Sufis

"I was, ere a name had been named upon earth, Ere one trace yet existed of aught that has birth: When the locks of the Loved One streamed forth for a sign, And Being was none save the Presence Divine! Named and name were alike emanations from Me, Ere aught that was ‘I’ yet existed, or ‘We’; Ere the veil of the flesh for Messiah was wrought, To the Godhead I bowed in prostration of thought."

"I am sweet-smiling Jesus by whom the world is revived, But my lineage is from God: I know nought of Mary."

"If for the Faith thou bear’st thy wealth, it then The Prophet says, is pure to righteous men."

"Read the text ‘I have not created Jinns and men but to worship me,’ The only object of the world is to worship God. Though the object of a book is to teach an art, If you make a pillow of it, it serves that purpose too, Yet its main object is not to serve as a pillow But to impart knowledge and useful instruction."

"Look not in the world for bliss and fortune, since thou wilt not find them, Seek bliss in both worlds by serving Him."

"The body loves green pastures and running water, For this cause that its origin is from them. The love of the soul is for wisdom and knowledge, That of the body for houses, gardens, and vineyards; The love of the soul is for things exalted on high, That of the body for acquisition of goods and food."

"The moon sheds her light and the dogs howl; Everyone acts according to his nature, To each his office is allotted by the divine decree."

"As we are all members of Adam We have heard these melodies in Paradise; Though earth and water have cast their veil upon us We retain faint reminiscences of those earthly songs; But while we are thus shrouded by gross earthly veils How can the tones of the dancing spheres reach us?"

"Then think not lowly of thy heart, though lowly, For holy is it and there dwells the holy, God’s presence-chamber is the human breast, Ah! happy spirit with such Inmate blest."

"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."

"We have been in heaven, we have been friends of the angels Thither, sire, let us return for that is our country, How different a source have the world of dust and the pure substance, Though we came down, let us haste back—what place is this?"

"We are the family of the Lord and His sucking babes, The Prophet said ‘The people are God’s family,’ He who sends forth the rain from heaven, Can He not also provide our daily bread?"

"No favour was left which that winsome beauty did not bestow, What fault of ours if he failed in bounty towards you? Thou art reviling because that charmer wrought tyranny, Whoever saw in the two worlds a fair one that played not the tyrant? When the spirit became lost in contemplation, it said this ‘None but God has contemplated the beauty of God;’ This eye and that lamp are two lights, each individual, When they came together, no-one distinguished them."

"Though the ruby has no stamp, what matters it? Love is fearless in the midst of the sea of fear."

"Read ‘I was a hidden treasure and desired to be known;’ Hide not the hidden treasure but disclose it; Your true treasure is hidden under a false one, Just as butter is hidden within the substance of milk, The false one is this transitory body of yours, The true one your divine soul. Long time this milk is exposed to view And the soul’s butter is hidden and of no account."

"What seed went down into the earth but it grew, Why this doubt of thine as regards the seed of man?"

"You have seen the mountain, not the mine within the mountain."

"Who is he in my ear that hearkens to my voice, Or who is he that utters words in my mouth? Who is he in mine eye that looks out of mine eye Or what is the soul—wilt thou not say—of which I am the garment?"

"’Tis blasphemy to praise Him: I proclaim Myself extant and ‘self’ is mortal shame."

"In the world there is nought so wondrous as the sun, But the Sun of the soul sets not and has no yesterday."

"Why does the formation of an infant take nine months, Because God’s method is to work by slow degrees. Not hurrying on like you, O raw one, Who claim to be a Shaikh whilst yet only a child."

"Your heart is as Solomon’s signet; take care That it falls not a prey to demons."

"All hearts are the abodes of devils Be not deceived by devil-men."

"Men are as demons and lust of wealth their chain, Which drags them forth to toil in shop and field; This chain is made of their fears and anxieties, Deem not that these men have no chains upon them. It causes them to engage in labour and the chase, It forces them to toil in mines and on the sea."

"Mankind like waterfowl are sprung from the sea, the sea of soul Risen from that sea, why should the bird make here his home? Nay, we are pearls in that sea, therein we all abide, Else why does wave follow wave from the sea of soul."

"The Worker is hidden in the workshop, Enter the workshop and behold him face to face; Since a veil is drawn over the Worker by his work, Apart from His work you cannot see Him."

"Thy business is changing things and bestowing favours, My business is mistakes and forgetfulness and error, Change my mistakes and forgetlulness to knowledge I am altogether vile; make me temperate and meek. O thou that convertest salt earth into bread And bread again into the life of men, Thou makest some earth-born men as heaven And multipliest heaven-born saints on earth."

