Read " Wais and Ramin" and "Khosrau and Shirin" To see what these fools have done to one another. Lovers and beloved have both perished; And not themselves only, but their love as well. 'Tis God alone who agitates these nonentities Making one nonentity fall in love with another. In the heart that is no heart envy comes to a head, Thus Being troubles nonentity. This is followed by an anecdote of a lover who recounted to his mistress all the services he had done, and all the toils he had undergone for her sake, and inquired if there was anything else he could do to testify the sincerity of his love. His mistress replied, "All these things you have done are but the branches of love; you have not yet attained to the root, which is to give up life itself for the sake of your beloved." The lover accordingly gave up his life, and enjoyed eternal fruition of his love, according to the text, "O thou soul which art at rest, return to thy Lord, pleased, and pleasing Him." 6 This is followed by a statement of the doctrine of the jurist Abu Hanifa, to whose school the poet belonged, that weeping, even aloud, during prayer does not render the prayers void, provided that the weeping be caused by thoughts of the world to come, and not by thoughts of this present world. And, apparently in allusion to the name Abu Hanifa, the poet recalls the text, "They followed the faith of Abraham, the orthodox" (Hanifun). Notes: 5. Koran xv. 17. The sin of Iblis was his envy of Adam. 7. Mishkat ul Masabih, i. p. 209, note. STORY VI. The Disciple who blindly imitated his Shaikh. An ignorant youth entered an assembly of pious persons who were being addressed by a holy Shaikh. He saw the Shaikh weeping copiously, and in mere blind and senseless imitation he copied the Shaikh's behavior, and wept as copi- ously himself, though he understood not a word of the dis- course. In fact, he behaved just like a deaf man who sees those around him laughing, and laughs himself out of com-

Read " Wais and Ramin" and "Khosrau and Shirin" To see what these fools have done to one another. Lovers and beloved have both perished; And not themselves only, but their love as well. 'Tis God alone who agitates these nonentities Making one nonentity fall in love with another. In the heart that is no heart envy comes to a head, Thus Being troubles nonentity. This is followed by an anecdote of a lover who recounted to his mistress all the services he had done, and all the toils he had undergone for her sake, and inquired if there was anything else he could do to testify the sincerity of his love. His mistress replied, "All these things you have done are but the branches of love; you have not yet attained to the root, which is to give up life itself for the sake of your beloved." The lover accordingly gave up his life, and enjoyed eternal fruition of his love, according to the text, "O thou soul which art at rest, return to thy Lord, pleased, and pleasing Him." 6 This is followed by a statement of the doctrine of the jurist Abu Hanifa, to whose school the poet belonged, that weeping, even aloud, during prayer does not render the prayers void, provided that the weeping be caused by thoughts of the world to come, and not by thoughts of this present world. And, apparently in allusion to the name Abu Hanifa, the poet recalls the text, "They followed the faith of Abraham, the orthodox" (Hanifun). Notes: 5. Koran xv. 17. The sin of Iblis was his envy of Adam. 7. Mishkat ul Masabih, i. p. 209, note. STORY VI. The Disciple who blindly imitated his Shaikh. An ignorant youth entered an assembly of pious persons who were being addressed by a holy Shaikh. He saw the Shaikh weeping copiously, and in mere blind and senseless imitation he copied the Shaikh's behavior, and wept as copi- ously himself, though he understood not a word of the dis- course. In fact, he behaved just like a deaf man who sees those around him laughing, and laughs himself out of com-

pliment to them, though he knows not the subject of their merriment, and is obliged to have it explained to him before he can laugh again with real perception of the joke. After he had wept in this ignorant way for some time he made due obeisance to the Shaikh, and took his departure. But one of the Shaikhs true disciples, being jealous for the honor of his master, followed him, and thus addressed him, "I adjure you by Allah that you go not and say, 'I saw the Shaikh weeping, and I too wept like him.' Your ignorant and mere imitative weeping is totally unlike the weeping of that holy saint. Such weeping as his is only possible to one who has, like him, waged the spiritual war for thirty years. His weep- ing is not caused by worldly grieves, but by the deep con- cerns of the spirit. You cannot perceive by reason or sense the spiritual mysteries that are open and plain to his enlight- ened vision, any more than the darkness can behold the light. His breathings are as those of 'Isa, and not like mere human sighs raised by worldly sorrows. His tears and his smiles and his speeches are not his own, but proceed from Allah. Fools like you are ignorant of the motive and design of saints' actions, and therefore only harm themselves if they try to imitate them, without understanding their meaning." To illustrate this a curious story is told of a foolish lady who copied a trick of her clever slave-girl, without understand- ing the modus operandi, and by so doing caused her own death. In like manner parrots are taught to speak without understanding the words. The method is to place a mirror between the parrot and the trainer. The trainer, hidden by the mirror, utters the words, and the parrot, seeing his own reflection in the mirror, fancies another parrot is speaking, and imitates all that is said by the trainer behind the mirror. So God uses prophets and saints as mirrors whereby to instruct men, being Himself all the time hidden behind these mirrors, viz., the bodies of these saints and prophets; and men, when they hear the words proceeding from these mirrors, are utterly ignorant that they are really being spo- ken by "Universal Reason" or the "Word of God" behind the mirrors of the saints. The worthlessness of mere blind imitation (taqlid) of religious exercises. When a friend tells a joke to his friend, The deaf man who listens laughs twice over; The first time from imitation and foolishness, Because he sees all the party laughing; Yet, though he laughs like the others, He is then ignorant of the subject of their laughter; Then he inquires what the laughter was about, And, on hearing it, proceeds to laugh a second time. Wherefore the blind imitator is like a deaf man, In regard to the joy he feigns to feel. The light is the Shaikh's, the fountain the Shaikh's, And the outpouring of joy is also the Shaikh's, not his. 'Tis like water in a vessel, or light through a glass; If they think they come from themselves, they are wron£ When the vessel leaves the fountain, it sees its error; It sees the water in it comes from the fountain. The glass also learns, when the moon sets, That its light proceeded from the shining of the moon. When his eyes are opened by the command, "Arise!" Then that disciple smiles a second time, like the dawn. He laughs also at his own previous laughter,

