and by carrying forward the effect of that moment (1) into the five daily prayers and the night-vigil prayer of tahajjud, so that a door may open for you to know the true reality (2) of this man and the full story of his affair, Allah willing.

I have singled out the guarding of that moment—although the five daily prayers would in themselves be sufficient were the servant to perform them giving Allah His due—because it often happens that prayer overtakes a person while his heart is still pulled by outward distractions, and he thus fails to perceive the share his heart receives from his Lord. Once he does perceive it, he will possess (3) a moment between night and day in which he recognizes his heart’s portion from his Lord; and when the prescribed prayers then arrive, he can measure within them his state—his increase or his shortfall—according to how he stood with his Lord during that moment. Allah’s help is sought.

Section

When you have grasped the worth of Allah’s religion, which He sent down to His Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him; and when you have understood the worth of the inward realities of that religion—what people describe as passing into the Divine Presence and attaining the honor of nearness; then have recognized the union of both aspects in a particular individual; and have seen the community’s deviation from the straight path, and that same individual who unites outer and inner rising up in the face of the deviators to champion Allah and His religion, straighten their crookedness, gather their scattered ranks, and mend their corruption—then, if you should hear a detractor, whether from among his own companions or from others, maligning him, it will not be hidden from you (4) whether that critic is in the right or in the wrong, Allah willing.