A sign for them is the night; We strip from it the day. A great man was asked, “Is night more excellent, or day?” He answered, “Night is more excellent, because at night all is ease and comfort, and comfort belongs to paradise. In day all is trouble and difficulty in the seeking of livelihood, and suffering and difficulty belong to hell.” He also said, “Night is the portion of the self-purifiers, who worship with self-purification and without eye-service. Day is the portion of the duplicitous, who worship with eye-service and without self-purification. Night is the time of seclusion for friends, the time of meeting for seek- ers of peace, the solace of the yearners, the moment for the mystery of lovers.” Revelation came to one of the prophets, “He who claims to love Me is a liar if night comes, and he goes to sleep on Me. Does not every lover love to be secluded with his beloved? Here I am, aware of you, I hear and I see [20:46].” It has also been said that night and day are the mark of the contraction and expansion of the recognizers. The time of night is contraction for them and the time of day expansion. In the night of contraction, they see everything in lassitude and awe. In the day or expansion, they find all as gentleness and mercy. In the night of contraction the cold wind of severity comes, the marks bearing witness to majesty appear, and the servant weeps and enters into pleading. In the day of expansion the breeze of gentleness blows and brings the scent of union, the marks bearing witness to beauty appear, and the servant delights and enters into ease. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “Sometimes I say that I am in constant contraction-there is so much covering! Sometimes a light shines, next to which mortal nature disappears. A light, and what a light! It is the mark of beginningless love, the title-page of the scroll of life. It is the ease of the spirit, the delight of the spirit, and the pain of the spirit.” You are the pain in my heart and the ease of my spirit. You stir up tumult and You make it still.
