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Straightforwardness

People of truth have interpreted straightforwardness as avoidance of all kinds of

deviations and extremes and following in the footsteps of the Prophets, the faithful,
the witnesses (of truth) and the righteous, in one's beliefs and religious deeds and
daily practical life. The verse, "Those who declare: 'Our Lord is God', and
afterwards are straightforward, the angels descend upon them, (saying): 'Fear not nor
grieve, and good tidings to you of Paradise which you were promised (41.30)",
informs us that angels will receive in the Hereafter those who acknowledged God's
Lordship and affirmed His Unity and followed the highway of the Prophets in their
beliefs, deeds and practices of daily life and will cause them to overflow with the
good tidings of Paradise at a time when all people will tremble with fear and
worries.
A man can be straightforward in his conduct by performing his religious duties, in
his ego or inner self by following the truth of Religion, in his spirit by acting in
accordance with knowing God, and in his inmost senses or faculties by complying
with the spirit of Religion. It is because of the difficulty of being able to be
straightforward in all those levels mentioned that the Prophet who was the most
straightforward of men, upon him be peace and blessings, declared: 'The Chapter
Fish and similar others have made me old, thereby referring to the Divine command,
"Be straightforward as you are commanded," which is in The Chapter Fish (verse:
112).
As a matter of fact, the Prophet never deviated from the Straight Path and was
always straightforward in all his acts, sayings and feelings. It was he who guided
one of his Companions who sought salvation and eternal happiness in his
exhilarating presence to straightforwardness, saying: Declare: 'I have believed in
God', and then be straightforward, a saying which concisely sums up all the essential
elements of belief and conduct.
If one who claims to advance on the path to the Truth cannot be straightforward in
his state and conduct, all his efforts will go in vain and he may be called to account
in the Hereafter for the time he spent without straightforwardness. In order to reach
the intended destination, an initiate must be straightforward at the beginning of the
path and straightforwardness is the provisions necessary throughout the journeying.
An initiate must also be straightforward at the end of the path, as gratitude for being
rewarded with knowledge of God. Being alert to possible deviations at the beginning
of the path and self-supervision during the journeying and being absolutely closed to
wrong thoughts and manners and considering only God's good pleasure and
approval at the end of the path are significant signs of straightforwardness.
I know one among the people of straightforwardness:
He was the most distinct in the realm of guidance.
He sold his soul to the lights of (Divine) Identity,
And died purified of all the dirt of human nature.
A servant should seek straightforwardness, not wonder-working or gaining the
power of spiritual unveiling or discoveries. For God demands straightforwardness,
although a servant desires extraordinary spiritual abilities.
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When they told Bayazid al-Bistami about a man that he walked on water and flew in
the air, al-Bistami responded: 'Fish and frogs also float on water, and insects and
birds fly in the air.
If you see a man float on his rug on water without sinking and sit cross-legged in
the air, do not show inclination to him. Consider whether he is straightforward in his
state and conduct, whether they are in accordance with the Tradition of the
Messenger.' What Bayazid al-Bistami advises is being straightforward and
completely humble as a servant, not flying in the atmosphere of wonders.
Straightforwardness is the last step on a stairway with three steps leading to nearness
of God. The first step is consistency.
In this step, a traveller on the path to God strives to embody the theoretical and
practical dimensions of Islam with a continuous effort and thereby succeeds in
keeping his carnal self under his control.
The second step is settlement or tranquillity. In this step, an initiate purifies his inner
self of the vices contaminating the spirit and heart such as show, fame and vanity,
which it is impossible to reconcile with servant hood, and thereby 'quarantines' his
heart from all kinds and signs of associating partners with God.
The third step is straightforwardness. This is the step in which the doors of mysteries
are slightly opened to the traveller and the Divine gifts come upon him in the form
of wonder working and blessings, although he does not desire them, nor seeks them.
Straightforwardness as the last station of the way means living without any deviation
whatsoever from loyalty and under direct protection of God; it is a climate where
Divine gifts and favours pour down. In this climate flowers never fade away, nor
hills and slopes experience winter; it is spring which always prevails there.
This is what is pointed out in the verse, "If only they were straightforward on the
path, then, assuredly We would give them to drink of water in abundance (72.16)."
So long as men pursue straightforwardness on the path of belief in Divine Unity and
fulfil their covenants with God and His Messenger by fulfilling the Divine
ordinances, Divine gifts and bounties will continue to flow abundantly.
Our master declares: 'So long as the heart of a servant is not sound and straight, his
belief cannot be true and upright, and so long as his tongue is not true, his heart
cannot be sound and straight.'
He also declares: 'Every morning, the parts of a man's body warn his tongue, saying:
'Fear God concerning us. For if you are true, we will be true and straight; if you are
crooked, we will also deviate.''

Proverbs

Honesty is best policy.

Plain dealing is best.
Better beg than steal.
He is wise that is honest.
A true man a thief think not the same.
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