pliment to them, though he knows not the subject of their merriment, and is obliged to have it explained to him before he can laugh again with real perception of the joke. After he had wept in this ignorant way for some time he made due obeisance to the Shaikh, and took his departure. But one of the Shaikhs true disciples, being jealous for the honor of his master, followed him, and thus addressed him, "I adjure you by Allah that you go not and say, 'I saw the Shaikh weeping, and I too wept like him.' Your ignorant and mere imitative weeping is totally unlike the weeping of that holy saint. Such weeping as his is only possible to one who has, like him, waged the spiritual war for thirty years. His weep- ing is not caused by worldly grieves, but by the deep con- cerns of the spirit. You cannot perceive by reason or sense the spiritual mysteries that are open and plain to his enlight- ened vision, any more than the darkness can behold the light. His breathings are as those of 'Isa, and not like mere human sighs raised by worldly sorrows. His tears and his smiles and his speeches are not his own, but proceed from Allah. Fools like you are ignorant of the motive and design of saints' actions, and therefore only harm themselves if they try to imitate them, without understanding their meaning." To illustrate this a curious story is told of a foolish lady who copied a trick of her clever slave-girl, without understand- ing the modus operandi, and by so doing caused her own death. In like manner parrots are taught to speak without understanding the words. The method is to place a mirror between the parrot and the trainer. The trainer, hidden by the mirror, utters the words, and the parrot, seeing his own reflection in the mirror, fancies another parrot is speaking, and imitates all that is said by the trainer behind the mirror. So God uses prophets and saints as mirrors whereby to instruct men, being Himself all the time hidden behind these mirrors, viz., the bodies of these saints and prophets; and men, when they hear the words proceeding from these mirrors, are utterly ignorant that they are really being spo- ken by "Universal Reason" or the "Word of God" behind the mirrors of the saints. The worthlessness of mere blind imitation (taqlid) of religious exercises. When a friend tells a joke to his friend, The deaf man who listens laughs twice over; The first time from imitation and foolishness, Because he sees all the party laughing; Yet, though he laughs like the others, He is then ignorant of the subject of their laughter; Then he inquires what the laughter was about, And, on hearing it, proceeds to laugh a second time. Wherefore the blind imitator is like a deaf man, In regard to the joy he feigns to feel. The light is the Shaikh's, the fountain the Shaikh's, And the outpouring of joy is also the Shaikh's, not his. 'Tis like water in a vessel, or light through a glass; If they think they come from themselves, they are wron£ When the vessel leaves the fountain, it sees its error; It sees the water in it comes from the fountain. The glass also learns, when the moon sets, That its light proceeded from the shining of the moon. When his eyes are opened by the command, "Arise!" Then that disciple smiles a second time, like the dawn. He laughs also at his own previous laughter,

Which overtook him out of mere blind imitation. When he returns from his long and distant wanderings He says, "Lo! this was the truth, this the secret! With what blindness and misconception did I pretend. To experience joy in that distant valley? What a delusion I was under! what a mistake! My feeble wit conjured up vain imaginations." How can an infant on the road know the thoughts of men? How far its fancies are removed from true knowledge! The thoughts of infants run on the nurse and milk, Or on raisins or nuts, or on crying and wailing. The blind imitator is like a feeble infant, Even though he possesses fine arguments and proofs. His preoccupation with obscure arguments and proofs Drags him away from insight into truth. His stock of lore, which is the salve of his eyes, Bears him off and plunges him in difficult questions. Ah! man of imitation, come out of Bokhara! And humble yourself in order to be exalted. Then you will, behold another Bokhara within you, Whereof the heroes ignore these questions of law. Though a footman may be swift of foot on land, Yet on the sea he is as one with ruptured tendons. That footman is only "carried by land," But he who is "carried by sea" is the truly learned one. The King of kings showers special favors upon him; Know this, O man pledged to vain illusions! The mere legal theologian is impotent to behold the light of the Spirit. When the day dawns from heaven night flees away; What, then, can its darkness know of the nature of light? The gnat scuds away before the blast of the winds; What, then, knows the gnat of the savor of the winds? When the Eternal appears the transitory is annulled; What, then, knows he transitory of the Eternal? When He sets foot on the transitory He bewilders it; When it is become naught He sheds his light upon it, If you wish, you can adduce hundreds of precedents, But I take no heed of them, O man poor in spirit! The letters Lam, Mim, and Ha, Mim prefixed to some Suras Resemble the staff of Moses, when fully understood. Ordinary letters resemble these 'to outward view, But are far beneath them in signification. If an ordinary man 'take a staff and try it, Will it prove like the staff of Moses in the test? This breath of 'Isa is not like every ordinary breath, Which proceeds from mere human joy or sorrow. These Alif, Mim, Ha and Mim, O father, Proceed from the Lord of mankind. If you have sense, regard not in the same way as these Every ordinary Alif and Lam which resembles these; Although these sacred letters consist of common ones, And resemble common ones in their composition. Muhammad himself was formed of flesh and skin, Although no man is of the same genus as he. He had flesh and skin and bones, Although no man resembles him in composition; Because in his composition were contained divine powers, Whereby all human flesh was confounded. In like manner the composition of the letters Ha, Mim Is far exalted above ordinary compounds of letters; Because from these mysterious compositions comes life, Even as utter confusion follows the last trump. That staff becomes a serpent and divides the Nile, Like the staff of Ha, Mim, by the grace of God. Its outward form resembles the outward forms of others, Yet the disk of a cake differs much from the moon's disk. The saint's weeping and laughter and speech