"If a saint handles earth, it becomes gold If a sinner handles gold, it turns to dust, Whereas the saint is well-pleasing to God, In his actions his hand is the hand of God. But the sinner’s hand is the hand of Satan and demons, Because he is ensnared in falsity and fraud."

"What need were there of stars, O humble one, To one who was guided by the light of the sun, Neither moon nor planets would be needed, By one who saw directly the sun of the truth."

"He was not chaff which flew on the wind, He was not water which froze in winter, He was not a comb which was broken with a hair, He was not a seed with the earth crushed, He was a treasure of gold in this dust-pit, For he valued the two worlds at a barley corn, The earthly frame he flung to the earth, Soul and intellect he bore to heaven, The pure elixir mingled with the wine-dregs, Came to the jar’s surface, and the lees settled apart. The second soul, which the vulgar know not, I protest by God that he surrendered to the Beloved."

"Infidels when enjoying prosperity do wrong When they are in hell, they cry ‘O our Lord!’ The prison is the hermitage of the wicked thief For when he is there, he is ever crying to God. Whereas the object of man’s being is to worship God, Hell is ordained as a place of worship for the proud."

"Our earthly passions are a part of hell And the parts always share the nature of the whole."

"Nuts in plenty but no kernel in any of them, Relish is needed for devotions to bear fruit, Kernels are needed that seeds may yield trees, How can seeds without kernels become trees? Form without life is only a dream."

"Opposites can only he know by opposites, Only through a wound is a caress understood; Certainly this world first comes into view, That we may understand the value of that eternal world; When you are released from this, you go to that; In that eternal home of delight, you are grateful."

"Only in the night the moon shines, Only in pain of heart seek the Beloved."

"Except in the house of communion with God there is no peace."

"If all dissolute men were shut up in prison They would all be temperate and devout and pious. When power of choice is absent, actions are worthless But beware lest death snatch away your capital, Your power of choice is a capital yielding profit Remember well the day of final account."

"All creatures are enslaved to thought, For this cause are they sad at heart and sorrowful."

"All the seventy and two heresies lurk in you, Have a care lest one day they prevail over you; He in whose breast the leaf of true faith is grown Must tremble as a leaf from fear of such a catastrophe."

"The whole world is jealous for this cause That God surpasseth the world in jealousy. God is as a soul and the world is as a body And bodies derive their good and evil from souls."

"Every moment the world and we are renewed Yet we are ignorant of this renewing for ever and aye. Life like a stream of water is renewed and renewed Though it wears the appearance of continuity in form, That seeming continuity arises from its swift renewal As when a single spark of fire is whirled round swiftly."

"Our every motion every moment testifies For it proves the presence of the everlasting God, So the revolution of the millstone so violent Testifies to the existence of a stream of water. O Thou who art above our conception and descriptions, Dust be upon our heads and upon our similitudes of Thee."

"Men are moved by God’s decree and fixed ordinance, As sharp-set teeth are caused by heat of belly, 'Tis Primal Soul that dominates the Second Soul."

"The motion of every atom is towards its origin A man comes to be the thing on which he is bent; By the attraction of yearning and fondness the soul and the heart Assume the qualities of the Beloved and the soul of souls."

"Can eye now behold Thee as truly Thou art? Can heart Thy love picture and smiles e’en in part? The heart that’s a slave to a love or a smile Can never be worthy to see thee awhile. Engrossed he that’s now with pleasure and pain Can he by these accidents live o’er again? Green pastures of love in their infinitude More fruits yield than care and than beatitude."

"The bodies of the righteous are as pure souls Their words, their actions, their praises Are all as a pure soul without spot or blemish."

"Pleasures of the flesh are as nuts and raisins, O son, If you are a man dispense with these two things; And if you dispense with them the goodness of God Will set you above the nine heavens."

"Love exalts our earthly bodies to heaven, And makes the very hills to dance with joy! O Lover, ’twas love that gave life to Mount Sinai When it quaked and Moses fell down in a swoon. Did my Beloved only touch me with his lips I too, like the flute would burst out in melody."

"Exert thyself, O man; put shoulder to the wheel The prophets and the saints to imitate in zeal. Exertion’s not a struggle against Providence, ’Twas Providence enjoined it; made it our defence Blasphemer may I be, if ever single man Bestowed in vain one effort to fulfil God’s plan."

"The bough’s attraction drew the sap from root to summit, Even as attraction draws the soul upward without a ladder."