s ent back. T he point on high
r epr es ents his year ning. T he lower point r epr es ents his r etur n to
his point of depar tur e, and the middle point is his bewilder ment.
3. T he inner cir cle does not have a door , and the point which is in
the center is T r uth.
4. T he meaning of T r uth is that fr om which ex ter nals and inter nals
ar e not abs ent, and it does not toler ate for ms .
5. I f you wis h to under s tand what I have pointed to her e, then
‘take four bir ds and twis t them to thee,’ (2.260) becaus e Allah
does not fly.
6. I t is His j ealous y which makes it appear after He hid it. I t was
awe that kept us apar t, it was bewilder ment that depr ived us of
it.
7. T hes e ar e the meanings of T r uth. I t is s ubtler than the cir cle of
the or igins , and the des ignation of the r egions . And s ubtler s till
is the inter nal functioning of the under s tanding, becaus e of the
concealing of the imagination.
8. T his is becaus e the obs er ver obs er ves the cir cle fr om without not
fr om within.
9. As for the Knowledge of the knowledge of T r uth, he does not
know it, becaus e he is incapable. Knowledge denotes a place but
the cir cle is a for bidden place (har am).
10. S o they named the pr ophet ‘Har am’ becaus e he alone
came out of fr om the cir cle of Har am.
11. He was full of fear and awe, and wear ing the gar ment of
T r uth, he went out and cr ied ‘Ah!!’ to all cr eation.

T h e T a-S i n of t h e P oi n t
1. Finer s till than that is the mention of the Pr imor dial Point, which
is the S our ce, and which does not gr ow or decr eas e, nor
cons ume its elf.
2. T he one who denies my s pir itual s tate denies it becaus e he does
not s ee me, and he calls me a her etic. He char ges me with evil,
and s eeing my glor y he calls for help, and it is to the s acr ed
cir cle which is beyond the beyond that he cr ies .
3. He who r eaches the s econd cir cle imagines me to be the I ns pir ed
Mas ter .
4. He who r eaches the thr id cir cle thinks that I am at the bottom of
all des ir es .
5. And he who r eaches the cir cle of T r uth for gets me and his
attention is dis tr acted fr om me.
6. ‘No indeed, not a r efuge! Upon that day the r ecour s e s hall be to
thy Lor d, upon that day man s hall be told his for mer deeds and
his latter .’
7. B ut man tur ns to indir ect tes timony, he flees to a r efuge, he
fear s the s par ks , and his intention is beguiled and led as tr ay.
8. I am abs or bed in the s ea of the depths of eter nity and he who
r eaches the cir cle of T r uth is occupied on the s hor e of the s ea of
knowledge with his own knowledge. He is abs ent fr om my vis ion.
9. I s aw a cer tain bir d fr om the s elves of the S ufis which flew with
the two wings of S ufis m. He denied my glor y as he per s is ted in
his flight.
10. He as ked me about pur ity and I s aid to him: ‘Cut your
wings with the s hear s of annihilation. I f not you cannot follow
me.’
11. He s aid to me: ‘I fly with my wings to my B eloved.’ I s aid
to him: ‘Alas for thee! B ecaus e ther e is naught like Him, He is
the All- Hear ing, the All- S eeing.’ S o then he fell into the s ea of
under s tanding and was dr owned.
12. One can r epr es ent the ocean of under s tanding thus :

I s aw my Lor d with the eye of my hear t

I s aw: ‘Who ar e You?’ He s aid: ‘You!’
B ut for You, ‘wher e’ cannot have a place
And ther e is no ‘wher e’ when it concer ns You.
T he mind has no image of your ex is tence in time
Which would per mit the mind to know wher e you ar e.
You ar e the one who encompas s es ever y ‘wher e’
Up to the point of no- wher e
S o wher e ar e you?

