Transcription of the Tenth Valley

The Tenth Valley 

Part One

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. With strength drawn from the Supreme Power, we begin this session.
Hello friends, I am Hossein, a traveler, the guardian of this session.
(Hello, Hossein!)
I kindly ask that we observe 14 seconds of silence to seek refuge in the Almighty and free ourselves from our most powerful enemy—our own ignorance and unawareness.
Thank you, friends.
I now request the honorable Secretary to present a summary of the previous session and announce today’s agenda.
In the name of the Supreme Power, Allah. Hello friends, I am Fatemeh, a traveler.
(Hello, Fatemeh!)
Today, the first session of the twenty-first round is held on 91/10/19 (January 8, 2013) with the agenda of The Tenth Valley, under the leadership and guardianship of Mr. Dezhakam and with myself, Fatemeh, serving as Secretary. The session commenced precisely at 9:00 AM.
Thank you.

Thank you.
Hello, friends, I am Hossein, and I am a traveler.
(Hello, Hossein!)
Today's agenda is The Tenth Valley, which states: "Human being’s past attributes don’t remain the same because he is continuously changing."
The first thing we need to understand is: What is an attribute? Of course, most of you already know, but some may not. An attribute is the quality or characteristic of something. The thing that possesses the attribute is called the subject. In formal terms, we say an attribute describes a subject. For example, take a blackboard—the color black is its attribute, while the board itself is the subject. We don’t focus on the subject here; we are talking about its attributes.
Similarly, charcoal is always black—it is never white, green, or red. No matter where you go in the world, charcoal is black.
Or consider a fierce lion—fierceness is the attribute of the lion. A playful cat—its playfulness is its defining characteristic. A nagging woman—nagging is her attribute. A fearful person—fearfulness is their defining trait.

Well, in this case, it says:
"Human being’s past attributes don’t remain the same because he is continuously changing."
This means that past attributes may hold true for some things, but not for humans. For example, charcoal is always black—it never turns green, red, or white. When wood is burned into charcoal, it remains black. Similarly, the saltiness of seawater is a permanent characteristic. No one can make the ocean's water sweet; it will always remain salty. Or take the darkness of night—night is always dark. You cannot turn the darkness of night into the brightness of day. Likewise, daylight is always bright, and no one can change that. Another example is a lion’s ferocity—a lion is always fierce. You cannot take that attribute away from it.
So, some attributes in animals or inanimate objects remain unchanged. But when it comes to humans, it's different.
"Human being’s past attributes don’t remain the same because he is continuously changing."

This means that a person can change their attributes and characteristics in any situation. A person who is overweight is not condemned to remain overweight—they can change that attribute. A thin person can gain weight. An illiterate person can become educated. A sick person can recover. So why does this principle apply to humans? Because humans are constantly in motion. "Human being’s past attributes don’t remain the same because he is continuously changing." In other words, human beings are fluid and ever-changing.

Now, you can say that humans are ever-changing, just as existence itself is ever-flowing, and so is life. This is an important and significant point: Whatever state a person is in, their attributes can change. Now, at the beginning of this Valley, there is a message. I will read it, but I won’t explain its meaning—you must interpret it for yourself. The meaning is not difficult, but I will clarify just the first part:

The Tenth Valley:
"The city is suddenly struck by a great turmoil."
Here, "the city" mainly refers to the human body, also known as the human domain. لَا أُقْسِمُ بِهَذَا الْبَلَدِ(is an Arabic phrase from the Qur'an, Surah Al-Balad, which translates to: "I swear by this city."
This can also apply to a country, a physical city, or even the entire creation. However, in this case, it primarily refers to the human being.
"The city is suddenly struck by a great turmoil." A person is suddenly overwhelmed by distress and upheaval.
But then...
"A gentle breeze from God will soon spread across all lands, restoring greatness and well-being, and you shall benefit even more from it." Everyone sends their regards and expresses gratitude to God and the guardians for creating these connections. The guardians facilitate these connections so that all of creation may be nourished by divine mercy. At your station, you constantly feel this process of evolution and love. Those who are drawn to the mercy of the Absolute Power will ascend to a higher state. And in this journey, those who see reality, those who recognize the Straight Path, those who seek truth, righteousness, and sincerity, will surely rise and evolve.

