Hence all beneficial sciences are divisible into these three ‘ulum (sciences)...

Hence all beneficial sciences are divisible into these three ‘ulum (sciences): the ‘ilm (science) that relates to the excellences ( kamalat ) of the intellect and spiritual duties, the science that relates to the acts of the heart and its duties, and the science that relates to bodily acts and the duties of the self’s outward life.

As to the sciences that play a strengthening and educative role in the sphere of the spirit and immaterial intellect, they consist of the knowledge of the sacred Essence of God and that of His attributes of Beauty and Majesty, as well as the knowledge of the immaterial hidden spheres, including the angels of all kinds, from those of the higher levels of the higher jabarut and higher malakut to the lower levels of the lower malakut and the earthly angels and the armies of God, Glorious and Exalted, in addition to the knowledge of the prophets and the awliya’ and their stations and degrees, the knowledge of the revealed scriptures, the character of the descent of revelation ( wahy ) , angels and the Spirit, as well as the knowledge of the world of the Hereafter and the character of the Return of the creatures to the world of ghayb, the reality of the world of Barzakh and Resurrection with their details, and, in a word, the knowledge of the origin ( mabda’ ) of existence, its reality and degrees, with its expansion ( bast ) and contraction ( qabd ) , and its manifestation ( zuhur ) and return ( ruju’ ) .

The bearers of this knowledge, after the prophets and the awliya’ (A) are the philosophers and the masters among the hukama’, the ‘urafa’ and the mystics. The sciences that deal with the discipline and education of the heart and its esoteric actions consist of the knowledge of moral dispositions that lead to salvation ( munjiyat ) or perdition ( muhlikat ) .

That is the knowledge of moral virtues, such as forbearance ( sabr ) , gratefulness ( shukr ) , shame ( haya’ ) , humility ( tawadu’ ) , resignation ( rida ) , courage ( shuja’ah ) , generosity ( sakhawah ) , piety ( wara’ ) God-fearing ( taqwa ) and other moral excellences and the knowledge of the ways and means of acquiring them and their related causes and conditions, as well as the knowledge of moral vices, such as envy ( hasad ) , pride ( kibr ) , enmity ( hiqd ) , deceptiveness ( ghishsh ) , the love of position, the love of the world and the self, etc., and the knowledge of their causes and the ways of obtaining freedom from them.