The Light of Truth — Page 29
ADDRESSING THE ARAB WORLD of the Arabs and among the righteous. I found him to be of noble heritage, favourable morals, and pure nature, as well as intellectual, clever, and righteous. I was delighted to meet him, which was my desire and prayer, and considered him to be the first fruit of my sup- plication. I regarded him as a good omen and harbinger of good- ness and a blessing that protects. I was overwhelmed with joy and on that day I became one of the jubilant. I rejoiced at that time, expressed my gratitude to Allah, and exclaimed الْحَمْدُ لَكَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ ['All praise is due to You, O Lord of all the worlds']! The details of this [event] are that a pious and distinguished young man came to me from the Levant, or more specifically, from Tripoli. ¹ The All-Wise and All-Knowing God guided him to me, and he has remained with me for about seven months now. I observed goodness and rectitude in him, and found the light of virtue upon his face, and have seen the character of the righteous in him. I then paid attention to his condition and speech, and exam- ined his apparent and hidden states by the light granted to me and by the ilham [divine inspiration] placed in my heart. I perceived that he was indeed pious and God-fearing, who had rejected desires of the self and its pursuits, and was an ascetic. Allah then granted him the ability to recognize me, and so, he became among those who pledged allegiance to me. Thereafter, a special door to some of my teachings was opened to him, and he wrote a book that he named Īqāzun-Nās [Awakening of the People]. It is clear evidence of his extensive knowledge and shining proof of his sound judgement; and it suffices for every discussion on every topic. When he began writing this book, he 1. The term Bilādus-Shām, rendered here as the Levant, refers to the his- torical area now covered by Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. [Publisher] 29