All Quotes

"Mere fancy’s pictures ever objects mar, Things non-existent often frenzy paints, We see mankind deluded over feints; Their peace, their war not seldom for a sham, Their pride, their shame some sorry epigram."

"Thou hadst not seen a single blind man seated on the moat-edge, Had they sought God instead of morsel and pittance."

"If you have not gone to the Kaaba, fortune will draw you thither, Do not flee, O babbler, for you have no refuge from God."

"Defects are the mirrors of the attributes of beauty The base is the mirror of the High and Glorious One, Because one contrary shows forth its contrary As honey’s sweetness is shown by vinegar’s sourness, Who recognises and confesses his own defects Is hastening in the way that leads to perfection."

"I am the sunlight falling from above, Yet never severed from the sun I love."

"Thy light is at once joined with all things and apart from all."

"This soul is a measure; how should the measure know That it is receiving of spirit and conveying to dust? Its task is to measure in restless love, Taking from heaven above, scattering o’er earth below."

"Woman is a ray of God, not a mere mistress, The Creator’s self as it were, not a mere creature!"

"What rays of wisdom poured on water and on land Ere earth could nourish seed, yield corn to our demand! The earth, a faithful trustee, gives back what we sow, No fraud, embezzlement, in its trust do we know."

"Where should the ignoble lament and pray, If Thou didst only accept the good, O merciful One? Go, do not commit sin, for even our good deeds Appear as sin in the sight of our Beloved."

"In outward form thou art the microcosm But in reality the macrocosm, Seemingly the bough is the cause of the fruit, But really the bough exists because of the fruit."

"The mind’s ear becomes the sensorium of inspiration, For what is this Divine voice but the inward voice? The spirit’s eye and ear possess this sense, The eye and ear of reason and sense lack it. The word ‘compulsion’ makes me impatient for love’s sake, ’Tis he who loves not, who is fettered by compulsion, This is close communion with God, not compulsion, The shining of the sun, and not a dark cloud."

"As soul became pregnant by the Soul of souls, So by the former soul did the world become pregnant; Then the world brought forth another world, And of this last are brought forth other worlds."

"In presence of Joseph no coquetries use But humble thyself; soft entreaties infuse; From Jesus a breath then may blow upon thee, Transform thee to what he was, what thou mayest be: A stone will not blossom because it is spring, As earth make thyself; flowers around thee may cling."

"Before they (the prophets) came, we were all alike, No one knew whether he was right or wrong, Genuine coin and base coin were current alike, The world was a night and we travellers in the dark, Till the sun of the prophets arose and cried ‘Begone, O slumber! welcome, O pure light!’ Now the eye sees how to distinguish colours, It sees the difference between rubies and pebbles."

"All elephants, wolves and lions of the forest, All dragons and snakes and even little ants, Yea, even air, water, earth and fire, Draw their sustenance from Him both winter and summer, Every moment the Heaven cries to Him, saying ‘O Lord, guilt not Thy hold of me for a moment! The pillar of my being is Thy aid and protection.’"

"When words deceitful are employed as wraps for guile, They’re bubbles on the water, only last awhile, Such words are merely shell; the intent their kernel is, Or coloured portraiture of man; no life is his, A shell may often cover kernel of foul smell, A kernel sound can well afford to lose its shell."

"We are pieces of steel, and Thy love is the magnet, Thou art the source of all inspiration, in myself I have seen none."

"Take the cotton of evil suggestions from the mind’s ear, That the heavenly voice from above may enter it, That you may understand that riddle of His, That you may be cognisant of that open secret."

"Love is a perfect muzzle of evil suggestions; Without love who ever succeeded in stopping them? Be a lover and seek that fair beauty, Haunt for that waterfowl in every Stream! How can you get water from that which cuts it off, How gain understanding from what destroys understanding, Apart from principles of reason are other principles Of light and great price to be gained by love of God, Besides this reason of yours God has other reasons Which will procure for you heavenly nourishment."

"Accept His command and you will be able to execute it, Seek union with Him and you will find yourselves united, Exertion is giving thanks for Gad’s blessings, Think ye that your fatalism gives such thanks?"

"We’ve done with outer warfare, lesser as it is, And as the Prophet, wage the greater warfare, his; We put our trust in God, from Him we ask for aid, With His assistance faith can move a mountain staid."

"Of rhymes do I dream? ’Tis my love orders me Of love still to dream; swain devoted to be, ‘Thyself make thou happy. Rhymes leave now alone The rhyme I seek thou art. I love thee my own. What’s rhyme that thou turnest thy thoughts thitherward, Mere bramble on wall, hedging round our vineyard, I care not for words, for asseverations, My time if I pass in these sweet delusions.’"

