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INTRODUCTION
Praise be to God, who illuminated the hearts of His saints with the lights of His guidance. He purified their inner secrets for the manifestation of His majesty, beauty and perfect might. He selected them to remain ever close to Him, in proximity to His presence. He prepared them and chose them for His intimate discourse and conversation. He informed them and taught them the truths of the secret of His lordship's Names, and manifested Himself to them through His Names and Qualities, so that the radiant sun of His gnosis shone upon them. He wiped their souls clean of all coloration, and bathed their hearts in the brilliant light of His Uniqueness. Thus, did He impart unto them understanding and inspiration, and taught them the proper etiquettes of keeping His company. Then He revealed to them the beauty, perfection and splendour of His noble countenance, and turned His full attention to them. He showed them the wonders of His creation, the splendours of His deeds and the glories of His wisdom. They bore witness to the marvels of His kingdom, His dominion and His domination, and then, transfixed by their vision of Him, they became oblivious and heedless of them. Then He gave them strength and made them subsist through Him, and comforted them with the delicate kindness of His mercy. He drew them closer to Himself through His benevolence and kindness, and bestowed upon them His grace, and gave them to drink from the wine of His love. He vouchsafed to them His secrets and gifted to them His treasures.
All this He did, and He made the foundation and the root of it all knowledge of the Name of his Godhood [Allah], in which He hid His secret from all those from whom He willed to conceal it, veiling them with certain outward forms and manifold meanings. The beginning of understanding it is in its first alif, and the end of knowledge of it is in the meaning of its final ha'. Fortunate indeed is the one for whom the veils of its impenetrable outer meaning are lifted, uncovering the light of the inner meaning so that he may pluck its secret fruit, breathe in its fragrant aroma and taste its delicious sweetness. Through it, he comes to know and bear witness to its outer markers and its inner signposts in existence, and its heights and its depths, according to the nature of His Essence and the reality of His Substance. He is then permitted to partake in His dominion over creation through the command of 'Be!', thereby bringing things into existence in accordance with his will. Let all praise be to God as befits His majesty, for all the outward and inward favours He has showered upon us!
We bear witness before God to His true oneness and absolute unity. There is no god but He, One in His being, Magnificent in His qualities, Almighty in His Uniqueness. We bear witness also to His prophet and messenger—to his perfect prophethood, universal message, and special servitude—Muhammad, may God bless him and his family, wives, children, descendants and household. May God be pleased with all his Companions, and all the folk of his community and faith who followed in their virtuous footsteps.
To proceed: the elixir of increase, the alchemy of happiness, foundation for every foothold, state and station, and the deepest root of all spiritual excellence (ihsan), faith (iman) and submission to God (islam), is knowledge of the divine Oneness (tawhid). This knowledge is unfettered by intrusive restrictions, and protected from the designs of blind rote learning. It is known as the science of the divine Names and Qualities ('ilm al-asma' wa'l-sifat), which is an ancient science that cannot be marred by unnecessary innovation. It is the culmination of all the discourse of the meanings of the divine Name, and the sum of all metaphysical secrets and subtleties. It is a collection of the most precious treasures and the most valuable hidden gems. It is the source of all religious knowledge, and the locus of all gnosis and certitude. Every science is as noble as its subject, and every knower is as noble as his knowledge; and there is nothing nobler than the Real and seeking It. Nothing in this world is nobler than knowledge of God and nearness to Him, and nothing in Paradise is nobler than to behold His countenance. Every science depends on its subject and draws its nobility from it, and the science of divine Oneness depends on knowledge of the One (al-Wahid) and His quality of Oneness (wahdaniyya). Knowledge of God is the highest goal, the most precious pearl, and a sweet draught for everyone who drinks it, and they can only enjoy a draught of it one by one. It is the thing that is sought out for its own sake, and is a font of constant increase. The greatest of states and most perfect of blessings are attained through it. The wayfarer's first step is the search for gnosis, and his final destination is the Oneness of Essence and Attribute, because the knowledge of God is the ultimate goal and His Oneness is the finest and most perfect end. Knowledge of it gives the invoker inner understanding and realisation. Acting in accordance with it increases the wayfarer in conviction and grace. When someone attains the noblest and highest of sciences and wisdoms, and the finest, most profound and most beneficial meanings, and gains understanding of their inner realities and knowledge of their outward appearances and mysteries, his inner heart takes on its true substance and his outward comportment becomes refined, and only then can he truly be called a human being. Such a person has truly witnessed the Real, and his attributes and qualities have thus attained essential goodness. He has come to know God through faith (iman) and certitude (yaqin), and recognised His creation with understanding and discernment.
…In this book, the author related wondrous subtleties and marvellous matters of knowledge and spiritual teachings, rarities, wisdoms and unique insights, which stand on their own and need no further introduction. He called it The Pure Intention: On Knowledge of the Unique Name (al-Qasd al-Mujarrad fi Ma'rifat al-Ism al-Mufrad), by which he meant the Name Allah, glorious and majestic is He! He divided the book into two parts with their own themes, and provided for each of them authentic attestations and sound proofs from the Qur'an, the Sunna and the teachings of the enlightened scholars, the renowned folk of virtue and the Sufis. God alone grants the grace to lead us to what is right, and protect us from what is harmful.
