In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.(17:44)

My Dear, Loyal, Curious Brother, Re’fet Bey!

You ask in your letter about the ten subtle faculties. It is not appropriate to give instruction in the Sufi way at present; there are in any case the works about them written by the learned shaykhs of the Naqshbandi Order. Our duty at the present time is to disclose mysteries, not to relate existent matters. Don’t be offended, I can’t give the details. I shall only say this much: Imam-i Rabbani defined the ten subtle faculties as the heart, spirit, inner heart (sirr), khafi, akhfa, and a faculty related to each of the four elements in man, and he  discussed  briefly the progress of one faculty in each stage of the spiritual journeying.

I myself observe that there are numerous subtle faculties in man’s comprehensive disposition  and   vital   potentialities,   of   which   ten   have   become   famous.   The philosophers and literalist scholars made those ten faculties the basis of their theories in  another  form, and called them the five external senses and five internal senses, these latter being the windows or samples of the ten faculties. In fact, man’s ten subtle faculties, which are well-known by both the learned and ordinary people, are related to the Sufis’ ten subtle  faculties. For example, if such faculties as the conscience, nerves, emotions, intellect, desires, power of animal appetites, and power of anger are added to the heart, spirit, and inner heart, the ten subtle faculties are shown in another way.  There  are  many  other  faculties  in  addition   to  these,  like  the  sense  of premonition, and various motive and appetitive powers. To  expound this question completely would be very lengthy, and as I have little time, I am compelled to cut it short.

As  for  your  second  question,  about  the  aspect  of  things  which  looks  to themselves, and the aspect which looks to their Maker (mânâ-yi ismî and mânâ-yi harfî), they are explained at the start of all books on Arabic grammar. Moreover, there are  ample  explanations  of  them,  together  with  comparisons,  in  the  works  of the science  of  reality  called  The  Words  and  Letters.  Further  discussion  would  be superfluous for someone  intelligent and exacting like yourself. If when you look at the mirror, you look at it for the glass, you will intentionally see the glass; Re’fet will strike the eye secondarily, indirectly. Whereas if your purpose is to look at the mirror in order to see your blessed face, you will intentionally see lovable Re’fet. You will exclaim: “So blessed be God, the Best of Creators!”(23:14) The glass of the mirror will strike your eye secondarily and indirectly.