The Sixth: Some of those who embark on spiritual journeying fall into an abyss by confusing the shades and shadows and partial samples of the stations of sainthood with its fundamental, universal stations. As is proved clearly in the Second Branch of the Twenty-Fourth Word and in others of the Words, the sun becomes numerous by means of mirrors and thousands of its similitudes possess light and heat like the sun itself, despite their paltriness in relation to the actual sun. In exactly the same way, the stations of the prophets and the great saints possess shades and shadows. Those who journey with the spirit enter these, and see themselves  as greater  than those  great saints, or even to have advanced further than the prophets, and so fall into an abyss. However,  the  way  to  avoid  this  is  to  always  take  the  principles  of  belief  and fundamentals   of  the  Shari‘a  as  one’s  basis  and  guide,  and  to  look  on  one’s illuminations and visions as opposed to them.

The Seventh: Some of the people of illumination and ecstasy fall into an abyss in their spiritual journeyings by preferring pride, complaint, ecstatic utterances, public regard,  and  being  referred  to,  to  offering  thanks  and  supplication,  beseeching Almighty God, and self-sufficiency. Whereas the highest degree is Muhammadan worship,  which  is  termed  “belovedness.”  The  basis  and  essence  of  worship  is to manifest the perfection of that reality b y supplicating and beseeching Almighty God, showing deep humility before Him, offering thanks, and through impotence and want, and by displaying self-sufficiency in the face of others. Some of the great saints have involuntarily and temporarily become proud and made complaints and ecstatic utterances,  but  they  should  not  be  followed  voluntarily  on  such  points;  they  are rightly-guided but not the guide; their way may not be taken!

The Eighth Abyss: Some of those who journey spiritually are self-centred and precipitate and want to consume in this world the fruits of sainthood, which will be given in the hereafter; they fall into an abyss by seeking them on their spiritual journeyings. But, as such verses as,

“The life of this world is but goods and chattels”(3:185)

proclaim, and as is proved decisively in many of the Words, a single fruit in the realm of eternity is superior to a thousand gardens in this fleeting world. For this reason, those blessed fruits should not be consumed here.