Mathnavi of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (133 pages, 10/18)
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the forehead of a Beloved Which exposes the secrets of the worlds to the Lover."
"The guide to the path of guidance - Sayedina Mustafa Muhammad had said:
'My companions are like the stars in providing guidance. If' EXPLANATION:
Moulana Rumi's (RA.) objective in mentioning these couplets is to indicate that just as love and friendship between. two worldly lovers becomes a means towards exposing their love secrets to each other, likewise love between the lovers for the sake of Allah
. and their meeting with each other becomes the exposition of true love. Hence, where Allah is the object of love as in the case where a Mureed has love for his spiritual guide, this relationship guides towards the truth. Thus when a Mureed sits in the company of his Sheikh, much unknown knowledge becomes known to him. From the heart of the Sheikh blessings and knowledge, which he could not experience up. to that time, becomes reflected onto him. This is the experience every day and night of the seekers in the path of tasawuf.
The words in the couplet "The forehead of the beloved being the Preserved Tablet - Lowhul Mahfooz" Moulana meant this: The Mureed through his meeting with his Sheikh and being in his company acquires wonderful forms of knowledge. His heart becomes healed of various illnesses and in his contact with Allah there is a definite increase and progress.
Thereafter Moulana Rumi (R.A.) draws attention to another fact. The stars are the guiding lines on this earth for as long as one does not kick up the dust and make the air polluted. But if the air between oneself and the stars is polluted with dust, then one is unable to find the guidance in the stars. Similarly, if one sits in the company of the saintly ones, one should sit quietly, awaiting their instructions and listen attentively to their teachings. One should not kick up the dust by becoming involved with arguments, unnecessary conversation, objections or rejections, because through arguments and objections the heart of the Sheikh will be disturbed and it will stop exuding the beneficial blessings.
This does not mean that a person should not talk at all in the presence of his Sheikh, as this action will also cause the stopping of blessings. It must be remembered that the Sheikh does not have knowledge of all the needs of the Mureed. Hence, the
Mureed should inform the Sheikh of his inner conditions and of his spiritual state and experiences. The Mureed should remain silent and refrain from unnecessary talks, arguments and objections. .
"When one has drunk the love of Allah from a spiritual guide,
Then even if he is dumb, he will be filled with eloquence of speech."
This means that through the company of the saintly ones when love for Allah is created in the heart, then even the uneducated and illiterate ones will be able to expound great lessons of guidance. In this regard we may refer to Hazrat Haaji Imdadullah Saheb (R.A.)
He only studied Arabic up to Kaafiya and yet he later became the Sheikh of numerous Ulama, Scholars of Hadith and Tafseer.
"When Nabi Dawood (A.S.) had drunk the drink of love through his lips, He learnt hundreds of beautiful hymns of praise to sing to the Lord.
So much so that all the birds left aside their chirping noise And proceeded to listen to his voice and accompany him."
The story continues:
One day the mouse told the frog: "You are swimming around in
the water while I am here on the dry earth. I suffer the pangs of sorrow over being parted from you. I come to the edge of the water to call you, but while you are in the water, even the voice of a lover cannot be
heard. I am not happy with just meeting and talking to you for a short while". Salaah has only been made obligatory five times a day,
but the true lovers of Allah Ta'ala permanently enjoy communion with Allah through "Nafl" Salaahs.
"To be called from time to time for meeting a beloved is not for lovers, The souls of true lovers remain thirsty at all times.
To be called for a meeting with a beloved is not for the fish, For they will find no rest without the water. .
The heart of the lover is nothing without the Beloved, There is between them no remover or removed. "
EXPLANATION:
Moulana's object in mentioning these couplets }s a reference to the Hadith which says that meeting each other with intervals of a day, increases the love for each other. However, true lovers are exempted from this statement as Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (RA.)
reports: "I used to make obligatory upon myself the company of Rasulullah at all times". Rasulullah did not prohibit it; which meant that he considered it permissible. Hence the first statement is a general one, while the latter one, is for special friends. The first statement was made by the Prophet at a time when Rasulullah asked Abu Hurayrah (RA.): "O Abu Hurayrah, where were you yesterday?" He replied: "Yesterday, I went to visit some relatives". Then Rasulullah said: "Meeting after a days break in between will increase love". There seems to be a contradiction between the two statements. However, this is not so. Reconciliation between the two statements is this: To make someone's company compulsory at all times, as Abu Hurayrah (RA.) did, refers to those situations where the contact and love is very strong.
The other situation of meeting at specific times refers to those situations where the contact of love is not that strong.
"For a lover, the parting for even a moment is like a year's parting And the meeting lasting a whole year is mere imagination."
Moulana Rumi (RA.) further explains that the people of this world have a good understanding of worldly love, but as regards to Divine Love, which is granted to the Prophets and the Saints of Allah, they do not understand. That is because they are caught
up behind the curtain of this world's external comforts and are deprived of the grace of Allah's love which annihilates the needs of the self. Hence, only those who annihilate their selves gain this blessing. It is not attained through reason alone.
"If through Reason the perception of Allah's love was possible, Then of what use would spiritual strivings be?
In spite of the great mercy of having Allah ~ The Master of Reason Why the command: Oppose your self and overpower your desires?"
