And so long as there are residues of Oneness in the sālik 's eyes...

And so long as there are residues of Oneness in the sālik 's eyes, and as long as the walls of his own town and the adhān announcing selfishness have not yet disappeared, he is regarded as a staying one, not a traveler or an emigrant. It is stated in Misbāh ash - Sharī'ah that Imām as-Sādiq (' a ) said: “Servitude is a gem whose core is Lordship [ rubūbiyyat ].

Whatever is lost of servitude is found in the Lordship, and whatever is hidden of Lordship is obtained by servitude.” [^3] The one who travels on the foot of servitude, and burns his forehead with the brand of the humility of serfdom, will reach the Glory of (His) Lordship.

The way of attaining to the facts of Lordship is journeying along the footsteps of servitude, and what is lost of servitude because of egoism and egotism, can be recovered under the shadow of the Lordship's patronage, until he reaches a stage in which the Haqq (Allah), the Most High, will become his ears (hearing), eyes (seeing), hands and legs, as is stated in the true and well-known hadīth accepted by the two sects.

[^4] When the sālik forsook his conducts [ tasarrufāt ] and completely submitted the kingdom of his existence to Allah, leaving the house to its Owner, and perishing in the Glory of (His) Lordship, the Owner of the house would Himself manage the affairs. Thus his conducts [ tasarrufāt ] would become divine, and his eyes would be divine and he would see with the Haqq 's (Allah's) eyes, his ears would become divine and he would hear with the Haqq 's (Allah's) ears.

The more complete the lordship of the soul and the more its glory be cherished, the more, in the same proportion, the Glory of the (divine) Lordship decreases and becomes incomplete (in the sālik 's kingdom of existence), because these two stand face to face: “This world and the next are like the two wives of a man.” [^5] Thus, the sālik to Allah has to recognize his state of humility, and to place the humility of servitude and the Glory of the Lordship before his eyes.

The stronger this viewpoint, the more spiritual his worship and the stronger the spirit of his worship, until, if, with the help of Allah and the perfect holy men [ awliyā' ] (' a ), he reaches the truth of servitude and its core; he will catch a glimpse of the secret of worship.