Sufism

Balm to mine eyes the dust, my head I bow / Upon thy stair. / Where shall I go, where from thy presence? thou / Art everywhere. …

Give me the cup! a voice rings in mine ears / Crying: “Bear patiently the bitter years! / For all thine ills, I send thee heavenly grace. …

Human perfection resides in this, that the love of God should conquer a man's heart and possess it wholly, and even if it does not possess it wholly it should predominate in the heart over the love of all other things. …

I regard not the outside and the words, / I regard the inside and the state of heart. / I look at the heart if it be humble, / Though the words may be the reverse of humble. / Because the heart is substance, and words accidents, / Accidents are only a means, substance is the final cause. / How long wilt thou dwell on words and superficialities? / A burning heart is what I want; consort with burning! …

Happy are the days of them that are infatuated by love for Him, whether they be sorrowed by separation from Him or made joyous by His presence. They are mendicants who fly from worldly sovereignty; in the hope of meeting Him they are patient in their mendicity. Oft have they drunk of the wine of anguish; be it bitter, they remain silent. In the remembrance of Him patience is not bitter, for wormwood is sweet from the hand of a friend. …

Alike the drunk and the strict of fare / For his mistress yearns—in the mosque Love doth dwell / And the church, for his lodging is everywhere. …

A woman said to her husband: “Do not again buy bread from the baker in this street. Make thy purchases in the market, for this man shows wheat and sells barley, and he has no customers but a swarm of flies.” “O light of my life,” the husband answered, “pay no heed to his trickery. In the hope of our custom has he settled in this place, and not humane would it be to deprive him of his profits.” Follow the path of the righteous, and, if thou stand upon thy feet, stretch out thy hand to them that are fallen.

Although His thrall shall miss the road and err, / ’Tis but to teach him wisdom through distress, / Else Pardon and Compassionate Mercy were / But empty syllables and meaningless. …

My mercy equals that of a hundred fathers and mothers; / Every soul that is born is amazed thereat. / Their mercy is as the foam of the sea of my mercy; / It is mere foam of waves, but the sea abides ever! …

In a desert a man found a dog that was dying from thirst. Using his hat as a bucket, he fetched water from a well and gave it to the helpless animal. The prophet of the time stated that God had forgiven the man his sins because of his kindly act. Reflect, if thou be a tyrant, and make a profession of benevolence. He who shows kindness to a dog will not do less towards the good among his fellows. …

“Cherish the poor, and seek not thine own comfort. The shepherd should not sleep while the wolf is among the sheep. Protect the needy, for a king wears his crown for the sake of his subjects. The people are as the root and the king as the tree; and the tree, O son, gains strength from the root. He should not oppress the people who has fear of injury to his kingdom. Seek not plenteousness in that land where the people are afflicted by the king. Fear them that are proud and them that fear not God.”

A woman said to her husband: “Do not again buy bread from the baker in this street. Make thy purchases in the market, for this man shows wheat and sells barley, and he has no customers but a swarm of flies.” “O light of my life,” the husband answered, “pay no heed to his trickery. In the hope of our custom has he settled in this place, and not humane would it be to deprive him of his profits.” Follow the path of the righteous, and, if thou stand upon thy feet, stretch out thy hand to them that are fallen.

Protect him whose father is dead; remove the dust from his raiment, and injure him not. Thou knowest not how hard is his condition; no foliage is there on a rootless tree. Give not a kiss to a child of thine own in the sight of a helpless orphan. If the latter weep, who will assuage his grief? If he be angered, who will bear his burden? See that he weeps not, for the throne of God trembles at the orphan’s lament. With pity, wipe the tears from his eyes and the dust from his face. If the protecting shadow of his father’s care be gone, cherish him beneath the shadow of thy care. …

Thou hast come to draw men to union with me, / Not to drive them far away from me. / So far as possible, engage not in dissevering; / 'The thing most repugnant to me is divorce.' …

Although His thrall shall miss the road and err, / ’Tis but to teach him wisdom through distress, / Else Pardon and Compassionate Mercy were / But empty syllables and meaningless. …

Repentance is of three kinds: (1) from what is wrong to what is right, (2) from what is right to what is more right, (3) from selfhood to God. The first kind is the repentance of ordinary men; the second kind is the repentance of the elect; and the third kind of repentance belongs to the degree of Divine love (maḥabbat). …

O thou of whose life seventy years have passed, perhaps thou hast slept in negligence that thy days have been thrown to the winds. Worldly aims hast thou well pursued; no preparations hast thou made for the departure to that world to come. … If fifty years of thy life have passed, esteem as a precious boon the few that yet remain. While still thou hast the power of speech, close not thy lips like the dead from the praise of God. …

“Cherish the poor, and seek not thine own comfort. The shepherd should not sleep while the wolf is among the sheep. Protect the needy, for a king wears his crown for the sake of his subjects. The people are as the root and the king as the tree; and the tree, O son, gains strength from the root. He should not oppress the people who has fear of injury to his kingdom. Seek not plenteousness in that land where the people are afflicted by the king. Fear them that are proud and them that fear not God.”

