Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 147
10 March 1905 147 drowsiness overtakes a person while he is awake that he is com- pletely aware of what is happening, and his five senses are also functioning, yet such a breeze blows [upon him] and endows him with new senses with which he can perceive vistas from the world of the unseen. Those senses are given in various ways: sometimes in sight, sometimes in smell, and at times in hear- ing. An example of ‘smell’ is what the father of Hadrat Y u suf [ Joseph] said: 1 ُدِجَاَل َحْيِر َفُسْوُي ْوَل ۤاَل ْنَا ِنْوُدِّنَفُت ُدِجَاَل َحْيِر َفُسْوُي ْوَل ۤاَل ْنَا ِنْوُدِّنَفُت (That I smell the fragrance of Y u suf, though you may say that this old man has gone astray. ) This refers to those same new senses that Ya‘q u b as [ Jacob] received at that time, and he learnt that Y u suf as was alive and was about to meet him. The others nearby could not smell this fragrance as they had not been endowed with those senses that Ya‘q u b as had received. Just as brown sugar is made from molasses, and sugar is made from brown sugar, and from sugar more delicate sweets are made; in the same way, when the condition of a dream progresses and assumes the character of a kashf , and when this becomes very clear, it is given the name kashf. The Difference between Kashf and Wa hi However, wa hi [Divine revelation] is something that is far purer than kashf , and it is necessary to be a Muslim to receive it. Kashf can be seen even by a Hindu; indeed, even an atheist who does not believe in God may attain this ability to a degree. However, wa hi cannot descend upon anyone except a Muslim. 1. S u rah Y u suf, 12:95 [Publisher]