The subtle centres (lata'if) in detail

You have already read that the totality of the universe, whether Creation or Command, is called the Macrocosm ('alam-e-kabir). Just as the origins (usul) of the subtle centres (lata'if) of the World of Creation ('alam-e-khalq) exist in the Macrocosm below the Throne ('Arsh), so the origins of the subtle centres of the World of Command ('alam-e-amr) exist in the Macrocosm above the Throne.

When the Most Holy Lord willed that the burden of vicegerency (khilafat) be placed upon man, man, because of his weakness and frailty, could not have borne this immense burden. Therefore He composed man by combining the components of the World of Creation and of Command, and made him comprehensive of the outward and the inward, of Command and Creation. For this reason man became the noblest of creatures (ashraf al-makhluqat).

And He gave the subtle centres of the World of Command love and passion for certain places in the human body. Since these subtle centres were pure, immaterial lights, upon coming into this dark house of the human being they forgot themselves and their origin, and because of the turbidity, despite being near, they fell far from Allah, Mighty and Majestic. This is why the Naqshbandi masters direct their spiritual attention (tawajjuh) to these subtle centres of Command, and also keep instructing [their disciples] in remembrances (adhkar) and litanies (awrad), so that these subtle centres may remember their origins, ascend towards them again, and attain annihilation and subsistence (fana and baqa).

The Subtle Centre of the Heart (Qalb)

The location of the subtle centre of the heart is a lump of flesh two finger-widths below the left breast, inclined towards the side, which is called the pine-cone heart (qalb-e-sanawbari). Sanawbar is the name of a fruit; since, like the pine cone,

its shape is inverted, and qalb in Arabic also means something turned upside down. The light of this subtle centre is yellow.

The Two Usages of Qalb

Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) said that the people of sainthood (wilayat), when they say qalb, mean the comprehensive reality (haqiqat-e-jami'a) of man, which belongs to the World of Command. In this sense it is a subtle centre of the unseen, whose place of manifestation is that very heart in the sense of a piece of flesh, the details of which were mentioned in the lines above.

And in the language of prophethood, qalb is the name for that piece of flesh with whose soundness the soundness of the human body is bound up, and with whose corruption the corruption of the body is bound up. This belongs to the World of Creation. In respect of the first usage, the manifestation connected with the heart is only a reflection in comparison with the complete manifestation of the Throne. In this station the total superiority belongs to the Throne alone. And the vastness and expanse described in this sacred hadith (hadith qudsi):

"Neither My earth nor My heaven can contain Me, but the heart of My believing servant contains Me."

"Neither My earth nor My heaven has room for Me, but the heart of My believing servant has room for Me."

relates to the piece of flesh. In respect of this usage, the heart has a more perfect manifestation than the Throne, and in this respect it has become the mirror of the Unconditioned Oneness (ahadiyyat-e-mujarrada). Although the Throne has an abundant share of complete manifestation, that is, the manifestation of the Origin, in this station there is an admixture of the Attributes; and since the Attributes are shadows of the Divine Essence, this manifestation is not free of the admixture of shadowness (zilliyat).

That is why it has been said that the Throne has many hopes attached to the human manifestation, which is connected with the pure Origin,

and the centre of this matter, too, is man. Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) says that the heart in this sense is both very narrow and very vast. It is so narrow that an indivisible atom (juz' la yatajazza), which is a most insignificant particle, sometimes appears as immense as the layers of the heavens and the earth in comparison with this heart. This narrowness of it is because there is no room in it for anything besides the Real, glorified is He. And it is so vast that the earth and heavens have no standing in comparison with it. This vastness is because the lights of the Eternal appear in it. In sum, the heart, in being from the World of Creation, is superior to the heart which is from the World of Command, by which the comprehensive reality is meant, because you have already read that, according to Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified), the World of Creation is superior to the World of Command. He says:

Hear from me the reality of this piece of flesh. In the common people this piece of flesh is made from the reality of the four elements, while in the elect, or rather the elect of the elect, this piece of flesh is that which, after the path (suluk) and divine attraction (jadhba), purification (tasfiya) and self-purification (tazkiya), the firm establishment of the heart and the tranquillity of the soul, or rather purely through the grace of Allah, has been composed of the ten components and formed into a particular shape.

Although the components mentioned are contrary to and distinct from one another, by the perfect power of Allah Most High their mutual contrariety has been removed, and through the coming together of them all they have acquired a unified state and form. In this matter, the greatest component is the element of earth. This unified form and shape has also appeared in the colour of the earthly component, and has been established from earth itself.

