Sometimes I wonder why a walk in nature can change my mood more quickly than hours of thinking.

A few minutes beneath a wide sky, beside flowing water, or among trees can soften something inside me. Problems that felt overwhelming suddenly seem smaller. My mind quiets, and I remember that nature has been teaching long before I learned how to listen.

A tree teaches patience. It grows slowly, stands through storms, and offers shade without asking for anything in return.

A river teaches trust. It keeps moving, adjusting to obstacles without abandoning its direction.

A mountain teaches steadiness. It does not seek attention. It simply stands where it is.

I also find wisdom in the seasons. Spring reminds me of renewal. Summer speaks of abundance. Autumn teaches release. Winter reminds me that rest has its own purpose.

I often want life to remain in one season—to keep growing, improving, and moving forward. Nature gently reminds me that change is not a failure. Growth, stillness, loss, and renewal all belong to life.

Even the wind teaches me something. I cannot see it, yet I know it is present by what it moves. Much of life is like that. The deepest changes often happen beneath the surface.

But I do not need to turn every natural moment into a message. Sometimes a sunset is simply beautiful. Sometimes sitting beneath a tree is enough.

The lesson is not to force meaning.

It is to become available to it.

When I slow down and pay attention, nature reminds me that I belong to something much larger than my plans and worries.

Sometimes all I need to do is step outside, breathe, and listen.

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In the name of Allah, the Merciful to all, the Compassionate to each!

91:1-15 (Translation)

By the sun and its morning glow! And by the moon as it follows it. By the day, when it burnishes it! And the night when it draws a veil over it, by the sky and how He built it. And the earth and Him Who extended it, by the self and how He formed it and inspired it to its rebellion and piety! He will indeed be successful who purifies it, and he will indeed fail who corrupts it. In their arrogant cruelty, the people of Thamud denied, when the most wicked among them rose. The messenger of Allah said to them, leave Allah’s camel to drink, but they called him a liar and slaughtered her, therefore their Lord crushed them for their misdeed and levelled them. And He fears not its consequence.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Commentary:

1-15 Life on earth is dependent on the sun and influenced by the stars, the moon, and the rotation of the earth, by the interplay between self and soul, by our opinions of what is good and bad and by the countless dualities that emanate from Unity. In the same way that the stars have emanated from one beginning they will return to one end. The self, as a reflection of the soul, is continuously in stress regarding the meaning of these things; the meaning lies within the soul itself, which is All-Knowing. When the self begins to yield to its Master, the inner soul, we experience unity, clarity, contentment, wellbeing, and the enlightened effulgence of realisation. We need to accept how the unseen and the seen connect and not reject the signs given to us to accept and yield to. Often human arrogance and vanity covers up those opportunities to awaken to the ever-present, unfathomable Truth of Allah.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Reflections:

Our short journey on earth reveals to us numerous experiences that will lead us to our origin and the infinite boundless heavens. The real challenge of the self, and a major challenge in our earthly life, is that part of the self is illumined and the rest is a deceptive shadow. It is due to our suffering and the grace of reflection that we will live as souls on earth.

Like all other dualities, the self-ego has two sides to it. One is to be groomed, allowing the soul to shine upon it and lead, while the other is to be in denial and end up being self-destroying.

A simple student’s attempt to bridge the verses with Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentary and reflections, shared with gratitude and openness to correction.

The verses move from the signs of creation to the self and its choice between rebellion and piety. Shaykh Fadhlalla connects these outer and inner opposites to the One Reality, showing how the verses point towards the self’s purification and awakening to Truth.

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In the name of Allah, the Merciful to all, the Compassionate to each!

107:1-7 (Translation)

Have you considered him who denies the Recompense? It is he who drives away the orphan, who enjoins not the feeding of the poor. So, woe to those who pray. But are heedless of their prayer; those who are all show. And forbid common kindnesses.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Commentary:

1-7 Normal intelligence motivates the desire to understand a map or path for appropriate conduct and for good interconnection with what is around us. We need to follow the optimum way to interact in different circumstances, which will bring about durable goodness for the maximum number of beings. Such a motive relates to our awareness of the higher cosmic consciousness, which is beyond space-time, yet giving rise to natural human consciousness within space-time. The more we calibrate our awareness and refer to higher consciousness, the more likely we are to succeed and be in a state of wellbeing.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Reflections:

The prophetic path contains rituals and rules of conduct and, more importantly, a state of presence that enables one to transcend one’s human profile and needs. As human beings we are all the same in our desire and aspiration to have good health, a clear mind, and illumined hearts. Our empathy and sympathy for others helps us to rise towards our spiritual state, which is cosmic and boundless.

To seek higher consciousness through religious practices is quite normal for most human beings. But it’s also not unnatural for us to simply follow these rituals without the benefit of what they impart upon our hearts and our minds. This is the risk of organized religion.

A simple student’s attempt to bridge the verses with Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentary and reflections, shared with gratitude and openness to correction.

The verses expose the disconnect between outward prayer and neglect of others. Shaykh Fadhlalla links genuine religious practice with higher awareness and presence, through which appropriate conduct, empathy, and kindness become expressions of an awakened heart rather than mere outward observance.

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In the name of Allah, the Merciful to all, the Compassionate to each!

108:1-3 (Translation)

We have truly given abundance. So, pray to your Lord and make your sacrifice. It is the one who hates you who has been cut off.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Commentary:

1-3 Allah has given human beings a treasure beyond measure, which is the soul within the heart. Hence, everything else should be sacrificed in order to live as a soul. Whoever denies this is cut off from the supreme Reality. Prophets and others on Allah’s path are promised enlightenment and awakening, which is a state of consciousness beyond any measure. This surah describes the zone of cosmic consciousness to which we all aspire, whilst still experiencing our limitations as human beings within space and time. Our soul’s consciousness is the ultimate, and this magnificent gift cannot be surpassed – it is greater than anything.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Reflections:

We all want to have contentment and a state of tranquillity and wellbeing, but those who are on the prophetic path may occasionally experience the immensity of Allah’s grace and gifts. Gratitude and contentment will bring about a greater state of the certainty of contentment. Whoever is not on this path is naturally deprived.

At the point of transcendence, you are no longer affected by your mind, memory, or anything except pure presence in the immensity of the now. When you have touched upon this zone, then you understand the nature of the soul within the heart – that the heart has been exposed to whatever there is in the heavens and earth. Then the constant drive for physical, material, and earthly extras will stop.

