Another bird said to the hoopoe: “O thou who knowest the way of which thou speakest, and along which thou wouldst lead us! sight must grow dim upon this road, for indeed it seems exceedingly arduous and many parasangs in length.”
“We have,” replied the hoopoe, “seven valleys to cross, and it is only beyond these valleys that the palace of the Simurgh is discovered. No one has returned to the world after travelling this road; one cannot know how many parasangs it extends. Since this is so, how dost thou expect anyone to instruct thee on this matter and calm thine impatience? Fool that thou art, since all who have entered this road have been lost there for ever, how can they bring thee news of it?
“The first valley that presents itself is that of the quest (talab); the next is that of love (’ischc), which is without limit; the third is that of knowledge (ma’rifat), the fourth that of independence (istigna), the fifth that of pure unity (tauhéd), the sixth that of terrible bewilderment (hairat), and the seventh, finally, that of poverty (fucr) and annihilation (fana), a valley beyond which one cannot advance. There thou shalt be drawn onward, and yet thou shalt be unable to continue thy journey; a single drop of water shall be to thee as an ocean.
“We have,” replied the hoopoe, “seven valleys to cross, and it is only beyond these valleys that the palace of the Simurgh is discovered. No one has returned to the world after travelling this road; one cannot know how many parasangs it extends. Since this is so, how dost thou expect anyone to instruct thee on this matter and calm thine impatience? Fool that thou art, since all who have entered this road have been lost there for ever, how can they bring thee news of it?
“The first valley that presents itself is that of the quest (talab); the next is that of love (’ischc), which is without limit; the third is that of knowledge (ma’rifat), the fourth that of independence (istigna), the fifth that of pure unity (tauhéd), the sixth that of terrible bewilderment (hairat), and the seventh, finally, that of poverty (fucr) and annihilation (fana), a valley beyond which one cannot advance. There thou shalt be drawn onward, and yet thou shalt be unable to continue thy journey; a single drop of water shall be to thee as an ocean.
“As soon as thou hast entered the first valley, that of quest (talab), a hundred grievous things will continually assail thee. At every moment thou wilt have to undergo a hundred trials in this place; the parrot of heaven is but a fly. Thou wilt have to spend several years in this valley, making grievous efforts and changing thy state. Thou wilt indeed have to abandon thy riches and make light of all that thou possessest. Thou wilt have to enter a pool of blood, renouncing everything; and when thou art certain that thou possessest nothing more, it will still remain for thee to detach thy heart from all that exists. When thy heart has thus been saved from perdition, thou wilt see the pure light of the divine majesty shining forth, and, when it is manifested to thy spirit, thy desires will multiply without end. Were there then fire upon the path of the spiritual traveller, and a thousand new valleys, each more grievous to cross than the last, yet, driven by his love, he would enter these valleys like a madman and plunge into the midst of the flame like a moth. Driven by his delirium, he will give himself to the quest represented by this valley; he will ask his cupbearer for a draught. When he has drunk a few drops of this wine, he will forget both worlds. Submerged in the ocean of immensity, he will nevertheless have dry lips, and he will be able to ask the secret of eternal beauty only of his own heart. In his desire to know this secret, he will not fear the dragons that seek to devour him. If, at that moment, faith and infidelity were to present themselves together before him, he would welcome them both equally, provided that they opened to him the door through which he must reach his goal. For, when this door is opened to him, what are faith or infidelity then, since on the other side of this door there is neither one nor the other?”
Amrû d’Osmân, the Meccan, says in his Gan-nâma (book of the treasure), which he wrote at Mecca: “When God placed the pure breath of life in the body of Adam, which was nothing but earth and water, He desired that the entire host of angels should have no knowledge of the matter, nor even suspect it.” He therefore said: “Prostrate yourselves now before Adam, O heavenly spirits!” They all then bowed their heads to the face of the earth, and inevitably none of them saw the secret that God wished to conceal from them. But Iblis came and said to himself: “No one will see me bend my knee at this moment. Even if my head were severed from my body, that would not be so great an affliction for me as the one that would result from this act, were I to perform it. I know full well that Adam is not merely of the earth, and there is no danger in my lowering my head so as not to see this secret.” Thus, since Iblis did not lower his head, he saw the secret he was spying upon. Then God said to him: “O thou who hast lain in ambush along the way! Thou hast stolen even My secret; but, since thou hast seen this secret that I had concealed, I shall put thee to death, lest thou reveal it to the world; for whenever a king secretly deposits a treasure somewhere to hide it from his army, he necessarily puts to death the person in whose presence the deed was done, and draws a line through his life. Thou art that man of the treasure; like him, thou hast seen a hidden treasure, and must therefore resign thyself to having thy head cut off. For if I do not cut off thy head this very moment, thou wilt be free to reveal this secret to everyone.”
