Secrets of The Self (Israr e Khudi) by DR - Iqbal

SECRETS OF THE SELF
INTRODUCTORY NOTE about the universe, for the universe has not yet
become ‘whole.’ The process of creation is still
BY IQBAL going on, and man too takes his share in it,
‘That experience should take place in finite inasmuch as he helps to bring order into at
centres and should wear the form of finite least a portion of the chaos. The Quran
this‐ness is in the end inexplicable.’ These are indicates the possibility of other creators than
the words of Prof. Bradley. But starting with God. (Quran, ch. 23. v. 14: “Blessed is God, the
these inexplicable centres of experience, he best of those who create.”)
ends in a unity which he calls Absolute and in Obviously this view of man and the
which the finite centres lose their finiteness and universe is opposed to that of the English
distinctness. According to him, therefore, the Neo‐Hegelians as well as to all forms of
finite centre is only an appearance. The test of pantheistic Sufism which regard absorption in
reality, in his opinion is all‐inclusiveness; and a universal life or soul as the final aim and
since all finiteness is ‘infected with relativity,’ it salvation of man. The moral and religious ideal
follows that the latter is a mere illusion. To my of man is not self‐negation but self‐affirmation,
mind, this inexplicable finite centre of and he attains to this ideal by becoming more
experience is the fundamental fact of the and more individual, more and more unique.
universe. All life is individual; there is no such The Prophet said, ‘Takhallaqu bi‐akhlaq Allah,’
thing as universal life. God himself is an ‘Create in yourselves the attributes of God.’
individual: He is the most unique individual.1 Thus man becomes unique by becoming more
The universe, as Dr. McTaggart says, is an and more like the most unique Individual.
association of individuals; but we must add What then is life? It is individual: its highest
that the orderliness and adjustment which we form, so far, is the ego (khudi) in which the
find in this association is not eternally individual becomes a self‐contained exclusive
achieved and complete in itself. It is the result centre. Physically as well as spiritually man is a
of instinctive or conscious effort. We are self‐contained centre, but he is not yet a
gradually travelling from chaos to cosmos and complete individual. The greater his distance
are helpers in this achievement. Nor are the from God, the less his individuality. He who
members of the association fixed; new comes nearest to God is the completest person.
members are ever coming to birth to co‐operate Not that he is finally absorbed in God. On the
in the great task. Thus the universe is not a contrary, he absorbs God into himself.2 The
completed act: it is still in the course of
formation. There can be no complete truth 2Maulana Rumi has very beautifully expressed this
idea. The Prophet, when a little boy, was once lost
in the desert. His nurse Halima was almost beside
1 This view was held by the orthodox Imam Ahmad herself with grief but while roaming the desert in
ibn Hanbal in its extreme (anthropomorphic) form. search of the boy she heard a voice saying:

4 Collected Poetical Works of Iqbal
true person not only absorbs the world of religion, and ethics must be judged from the
matter by mastering it; he absorbs God stand‐point of personality. My criticism of
Himself into his ego by assimilating Divine Plato is directed against those philosophical
attributes. Life is a forward assimilative systems which hold up death rather than life as
movement. It removes all obstructions in its their ideal—systems which ignore the greatest
march by assimilating them. Its essence is the obstruction to life, namely, matter, and teach
continual creation of desires and ideals, and for us to run away from it instead of absorbing it.
the purpose of its preservation and expansion As in connexion with the question of the
it has invented or developed out of itself freedom of the ego we have to face the
certain instruments, e.g., senses, intellect, etc., problem of matter, similarly in connexion with
which help it to assimilate obstructions. The its immortality we have to face the problem of
greatest obstacle in the way of life is matter, time. Bergson has taught us that time is not an
Nature; yet Nature is not evil, since it enables infinite line (in the spatial sense of the word
the inner powers of life to unfold themselves. ‘line’) through which we must pass whether
The ego attains to freedom by the removal we wish it or not. This idea of time is
of all observations in its way. It is partly free, adulterated. Pure time has no length. Personal
partly determined3, and reaches fuller freedom immorality is an aspiration: you can have it if
by approaching the Individual, who is most you make an effort to achieve it. It depends on
free—God. In one word, life is an endeavour our adopting, in this life modes of thought and
for freedom. activity which tend to maintain the state of
The ego and continuation of personality tension. Buddhism, Persian Sufism and allied
In man the centre of life becomes an ego or forms of ethics will not serve our purpose. But
person. Personality is a state of tension and can they are not wholly useless, because after
continue only if that state is maintained. If the periods of great activity we need opiates,
state of tension is not maintained, relaxation narcotics, for some time. These forms of
will ensue. Since personality, or the state of thought and action are like nights in the days
tension, is the most valuable achievement of of life. Thus, if our activity is directed towards
man, he should see that he does not revert to a the maintenance of a state of tension, the shock
state of relaxation. That which tends to of death is not likely to affect it. After death
maintain the state of tension tends to make us there may be an interval of relaxation, as the
immortal. Thus the idea of personality gives us Quran speaks of a barzakh, or intermediate
a standard of value: it settles the problem of state, which, in the case of some individuals,
good and evil. That which fortifies personality will last until the Day of Resurrection (Quran,
is good, that which weakens it is bad. Art,4 ch. 23, v. 102). Only those egos will survive this
state of relaxation who have taken good care
‘Do not grieve he will not be lost to thee;
Nay, the whole world will be lost in him.’ be subordinated to this final purpose, and the
The true individual cannot be lost in the world; it is value of everything must be determined in
the world that is lost in him. I go a step further and reference to its life‐yielding capacity. The highest
say, prefixing a new half‐verse to a hemistich of art is that which awakens our dormant will‐force
Rumi: and braves us to face the trials of life manfully. All
In his will that which God wills becomes that brings drowsiness and makes us shut our eyes
to reality around, on the mastery of which alone
lost;
Life depends, is a message of decay and death.
‘How shall a man believe this saying?’”
There should be no opium‐eating in Art. The
3 According to the saying of the Prophet, ‘The true dogma of Art for the sake of Art is a clever
Faith is between predestination and free‐will.’” invention of decadence to cheat us out of life and
4 The ultimate end of all human activity is Life— power. (‘Our Prophesʹs Criticism of Contemporary
glorious, powerful, exuberant. All human art must Arabian Poetry’ in The New Era, 1916, p. 251)

Secrets & Mysteries 5
during the present life. Although life abhors (b) Self‐control, which is the highest form of

repetition in its evolution, yet on Bergson’s self‐consciousness or ego‐hood
principles the resurrection of the body too, as (c) Divine vicegerency
Wildon Carr says, is quite possible. By This divine vicegerency is the third and last
breaking up time into moments we spatialise it stage of human development on earth. The
and then find difficulty in getting over it. The vicegerent is the vicegerent of God on earth.
true nature of time is reached when we look He is the completest ego, the goal of
into our deeper self. Real time is life itself humanity,5 the acme of life both in mind and
which can preserve itself by maintaining that. body; in him the discord of our mental life
particular state of tension (personality) which it becomes a harmony. This highest power is
has so far achieved. We are subject to time so united in him with the highest knowledge. In
long as we look upon time as something his life, thought and action, instinct and reason,
spatial. Spatialised time is a fetter which life become one. He is the last fruit of the tree of
has forged for itself in order to assimilate the humanity, and all the trials of a painful
present environment. In reality we are evolution are justified because he is to come at
timeless, and it is possible to realise our the end. He is the real ruler of mankind; his
timelessness even in this life. This revelation, kingdom is the kingdom of God on earth. Out
however, can be momentary only. of the richness of his nature he lavishes the
The education of the ego wealth of life on others, and brings them
nearer and nearer to himself. The more we
The ego is fortified by love. This word is used advance in evolution, the nearer we get to him.
in a very wide sense and means the desire to In approaching him we are raising ourselves in
assimilate, to absorb. Its highest form is the the scale of life. The development of humanity
creation of values and ideals and the both in mind and body is a condition
endeavour to realise them. Love individualises precedent to his birth. For the present he is a
the lover as well as the beloved. The effort to mere ideal; but the evolution of humanity is
realise the most unique individuality tending towards the production of an ideal
individualises the seeker and implies the race of more or less unique individuals who
individuality of the sought, for nothing else will become his fitting parents. Thus the
would satisfy the nature of the seeker. As love Kingdom of God on earth means the
fortifies the ego, asking weakens it. All that is democracy of more or less unique individuals,
achieved without personal effort comes under presided over by the most unique individual
asking. The son of a rich man who inherits his possible on this earth. Nietzsche had a glimpse
fatherʹs wealth is an ‘asker,’ or beggar; so is of this ideal race, but his atheism and
every one who thinks the thoughts of others. aristocratic prejudices marred his whole
Thus, in order to fortify the ego we should conception.”6
cultivate love, i.e. the power of assimilative

action, and avoid all forms of ‘asking, i.e. 5 Man already possesses the germ of vicegerency as
inaction. The lesson of assimilative action is God says in the Quran (ch. 2. v. 28): “Lo! I will
given by the life of the Prophet, at least to a appoint a khalifa (vicegerent) on the earth.”
Mohammedan. In another part of the poem I 6 Nicholson’s Note—Writing of ‘Muslim
have hinted at the general principles of Muslim Democracy’ in The New Era, 1916, p. 251, Iqbal says:
ethics and have tried to reveal their meaning in “The Democracy of Europe—overshadowed by
connexion with the idea of personality. The socialistic agitation and anarchical fear—originated
mainly in the economic regeneration of European
ego in its movement towards uniqueness has
societies. Nietzsche, however, abhors this ’rule of
to pass through three stages:
the herd’ and, hopeless of the plebeian, he bases all
(a) Obedience to the Law higher culture on the cultivation and growth of an
Aristocracy of Supermen. But is the plebeian so

