The light of the inner eye

Better to look at the defects hidden within you than to look for the unseen worlds that are veiled from you.

The Real is not veiled - it is you that are veiled from seeing Him. If there was anything veiling Him what veiled Him would cover Him. If he was covered, His existence would be contained. If something contains something else, it overpowers it. But He is the Conqueror, overcoming His slaves.

Among the qualities of humanness, get rid of every quality incompatible with your slavehood so you can answer when Allah calls and be near His presence.

The root of every act of rebellion, every appetite and every moment of heedlessness is satisfaction with one's self.

The root of every act of obedience, every restraint and every moment of wakefulness is lack of satisfaction with one's self.

Better to keep the company of an ignorant man who is not satisfied with himself than a man of knowledge who is satisfied with himself.

What knowledge does the self-satisifed scholar have? What ignorance does the ignorant man who is not self-satisfied have?

The light of the inner eye lets you see His nearness to you. The source of the inner eye lets you see your non-existence by your existence. The truth of the inner eye lets you see His existence, not your own non-existence or existence.

"Allah was and there was nothing with Him. He is now as He was."

The Hikam - by Ibn 'Ata'llah