An important part of the above discussion was regarding the identification of the practical source of Wilayat “Al-Wilayah lima Hiya”. It is so. because this recognition guides man to reach the lofty position of Wilayat and prepares grounds for becoming the Wali of Allah. In this regard, it was mentioned that if such an act is performed with the intention of seeking divine proximity, which is having the personal capacity of proximity and while performing it, beauty of action and active beauty is observed; man would be able to get the lofty position of divine Wilayat.

In this way, it is also explained that divine recognition is among the obligatory acts and its secret is that man is having two aspects: He is the bearer of visual reason and practical reason as well. Through visual reason, he can recognize the correctness and incorrectness of matters and he does that which he has to do through visual reason. And he refrains from that which he should not do. The perfection of visual reason is compared to identification of the Godhead and perfection of practical reason is a sincere act for the Almighty Allah. Therefore, these two issues are considered as obligations of Wilayat.

Origin Of Divine Recognition

Although we should be attentive to the matter that these two things are not in opposition to each other; on the contrary, if recognition is root, sincerity is its branch, because it is not possible for sincerity to be created without recognition.

Thus, the effect of recognition is permanent and the effect of sincerity ends with death, because when man passes away from this world, the chain of actions with all its aspects is severed along with sincerity; but after that recognition flourishes even though the fruit of acts and result of sincerity also endures forever.

Self-Sufficiency - Source Of Wilayat

In any case, for a man to be Wali of Allah, it is necessary that his inside should be full of recognition and sincerity. So that he should become an expression of the title of self-sufficient. And then he should manifest in the word of Wali, which is one of the beautiful names of the Almighty Allah, because the source of divine Wilayat is Self-sufficiency of Almighty Allah; and since Allah, the Mighty and the High is Self-sufficient, the Wali is also same.

The meaning of self-sufficient is a being that is not empty and hollow from inside. On the contrary, its inside is full. Those who become an expression of the self-sufficient God, the Holy Qur’an calls them by the name of ‘those having understanding’ whereas those who are opposed to them are below understanding; regarding whom the Holy Qur’an says:

“Their hearts are vacant” (14:43).

Some people become vacant, because Shaitan creates domination in their view and recognition, as well as in their action. Therefore, neither their acts are sincere nor their thoughts and recognition are rational and evidential. As a result of this, neither are they an expression of self-sufficiency, nor in knowledge. Those whose doubts have not interfered in recognition and thoughts, and have not rendered them hollow, from the aspect of recognition; they are ‘full of understanding’.

Therefore, they are sincere (Mukhlis) in acts. In other words, in the two aspects of knowledge and acts they become the expression of self-sufficiency. And since knowledge and acts are two aspects of a perfect soul therefore, their soul becomes an expression of self-sufficiency. And the soul as much as it is an expression of self-sufficiency as much it can be an expression of Wali.

Stages Of Self-Sufficiency Of Man

On some occasions, man is in such stages of being self-sufficient that he only has to preserve his act from the access of Shaitan. Wilayat of such a person is only on his own Self. On some occasions, it is a higher stage. In which, not only one has to protect the sanctuary of his heart, on the contrary, he has guarded his recognition and sincerity and he has to drive away the Satans from the horizon like a shooting star.

The boundaries of Wilayat of such a person are also wider. Higher than this is the position of the perfect man; who is the perfect expression of Self-sufficiency of Almighty Allah; and as a result of that he takes over the control of universe.

Obstacles Of Self-Sufficiency In The Stages Of Recognition

In the aspect of recognition only that person can become an expression of self-sufficiency who removes internal and external obstacles from his path. Internal and external obstacles imply doubts and conjectures. It is necessary' that intellect should be safe even from their least effect, in such a way that on the occasion of reasoning, doubts and conjectures should only procure the prefaces and hand them over to reason; but to arrange the prefaces and to derive conclusion from them should be in care of reason, because as much doubts and conjectures interfere in the function of reason as much away from reality would the conclusion be.

Therefore, man will not be an expression of self-sufficiency. The weakness of conjecture is that it accepts the prefaces, but does not accept the conclusion. Fear from loneliness and darkness is from this aspect only, because if someone is asked: Are doors and walls or book or other needs of life harmful to man? He would reply in the negative; but he is frightened if he is alone in a room.

The source of that fear is only doubt, which is present in the prefaces. This is the doubt, which at the time of deriving the conclusion interferes in the function of reason. External obstacles are also Satans; who with the cooperation of internal foes, through misunderstandings and doubts become obstacles in perceiving the realities. It is said in the blessed Surah al-An’am regarding the style of thinking of the idolaters:

“Most surely the Shaitans suggest to their friends that they should contend with you; and if you obey them, you shall most surely be polytheists” (6:121).