My thought hunted down and slung from the
SECRETS OF THE SELF saddle a deer
That has not yet leaped forth from the covert
But yester‐eve a lamp in hand7 of non‐existence.
The Shaykh did all the city span, Fair is my garden ere yet the leaves are green:
Sick of mere ghosts he sought a man, Unborn roses are hidden in the skirt of my
But could find none in all the land. garment.
I struck dumb the musicians where they were
“I Rustam or a Hyder seek
gathered together,
I’m sick of snails, am sick,” he said,
I smote the heart‐string of the universe,
“There’s none,” said I. He shook his head,
Because the lute of my genius hath a rare
“There’s none like them, but still I seek.”
melody:
—Rumi
Even to comrades my song is strange.
I am born in the world as a new sun,
Prologue I have not learned the ways and fashions of
When the world‐illuming sun rushed upon the sky
Night like a brigand, Not yet have the stars fled before my
My weeping bedewed the face of the rose. splendour,
My tears washed away sleep from the eye of Not yet is my quicksilver astir;
the narcissus, Untouched is the sea by my dancing rays,
My passion wakened the grass and made it Untouched are the mountains by my crimson
grow. hue.
The Gardener tried the power of my song, The eye of existence is not familiar with me;
He sowed my verse and reaped a sword. I rise trembling, afraid to show myself.
In the soil he planted only the seed of my From the East my dawn arrived and routed
tears Night,
And wove my lament with the garden, as A fresh dew settled on the rose of the world.
warp and woof. I am waiting for the votaries that rise at dawn;
Tho’ I am but a mote, the radiant sun is mine: Oh, happy they who shall worship my fire!
Within my bosom are a hundred dawns. I have no need of the ear of To‐day,
My dust is brighter than Jamshidʹs cup I am the voice of the poet of To‐morrow.
It knows things that are yet unborn in the My own age does not understand my deep
world. meanings,
My Joseph is not for this market.
I despair of my old companions,

My Sinai burns for sake of the Moses who is
absolutely hopeless? The Democracy of Islam did
coming.
not grow out of the extension of economic
opportunity; it is a spiritual principle based on the Their sea is silent, like dew,
assumption that every human being is a centre of But my dew is storm‐ridden, like the ocean.
latent power, the possibilities of which can be My song is of another world than theirs:
developed by cultivating a certain type of This bell calls other travellers to take the road.
character. Out of the plebeian material Islam has Many a poet was born after his death,
formed men of the noblest type of life and power. Opened our eyes when his own were closed,
Is not, then, the Democracy of early Islam an
And journeyed forth again from nothingness,
experimental refutation of the ideas of Nietzsche?”
7 The versified translation of the quotation from
Like roses blossoming oʹer the earth of his
Rumi is taken from Shaikh Mahmud Husain. grave.
Strangely, Nicholson omitted it although he was Albeit caravans have passed through this
best known as Rumi’s translator. desert,

They passed, as a camel steps, with little It makes the foot of the partridge red with
sound. blood of the hawk.
But I am a lover: loud crying is my faith Arise and pour pure wine into my cup,
The clamour of Judgment Day is one of my Pour moon beams into the dark night of my
minions. thought,
My song exceeds the range of the chord, That I may lead home the wanderer
Yet I do not fear that my lute will break. And imbue the idle looker‐on with restless
’Twere better for the water drop not to know impatience;
my torrent, And advance hotly on a new quest
Whose fury should rather madden the sea. And become known as the champion of a new
No river will contain my Oman. spirit;
My flood requires whole seas to hold it. And be to people of insight as the pupil to the
Unless the bud expand into a bed of roses, eye,
It is unworthy of my spring‐cloudʹs bounty. And sink into the ear of the world, like a
Lightnings slumber within my soul, voice;
I sweep over mountain and plain. And exalt the worth of Poesy
Wrestle with my sea, if thou art a plain; And sprinkle the dry herbs with my tears.
Receive my lightning if thou art a Sinai. Inspired by the genius of the Master of Rum.
The Fountain of Life hath been given me to I reherarse the sealed book of secret lore.
drink. His soul is the flaming furnace,
I have been made an adept of the mystery of I am but as the spark that gleams for a
Life. moment.
The speck of dust was vitalised by my His burning candle consumed me, the moth;
burning song: His wine overwhelmed my goblet.
It unfolded wings and became a firefly. The master of Rum transmuted my earth to
No one hath told the secret which I will tell gold
Or threaded a pearl of thought like mine. And set my ashes aflame.
Come, if thou wouldʹst know the secret of The grain of sand set forth from the desert,
everlasting life That it might win the radiance of the sun.
Come, if thou wouldʹst win both earth and I am a wave and I will come to rest in his sea,
heaven. That I may make the glistening pearl mine
Heaven taught me this lore, own.
I cannot hide it from comrades. I who am drunken with the wine of his song
Draw life from the breath of his words,
O Saki arise and pour wine into the cup!
Clear the vexation of Time from my heart ʹTwas night: my heart would fain lament.
The sparkling liquor that flows from Zemzem The silence was filled with my cries to God.
Were a beggar to worship it, he would I was complaining of the sorrows of the world
become a king. And bewailing the emptiness of my cup.
It makes thought more sober and wise, it At last mine eye could endure no more,
makes the keen eye keener, Broken with fatigue it went to sleep.
It gives to a straw the weight of a mountain, There appeared the Master, formed in the
And to foxes the strength of lions. mould of Truth,
It causes dust to soar to the Pleiades Who wrote the Quran in Persian.
And a drop of water swell to the breadth of He said, “O frenzied lover,
the sea. Take a draught of loveʹs pure wine.
It turns silence into the din of Judgment Day, Strike the chords of thine heart and rouse a
tumultuous strain.

Dash thine head against the goblet and thine Many a night I wept for Manʹs sake
eye against the lancet! That I might tear the veil from Lifeʹs
Make thy laughter the source of a hundred mysteries.
sighs. And extract the secret of Lifeʹs constitution
Make the hearts of men bleed with thy tears From the laboratory of phenomena.
How long wilt thou be silent, like a bud? I who give beauty to this night, like the moon,
Sell thy fragrance cheap, like the rose! Am as dust in devotion to the pure Faith
Tongue‐tied, thou art in pain: (Islam) –
Cast thyself upon the fire, like rue! A Faith renowned in hill and dale.
Like the bell, break silence at last, and from Which kindles in menʹs hearts a flame of
every limb. undying song:
Utter forth a lamentation! It sowed an atom and reaped a sun,
Thou art fire: fill the world with thy glow! It harvested a hundred poets like Rumi and
Make others burn with thy burning! Attar.
Proclaim the secrets of the old wine seller; I am a sigh: I will mount to the heavens;
Be thou a surge of wine, and the crystal cup I am but smoke, yet am I sprung of fire.
thy robe! Driven onward by high thoughts, my pen
Shatter the mirror of fear, Cast abroad the secret behind this veil,
Break the bottles in the bazaar That the drop may become co‐equal with the
Like the reed‐flute, bring a message from the sea
reed‐bed And the grain of sand grow into a Sahara.
Give to Majnun a message from the tribe of Poetising is not the aim of this mathnavi.
Layla! Beauty‐worshipping and love‐making is not
Create a new style for thy song, its aim.
Enrich the assembly with thy piercing strains! I am of India: Persian is not my native tongue;
Up, and re‐inspire every living soul I am like the crescent moon: my cup is not
Say ʹArise!ʹ and by that word quicken the full.
living! Do not seek from me charm of style in
Up, and set thy feet on another path; exposition.
Put aside the passionate melancholy of old! Do not seek from me Khansar and Isfahan.
Become familiar with the delight of singing; Although the language of Hind is sweet as
Bell of the caravan, awake!” sugar,
Yet sweeter is the fashion of Persian speech.
At these words my bosom was enkindled
My mind was enchanted by its loveliness,
And swelled with emotion like the flute;
My pen became as a twig of the Burning
I rose like music from the string
Bush.
To prepare a Paradise for the ear.
Because of the loftiness of my thoughts,
I unveiled the mystery of the self
Persian alone is suitable to them.
And disclosed its wondrous secret.
O Reader, do not find fault with the wine‐cup,
My being was an unfinished statue, But consider attentively the taste of the wine.
Uncomely, worthless, good for nothing.
Love chiselled me: I became a man.
And gained knowledge of the nature of the
universe.
I have seen the movement of the sinews of the
sky.
And the blood coursing in the veins of the
moon.

Showing that the system of the universe All these are forms which it assumes for the
originates in the self and that the purpose of action.
The self rises, kindles, falls, glows, breathes,
continuation of the life of all individuals Burns, shines, walks, and flies.
depends on strengthening the self The spaciousness of Time is its arena,
The form of existence is an effect of the self, Heaven is a billow of the dust on the road.
Whatsoever thou seest is a secret of the self. From its rose‐planting the world abounds in
When the self awoke to consciousness, roses;
It revealed the universe of Thought. Night is born of its sleep, day springs from its
A hundred words are hidden in its essence: waking.
Self‐affirmation brings not‐self to light. It divided its flame into sparks
By the self the seed of opposition is sown in And taught the understanding to worship
the world: particulars.
It imagines itself to be other than itself It dissolved itself and created the atoms
It makes from itself the forms of others It was scattered for a little while and created
In order to multiply the pleasure of strife. sands.
It is slaying by the strength of its arm Then it wearied of dispersion
That it may become conscious of its own And by re‐uniting itself it became the
strength. mountains.
Its self‐deceptions are the essence of Life; ʹTis the nature of the self to manifest itself
Like the rose, it lives by bathing itself in In every atom slumbers the might of the self.
blood. Power that is unexpressed and inert
For the sake of a single rose it destroys a Chains the faculties which lead to action.
hundred rose gardens Inasmuch as the life of the universe comes
And makes a hundred lamentations in quest from the power of the self,
of a single melody. Life is in proportion to this power.
For one sky it produces a hundred new When a drop of water gets the selfʹs lesson by
moons, heart,
And for one word a hundred discourses. It makes its worthless existence a pearl.
The excuse for this wastefulness and cruelty Wine is formless because its self is weak;
Is the shaping and perfecting of spiritual It receives a form by favour of the cup.
beauty. Although the cup of wine assumes a form,
The loveliness of Shirin justifies the anguish It is indebted to us for its motion.
of Farhad. When the mountain loses its self, it turns into
One fragrant navel justifies a hundred sands
musk‐deer. And complains that the sea surges over it;
ʹTis the fate of moths to consume in flame: The wave, so long as it remains a wave in the
The suffering of moths is justified by the sea’s bosom,
candle. Makes itself rider on the seaʹs back.
The pencil of the self limned a hundred Light transformed itself into an eye
to‐days And moved to and fro in search of beauty;
In order to achieve the dawn of a single When the grass found a means of growth in
morrow. its self,
Its flames burned a hundred Abrahams Its aspiration clove the breast of the garden.
That the lamp of one Muhammad might be The candle too concatenated itself
lighted. And built itself out of atoms;
Subject, object, means, and causes—