Which overtook him out of mere blind imitation. When he returns from his long and distant wanderings He says, "Lo! this was the truth, this the secret! With what blindness and misconception did I pretend. To experience joy in that distant valley? What a delusion I was under! what a mistake! My feeble wit conjured up vain imaginations." How can an infant on the road know the thoughts of men? How far its fancies are removed from true knowledge! The thoughts of infants run on the nurse and milk, Or on raisins or nuts, or on crying and wailing. The blind imitator is like a feeble infant, Even though he possesses fine arguments and proofs. His preoccupation with obscure arguments and proofs Drags him away from insight into truth. His stock of lore, which is the salve of his eyes, Bears him off and plunges him in difficult questions. Ah! man of imitation, come out of Bokhara! And humble yourself in order to be exalted. Then you will, behold another Bokhara within you, Whereof the heroes ignore these questions of law. Though a footman may be swift of foot on land, Yet on the sea he is as one with ruptured tendons. That footman is only "carried by land," But he who is "carried by sea" is the truly learned one. The King of kings showers special favors upon him; Know this, O man pledged to vain illusions! The mere legal theologian is impotent to behold the light of the Spirit. When the day dawns from heaven night flees away; What, then, can its darkness know of the nature of light? The gnat scuds away before the blast of the winds; What, then, knows the gnat of the savor of the winds? When the Eternal appears the transitory is annulled; What, then, knows he transitory of the Eternal? When He sets foot on the transitory He bewilders it; When it is become naught He sheds his light upon it, If you wish, you can adduce hundreds of precedents, But I take no heed of them, O man poor in spirit! The letters Lam, Mim, and Ha, Mim prefixed to some Suras Resemble the staff of Moses, when fully understood. Ordinary letters resemble these 'to outward view, But are far beneath them in signification. If an ordinary man 'take a staff and try it, Will it prove like the staff of Moses in the test? This breath of 'Isa is not like every ordinary breath, Which proceeds from mere human joy or sorrow. These Alif, Mim, Ha and Mim, O father, Proceed from the Lord of mankind. If you have sense, regard not in the same way as these Every ordinary Alif and Lam which resembles these; Although these sacred letters consist of common ones, And resemble common ones in their composition. Muhammad himself was formed of flesh and skin, Although no man is of the same genus as he. He had flesh and skin and bones, Although no man resembles him in composition; Because in his composition were contained divine powers, Whereby all human flesh was confounded. In like manner the composition of the letters Ha, Mim Is far exalted above ordinary compounds of letters; Because from these mysterious compositions comes life, Even as utter confusion follows the last trump. That staff becomes a serpent and divides the Nile, Like the staff of Ha, Mim, by the grace of God. Its outward form resembles the outward forms of others, Yet the disk of a cake differs much from the moon's disk. The saint's weeping and laughter and speech

Are not his own, but proceed from God. Whereas fools look only to outward appearances, These mysteries are totally hidden from them; Of necessity the real meaning is veiled from them, For the mystery is lost in the intervening medium. Then follows an anecdote of a man who heard whelps barking in their mother's womb. A voice came from heaven and explained that these whelps were like the men who have not emerged into the light of truth, but are still veiled in spiritual darkness, and, though they make pretensions to spiritual sight, their discourses are useless, both to procure spiritual food for themselves, and to warn their hearers of spiritual dangers. Next comes an anecdote of a pious man of Zarwan, who made a point of giving to the poor four times the legal amount of alms due from his growing crops. Thus, instead of paying one-tenth on each crop, which is the legal amount enjoined by the Prophet, 6 he was wont to pay one-tenth of the green ears of corn, another tenth of the ripe wheat, a third tenth of the threshed grain, and a fourth of the bread made therefrom, and so on with grapes and other produce of hi garden. In recognition of his piety God blessed his gar- den and made it bear fruit abundantly. But his sons, who were blind to spiritual matters, saw only his lavish expendi- ture upon the poor, and could not see the divine blessing upon the garden, called down by his liberality, and rebuked him for his extravagance. There is no limit to the divine bounty, because God's ability to bestow bounties, unlike human ability, is unbounded and infinite. 1. Koran lxxiv. 2. Dawn smiles first as "false dawn," and the second time as "true dawn." 2. Alluding to Bokhari, the author of the "Sahih Bokhari," the first and most esteemed collection of traditions. 3. Koran xvii. 72. The man of "external knowledge" is "carried only by land," but the mystic is led over sea as well. 4. When reason is annihilated, the "Truth" is reflected in the resulting caput mortuum or Not-being, as in a mirror (Gulshan i Raz, I. 125). 5. These letters were supposed to have mysterious meanings. See Rodwell, Koran, p. 17, note. 6. Miskat ul Masabih, i. 417. STORY VII. How Adam was created out of a handful of earth brought by an Angel.

