Stay beside us a while that we may be comforted thereby.

Excerpt

Let me never forget my abode at Wána and my saying to camel-riders as they departed and arrived, 'Stay beside us a while that we may be comforted thereby, for I swear by those whom I love that I am consoled.' If they set out they will journey with the most auspicious omen, and if they halt they will alight at the most bountiful halting-place.

Source Tarjumân al-Ashwâq, Poem 43 · 📖 Read the full passage

✨ To meditate on today

According to Ibn Arabi, an Andalusian mystic, the poet remembers his abode at Wana, a stopping place in the Arabian desert, where he held back the passing camel-riders to rejoice in their presence and wish them the best of journeys. Today, truly welcome someone who passes near you — a neighbour, a colleague, a delivery person —: a few minutes of attention, then a sincere wish for the rest of their way.

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