Inspiration comes to the believer from God. The thoughts that arise in the heart about life, about people,…

Inspiration comes to the believer from God. The thoughts that arise in the heart about life, about people, about beauty and about everything in general are granted to the heart by God like light. To know that the appearance of such bright thoughts and conclusions in one’s understanding and consciousness is a favor from the Most Merciful, one should look at these signs: 1. The thoughts that arise must not be contrary to the sharia and must not come as a result of sinful deeds. 2. Thoughts that pour forth after consuming vodka, opium or similar things that take away the mind, however beautifully they may sound, awaken no good effect in those who receive them and do not move them toward goodness, because the pipe through which they came is impure. 3. Since thought and wisdom are the fruit of the inner world and of the imagination, saying words of praise (hamd), glorification (tasbih), asking forgiveness (istighfar) and sending blessings (salawat) before setting about this work is like washing the inside once over. The multiplication of sins is also a reason why no thought or inspiration comes. A person’s filth comes from the animal desires of the nafs. Animal desires increase lust and anger. Lust and anger spread over the heart like a curtain. The light of wisdom that descends upon the heart strikes this curtain and does not reach the heart. Since it does not reach the heart, it does not come out on the tongue. The heart can also spoil. The spoiling of the heart is like the spoiling of meat. Just as meat goes bad, gets wormy and rots, so the heart falls into the same state. Once the heart has gone bad, it loves false and forbidden things, the deeds that please devils and unbelieving jinn. That is why some poets and writers tirelessly write, with affection and love, about the filthiest and most disgusting things. Just as it is impossible to restore spoiled meat, it is hard to restore the heart. Inside the heart there are such things as the intellect, the fu’ad, understanding, consciousness and the suwayda. Once the heart spoils, all of these perish. Reviving them becomes an ordeal. Except that what restores the heart is to cut off from it, for a long time, the defilement of the nafs. Defilement means mud, being soiled. The defilement of the nafs stops when the nafs is put through torment. If you cannot torment your nafs of your own free will and consent, your heart will not be healed. Just as a sick man, even if he is a physician by profession, needs treatment from another physician, a person cannot correct the nafs on his own. He cannot subdue it. It needs the upbringing of a murshid. A murshid is a possessor of miracles and love who does not abandon his murid, who looks after him inwardly and outwardly, and who, if his murid falls ill, can personally and directly treat him. Whoever says, “I do not need a teacher or a murshid,” is a liar. There are conditions for choosing a murshid. Not every pir one happens to see is taken as a murshid. The murshid’s spiritual influence and inner power must be most perfect. The conditions for choosing a murshid are a separate science. But we are talking about the sickness of the heart. Once the nafs has been brought to obedience, once it reaches the state where it no longer growls like a dog, the heart is freed from its curse. Just as the liver regrows and restores itself, the heart begins to restore itself. First the lubb at its very center, then the fu’ad that surrounds it, the understanding that surrounds that, the consciousness that surrounds that, the intellect that surrounds that, the suwayda that surrounds that, and finally the heart regains its health. It is purified. It shines. The attributes and the essence of the Lord manifest themselves in it. This is now an entirely different station. That is a separate story…

Quatrain: Over my heart that lay lifeless I shed my tears, How much patience I poured out on my path so I could walk. The river of remorse drowned my whole being, I cried out, “O Lord!” and sank down in my tears.