“Lord,” said Iblis, “grant respite to Thy servant; show a means of atonement to him who has fallen into Thy disfavour.” — “I am willing,” replied God, “to grant thee respite! Yet from this moment I place the collar of malediction about thy neck, and impose upon thee the name of liar, so that men may beware of thee until the Day of Resurrection.”
Iblis then said: “What have I to fear from Thy malediction, since this pure treasure has been revealed to me? If the malediction comes from Thee, mercy is also Thine to bestow; the creature depends upon Thee, for fate belongs to Thee. If malediction is my lot, I feel no fear; where there is poison, there is also theriac. When I saw creatures asking for mercy, then I (in my ignorance) chose Thy malediction. Thou cursest some of Thy creatures and blessest others. I am the creature of Thy malediction, since I have failed.
Iblis then said: “What have I to fear from Thy malediction, since this pure treasure has been revealed to me? If the malediction comes from Thee, mercy is also Thine to bestow; the creature depends upon Thee, for fate belongs to Thee. If malediction is my lot, I feel no fear; where there is poison, there is also theriac. When I saw creatures asking for mercy, then I (in my ignorance) chose Thy malediction. Thou cursest some of Thy creatures and blessest others. I am the creature of Thy malediction, since I have failed.
If thou wouldst attain the mystery of which I speak to thee, thou must act thus; but thou dost not seek the true meaning of things; thou merely pretendest to do so. If thou canst not find it by day or by night, it is not because it does not exist, but because thy search is faulty.
ANOTHER ANECDOTE ABOUT THE SHAIKH SHABLI. V. 39254.
At the moment of his death, Shabli was restless; his eyes were veiled, and his heart full of expectation. His loins were girt with the belt of bewilderment, and he sat upon the ashes. At one moment he drenched these ashes with his tears, at another he cast them upon his head. Someone then asked him: “At such a moment, hast thou seen anyone make use of the zunnar that encircles thy loins?” He replied: “I am burning; what should I do, and how should I act? What can I do, since I am leaving life through the effect of jealousy? My soul, which has withdrawn its gaze from the two worlds, burns at this moment with the jealousy it feels toward Iblis. Since he was content with the word of malediction, I hope that my lament, too, will fully attain its aim. Shabli, whose heart is parched and burning, will he then impart to another something of what he feels?”
ANOTHER ANECDOTE ABOUT THE SHAIKH SHABLI. V. 39254.
At the moment of his death, Shabli was restless; his eyes were veiled, and his heart full of expectation. His loins were girt with the belt of bewilderment, and he sat upon the ashes. At one moment he drenched these ashes with his tears, at another he cast them upon his head. Someone then asked him: “At such a moment, hast thou seen anyone make use of the zunnar that encircles thy loins?” He replied: “I am burning; what should I do, and how should I act? What can I do, since I am leaving life through the effect of jealousy? My soul, which has withdrawn its gaze from the two worlds, burns at this moment with the jealousy it feels toward Iblis. Since he was content with the word of malediction, I hope that my lament, too, will fully attain its aim. Shabli, whose heart is parched and burning, will he then impart to another something of what he feels?”
If thou makest a distinction between what comes to thee from God, whether it be a stone or a diamond, thou art not a man of the spiritual path. If thou deemest thyself honoured by the diamond and dishonoured by the stone, God is not with thee. Thou must no more love the diamond than hate the stone; take good heed of this, for both come from God. If thy mistress, in a moment of distraction, casts a stone at thee, that is better than receiving a jewel from another woman. Animated by ardent desire and hope, a man must continually risk his life upon the spiritual path. He must not pause for a moment in this quest; he must not remain inactive for a moment. If he spends but a single moment without pursuing his quest, he will be violently driven far from this path.
A distinguished man who loved God saw Majnûn sifting the earth in the middle of the road, and said to him, “O Majnûn! What are you seeking thus?”—“I seek Laïla,” he replied.—“Can you hope to find Laïla thus?” resumed the other; “could so pure a pearl be in this dust?”—“I seek Laïla everywhere,” said Majnûn, “in the hope of finding her one day somewhere.”