The tranquillity of heart that Hazrat Ibrahim, the Friend of Allah (on our Prophet and on him be blessings and peace), asked for is this very piece of flesh. Likewise, the heart for whose steadfastness the Master of all creation ﷺ asked in some of his supplications is this very one.

Reasons for the Difference Between the Two

There is a difference between these two usages of qalb in several respects. First, the comprehensive reality, which belongs to the World of Command, attains complete firm establishment (tamkin) after purification and self-purification. In contrast, the piece of flesh has its tranquillity bound up with perception by the senses; until it perceives a thing through the senses, it remains restless.

Second, the comprehensive reality accepts the effect of remembrance (dhikr), and when it reaches remembrance it becomes one with remembrance and becomes established through remembrance. The author of the 'Awarif (may his secret be sanctified) has called this station the most luminous station, and has expressed this station of the heart as the remembrance of the Essence (dhikr-e-dhat). In contrast, the piece of flesh has no path towards it for remembrance; being affected by remembrance and being established through remembrance is a later matter altogether. Rather, in this piece of flesh the One Remembered (madhkur) Himself is manifest by way of origination, and evidently there is no trace of shadowness there; and the utmost limit of the ascent of remembrance is the threshold of the One Remembered.

Third, when the comprehensive reality reaches the end of the ends (nihayat al-nihayat) and attains an abundant share of special sainthood (wilayat-e-khassa), then, if it becomes a mirror of the Sought One, what appears in it will be a shadow of the Sought One, not the Sought One Himself, just as in a mirror the likeness of a person appears and not the person himself. In contrast, whatever appears in the piece of flesh is the Sought One Himself, not a shadow. That is why these words were spoken in the hadith: "the heart of My believing servant contains Me." This matter is beyond thought and reflection.

Fourth, the vastness of the comprehensive reality is in respect of the forms of things appearing in it, while the vastness of the piece of flesh, which comes to light after its narrowness, is in respect of its having room for the Sought One, who is unlimited and infinite. And that narrowness is in fact

its narrow threshold, because of which nothing besides the Real finds room to enter; it does not even allow remembrance to enter the veil of the One Remembered, nor does it allow any trace of shadowness to circle around this sacred house. In short, this piece of flesh is no ordinary thing but a most precious jewel, in which the treasures and secrets of the World of Creation have been deposited, and the buried treasures and hidden matters of the World of Command are also buried. Besides this, the things that exist separately in the World of Command and of Creation are its particular affairs, which relate to its unified form.

It should be borne in mind that all these perfections found in the piece of flesh are in the station of Qaba Qawsayn ("two bows' length"). (For details of the matters mentioned, see Letter 21, Volume Two.)

The Heart of Six Directions

Hazrat Khwaja-e-Buzurg Sayyid Muhammad Baha'uddin Naqshband (may his secret be sanctified) said: "The mirror of each of the masters has two directions, and mine has six."

What is meant by this saying? The first to explain it was Hazrat Imam Rabbani Mujaddid Alf-e-Sani (may his secret be sanctified). In Mabda' wa Ma'ad he says that the mirror means the heart of the gnostic ('arif), which is an isthmus (barzakh) between the spirit and the soul, and the two directions mean the direction of the spirit and the direction of the soul. So after the masters reach the station of the heart, the two directions of the heart are unveiled to them, and those sciences and gnoses of these two stations that are appropriate to the heart flow forth upon them.

In contrast, in the method by which Hazrat Khwaja (may his secret be sanctified) is distinguished, and in which, at this point, the end is included in the beginning, six directions of the mirror of the heart become manifest. Its explanation is that it has been unveiled to the great masters of this lofty path that,

just as six subtle centres are established in the whole human body, so too in the heart alone those six subtle centres are established: the soul (nafs), the heart (qalb), the spirit (ruh), the secret (sirr), the hidden (khafi) and the most hidden (akhfa); and the six directions mean these very six subtle centres. Thus the journey of all the masters is upon the outward aspect of the heart, while that of these great ones is in the inward aspect of the heart, and through this very journey they reach the innermost of the inner. The sciences and gnoses of these six subtle centres are unveiled in the station of the heart, not those sciences and gnoses which are not appropriate to this station.

The Perfections of the Heart of the Heart

After explaining the solution to the above-mentioned difficult saying of Hazrat Khwaja-e-Buzurg (may his secret be sanctified), Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) set out in this place those secrets with which his Lord had specially favoured him, and which he described for the general benefit and by way of speaking of Allah's blessing (tahdith-e-ni'mat). He says: It should be known that the heart of the heart (qalb al-qalb) also contains subtle centres, on the analogy of the heart; but in the heart of the heart, owing to the narrowness of the circle or some other secret, two of the six subtle centres do not appear: the subtle centre of the soul (nafs) and the subtle centre of the most hidden (akhfa).

