Is he whose breast God has expanded for the submission, so he is upon a light from his Lord? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of God. Know that the Adamite's heart has four curtains: The first curtain is the breast, the lodging place of the submission's covenant, in accordance with His words, “Is he whose breast God has expanded for the submission?” The second curtain is the heart, which is the locus of the light of faith, in ac- cordance with His words, “He wrote faith in their hearts” [58:22]. The third curtain is the mindful heart, the pavilion of contemplating the Real, in accordance with His words, “His mindful heart did not lie about what he saw” [53:11]. The fourth curtain is the smitten heart, the place of put- ting down the saddle-bags of love, in accordance with His words, “He smote her heart with love” [12:30]. Each of these four curtains has a characteristic, and the Real gazes upon each. When the Lord of the Worlds desires to pull one who has fled from Him with the lasso of gentleness into the road of His religion, He first gazes upon his breast, so that it may become pure of caprice and innovation and so that his feet may go straight on the avenue of the Sunnah. Then He turns His gaze to his heart so that it may become pure of this world's defilements and of blameworthy character traits, such as self-admiration, envy, pride, eye-service, greed, enmity, and frivolity. Then he may go forth on the road of scrupulosity. Then He gazes on his mindful heart and keeps him back from attachments and created things. He opens the fountainhead of knowledge and wisdom in his heart. He bestows the light of guid- ance on his heart's center point, as He said, “so he is upon a light from his Lord.” Then He gazes on his smitten heart-a gaze, and what a gaze! A gaze that embellishes the spirit, brings the tree of joy to fruit, and awakens the eye of revelry; a gaze that is a tree whose shadow is companionship with the Friend, a gaze that is a wine whose cup is the recognizer's heart. When this gaze reaches the smitten heart, it lifts it up from water and clay, and the lover steps into the street of annihilation.
