So long as thou seekest any but the Beloved, no Seeker art thou. How then canst thou be wholly His? By wholly turning to Him. He can afford to have thousands of friends, for He can reach all alike. The Sun is with all—east and west, Hindu and Turk—for His range is unlimited. But thou art limited in capacity, and canst not feel the warmth of His rays unless thou wholly expose thyself to Him. All the worlds are benefited by Him, yet He does not lose in the least.
Here one should guard against a possible misunderstanding. To love a thing as a means does not interfere with the love for the end or the final object. Our foes even ought to be loved as connected with the Lord. This is not a division of love, but its perfection. Love is a peculiar state: friendship with foes is possible only here. Abul Abbâs—peace be on him—said to a party marching to war against the unbelievers, "Would I might lick the dust of the feet of the unbelievers whom ye would kill for His sake." The care of a scholar for pen and paper cannot be said to divert his attention from learning. The real object of love ought to be only one (i. e. God), but loving others as subservient to the final object (i. e. Divine Love) is by no means harmful. If a man loves God, he must love the Prophets and the Masters—nay, if he ponders well, he must love all as connected with Him. All the universe is His work and is certainly Himself. "Duality does not approach Thy Sanctuary: the whole world is Thyself and Thy Energy. The Universe is the shadow of Thy Presence; all is the result of Thy mighty Workmanship."
But if it be the Divine Will to put an end to a certain work of His, using thee as instrument, thou as a devotee must destroy it, and none should accuse thee of lack of respect for His work. This is a very high stage. If Mohammad and His blessed companions killed the unbelievers, they did so in obedience to the Divine Will. The lover has not to seek his own pleasure.—Letter 66.
Confidence.
The Sûfî trusts in God. Khwâjâ Yahiâ observes: "He who does not trust God cannot receive Divine illumination." Explanation: God deals with a man according to his expectations. One who suspects Him cannot receive any light. Again, it is a friend who is trusted, and it is a foe who is suspected. Suspicion invites hostility; confidence, love.
There is a distinction, however, between mere groundless hope and reasonable expectation. One who endeavours to obey the Divine Commands may reasonably expect the Divine Grace; but it is a vain hope for one guilty of commissions and omissions to expect exemption from hell and enjoyment of heaven.... So it is wise to check the accounts of the desire-nature, and prepare for death; and it is foolish to follow the desire-nature and hope for the remission of sins.—Letter 67.