A simple student’s attempt to bridge the verses with Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentary and reflections, shared with gratitude and openness to correction.

Allah first reminds us of His immense gift, then invites us to prayer and sacrifice. Shaykh Fadhlalla says this gift lives within the heart: when we stop chasing the world and turn inward, we discover gratitude, lasting contentment, and a deeper sense of being.

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In the name of Allah, the Merciful to all, the Compassionate to each!

103:1-3 (Translation)

By time, most surely man is in loss, all save those who believe, who do righteous deeds, who enjoin truth upon one another, who enjoin patience upon one another.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Commentary:

1-3 It is the nature of humanity that we will end up losing all. Our personal life will come to an end, and if it has not led to our realising perpetual life, we have not performed the most important duty and challenge we have been given in this life. This is to realise the truth of the continuity of the original light that is within us all. There are numerous levels of faith, which begin with hope and expectations and end with total certainty of the perfection of the cosmic Governor. With such faith one cannot but act as well as one can in this life. If you are doing your utmost, with full accountability and reference to your own soul, then you can only hope for others to experience this wonderful state. Patience implies stopping time, and whoever is awakened to the Truth knows that space and time simply prepare us for the full consciousness that awaits us after death. It is a big gift to experience the endless moment of timelessness itself.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Reflections:

All of our experiences within space-time are temporary and insignificant when compared to the eternal nature of our own soul. It is only by our subtlest actions and our obsession with truth and divine light that we can realise the triumphant nature of our soul within – the most precious gift to living creatures.

At some point in time, we all reach experiences of inadequacy, failure, and loss; the most important stage of this is death itself. What is the path to transcend this impossible-to-overcome limitation? It is to have faith that the afterlife is real life, to do in this life whatever one can in goodness that lasts for others for the longest time, to keep reminding each other with what is true and wholesome, and to be patient.

A simple student’s attempt to bridge the verses with Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentary and reflections, shared with gratitude and openness to correction.

The verses declare that time brings humanity towards loss, while faith, good action, truth, and patience point to another destiny. Shaykh Fadhlalla connects these qualities with awakening to the soul’s timeless reality, beyond the temporary limits of space, time, and death.

My Substack Table of Contents

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In the name of Allah, the Merciful to all, the Compassionate to each!

112:1-4 (Translation)

Say: ‘He is Allah, Unique, Allah, Self-sufficient. Neither begetting nor begotten. And none can be His peer.’

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Commentary:

1-4 Say, confess, read, and know that Allah is one, and that Allah is the only Reality that is self-sustaining, self-effulgent, and not subject to cause and effect or comings and goings. This Reality is supreme and incomparable. Most desirable human qualities are rooted in divine attributes, and sincerity, honesty, and loyalty are in the forefront. If your ultimate reference is God, whose light radiates from your heart, then you do not fear criticism or disappointment, nor will you experience much regret or anger. Your sincerity to the light of timelessness brings about a tranquillity and contentment that transcends all the usual, normal human emotions, feelings, or desires.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Reflections:

Allah is the most unique, not one as it relates to other numbers, for Allah is the only self-perpetuating, self-sufficient, bestower of all powers according to Allah’s own wisdom and designs. None other than Allah governs the universe.

From this Oneness, the entire universe of plurality and dualities has emanated. And everything returns to that Oneness when the universe ends.

A simple student’s attempt to bridge the verses with Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentary and reflections, shared with gratitude and openness to correction.

These verses speak about the absolute Oneness and independence of Allah. Shaykh Fadhlalla says that real sincerity starts when Allah is your true reference point. Then, your heart lets go of dependence on things that constantly change. All the differences and variety we see end up drawing us back to that single Oneness.

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1:1-7 (Translation)

In the name of Allah, the Merciful to all, the Compassionate to each! Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Merciful to all, the Compassionate to each! Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help. Guide us to the straight path. The path of those You have blessed, those who incur no anger and who have not gone astray.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Commentary:

1-7 Everything emanates from one cosmic Source. All of creation, including its existence and individual experiences themselves, is balanced between attraction and repulsion. The purpose of creation is to interact with manifest realities and to relate them to the original patterns and higher consciousness. The human soul carries the lights and knowledge of heaven and earth. While death ends the illusion of separate and independent identity for many, a few will awaken to this truth before death. Whatever we praise emanates from Allah who is the source of universal mercy, life and consciousness. The direct path between creation and its origin leads from darkness to light.

Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s Reflections:

The lower self or ego is a shadow of the soul, which carries all the great attributes that we aspire toward. The greatest attribute is mercy for all creation and compassion for each and everyone. It is that Reality that we adore and worship.

It is in our nature to praise and whatever we praise is an attribute of us. These attributes enable us to enter worship, and through worship we enter into a complete link between divinity and humanity.

A simple student’s attempt to bridge the verses with Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentary and reflections, shared with gratitude and openness to correction.

The verses lead from praise of Allah, through worship and seeking guidance, towards the straight path. Shaykh Fadhlalla connects this with recognising Allah as the source of all that we praise, and with worship as the link between humanity and the Divine.

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There are moments when I feel that life is speaking to me.

A conversation arrives at exactly the right time. A beautiful scene touches something deep within me. A difficult experience reveals something about myself that I had never noticed.

I have come to understand these moments not as puzzles to solve, but as invitations to see more deeply.

Everything around me can become a sign—not necessarily because it predicts something, but because it can reveal something. An experience may show me an attachment I was unaware of, a fear I had been avoiding, or a truth I was finally ready to see.

This way of seeing is very different from superstition. I am not trying to turn every coincidence into a prediction or every event into a secret message. Instead, I am learning to become still enough to ask, “What is this experience showing me?”

The heart has a different way of seeing than the mind. The mind analyzes, compares, and categorizes. The heart notices resonance. It senses meaning, connection, and timing.

When I become quieter inside, ordinary life begins to feel less random and more intimate.

This does not mean that everything happens for me. It means that almost every experience carries the possibility of insight.

A moment of kindness, a disappointment, an unexpected meeting, a changing sky, or even uncertainty can become part of an inner conversation.

Perhaps reading the signs simply means learning to listen.

Not to decode life.

Not to control it.

But to become attentive enough to hear what it may be revealing.