Then it made a practice of melting itself away It is a restless wave of the selfʹs sea.
and fled from its self Desire is a noose for hunting ideals,
Until at last it trickled down from its own eye, A binder of the book of deeds.
like tears. Negation of desire is death to the living,
If the bezel had been more self secure by Even as absence of heat extinguishes the
nature, flame.
It would not have suffered wounds, What is the source of our wakeful eye?
But since it derives its value from the Our delight in seeing hath taken visible shape.
superscription, The partridgeʹs leg is derived from the
Its shoulder is galled by the burden of elegance of its gait,
anotherʹs name. The nightingaleʹs beak from its endeavour to
Because the earth is firmly based on its self, sing.
The captive moon goes round it perpetually. Away from the seed‐bed, the reed became
The being of the sun is stronger than that of happy:
the earth: The music was released from its prison.
Therefore is the earth fascinated by the sunʹs What is the essence of the mind that strives
eye. after new discoveries and scales the
The glory of the red birch fixes our gaze, heavens?
The mountains are enriched by its majesty Knowest thou what works this miracle?
Its raiment is woven of fire, ʹTis desire that enriches Life,
Its origin is one self‐assertive seed. And the mind is a child of its womb.
When Life gathers strength from the self, What are social organisation, customs and
The river of Life expands into an ocean. laws?
What is the secret of the novelties of science?
Showing that the life of the self comes A desire which realised itself by its own
from forming ideals and bringing them to strength
And burst forth from the heart and took
birth
shape.
Life is preserved by purpose: Nose, hand, brain, eye, and ear,
Because of the goal its caravan‐bell tinkles. Thought, imagination, feeling, memory, and
Life is latent in seeking, understanding –
Its origin is hidden in desire. All these are weapons devised by Life for
Keep desire alive in thy heart, self‐preservation
Lest thy little dust become a tomb. In its ceaseless struggle.
Desire is the soul of this world of hue and The object of science and art is not
scent, knowledge,
The nature of everything is a storehouse of The object of the garden is not the bud and
desire. the flower.
Desire sets the heart dancing in the breast, Science is an instrument for the preservation
And by its glow the breast is made bright as a of Life,
mirror. Science is a means of invigorating the self.
It gives to earth the power of soaring, Science and art are servants of Life,
It is a Khizr to the Moses of perception. Slaves born and bred in its house.
From the flame of desire the heart takes life, Rise, O thou who art strange to Life ʹs
And when it takes life, all dies that is not true. mystery,
When it refrains from forming desires, Rise intoxicated with the wine of an ideal:
Its pinion breaks and it cannot soar. An ideal shining as the dawn,
Desire keeps the self in perpetual uproar: A blazing fire to all that is other than God;

An ideal higher than Heaven – Sinai is but an eddy of the dust of his house,
Winning, captivating, enchanting menʹs His dwelling‐place is a sanctuary to the Kaʹba
hearts, itself.
A destroyer of ancient falsehood, Eternity is less than a moment of his time,
Fraught with turmoil, and embodiment of the Eternity receives increase from his essence.
Last Day. He slept on a mat of rushes,
We live by forming ideals, But the crown of Chosroes was under his
We glow with the sunbeams of desire! peopleʹs feet.
He chose the nightly solitude of Mount Hira,
Showing that the self is strengthened by And he founded a state and laws and
love government.
He passed many a night with sleepless eyes
The luminous point whose name is the self In order that the Muslims might sleep on the
Is the life‐spark beneath our dust. throne of Persia.
By Love it is made more lasting, In the hour of battle, iron was melted by the
More living, more burning, more glowing. fash of his sword;
From Love proceeds the radiance of its being. In the hour of prayer, tears fell like rain from
And the development of its unknown his eye.
possibilities. When he prayed for Divine help, his sword
Its nature gathers fire from Love, answered “Amen”
Love instructs it to illumine the world. And extirpated the race of kings.
Love fears neither sword nor dagger, He instituted new laws in the world,
Love is not born of water and air and earth. He brought the empires of antiquity to an
Love makes peace and war in the world, end.
Love is the Fountain of Life, Love is the With the key of religion he opened the door of
flashing sword of Death. this world:
The hardest rocks are shivered by Loveʹs The womb of the world never bore his like.
glance: In his sight high and low were one,
Love of God at last becomes wholly God. He sat with his slave at one table.
Learn thou to love, and seek a beloved: The daughter of the chieftain of Tai was taken
Seek an eye like Noahʹs, a heart like Jobʹs! prisoner in battle
Transmute thy handful of earth into gold, And brought into that exalted presence;
Kiss the threshold of a Perfect Man! Her feet in chains, unveiled,
Like Rumi, light the candle And her neck bowed with shame.
And burn Rum in the fire of Tabriz! When the Prophet saw that the poor girl had
There is a beloved hidden within thine heart: no veil,
I will show him to thee, if thou hast eyes to He covered her face with his own mantle.
see. We are more naked than that lady of Tai,
His lovers are fairer than the fair, We are unveiled before the nations of the
Sweeter and comelier and more beloved. world.
By love of him the heart is made strong In him is our trust on the Day of Judgement,
And earth rubs shoulders with the Pleiades. And in this world too he is our protector.
The soil of Najd was quickened by his grace Both his favour and his wrath are entirely a
And fell into a rapture and rose to the skies. mercy:
In the Muslim ʹs heart is the home of That is a mercy to his friends and this to his
Muhammad, foes.
All our glory is from the name of He opened the gate of mercy to his enemies,
Muhammad.

He gave to Makkah the message, “No penalty “Muhammad is the preface to the book of the
shall be laid upon you.” universe:
We who know not the bonds of country All the worlds are slaves and he is the
Resemble sight, which is one though it be the Master.”
light of two eyes.
From the wine of Love spring many spiritual
We belong to the Hijaz and China and Persia,
qualities:
Yet we are the dew of one smiling dawn.
Amongst the attributes of Love is blind
We are all under the spell of the eye of the
devotion.
cup bearer from Makkah,
The saint of Bistam, who in devotion was
We are united as wine and cup.
unique,
He burnt clean away distinctions of lineage,
Abstained from eating a water‐melon.
His fire consumed this trash and rubble.
Be a lover constant in devotion to thy
We are like a rose with many petals but with
beloved,
one perfume:
That thou mayst cast thy nose and capture
He is the soul of this society, and he is one
God.
We are the secret concealed in his heart:
Sojourn for a while on the Hira of the heart.
He spake out fearlessly, and we were
Abandon self and flee to God.
revealed.
Strengthened by God, return to thy self
The song of love for him fills my silent reed,
And break the heads of the Lat and Uzza of
A hundred notes throb in my bosom.
sensuality.
How shall I tell what devotion he inspires?
By the might of Love evoke an army
A block of dry wood wept at parting from
Reveal thyself on the Faran of Love,
him.
That the Lord of the Ka‘ba may show thee
The Muslimʹs being is where he manifests his
favour
glory:
And make thee the object of the text, “Lo, I
Many a Sinai springs from the dust on his
will appoint a vicegerent on the earth.”
path.
My image was created by his mirror,
Showing that the self is weakened by
My dawn rises from the sun of his breast.
My repose is a perpetual fever, asking
My evening hotter than the morning of O thou who hast gathered taxes from lions,
Judgment Day: Thy need hath caused thee to become a fox in
He is the April cloud and I his garden, disposition.
My vine is bedewed with his rain. Thy maladies are the result of indigence:
It sowed mine eye in the field of Love This disease is the source of thy pain.
And reaped a harvest of vision. It is robbing thine high thoughts of their
“The soil of Medina is sweeter than both dignity
worlds: And putting out the light of thy noble
Oh, happy the town where dwell the imagination.
Beloved!” Quaff rosy wine from the jar of existence!
I am lost in admiration of the style of Mulla Snatch thy money from the purse of Time!
Jami: Like Omar, come down from thy camel!
His verse and prose are a remedy for my Beware of incurring obligations, beware!
immaturity. How long wilt thou sue for office
He has written poetry overflowing with And ride like children on a reed?
beautiful ideas; A nature that fixes its gaze on the sky
And has threaded pearls in praise of the Becomes debased by receiving benefits.
Master‐

By asking, poverty is made more abject; Keep the cup inverted even in the midst of the
By begging, the beggar is made poorer. sea!
Asking disintegrates the self
And deprives of illumination the Sinai bush Showing that when the self is
of the self. strengthened by love it gains dominion
Do not scatter thy handful of dust;
over the outward and inward forces of the
Like the moon, scrape food from thine own
side! universe
Albeit thou art poor and wretched When the self is made strong by Love
And overwhelmed by affliction, Its power rules the whole world.
Seek not thy daily bread from the bounty of The Heavenly Sage who adorned the sky with
another, stars
Seek not water from the fountain of the sun, Plucked these buds from the bough of the self.
Lest thou be put to shame before the Prophet Its hand becomes Godʹs hand,
On the Day when every soul shall be stricken The moon is split by its fingers.
with fear. It is the arbitrator in all the quarrels of the
The moon gets sustenance from the table of world,
the sun Its command is obeyed by Darius and
And bears the brand of his bounty on her Jamshid.
heart. I will tell thee a story of Bu Ali,
Pray God for courage! Wrestle with Fortune! Whose name is renowned in India,
Do not sully the honour of the pure religion! Him who sang of the ancient rose‐garden
He who swept the rubbish of idols out of the And discoursed to us about the lovely rose:
Ka‘ba The air of his fluttering skirt
Said that God loves a man that earns his Made a Paradise of this fire‐born country.
living. His young disciple went one day to the
Woe to him that accepts bounty from bazaar –
anotherʹs table The wine of Bu Aliʹs discourse had turned his
And lets his neck be bent with benefits! head.
He hath consumed himself with the lightning The governor of the city was coming along on
of the favours bestowed on him, horseback,
He hath sold his honour for a paltry coin. His servant and staff‐bearer rode beside him.
Happy the man who thirsting in the sun The forerunner shouted, “O senseless one,
Does not crave of Khizr a cup of water! Do not get in the way of the governorʹs
His brow is not moist with the shame of escort!”
beggary; But the dervish walked on with drooping
He is a man still, not a piece of clay, head,
That noble youth walks under heaven Sunk in the sea of his own thoughts.
With his head erect like the pine. The staff‐bearer, drunken with pride,
Are his hands empty? The more is he master Broke his staff on the head of the dervish.
of himself. Who stepped painfully out of the governorʹs
Do his fortunes languish? The more alert is way.
he. Sad and sorry, with a heavy heart.
A whole ocean, if gained by begging is but a He came to Bu Ali and complained
sea of fire; And released the tears from his eyes.
Sweet is a little dew gathered by oneʹs own Like lightning that falls on mountains,
hand.
Be a man of honour, and like the bubble

