from Him fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, family, kin, sons, and daughters—then you have known His Unseen, and you are among those whom Allah — Exalted Glory — mentioned in His Book, saying: «Those who believe in the unseen and establish prayer».
It is related from the Scholar — Exalted Glory — that he said: 'Whosoever knew Allah1 in His Unseen was as though he were a gnostic of Him in the form of His Manifestation.'
From him — Exalted Glory — he said: 'Whosoever acknowledged the Manifest of Allah, believed in His Hidden, and rejoiced in the Manifest, Allah granted him the gnosis of the Manifest and the Hidden. Whosoever abandoned the Manifest for the gnosis of the Hidden, Allah stripped him of the gnosis of both the Manifest and the Hidden together. Whosoever made the Truth [exclusively] hidden was tested with the worship of the Hidden through the Manifest; and whosoever abandoned the manners outwardly was tested with the chronic disease.'
From him — Exalted Glory — he said: 'When speech reaches Allah, then refrain.'
In what I have mentioned to you is sufficiency for him who has a heart or gives ear while he is a witness. The idolater said: "By Allah, I know that Allah — may His secret be hallowed — did not gather me with you, O noble Sheikh, except as a mercy and a blessing upon me. I was in error regarding my affair, for I was not able to meet the likes of you. You have rescued me from blindness and bequeathed me guidance. May Allah not accept a righteous deed from me nor reward me for a beautiful act if I am ignorant of your virtue or deny your fatherhood. For you are the father and I am the son; you are the master and I am the servant; you are the scholar and I am the learner; you are the wise and I am the disciple. May Allah reward you for what you taught me, for you have revived me with an eternal life in which there is no death; you have