Letter – 19 Rabi‘ al-Awwal 1425 (2004-05-09)

Letter from Hazrat Dr. Nour Ali Tabandeh, Majzoub Ali Shah
Addressed to Mr. Hajj Sayyid Ahmad Shari‘at Feyz Ali

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Honorable Brother, Mr. Hajj Sayyid Ahmad Shari‘at Feyz Ali, may God assist him,

After offering greetings, I pray to Almighty God for your health and success. I request your attention—as well as that of the other brothers—toward the following points:

1. In matters of the Shari‘a, where propagation is necessary, the scholars and jurists who are the embodiment of «مَنْ كَانَ مِنَ الْفُقَهَاءِ...» hold authority. However, in issues of belief, such matters fall outside the scope of emulation (taqlid), and their opinions are consultative—respected so long as they do not contradict self-evident truths.
2. The matter of wilayah, from the perspective of gnosis, belongs to the domain of beliefs and is not subject to public propagation.
3. Recently in Qom, a leaflet was distributed that announced the time and place of faqr gatherings, along with the intellectual and spiritual content of the sessions. None of this content is suitable for public promotion or distribution through such announcements.
4. Your honorable father's residence, which was respected and trusted by all maraji‘ and the people of Qom, was specifically used for such gatherings—without being designated by any special name—and it was, in effect, a Husayniyya. But now, what need was there to go from the substance to the name, especially based on the judgment of the leaflet’s writer?
5. Distributing any form of leaflet or written announcement constitutes promotion, which diminishes the dignity of gnosis. It is incumbent upon you to exercise vigilance in such matters.
   In any case, this leaflet was highly detrimental and beyond the bounds of the duties and traditions of Sufism. An ignorant friend causes more harm than a wise enemy; in this instance, the unauthorized act, rooted in zealous fervor, is considered an act of ignorance.
   As the saying goes: “Having such friends makes enemies unnecessary,” and to that we now add: “The existence of foolish enemies renders wise friends and skilled promoters unnecessary.”

Whenever you are blessed to visit the sacred shrine, please perform the visitation on my behalf. There, through the intercession of that noble lady, ask God to forgive our faults and not to withhold from us the blessing described in the Quran as: ... فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ ... . Peace.