of inner sight, so the path becomes hidden.

• Glory be to Allah! Paradise has adorned itself for its suitors, and they have exerted themselves to acquire the dowry; the Lord of Glory has introduced Himself to the lovers through His names and attributes, so they have labored toward the meeting—yet you remain busy with carrion.

Perish the one whose heart belongs to anyone but You,
while his tongue, along with its lying claim of love, pretends it is Yours. (1)

• Gnosis is a carpet that only those brought near may tread, and love is a song that only a passionate lover finds enchanting.

• Love is a pool in the desert with no beaten path that leads to it; for that reason, its visitors are few.

• The lover flees to seclusion, to solitary communion with his Beloved and the comfort of His remembrance, just as a fish darts to water and a child to its mother.

I slip away from among the houses, hoping
that I may speak to my heart about You in secret, all alone. (2)

• The worshipper will have no place of rest save beneath the Tree of Bliss, and the lover no settled abode until the Day of Increase.

• Occupy yourself with Him in life, and He will suffice you after death.

• O you who squander the merchandise of your lifespan in disobeying your Beloved and distancing yourself from Him! None of your enemies harms you as much as you do yourself.

No enemy can inflict upon an ignorant man
what the ignorant man inflicts upon his own soul. (3)