And such is the state of the heart which is in the third degree, except that in it the subtle centre of the hidden (khafi) also does not appear. And such is the state of the heart which is in the fourth degree, except that in it the subtle centre of the secret (sirr) also does not appear; only the heart and the spirit appear. And in the fifth degree the subtle centre of the spirit also does not appear; so in this degree nothing remains except the heart, purely simple, in which there is no room for any consideration.

After describing these degrees of the heart, he sets out the sciences that are appropriate to this station. From these secrets of his, every person of knowledge can understand with what lofty perfections the Most Holy Lord had favoured Hazrat

Mujaddid. He says:

"Whatever appeared in the Macrocosm in detail appeared in the Microcosm ('alam-e-saghir) in summary; by the Microcosm I mean man. So when the Microcosm is scoured and made shining, all those things that exist in detail in the Macrocosm appear in it as in a mirror, because through the scouring and cleansing its capacity has become vast, and so the ruling of smallness has been removed. Such is the state of the heart, whose relation to the Microcosm, in terms of summary and detail, is like the relation of the Microcosm to the Macrocosm. So when the smallest world ('alam-e-asghar), which is the world of the heart, is scoured, and the darkness that has come over it is removed, then in it too, by virtue of its being a mirror (mir'atiyyat), everything that is in the Microcosm in detail will appear.

And such is the state of summary and detail with the heart of the heart (qalb al-qalb) in relation to the heart; and the appearance of detail after summary is due to purification and luminosity. On the same analogy is the heart which is in the third degree, and the heart which is in the fourth degree; and in the preceding degrees the appearance of detail is due to polish (saqalat) and luminosity. Such too is the state of the heart which is in the fifth degree, despite the fact that it is simple and no consideration of anything applies to it.

In the heart of this fifth degree, after the purification of the perfected one, everything appears that appears in all the worlds: the Macrocosm, the Microcosm, the smallest world, and the worlds after it. So it is the narrowest yet the vastest, the simplest of the simple, the least yet the most. No thing among things has been created with this quality, and nothing has been found that has greater affinity with the Maker than it.

So inevitably, in this heart will appear those wonders of the signs of its Maker which do not appear in any of His creatures. That is why it was said: "Neither My earth nor My heaven contains Me, but the heart of My believing servant contains Me." (For further details see Mabda' wa Ma'ad.)

The Subtle Centre of the Spirit (Ruh)

This is a placeless thing and a subtle centre of the unseen, whose manifestation is in fact above the Throne, above the subtle centre of the heart. Its location in the human body is two finger-widths below the right breast, pressed towards the side. Its light is red in colour.

The Subtle Centre of the Secret (Sirr)

The manifestation of the subtle centre of the secret is in fact above the spirit, and it is subtler than the spirit. Its location is two finger-widths above the left breast, inclined towards the right side. Its light is white in colour. The breadth of the affiliation (nisbat) of Hazrat Khwaja-e-Khwajagan Naqshband (may his secret be sanctified) is greatest in this subtle centre.

The Subtle Centre of the Hidden (Khafi)

This too is a subtle centre of the unseen, subtler than the secret. Its manifestation is above the Throne, over the secret. Its location in the human body is on the right side, two finger-widths above the breast, pressed towards the middle. The colour of its light is black.

The Subtle Centre of the Most Hidden (Akhfa)

Its manifestation is in fact above even the hidden. It is the subtlest of all the subtle centres. Its location in the human body is between the two breasts. The colour of its light is green.

The Five Degrees of Sainthood

Let it be known that these five subtle centres are in fact five degrees of sainthood (wilayat), and each degree is a path to reaching the holy Essence of Allah Most High. The ascent of these subtle centres reaches up to the circle of the Names and Modes (shuyunat). It should be borne in mind that the subtle centres ascend in the same order in which they have been mentioned. Since the right guidance and direction of the servants depend upon the noble Prophets (peace be upon them), the path that these great ones adopted is the path of guidance. These subtle centres are in fact the five paths, by walking upon which the Messengers of firm resolve (ulu al-'azm) reached the station of sainthood and the goal. Thus the subtle centre of the heart is under the foot of Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him), because Hazrat Adam's arrival was by this very path. He is its first traveller.

