Anyway....

"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway. If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone can destroy overnight; build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, there may be jealousy; be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway."
- Mother Theresa

Amal

Amal is carried out through intention but action can be intentional or unintentional, Amal transcends the limbs and reaches the heart, as in the case of Rabiah Basriyyah (RA.). When she went on a pilgrimage to the Ka'aba Shareef, then the special blessings of Allah that perpetually descend upon the Ka'aba, were focussed on Rabiah Basriyyah (R.A.), as if they were welcoming her. Meanwhile
Hazrat Ibrahim ibnê-Adham (RA.) was proceeding to the Ka'aba performing Nafl at every step. When he reached it, he noticed the spiritual effects of the Ka'aba absent. They were at that time focussed on Hazrat Rabiah Basriyyah (R.A.). He addressed her “Just what is all the excitement you have aroused?” She said, “Have I drawn the attention of creation or have you, through your performance of Nafl at every step?” Hazrat lbrahim-ibn-e Adham (R.A.) said, “Even though I behave in the most arduous manner, yet the Ka'aba came forward to welcome you.” She said, “You came offering your head and submission and I, my heart”

Excerpted from :
members.tripod.com/alislaah4/sciencesoftasawwuf/id29.htm

Nanak Ji

Guru Nanak Dev Ji (15th April 1469 – 7 May 1539) has given a beautiful summary of his teachings in one of his hymns as follows:—

Love the saints of every faith:
Put away thy pride.
Remember the essence of religion
Is humility and sympathy,
Not fine clothes,
Not the Yogi’s garb and ashes,
Not the blowing of the horns,
Not the shaven head,
Not long prayers,
Not recitations and torturings,
Not the ascetic way,
But a life of goodness and purity,
Amid the world’s temptations.

Nanak Ji is also wrote the mool (central) mantra in Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib Ji :

"Ek Onkaar Satnam Karta Purkh Nirbhau Nirvair, Akaal murat Ajuni Sabhang Gur Parsad"

"There is only one God, His Name is true, He is the Creator, He is without fear, He is without enmity, He is timeless and without form, He is beyond birth and death, the enlighted one , He can be known by the master's Grace".
The Granth Sahib

[Excerpted from:http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/]
[Image Courtsey:http://www.sikhcouncilusa.org]

Lesson...

No study is of avail so long as our inner being is not attuned. We must hold a peaceful attitude towards all living things.. and if it is lacking, we must strive fervently to cultivate it. The same lesson is taught by Jesus christ when he says :

"If thou bring thy gift to the alter and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the alter and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

Excerpted by :
The Upnishads (Translated by Swami Parmananda)

Aval Allah Noor Upaaya

I once heard Raagi Harjinder Singh Ji sing this shabad(hymns) from Gurbani ..and absolutely loved it ...It is written by Bhagat Kabeer Ji and is a part of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ...

the first few lines are

Aval Allah noor upaaeiaa kudrat ke sab bandey ||
Ek noor te sab jag upajaiaa koun bhalae ko mande ?
logaa bharam n bhoolahu bhaaee ||
khaalik khalak.. khalak mehi khaalik poor rahiou srab thaii....

I also found the translation of whole shabad online
@http://www.sikhitothemax.com/Page.asp?SourceID=G&PageNo=&ShabadID=4892&Format=2

First, Allah created the Light;
then, by His Creative Power, He made all mortal beings.
From the One Light, the entire universe welled up.
So who is good, and who is bad? ||1||

O people, O Siblings of Destiny, do not wander deluded by doubt.
The Creation is in the Creator, and the Creator is in the Creation,
totally pervading and permeating all places. ||1||Pause||

The clay is the same,
but the Fashioner has fashioned it in various ways.
There is nothing wrong with the pot of clay
- there is nothing wrong with the Potter. ||2||

The One True Lord abides in all;
by His making, everything is made.
Whoever realizes the Hukam of His Command,
knows the One Lord.
He alone is said to be the Lord's slave. ||3||

The Lord Allah is Unseen; He cannot be seen.
The Guru has blessed me with this sweet molasses.
Says Kabeer, my anxiety and fear have been taken away;
I see the Immaculate Lord pervading everywhere. ||

Friendship.... continued...

