Moses and the Shepherd

(in four parts)

Part I

Mathnawi II: 1720-1749

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The condemning by Moses-- may peace be upon him-- of the shepherd's devotional prayer1

1720 Moses met a shepherd on the road,2 who kept saying, "O God!" and "O Allah!"3

"Where are You?-- so I can become Your servant, and mend Your sandals4 and comb Your head.

"(So) I can wash Your robe, kill Your lice, (and) bring milk in front of You, O Great (Lord).

"(So) I can kiss Your small hand, massage Your small foot,5 and sweep Your little (dwelling) place (when) the
time for sleep comes.

"All my goats are a sacrifice for You. (And all) my (shouts of) 'Hey!' and 'Ho!'6 are in remembrance of You.

1725 The shepherd was talking foolishly in this manner, (and) Moses said, "O so-and-so, to whom is this (being said
to)?"

He replied, "To the One who created us, by Whom the earth and the heavens came into view."

Moses said, "Hey! You have become very backwards. You have certainly not become a Muslim. 7 (Rather), you have
become an unbeliever.

"What is this foolish talk? What is this gibberish and ignorance of (true) belief? 8 Press some cotton into your
mouth!

"The stink of your unbelief has made the world (to)

smell bad. (And) your unbelief has made the brocaded silk of
religion (into) an old patched garment.

1730 "Sandals and sandal straps9 are suitable for you, (but)
things like these aren't right for (One who is like) a Sun.

"If you don't block your throat from (saying) these

words, a fire will come to burn up the people.

"(And) if a fire hasn't come,10 what is this smoke? Why

has (your) soul become black (and your) spirit rejected (by
God)?11

"If you know that God is the Judge and Ruler (of the
world), how can this foolish babble and insolent familiarity
of yours be acceptable?

"The friendship of one who lacks judgment and reason is

(equivalent to) hatred. God Most High is Independent of
(needing) service such as this.

1735 "Who are you telling this to? You're uncles? Are the
body and (bodily) needs among the (Divine) Attributes of the
Lord of Majesty?

"One drinks milk who is (involved) in growth and

increase. (And) one wears sandals who needs feet.

"And if your words12 are (addressed) to His servant-- the

one (about) whom God said, 'He is Me and I am him';13

"The one (about) whom He said, 'Truly, I was sick (and)

you didn't visit (Me),'14 (meaning) 'I became sick, not only
him';

"(And) the one (about whom He said), 'He became hearing

by Me and seeing by Me'--15 in regard to that servant, this
(talk of yours) is also absurd.

1740 "(For) speaking disrespectful words to one chosen by

God causes the heart to die (and) keeps the pages (recording
your actions) black.16

"If you call a man (by the woman's name) 'Fatima-- as if

men and women were one kind (only)--

"He will want (to shed) your blood, as much as it is

possible (for him to do so), even if he is pleasant-natured,
meek, and peaceful.

"In regard to women, Fatima is a praiseworthy (name).17

But if you say it to a man, it is (like) a spear-wound.

"In regard to us, 'hand' and 'foot' are praiseworthy;18

(but) in regard to Holy Purity of God, they are foul and
unclean.19

1745 "(The verse), 'He does not beget nor is He begotten'20

is suitable for Him, (since) He is the Creator of the
begetting parent and the begotten child.

"Whatever became embodied has the attribute of birth.

Whatever is born, is from this side of the river (of
existence),21

"Because it is (made) from (what is physically)

existent, decaying, and contemptible; it is something
appearing and certainly needs a Causer to appear."

(The shepherd) said, "O Moses, you've sewn my mouth

(shut) and burned my soul with regret and repentance."

1749 He tore (his) robe,22 made a (deep) sigh, and quickly

turned (his) head toward a desert plain23 and left.

--From "The Mathnawî-yé Ma`nawî" [Rhymed Couplets of

Deep Spiritual Meaning] of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard (with
gratitude for R. A. Nicholson's 1926 British translation)
© Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, & transliteration)
First published on "Sunlight" (yahoogroups.com), 1/25/01

Notes on the text, with line number:

1. (Heading) devotional prayer [munâjât]: a fervent,

heart-felt, and intimate form of personal prayer to God,
usually in one's native language (in contrast to more formal
prayers in Arabic). The "Intimate Invocations" [munâjât] of
the famous early sufi master, `Abdullah Ansari (died, 1089)
are famous examples of this, such as (from Persian): "O God,
people indicate how near You are, but You are more lofty
than that. People think how far You are, but You are much
closer than the soul. You are found in the spirits of Your
champions, (for) You are present in the hearts of those who
mention Your Name." (from "Abdullah Ansari of Herat: An
early Sufi Master," by A. G. Ravan Farhadi, Curzon, 1996,
pp. 120-121)

2. (1720) Moses met a shepherd on the road: just prior to

this line, Rumi had said (as translated by Nicholson): "Our
King (God) has given permission, (saying) 'Commemorate
Allah':* He saw us in the fire and gave us light. He has
said, 'Although I far transcend your commemoration (of Me),
(and although) the pictorial ideas (of human speech) are not
suitable to Me,/ Yet he that is intoxicated with (pictorial)
imagination and fancy will never apprehend My essence
without (the help of) similitude.'* Bodily commemoration* is
an imperfect fancy:* the Kingly attributes are remote from
those (forms of speech). If any one says of a king, 'He is
not a weaver,' what praise is this?* He (that person) is
surely ignorant." (II: 1715-1719)

*"Commemorate Allah" [uZkurû 'llâh Zikr-an kathîr]: "Remember

God (with) frequent remembrance" (Qur'an 33:41). *Bodily
commemoration: "I.e. praise and prayer uttered by the tongue."
(Nicholson, footnote) *an imperfect fancy: "'the idea of one
who is deficient (in knowledge'. Such persons use
anthropomorphic terms in praising God (dhikr-i jismánah [= bodily
commemoration], like the shepherd in the following Story."
*without (the help of) similitude: "cf. the saying of Dhú
'l-Nún [= an early sufi master, died 859]: 'Whatever idea
you may form of God in your mind, He is different from
that'. Nevertheless, without the aid of images, similitudes,
and metaphors most people could form no conception at all of
the Divine nature." *what praise is this?: "i.e. 'to praise
God by declaring Him to be exempt from bodily attributes is
really no praise at all'." (Nicholson, Commentary)

"Hazrat-i Moses-- upon him be peace-- met a shepherd on

the road: at the time of going to the mountain of Tûr [=
Sinai], he met a shepherd in the middle of the road..."
(Anqaravi, the famous 17th century Turkish commentator,
translated here into English from a Persian translation)

3. (1720) "O God!" and "O Allah!": these words are

corrections added in the earliest manuscript of the
Mathnawi, which originally had, "O God, the Chooser! [ay
gozînanda allâh]-- which is the text which Nicholson chose
and translated as, "O God who choosest (whom Thou wilt)."

4. (1721) sandals: a type of peasant's shoes, made from

rawhide.

5. (1723) Your small hand, massage Your small foot:

smallness of hands and feet were considered qualities of
beauty.

6. (1724) 'Hey!' and 'Ho!' [hay-hay, hayhâ]]: these are

also the shouts of a shepherd when leading sheep and goats
to pasture.

7. (1727) a Muslim: In Islam, every Prophet of God is

considered to have been a muslim-- literally, "one who
surrenders (to the Will of God)." And the followers of the
Prophets, who believed in One God and kept the commandments
revealed to His Prophets are considred to have been true
muslims.

8. (1728) ignorance of (true) belief [kufr]: Nicholson

translated this as "blasphemy" in this line and the
following line. This a Qur'anic term which means denial and
rejection of the existence of One God who has no partners,
as well as rejection of what was revealed by God to the
Prophets concerning the beliefs and behaviors expected of
true believers. The word also means unbelief and lack of
true belief, impiety, and blasphemy. Here, Moses is accusing
the shepherd of extreme anthropomorphism: viewing God as
similar to a creature such as a human being-- instead of as
the All-Powerful Creator of humanity, who utterly transcends
His Creation.

9. (1730) sandal straps: shoe straps twisted around the

feet from the ankles to the knees.

10. (1732) if a fire hasn't come: "i.e. 'a fire of Divine

Wrath', of which the shepherd's blasphemous language is the
'smoke,' i.e. the outward sign." (Nicholson, Commentary)

11. (1732) Why has (your) soul become black (and your) spirit
rejected (by God): "(It means), 'The foolish and nonsensical
words which you are speaking are... also a sign of the
blackness of (your) soul and of your soul being rejected.'"
(Anqaravi, Commentary)

12. (1737) your words: Nicholson later corrected his

translation, based on the earliest manuscript of the
Mathnawi/Masnavi to "these words of yours" (from, "these
words (of yours)").

