Chapter on What Has Been Said About the Signs of Sincere Humility Before God
Chapter on What They Said Regarding the Sign of the Truthfulness of the One Humble Before God, Almighty and Glorious, When the Eyes of the Servants Observe Him
I say: What is the sign of the truthful one in what he manifests of khushu' (humility) and khawf (fear) when the eyes of the servants observe him?
He said: The truthful one, before their gazes overcome him, is not free from being in one of two states: either he is in a state of khushūʿ (reverent humility) or he is not in a state of humility.
The sign of his truthfulness in that is that if all the servants were to observe him, he would not change from the state he is upon. He would not shift from a state in which he was not humble to humility, nor would he increase in his humility, nor would he be pleased by their observation of his humility, if he was humble before their gazes overcame him, on account of their observation — except that there is present in him a truthfulness from his qalb (heart) that bears witness that God, Almighty and Glorious, has already protected his heart from what stirs it: remembrance of God, Almighty and Glorious, or remembrance of the Hereafter, or wariness of them if they were among those he should be wary of. So he becomes humble, lest he look at them toward what distracts him; or he fears, if he does not show humility, a withdrawal from them, and if they become at ease with him and he becomes at ease with them, with a boldness that is not safe for his religion; or out of hatred for their sake for the sake of God, Almighty and Glorious, and out of awe of God, Almighty and Glorious, that he should look at them, since he knows them by disobedience to his Lord, Almighty and Glorious; or out of reverence and awe for them for the sake of God, Almighty and Glorious, if they were deserving of that.
And along with that, he finds a generosity in himself that if this remembrance that stirred from his heart had stirred without them seeing him, he would have been humble in it.
That, then, is a sign of the truthful one in his humility, and a sign of his truthfulness from his heart, along with wariness of himself that his heart might change, inclining him toward affectation after truthfulness. So wariness of himself is dominant over his heart, and when it is thus, humility comes from him as though no one observes him except God, Almighty and Glorious, turning about in his humility as though there is no one else on the earth — only passing thoughts that occur with weakness, which the heart repels with truthfulness, and it grows strong in reverence and fear of God, Almighty and Glorious.
When he is thus, he is not in obedience nor in a permissible act and yet changes; he shifts only for the sake of the observation of his Lord, Almighty and Glorious, seeking His good pleasure, and in aspiration for what is with Him of abundant reward, tranquil living, abundant blessings, and the abode of permanence.