Knowledge is the Food of the Soul

(I was recommended this book and thought I'd share some snippets here from the section on knowledge. I love Kashani's emphasis on seeking knowledge so I thought some of the other students might appreciate it. You can get a pdf copy online. If it's not appropriate I can delete this.) Spiritual Mysteries & Ethical Secrets by Fyad Kashani (17th Century Iranian Poet & Mystic). First Treatise: Concerning the Principles of Faith - Knowledge

Knowledge enlivens hearts from ignorance. It is vision's light in the darkness, and the body's strength against weakness. Through it, the servants of Allah can attain the stations of the virtuous, join the gatherings of the pious, and reach a high rank in both this world and the next. Recollecting it is equal in status to fasting, and teaching it is equal in status to standing lengthily in prayer. By virtue of it, the Lord is obeyed and worshipped, family ties are maintained, and the lawful is distinguished from the prohibited. Knowledge is first, and action follows. The fortunate are inspired by it while the wretched are deprived of it. So, glad tidings be to the one whom Allah has not. Pg 7

….if you look at knowledge, you will see it is pleasurable in and of itself, and so it is intrinsically valuable. You will find it a means of reaching happiness in this world and the next, and a means of attaining nearness to Allah - neither of which can be attained without knowledge. It is the most important thing for attaining eternal happiness and nearness to Allah: the most excellent thing is that which leads to these two goals, and these two goals can only be reached through knowledge and action. But since action can only be mastered through knowledge of action, the root of happiness in this world and the next is knowledge. It is, therefore, the most valuable thing - how could it be otherwise? Pg 8-9

Spiritual knowledge that is sought for its own sake is a light that is manifested in the heart when it is purified and cleansed of all its negative attributes. With that light, one is able to perceive matters that one had previously only heard by name and imagined as having only general and unclear significance. Pg 11

A student must purify himself from character vices and blameworthy traits since knowledge is worship for the heart, prayer for the spirit, and the inward way to approach Allah. Just as the body cannot perform the prayers correctly unless it is purified of filth, the inner self cannot worship - nor the heart be nurtured - unless the heart is purified of ugly traits and dirty qualities. Pg 46

The secret behind this (knowledge and worship) is that the essential goal is not to reform and purify the heart through mere physical acts of worship, nor to cleanse and discipline the soul through bodily movements because this purification is intended to cause certain qualities to disappear - and non-existence cannot be a purpose in and of itself; rather, it must be a means to something else. The real goal is to unveil higher spiritual truths about Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day - to each and every person according to his intellect, understanding, and other capacities. These spiritual truths cannot be revealed to the heart unless it is reformed and purified the way the Prophet (S) instructed, and with correct belief - even just by hearing about them. If someone limits his spiritual quest to haphazard deeds, indiscriminate spiritual exercises, and efforts void of any insight or understanding, his attempts at purification will actually work against him, for delusional thoughts and obsessive whisperings will overwhelm him. His heart will be a mess since he did not train his soul with real knowledge and correct thinking, nor did he adopt the correct method of worship from the Prophet (S) and his successors (A). Corrupt ideas, erroneous concepts, and false illusions will cling to his heart. He may even entertain baseless - and even heretical and atheistic - beliefs about Allah's essence or attributes, although he will insist they are sound and true. We seek refuge in Allah from this! Others may follow him, in which case his evil will spread beyond himself, and he will have become one of those ignorantly devout people who pose a mortal danger to others. As if that were not enough, it is rare to find someone free from self-admiration, pride in his knowledge, or self- delusion about his worship. This type of person holds others in contempt and derision while his inner self is brimming with psychological diseases. He is completely unaware of these diseases, let alone their removal or treatment. He may even imagine these vices to be virtues, and these flaws to be perfections, as Allah says in His book: Say, 'Shall We inform you about the biggest losers in regard to works? Those whose endeavour goes awry in the life of the world, while they suppose they are doing good.' (18:103-4) Pg 49-50

10. A better burden | may no man bear

For wanderings wide than wisdom;

It is better than wealth | on unknown ways,

And in grief a refuge it gives.

- HOVAMOL, The Ballad of the High One, The Poetic Edda