Brother Irving's comments in the last post reminded me of this qissa that I had read before ... fortunately I found it again in some saved drafts .. I apologize as I am not sure of the source of this story ..I had read it on the net and had saved it in the past .....Hope we all learn from this wonderful story...

A person came crying and weeping to Shaikh Shiblee Rahamatullahi alayh and said,'O Shaikh, I have destroyed myself; make du'aa for me that may Allah take me away from this world.'

People, whose relationship with Allah is strong, will never ever dream of committing suicide. Those people who enjoy the pleasures of this world; alcohol, drug, women, dubbing, etc., they are the people who will ultimately, want to commit suicide because they will get sick of this world. Those who enjoy the pleasures of this world by committing sins will be surrounded by problems from all four sides. They have brought these problems upon themselves through disobedience to Allah Ta’aalaa.

Such people begin to feel they will only find peace, if they are dead. An Urdu poet has said: Now out of fear you desire to die (But) even after death, if you do not find peace, where will you go?

Now, overpowered by calamities and problems, you desire to die and you consider death a solution to all your problems, but if, after death, you do not find peace in the grave, if you do not find peace on the Day of Qiyaamah, if you do not find peace on the Pul Siraat and you are deprived of entry in Jannah, then where will you go?

So the person said to Shaikh Shiblee, 'I have a big problem. Make du'aa that may Allah Ta’aalaa take me away from this world.’

The Shaikh said, 'Calm down, take it easy, what is the problem?' He replied, 'I had a very close friend, and I loved him very much. We were friends for a very long time. He sacrificed everything for me and I sacrificed everything for him. I had never thought that he will ever leave me but he has left me. Now my heart is empty. I cannot survive without him. I love him so much that I want him back, and if I cannot have him back, then I want to die.’

The Shaikh soothed him and asked him to calm down saying, 'Look, there is no need to lose hope. Why do you want to die when there is a solution to your problem?'

He quickly said, very happily, 'Tell me what is the solution, tell me quickly! Since he has left me I have not been eating, drinking or sleeping. There is no joy in my life. Please tell me quickly.’

The Shaikh replied, 'The only way to forget a friend who has left you is to make a new friend.’ He said, 'O Shaikh, after ten to fifteen years of loyal friendship, he has left me and I am suffering. And you are telling me to make a new friend. I fear that if the same thing happens, then what will become of me.’

Shaikh Shiblee said, 'What if I find you a friend who will never leave you. In fact, if you are disloyal to him and after years of disloyalty, you go back to him saying O my friend! Forgive me. I want to be your friend again, he will immediately accept you again as a friend.’ He said, 'O Shaikh! Show me this friend! Who is this friend that is so loyal.’

The Shaikh replied, 'Turn to Allah and make friendship with Him.'

Surrender

"Weave no more with soot and slime of your thought,
Like the spider, the web of rotten warp
While you are silent, His speech is your speech
While you weave not, He is the weaver"
[Moulana Rumi]

Image Courtsey:
http://www.photohome.com/pictures/animal-pictures/wildlife/spider-web-1a.jpg

Maya

Maya is a Sanskrit word which literally means "that which is not" — "ma" means "not", "ya" means "that".

It is the imagination of the deluded mind which never ends and never exists! Thus, sages defined Maya as that phenomena which produces the impossible. Similarly, the Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS) defines Maya as follows:

Maadhve kiya kaheeyai bhram aisaa. Jaisaa maaneeyai hoe na taisaa:

O Lord, what can I say about this illusion;
what we deem a thing to be, in reality, it is not like that (sggs 657).

I have added below a couple of more verses about Maya from Gurbani..

[Gurbani means "Guru + Bani" or "word of Guru". Gu means darkness and Ru is light. The one who brings light in darkness is a Guru.
In Sikhism Gurbani generally refers to the verses from the Holy Scripture "Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji" ]


****************

As is the fire within the womb, so is Maya outside.
The fire of Maya and that of the womb is similar;
the Creator has staged this play.
According to His Will, the child is born,
and the family is very pleased.
Love for the Lord wears off,
and the child becomes attached to desires;
the script of Maya runs its course.
This is Maya, by which the Lord is forgotten;
emotional attachment and love of duality well up.
Says Nanak, by God's Grace,
those who enshrine love for God find Him,
in the midst of Maya
(sggs Page 921).

