Teachings
The vision of the eyes and the Vision of the Heart
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
May prayer and peace be upon the noblest of Messengers, upon his family and upon all his companions.
The Vision of the Eyes and the Vision of the Heart
Al-basar in the vocabulary of the Karkariya path:
It is that which allows one to perceive visually the elements of the restricted and limited physical world. It is through the vision of the eyes (al-basar) that one can look at and observe created things, and through it that one perceives the opacity of the physical elements surrounding us, for these are in reality only a mirror in which the Human world (nasut) is reflected.
Al-basira in the vocabulary of the Karkariya path:
It is the eye of the heart illuminated by the uncreated Light flowing from the domains of the unseen (ghayb), itself issuing from the Divine world (lahut), and perceived through the eye of the needle of divine Omnipotence (qudra), towards the Human world (nasut).
Al-basar is the essential entity of the physical world, and al-basira the essential entity of al-basar, or put differently, the eye of the eye. Al-basira is what perceives things according to their reality, far beyond depending on or being assimilated to the pupil or the iris of the eye. It transcends the physical appearances of the finite worlds. Al-basar thus designates what grasps the finite and limited world, whereas al-basira is what grasps the infinite and absolute.
The vision of the eyes suffers from a multitude of defects that Sidi Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (may Allah be pleased with him) listed in his work “Mishkat al-Anwar”:
“Know that the (physical) light proper to the eyes is characterised by various forms of defect:
It allows one to perceive others, but not to perceive itself. It does not allow one to distinguish what is too close, nor what is too far. Nor does it allow one to perceive beyond an opaque obstacle. It distinguishes the apparent part of things, but not what is hidden in them. It lets one see only a part of existing things, not all of them. It perceives only finite things, but cannot perceive what has no end. It commits many errors in what it grasps, being able to see what is large as small, what is far as near, what is motionless as moving, or the reverse. These are the seven defects intrinsic to and inseparable from the vision of the eyes.
Know, however, that there is in the heart of Man an eye that is not concerned by the aforementioned defects: it is what is called now the intellect, now the spirit, or again the soul of Man. But leave the words aside, for in one who lacks insight, their multiplication makes him believe they refer to a multitude of different things. What we aim at by this eye is that by which one distinguishes between the Man endowed with reason and the unweaned child, the animal or the madman. And since there is unanimity in designating it as the intellect (‘aql), we shall do the same.
We say, then, that the intellect has more right to be called Light than the ocular eye that perceives the physical world, precisely because it is free of the seven aforementioned defects:
Indeed, the physical eye is not capable of perceiving itself, unlike the intellect, which grasps others but also its own characteristics, for example when it regards itself as knowing or capable of something. It attains knowledge of itself, it attains its knowledge through its knowledge of itself, and the knowledge of its knowledge through its knowledge of itself, and so on to infinity. But this is something that it would be inconceivable to grasp by any physical technical means, and behind it hides a Secret whose explanation would be long.
Secondly, we said that the physical eye sees neither what is too far from it nor what is too close, whereas for the intellect it is the same whether the object considered is distant or near. It rises in the blink of an eye to the highest of the celestial degrees, and descends in a single instant to the depths of the earths… And even, if it reaches spiritual fulfilment, it then realises that its sanctified nature transcends every notion of proximity and distance, which belong to physical bodies. This is the archetype of the Light of Allah, yet the archetype cannot be free of all analogy or similitude, even though the resemblance is never entirely exact… perhaps this will stimulate your insight towards understanding the Secret of his saying ﷺ: “Indeed, Allah created Adam in His image”, but I do not judge it fitting to plunge into this for the moment.