You see true spirituality is not about performing rituals alone but about embodying divine principles in daily life. A truly spiritual person is one who speaks the truth and is honest, wishes well for others and treats them with kindness, does not gossip or backbite, does not interfere in others' private matters, does not break promises or deceive others and does not lie.
The idea is that being "divine" means living with integrity, kindness, and honesty—not just performing religious ceremonies while committing wrongdoings. A person who truly walks a divine path is loved and respected by others. Anyone who is truly divine should naturally attract the love and affection of others. People should feel drawn to them, appreciate their presence, and enjoy their words and interactions. As we have said before, faith is the reflection of God's light within a human being.
A person of faith, a true worshipper of God, should have a calm and peaceful demeanor. Their face should not be tense or unapproachable. They should not be frowning, ill-tempered, or harsh in their words.
Someone who speaks rudely to others, who is bad-tempered, who constantly criticizes and causes distress to people, who takes pleasure in hurting others—such a person cannot truly be faithful.
Faith is the manifestation of God's light within a human being.

So, when we say divine, this is what we mean. That everything in the universe may be nourished by God's mercy. In your station, friends can feel this process of growth and evolution through love at every moment. Those who are drawn to divine mercy—to the Supreme Power—will ascend; they will grow and move toward higher levels. But those who are merely indulging in worldly pleasures will gain nothing.

Some people exist only to indulge in pleasures—their fate is clear. Those who are merely preoccupied with hedonism will have no share in true growth. Do you understand what I’m saying? They are like four-legged animals searching for extra limbs to anchor themselves to the ground. Animals walk on all fours, firmly attached to the earth. Similarly, these individuals cling to materialistic pleasures—wasting time in frivolous amusements, picking fights with one person, criticizing another, constantly engaging in meaningless distractions. They behave like animals desperately seeking more legs to hold on to the physical world.
But what they fail to realize is that one does not need hands and feet to bow in prostration before God. Prostration before the Divine is not limited to a ceremonial act—placing one’s hands, feet, and forehead on the ground in a specific posture. That is a standard form of worship, and it is indeed valuable. However, true submission to God is far greater than just a ritual. Walking on the straight path itself is a form of prostration. And yet, they remain blind to this truth. They are like the blind, wandering in daylight, searching for the night. Some people spend their days looking for darkness. This can be understood in many ways. It’s like those who encounter a person filled with goodness and positive qualities—yet they insist on searching for a single flaw. They roam in broad daylight, seeking only night.

Some people, even in broad daylight, search for darkness. They see a person filled with countless positive qualities, yet they focus only on finding a single flaw. They read a well-researched scientific paper, yet they look only for its weaknesses. They examine a constructive and promising plan, yet they search only for its shortcomings. Even in a country that is progressing well, they fixate on its faults. No matter how much good exists, they ignore it. They don’t see the thousand virtues before them—they only seek out that one imperfection.
It’s like showing them a white page with a tiny black dot and asking, “What do you see?” Instead of noticing the vast whiteness, they say, “I see a black spot.” These are the people who, even in daylight, go searching for the night. This is just one interpretation of the concept. Of course, it can be understood in many different ways.
(I wasn’t planning to explain it, but I did anyway! laughs)
Like the blind, wandering in daylight, searching for the night. The one who is meant to know will know. And the one who knows will act according to what is right. The one who understands follows the will of the Divine.

Friends, hand in hand, form a circle, playing the daf, lost in dance and devotion, praising the Almighty. Some drink from the divine wine.
And so, wine isn’t just an intoxicating drink made of grapes. There is also divine wine— that which flows within us, the body's endogenous opiates, the sacred system of khamr that brings natural euphoria and clarity.
That was just the introduction. Now, it says: How beautiful is this law!
These fourteen valleys are like fourteen laws or fourteen steps of a ladder that guide a person. They are practical, applicable, and effective.
For example, we say, “Don’t lie, be truthful.” But how? There must be a method, whether it’s a spiritual approach or another practical solution, to show us the way.

