Word 65: The one who reaches the stage of awakening in their self-knowledge value much of what’s considered knowledge as nothing more than a dream or a fantasy…

Word 65: The one who reaches the stage of awakening in their self-knowledge value much of what’s considered knowledge as nothing more than a dream or a fantasy. That is different from the true knowledge that is the light of the soul, which is, as the saying goes, “Knowledge is a light that God casts into the heart of whomever He wishes.” And that is also different from the so-called virtue that is merely a title for a livelihood.

If you look at the books written on practical mysticism, like Manāzil al-Sā’irīn (The Stations of the Travelers) or other similar works, you will see that the very first stage of this path is called awakening.

People are in a state of heedless sleep. The Prophet Muhammad (S) said: “People are asleep, and when they die, they awaken.”

In the “Introduction to Self-Knowledge” lectures, I used the analogy of a ship moving on the sea. The sun rose and warmed the deck, and the inhabitants of the ship woke up one by one. A bustle appeared on the deck as everyone went to their assigned tasks: the lookout to look out, the sailor to sail, the cook to cook.

Suddenly, one of the passengers wondered, “Where are we going in this vast ocean with no end in sight?” He asked a friend, who didn’t know. He went to the lookout and asked where they were going, but the lookout said he didn’t know either. He asked the sailor, who also didn’t know. He asked the helmsman, and still, no one knew.

A big question mark hung over the ship: “Where are we going? What is the destination of this ship? Are we just moving aimlessly in this vast sea?”

Eventually, the question was forgotten, and everyone went back to their work.

This analogy applies to us, the inhabitants of Earth. We are on the ship of Earth, moving through the vast ocean of space, and none of us asks ourselves, “Where are we going? What are we doing here? What is our purpose?”

We just come into this world, go to school, get married, have kids, find a good job, marry off our children, and then eventually fall ill and die.

Where are we going? Where is our origin, and what is our destination? What are we supposed to be doing? This roaring flood, which began with Adam, continues, with millions born and millions dying. They enter the world from one door and leave it from another. Where is this flood going?

Our only thoughts are a good job, a good spouse, and a good house. We’re like an animal with its snout to the ground, looking for grass and never once lifting its head to look at the sky and wonder where we are from.

But the spiritual seeker awakens from this sleep of heedlessness. When they awaken, they begin to think about themselves. They ask, “Where am I from? What am I doing here? What is the purpose of my life?”

Everyone is running to live, but if you ask them why they are living, they just say, “Well, you have to live.”

The stage of awakening is where a person wakes up from this sleep and starts to think about their own being.

This is the poem by Rumi that a person in the stage of awakening asks themselves:

“My days are spent in this thought and my nights in this word”

“Why am I heedless of the state of my own heart?”

“Where did I come from, and what was the purpose of my coming?”

“Where will I go in the end? Won’t you show me my homeland?”

These are the questions a person in this stage asks: “What am I doing? What is this place? Where was I before this? Where will I go after this?” And a thousand other questions arise, such as, “Who am I? What are the states of my existence?” and a thousand other questions that come to their mind.

When a person awakens from the sleep of heedlessness, their state completely changes. Things that were once valuable to them become worthless, and things that were once worthless become valuable.

For example, a person is no longer concerned with what people say about them, how they think, or how they should dress to avoid gossip. They begin to see that these things are nothing but superstition and nonsense. They even realize that much of their worldly knowledge is just a game.

Many forms of knowledge are truly seen as nothing more than a dream or a fantasy. In reality, many of the things we consider important are not important at all.

I saw a video of a person who had been healed by Imam Reza (A). He had cancer, and the doctors had told him he only had a few months to live. This man, who was later healed, said that when a person knows they are going to die, their entire outlook on life changes. Many of the things they once loved and valued become worthless, and many things they considered worthless become valuable. They begin to like things they once disliked and turn away from many things they were once preoccupied with. A person in that state experiences very strange and profound feelings.

If you want to experience those strange and profound states of mind, you must delve into the remembrance of death. When you do this, you will slowly begin to see death as something close. Worldly people, however, see death as far away.

As the Quran says, “Indeed, they see it as far away, but We see it as near!” (Al-Ma’arij:6-7). They see it as so far away that they can’t believe they will ever die.