*********************************

What is the use of the glory of Maya?
It disappears in no time at all. ||1||
This is a dream, but the sleeper does not know it.
In his unconscious state, he clings to it. ||1||Pause||
The poor fool is enticed by the great attachments of the world.
Gazing upon them, watching them, he must still arise and depart. ||2||
The Royal Court of His Darbaar is the highest of the high.
He creates and destroys countless beings. ||3||
There has never been any other, and there shall never be.
O Nanak, meditate on the One God. ||4||10||16||

**********************************

How one can conquer the formidable fortress of Maya?
This fortress is reinforced with double walls and triple moats. Its mean of defense are five elements, with their twenty-five categories, attachment, pride, jealousy, and the awesomely powerful Maya. Lust is the window of this fortress; pain and pleasures are the gatekeepers; virtue and sin are the gates. Quarrelsome anger is the great supreme commander, and mind is the rebel king there. Their armor is the pleasure of taste and flavors, their helmets are worldly attachments; they take their aim with the bows of their corrupt intellect. The greed that fills their heart is the arrow. How mortals can conquer this impregnable fortress?

Liberation from Maya dose not constitute disappearance of material energy or world. It is the change in one's vision. It is the ceasing of the conditioned mind's imagining. Thus, transcending Maya simply means living in the material world but not of it. It is liberation from ignorance: false ego-sense, bondage, or limitedness. As the lotus flower remains untouched by water and mud it grows in, similarly, the liberated man remains untouched or unaffected in the midst of Maya...

Excerpted from:
Courtsey : www.sikhitothemax.com
www.gurbani.org
Image Courtsey : http://www.purpleville.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Aspirations

Read a wonderful article on aspirations by Anab Whitehouse on his very informative and enlightening blog http://anab-whitehouse.blogspot.com/...

posting a couple of excerpts from his recent post below. Click this link to review complete post.

By dominating consciousness, intentions, motivations, thinking, attitudes, evaluations, judgements and behavior, the activities of anger and passion create the illusion of a self which is being served by such activity. In other words, our awareness is mesmerized, or a state of hypnosis is induced in consciousness, by the activities of anger and passion. As a result, awareness identifies with them as being possessions of, and acting on behalf of, consciousness.

.....

Intention must become a servant of God. Everything which is done must be done for the love of God. Intention must be purified so nothing remains but the aspiration to please God.

The heart must be trained to collaborate with, and give expression to, spiritual aspiration. The heart's association with the aspirations of the false self or ego must be discontinued.

........

However, as spiritual aspiration goes through various transformations, our essential capacity becomes sensitive and receptive to the modalities of experiencing and realizing Divinity which are consonant with the condition of our aspiration. Consequently, the way God responds to us is merely a reflection of the way we relate to Divinity.

courtsey: http://anab-whitehouse.blogspot.com/2007/12/himma-aspiration.html

Prayer

The Ardaas demands a complete surrender to Divine Will. Resignation to the Will of God will ultimately benefit the individual. Only then can God take up his problems and sort them out. The Lord will never fail him who throws himself on His Mercy. Moreover, this submission eliminates the ego- the wall which stands between man and his Creator...

Prayer, Ardaas or Dua whatever we call it, it is a means of ridding the mind of its ills and desires and filling it with pure thoughts and noble aspirations. The prayer requires an effort of heart-searching, an effort to become more pure and noble. The mind must be emptied of all worldly thoughts so that peace may enter it
[ courtsey: http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/prayers/ardaas.htm]

I recently read a beautiful article on Dua sent by a friend that I am quoting below.. I hope that we all can benefit from it ....

Allah (S.W.T) says in the holy quran, in Sura Baqarah, ayat 186,
"Wa idha sa alaka ibadi anni, fa inni qareeb. Ujeebu da’watad daa’ee idha da aaani, fal yastajeebu lee, wal yu’minu bee, la allahum yarshudoon."

This translates as: " And when my servant asks you concerning me, then surely I am very near; I answer the du’a of the caller when he/she calls me; so they should answer my call too, and believe in me, so that they may be guided aright."

