The Seventeenth Flash

Indeed, the spoils, victory, and honour gained by a battalion that has conquered a fortress cannot be claimed by its lieutenant alone.

Likewise, a spiritual master and guide should not be regarded as the source of the blessings and benefits that reach his followers through him. Rather, he should be regarded as a mirror in which the blessings and benefits coming from Allah are reflected.

Consider, for example, a mirror through which we receive the light and warmth of the sun. It would be sheer foolishness to regard the mirror as the source of that light and warmth, forget the sun, and direct all our gratitude toward the mirror.

This does not mean, however, that the mirror should be disregarded, for it is the means through which those beauties reach us.

Similarly, the heart and soul of a spiritual guide serve as a mirror. He reflects the blessings that come from Allah and acts as an intermediary through whom those blessings reach his students. It is therefore not appropriate to assign him a rank beyond that of an intermediary.

Sometimes it even happens that a master who is regarded as the source is, in reality, neither the source nor even the true intermediary.

Because of his sincere devotion, his strong attachment to his master, and his favourable opinion of him, a student may suppose that blessings reaching him from elsewhere are coming through the spiritual mirror of his master.

During hypnosis, for example, some people remain intensely focused upon a mirror, and as a result a window opens in their imagination onto another world. They then perceive many remarkable scenes in that mirror. Yet what they see does not actually exist within the mirror. Rather, through their concentration upon it, a window opens elsewhere in their imagination, and through that window they perceive those scenes.

Likewise, it sometimes happens that a sincere student of an imperfect shaykhA title of respect for an Islamic scholar, religious teacher, or spiritual guide, particularly one recognised for his knowledge, wisdom, and religious authority. may be more perfect than his shaykhA title of respect for an Islamic scholar, religious teacher, or spiritual guide, particularly one recognised for his knowledge, wisdom, and religious authority.. Such a student may even guide his own shaykhA title of respect for an Islamic scholar, religious teacher, or spiritual guide, particularly one recognised for his knowledge, wisdom, and religious authority. and thus become, in a sense, the shaykhA title of respect for an Islamic scholar, religious teacher, or spiritual guide, particularly one recognised for his knowledge, wisdom, and religious authority. of his shaykhA title of respect for an Islamic scholar, religious teacher, or spiritual guide, particularly one recognised for his knowledge, wisdom, and religious authority..

The Fourteenth Note

It consists of four brief signs concerning the unity of Allah.

The First Sign

O human being who attaches such importance to causes!

Suppose you saw a magnificent palace being built from rare jewels, some of which are found only in China, others only in Andalusia, others only in Yemen, and still others only in Siberia. And suppose you observed that, during its construction, all those jewels were summoned and brought together in a single day from those various regions—from north, south, east, and west.