“And put forward to them the example of two men: unto one of them We had given two gardens of grapes, and We had surrounded both with date palms; and had put between them green crops (cultivated fields). (32) Each of those two gardens brought forth its produce, and failed not in the least therein, and We caused a river to gush forth in the midst of both. (33) And he had Thamar, and he said to his companion in the course of discussion: “I am greater than you in wealth and have a mightier entourage.” (34) And he entered his garden, wronging himself. He said, “I do not think this will ever perish.” (35) “And I do not think the Hour is coming. And even if I am returned to my Lord, I will find something better than this in return.” (36) His friend said to him, as he conversed with him, “Are you being ungrateful to Him who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then evolved you into a man? (37) But as for me, He is God, my Lord, and I never associate with my Lord anyone. (38) When you entered your garden, why did you not say, “As God wills; there is no power except through God”? Although you see me inferior to you in wealth and children. (39) Perhaps my Lord will give me something better than your garden, and release upon it thunderbolts from the sky, so it becomes barren waste. (40) Or its water will sink into the ground, and you will be unable to draw it.” (41) And ruin closed in on his crops, and so he began wringing his hands over what he had invested in it, as it lays fallen upon its trellises. And he was saying, “I wish I never associated anyone with my Lord.” (42) He had no faction to help him besides God, and he was helpless. (43) That is because authority belongs to God, the True. He is Best in rewarding, and Best in requiting. (44)” (Al-Kahf:32-44)

People get so caught up in this world that they push death so far away that they can’t believe they will ever die.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: “No certain matter is more doubted than death.” Everyone is certain they will die, yet no one truly believes it. We all know we’re going to die, but no one actually believes death will happen to them one day.

The wolf of fate takes from this flock one by one,

Yet look at this flock, how peacefully it grazes.

The wolf of death is taking us one by one—grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles—and we never think that our turn will come.

But a believer keeps death in mind. When you remember death, it begins to feel closer to you. While everyone’s time of death is already set, you gradually begin to sense death’s reality. You start to believe that one day you will die truly. Currently, most people do not believe that.

The Quran says: “Say, The death from which you flee will surely meet you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do.” (Al-Jumu’ah:8).

Why does God tell the Prophet (S) to say this to them? Because they don’t believe they will die. They see people dying one by one, yet they can’t believe it will happen to them. They can’t accept that they, too, will die.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: “Death is like an arrow shot in the dark; it might hit its target at any moment.”

When we leave this session, who knows if we’ll be alive for the next one? It’s unknown. This arrow can strike its target at any moment, so a person must always be ready for death.

The remembrance of death pulls a person out of heedlessness and into the stage of awakening. When you become accustomed to remembering death, it’s no longer difficult to get up for the night prayers; you jump up yourself.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said: “By God, the son of Abu Talib is more attached to death than a baby is to his mother’s breast.”

What does it mean to be attached to death? It means that I have lived every moment in the remembrance of death. I have always lived with death.

Of course, death is sweet; it is a rebirth. But in its sweetness, it separates the human heart from worldly affections and desires.

When a person awakens, they see that others are still asleep. This isn’t a poetic phrase; you literally see people walking, eating, and sleeping in a state of spiritual slumber. The remembrance of death brings a person closer to the stage of awakening.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his Ahl Al-Bait) said that if someone remembers death 21 times a day, they will be resurrected with the martyrs of the Battle of Badr. The remembrance of death makes a believer sharp and discerning; they are no longer fooled by the world.

For example, if someone told you that you were going to die in a week, and you were sure of it, what good would a hundred billion dollars be? If they told you to do something wrong for that money, you’d say, “I’m going to die in a week; what use is all the wealth in the world to me?”

This is in stark contrast to most people today. They’ll do something wrong for just 10000 dollars. It’s as if everyone has a price.

Those who have a price for Satan are the ones who have let the remembrance of death fall from their sight. But if they remember death, they won’t be bothered by the illusions and dust that have gathered around them. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The love of this world is the root of all evil.” The love of this world is destroyed by the remembrance of death.

To embark on a practical spiritual journey, we must pass through these stages. We can gain theoretical knowledge by attending class, listening to lectures, and reading books, which is excellent—it makes us knowledgeable. But if we want to be people of action and move on the practical path, the very first step is the remembrance of death.

Then we begin to understand what enmity truly means. The life of ordinary people becomes so absurd to you that you grow weary of them. Things like, “He didn’t return my greeting,” “He hung up on me,” or “We went to their house, but they never came to ours,” become ridiculous. When a person enters the stage of awakening, they realize that much of their knowledge and understanding is nothing more than a dream or fantasy.

The Prophet Muhammad (S) entered the mosque and saw a crowd gathered around a man. “What’s going on?” he asked. They said, “This man is a great scholar.”

The Prophet asked, “What makes him a scholar?” They replied that he knew the genealogies of the Arab tribes, their poetry, and the details of their battles—who fought, who was killed, and what happened in each war.

The Prophet responded, “This is knowledge that, whether you know it or not, it has no benefit or harm.” He then added that many forms of knowledge are just like this.

The Quran is meant for us to read and be guided. We have been told to recite the Quran with a sorrowful voice. But now there are Quranic recitation universities in Egypt, Ph.D.s in Quranic recitation, and people imitating the style of different reciters.

It has nothing to do with the Quran. The Quran came to guide me, and the Prophet (S) said to recite it with a sorrowful voice. What are all these different styles and vocal techniques? They are superstitions that hold no value whatsoever. Many other forms of knowledge are facing the same fate.

Knowledge is of two kinds: knowledge of the body and knowledge of religion.