Therefore, those idolaters who have come forward to dispute with Qur’an the conclusion of their thoughts is a suggestion of Satan. Revelation is implied to be internal secret perception, which sometimes becomes apparent in intellectual issues in the form of act and sometimes it appears in practical issues in the form of intention.

Obstacles Of Self-Sufficiency In The Stage Of Action

From the aspect of actions as well that same man can become an expression of self-sufficiency and finally become an expression of Wali, who may remove those obstacles from his way, which are faced in achieving Wilayat. Verbal evil and active evil are both considered to be obstacles of the path. The performance of every act is an obstruction in the way of Wilayat, which itself is cause of remoteness and if it is Muqarrib (one who makes proximate) the doer performs it for other than God.

Such an act not only fails to convey man to the destination of Wilayat, on the contrary, it snares him in the trap of enmity of truth, because man cannot be outside two conditions: either he is the Wali of Allah or enemy of Allah. And if he is not in any stage of divine Wilayat, the enmity of Allah would apprehend him.

Immediate Recompense Of Deeds

In Surah al-Mutaffifin, the Holy Qur’an has considered sin an obstacle in the witnessing of truth and has warned that it is not that sins should be written down in a register and then in near or far future should be cause of punishment for man; on the contrary, punishment of sin is immediate. Not only this Verse; on the contrary, all the Verses, which regard recompense as equal to the act, are not restricted to the world of hereafter and Hell, even though there are some Verses, which mention Hell, but neither does the context restrict this nor the subject and topic.

It is a basic principle that the Almighty Allah gives recompense and there is no recompense without deed. Therefore, this recompense and punishment begins with the act. The Holy Qur’an says:

“When Our communications are recited to him, he says: Stories of those of yore” (83:13).

That is: When the divine Verses are recited before a person, who is a denier of Judgment Day, he says that they are stories of ancient people. The Holy Qur’an replies: These are definitely not fiction, on the contrary, they are divine wisdoms and the deficiency is in one who does not understand and the cause of this short-sightedness is the rust that has made the surface of his heart black, because of sins.

“Nay! Rather, what they used to do has become like rust upon their hearts” (83:14).

The meaning of the Verse is that the heart, which I had bestowed to him was clear like a mirror; if this had not destroyed it and made it black; the secrets of the universe would have been reflected in it; but he made that mirror dark and black through sins; like piety brings clarity and transparency for the mirror of the heart.

“If you are careful of (your duty to) Allah, He will grant you a distinction (between truth and falsehood)” (8:29).

Sin is also rust for the heart and an obstacle in recognition of divine effulgence and this is the immediate punishment from the Almighty Allah.

Although sins are of different types; it is possible that an act may be itself be disobedience, like backbiting and lying. It is also possible that an act may not be disobedience in itself, but the doer may perform it for someone other than Allah: like ostentatious prayer; both are different forms of rust and that which is filled with rust will be empty of truth and as a result such a person will enter that group.

“Their hearts are vacant” (14:43).

Now, when the heart of someone becomes vacant, he would never be a Wali and an expression of self-sufficiency, therefore, the Shaitan would take him in his Wilayat. It is also possible that he might remain under the Wilayat of Shaitan for a long period of time and be unaware of it. it is said as follows in the blessed Surah Muhammad:

“Do they not then reflect on the Qur’an? Nay, on the hearts there are locks” (47:24).

This shows that sometimes the hearts get locked; the lock of heart is sins only; which does not allow divine recognition to enter it. As a result of this such a heart becomes the playground of doubt, conjecture, misunderstanding and false thoughts.

If he departs from this temporal abode in this condition, on Judgment Day he would be raised empty heart and poor, because on one side the real face should become clear, which has in that world of nature gathered the conjectures and doubts, because it would be the world of appearance of realities and on that day he would understand that he had attached himself to a mirage in the world and remained thoughtless and deprived of the sweet bubbling spring of recognition and on the other hand, Judgment Day is also not a place of obtaining knowledge and recognition where the ignorant may make an effort to obtain perfection.

Finality Of Proof

Another point worthy of attention is that it is said: The realizations of Qur’an are presented on the hearts of those sinners, but they do not accept them. From the point of view of cognition and awareness, man is having many capacities of perception, as from the aspect of acts also many inclinations are found in it him. Perception, doubt, thought and intellect are related to the perceptive powers of man. Whereas sensuality, love, intention, devotion (Tawalla), anger, enmity, detestability and aloofness (Tabarra) are related to practical wisdom and these sentiments are considered to be the motivating powers. These powers of understanding and motivation are present in man. The Almighty Allah says: Like We cause water to flow under the ground, and create subterranean springs in their hearts also We create knowledges and cognition, but their no power of understanding and motivation accepts them. It is mentioned in the 11th to 13th Verse of Surah al-Hijr that:

“And there never came an apostle to them but they mocked him” (15:11).

“Thus, do We make it to enter into the hearts of the guilty” (15:12).