13. (1737) 'He is Me and I am him': Nicholson referred here

to Mathnawi I: 423, (which he translated), "The shadow of
God is that servant of God who is dead to this world and
living through God." And he also cited I: 1936 (which he
translated), "Absolutely, indeed, that voice is from the
King (God) though it be from the larynx of God's servant."
Anqaravi quotes the following verses from the Qur'an to
explain this line: "Truly, those who pledge their allegiance
to you [O Muhammad] are pledging their allegiance to God,
(and) the Hand of God is over their hands." (Q. 48:10); "And
you did not throw (a handful of gravel, O Muhammad) when
you threw (it), but God threw [it at the enemy]..." (Q.
8:17). And he quoted a saying [Hadîth] of the Prophet (cited
by Al-Bukhari and Al-Muslim): "The one who has seen me,
truly he has seen God" [man ra`â-nî fa-qad ra'â 'l-Haqq]
(quoted by Faruzanfar, "AHâdîS-é Masnavi," p. 63, in regard
to Mathnawi II: 2247; see also VI: 3197)

14. (1738) 'Truly, I was sick (and) you didn't visit (Me)':
"Cf. St Matthew XXV 43-45. The Hadíth runs as follows: 'On
the Day of Resurrection God most High will say: "O son of
Adam, I was sick and thou didst not visit Me." He will
reply: "O Lord, how should I visit Thee, who art the Lord of
all created beings?" God will say: "Didst not thou know that
such and such a one, My servant, was sick, and thou didst
not visit him? Did not thou know that if thou hadst visited
him though wouldst have found Me beside him?... "'"
(Nicholson, Commentary)

15. (1739) 'He became hearing by Me and seeing by Me':

Nicholson commented on this, per Mathnawi I: 1938: "These
words are quoted from the famous Hadíth-i qudsí concerning
qurb-i fará'id [= nearness to God due to required acts of
worship] and qurb-i nawáfil [nearness to God due to
voluntary acts of worship]: 'God said, "My servant doth not
draw nigh unto Me by any means that pleaseth Me better than
performance of the obligatory duties of worship (fará'id)
which I have laid upon him; and My servant doth not cease to
draw nigh unto Me by voluntary works of devotion (nawáfil)
until I love Him, and when I love him, I am his ear, so that
he hears by Me, and his eye, so that he sees by Me, and his
tongue, so that he speaks by Me, and his hand, so that he
takes by Me."' While in qurb-i fará'id the mystic is fání
[annihilated of self] and God acts through him, in qurb-i
nawáfil he is báqí [remaining in God] and acts through God.
The commentators cite [= unusual (rarely quoted by sufis as
authentic)] Traditions in which God says al-insánu sirr-un
min asrárí [= man is a secret among My secrets] and
al-insánu sirrí wa-ana sirruhu [= man is My secret and I am
his secret]." (Commentary)

16. (1740) the pages (recording your actions):

17. (1743) In regard to women, Fatima is a praiseworthy

(name): "Fátimah, the Prophet's daughter and the wife of
`Alí, is regarded by Shi'ites and Sunnís alike as the ideal
of Moslem womanhood." (Nicholson, Commentary)

18. (1744) In regard to us, 'hand' and 'foot' are

praiseworthy: "Because to be without hands and feet is a
fault and defect [= for human beings]." (Anqaravi,
Commentary)

19. (1744) (but) in regard to Holy Purity of God, they are

foul and unclean: "Because the intention is [to limit God by
viewing Him with] limbs. But if the aim is not [to limit God
by viewing Him with] limbs, it is not a fault and defect,
but a perfection. Because the Holy God Most High has
described Himself with hands and feet, and this is in the
Book (of the Qur'an) and established in the traditions (of
what the Prophet has said)." (Anqaravi, Commentary) This
refers to the "anthropomorphic" depictions of God in the
Qur'an as Speaking, Seeing, and Hearing, having a Face (Q.
55:27) and a Hand (Q. 48:10), and sitting on a Throne (Q.
7:54). Also, the Prophet said, "Adam was created in His
image." Whether these descriptions should be understood as
metaphorical or literal is a centuries-old controversy in
Islam. [Compare with: "His Throne extends over the heavens
and the earth" (Q. 2:255); "No vision can comprehend Him"
(Q. 6:103); "He is glorified and exalted beyond their
(attempts at) describing (Him)." (Q. 6:100)]

20. (1745) 'He does not beget nor is He begotten': "Say: 'He
is God, the One, the Eternal. He does not beget, nor is He
begotten. And there is no none comparable to Him.'" (Qur'an
112:1-4) Here, Moses is depicted as quoting from the
Qur'an-- an instance of Rumi's disregard for chronology.
21. (1746) Whatever is born, is from this side of the river
(of existence): "i.e. opposed to the eternal and
suprasensible world (`álamu 'l-amr) [= the world of (Divine)
Command]." (Nicholson, Commentary)

22. (1749) He tore (his) robe: refers to the ancient Middle

Eastern, and pre-Islamic, custom of rending one's garments
during times of great anguish and extreme emotions. It is
strongly discouraged in Islam. Rumi uses it as a symbol for
the passionate devotion of the mystic lover. In any case,
since public nudity is forbidden in Islam, the tearing of
robes by dervishes usually involved the upper part of the
shirt or the outer cloak.

23. (1749) a desert plain: Nicholson later changed his

translation, based on the earliest manuscript of the
Mathnawi/Masnavi to "a desert" (from, "the desert").

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

inkâr kardan-é mûsà-- `alay-hi 's-salâm-- bar munâjât-é

shobân

1720 dîd mûsà yak shobânê-râ ba-râh

k-ô hamê-goft ay khodâ-wo ay allâh

tô ko-jây-î tâ shaw-am man châkar-at?

châroq-at dôz-am, kon-am shâna sar-at

jâma-at shoy-am, shoposh-hâ-at kosh-am

shîr pêsh-at âwar-am ay muHtasham

dast-ak-at bôs-am, be-mâl-am pây-ak-at

waqt-é khwâb ây-ad, be-rôb-am jây-ak-at

ay fidây-é tô hama boz-hây-é man

ay ba-yâd-at hay hay-o hay-hây-é man

1725 în namât bê-hôda mê-goft ân shobân

goft mûsà bâ key-ast în ay fulân?

goft bâ ân-kas ke mâ-râ âfrîd

în zamîn-o charkh az-ô âmad padîd

goft mûsà hây bas mudbir shod-î

khwad musalmân nâ-shoda kâfir shod-î

în che zhâzh-ast, în che kufr-ast-o fushâr

panba'yê andar dahân-é khwad feshâr

gand-é kufr-é tô jahân-râ ganda kard

kufr-é tô dîbây-é dîn-râ zhanda kard

1730 châroq-o pâtâba lâyiq mar to-râ-st

âftâbê-râ chon-în-hâ kay rawâ-st?

gar na-band-î z-in sokhon tô Halk-râ

âteshê ây-ad be-sôz-ad khalq-râ

âteshê gar n-âmad-ast în dûd chîst

jân seyah gashta rawân mardûd chîst?

gar hamê dân-î ke yazdân dâwar-ast

zhâzh-o gostâkhî to-râ chûn bâwar-ast
dôstîy-é bê-kherad khwad doshmanî-st
Haq ta`âlà z-în chon-în khidmat ghanî-st

1735 bâ ke mê-gôy-î tô în bâ `amm-o Khâl

jism-o Hâjat dar Sifât-é Zû 'l-jalâl?

shîr ô nôsh-ad ke dar nashw-o namâ-st

châroq ô pôsh-ad ke ô muHtâj-é pâ-st

w-ar barây-é banda-sh-ast în goft-é tô

ân-ke Haq goft ô man-ast-o man khwad-é ô

ân-ke goft inn-î mariZtu lam ta`ud

man shod-am ranjûr ô tan-hâ na-shod

ân-ke bî yasma` wa bî yubSir shoda-ast

dar Haq-é ân banda în ham bê-hoda-st

1740 bê-adab goftan sokhon bâ khâS-é Haq

del be-mîrân-ad, seyah dâr-ad waraq

gar tô mardê-râ be-khwân-î fâTima

gar che yak jins-and mard-o zan hama

qaSd-é khûn-é tô kon-ad tâ mumkin-ast

gar che khôsh-khô-wo Halîm-o sâkin-ast

fâtima madH-ast dar Haqq-é zan-ân

mard-râ gôy-î, bow-ad zakhm-é sinân

dast-o pâ dar Haq-é mâ istâyesh-ast

dar Haq-é pâkîyy-é Haqq âlâyesh-ast

1745 lam yalid lam yûdlad ô-râ lâyiq-ast

wâlid-o mawlûd-râ ô khâliq-ast

har-che jism âmad walâdat waSf-é ô-st

har-che mawlûd-ast ô z-în sôy-é jô-st

z-ân-ke az kawn-o fasâd-ast-o mahîn

HâdiS-ast-o muHdiSê khwâh-ad yaqîn

goft ay mûsà dahân-am dôkht-î

w-az pashîmânî tô jân-am sôkht-î

1749 jâma-râ be-dr'îd-o âhî kard taft

sar nehâd andar beyâbânê-wo raft

(mathnawi meter: XoXX XoXX XoX)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moses and the Shepherd (part two)

Mathnawi II: 1750-1764

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The reprimanding by God Most High of Moses-- peace be upon

him-- for the shepherd's sake
1750 A revelation from God came to Moses: "You separated Our
servant from Us.1

"Did you come for the sake of uniting2 or did you come
for the sake of separating and cutting off?