Balm to mine eyes the dust, my head I bow / Upon thy stair. / Where shall I go, where from thy presence? thou / Art everywhere. …

Lay not reproach at the drunkard’s door / Oh Fanatic, thou that art pure of soul; / Not thine on the page of life to enrol / The faults of others! Or less or more / I have swerved from my path—keep thou to thine own! / For every man when he reaches the goal / Shall reap the harvest his hands have sown. …

When Bāyazīd was coming from his bath one morning during the Id festival, some one unwittingly emptied a tray of ashes from a window upon his head. With his face and turban all bespattered, he rubbed his hands in gratitude and said: “I am in truth worthy of the fires of hell; why should I be angered by a few ashes?” …

I regard not the outside and the words, / I regard the inside and the state of heart. / I look at the heart if it be humble, / Though the words may be the reverse of humble. / Because the heart is substance, and words accidents, / Accidents are only a means, substance is the final cause. / How long wilt thou dwell on words and superficialities? / A burning heart is what I want; consort with burning! …

A raindrop fell from a spring cloud, and, seeing the wide expanse of the sea, was shamed. “Where the sea is,” it reflected, “where am I? Compared with that, forsooth, I am extinct.” While thus regarding itself with an eye of contempt, an oyster took it to its bosom, and Fate so shaped its course that eventually the raindrop became a famous royal pearl. It was exalted, for it was humble. Knocking at the door of extinction, it became existent.

Give now of thy gold and bounty, for eventually will it pass from thy grasp. Open the door of thy treasure to-day, for to-morrow the key will not be in thy hands. If thou would not be distressed on the Day of Judgment, forget not them that are distressed. Drive not the poor man empty from thy door, lest thou should wander before the doors of strangers. …

Thou hast come to draw men to union with me, / Not to drive them far away from me. / So far as possible, engage not in dissevering; / 'The thing most repugnant to me is divorce.' …

When Bāyazīd was coming from his bath one morning during the Id festival, some one unwittingly emptied a tray of ashes from a window upon his head. With his face and turban all bespattered, he rubbed his hands in gratitude and said: “I am in truth worthy of the fires of hell; why should I be angered by a few ashes?” …

A dog bit the leg of a hermit with such violence that venom dropped from its teeth, and the poor man could not sleep all night through pain. His little daughter chided him, saying: “Hast thou not teeth as well?” The unfortunate parent wept, and then smilingly replied: “Dear child! Although I was stronger than the dog, I restrained my anger. Should I receive a sword-blow on the head, I could not apply my teeth to the legs of a dog.” …

Eat in proportion to thy hunger; how can he give praises who scarce can breathe by reason of his gluttony? He whose stomach is full is void of wisdom. The prey is entrapped in the snare because of its greed. …

In a desert a man found a dog that was dying from thirst. Using his hat as a bucket, he fetched water from a well and gave it to the helpless animal. The prophet of the time stated that God had forgiven the man his sins because of his kindly act. Reflect, if thou be a tyrant, and make a profession of benevolence. He who shows kindness to a dog will not do less towards the good among his fellows. …

Give me the cup! a voice rings in mine ears / Crying: “Bear patiently the bitter years! / For all thine ills, I send thee heavenly grace. …

Alike the drunk and the strict of fare / For his mistress yearns—in the mosque Love doth dwell / And the church, for his lodging is everywhere. …

Lay not reproach at the drunkard’s door / Oh Fanatic, thou that art pure of soul; / Not thine on the page of life to enrol / The faults of others! Or less or more / I have swerved from my path—keep thou to thine own! / For every man when he reaches the goal / Shall reap the harvest his hands have sown. …

The bird of gardens sang unto the rose, / New blown in the clear dawn: “Bow down thy head! / As fair as thou within this garden close, / Many have bloomed and died.” She laughed and said: / “That I am born to fade grieves not my heart; / But never was it a true lover’s part / To vex with bitter words his love’s repose.” …

He turned to his wife and said, "O dame, / The harvest of December is not as that of July; / Though they be dead or though they be living, / Are they not equally visible to the eyes of the heart? / I behold them clearly before me, / Wherefore should I disfigure my countenance like you? / Though they have gone forth by revolution of fortune, / They are with me still, playing round me. …

