Confession

In whatever way I may have shown disrespect to you in jest — while at play, at rest, seated, or at meals — whether alone or in company, O Achyuta — I ask your forgiveness for all that, O immeasurable one.

Whatever I have boldly said to you out of carelessness or affection, thinking you merely a friend — 'O Krishna, O Yadava, O companion!' — all this, not knowing your true greatness —

If someone who has committed a sin confesses it in the presence of Brahmanas who are knowledgeable about their duties, they will be quickly cleansed of the shame arising from their sin.

One who commits grave sins can become cleansed of them by performing penance.

If one, after revering the morning twilight, stands facing the sun, they reap the merit of performing ablutions in all holy sites and become cleansed of all sins.

'I confess Jesus and I know Paul, but who are you?'

Let the confessor guide the soul through this, without giving it any importance, because it has no significance for the path to unity.

Some souls may think, or their confessors may think, that God is guiding them through the dark night of spiritual purification, when in fact they might be suffering from sadness or some other imperfection related to their senses or spirit.

62. There seems to be an inherent contradiction between the message ofthe first discourse here and the final statement of Assembly 2 above. The latter stresses normative Muslim belief, i.e., that prophets are infallible, while the statement that follows here suggests that prophets too can sin. Has Shaykh Nizam ad-din reversed himself on this crucial teaching? Possibly, but the greater likelihood is that the second statement has to be famed in a personal or psychological context, just as the former derives fom a public, confessional stance.

“Sayyid Ajall, on hearing this story, went into his house, seized his maidservant, and, drawing his sword, he exclaimed: ‘I will put one question to you. If you do not tell me the truth, P11 kill you. The question is this: Speak the truth—by whom did you conceive this son?’ At first the maidservant concealed the truth, but at last out of fear she confessed: ‘| conceived this son by such-and-such a slave.’ Sayyid Ajall, when he heard this, went out and taking the two curled locks of that lad, he made them into one lock, indicating that he was no longer a sayyid. ‘In shor, whoever is from the family of the Prophet—peace be upon him—would not do the kind of thing that boy had done.’ ”

Once,” he explained, “Khwaja Bayazid did declare: ‘Glory be to me! Such is the greatness of my worth!” But then toward the end of his life he repented of this remark, confessing: ‘I did not speak aright. I was a Jew. This hour I have cut my pagan girdle. Joining the ranks of Muslims, I declare: “I testify that there isno god but God. He is alone, without partner. And I also testify that Muhammad is His servant and His apostle.’ ”

tell him what had happened. ‘I sold that donkey,’ he confessed, ‘to provide you bread and water.’ In short, they set out from there, and Ibrahim Khawass transported that lad on his back for three days.”

Then in the same vein the master told a further story. “There was a dervish who, if anyone had stomach pain, would tell the person: ‘Go eat tripe and you'll be cured.’ If a person came to him with a headache, he would say: ‘Go eat the choicest rice dish, and you'll be cured.’ And whatever he said came to pass. But Shaykh ‘Ali Shurida told him: ‘Desist from this, or perish!’ And soon that dervish was afflicted with a terrible pain. Coming to him, Shaykh ‘Ali Shurida said: ‘Did I not tell you: “Desist from this, or perish?’ ‘I did wrong,’ confessed that dervish, ‘now please pray for my recovery!’ But Shaykh ‘Ali Shurida did not pray, and he died from that affliction!”

‘Last night,’ he confessed, ‘I broke into a home to rob it. A saintly woman was awake there. Due to her reverence I was blinded. I implored her to pray that I might regain my sight. I vowed that if my vision was restored I would forswear thievery. Now, this very hour, I come, and I bring my entire family with me, to embrace Islam and also to forswear thievery once and for all.’ In short, due to the blessing of that woman, they all became Muslims and repented of their lives as thieves.

‘Because Shaykh Baha ad-din Zakariya—may God have mercy upon him—has said this very same thing,’ was his reply. But this exchange continued to perplex me,” confessed Maulana Sadr ad-din. “When evening came, | resorted to reading all three commentaries in front of a lamp. I placed Ijaz and Kashshaf below and ‘Umdah on top of the other two. Sleep overcame me. Suddenly a fire broke out. I woke up, only to find that Kashshaf and Ijaz, though underneath, had been burnt to a crisp, while ‘Umdah remained unscathed!”

of it.” Shaykh Qutb ad-din fell silent. After this, for the rest of my life, I was ashamed of what I had said, and I have repeatedly repented of my hasty, disrespectful reply.’ ” When he had finished telling this story, the master—may God remember him with favor—confessed: “I, too, have been guilty of committing an unintentional act of arrogance against my spiritual master. And it happened in this way: One day Shaykh Farid ad-din had a copy of ‘Awarif al-Maʻarif before him, and he was using it to provide morals (fawa'id ) for his disciples.

All these were guided by the light of that Sun of divine Revelation, confessed and acknowledged His truth. Such was their faith, that most of them renounced their substance and kindred, and cleaved to the good-pleasure of the All-Glorious. They laid down their lives for their Well-Beloved, and surrendered their all in His path. Their breasts were made targets for the darts of the enemy, and their heads adorned the spears of the infidel.

Though they repeatedly questioned Him, hoping that He would confess His claim, yet Jesus held His peace and spake not. Finally, an accursed of God arose and, approaching Jesus, adjured Him saying: "Didst thou not claim to be the Divine Messiah? Didst thou not say, 'I am the King of Kings, My word is the Word of God, and I am the breaker of the Sabbath day?'" Thereupon Jesus lifted up His head and said: "Beholdest thou not the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and might?" These were His words, and yet consider how to outward seeming He was devoid of all power except that inner power which was of God and which had encompassed all that is in heaven and on earth.

Similarly, call thou to mind the day when the Jews, who had surrounded Jesus, Son of Mary, were pressing Him to confess His claim of being the Messiah and Prophet of God, so that they might declare Him an infidel and sentence Him to death. Then, they led Him away, He Who was the Day-star of the heaven of divine Revelation, unto Pilate and Caiaphas, who was the leading divine of that age. The chief priests were all assembled in the palace, also a multitude of people who had gathered to witness His sufferings, to deride and injure Him.

These revealed words were a blessing to the righteous who on hearing them exclaimed: "O God our Lord, we have heard, and obeyed." They were a curse to the people of iniquity who, on hearing them affirmed: "We have heard and rebelled." Those words, sharp as the sword of God, have separated the faithful from the infidel, and severed father from son. Thou hast surely witnessed how they that have confessed their faith in Him and they that rejected Him have warred against each other, and sought one another's property.