"As much as you are able, do not step in (the direction

of) separation. The most hateful of (lawful) things to Me is
divorce.3

"I have given to every person a (particular) nature and

temperament, (and) I have given to every person a
(particular) form of speech and idiomatic expression.

"It is praiseworthy in regard to him, but blameworthy in

regard to you; it is (like) honey in regard to him, but
(like) poison in regard to you.4

1755 "We5 are (utterly) free from every (form of) purity or
impurity6 (and) from every (kind of) sluggishness or
quickness.7

"I did not command (something)8 so that I might make a

profit,9 but so that I might do a generous kindness for (My)
servants.

"The idiomatic speech of Hindustan10 is the (mode of)

praise for the Hindus,11 (and) the idiomatic speech of Sind
is the (mode of) praise for the Sindians.12

"I do not become pure and holy by their praise, but they
become purified and shining (by it).

"We do not regard the tongue and (outward) speech, (but)

We regard the soul and the (inward) state.13

1760 "We are the Observer of the heart, (to see) if it is

humble, even though the spoken words may not be humble.

"Because the heart is the substance, (but) talking (is

only) the outward quality. Therefore, the substance (is) the
desired object (and) the outer quality is dependent.14

"So many of these phrases, ideas, and metaphors! I want

burning, burning. Become harmonious with that burning!15

"Ignite a fire of love in (your) soul16 (and) burn up

thoughts and explanations, completely!17

1764 "O Moses! Those who know polite manners18 are one kind.
(And) those who are inflamed of soul and spirit are another
kind."19

--From "The Mathnawî-yé Ma`nawî" [Rhymed Couplets of

Deep Spiritual Meaning] of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard (with
gratitude for R. A. Nicholson's 1926 British translation)
© Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, & transliteration)
First published on "Sunlight" (yahoogroups.com), 2/8/01

Notes on the text, with line number:

--From "The Mathnawî-yé Ma`nawî" [Rhymed Couplets of
Deep Spiritual Meaning] of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard (with
gratitude for R. A. Nicholson's 1926 British translation)
© Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, & transliteration)
First published on "Sunlight" (yahoogroups.com), 2/1/01

Notes on the text, with line number:

1. (1751) Our servant from Us: Rumi here uses the "majestic
plural," which is a characteristic of the speech of the One
God in the Qur'an (as well as the first person singular--
"I" and "Me"). Nicholson translated, "Thou hast parted My
servant from Me."

2. (1752) Did you come for the sake of uniting: Nicholson

translated, "didst thou come (as a prophet) to unite..."
"(It means), 'Did you come for the sake of making My
servants close to Me...?'" (Translated here from a Persian
translation of Anqaravi's famous 17th century Turkish
commentary on the Mathnawi)

3. (1753) The most hateful of (lawful) things to Me is

divorce: "referring to the Hadíth [= saying of the Prophet
Muhammad]: 'God has not created any lawful thing more
pleasing to Him than the emancipation of a slave (`atáq),
and God has not created any lawful thing more hateful to Him
than divorce (taláq).'" (Nicholson, Commentary)

4. (1754) (like) poison in regard to you: "Forms of worship

vary according to the spiritual capacity of the worshipper;
and one man's meat is another man's poison. As Junayd [=
famous early sufi master, died 910] said, 'the water takes
its colour from the vessel containing it.'" (Nicholson,
Commentary)

5. (1755) We: the One God, speaking again in the "majestic

plural."

6. (1755) (utterly) free from every (form of) purity or

impurity: "i.e. tanzíh [= transcendence beyond the created
universe] and tashbíh [= immanence within the universe]."
(Nicholson, Commentary) "The orthodox hold that Allah is
beyond comparison (tashbíh), that in His absolute Unity He
is remote (munazzah) and different (mukhálif) from all
created things, and that the qualities ascribed to Him in
the Qur'án are not to be understood in the sense in which
they are applicable to any of His creatures. Pantheistic
Súfís, while accepting the doctrine of Divine transcendence
(tanzíh), regard it as only one half of the truth: the whole
truth, they say, consists in combining tanzíh with tashbíh,
the doctrine of Divine immanence. The former doctrine, by
itself, leads to the duality of God and the world; the
latter, by itself, is polytheism; the true worshippers of
Allah are those who see Him as the One Real Being in all
forms of existence-- at once transcending all and immanent
in all." (Nicholson, Commentary)

7. (1755) from every (kind of) sluggishness or quickness:

Nicholson translated, "of all slothfulness and alacrity (in
worshipping Me)."

8. (1756) I did not command (something): Nicholson

translated, "I did not ordain (Divine) worship) ..."

9. (1756) so that I might make a profit: "God is absolutely

self-sufficient (ghaní). He does not need the 'slaves'
(`ibád) whom His mercy brings into existence. The text (Qur.
LI 56), 'I created the Jinn and mankind only that they might
worship Me', signifies that they were created in order that
by worshipping God they might make themselves perfect."
(Nicholson, Commentary)

10. (1757) Hindustan: now called India.

11. (1757) the (mode of) praise (of God) for the Hindus:
means here, "the manner of praising Me" (= God). Nicholson
translated differently: "In the Hindoos the idiom of Hind
(India) is praiseworthy." He explained "idiom" as: "I.e. the
local and traditional forms of speech used in the practice
of religion." (Footnote) Rumi is not saying here that all
forms of religious worship are valid, but that God accepts
praise directed to him by His true lovers expressed in any
language, no matter how idiomatic.

"Therefore, if Hindus exhibit humility and worship in the Court of

God with the Hindu language, and Sindians utter gratitude and
praise and glorification of Him in the language of Sind, (and if)
they are praisers of Him (using) the purest speech of any
language, it is not forbidden in the (Islamic) religious
law, or according to reason. Although the best of languages
(for prayer) is the Arabic language, yet if someone speaks
(to God) with a language other than Arabic he is not
considered a wrongdoer.... It is in accordance with this
that Imâm Abû Hanîfa [= the founder of the Hanafi school of
Islamic law] has understood that saying the congregational
prayer [namâz] in the Persian language is lawful."
(Anqaravi, Commentary)

12. (1757) Sindians: refers to to the peoples of western

India, living along the Sind river, also called the Indus.

13. (1759) We regard the soul and the (inward) state: the
Divine "majestic plural" again. Nicholson later corrected
his translation, based on the earliest manuscript of the
Mathnawi/Masnavi, to "I look at the spirit and the state (of
feeling)" (from, "I look at the inward (spirit)..." Related
to this is the well-known saying of the Prophet, "Actions
will be judged (by God) according to the intention
[niyyah]." "Just as it is related that the Prophet of God--
may God bless him and give him peace-- said: 'Truly God does
not look at your appearance or at your actions'-- and in
another narration, 'and not to your speech,' 'but He looks
to your hearts and your intentions.'" (Anqaravi, Commentary)

14. (1761) dependent: Nicholson translated, "... speech

(only) the accident; so the accident is subservient, the
substance is the (real) object."

15. (1762) Become harmonious with that burning: there is a

word play here between "burning" [sôz] and "become
harmonious" [sâz].

16. (1763) Ignite a fire of love in (your) soul: "Ignite a

fire of love for God in your soul and heart." (Anqaravi,
Commentary)
17. (1763) burn up thoughts and explanations, completely:
"(It means), 'And make the pretensions of words and speech
(your) enemy. Because the desire of the hypocritical ego is
(manifested) through these eloquent expressions.'"
(Anqaravi, Commentary)

18. (1764) Those who know polite manners: Nicholson

translated, "they that know the conventions..."

