ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Attributes of the Noble Chapter 4 : On the States That Occur During Wayfaring Before the Attainment of the Goal This chapter consists of six sections: Section one: on aspiration (iradah) Section two: on longing (shawq) Section three: on love (mahabbah) Section four: on knowledge (ma'rifah) Section five: on certainty (yaqin) Section six: on rest (sukun).

Section One: On Aspiration God, the Glorious and the Exalted, says: And be patient thyself with those who call upon their Lord at morning and evening, aspiring for His Face ... (18:28). Iradat' in Persian means desiring' (khwastan), and it entails three things: i) awareness of the object sought, ii) awareness of the perfection that it possesses, iii) absence of access to the object of desire.

Hence if the desired goal is something that is attainable by the seeker and the aspiration is accompanied with the power [to realize it], these two would lead to the attainment of the goal of aspiration. And if it be something that is realized and existent but not present, these two would lead to the realization of the goal. Hence if there is a delay in realization (wusul), seeking leads to a state called longing' (shawq) in the aspirer. Longing precedes realization.

And if realization be gradual, the effect it produces is called love' (mahabbah), which has several degrees, the ultimate degree of it being al the time of complete realization and the end of wayfaring.

As to the aspiration associated with wayfaring, it is entailed, in a sense, by the wayfaring itself, for the desire for perfection is a kind of aspiration, and when aspiration ceases, either as a result of attainment or due to the knowledge of impossibility of realization, wayfaring also terminates. This aspiration associated with wayfaring is particular to the deficient; and as to the perfect, their aspiration is identical with perfection itself and the goal sought.

It is mentioned in traditions that there is a tree in paradise called Tuba, and whoever has a desire and aspiration for something it is immediately delivered to him from that tree without any delay or waiting. 20 And it has been said that some people are rewarded for their acts of obedience in the Hereafter, 21 whereas for some their deeds themselves are their own reward.

22 This also affirms that aspiration and the goal of aspiration are identical for some people, for aspiration ceases for one who attains to the station of rids in wayfaring.