2 - Providential gift: A breeze from Ceylon (Al Nafḥatal-Ṣaylānīyyah fi I-Minḥat al- Raḥmānīyyah)
Summary
In the Name of Allāh, the Compassionate, theMerciful
Show us the straight path.
All praise is due to Allāh Who has no likeness. He isthe All-knowing, the All-aware. And salutations andpeace be upon Muhammad, the light. And he is thebringer of glad tidings for the virtuous and awarner for the sinful. And peace be upon his familyand associates from among the migrants from Makkahtogether with residents of Medina who assisted them,and upon all members of the community of Islam andMuslims.
This is a brief and elegant epistle that I have titledProvidential Gift: A Breezefrom Ceylon. It was composed for ourgroup of spiritual followers and friends seekingadvice; particularly for my sincere, close friendand expert who I have named Muhammad, the truthfulone. My reason for so doing is that while we were inCeylon, known as the island of Sarandīb, (and usbeing on it) by Divine, eternal decree and wisdom,and which is a place renowned for vice and is arefuge for strangers, this friend read to me someepistles in mysticism and related subjects dealingwith mundane and spiritual benefits. There was arequest from some friends to this humble servant tocompose a brief epistle that would benefit peopletreading the path to Allāh. So I beseeched Divineadvice. One of the signs of His assistance isfacilitation for the accomplishment of the task athand.All success rests with Allāh in whose handslies the metaphysical world of certitude. Herefollows my submission:
Know, dear traveller on the path to the Almighty Allāh(and may He grant you knowledge and understanding ofit), that you first have to correct false beliefs.In essence, He is described as One Who has nolikeness. This is the absolute core of beliefsrelating to Him. All scrupulous investigators whorecognise Allāh and are counted among His saintshave agreed that all beliefs, Qur’ānic andotherwise, stem from it and the chapter discussingHis absolute monotheism.
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- Spiritual Path, Spiritual RealitySelected Writings of Shaykh Yusuf ofMacassar, pp. 23 - 45Publisher: University of South AfricaPrint publication year: 2020