English    Türkçe    فارسی   

2
735-784

  • How does earning a livelihood prevent the (discovery of) treasure? Do not retire from work: that (treasure), indeed, is (following) behind (the work). 735
  • See that you are not made captive by “if,” saying, “If I had done this or the other (thing),”
  • For the sincere Prophet forbade (people) to say “if,” and said, “That is from hypocrisy”;
  • For the hypocrite died in saying “if,” and from saying “if” he won nothing but remorse.
  • Parable.
  • A certain stranger was hastily seeking a house: a friend took him to a house in ruins.
  • He said (to the stranger), “If this (house) had a roof, it would be a home for you beside me. 740
  • Your family too would be comfortable, if it had another room in it.”
  • “Yes,” said he, “it is nice (to be) beside friends, but my dear soul, one cannot lodge in ‘if’.”
  • All the world are seekers of happiness, and on account of a false happiness they are in the fire.
  • Old and young have become gold-seekers, but the common eye does not distinguish alloy from gold.
  • The pure (gold) shot a beam on the alloy: see that you choose not the gold on the ground of (mere) opinion, without a touchstone. 745
  • If you have a touchstone, choose; otherwise, go, devote yourself to him that knows (the difference).
  • Either you must have a touchstone within your own soul, or if you know not the Way, do not go forward alone.
  • The cry of the ghouls is the cry of an acquaintance—an acquaintance who would lure you to perdition.
  • She (the ghoul) keeps on crying, “Hark, O caravan people! Come towards me, here is the track and the landmarks.”
  • The ghoul mentions the name of each, saying “O so-and-so,” in order that she may make that personage one of those who sink. 750
  • When he reaches the spot, he sees wolves and lions, his life lost, the road far off, and the day late.
  • Prithee say, what is the ghoul's cry like? (It is) “I desire riches, I desire position and renown.”
  • Prevent these voices from (entering) your heart, so that (spiritual) mysteries may be revealed.
  • Repeat (in prayer) the name of God, drown the cry of the ghouls, close your narcissus eye to this vulture.
  • Know the difference between the false dawn and the true, distinguish the colour of the wine from the colour of the cup, 755
  • That, perchance, from the eyes which see the seven colours patience and waiting may produce a (spiritual) eye,
  • (With which) you may behold colours other than these, and may behold pearls instead of stones.
  • What pearl? Nay, you will become an ocean, you will become a sun traversing the sky.
  • The Worker is hidden in the workshop: go you and in the workshop see Him plain.
  • Inasmuch as the work has woven a veil over the Worker, you cannot see Him outside of that work. 760
  • Since the workshop is the dwelling-place of the Worker, he that is outside is unaware of Him.
  • Come, then, into the workshop, that is to say, non-existence, that you may see the work and the Worker together.
  • As the workshop is the place of clairvoyance, then outside of the workshop there is (only) blindfold ness.
  • The rebellious Pharaoh kept his face towards existence, consequently he was blind to His (God's) workshop.
  • Consequently he was wishing to alter the (Divine) predestination, that he might turn back the (Divine) destiny from his door. 765
  • Truly the (Divine) destiny every moment was laughing derisively under its lip at the moustache (arrogance) of that cunning plotter.
  • He killed hundreds of thousands of innocent babes, in order that the ordainment and predestination of God might be averted.
  • In order that the prophet Moses might not come forth, he laid on his neck (made himself responsible for) thousands of iniquities and murders.
  • He wrought all that bloodshed, and (yet) Moses was born and was made ready for his chastisement.
  • Had he seen the workshop of the Everlasting (God), he would have ceased to move hand or foot in plotting. 770
  • Moses (lay) safe within his (Pharaoh's) house, while outside he was killing the infants in vain,
  • Even as the sensual man who pampers his body and suspects some one else of a bitter hatred (against him),
  • Saying, “This one is a foe, and that one is envious and an enemy,” (though) in truth his envier and enemy is that body (of his).
  • He is like Moses, and his body is his Pharaoh: he keeps running (to and fro) outside, asking, “Where is my enemy?”
  • His fleshly soul (is) luxuriating in the house, which is his body, (while) he gnaws his hand in rancour against some one else. 775
  • How men blamed a person who killed his mother because he suspected her (of adultery).
  • A certain man killed his mother in wrath, with blows of a dagger and also with blows of his fist.
  • Some one said to him, “From evil nature you have not borne in mind what is due to motherhood.
  • Hey, tell (me) why you killed your mother. What did she do? Pray, tell (me), O foul villain!”
  • He said, “She did a deed that is a disgrace to her; I killed her because that earth (her grave) is her coverer (hides her shame).”
  • The other said, “O honoured sir, kill that one (who was her partner in guilt).” “Then,” he replied, “I should kill a man every day. 780
  • I killed her, I was saved from shedding the blood of a multitude: ’tis better that I cut her throat than the throats of (so many) people.”
  • That mother of bad character, whose wickedness is in every quarter, is your fleshly soul.
  • Come, kill it, for on account of that vile (creature) you are every moment assailing one who is venerable.
  • Through it this fair world is narrow (distressful) to you, for its sake (you are at) war with God and man.