Knowledge of the body includes medicine and all technical fields like engineering, aviation, and genetics, because they serve our physical bodies.

On the other hand, knowledge of religion is concerned with our souls. The knowledge of the body is only useful in this world. As Allameh used to say, “We need a doctor only as long as this body has a fever.”

Once you don’t have a body to get sick, what use do you have for a doctor? When you leave this world, what good will aviation be to you? All of that knowledge is eliminated. We only need it for the 70 years that we live in this world.

Knowledge of religion is the knowledge of self-awareness, and it will remain with you forever. How much have we invested in that? The knowledge of the body is good, but it’s only temporary.

The knowledge that gives light and insight to the soul is more beneficial. As the saying goes, “Knowledge is a light that God casts into the heart of whomever He wishes.”

The different levels of knowledge include acquired knowledge, gifted knowledge, witnessed knowledge, present knowledge, and inspired knowledge. These are all part of the stages of knowledge.

It’s good for a person to be a good calligrapher. That’s a virtue—something a person possesses in addition to others in a specific field. It’s a virtue, it’s good, and they are better at it than others. But it’s also just a means for their worldly livelihood.

That virtue, which is just a title for a worldly livelihood, is one thing, and the knowledge that is the light of the human heart is something else entirely.

Getting a degree in industrial or management to earn a living is one thing, but the knowledge that is the light of the heart is another. In fact, many true sciences have become corrupted with unreal branches.

The Quran says about itself: “In a well-guarded Book. None shall touch it except the purified.” (Al-Waqi’ah:79). It also says, “And you make your provision that you deny it.” (Al-Waqi’ah:82).

This means that you are using this miracle Quran, which is in a well-guarded book, as a means for your livelihood. By doing so, you are denying the Quran itself. In other words, anyone who uses the Quran to make a living, by their actions, denies the Quran.

If I were to hold this class and use it to earn a living, I would be denying these very truths.

The prophets would say: “O my people, I do not ask you for any payment for it; my reward is only from the One who created me. Will you not then use your reason?” (Hud:51). We don’t want any reward from you; our reward is with God.

If someone uses the Quran, the clerical robe, or religion as a means for their worldly life, for example, a eulogist who sings to earn an income has nothing to do with Imam Hussain. It doesn’t matter how well he recites or uses his voice. For the sake of his worldly life, he is denying the truth. As the Quran says, “And you make your provision that you deny it.” (Al-Waqi’ah:82).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) once went to a store to buy a shirt. He asked the shopkeeper, “Do you know me?” The man said, “Yes, you are the Commander of the Faithful (Amir Al-Mu’minin).” So, the Imam left. He went to a second store and asked, “Do you know me?” The man said, “Yes, you are the Commander of the Faithful.” The Imam left again. He went to a third store and asked, “Do you know me?” The man said, “No, I don’t.” The Imam then asked for a shirt and bought one. Why?

If Imam Ali were to use his title, “Commander of the Faithful,” for his worldly life, he would be a perfect example of the above verse: “And you make your provision that you deny it.” (Al-Waqi’ah:82). You are using the Quran as a means for your livelihood, and with this act, you are denying the Quran.

The Quran is true knowledge, but if someone uses it for their worldly life, it becomes one of those “unreal” kinds of knowledge. Your actions can even lead to the denial of the Quran, because your true goal has become the world.

There’s no difference between a doctor who makes money from his practice and a person who makes money from the Quran or from giving a sermon about Imam Hussain.

The ego can design something in such a way that it makes you believe it’s the straight path. It tells you, “This is it, and there is nothing else.”

But a true master, who is watching over you, will say, “No, this is your ego at work. It’s clinging to you and trying to lead you astray. Your desires have taken hold of you. Do not attribute these things to God.”

Many actions are from our Nafs. The Nafs desires them, and a person comes to believe that they are doing a divine work.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The remembrance of death:

Kills the desires of the soul. Cuts off the root of heedlessness. Strengthens faith in God’s promises. Refines one’s character. Breaks the flags of wanting desires. Extinguishes the fire of greed. It makes the world seem insignificant.

One of the commands the Prophet Muhammad (S) gave to his companions was to contemplate the remembrance of death. He told them to remember death so much that it would feel close to them. Sometimes, a person will feel that the night they are about to sleep is their last, or that this very hour is their last.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “I close my eyes and have no hope of opening them again. I take a breath and have no hope of exhaling it.” Death becomes that close to a person.

When a person sees death as being so close, they can no longer pursue another person’s spouse, power, position, money, or other people’s property. They can’t chase after the many things people pursue and take pride in.

So, if you want to get started on this path, begin tonight by cultivating the remembrance of death every day until it becomes second nature to you.

May we all be on the path of divine authority, on the path of the afterlife, and may we be among the people of the hereafter, not to be fooled by the world and its desires.

Muhammad Mahdi Me’marian

All praise is to God to the extent that He deserves it.