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5
2104-2128

  • At the time of (his being in possession of) knowledge, who was Adam in relation to the angels? (He was) the teacher of knowledge and the assayer of (its) coins.
  • After he had drunk the wine of (God's) forbearance in Paradise, he was confounded by a single trick of Satan. 2105
  • The doses of anacardium, (namely), the lessons (given to him) by the Loving One, had made him sagacious and wise and clever;
  • (But) afterwards the potent opium of His forbearance brought the Thief to (carry away) his (Adam's) property.
  • Reason comes to seek refuge with His forbearance, (saying), “Thou hast been my Sáqí (Thou hast intoxicated me): take my hand (succour me)!”
  • How the King said to Ayáz, “Choose either to pardon or to punish, for in the present case ’tis (equally) right whether you do justice or show mercy; and there are advantages in each.” Within justice a thousand mercies are enclosed: (God hath said), “and for you in retaliation there is a life.” He who deems retaliation abominable is regarding only the single life of the murderer and does not consider the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be protected and kept safe, as in a fortress, by fear of punishment.
  • “O Ayáz, pass sentence on the culprits! O incorruptible Ayáz who takest infinite precautions (to keep thyself pure),
  • Though I boil (test) thee in practice two hundred times, I do not find any refuse in the foam of thy boiling. 2110
  • A countless multitude of people are ashamed of (being put to) the test, (but) all tests are ashamed of (being tried on) thee.
  • It (thy knowledge) is a bottomless ocean: it is not (creaturely) knowledge alone; it (thy forbearance) is a mountain and a hundred mountains: indeed, it is not (creaturely) forbearance.”
  • He (Ayáz) replied, “I know that this is thy gift; otherwise I am (nothing except) those rustic shoon and that sheepskin jacket.”
  • Hence the Prophet expounded this (matter), (when he said), “Whoso knoweth himself knoweth God.”
  • The seed (from which you were conceived) is your shoon, and your blood is the sheepskin jacket: (all) the rest, O master, is His gift. 2115
  • He hath given it to you in order that you may seek more: do not say, “He has only this amount (to give).”
  • The gardener shows a number of apples, to the end that you may know the trees and produce of the orchard.
  • He (the wheat-merchant) gives the purchaser a handful of wheat, in order that he may know (the quality of) the wheat in the granary.
  • The teacher explains a nice point in order that you may recognise that his knowledge exceeds (those limits);
  • And if you say, “This is all (the knowledge) he has,” he will cast you far (from him) as sticks and straws (are cast) from the beard. 2120
  • “Now come, O Ayáz, and deal justice: lay the foundation of a rare justice in the world.
  • Those who have sinned against thee deserve to be killed, but in hope (of escaping death) they are attending (waiting upon) thy pardon and forbearance,
  • To see whether mercy will prevail or wrath, whether the water of Kawthar will prevail or the flames (of Hell).”
  • From the (ancient) Covenant of Alast (until now) both (these) boughs, (namely) forbearance and anger, are in existence for the purpose of carrying men (up to God).
  • Hence the perspicuous word Alast is (a case of) negation and affirmation joined in one word, 2125
  • Because this (Alast) is an affirmative question, but (nevertheless) the word laysa is buried in it.
  • Leave off, and let this exposition remain incomplete: do not lay the bowl for the elect on the table of the vulgar.
  • (’Tis) a wrath and a mercy like the zephyr (sabá) and the plague (wabá): the former is (like) the iron-attracting (magnet) and the latter (like) the straw attracting (amber).