It is through these strenuous spiritual exercises that the self becomes overpowered and annihilated. The knowledge of Allah (Marifat) is dependent upon this. Moulana Sayed Sulayman Nadwi (RA.) asked Hazrat Moulana Thanwy (RA.): "Hazrat what is the meaning of 'faquiri' ?" Hazrat Thanwy (R.A.) replied: "It means annihilating your 'self'?"
The story continues:
The mouse then said to the frog: "O frog, beloved; without seeing your face at all times, I cannot find peace. By day, the sight of you is my life, by night the thought of you is my consolation and sleep. It will be q great favour on your part if you will permit me the pleasure of the opportunity of meeting you at all times."
"It will be great generosity on your part if you will cause me the delight Of remembering me at all times with your love.
You are unconcerned with my sorrows. 0, my Ameer!
Kindly grant me thy kindness and please me with your company. "
Now Moulana returns to the object of the story, i.e. to return to Allah. "O Allah, this indigent one without manners is most unsuited,
But Your Grace is all over, more higher and supreme.
O Allah, Your general Grace does not search for credentials or ability And the sun of Your generosity even has effect on impurities.
The sun has warmed the belly of the earth
Which warmth has pulled impurities into its midst.
Those impurities have become part of the earth and created plants And in this manner Allah wipes out sins.
If such is the robe of honour given to the evil ones,
How much more honourable will be the gift to righteous ones? For His special bondsmen Allah prepares what no eye has seen, And no tongue or language can ever describe.
Who are we? You kindly explain who we are?
O My Beloved, enlighten my day with beautiful morals. " EXPLANATION:
Moulana describes 'Allah's wonderful actions by saying: "O Allah, when out of Your kindness, the rays of the sun falls upon the earth it enlightens it, when it falls on impurities like dung it dries the solid part and converts it to fuel, which light the furnace. .
Another portion (i.e. the liquid part of the dung) sinks into the earth providing fertliser from which plants and fragrant flowers grow. The heat of the sun warms the earth and makes it absorb the liquid impurities. 0 Allah, impurities too are not deprived of Your bounty, what will be Your generosity towards the righteous servants and Lovers of Thee. You will grant such bounties which neither the eyes have seen, nor ears have heard nor has it passed through the minds of men as is said in a Hadith:
"I have prepared for my righteous servants what no eye has seen, no ear has heard nor has passed through the minds of men. "
Thereafter Moulana says: When someone is inspired with. knowledge from the unseen, it is a sure sign that from Allah's side there is a special glance of generosity and grace upon him. Moulana describes it in this way:
"When on the banks of a river 'you notice greenery,
Then from far off you can be certain that there is water in this place." Allah says: "The faces of my Messenger's companions are covered With a veneer of Noor from their hearts
And this Noor is an indication of much Ibaadah and IstigJaar."
He then, in another couplet, mentions another example viz.
That the greenery of the meadows denote the fact that rain has fallen in that place.
"If by night rain fell while you were asleep and unaware of it having fallen, . Then in the morning if you see the garden luxuriant and fresh,
You should understand that last night rain fell. Every beautiful garden's freshness Is an indication of rain having fallen. "
The story continues:
The mouse told the frog: "Brother, I am a creature living on dry land and you are living in the water. I am unable to enter the water, but you are able to come to the dry land. But how will you be able to know inside the water that I have a desire to meet you?" For quite a time they discussed the problem and consulted each other. Finally, the mouse put forward a suggestion that one end of a piece of string the frog should tie to its leg and the other end to the foot of the mouse. Thus when the mouse had a desire to meet the frog he will pull the string. In the water the frog will feel the pulling of the string and thus come to the bank of the river. In this way they will be able to meet each other.
The frog considered the mouse's suggestion to be a bad one and said to himself: "This evil minded one wishes to tie me up." ''It is no surprise if a blind one falls into a well,
Surprising when a seeing one falls into it."
In spite of disliking the mouse's suggestion, the' frog found
an inclination within himself to accede to the request. When a person's desire overpowers his reason, it becomes the beginning of that persons downfall.
Moulana then proceeded to relate the story of the destruction of the frog. The two of them, by pulling the string, were able to enjoy the ecstasy of meeting each other repeatedly. Then one day the result of this bad company became a reality. A vulture came along and carried the mouse off in its claw. As the vulture flew off with the mouse, he also lifted the frog out of the water where up to now he was safe and comfortable, because the other end was tied to the frogs leg. What happened to the mouse also happened to the frog. The vulture killed both of them and ate them up. If the frog had remained in the water and not formed a friendship with the evil mouse, then nothing would have happened to him and he would have remained, safe.
LESSON
In this story Moulana has drawn our attention to the harm of bad company. It is a good story with a powerful moral lesson. In the story we see the soul, the self and the Shaytaan. The "Nafs-e-Ammaarah" is the evil mouse. The soul is the frog which lives in the water of Allah's nearness, which is its proper place. The vulture represents the Shaytaan or devil.