Are not his own, but proceed from God. Whereas fools look only to outward appearances, These mysteries are totally hidden from them; Of necessity the real meaning is veiled from them, For the mystery is lost in the intervening medium. Then follows an anecdote of a man who heard whelps barking in their mother's womb. A voice came from heaven and explained that these whelps were like the men who have not emerged into the light of truth, but are still veiled in spiritual darkness, and, though they make pretensions to spiritual sight, their discourses are useless, both to procure spiritual food for themselves, and to warn their hearers of spiritual dangers. Next comes an anecdote of a pious man of Zarwan, who made a point of giving to the poor four times the legal amount of alms due from his growing crops. Thus, instead of paying one-tenth on each crop, which is the legal amount enjoined by the Prophet, 6 he was wont to pay one-tenth of the green ears of corn, another tenth of the ripe wheat, a third tenth of the threshed grain, and a fourth of the bread made therefrom, and so on with grapes and other produce of hi garden. In recognition of his piety God blessed his gar- den and made it bear fruit abundantly. But his sons, who were blind to spiritual matters, saw only his lavish expendi- ture upon the poor, and could not see the divine blessing upon the garden, called down by his liberality, and rebuked him for his extravagance. There is no limit to the divine bounty, because God's ability to bestow bounties, unlike human ability, is unbounded and infinite. 1. Koran lxxiv. 2. Dawn smiles first as "false dawn," and the second time as "true dawn." 2. Alluding to Bokhari, the author of the "Sahih Bokhari," the first and most esteemed collection of traditions. 3. Koran xvii. 72. The man of "external knowledge" is "carried only by land," but the mystic is led over sea as well. 4. When reason is annihilated, the "Truth" is reflected in the resulting caput mortuum or Not-being, as in a mirror (Gulshan i Raz, I. 125). 5. These letters were supposed to have mysterious meanings. See Rodwell, Koran, p. 17, note. 6. Miskat ul Masabih, i. 417. STORY VII. How Adam was created out of a handful of earth brought by an Angel.

When the Almighty determined to create mankind to be proved by good and evil, He deputed the angel Gabriel to bring a handful of earth for the purpose of forming Adam's body. Gabriel accordingly girded his loins and proceeded to the Earth to execute the divine commands. But the Earth, being apprehensive that the man so created would rebel against God and draw down God's curse upon her, remon- strated with Gabriel, and besought him to forbear. She rep- resented that Gabriel would at the last day be pre-eminent over all the eight angels who would then support the throne, and that it therefore was only right that he should prefer mercy to judgment. At last Gabriel granted her prayer, and returned to heaven without taking the handful of earth. Then God deputed Michael on the same errand, and the Earth made similar excuses to him, and he also lis- tened to her crying, and returned to heaven without taking a handful. He excused himself to the Almighty by citing the example of the people to whom the prophet Jonah was sent, who were delivered from the threatened penalty in conse- quence of their lamentation for their sins; and the text, "If He please, He will deliver you from that which ye shall cry to Him to avert." Then God sent the angel Israfil on the same errand, and he also was diverted from the execution of it by a divine intimation. At last God sent 'Izrail, the angel of death, who, being of sterner disposition than the others, resolutely shut his ears to the Earth's entreaties, and brought back the required handful of earth. The Earth pressed him with the argument that God's command to bear away a handful of her substance against her will did not override the other divine command to take pity on suppliants; but 'Izrail would not listen to her, remarking that, according to the canons of theological interpretation, it was not allow- able to have recourse to analogical reasoning to evade a plain and categorical injunction. He added, that in execut- ing this injunction, painful though it might be, he was to be regarded only as a spear in the hand of the Almighty. The moral is, that when any of God's creatures do us a harm, we ought to regard them only as instruments of God, who is the Only Real Agent. God the Only Real Agent. Do not, like fools, crave mercy from the spear, But from the King in whose hand the spear is held. Wherefore do you cry to spear and sword, Seeing they are captives in the hand of that Noble One? He is as Azar, maker of idols; I am only the idol; Whatever instrument He makes me, that I am. If He makes of me a cup, a cup am I; If He makes of me a dagger, a dagger am I. If He makes me a fountain, I pour forth water; If He makes me fire, I give forth heat. If He makes me rain, I produce rich crops; If He makes me a dart, I pierce bodies. If He makes me a snake, I dart forth poison; If He makes me a friend, I serve my friends. I am as the pen in the fingers of the writer, I am not in a position to obey or not at will.

When the Almighty determined to create mankind to be proved by good and evil, He deputed the angel Gabriel to bring a handful of earth for the purpose of forming Adam's body. Gabriel accordingly girded his loins and proceeded to the Earth to execute the divine commands. But the Earth, being apprehensive that the man so created would rebel against God and draw down God's curse upon her, remon- strated with Gabriel, and besought him to forbear. She rep- resented that Gabriel would at the last day be pre-eminent over all the eight angels who would then support the throne, and that it therefore was only right that he should prefer mercy to judgment. At last Gabriel granted her prayer, and returned to heaven without taking the handful of earth. Then God deputed Michael on the same errand, and the Earth made similar excuses to him, and he also lis- tened to her crying, and returned to heaven without taking a handful. He excused himself to the Almighty by citing the example of the people to whom the prophet Jonah was sent, who were delivered from the threatened penalty in conse- quence of their lamentation for their sins; and the text, "If He please, He will deliver you from that which ye shall cry to Him to avert." Then God sent the angel Israfil on the same errand, and he also was diverted from the execution of it by a divine intimation. At last God sent 'Izrail, the angel of death, who, being of sterner disposition than the others, resolutely shut his ears to the Earth's entreaties, and brought back the required handful of earth. The Earth pressed him with the argument that God's command to bear away a handful of her substance against her will did not override the other divine command to take pity on suppliants; but 'Izrail would not listen to her, remarking that, according to the canons of theological interpretation, it was not allow- able to have recourse to analogical reasoning to evade a plain and categorical injunction. He added, that in execut- ing this injunction, painful though it might be, he was to be regarded only as a spear in the hand of the Almighty. The moral is, that when any of God's creatures do us a harm, we ought to regard them only as instruments of God, who is the Only Real Agent. God the Only Real Agent. Do not, like fools, crave mercy from the spear, But from the King in whose hand the spear is held. Wherefore do you cry to spear and sword, Seeing they are captives in the hand of that Noble One? He is as Azar, maker of idols; I am only the idol; Whatever instrument He makes me, that I am. If He makes of me a cup, a cup am I; If He makes of me a dagger, a dagger am I. If He makes me a fountain, I pour forth water; If He makes me fire, I give forth heat. If He makes me rain, I produce rich crops; If He makes me a dart, I pierce bodies. If He makes me a snake, I dart forth poison; If He makes me a friend, I serve my friends. I am as the pen in the fingers of the writer, I am not in a position to obey or not at will.