The Shaykh poured forth a fiery torrent of Those fierce tigers beat the drum of
speech. sovereignty,
He let loose from his soul a strange fire, They deprived the sheep of freedom.
He gave an order to his secretary: For as much as tigers must have their prey,
“Take thy pen and write a letter That meadow was crimsoned with the blood
From a dervish to a sultan! of the sheep.
Say, ʹThy governor has broken my servantʹs One of the sheep which was clever and acute,
head; Old in years, cunning as a weather‐beaten
He has cast burning coals on his own life. wolf,
Arrest this wicked governor, Being grieved at the fate of his fellows
Or else I will bestow thy kingdom on another. And sorely vexed by the violence of the tigers,
The letter of the saint who had access to God Made complaint of the course of Destiny
Caused the monarch to tremble in every limb. And sought by craft to restore the fortunes of
His body was filled with aches, his race.
He grew as pale as the evening sun. The weak, in order to preserve themselves,
He sought out a handcuff for the governor Seek device from skilled intelligence.
And entreated Bu Ali to pardon this offence. In slavery, for the sake of repelling harm,
Khusrau, the sweet‐voiced eloquent poet, The power of scheming becomes quickened.
Whose harmonies flow from the mind And when the madness of revenge gains
And whose genius hath the soft brilliance of hold,
moonlight, The mind of the slave meditates rebellion.
Was chosen to be the king’s ambassador. “Ours is a hard knot,ʹʹ said this sheep to
When he entered Bu Ali’s presence and himself,
played his lute, “The ocean of our griefs hath no shore,
His song melted the fakir’s soul like glass. By force we sheep cannot escape from the
One strain of Poesy bought the grace tiger:
Of a kingdom that was firm as a mountain. Our legs are silver, his paws are steel.
Do not wound the heart of dervishes, ʹTis not possible, however much one exhorts
Do not throw thyself into burning fire! and counsels.
To create in a sheep the disposition of a wolf.
A tale of which the moral is that negation But to make the furious tiger a sheep – that is
of the self is a doctrine invented by the possible:
To make him unmindful of his nature – that is
subject races of mankind in order that by
possible.”
this means they may sap and weaken the He became as a prophet inspired,
character of their rulers And began to preach to the blood‐thirsty
Hast thou heard that in the time of old tigers.
The sheep dwelling in a certain pasture He cried out, “O ye insolent liars,
So increased and multiplied Who wot not of a day of ill luck that shall
That they feared no enemy? continue for ever!
At last, from the malice of Fate, I am possessed of spiritual power,
Their breasts were smitten by a shaft of I am an apostle sent by God for the tigers.
calamity. I come as a light for the eye that is dark,
The tigers sprang forth from the jungle I come to establish laws and give
And rushed upon the sheepfold. commandments.
Conquest and dominion are signs of strength, Repent of your blameworthy deeds!
Victory is the manifestation of strength. O plotters of evil, bethink yourselves of good!
Whoso is violent and strong is miserable:

Lifeʹs solidity depends on self‐denial. That frenzy of uttermost exertion remained
The spirit of the righteous is fed by fodder: not,
The vegetarian is pleasing unto God. That craving after action dwelt in their hearts
The sharpness of your teeth brings disgrace no more.
upon you They lost the power of ruling and the
And makes the eye of your perception blind. resolution to be independent,
Paradise is for the weak alone, They lost reputation, prestige, and fortune.
Strength is but a means to perdition. Their paws that were as iron became
It is wicked to seek greatness and glory, strengthless;
Penury is sweeter than princedom. Their souls died and their bodies became
Lightning does not threaten the cornseed: tombs.
If the seed become a stack, it is unwise. Bodily strength diminished while spiritual
If you are sensible, you will be a mote of sand, fear increased;
not a Sahara, Spiritual fear robbed them of courage.
So that you may enjoy the sunbeams. Lack of courage produced a hundred
O thou that delightest in the slaughter of diseases—
sheep, Poverty, pusillanimity, low mindedness.
Slay thy self, and thou wilt have honour! The wakeful tiger was lulled to slumber by
Life is rendered unstable the sheepʹs charm
By violence, oppression, revenge, and exercise He called his decline Moral Culture.
of power.
Though trodden underfoot, the grass grows To the effect that Plato, whose thought has
up time after time deeply influenced the mysticism and
And washes the sleep of death from its eye
literature of Islam, followed the sheepʹs
again and again.
Forget thy self, if thou art wise! doctrine, and that we must be on our
If thou dost not forget thy self, thou art mad. guard against his theories
Close thine eyes, close thine ears, close thy Plato, the prime ascetic and sage
lips, Was one of that ancient flock of sheep.
That thy thought may reach the lofty sky! His Pegasus went astray in the darkness of
This pasturage of the world is naught, naught: idealism
O fool, do not torment thy phantom! And dropped its shoe amidst the rocks of
The tiger‐tribe was exhausted by hard actuality.
struggles, He was so fascinated by the invisible
They had set their hearts on enjoyment of That he made hand, eye, and ear of no
luxury. account.
This soporific advice pleased them, “To die,” said he, “is the secret of Life:
In their stupidity they swallowed the charm The candle is glorified by being put out.”
of the sheep. He dominates our thinking,
He that used to make sheep his prey His cup sends us to sleep and takes the
Now embraced a sheepʹs religion. sensible world away from us.
The tigers took kindly to a diet of fodder: He is a sheep in manʹs clothing,
At length their tigerish nature was broken. The soul of the Sufi bows to his authority.
The fodder blunted their teeth He soared with his intellect to the highest
And put out the awful flashings of their eyes. heaven
By degrees courage ebbed from their breasts, And called the world of phenomena a myth.
The sheen departed from mirror.

’Twas his work to dissolve the structure of Desire is Love’s message to Beauty.
Life Wherefore doth desire swell continuously
And cut the bough of Lifeʹs fair tree asunder. The bass and treble of Lifeʹs song?
The thought of Plato regarded loss as profit, Whatsoever is good and fair and beautiful
His philosophy declared that being is Is our guide in the wilderness of seeking.
not‐being. Its image becomes impressed on thine heart,
His nature drowsed and created a dream It creates desires in thine heart.
His mindʹs eye created a mirage. Beauty is the creator of desireʹs springtide,
Since he was without any taste for action, Desire is nourished by the display of Beauty.
His soul was enraptured by the nonexistent. ’Tis in the poetʹs breast that Beauty unveils,
He disbelieved in the material universe ’Tis from his Sinai that Beautyʹs beams arise.
And became the creator of invisible Ideas. By his look the fair is made fairer,
Sweet is the world of phenomena to the living Through his enchantments Nature is more
spirit, beloved.
Dear is the world of Ideas to the dead spirit: From his lips the nightingale hath learned her
Its gazelles have no grave of movement, song,
Its partridges are denied the pleasure of And his rouge hath brightened the cheek of
walking daintily. the rose.
Its dewdrops are unable to quiver, ’Tis his passion burns in the heart of the moth,
Its birds have no breath in their breasts, ’Tis he that lends glowing hues to love tales.
Its seed does not desire to grow, Sea and land are hidden within his water and
Its moths do not know how to flutter. clay,
Our recluse had no remedy but flight: A hundred new worlds are concealed in his
He could not endure the noise of this world. heart.
He set his heart on the glow of a quenched Ere tulips blossomed in his brain
flame There was heard no note of joy or grief.
And depicted a word steeped in opium. His music breathes oʹer us a wonderful
He spread his wings towards the sky enchantment,
And never came down to his nest again. His pen draws a mountain with a single hair.
His fantasy is sunk in the jar of heaven: His thoughts dwell with the moon and the
I know not whether it is the dregs or brick of stars,
the wine‐jar. He creates beauty and knows not what is
The peoples were poisoned by his ugly.
intoxication: He is a Khizr, and amidst his darkness is the
He slumbered and took no delight in deeds. Fountain of Life:
All things that exist are made more living by
Concerning the true nature of poetry and his tears.
reform of Islamic literature Heavily we go, like raw novices,
Stumbling on the way to the goal.
’Tis the brand of desire makes the blood of His nightingale hath played a tune
man run warm, And laid a plot to beguile us.
By the lamp of desire this dust is enkindled. That he may lead us into Lifeʹs Paradise,
By desire Lifeʹs cup is brimmed with wine, And that Lifeʹs bow may become a full circle.
So that Life leaps to its feet and marches Caravans march at the sound of his bell
briskly on. And follow the voice of his pipe;
Life is occupied with conquest alone, When his zephyr blows in our garden,
And the one charm for conquest is desire. It slowly steals into the tulips and roses.
Life is the hunter and desire the snare, His witchery makes Life develop itself

And become self‐questioning and impatient. O thou whom his wine hath laid low
He invites the whole world to his table; And who look’st to his glass for thy rising
He lavishes his fire as though it were cheap as dawn,
air. O thou whose heart hath been chilled by his
Woe to a people that resigns itself to death melodies,
And whose poet turns away from the joy of Thou hast drunk deadly poison through the
living! ear!
His mirror shows beauty as ugliness, Thy way of life is a proof of thy degeneracy,
His honey leaves a hundred stings in the The strings of thine instrument are out of
heart. tune,
His kiss robs the rose of freshness, ʹTis pampered case hath made thee so
He takes away from the nightingaleʹs heart wretched,
the joy of flying. A disgrace to Islam throughout the world.
The sinews are relaxed by his opium, One can bind thee with the vein of a rose,
Thou payest for his song with the life. One can wound thee with a zephyr.
He bereaves the cypress of delight in its Love hath been put to shame by thy wailing,
beauty, His fair picture hath been fouled by thy
His cold breath makes a pheasant of the male brush.
falcon. Thy illness hath paled his cheek,
He is a fish. and from the breast upward a The coldness hath taken the glow from his
man, fire.
Like the Sirens in the ocean. He is heartsick from thy heart sicknesses,
With his song he enchants the pilot And enfeebled by thy feeblenesses.
And casts the ship to the bottom of the sea. His cup is full of childish tears,
His melodies steal firmness from thine heart, His house is furnished with distressful sighs.
His magic persuades thee that death is life. He is a drunkard begging at tavern doors,
He takes from thy soul the desire of existence, Stealing glimpses of beauty from lattices,
He extracts from thy mine the blushing ruby. Unhappy, melancholy, injured,
He dresses gain in the garb of loss, Kicked well‐nigh to death by the warder;
He makes everything praiseworthy blameful, Wasted like a reed by sorrows,
He plunges thee in a sea of thought On his lips a store of complaints against
And makes thee a stranger to action. Heaven.
He is sick, and by his words our sickness is Flattery and spite are the mettle of his mirror,
increased Helplessness his comrade of old;
The more his cup goes round, the more sick A miserable base‐born underling
are they that quaff it. Without worth or hope or object,
There are no lightning rains in his April, Whose lamentations have sucked the marrow
His garden is a mirage of colour and perfume. from thy soul
His beauty hath no dealings with Truth, And driven off gentle sleep from thy
There are none but flawed pearls in his sea. neighboursʹ eyes.
Slumber he deemed sweeter than waking: Alas for a love whose fire is extinct,
Our fire was quenched by his breath. A love that was born in the Holy Place and
By the chant of his nightingale the heart was died in the house of idols!
poisoned:
Oh, if thou hast the coin of poesy in thy purse,
Under his heap of roses lurked a snake.
Rub it on the touchstone of Life!
Beware of his decanter and cup!
Clear‐seeing thought shows the way to action,
Beware of his sparkling wine!
As the lightning‐flash precedes the thunder.