The world may be speaking more often than I realize.

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My Books

1— The Mirror of the Soul: Reflections on Self-Knowledge, Remembrance, and the Light Within

Links

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Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=XEPXEQAAQBAJ

2— Self-Knowledge — A Journey into the Self, the Soul, and the Heart

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3— When The Path Found Me: A Mystical Memoir of Seeking Guidance and Discovering the Self

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Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=coG_EQAAQBAJ

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Words of Light

A quiet space for reflections, meditations, and insights that illuminate the heart. Each post is a gentle reminder of love, wisdom, and inner peace — a candle for the soul. Posts are shared Monday through Friday.

Link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb8SIDND8SDpwp3DHF10

The Hikams

Hikams from Ibn `Ata’ Allah and Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentaris from The Hikam — The Wisdom of Ibn `Ata’ Allah are shared Monday through Friday.

Link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7bjiP5PO19e9jpiQ1o

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This series began with a simple yet profound statement: “There’s only Allah.”

From that starting point, we explored unity, the ego, justice, the imaginal nature of the world, the wisdom of the Sufi masters, and the practical challenge of living with awareness of the One Reality. As the series comes to a close, it feels fitting to end not with arguments or explanations, but with a few simple reminders.

The Sufi path is often described as a path of return — returning, again and again, to what has always been present.

One of the simplest doorways is the breath.

Every breath is received, not created. It quietly reminds us that life itself is a gift. Whenever the mind becomes scattered or the heart feels burdened, returning to the breath can bring us back to presence.

Another doorway is the pause before action.

Between impulse and response there is often a small space. In that space, we can remember the Real, see more clearly, and act with greater awareness.

The heart also teaches through softness.

The ego tends to tighten and contract, while the heart opens and relaxes. Simply noticing tension and allowing the heart to soften can become a form of remembrance.

The world itself is full of signs.

A moment of beauty, an unexpected insight, a difficult encounter, a feeling of gratitude or sadness — each can become a reminder of a reality deeper than appearances.

There are also moments when life offers no clear path forward. At such times, we may discover what some Sufi teachers call “the freedom of no choice.” When the need to control everything begins to loosen, trust becomes possible. What first felt like limitation can reveal a deeper freedom.

Beauty remains one of the clearest guides.

A sunrise, a kind word, a line of poetry, a moment of silence — beauty awakens something within us. It invites gratitude and reminds the heart of its source.

The path also asks us to make peace with imperfection.

We forget. We become distracted. We fall back into old habits. Yet the journey has never been about perfection. It is about returning. Every sincere return clears the heart a little more.

Beneath the movement of life there is also a quiet stillness.

Thoughts change. Emotions rise and fall. Circumstances come and go. Yet something deeper remains present throughout it all. Learning to notice that stillness is part of learning to live with the One Reality.

Over time, the heart begins to recognize something simple:

The One it was seeking was never absent.

The One it longed for was always near.

The path does not bring us to the Real. It helps us recognise that the Real has accompanied us from the beginning.

As this series comes to an end, the teaching that opened it still remains:

There’s only Allah.

Not merely as an idea to understand, but as the reality that sustains every breath, every moment, and every step of the journey.

Author’s Notes

I write only as a student, guided by the radiance of spiritual teachers and enlightened beings. I welcome thoughtful reflections in the comments, especially where clarity or correction may deepen our shared understanding.

My Substack Table of Contents

https://anjum786.substack.com/p/table-of-contents

WhatsApp Channels

Words of Light

A quiet space for reflections, meditations, and insights that illuminate the heart. Each post is a gentle reminder of love, wisdom, and inner peace — a candle for the soul. Posts are shared Monday through Friday.

Link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb8SIDND8SDpwp3DHF10

The Hikams

Hikams from Ibn `Ata’ Allah and Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentaris from The Hikam — The Wisdom of Ibn `Ata’ Allah are shared Monday through Friday.

Link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7bjiP5PO19e9jpiQ1o

The Sufi path is often described as a journey of return — not toward something distant, but toward a reality already present within us. This journey, known as suluk, is less a straight road and more an unfolding of the heart.

The stages described by Sufi teachers are not achievements to collect or ranks to attain. They are movements of awakening through which the heart gradually becomes more transparent to the One Reality.

The journey often begins with awakening.

Sometimes it comes through beauty, loss, gratitude, wonder, or a quiet sense that life contains more than appearances suggest. The heart begins to stir, and familiar ways of seeing no longer seem sufficient. A deeper longing emerges.

Awakening naturally leads to purification.

As awareness grows, we begin to notice the habits that cloud the heart: pride, fear, resentment, attachment, and self-importance. Purification is not about perfection or self-condemnation. It is the gentle work of becoming more honest, allowing the heart’s mirror to reflect reality more clearly.

From purification comes presence.

Presence is the ability to meet life as it is, rather than being trapped in regrets about the past or anxieties about the future. It is the discovery that the Real is encountered only in the living moment before us. As distractions loosen their grip, the heart becomes more attentive and receptive.

Presence gradually deepens into love.

In Sufi teaching, love is not merely an emotion. It is a recognition of the sacredness that shines through existence. Love softens the ego, expands compassion, and awakens a sense of connection with all life. What once appeared separate begins to feel related and meaningful.

Love opens the door to surrender.

Surrender does not mean passivity or defeat. It is the willingness to release the illusion that the ego stands at the centre of reality. Trust begins to replace control. The heart learns to rest in a wisdom greater than its own plans and expectations.

From surrender comes a deeper perception of unity.

Unity is not an escape from the world but a new way of seeing it. Diversity remains, yet it is no longer experienced as separation. Beneath countless forms, the heart begins to recognize a shared source and a deeper interconnectedness. Responsibility remains, compassion deepens, and ordinary life takes on new significance.

The journey does not end there.

Its natural flowering is service.

When the heart recognizes the One within all beings, kindness, generosity, and care arise more naturally. Service becomes less about obligation and more about gratitude. It is the outward expression of an inward understanding.

These stages are not rigid steps, and few people move through them in a straight line. They often overlap, deepen, repeat, and unfold throughout a lifetime. Yet together they describe a path of return: awakening, purification, presence, love, surrender, unity, and service.

The Sufi path is not a journey away from life. It is a journey into its deepest meaning.