Yûçuf of Hamdan, a celebrated imâm of his age, who possessed the secrets of the world and was clear-sighted in such matters, used to say: “All that is seen above and below in existence, every atom, in short, is another Jacob asking news of Joseph, whom he has lost.”
Yûçuf of Hamdan, a celebrated imâm of his age, who possessed the secrets of the world and was clear-sighted in such matters, used to say: “All that is seen above and below in existence, every atom, in short, is another Jacob asking news of Joseph, whom he has lost.”
In the spiritual path, love and hope are necessary, for time must be spent in these two things. If these two things do not satisfy you, do not yet withdraw your head from these mysteries. Man must be patient in seeking; but shall he who loves not be impatient? Be patient, whether you desire it or not, in the hope of finding someone who will show you the path you must follow. Crouch like the child in its mother’s womb, and thus gather yourself within yourself, steeped in blood. Do not leave your inward self to appear outwardly. If you need food, sustain yourself on blood: blood alone nourishes the child in its mother’s womb, and it comes only from the warmth within. Feed yourself, then, on blood, and sit patiently, taking delight in your love, until by good fortune you attain acceptance from the object of your affection.
Schaikh Bû Saïd was in great perplexity: he was in the plain, his eyes full of blood and his heart cleft in two, when he saw in the distance an old villager whose appearance proclaimed piety, walking along while a radiant light issued from his body. The schaikh went towards him, greeted him, and immediately made known to him his distressing plight. When the old villager had heard him, he said: “O Bû Saïd, if one were to fill with millet, not once, but a hundred times, the space between the depths of the earth and the glorious throne of God, and if there were a bird that took a single grain of this millet once every thousand years, and then, for the same length of time, flew a hundred times as far from the world, throughout all this time the soul would not have received news from the celestial court, and Bû Saïd would still be far from it.”
The patient need much patience; but not every person who studies spiritual things is patient. Until one searches within the young gazelle, one cannot extract the musk-pouch from amid the blood. When the quest proceeds from within to without, even though it had the whole universe in which to unfold, it would advance through blood. He who does not devote himself to this noble quest is an animal—what am I saying? He does not exist, or is a figure without a soul. If you were to find a treasure, perhaps you would pursue it with greater ardour; but whoever attaches himself to such a treasure becomes its slave. Thus, when anything detains you on the spiritual path, it becomes your idol and must be treated as such. If you give way to the slightest pride, you are no longer master of your heart, for you are as one intoxicated by wine and have lost your reason. Do not let yourself be intoxicated by this cup of wine, and seek always, though there be no end to your quest.
Mahmûd and the Seeker
One night, Mahmûd, having strayed from his army, noticed a man sifting earth, his head bowed over the dust of the road, and who had piled heaps of earth here and there before him. When the king saw this, he threw his bracelet among the heaps of earth; then he urged his horse forward, swift as the wind. The following night, the king returned, and saw this man occupied in the same manner. “What you found yesterday,” he said to him, “would doubtless suffice to pay ten times the tribute of the world, and yet you continue to sift this earth. Exercise royalty, then, for you are independent.” — “While sifting the earth,” replied the man, “I found the ornament to which you allude, and it was through this labor that I obtained such a hidden treasure. Since my fortune was made manifest through this door, I must continue to occupy myself thus as long as I live.”
One night, Mahmûd, having strayed from his army, noticed a man sifting earth, his head bowed over the dust of the road, and who had piled heaps of earth here and there before him. When the king saw this, he threw his bracelet among the heaps of earth; then he urged his horse forward, swift as the wind. The following night, the king returned, and saw this man occupied in the same manner. “What you found yesterday,” he said to him, “would doubtless suffice to pay ten times the tribute of the world, and yet you continue to sift this earth. Exercise royalty, then, for you are independent.” — “While sifting the earth,” replied the man, “I found the ornament to which you allude, and it was through this labor that I obtained such a hidden treasure. Since my fortune was made manifest through this door, I must continue to occupy myself thus as long as I live.”
Be thou, then, also, the Man at this door until it be opened unto thee; turn not Thy head from this path until it be shown thee. Thine eyes shall not always be closed; seek, for this Door is not shut.
A man beside himself said to God: “O God! Open this door to me at last, that I may attain unto Thee.” Râbiah happened to be sitting there, and said to him: “O heedless one! Is this door shut?”
A man beside himself said to God: “O God! Open this door to me at last, that I may attain unto Thee.” Râbiah happened to be sitting there, and said to him: “O heedless one! Is this door shut?”