Du’a in Arabic means call, request, supplication or prayer. Du’a builds up a collective discipline that can be used to set up the ideal society based upon love, peace, justice and freedom.

People often complain that their dua’s are not answered. Allah promises us in the Qur’an to answer us if we call, as is shown in the ayat that I read before you from Sura Baqarah.
Allah (S.W.T.) also says, in Sura al-Mu’min ayaat 60 : "Call to Me, I will answer you."

Then why do we sometimes feel that we are not getting an answer?

The following things prevent dua’s being accepted.

Firstly, sins. In one dua, we say to Allah, "Allahummaghfir liyadh dhunoo ballatee tah bisud du’a"
"O Allah, forgive me the sins which hold back supplication" Every sin is a barrier between us and Allah and certain types of sins prevent our duas being answered.

Secondly, that what we are asking for, is not good. In another Du’a we say to Allah:

"Fa in abta anni atabtu bijahli alayk. Wa la allalladhi abta a anni huwa khayrulli li ilmika bi aaqibatil umoor."

"Then if there was a delay in Your answer, I would blame You, due to my ignorance, and perhaps the delay was best for me, for You know the outcome of all affairs"

This verse talks about how disappointed we get when our prayers are not answered, but Allah knows best whether or not what we asked for was good for us.

Lastly, our dua’s might not be answered because we do not pray with total sincerity or because we lack trust in him.

Du’a must be accompanied with action. Imam ALI (as) has said: "One who merely does du’a and fails to act is like one who wishes to shoot an arrow with a string-less bow."

There was once a pious family whose town was flooded. The council sent a truck to rescue them, but they refused help saying that they had prayed to Allah and HE would save them. As the flooding increased, they move to the second floor of the house. The council sent a boat this time. Again they refused help, saying that Allah would save them.
The floods rose even further, and now they were on the roof of the house. The council sent a helicopter but they refused with the same answer. Eventually, they drowned and it is said that they complained to Allah saying they had relied on Him to save them.
The answer came down ~ "I sent you a truck, a boat and a helicopter. What more did you want ?"

Every du’a that is said receives one of the following three things:

Either an answer to the prayer.
Or the du’a will bring a blessing for the reciter.
Or the du’a will ward off a difficulty or calamity.

Thus we should never feel that if Allah does not answer our prayer there is no use of du’a. We may be getting one of the other benefits without realising it.

Awakening

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart ... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.
-- Carl Jung

Love of God...

Like the desert is not satiated with the rain...nor the hunger of the fire is ever quenched..
Like a King is never satiated by his dominion... and who has ever filled the oceans ?

Nanak says ..how much ever I dwell in the true name of the Lord, my hunger for it never appeases ...

[ Sri Guru Grath Sahib Ji..Page :495
Translated by : Manmohan Singh Ji]

Baba Fareed aur Namaaz ka Qissa

Kehate hain ke Baba Fareed jab ek chhote bachche they to Khel kood mein mashgool rehate thae.. MaaN ko laga ab baRe ho rahe hain to Khuda kii taraf dil judna chaahiye ... namaaz paRhni chaahiye unhe bhi .. Baba Fareed ko kaha ko samjhaaya ke din mein kam az kam do waqt ki namaaz paRhna shuru karien ... Fajr kii aur Isha Kii ..

Saat baras kii nanhi umar ..Bachpan ke bholepan mein Baba Fareed MaaN se poochhtey hain ke 'MaaN mein namaaz to paRh loon par badle mein Khuda mujhe kya dega .." MaaN ne bhi saadigi se jawaab de diya ke Khuda khush hokar KhajoorieN dega.. Mithaayi dega .. GuR(Jaggery) dega..

Sun kar chhote se Fareed khuch ho gaye .. namaaZ paRhne ka waqt aaya .. maaN ne namaaz ke pehale hii jai-namaaZ(mussallah) ke neeche khajoor rakh dien .. Fareed jii ne namaaz paRh kar musallah uthaaya to dekhte hain ke neeche KhajoorieN paRi hai.. bohot khush huye ke ye to naqad saudaa hai .. idher namaaz paRhi ..udher khajoorien(dates) mil gayien ..