In the final essay, we will explore a collection of simple contemplative reminders that can help the heart return to the One amidst the movement and demands of everyday life.

For now, it is enough to remember this:

The path is not somewhere else.

It begins, and ends, within the heart.

Author’s Notes

I write only as a student, guided by the radiance of spiritual teachers and enlightened beings. I welcome thoughtful reflections in the comments, especially where clarity or correction may deepen our shared understanding.

My Substack Table of Contents

https://anjum786.substack.com/p/table-of-contents

The earlier essays explored unity, the ego, justice, and the deeper nature of the world. But Sufism is not meant to remain at the level of ideas alone. Its real purpose is transformation within ordinary life.

What does it mean to live with the awareness that “There’s only Allah” while moving through stress, relationships, work, joy, loss, and the constant demands of everyday life?

Sufi practice often begins with something very simple: returning.

Returning from distraction to presence.
From fear to trust.
From the ego to the heart.
From fragmentation to the remembrance of the One.

This return does not usually happen in dramatic moments. More often, it appears quietly — through a pause, a breath, a moment of awareness, or a shift in perception. The aim is not to create unity, but to recognize what is already true beneath the surface of experience.

Daily life itself becomes part of the path.

Stress, for example, often exposes the ego’s desire for control. The mind tightens around outcomes, fears, and responsibilities. In such moments, remembrance softens the feeling that everything depends entirely on us. Problems may remain, but the heart regains perspective and steadiness.

Relationships also become places of spiritual learning. They reveal attachment, defensiveness, pride, and fear, but they also awaken patience, compassion, honesty, and mercy. To live with unity in relationships does not mean abandoning boundaries or tolerating harm. Rather, it means responding with clarity instead of hatred, and recognizing the deeper humanity within others even during conflict.

Work and ordinary responsibilities are not separate from spiritual life either.

Sufi teaching does not divide existence into “sacred” and “mundane.” Every action can become an act of remembrance when approached with sincerity, presence, and humility. What matters is not outward status, but the quality of attention brought into each task.

Joy, too, carries spiritual meaning.

Moments of beauty, laughter, peace, or gratitude can briefly awaken the heart to its deeper source. The spiritual challenge is not to cling to these moments possessively, but to receive them with gratitude and openness.

Pain carries its own lessons.

Loss, illness, disappointment, and grief are unavoidable parts of human life. Sufism does not deny suffering or attempt to escape it. But remembrance can prevent suffering from becoming meaningless. Pain may soften the ego, deepen compassion, and draw the heart toward realities that comfort alone cannot reveal.

Solitude also plays an important role within the path.

Periods of silence and aloneness allow the heart to become more honest with itself. Away from constant distraction, people begin to notice the movements of the ego more clearly and reconnect with a quieter inner awareness.

One important Sufi teaching speaks of “the freedom of no choice.” This does not mean human beings lack agency or responsibility. Rather, it points to the freedom that appears when we stop trying to control everything. The ego believes freedom comes through domination and certainty. Spiritual surrender discovers another kind of freedom: trust in a reality larger than ourselves.

Living the One Reality is therefore not about withdrawing from life. It is about learning to meet life differently.

The ordinary world — work, conversation, hardship, joy, relationships, silence — becomes the place where remembrance unfolds. Spiritual life is not somewhere else. It is hidden within the life already being lived.

The path does not demand perfection.

It asks only sincerity, awareness, and the willingness to keep returning.

In the next essay, we will explore the classic Sufi understanding of the inner journey itself: the stations of the heart and the gradual transformation of the soul.

Related Reflection

“Everything in life can serve this purpose when seen rightly.
Blessing can serve it.
Trial can serve it.
Relationship can serve it.
Work can serve it.
Silence can serve it.
Aging can serve it.
Loss can serve it.
Even failure can serve it, if it returns the self to sincerity.”

— From: The Mirror of the Soul — Chapter: “Grooming the Self — The Central Purpose of Earthly Life”

Links

Amazon Kindle: https://mybook.to/94y3HTB

Amazon Paperback: https://mybook.to/uaOTs

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=XEPXEQAAQBAJ

Author’s Notes

I write only as a student, guided by the radiance of spiritual teachers and enlightened beings. I welcome thoughtful reflections in the comments, especially where clarity or correction may deepen our shared understanding.

My Substack Table of Contents

https://anjum786.substack.com/p/table-of-contents

WhatsApp Channels

Words of Light

A quiet space for reflections, meditations, and insights that illuminate the heart. Each post is a gentle reminder of love, wisdom, and inner peace — a candle for the soul. Posts are shared Monday through Friday.

Link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb8SIDND8SDpwp3DHF10

The Hikams

Hikams from Ibn `Ata’ Allah and Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentaris from The Hikam — The Wisdom of Ibn `Ata’ Allah are shared Monday through Friday.

Link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7bjiP5PO19e9jpiQ1o

The earlier essays explored unity, the ego, justice, and the imaginal nature of the world. But Sufism is not merely a collection of ideas. It is a living tradition shaped by people who struggled, reflected, loved, surrendered, and experienced these realities inwardly.

Every Sufi master speaks with a different voice. Some are sober and disciplined, some philosophical and expansive, some poetic and symbolic, and others filled with longing and spiritual ecstasy. Yet beneath these differences runs the same current: the search for the One Reality.

One early teacher emphasized balance and responsibility above all else. Spiritual insight, he taught, never removes ethical accountability. The ego does not need to be violently destroyed, but gradually softened through humility, remembrance, discipline, and sincerity. A person who speaks of unity while ignoring compassion or justice has misunderstood the path entirely.

Another great spiritual thinker described the cosmos as a vast unfolding of divine qualities. Everything in existence reflects something of the Real, though no single form can contain it completely. The world becomes a living tapestry of meanings, symbols, and signs. Diversity is not opposed to unity; it is one of the ways unity reveals itself.

A later Sufi poet expressed these ideas through imagery and metaphor. He described existence as a sacred book in which every being is like a letter and every event part of a larger story. Nothing is empty or accidental. The world carries hidden meanings waiting to be read by the heart.

Another voice within the tradition spoke from the language of love and spiritual ecstasy. Beauty, longing, and tenderness were central to his vision. He saw every beautiful thing as a reflection of the Beloved. Yet he also warned that emotional intensity alone is not spiritual realisation. Without humility and inner discipline, spiritual passion can easily become self-deception.

