The idea of the spiritual hierarchy has been a question which has always been discussed in all ages, and especially at this time, when people have their conceptions much more separate and different, along spiritual lines, than before. The spiritual hierarchy is not man's imagination; it is not only a poetic idea, but it is as real as one's own being. Among hills and mountains there are small mountains and there are big mountains; among rivers there are larger and smaller rivers; and in all things of Nature one finds the evidence of Nature's hierarchy. What gives us the best picture of life is the heavens, with the planets, and the sun apart as a light and life-giver. When we consider all the planets, including the moon, we shall find they are all receptacles of light, and they all reflect the light of the sun according to their capacity.

The moon functions as a receptacle of the same light to the greatest degree. According to the mystical point of view, if it were not for the moon the whole cosmos would go to pieces, for the reason that the central currents of the sun are functioning in the moon, which reflects the light of the sun in fullness. Only the difference is that, as it is the reflection of the sun -- although in its fullness -- it has finer currents of light, it is soft and cooling, attractive, and its light is beautiful. Therefore the light of the sun is called jelal by the Sufis, and the light of the moon jemal. The former expresses power, and the latter beauty. The former is creative; the latter is responsive.

Suppose, then, if the sun has the light, then the moon possesses the light of the sun, not its own. If God is the Knower and the All-wise, the one who gives His Message gives God's knowledge, not his own; it is the light of the sun; so it is with the Messengers at all times. People have heard them speak, and therefore they call it the Message of Buddha, or of Christ, or of Muhammed; but, really speaking, the Message was of God.

All souls in the world are the receptacles of God's Message -- not only human beings, but even the lower creation. All objects and all conditions convey to us the Message of the One and Only Being. But the difference is that, although they convey the Message of God, they do not know it; they are not conscious of it. Not only objects are unconscious, but even human beings are unconscious. If they only knew that there is nothing in this world which is not the instrument of God!

As there are more useful and less useful objects, so there are more and less important human beings. If they were all equal, there would not have been the diversity of different ranks and positions in a state; there would not have been generals or colonels in the army -- all soldiers; there would not have been high and low notes on the piano, but all one key, one note, one sound; there would not have been different rooms in the house -- every room would have been a drawing-room. But it shows that it is the necessity of life that there should be a hierarchy -- hierarchy by election or hierarchy by appointment -- for the world cannot exist without it. Aristocracy and democracy are not two things, but one. There is but one chief thing, which is hierarchy. When it is right, it is called aristocracy; when it goes wrong, and when there comes a new spirit to rebuild it, this process is a state of democracy. It is natural that man is agitated with one thing when he wants to build another thing. He revolts against everything that was before, and so, in rebuilding, this revolting spirit often acts to his disadvantage.

As externally there is a system of government, so inwardly there is a system of government. One can see this government in every family also. There is a king in every family; there are ministers, counsellors, partakers of his responsibility, and servants who are paid for their work. Taking the whole universe as one whole, there is also a system of government, as there is a system of government in the sky: there is the sun, then there is the moon, which is directly focused to the sun, and there are the principal planets, which surround it, and there are the stars. And on the model of the heaven the inner and outer governments of the earth are arranged.

In the same way man's body is arranged: there is one principal factor; then there are working factors, as servants; then principal ministers; and when one takes the existence of man, from his soul to his body, it is one complete kingdom, which constitutes all the necessary officials and servants, making one's being as a kingdom. In that way it shows that the king will always exist. No democratic view, however much against the aristocratic form, will ever succeed in life without forming the kingdom. The difference is that, if he will not call the one king, he will name him president.

In the spiritual hierarchy there are seven grades of spiritual souls who form the spiritual standard; and each grade is divided into two classes, jelal and jemal. And, descending from the combination of these two spirits, there comes a third line as a central line, which is the spirit of prophecy and which is called the Spirit of Guidance.

It has never been necessary for any of these members of the hierarchy to acclaim themselves, especially for the reason that in this world of falsehood there are false claims; and even the real claims, in the worldly life, are no more true than false; and also as there has been no reason why the claims should be made, since the holders of these offices can serve the purpose better by being silent than by announcing themselves as So-and-so.

And, when every office in the world brings to man a certain amount of vanity, and as vanity is the greatest enemy of spiritual people, and as there is the jealousy of human nature always at work, and as competition and rivalry are the very source that give stimulus to the life in the world, the office has always been concealed by the spiritual officeholders, except by the teachers who had to give the Message of God to people and teach them. And how many in the world would not believe unless they knew he was the office bearer from God!

The teachers had their lives as the example of their office; except that, they had no other evidence. Miracles are known afterwards; legends are formed afterwards; poems are made afterwards; temples are built afterwards; following has increased afterwards; their words have been valued afterwards. But during their lifetime they met with nothing but opposition and the constant change of the followers, agreeing one day, disagreeing another day; and all sorts of difficulties they have suffered, even such as crucifixion.

The teacher's position is more delicate than that of the Master, because he must claim, and be among people. And being among people is to be as a bird of a different forest having arrived in a strange land, and all other birds, finding him different from them, wish to fight him and torture him, and wish to kill him. That has been the condition of the Prophet in all times, and the same will always be. The last One left a warning for the coming One, which was this: that prophecy was sealed. He did not mean by this that the work of the Spirit of Guidance was sealed. It was a clue to the Successor, now that the claim was sealed, that the work must be done without a claim, and it is the work that is done that should prove its genuineness, instead of a claim.

According to the Sufi conception, there are several degrees distinguished as different stages of responsiveness; in other words, of higher initiation. Among them there are five principal ones: Wali, Ghous, Qutub, Nabi, Rasul, the sign of Rasul being the crescent, which represents a responsive heart. People call them Masters, but they are in reality pupils; for, in point of fact, no one in the world is a Master save God. Man's privilege is to become a greater pupil. Therefore none of the Great Ones have called themselves Masters, nor have they considered themselves to be so. What they have known in their lives is the privilege of opening their hearts wider and wider to reflect the light of the Master, Who is God Himself. The progress of these high Initiates is in their responsiveness, for they have never connected themselves with what they have expressed.

Very often parents say something to their child in which there is the Voice of God; very often a kind friend suggests something to his friend, out of his love and sympathy, which happens to be a Message of God; sometimes a teacher says an inspiring word, which is as a word coming direct from God; even from an innocent child a word comes which comes as a warning from God; for all laces are His faces, and from all lips it is His Word that comes, whenever it comes. But those who can respond to Him, they become as His appointed servants. People call them Chosen Ones; God has chosen all, for all souls are near to the Creator. But the soul who is attached to the lips of God as a horn becomes the herald of His Message, and through his lips what comes is not his words, but the Message of God.