Mathnavi of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (133 pages, 11/18)
https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6110
pearls from Us directly.
"This nafs is a fierce wolf of prey,
So on every friend will he place the blame for going astray.
This I say, 0 poor servant of Allah, do not set free the chained dog Control the nafs and should you be overcome,
Develop contact with a saintly one
So that through his company and duah you may succeed. But search for such a guide who is awake in all situations So that you too may become awake
And if you should remain in the company of the vanquished, You too will become vanquished".
In other words, as is the company you keep, so will be the effects upon you, as the company is a seed. Whatever seeds you plant so will be the trees that will grow.
THE WISDOM OF HAZRAT LUQMAAN (A.S.)
The story is told that when Luqmaan's (A.S.) Master bought him, the other slaves looked upon him as being despicable. One day the Master sent all of them into the garden to pick fruit. All the slaves started eating the fruit. They ate to their heart's delight and went to inform the Master that Hazrat Luqmaan (A.S.) had eaten the fruit. This made the Master very much displeased with Luqmaan (A.S.).
Hazrat Luqmaan (A.S.) advised the Master: "Please investigate this matter thoroughly. I did not eat the fruit. I will tell you of a plan which will prove who the culprits were. The whole truth will become clear to you. Make preparations for hunting".
From the stable the Master ordered that horses be brought. The Master sat down on his horse. Then Hazrat Luqmaan (A.5.) said: "Proceed speedily in the direction of the desert. But before you proceed give everyone of the slaves, warm water to drink. Let everyone drink himself to the full with warm water.
Very soon you will discover who the real culprits are".
The result was that when those who had eaten the fruit were forced to run along, the quick movements caused them to start vomiting. That was because after drinking hot water, the fast movements caused their stomachs to become even more heated. Moreover the path they trod which led to the desert was an uneven one, with ups and downs. This made vomiting unavoidable. In the vomit, the signs of their having eaten the fruit was quite clear, because the time which passed since they had eaten was too short for the fruit to be digested. Hazrat Luqmaan (A.S.) did not vomit as there was no fruit in his stomach.
Through the wise plan of Hazrat Luqmaan (A.S.) all the slaves were put to shame and were embarrassed. The Master became very pleased with the wisdom of the plan and as a result
Luqmaan (A.S.) became a favourite of the Master. Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says:
"When such is the wisdom of Luqmaan (AS.), Imagine the wisdom of the True Master of all".
THE STORY OF THE ACCEPTANCE OF "AHI"
A certain saintly man used to always perform his salaah with the congregation, in the mosque. One day as usual he went to the mosque for salaah. As he reached the door of the mosque, he heard the voice of the Imam saying: "Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah" indicating that the congregational salaah had ended. Realising that he had missed the congregational salaah, the pious man was so filled with sorrow that he sighed: "Ah!" It was such a sigh that came right from the depths of his heart.
"The saintly man missed the Jamaat and 'Ah!' was uttered in sorrow And in his 'Ah' the blood of his heart could be smelt".
Inside the mosque there was another saintly one who had a spiritual sight. When he came out of the mosque he saw a shining light, which went right up to the throne of Allah. He discovered that the noor was the sigh of the person who had missed the congregational prayer. He said to the pious one: "Hazrat give me that 'Ah!' and in exchange accept my salaah which was performed with the congregation".
The saint did not at the time understand the real value of his "Ah!" and exchanged it for the salaah with Jamaat. That night the 'other saint saw a dream wherein a voice from heaven said to him: "0 man, you have purchased and acquired the water of life, the water of health and have made a very good exchange in getting that 'Ah!' because that sigh was uttered in the fullest sincerity".
"That night a messenger from on high brought the message That through that transaction he had acquired the water of life and of health.
And said: Through this transaction that you have made,
Allah has accepted the salaahs of all mankind of the present time." LESSON:
From this story we learn the following things:
a)One should not look down upon anyone. Sometimes even a great sinner repents so sincerely, with such a presence of heart and in such a heart-rending manner that this repentance of his becomes superior to all his other deeds, with the result that we do not know from where to where he reaches.
Moulana says:
"Towbah (repentance) is a strange means of conveyance, It causes one to reach speedily from humbleness and lowliness Upto acceptance and great heights".
b)From this we also learn that when there are short-comings
and faults in our deeds, we should have sorrow, grief and remorse and we should cry before Allah seeking forgiveness and pardon. In the story all that was included in one" Ah!".
c)From this story we also learn the importance of performing our salaah together with the congregation.
THE STORY ABOUT THE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON AN ELEPHANT
In a certain country no one had ever seen an elephant. From India the first elephant was brought to this country. It was placed in a dark building where the eyes could not see the dark coloured elephant. Many viewers came along to see the animal. They were allowed to touch the elephant and then draw conclusions as to what an elephant was. According to which part of the elephant they had touched, they drew their conclusions by analogy and in this manner each one had a different opinion.
The one who touched the ear-lobes of the elephant exclaimed: The elephant was like a huge fan. The one who touched its back exclaimed: "The elephant is like a platform". The one who touched its leg exclaimed: "No, you are all wrong. This is like a pillar". The one who touched the trunk of the elephant said: "According to my opinion, this elephant is long and hollow within".
