Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) — Page 21
CHAPTER II 21 one who beholds the light from afar may show some signs of being on the right path, but will possess none of the signs of special grace, and his state of constriction, which is due to deficient trust and carnal desires, is not removed. And his carnal self does not burn to ashes because he is far away from the flame of divine light. He does not fully become an heir of the Messengers and Prophets, and some of his inner impurities remain hidden within him. The relationship that he has with God is not free from turbidity and deficiency, for he beholds God Almighty from afar with his hazy sight, but he is not in His lap. There are men who have carnal passions inside of them. Sometimes, their carnal passions flare up and exhibit their excitement in their dreams, making them think, that their excitement is from God; whereas, this excitement is only from the self that incites towards evil. For instance, a person might say in a dream, ‘I will not submit to such a person on any account. I am better than he, and then conclude from it that he is indeed superior, whereas that incitement originated from the tumult of his ego. Similarly, he utters various kinds of statements in dreams induced by the commotion of his ego and, in his ignorance, concludes that the words are in concurrence with the will of God, and thence is ruined. And because he has not advanced towards God with all of his energy and does not accept Him with full sincerity and devotion, he is not bestowed the mercy of God in full measure. He is like a foetus that has life but has not yet been able to emerge from the womb. His eye is still closed to the full spectacle of the spiritual world. He has not seen even the face of his mother in whose womb he was nurtured. In keeping with the well-known [Urdu] proverb A half-baked mullah is a danger to the Faith,' he is in a perilous state on account of his imperfect cog- nition. Such people do come to know of a certain measure of insights and verities, but it is like milk which is polluted with urine, or water which has some filth in it. Compared to the first category, the person 1. The English equivalent would be, ‘A little knowledge is a dangerous thing? [Publisher]