THE FIFTEENTH DISCOURSE On fear and hope

I saw in a dream as if I were in a place like a mosque in which there were some people who kept aloof from the rest of humanity. I said to myself, "If so and so were present here he could have disciplined these people and given them proper guidance, etc.," and I thought of a certain man of virtue. These people gathered round me and one of them said to me, "What is the matter with you? Why do you not speak?" I said, "If you are pleased with me, I will." Then I said: "When you have stood aloof from the people for the sake of truth, do not ask people for anything with your tongue. And when you have stopped asking so, do not ask from them anything in your minds either, because asking in the mind is as good as asking with the tongue. Then know that God is every day in a new state of glory, in changing and altering and raising and lowering (people). Thus He raises some people to the highest of heaven and He lowers others to the lowest depth of degradation. Then He threatens those He has raised to the highest of Heavens that He may lower them down to the lowest depth of degradation and gives them the hope that He will keep them and preserve them in the same state of exaltation, whereas He threatens those whom He has thrown to the lowest depth of degradation that He may leave them to abide in their abasement and holds out the hope to them that He may raise them to the highest of heavens." Then I woke up.