19. (1764) are another kind: here the revelation containing

God's rebuke of Moses ends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

`itâb kardan Haqq-é ta`âlà mûsà-râ -- `alay-hi 's-salâm --

az bahr-é ân shobân

1750 waHî âmad sôy-é mûsà az khodâ

banda-yé mâ-râ ze-mâ kard-î jodâ

tô barây-é waSl-kardan âmad-î

yâ barây-é faSl-kardan âmad-î?

tâ tâwân-î pâ ma-neh andar firâq

abghaZu 'l-'ashyâ'i `ind-î 'T-Talâq

har kasê-râ sîratê be-n'hâda-am

har kasê-râ iSTilâHê dâda-am

dar Haq-é ô madH-o dar haqq-é tô Zam

dar Haq-é ô shahd-o dar Haqq-é tô sam

1755 mâ barî az pâk-o nâ-pâkî hama

az gerân-jânî-wo châlâkî hama

man na-kard-am amr tâ sûdê kon-am

bal-ke tâ bar banda-gân jûdê kon-am

hendow-ân-râ iStilâH-é hend madH

sendey-ân-râ iSTilâH-é send madH

man na-gard-am pâk az tasbîH-eshân

pâk ham êshân shaw-and-o dur-feshân

mâ zabân-râ na-n'gar-ém-o qâl-râ

mâ rawân-râ be-n'gar-êm-o Hâl-râ

1760 nâZir-é qalb-ém agar khâshi` bow-ad

gar-che goft-é lafZ nâ-khâZi` bow-ad

z-ân-ke del jawhar bow-ad, goftan `araZ

pas Tufayl âmad `araZ, jawhar gharaZ

chand az-în alfâZ-o iZmâr-o majâz

sôz khwâh-am sôz, bâ ân sôz sâz

âteshê az `ishq dar jân bar forôz

sar ba-sar fikr-o `ibârat-râ be-sôz

1764 mûsiy-â âdâb-dânân dîgar-and

sôkhta-jân-o rawân-ân dîgar-and
(mathnawi meter: XoXX XoXX XoX)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moses and the Shepherd (part three)

Mathnawi II: 1765-1771

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1765 For lovers, there is a conflagration1 every moment.

There are no taxes (imposed) on a ruined village.2

If (the lover) speaks wrongly,3 don't call him4 a

sinner. If the martyr is bloody, don't wash him.5

For martyrs, blood is better than (being washed by)

water. This fault (of being bloody) is better than a hundred
correct actions.6

Inside the Ka`ba, there is no rule for (determining) the

prayer direction.7 (And) there's no regret if the diver has
no snow shoes.

Don't seek guidance from those who are drunk. Why should
you command those with garments torn (from ecstasy)8 to mend
(them)?

1770 The sect of Love (of God) is distinct from all

religions; the sect and doctrine of the lovers is God
(alone).9

1771 If the ruby doesn't have an (engraved) seal, there's no

worry.10 In the sea of sorrow, Love is not sorrowful.11

--From "The Mathnawî-yé Ma`nawî" [Rhymed Couplets of

Deep Spiritual Meaning] of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard (with
gratitude for R. A. Nicholson's 1926 British translation)
© Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, & transliteration)
First published on "Sunlight" (yahoogroups.com), 2/8/01

Notes on the text, with line number:

1. (1765) there is a conflagration: Nicholson translated,

"there is a burning (which consumes them)..." He referred to
the (Mathnawi) verses (which he translated), "My soul is a
furnace: it is happy with the fire: 'tis enough for the
furnace that it is the fire's house. For Love, as (for) the
furnace, there is something to be burned: any one that is
blind to this is not a furnace." (II: 1376-77) "(It means),
'For lovers there is a burning every moment in the fire of
love....'" (translated hear from a Persian translation of
the famous 16th century Turkish commentary on the
Mathnawi/Masnavi by Anqaravi)

2. (1765) There are no taxes (imposed) on a ruined village:

"The distraught lover of God is not liable to the penalties
inflicted on those who fail to show a proper respect for
religious forms and observances. Abú Yazíd al-Bistámí [=
sufi master, died 875], on being questioned concerning
gnosis (ma`rifah), quoted Qur. XXVII 34, 'Lo, kings, when
they enter a city, ruin it and abase the mighty men of its
people', meaning that when gnosis [= mystical knowledge]
enters the heart it consumes and casts out everything besides."
(Commentary) "It means that the observance of polite manners
is not expected from the devastated lover." (Anqaravi,
Commentary)

3. (1766) If (the lover) speaks wrongly: means speaking

imperfectly due to his emotional or mystical state while
praying.

4. (1766) don't call him: the earliest manuscript of the

Mathnawi has here, "wa-râ... ma-gô" instead of the usual
"ô-râ."

5. (1766) don't wash him: refers to the Islamic requirement

for the corpses of Muslims to be washed with water prior to
burial. However, this is not to be done in the case of
martyrs (killed in combat), since the blood on their bodies
is considered an honor and a blessing, not a defilement. The
meaning here is: just as being buried covered with blood is
not a wrong burial for a martyr, the speech of a lover of
God is not wrong if it appears "covered with errors."
Nicholson pointed out that the earliest manuscript of the
Mathnawi has "...the martyr, don't wash him" (in contrast to
the text he translated as "do not wash (those who are)
martyrs"). "The meaning of this is... Since the lover is the
martyr of the sword of love, therefore one should not
compare his fault with the faults (of others), according to
reason." (Anqaravi, Commentary)

6. (1767) better than a hundred correct actions: Nicholson

translated, "is better than a hundred right actions (of
another)." "A mistake which appears from the lovers (of God)
is better than a hundred righteous actions." (Anqaravi,
Commentary)

7. (1768) Inside the Ka'ba, there is no rule for

(determining) the prayer direction: the Ka'ba is the prayer
direction [qibla] for all Muslims wherever they are in the
world. However, when inside the Ka'ba (which is empty,
except for some hanging lamps and a ladder to the roof)
there is no rule and one can pray facing any direction one
wishes. The meaning here is that there is no fixed rule for
proper conduct for one of God's lovers who is consumed and
drunk with love for God. "To the mystic in union with God
external forms are as useless as rules for finding the
qiblah to a Moslem inside the Ka'bah, or as snowshoes (which
prevent sinking) to a diver submerged in the sea."
(Nicholson, Commentary) "Therefore the lovers of God are
persons who have become united with the Ka'ba of Truth and
in accordance with (the verse), 'Whichever way you turn,
there is the Face of God.'" [Qur'an 2: 115] (Anqaravi,
Commentary)

8. (1769) those with garments torn (from ecstasy): "(It

means), the lovers who have torn the robe of the intellect
and understanding." (Anqaravi, Commentary) This refers to
dervishes who have gathered together for mystical prayer and
dance [samâ`] and have torn their cloaks or the tops of
their shirts or outer cloaks when in an ecstatic state of
consciousness. There is no public nudity in Islam. Often,
dervishes would eagerly grab pieces on the ground from one
of their member's torn cloak, to patch onto their cloaks (as
a blessing). The meaning here is, "Don't expect an ecstatic
dervish, drunk with love of God, to be "sober" enough to
mend what he has ripped apart."

9. (1770) The sect of Love (of God) is distinct from all

religions; the sect and doctrine of the lovers is God
(alone): Nicholson translated, "The religion of Love is
apart from all religions: for lovers, the (only) religion
and creed is-- God." W. C. Chittick translated more
accurately, "Love's creed is separate from all religions:
The creed and denomination of lovers is God." ("The Sufi
Path of Love: the Spiritual Teachings of Rumi," 1983, p.
213) Translating the word "millat" as "religion" in the two
cases here is somewhat misleading, because Rumi has used
this term five times in the Mathnawi (out of a total of
eleven occurrences) to refer to the "seventy-two sects"
which divide and weaken Islam. "According to the celebrated
Hadíth the Prophet predicted that the Moslems would be
divided into 73 sects of which only one would enter
Paradise..." (Nicholson, Commentary) Rumi said (as
translated by Nicholson): "Love hath estrangement with (is a
stranger to) the two worlds [= this world and the
Hereafter]: in it are two-and-seventy madnesses. It is
exceedingly hidden, and (only) its bewilderment is manifest:
the soul of the spiritual sultans is pining for it. Its
religion [kêsh] is other than (that of) the two-and-seventy
sects [= millat]: beside it the throne of kings is (but) a
splint-bandage. At the time of the samá` [= ecstatic
movement and dancing to music] Love's minstrel strikes up
this (strain): 'Servitude is chains and lordship headache.'
Then what is Love? The Sea of Not-being: there the foot of
the intellect is shattered" (III: 4719-23).