Thirdly, we said that the physical eye cannot see beyond an opaque obstacle. The intellect (‘aql), for its part, acts at will upon al-‘Arsh and al-Kursi, upon what lies beyond the celestial veils, upon the supreme assembly (al-mala’ al-a‘la) and upon the Malakut of the divine Names, in the same way that it acts upon the world proper to it. And in mentioning its near kingdom, I refer to its own body… And let us even affirm that the whole of the esoteric realities cannot be veiled from the intellect. As for the veil that covers this intellect, when it covers it, it is only in a relation of itself to itself, and because of characteristics (sifat) resembling it that come to cancel the veil hiding the eye from itself, when the eyelids close…
Fourthly, we said that the physical eye distinguishes only what appears of things, their superficiality, but is incapable of perceiving what is hidden in them. Or more explicitly: the physical eye grasps the apparent forms of things, but not their esoteric realities (haqa’iq). The intellect, for its part, has the faculty of penetrating to the depths of things, to the secrets they contain, grasping their esoteric realities and their spirit, perceiving their reason for being, their defects and their limits, the role they have to play, the wisdom for which they exist…
Fifthly, we said that if the physical eye perceives a part of existing things, it is on the other hand incapable of perceiving the whole of what the intellect grasps, and a good part of what is physical: sounds, smells, tastes, heat, cold, and in general what the physical senses of hearing, touch, smell and taste perceive. Moreover, it is also absolutely incapable of perceiving the internal characteristics of Man such as joy, exultation, sadness, grief, pain, pleasure, desire, longing, ability, will, knowledge, and so on. The physical eye therefore has in truth a very limited field of action, going no further than the perception of colours and forms, the lowest level of what can be perceived of existing things. For physical bodies constitute, fundamentally, only the most insignificant and worthless part of existence, the colours and forms of these bodies being only the most insignificant of their characteristics. The whole of existence in truth falls within the domain of the intellect, for it is the intellect that grasps the components of this existence: both those we know and those we do not know, the latter being far more numerous than the former. The intellect thus has the capacity to act upon all these components of existence, establishing with certainty and truthfulness a ruling on each one of them. The most hidden secrets are apparent to it, and the deepest meanings unveiled. What link or relation could therefore be recognised between the physical eye and the realisation of the divine Name the Light (al-Nur)? On the contrary! The physical eye has light only insofar as it is associated with something other than itself, but in truth is nothing but darkness in relation to itself. Or rather, let us say that this light it perceives is in reality only one of its spies. This so-called “light” (the one seen with the naked eye) is linked only to the most insignificant components of existence, namely forms and colours, whose information it relays to the physical eye. The physical eye then judges existence according to what its vision allows it to grasp, supported and sustained in this by the five senses. This eye also has inner and hidden supports, such as imagination, illusion, thought, meditation, memorisation… behind which are other supports, soldiers, placed at its service in the world specific to it. The eye resorts to these soldiers and uses them like a king using his subjects, and even more despotically still. But the explanation of all this would be too long…
Sixthly, we said that the physical eye cannot perceive what is infinite. It perceives only the characteristics of material bodies, which have the particularity of presenting themselves only in finite forms. The intellect, for its part, perceives the information characterising things, and information in itself cannot be perceived in clearly delimited forms. Indeed, if one considers the exact sciences, the information received is only finite information, yet the very science in question is considered infinite and without limit. And if you want an explicit example of this, take that of numbers: numbers are grasped and encompassed, although they have no end. Their result when multiplied by one another is even known, yet without ever being able to conceive a limit. The results of adding certain numbers to certain others are also known, but again without being able to conceive a limit. Let us say then that, for this reason, certain information about numbers is grasped without being able to attribute a finite consideration to them. Or put differently, this knowledge is attained through the intermediary of things. And knowledge is attained through the knowledge that the thing allows us to attain. And the knowledge of its knowledge is attained through its knowledge.
Seventhly, the physical eye perceives as large what is in reality small. For example, the Sun is perceived as the size of a shield, and the stars are perceived as comparable to a few dinars scattered on a blue background. The intellect, for its part, grasps perfectly that the stars and the Sun are of sizes far greater than that of the Earth. The physical eye regards the stars as static… or to go even further, the physical eye sees the shadow stretching before it as static; just as it does not see that the child is growing. The intellect, for its part, grasps perfectly that the child is evolving and constantly growing. It knows that the shadow never ceases to move. It knows that the stars move at every instant over considerable distances. The Beloved ﷺ thus said to Jibril (peace be upon him): “‘Has the Sun disappeared?’ He replied: ‘No, yes.’ He said: ‘How is that?’ And Jibril replied: ‘From the moment I said no to the moment I said yes, it moved a distance of 500 years.’” The kinds of errors the eye commits are many, whereas the intellect, or inner vision (al-basira), is free of these errors.” [1].
Thus, despite all these defects that physical vision (al-basar) accumulates, if the Luminosity of inner vision (al-basira) were to strengthen and intensify, it would cover and purify physical vision of its perception of the world. Vision would thus gain access, through the Luminosity of the basira, to a perception transcending the appearances of the created world. And when the veil of illusions is removed, when vision becomes piercing, al-basira makes it possible to perceive the divine Power (qudra) in the very heart of Wisdom (Hikma): “We have removed from you your cover, and your sight, this Day, is sharp.” [2].
This veil can be removed only by death, and death is of two kinds: the constrained and forced death that sooner or later befalls both the common people and the elite; and the voluntary and chosen death, to which the famous athar refers us: “Take yourselves to account before you are taken to account.” This death is a death that comes about through striving (mujahada) and suffering on the path of Allah, to finally turn out to be nothing but pure grace from Allah ﷻ.
Know furthermore that the basira has different degrees: knowledge (‘ilm), the basira itself (‘ayn) and the reality of the basira (haqq). The first degree, knowledge (‘ilm), designates the radiance of divine providence and the flashes of guidance by which the individual contemplates and realises the all-encompassing divine Nearness. You then know that He is Nearer to you than your own jugular vein. You know that He ﷻ encompasses and surrounds you on all sides, in a way that leaves intellects utterly stunned: “And [recall] when We told you, ‘Indeed, your Lord has encompassed the people.’” [3].