12. A s ingle unique point fr om the cir cle denotes the var ious
thoughts of the under s tanding. A s ingle point is its elf the T r uth
and the r es t is er r or .
13. ‘He dr ew near ’ in r is ing - ‘then he came again’ in
tr ans cending. S eeking he dr ew near ; enr aptur ed, he came again.
He left his hear t ther e and dr ew nigh to his Lor d. He was abs ent
when he s aw Allah, yet he was not abs ent. How was he pr es ent
and not pr es ent? How did he look and not look?
14. Fr om amaz ement he pas s ed to lucidity and fr om lucidity to
amaz ement. Witnes s ed by Allah he witnes s ed Allah. He ar r ived
and was s epar ated. He r eached his Des ir e and was cut off fr om
his hear t, and ‘his hear t lies not of what it s aw.’
15. Allah concealed him then made him dr aw near . He
commis s ioned him and pur ified him. He made him thir s ty and
then fed him. He pur ified him and then chos e him. He called him
and then s ummoned him. He afflicted him and then came to his
aid. He ar med him and then put him in the s addle.
16. T her e was a dis tance of ‘one bow s pan’ and when he
r etur ned he r eached his mar k. When called he ans wer ed. Having
s een he effaced hims elf. Having dr unk he was s atis fied. Having
come near he was awe- s tr uck. And having s epar ated hims elf
fr om cities and helper s , he was s epar ated fr om cons ciences and
looks and cr eated tr aces (athar ).
17. ‘Your comr ade did not go as tr ay,’ he did not weaken or
gr ow wear y. His eye did not falter nor was he tir ed by a ‘when’
of pur e dur ation.
18. ‘Your comr ade did not go as tr ay,’ in his contemplation of
Us . He did not pas s beyond in vis iting Us , nor tr ans gr es s in Our
mes s age. He did not compar e Us to other s in tr eating of Us . He
did not deviate in the gar den of dhikr in contemplation of Us , nor
go as tr ay in r oaming in fikr .
19. Rather he r emember ed Allah in his br eaths and blinks of
the eye, and was r es igned to Him in afflictions and thankful for
his gifts .
20. ‘T his is naught but a r evelation r evealed’ fr om the Light to
the Light.
21. Change your s peech! Abs ent your s elf fr om illus ions , r ais e
your feet high fr om mankind and cr eatur es ! S peak of Him with
meas ur e and har mony! B e pas s ionate and los t in r aptur e.
Dis cover - that you might fly beyond the mountains and the
fields , the mountains of cogniz ance and the hills of s ecur ity in
or der to s ee He whom you r egar d. And s o the legal fas t is ended
on coming to the S acr ed Hous e.
22. T hen he dr ew nigh to Allah like the one who is going to
enter the I ntention. T hen he announced that it is for bidden. I t is
like a bar r ier r ather than impotence. He pas s ed fr om the S tation
of Cleans ing to the S tation of Repr oach and fr om the S tation of
Repr oach to the S tation of Pr ox imity. He went nigh s ear ching
and he r etur ned fleeing. He went nigh invoking and he r etur ned
a her ald. He dr ew nigh ans wer ing and r etur ned inves ted with
Divine Near nes s . He dr ew nigh as a witnes s and r etur ned a
contemplative.
23. T he dis tance between them was ‘two bow s pans ’. He hit
the mar k of ‘wher e’ with the ar r ow of ‘between’ (ayn and bayn).
He s tated that ther e wer e two bow s pans to s pecify the ex act
place, and ‘or ’ becaus e of the un- delineated natur e of Es s ence,
‘a little clos er ’ in the Es s ence of the Es s ence.
24. T he Mas ter of the Ex tr aor dinar y Al- Hus adin ibn Mans ur Al-
Hallaj s aid:
25. I do not believe that our ex pr es s ion her e will be
