The Ta-Sin of Before Endless-Time and Equivocation
(for he who understands, in the understanding of the understanding relative to public
discourse as to what is legitimate in regard to intentions.)
The Master Abu’l-Mughith, may Allah be merciful to him, said: ‘There is no
established mission except that of Iblis and Muhammad, peace be on him, only Iblis fell
from the Essence while Muhammad perceived the Essence of the Essence.’
It was said to Iblis: ‘Prostrate yourself!’ and to Muhammad -
‘Look!’ But Iblis did not prostrate himself, and Muhammad did not look, he did
not turn to the right or the left, ‘his eye swerved nor, nor swept astray.’
As for Iblis, having announced his mission, he did not return to his first power.
And when Muhammad announced his mission he returned to his power.
With this statement, ‘It is in You that I am transported and on You that I fling
myself,’ and also, ‘Oh You who turn the hearts’ and ‘I do not know how
to praise You as You should be praised.
Among the inhabitants of heaven there was no unitarian or worshipper like Iblis.
For Iblis there appeared the Divine Essence. He was prevented from even a blink of the
eye of awareness, and he began to worship the Adored One in ascetic isolation.
He was cursed when he reached the double isolation, and he was questioned when he
demanded the ultimate solitude.
Allah said to him: ‘Prostrate yourself!!’ He said: ‘Not before another
than You.’ He said to him: ‘Even if my curse falls on you?’ He said:
‘It will not punish me.’
‘My denial is to affirm your purity and my reason remains disordered in You. And
what is Adam compared to You and who am I, Iblis, to differentiate from You!’
He fell into the Sea of Majesty, he became blind, and said: ‘There is no path for
me to other-than-You. I am a humble lover.’ He said to him: ‘You have become
proud.’ He said: ‘If there was one glance between us, it would have been enough
to make me proud and imperious, but I am he who knew You in Before Endless-Time, "I
am better than Him" because I have served You for a longer time. No one, in the two
types of beings, knows You better than I do! There was an intention of Yours in me, and an
intention of mine in You, and both of them preceded Adam. If I prostrated before another
than You or if I did not prostrate it would be necessary me to return to my origin, since
You created me of fire, and fire returns to fire, according to an equilibrium and choice
which are Yours.
There is no distance from You for me, since I became certain that distance and nearness
are one.
For me, if I was left, your desertion would be my companion, so how much more are
desertion and love truly one!
Glory to You in Your Providence and in the Essence of your Inaccessibility for the pious
worshipper who does not prostrate before any other than You.’
Musa met Iblis on the slope of Sinai and said to him: ‘Oh Iblis, what prevented you
from prostrating?’ He said: ‘That which prevented me was my declaration of a
Unique Beloved, and if I had prostrated I would have become like you, because you were
only called upon once to ‘look at the mountain’ and you looked. As for me, I was
called upon a thousand times to prostrate myself to Adam and I did not prostrate myself
because I stood by the Intention of my Declaration.
Sayedina Musa said: ‘You abandoned a Command?’ Iblis said: ‘It was a
test. Not a command.’ Sayedina Musa said: ‘Without sin? But your face was
deformed.’ Iblis replied: ‘Oh Musa, that is but the ambiguity of appearances,
while the spiritual state does not rely on it and does not change. Gnosis remains true
even as it was at the beginning and does not change even if the individual changes.’
Sayedina Musa said: ‘Do you remember Him now?’ ‘Oh Musa, pure mind does
not have need of memory - by it I am remembered and He is remembered. His remembrance is
my remembrance, and my remembrance is His remembrance. How, when remembering ourselves,
can we two be other than one? My service is now purer, my time more pleasant, my
remembrance more glorious, because I served Him in the absolute for my good fortune, and
now I serve Him for Himself.’
‘I lifted greed from everything which prevents or defends for the sake of loss as
well as gain. He isolated me, made me ecstatic, confused me, expelled me, so that I would
no mix with the saints. He put me far from others because of my jealous for Him alone. He
deformed me, because He amazed me, and amazed me because He banished me. He banished me
because I was a servant and put me in a forbidden state because of my companionship. He
showed my lack of worth because I praised His Glory. He reduced me to a simple robe of
ihram because if my hijya. He left me because of my union, He unified me because he cut me
off. He cut me off because He had prevented my desire.
By His Truth I was not in error in respect to His decree, I did not refuse destiny. I
did not care at all about the deformation of my face. I kept my equilibrium throughout
these sentences.
