The Four Inner Guards

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ذِكْرٌ أَن عَبْدَ اللَّهُ بْنَ سَهْلِ التسترِي رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ

It is reported that Abdullah ibn Sahl al-Tustari, may God have mercy on him, said:

لَمَّا أُخْرِجَ آدَمُ مِنْ الْجَنَّةِ

When Adam was expelled from Paradise.

دَارِ الْكَرَامَةِ وَالْأَمَانِ

The abode of honor and safety.

وَأَنْزَلَهُ إِلَى دَار الْذُّلِّ وَالْهَوانِ وَالْبَلَاء وَالْاِمْتِحَانِ

And He sent him down to the abode of humiliation, abasement, affliction, and trial.

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَىٰ

God, the Most High, said.

يَا إِبْنَ آدَمَ أَسَكَنْتُكَ فِي جَارِيَاتٍ

O son of Adam, I settled you in my neighborhoods.

فَعَصَيْتَنِي وَأَطَعْتَ الشَّيْطَانَ

Yet you disobeyed me and obeyed Satan.

وَتَرَكْتَنِي وَعِزَّتِي وَجَلالِي

And you abandoned me, my honor, and my majesty.

لَأَسْكُنُكَ فِي جِوَارِهِ لِتُطِيعَنِي وَتَعْصِيهِ

I will settle you in his vicinity so that you obey me and disobey him.

وَتُحِبُّنِي وَتَبْغَضُهُ

And you love me and hate him.

فَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ أَقُولُ لَكَ

So when the Day of Resurrection comes, I will say to you.

طَاعَة بِطَاعَة وَمَعْصِيَةً بِمَحَبَّةٍ

Obedience for the sake of obedience, and disobedience for the sake of love.

ثُمَّ أُدْخِلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ

Then I will admit you into Paradise.

جَاءَ فِي بَعْضِ الْأَخْبَارِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَمَّا خَلَقَ آدَمَ وَوَلَدَهُ

Some reports say that when Allah the Exalted created Adam and his offspring.

أَوْدَعَ قَلْبَهُ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْيَاءَ

He placed four things in his heart.

وَهِي الْمعرفَة وَالْعقل وَالْإِيمَان وَالْيَقِين

And it is knowledge, intellect, faith, and certainty.

فَصَارَ خَزَّانَةً لِهَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ

So it became a storehouse for these things.

وَسُلِّطَ عَلَى قَلْبِهِ أَرْبَعَة أَعدَاء

And four enemies were set upon his heart.

وَهَمَّ إِبْلِيس وَالْهَوَى وَالنَّفْسُ وَالدُّنْيَا

They are Iblis, desire, the self, and the world.

وَضَمِنَ إِبْلِيسُ لِأَصْحَابِهِ الْوُصُولَ إِلَيْهَا

And Iblis assured his companions that they would reach it.

كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى فِي كِتَابه

As the Exalted said in His Book.

ثمَّ لَآتِينَهِمْ مِنْ بَين أَيْديهم

Then I will come to them from between their hands.

وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ

and from behind them

وَعَن أَيْمَانهم

and from their right sides.

وَعَنْ شَمَائِلِهِمْ

And about their attributes.

فَلَمَّا عِلْمُ الْمولى سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى مِنْ ضَعْفِ ابْن آدَمَ

When the Lord, glory be to Him and the Exalted, knew of the weakness of the son of Adam.

وَقِلَّة مَقْدِرَتِهِ عَلَى مُدَافَعَتِهِ

And his lack of ability to defend his self.

عِلْمُهُ أَرْبَعَة أَسمَاء مِنْ أَسْمَائِهِ

He taught him four of His names.

يَتَحَصَّنُ بهَا مِنْ إِبْلِيس وَجُنُوده

One seeks protection with them from Iblis and his soldiers.

وَهِي يَا أَوَّّلُ يَا آخِرٌ

And it is: O First, O Last.

يَا ظَاهِرُ يَا بَاطِنُ

O Manifest, O Hidden.

فَكَأَنَّهُ قَالَ تَعَالَى يَا اِبْنَ آدَمَ أَنَا الأَوَّلُ

It is as if the Exalted said, "O son of Adam, I am the First."

اِحْفَظْ مَعْرِفَتَكِ لَيٍِّ مِنْ بَين يَديك

Keep your knowledge of me close at hand.

وَأَنَا الْآخِرُ اِحْفَظْ عَقْلَكِ

And I am the Last. Guard your mind.

وَأَنَا الْظَّاهِرُ اِحْفَظْ إِيمَانَكِ عَنْ يَمِينِكِ

And I am the Manifest. Guard your faith on your right.

وَأَنَا الْبَاطِنُ اِحْفَظْ يَقِينَكِ عَنْ شِمَالِكَ

And I am the Inner. Guard your certainty on your left.

سُئِلَ بَعْضُ الْحُكَمَاءِ مَا الْحِكْمَةُ

Some of the wise were asked, 'What is wisdom?'

فِي أَنْ لَمْ يُعْطِ إِبْلِيسُ اِثْنَيْنِ مِنْ ابْنِ آدَمٍ وَأَعْطَى أَرْبَعَةً

That Iblis was not given two of the sons of Adam but was given four.

أُعْطِيَ مِنْ بَين يَدَيْهِ وَ مِنْ خَلفه

He was given from between his two hands and from behind him.

وَعَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَعَنْ شِمَالِهِ

And from his right and from his left.

مِنَ الْجِهَاتِ الْأَرْبَعِ

from the four directions

لَمْ يُعْط إِبْلِيس أَن يَأْتِيهِ مِنْ فَوق وَلَا مِنْ تَحت

Iblis was not given that he should come to Him from above nor from below.

قَالَ لِأَن الْأَرْبْع جِهَات تدْخلهَا الْمُشَاركَة فِي الْأَعْمَال

He said: Because the four directions are where association enters into deeds.

وَفَوْقُ مَوْضِعُ نَظَرِ الرَّبِّ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى إِلَى قُلُوبِ عِبَادِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

And above is the place of the gaze of the Lord, Glorified and Exalted, toward the hearts of His believing servants.

وَتَحْتَ مَوْضِعِ سُجُودِ السَّاجِدَيْنِ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمَيْنِ

And beneath is the place of prostration of those who prostrate, before the Lord of the Worlds.

عَصَمْنَا اللَّهُ وَإِيَّاكُم مِنْ فِتْنَتِهِ عصمَة يُدْخِلُنَا بهَا فِي رَحمته

May Allah protect us and you from His trials with a protection that brings us by it into His mercy.

وَتَابَ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ الْمُذْنِبِينَ

May He accept our repentance and the repentance of all sinners.

إِنَّه تَوَّابٌ رَحِيم

Indeed, He is ever-accepting of repentance and merciful.

وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّة إِلَّا بِاللَّه الْعلي الْعَظِيم

There is no power and no strength except by God, the Most High, the Most Great.