So, in this manner all of them had different versions of an elephant. Moulana Rumi (R.A.) now says that if in their hands they had a lamp, all these differences of opinion would have disappeared.
"If everyone of them had a lamp in his hand, They would all have been safe from differing". LESSON:
These days there are much differences of opinion in this world regarding the concept of Allah, Messengership, Prophethood, the aim and object of life on earth and the resurrection. Many people, in this darkened world, independent of the light of revelation try to understand the links between the worldly life and the life of the hereafter. They try to understand the relationship between the Creator and His creation simply and only by using reasoning powers, or who try to understand these things through the reason of him who does not rely on revelation; They are all like those mentioned in this story. Not one of them will be able to reach the truth.
One blind man, whether he tries to tread the path of his own accord or through following another blind one, in both cases he will be treading towards destruction and be deprived of reaching the required destination. If a traveller and guide, are blind - no matter how many they may be, the sum total will still be blindness. Hence, to understand the reality of things, logic and reason alone is not enough. Light of revelation is also required. In the story all those who touched the elephant, were rational beings, only light was missing.
Thus Muslims should not look towards men of science and philosophy to research the affairs of the hereafter and fix the object of human life on earth. Those men of science and philosophy lack the light of revelation and as such they will conclude that man is just a machine which manufactures faeces. They will conclude that the object of this life is merely to eat, drink and exude faeces - nothing else.
The light to which we refer is divine revelation. It is the Holy Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. The light is the same which was revealed in the Cave of Hira fourteen centuries ago. May Allah protect us from any modern light.
"O new light, may your face be blackened.
In your heart is darkness and your outside is enlightened". THE VAIN IMAGINATION OF A FLY
A donkey urinated in a certain place. The urine was so much that as it flowed away, blades of grass started flowing with the urine. A fly sat on one of the dry blades of grass as it flowed away on top of the urine. He felt as if he was sailing along on the ocean and imagined the flowing blade of grass to be his boat. In comparison with other pies, he felt himself to be superior. Never before did he feel this superiority. He felt inclined to announce his superiority and high rank and said:
A fly on a blade of grass sailing along in a donkey's urine Like a ship, shakes his head and announces:
"I have studied the sea and sailed by boat And in this study have I spent quite a time".
Moulana Rumi (R.A.) explains: Just as this fly is involved with a greatly foolish notion, similarly is the case of the misguided intelligentsia of our age who term their imaginations and wrong thoughts to be research. They consider it insulting and humiliating for them to derive benefit from Divine Revelation. They consider it perfect to invite humanity to those false ideologies. Moulana gives advise to those stupid ones:
"He who with his wrong interpretations turn away from Divine Revelation Is like that fly on the blade of grass sailing along in the donkey's
urine. "
This person looks upon his imagination and ideas as his saving grace and means of success, and even tries to make Divine Revelation subject to his own opinions. At every step he is wont to say: "I think this or that", "My opinion is this". He goes so far
as to pass judgement from his opinions on those things in deen on which there is a general consensus of agreement, and those things which are proven through continuous authentic transmission. He even wants to impose his views over the judgements of the Sahaba and their beliefs. Such a person is in the
same boat as the fly in this story. Such a person is like the fly flowing along on a blade of grass in the urine of a donkey;
imagining that he is an expert sailor.
Thereafter Moulana Rumi (R.A.) shows the way how such a person can reform himself:
"If the fly does not enter wrong interpretation into his opinion. And repent from wrong interpretations.
Fate will make that fly become blessed".
In other words, the fly will become so full of blessings that he will be saved from having to sit on faeces and from being mixed with impurities. He will then enter the ranks of the pure ones.
The author of these lines says that Moulana's reference in this Couplet is to the Quranic verse: "And conjecture avails nothing against truth":
And the verse
"And follow the path of him who returns (in repentance) to Me". THE STORY ABOUT THE TREATMENT FOR A TANNER
One day a skin tanner was passing by perfume, shops in the market place. He had been all the time involved with the tanning of animal skins and had become used to the bad smell of the skins. He now happened to pass the shops selling scents. As he got the fragrant smell of the scents, he could not bear it, as he had been used to living in a bad smelling environment and bad smells had become second nature to him
When he smelt the fragrant scents from the perfume Shops, he fell down unconscious on the road. A big crowd of people gathered around him. One was reciting some Wazifa and blowing over him in an effort to revive him. Another was sprinkling rose water over him. Another was massaging the palms of his hands and feet. In spite of all these efforts, he did not recover and seemed to be sinking deeper into unconsciousness.
His brother heard what had happened and came running along. He smelt the fragrant scents and immediately understood that the scents were the cause of his unconsciousness. He announced: "Let no rose water be sprinkled over him. And let no fragrant smelling scents be brought near him". The brother went away from the scene for a short while. He brought some faeces of a dog, hidden in the sleeve of his shirt. Moving through the crowd he came to his brother and held the dog's dung to his nose. The bad smell of the dung immediately revived him. The people were surprised and were wondering what strong perfume the brother had brought, which was not even found in those perfume selling shops.
Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says:
"His brother came along with dog's faeces hidden in his sleeve And forcing his way through the crowd came to his brother.
He brought his head near to the brother as if to tell him a secret And then brought the dog's dung to his nose and he was revived".
LESSON:
Those who become perplexed and agitated at the sweet-smell of Allah's and His Rasool' s obedience and those who are not inclined to a life of following the Sunnat, should be considered as having the same sickness as the tanner in the above story. In their dirty way of life and the dirty environment of sinful living, they spend a whole lifetime, so that their heart and brains become familiar with those things and are inclined towards them.
The treatment of getting them to change that life is to slowly, step by step, get them out of that environment of sin and to make them wander around in the fragrant gardens. They should be brought
to the gatherings of the saintly ones and into their. company. After frequenting these places for a couple of days, they will say: "In what dirty environment were we?" Then thinking about the life of the past, they would cry and sigh and will be very grateful for the company of the righteous ones. Now gradually there noses will become used to the fragrant scents (i.e. in the love and service of Allah) and will be able to say: ''It is as if day and night I am living in paradise,
All these flowers are embroidered on the garden of my heart". THE STORY OF THE BEWITCHED PRINCE
A certain King had only one son. The boy was quite handsome and had a good character. It was the King's desire and intention to have the son married to a beautiful princess and in this regard he started talking to a religiously minded and righteous family. At this stage the prince's mother started having second thoughts. She said to her husband: "You are looking at righteousness and fear of God, but you do not see that these people are inferior to you as far as honour, respect and wealth are concerned".
The King replied:
"Begone, O Foolish One, he who chooses the sorrow of concern of De en, Allah will remove all other worldly cares from Him".
EXPLANATION:
The cares of the hereafter are like the staff of Nabi Moosa (A.S.), which swallows all the snakes of the sorcerers. Similarly, the sorrows and concern for the hereafter, swallows all the sorrows of the world. In this respect let us look at the couplets of the humble author of these lines:.
"You will be freed from the cares of both worlds, If you have concern in you for the hereafter".
At last, the King managed to persuade his wife towards his view and the marriage of the prince took place to the beautiful princess. After the marriage, they waited a long time but there was no sign of the princess bringing forth any offspring. This caused the King great worries. He was thinking: "What is wrong? This princess is pretty and young. Why is she not becoming pregnant?"
The King gathered his advisors and consulted secretly with the Ulama and saintly ones. At last it was discovered that the prince was under a spell from an old woman who had bewitched him. The effect of the witchcraft was that he was feeling great dislike and aversion towards his wife and used to go to the ugly old woman. For quite a time, as a result of this witchcraft practised on him, he was in love with the ugly old woman.
When he heard this, the King was very sad and displeased. He immediately started giving a lot of charity and fell into prostration, crying bitterly before his Lord. Before he could stop crying, a man from the unseen appeared before him and said: "Come with me to the graveyard". The King followed him to the graveyard. There they went to a very old grave and dug into it. Then he dug up and showed the King a hair with a hundred knots on it - articles of witchcraft - on which sorcery had been practiced, and then been buried there. The man blew upon every knot and opened it. As he did this, the young prince became healed of his ailment. As soon as the last knot was opened, the prince was saved from the love he felt for the old woman. His eyes gained proper sight and he no longer detested his wife. He stopped looking at the old woman with eyes filled with love, in fact he felt great dislike and aversion for her.
When he now looked at his young and beautiful wife, he was so struck by her beauty that he fell down unconscious. Slowly he regained his senses and gradually he was able to bear her beauty.
Moulana now tells his lessons from this story: He says: "O people, you are like that prince and this world is like that ugly old woman who has bewitched the lovers of this world. As a result of this spell they fall in love with the outside appearance of this temporary life, while turning their backs towards Allah, Rasulullah and towards the life of the hereafter.
In actual fact, the reality of this world is as much as Hazrat Majzoob (R.A.) says: "Actually it is a picture of devastation although appearing like being built up. That is its only reality, a mere dream and deceit
That man's eyes are closed and man a mere fiction".
Haroun-al-Rashid's son, who discarded his father's Kingdom and chose a life of poverty, shortly before his death spoke to a friend of his, in these words:
"The world says: O, my friend, do not become deceived by my pleasures, For life is ending and the pleasures will end.
And when you carry a corpse to the grave,
Then remember that after him you too will be carried".
We learn from this story that the treatment for the person whose eyes have become bewitched by this world is:
(1)to have a sincere and deep love for the Saints of Allah,
(2)to remember death at all times,
(3)to stay in the company of the saintly ones as much as possible,
(4)to discard own opinions and to listen attentively to their instructions and to act accordingly,
(5)to perform two rak'ahs salaah, beg forgiveness and beseech Allah for His guidance.