Ab roz ka kaam ho gaya .. idher namaaz paRhne ka waqt hota udher maaN Fareed Ji ke musalle ke neeche kabhi mithaayi .. kabhi GuR .. kabhi khajoorien rakh detieN .. Fareed ji namaaz parhte ..musallah uthate aur koi na koi meethi saugaat unhe mil jaati .. din ba din unkaa khuda par aietbaar badtaa gaya ...

Ek din honi ko kuchh aur hii manzoor tha .. maaN Ghar ke kaamoN mein masroof Fareed Ji ke musalle ke neeche saugaat rakhna bhool gayi .. magar woh din alag hii tha.. uskii saugaat bhi alag hii thi...Fareed Ji ne namaaz khatam kii ... magar aaj unkii namaaz mein ras kuchh aur hi tha .. aaj unka dil us Allah se bandh gaya tha .. roz namaaz parhte they ... magar aaj Allah se milaap ka jo sukh unhe mila tha.. jo shiriniyat mili thi woh pehale kabhi nahi... Fareed Ji ka dil bhar aaya .. aankhon se aansoo behane lage ... ke itna sukh .. itni khushi .. jaane is chhotii sii umar mein Allah ne unhe kitni baRi saugaat se nawaaza tha ....

MaaN ko achanak khayaal aaya ke aaj to Fareed ke musaalle ke neeche mithaayi khujoor kuchh nahi rakhi .. daudi daudi aayien to dekha Fareed ji ki aankhon se paani beh raha hai ... unhe laga pata nahi ab Fareeda namaaz parhe ya na parhe .. kahiN iska aietbaar to nahi toot gaya .. jaldi jaldi rasoiighar(kitchen) ja kar ek tashtari(plate) mein mithaayi khajoor le aayien..aur Fareed ji ko behlaane lagien ke aaj Allah jaldi mein they .. to mujhe keh gaye they ke mein tumhe aaj kii saugaat de doon ...

Khushi kii aah nikaal gayi Fareed Ji ke mooNh se... ashkbaar aankhon se maaN ko kehate hain ke maaN aaj hii to Allah ne khud apne aap saugaat di hai mujhe.. aaj tak to woh tumhaare haathOn mithaayi kii saugaat bhejte they mujhe .. magar aaj to apne aap apne milan ke ras se nawaaza hai .. apni mohabbat kii saugaat di hai mujhe ...

-------------
Maskeen Ji ne ye qissa itni khoobsurati is bayaan kiya hai sun kar dil bhar aata hai..aankhien bhar aatien hain ..dua hai ke har insaan ko khuda is saugaat se nawaaze....

[Courtsey: Audio recording by Giani Sant Singh Maskeen]

Why do you roam the jungles?

Why do you roam the jungles?
Says Farid,
Why do you roam the jungles with thorns pricking your feet?
Your Lord dwells in your heart.
And you wander about in search of Him ....

[Baba Sheikh Fareed]

Baba Sheikh Farid ((1173 - 1266) was a Sufi saint who is considered by many to be the first major poet of the Punjabi language. He was born in the Multan district of what is today Pakistan.
Later, when the Sikh holy book the Adi Granth Sahib was compiled, many of Baba Sheikh Farid's poems and couplets were included, alongside the poetry of Kabir and Ravidas.

courtsey:http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com

ON FEAR

We live in fear, in fear of losing things which we think we own; our health, our youth, our life, our wife, children, money, job, etc. And indeed, most of our time and efforts are spent to secure these things. We take our bankers’ advice, our lawyers’ advice, our doctors’ advice. We economize, we are jealous of our legal rights, we diet, we take our pills. To somewhat appease our fears of losing our material well-being, we buy insurance, open savings accounts, have medical check-ups, swallow vitamins, jog in the streets. And to have people’s esteem, we appear not as we are, but the way they wish us to be.

Some also fear losing their good reputation, honor, respect, and love. of others. Fewer still are afraid of losing their minds, their faith, their hope for salvation in the hereafter and their religion. The very few who are afraid to lose their faith and their place in Paradise squeeze in a few minutes of prayer a day, a few days of fasting a year, and cheat on the alms which they pay, while they wouldn’t dare to cheat the IRS.