The Nafs - (Self) in order to satisfy its desires tries to engage the soul in evil doings and endeavours to tie it with a string. Where the soul obeys the desires of the Self and makes contact with the Self, then Shaytaan will pull it along wherever it wishes. In this way the soul is also humiliated because of its contact with the 'Self'. Hence, when the Shaytaan will go to hell, the Nafs (Self) which was in its claws will also go to hell accompanied by the soul as well, which had befriended the self in evil.
May Allah grant us the ability to learn a lesson from this story and may He grant us protection against the Self and the Shaytaan in the following manner:
(a)No matter what pleasure from sins the Self places in front of us, do not even turn your attention to those sins. Consider the Nafs as a very big enemy. It is an even bigger enemy than Iblees.
(b)When the whisperings of Shaytaan come to you, continue to recite 'Laa Howla Walaa Qoowata Illa Billaah'. Live in the shadow and company of a Saintly Sheikh and derive benefit from his knowledge and instructions. Remember that Shaytaan's control only comes when our soul makes a mutual agreement with the 'Nafs'. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance for us to oppose the accursed 'Nafs' with the aim of avoiding the mischief of Shaytaan. The one who will conquer his 'Self' will Insha-Allah conquer the Shaytaan. The conquest of the ‘Self' is not an easy task. Unless one forms a close contact
with a saintly spiritual guide. Close contact here means ~ relationship of love and respect, choosing the guide in accordance with one's temperament. Close contact also means acting upon the instructions of the Sheikh, informing him of your spiritual state and consulting him for advise. In a couple of days time a complete transformation will take place for the better. The Sheikh must be one following the Shariah in all actions and one whose Islaah was made by some "Kaamil" Sheikh.
"Neither from books, nor from preaching nor from wealth Deen comes alive from the glances of the Saintly ones. " (Akbar Ilahabadi)
THE STORY OF THE PARROT AND THE SHOPKEEPER
A certain shopkeeper kept a parrot as a pet. The parrot was green in colour and had a very melodious voice. The shopkeeper had a great love for the parrot. The parrot used to speak a lot and entertain the clients in the shop.
One day the shopkeeper had gone out. It so happened that a cat was trying to catch a mouse. The parrot got the impression that the cat was trying to attack him and thus fled to one side, to avoid being caught. As it did so, a bottle of almond oil which was placed there! fell down and the oil spilled over.
When the shopkeeper came back, he noticed the oiliness of the floor mat and immediately realised that the almond oil had been spilled. He became so angry that he struck the parrot on its head a number of times. This action of his caused the parrot's head to become bald. The parrot became so displeased with the
shopkeeper that from that day onwards it stopped talking.
The parrot's silence caused the shopkeeper great anguish. He was very sorry and wondered what to do in order to make the parrot speak again, as its speech had provided him with great pleasure up to then. For many days he tried to please the parrot through flattery, but the parrot remained silent. He fed the parrot with various kinds of fruit in order to make him happy, but still the parrot would not speak. Even the clients who came to the shop, were surprised at the parrot's silence and were sorry at this state of affairs.
One day a beggar, covered in a blanket and having a bald head went past the shop. On seeing the bald- headed beggar the parrot spoke in a loud voice: "O bald-headed one, how did you become bald? You must have also caused a bottle of oil to spill over".
Through this analogy drawn by the parrot, people began laughing that the parrot had compared the bald-headed beggar to himself and, had drawn such a conclusion.
Now Moulana Rumi (R.A.) returns to the story and gives the advise:
"O Loved One, do not compare the cases of Saintly people with yourself. For although 'sheir' (milk) and 'sher' (lion) are spelt the same (in
Urdu), they are both different things
'Sheir' (milk) is something consumed by men
And 'sher' (lion) is an animal which consumes men.
The whole world has strayed because of these wrong comparisons And seldom are people aware of the Saint's and Abdaal's positions.
People of ill-fortune are deprived of eyes, which are able to perceive the truth. Good and evil appears the same in their eyes.
Through their wrong analogies, they have claimed equality with the Prophets And at times have considered the Saints as their equals.
And if someone objected, they would say: We are men and so are they.
We both are forced to eat and sleep.
So what difference is there between them and us?"
Now Moulana Rumi (R.A.) explains that if the outer form of two things are the same, then it does not necessarily mean that they are the same in all aspects. He then explains the difference through a few examples.
1.Both the wasp and the bee suck nectar from the flowers. Both of them feed on the same thing. However the wasp merely produces a poisonous sting while the bee produces sweet honey.
2.You will find two kinds of deer feeding on the same type of grass. In the one type of deer the grass creates dung while in the other type of deer it produces fragrant musk.
3.Two kinds of bamboo are being fed with water from the same watering place. The one ends up being hollow, while in the other, that water produces sugar, as in sugar cane.
4.An evil doing person eats bread and that bread creates within him stinginess, jealousy and evil desires. That same bread is also eaten by a Saint, but Divine Love and Knowledge is created within him.
5.Outwardly brackish water and sweet water appear to be the same but how much different are they? Similarly, one of ill-fortune and one of good-fortune appear the same.
When we see the outward form of a righteous one and an evil one they are the same, but are they the same in their life style and manners.
6.Whatever a man does, an ape can also do but how different is a man from an ape?