So, there’s another group that believes, “If someone is a consumer, they will always remain a consumer.” But what does that mean? It goes against this law. This law is truly beautiful—and its beauty lies in its deeper meaning. Take coal, for instance—it is condemned to be black; it has no choice but to stay that way. A tiger or a lion must always be a predator—that’s their unchangeable nature. But human beings are different. That’s why this law is so profound and carries a powerful, almost mystical meaning:
“A human being’s past attributes don’t remain the same because he is continuously changing.”
This valley, this law, is like a sharp sword. And like a surgeon’s knife, it serves two purposes: It can save a life by removing a cancerous tumor. Or it can cut a vital artery and bring destruction.
This law is both a warning and a beacon of hope. That’s what makes it so powerful—it tells you: No matter where you are, you can always turn back. You are not condemned to nothingness and destruction. It speaks of both ascent and descent—a person can rise to greatness, but they can also fall into ruin. When it says, 'A human being’s past attributes don’t remain the same,' it means that if you are a bad person, you can transform into a good person, and if you are good, don’t assume you cannot change into a bad person. This law works both ways.

I might be a good, disciplined, and organized person right now, but tomorrow, I could become a drug user—there’s no guarantee. I might be a righteous and decent person today, but tomorrow, I could turn into a thief or even a murderer. I could be wealthy today and poor tomorrow. I’m young now, but one day, I’ll be old—and vice versa. I might be a child today, but tomorrow, I’ll be a grown man or woman. Human beings change.
There were people in this very country who once had legendary wealth, yet today, some of their children are struggling to find bread to eat in foreign lands. Half of Iran used to belong to them, but where are they now? Some are still around, but nothing stays the same forever. I might be at the top today, but tomorrow, I could fall.
I’ve said this many times: Forget about what you used to have. I’ve sat next to old women—ninety years old, barely able to speak—who tell me, “I was once so beautiful! When I walked, I moved like a partridge, and everyone followed me.” They say, “I was so fair-skinned, so stunning.” But that was the past. What do you have now? Lay it on the table. Don’t dwell on what once was—talk about what is. What’s gone is gone.
A person’s past attributes don’t remain the same. What matters is what you have now. This law works both ways—it can lift you up, but it can also bring you crashing down. It holds both life and death within it. It can give a person new life, or it can bring about their downfall. It can bring the living out of the dead and the dead out of the living. “He brings forth the living from the dead, and He brings forth the dead from the living.”

And ultimately, it showcases God’s grace and generosity in a person’s journey through life while beautifully placing the lines of free will in their hands, allowing them to draw their own path however they choose.
We often think of God’s mercy and compassion—when we say “In the name of God, the most beneficent the most merciful” as simply meaning that if we sin, He will forgive us. That if we make a mistake, He will say, “Alright, I forgive you.” But that’s not the full picture. His generosity is in the fact that He gave us life, that He granted us existence. His mercy is in the way He entrusted us with our own destiny. There is no compulsion—only complete free will.
Once again: It showcases God’s grace and generosity in a person’s journey through life while beautifully placing the lines of free will in their hands, allowing them to draw their own path however they choose.
In other words, you are free to shape your life as you see fit. Each of us is the one drawing the blueprint of our own existence. Others play only a minor role—the main responsibility lies with us. We must make our own decisions.
Yet, sometimes, we take a wrong turn, make a mess of things, and then blame everyone but ourselves. But this says: No. The choice is yours; the path is yours, and you must take control of your destiny. Others are not to blame.
It’s like I’ve said before: Some people complain, “Everyone laughs at my beard.” Well, maybe your beard is funny! It’s a great saying—people don’t just laugh for no reason. Not everyone is out to get you. Not everyone is against you.