We complain of fatigue, stress, injustice, lack of good luck and of the tyranny of the government, society, economy, bosses, employees, neighbors, mothers, fathers, wives and husbands, our children; just about everything and everybody, and we rarely find fault with ourselves. In spite of all this effort, we cannot eliminate our fears. In fact, the more we try and fail, the corse we feel, and our fears increase. This is the state of the whole world.

The solution which the rulers of this world (the politicians, the media, Wall Street) have found is to offer "circus and wine": amusement and fun. Their remedy is not to seek strength to face this situation, but to forget, to be. distracted. It does not work! The drunkard wakes up with a hangover after a momentary craze; he returns to his problems accompanied by a splitting headache!

In reality there is nothing to fear except ourselves, our ego and its insatiable appetite, which will always want more than it has, even if it had the whole world. What is one supposed to do to stop this insanity. How do we live this life in peace and with sanity? Indeed there is no comfort in this world. It is a hard test which lasts seventy to eighty years, through which we must pass to meet our Lord. It is a test which very few pass because they choose the world and the worldly as their teacher.

[Courtsey : http://www.jerrahi.org/writings_english/onfear.htm]

Words of Wisdom

The aspect of human beings that sets us off from all other creatures is that of imaginative wisdom. Animals see things as they are, but we see them as they can be. We have been given the Divine ability to transform. Nothing gives a person more energy as he or she is working to bring a vision into reality. People forsake their sleep, food, and comfort for the sake of a project that they love. There is something holy about a human being dedicated to a purpose, something more precious than I can attempt to put into words. It is the miracle of creation.

It is exactly this miracle which enables us to transcend circumstances. Any circumstance is a good starting point for God. The alchemical power to activate Divinity is always speaking to us, if we are but willing to listen and do. It is none other than the Voice of God, beckoning to us to acknowledge the Divine Spark and to draw it into expression, that it may be shared by all.

[Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore]
Courtsey : http://lessonsoftheday.blogspot.com/

Kindness

"Be kind to people whether they deserve your kindness or not. If your kindness reaches the deserving, good for you; if your kindness reaches the undeserving, take joy in your compassion."

[Hadiths of Prophet Mohammed]

Rumi... Again...

Since yesterday I am reading the translation of great Rumi's poetry at following website
http://www.rumi.org.uk/divan.htm

I shared couple of the pearls on my blogsite yesterday, but its such a lovely poetry and so beautifully translated.

http://www.rumi.org.uk/divan.htm

My heart, sit only with those
who know and understand you.
Sit only under a tree
that is full of blossoms.
In the bazaar of herbs and potions
don't wander aimlessly
find the shop with a potion that is sweet
If you don't have a measure
people will rob you in no time.
You will take counterfeit coins
thinking they are real.
Don't fill your bowl with food from
every boiling pot you see.
Not every joke is humorous, so don't search
for meaning where there isn't one.
Not every eye can see,
not every sea is full of pearls.
My hart, sing the song of longing
like nightingale.
The sound of your voice casts a spell
on every stone, on every thorn.
First, lay down your head
then one by one
let go of all distractions.
Embrace the light and let it guide you
beyond the winds of desire.
There you will find a spring and nourished by its see waters
like a tree you will bear fruit forever.

Rumi: The Hidden Music
by Maryam Mafi & Azima Melita Kolin

WHISPERS OF LOVE

Lover whispers to my ear,
"Better to be a prey than a hunter.
Make yourself My fool.
Stop trying to be the sun and become a speck!
Dwell at My door and be homeless.
Don't pretend to be a candle, be a moth,
so you may taste the savor of Life
and know the power hidden in serving."

Mathnawi V. 411-414 (translated by Kabir Helminski)
'The Rumi Collection', Edited by Kabir Helminski

Rumi's Poetry

Rumi's Poetry
Mathnawi VI: 255-260

Wealth has no permanence: it comes in the morning,
and at night it is scattered to the winds.
Physical beauty too has no importance,
for a rosy face is made pale by the scratch of a single thorn.
Noble birth also is of small account,
for many become fools of money and horses.
Many a nobleman's son has disgraced his father by his wicked deeds.
Don't court a person full of talent either,
even if he seems exquisite in that respect:
take warning from the example of Iblis1 Devil.
Iblis had knowledge, but since his love was not pure,
he saw in Adam nothing but a figure of clay.

Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996