7.In a similar manner, ignorant ones have looked at miracles and compared them with sorcery. A miracle is in fact from the Mercy of Allah which is granted to the Saintly ones,
whereas sorcery is Allah's curse which comes through the evil-minded and rejected ones..
8.Outwardly, the deeds of a believer and a hypocrite appear to be the same, but in actual fact there is a vast difference between the two. How great is the difference in the results
of both? The former leads to paradise and the latter leads' to Hell fire. '
9.Pure and impure gold both have the same appearance, but when both of them are put to the test, see how different the value of one is from the other.
LESSON:
The lesson here is that one should not compare oneself with the Saints of Allah. Look at their inner conditions of nearness to Allah and contact with Him, which is the envy of all the Kings of this world.
Derive benefit from them and do not consider them to be like yourself.
The value of a container depends upon its contents. So is the body of man. If it is honoured with great contact with Allah, then that body is considered very precious. Let us take two bottles. Each bottle is worth a mere rupee. In the one bottle we fill perfume which is worth five thousand rupees and the other one we fill with water. This. second bottle will be worth just that one rupee while the other one will be worth five thousand rupees. If urine is filled in it, it will then not even be worth the one rupee. So how can it be correct to compare the one bottle to the other?
May Allah grant us the ability to honour and respect the greatness of His righteous Saintly servants and save us from drawing foolish analogies and comparisons, so that we may benefit from their teachings and also acquire the eagerness to learn from them. May our wrong perceptions not be an obstacle towards acquiring benefit from them, Ameen.
THE STORY OF THE UNGRATEFULNESS OF NAMROOD
Allah once asked Izraeel (the Angel of Death): "Of all the people whose souls you had to take hold of, whom did you pity the most?" He replied: "Over all of them my heart is filled with grief but in the
carrying out of Your orders, I submit myself". Allah asked: "But on which occasion did your heart feel most grief? "
He replied: "O Lord, there was one occasion when my heart was very much filled with pity and compassion. Once on Your command when the waves of the sea were very strong and high, we broke a boat into pieces. Then You commanded that all those on board should be drowned except one woman and her baby. All of them died except the woman and her child, who remained alive on a raft. The waves of the sea caused the raft to be driven along until the wind caused the raft to be brought near the coast. I was very pleased to see that they were near safety. Then the order came from You that the mother's soul be snatched from her, while the baby should be left alone. At Your command, I took the soul of the mother and the two of them were parted by death. You can well imagine how unpleasant it must have been for me. You can imagine what passed through my heart at that time. You know all that, but I was under Your command and obeyed. Who is there that can rebel against Your command?"
"No one has the right to demand the why and wherefore of Your commands and decisions. To You alone is the true Kingdom and decision" .
Izraeel continued: "0 Lord, on taking the soul of the mother, I felt great sorrow and to this day, I have not forgotten the helplessness of that baby and its destitution"
Allah replied: "Now listen to what happened to that baby afterwards. Listen to how I reared that child. I commanded the waves to throw that baby in such a forest where there are lilies, sweet-smelling plants and fragrant flowers and where there are fruit 'trees and fountains bringing forth sweet waters. There I reared him. Numerous birds with beautiful voices used to sing beautiful melodies in his presence. I made his bed from the leaves of the wild rose tree so that he may' be safe from, all trials. I commanded the sun not to shine on him with strong rays and to be considerate of him. I commanded the wind to blow over him gently and kindly. I commanded the clouds not to let the rain fall on
him. Lightening was commanded not to strike him. The season of autumn was commanded not to remove the moderate weather from his garden. The result was that the garden where he lived was like the soul of the saintly ones protected against cold, violent winds and warm pestilential winds.
I commanded a leopard, to give this baby milk to drink and the leopard did this until the baby grew into a grown-up child. When the time came for it to stop drinking milk, I commanded the Jinns to teach him how to speak and to teach him the ways of government. In this way, I reared and nourished him, which was wonderful and astonishing. So is My handling strange and wonderful.
I nourished the worms in the body of Nabi Ayoob (A.S.) and granted him such feeling for the worms just like a father over his children, so much so that when a worm came out of his body, he used to feel as if his children were being separated from him.
"I gave to Ayoob feelings of sympathy like a father, Acting like a host to worms without any harm to them". "I taught all mothers what love is,
What a lamp that is, which I have enlightened".
"Thus, I showed that child My numerous favours and numerous ways of My grace so that he could see My grace and generosity without adopting any means. This was done to prevent him from becoming involved with the problem of looking for the means, because sometimes the causes of the means are different. Further, I did all that so that the
child should in future seek help from Me alone, because the Provider of means was not hidden behind veils and curtains." In other words, to be nourished and reared without any means would entail that he should not look towards anyone else, so that he should have no excuse to go astray. He will not be able to provide the excuse that by having looked
at the means, he failed to pay attention to Allah's favours and bounties.
"But, O Izraeel, how did that child show gratitude to Me? That child became Namrood and he was the one who wanted to burn my Khaleel, Ibraheem (A.S.), alive. That was his intention but Allah made that fire of Namrood a rose - garden of safety. "
Now Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says: This nafs (self) is a very dangerous enemy. One should always seek refuge from it. For others, the nourishment by the mother and the father becomes a curtain, but this unfortunate one used to receive many
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the forehead of a Beloved Which exposes the secrets of the worlds to the Lover."
