39:3 Does not the pure religion belong to God?
What is worthy of God is pure worship without hypocrisy and obedience along with self-purification and without eye-service. When the pearl of self-purification is found, it is found in the oyster shell of the heart and the ocean of the breast. This is why Ḥudhayfa said, "I asked that paragon of the engendered beings what self-purification is. He said that he asked Gabriel what self-purification is. Gabriel said that he asked the Exalted Lord what self-purification is. He replied, 'One of My secrets that I deposit in the hearts of those whom I love among My servants.'" He said, "It is a pearl that I have brought out from the treasury of My secrets and deposited in the core of the hearts of My friends." This self-purification is the result of friendship and the trace of servanthood. When someone puts on the garment of love and takes off the robe of servanthood, he does whatever he does from the midst of the heart.
Friendship for the Real and scattered desires do not come together in one heart. The obligatory acts of the body are prayer and fasting, and the obligatory act of the heart is friendship for the Real. The mark of friendship is that when something comes from the Friend that is disliked by your nature and makeup, you place it upon your very eyes.
Were I poured poison from the Beloved's hand
poison from His hand would be sweet.
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The heart that You burn thanks You,
the blood that You shed boasts.
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The blood that You spill thanks You,
the heart that You scare praises You.
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The poison I drink in remembrance of You is sweet,
the mad who see You come to their senses.