It behoves thee to meditate well concerning He carries rider, baggage, and litter:
literature, He trots on and on to the journeyʹs end,
It behoves thee to go back to Arabia: Rejoicing in his speed,
Thou must needs give thine heart to the More patient in travel than his rider,
Salma of Araby, Thou, too, do not refuse the burden of Duty:
That the morn of the Hijaz may blossom from So wilt thou enjoy the best dwelling place,
the night of Kurdistan. which is with God.
Thou hast gathered roses from the garden of Endeavour to obey, O heedless one!
Persia Liberty is the fruit of compulsion.
And seen the springtide of India and Iran: By obedience the man of no worth is made
Now taste a little of the heat of the desert, worthy;
Drink the old wine of the date! By disobedience his fire is turned to ashes.
Lay thine head for once on its hot breast. Whoso would master the sun and stars,
Yield thy body awhile to its scorching wind! Let him make himself a prisoner of Law!
For a long time thou hast turned about on a The air becomes fragrant when it is
bed of silk: imprisoned in the flower‐bud;
Now accustom thyself to rough cotton! The perfume becomes musk when it is
For generations thou hast danced on tulips confined in the ‐navel of the muskdeer.
And bathed thy cheek in dew, like the rose: The star moves towards its goal
Now throw thyself on the burning sand With head bowed in surrender to a law.
And plunge in to the fountain of Zamzam! The grass springs up in obedience to the law
How long wilt thou fain lament like the of growth:
nightingale? When it abandons that, it is trodden
How long make thine abode in gardens? underfoot.
O thou whose auspicious snare would do To burn unceasingly is the law of the tulip.
honour to the Phoenix, And so the blood leaps in its veins
Build a nest on the high mountains, Drops of water become a sea by the law of
A nest embosomed in lightning and thunder, union,
Loftier than eagle’s eye, And grains of sand become a Sahara.
That thou mayst be fit for Life’s battle, Since Law makes everything strong within,
That thy body and soul may burn in Lifeʹs Why dost thou neglect this source of strength?
fire! O thou that art emancipated from the old
Custom,
Showing that the education of the self has Adorn thy feet once more with the same fine
three stages: obedience, self‐control, and silver chain!
Do not complain of the hardness of the Law,
divine vicegerency
Do not transgress the statutes of Muhammad!
1. Obedience
2. Self‐Control
Service and toil are traits of the camel,
Thy soul cares only for itself, like the camel:
Patience and perseverance are ways of the
It is self‐conceited, self‐governed, and
camel.
self‐willed.
Noiselessly he steps along the sandy track,
Be a man, get its halter into thine hand,
He is the ship of those who voyage in the
That thou mayst become a pearl albeit thou
desert.
art a potterʹs vessel.
Every thicket knows the print of his foot:
He that does not command himself
He eats seldom, sleeps little, and is inured to
Becomes a receiver of commands from others.
toil.
When they moulded thee of clay,

Love and fear were mingled in thy making: Draw might from the litany “O Almighty
Fear of this world and of the world to come, One!”
fear of death, That thou mayst ride the camel of thy body.
Fear of all the pains of earth and heaven;
3. Divine Vicegerency
Love of riches and power, love of country,
Love of self and kindred and wife. If thou canst rule thy camel, thou wilt rule the
Man, in whom clay is mixed with water, is world
fond of ease, And wear on thine head the crown of
Devoted to wickedness and enamoured of Solomon.
evil. Thou wilt be the glory of the world whilst the
So long as thou hold’st the staff of “There is world lasts,
no god but He,” And thou wilt reign in the kingdom
Thou wilt break every spell of fear. incorruptible.
One to whom God is as the soul in his body, ’Tis sweet to be Godʹs vicegerent in the world
His neck is not bowed before vanity. And exercise sway over the elements.
Fear finds no way into his bosom, Godʹs vicegerent is as the soul of the universe,
heart is afraid of none but Allah. His being is the shadow of the Greatest Name.
Whoso dwells in the world of Negation He knows the mysteries of part and whole,
Is freed from the bonds of wife and child. He executes the command of Allah in the
He withdraws his gaze from all except God world.
And lays the knife to the throat of his son. When he pitches his tent in the wide world,
Though single, he is like a host in onset: He rolls up this ancient carpet.
Life is cheaper in his eyes than wind. His genius abounds with life and desires to
The profession of Faith is the shell, and prayer manifest itself:
is the pearl within it: He will bring another world into existence.
The Moslem’s heart deems prayer a lesser A hundred worlds like this world of parts and
pilgrimage. wholes
In the Muslimʹs hand prayer is like a dagger Spring up, like roses, from the seed of his
Killing sin and forwardness and wrong. imagination.
Fasting makes an assault upon hunger and He makes every raw nature ripe,
thirst. He puts the idols out of the sanctuary.
And breaches the citadel of sensuality. Heart‐strings give forth music at his touch,
The pilgrimage enlightens the soul of the He wakes and sleeps for God alone.
Faithful: He teaches age the melody of youth
It teaches separation from oneʹs home and And endows every thing with the radiance of
destroys attachment to oneʹs native land; youth.
It is an act of devotion in which all feel To the human race he brings both a glad
themselves to be one, message and a warning,
It binds together the leaves of the book of He comes both as a soldier and as a marshal
religion. and prince.
Almsgiving causes love of riches to pass away He is the final cause of “God taught Adam the
And makes equality familiar; names of all things,”
It fortifies the heart with righteousness, He is the inmost sense of “Glory to Him that
It increases wealth and diminishes fondness transported His servant by night.”
for wealth. His white hand is strengthened by the staff,
All this is a means of strengthening thee: His knowledge is twined with the power of a
Thou art impregnable, if thy Islam be strong. perfect man.
When that bold cavalier seizes the reins,

The steed of Time gallops faster. The homage of little children and of young
His awful mien makes the Red Sea dry, men and old!
He leads lsrael out of Egypt. It is to thee that we owe our dignity
At his cry, “Arise,” the dead spirits And silently undergo the pains of life.
Rise in their bodily tomb, like pines in the
field. Setting forth the inner meaning of the
His person is an atonement for all the world, names of Ali
By his grandeur the world is saved.
His protecting shadow makes the mote Ali is the first Muslim and the King of men,
familiar with the sun, In Loveʹs eyes Ali is the treasure of the Faith.
His rich substance makes precious all that Devotion to his family inspires me with life
exists. So that I am as a shining pearl.
He bestows life by his miraculous actions, Like the narcissus, I am enraptured with
He renovates old ways of life. gazing:
Splendid visions rise from the print of his Like perfume, I am straying through his
foot, pleasure garden.
Many a Moses is entranced by his Sinai. If holy water gushes from my earth, he is the
He gives a new explanation of Life, source;
A new interpretation of this dream. If wine pours from my grapes, he is the cause.
His hidden life is being Life’s mystery, I am dust, but his sun hath made me as a
The unheard music of Life’s harp. mirror:
Nature travels in blood for generations Song can be seen in my breast.
To compose the harmony of his personality. From Aliʹs face the Prophet drew many a fair
Our handful of earth has reach the zenith, omen,
For that champion will come forth from this By his majesty the true religion is glorified
dust! His commandments are the strength of Islam:
There sleeps amidst the ashes, of our To‐day All things pay allegiance to his House.
The flame of a world‐consuming morrow. The Apostle of God gave him the name Bu
Our bed enfolds a garden of roses, Turab;
Our eyes are bright with to‐morrowʹs dawn. God in the Koran called him “the Hand of
Appear, O rider of Destiny! Allah.”
Appear, O light of the dark realm of Change! Every one that is acquainted with Lifeʹs
Illumine the scene of existence, mysteries
Dwell in the blackness of our eyes! Knows what is the inner meaning of the
Silence the noise of the nations, names of Ali.
Imparadise our ears with thy music! The dark clay, whose name is the body—
Arise and tune the harp of brotherhood, Our reason is ever bemoaning its iniquity.
Give us back the cup of the wine of love! On account of it our sky‐reaching thought
Bring once more days of peace to the world, plods over the earth;
Give a message of peace to them that seek It makes our eyes blind and our ears deaf.
battle! It hath in its hand a two‐edged sword of lust:
Mankind are the cornfield and thou the Travelersʹ hearts are broken by this brigand.
harvest, Ali, the Lion of God, subdued the bodyʹs clay
Thou art the goal of Lifeʹs caravan. And transmuted this dark earth to gold.
The leaves are scattered by Autumnʹs fury: Murtaza, by whose sword the splendour of
Oh, do thou pass over our gardens as the Truth was revealed,
Spring! Is named Bu Turab from his conquest of the
Receive from our downcast brows body.