A study of Rumi's use of the two key words in the

present line, which Nicholson translated as "religion"
[millat, maZhab], shows that Rumi mainly uses them to refer
to various competing doctrinal schools within Islam (such as
advocates of extreme necessitarianism/fatalism, extreme free
will, scholastic rationalism, as well as the four schools of
Sunni Islamic law). Like the early sufi woman mystic, Rabi`a
al-`Adawiyya (died around 796-801) [who prayed, as
translated by Nicholson: "O God, if I worship Thee for fear
of Hell, burn me in Hell, and if I worship Thee in hope of
Paradise, exclude me from paradise; but if I worship Thee
for Thy own sake, grudge me not Thy everlasting beauty."],
Rumi taught that the essence of worship is constant devotion
and love for God alone. He called this "the sect of Love"
[maZhab-é `ishq: Quatrain 14], "the sect of the lovers"
[maZhab-é `ushshâq: Ode 232, line 2610], "the school of
Love" [madrasa-yé `ishq: Ode 429, line 4534]. However, he
did not intend "the sect of Love" to mean a religion or sect
separate from Islam, but as the pure essence of Muslim
worship of God-- and of a different quality from the
externals of Islamic worship. He said, "What is the
ascension [mi`râj] to Heaven? This being nothing [nêstî].
For the lovers (of God), the sect [maZhab] and religion
[dîn] is being annihilated of self [nêstî]." (Mathnawi VI:
233)

In the present line, Rumi goes further and says that the
"sect of love" [millat-é `ishq] is distinct, separate, apart
from "all religions" [dîn-hâ]. Here, he emphasizes that pure
love of God is what is essential in religion, and that it is
distinct from the external practices of all religions.
However, this does not mean that he affirms the validity of
other religions. Rather, he affirms that the true lovers of
God everywhere are of one "sect"-- having pure love of God
as their primary religious devotion.

This is one of the few instances in which Rumi refers to

other religions. He evidences little knowledge of religions
other than Islam-- besides the minimal obtained (in a
negative context) from a traditional Islamic education. He
has used the term "religions" [dîn-hâ] in only two other
places in the Mathnawi: once in a general and neutral way
(4: 842), and once in the sense of falling into error (as
translated by Nicholson): "(Many) different roads have
become easy (to follow): every one's religion [= millat] has
become (to him) as (dear) as life. If God's making
(religion) easy were the (right) road, every Jew and
Zoroastrian would have knowledge of Him.... Every sort of
religious sect [= millat] foresaw the end (according to
their own surmise): of necessity they fell captive to error.
To foresee the end is not (as simple as) a hand-loom;
otherwise, how would there have been differences in
religions [= dîn-hâ]?" (I: 483-484, 491-492). Here, the
Zoroastrians are viewed as believing in two gods (one of
Good and one of Evil. And Jews are viewed as not being
informed, carefully attentive, wary [âgah] of God This is
presumably because of the criticisms in the Qur'an of "the
People of the Book" (Jews and Christians).

Where Nicholson translated (in his correction, based on

the earliest manuscript of the Mathnawi), "For beyond (the
realm of contraries) all religion [= millat] is one:
hundreds of thousands of years are the same as a single
hour" (I: 3504), Rumi is, again not affirming that all sects
or religions are valid, but is describing an ecstatic
mystical experience of transcendent oneness transcending all
differences and separations. When Rumi uses the word
"religion" in the singular case [dîn, kêsh], he means the
Islamic religion in general, such as: "your religion" (I:
2315); "weakness of religious faith" (III: 4572); "the kings
of religion" [= the sufi saints] (III: 307).

"It is said that (the word) '`ishq' is very strong love

[muHabbat], meaning a love that is extreme beyond (normal)
bounds. The 'sect of love' [millat-é `ishq] means that the
religion of love is separate from all religions [adyân].
Because in all religions, religious duties are based on
reason. But the lover is not ruled by reason. Rather, he is
ruled by love and is the captive of extreme love." "Another
view is that it means that the lover does not know another
[= "another religion"] besides the Beloved. And he
contemplates no beloved except his own beloved." (Anqaravi,
Commentary)

"The sect and doctrine of the lovers is God: meaning

that the place of going [Zahâb] and seeking and the sect of
the lovers is God. The lovers sometimes are travelling "in
God' [fî 'llâh] and sometimes travelling 'with God' [ma`a
'llâh] in the context of (the verse), 'And He is with you
[ma`a-kum] wherever you are.'" [Qur'an 57: 4] (Anqaravi,
Commentary)
10. (1771) If the ruby doesn't have an (engraved) seal,
there's no worry: "... the absence of a 'seal', i.e. an
engraved superscription, is a matter of no concern to the
ruby..." (Nicholson, Commentary)

11. (1771) In the sea of sorrow, Love is not sorrowful: the

true lover of God is not concerned with having an approved
label. Ecstatic love enables the lover to transcend the
sorrow of worldly blame and rejection. "The meaning is that
the (ecstatic) lover has not become obedient to the customs
of the religious law and polite manners.... The meaning is
that.... the rank of the (ecstatic) lover is higher and more
exalted than the level of sorrow and joy. And the intellect
is blind and deaf in (the capacity for) understanding the
secrets of the lovers." (Anqaravi, Commentary)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1765 `âshiq-ân-râ har nafas sôzidanê-st

bar deh-é wêrân kharâj-o `ushr nêst

gar khaTâ gôy-ad wa-râ khâTê ma-gô

gar bow-ad por-khûn shahîd ô-râ ma-shô

khûn shahîd-ân-râ ze-âb awlà-tar-ast

în khaTâ az Sad Sawâb awlà-tar-ast

dar darûn-é ka`ba rasm-é qibla nêst

che gham ar ghawwâS-râ pâchîla nêst

tô ze-sar-mast-ân qalâwûzî ma-jô

jâma-châk-ân-râ che farmây-î rafô?

1770 millat-é `ishq az hama dîn-hâ jodâ-st

`âshiq-ân-râ millat-o maZhab khodâ-st

1771 la`l-râ gar mohr na-b'w-ad bâk nêst

`ishq dar daryây-é gham gham-nâk nêst

(mathnawi meter: XoXX XoXX XoX)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moses and the Shepherd (part four)

Mathnawi II: 1772-1815

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The coming of a revelation (from God) to Moses--may peace be

upon him-- about excusing the shepherd

1772 After that, God spoke secretly into the inmost

consciousness of Moses--1 secrets which cannot be spoken.2

(Divine) words were scattered upon Moses' heart, (so

that) vision and speech were mixed together.

So many times he became lost of self,3 so often he

arrived (back) to himself, (and) so many times he flew from
beginninglessness to endlessness.4
1775 After this, it would be foolishness if I should explain
(further), because the explanation of this is beyond (the
mind's) awareness.

If I speak (any further), it would tear out (the ability

to) reason (from the listeners).5 And if I write (about it),
it would shatter pens.6

When Moses heard this reprimand from God, he rushed into

the desert plain in pursuit of the shepherd.

He propelled (himself) over the footprints of that

bewildered and wandering one. (In his haste), he scattered
dust from the flats of the desert.7

It is evident (that) the footsteps of a disturbed man8

(are) both (different) from the steps of others.

1780 One step (is) like the rook,9 (moving) from top to
bottom (on the chessboard). And one step (is) like the
elephant,10 going crookedly.

Sometimes, like a wave, he raises a flag; sometimes,

like a fish, he goes (along) on (his) stomach.11

(And) sometimes (he is) writing on the ground (about)

his own state, like a geomancer who is telling fortunes.12

Finally, he found him and looked at (him). (As) the

giver of happy news, he said, "Permission has come (to you
from God).

"Do not seek (to have) any polite manners or (formal)

arrangement [in your praying]. Say whatever your anguished
heart wishes.

1785 "Your 'impiety' is (true) religion13 and your religion

is the light of the spirit. You are secure (in God's
protection), and by means of you an (entire) world is
protected.14

"O you (who are) spared by (the verse), 'God does what
He wills':15 go (and) start speaking (to God again), without
(any need of) formal respect."16

(The shepherd) replied, "O Moses, I've advanced beyond

that--17 now that I've been smeared by the blood of (my)
heart.18

"I've passed19 beyond the Lote tree of the Farthest

Limit,20 (and) I've gone a hundred thousand years beyond that
side.

"You struck my horse (with) a whip;1 it turned,22 made a

leap, and (then) passed beyond the heavens.

1790 "May the Divine Nature be the intimate friend of our

human nature!23 May praise and blessings be on your hands and
arms!24

"Now, my (spiritual) state is beyond talking (about).

