Читать книгу The Kashf al-mahjúb: The oldest Persian treatise on Súfiism онлайн

88 страница из 90

ssss1

His “name of honour” was Abú `Alí; according to others, Abú Muḥammad or Abú Sa`íd. He is held in high regard and esteem by the Ṣúfís. He gave subtle directions relating to the science of practical religion (`ilm-i mu`ámalat). I have read in the Anecdotes that a Bedouin came to him and asked him about patience (ṣabr). Ḥasan replied: “Patience is of two sorts: firstly, patience in misfortune and affliction; and secondly, patience to refrain from the things which God has commanded us to renounce and has forbidden us to pursue.” The Bedouin said: “Thou art an ascetic; I never saw anyone more ascetic than thou art.” “O Bedouin!” cried Ḥasan, “my asceticism is nothing but desire, and my patience is nothing but lack of fortitude.” The Bedouin begged him to explain this saying, “for [said he] thou hast shaken my belief.” Ḥasan replied: “My patience in misfortune and my submission proclaim my fear of Hell-fire, and this is lack of fortitude (jaza`); and my asceticism in this world is desire for the next world, and this is the quintessence of desire. How excellent is he who takes no thought of his own interest! so that his patience is for God’s sake, not for the saving of himself from Hell; and his asceticism is for God’s sake, not for the purpose of bringing himself into Paradise. This is the mark of true sincerity.” And it is related that he said: “Association with the wicked produces suspicion of the good.” This saying is very apt and suitable to the people of the present age, who all disbelieve in the honoured friends of God. The reason of their disbelief is that they associate with pretenders to Ṣúfiism, who have only its external forms; and perceiving their actions to be perfidious, their tongues false, their ears listening to idle quatrains, their eyes following pleasure and lust, and their hearts set on amassing unlawful or dubious lucre, they fancy that aspirants to Ṣúfiism behave in the same manner, or that this is the doctrine of the Ṣúfís themselves, whereas, on the contrary, the Ṣúfís act in obedience to God, and speak the word of God, and keep the love of God in their hearts and the voice (samá`) of God in their ears, and the beauty of Divine contemplation in their eyes, and all their thoughts are fixed on the gaining of holy mysteries in the place where Vision is vouchsafed to them. If evildoers have appeared among them and have adopted their practices, the evil must be referred to those who commit it. Anyone who associates with the wicked members of a community does so through his own wickedness, for he would associate with the good if there were any good in him.