Pain is a treasure, for it contains mercies; / The kernel is soft when the rind is scraped off. / O brother, the place of darkness and cold / Is the fountain of life and the cup of ecstasy. / So also is endurance of pain and sickness and disease. / For from abasement proceeds exaltation. / The spring seasons are hidden in the autumns, / And autumns are charged with springs; flee them not. …

Happy are the days of them that are infatuated by love for Him, whether they be sorrowed by separation from Him or made joyous by His presence. They are mendicants who fly from worldly sovereignty; in the hope of meeting Him they are patient in their mendicity. Oft have they drunk of the wine of anguish; be it bitter, they remain silent. In the remembrance of Him patience is not bitter, for wormwood is sweet from the hand of a friend. …

He knows not God nor performs His worship who is not contented with his lot. Contentment maketh a man rich—tell this to the avaricious. …

Be silent, O thou who knowest many things! for he that speaketh little will be free from reproach on the Day of Judgment. The man of many words is deaf; no counsel does he heed like silence. …

Eat in proportion to thy hunger; how can he give praises who scarce can breathe by reason of his gluttony? He whose stomach is full is void of wisdom. The prey is entrapped in the snare because of its greed. …

Little is known by any one but the spiritual man, / Who has in his heart a touchstone of vital truth. / The others, hovering between two opinions, / Fly towards their nest on a single wing. / Knowledge has two wings, opinion only one wing; / Opinion is weak and lopsided in its flight. …

The Prophet said: "He who deserts his wife and children is like a runaway slave; till he returns to them none of his fasts or prayers will be accepted by God." …

When thy servant becomes stricken in years, be not unmindful of thy obligations towards him. If old age binds his hand from service, the hand of generosity yet remains to thee.

Sorrowed at the conduct of her son, who gave no ear to her advice, a woman brought to him the cradle in which once he slept, and said: “O weak in love and forgetful of the past! Wast thou not a weeping and helpless child, for whom through many nights I sacrificed my sleep? …

The Prophet said, "To give one's wife the money she requires is more important than to give alms." … The celebrated saint Bishr Hafi said, "It is better that a man should work for wife and children than merely for himself." In the Traditions it has been recorded that some sins can only be atoned for by enduring trouble for the sake of one's family.

THIS world is a stage or market-place passed by pilgrims on their way to the next. It is here that they are to provide themselves with provisions for the way; …

The bird of gardens sang unto the rose, / New blown in the clear dawn: “Bow down thy head! / As fair as thou within this garden close, / Many have bloomed and died.” She laughed and said: / “That I am born to fade grieves not my heart; / But never was it a true lover’s part / To vex with bitter words his love’s repose.” …

Give now of thy gold and bounty, for eventually will it pass from thy grasp. Open the door of thy treasure to-day, for to-morrow the key will not be in thy hands. If thou would not be distressed on the Day of Judgment, forget not them that are distressed. Drive not the poor man empty from thy door, lest thou should wander before the doors of strangers. …

The span of thy life is as five little days, / Brief hours and swift in this halting-place; / Rest softly, ah rest! while the Shadow delays, / For Time’s self is nought and the dial’s face. / On the lip of Oblivion we linger, and short / Is the way from the Lip to the Mouth where we pass— / While the moment is thine, fill, oh Saki, the glass / Ere all is nought! …

He turned to his wife and said, "O dame, / The harvest of December is not as that of July; / Though they be dead or though they be living, / Are they not equally visible to the eyes of the heart? / I behold them clearly before me, / Wherefore should I disfigure my countenance like you? / Though they have gone forth by revolution of fortune, / They are with me still, playing round me. …

O thou of whose life seventy years have passed, perhaps thou hast slept in negligence that thy days have been thrown to the winds. Worldly aims hast thou well pursued; no preparations hast thou made for the departure to that world to come. … If fifty years of thy life have passed, esteem as a precious boon the few that yet remain. While still thou hast the power of speech, close not thy lips like the dead from the praise of God. …

The Prophet said, "To give one's wife the money she requires is more important than to give alms." … The celebrated saint Bishr Hafi said, "It is better that a man should work for wife and children than merely for himself." In the Traditions it has been recorded that some sins can only be atoned for by enduring trouble for the sake of one's family.

Tukla, king of Persia, once visited a devotee and said: “Fruitless have been my years. None but the beggar carries riches from the world when earthly dignities are passed. Hence, would I now sit in the corner of devotion that I might usefully employ the few short days that yet remain to me.” The devotee was angered at these words. “Enough!” he cried. “Religion consists alone in the service of the people; it finds no place in the rosary, or prayer-rug, or tattered garment. Be a king in sovereignty and a devotee in purity of morals. Action, not words, is demanded by religion, for words without action are void of substance.”