(And) these (words) I'm saying are not (describing) my (true
inward) states."
The image which you are seeing in a mirror is your (own)
image;25 the image doesn't belong to the mirror.

Is the breath which the flute player blows within the

reed-flute suitable (as a quality) to the reed-flute? No,
it's (something) suitable to the man.

Take care (and) know (that) whether you speak (words of)
praise or gratitude (to God), it is like the foolish (words)
of that shepherd.

1795 Even though your praise is superior in comparison to

that (of his), yet it is worthless in relation to God.26

When the covering has been removed,27 how often you say,
"It wasn't what it was supposed to be!"28

The acceptance of your praising (God) is from (His)

Mercy. It is permitted, like the ritual prayer of the woman
who has just completed her menstrual period.29

Her ritual prayer is stained with blood, (just as) your

praise is defiled with comparisons and likenesses.30

Blood is unclean, but goes (away) with some water.31 Yet

the interior [of the praying person] has impurities,32

1800 Which will not fade from the interior of the man of
[pious] action33 except with the water of the Grace of the
Creator.34

If only you could know the (true) meaning of (praying

the words), "Glory be to my Lord!" (when) you turn (your)
face (to the ground) in prostration--35

(Thinking), "My prostration is as unworthy (of You) as

my existence. May You give (me) some goodness in return for
(my) wrongness!36

The earth has the influence of God's gentle patience to

the extent that it takes defilement and produces flowers,37
(And) to the extent it hides our impurities (and) buds
grow up from it in return.

1805 So when the unbeliever saw that, (while) he (was) in a

generous and giving (state), he was (actually) lesser and
poorer than (a clod of) dirt,

(That) no flowers or fruit grew from his being,38 (and

that) he found (nothing) except the decay and barrenness of
all purities,

He said, "I've gone backwards in my going (onward). What

sorrow! If only I were (nothing more that) dust!39

"If only I had not chosen to journey (away) from

earthiness and had collected some seeds,40 like a (piece of)
dirt!

"(For) when I travelled, the road tested me. What

traveler's gift41 was there (from me) as a result of this
travelling?"
1810 (Yet) it is because of all his inclinations toward the
earth42 that he doesn't see any profit in front of him after
the journey.

His facing back is that greed and avarice (he has),

(but) his facing toward the road43 (is) sincerity and
(humble) neediness (before God).

Every plant which has the inclination for loftiness is

(continuing) in (a state of) increase, life, and growth.

(But) when it turns (its) head toward44 the earth, (it is

continuing) in (a state of) loss, dryness, lack, and feeling
cheated.45

If the inclination of your spirit is toward the heights,

(it will be) in (a state of) increase. (And) your return
will be to that place.46

1815 But if you are upside-down (and) your head is toward

the ground,47 you are something which sets48-- (and) God does
not love things which set.49

--From "The Mathnawî-yé Ma`nawî" [Rhymed Couplets of

Deep Spiritual Meaning] of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard (with
gratitude for R. A. Nicholson's 1926 British translation)
© Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, & transliteration)
First published on "Sunlight" (yahoogroups.com), 2/15/01

Notes on the text, with line number:

1. (1772) God spoke secretly into the inmost consciousness

of Moses: Nicholson later changed his translation, based on
the earliest manuscript of the Mathnawi/Masnavi, to "...God
spake secretly in the inmost heart of Moses..." (from, "God
hid in the inmost heart of Moses mysteries...").

2. (1772) secrets which cannot be spoken: "I.e. God

revealed to Moses the essential mystery of Divine Love, in
which the shepherd was an adept." (Nicholson, Commentary)
"But the tongue is unable to explain those secrets, since
the knowledge gained from nearness to God [`ilm-é ladunî (a
term based on Qur'an 18:65)] cannot be held by the
intellect." (Translated here from a Persian translation of
Anqaravi's famous 17th century Turkish commentary on the
Mathnawi/Masnavi)

3. (1774) lost of self [bê-khwad]: also means "ecstatic."

This is related to the sufi technical term "fanâ," which
refers to the mystical experience of passing away,
annihilation, and being erased of self.

4. (1774) beginninglessness to endlessness: terms used in

sufism which mean Eternity prior to the creation of the
universe and Eternity after it. Another translation is
"Eternity before time [azal] to Eternity after time [abad],"
or "pre-Eternity to post-Eternity."

5. (1776) it would tear out (the ability to) reason (from

the listeners): "It means that the intellect would become
crazy from listening to those (secrets)." (Anqaravi,
Commentary)

6. (1776) if I write (about it), it would shatter pens:

this is similar to Rumi's famous lines (as translated by
Nicholson): "Whatsoever I say in exposition and explanation
of Love, when I come to Love (itself) I am ashamed of that
(explanation). Although the commentary of the tongue makes
(all) clear, yet tongueless love is clearer. Whilst the pen
was making haste in writing, it split upon itself as soon as
it came to Love." (I: 112-114)

7. (1778) he scattered dust from the flats of the desert:

"it means he ran while in a state of hurrying and confused
amazement." (Anqaravi, Commentary)

8. (1779) the footsteps of a disturbed man: Nicholson

states that this line and the next three are, "A figurative
description of ecstatic states." (Commentary)

9. (1780) like the rook [rokh]: the chess piece, also

called the tower or castle, which moves straight up and down
(or horizontally, from side to side).

10. (1780) like the elephant: this is the ancient Indian and
Iranian name for the chess piece known in the West as the
bishop, which moves diagonally.

11. (1781) he goes (along) on (his) stomach: "It means, for

a time he was raising his head high and going upwards. And
sometimes he was also sliding on his stomach like a fish and
going along (like that). Such is the manner of the lovers
(of God) who have become drowned in the ocean of Unity."
(Anqaravi, Commentary)

12. (1782) like a geomancer who is telling fortunes:

geomancers would foretell the future based on a way of
drawing lines in the desert sand.

13. (1785) Your 'impiety' is (true) religion: the word

translated as "impiety" [kufr] also means denial and
rejection of the essentials of the Islamic revelation-- or
in this case, the apparent presence of such denial.
Nicholson translated, "Your blasphemy is (the true)
religion."

14. (1785) by means of you an (entire) world is protected:

Nicholson translated, "you are saved, and through you a
(whole) world is in salvation." And he explained: "I.e. 'you
have attained to the rank of the saint, who is safe in God's
keeping and guides others to salvation.'" (Commentary)
However, it seems best to avoid the word "salvation," since
for many readers it is so heavily loaded with Christian
connotations. "(It means), 'You are safe from the punishment
of God, and through you the people of the world are (also)
in safety.' In other words, 'In recognition of your
reverence (toward God), the people of the world are also
safe from the punishment of God.'" (Anqaravi, Commentary)

15. (1786) God does what He wills: a modification, for

metrical purposes, of the verse, "God does what He wills"
(Qur'an 3:40). The meaning here is that the shepherd is
spared by God from any punishment due to lack of
conventional reverence and formal manners-- because God can
act as He wishes and excuse whomever He wishes. "But if
someone like this shepherd completes an action which is
outside (the bounds of) reason and the religious Law
[shar`]... he will be accepted by God." (Anqaravi,
Commentary) Islamic law allows that an insane person cannot
be punished for heretical speech. And this may account for
the fact that Muslim jurists usually ignored reports of
heretical-sounding ecstatic speech on the part of pious
sufis (perhaps viewing it as a kind of "temporary
insanity"). (See Carl Ernst, "Words of Ecstasy in Sufism,"
1985, p. 126.)

16. (1786) without (any need of) formal respect: "Go loosen
your tongue like a careless and fearless person and without
(need) of formal reverence." (Anqaravi, Commentary)

17. (1787) I've advanced beyond that: "The meaning can be

said (to be this): 'I have reached to the degree of
(mystical) annihilation [fanâ] and vanishing (from self),
and by means of Divine attraction [jaZba-yé ilâhî] I have
passed beyond the Lote Tree of the Farthest Limit.'"
(Anqaravi, Commentary)

18. (1787) now that I've been smeared by the blood of (my)
heart: Nicholson translated, "I am now bathed in (my)
heart's blood." And he explained: "i.e. 'I have died to self
and am a martyr (shahíd) to God.'" (Commentary) This is
because the corpses of Muslims who die in battle as martyrs
for the sake of Islam are not to be washed with water--
which is the requirement prior to burial for all other
Muslims.

19. (1788) I've passed [be-g'Zashta-am]: this is what was

first written in the earliest manuscript of the Mathnawi. A
correction was added below: be-sh'kafta-am (in order to
rhyme better with "rafta-am"). However, it is unclear how
this word should be vowelled or what it should mean.