compr ehens ible ex cept to the one who has ar r ived at the s econd
bow s pan which is beyond the T ablet of For ms (lawh mahfuz ).
26. T her e ar e letter s that ar e us ed no longer letter s of Ar abic
or Per s ian.
27. T her e ar e letter s only and that letter is the mim which is
the letter s ignifying ‘what he r evealed’
28. T he mim des ignated ‘T he Las t.’
29. T he mim is als o the s tr ing of the Fir s t. T he fir s t bow s pan
is the Kingdom of Might (j abr ut) and the s econd is the Kingdom
of S over eignty (malakut), and the Kingdom of the Attr ibutes is
the s tr ing of the two kingdom. And the Kingdom of the Es s ence
of I ntimate (s pecific) I llumination (taj alli khas s ) is the ar r ow of
the Abs olute and the ar r ow of the two s pans .
30. I t comes fr om the One who kindles the fir e of I llumination.
31. He s aid that the adequate for m of s peech is that s peech
the s ens e of which is dr awing near . T he Author of the meaning is
the T r uth of Allah not the method of His cr eation. T his near ing is
only obtained in the cir cle of vigor ous ex actitude.
32. T r uth and the T r uth of T r uths is found in the fines t
dis tinctions , fr om pr evious ex per iences , by means of an antidote
made by one who loves , in cons ider ation of calamities and the
dis cer nment of dis tinctions , and it is by a wor d of deliver ance.
T his is the path of the elect in r es pect to individuals , and the
near ing is s een as a vas t ar ea s o that the knower who has
followed the obs er ved paths of pr ophetic tr adition may
under s tand.
33. T he Mas ter of Yathr ib, peace be upon him, pr oclaimed the
glor y of the one who pos s es s es the mos t ex cellent of gr aces ,
inviolable, pr es er ved in a ‘hidden B ook,’ as He mentioned in a
vis ible book, ‘in a B ook ins cr ibed’ on the meaning of the
language of the bir ds , when He br ought us ther e.
34. I f you under s tand this , oh lover , under s tand that the Lor d
does not enter into conver s ation ex cept with His own, or with the
fr iends of His own.
35. T o be one of His own is to have neither Mas ter nor dis ciple,
to be without pr efer ence or dis tinction or affectation or couns el,
not having any ‘his ’ or ‘fr om him.’ B ut r ather what is in him is
what is in him, but without ther e being an ‘in him,’ as a des er t
without water in a des er t without water , as a s ign in a s ign.
36. Public dis cour s e tr ans lates its meanings tr ans plant his
wis hes , and his wis h is s een fr om afar . His path is har d, his
name is glor ious , his for m is unique, his knowledge is denial of
knowledge, his denial is his s ole tr uth, his s in is his s our ce of
confidence. His Name is his Path, and his outwar d char acter is tic
is his bur ning, his attr ibute is Des ir e.
37. T he Road (s har ’) is his char acter is tic, the tr uths (haqa’iq)
ar e his ar ena and his glor y, s elves ar e his por tico, S haitan is his
teacher , ever y s ociable being became his familiar animal,
humanity is his cons cience, obliter ation is his glor y, effacement
is his s ubj ect of meditation, the br ide is his gar den, and
effacement of effacement his palace.
38. His Mas ter s ar e my r efuge, their pr inciples ar e my alar m,
their volition is my r eques t, their aid is my s topping place, their
s or r ows ar e my gr ief.
39. T heir leaves ar e a dr inking place, their s leeves ar e nothing
but dus t, their doctr ine is the cor ner s tone of their s tate, and
their s tate is impotence. B ut any other s tate would be an obj ect
of anger for Allah. S o this is enough and s ucces s with Allah.