“They do not believe in it, and indeed the example of the former people has already passed” (15:13).

The terms of ‘salaka’ and ‘aslaka’ mean the same. When thread is inserted into a needle you would say: ‘aslakta’ or ‘salakta’. That is: I inserted the thread in the eye of the needle. This word in the Holy Qur’an is used for subterranean water. He says:

“Then makes it go along in the earth in springs” (39:21).

He brought down water to the earth through rain. Then ordered the earth to swallow this water; then he guided the water that should descend so that it should permeate the nooks and corners so that streams should be formed in some places below the earth, in some places, springs gush forth and, in some wells, come into being.

In the same way, Qur’anic cognition, which is the nectar of life, in order to make it to flow in the land of the life of human beings, which are their hearts, the same simile, is mentioned. It is said: We made to flow the nectar of life towards that land of the hearts of the people. The hearts, which are soft, accept it at once, but some hearts are hard like rocks and they do not absorb anything; they do not accept it.

“Thus, do We make it to enter into the hearts of the guilty” (15:13).

In short, he says that We took our signs into their hearts. We presented the divine cognitions to them in such a way that we conveyed it like a thread to each nook and corner of understanding and motivation, but despite truth becoming clear, they did not accept it. Thus, their destruction was after the finality of proof.

“That he who would perish might perish by clear proof” (8:42).

Although it is mentioned in some Verses that divine signs were only recited for them, but the secret of this comparison is that since there was no use of reasoning with them, the divine signs only passed through their ears. Otherwise, the established principle of Qur’an is that the proof of God is complete and proof is complete only when divine signs are presented to the heart. Man should understand and proof should be complete for him. In that case, if he does not accept, he would be involved in divine punishment. This destruction would be there after completion of proof.

“They do not believe in it, and indeed the example of the former people has already passed” (15:13).

The meaning of this Verse is that it was not only their practice, on the contrary, it has been the style of all deviated people; that when divine prophets presented the signs of Almighty Allah, they didn’t accept; they turned away from them.

This same thing is mentioned in the blessed Surah ash-Shu’ara in the following way:

“And if we had revealed it to any of the foreigners” (26:198).

“So that he should have recited it to them, they would not have believed therein” (26:199).

“Thus, have We caused it to enter into the hearts of the guilty” (26:200).

“They will not believe in it until they see the painful punishment” (26:201).

That is: if Qur’an had been in non-Arabic language and the Prophet had been non-Arab and had obtained the Book from Almighty Allah and recited it before Arabs, their Arabic ego would have demanded them not to accept it; but now, there is no excuse for them. Now, when the Book is in their language and We have presented its lofty meanings and cognition to each nook of their perception and motivation, and none of them has accepted it, the heart, which is as hard as stone, letters do not affect it, except that they should witness the painful chastisement of Almighty Allah.

"…Until they see the painful punishment” (26:201).

Remembrance Of Judgment Day Saves From Sins

A factor, which saves man from sin and conveys him to the stage of sincerity, is the remembrance of resurrection (Maad). The Almighty Allah says that We bestowed a reward to Ibrahim and progeny of Ibrahim and it is that:

“Surely We purified them by a pure quality…” (38:46).

That reward was that We deemed them to be from the sincere; and then He explains the reason for bestowing this position to them:

“…By a pure quality…” (38:46).

As they were bearers of a distinction and incomparable quality; that is why We conveyed them to this position; and it was like:

“…The keeping in mind of the (final) abode” (38:46).

Arabic word of ‘Daar’ means house. If this word is used in the absolute sense, it does not imply the world; because if ‘daar’ is made to especially imply the world, it is brought as an adjective of the world and it is said: ‘Daar ad-duniya’. Like if one wants to say: Musafirkhana (inn house), he will not say only ‘khana’ (house), he will say: Musafirkhana, but if someone wants to mention his real house, he will only say: ‘khana’ (house). The Holy Qur’an also mentions the hereafter as ‘daar’, but it mentions the world as ‘daar ad-duniya’ this shows that the real and permanent house is in the hereafter and the world is not more than a passage.

In short, He says: Since they were in remembrance of the house and they had trained their sight on Qiyamat, that is why We chose them and conveyed them to the position of sincere ones.

The conclusion of the discussion is that sin is a veil for the insight of man and it does not allow man to see the path of truth and its secrets. The way of truth is very clear; there is no doubt and complication. Whoever acts on it; that whatever he knows, it would become clear on him to some extent that which he does not know.

“One who acts according to that which he knows; it suffices for that which he does not know1”.

If someone wants to at least, become Wali of Allah during his lifetime and save himself from the Wilayat of Shaitan, he has no option except that at least he should be an expression of self- sufficiency in the weak juris diet ion of his life.

And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

• 1. Thawab al-Amal, Pg. 161.