If He punishes me with His fire for all of eternity I would not prostrate myself before
anyone, and I would not abase myself before any person or body because I do not recognize
any opposite with Him! My Declaration is that of the Sincere and I am one of those sincere
in love.'
Al-Hallaj said: ‘There are various theories regarding the spiritual states of
Azazyl (Iblis before his fall). One said that he was charged with a mission in heaven, and
with a mission on earth. In heaven he preached to the Angels showing them good works, and
on earth preaching to men and jinn showing them evil deeds.
Because one does not recognize things except by their opposites, as with fine white silk
which can only be woven using black fabric behind it - so the Angel could show good
actions and say symbolically "If you do these you will be rewarded." But he who
did not know evil before cannot recognize good.’
The Master Abu ‘Umar Al-Hallaj said: ‘I deliberated with Iblis and Pharon on
the honor of the generous. Iblis said: "If I had prostrated myself I would have lost
my name of honor." Pharon said: "If I had believed in this Messenger I would
have fallen from my rank of honor."
I said: "If I had disavowd my teaching and my speech, I would have fallen from the
hall of honor.
When Iblis said: "I am better than him," then he could not see anyone other
than himself. When Pharon said "I know not that you have other Divinity than
me," he did not recognize that any of his people could distinguish between the true
and the false.
And I said: "If you do not know Him, then know His signs, I am His sign (tajalli)
and I am the Truth! And this is because I have not ceased to realize the Truth!"
My companion is Iblis and my teacher is Pharon, Iblis was threatened with
the fire and did not retract his allegation. Pharon was drowned in the Red
Sea without retracting his allegation or recognizing any mediator. But he
said: "I believe that there is no Divinity but He in whom the tribe of
Israel believe, " and don’t you see that Allah opposed Jibril in
His glory? He said: "Why did you fill your mouth with sand?"
And I was killed, crucified, my hands and feet cut off without retracting my assertion.
The name of Iblis was derived from his first name, Azazyl in which were changed: the
‘ayn representing the amplitude of his endeavor, the zay, representing the growing
frequency of his visits, the alif - his way in His rank, the second zay - his asceticism
in His rank, and the ya - his wandering walk to his agony, and lam - his obstinacy in his
pain.
He said to him: "You do not prostrate, oh contemptible one!" He said,
"Say rather - lover, for a lover is despised, so you call me despicable. I have read
in a Manifest Book, oh All-Powerful and Steadfast, that this would happen to me. So how
could I lower myself before Adam when you created him of earth and me from fire? These two
opposites cannot agree. And I have served you longer, and have a greater virtue and a
vaster knowledge and a more perfect activity.
Allah, may He be praised, said to him: "The choice is mine, not yours." He
said: "All choices and my choice itself are yours, because You had already chosen for
me, oh Creator, If you prevented me from prostrating before him You were the cause of the
prevention. If I err in speech You do not leave me because You are the All-Hearing. If You
had willed that I prostrate before him, I would have been obedient. I do not know anyone
among the Wise who knows you better than I do."
Do not blame me, the idea of censure is distant from me, reward me then, my master, for
I am alone.
If, in being a promise, Your promise is truly the Truth in principle, the principle of my
vocation is strong indeed.
He who wishes to write this declaration of mine, read it, and know that I am a martyr!
Oh my brother! He was called Azazyl because he was dismissed, dismissed from his
primitive purity. He did not return from his origin to his end, because he did not go out
from his end, he left, cursed from his origin.
His attempt to go out miscarried because of the fixity of his kindling. He found himself
between the fire of his resting place and the light of his high position.
The source on the plain is a low-lying lake. He was tormented by thirst in the place
where there was abundance. He cried his pain because the fire burned him, and his fear was
nothing but simulation and his blindness is vanity and - here he is!
Oh my brother! If you have understood, you have considered the narrow pass in its very
narrowness and you have represented the imagination to yourself in its very unreality, and
you have returned distressed and full of anxiety.
The most alert of the Knowers remained silent on Iblis and the gnostics did not have the
strength to explain that which they had learned. Iblis was stronger that them in adoration
and nearer than them to the Presence of the Essence. He exerted himself more and was more
loyal to the covenant and was closer to them than the Adored.
The other Angels prostrated before Adam for support, and Iblis refused, because he had
been in contemplation for a long time already.
But his case became confused and his thought went astray, so he said: "I am better
than him." He remained in the veil and did not value the dust, and brought damnation
on himself for the After-Endless-Time of After-Endless-Time.