Man wins territory by prowess in battle, Is to fling away thy buckler on the field of
But his brightest jewel is mastery of himself. battle.
Whosoever in the world becomes a Bu Turab The man of strong character who is master of
Turns back the sun from the west; himself
Whosoever saddles tightly the seed of the Will find Fortune complaisant.
body If the world does not comply with his
Sits like the bezel on the seal of sovereignty: humour,
Here the might of Khyber is under his feet, He will try the hazard of war with Heaven;
And hereafter his hand will distribute the He will dig up the foundations of the universe
water of Kauthar. And cast its atoms into a new mould.
Through self‐knowledge, he acts as Godʹs He will subvert the course of Time
Hand, And wreck the azure firmament.
And in virtue of being Godʹs Hand he reigns By his own strength he will produce
over all. A new world which will do his pleasure.
His person is the gate of the city of the If one cannot live in the world as beseems a
sciences: man,
Arabia, China, and Greece are subject to him. Then it is better to die like the brave.
If thou wouldst drink clear wine from thine He that hath a sound heart
own grapes, Will prove his strength by great enterprises.
Thou must needs wield authority over thine ʹTis sweet to use love in hard tasks
own earth. And, like Abraham, to gather roses from
To become earth is the creed of a moth: flames.
Be a conqueror of earth; that alone is worthy The potentialities of men of action
of a man. Are displayed in willing acceptance of what is
Thou art soft as a rose. Become hard as a difficult.
stone, Mean spirits have no weapon but resentment.
That thou mayst be the foundation of the wall Life has only one law.
of the garden! Life is power made manifest,
Build thy clay into a Man, And its mainspring is the desire for victory.
Build thy Man into a World! Mercy out of season is a chilling of Lifeʹs
Unless from thine own earth thou build thine blood,
own wall or door, A break in the rhythm of Lifeʹs music.
Someone else will make bricks of thine earth. Whoever is sunk in the depths of ignominy
O thou who complainest of the cruelty of Calls his weakness contentment.
Heaven, Weakness is the plunderer of Life,
Thou whose glass cries out against the Its womb is teeming with fears and lies.
injustice of the stone, Its soul is empty of virtues,
How long this wailing and crying and Vices fatten on its milk.
lamentation? O man of sound judgment, beware!
How long this perpetual beating of thy This spoiler is lurking in ambush
breast? Be not its dupe, if thou art wise:
The pith of Life is contained in action, Chameleon‐like, it changes colour every
To delight in creation is the law of Life. moment.
Arise and create a new world! Even by keen observers its form is not
Wrap thyself in flames, be an Abraham! discerned:
To comply with this world which does not Veils are thrown over its face.
favour thy purposes Now it is muffled in pity and gentleness,
Now it wears the cloak of humanity.

Some times it is disguised as compulsion, The house of Falsehood fell in ruins at his
Sometimes as excusability. gaze.
It appears in the shape of self‐indulgence The dust of the Punjab was brought to life by
And robs the strong manʹs heart of courage. his breath,
Strength is the twin of Truth; Our dawn was made splendid by his sun.
If thou knowest thyself, strength is the He was a lover, and withal, a courier of Love:
Truth‐revealing glass. The secrets of Love shone forth from his
Life is the seed, and power the crop: brow.
Power explains the mystery of truth and I will tell a story of his perfection
falsehood. And enclose a whole rose‐bed in a single bud.
A claimant, if he be possessed of power, A young man, cypress‐tall,
Needs no argument for his claim. Came from the town of Merv to Lahore.
Falsehood derives from power the authority He went to see the venerable saint,
of truth, That the sun might dispel his darkness.
And by falsifying truth deems itself true. “I am hammed in,” he said, “by foes;
Its creative word transforms poison into I am as a glass in the midst of stones.
nectar; Do thou teach me, O sire of heavenly rank,
It says to good, “Thou art bad,” and Good How to lead my life amongst enemies!”
becomes Evil. The wise Director, in whose nature
O thou that art heedless of the trust Love had allied beauty with majesty,
committed to thee, Answered: “Thou art unread in Lifeʹs lore,
Esteem thyself superior to both worlds! Careless of its end and its beginning.
Gain knowledge of Lifeʹs mysteries! Be without fear of others!
Be a tyrant! Ignore all except God! Thou art a sleeping force: awake!
O man of understanding, open thine eyes, When the stone thought itself to be glass,
ears, and lips! It became glass and got into the way of
If then thou seest not the Way of Truth, laugh breaking.
at me! If the traveller thinks himself weak,
He delivers his soul unto the brigand.
Story of a young man of Merv who came How long wilt thou regard thyself as water
to the saint Ali Hajwiri (god have mercy and clay?
Create from thy clay a flaming Sinai!
on him) and complained that he was
Why be angry with mighty men?
oppressed by his enemies Why complain of enemies?
The saint of Hajwir was venerated by the I will declare the truth: thine enemy is thy
peoples, friend;
And Pir‐i‐Sanjar visited his tomb as a pilgrim. His existence crowns thee with glory.
With ease he broke down the mountain Whosoever knows the states of the self
barriers Considers a powerful enemy to be a blessing
And sowed the seed of Islam in India. from God.
The age of Omar was restored by his To the seed of Man the enemy is as a
godliness, rain‐cloud:
The fame of the Truth was exalted by his He awakens its potentialities.
words, If thy spirit be strong, the stones in thy way
He was a guardian of the honour of the are as water:
Koran. What wrecks the torrent of the ups and
downs of the road?

The sword of resolution is whetted by the And turned away from the sparkling stone.
stones in the way Disappointment swelled in his breast,
And put to proof by traversing stage after The song in his throat became a wail.
stage. Upon a rose‐twig a drop of dew
What is the use of eating and sleeping like a Gleamed like the tear in a nightingaleʹs eye:
beast? All its glitter was owing to the sun,
What is the use of being, unless thou have It was trembling in fear of the sun—
strength in thyself? A restless sky born star
When thou makʹst thyself strong with self, That had stopped for a moment, from desire
Thou wilt destroy the world at thy pleasure. to be seen;
If thou wouldst pass away, become free of Oft deceived by bud and flower,
self; It had gained nothing from Life.
If thou wouldst live, become full of self! There it hung, ready to drop,
What is death? To become oblivious to self. Like a tear on the eyelashes of a lover who
Why imagine that it is the parting of soul and hath lost his heart.
body? The sorely distressed bird hopped under the
Abide in self, like Joseph! rose‐bush,
Advance from captivity to empire! The dewdrop trickled into his mouth.
Think of self and be a man of action! O thou that wouldst deliver thy soul from
Be a man of God, bear mysteries within!” enemies.
I will explain the matter by means of stories, I ask thee – “Art thou a drop of water or a
I will open the bud by the power of my gem?”
breath. When the bird melted in the fire of thirst,
“ʹTis better that a loverʹs secret It appropriated the life of another.
Should be told by the lips of others.” The drop was not solid and gem‐like;
The diamond had a being, the drop had none.
Story of the bird that was faint with thirst Never for an instant neglect self‐preservation:
Be a diamond, not a dewdrop!
A bird was faint with thirst,
Be massive in nature, like mountains,
The breath in his body was heaving like
And bear on thy crest a hundred clouds laden
waves of smoke.
with floods of rain!
He saw a diamond in the garden:
Save thyself by affirmation of self,
Thirst created a vision of water.
Compress thy quick silver into silver ore!
Deceived by the sun bright stone
Produce a melody from the string of self,
The foolish bird fancied that it was water.
Make manifest the secrets of self!
He got no moisture from the gem:
He pecked it with his beak, but it did not wet
Story of the diamond and the coal
his palate.
“O thrall of vain desire,” said the diamond, Now I will open one more gate of Truth,
Thou hast sharpened thy greedy beak on me; I will tell thee another tale.
But I am not a dew drop, I give no drink, The coal in the mine said to the diamond,
I do not live for the sake of others. O thou entrusted with splendours eve lasting,
Wouldst thou hurt me? Thou art mad! We are comrades, and our being is one;
A life that reveals the self is strange to thee. The source of our existence is the same,
My water will shiver the beaks of birds Yet while I die here in the anguish of
And break the jewel of man’s life.” worthlessness,
The bird won not his heartʹs wish from the Thou art set on the crowns of emperors.
diamond

My stuff is so vile that I am valued less than Story of the Shaykh and the Brahmin,
earth, followed by a conversation between
Whereas the mirrorʹs heart is rent by thy
beauty.
Ganges and Himalaya to the effect that the
My darkness illumines the chafing dish, continuation of social life depends on firm
Then my substance is incinerated at last. attachment to the characteristic traditions
Every one puts the sole of his foot on my head of the community
And covers my stock of existence with ashes.
My fate must needs be deplored; At Benares lived a venerable Brahmin,
Dost thou know what is the gist of my being? Whose head was deep in the ocean of Being
It is a condensed wavelet of smoke, and Not‐being.
Endowed with a single spark; He had a large knowledge of philosophy
Both in feature and nature thou art star‐like, But was well‐disposed to the seekers after
Splendours rise from every side of thee. God.
Now thou becomeʹst the light of a monarchʹs His mind was eager to explore new problems,
eye, His intellect moved on a level with the
Now thou adornest the haft of a dagger.” Pleiades;
“O sagacious friend!” said the diamond, His nest was as high as that of the Anka;
“Dark earth, when hardened, becomes in Sun and moon were cast, like rue, on the
dignity as a bezel. flame of his thought.
Having been at strife with its environment, For a long time he laboured and sweated,
It is ripened by the struggle and grows hard But philosophy brought no wine to his cup
like a stone. Although he set many a snare in the gardens
ʹTis this ripeness that has endowed my form of learning,
with light His snares never caught a glimpse of the Ideal
And filled my bosom with radiance. bird;
Because thy being is immature, thou hast And notwithstanding that the nails of his
become abased; thought were dabbled with blood,
Because thy body is soft, thou art burnt. The knot of Being and Not‐being remained
Be void of fear, grief, and anxiety; untied.
Be hard as a stone, be a diamond! The sighs on his lips bore witness to his
Whosoever strives hard and grips tight, despair,
The two worlds are illumined by him. His countenance told tales of his distraction.
A little earth is the origin of the Black Stone One day he visited an excellent Shaykh,
Which puts forth its head in the Ka‘bah: A man who bad in his breast a heart of gold.
Its rank is higher than Sinai, The Brahmin laid the seal of silence on his lips
It is kissed by the swarthy and the fair. And lent his ear to the Sageʹs discourse.
In solidity consists the glory of Life; Then said the Shaykh: “O wanderer in the
Weakness is worthlessness and immaturity.” lofty sky!
Pledge thyself to be true, for a little, to the
earth;
Thou hast lost thy way in wildernesses of
speculation,
Thy fearless thought hath passed beyond
Heaven.
Be reconciled with earth, O sky‐traveller!
Do not wander in quest of the essence of the
stars!