Whoever arrives at the court of the Lord of the Worlds by this path is called Adami in disposition (Adami al-mashrab). Such a person becomes capable of traversing one of the five degrees of sainthood. It should be borne in mind that the connection and link of this subtle centre is with the self-disclosure of the Attribute of Bringing into Being (takwin), which is one of the relational Attributes (sifat-e-idafiyya). Action and creation, bringing into existence, invention and origination are connected with it; all contingent beings came into existence through it. Among the other subtle centres of the World of Command, the heart has been made the root; and among the subtle centres of the World of Creation, the subtle centre of the soul (nafs) has its connection and link with the origin of the heart. Therefore the subtle centre of the soul is the essence and quintessence of the subtle centres of the World of Creation.

Hazrat Mujaddid (may his secret be sanctified) used to guide each of the subtle centres along the path and refine them separately, but his sons, in order to shorten the way, sufficed with the purification of the soul (tazkiya-e-nafs) after the purification of the heart (tasfiya-e-qalb). These masters held that these two subtle centres have the status of roots; therefore through their refinement and purification the refinement and purification of the others

will also come about."

The subtle centre of the spirit is one degree nearer to the Real, glorified is He, than the heart. Hazrat Nuh and Hazrat Ibrahim (on our Prophet and on both of them be blessings and peace) arrived by way of this subtle centre. Therefore the salik who arrives by this path is called Ibrahimi in disposition (Ibrahimi al-mashrab). Such a person acquires the ability and capacity to attain two of the degrees of sainthood. It should be borne in mind that the connection and link of this subtle centre is with the self-disclosure of the affirmative Attributes (sifat-e-thubutiyya).

The subtle centre of the secret is one degree nearer to the Real, glorified is He, than the spirit. Hazrat Musa (on our Prophet and on him be peace) was the first to arrive by this path. Therefore whoever arrives by this path is called Musawi in disposition (Musawi al-mashrab). Such a salik acquires the ability and fitness to attain three of the degrees of sainthood. The connection and link of this subtle centre is with the self-disclosures of the essential Modes (shuyunat-e-dhatiyya) of Allah Most High, which are nearer to the Divine Essence than the affirmative Attributes.

The subtle centre of the hidden is one degree nearer to the Real than the secret. The traveller of this path is Hazrat 'Isa, the Spirit of Allah (on our Prophet and on him be blessings and peace); it is said to be under his foot. The salik who arrives by this path has the fitness and ability to attain four of the degrees of sainthood. Such a person is called 'Isawi in disposition ('Isawi al-mashrab). The connection and link of this subtle centre is with the self-disclosures of the negative Attributes of transcendence (sifat-e-salbiyya tanzihiyya) of the Real Most High, which are nearer than the essential Modes.

The subtle centre of the most hidden is the nearest of all the subtle centres to the Real. Our master and our support, the reason for the creation of the world, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, arrived by this very path. The salik who is granted the ability to arrive by this path is called Muhammadi in disposition (Muhammadi al-mashrab). Such a salik has the ability and fitness to attain all

the degrees of sainthood. It should be borne in mind that the connection and link of this blessed subtle centre is with the self-disclosure of the All-Comprehensive Mode (shan-e-jami'), which has the status of an isthmus between the degree of transcendence and the Unconditioned Oneness (ahadiyyat-e-mujarrada). Among all the subtle centres, this noble subtle centre is the most subtle, the finest and the most beautiful. Very few are the servants who receive a share of this everlasting wealth. It should be borne in mind that if one wishes to understand the meaning of being under the foot of a Prophet, and to gain further information on this subject, one should study our book "Kanz al-'Irfan". Let it be known that since people's abilities and capacities are not equal, the Most Holy Lord, out of His perfect generosity, granted these different dispositions (mashrab), so that even those of lesser ability may reach the Ka'ba of their aim and the Qibla of their goal.

Guiding the Subtle Centres Along the Path

It should be known that traversing the stations and the subtle centres is of two kinds. One is that the journey through the station of each subtle centre is brought from beginning to end through the spiritual attention (tawajjuh) of the spiritual guide (murshid); after that the journey of the next subtle centre is begun and that too is brought to its end, and in this way each one is completed. The second is that when the murshid wishes the salik's work to be completed very quickly, he does this: he gives attention to the first subtle centre, and before the journey of the first subtle centre is complete, he casts the lights of the second subtle centre into it. Likewise, before the distance of the second subtle centre is fully covered, he directs his attention to the third subtle centre. He does the same with the remaining subtle centres.

In short, through his attention the murshid casts into the inner being of the salik a share of every station and the lights, outpourings (fuyuzat) and spiritual states (kayfiyat) of every place. The second kind of journey is called journeying by leaps (suluk ba-tawr-e-tafra). This salik of leaps sees every station, as it were, in summary; after that,

by the grace of the Most Holy Lord, the detail is also attained.