On the return of 'Izrail to heaven with the handful of earth, God said he would make him the angel of death. 'Izrail represented that this would make him very hateful to men; but God said 'Izrail would operate by disease and sick- ness, and men would not look for any cause beyond these diseases, according to the text, "He is nearer to you than ye are; yet ye see Him not." Moreover, death is in reality a boon to the spiritual, and it is only fools who cry, "Would that this world might endure for ever, and that there were no such thing as death!" Death is gain, for "God will their evil things into One said, "The world would be a pleasant place If death never set foot within it." Another answered, "If there were no death, The complicated world would be worth not a jot. It would be a crop raised in a desert, Left neglected and never threshed out. Thou fanciest that to be death, which is life, Thou sowest thy seed in salt ground. Carnal reason deceives us; do thou contradict it, For that fool takes what is really death to be life. O God, show us all things in this house of deception, Show them all as they really are!" It is said in the Hadis that on the last day The command, "Arise," will come to every single body. The blast of the last trump will be God's command To every atom to lift its head from the earth. The souls, also, of each will return to their bodies, Even as sense returns to bodies awaking from sleep. On that morn each soul will recognize its own body, And return to its own ruin like hidden treasure. It will recognize its own body and enter it. The soul of the goldsmith will not enter the tailor; The soul of the wise will enter the body of the wise, The soul of the unjust the body of the unjust. In like manner as the souls will fly into their clay, So will the books fly into their right hands and left. God will place in their hands their books of greed and lib- erality, Of sin and piety, and whatever they have practiced. When they shall awake from sleep on that morning, All the evil and good they have done will recur to them. Every thought which has dwelt in them during life Will appear as a form visible to all, Like the thought of an architect realized in a house, Or the perfect plant issuing from the seed in the ground. From onion and saffron and poppy The hand of spring will unfold the secret of winter. This one will be verdant and flourish, saying, "We are the pious;" That other will hang his head like the violet, With tears starting from his eyes through deadly fear; Yea, tens of founts of tears through terrible dread; With eyes wide opened in deadly apprehension Lest his book may be placed in his left hand. Then will the evildoer be sent to the fiery prison, For thorn can in no wise escape the flame. When his guardian angels behind and before, Who before were unseen, shall appear like patrols, They will hurry him off, pricking him with their spears, And saying, "O dog, begone to thy kennel!" Then the prisoner will cry, "O Lord, I am a hundred, Yea, a hundred times as wicked as Thou sayest. But in mercy Thou veilest my sins, Otherwise my vileness were known to Thy all-seeing

On the return of 'Izrail to heaven with the handful of earth, God said he would make him the angel of death. 'Izrail represented that this would make him very hateful to men; but God said 'Izrail would operate by disease and sick- ness, and men would not look for any cause beyond these diseases, according to the text, "He is nearer to you than ye are; yet ye see Him not." Moreover, death is in reality a boon to the spiritual, and it is only fools who cry, "Would that this world might endure for ever, and that there were no such thing as death!" Death is gain, for "God will their evil things into One said, "The world would be a pleasant place If death never set foot within it." Another answered, "If there were no death, The complicated world would be worth not a jot. It would be a crop raised in a desert, Left neglected and never threshed out. Thou fanciest that to be death, which is life, Thou sowest thy seed in salt ground. Carnal reason deceives us; do thou contradict it, For that fool takes what is really death to be life. O God, show us all things in this house of deception, Show them all as they really are!" It is said in the Hadis that on the last day The command, "Arise," will come to every single body. The blast of the last trump will be God's command To every atom to lift its head from the earth. The souls, also, of each will return to their bodies, Even as sense returns to bodies awaking from sleep. On that morn each soul will recognize its own body, And return to its own ruin like hidden treasure. It will recognize its own body and enter it. The soul of the goldsmith will not enter the tailor; The soul of the wise will enter the body of the wise, The soul of the unjust the body of the unjust. In like manner as the souls will fly into their clay, So will the books fly into their right hands and left. God will place in their hands their books of greed and lib- erality, Of sin and piety, and whatever they have practiced. When they shall awake from sleep on that morning, All the evil and good they have done will recur to them. Every thought which has dwelt in them during life Will appear as a form visible to all, Like the thought of an architect realized in a house, Or the perfect plant issuing from the seed in the ground. From onion and saffron and poppy The hand of spring will unfold the secret of winter. This one will be verdant and flourish, saying, "We are the pious;" That other will hang his head like the violet, With tears starting from his eyes through deadly fear; Yea, tens of founts of tears through terrible dread; With eyes wide opened in deadly apprehension Lest his book may be placed in his left hand. Then will the evildoer be sent to the fiery prison, For thorn can in no wise escape the flame. When his guardian angels behind and before, Who before were unseen, shall appear like patrols, They will hurry him off, pricking him with their spears, And saying, "O dog, begone to thy kennel!" Then the prisoner will cry, "O Lord, I am a hundred, Yea, a hundred times as wicked as Thou sayest. But in mercy Thou veilest my sins, Otherwise my vileness were known to Thy all-seeing

