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4
69-118

  • The sea is as a garden to the water-creatures; to the creatures of earth it is death and a (painful) brand.
  • Reckon up likewise, O man of experience, (instances of) this relativity from a single individual to a thousand. 70
  • Zayd, in regard to that (particular) one, may be a devil, (but) in regard to another person he may be a (beneficent) sultan.
  • That one will say that Zayd is an exalted siddíq (saint), and this one will say that Zayd is an infidel who ought to be killed.
  • Zayd is one person—to that one (he is as) a shield, (while) to this other one (he is) wholly pain and loss.
  • If you wish that to you he should be (as) sugar, then look on him with the eye of lovers.
  • Do not look on that Beauteous One with your own eye: behold the Sought with the eye of seekers. 75
  • Shut your own eye to that Sweet-eyed One: borrow an eye from His lovers.
  • Nay, borrow eye and sight from Him, and then look on His face with His eye,
  • So that you may be secure from satiety and weariness: on this account the Almighty said, “God shall belong to him:
  • I shall be his eye and hand and heart,” to the end that His fortunate one should escape from adversities.
  • Whatsoever is loathed is a lover and friend when it becomes thy guide towards thy beloved. 80
  • Story of the preacher who at the beginning of every exhortation used to pray for the unjust and hard-hearted and irreligious.
  • A certain preacher, whenever he mounted the pulpit, would begin to pray for the highway robbers (who plunder and maltreat the righteous).
  • He would lift up his hand, (crying), “O Lord, let mercy fall upon evil men and corrupters and insolent transgressors,
  • Upon all who make a mock of the good people, upon all whose hearts are unbelieving and those who dwell in the Christian monastery.”
  • He would not pray for the pure; he would pray for none but the wicked.
  • They said to him, “This is unknown (extraordinary): ’tis no generosity to pray for the people of unrighteousness.” 85
  • He replied, “I have seen (experienced) goodness from these folk: for this reason I have chosen to pray for them.
  • They wrought so much wickedness and injustice and oppression that they cast (drove) me forth from evil into good.
  • Whenever I turned my face towards this world, I suffered blows and beating from them,
  • And took refuge from the blows Yonder: the wolves were always bringing me back into the (right) Way.
  • Inasmuch as they contrived the means of my (spiritual) welfare, it behoves me to pray for them, O intelligent one.” 90
  • The servant (of God) complains to God of pain and smart: he makes a hundred complaints of his pain.
  • God says, “After all, grief and pain have made thee humbly entreating and righteous.
  • Make this complaint of the bounty that befalls thee and removes thee far from My door and makes thee an outcast.”
  • In reality every foe (of yours) is your medicine: he is an elixir and beneficial and one that seeks to win your heart;
  • For you flee away from him into solitude and would fain implore help of God's grace. 95
  • Your friends are really enemies, for they make you far from the (Divine) Presence and occupied (with them).
  • There is an animal whose name is ushghur (porcupine): it is (made) stout and big by blows of the stick.
  • The more you cudgel it, the more it thrives: it grows fat on blows of the stick.
  • Assuredly the true believer's soul is a porcupine, for it is (made) stout and fat by the blows of tribulation.
  • For this reason the tribulation and abasement (laid) upon the prophets is greater than (that laid upon) all the (other) creatures in the world, 100
  • So that their souls became stouter than (all other) souls; for no other class of people suffered that affliction.
  • The hide is afflicted by the medicine (tan-liquor), (but) it becomes sweet like Tá’if leather;
  • And if he (the tanner) did not rub the bitter and acrid (liquor) into it, it would become fetid, unpleasant, and foul-smelling.
  • Know that Man is an untanned hide, made noisome and gross by humours.
  • Give (him) bitter and acrid (discipline) and much rubbing (tribulation), that he may become pure and lovely and exceedingly strong; 105
  • But if you cannot (mortify yourself), be content, O cunning one, if God give you tribulation without choice (on your part),
  • For affliction (sent) by the Friend is (the means of) your being purified: His knowledge is above your contrivance.
  • The affliction becomes sweet (to the sufferer) when he sees happiness: the medicine becomes sweet (to the sick man) when he regards health.
  • He sees victory for himself in the very essence of checkmate; therefore he says, “Kill me, O trusty ones!”
  • This policeman became a (source of) profit in respect of another, but he became reprobate in respect of himself. 110
  • The mercy appertaining to the Faith was cut off from him; the hate inherent in the Devil enfolded him.
  • He became a factory of anger and hatred: know that hate is the root of error and infidelity.
  • How they asked Jesus, on whom be peace, saying, "O Spirit of God, what is the hardest thing to bear of all the hard things in existence?"
  • A sober-minded man said to Jesus, “What is the hardest to bear of all things in existence?”
  • He replied, “O (my dear) soul, the hardest is God's anger, on account of which Hell is trembling as we (are).”
  • He said, “What is the security against this anger of God?” Jesus said, “To abandon thine own anger at once.” 115
  • Therefore, as the policeman became this anger's mine (source), his ugly anger surpassed even (that of) a wild beast.
  • What hope is there for him of (Divine) mercy, unless perchance that graceless man should turn back from that (vile) quality?
  • Although the world cannot do without them, this statement is a (means of) casting (those who hear it) into error.