"The guide to the path of guidance - Sayedina Mustafa Muhammad had said:
'My companions are like the stars in providing guidance. If' EXPLANATION:
Moulana Rumi's (RA.) objective in mentioning these couplets is to indicate that just as love and friendship between. two worldly lovers becomes a means towards exposing their love secrets to each other, likewise love between the lovers for the sake of Allah
. and their meeting with each other becomes the exposition of true love. Hence, where Allah is the object of love as in the case where a Mureed has love for his spiritual guide, this relationship guides towards the truth. Thus when a Mureed sits in the company of his Sheikh, much unknown knowledge becomes known to him. From the heart of the Sheikh blessings and knowledge, which he could not experience up. to that time, becomes reflected onto him. This is the experience every day and night of the seekers in the path of tasawuf.
The words in the couplet "The forehead of the beloved being the Preserved Tablet - Lowhul Mahfooz" Moulana meant this: The Mureed through his meeting with his Sheikh and being in his company acquires wonderful forms of knowledge. His heart becomes healed of various illnesses and in his contact with Allah there is a definite increase and progress.
Thereafter Moulana Rumi (R.A.) draws attention to another fact. The stars are the guiding lines on this earth for as long as one does not kick up the dust and make the air polluted. But if the air between oneself and the stars is polluted with dust, then one is unable to find the guidance in the stars. Similarly, if one sits in the company of the saintly ones, one should sit quietly, awaiting their instructions and listen attentively to their teachings. One should not kick up the dust by becoming involved with arguments, unnecessary conversation, objections or rejections, because through arguments and objections the heart of the Sheikh will be disturbed and it will stop exuding the beneficial blessings.
This does not mean that a person should not talk at all in the presence of his Sheikh, as this action will also cause the stopping of blessings. It must be remembered that the Sheikh does not have knowledge of all the needs of the Mureed. Hence, the
Mureed should inform the Sheikh of his inner conditions and of his spiritual state and experiences. The Mureed should remain silent and refrain from unnecessary talks, arguments and objections. .
"When one has drunk the love of Allah from a spiritual guide,
Then even if he is dumb, he will be filled with eloquence of speech."
This means that through the company of the saintly ones when love for Allah is created in the heart, then even the uneducated and illiterate ones will be able to expound great lessons of guidance. In this regard we may refer to Hazrat Haaji Imdadullah Saheb (R.A.)
He only studied Arabic up to Kaafiya and yet he later became the Sheikh of numerous Ulama, Scholars of Hadith and Tafseer.
"When Nabi Dawood (A.S.) had drunk the drink of love through his lips, He learnt hundreds of beautiful hymns of praise to sing to the Lord.
So much so that all the birds left aside their chirping noise And proceeded to listen to his voice and accompany him."
The story continues:
One day the mouse told the frog: "You are swimming around in
the water while I am here on the dry earth. I suffer the pangs of sorrow over being parted from you. I come to the edge of the water to call you, but while you are in the water, even the voice of a lover cannot be
heard. I am not happy with just meeting and talking to you for a short while". Salaah has only been made obligatory five times a day,
but the true lovers of Allah Ta'ala permanently enjoy communion with Allah through "Nafl" Salaahs.
"To be called from time to time for meeting a beloved is not for lovers, The souls of true lovers remain thirsty at all times.
To be called for a meeting with a beloved is not for the fish, For they will find no rest without the water. .
The heart of the lover is nothing without the Beloved, There is between them no remover or removed. "
EXPLANATION:
Moulana's object in mentioning these couplets }s a reference to the Hadith which says that meeting each other with intervals of a day, increases the love for each other. However, true lovers are exempted from this statement as Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (RA.)
reports: "I used to make obligatory upon myself the company of Rasulullah at all times". Rasulullah did not prohibit it; which meant that he considered it permissible. Hence the first statement is a general one, while the latter one, is for special friends. The first statement was made by the Prophet at a time when Rasulullah asked Abu Hurayrah (RA.): "O Abu Hurayrah, where were you yesterday?" He replied: "Yesterday, I went to visit some relatives". Then Rasulullah said: "Meeting after a days break in between will increase love". There seems to be a contradiction between the two statements. However, this is not so. Reconciliation between the two statements is this: To make someone's company compulsory at all times, as Abu Hurayrah (RA.) did, refers to those situations where the contact and love is very strong.
The other situation of meeting at specific times refers to those situations where the contact of love is not that strong.
"For a lover, the parting for even a moment is like a year's parting And the meeting lasting a whole year is mere imagination."
Moulana Rumi (RA.) further explains that the people of this world have a good understanding of worldly love, but as regards to Divine Love, which is granted to the Prophets and the Saints of Allah, they do not understand. That is because they are caught
up behind the curtain of this world's external comforts and are deprived of the grace of Allah's love which annihilates the needs of the self. Hence, only those who annihilate their selves gain this blessing. It is not attained through reason alone.
"If through Reason the perception of Allah's love was possible, Then of what use would spiritual strivings be?
In spite of the great mercy of having Allah ~ The Master of Reason Why the command: Oppose your self and overpower your desires?"
