the world’s divine affiliation. Thus they affiliated themselves with Him, exalted is He, and He said: ‘Today I shall lay low your lineage and exalt My lineage,’ meaning: I shall strip you of your affiliation with yourselves and restore your affiliation with Me. Where are the God-fearing? Where are those who have taken Allah as a shield, so that the Real became their outward aspect—that is, identical with their outward forms? He is the greatest of people, the most worthy and the strongest, in everyone’s estimation.

The God-fearing person may also be one who, through his form, makes himself a shield for the Real, since the Real’s very identity is the servant’s faculties. He thus makes what is designated ‘the servant’ a shield for what is designated ‘the Real’ in direct witnessing, so that the one who knows may be distinguished from the one who does not know:

‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know? Only people of understanding will take heed.’
[al-Zumar, verse 9]

These are those who look into the core of a thing, which is what is sought in it:

No laggard ever surpassed one who strives;
Likewise, no hired worker of His equals a slave.

If the Real is a shield for the servant in one respect, and the servant a shield for the Real in another, then say whatever you wish about the cosmos. If you wish, say: ‘It is creation.’ If you wish, say: ‘It is the Real.’ If you wish, say: ‘It is the Real and creation.’ If you wish, say: ‘It is neither the Real in every respect nor creation in every respect.’ If you wish, profess bewilderment concerning this. Thus the objects of inquiry have become clear through your specification of