THE STORY OF THE SINCERITY OF NAZRAT ALI
There is a very well known story concerning the sincerity of Hazrat Ali. It is said that once, while fighting with a non believer, he managed to overpower him and was sitting on top of him ready for the final blow of his sword. At that moment the non-believer spat in his face. This act of the disbeliever made Ali feel very much displeased. However, he placed the sword back into its sheath and got off from him. In other words he immediately refrained from killing him, although he had all the opportunity to do so.
As he separated himself from the enemy, the disbeliever shouted at him: "O Ameerul- Mumineen! What is this? After I had insulted you by spitting in your face, you should have killed me immediately. You had me at your mercy and completely subdued and subjugated. What is it that stopped you from killing me?"
Hazrat Ali replied: "I had the intention of killing you solely for the pleasure of Allah. When you spat in my face, you stirred up my anger. If I had killed you then, this act of mine would have been out of the anger of my nafs and not out of sincerity to Allah. Allah does not accept any deed which is not done out of sincerity. Killing you at that time would have been against sincerity. Hence I refrained from killing you".
Hearing these words from Hazrat Ali the enemy was astonished and the light of Imaan was lit in his heart: "I consider it my good fortune to accept such a Deen, 0 Ameerul-Mumineen, where such a teaching of sincerity is expounded. This Deen is undoubtedly
the true Deen".
Now Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says:
"Learn the lesson of sincerity from Hazrat Ali
And consider the Lion of Truth to be free of deceit. During Jehad he overpowered a non-believing fighter And removed his sword from the sheath in order to kill. The non-believing enemy spat in the face of him.
Who was the beloved of Allah, Rasulullah and all the Saints. Hazrat Ali replaced his sword in the sheath
And refrained from killing the enemy. The non-believer was astonished at this.
He was surprised at the enemy's pardon and mercy. He said: "With such speed you took out the sword
But why did you replace the sword in the sheath and leave me alone?
How is the mercy and pardon at a time of anger
When a serpent subdues someone, why would it leave its prey?" Ali replied:
"I am the Lion of God, not the Lion of my lustful desires.
This act of mine, is a witness and an indication of the truth of my religion. When you spat in my face, my nafs cried out for revenge.
At that time my nature and disposition was destroyed.
At that time half the act would be for God and the other half as revenge for myself. And any deed done for God should not be divided between Him and another
And should be done solely for Him". The disbelieving enemy replied:
"I am a spreader and sower of injustice and evil, But I consider you as a highest form of humanity".
The result of this story was that the non-believer became blessed with embracing Islam. Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says:
“The sword of clemency is sharper than the sword of iron in effect. In fact, in being victorious, clemency is more effective than numerous armies ".
LESSON
From this story we learn a very great lesson about sincerity in deeds. Whatever deed a person does, he should correct his intention. If sincerity is present, worldly acts also become religious acts. For example, a person for the sake of earning halaal shouts: 'Here, buy guavas, buy mangoes!' His intention is to earn halaal sustenance to feed his wife and children according to the command of Allah and His Rasulullah. In such a case, for every time he shouts 'Buy guavas, buy mangoes', he is being rewarded.
On the other hand if he says: "Subhaanallah, Subhaanallah!" with this intention that the people should look upon him as a holy man and put their wealth in his trust, whereby he will acquire worldly things, then in such a case his "Subhaanallah" will be a worldly act and not a deeny act.
Hence Ikhlaas (sincerity) is very important. Otherwise there is the danger that all deeds may become destroyed. In order to learn sincerity, it is necessary that we learn it from a sincere person. This great gift is best learnt from the saints of Allah and from their company. It is not acquired merely from books.
Book knowledge and the company of the saintly, both these things are necessary. Those who are blessed with the company of the elders also learn a lot and also become beloved of the people while those who only depend on book knowledge and do not stay in the company of the saintly ones can never become properly reformed beings. The reason for this is that purification is a transitive action of one on another person and for this act a purifier is required.
The Quran speaks about "And he purifies them".
In this verse the purifier is Rasulullah $ and the purified are the Sahabah (R.A.). This shows that the Sahabah (R.A.) were not able to purify themselves although that was the blessed era of Rasulullah $. At that time the Quran was being revealed and Jibreel was coming and going among them. So how can anybody today say: "We consider our studies of books enough for our reformation and rectification". Such people's hearts will fully understand that such a talk is ,merely meaningless and foolish pretence. In actual fact, laziness of the self and love of this world and of the high rank are the things that keeps one away from visiting a saintly spiritual guide, for self-rectification.
The immediate pleasures and grandeur of this world is preferred above the promised life of the hereafter. The nafs reigns supreme and one has not the ability to resist and oppose it. The actual reason for this is the fact that there is a lack of desire in us for Allah and for this reason we are satisfied with a little deen in our lives, but we are not satisfied with a little of this world. Night and day we make plans as to how we can acquire more of this
worldly wealth.'
Imam Ghazali (R.A.) says:
"I see the Kings of this world satisfied with little deen, But not satisfied with a little of this world
So now, with Your deen become independent of the King's world, Just as they with their dunya show disinterest in the hereafter".
THE STORY OF THE TRADER AND THE CAPTIVE PARROT
A certain trader had a parrot which had a melodious voice and was very beautiful. Befor
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6110
pearls from Us directly.