T h e T a-S i n of B ef or e E n dl es s -T i m e an d
E qu i vocat i on
(for he who under s tands , in the under s tanding
of the under s tanding r elative to public
dis cour s e as to what is legitimate in r egar d to
intentions .)

1. T he Mas ter Abu’l- Mughith, may Allah be mer ciful to him, s aid:
‘T her e is no es tablis hed mis s ion ex cept that of I blis and
Muhammad, peace be on him, only I blis fell fr om the Es s ence
while Muhammad per ceived the Es s ence of the Es s ence.’
2. I t was s aid to I blis : ‘Pr os tr ate your s elf!’ and to Muhammad -
‘Look!’ B ut I blis did not pr os tr ate hims elf, and Muhammad did
not look, he did not tur n to the r ight or the left, ‘his eye s wer ved
nor , nor s wept as tr ay.’
3. As for I blis , having announced his mis s ion, he did not r etur n to
his fir s t power .
4. And when Muhammad announced his mis s ion he r etur ned to his
power .
5. With this s tatement, ‘I t is in You that I am tr ans por ted and on
You that I fling mys elf,’ and als o, ‘Oh You who tur n the hear ts ’
and ‘I do not know how to pr ais e You as You s hould be pr ais ed.
6. Among the inhabitants of heaven ther e was no unitar ian or
wor s hipper like I blis .
7. For I blis ther e appear ed the Divine Es s ence. He was pr evented
fr om even a blink of the eye of awar enes s , and he began to
wor s hip the Ador ed One in as cetic is olation.
8. He was cur s ed when he r eached the double is olation, and he was
ques tioned when he demanded the ultimate s olitude.
9. Allah s aid to him: ‘Pr os tr ate your s elf!!’ He s aid: ‘Not befor e
another than You.’ He s aid to him: ‘Even if my cur s e falls on
you?’ He s aid: ‘I t will not punis h me.’
10. ‘My denial is to affir m your pur ity and my r eas on r emains
dis or der ed in You. And what is Adam compar ed to You and who
am I , I blis , to differ entiate fr om You!’
11. He fell into the S ea of Maj es ty, he became blind, and s aid:
‘T her e is no path for me to other - than- You. I am a humble
lover .’ He s aid to him: ‘You have become pr oud.’ He s aid: ‘I f
ther e was one glance between us , it would have been enough to
make me pr oud and imper ious , but I am he who knew You in
B efor e Endles s - T ime, " I am better than Him" becaus e I have
s er ved You for a longer time. No one, in the two types of beings ,
knows You better than I do! T her e was an intention of Your s in
me, and an intention of mine in You, and both of them pr eceded
Adam. I f I pr os tr ated befor e another than You or if I did not
pr os tr ate it would be neces s ar y me to r etur n to my or igin, s ince
You cr eated me of fir e, and fir e r etur ns to fir e, accor ding to an
equilibr ium and choice which ar e Your s .
12. T her e is no dis tance fr om You for me, s ince I became
cer tain that dis tance and near nes s ar e one.
For me, if I was left, your des er tion would be my companion, s o
how much mor e ar e des er tion and love tr uly one!
Glor y to You in Your Pr ovidence and in the Es s ence of your
I nacces s ibility for the pious wor s hipper who does not pr os tr ate
befor e any other than You.’
13. Mus a met I blis on the s lope of S inai and s aid to him: ‘Oh
I blis , what pr evented you fr om pr os tr ating?’ He s aid: ‘T hat which
pr evented me was my declar ation of a Unique B eloved, and if I
had pr os tr ated I would have become like you, becaus e you wer e
only called upon once to ‘look at the mountain’ and you looked.
As for me, I was called upon a thous and times to pr os tr ate
mys elf to Adam and I did not pr os tr ate mys elf becaus e I s tood
by the I ntention of my Declar ation.
14. S ayedina Mus a s aid: ‘You abandoned a Command?’ I blis
s aid: ‘I t was a tes t. Not a command.’ S ayedina Mus a s aid:
‘Without s in? B ut your face was defor med.’ I blis r eplied: ‘Oh
Mus a, that is but the ambiguity of appear ances , while the
s pir itual s tate does not r ely on it and does not change. Gnos is
r emains tr ue even as it was at the beginning and does not
change even if the individual changes .’
15. S ayedina Mus a s aid: ‘Do you r emember Him now?’ ‘Oh
Mus a, pur e mind does not have need of memor y - by it I am
r emember ed and He is r emember ed. His r emembr ance is my
r emembr ance, and my r emembr ance is His r emembr ance. How,
when r emember ing our s elves , can we two be other than one?
My s er vice is now pur er , my time mor e pleas ant, my
 r emembr ance mor e glor ious , becaus e I s er ved Him in the
abs olute for my good for tune, and now I s er ve Him for Hims elf.’
16. ‘I lifted gr eed fr om ever ything which pr events or defends
for the s ake of los s as well as gain. He is olated me, made me
ecs tatic, confus ed me, ex pelled me, s o that I would no mix with