I, Dezhakam, could have drawn my life the same way I did twenty years ago. And if I had, only God knows where I would be today. But I chose to move forward, and God guided me along the way. Now, I have reached this point. The same applies to you and to everyone else—there’s no difference. Each person has the power to shape their own path, however they choose.
This valley, this law, teaches a person—who teaches them? God does. It makes a person understand that the end of one point can be the beginning of another. The end of anything can mark the start of something new.
It tells us that all human beings—wherever they stand, whatever traits they carry—have the ability to change. It doesn’t matter where they are in life.
It’s like saving money. Some people say, “Saving is for those who already have money.” But no! Saving is for those who don’t have money! Those who are already wealthy don’t need to save—they have money. The same applies here: Those who are in a good place don’t need to change their traits—because they already have good ones. But we need to work on transforming ourselves.
So when we say all human beings, we mean all—no exceptions. Don’t say, “Oh, that doesn’t apply to me.” No, it applies to me, to you, to him, to her, to us, to all of you, and to them. Every single one of us.
Every human being, no matter where they stand, no matter what attributes they carry, has the ability to change—even the greatest sinner, even the most hardened criminal who has committed countless atrocities.

It emphasizes this point—even the most sinful, even the most sinful human being who has committed countless atrocities and crimes—even he can change his corrupt traits and turn back. Even he has the ability to do so. Why? Because this is a divine attribute, a quality of God Himself.
Otherwise, a person might think: “I’m already doomed to hell—what difference does it make? Whether I kill one person or a hundred, what does it matter? I’m already beyond saving. Whether I steal a penny or a fortune, it’s all the same. If I’m already drowning, what difference does one more wave make?” Or like the saying goes, “If my debt has reached a hundred, then I might as well feast on chicken and rice every night.” Meaning, “Since I’m already deep in debt, the amount no longer matters.”
But no! That is not how it works. No human being can say, “It’s too late for me. I’ve committed too many atrocities. I will never be forgiven, so I might as well keep going.” That’s simply not true.
Every human being, no matter where they stand, no matter what attributes they carry, has the ability to change—even the most sinful, even the most hardened criminal who has committed countless atrocities. He, too, can change his traits and return to the right path.
No human being is forced to carry their ugly traits forever or eternally. No one is doomed to remain in hell forever. It says this very clearly—no one is forced to remain in hell for eternity.
Nowhere have I found anything that suggests that God tells a person, “You are condemned to hell forever.” The phrase “they will remain therein” refers to being immersed in the depths of suffering, but that does not mean eternal condemnation.
The message is crystal clear: No human being is forced to carry their negative traits forever. No one is beyond redemption. No matter where a person stands, they always have the power to change.

No one is forced to remain in hell forever. Even if someone finds themselves in the deepest depths of hell, they still have complete free will—the ability to change their negative traits, to transform themselves. And if they choose to do so, God’s mercy will reach them, and gradually, they will emerge from that hell.
It says that everyone, no matter where they are, no matter how far they’ve fallen, can be embraced by God’s grace. Even those who have committed the most horrific crimes, those who are drowning in the deepest layers of hell—if they truly decide to change, if they choose to turn back, they can.
It’s not as if someone can say: “Well, I already made a mistake, so what difference does it make? I’m ruined anyway. I’m lost. I’m beyond saving.” No. That is not the case. Change is always possible—no matter how far someone has fallen.
That’s why the possibility of returning exists for everyone. Don’t make the mistake of thinking otherwise. No one can say, “It’s too late for me. I’m drowning in darkness, and there is no way out.” There is always a way out.
Any person, in any place, at any stage, has the power to change their path. Why? Because a person’s past traits are not fixed. Nothing about a human being is permanent. We are fluid, ever-changing.
If someone reaches the highest levels of paradise but their good traits turn into negative ones, they will be pulled down from that paradise into the lower realms.
Don’t think that just because you’ve entered paradise, you are eternally safe. Paradise is not a permanent guarantee. If you look at it symbolically, even in paradise, if a person starts committing mistakes, if they go against the principles of truth, they will fall from grace.
Reaching a high state doesn’t mean you’re done, that you can say, “I’ve made it! I’m safe forever.” No. A human being is in motion. We are always changing, always evolving. That’s why effort, perseverance, and continuous striving are always necessary.