I do not bid thee abandon thine idols. O born of the womb of the revolving sky,
Art thou an unbeliever? Then be worthy of A fallen‐in bank is better than thou!
the badge of unbelief! Thou hast made thine existence an offering to
O inheritor of ancient culture, the ocean,
Turn not thy back on the path thy fathers Thou hast thrown the rich purse of thy life to
trod; the highway man.
If a peopleʹs life is derived from unity, Be self‐contained like the rose in the garden,
Unbelief too is source of unity. Do not go to the florist in order to spread thy
Thou that art not even a perfect infidel, perfume!
Art unfit to worship at the shrine of the spirit. To live is to grow in thyself
We both are far astray from the road of And gather roses from thine own flower‐bed.
devotion: Ages have gone by and my foot is fast in
Thou art far from Azar, and I from Abraham. earth:
Our Majnun hath not fallen into melancholy Dost thou fancy that I am far from my goal?
for his Laylaʹs sake: My being grew and reached the sky,
He hath not become perfect in the madness of The Pleiades sank to rest under my skirts;
love. Thy being vanishes in the ocean,
When the lamp of self expires, But on my crest the stars bow their heads.
What is the use of heaven surveying Mine eye sees the mysteries of heaven,
imagination?” Mine ear is familiar with angels’ wings.
Since I glowed with the heat of unceasing toil,
Once on a time, laying hold of the skirt of the
I amassed rubies, diamonds, and other gems.
mountain,
I am stone within, and in the stone is fire:
Ganges said to Himalaya:
Water cannot pass over my fire!”
“O thou mantled in snow since the morn of
Art thou a drop of water? Do not break at.
creation,
thine own feet,
Thou whose form is girdled with streams,
But endeavour to surge and wrestle with the
God made thee a partner in the secrets of
sea.
heaven,
Desire the water of a jewel, become a jewel!
But deprived thy foot of graceful gait.
Be an ear‐drop, adorn a beauty!
He took away from thee the power to walk:
Oh, expand thyself! Move swiftly!
What avails this sublimity and stateliness?
Be a cloud that shoots lightning and sheds a
Life springs from perpetual movement:
flood of rain!
Motion constitutes the waveʹs whole
Let the ocean sue for thy storms as a beggar,
existence,”
Let it complain of the straitness of its skirts
When the mountain heard this taunt from the
Let it deem itself less than a wave
river,
And glide along at thy feet!
He puffed angrily like a sea of fire,
And answered: “Thy wide waters are my
looking‐glass;
Showing that the purpose of the Muslimʹs
Within my bosom are a hundred rivers like life is to exalt the word of Allah, and that
thee. the jihad (war against unbelievers), if it be
This graceful gait of thine is an instrument of prompted by land‐hunger, is unlawful in
death:
the religion of Islam
Whoso goeth from self is meet to die.
Thou hast no knowledge of thine own case, Imbue thine heart With the tincture of Allah,
Thou exultest in thy misfortune: thou art a Give honour and glory to Love!
fool!

The Muslimʹs nature prevails by means of The Muslim turns from this world to God
love: And strengthens policy with prayer.
The Muslim, if he be not loving, is an infidel. The Shaykh made no answer to the Emperorʹs
Upon God depends his seeing and not‐seeing, speech,
His eating, drinking, and sleeping. The assembly of dervishes was all ears,
In his will that which God wills becomes lost– Until a disciple, in his hand a silver coin,
“How small a man believe this saying?” Opened his lips and broke the silence‐,
He encamps in the field of “There is no god but Saying, “Accept this poor offering from me,
Allah;” O guide of them that have lost the way to
In the world he is a witness to mankind. God!
His high estate is attested by the Prophet who My limbs were bathed in sweat of labour
was sent to men and Jinn— Before I put away a dirhem in my skirt.”
The most truthful of witnesses. The Shaykh said: “This money ought to be
Leave words and seek that spiritual state, given to our Sultan,
Shed the light of God oʹer the darkness of thy Who is a beggar wearing the raiment of a
deeds! king.
Albeit clad in kingly robe, live as a dervish, Though he holds sway over sun, moon and
Live wakeful and meditating on God! stars,
Whatever thou dost, let it be thine aim therein Our Emperor is the most penniless of
to draw nigh to God, mankind.
That his glory may be made manifest by thee. His eye is fixed on the table of strangers,
Peace becomes an evil, if its object be aught The fire of his hunger hath consumed a whole
else; world.
War is good if its object is God. His sword is followed by famine and plague,
If God be not exalted by our swords, His building lays wide land waste.
War dishonours the people. The folk are crying out because of his
The holy Shaykh Miyan Mir Wali, indigence,
By the light of whose soul every hidden thing His empty handedness causes him to plunder
was revealed – the weak.
His feet were firmly planted on the path of His power is an enemy to all:
Muhammad, Humankind are the caravan and he the
He was a flute for the impassioned music of brigand.
love. In his self‐delusion and ignorance
His tomb keeps our city safe from harm He calls pillage by the name of empire.
And causes the beams of true religion to shine Both the royal troops and those of the enemy
on us. Are cloven in twain by the sword of his
Heaven stooped its brow to his threshold, hunger.
The Emperor of India was one of his disciples. The beggarʹs hunger consumes his own soul,
Now, this monarch had sown the seed of But the Sultanʹs hunger destroys state and
ambition in his heart religion.
And was resolved on conquest. Whoso shall draw the sword for anything
The flames of vain desire were alight in him, except Allah,
He was teaching his sword to ask, “Is there His sword is sheathed in his own breast.”
any more?”
In the Deccan was a great noise of war,
His army stood on the battle field.
He went to the Shaykh of heaven‐high dignity
That he might receive his blessing:

Precepts written for the Muslims of India He discoursed on Scepticism and
by Mir Najat Nakshband, who is Neoplatonism,
And strung many a brilliant pearl of
generally known as Baba Sahrai metaphysics.
O thou that hast grown from earth, like a rose, He unravelled the problems of the
Thou too art born of the womb of self! Peripatetics,
Do not abandon self! Persist therein! The light of his thought made clear whatever
Be a drop of water and drink up the ocean was obscure.
Glowing with the light of self as thou art, Heaps of books lay around and in front of
Make self strong, and thou wilt endure. him,
Thou gettʹst profit from the trade, And on his lips was the key to all their
Thou gainʹst riches by preserving this mysteries.
commodity. Shams‐i‐Tabriz, directed by Kamal,
Thou art being, and art thou afraid of Sought his way to the college of Jalauddin
not‐being? Rumi
Dear friend, thy understanding is at fault. And cried out, “What is all this noise and
Since I am acquainted with the harmony of babble?
Life., What are all these syllogisms and judgements
I will tell thee what is the secret of Life – and demonstrations?”
To sink into thyself like the pearl, “Peace, O fool!” exclaimed the Maulvi,
Then to emerge from thine inward solitude; “Do not laugh at the doctrines of the sages.
To collect sparks beneath the ashes, Get thee out of my college!
And become a flame and dazzle menʹs eyes. This is argument and discussion; what hast
Go, burn the house of forty yearsʹ tribulation, thou to do with it?
Move round thyself! Be a circling flame! My discourse is beyond thy understanding.
What is Life but to be freed from moving It brightens the glass of perception!
round others These words increased the anger of
And to regard thyself as the Holy Temple? Shams‐i‐Tabriz
Beat thy wings and escape from the attraction And caused a fire to burst forth from his soul.
of Earth: The lightning of his look fell on the earth,
Like birds, be safe from falling. And the glow of his breath made the dust
Unless thou art a bird., thou wilt do wisely spring into flames.
Not to build thy nest on the top of a cave. The spiritual fire burned the intellectual stack
O thou that seekest to acquire knowledge, And clean consumed the library of the
I say oʹer to thee the message of the Sage of philosopher.
Rum: The Maulvi, being a stranger to Loveʹs
“Knowledge, if it lie on thy skin, is a snake; miracles
Knowledge, if thou take it to heart, is a And unversed in Loveʹs harmonies,
friend.” Cried, “How didst thou kindle this fire,
Hast thou heard how the Master of Rum Which hath burned the books of the
Gave lectures on philosophy at Aleppo? – philosophers?”
Fast in the bonds of intellectual proofs, The Shaykh answered, “O unbelieving
Drifting oʹer the dark and stormy sea of Muslim,
understanding; This is vision and ecstasy: what hast thou to
A Moses unillumined by Loveʹs Sinai, do with it?
Ignorant of Love and of Loveʹs passion. My state is beyond thy thought,
My flame is the Alchemistʹs elixir.”

Thou hast drawn thy substance from the Its fire is cold as the flame of the tulip;
snow of philosophy, Its flames are frozen like hail.
The cloud of thy thought sheds nothing but Its nature remains untouched by the glow of
hailstones. Love,
Kindle a fire in thy rubble, It is ever engaged in joyless search.
Foster a flame in thy earth! Love is the Plato that heals the sicknesses of
The Muslimʹs knowledge is perfected by the mind.
spiritual fervour, The mindʹs melancholy is cured by its lancet.
The meaning of Islam is Renounce what shall The whole world bows in adoration to Love,
pass away. Love is the Mahmud that conquers the
When Abraham escaped from the bondage of Somnath of intellect.
“that which sets,” Modern science lacks this old wine in its cup,
He sat unhurt in the midst of flames. Its nights are not loud with passionate prayer.
Thou hast cast knowledge of God behind thee Thou hast misprized thine own cypress
And squandered thy religion for the sake of a And deemed tall the cypress of others.
loaf. Like the reed, thou hast emptied thyself of self
Thou art hot in pursuit of antimony, And given thine heart to the music of others.
Thou art unaware of the blackness of thine O thou that beggʹst morsels from an otherʹs
own eye. table,
Seek the Fountain of Life from the swordʹs Wilt thou seek thine own kind in anotherʹs
edge, shop?
And the River of Paradise from the dragon’s The Muslimʹs assembly‐place is burned up by
mouth, the lamps of strangers,
Demand the Black Stone from the door of the His mosque is consumed by the sparks of
house of idols, monasticism.
And the musk‐deerʹs bladder from a mad When the deer fled from the sacred territory
dog, of Makkah,
But do not seek the glow of Love from the The hunterʹs arrow pierced her side.
knowledge of today, The leaves of the rose are scattered like its
Do not seek the nature of Truth from this scent:
infidelʹs cup! O thou that has fled from the self, come back
Long have I been running to and fro, to it!
Learning the secrets of the New Knowledge: O trustee of the wisdom of the Quran,
Its gardeners have put me to the trial Find the lost unity again!
And have made me intimate with their roses. We, who keep the gate of the citadel of Islam,
Roses! Tulips, rather, that warn one not to Have become unbelievers by neglecting the
smell them – watchword of Islam.
Like paper roses, a mirage of perfume. The ancient Sakiʹs bowl is shattered,
Since this garden ceased to enthrall me The wine‐party of the Hijaz is broken up.
I have nested on the Paradisal tree. The Kaʹba is filled with our idols,
Modern knowledge is the greatest blind – Infidelity mocks at our Islam.
Idol‐worshipping, idol‐selling, idol making! Our Shaykh hath gambled Islam away for
Shackled in the prison of phenomena, love of idols.
It has not overleaped the limits of the sensible. And made a rosary of the zunnar.
It has fallen down in crossing the bridge of Our spiritual directors owe their rank to their
Life, white hairs
It has laid the knife to its own throat.