the s aints . He put me far fr om other s becaus e of my j ealous for
Him alone. He defor med me, becaus e He amaz ed me, and
amaz ed me becaus e He banis hed me. He banis hed me becaus e I
was a s er vant and put me in a for bidden s tate becaus e of my
companions hip. He s howed my lack of wor th becaus e I pr ais ed
His Glor y. He r educed me to a s imple r obe of ihr am becaus e if
my hij ya. He left me becaus e of my union, He unified me
becaus e he cut me off. He cut me off becaus e He had pr evented
my des ir e.
17. B y His T r uth I was not in er r or in r es pect to His decr ee, I
did not r efus e des tiny. I did not car e at all about the defor mation
of my face. I kept my equilibr ium thr oughout thes e s entences .
18. I f He punis hes me with His fir e for all of eter nity I would
not pr os tr ate mys elf befor e anyone, and I would not abas e
mys elf befor e any per s on or body becaus e I do not r ecogniz e
any oppos ite with Him! My Declar ation is that of the S incer e and
I am one of thos e s incer e in love.'
19. Al- Hallaj s aid: ‘T her e ar e var ious theor ies r egar ding the
s pir itual s tates of Az az yl (I blis befor e his fall). One s aid that he
was char ged with a mis s ion in heaven, and with a mis s ion on
ear th. I n heaven he pr eached to the Angels s howing them good
wor ks , and on ear th pr eaching to men and j inn s howing them
evil deeds .
20. B ecaus e one does not r ecogniz e things ex cept by their
oppos ites , as with fine white s ilk which can only be woven us ing
black fabr ic behind it - s o the Angel could s how good actions and
s ay s ymbolically " I f you do thes e you will be r ewar ded." B ut he
who did not know evil befor e cannot r ecogniz e good.’
21. T he Mas ter Abu ‘Umar Al- Hallaj s aid: ‘I deliber ated with
I blis and Phar on on the honor of the gener ous . I blis s aid: " I f I
had pr os tr ated mys elf I would have los t my name of honor ."
Phar on s aid: " I f I had believed in this Mes s enger I would have
fallen fr om my r ank of honor ."
22. I s aid: " I f I had dis avowd my teaching and my s peech, I
would have fallen fr om the hall of honor .
23. When I blis s aid: " I am better than him," then he could not
s ee anyone other than hims elf. When Phar on s aid " I know not
that you have other Divinity than me," he did not r ecogniz e that
 any of his people could dis tinguis h between the tr ue and the
fals e.
24. And I s aid: " I f you do not know Him, then know His s igns ,
I am His s ign (taj alli) and I am the T r uth! And this is becaus e I
have not ceas ed to r ealiz e the T r uth!"
25. My companion is I blis and my teacher is Phar on, I blis was
thr eatened with the fir e and did not r etr act his allegation. Phar on
was dr owned in the Red S ea without r etr acting his allegation or
r ecogniz ing any mediator . B ut he s aid: " I believe that ther e is no
Divinity but He in whon the tr ibe of I s r ael believe, " and don’t
you s ee that Allah oppos ed Jibr il in His glor y? He s aid: " Why did
you fill your mouth with s and?"
26. And I was killed, cr ucified, my hands and feet cut off
without r etr acting my as s er tion.
27. T he name of I blis was der ived fr om his fir s t name, Az az yl
in which wer e changed: the ‘ayn r epr es enting the amplitude of
his endeavor , the z ay, r epr es enting the gr owing fr equency of his
vis its , the alif - his way in His r ank, the s econd z ay - his
as ceticis m in His r ank, and the ya - his wander ing walk to his
agony, and lam - his obs tinacy in his pain.
28. He s aid to him: " You do not pr os tr ate, oh contemptible
one!" He s aid, " S ay r ather - lover , for a lover is des pis ed, s o you
call me des picable. I have r ead in a Manifes t B ook, oh All-
Power ful and S teadfas t, that this would happen to me. S o how
could I lower mys elf befor e Adam when you cr eated him of ear th
and me fr om fir e? T hes e two oppos ites cannot agr ee. And I have
s er ved you longer , and have a gr eater vir tue and a vas ter
knowledge and a mor e per fect activity.
29. Allah, may He be pr ais ed, s aid to him: " T he choice is mine,
not your s ." He s aid: " All choices and my choice its elf ar e your s ,
becaus e You had alr eady chos en for me, oh Cr eator , I f you
pr evented me fr om pr os tr ating befor e him You wer e the caus e of
the pr evention. I f I er r in s peech You do not leave me becaus e
You ar e the All- Hear ing. I f You had willed that I pr os tr ate befor e
him, I would have been obedient. I do not know anyone among
the Wis e who knows you better than I do."
30. Do not blame me, the idea of cens ur e is dis tant fr om me,
r ewar d me then, my mas ter , for I am alone.

