The Intimate Discourses of Ibn Ata’illah 7 – Abdur Rahman’s Corner
Peace, one and all…
Intimate Discourse 7
My God, how can You leave me to myself, for You are responsible for me? And how could I be harmed while You are my Ally? Or how could I be disappointed in You, my Welcomer? Here I am seeking to gain access to You by means of my need of You. How could I seek to gain access to You by means of that which cannot possibly reach You? Or how can I complain to You of my state, for it is not hidden from You? Or how can I express myself to You in speech, since it comes from You and goes forth to You? Or how can my hopes be dashed, for they have already reached You? Or how can my states not be good, for they are based on You and go to You?
Commentary
Allah is man’s Ally (al-Nasir). The supplication is, therefore, to be saved from becoming trapped by the ego which destroys man.
Allah is man’s helper. His aid is, therefore, with man. With Allah’s aid, the servant will never be disgraced. The servant will not suffer failure when Allah’s kindness manifests itself. When the servant is truly dependent on Allah, His aid will most certainly be forthcoming.
Since man’s deeds are insignificant, he cannot present them as a medium for attaining divine proximity. Rather, the servant presents his poverty as a medium for attaining closeness to Allah Most High.
Something which has a relationship with the object of intercession is offered as a medium (wasila). If there is no relationship, the appointment of the medium as the intercessor will be futile. The medium should have the ability to o enter into the presence of the one to whom the intercession is to be presented. But poverty and dependence lack this ability and relationship. Shaykh retracts this supplication, saying ‘How could I seek to gain access to You by means of what cannot possibly reach you’.
Furthermore, when the servant considers his state of poverty to be of the quality which renders it significant enough to act as his medium, then it indicates dependence on his poverty and implies a claim of poverty made by the servant. He thus reposes reliance on one of his personal attributes. The poverty is, therefore, defective. Perfect poverty is to focus the attention solely on Allah Most High.
Why should man complain when all his conditions are conspicuous Allah Most High? A complaint is lodged to a being who is unaware. Yet, everything is His command. Everything is therefore beautiful and beloved. There is no need for the servant to despair.
Reflections
Discourse 6 explored our utter nakedness before God, principally from a moral standpoint. Discourse 7 deepens our understanding by revealing God’s presence behind every inward horizon. Allah is Ever-Present and All-Encompassing. ‘Wheresoever we turn, there is the Face of God’, as the Quran puts it (2:115). Behind each thing stands a door through which we might directly encounter Allah!
Firstly, we are reminded that we are not left alone. Allah watches over our heart, revealing our innermost desires, that we might work towards their transformation.
‘Do people think they will be left alone after saying ‘We believe’ without being put to the test? We tested those who went before them: God will certainly mark out which ones are truthful and which are lying.’
(Quran 29:2-3)
In each new moment we are offered a chance to see ourselves anew. As this one is learning, our tests are an opportunity for us to see past ourselves here and now, as much as they are a transcript of some future court appearance.
Secondly, God is our Ally, and is ever active on our behalf. We have but to open the eyes of the heart to see it. Moreover, every circumstance we encounter is designed to return us to Allah, it is in order to keep the eyes of our heart firmly fixed upon Him. When we encounter some good thing, we are to be thankful and realise the source of that gift. When we encounter some difficulty, an understanding that Allah is our Ally shows us that we are not alone, especially in our modern atomised world. It also underlines another crucial point: difficulties are for our growth. Allah’s tests are not designed to trip us up but rather to help us see where we have gone wrong and make proper restitution. Allah is our Inheritor and Welcomer, how the could we be disappointed at such a beautiful homecoming?
From this point on wards, Ibn Ata’illah focuses on our need of God. I seek access to Hu by ‘by means of my need of You’ but since Allah is always beyond need, how could our seeking ever truly bring us to Him? Perhaps the solution is connected to ownership. As we have seen in previous reflections, our sense of ownership holds us back from true inner emptiness. Even ‘my’ need must be surrendered. I own nothing. I am nothing. If my heart is still conscious of a need, I am not yet fully empty. At least this is what comes in this moment.
My complaints are not hidden from God, nor is my state. My ability to speak comes from Allah and returns to Him. We are utterly encompassed by Him. How then can we stand outside of His grace? How then can we be beyond His reach? Our hope rests with Him and so therefore how can any of our inward circumstances be bad?
For this heart, this is the place of bewilderment. Wherever I turn, every thing begins to dissolve, even the boundaries of ‘my’ self. Ideas, concepts and images fold into one another, blending beyond the ability of this one to understand.
There is only Allah, only Allah, only Allah.