It is through these strenuous spiritual exercises that the self becomes overpowered and annihilated. The knowledge of Allah (Marifat) is dependent upon this. Moulana Sayed Sulayman Nadwi (RA.) asked Hazrat Moulana Thanwy (RA.): "Hazrat what is the meaning of 'faquiri' ?" Hazrat Thanwy (R.A.) replied: "It means annihilating your 'self'?"
The story continues:
The mouse then said to the frog: "O frog, beloved; without seeing your face at all times, I cannot find peace. By day, the sight of you is my life, by night the thought of you is my consolation and sleep. It will be q great favour on your part if you will permit me the pleasure of the opportunity of meeting you at all times."
"It will be great generosity on your part if you will cause me the delight Of remembering me at all times with your love.
You are unconcerned with my sorrows. 0, my Ameer!
Kindly grant me thy kindness and please me with your company. "
Now Moulana returns to the object of the story, i.e. to return to Allah. "O Allah, this indigent one without manners is most unsuited,
But Your Grace is all over, more higher and supreme.
O Allah, Your general Grace does not search for credentials or ability And the sun of Your generosity even has effect on impurities.
The sun has warmed the belly of the earth
Which warmth has pulled impurities into its midst.
Those impurities have become part of the earth and created plants And in this manner Allah wipes out sins.
If such is the robe of honour given to the evil ones,
How much more honourable will be the gift to righteous ones? For His special bondsmen Allah prepares what no eye has seen, And no tongue or language can ever describe.
Who are we? You kindly explain who we are?
O My Beloved, enlighten my day with beautiful morals. " EXPLANATION:
Moulana describes 'Allah's wonderful actions by saying: "O Allah, when out of Your kindness, the rays of the sun falls upon the earth it enlightens it, when it falls on impurities like dung it dries the solid part and converts it to fuel, which light the furnace. .
Another portion (i.e. the liquid part of the dung) sinks into the earth providing fertliser from which plants and fragrant flowers grow. The heat of the sun warms the earth and makes it absorb the liquid impurities. 0 Allah, impurities too are not deprived of Your bounty, what will be Your generosity towards the righteous servants and Lovers of Thee. You will grant such bounties which neither the eyes have seen, nor ears have heard nor has it passed through the minds of men as is said in a Hadith:
"I have prepared for my righteous servants what no eye has seen, no ear has heard nor has passed through the minds of men. "
Thereafter Moulana says: When someone is inspired with. knowledge from the unseen, it is a sure sign that from Allah's side there is a special glance of generosity and grace upon him. Moulana describes it in this way:
"When on the banks of a river 'you notice greenery,
Then from far off you can be certain that there is water in this place." Allah says: "The faces of my Messenger's companions are covered With a veneer of Noor from their hearts
And this Noor is an indication of much Ibaadah and IstigJaar."
He then, in another couplet, mentions another example viz.
That the greenery of the meadows denote the fact that rain has fallen in that place.
"If by night rain fell while you were asleep and unaware of it having fallen, . Then in the morning if you see the garden luxuriant and fresh,
You should understand that last night rain fell. Every beautiful garden's freshness Is an indication of rain having fallen. "
The story continues:
The mouse told the frog: "Brother, I am a creature living on dry land and you are living in the water. I am unable to enter the water, but you are able to come to the dry land. But how will you be able to know inside the water that I have a desire to meet you?" For quite a time they discussed the problem and consulted each other. Finally, the mouse put forward a suggestion that one end of a piece of string the frog should tie to its leg and the other end to the foot of the mouse. Thus when the mouse had a desire to meet the frog he will pull the string. In the water the frog will feel the pulling of the string and thus come to the bank of the river. In this way they will be able to meet each other.
The frog considered the mouse's suggestion to be a bad one and said to himself: "This evil minded one wishes to tie me up." ''It is no surprise if a blind one falls into a well,
Surprising when a seeing one falls into it."
In spite of disliking the mouse's suggestion, the' frog found
an inclination within himself to accede to the request. When a person's desire overpowers his reason, it becomes the beginning of that persons downfall.
Moulana then proceeded to relate the story of the destruction of the frog. The two of them, by pulling the string, were able to enjoy the ecstasy of meeting each other repeatedly. Then one day the result of this bad company became a reality. A vulture came along and carried the mouse off in its claw. As the vulture flew off with the mouse, he also lifted the frog out of the water where up to now he was safe and comfortable, because the other end was tied to the frogs leg. What happened to the mouse also happened to the frog. The vulture killed both of them and ate them up. If the frog had remained in the water and not formed a friendship with the evil mouse, then nothing would have happened to him and he would have remained, safe.
LESSON
In this story Moulana has drawn our attention to the harm of bad company. It is a good story with a powerful moral lesson. In the story we see the soul, the self and the Shaytaan. The "Nafs-e-Ammaarah" is the evil mouse. The soul is the frog which lives in the water of Allah's nearness, which is its proper place. The vulture represents the Shaytaan or devil.