Taken together, these voices reveal the richness of the Sufi path.

Some teachings bring clarity and grounding. Others awaken wonder. Some soften the heart through beauty and poetry, while others sharpen ethical responsibility. Each master reflects a different aspect of the same truth.

The diversity among these voices also reminds us that spiritual understanding does not erase individuality. Human beings remain distinct, each carrying a different temperament, language, and way of approaching the Divine. Unity does not flatten these differences; it gives them deeper meaning.

Listening to the Sufi masters can feel less like studying a system of thought and more like entering a conversation that has continued across centuries. Their words invite us not merely to think differently, but to see differently — to look at ourselves, others, and the world with greater depth, humility, and presence.

They remind us that spirituality is not an escape from life. It is a way of becoming more truthful within it.

In the next essay, we will move from reflection into practice and explore what it actually means to live with the awareness that “There’s only Allah” amidst the ordinary demands, struggles, and responsibilities of everyday life.

Related Reflection

“Something is carried from one heart to another: knowledge, presence, adab, remembrance, courage, humility, and the fragrance of a lived truth. Books may inform us, but human beings often awaken us. A sentence may open the mind, but a person who embodies the sentence may open the heart.”

— From: The Mirror of the Soul — Chapter: “From Masters to Fellow Travelers — Evolving Paths of Spiritual Transmission”

Author’s Notes

I write only as a student, guided by the radiance of spiritual teachers and enlightened beings. I welcome thoughtful reflections in the comments, especially where clarity or correction may deepen our shared understanding.

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The earlier essays explored unity, the ego as veil, and the relationship between justice and compassion. All of this leads naturally to a deeper question: what is this world itself?

If only Allah possesses absolute reality, then what are we to make of this changing universe filled with beauty, suffering, separation, and endless forms?

Sufi teaching often describes the world as a mirror — an imaginal realm through which deeper realities become visible. “Imaginal” does not mean unreal or imaginary. It refers to a world filled with meaning, symbols, patterns, and signs. Everything points beyond itself.

In this understanding, creation is neither completely separate from the Divine nor identical to the Divine. It is more like a reflection: revealing something real while never containing the fullness of the Real itself.

The world, then, becomes alive with meaning.

Every person, encounter, season, loss, joy, and moment carries the possibility of revealing something deeper. Beauty reflects harmony and mercy. Majesty appears in vastness, power, and awe. Wisdom unfolds through experience and transformation. Even difficulty can become a sign pointing toward inner growth and awakening.

Sufi poets often described existence as a kind of sacred language — as though the world itself were continuously speaking.

Yet despite this underlying unity, human experience often feels fragmented and divided.

Sufi wisdom says this fragmentation arises largely through perception. The ego sees separation everywhere because it is rooted in fear, self-protection, and attachment. It experiences life through division: self and other, gain and loss, success and failure.

But when the heart becomes clearer, something changes. Diversity no longer hides unity; it begins to reveal it. Ordinary moments become more transparent to the deeper reality moving through them.

The world itself is not broken in its essence.

Our way of seeing often is.

This perspective also changes how suffering is understood.

Sufism does not deny pain or pretend suffering is unreal. But suffering is no longer seen as meaningless. It can become a mirror showing us where attachment, illusion, fear, or ego still hold power within us. Pain remains painful, but it may also become part of the soul’s unfolding and transformation.

Beauty carries a similar role.

A moment of beauty — a landscape, a poem, a face, an act of kindness, silence at dusk — can briefly thin the veil between the visible world and the deeper reality shining through it. Beauty awakens longing, gratitude, and remembrance. It reminds the heart that life contains more than appearances alone.

Change, too, begins to look different within this vision of the cosmos.

Everything in creation moves, shifts, appears, and disappears. Forms never remain fixed. Yet beneath this constant movement lies a deeper continuity. Sufi teaching therefore places great importance on surrender — not passive resignation, but trust in the unfolding of a reality larger than the ego can fully grasp.

At the same time, human choice still matters.

The world may reflect divine qualities, but each person still chooses how to respond to what is revealed before them. Signs are offered constantly, but the heart must learn how to read them. Unity does not erase freedom; it gives our choices deeper significance.

To see the world as mirror is to begin living with greater attentiveness. Existence no longer appears empty or accidental. The ordinary becomes layered with meaning. The visible world becomes a doorway rather than a distraction.

The Sufi path does not ask us to turn away from creation. It asks us to see more deeply into it.

In the next essay, we will turn toward the voices of the early Sufi sages themselves and explore how different masters expressed these truths through poetry, paradox, silence, and spiritual insight.

Related Reflection

“The world is also a mirror.

It reflects back the self’s attachments and the heart’s orientation. To the fearful self, the world appears threatening. To the greedy self, it appears as possession. To the proud self, it appears as a stage. To the awakened heart, it appears as a field of signs.”

— From: The Mirror of the Soul — Chapter: “The Mirror of the Soul”

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Author’s Notes

I write only as a student, guided by the radiance of spiritual teachers and enlightened beings. I welcome thoughtful reflections in the comments, especially where clarity or correction may deepen our shared understanding.

My Substack Table of Contents

https://anjum786.substack.com/p/table-of-contents

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Words of Light

A quiet space for reflections, meditations, and insights that illuminate the heart. Each post is a gentle reminder of love, wisdom, and inner peace — a candle for the soul. Posts are shared Monday through Friday.

Link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb8SIDND8SDpwp3DHF10

The Hikams

Hikams from Ibn `Ata’ Allah and Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentaris from The Hikam — The Wisdom of Ibn `Ata’ Allah are shared Monday through Friday.

Link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7bjiP5PO19e9jpiQ1o

The prayer rug was already damp with tears before the prayer had even begun.

With nowhere else to turn, a single mother in Karachi lowered herself into sajdah and poured out her heart to Allah. She was not asking for wealth or comfort. She was asking for justice.

She and her young daughter live with her elderly parents and a brother whose modest income already supports more people than it reasonably can. Their landlord now claims they owe an entire year’s rent. He has also kept the advance payment they entrusted to him. There was no receipt—such transactions are often built on trust rather than documentation. That trust has now been betrayed.

The irony is painful. The landlord is known as a religious man, careful about his prayers and observant in his rituals. Yet outward devotion, when detached from justice, becomes an empty shell. The tragedy is not that he prays; it is that his worship appears to have become disconnected from the moral demands that prayer is meant to cultivate.

