The Masnavi is a poetic collection of anecdotes and stories derived from the Qur’aan, Hadith sources, and quotidian tales. Stories are told to illustrate a point and each moral is discussed in detail.
Three signs distinguish the mystic — his heart is occupied with thought, his body with service, his eyes with Divine Presence.
A further sign is that the world has no importance for him, future life does not impress him, and for him the Master can be replaced by no one.
True knowledge comes of three things — a tongue which repeats the Divine Name, a heart which is grateful, a patient body. A body which is not abstinent, is like a tree which bears no fruit; a body without shame is like a stew without salt; a body which makes no effort is like a useless slave.
He who seeks worldly wealth cannot dispense with commerce and profit; he who seeks that of the future life cannot dispense with obedience and service; he who seeks the Master cannot avoid tests and suffering. He who seeks true knowledge is vowed to shame and exile. He who seeks comfort from this knowledge will remain suffering, but he who suffers in patience will attain comfort.
Supplication takes away shame, pride drives out religion.
A greedy man has the nature of the devil. Where greed enters, there follows identification; where identification is produced, an obstacle is created; where an obstacle is interposed, work is interrupted; where interruption occurs, there follows infidelity and hell-fire.
Carrying cummin to Kirman — what kind of business is this? Of what value to take something to a place where there is plenty? The Divine Absolute has no needs, so present The Divine with thine, for he who has none loves him who has. Through this need, thou wilt escape accident; and from the Eternal something will come to thee — it is Love.
Download Rûmî’s “Masnavi-I Ma’navi” Spiritual Couplets {1,1Mb}
Imageries
— “Dervish” Featured Image courtesy and copyright Hasan Yasar
— Angel, Persian Art
— The first extant copies of Firdawsi’s famous 11th-century Persian epic, the “Book of Kings”, were written under the Il-Khanids. This miniature comes from one of the “small Shah-Namas” that are considered by some to be precursors of the period’s more mature masterpiece, the great “Demotte Shah-Nama.”
— “Whirling for Love” Image courtesy and copyright Seyhan Gungor
“Vincit omnia”, it does indeed. Superb. Loved this.
Thank you, & Much blessings