eye. But, independently of my own works and warfare, Independently of my faith or unfaith, good or evil, Independently of my poor devotion to Thee, And of my thoughts and the thoughts of hundreds like me, I fix my hopes on Thy mercy alone. Whether Thou adjudge me upright or rebellious, I sue for free pardon from Thy unbought justice. Lord, who art gracious without thought of conse- quence, 1 set my face towards that free grace of Thine; I have no regard to my own acts. I set my face towards this hope, Seeing that Thou gayest me my being first of all; Thou gayest me the garment of being unasked, Wherefore I firmly trust in Thy free grace. When he thus enumerates his sins and faults, God at last will grant him pardon as a free gift, Saying, "O angels, bring him back to me, Since the eyes of his heart were set on hope, Without care for consequences I set him free, And draw the pen through the record of his sins!" 5. Koran xxv. 70. The "final restitution" of all by free grace. 6. Cp. the Hadis: "Inspiration is a light that shines in the heart, and shows the nature of all things as they really are. 7. See Koran lxix. 18. 8. See the parallel passage in Guishan i Raz, 1, 690. STORY VIII. Mahmud and Ayaz. 1 Mahmud, the celebrated king of Ghazni, had a favorite named Ayaz, who was greatly envied by the other courtiers. One day they came to the king and informed him that Ayaz was in the habit of retiring to a secret chamber, and locking himself in, and that they suspected he had there concealed coin stolen from the treasury, or else wine and forbidden drink. The fact was, that Ayaz had placed in that chamber his old shoes and the ragged dress which he used to wear before the king had promoted him to honor, and used to retire there every day and wear them for a time, in order to remind himself of his lowly origin, and to prevent himself

eye. But, independently of my own works and warfare, Independently of my faith or unfaith, good or evil, Independently of my poor devotion to Thee, And of my thoughts and the thoughts of hundreds like me, I fix my hopes on Thy mercy alone. Whether Thou adjudge me upright or rebellious, I sue for free pardon from Thy unbought justice. Lord, who art gracious without thought of conse- quence, 1 set my face towards that free grace of Thine; I have no regard to my own acts. I set my face towards this hope, Seeing that Thou gayest me my being first of all; Thou gayest me the garment of being unasked, Wherefore I firmly trust in Thy free grace. When he thus enumerates his sins and faults, God at last will grant him pardon as a free gift, Saying, "O angels, bring him back to me, Since the eyes of his heart were set on hope, Without care for consequences I set him free, And draw the pen through the record of his sins!" 5. Koran xxv. 70. The "final restitution" of all by free grace. 6. Cp. the Hadis: "Inspiration is a light that shines in the heart, and shows the nature of all things as they really are. 7. See Koran lxix. 18. 8. See the parallel passage in Guishan i Raz, 1, 690. STORY VIII. Mahmud and Ayaz. 1 Mahmud, the celebrated king of Ghazni, had a favorite named Ayaz, who was greatly envied by the other courtiers. One day they came to the king and informed him that Ayaz was in the habit of retiring to a secret chamber, and locking himself in, and that they suspected he had there concealed coin stolen from the treasury, or else wine and forbidden drink. The fact was, that Ayaz had placed in that chamber his old shoes and the ragged dress which he used to wear before the king had promoted him to honor, and used to retire there every day and wear them for a time, in order to remind himself of his lowly origin, and to prevent himself

from being puffed up with pride. This he did in accordance with the text, "Let man reflect out of what he was created." The intoxication of the present life puffs up many with false pride, even as Iblis, who refused to worship Adam, saying, "Who is Adam, that he should be lord over me?" This he said because he was one of the Jinn, who are all created of fire. Adam, on the other hand, confessed his own vileness, saying, "Thou hast formed me out of clay." The king was well assured of the fidelity of Ayaz; but in order to confute those who suspected him, he ordered them to go by night and break open that chamber and bring away all the trea- sure and other things hidden in it. It is a characteristic of evildoers to think evil of the saints, because they judge of their conduct by the light of their own evil natures, as the crooked foot makes a crooked footprint, and as the spider sees things distorted through the web he has spun himself The hug's conduct in this did not betoken any diminution of his love for Ayaz, because lover and beloved are always as ono soul, though they may be opposed to outward view. Accordingly the courtiers proceeded to the chamber of Ayaz at night, and broke open the door, and searched the floor and the walls, but found only the old shoes and the ragged dress. They then returned to the king discomfited and shamefaced, even as the wicked who have slandered the saints will be on the day of judgment, according to the text, "On the resurrection day thou shalt see those who have lied of God with their faces black." Then they besought the king to pardon their offence, but he refused, saying that their offence had been committed against Ayaz, and that he would leave it to Ayaz to decide whether they should be punished or pardoned. If Ayaz showed mercy it would be well; and if he punished it would be well also, for "the law of retaliation is the security for life." Only he enjoined him to pronounce his sentence without delay, because "Waiting is punishment." A description of genuine union with God. A loved one said to her lover to try him, Early one morning, "O such an one, son of such an one, I marvel whether you hold me more dear, Or yourself; tell me truly, O ardent suitor!" He answered, "I am so entirely absorbed in you, That I am full of you from head to foot. Of my own existence nothing but the name remains In my being is nothing besides you, O Object of desire! Therefore am I thus lost in you, Just as vinegar is absorbed in honey; Or as a stone, which is changed into a pure ruby, Is filled with the bright light of the sun. In that stone its own properties abide not It is filled with the sun's properties altogether; So that, if afterwards it holds itself dear 'Tis the same as holding the sun dear, O beloved! And if it hold the sun dear in its heart, 'Tis clearly the same as holding itself dear. Whether that pure ruby hold itself dear, Or hold the sun dear, There is no difference between the two preterences; On either hand is naught but the light of dawn. But till that stone becomes a ruby it hates itself For till it becomes one 'I,' it is two separate Ts,' For 'tis then darkened and purblind,