The intermediate degree of the basira is the basira itself (‘ayn al-basira), by which you contemplate your nothingness and His Existence, so that you can no longer in any way associate your own ego with Him. It is then that the universe is consumed and the components of existence disappear, and in this hides the meaning of: Allah was, and nothing was with Him.
Finally the third degree is that of the truth of certainty (haqq al-yaqin), which makes you contemplate His Existence, but without consideration either of your existence or of your non-existence. In this hides the meaning of: and He is now as He has always been.
Sidi Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba said:
“As for what is designated by the truth of the basira (haqq al-basira), it refers to the state in which the basira grasps and distinguishes the Real by His primary nature, and dissociates itself from the light of secondary ramifications through the fundamental Light. It is called Haqq al-basira because of what it grasps of the Real (al-Haqq) on the one hand, and because it has turned away from the consideration of creation on the other: this is the spiritual degree called the truth of certainty (haqq al-yaqin). The rays of the basira are the Light of faith (iman) among the people of muraqaba: the awareness of perpetual divine watchfulness. The basira itself (‘ayn al-basira) designates the Light of excellence (ihsan) among the people of contemplation (mushahada). As for the truth of the basira (haqq al-basira), it designates the Light of firm establishment and mastery among the people of Speech with the divine (mukalama).
Or you may say that the rays of the basira are the Light of the knowledge of certainty (‘ilm al-yaqin), that the basira itself is the Light of the very eye of certainty (‘ayn al-yaqin), and that the truth of the basira is the Light of the truth of certainty (Haqq al-yaqin). The knowledge of certainty concerns those relying on proofs and argumentation, the eye of certainty concerns the people of spiritual unveiling, and the truth of certainty concerns the people of contemplation and vision. To give an example illustrating this, take the case of someone who has heard of Mecca but has not seen it: he is at the degree of the knowledge of certainty. If he now approaches it enough to see it, without however entering it: he is at the degree of the eye of certainty. And if he enters it and comes to know it: he is then at the degree of the truth of certainty. It is the same for the aspirant to the Real: if he remains in a state of veiling, realising the annihilation (fana) in acts, he is then at the degree of the knowledge of certainty (‘ilm al-yaqin). If he approaches annihilation in the divine Essence, without however fully realising it, he is at the degree of the eye of certainty (‘ayn al-yaqin). And if he fully realises this annihilation and is firmly anchored in it, he then attains the degree of the truth of certainty (Haqq al-yaqin).
Or you may say that the rays of the basira belong to the people of the Mulk, that the basira itself belongs to the people of the Malakut, and that the truth of the basira belongs to the people of the Jabarut.
Or you may say again that the rays of the basira belong to the people of annihilation (fana) in acts, that the basira itself belongs to the people of annihilation in the divine Essence, and that the truth of the basira belongs to the people of annihilation in annihilation (fana fi l-fana).
The rays of the basira allow you to witness the Nearness of the Real to you, or put differently, they make you see and contemplate the Nearness of the Light of the Real to you. Allah ﷻ says: “We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein.” [4].
And He ﷻ says: “And He is with you wherever you are.” [5].
The basira itself allows you to witness your non-existence, that is, your effacement through the effacement of your illusions before His Existence. And we speak here of the Existence of the Real, for it is impossible for you to contemplate Him while seeing other than Him. When illusions are thus effaced for you, when every consideration of your own existence disappears, you then contemplate your Lord, through your Lord. This is the sign indicating the opening of the basira and the inner healing, as the Shaykh of our Shaykhs, Sidi ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Majdhub, says:
Whoever sees the Creator through creation
his ennoblement would lie in the loss of sightBut whoever sees creation through the Creator
has by chance stumbled upon the inner remedy
The truth of the basira, for its part, allows you to witness the existence of the Real alone; without consideration either of your existence, for the very foundation of your being is lost, or of your annihilation, for only that whose existence was previously established can be annihilated. Yet there has never been with Allah anything existent: “Allah was, and nothing was with Him, and He is now as He has always been.” As for the second part of this saying, even if it is not an integral part of the Hadith, its meaning remains authentic, for change cannot be imputed to Him ﷻ.
Muhyi d-din ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn al-‘Arabi al-Hatimi (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Whoever considers that acts cannot be imputed to creation has won. Whoever considers that Life cannot be imputed to them has crossed over. As for whoever considers them to be nothingness itself, he has arrived.”
As for me, I say that whoever considers them to be nothingness itself has indeed attained mastery in his arrival at the Goal, and it was said in verse:
Whoever regards creation as but a mirage
has indeed risen beyond the veiltowards the Existence, which you see compact (ratq)
without distance, nor nearnessThere is then no exchange through Him towards Him
nor even any indicator of any exchange.
” [6].
[1] Mishkat al-Anwar, al-Ghazali, pages 121/127.
[2] Surat Qaf, verse 22.
[3] Surat al-Isra’, verse 60.
[4] Surat Qaf, verse 16.
[5] Surat al-Hadid, verse 4.
[6] Iqadh al-Himam – Ibn ‘Ajiba, page 103/104.