Allah, the Almighty, said—relating from His prophet, Sulaymân:

{[He said]: Return them to me, and set about striking [their] legs and necks.}⁵⁰⁷ [Ṣâd 38:33]

Ghayrah (protectiveness)⁵⁰⁸ refers to intolerance caused by concern⁵⁰⁹ and impatience caused by keenness and competitiveness.⁵¹⁰ It is of three levels:

The first level is the ghayrah of the servant concerning that which was missed, to:

1. retrieve it


2. make up for missing it⁵¹¹


3. mitigate the consequences of its loss

The second level is the ghayrah of the seeker, and it is concerning time lost.⁵¹² It is a lethal ghayrah, for time is:

1. quick to lapse⁵¹³


2. difficult to manage


3. slow to return⁵¹⁴

The third level is a ghayrah of the ‘ârif⁵¹⁵ concerning:

1. eyesight⁵¹⁶ covered by a veil


2. an inner state obscured by a smudge


3. a breath that clung to hope or looked for prizes⁵¹⁷

⁵⁰⁷ The verse was quoted here by the sheikh because Sulaymân’s protectiveness of his relationship with Allah is what prompted him to sacrifice the horses after he was distracted by their beauty from his service. The other interpretation is that he wiped (not slashed) their legs and necks to show humility and regret before his Lord.
⁵⁰⁸ Ghayrah is often translated as ‘protective jealousy.’
⁵⁰⁹ Intolerance of any barriers, distractions, or impediments in the way to Allah.
⁵¹⁰ Not allowing oneself to be beaten to Allah by others.
⁵¹¹ The difference between this and the previous point is that sometimes there is no way to make up for certain deeds, so one must compensate in other ways for missing them. The person would also have to compensate for committing sins or improprieties.
⁵¹² For the seekers regret not only the deeds missed or inequities committed, but the breaths spent in other than the pursuit of His pleasure.
⁵¹³ The sheikh said, ‘quick to lapse’ in some manuscripts, but in this manuscript, he said, ‘quick to get angry,’ which means temperamental but would ultimately mean the same thing as ‘quick to lapse.’
⁵¹⁴ Not that time would return, but the state that one descended from when he or she lost that time.
⁵¹⁵ Could be translated as ‘gnostic’ but due to some negative and irrelevant connotations to this word in English, I prefer to use the Arabic original, which means ‘knower.’ In the terminology of the masters of the path, it means the possessor of the inner knowledge of the heart that is pure, beneficial, and reformative.
⁵¹⁶ Some of the truths of faith that were clear to them, like the clarity of eyesight.
⁵¹⁷ Whereas its main focus should have been the pleasure of its Lord and His love.