20. (1788) the Lote Tree of the Farthest Limit: refers to a

verse from the Qur'an (53:3) involving the Prophet
Muhammad's Heavenly journey [mi`râj]: "[... an angel]
endowed with surpassing power, who in time manifested
himself in his true shape and nature, appearing in the
horizon's loftiest part, and then drew near, and came close
until he was but two bow-lengths away, or even closer. And
thus did [God] reveal unto His servant whatever He deemed
right to reveal.... And, indeed, he saw him a second time by
the lote-tree of the farthest limit...." (Qur'an 53: 6-10,
13; translated by Muhammad Asad). "The legend relates that
when the Prophet was about to enter into the presence of
God, he said to Gabriel, who had been his guide thus far, 'O
my brother, why hast thou fallen behind me?' and that
Gabriel replied, 'Were I to come one finger-tip nearer,
surely I should be consumed.'" (Nicholson, Commentary)

"The Lote Tree of the Farthest Limit is above the seven

levels of the heavens. The abode of Paradise is near to it,
as well as the station of (the archangel) Gabriel.... The
minds of humanity and the domains of (human) knowledge find
(their) ultimate limit before it.... But the lovers of the
Divine, who have become joined with God-- after attaining to
the level of the Lote Tree of the Farthest Limit-- have gone
further, and have drunk the wine of Love from the Hand of
God." (Anqaravi, Commentary)

21. (1789) You struck my horse (with) a whip: "It means, 'O
Moses, you struck the horse of my spirit with the whip of
(spiritual) guidance, and you gave it (needed) correction."
(Anqaravi, Commentary)

22. (1789) it turned: Nicholson translated, "my horse

shied..."

23. (1790) May the Divine nature be the intimate friend of

our human nature: Nicholson translated, "May the Divine
Nature be intimate with my human nature..." (The question is
whether the shepherd includes both himself and Moses here,
or speaks of himself only using the formal plural; he had
used the first person singular possessive-- "my horse"-- in
the previous line.) Nicholson explained: "Here láhút [=
Divine nature] denotes the inward, eternal aspect of
Reality; násút [= human nature] the outward, phenomenal
aspect, from which the mystic 'passes away' in moments of
ecstasy. Both aspects are combined in the Perfect Man [= a
term used in the mystical philosophy of the famous sufi,
Ibnu 'l-`Arabi, died 1240], and it is this supreme
perfection that is the object of the shepherd's prayer."
(Commentary)

"(It means), 'God Most Holy and Exalted has become the
intimate confidant of my human nature, and He has manifested
His Names and Attributes within the realm of my human
nature." (Anqaravi, Commentary)

24. (1790) May praise and blessings be on your hands and

arms: means, "For whipping my 'horse' so that I travelled
beyond the heavens."

25. (1792) The image which you are seeing in a mirror is

your (own) image: an analogy meaning, "The descriptions of
my spiritual states are expressions of my human limitations
as though reflected in a mirror. But they are not the
mirror, which is their source and which is a symbol for
Divine Reality." In this line, Rumi begins to comment on
the speech of the shepherd, which concluded in the previous
line.

Nicholson disagreed with Anqaravi's elaborate

interpretation of this line and the following line (1793) as
a continuation of the shepherd's speech: "... the view that
these verses are addressed by the shepherd to Moses ignores
the point of the preceding verse and those which follow.
'How', asks the poet, 'can the intellect describe what it
cannot comprehend? The relation between reality and
description is that of the mirror to the reflected image or
of the flute-player to the flute. In praising God we merely
express our subjective and more or less inadequate ideas of
the Divine nature.'" (Commentary)

26. (1795) your praise... is worthless in relation to God:

in explaining this line, Anqaravi referred to a saying of
the Prophet Muhammad: "We are unable to count Your praises,
(for) You are (praised only) as You praise Yourself. Glory
be to You! We cannot praise you according to the praise You
deserve, O praised One."
27. (1796) When the covering has been removed: "I.e. when
you shall see things as they really are." (Nicholson,
Footnote) And Nicholson explained further: "i.e. at the
Resurrection, or after having experienced a mystical
revelation." (Commentary)

28. (1796) It wasn't what it was supposed to be: "How often

you say to yourself, 'I am a (good) praiser, rememberer, and
thanker (of God).' But on the day of Resurrection, when the
veils are raised up or pulled to the side, this is not (the
case)-- what people, within their own minds, had assumed."
(Anqaravi, Commentary)

29. (1797) just completed her menstrual period: means that

our celebrating the praises [Zikr] of God is accepted
despite the imperfections of our praise. The latter is
compared to the ritual prayer of a woman whose menstrual
bleeding lasts more than ten days. Since bodily contact with
blood causes ritual impurity, women are excused from the
obligatory five daily prayers until their period is
completed. After ten days, the menstrual period is
considered completed, further bleeding is not considered to
be "menstrual blood," and women are permitted to perform the
daily prayers again. If not for this allowance in Islamic
law, many Muslim women would be excessively prohibited from
praying the five daily prayers.

30. (1798) your praise is defiled with comparisons and

likenesses: means, spoiled by comparing God to created
things, when He transcends all comparisons to transient
objects and qualities-- of which He is the Creator. "And
there is no one comparable to Him." (Qur'an 112:4)

31. (1799) but goes (away) with some water: this refers to
the ritual washing with water [wuZû']. Washing the hands,
face, arms, and feet (together with intention and prayer)
removes minor impurities which have exited the body (from
urination, defecation, gas, bleeding). Taking a full bath or
shower eliminates major impurities (from sexual discharge).
A Muslim can only do the obligatory ritual prayers while in
a state of ritual purity.

32. (1799) Yet the interior [of the praying person] has
impurities: Nicholson translated, "but the inward part (the
inner man) hath impurities." This means that (like the woman
described above, who has done the ritual washing prior to
prayer) our prayer may be pure in appearance, but it is
soiled by continuing impurities of our ego-centered desires
and the imperfections of our minds, which imagine God by
means of comparisons.

33. (1800) the man of [pious] action: Nicholson translated,

"the man of works." And he explained: "i.e. spiritually
experienced, efficient, and adept." And he referred other
places this phrase has been used (III: 1149; V 2182, 2786).
(Commentary)

34. (1800) except with the water of the Grace of the

Creator: "But the inward part (of man) has impurities, like
the whispered temptations of Satan and blameworthy
character, which cannot be cleansed with water. Yet the
'water' of Divine Grace can purify those.... Any time the
Grace of God Most High surrounds the (inward) state of a
servant, the (various) kinds of purification become possible
for him and he may become cleansed from all impurities."
(Anqaravi, Commentary)

35. (1801) in prostration: during the five daily Islamic

ritual prayers, when prostrating (with one's forehead and
nose) to the ground, one prays these Arabic words three
times: "Glory be to my Lord, the Most Exalted!" The meaning
of this line is, "If only you knew how little you can
comprehend of the glorious reality of God." "i.e. tanzíh [=
transcendence], the declaration that God transcends all
human conceptions." (Nicholson, Commentary)

36. (1802) some goodness in return for (my) wrongness: a

humble prayer that God overlook the defects (of attitude and
ignorance) in our prayers, and pay (or recompense, requite)
us instead with Divine Grace, Mercy, and Kindness.

37. (1803) produces flowers: for example, dung falls to the

earth and flowers grow from that place. This is an example
of the influence of God's compassionate forbearance [Hilm],
a word related to one of the Ninety-Nine Names of God, the
Most Forbearing and Clement [al-Halîm]

38. (1806) (That) no flowers or fruit grew from his being:

"It means that in the being of the unbeliever, the flower of
(true) faith does not bloom and the fruits of (mystical)
knowledge and faith does not reach fruition." (Anqaravi,
Commentary)

39. (1807) If only I were (nothing more that) dust:

according to the Qur'an, these are the words that the
unbeliever [kâfir], or denier of God (and of the revelations
given to His prophets) will say on the Day of Judgment. God
will say (in the "majestic plural"): "Truly, We have warned
you of a punishment drawing near, (on) the day when man will
clearly see (the deeds) which his hands have sent forward.
And the unbeliever will say, 'If only I were (mere) dust!'"
(78:40) Regarding the meaning of this phrase, one
translator and commentator of the Qur'an referred to a
similar passage (69:27), which he translated: "Oh, would
that this [death of mine] had been the end of me!" (Muhammad
Asad, "The Message of the Qur'ân," 1984)

40. (1808) and had collected some seeds: "i.e. would that,
like earth, I had been capable of receiving the good seed
and producing crops that delight the sowers' (Qur. XLVIII
29)." (Nicholson, Commentary)

41. (1809) What traveler's gift* was there (from me):

travellers on long journeys were expected to bring gifts
back for their family and friends. In the case of merchants,
this would also be a sign of successful business.

