(Divine Providence Series)
October 9, 2014
Everyone sees the things unseen
according to the measure of one’s illumination.
The more one polishes the heart’s mirror,
the more clearly will that one descry what is unseen.
Spiritual purity is bestowed by the Grace of Allaah;
success in polishing is also the Beloved’s Gift.
Work and prayer depend on aspiration
For as the Qur’aan says:
a person only has what one strives for. (Surah 53:39)
. . .
When trouble comes, the ill-fated person turns one’s back on Allaah,
while the blessed one draws near to the Beloved.
(adapted from Selected Poems of Rumi,
translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, p. 48-49)
***
The previous post concluded stating that if we embrace and deepen the presence of divine attributes in how we live, the bounty of Divine Providence near and within us will be revealed. Exploring how this treasure is bestowed can deepen our realization of such as well as help us to better utilize this blessing.
Jalaal ud-Diin Rumi states: Spiritual purity is bestowed by the Grace of Allaah. But what is spiritual purity and how does it relate to Divine Providence? I’m not sure words can suffice in defining the fullness of spiritual purity, but certainly a key aspect of it involves being cultivated to fully live the divine attributes. When we submit to the Beloved (either directly or through a spiritual master) and deepen this submission through continuous, unbroken devotion and commitment, the Grace of Allaah transforms us: like clay in the Potter’s Hand, we are made into a transformed being by a force beyond our doing. It is the Hand of the Beloved that removes the veils that conceal the all-pervading Divine Presence. Heed these words from Jalaal ud-Diin:
We mean that heaven cannot contain Allaah, while
Allaah contains all. Allaah has an ineffable link with
the heavens, just as It has established an ineffable
link with you. All things are in the Hand of Allaah’s
omnipotence, within Its creation and under Its control.
(adapted from Fihi Ma Fihi translated
by A.J. Arberry, p. 382 - 383, italic emphasis mine)
Since all things are under the control of the Beloved, if there is something we need or seek why set off in pursuit of that? So often when we seek or pursue something we are seeking “control” of it so we may utilize it as we wish. But whatever that may be, it is already under the divine control of the Beloved -- so why not seek the Beloved, be Near to the Beloved? Even if we “attain” something we seek, it is only because the Beloved wills or allows that to happen. So even then the concept of attainment through individual or collective pursuit is an illusion that veils the prevailing control of the Beloved. There is a great danger in this, as this mentality turns us away from the ineffable link the Beloved establishes with us. Realization of this very link removes all the veils and obstacles to Divine Providence.
A shirt that is dirty cannot clean itself. Even if a clean part of the shirt tries to rub the dirt off the dirty part, this often leads to only spreading the dirt on more of the shirt. For the shirt to be clean, there needs to be another entity to clean it: and what can be better than the omnipotent Hand of the Beloved? This Hand can effortlessly call forth the water and soap of its divine attributes to perfectly remove all dirt and stains, restoring the shirt to its original perfection if It wills. And this is done by Grace. Often it is we who cause or allow the shirt of our lives to be sullied, although we are completely impotent to cleanse and purify our lives -- let alone restore it to its original pristine perfection. Even in those rare instances when we are not the cause of our impurities, are we really living in a way that warrants and deserves the Beloved to restore us to perfection? Not even the prophets and saints profess to reach such a state of deserving, instead relying on the Beneficent Mercy of the Beloved.
It is because of the ineffable link, this most intimate connection the Beloved establishes with us, that the Beloved is willing to purify us through grace. Out of all of the endlessness of creation, the Beloved creates you to know you and have you know It. The Beloved is willing to provide everything for this union to be realized. But the power of this Love and Divine Providence is so powerful, the Beloved veils it until we turn to It and are made ready (through deepening surrender and devotion) to receive It without being completely overwhelmed.
Jalaal ud-Diin states:
Property, wealth, gold, all are unbounded and
infinite, but they are imparted according to the
capacity of the individual. Who could support an
endless supply without being driven mad? ( Fihi p.55)
When one realizes Love -- this omnipotent unending Providence -– beyond ideas, one effortlessly turns to the Beloved in complete surrender and unquestioning reliance. This is not a passive reliance, because sometimes Divine Providence is bestowed as a skill we must use or a task to be performed. But we cease seeking to control things that are already under the control of the Beloved, who is waiting for us to become ready to receive the fullness of Providence before bestowing such upon us. And we give ear to the Will of the Beloved, which unfailingly guides us to open to receive the Beloved’s gifts.
As our receptiveness expands, even success in polishing the veils from the heart is something we relinquish from individual ambition. We surrender more deeply and expansively into the fold of divine attributes so that completion of the success in polishing is also the Beloved’s Gift. And when the Beloved does the polishing it is guaranteed to be successful.
Yet this polishing includes some responsibilities. In Islam these include: Work and prayer [which] depend on aspiration / For as the Qur’aan says: / a person only has what one strives for. Work should not be limited to just an occupation, which is regarded as a duty of spiritual significance in Islam given the communal nature of this tradition. Work can include spiritual practices aimed at reigning in our ego-based tendencies and impressions. Whatever the scope of work may be, it is to be guided by uncompromising ethics and virtues. Regular prayer establishes a continuing presence of remembrance of the Beloved within one’s life. In other spiritual traditions, other spiritual practices like meditation, chanting, and scripture study can serve this same purpose. These gifts of polishing require aspiration, a level of self-effort, to be performed and sustained: the Beloved will not perform your work and prayers for you.
Work and prayer do not produce the success of polishing but are means through which the Beloved bestows this success. In fact, one can legitimately argue that work and prayer are insufficient means of removing the veils covering the heart. Consider the following by Jalaal-ud-Diin Rumi:
You must journey upon this infinite road with the
feeble hands and feet that you possess. We know
well that with feet so feeble you can never accomplish
this journey. Indeed, in a hundred thousand years
you will not be able to accomplish a single stage of
this journey. But even as you collapse and fall, with
no strength left to struggle farther, then Our loving
breath will carry you on. ... Now in this hour when
your powers have left you, when your own means
fail, behold Our graces, Our gifts and Our love. ( Fihi p. 142)
When the bestowal of Divine Providence involves a responsibility given, we called to give our fullest efforts to these tasks even if they are not sufficient to accomplish the given the objective. For in the fullness of sincere striving, even if we collapse, through our obedience veils we may be unaware of are being removed. And when these are removed, the loving breath of the Beloved comes unimpeded to deliver us the fullness of Grace, Divine Providence (gifts), and Love. Understanding this, we can see why When trouble comes, when challenges come, the ill-fated person turns one’s back on Allaah. This ill-fate doesn’t necessarily mean an unfavorable outcome; even if a person gets what one wants through (the illusion of) self-effort, this often turns one away from the true dynamics of Divine Providence. This turning away will eventually deliver a fate of suffering, endless struggle, and apparent separation from the Beloved. But for one who understands the dynamics of Divine Providence, when trouble and challenges come, that blessed one draws near to the Beloved. In such Nearness, the Beloved provides everything needed through the sweetness of unending Providence and Love. Everything!
