Immortal Words

The following tale is taken from Rumi’s Masnavi, which I never tire of reading. It is a free rendition of the English translation by R A Nicholson.The following tale is taken from Rumi’s Masnavi, which I never tire of reading. It is a free rendition of the English translation by R A Nicholson.
The Prophet (pbuh) was gathering together a force to fight against the disbelievers and repel their insolence. He chose a youth from the tribe of Hudhayl and appointed him commander of the army and leader of the cavalry.
It is widely known that the foundation of an army unquestionably rests with the chief-in-command. An army without a command or a people without a chief can be likened to a body without a head. When people abandon their chief, they become morally and spiritually dead.
On account of their avarice, egoism and self-interest, some people have become headstrong and have taken justice into their own hands. They are like a pack of animals fleeing from a burden and running into the mountains, even while their master comes running after them saying: “There is a wolf in the mountains [who is] ready to devour you. If you disappear from sight now, the mighty wolf will appear from any direction. He will chew your bones like sugar and you will not survive. Even if he does not devour you immediately, you will be left without fodder and you will die for lack of food. Beware! Do not flee from my control and from your burden, as I am your sustainer”.
Such people are just like this beast of burden. Their souls, which determine their nature, predominate and they become “worshippers of the self”. The Almighty did not consider human beings to be beasts of burden; he compared them to horses.
Mustafa (Mohammed) was God’s stable overseer for beasts, which are the iniquitous carnal souls. Moved by loving kindness, God said: “Come all of you, so that I may train you; I am the trainer”. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) has said: “Since I have trained the carnal souls, I have suffered many kicks from these beasts. Wherever there is someone who tries to train others, there is no way of avoiding kicks as well. It is always the prophets who get most of the kicks because it is they who attempt to enlighten the ignorant.
“Without enlightenment, you are merely stumbling along. At my command, go at a jog-trot so that you may become gentle and be suitable for a king to ride. The Lord said: ‘Come all, come all beasts of burden that have shied away from discipline. If they do not come, O Prophet, do not grieve for them nor be full of hatred for those who lack steadfastness. The ears of some are deaf to these messages; every beast has a different stable.
“Some are frightened and run away from this call; the stall of every horse is separate. Some are angry and annoyed by this message; every bird has a separate cage. Even the angels were not all equal; for this reason they formed diverse ranks in heaven. Some children, even though they are all at the same school, surpass others in their lessons. Sense perceptions are possessed by all, but the function of sight belongs only to the ocular sense. Though a hundred thousand ears [are] arranged in rows, they all still need a clear eye.
“These rows of ears have the special function of hearing the words of the spirit and the traditions of the Prophet and the Revelation. A hundred thousand eyes alone would not have that ability; no eye is equal to hearing. Similarly, consider each sense separately, one by one; each one is incapable of doing the work of another. The five external and the five internal senses are arranged in ten ranks according to their worship of God. Anyone who deliberately draws back from the rank of true religion, will be demoted to a lesser rank’.
“Do not make little of the Divine Word; this word is an exceedingly great elixir. If someone turns away in repugnance from His word, by no means withhold the elixir from him. If his soul presently has a spell cast on it, your teachings will profit him later on. So say: ‘Come all, come all, take heed, for God invites you into the abode of peace.’ Therefore, come back from egoism and headstrongness; seek a leader and do not desire leadership”.
When the Holy Prophet (pbuh) appointed this young, brave warrior, he had divine blessings to do so. The objections raised by one who was jealous were in violation to the following Divine edicts: “It is possible that you dislike a thing that is good for you and like a thing that is bad for you. But Allah knows and you don’t know it” (2:216). “If you dislike a thing it may be that Allah brings about a great deal of good through it” (2:19). “Allah was well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance unto You beneath the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down peace of reassurance on them, and has rewarded them with a near victory” (48:18). “Say (O Muhammad) to mankind: ‘If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. So obey Allah and His apostle’” (3:31-32).
When the Holy Prophet (pbuh) appointed a man from the Hudhayl tribe as the commander-in-chief of his divinely-aided army, an insolent man became envious and opposed this decision.