So, if we reach the highest level, yet our good traits turn into negative ones, we will be pulled down from paradise into the lower realms. No matter where we are, paradise is just a symbol—mathal al-jannah—a metaphor for us to understand.
Nowhere does it say that a person can reach a certain point and then just eat, sleep, and enjoy endlessly. That’s not how it works. If you were placed somewhere where all you did was eat, sleep, and indulge yourself—maybe for a week, two weeks, three weeks—you’d eventually get sick of it. Because we are meant to be in motion, to strive, to make an effort.
Whenever our good traits turn into negative ones, we will be pulled down from paradise to the depths of hell. That’s how it is.
Imagine you worked hard to lose weight—you were once overweight, but through effort and discipline, you reached your ideal weight. Does that mean you're done? That you can now eat whatever you want, stop caring, and think, "Ah, I’ve made it! I was 120 or 150 kilos, now I’m 80, time to relax and indulge!" No! If you don’t maintain your progress, you’ll gain it all back—maybe even more. One day, you’re 80 kilos, then suddenly, you’re back to 120, or worse, 140, 150, even 300 or 400 kilos or 500 kilos! (laughter from Mr. Dezhakam)
That’s exactly how paradise works. When you reach a certain level, you must maintain it. You must protect what you have gained. If you don’t, you will fall.
And beware—Satan enters our thoughts and minds in the most beautiful, deceptive ways. That’s how he steals the essence of a person. That’s how he robs them of their true self.

We are pulled down from paradise into the lower levels of hell because human beings are in motion—everything in existence is in motion. There is nothing in this universe or beyond that remains fixed and unchanging. Why? Because the path of evolution, the path of life, is about alteration, transformation, and ultimately, revival.
From one cycle of creation to another, from the heavens to the earth, from the earth to the heavens, and back again. Or from one heaven to another, then back to earth—or even to another earth—and then back to the heavens once more.
We never cease to exist. We are never reduced to nothingness. We never were nothing to begin with. Our lifespan, compared to God’s existence, might be just a fraction less—I don’t know how much? But we will always be.
Even if we try to erase ourselves, we cannot. If we destroy the body, we still exist—somewhere else, in some other form. As Aurobindo said, the soul remains. We are travelers, moving from one place to another, from one realm to another. Until when? Until where? Until… the endless unknown. A place that cannot be pointed to with a fingertip or located with a compass. Until the **edge of eternity—**and yet, when we reach that edge, another eternity begins.
Do you even understand what I’m saying? No, of course not! (laughs) How could you?
Until where? Until the endless unknown, which cannot be mapped or measured. Until the end of eternity, which itself gives rise to another eternity. And if we want to be precise—until the end of numbers. But tell me—where is the end of numbers? Anyone? Until the point where we first branched out, and then—another journey begins. Because we are always with existence. We have always been with existence, and we will continue to be. Why? To be. To exist. For life, being, space, time, movement. Because the greatest miracle of life is life itself.

The greatest miracle of life is life itself.
We haven’t come into this world just to live for fifty or sixty years, only to be thrown into hell if we’ve sinned or placed in paradise if we’ve done good deeds. That’s not all there is—it’s just one way of looking at it. God isn’t some kind of masochist who brings us here for a few decades just to torment us in hell afterward. That’s not the purpose!
The true purpose, the greatest miracle of existence, is life itself. I mean that we cannot say existence is worthless and only the end matters—no, existence itself is one of the greatest and most important aspects of being. Life, existence, space, place, time, and every moment—all of these matter because the greatest miracle of life is life itself. Being immersed in it, observing it, experiencing all beings, sorrow, grief, sadness, joy, love, gain, loss, and ultimately, the union of opposites. Because the subtle truth is this: until you have known hatred, you will never truly grasp the meaning of love.
Being immersed in life means simply being here, in this moment—observing life, existence, trees, mountains, people, everything we are drawn to, and all living beings.
Sorrow is part of life. Sadness, grief, and pain are woven into the very fabric of existence. They are not foreign, not unnatural. They are instruments of life. Just like joy, love, gain, and loss. Ultimately, life is a union of opposites. And here lies the subtle truth:
Until you know hatred, you will never truly understand love. Until you have felt grief, you cannot grasp the depth of joy. If you have never seen darkness, how can you comprehend light?
Sorrow is an inseparable companion to life so that, through divine trials, we may come to understand the true meaning of joy. Hatred is something we must experience and recognize so that we can fully grasp the essence of love.

