According to the author
of Sufism - A Short Introduction, "When Sufis say that God’s love
for creation gives existence to the universe, they quickly add that the corresponding
human love for God closes the gap between God and His creatures. Human love makes itself
known in sincerity of devotion to the One God. The greater the love, the greater the
degree of participation in the divine image, and the greater the degree of human
perfection. Hence, ‘love’ is often taken as a synonym for doing the
beautiful." Contrary to the author’s contention, human love for God cannot close
"the gap between God and His creatures" because, in truth, no such gap exists
except in the mind and heart of someone who has veiled herself or himself from the
presence of Divinity within all of Creation.
Many Muslims use the term
"kufr" to refer to someone who does not accept, and live in accordance with, the
pillars of Islam. However, one of the root meanings of "kufr" involves any
hiding or covering of the truth.
While the Pillars may be
one facet of the truth, the fact of the matter is, ‘truth’ both envelops, as
well as extends far beyond, these Pillars. Indeed, from the perspective of the Sufi
shaykhs, anyone who hides from himself or herself the truth of the Presence of Divinity
within and around that individual is "kufr’ in the most fundamental of senses.
Love is not something one
can achieve - that is, love cannot flow from humans to Divinity until love has first
flowed from Divinity to human beings. As the Qur’an indicates: "He (God) loves
them, and they love Him" (5:54)
Love is a gift of God
that flows to an individual. If the individual is open to, as well as ready for, this
gift, then, such love flows through that individual and is re-directed along one, or
another, pathway toward the destination of such love - whether this destination be another
creature (i.e., locus of manifestation) or back toward the Source from which this flow
arose initially.
In the quote given a half
dozen, or so, paragraphs ago, the author indicates that: "human love makes itself
known in sincerity of devotion to the One God. The greater the love, the greater the
degree of participation in the divine image, and the greater the degree of human
perfection."
In truth, and as
indicated above, real love (as opposed to sexual excitement and/or emotionalism) is never
‘human’ per se. Instead, a human being falls into the stream of love and is
swept along by its currents.
In the process, we become
a locus of manifestation through which love is given expression. We become, willingly or
unwillingly, a medium of transmission for the quality of love in the service of tawhid.
Although love may be
manifested through sincerity, sincerity can be present in the absence of love. In fact,
sincerity is, in some ways, a necessary precursor for an individual’s spiritual
‘readiness’ for being open to love, if and when, the latter arrives. The quality
of sincerity is like fertile ground that is capable of receiving a seed - in this case
love - and helping to provide the sort of conditions in which the seed, if God wishes,
will germinate, take root, and flourish.
When love descends upon
an individual, the love tends to dye everything in the individual with the colors of that
love. This is not so much a matter of human perfection (as the author argues), as it is a
matter of the re-formatting of all that is not consonant with the presence of such love.
God alone is perfect.
However, when the various dimensions of spiritual potential, or ‘fitra’, within
a human being have been properly calibrated and are operating according to
‘specifications’, so to speak, then, such potential can serve the principle of
tawhid which ties ‘Hidden Treasure’, love, knowledge, Creation, and Divine
purpose together, and this service will give expression to the full extent of the capacity
inherent in that individual’s spiritual potential.
Having one’s
spiritual potential operating to maximum capacity is not necessarily a matter of
perfection. Rather, this is what constitutes being an ‘abd, or servant, of God, since
such an individual is fulfilling the purpose for which human beings were created - namely,
as indicated in the Qur’an: "I have not created man nor jinn except that they
might worship Me" (51:56-57), and a human being can only properly worship Divinity
when this worship is manifested through a fully realized ‘fitra’, or primordial,
spiritual potential.
Human beings might never
achieve perfection, but they can fulfill, God willing, the purpose for which they were
created. Human beings may never achieve perfection, but the Divine Plan in which they
participate, willingly or unwillingly, is perfect, and we either fulfill the purpose of
our creation within the context of that Plan, or we do not.
The Plan does not become
more perfect when we realize the purpose of our individual existence. Nor does the Plan
become less perfect if we do not realize this purpose.
The Plan is perfectly
conceived and perfectly executed in and of Itself. The ‘space’ between the two
terminal points of ‘initial Desire’ and ‘Divine execution’ is a
‘time of opportunity’ which we either do, or do not, take advantage of in
relation to our capacity to do so.
According to the author
of Sufism - A Short Introduction: " ‘love’ is often taken as
a synonym for doing the beautiful." Even if one were to agree with this statement,
nevertheless, since God is the Source of all love, then, clearly, the one who is doing the
beautiful is none other than Divinity.
One who, by the grace of
God, has realized the full capacity of ‘fitra’ does not so much ‘do the
beautiful’ as much as he or she permits (in the sense of not resisting) the beautiful
to be done through them. This sort of individual serves as a locus of manifestation
through which Divine beauty can be given expression.
As important as love is,
however, one makes a mistake when one supposes, as the author does, that ‘doing the
beautiful’ can be reduced to just the dimension of love. In a Hadith, the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) speaks of there being 300 Attributes of Divinity, and the
Qur’an speaks of 99 Divine Names.
The 300 Attributes and
the 99 Names do not exhaust Divinity but are merely what has been disclosed by Divinity
through, respectively, the Prophet and the Qur’an. Divinity is infinite, and, as
such, constitutes a Plenitude which is without beginning and without end in every
qualitative direction.
The nature of the Divine
Niyat, Intention, or Purpose which brought forth Creation is, in a fundamental sense,
shrouded in mystery. In other words, although we may understand, in general
terms, what the original Divine Niyat involved (i.e., the bringing forth of Creation so
that the Divine ‘loving to be known’ in relation to the ‘Hidden
Treasure’ could be actualized), we do not know what any of this entails in detail.
At a minimum, some 300
Attributes and 99 Names inherent in the ‘Hidden Treasure’ are involved, for if
they were not involved, we wouldn’t have been informed about them, even in general
terms, by either, respectively, the Prophet or the Qur’an. Furthermore, there well
could be additional Attributes and Names beyond the foregoing which are part of what is to
be known in relation to the ‘Hidden Treasure’ but which have not been disclosed
in any form that is readily accessible by the generality of humanity.
Love is but one facet of
whatever dimensions of the ‘Hidden Treasure’ Divinity wishes to be known. Love
is but one of the jewels of the ‘Hidden Treasure’.
Yet, notwithstanding the
beauty of love, the Qur’an relates: "To God belong the most beautiful
Names" (7:180). Therefore, ‘doing the beautiful’ can be done through any of
these Names, and not just through the quality of love.
Consequently, as great as
love is, one would do a grave disservice to the incomprehensible richness, depth,
sublimity, and subtlety of the ‘Hidden Treasure’ if one were to attempt to
reduce the latter to the former. In fact, the qualitative magnitude of the ‘Hidden
Treasure’ is beyond measure.
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