And are the laughing‐stock of children in the Look, O thou enthralled by Yesterday and
street; Tomorrow,
Their hearts bear no impress of the Faith Behold another world in thine own heart!
But house the idols of sensuality. Thou hast sown the seed of darkness in the
Every long‐haired fellow wears the garb of a clay,
dervish – Thou hast imagined Time as a line:
Alas for these traffickers in religion! Thy thought measures length of Time
Day and night they are traveling about with With the measure of night and day.
disciples, Thou makʹst this line a girdle on thine infidel
Insensible to the great needs of Islam. waist;
Their eyes are without light, like the Thou art an advertiser of falsehood, like idols.
narcissus, Thou wert the Elixir, and thou hast become a
Their breasts devoid of spiritual wealth. Peck of dust;
Preachers and Sufis, all worship worldliness Thou wert born the conscience of Truth, and
alike; thou hast become a lie!
The prestige of the pure religion is ruined. Art thou a Muslim? Then cast off this girdle!
Our preacher fixed his eyes on the pagoda Be a candle to the feast of the religion of the
And the mufti of the Faith sold his verdict. free!
After this, O friends, what are we to do? Knowing not the origin of Time,
Our guide turns his face towards the Thou art ignorant of everlasting Life.
wine‐house. How long wilt thou be a thrall of night and
day?
Time is a sword Learn the mystery of Time from the words “I
have a time with God.”
Green be the holy grave of Shafi‘i,
Phenomena arise from the march of Time,
Whose vine hath cheered a whole world!
Life is one of Timeʹs mysteries.
His thought plucked a star from heaven:
The cause of Time is not the revolution of the
He named time “a cutting sword.”
sun
How shall I say what is the secret of this
Time is everlasting, but the sun does not last
sword?
for ever.
In its flashing edge there is life.
Time is joy and sorrow, festival and fast,
Its owner is exalted above hope and fear,
Time is the secret of moonlight and sunlight.
His hand is whiter than the hand of Moses.
Thou hast extended Time, like Space,
At one stroke thereof water gushes from the
And distinguished Yesterday from
rock
Tomorrow.
And the sea becomes land from dearth of
Thou hast fled, like a scent, from thine own
moisture.
garden;
Moses held this sword in his hand,
Thou hast made thy prison with thine own
Therefore he wrought more than man may
hand.
contrive.
Our Time, which has neither beginning nor
He clove the Red Sea asunder
end,
And made its waters like dry earth.
Blossoms from the flower‐bed of our mind.
The arm of Ali, the conqueror of Khaibar,
To know its root quickens the living with new
Drew its strength from this same sword.
life:
The revolution of the sky is worth seeing,
Its being is more splendid than the dawn.
The change of day and night is worth
Life is of Time, and Time is of Life:
observing.
“Do not abuse Time!” was the command of
the Prophet.

[Translated by A.R. Nicholson] And all the delayed plans are observed by his
quick action!
Now I will tell you a point of wisdom as
These words of mine are beyond sound,
brilliant as a pearl,8
beyond discussion,
That you should realize the difference
For their meaning can’t be understood easily!
between a slave and a free man!
Although I have expressed my views about
A slave is lost in the magic of days and nights,
Time yet my shallow words are ashamed of
But Time, with all its expansion, is lost in the
the meaning;—
heart of a free man!
And the meaning itself has a complaint:
A slave weaves the shroud for himself by his
“What have I to do with the words?”
times,
In fact, a living meaning when expressed in
And covers himself with the sheet of days and
words, dies out;
nights!
Your very breaths extinguish its fire!
But a free man keeps himself above the earth
Nevertheless, the point of Absence and
And attacks the world with all his might!
Presence is in the depth of our heart;
A slave is caught in the snare of days and
The mystery of Time and its motion is in the
nights like a bird,
depth of our heart!
And the pleasure of flight is forbidden to his
The musical instrument of Time has its own
soul!
silent tunes:
But the quick‐breathing breast of a free man
Oh, dive deep into your heart that you may
Becomes a cage for the Bird of Time!
realize the secret of Time!
To a slave, Nature is a meaningless word,
And there is nothing rare in the impressions [Translated by A.R. Tariq]
of his soul!
Oh, the memory of those days when Timeʹs
Owing to his heaviness and laziness his abode
sword
is always the same,
Was allied with the strength of our hands!
And the cries of his morn and eve are always
We sowed the seed of religion in menʹs hearts
the same!
And unveiled the face of Truth;
But the attempt of a free man creates new
Our nails tore loose the knot of this world,
things every moment
Our bowing in prayer gave blessings to the
And his string continuously produces new
earth.
tunes!
From the jar of Truth we made rosy wine
His nature is not obliged to any sort of
gush forth,
repetition,
We charged against the ancient taverns.
Because his path is not like the circle caused
O thou in whose cup is old wine,
by compasses!
A wine so hot that the glass is well nigh
To a slave Time is but a chain,
turned to water,
And he always complains against the fate!
Wilt thou in thy pride and arrogance and
But the courage of a free man gives
self‐conceit
instructions to his fate
Taunt us with our emptiness?
And the great revolutions of the world are
Our cup, too, hath graced the symposium
caused by his powerful hand!
Our breast hath owned a spirit.
The past the future are dissolved in his preset
The new age with all its glories
Hath risen from the dust of our feet.
8 This stanza was added in a later edition of the
Our blood hath watered Godʹs harvest,
original and hence it is not found in Nicholson’s
All worshippers of God are our debtors.
translation. We are using A.R. Tariq’s translation of
these lines but giving up his line‐breaks for a The takbir was our gift to the world,
smoother reading of each couplet. Ka‘bas were built of our clay.

By means of us God taught the Koran, They fell into a hundred mazes.
From our hand He dispensed His bounty. We are dispersed like stars in the world;
Although crown and signet have passed from Though of the same family, we are strange to
us., one another.
Do not look with contempt on our Bind again these scattered leaves,
beggarliness! Revive the law of love!
In thine eyes we are good for nothing, Take us back to serve thee as of old,
Thinking old thoughts, despicable. Commit thy cause to them that love thee!
We have honour from “There is no god but We are travellers: give us resignation as our
Allah,” goal!
We are the protectors of the universe. Give us the strong faith of Abraham!
Freed from the vexation of to‐day and to‐ Make us know the meaning of “There is no
morrow, god,”
We have pledged ourselves to love One. Make us acquainted with the mystery of
We are the conscience hidden in Godʹs heart, “except Allah”!
We are the heirs of Moses and Aaron.
I who burn like a candle for the sake of others
Sun and moon are still bright with our
Teach myself to weep like that candle.
radiance,
O God! a tear that is heart‐enkindling,
Lightning‐flashes still lurk in our cloud.
Passionful, wrung forth by pain, peace
In our essence Divinity is mirrored:
consuming,
The Muslimʹs being is one of the signs of God.
May I sow in the garden, and may it grow
into a fire
An invocation That washes away the fire‐brand from the
O thou that art as the soul in the body of the tulipʹs robe!
universe, My heart is with yester‐eve, my eye is on
Thou art our soul and thou art ever fleeing to‐morrow:
from us. Amidst the company I am alone.
Thou breathest music into Lifeʹs lute; “Every one fancies he is my friend,
Life envies Death when death is for thy sake. But none ever sought the secrets within my
Once more bring comfort to our sad hearts, soul.”
Once more dwell in our breasts! Oh, where in the wide world is my comrade?
Once more demand from us the sacrifice of I am the Bush of Sinai: where is my Moses?
name and fame, I am tyrannous, I have done many a wrong to
Strengthen our weak love. myself,
We are oft complaining of destiny, I have nourished a flame in my bosom,
Thou art of great price and we have naught. A flame that burnt to ashes the wares of
Hide not thy fair face from the empty handed! understanding,
Sell cheap the love of Salman and Bilal! Cast fire on the skirt of discretion,
Give us the sleepless eye and the passionate Lessened with madness the proud reason,
heart, And inflamed the very being of knowledge:
Give us again the nature of quick silver! Its blaze enthrones the sun in the sky
Show unto us one of thy manifest signs, And lightnings encircle it with adoration for
That the necks of our enemies may be bowed! ever.
Make this chaff a mountain crested with fire, Mine eye fell to weeping, like dew,
Burn with out fire all that is not God! Since I was entrusted with that hidden fire.
When the people of Islam let the thread of I taught the candle to burn openly,
Unity go from their hands,

While I myself burned unseen by the worldʹs And the bright moon lays her head on the
eye. knees of Night.
As last flames burst forth from every hair of Morning touches Nightʹs dark side,
me, And To‐day throws itself against To‐morrow.
Fire dropped from the veins of my thought: One river loses its being in another,
My nightingale picked up the grains of spark A waft of air dies in perfume.
And created a fire‐tempered song. There is dancing in every nook of the
The breast of this age is without a heart, wilderness,
Majnun quivers with pain because Laylaʹs Madman dances with madman.
howdah is empty. Because in thine essence Thou art single,
It is not easy for the candle to throb alone: Thou hast evolved for Thyself a whole world.
Ah, is there no moth worthy of me? I am as the tulip of the field,
How long shall I wait for one to share my In the midst of a company I am alone.
grief? I beg of Thy grace a sympathising friend,
How long must I search for a confidant? And adept in the mysteries of my nature,
O Thou whose face lends light to the moon A friend endowed with madness and
and the stars, wisdom,
Withdraw Thy fire from the soul! One that knoweth not the phantom of vain
Take back what Thou hast put in my breast, things,
Remove the stabbing radiance from my That I may confide my lament to his soul
mirror, And see again my face in his heart.
Or give me one old comrade His image I will mould of mine own clay,
To be the mirror of mine all‐burning love! I will be to him both idol and worshipper.
In the sea wave tosses side by side with wave:
[Translated by R. A. Nicholson]
Each hath a partner in its emotion.

In heaven star consorts with star,

Secrets of The Self (Israr e Khudi) by DR - Iqbal

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Secrets of The Self (Israr e Khudi) by DR - Iqbal

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during the present life. Although life abhors (b) Self‐control, which is the highest form of

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