"The base coin says to me with pride every moment, ‘O pure gold, how am I inferior to you?’ The gold replies, ‘Even so, O comrade; But the touchstone is at hand; be ready to meet it!’"

"The moon has revealed her face, and opened her radiant wings, Borrow a soul and eyes from some one, if you have them not."

"God drops into the heart a single pearl-drop Which is not bestowed on oceans or skies."

"The million spears of Pharaoh vaunting in his might, By Moses’ wand were broken in the appointed night: And many sons of skill, for healing science famed By Jesu’s curing halt, lame, blind, deaf, mad, were shamed; How many poets, orators, great men of note, By word of the Illiterate One were shown to dote."

"The warden of a castle on the marches laid, Far from his sovereign, distant from much-needed aid, Defends his post with valour from beleaguering foe, Disdains to be bought over, scorns the tempter’s foe, His station’s on a frontier, no eye sees him act To duty true, he honestly fulfils his pact. Then in his monarch’s presence honours due he gains, Above the brave men fighting in the royal trains, Man’s faith and piety on earth are prized of God, But after death professed, less value have than clod."

"The day of judgment is the day of the great review, Whoso is fair and enlightened longs for that review; Whoso like a Hindoo is black with sin, The day of review will sound the knell of his disgrace, If his thorn puts not forth a single rose-bud The spring in disclosing him is his foe."

"Argue not from the condition of common men, Stumble not at severity and mercy; For mercy and severity, joy and sorrow are transient And transient things die; God is heir of all."

"Place a padlock on your throat and hide the key."

"The nearness of the voice proves to such an one That the voice proceeds from a friend who is near, The sweetness of the kinsman’s voice too, O beloved, Proves the veracity of that kinsman, To the wise whose hearts are enlightened The mere sound of that voice proves its truth."

"In this prison the food of true faith is scarce, And by the tricks of this dog what there is, is lost, In spite of prayers and fasts and endless pains Our food is altogether devoured by him, Let us seek refuge with Allah from Satan, Alas! we are perishing from his insolence."

"Ah, how many diverse roads are pointed out And each followed by some sect for dear life, If the right road were easily obtainable Every Jew and Gueber would have hit on it."

"Pity keep for Jesus, pity not the ass (i.e., the body), Let not fleshly impulse intellect surpass; If an ass could somewhat catch of Jesus’ mind, Ranked among the sages he his place would find, Though because of Jesus you may walk in woe, Still from Him comes healing; never let Him go."

"Love carried off as plunder the chattels which we possessed, We are independent of profit and loss and market."

"God created pain and grief for this purpose, To wit, to manifest happiness by its opposites. Hidden things are manifested by their opposites, But as God has no opposite, He remains hidden, God’s light has no opposite in the range of creation Whereby it may be manifested to view, Perforce ‘Our eyes see Him not, though He sees us,’ Behold this in the case of Moses and Mount Sinai."

"Night and day comes a winged arrow from the hidden bow, Yield up your sweet life; what can you do? you have no shield."

"If the sleeping spirit knew itself to be asleep, Whatever it might see, it would feel neither joy nor sorrow."

"Mysteries are not communicable save to those who know, Mystery in the ear of infidels is no mystery."

"The thread and the needle are related to one another; but a camel is not fitted to pass through the eye of a needle; how should the body of a camel become slender except by abstinence and exertion?"

"When the spirit lovingly embraces Thee, In Thy presence all images become spirit."

"'Twere better that the spirit which wears not true love as a garment Had not been; its being is but shame."

"Spirit is very subtle and love is very jealous, What room for form, if the felt is hundredfold?"

"With muffled heads you cannot see, You’ve wrapped your cloaks in folds about your heads and eyes, Your sense of sight cannot see what before you lies. The world’s eye man is; all the rest’s mere skin and shell, A real eye’s he who strives his Friend to see right well."

"One day I was filled with longing To behold in human form the splendours of the Friend, To witness the ocean gathered up into a drop, The sun compressed into a single atom."

"When my bier moveth on the day of death, Think not my heart is in this world, Do not weep for me, and cry, ‘Woe! Woe!’ Thou wilt fall in the devil’s snare; that is woe."

"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."

"Day and night you are eagerly asking for news, Whilst every member of your body is telling you news, Since each member of your body issued from Not-being, How much pleasure has it seen and how much pain? For no member grows and flourishes without pleasure, And each member is weakened by every pain."

"Though the mere imitator quotes a hundred proofs, They are all based on opinion, not on conviction, He is only scented with musk, he is not himself musk, He smells of musk but is really naught but dung."