42. (1810) it is because of all his inclinations toward the

earth: Rumi explains that the man misunderstands his
backwards viewpoint: he thought he was travelling to a
higher rank, but in reality he was already facing downwards,
due to his worldly materialistic cravings and mentality.
"The reason for the strong inclination of the unbeliever
[= rejector of God and Divine Guidance] toward the earth is
this: that, at the time of making a journey, the unbeliever
doesn't see any profit ahead of himself-- in other words, in
a higher path-- but sees loss. But on the level of
(materialistic) earthiness, he imagines gain and profit for
himself-- and for this reason he desires to be earth."
(Anqaravi, Commentary)

43. (1811) his facing toward the road [rah]: Nicholson

translated, "his turning his face to the Way." He also
translated similarly in line 1809: "When I travelled, the
Way tried me..." And he explained: "Life is a journey from
this perishable world (dáru 'l-faná) to the world
everlasting (dáru 'l-baqá). The traveller whose faith has
borne the test brings the result as an offering to God, but
the infidel comes empty-handed. If now and then he aspire to
enter on the sulúk ilá 'lláh [= the journey to God], his
earthly appetites soon cause him to turn back." (Commentary)

44. (1813) when it turns (its) head toward: an idiom which

refers to leading a riding or grazing animal to go in a
certain direction by turning its head to face that
direction.

45. (1813) feeling cheated: Nicholson translated,

"disappointment."

46. (1814) your return will be to that place: means your

final destination will be a lofty place. The words, "your
return [marji`-at]," is Qur'anic, as in the verse, "And
follow the path of the one who turns to Me. Then [= on the
Day of Judgment] to Me will be your return [marji`u-kum] and
I will inform you of the truth of what you did (during your
earthly life)." (Qur'an 31:15)

"It means, 'O seeker, if the inclination of your spirit

is to reach the higher realm and a lofty degree, in the same
way you will reach to limit of total increase and
advancement, and the place of your return will be that same
place-- meaning to that lofty degree." (Anqaravi,
Commentary)

47. (1815) (and) your head is toward the ground: "Meaning,

the 'head' of your heart is (facing) toward the ground and
toward (what is) lowly." (Anqaravi, Commentary)

48. (1815) you are something which sets: "Meaning, you will
fade (from view) and vanish and become lost." (Anqaravi,
Commentary)

49. (1815) God does not love things which set: a reference
to the Prophet Abraham, who rejected the idol worship of his
father. "And so We showed the kingdom of the heavens and the
earth to Abraham, so that he might be among those with
certainty. When the night overshadowed him, he saw a star
and said, 'This is my Lord.' But when it set, he said, 'I do
not love the things which set.'" (Qur'an, 6:75-76) Rumi has
altered this verse, for metric reasons, and attributed the
dislike to God, not Abraham, in order to fit the context. It
means here a dislike of transient things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

waHî-âmadan musà-râ -- `alay-hi 's-salâm-- dar `uZr-é ân

shabân
1772 ba`d az ân dar sirr-é mûsà Haq nehoft
râz-hâyê goft k-ân n-ây-ad ba-goft

bar del-é mûsà sokhon-hâ rêkht-and

dîdan-o goftan ba-ham âmêkht-and

chand bê-khwad gasht-o chand âmad ba-khwad

chand parrîd az azal sôy-é abad

1775 ba`d az-în gar sharH gôy-am ablahî-st

z-ân-ke sharH-é în warây-é âgahî-st

w-ar be-gôy-am, `aql-hâ-râ bar kan-ad

w-ar nawês-am, bas qalam-hâ be-sh'kan-ad

chûn-ke mûsà în `itâb az Haq shenîd

dar beyâbân dar pay-é chôpân dawîd

bar neshân-é pây-é ân sar-gashta rând

gard az parra-yé beyâbân bar feshând

gâm-é pây-é mardom-é shôrîda khwad

ham ze-gâm-é dêgar-ân paydâ bow-ad

1780 yak qadam chûn rokh ze-bâlâ tâ nashêb

yak qadam chûn pêl rafta bar werêb

gâh chûn mâwjê bar afrâzân `alam

gâh chûn mâhê rawâna bar shekam

gâh bar khâkê nebeshta Hâl-é khwad

ham-chô rammâlê ke ramlê bar zan-ad

`âqibat dar yâft ô-râ-wo be-dîd

goft mozhda-deh ke dastûrê rasîd

hêch âdâbê-wo tartîbê ma-jô

har-che mê-khwâh-ad del-é tang-at, be-gô

1785 kufr-é tô dîn-ast-o dîn-at nûr-é jân

îman-î w-az tô jahânê dar amân

ay mu`âf-é yaf`alu 'llâh mâ yashâ'

bê-muHâbâ raw zabân-râ bar-goshâ

goft ay mûsà az ân be-g'Zashta-am

man kanûn dar khûn-é del âghashta-am

man ze-sidra-yé muntahà be-g'Zashta-am

Sad hazâr-ân sâla z-ân sô rafta-am

tâzeyâna bar zad-î asp-am be-gasht

gonbadê kard-o ze-gardûn bar-goZasht

1790 maHram-é nâsût-é mâ lâhût bâd

âferîn bar dast-o bar bâzû-t bâd

Hâl-é man aknûn berûn az goftan-ast

în che mê-gôy-am, na ahwâl-é man-ast

naqsh mê-bîn-î ke dar âyîna'ê-st

naqsh-é to-st ân, naqsh-é ân âyîna nêst
dam ke mard-é nâyî andar nây kard
dar khwar-é nây-ast, na dar khward-é mard

hân-o hân gar Hamd gôy-î gar sepâs

ham-chô nâ-farjâm-é ân chôpân shenâs

1795 Hamd-é tô nisbat ba-d-ân gar behtar-ast

lêk ân nisbat ba-Haq ham abtar-ast

chand gôy-î chûn ghiTâ bar dâsht-and

k-în na-bûd-ast ân-ke mê-pendâsht-and

în qabûl-é Zikr-é tô az raHmat-ast

chûn namâz-é mustaHâZa rukhSat-ast

bâ namâz-é ô be-y-âlûd-ast khûn

Zikr-é tô âlûda-yé tashbîh-wo chûn

khûn palîd-ast-o ba-âbê mê-raw-ad

lêk bâTin-râ najâsat-hâ bow-ad

1800 k-ân ba-ghayr-é âb-é luTf-é kardagâr

kam na-gard-ad az darûn-é mard-é kâr

dar sujûd-at kâsh rô-gardân-î'iy

ma`nî-yé subHâna rabb-î dân-î'iy

k-ây sujûd-am chûn wujûd-am nâ-sazâ

mar badî-râ tô nekôyê deh jazâ

în zamîn az Hilm-é Haq dâr-ad aSar

tâ najâsat bord-o gol-hâ dâd bar

tâ be-pôsh-ad ô palîd-hây-é mâ
dar `iwaZ bar rôy-ad az way ghoncha-hâ

1805 pas chô kâfir dîd k-ô dar dâd-o jûd

kam-tar-o bê-mâya-tar az khâk bûd

az wujûd-é ô gol-o mêwa na-rost

joz fasâd-é jumla pâkî-hâ na-jost

goft wâ-pas rafta-am man dar Zahâb

Hasratâ yâ laytan-î kuntu turâb

kâsh az khâkî safar na-g'zîd-amy

ham-chô khâkê dâna'yê mê-chîd-amy

chûn safar kard-am ma-râ râh âzmûd

z-în safar-kardan rah-âward-am che bûd?

1810 z-ân hama mayl-ash sôy-é khâk-ast k-ô

dar safar sûdê na-bin-ad pêsh-é rô

rôy wâ-pas kardan-ash, ân HirS-o âz

rôy dar rah kardan-ash, Sidq-o neyâz

har geyâ-râ ke-sh bow-ad mayl-é `ulâ

dar mazîd-ast-o Hayât-o dar namâ

chûn-ke gardânîd sar sôy-é zamîn

dar kamîy-wo khoskhî-wo naqS-o ghabîn
mayl-é rûH-at chûn sôy-é bâlâ bow-ad
dar tazâyud marji`-at ân-jâ bow-ad

1815 w-ar negô-sâr-î sar-at sôy-é zamîn

âfil-î, Haq lâ yuHibbu 'l-afilîn

(mathnawi meter: XoXX XoXX XoX)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~