From the Twenty-Fourth Discourse—page 519
in Irshad: Wisdom of a Sufi Master, by Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak Al-Jerrahi, trans. Muhtar Holland. An Ashki Book of Amity House, Warwick: 1988.
The Deeper Meanings of Ritual Ablution
The venerable ‘Uthmān of the Two Lights once said to a man who came into his presence in the time of his Caliphate: “Go back and wash yourself before you come into my presence.” The visitor protested: “O Commander of the Believers, I do not need to wash; I am clean and n a state of ritual purity,” but the venerable ‘Uthmān said: “On your way here you looked at something unlawful and so committed adultery of the eye. Go and take a complete ablution and beg forgiveness of Allāh, Exalted is He.” The man immediately recognized his fault, obeyed the order to wash himself completely, then turned to his Exalted Lord in repentance, earnestly seeking His pardon and forgiveness.
A noble saint was once asked: “When does it become necessary to perform a complete ablutions?” This was his reply: “For you, complete ablution is required only when you become ritually impure as a result of sexual contact. As for us, complete ablution is incumbent upon us the moment we forget God and become heedless of Him.”
It should be realized that the insight of the saints of Allāh is like a lion, while the hearts of ordinary people are like a forest. Just as the lion roams in the forest, the saints of Allāh wander in the hearts of men. By Allāh’s leave they see the blood in their veins and the secret intentions in their hearts.