| Divine Face of Jalal ud Din Rumi |
| The Shopkeeper and The Parrot |
| Book 1; Story no.2 |
| Translation & Commentary by Seema Arif |
| This Website has been created & maintained by Seema Arif |
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| Why does it tastes so, let anybody please tell!
The evil doth bears its quality not due to name Seawater is bitter in itself; pot is not to shame The letters are pots, their meaning water it holds Meanings in effect look toward �Tablet Preserved� (9) The sweet and saline currents along each other tread They respect follow a discipline, and do not blend (10) Acknowledge! They erupt from the same source; Don�t get stuck in differences; reach the essence (11) Whether polluted or gold is pure, none may behest None can trust the worth until touchstone doth test (12) Allah but sets touchstone in His favored heart No doubt recognizing good from evil is his art (13) |
| 9) Umm-al Kitab or Loh-i Mahfuz is the Preserved Tablet, which has inscribed on it the original attributes of each creation, its function and relationship to other creations in Universe.
(10) Here Rumi is referring towards Mundus Imaginalis or �Imaginal world of forms� where good and evil all exist together, flowing side by side in same ocean �like sweet and salty currents�, which do not over ride each other.(Qur'an: 55:19-20) They may work in opposition, perhaps they must, in order to conform to their essence and to preserve their identity. (See Alam al Mithal) �Click for detail � It has been quoted by Dr. Witteveen in �Sufism in Action�, �A scientific principle �synchronicity� has been discovered by a team of scientists with Albert Einstein in (1935) and further elaborated by J.S. Bell in (1964) when a mathematical proof had been provided, which implied that � a deep and fundamental level the separate particles of the Universe are connected in an intimate and immediate way�.� (p. 37) (11) Good and evil are relative terms. A knowledge seeker must not get stuck in definitions and categorizing behavior in �good� or �evil�. He must reach the essence, i.e. he/she must neutralize the opposition in him/her; it is just recognizing and appreciating individual differences and not accepting evil in its essence. One way of fighting evil is to preserve the good in you. The moment you resort to evil tricks and methods just to win or just to fight, you become evil yourself. (12) Good and evil are not self-proclaimed titles or allegations thrown by others, it is self-evident. Only when one undergoes the rigor of this world, the Divine test�s result declare, who is good and who is evil. (See Surah Asr: Qur'an: 103-1-3) (13) Only Allah�s favored persons can undergo moral and spiritual transformation and can differentiate between �good� & �evil� to its roots. |
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| NOTES |
| Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), hath witnessed a decision in his heart
All can follow, who from loyalty and faithfulness never depart A straw is felt in food by a living human being Can�t be at rest unless pulls it out while chewing In thousands of bites a little straw recognized It hath declared: living from the dead identified The perception of world supports us here Lifts us to heaven, the cognition of hereafter (14) The physical health is confirmed by the doctor The spiritual well being Beloved doth explore Strengthened is the former by a vigorous body The latter achieved by mortification and purity King of soul always abandons the body on its own Then inhabits the place most deserted and forlorn (15) The blessed is the soul that for heaven�s sake Hath spent all: possessions and belongings fake. He hath deserted his home in search of treasure And then adorns it all with its mirth and pleasure He hath but stopped in stream the water running Hath it cleaned and purified, opened for drinking The surgeon tears the skin to pull out the spear Fresh new skin grows healing the wound�s leer The fort hath been withdrawn from infidel�s possession, Rebuilt it is with hundred towers and bulwarks in session. |
| (14) The knowledge acquired by five senses enables us to reach any worldly heights. It provides us with wealth, fame and recognition in this world. It is the due mean to attain material progress. For spiritual ascension one needs to brazen one�s inner soul to perceive the cause behind all what is duly happening in this world.
(15) One has to purify one�s heart from all that is not God, to get it inhabited by God. See more on purification from foulness�Click for detail |
| The Way of Muhammad (saw) |
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