The Nafs - (Self) in order to satisfy its desires tries to engage the soul in evil doings and endeavours to tie it with a string. Where the soul obeys the desires of the Self and makes contact with the Self, then Shaytaan will pull it along wherever it wishes. In this way the soul is also humiliated because of its contact with the 'Self'. Hence, when the Shaytaan will go to hell, the Nafs (Self) which was in its claws will also go to hell accompanied by the soul as well, which had befriended the self in evil.
May Allah grant us the ability to learn a lesson from this story and may He grant us protection against the Self and the Shaytaan in the following manner:
(a)No matter what pleasure from sins the Self places in front of us, do not even turn your attention to those sins. Consider the Nafs as a very big enemy. It is an even bigger enemy than Iblees.
(b)When the whisperings of Shaytaan come to you, continue to recite 'Laa Howla Walaa Qoowata Illa Billaah'. Live in the shadow and company of a Saintly Sheikh and derive benefit from his knowledge and instructions. Remember that Shaytaan's control only comes when our soul makes a mutual agreement with the 'Nafs'. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance for us to oppose the accursed 'Nafs' with the aim of avoiding the mischief of Shaytaan. The one who will conquer his 'Self' will Insha-Allah conquer the Shaytaan. The conquest of the ‘Self' is not an easy task. Unless one forms a close contact
with a saintly spiritual guide. Close contact here means ~ relationship of love and respect, choosing the guide in accordance with one's temperament. Close contact also means acting upon the instructions of the Sheikh, informing him of your spiritual state and consulting him for advise. In a couple of days time a complete transformation will take place for the better. The Sheikh must be one following the Shariah in all actions and one whose Islaah was made by some "Kaamil" Sheikh.
"Neither from books, nor from preaching nor from wealth Deen comes alive from the glances of the Saintly ones. " (Akbar Ilahabadi)
THE STORY OF THE PARROT AND THE SHOPKEEPER
A certain shopkeeper kept a parrot as a pet. The parrot was green in colour and had a very melodious voice. The shopkeeper had a great love for the parrot. The parrot used to speak a lot and entertain the clients in the shop.
One day the shopkeeper had gone out. It so happened that a cat was trying to catch a mouse. The parrot got the impression that the cat was trying to attack him and thus fled to one side, to avoid being caught. As it did so, a bottle of almond oil which was placed there! fell down and the oil spilled over.
When the shopkeeper came back, he noticed the oiliness of the floor mat and immediately realised that the almond oil had been spilled. He became so angry that he struck the parrot on its head a number of times. This action of his caused the parrot's head to become bald. The parrot became so displeased with the
shopkeeper that from that day onwards it stopped talking.
The parrot's silence caused the shopkeeper great anguish. He was very sorry and wondered what to do in order to make the parrot speak again, as its speech had provided him with great pleasure up to then. For many days he tried to please the parrot through flattery, but the parrot remained silent. He fed the parrot with various kinds of fruit in order to make him happy, but still the parrot would not speak. Even the clients who came to the shop, were surprised at the parrot's silence and were sorry at this state of affairs.
One day a beggar, covered in a blanket and having a bald head went past the shop. On seeing the bald- headed beggar the parrot spoke in a loud voice: "O bald-headed one, how did you become bald? You must have also caused a bottle of oil to spill over".
Through this analogy drawn by the parrot, people began laughing that the parrot had compared the bald-headed beggar to himself and, had drawn such a conclusion.
Now Moulana Rumi (R.A.) returns to the story and gives the advise:
"O Loved One, do not compare the cases of Saintly people with yourself. For although 'sheir' (milk) and 'sher' (lion) are spelt the same (in
Urdu), they are both different things
'Sheir' (milk) is something consumed by men
And 'sher' (lion) is an animal which consumes men.
The whole world has strayed because of these wrong comparisons And seldom are people aware of the Saint's and Abdaal's positions.
People of ill-fortune are deprived of eyes, which are able to perceive the truth. Good and evil appears the same in their eyes.
Through their wrong analogies, they have claimed equality with the Prophets And at times have considered the Saints as their equals.
And if someone objected, they would say: We are men and so are they.
We both are forced to eat and sleep.
So what difference is there between them and us?"
Now Moulana Rumi (R.A.) explains that if the outer form of two things are the same, then it does not necessarily mean that they are the same in all aspects. He then explains the difference through a few examples.
1.Both the wasp and the bee suck nectar from the flowers. Both of them feed on the same thing. However the wasp merely produces a poisonous sting while the bee produces sweet honey.
2.You will find two kinds of deer feeding on the same type of grass. In the one type of deer the grass creates dung while in the other type of deer it produces fragrant musk.
3.Two kinds of bamboo are being fed with water from the same watering place. The one ends up being hollow, while in the other, that water produces sugar, as in sugar cane.
4.An evil doing person eats bread and that bread creates within him stinginess, jealousy and evil desires. That same bread is also eaten by a Saint, but Divine Love and Knowledge is created within him.
5.Outwardly brackish water and sweet water appear to be the same but how much different are they? Similarly, one of ill-fortune and one of good-fortune appear the same.
When we see the outward form of a righteous one and an evil one they are the same, but are they the same in their life style and manners.
6.Whatever a man does, an ape can also do but how different is a man from an ape?
