📘 Alif Lām Mīm. The sending down of the Book, wherein is no doubt, from the Lord of the Worlds. It has been said that when the Exalted Lord created the light of MuḤammad's innate disposition, He kept it in the Presence of His exaltedness as long as He wanted. It remained before God one hundred thousand years. It has also been said that for two thousand years He was gazing on it 70,000 times a day, and with each gaze He would drape it with a new light and a new generosity. He kept the light of this disposition in His Presence for thousands of years, and each day He would look upon it with the attribute of favor. With each gaze it would gain another secret and mystery, another caress and gentleness, another knowledge and understanding. In those gazes, the secret core of his disposition was told that the level of the Qur'an's exalted- ness would preserve the level of his sinlessness, and this awareness became firmly rooted in his disposition. When his very clay along with the secret core of his disposition was brought into this world, the revelation sent down from the Exalted Threshold turned toward him. He was saying, “I hope that this is the realization of the promise given to me at that time.” In order to soothe his heart and confirm this thought, the Lord of the Worlds sent down this verse: “Alif Lām Mīm.” Alif alludes to God, Lām alludes to Gabriel, and Mīm alludes to MuḤammad. He is saying, “By My divinity, Gabriel's holiness, and your splendor, O MuḤammad, this revelation is the Qur'an that We promised would be the keeper of your prophecy's level and the miracle of your good fortune. “Wherein is no doubt, from the Lord of the Worlds. There is no doubt that it is Our missive to Our servants, Our address to Our friends. In every corner We have someone burning in hope of seeing Us, in every nook someone distracted, his heart tied to Our love and his tongue busy with Our mention and remembrance. The poor are needy for Our threshold, the yearners anxious for Our vision.” In every city You have bondsmen and servants, the whole world is full of Your familiars. Who indeed am I, what service can I render? You have plenty of the burnt in the world.

📘 Say: “The angel of death, who has been entrusted with you, will make you die.” Were it not for the hearts' heedlessness, the taking of their spirits would not have been turned over to the angel of death. Since they were heedless of witnessing the realities, He addressed them in the measure of their understandings and attached their hearts to others. He addresses each of them in the measure of what their strength and weakness can carry. This address is in the measure of the understanding of the lords of customs and habits, who in their heedlessness do not find the road to the Real's realities and do not perceive the subtle secrets of the Beginningless, so they are given to drink in the measure of their capacities. Otherwise, in respect of the Haqiqah and what is addressed to the chevaliers of the Tariqah, the angel of death sifts the dust of the empire, seeking mines in the dust, and gems in the mines. “People are mines, like mines of gold and silver.” He is sifting the dust to see what you have nurtured within it-a carnelian, a ruby, a turquoise. Or no-you are bitumen, or tar, or pebbles. Are you a vile word [14:26] or a goodly word [14:24]? He sifts the dust, he twists the veins, he breaks the bones. How can his hands touch the pure deposit? What does he have to do with that? For he did not put it there that he should take it back. God takes the souls at the time of their death [39:42]. Khayr Nassāj was ill. The angel of death wanted to take his spirit. At the time of prayer, the muezzin said, “God is greater, God is greater.” Khayr said, “O Angel of Death! Wait until I per- form the obligatory night prayer. Otherwise, I will miss out on this command, but I will not miss out on your command.” When he performed the prayer, he put down his head in prostration and said, “O God, on the day when You placed this deposit, the angel of death was not there to intrude. What harm if today You take me without his intrusion?” O Lord, if You annihilate me with the sword of friendship, the angel of death will have nothing to do with me.

📘 (Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope�) [32:16]. Said Malik ibn Dinar: �I asked Malik ibn Anas about whom this verse was revealed and he said: 'Some of the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, used to stand in prayer from after the prayer of Maghrib until the time of the prayer of 'Isha', and so this verse was revealed about them' �. Abu Ishaq al-Muqri' informed us> Abu'l-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Daynuri> Musa ibn Muhammad> al-Husayn ibn 'Alawiyah> Isma'il ibn 'Isa> al-Musayyib> Sa'id>> Qatadah> Anas ibn Malik who said: �This verse (Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope) was revealed about us, the Helpers. We used to perform the Maghrib prayer and did not return to our homes until we performed the 'Isha' prayer with the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace�. Al-Hasan and Mujahid said: �This was revealed about those who keep the prayer of the night vigil�. This is substantiated by the report with which Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-Khashshab informed us> Ibrahim ibn 'Abd Allah al-Asfahani> Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Sarraj> Qutaybah ibn Sa'id> Jarir> al-A'mash> al-Hakam> Maymun> Ibn Abi Shabib> Mu'adh ibn Jabal who said: �While we were with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, at the Battle of Tabuk, suffering from the heat, people dispersed. I looked around and found that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was the closest person to me. I drew closer to him and asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, tell me about a deed which will cause me to enter the Garden and distance me from hellfire'. He said: 'You have asked about a great matter which is easy to do for whoever Allah, exalted is He, makes it easy: It is that you worship Allah, exalted is He, and not associate anything with Him, perform the prescribed prayers, pay the obligated poor-due, and fast the month of Ramadan. But if you will, I will inform you about all the doors of goodness'. I said: 'Do inform me, O Messenger of Allah!' He said: 'Fasting is a shield; almsgiving expiates sins, and the standing of a man in prayer in the middle of the night, seeking the countenance of Allah, exalted is He'. Then he read this verse: (Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope)�.