Sadly, this is not an isolated story. It is a mirror held up to a society that has lost something precious.

Over the years I have heard far too many stories like this. Families already crushed by inflation face eviction because neighbours sharing the same water supply have colluded to force them out. Water shortages have created mafias that profit from people’s desperation. Corruption in essential services allows the dishonest to prosper while honest employees struggle to survive with dignity. Parents stretch a two-week prescription over two days because medicine has become a luxury they simply cannot afford.

These are not dramatic headlines. They are the quiet, grinding realities that define daily life for countless ordinary Pakistanis.

This is zulm—not merely in isolated incidents, but woven into the fabric of everyday life. It is an environment in which those with a little power routinely exploit those with less. Landlords prey upon vulnerable tenants. Neighbours abandon compassion for self-interest. Public offices become opportunities for personal gain rather than places of public trust. Corruption infiltrates services that people depend upon simply to live.

Perhaps most painful of all is the gradual erosion of the moral bonds that once held communities together. There was a time when widows were looked after by relatives, neighbours shared one another’s burdens, and hardship often strengthened social ties. Today, fear, mistrust and individual survival increasingly define relationships. The outward forms of religion remain visible, but the spirit that gives them life has grown faint.

I remember a different Pakistan. It was never perfect, but there existed a stronger instinct to stand beside those who were struggling. From afar, living in the West, I carry the weight of these stories almost daily. There is a quiet guilt that comes with safety while loved ones and strangers alike endure relentless hardship.

Even charitable efforts that once brought meaningful relief are being overwhelmed by rising prices and growing need. Friends tell me of doctors who reluctantly close free clinics because they can’t afford the rising costs and patients cannot afford even the medicines they prescribe. Material poverty is painful, but moral poverty is more dangerous. Inflation may weaken an economy, but the loss of compassion weakens the soul of a nation.

At the heart of this crisis lies a profound misunderstanding of faith itself.

Islam was never intended to be reduced to rituals alone. Prayer, fasting, and religious observance are meant to transform character, purify the heart, and produce justice, mercy and integrity. When rituals become detached from these purposes, only the shell of religion remains while its living spirit—the ruh—slowly fades.

The Qur’an repeatedly commands believers to uphold justice without compromise. Allah says:

“Indeed, Allah commands justice, excellence, and generosity to relatives, and forbids immorality, wrongdoing and oppression.” (Qur’an 16:90)

And elsewhere:

“O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves...” (Qur’an 4:135)

These verses are recited often. Their implications are lived far less often.

Too much of our organized religious discourse has become preoccupied with outward conformity, sectarian boundaries, and secondary disagreements while neglecting the weightier obligations of justice, honesty, public trust and protection of the vulnerable. Spiritual guidance is often offered for private difficulties, yet far less collective moral energy is directed towards confronting the everyday injustices that quietly crush millions of people.

Consider Karachi’s water mafias, which profit while ordinary citizens struggle for one of life’s most basic necessities. Consider corruption in essential public services, where bribery determines access while integrity is penalized. These are not merely administrative failures. They are moral failures. They are precisely the kinds of injustices that religious leadership, speaking with one voice, could challenge with courage and credibility.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ never separated worship from justice. His prayer deepened his compassion. His devotion strengthened his courage to confront exploitation, defend the weak and uphold every trust placed in him. Likewise, Imam Hussain ibn Ali (رضي الله عنه), the beloved grandson of the Prophet ﷺ, stands in Islamic history as a timeless symbol of moral courage against tyranny. Their examples remind us that true faith does not merely decorate society with religious symbols; it transforms society through justice.

Instead, too often we have become comfortable preserving appearances while neglecting substance.

The consequences are visible everywhere. Those entrusted with authority—whether in public office, business, or within their own communities—too often allow power to become a means of personal advantage rather than public service. The weak are left without reliable protection. A landlord who is meticulous in prayer can still exploit a struggling widow. Neighbours can collude to deny another family access to water. The powerful continue to swallow the powerless.

Yet despair is not the final word.

The image that remains with me is not the landlord. It is the mother in sajdah.

Her tears remind us that the human heart still longs for justice. Across Pakistan, countless quiet acts of goodness continue unnoticed: neighbours who share what little they possess, volunteers who serve without recognition, doctors who refuse payment from those who cannot afford it, and ordinary people who continue to give despite their own hardships. The ruh of this nation has not died. It has been buried beneath layers of neglect, fear and selfishness—but it can still be uncovered.

Revival will not come through more rituals alone. It requires a return to the inner path of Islam: self-purification, moral courage, compassion, honesty, and an uncompromising commitment to justice. Religious leaders have a unique responsibility to help lead that renewal—not only through sermons, but through visible action against the zulm that surrounds us. Each of us, in our own sphere, must also refuse to accept a society in which the vulnerable become easy prey.

One struggling family is not merely a private tragedy.

It is a mirror.

If we have the courage to look into it honestly, we will see not only what we have become, but also what we are still capable of becoming again.

May Allah grant us the tawfiq to restore justice where there is oppression, compassion where there is indifference, and sincerity where only appearances remain. May He revive within us the true ruh of Islam before the wounds of our society become deeper still.

Ameen.

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The ordeal of one struggling family in Pakistan reveals far more than a housing dispute. It exposes a society where moral concern has eroded, empathy has thinned, and those with even a sliver of power often use it to crush those with none. This family — two unmarried women, one running a tiny, fragile business, two younger brothers with their wives and children — survives on the narrowest margins. Yet instead of compassion, they face hostility from neighbours, manipulation from their landlord, and harassment from a former resident who has no stake in their lives except the pleasure of exerting control.

Their suffering extends beyond their rented home. The woman who runs the small business has endured years of exploitation from her business‑landlords, who imposed unjust demands, created financial pressure, and added to her emotional burden. She has faced repeated cycles of zulm from those who should have simply provided a fair space for her to work.

This is not an isolated tragedy. It reflects a wider collapse of spiritual and ethical values. Families no longer support their own; neighbours no longer stand with the vulnerable. I grew up in a Pakistan where relatives helped widows, neighbours shared water, and hardship brought people closer. Today, the same society has become an ocean where the big fish swallow the small without hesitation.