From the very beginning, not everyone is filled with love, joy, or laughter. These things would have no meaning or value otherwise. Right now, I have two glasses of water in front of me—one warm, in case my throat hurts, and one cold. If someone drinks both glasses, I won’t object, and no one will complain because water is available. Just turn on the tap, and there’s plenty.
But if we were stranded in the desert, dying of thirst, and someone took both glasses, would the others stay silent? That’s when the true value of water becomes clear. Here, we don’t even think about it, but in those conditions, we fully understand its worth.
Every morning, we wake up, go to the restroom, turn on the tap, take a shower, wash the dishes. Water holds no special meaning to us. But if we find ourselves in the middle of a desert with no water, only then will we truly grasp its value. The concept is the same.
Therefore, everyone must live with time. Until we know hatred, we will not grasp the meaning of love. That’s why everyone must live with time. In other words, every ending has a specific moment that has already been measured.
It is said that everyone must live with time. This doesn’t mean everyone must wear a watch or have a clock in their home. There is always a time assigned to everything in existence. Even in the next world, there is still time. Meaning, everything has an end. Every person has a moment of death—that moment is their time.

The Earth has a moment when its lifespan will end. The solar system also has a moment when it will come to an end. Everything has an ending, and that ending is its time. We, too, carry a time with us. Meaning, we keep coming and going until, at some point, it all stops. When that moment arrives, it’s over.
One of the realities of life is that everyone comes into this world alone and leaves it alone. Each person rests in their own grave. So, we must always remember this.
There is a saying from Ali ibn Abi Talib: "Live for this world as if you will live forever, and live for the afterlife as if you will die the next moment." This means you should strive and work for this world as though you will always be alive.
Some people say, "Well, I’ll die eventually, so why build a house? Why study? Why take care of my health if I’ll grow old anyway? In the end, my body will be eaten by worms and mice, so I might as well drink myself to death, smoke excessively, or destroy myself in other ways."
But life doesn’t work like that. You must live in a way that assumes you will always be here, while also remembering that tomorrow, you may no longer exist.
So, time is always with us. In this earthly world, time consists of three dimensions: space, place, and time itself.
It is said that when a person dies—when their time runs out—they immediately lose all three: time, space, and place. Anything that reaches its final hour loses these three earthly dimensions. If it exists on Earth, it loses all three, and the entire framework changes.
The end of one point marks the beginning of another line. A new path begins, with different measures, different perspectives, and entirely new things.

The ancients believed that four opposing elements—water, wind, earth, and fire—created existence. In the past, the elders used to say that these four elements were in opposition to one another. For example, wind extinguishes fire, water puts out fire, fire opposes water by turning it into steam. If you pour earth over fire, the fire goes out. If you pour earth onto water, it turns to mud. Wind carries earth away. They called these the four opposing elements and said that existence was formed from them.
Of course, later came Mendeleev’s periodic table and other elements, but in general, these four were considered fundamental. That remains true in its own place.
However, there are three other key components that not only give meaning to our physical world but also play a crucial role in the structure of other realms—whether in the heavens, the worlds beyond death, or the connections between them.
It is said that while the four elements hold their place, without these three components, our earthly world would be meaningless. Not only that, but they are fundamental to the structure of all worlds, all realms, and the connections between them. These three exist across all of being, non-being, and the void itself. Without them, neither existence nor non-existence would have any meaning.
In fact, from our perspective, non-existence itself is a form of existence—it simply has different criteria, laws, structures, and fundamental substances. When we die, we seemingly enter non-existence, yet that very non-existence is, in its own way, still a form of existence—just in a different manner.
These three fundamental components are: Light, Sound, and Sense. These three shape the entire order and system of creation.
Light governs existence; in all realms of creation, light is the commander.