"This nafs is a fierce wolf of prey,
So on every friend will he place the blame for going astray.
This I say, 0 poor servant of Allah, do not set free the chained dog Control the nafs and should you be overcome,
Develop contact with a saintly one
So that through his company and duah you may succeed. But search for such a guide who is awake in all situations So that you too may become awake
And if you should remain in the company of the vanquished, You too will become vanquished".
In other words, as is the company you keep, so will be the effects upon you, as the company is a seed. Whatever seeds you plant so will be the trees that will grow.
THE WISDOM OF HAZRAT LUQMAAN (A.S.)
The story is told that when Luqmaan's (A.S.) Master bought him, the other slaves looked upon him as being despicable. One day the Master sent all of them into the garden to pick fruit. All the slaves started eating the fruit. They ate to their heart's delight and went to inform the Master that Hazrat Luqmaan (A.S.) had eaten the fruit. This made the Master very much displeased with Luqmaan (A.S.).
Hazrat Luqmaan (A.S.) advised the Master: "Please investigate this matter thoroughly. I did not eat the fruit. I will tell you of a plan which will prove who the culprits were. The whole truth will become clear to you. Make preparations for hunting".
From the stable the Master ordered that horses be brought. The Master sat down on his horse. Then Hazrat Luqmaan (A.5.) said: "Proceed speedily in the direction of the desert. But before you proceed give everyone of the slaves, warm water to drink. Let everyone drink himself to the full with warm water.
Very soon you will discover who the real culprits are".
The result was that when those who had eaten the fruit were forced to run along, the quick movements caused them to start vomiting. That was because after drinking hot water, the fast movements caused their stomachs to become even more heated. Moreover the path they trod which led to the desert was an uneven one, with ups and downs. This made vomiting unavoidable. In the vomit, the signs of their having eaten the fruit was quite clear, because the time which passed since they had eaten was too short for the fruit to be digested. Hazrat Luqmaan (A.S.) did not vomit as there was no fruit in his stomach.
Through the wise plan of Hazrat Luqmaan (A.S.) all the slaves were put to shame and were embarrassed. The Master became very pleased with the wisdom of the plan and as a result
Luqmaan (A.S.) became a favourite of the Master. Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says:
"When such is the wisdom of Luqmaan (AS.), Imagine the wisdom of the True Master of all".
THE STORY OF THE ACCEPTANCE OF "AHI"
A certain saintly man used to always perform his salaah with the congregation, in the mosque. One day as usual he went to the mosque for salaah. As he reached the door of the mosque, he heard the voice of the Imam saying: "Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah" indicating that the congregational salaah had ended. Realising that he had missed the congregational salaah, the pious man was so filled with sorrow that he sighed: "Ah!" It was such a sigh that came right from the depths of his heart.
"The saintly man missed the Jamaat and 'Ah!' was uttered in sorrow And in his 'Ah' the blood of his heart could be smelt".
Inside the mosque there was another saintly one who had a spiritual sight. When he came out of the mosque he saw a shining light, which went right up to the throne of Allah. He discovered that the noor was the sigh of the person who had missed the congregational prayer. He said to the pious one: "Hazrat give me that 'Ah!' and in exchange accept my salaah which was performed with the congregation".
The saint did not at the time understand the real value of his "Ah!" and exchanged it for the salaah with Jamaat. That night the 'other saint saw a dream wherein a voice from heaven said to him: "0 man, you have purchased and acquired the water of life, the water of health and have made a very good exchange in getting that 'Ah!' because that sigh was uttered in the fullest sincerity".
"That night a messenger from on high brought the message That through that transaction he had acquired the water of life and of health.
And said: Through this transaction that you have made,
Allah has accepted the salaahs of all mankind of the present time." LESSON:
From this story we learn the following things:
a)One should not look down upon anyone. Sometimes even a great sinner repents so sincerely, with such a presence of heart and in such a heart-rending manner that this repentance of his becomes superior to all his other deeds, with the result that we do not know from where to where he reaches.
Moulana says:
"Towbah (repentance) is a strange means of conveyance, It causes one to reach speedily from humbleness and lowliness Upto acceptance and great heights".
b)From this we also learn that when there are short-comings
and faults in our deeds, we should have sorrow, grief and remorse and we should cry before Allah seeking forgiveness and pardon. In the story all that was included in one" Ah!".
c)From this story we also learn the importance of performing our salaah together with the congregation.
THE STORY ABOUT THE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON AN ELEPHANT
In a certain country no one had ever seen an elephant. From India the first elephant was brought to this country. It was placed in a dark building where the eyes could not see the dark coloured elephant. Many viewers came along to see the animal. They were allowed to touch the elephant and then draw conclusions as to what an elephant was. According to which part of the elephant they had touched, they drew their conclusions by analogy and in this manner each one had a different opinion.
The one who touched the ear-lobes of the elephant exclaimed: The elephant was like a huge fan. The one who touched its back exclaimed: "The elephant is like a platform". The one who touched its leg exclaimed: "No, you are all wrong. This is like a pillar". The one who touched the trunk of the elephant said: "According to my opinion, this elephant is long and hollow within".