📘 (Is he who is a believer like unto him who is an evil-liver?) [32:18]. This verse was revealed about �Ali ibn Abi Talib and al-Walid ibn �Uqbah. Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Asfahani informed us> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Hafiz> Ishaq ibn Banan al-Anmati> Hubaysh ibn Mubashshir al-Faqih> �Ubayd Allah ibn Musa> Ibn Abi Layla> al-Hakam> Sa�id ibn Jubayr> Ibn �Abbas who said: �Al-Walid ibn �Uqbah ibn Abi Mu�ayt said to �Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be well pleased with him: �I am tougher than you, more eloquent than you, and I have more leadership skills than you�. �Ali responded by saying: �Be quiet, you are but an evil-liver!� This verse was then revealed (Is he who is a believer like unto him who is an evil-liver? They are not alike), by the believer is meant �Ali ibn Abi Talib and the evil-liver refers to al-Walid ibn �Uqbah�.

📘 Alif Lām Mīm. The sending down of the Book, wherein is no doubt, from the Lord of the Worlds. It has been said that when the Exalted Lord created the light of MuḤammad's innate disposition, He kept it in the Presence of His exaltedness as long as He wanted. It remained before God one hundred thousand years. It has also been said that for two thousand years He was gazing on it 70,000 times a day, and with each gaze He would drape it with a new light and a new generosity. He kept the light of this disposition in His Presence for thousands of years, and each day He would look upon it with the attribute of favor. With each gaze it would gain another secret and mystery, another caress and gentleness, another knowledge and understanding. In those gazes, the secret core of his disposition was told that the level of the Qur'an's exalted- ness would preserve the level of his sinlessness, and this awareness became firmly rooted in his disposition. When his very clay along with the secret core of his disposition was brought into this world, the revelation sent down from the Exalted Threshold turned toward him. He was saying, “I hope that this is the realization of the promise given to me at that time.” In order to soothe his heart and confirm this thought, the Lord of the Worlds sent down this verse: “Alif Lām Mīm.” Alif alludes to God, Lām alludes to Gabriel, and Mīm alludes to MuḤammad. He is saying, “By My divinity, Gabriel's holiness, and your splendor, O MuḤammad, this revelation is the Qur'an that We promised would be the keeper of your prophecy's level and the miracle of your good fortune. “Wherein is no doubt, from the Lord of the Worlds. There is no doubt that it is Our missive to Our servants, Our address to Our friends. In every corner We have someone burning in hope of seeing Us, in every nook someone distracted, his heart tied to Our love and his tongue busy with Our mention and remembrance. The poor are needy for Our threshold, the yearners anxious for Our vision.” In every city You have bondsmen and servants, the whole world is full of Your familiars. Who indeed am I, what service can I render? You have plenty of the burnt in the world.

📘 Who made beautiful everything that He created and who began the creation of man from clay. There was a pir among the great ones of the Tariqah who recited this verse and then was saying, “He created man from clay, but He loves them, and they love Him [5:54]. He created man from clay, but God approves of them, and they approve of Him [9:100]. He created man from clay, but remember Me; I will remember you [2:152].” What harm was done to this pearl of honor that his makeup is of clay? For his perfection is placed in the heart. His worth is because of nurture, not dust. His eminence is from the gentleness of the divine eternity, not walking on the feet of servanthood. The Real created the whole cosmos-spheres and angels, Throne and Footstool, Tablet and Pen, paradise and hell, heaven and earth-and He did not look at any of these created things with the gaze of affection and love. He sent them no messengers and gave them no messages. When the turn of the dust-dwellers arrived-those lifted up by gentleness and caressed by bounty, those who are the quarries of the lights of the secrets-He made the angels their watchers, He placed burning and affection in their breasts, He threw the fire of passion into their hearts, and He wrote the inscription of faith on the pages of their hearts: He wrote faith in their hearts [58:22]. He in- scribed love in their minds: He loves them, and they love Him [5:54]. The secret He has with the Adamites He does not have with the Throne or the Footstool, nor with the heavens or the angels, for all of them are servants, and the Adamites are both servants and friends: We are your friends in this world's life and in the next world [41:31].