the acquisition of the qualities and the
knowledge of the prophecy. As Sahl al
Tustari said: “We have erased from
your heart any aspiration but the aspiration to Us, any thought out Us, any
move or rest out of Our command”.
Hadrat Abd al-Razzaq al-Qashani (QS)
in the Tawilat details that the source of
the weight was the “return” from the
station of the Wilayat to the station of
Nubuwwat with its heavy burden. After
the “opening of the heart”, the return to
the veil of the existence, induced on
Hadrat Peygamber such a weight to
near break his back, because that veiled
him from the Essence. He was delivered from this pain, only when Allah
(JwS), covered Him with the Devine
attributes at the station of the permanence (baqa’) after the annihilation
(fana’). He gave Him the strength of
the Truth, making him bearing the
Truth through the Truth Itself.
And exalted thy mention?
Some authors link this ayat to the
episode of the life of Hadrat Peygamber
(SA), He was visited by Hadrat Jibrail
(SA), who asked “your and my Lord
asks, do you know how I have exalted
your mention”. Hadrat Mustafa (SA)
answered “Allah knows better “. Then
Hadrat Jabrail (SA) said, “When I will
be mentioned, you will be mentioned
with Me”. The traditional commentaries
agree to explain the meaning of the
Hadith with the tayyib shahada, where
the name of Prophet (SA) is always
mentioned after that of Allah (JwS).
Others commentators explain the ayat
with the prominence of Hadrat
Mustapha (SA) on the other Prophets
(SA), in virtue of His qualities. Hadrat
Dhul Nun Misri (QS) is reported to have
said “the Himmat of the Prophets (SA) is
oriented towards the ’Arsh, instead the
Himmat of Hadrat Peygamber (SA) is
beyond the ’Arsh, this is the meaning of
“And exalted thy mention?”
But lo! With hardship goeth ease
Lo! With hardship goeth ease
The above verses are traditionally
explained by the Hadith reported by
Hadrat Hassan ibn ’Ali (SA), Hadrat
Peygamber (SA) explained the verses
just reveled to Him to His Companions
(RA), saying, “One adversity won’t prevail on two happinesses, One adversity
won’t prevail on two happinesses. With
hardship goeth ease, with hardship
goeth ease”. Here must be remember
that according to the Arabic grammar a
repeated sentence with a undeterminated substantive considers so many substantives how many time is repeated, i.e.
“ the knight with a sword, the knight
with a sword”, points to the very same
knights with two swords. Therefore the
twice-repeated ayat, with the word
hardship as determined substantive and
ease as undetermined, it means that with
a single hardship go two eases. In other
word for each difficulty overcomes
there is a double prize, one in this world
and one in the next one. The very well
known example mentioned by the commentators of the exterior sciences is
about the fast, whose recompense is
either in this word at the instant of the
breaking either in the other world.
However the comment of Hadrat Sahl al
Tustari (QS) says: “With these words
Allah (JwS) has pointed to the higher
level of the maqam of hope (raja’),
which is due to His generosity and subtle kindness, thus He mentioned twice
the ease. Hadrat Peygamber (SA) said:
that one hardship cannot overcome on
two eases. This points to the two
“eases”, the judgement of the heart and
of the intellect, which cannot be won by
the instinctive soul (nafs al ta’b). Allah
(JwS) says: “We have given power over
your instinctive soul to the subtile
essences of your spiritual soul, to the
intellect, to the heart and the understanding, which were established
through the divine generosity 1000
years before the creation. Thanks to all
these the instinctive soul is subjugated”.
A further hadith on the two ayat reported by Anas ibn Malik (RA) recites that
Hadrat Peygamber (SA) once squatting
in front a hollow said: “If the hardship
would go in this hollow, the ease would
hunt it out”.
The commentary of Hadrat Ibn Al Arabi
about these two very ayat is thefollowing: “The association of these words is a
mix, it is not a relation of two events happening at the same time, neither one
after another, this is the reason of the
repetition, because if within the hardship
was not the ease, this could not be manifested to the contingent beings; as well
without the hardship within the easy this
could not be, each thing reveals itself
through its opposite”.
So when thou art relieved still toil
And strive to please thy Lord
These last two verses close the Sura
with a call to perseverance. Two are the
interpretation of “being relieved or free”
(faragha), one assumes to be from daily
activities so to be able to concentrate in
the worship, a second considers the
freedom from the obligatory worship
(fard namaz) to be able to perform the
voluntary practices and the night vigilance. Hadrat Ibn Al Arabi (QS) is considering such interpretation when recalling the words of Hadrat Abu Maydan
(QS) said: “Oh you, who are in prayer,
if you wish that your demands will be
accepted and to obtain the Peace of the
heart, do not proceed to the place of
worshipping without knowledge of
Who is your ruler. Get free from your
family links, from your work, from your
strength as from your power. So when
you will be free (faraghta) from the
conditions coming from the beings of
this world, commit (fansab) yourself to
the contemplation of the Clement and
toward your Lord strive all the way, if
you wish to conquer the Peace”.
Hadrat Shaykh Sahl al Tustari (QS)
seems, instead, opts for the second
vision, saying: “When you will be free
from the fard, stay sitting down and
strive towards your Lord, come back to
Him as you were before the rise of your
instinctive soul (nafs al ta’b), before
your creation, single by the singularity
(fardan bi fardin), secret within the
secret (sirri bi sirran). This was the way
that Allah (JwS) gave to Hadrat Mustafa
Jesen, 1426./2005.
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