So, in this manner all of them had different versions of an elephant. Moulana Rumi (R.A.) now says that if in their hands they had a lamp, all these differences of opinion would have disappeared.
"If everyone of them had a lamp in his hand, They would all have been safe from differing". LESSON:
These days there are much differences of opinion in this world regarding the concept of Allah, Messengership, Prophethood, the aim and object of life on earth and the resurrection. Many people, in this darkened world, independent of the light of revelation try to understand the links between the worldly life and the life of the hereafter. They try to understand the relationship between the Creator and His creation simply and only by using reasoning powers, or who try to understand these things through the reason of him who does not rely on revelation; They are all like those mentioned in this story. Not one of them will be able to reach the truth.
One blind man, whether he tries to tread the path of his own accord or through following another blind one, in both cases he will be treading towards destruction and be deprived of reaching the required destination. If a traveller and guide, are blind - no matter how many they may be, the sum total will still be blindness. Hence, to understand the reality of things, logic and reason alone is not enough. Light of revelation is also required. In the story all those who touched the elephant, were rational beings, only light was missing.
Thus Muslims should not look towards men of science and philosophy to research the affairs of the hereafter and fix the object of human life on earth. Those men of science and philosophy lack the light of revelation and as such they will conclude that man is just a machine which manufactures faeces. They will conclude that the object of this life is merely to eat, drink and exude faeces - nothing else.
The light to which we refer is divine revelation. It is the Holy Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. The light is the same which was revealed in the Cave of Hira fourteen centuries ago. May Allah protect us from any modern light.
"O new light, may your face be blackened.
In your heart is darkness and your outside is enlightened". THE VAIN IMAGINATION OF A FLY
A donkey urinated in a certain place. The urine was so much that as it flowed away, blades of grass started flowing with the urine. A fly sat on one of the dry blades of grass as it flowed away on top of the urine. He felt as if he was sailing along on the ocean and imagined the flowing blade of grass to be his boat. In comparison with other pies, he felt himself to be superior. Never before did he feel this superiority. He felt inclined to announce his superiority and high rank and said:
A fly on a blade of grass sailing along in a donkey's urine Like a ship, shakes his head and announces:
"I have studied the sea and sailed by boat And in this study have I spent quite a time".
Moulana Rumi (R.A.) explains: Just as this fly is involved with a greatly foolish notion, similarly is the case of the misguided intelligentsia of our age who term their imaginations and wrong thoughts to be research. They consider it insulting and humiliating for them to derive benefit from Divine Revelation. They consider it perfect to invite humanity to those false ideologies. Moulana gives advise to those stupid ones:
"He who with his wrong interpretations turn away from Divine Revelation Is like that fly on the blade of grass sailing along in the donkey's
urine. "
This person looks upon his imagination and ideas as his saving grace and means of success, and even tries to make Divine Revelation subject to his own opinions. At every step he is wont to say: "I think this or that", "My opinion is this". He goes so far
as to pass judgement from his opinions on those things in deen on which there is a general consensus of agreement, and those things which are proven through continuous authentic transmission. He even wants to impose his views over the judgements of the Sahaba and their beliefs. Such a person is in the
same boat as the fly in this story. Such a person is like the fly flowing along on a blade of grass in the urine of a donkey;
imagining that he is an expert sailor.
Thereafter Moulana Rumi (R.A.) shows the way how such a person can reform himself:
"If the fly does not enter wrong interpretation into his opinion. And repent from wrong interpretations.
Fate will make that fly become blessed".
In other words, the fly will become so full of blessings that he will be saved from having to sit on faeces and from being mixed with impurities. He will then enter the ranks of the pure ones.
The author of these lines says that Moulana's reference in this Couplet is to the Quranic verse: "And conjecture avails nothing against truth":
And the verse
"And follow the path of him who returns (in repentance) to Me". THE STORY ABOUT THE TREATMENT FOR A TANNER
One day a skin tanner was passing by perfume, shops in the market place. He had been all the time involved with the tanning of animal skins and had become used to the bad smell of the skins. He now happened to pass the shops selling scents. As he got the fragrant smell of the scents, he could not bear it, as he had been used to living in a bad smelling environment and bad smells had become second nature to him
When he smelt the fragrant scents from the perfume Shops, he fell down unconscious on the road. A big crowd of people gathered around him. One was reciting some Wazifa and blowing over him in an effort to revive him. Another was sprinkling rose water over him. Another was massaging the palms of his hands and feet. In spite of all these efforts, he did not recover and seemed to be sinking deeper into unconsciousness.
His brother heard what had happened and came running along. He smelt the fragrant scents and immediately understood that the scents were the cause of his unconsciousness. He announced: "Let no rose water be sprinkled over him. And let no fragrant smelling scents be brought near him". The brother went away from the scene for a short while. He brought some faeces of a dog, hidden in the sleeve of his shirt. Moving through the crowd he came to his brother and held the dog's dung to his nose. The bad smell of the dung immediately revived him. The people were surprised and were wondering what strong perfume the brother had brought, which was not even found in those perfume selling shops.
Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says:
"His brother came along with dog's faeces hidden in his sleeve And forcing his way through the crowd came to his brother.
He brought his head near to the brother as if to tell him a secret And then brought the dog's dung to his nose and he was revived".
LESSON:
Those who become perplexed and agitated at the sweet-smell of Allah's and His Rasool' s obedience and those who are not inclined to a life of following the Sunnat, should be considered as having the same sickness as the tanner in the above story. In their dirty way of life and the dirty environment of sinful living, they spend a whole lifetime, so that their heart and brains become familiar with those things and are inclined towards them.
The treatment of getting them to change that life is to slowly, step by step, get them out of that environment of sin and to make them wander around in the fragrant gardens. They should be brought
to the gatherings of the saintly ones and into their. company. After frequenting these places for a couple of days, they will say: "In what dirty environment were we?" Then thinking about the life of the past, they would cry and sigh and will be very grateful for the company of the righteous ones. Now gradually there noses will become used to the fragrant scents (i.e. in the love and service of Allah) and will be able to say: ''It is as if day and night I am living in paradise,
All these flowers are embroidered on the garden of my heart". THE STORY OF THE BEWITCHED PRINCE
A certain King had only one son. The boy was quite handsome and had a good character. It was the King's desire and intention to have the son married to a beautiful princess and in this regard he started talking to a religiously minded and righteous family. At this stage the prince's mother started having second thoughts. She said to her husband: "You are looking at righteousness and fear of God, but you do not see that these people are inferior to you as far as honour, respect and wealth are concerned".
The King replied:
"Begone, O Foolish One, he who chooses the sorrow of concern of De en, Allah will remove all other worldly cares from Him".
EXPLANATION:
The cares of the hereafter are like the staff of Nabi Moosa (A.S.), which swallows all the snakes of the sorcerers. Similarly, the sorrows and concern for the hereafter, swallows all the sorrows of the world. In this respect let us look at the couplets of the humble author of these lines:.
"You will be freed from the cares of both worlds, If you have concern in you for the hereafter".
At last, the King managed to persuade his wife towards his view and the marriage of the prince took place to the beautiful princess. After the marriage, they waited a long time but there was no sign of the princess bringing forth any offspring. This caused the King great worries. He was thinking: "What is wrong? This princess is pretty and young. Why is she not becoming pregnant?"
The King gathered his advisors and consulted secretly with the Ulama and saintly ones. At last it was discovered that the prince was under a spell from an old woman who had bewitched him. The effect of the witchcraft was that he was feeling great dislike and aversion towards his wife and used to go to the ugly old woman. For quite a time, as a result of this witchcraft practised on him, he was in love with the ugly old woman.
When he heard this, the King was very sad and displeased. He immediately started giving a lot of charity and fell into prostration, crying bitterly before his Lord. Before he could stop crying, a man from the unseen appeared before him and said: "Come with me to the graveyard". The King followed him to the graveyard. There they went to a very old grave and dug into it. Then he dug up and showed the King a hair with a hundred knots on it - articles of witchcraft - on which sorcery had been practiced, and then been buried there. The man blew upon every knot and opened it. As he did this, the young prince became healed of his ailment. As soon as the last knot was opened, the prince was saved from the love he felt for the old woman. His eyes gained proper sight and he no longer detested his wife. He stopped looking at the old woman with eyes filled with love, in fact he felt great dislike and aversion for her.
When he now looked at his young and beautiful wife, he was so struck by her beauty that he fell down unconscious. Slowly he regained his senses and gradually he was able to bear her beauty.
Moulana now tells his lessons from this story: He says: "O people, you are like that prince and this world is like that ugly old woman who has bewitched the lovers of this world. As a result of this spell they fall in love with the outside appearance of this temporary life, while turning their backs towards Allah, Rasulullah and towards the life of the hereafter.
In actual fact, the reality of this world is as much as Hazrat Majzoob (R.A.) says: "Actually it is a picture of devastation although appearing like being built up. That is its only reality, a mere dream and deceit
That man's eyes are closed and man a mere fiction".
Haroun-al-Rashid's son, who discarded his father's Kingdom and chose a life of poverty, shortly before his death spoke to a friend of his, in these words:
"The world says: O, my friend, do not become deceived by my pleasures, For life is ending and the pleasures will end.
And when you carry a corpse to the grave,
Then remember that after him you too will be carried".
We learn from this story that the treatment for the person whose eyes have become bewitched by this world is:
(1)to have a sincere and deep love for the Saints of Allah,
(2)to remember death at all times,
(3)to stay in the company of the saintly ones as much as possible,
(4)to discard own opinions and to listen attentively to their instructions and to act accordingly,
(5)to perform two rak'ahs salaah, beg forgiveness and beseech Allah for His guidance.
