The first step is Religion (SharÎat). When the disciple has fully paid the demand of Religion, and aspires to go beyond, the Path (TarÎqat) appears before him. It is the way to the Heart. When he has fully observed the conditions of the Path, and aspires to soar higher, the veils of the Heart are rent, and Truth (HaqÎqat) shines therein. It is the way to the Soul, and the Goal of the Seeker. Broadly speaking, there are four stages: NÂsÛt, MalakÛt, JabarÛt and LÂhÛt, each Religion is for the desire-nature; the Path, for the heart; Truth for the Soul. Religion leads the desire-nature from NÂsÛt to MalakÛt, and transmutes it into Heart. The Path leads the Heart from MalakÛt to JabarÛt, and transmutes it into Soul. Truth leads the Soul from JabarÛt to the Divine Sanctuary. The real work is to transmute the desire-nature into Heart, the Heart into Soul, and to unify the three into one. "The Lover, the Beloved and Love are essentially ONE." This is absolute monotheism.... "The motive of the faithful is superior to their acts." Acts by themselves are of no value: the importance lies in the heart. It is said that the traveller on the divine Path has three states: (1) Action. One who wishes to arrive at the Truth must serve a Teacher. No one can transcend the bondage and darkness of desires unless he, with the help of the Divine Grace, comes under the protection of a perfect and experienced Teacher. As the Teacher knows, He will teach the disciple according to his capacity, and will prescribe remedies suited to his ailments, so that "There is no God except AllÂh" be firmly established in his nature, and the ingress of the evil spirits be cut off from his heart. All the world seeks to tread the Divine Path. But each knows according to his inner purity, each seeks and aspires according to his knowledge, and each treads the Path according to his seeking and aspiration.—Letters 56 & 57. [The following extracts from "A Series of 28 Letters" may throw further light on the subject. It is not permitted to give out the knowledge gained through [supersensuous] vision. This much only can be recorded:— The objects of the senses constitute this world (Mulk); those cognised by intellect constitute the plane of MalakÛt; the potentialities of all beings constitute the plane of JabarÛt; ... In other words, this world is visible, the MalakÛt is supersensuous, the JabarÛt is super-supersensuous.... The subtlety of this world cannot bear comparison with that of MalakÛt, the subtlety of MalakÛt with that of JabarÛt, nor the subtlety of JabarÛt with that of the Holy Essence Divine. There is not an atom of this world but is permeated by MalakÛt; not an atom of MalakÛt but is permeated by JabarÛt; not an atom of this world, MalakÛt and JabarÛt but is permeated by God, and conscious of Him. Being the most subtile, He must permeate all—for the greater the subtlety, the greater the quality of permeation. Now you may understand the meaning of the verse: "God is with thee wherever thou art, and in thy very being, |