Number 18

Silence, hunger, night vigils, solitude, and constant remembrance of God: these bring the unfinished souls of the world to completion. Silence is the very shape of knowing God; but in wakeful nights, knowing your own soul comes and greets you. Hunger becomes the path to knowing the true Sovereign; religious wisdom finds its order through solitude. The root of all these perfections is nothing petty; it belongs to the great one whose heart is whole, who drinks in whole oceans of meaning. Guardian of the Prophet's faith, uncoverer of the messengers' secrets, reviver of soul and world, effacer of every trace of darkness. Judge upon the seat of truth, leader of humans and spirits alike, the one who knows the sacred goal, the true aim of Islam.