THE STORY OF THE SINCERITY OF NAZRAT ALI
There is a very well known story concerning the sincerity of Hazrat Ali. It is said that once, while fighting with a non believer, he managed to overpower him and was sitting on top of him ready for the final blow of his sword. At that moment the non-believer spat in his face. This act of the disbeliever made Ali feel very much displeased. However, he placed the sword back into its sheath and got off from him. In other words he immediately refrained from killing him, although he had all the opportunity to do so.
As he separated himself from the enemy, the disbeliever shouted at him: "O Ameerul- Mumineen! What is this? After I had insulted you by spitting in your face, you should have killed me immediately. You had me at your mercy and completely subdued and subjugated. What is it that stopped you from killing me?"
Hazrat Ali replied: "I had the intention of killing you solely for the pleasure of Allah. When you spat in my face, you stirred up my anger. If I had killed you then, this act of mine would have been out of the anger of my nafs and not out of sincerity to Allah. Allah does not accept any deed which is not done out of sincerity. Killing you at that time would have been against sincerity. Hence I refrained from killing you".
Hearing these words from Hazrat Ali the enemy was astonished and the light of Imaan was lit in his heart: "I consider it my good fortune to accept such a Deen, 0 Ameerul-Mumineen, where such a teaching of sincerity is expounded. This Deen is undoubtedly
the true Deen".
Now Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says:
"Learn the lesson of sincerity from Hazrat Ali
And consider the Lion of Truth to be free of deceit. During Jehad he overpowered a non-believing fighter And removed his sword from the sheath in order to kill. The non-believing enemy spat in the face of him.
Who was the beloved of Allah, Rasulullah and all the Saints. Hazrat Ali replaced his sword in the sheath
And refrained from killing the enemy. The non-believer was astonished at this.
He was surprised at the enemy's pardon and mercy. He said: "With such speed you took out the sword
But why did you replace the sword in the sheath and leave me alone?
How is the mercy and pardon at a time of anger
When a serpent subdues someone, why would it leave its prey?" Ali replied:
"I am the Lion of God, not the Lion of my lustful desires.
This act of mine, is a witness and an indication of the truth of my religion. When you spat in my face, my nafs cried out for revenge.
At that time my nature and disposition was destroyed.
At that time half the act would be for God and the other half as revenge for myself. And any deed done for God should not be divided between Him and another
And should be done solely for Him". The disbelieving enemy replied:
"I am a spreader and sower of injustice and evil, But I consider you as a highest form of humanity".
The result of this story was that the non-believer became blessed with embracing Islam. Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says:
“The sword of clemency is sharper than the sword of iron in effect. In fact, in being victorious, clemency is more effective than numerous armies ".
LESSON
From this story we learn a very great lesson about sincerity in deeds. Whatever deed a person does, he should correct his intention. If sincerity is present, worldly acts also become religious acts. For example, a person for the sake of earning halaal shouts: 'Here, buy guavas, buy mangoes!' His intention is to earn halaal sustenance to feed his wife and children according to the command of Allah and His Rasulullah. In such a case, for every time he shouts 'Buy guavas, buy mangoes', he is being rewarded.
On the other hand if he says: "Subhaanallah, Subhaanallah!" with this intention that the people should look upon him as a holy man and put their wealth in his trust, whereby he will acquire worldly things, then in such a case his "Subhaanallah" will be a worldly act and not a deeny act.
Hence Ikhlaas (sincerity) is very important. Otherwise there is the danger that all deeds may become destroyed. In order to learn sincerity, it is necessary that we learn it from a sincere person. This great gift is best learnt from the saints of Allah and from their company. It is not acquired merely from books.
Book knowledge and the company of the saintly, both these things are necessary. Those who are blessed with the company of the elders also learn a lot and also become beloved of the people while those who only depend on book knowledge and do not stay in the company of the saintly ones can never become properly reformed beings. The reason for this is that purification is a transitive action of one on another person and for this act a purifier is required.
The Quran speaks about "And he purifies them".
In this verse the purifier is Rasulullah $ and the purified are the Sahabah (R.A.). This shows that the Sahabah (R.A.) were not able to purify themselves although that was the blessed era of Rasulullah $. At that time the Quran was being revealed and Jibreel was coming and going among them. So how can anybody today say: "We consider our studies of books enough for our reformation and rectification". Such people's hearts will fully understand that such a talk is ,merely meaningless and foolish pretence. In actual fact, laziness of the self and love of this world and of the high rank are the things that keeps one away from visiting a saintly spiritual guide, for self-rectification.
The immediate pleasures and grandeur of this world is preferred above the promised life of the hereafter. The nafs reigns supreme and one has not the ability to resist and oppose it. The actual reason for this is the fact that there is a lack of desire in us for Allah and for this reason we are satisfied with a little deen in our lives, but we are not satisfied with a little of this world. Night and day we make plans as to how we can acquire more of this
worldly wealth.'
Imam Ghazali (R.A.) says:
"I see the Kings of this world satisfied with little deen, But not satisfied with a little of this world
So now, with Your deen become independent of the King's world, Just as they with their dunya show disinterest in the hereafter".
THE STORY OF THE TRADER AND THE CAPTIVE PARROT
A certain trader had a parrot which had a melodious voice and was very beautiful. Befor
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6110