I f, in being a pr omis e, Your pr omis e is tr uly the T r uth in

pr inciple, the pr inciple of my vocation is s tr ong indeed.

He who wis hes to wr ite this declar ation of mine, r ead it, and
know that I am a mar tyr !
31. Oh my br other ! He was called Az az yl becaus e he was
dis mis s ed, dis mis s ed fr om his pr imitive pur ity. He did not r etur n
fr om his or igin to his end, becaus e he did not go out fr om his
end, he left, cur s ed fr om his or igin.
32. His attempt to go out mis car r ied becaus e of the fix ity of
his kindling. He found hims elf between the fir e of his r es ting
place and the light of his high pos ition.
33. T he s our ce on the plain is a low- lying lake. He was
tor mented by thir s t in the place wher e ther e was abundance. He
cr ied his pain becaus e the fir e bur ned him, and his fear was
nothing but s imulation and his blindnes s is vanity and - her e he
is !
34. Oh my br other ! I f you have under s tood, you have
cons ider ed the nar r ow pas s in its ver y nar r ownes s and you have
r epr es ented the imagination to your s elf in its ver y unr eality, and
you have r etur ned dis tr es s ed and full of anx iety.
35. T he mos t aler t of the Knower s r emained s ilent on I blis and
the gnos tics did not have the s tr ength to ex plain that which they
had lear ned. I blis was s tr onger that them in ador ation and
near er than them to the Pr es ence of the Es s ence. He ex er ted
hims elf mor e and was mor e loyal to the covenant and was clos er
to them than the Ador ed.
36. T he other Angels pr os tr ated befor e Adam for s uppor t, and
I blis r efus ed, becaus e he had been in contemplation for a long
time alr eady.
37. B ut his cas e became confus ed and his thought went
as tr ay, s o he s aid: " I am better than him." He r emained in the
veil and did not value the dus t, and br ought damnation on
hims elf for the After - Endles s - T ime of After - Endles s - T ime.

T h e T a-S in of t h e D i vi n e W i l l
1. Her e is the r epr es entation of the volition of Allah. T he fir s t cir cle
is the Decr ee of Allah (mas hi’a) and the s econd is His Wis dom,
and the thir d is His Power , and the four th is His B efor e- Endles s -
T ime Knowledge.
2. I blis s aid: ‘I f I enter ed the fir s t cir cle I would have to under go
the tes t of the s econd, and if I pas s ed into the s econd I would
have to under go the tes t of the thir d. And if I pas s ed into the
thir d I would have to under go the tes t of the four th.
3. S o - no, no, no, no, and no! Even if I r es ted on my fir s t no I
would have been cur s ed until I utter ed the s econd, and r ej ected
until I utter ed the thir d s o what does the four th matter to me?
4. I f I had known that pr os tr ating would have s aved me I would
have pr os tr ated. B ut I knew that after that cir cle wer e other
cir cles . I s aid to mys elf in conj ectur e, ‘if I come out s afe fr om
this cir cle, how will I come out of the s econd, the thir d, and the
four th?’
5. S o the Alif of the fifth La is ‘He, the Living God.’

T h e T a-S i n of t h e D ecl ar at i on of U n i t y
1. He is Allah the Living.
2. Allah is One, Unique, Alone and tes tified as One.
3. B oth ar e One and the pr ofes s ion of Unity of the One ar e in Him
and fr om Him.
4. Fr om Him comes the dis tance that s epar ates other s fr om His
unity. It can be r epr es ented thus :

5. T he knowledge of T awhid is an autonomous abs tr act cogniz ance,

and is r epr es ented thus :

6. T he T awhid is an attr ibute of the cr eated s ubj ect who

pr onounces it, and it is not an attr ibute of the Obj ect pr ofes s ed
as one.
7. I f I being cr eated s ay ‘I ’ did I make Him als o s ay ‘I ’? My T awhid
comes fr om me then, not fr om Him. He is fr ee (munaz z ah) of
me and my T awhid.
8. I f I s ay ‘T he T awhid r etur ns to the one who pr ofes s es it’ then I
make it a cr eated thing.
9. I f I s ay ‘No, the T awhid comes fr om the Obj ect it tes tifies to,’
then what r elation attaches the unifier to his pr ofes s ion of Unity?
10. I f I s ay ‘T hen the T awhid is a r elation which attaches the
Obj ect to the s ubj ect,’ then I have tur ned this into a logical
definition.

