The Reality of the Right

The reality of right (yamin) is highness and elevation. By highness and elevation we mean elevation in sanctity (hurma) and highness in spiritual degrees that entail arrival unto the spring of the Divine Presence and experiencing the delight of its beauty, and other such pursuits. The reality of the left (Shimal) is the opposite of highness and elevation. It is unadulterated lowering and sinking; it is the opposite of elevation in sanctity and highness in spiritual degrees. Both lowering and sinking entail remoteness and being cut off from Allah Most High and expulsion to the spring of the demonic presence of Iblis and torment though his contaminations, and finally, for its people, eternal dwelling in the Hellfire.

The real meaning of right and left is not the physical directions of right and left, such as one’s right hand and left hand. The physical directions of right and left are simply guides and comparable to a cane for someone unable to walk well due to old age, or comparable to a walking stick for a blind person who uses it to help him get around. One makes use of these guides in order to obtain a divine opening and see the source of the Right. It is from the perfection of the human form that it has been given a right and a left hand, so that it is possible to discern between the two directions physically and metaphysically. The right and the left are guides placed on the human body and inscribed by the Pen of Divine Power (as we will detail soon, Allah willing). 

The directions of right and left—which, as we said, are guides—have nevertheless taken a share of the guidance we speak of. Therefore, if someone is on a physical journey (one of length and width) and chooses, under any circumstances, a road on the right with the intention of seeking the guidance of the Right, he will assuredly happen upon a foundation of goodness from the Dhat al-Yamin. This is true even if one is traveling and gets lost on his way. If he reaches a crossroad let him chose the road the veers to the right and leave the road the veers to the left. If he does that then nothing but good will come of it—provided he takes the road with the intention we have mentioned.

The font of the physical right originates from the font of the Spring of the Muhammadan Right, and that is why it is commanded that one use his right hand when engaging in daily habits and acts of worship. For the Muhammadan Light lies in wait on the right and will take one to his elemental spring. This is also why it is forbidden to use the left hand when giving or taking items connected to the religion or giving or taking virtuous items connected to daily habits. That is because Iblis—Allah curse him!—lies in wait on the left and will take all who come close to him, and may never let go of him. This point is known in the books of jurisprudence that speak about eating with the right hand and using it for other virtuous daily habits, and speak about starting with the right side when performing ritual purification (wudu’), and similar points regarding other acts of worship. 

The right hand should not be used for unclean tasks such as touching impure substances and the like, for the nobility of the right, as we said, has a sound root in the Spring of the Muhammadan Presence, while the left does not have a sound root, since its foundation is the airiness of the Abyss which plunges one into its depths for all eternity (as we mentioned earlier). This is why it is forbidden to shake hands using the left. So if your brother extends to you his right hand for you to shake it and you have something in your right hand that makes it impossible for you to extend it at that moment, it is not lawful for you to shake his hand with your left hand. Instead, if it’s possible, you should give him your face and treat it as your right hand and place its nobility in the palm of your brother’s hand, substituting for your right hand. If you can’t do that, then lean in towards him with a smiling face that assumes the role of your right hand!

The secret of shaking hands which manifests when the aforementioned foundation is intended (as we said) is that it is from answering the caller of Allah to the Muhammadan Presence which is the very font and source of the right used in shaking hands. By shaking hands, the sins of both people fall from them as leaves from a dry tree fall when winds blow upon it. To explain this: the metaphorical human trees have acquired leaves from their egoistic desires that grow from their branches (because a servant is never totally free of sins, whether major or minor), so when the fingers of two human trees interlock and shake hands, the musk-laden winds from the Muhammadan Presence blow upon them and his [the Prophet’s] secret infuse their human trees, immediately causing the leaves of their sins to drop from them. This is why, when two people are shaking hands with each other, it is recommended for them to invoke prayers upon our master the Messenger of Allah and seek forgiveness for each other.

People have different stations with respect to the secret of shaking hands. Owing to their firm foundation [with the Right], the hand-shaking of perfected masters results in immediate purification; and then the hand-shaking of those after them become successively less purifying, until finally there is the hand-shaking of the common folk, who only do it out of habit and are not aware of its secret.

It is disliked that Muslims should shake hands with other people out of flattery, ostentation, showing off, and pious pretense, and so on—all of which are considered unlawful according to the way (madhab) of the Sufis.

There are other secrets of the right hand that you should follow in everything related to your earnings and livelihood. Don’t be ignorant of the value of the right hand, even if the object taken or given is paltry, for its secret is tremendous! We have already explained the foundation of its root. To explain: if you are slicing a gourd that you’ve earned through your livelihood and you wish to share it with a partner, take from the right side of its slices and don’t worry about getting its smaller portions, for the secret lies in this metaphysical reality [of the slices being on the right side]. You should make the one you are sharing it with happy to get more slices for himself and you should take the slices that are seemingly of less value, for you have taken those on the right, whereas your partner, because he is unaware of the reality, is only pleased with having many slices of gourd. Do not cast a glance at the high quality or low quality of what you are apportioning; instead, you should intend what we’ve mentioned here.

Likewise, when you want to purchase food you should pick what lies on the right side [of a table, stall, etc.], even if the food on the left side is of better quality than it. Do not pay that any mind.

The same rule applies when you want to purchase a beast of burden and you are presented with two or four or more animals (the least being two). If the animals are standing at the area where they are hobbled, purchase the one that is to your right.

Apply this principle in everything of high and low value—in your daily habits and in your acts of worship—for the Law Giver [the Prophet a] has only enjoined us to eat with our right hands and to perform the Sunna Commands with our right hands so we may pluck from the lights of the Sunna. This applies even when putting on your shoes and taking them off; when taking them off, you should place the right shoe above the left shoe.

Likewise, you should only use your left hand for things like cleaning filth, in which is it disliked to use the right hand (even if you yourself are not in a state of ritual purity). Likewise, you should not spit except to the left, and when doing so you should intend that it fall upon those who reject Allah and His Messenger.

When you go to the lavatory you should enter with your left foot and exit with the right foot, and when you go to a mosque and exit from it you should do the opposite [enter with your right foot and exit with your left foot]. Understand that each time you do the opposite of this—such as when you eat with your left hand and drink with your left hand, and so on—darkness will enter you. The unsubtle darkness that will enter you will lead you to hold beliefs based on compound ignorance, which is the strongest form of darkness that can enter a person, and the subtle darkness will cause you to hold beliefs based on simple ignorance, which is less dark than the former. So beware of heedlessness, for it is what brings on ill-fated darkness; it is the door of darkness from whence the Accursed One [Iblis] enters a human being. When Allah Most High bestows His favor upon His servant and the servant is awake and self-aware, he sits upon the chair of his ego’s heedlessness and grasps firmly the spear-shaft of his wakefulness, and each time the enemy draws near to him with evil suggestions he delivers him a Muhammadan Stabbing with the lights of the spear-shaft of wakefulness, causing the enemy to retreat, slinking away on the feather of anger between his eyes—disgraced and banished! (Quran 7:18)