It is written in the Book: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth." (اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ)
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. Light is the most subtle entity we have in our world, yet we can only perceive a small portion of it—a limited spectrum. Light is not just what we see; it exists in many other forms as well.
In our world, there is nothing tangible that can move at the speed of light. If a human were to attempt to travel at that speed, they would disintegrate. Anything that tries to move at the speed of light would be reduced to dust. The speed of light is 300,000 kilometers per second. In the time it takes to say one thousand and one, light has already traveled 300,000 kilometers.
To put it into perspective, the distance from here to Mashhad is about 1,000 kilometers. In just one second, light could travel that distance 300 times back and forth. The distance from here to the sun takes approximately eight minutes for light to cover. In other words, every second, light travels 300,000 kilometers, and in a little over eight minutes, the sunlight reaches Earth.
In our physical world, no object moves faster than light. However, in other realms, there are speeds far beyond that of light.
In this world, there is nothing tangible that can travel at the speed of light. Moreover, without sunlight shining upon us, neither we nor any other living being—plants, animals, or humans—would be able to survive.
This is evident in the beauty of light’s radiance. At sunrise, light issues its command:
"Awaken, O you who have drifted away from yourself."
As the sun rises, light commands all beings of existence to rise, to wake up. "Drifted away from yourself" means that you have been absent from your body in sleep, lost in another state. Now, return—return to your body, for a new day of life has begun.
Return, so that you may transform the fire of your existence into light—through distancing yourself from vice and through purification.
For in human beings, the past is never set in stone, because life is ever-flowing. You have the power to transform your negative and destructive traits into noble and virtuous ones.

It says: "Return to your body so that you may transform the fire of your existence into light."
That fire (Naar) represents the hidden attributes of a human being. Many scholars believe that  God created jinn from fire. The verse states:
"And He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire." (وَخَلَقَ ٱلۡجَانَّ مِن مَّارِجٍ مِّن نَّارٍ)
"And He created man from sounding clay, like pottery." (خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مِن صَلۡصَٰلࣲ كَٱلۡفَخَّارِ)
They say God created human beings from soil and jinn from fire. However, nowhere does God say, "I created the jinn from fire." Rather, the verse says jaan (جان), not jinn (جن). Some believe jaan is the plural of jinn, but that is incorrect. The plural of jinn is ajinna (اجنه), not jaan.
In my view, jaan refers to the hidden attributes of a human being. The apparent attributes of a human is made of clay, of earth. We all accept this—our bodies contain phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sodium—everything that exists in the soil. But the hidden attributes of a human, the self (Nafs) is made of fire (Naar).
We’ve discussed in previous lessons that this Naar is a kind of light—but a polluted, impure light, like the flame of burning wood that produces smoke. This Naar is toxic, unrefined, dense. Through purification and evolution, this hidden attribute of a human being, along with other aspects of their existence, must gradually be cleansed, refined, and transformed into true light (Noor).
Humans are from earth—our physical bodies originate from soil. But what about our hidden attributes, our self, or even our spirit? This is precisely why I emphasize these key points—because each carries a meaning, each carries weight, each sparks debate.
Because until now, no one has said that jaan refers to the hidden attributes of a human. Everyone has assumed it refers to jinn.
"Transform the fire of your existence into light through purification and distancing yourself from vice. For in human beings, the past is ever-flowing. And you have the power to transform your negative and destructive traits into noble and beautiful ones."

Sound
And then, there is sound. In our world, we can perceive only a small portion of the sounds that exist—just as we cannot see the full spectrum of light, we cannot hear the full range of sound.
Sound plays a role in existence much like that of a telecommunications network—it carries information, knowledge, and messages, not only across the Earth but also between different realms of creation. It connects the elements of existence and nonexistence.
Think of how individual sounds, which on their own may hold no meaning, come together in sequence to create something extraordinary—to convey profound concepts, to produce music that transcends time.
The voices of human beings speaking in English, French, Russian, German, Persian; the beating of drums, the roar of cannons, the lion’s mighty growl, the whisper of the wind, the melancholic tune of a reed flute, the rhythmic pounding of a daf—what do these sounds tell us? Where do they take us? Where does thought begin to soar? How do they connect all living beings?
Without sound, there would be no connection. Without connection, there would be no life. No existence. No writing. No speech. Only absolute silence.
Thank you for listening to my words.

To be Continued...

Translated by: Companion Marjan
3/22/2025