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English translation

And among them: the ship of verification and miraculous grace, and the reviver of honor within sainthood, Abu al-Fayd Dhul-Nun ibn Ibrahim al-Misri — may Allah be pleased with him.

He was a Nubian son, his name was Thawban, and he was among the best of the people and the great ones and the chivalrous adepts (ayyaran) of this path. He trod the road of affliction and walked the way of blame (malamat), and the people of Egypt were all bewildered concerning his rank and denied his standing in his time, and until the time of his death none of the people of Egypt recognized the beauty of his state.

And on the night that he departed this world, seventy people saw the Prophet — peace be upon him — in a dream saying: 'The friend of God, Dhul-Nun, has come by invitation. I have come to welcome him.' And when he died, there appeared written upon his forehead: 'This is the beloved of God, slain by God in the love of God.'

When his bier was lifted, the birds of the air gathered and cast their shade over his bier. The people of Egypt were all filled with shame and repented of the cruelty they had shown him.

He has many fine sayings and sweet words upon the realities of the sciences; as he says: 'The gnostic is every day more humble, because in every hour he is nearer.' Every day the gnostic is more fearful and more humble, because every hour he is nearer, and inevitably his bewilderment is greater and his humility more; for he has become aware of the awe and sovereignty of the Truth, and the majesty of the Truth has taken hold of his heart. He does not see himself far from Him, yet there is no way to union. His humility increases upon humility; just as Moses, in the state of converse, said: 'O Lord, where shall I seek You?' He said: 'With those whose hearts are broken.' 'O Lord, where shall I seek You?' He said: 'There where the heart is broken and has despaired of deliverance.' He said: 'O Lord, no heart is more despairing and more broken than mine.' He said: 'I am there where you are.'

So one who claims gnosis without fear and humility is ignorant, not a gnostic. And the sign of the reality of gnosis is the sincerity of aspiration, and sincere aspiration is that which cuts off means and severs the servant from all besides God — mighty and glorious — as Dhul-Nun says, may Allah be pleased with him: 'Sincerity is the sword of God upon His earth; it is not laid upon anything but that it cuts it.' Truthfulness is the sword of God — mighty and glorious — upon the earth, and it comes upon nothing but that it severs it. And sincerity is the seeing of the Causer, not the affirming of the cause. When the cause is affirmed, the rule of sincerity is removed and falls away.

And I found among the accounts of him that: one day he was sitting with his companions in a boat on the river Nile for recreation, as was the custom of the people of Egypt. Another boat was coming, and a group of pleasure-seekers in it were committing corruption. This seemed grave to his disciples, and they said: 'O Shaykh, pray that God — mighty and glorious — may drown them all so that their evil may be cut off from creation.' Dhul-Nun — may God's mercy be upon him — rose to his feet and raised his hands and said: 'O Lord, just as You have given this group a pleasant life in this world, give them a pleasant life in the next world too.' The disciples were astonished at his words. When the boat came nearer and their eyes fell upon Dhul-Nun, they began to weep and broke into tears and repented and returned to God. He — may God's mercy be upon him — said to his disciples: 'A pleasant life in the next world was repentance in this one. Did you not see that the aim of all was attained without any harm coming to anyone?'

And this was from the utmost compassion of that elder for the Muslims, and in it he followed the Prophet — peace be upon him — who, however much cruelty came upon him from the unbelievers, was not changed and would say: 'O God, guide my people, for they do not know.'

And it is related from him that he said: I was coming from Jerusalem heading toward Egypt. On the way I saw from afar an awe-inspiring figure approaching. In my heart I found an urge to ask this person a question. When they came near, I saw an old woman with a staff in her hand, wearing a woolen cloak. I said: 'From where?' She said: 'From God.' I said: 'To where?' She said: 'To God.' 'Where do you come from?' She said: 'From God.' 'Where will you go?' She said: 'Toward God.' I had some dinars with me, and I brought them out to give her. She waved her hand in my face and said: 'O Dhul-Nun, this image you have formed of me is from the feebleness of your intellect. I do my work for the sake of God and take nothing from any besides Him; just as I worship none but Him, I accept nothing except from Him.' She said this and parted from me.

And in this tale there is a subtle mystery, that the old woman said: 'I do my work for His sake.' And this is proof of sincere love; for people in their conduct are of two kinds: one is he who does a work supposing that he does it for His sake, but in truth does it for himself — and however much his worldly desire is cut off from it, in the end he hopes for the reward of the next world; and the other is he from whose conduct the desire for reward and punishment of the next world, and ostentation and repute in this one, are cut off, and whatever he does he does out of veneration for the command of the Truth — exalted be His glory — and the love of the Truth — exalted — demands of him the abandonment of his own share in obeying His command. And to that first group it appears that whatever they do for the Hereafter is also for Him, and they do not know that in obedience the obedient one's share is greater than in disobedience; because in disobedience the ease of the sinner is for one hour, while the ease of obedience is everlasting; and what benefit does the Lord — exalted and holy — gain from the striving of creatures, and what loss from its abandonment? If all creatures were to become like the truthfulness of Abu Bakr, the benefit would be theirs, and if they were to become like the falsehood of Pharaoh, the loss would be theirs; according to His saying — exalted: 'If you do good, you do good for yourselves' (Quran 17:7), and His saying — exalted: 'And whoever strives, strives only for himself' (Quran 29:6).

People seek eternal dominion for themselves and say: 'We do it for the sake of God — exalted be His glory.' But treading the path of love is something else entirely. They, in carrying out the command, keep in view the fulfillment of the Beloved's will, and their eye is upon nothing else.

And in this book, God willing, similar words will come in the chapter on sincerity (ikhlas).