7.In a similar manner, ignorant ones have looked at miracles and compared them with sorcery. A miracle is in fact from the Mercy of Allah which is granted to the Saintly ones,
whereas sorcery is Allah's curse which comes through the evil-minded and rejected ones..
8.Outwardly, the deeds of a believer and a hypocrite appear to be the same, but in actual fact there is a vast difference between the two. How great is the difference in the results
of both? The former leads to paradise and the latter leads' to Hell fire. '
9.Pure and impure gold both have the same appearance, but when both of them are put to the test, see how different the value of one is from the other.
LESSON:
The lesson here is that one should not compare oneself with the Saints of Allah. Look at their inner conditions of nearness to Allah and contact with Him, which is the envy of all the Kings of this world.
Derive benefit from them and do not consider them to be like yourself.
The value of a container depends upon its contents. So is the body of man. If it is honoured with great contact with Allah, then that body is considered very precious. Let us take two bottles. Each bottle is worth a mere rupee. In the one bottle we fill perfume which is worth five thousand rupees and the other one we fill with water. This. second bottle will be worth just that one rupee while the other one will be worth five thousand rupees. If urine is filled in it, it will then not even be worth the one rupee. So how can it be correct to compare the one bottle to the other?
May Allah grant us the ability to honour and respect the greatness of His righteous Saintly servants and save us from drawing foolish analogies and comparisons, so that we may benefit from their teachings and also acquire the eagerness to learn from them. May our wrong perceptions not be an obstacle towards acquiring benefit from them, Ameen.
THE STORY OF THE UNGRATEFULNESS OF NAMROOD
Allah once asked Izraeel (the Angel of Death): "Of all the people whose souls you had to take hold of, whom did you pity the most?" He replied: "Over all of them my heart is filled with grief but in the
carrying out of Your orders, I submit myself". Allah asked: "But on which occasion did your heart feel most grief? "
He replied: "O Lord, there was one occasion when my heart was very much filled with pity and compassion. Once on Your command when the waves of the sea were very strong and high, we broke a boat into pieces. Then You commanded that all those on board should be drowned except one woman and her baby. All of them died except the woman and her child, who remained alive on a raft. The waves of the sea caused the raft to be driven along until the wind caused the raft to be brought near the coast. I was very pleased to see that they were near safety. Then the order came from You that the mother's soul be snatched from her, while the baby should be left alone. At Your command, I took the soul of the mother and the two of them were parted by death. You can well imagine how unpleasant it must have been for me. You can imagine what passed through my heart at that time. You know all that, but I was under Your command and obeyed. Who is there that can rebel against Your command?"
"No one has the right to demand the why and wherefore of Your commands and decisions. To You alone is the true Kingdom and decision" .
Izraeel continued: "0 Lord, on taking the soul of the mother, I felt great sorrow and to this day, I have not forgotten the helplessness of that baby and its destitution"
Allah replied: "Now listen to what happened to that baby afterwards. Listen to how I reared that child. I commanded the waves to throw that baby in such a forest where there are lilies, sweet-smelling plants and fragrant flowers and where there are fruit 'trees and fountains bringing forth sweet waters. There I reared him. Numerous birds with beautiful voices used to sing beautiful melodies in his presence. I made his bed from the leaves of the wild rose tree so that he may' be safe from, all trials. I commanded the sun not to shine on him with strong rays and to be considerate of him. I commanded the wind to blow over him gently and kindly. I commanded the clouds not to let the rain fall on
him. Lightening was commanded not to strike him. The season of autumn was commanded not to remove the moderate weather from his garden. The result was that the garden where he lived was like the soul of the saintly ones protected against cold, violent winds and warm pestilential winds.
I commanded a leopard, to give this baby milk to drink and the leopard did this until the baby grew into a grown-up child. When the time came for it to stop drinking milk, I commanded the Jinns to teach him how to speak and to teach him the ways of government. In this way, I reared and nourished him, which was wonderful and astonishing. So is My handling strange and wonderful.
I nourished the worms in the body of Nabi Ayoob (A.S.) and granted him such feeling for the worms just like a father over his children, so much so that when a worm came out of his body, he used to feel as if his children were being separated from him.
"I gave to Ayoob feelings of sympathy like a father, Acting like a host to worms without any harm to them". "I taught all mothers what love is,
What a lamp that is, which I have enlightened".
"Thus, I showed that child My numerous favours and numerous ways of My grace so that he could see My grace and generosity without adopting any means. This was done to prevent him from becoming involved with the problem of looking for the means, because sometimes the causes of the means are different. Further, I did all that so that the
child should in future seek help from Me alone, because the Provider of means was not hidden behind veils and curtains." In other words, to be nourished and reared without any means would entail that he should not look towards anyone else, so that he should have no excuse to go astray. He will not be able to provide the excuse that by having looked
at the means, he failed to pay attention to Allah's favours and bounties.
"But, O Izraeel, how did that child show gratitude to Me? That child became Namrood and he was the one who wanted to burn my Khaleel, Ibraheem (A.S.), alive. That was his intention but Allah made that fire of Namrood a rose - garden of safety. "
Now Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says: This nafs (self) is a very dangerous enemy. One should always seek refuge from it. For others, the nourishment by the mother and the father becomes a curtain, but this unfortunate one used to receive many
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