Religious scholars, instead of confronting injustice, retreat into ritualism and sectarian minutiae. They offer religion as opium while avoiding the moral courage that defined the Prophet and Hazrat Imam Hussain. Meanwhile, unjust rulers preside over a system where mafias thrive, the poor are squeezed, and dignity is optional.

This family’s struggle is not just their own. It is a mirror held up to a nation that has forgotten its soul.

Prayers for This Family and Others in the Same Situation

May Allah open for this helpless family a path that appears closed to human eyes but remains illuminated in His power.

May Allah transform this one‑month eviction notice into an unexpected ease, turning this trial into a doorway of mercy.

May Allah grant them a home that is affordable, safe in its surroundings, and filled with the tranquility that has been taken from them for years.

May Allah lift from their hearts the fear, helplessness, and constant pressure they have been carrying, and replace it with certainty, light, and unseen help—help that does not come from human calculations but from His own divine laws.

And O Allah, those who are harsh toward the vulnerable, who turn their small measure of power into oppression—restrain their hands, overturn their schemes upon themselves, and make their injustice a source of their own disgrace.

My prayer is that this family emerges from this darkness into a light where dignity, ease, and Your special mercy await them.

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After reading my essay: ESSAY 3 — UNITY AND JUSTICE: HOW SUFISM CONFRONTS EVIL WITHOUT LOSING COMPASSION, a reader commented:

“Sufis ….may teach that evil is real in its effects but rooted in illusion.”

Tell that to the millions in Gaza, and to the those oppressed, diseased, and dying across the world. Tell them their pain is just an “illusion,” a creation of the mind, devoid of reality. Tell them to hold tight, keep suffering, and wait for the promised land — still only a promise, never a guarantee.

There is even the possibility that their suffering continues after death, while the perpetrators of “evil” may be rewarded after death.

MY RESPONSE:

Your comment raises a real and necessary challenge. When Sufis say that evil is “rooted in illusion,” they are not saying that suffering is imaginary or that people in Gaza — or anywhere else — should simply endure pain quietly. The word “illusion” in this context refers to the inner distortion that gives rise to cruelty: the illusion of separateness, superiority, and domination.

The suffering itself is tragically real.

The wounds are real.

The grief is real.

Sufism never asks the oppressed to spiritualize their pain or wait for a distant promise. It asks us to see that the cause of harm is a kind of blindness — and that blindness has devastating consequences in the world.

At the same time, Sufi teachings insist on responsibility, justice, and moral accountability.

No one is excused because “all is one.”

Unity does not soften the reality of oppression; it sharpens our obligation to confront it.

When Sufis speak of illusion, they are naming the inner sickness that produces injustice, not denying the suffering of those who endure it.

The point is not to comfort the privileged or silence the wounded, but to understand why harm arises and why justice must be pursued with clarity and compassion.

Far from minimizing suffering, this perspective demands that we respond to it — not with denial, but with a heart that refuses both cruelty and despair.

The first two essays explored the Sufi understanding that “There’s only Allah,” and how the ego veils us from seeing that reality clearly. But this immediately raises a difficult question: if all existence rests upon one Reality, how do we understand evil, cruelty, oppression, and suffering?

Sufi wisdom does not avoid these questions. It does not deny pain or pretend that harm is unreal. Rather, it teaches that evil is real in its effects, but rooted in illusion — the illusion of separation from the Divine source.

Evil emerges when the self becomes trapped within pride, greed, fear, domination, or forgetfulness. It appears when human beings see themselves as separate, superior, or entitled. Divine qualities such as strength, intelligence, or will become distorted when they are cut off from humility, compassion, and remembrance.

In this understanding, evil has no independent reality of its own. It is like a shadow cast when the heart turns away from what is Real.

But unity does not erase responsibility.

One of the greatest misunderstandings about spiritual unity is the idea that it somehow excuses harmful actions. Sufism rejects this completely. Human beings remain accountable for their intentions, choices, and actions. Harm leaves real wounds in individuals, families, and societies, sometimes for generations.

When people act with cruelty or oppression, they act from the most constricted and veiled part of themselves. Their choices shape both their own selves and the lives of others. Unity does not make this less serious. If anything, it reveals the tragedy of forgetting our deeper connection to one another.

Justice, in Sufi understanding, is not opposed to mercy. Justice is itself a form of mercy because it restores balance, protects the vulnerable, and prevents harm from spreading further. It reminds the self that actions carry consequences and that human life is morally meaningful.

At the same time, Sufism asks us not to let the reality of evil harden the heart completely.

Compassion does not mean passively accepting injustice or ignoring suffering. It means seeing clearly without becoming consumed by hatred. Even those who commit harm are still human beings trapped within illusion, fear, arrogance, and forgetfulness. Recognizing this does not remove accountability, but it can protect the heart from becoming poisoned by bitterness.

The heart occupies a central place in all of this. In Sufi understanding, the heart is where deeper perception awakens. When the heart is clear, it can face suffering without denial and confront injustice without losing compassion. It sees both the reality of harm and the deeper spiritual blindness from which that harm emerges.

Unity, then, does not blur the distinction between right and wrong. It sharpens it.

When we begin to recognize the same Divine source within all beings, ethical responsibility becomes more profound, not less. Compassion, justice, honesty, and mercy are no longer optional ideals; they become reflections of how deeply we recognise our interconnectedness.

Sufism holds these truths together carefully: evil is real in its consequences, yet rooted in illusion; justice is necessary, yet inseparable from mercy; compassion is essential, yet must never become moral weakness.

To live with this balance requires both clarity and tenderness of heart.

In the next essay, we will explore another central Sufi insight: the imaginal nature of the world, and how creation reflects the deeper Reality from which it emerges.

Related Reflection

“Hope must be joined with justice.
A hope that ignores injustice becomes comfort for the privileged. It tells the suffering to wait without asking the powerful to change. This is not true hope. It is avoidance.
Real hope seeks repair.
It protects the vulnerable.
It speaks truth.
It resists cruelty.
It works for mercy to become visible in social life.”

— From: The Mirror of the Soul — Chapter: “The Heart of Hope — Balancing Light and Shadow in a Turbulent World”

Author’s Notes

I write only as a student, guided by the radiance of spiritual teachers and enlightened beings. I welcome thoughtful reflections in the comments, especially where clarity or correction may deepen our shared understanding.

