Submission

Submission is the sign of the believer, the proof of the purity of his heart, and the key to entering the inner dimensions of Gnosis. Your submission is the sign of your readiness to receive the overflow of their sciences. For whenever your submission increases, the capacity of your vessel increases, and you thus become deserving of more from them (may their majesty be glorified). Far be it from them to withhold from anyone or prevent him, for they are the Generous¹. The defect is only in the creation and their lack of submission and their denial of the truths.

Our Master Amir Al-Mouminine (may his glory be exalted) said: Submit to the command of God and to His guardian, for you will never go astray with Submission².

From our Master Assadiq (may his glory be exalted), when he was asked: "By what does the believer know that he is a believer?" He said: "By Submission to God and contentment with whatever comes to him, of happiness or displeasure."³

From Sufyan ibn al-Simt, I said to our Master Abu 'Abdillah Assadiq (may his glory be exalted): "A man comes to us from your side and informs us of a great matter from you, and our breasts tighten because of it, to the point that we deny him." So Abu 'Abdillah said: "Is it not from me that he narrates to you?" I said: "Yes, indeed." He said: "Does he say of the night that it is day, and of the day that it is night?" I said: "No." He said: "Then refer it back to us. For if you deny him, you are only denying us."⁴

Our Master al-Kazim (may his glory be exalted) said: "Do not say of what reaches you from us and is attributed to us, 'This is false,' even if you know the opposite of it from us. For you do not know why we said it, or on what facet we described it."⁵