3:79 It belongs to no mortal man that God should give him the Book, the judgment, and prophethood, and then he should say to the people, "Be servants of me instead of God!" But, "Be you lordly ones from having taught the Book and from having studied!"
Before giving existence to the universe and creating Adam, the majestic compeller, the great God, the renowned enactor, knew in His eternal knowledge who among the children of Adam would be worthy of prophethood and sanctity and who would be qualified for love and suited for messengerhood. God knows better where to place His message [6:124]. How can he upon whom He has placed the brand of deprivation and the inscription of unawareness be sinless and truthful on the road today? And how can he to whom He has given good fortune gratis and whom He has placed on the road of truthfulness and sinlessness be roadless and bad in state today? So, what will take form and how can enter into imagination? It could never happen that the chosen Muṣ?afā and the caressed Jesus, after the honor of prophethood, the confirmation of sinlessness, and the strength of messengerhood, take a step out of line and say to the people, "Be servants of me instead of God!"
By virtue of the beginningless choice and eternal solicitude, the Lord of the Worlds answered on their behalf as their deputy: "They do not say this. Rather they say, 'Be you lordly ones!'" In other words: Be among those singled out for God, those who are described by His words, "When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears and his eyesight with which he sees."
In keeping with the tasting of the folk of recognition, the lordly ones are those who become one for God with disengaged intention, sound trust, and intimacy's breeze. They step beyond the two worlds and seize hold of the gentleness of the Patron's love. They say the prayer of the dead for their own attributes.
When someone steps into the field of passion for the beautiful,
night and day will recite for him the prayer of the dead. [DS 210]
They have souls undergoing annihilation and hearts full of thirst. They have burnt souls, secret cores lit by passion, and spirits hanging in hope.
I want a heart for choosing only You,
a spirit for breathing the pain of Your passion,
A body for desiring only Your love,
an eye for seeing You and only You.
Their aspiration goes beyond this world, their desire beyond paradise, their repose beyond heaven and earth. They are waiting: When will the sun of love rise, when will the moon of good fortune come forth, when will the breeze of felicity blow, when will the beginningless remembrance bear fruit?
When will I throw off this cage
and build a nest in the divine garden!?
It is also said that the lordly ones are those singled out for God. Through this they are ascribed to Him, described by His attributes, and come forth with His character traits as long as their servanthood lasts and their makeup stays in place. This view is taken from the saying of Muṣ?afā, "Become characterized by the character traits of God!" He also said, "God has a number of character traits. Whoever becomes characterized by one of them will enter the Garden."
The folk of knowledge have said that the commentary on these character traits is the meaning of the ninety-nine names of God. In his traveling, the servant must pass by way of these meanings to reach union with God.
The Pir of Khurasan, Abu'l-Qāsim Kurragānī, said, "As long as the servant is acquiring these meanings and bringing together these descriptions, he is still in the path and has not yet reached the goal. He is traveling on his own and has not yet received God's attraction. As long as he stays in recognition, he is held back from the Recognized. As long as he is seeking love, he is unaware of the Beloved."
Hurry to passion and don't sit in attachment,
take a few steps beyond passion and being passionate!
A great man was asked, "When does the servant reach the Patron?"
He said, "When he reaches himself."
They asked, "How does he reach himself?"
He said, "Seeking becomes lost in the Sought and recognition in the Recognized."
They said, "Explain more."
He said, "Of the body the tongue remains, and that's it. Of the heart the mark remains, and that's it. Of the spirit face-to-face vision remains, and that's it. Hearing goes, the Heard remains, and that's it. The heart goes, the Shown remains, and that's it. The spirit goes, the Found remains, and that's it."
Tribulation lies only in the makeup of my water and clay.
What was before water and clay? That is what I will be.
It has also been said that the meaning of "Be you lordly ones!" is that you be singled out for God without looking at the intermediaries, like Abū Bakr at the time of the Prophet's death when the secret cores of the common people were disturbed. He said, "If anyone was worshiping Muḥammad, surely Muḥammad is dead. If anyone was worshiping God, surely God is the Living who does not die."