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Words of Light

A quiet space for reflections, meditations, and insights that illuminate the heart. Each post is a gentle reminder of love, wisdom, and inner peace — a candle for the soul. Posts are shared Monday through Friday.

Link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb8SIDND8SDpwp3DHF10

The Hikams

Hikams from Ibn `Ata’ Allah and Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentaris from The Hikam — The Wisdom of Ibn `Ata’ Allah are shared Monday through Friday.

Link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb7bjiP5PO19e9jpiQ1o

The soul’s light is not absent.

It is dimmed by what covers the heart.

The ruh remains connected to its Source, luminous by nature and untouched by the turbulence of passing states. But the nafs may become so covered by fear, desire, pride, resentment, distraction, and heedlessness that the heart no longer reflects the soul clearly.

The light is still present.

The mirror is simply clouded.

To understand the veils that dim the light is not to become discouraged. It is to learn where the polishing is needed. Every veil recognized with sincerity becomes an opening. Every hidden obstruction brought into awareness becomes a place where remembrance can enter.

The path does not begin with pretending to be clear.

It begins with seeing what clouds us.

The Veil of Forgetfulness

The first veil is forgetfulness.

We forget Allah. We forget our dependence. We forget that life is entrusted, not owned. We forget that every breath is given. We forget that the self has no independent light. We forget that the heart was created to remember.

Forgetfulness does not always appear as open denial. Often it appears as absorption.

Absorption in tasks.

Absorption in worries.

Absorption in opinions.

Absorption in the body.

Absorption in image.

Absorption in the future.

Absorption in the past.

Absorption in the endless stream of noise that keeps the heart from stillness.

The forgotten heart may still function outwardly. It may work, speak, worship, plan, argue, serve, and succeed. But inwardly, it is no longer rooted in remembrance.

The cure is return.

Not once, but repeatedly. The heart must be brought back again and again until remembrance becomes its atmosphere.

The Veil of Pride

Pride dims the light because it makes the self opaque.

A proud self cannot reflect clearly because it is too full of itself. It wants to be seen, affirmed, obeyed, admired, or proven right. It resists correction because correction feels like death to its imagined identity.

Pride may appear in worldly form: status, wealth, beauty, intelligence, success, family, nationality, or influence.

It may also appear in religious or spiritual form: knowledge, worship, sacrifice, discipline, insight, lineage, suffering, or service.

The second form is often more dangerous because the self hides behind sacred language.

Pride says: I am above.

Humility says: I am entrusted.

Pride says: I know.

Humility says: Allah knows best.

Pride says: my light is mine.

Humility says: whatever light appears is mercy.

The heart is polished when the self remembers that every gift can be removed, every ability can weaken, every insight can be veiled, and every human being stands in need of Allah.

The Veil of Desire

Desire dims the light when it becomes command.

The self may desire comfort, pleasure, attention, control, recognition, possession, victory, certainty, or escape. Desire itself is not the problem. The problem begins when desire becomes the center around which life revolves.

A desire-ruled self cannot see clearly.

It bends truth toward appetite.

It interprets restraint as deprivation.

It treats waiting as punishment.

It confuses what it wants with what is good.

The heart then becomes servant to the lower self rather than mirror of the soul.

Purified desire is different. It is guided by remembrance. It seeks what nourishes rather than what merely stimulates. It accepts limits as mercy. It learns that not every hunger deserves to be fed.

When desire bows, light returns.

The Veil of Fear

Fear can become a thick veil over the heart.

Some fear is natural and protective. But when fear governs consciousness, the self contracts. It begins to see life through threat, loss, rejection, uncertainty, and control.

Fear makes the future appear more powerful than Allah’s mercy.

It whispers: what if?

What if I lose?

What if I am abandoned?

What if I fail?

What if I am not enough?

What if the door closes?

The heart trapped in fear cannot rest in the present. It lives in imagined futures, rehearsing pain that has not arrived. It tries to control everything because it does not trust enough to surrender.

Trust clears this veil.

Trust does not mean the future will unfold according to the self’s preference. It means the future is not outside Allah’s knowledge, wisdom, and mercy.

The self may not know the path.

But the heart knows where to turn.

The Veil of Resentment

Resentment is a veil made of repeated injury.

It keeps the heart facing what wounded it. It rehearses old pain, preserves anger, and strengthens identity around harm. Even when the event has passed, resentment keeps it alive within consciousness.

The self may justify this by saying: I must not forget.

But remembrance of injury is not the same as wisdom.

Wisdom learns from harm, sets boundaries, seeks justice where needed, and grows in discernment. Resentment keeps drinking from the wound.

This does not mean forgiveness is easy, immediate, or simple. Nor does it mean injustice should be minimized. But the heart must be protected from becoming a shrine to pain.

Resentment dims the light because it allows another person’s wrong to occupy the inner sanctuary.

Release, when it becomes possible, is not weakness.

It is freedom.

The Veil of Envy

Envy dims the light by refusing Allah’s distribution.

It looks at another person’s blessing and feels diminished. It treats someone else’s gift as an injury to the self. It cannot rejoice because comparison has clouded gratitude.

Envy says: why them?

The remembered heart says: Allah gives as He wills.

This does not mean the heart never feels longing. One may desire good without resenting another’s good. But envy is different. It wants the other person’s blessing to become proof of one’s deprivation.

Envy narrows the world.

It makes the self blind to its own gifts.

It turns gratitude into complaint.

It turns admiration into bitterness.

It turns another person’s mercy into one’s own veil.

The cure is gratitude and prayer. To bless what Allah has given another. To ask Allah from His bounty without objecting to His wisdom. To remember that no two souls are given the same path, and no blessing is understood fully from the outside.

…

Author’s Notes

I write only as a student, guided by the radiance of spiritual teachers and enlightened beings. I welcome thoughtful reflections in the comments, especially where clarity or correction may deepen our shared understanding.

My Substack Table of Contents

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For those who may find benefit in them, I have created a WhatsApp channel dedicated to sharing the Hikams and Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s commentaries from The Hikam — The Wisdom of Ibn `Ata’ Allah, Monday through Friday.

This channel is intended for those would like to receive these timeless reminders in a dedicated space.

May these words of wisdom deepen our remembrance, illuminate our hearts, and draw us ever closer to the One Reality.

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