D iagr am s : T he T awhid is s epar ate fr om Allah,

and this s ymbol of wahdahiya is r epr es ented
by alif with s ever al dals in it. T he alif being the
Es s ence and the dals the Attr ibutes .

T h e u n iqu en es s : T he pr imor dial alif of the

es s ence with the other alifs , which ar e the
cr eated for ms , s ubs is ts on the pr imal alif.

T h e T a-S i n of t h e S el f -Aw ar en es s es in
T aw h id
1. T he attr ibute of the T a- S in of the s elf- awar enes s in T awhid is
s uch:

(Alif - the Unity, T awhid. Hamz a - the s elf- awar enes s es , s ome
on one s ide s ome on the other . ‘Ayn at beginning and end - T he
Es s ence.)

T he s elf- awar enes s es pr oceed fr om Him and r etur n to Him,

oper ate in Him, but they ar e not logically neces s ar y.
2. T he r eal s ubj ect of the T awhid moves acr os s the multiplicity of
s ubj ects becaus e He is not included in the s ubj ect nor in the
obj ect nor in the pr onouns of the pr opos ition. I ts pr onominal
s uffix does not belong to its Obj ect, its pos s es s ive ‘h’ is His ‘Ah’
and not the other ‘h’ which does not make us unitar ians .
3. I f I s ay of this ‘h’ ‘wah!’ the other s s ay to me, ‘Alas .’
4. T hes e ar e epithets and s pecifications and a demons tr ative
allus ion pier ces this s o we could s ee Allah thr ough the
s ubs tantive conditional.
5. All human individualities ar e ‘like a building well- compacted.’ I t
is a definition and the Unity of Allah does not make ex ception to
the definition. B ut ever y definition is a limitation, and the
attr ibutes of a limitation apply to a limited obj ect. However the
obj ect of T awhid does not admit of limitation.
6. T he T r uth (Al- Haqq) its elf is none other than the abode of Allah
not neces s ar ily Allah.
7. S aying the T awhid does not r ealiz e it becaus e the s yntactical r ole
of a ter m and its pr oper s ens e do not mix with each other when
it concer ns an appended ter m. S o how can they be mix ed when
it concer ns Allah?
8. I f I s aw ‘the T awhid emanates fr om Him’ then I double the
Divine Es s ence, and I make an emanation of its elf, co- ex is tent
with it, being and not being this Es s ence at the s ame time.
9. I f I s ay that it was hidden in Allah, and He manifes ts it, how was
it hidden wher e ther e is no ‘how’ or ‘what’ or ‘this ’ and ther e is
no place (‘wher e’) contained in Him.
10. B ecaus e ‘in this ’ is a cr eation of Allah, as is ‘wher e.’
11. T hat which s uppor ts an accident is not without a
s ubs tance. T hat which is not s epar ated fr om a body is not
without s ome par t of a body. T hat which is not s epar ated fr om
 s pir it, in not without s ome par t of a s pir it. T he T awhid is
ther efor e an as s imilant.
12. We r etur n then, beyond this to the center (of our Obj ect)
and is olate it fr om adj unctions , as s imilations , qualifications ,
pulver iz ations and attr ibutions .
13. T he fir s t cir cle (in the nex t diagr am) compr is es the actions
of Allah, the s econd compr is es their tr aces and thes e ar e two
cir cles of the cr eated.
14. T he centr al point s ymboliz es the T awhid, but it is not the
T awhid. I f not, how would it be s epar able fr om the cir cle?

