| Divine Face Of Jalal ud Din Rumi |
| Spiritual Reverence and Courtesy |
| Masnavi:Book 1, Lines: 78 -92 |
| Seek by Allah the gift: reverence and courtesy
Thy insolence deny His grace and sympathy Impudent the state of lonely affliction enjoin burns not alone, sets the whole world to ruin Feast from heaven had reached in abound (1) Neither buying nor selling, or asking around Ah! Someone from Moses� clan, much in disdain "Where (are) garlic and lentils� would complain (2) The Divine Feast had been ended since then, Shovel, and scythe, toil of farming remain (3) Once more, Jesus had beseeched for a table (4) Allah sent dishes making His bounty available. The table from heaven had been back for good As Jesus had entreated �bless us with food� Yet, the audacious abandoned courtesy. (5) Beggars! Hoarding leftovers like hungry Jesus forbade them and had thus implore Food shall never leave, ordained to endure Acting suspicious and greedy on Table Divine Insulting rejection and ingratitude now whine Those beggar faced lustful and greedy Had shut for them all, great gate of Mercy The Divine Feast for good adjourned None tastes the blessed food, confirmed |
| Related Notes |
| 1. Ma �ida: is 5th chapter of Qur�an� meaning �A table� prepared food sent by heaven. It also refers to the Middle Eastern custom of eating on the floor or ground with the food placed upon a cloth, or occasionally upon leather. So it�s just not a tray of food but complete �dinner� with all its supplements.
2. It refers to the manna and quails sent to the people of Moses in the desert: "And We shaded them with clouds, and We sent down to them manna and quails, (saying), 'Eat from among the good things that We have provided to you'.. But they did harm to themselves" [by complaining]. (Qur'an 7:160; 2:57) 3. It represents the partisan ways of a nomadic and agrarian society. When man refused to satisfy his hunger with natural elements occurring in nature, the only resolve was �toil of farming� � �do it yourself�? It is human impetuous nature, which God has termed as: �We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to carry it and were afraid of it; and man carried it. Sure he is sinful, very foolish�; discussed again in �Fihi Ma Fihi�, discourse number 4 by Rumi. |
| 4. It occurs in God sent a table: a "table" of food from Heaven which the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) prayed for and received: "When the disciples said, 'O Jesus son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table from Heaven?' He said, 'Be in awe of God [attaq� 'll�h] if you are (truly) believers'" (5:114). The disciples said that they only wanted to eat, as well as to know for certain, by seeing a miracle, that Jesus spoke the truth. Jesus prayed for food from heaven as a sign (of Divine support) and for sustenance from God who is the Best of Providers. God agreed to send it down, but warned of punishment for any who denied faith after this (miracle--5: 116-118).
5. As Nicholson�s commentary tells us, like beggars: refers to the custom according to which guests were allowed to take food home with them after being invited to a meal. "It was not unusual (though considered unmannerly) for greedy guests to collect and carry away the food left over from a feast. Such a person was called zallah-band." However Rumi following Islamic tradition seems to despise this custom, regarding it ungracious of guests showing greed for something specifically, which they do not own. It is sharing and not possessing which is favored by Qur�an. |
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| Translation & Commentary by Seema Arif |
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