THIRD ALLUSION

Sainthood is a proof of divine Messengership (risalet); the Sufi path is a proof of the Shari'a. For the truths of belief which Messengership preaches, sainthood sees and confirms with a sort of direct vision with the heart and tasting with the spirit at the degree of the vision of certainty (aynelyakiii). Its confirmation is a certain proof of the veracity of Messengership. Through the experiential knowledge of the Sufi path and its unveilings, and through its benefits and effulgences, it is a clear proof of the truths and the matters which the Shari'a teaches; it demonstrates that they are the truth and that they come from the truth. Yes, just as sainthood and the Sufi path are evidence and proof of Messengership and the Shari'a, so they are a perfection of Islam and a means of attaining to its lights, and through Islam, a source of humanity's progress and moral enlightenment.

Although this vast mystery holds such impor­tance, certain deviant sects have tended to deny it. They have been deprived of those lights, and they have caused others to be deprived. The most regreta-ble thing is that making a pretext of abuses and faults they have seen committed by the followers of the Sufi path, some literalist Sunni scholars and some neglectful politicians who are also Sunnis are trying to close up that supreme treasury, indeed, to destroy it, and to dry up that source of Kawthar which distributes a sort of water of life. However, there are few things and ways and paths that are without fault and are good in every respect. They are bound to contain some faults and abuses. For if the uninitiated embark on something, they are sure to misuse it. But as with the accounting of deeds in the hereafter, Almighty God demonstrates His dominical justice through the weighing up of good deeds and bad deeds. That is to say, if good deeds preponderate and weigh heavier, He accepts them and grants reward; whereas if evil deeds preponder­ate, he punishes for them and rejects them. The bal­ancing of good and evil deeds looks to quality rather than quantity. It sometimes happens that a single good deed will weigh heavier than a thousand evils,and cause them to be forgiven. Divine justice judges thus and reality too considers it right. Thus, the evi­dence that the good deeds of the Sufi path - that is, paths within the bounds of the Prophet's (PBUH) practices - definitely preponderate over their evils is that those who follow them preserve their belief when attacked by the people of misguidance. A sin­cere ordinary follower of the Sufi path preserves himself better than a superficial, apparent Muslim with a modern, scientific background. Through the illumination of the Sufi path and the love of the saints, he saves his belief. If he commits grievous sins, he becomes a sinner, but not an unbeliever; he is not easily drawn into atheism. No power at all can refute the chain of shaykhs he accepts, with a strong love and firm belief, to be spiritual poles. And because no power can refute it, his confidence in them cannot be shaken. And so long as his confi­dence is not shaken, he will not accept atheism. In the face of the atheists' stratagems at the present time, it has become difficult for a person uncon­nected with the Sufi path, whose heart has not been brought to action, to preserve himself completely, even if he is a learned scholar.