T h e T a-S i n of t h e D i s con n ect i on -F r om -

F or m s
1. T his is the cir cle of the allegor y and this is the figur e which
r epr es ents it:

2. T his is the whole which can give us phr as es and s entences , and
to the adepts , cults and s ects , doctr ines and methods .
3. T he fir s t cir cle is the liter al s ens e, and the s econd is the inner
s ens e, and the thir d is the allus ion.
4. T his is the totality of things , cr eated and compos ed, ans wer ed,
tr odden upon, s eiz ed on, contr adicted, deceived and s tupefied.
5. He cir culates in the pr onoun ‘we’ of s ubj ects of per s ons . Like an
ar r ow he penetr ates them, pr ovides for them, s ur pr is es them,
and over tur ns them, and He amaz es them in cr os s ing them.
6. Her e is the totality of cr eated s ubs tances and qualities . Allah has
nothing to do with thes e fables .
7. I f I s ay: ‘He is He,’ that s tatement is not the T awhid.
8. I f I s ay that the T awhid of Allah is valid, they will tell me - ‘no
doubt!’
9. I f I s ay ‘without time,’ they will s ay: ‘T hen is the meaning of
T awhid a s imile?’ But ther e is no compar is on when des cr ibing
Allah. Your T awhid is without r elation to Allah or to cr eation,
becaus e the fact of ex pr es s ing the number of times intr oduces a
limiting condition. I n s o doing you have added a s ens e to
T awhid, as if it wer e contingent. However the contingent is not
an attr ibute of Allah. His Es s ence is unique. And both T r uth and
what is unr eal cannot emanate fr om the Es s ence of the Es s ence.
10. I f I s ay: ‘T he T awhid is the wor d its elf," the wor d is an
attr ibute of the Es s ence not the Es s ence its elf.
11. I f I s ay: ‘T awhid means that Allah wis hes to be One’ the
diving volition is an attr ibute of the Es s ence and volitions ar e
cr eated.
12. I f I s ay: ‘Allah is the T awhid of Es s ence pr oclaimed to
its elf,’ then I make the Es s ence T awhid which can be s poken by
us .
13. I f I s ay: ‘No, it is not the Es s ence,’ then do I s ay that
T awhid is cr eated?
14. I f I s ay: ‘T he name and the obj ect named ar e One,’ then
what s ens e does T awhid have?
15. I f I s ay: ‘Allah is Allah’ then do I s ay that Allah is the
Es s ence of the Es s ence and that He is He?
16. Her e is the T a- S in which tr eats of the denial of s econdar y
caus es : and thes e cir cles with ‘no’ wr itten in them ar e its figur e:

17. T he fir s t cir cle is pr e- Eter nity, and the s econd intelligibles ,
the thir d is that of dimens ions and the four th of the cogniz able.
18. T he Es s ence is not without attr ibutes .
19. T he fir s t s eeker opens the Door of Knowledge and does not
s ee. T he s econd opens the Door of Pur ity and does not s ee. T he
thir d opens the Door of Compr ehens ion and does not s ee. T he
four th opens the Door of Meaning and does not s ee. None s ay
Allah in His Es s ence nor in his volition, nor in s peech nor in His
He- nes s .
20. Glor y to Allah who is holy and by His s anctity inacces s ible
to all the methods of the gnos tics and to all the intuitions of the
people of r evelations .
21. Her e is the T a- s in of Negation and Affir mation, and this is
its r epr es entation:

22. T he fir s t for mula tr eats of the thought of the common

people and the s econd of the elect, and the cir cle which
r epr es ents the knowledge of Allah is between the two. T he ‘no’s ’
which ar e enclos ed by the cir cle ar e the negation of all
dimens ions . T he two ‘ha’s ’ ar e s et like pillar s of the two s ides of
T awhid which holds it up. B eyond them the dependencies begin.
23. T he thought of the common people plunges into the s ea of
images and the thought of the elect into the s ea of
under s tanding. B ut thes e two s eas dr y up and the ways which
they mar ked ar e effaced, the two thoughts dis appear and the
two pillar s fall and the two wor lds of being per is h and pr oofs and
knowledge vanis h.
24. On the s ide of the pur e divinity of Allah, He r emains ,
tr ans cending all dependent things , pr ais e be to Allah who is not
touched by any s econdar y caus e. His pr oof is s tr ong, and His
power glor ious . He, the Lor d of S plendor and Glor y and Maj es ty.
T he Unaccountable One with ar ithmetical Unity. No definition nor
counting nor beginning nor end touches Him. His ex is tence is a
mar vel s ince He is r emoved fr om ex is tence. He alone knows
Hims elf, Mas ter of Maj es ty and magnanimity. Cr eator of s ouls
and bodies .