from being puffed up with pride. This he did in accordance with the text, "Let man reflect out of what he was created." The intoxication of the present life puffs up many with false pride, even as Iblis, who refused to worship Adam, saying, "Who is Adam, that he should be lord over me?" This he said because he was one of the Jinn, who are all created of fire. Adam, on the other hand, confessed his own vileness, saying, "Thou hast formed me out of clay." The king was well assured of the fidelity of Ayaz; but in order to confute those who suspected him, he ordered them to go by night and break open that chamber and bring away all the trea- sure and other things hidden in it. It is a characteristic of evildoers to think evil of the saints, because they judge of their conduct by the light of their own evil natures, as the crooked foot makes a crooked footprint, and as the spider sees things distorted through the web he has spun himself The hug's conduct in this did not betoken any diminution of his love for Ayaz, because lover and beloved are always as ono soul, though they may be opposed to outward view. Accordingly the courtiers proceeded to the chamber of Ayaz at night, and broke open the door, and searched the floor and the walls, but found only the old shoes and the ragged dress. They then returned to the king discomfited and shamefaced, even as the wicked who have slandered the saints will be on the day of judgment, according to the text, "On the resurrection day thou shalt see those who have lied of God with their faces black." Then they besought the king to pardon their offence, but he refused, saying that their offence had been committed against Ayaz, and that he would leave it to Ayaz to decide whether they should be punished or pardoned. If Ayaz showed mercy it would be well; and if he punished it would be well also, for "the law of retaliation is the security for life." Only he enjoined him to pronounce his sentence without delay, because "Waiting is punishment." A description of genuine union with God. A loved one said to her lover to try him, Early one morning, "O such an one, son of such an one, I marvel whether you hold me more dear, Or yourself; tell me truly, O ardent suitor!" He answered, "I am so entirely absorbed in you, That I am full of you from head to foot. Of my own existence nothing but the name remains In my being is nothing besides you, O Object of desire! Therefore am I thus lost in you, Just as vinegar is absorbed in honey; Or as a stone, which is changed into a pure ruby, Is filled with the bright light of the sun. In that stone its own properties abide not It is filled with the sun's properties altogether; So that, if afterwards it holds itself dear 'Tis the same as holding the sun dear, O beloved! And if it hold the sun dear in its heart, 'Tis clearly the same as holding itself dear. Whether that pure ruby hold itself dear, Or hold the sun dear, There is no difference between the two preterences; On either hand is naught but the light of dawn. But till that stone becomes a ruby it hates itself For till it becomes one 'I,' it is two separate Ts,' For 'tis then darkened and purblind,

And darkness is the essential enemy of light. If it then hold itself dear, it is an infidel; Because that self is an opponent of the mighty Sun. Wherefore 'tis unlawful for the stone then to say 'I, Because it is entirely in darkness and nothingness." Pharaoh said, "I am the Truth," and was laid low. Mansur Hallaj said, "I am the Truth," and escaped free. Pharaoh's "I" was followed by the curse of God; Mansur's "I" was followed by the mercy of God, O beloved! Because Pharaoh was a stone, Mansur a ruby; Pharaoh an enemy of light, Mansur a friend. O prattler, Mansur's "I am He" was a deep mystic saying, Expressing union with the light, not mere incarnation.' 1. All the latter part of this story is a parable of the last judge- ment. 3. Koran xviii. 48, and lv. 14. 6. See Guishan i Raz, Answer vii. p. 45. Mansur Hallaj (wool- carder), the celebrated Sufi who was put to death at Baghdad in 309 (AH.) 7. See Guishan i Raz, i. 454, and note. The doctrine of the descent of the Deity into man (Halul), or incarnation, is rejected both by Rumi and Shabistari in favor of the doc- trine of intimate union (Ittihad or Wahdat). STORY IX. The sincere repentance ofNasuh. Ayaz, in weighing the pros and cons in regard to pardon- ing the courtiers, remarks that professions of faith and pen- itence when contradicted by acts are worthless, according to the text, "If ye ask them who hath created the heavens and the earth, they will say 'God;' yet they devise lies." And in illustration of this he tells a story of a faithless husband who retired to a secret chamber ostensibly to say his prayers, but really to carry on an intrigue with a slave-girl, and the falsi- ty of whose pretences was demonstrated by ocular proof of his condition. In like manner, on the day of resurrection man's hands and eyes and feet will bear witness against him of the evil actions done by him, thus confuting his pretences to piety. The test of a sincere repentance is abhorrence of past sins and utter abandonment of all pleasure in them, the old love for sin being superseded by the new love for holi- ness. Such a repentance was that of Nasuh. Nasuh in his youth disguised himself in female attire and obtained employment as attendant at the women's baths, where he used to carry on shameful intrigues with some of the women who frequented the bath. At last, however, his eyes were opened to the wickedness of his conduct, and be went to a holy man and besought him to pray for him. The holy man, imitating the long-suffering of the "Veiler of sins" did not so much as name his sin, but prayed, saying, "God give thee repentance of the sin thou knowest!" The prayer of that holy man was accepted, because the prayers of such an one are the same as God's own will, according to the tradition, "My servant draws nigh to me by pious works till I love him; and when I love him I am his ear, his eye, his tongue, his foot, his hand; and by me he hears, sees, talks, walks, and feels. "Nasuh then returned to the bath a truly repen- tant man; but soon afterwards one of the women frequent- ing the bath lost a valuable jewel, and the king gave order that all persons connected with the bath should be stripped