Humans are, by nature, determined to follow their desire for recognition. On account of their pride, they deviate from the true path, become dead in spirit and start living in deception. Their spirit is imprisoned. However, the key to this prison – and the freedom from it – lies in their own hands. Their spirits have been sullied while the flowing river lies at his feet.
The Divine Light has been hidden. But the search for any evidence of its existence won’t go in vain. If the prison that this world is had no refuge, there would be neither be an aversion to it nor would the heart seek a form of release.
Their aversion is dragging them along like a custodian saying: “O man that has strayed, seek the path of righteousness”. While the path exists, it is hidden in a secret place and its discovery often involves seeking it in vain before it is finally exposed. Separation is the secret to the quest of union. In this, the seeker discerns the face of what is sought. Like dead trees and plants in the orchard springing up from the root, saying: “perceive the Giver of life!”
The eyes of the prisoners to the world would not be fixed on what lies beyond it if there were no deliverance. How could there be a hundred thousand tainted souls seeking water if there was never any water in the river? If there is no rest for you in this world, know that there is a mattress and blanket for you in the next. Without a resting place, there wouldn’t be a restless seeker and without a medicine that takes away the headache of intoxication, there wouldn’t be a headache.
The objector says: “No, no, O Messenger of God, do not appoint anyone to be chief of the army but an old shaykh. O Messenger, even if the youth is very heroic, may none but an old man be head of the army! You too have said – and your word is always true – ‘The leader must always be old’. O Messenger of God, look at this army; there are so many elders and persons superior to him”.
We do not pay attention to the yellow leaves of the apple tree when we pick its ripe fruit. Its yellow leaves aren’t devoid of worth. They are a sign of maturity and perfection. The yellow leaf symbolises the beard and white hair of the elders that brings them joy over their mature intelligence. The new green leaves signify that the fruit is not yet ripe.
Leaflessness – indicating spiritual poverty – is the sign of being a gnostic while the yellowness of gold is the cheerful countenance of the money-changer. He who is still rosy-cheeked has just begun to learn the writing of the school of knowledge. His writing is still misshapen and he lacks intelligence even though his body moves with agility. An old man’s feet may lack rapid movement but his intelligence has reached its zenith.
An example of this can be found in the experience of Ja’far. When the enemy cut off his hands and feet, God gave him wings so he could fly to paradise. The irreverent objector continued his tirade. Though words did not fail him, his vision was ignorant.
Words are no substitute for vision. For a person who has a vision, words are just a form of idle talk. He reads words, but only for the purpose of teaching others. He only utters words for the purpose of making others understand. It is wrong to use idle words in the presence of a person who has a vision as it is a proof of heedlessness and inefficiency. In the presence of someone with a vision, it is to your advantage to remain silent. If you are asked to speak, only use a few words and make sure you do not deviate from the point that you are trying to make. Speak with modesty and comply with His command.
When I am cutting short my discourse on the way of righteousness, He draws me on to speak: “O Radiance of the Almighty, you are envisioned, why do you seek speech from me?” When that Arab man carried his dispute beyond the bounds of acceptance in the presence of the Prophet (pbuh), the latter put his hand on the objector’s mouth to prevent him from further speech as though to say: “How long will you speak in the presence of one who has vision?”.
As was pointed out in an earlier article, the Divine Edict is that: “He who obeys the apostle, obeys Allah, but if anyone turns away, we have not sent you to watch over their evil deeds” (4:80). The Almighty sent His commands, guidance and instructions through His apostles, including the last one, Muhammad (pbuh). Therefore, whatever he asked us to do was in fact a command from Allah.
In 33:36, He unambiguously commanded that: “It becomes not a believing man or woman, when Allah and His apostle have decided an affair for them, that they should then claim any say in their affair.
“And whosoever is rebellious to Allah and His apostle, he verily goes astray in error manifest”. Furthermore, the Quran says: “He who obeys Allah and His apostle, fears Allah and keeps duty unto Him, such indeed are successful” (24:52).
In light of these edicts, only a non-believer or someone who has gone astray would comment or object to the actions of Allah’s apostle. In the case in question, it was totally uncalled for and against Islam for the person to object to a decision taken by Allah’s apostle.

(Published in Monthly Tribute International on 01-12-2017)