The power of thought is sometimes greater than the power of word and of action, although the thought with the word is greater, and thought and word together with action have still greater power. The thought is created out of breath, the word is manifested out of breath, and action is done by the strength of breath. When the breath leaves the body the action is finished; when it departs from the mouth the word is finished’ when it even passes from the mind then the thought is finished. Therefore all the power of thought, word, or action is, in reality, the power of breath, breath being the very life itself.

The purity of breath purifies thought, word, or action, and the purity of thought, word, or action purifies breath. It is for this reason that nimaz or esoteric prayer, wazifa or the repetition of sacred words, and the breath contemplation of fikar are taught in the course of Sufism.

A thought of love and goodwill spreads a joy, first, in ourselves, and pervades all our surroundings, making the atmosphere harmonious and peaceful; and the one to whom we direct the thought, whether he be on earth or in the heavens, undoubtedly receives it. But where an evil thought, a thought of wrath, jealousy, or bitterness is directed to someone, it first ruins one’s own life and spoils one’s own atmosphere, and then destroys the one to whom it was directed, from his root. It is like the dynamite, that by falling upon some object not only destroys the object but the atmosphere itself first. Nobody can harm another by his thought, word, or action without harming himself, nor can anybody do good to another without gaining a thousand-fold good to himself.

A person conceals his thought by silence, by inactivity, but his mind speaks to the mind of another. Whatever good or evil thought he may cherish, the living mind perceives it at once; the half-living mind only perceives it by half; the dead mind cannot perceive, as it is already dead. Man, under the control of different moods and spells, allows thoughts to dwell in his mind that he otherwise–when sober, in the absence of the mood or spell–may not consider wise to allow. This works greatly to his disadvantage, and to the disadvantage of others whom he may otherwise never hurt or harm. Therefore, in order to think aright man must keep himself evenly balanced, and not give a way for passions and impulse to deprive him of his power of mind, the heavenly capital given to every soul.