And darkness is the essential enemy of light. If it then hold itself dear, it is an infidel; Because that self is an opponent of the mighty Sun. Wherefore 'tis unlawful for the stone then to say 'I, Because it is entirely in darkness and nothingness." Pharaoh said, "I am the Truth," and was laid low. Mansur Hallaj said, "I am the Truth," and escaped free. Pharaoh's "I" was followed by the curse of God; Mansur's "I" was followed by the mercy of God, O beloved! Because Pharaoh was a stone, Mansur a ruby; Pharaoh an enemy of light, Mansur a friend. O prattler, Mansur's "I am He" was a deep mystic saying, Expressing union with the light, not mere incarnation.' 1. All the latter part of this story is a parable of the last judge- ment. 3. Koran xviii. 48, and lv. 14. 6. See Guishan i Raz, Answer vii. p. 45. Mansur Hallaj (wool- carder), the celebrated Sufi who was put to death at Baghdad in 309 (AH.) 7. See Guishan i Raz, i. 454, and note. The doctrine of the descent of the Deity into man (Halul), or incarnation, is rejected both by Rumi and Shabistari in favor of the doc- trine of intimate union (Ittihad or Wahdat). STORY IX. The sincere repentance ofNasuh. Ayaz, in weighing the pros and cons in regard to pardon- ing the courtiers, remarks that professions of faith and pen- itence when contradicted by acts are worthless, according to the text, "If ye ask them who hath created the heavens and the earth, they will say 'God;' yet they devise lies." And in illustration of this he tells a story of a faithless husband who retired to a secret chamber ostensibly to say his prayers, but really to carry on an intrigue with a slave-girl, and the falsi- ty of whose pretences was demonstrated by ocular proof of his condition. In like manner, on the day of resurrection man's hands and eyes and feet will bear witness against him of the evil actions done by him, thus confuting his pretences to piety. The test of a sincere repentance is abhorrence of past sins and utter abandonment of all pleasure in them, the old love for sin being superseded by the new love for holi- ness. Such a repentance was that of Nasuh. Nasuh in his youth disguised himself in female attire and obtained employment as attendant at the women's baths, where he used to carry on shameful intrigues with some of the women who frequented the bath. At last, however, his eyes were opened to the wickedness of his conduct, and be went to a holy man and besought him to pray for him. The holy man, imitating the long-suffering of the "Veiler of sins" did not so much as name his sin, but prayed, saying, "God give thee repentance of the sin thou knowest!" The prayer of that holy man was accepted, because the prayers of such an one are the same as God's own will, according to the tradition, "My servant draws nigh to me by pious works till I love him; and when I love him I am his ear, his eye, his tongue, his foot, his hand; and by me he hears, sees, talks, walks, and feels. "Nasuh then returned to the bath a truly repen- tant man; but soon afterwards one of the women frequent- ing the bath lost a valuable jewel, and the king gave order that all persons connected with the bath should be stripped

and searched. When the officers came to the bath to execute this order Nasuh was overwhelmed with fear, for he knew that if his sex were discovered he would certainly be put to death. In his fear he called upon God for deliverance, and swooned with fear and became beside himself, so that his natural self was annihilated, and he became a new creature, even as a corpse rising from the grave. When he came to himself he found that the lost jewel had been found, and those who had suspected him came and begged his pardon. Shortly afterwards the king's daughter sent for him to come and wash her head; but, in spite of her imperative com- mands, he refused to place himself again in the way of temptation, lest he might fall again, and God might "make easy to him the path to destruction." Man's members will bear witness against him on the day of judgement, and confute his claims to piety. On the resurrection day all secrets will be disclosed; Yea, every guilty one will be convicted by himself. Hand and foot will bear testimony openly Before the Almighty concerning their owner's sins. Hand will say, "I stole such and such things;" Lip will say, "I asked for such and such things." Foot will say, "I went after my own desires;" Arm will say, "I embraced the harlot." Eye will say, "I looked after forbidden things;" Ear will say, "I listened to evil talk." Thus the man will be shown to be a liar from head to foot, Since his own members will prove him to be a liar. 1 . Koran xxix. 6 1 . STORY X. The Lion, the Fox, and the Ass. As an instance of false and insincere repentance, a story is next told, which is also found in the fifth chapter of the Anwar i Suhaili. A lion had been wounded in fight with a male elephant, and was unable to hunt game for himself. In this strait he called a fox who was wont to attend upon him, and to live on the meat that was left from his repasts, just as disciples attending on a saint subsist on the heavenly food dropping from his lips. He called this fox, and bade him go and entice some animal to come near his lair, so that he might kill it and make a meal of it. The fox went and searched the neighborhood, and at last found a lean and hungry ass who was grazing in a stony place where there was little or no grass. The fox, after making due salutations, con- doled with the ass on his unfortunate condition; but the ass

and searched. When the officers came to the bath to execute this order Nasuh was overwhelmed with fear, for he knew that if his sex were discovered he would certainly be put to death. In his fear he called upon God for deliverance, and swooned with fear and became beside himself, so that his natural self was annihilated, and he became a new creature, even as a corpse rising from the grave. When he came to himself he found that the lost jewel had been found, and those who had suspected him came and begged his pardon. Shortly afterwards the king's daughter sent for him to come and wash her head; but, in spite of her imperative com- mands, he refused to place himself again in the way of temptation, lest he might fall again, and God might "make easy to him the path to destruction." Man's members will bear witness against him on the day of judgement, and confute his claims to piety. On the resurrection day all secrets will be disclosed; Yea, every guilty one will be convicted by himself. Hand and foot will bear testimony openly Before the Almighty concerning their owner's sins. Hand will say, "I stole such and such things;" Lip will say, "I asked for such and such things." Foot will say, "I went after my own desires;" Arm will say, "I embraced the harlot." Eye will say, "I looked after forbidden things;" Ear will say, "I listened to evil talk." Thus the man will be shown to be a liar from head to foot, Since his own members will prove him to be a liar. 1 . Koran xxix. 6 1 . STORY X. The Lion, the Fox, and the Ass. As an instance of false and insincere repentance, a story is next told, which is also found in the fifth chapter of the Anwar i Suhaili. A lion had been wounded in fight with a male elephant, and was unable to hunt game for himself. In this strait he called a fox who was wont to attend upon him, and to live on the meat that was left from his repasts, just as disciples attending on a saint subsist on the heavenly food dropping from his lips. He called this fox, and bade him go and entice some animal to come near his lair, so that he might kill it and make a meal of it. The fox went and searched the neighborhood, and at last found a lean and hungry ass who was grazing in a stony place where there was little or no grass. The fox, after making due salutations, con- doled with the ass on his unfortunate condition; but the ass