The Old Man Who Made No Lamentations
بِسۡمِ
ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
An old man who was noted for sanctity, and who realised the saying of the Prophet (s.a.w.), “The ‘ulama of the faith are as the prophets of Israel,” lost all his sons, but showed no grief or regret. His wife therefore rebuked him for his want of feeling, whereupon he replied to her, as recorded in Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi’s (q.s.), Matsnawi:
“He turned to his wife and said, ‘O
dame,
The harvest of December
is not as that of July;
Though they be dead or
though they be living,
Are they not equally
visible to the eyes of the heart?
I behold them clearly
before me,
Wherefore should I
disfigure my countenance like you?
Though they have gone
forth by revolution of fortune,
They are with me still,
playing round me.
The cause of lamentation
is separation or parting,
But I am still with my
dear ones, and embrace them.
Ordinary people may see
them in dreams,
But I see them clearly,
though wide awake.
I conceal myself a while
from this world,
I shake down the leaves
of outward sense from the tree.
Know, O wife, outward
sense is captive to reason,
And reason, again, is
captive to spirit.
Spirit unlooses the
chained hands of reason;
Yea, it opens all things
that are closed.
Sensations and thoughts resemble
weeds
Which occupy the surface
of pure water.
The hand of reason puts
these weeds aside,
And the pure water is
then visible to the wise.
Weeds in plenty cover the
stream like bubbles;
When they are swept
aside, the water is seen;
But when God Unlooses not
the hands of reason,
The weeds on our water
grow thick through carnal lust;
Yea, they cover up your
water more and more,
While your lust is
smiling and your reason weeping.
When fear of God binds
the hands of lust,
Then God Unlooses the two
hands of reason.
Then the powerful senses are subdued by you,
When you submit to reason as your commander,
Then your sleepless sense is lulled into sleep,
That mysteries may appear to the soul.
You behold visions when broad awake,
And the gates of heaven are open before you.’”
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