The Light of Truth — Page 161
REFUTING OBJECTIONS 161 mouths in a state of virtual annihilation while absorbed by heav- enly lures. They had a mystical experience and were befuddled. At that time, one of them said, "There is nothing in my cloak except for Allah, while another claimed: 'My hand is the hand of Allah. Another among them said, 'I am the very face of God towards which you turn, and I am your duty in respect of Allah, whom you have neglected. Others among them said, 'It is I who speaks and I who listens, so is there anyone besides me in this house?' And yet others proclaimed, I am al-Haqq [the Truth]. '1 However, all of them are pardoned, because they spoke while in a perfect state of enthralment and humility, not out of pride and arrogance. They were overcome by the intoxicating wine of passion and by the irresistible allure of the Beloved Friend. So, these voices came from the window of al-Fanā, and not from the chamber of vanity. They did not step towards Dūnillāh [i. e. the proviso of 'besides Allah'], but rather, they were lost in the Lord of Grandeur. So there is no doubt that they are blameless. But it is not permissible to adhere to their statements or to wish for something similar to them. Indeed, these are statements to de-emphasize, not publicize. Allah punishes only those who are deliberate forgers [of such statements]. I am astonished by the Christians—though it is not unex- pected from those who transgress all bounds-that they acknowl- edge that Jesus was a servant of Allah and a son of Adam; that he used to say that he is a Messenger of Allah and His servant; he promoted Tauhid [the Oneness of Allah] and warned against Shirk [associating partners with God]; and he was so humble and self-deprecating that he said, 'Do not call me good';³ and yet 1. These statements are recorded in the writings of, and attributed to, venerated Sufi figures such as Bāyazīd Bisțāmī (d. circa 874 CE), Manşūr al-Hallāj (d. 922 CE), and Ibn 'Arabi (d. 1240 CE). [Publisher] 2. Self-obliteration; being lost in the contemplation of God. [Publisher] 3. See Mark 10:18. [Publisher]