A window to Mathnavi Maulvi Ma’nvi

Translation and Commentary Seema Arif

Further Links for Rumi

Seek by Allah the gift, reverence, and courtesy
Thy insolence denies His grace and sympathy.
Impudent the state of lonely affliction enjoin
burns not alone, sets the whole world to ruin
Feast from Heaven had reached in abound  (1)
Neither buying nor selling or asking around
Ah! Someone from Moses’ clan, much in disdain
“Where (are) garlic and lentils” would complain (2)
The Divine Feast had been ended since then,
Shovel, and scythe, toil of farming remain (3)
Once more, Jesus had beseeched for a table (4)
Allah sent dishes, making His bounty available.
The table from Heaven had been back for good.
As Jesus had entreated, “Bless us with food.”
Yet, the audacious abandoned courtesy. (5)
Beggars! Hoarding leftovers like hungry
Jesus forbade them and had them implored.
Food shall never leave, ordained to endure.
Acting suspiciously and greedily on Table Divine
Insulting rejection and ingratitude now whine.
Those beggars faced lustful and greedy.
Had shut for them all the great gate of mercy
The Divine Feast for good adjourned
None tastes the blessed food, confirmed

Refusal to charity hurdles, clouds, the rain (6)
Unholy sex heralds plague, AIDS the gain (7)
Billows of gloom and grief strike you hence.
Bear fruit of reckless impudence and insolence.
Brazen souls impeding the way of pious men (8)
Playing gay has never been virtuous of men.
Reverence (of divine laws) made the Heavens glow.
Glorifying angels, innocent and chaste, they flow.
Impertinence had the sun eclipsed in the sky (9)
Azazeel dared disgrace and was turned wry.
Whoever disrespects the spiritual way? Beware!
Bewildered, incredulous, oblivion their due fare

  1.        Ma ‘ida: is the 5th chapter of the Qur’an’ meaning ‘A table’ prepared food sent by Heaven. It also refers to the Middle Eastern custom of eating on the floor or ground with the food placed upon a cloth or occasionally upon leather. So it’s not a tray of food but a complete ‘dinner’ with all its supplements.

    2.        It refers to the manna and quails sent to the people of Moses in the desert: “And We shaded them with clouds, and We sent down to them manna and quails, (saying), ‘Eat from among the good things that We have provided to you. But they did harm to themselves” [by complaining] (Qur’an 7:160; 2:57).

    3.        It represents the partisan ways of a nomadic and agrarian society. When man refused to satisfy his hunger with natural elements occurring in nature, the only resolve was ‘toil of farming’ … ‘do it yourself’? It is human impetuous nature, which God has termed as: “We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to carry it and were afraid of it, and man carried it. Sure he is sinful, very foolish”; discussed again in ‘Fihi Ma Fihi,’ discourse number 4 by Rumi.

    4.        It occurs when God sent a table: a “table” of food from Heaven which the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) prayed for and received: “When the disciples said, ‘O Jesus son of Mary, can your Lord, send down to us a table from Heaven?’ He said, ‘Be in awe of God [attaqû ‘llâh] if you are (truly) believers’” (5:114). The disciples said they only wanted to eat and to know for certain, by seeing a miracle, that Jesus spoke the Truth. Jesus prayed for food from Heaven as a sign (of Divine support) and sustenance from God, the Best of Providers. God agreed to send it down but warned of punishment for any who denied faith after this (miracle–5: 116-118).

    5.        As Nicholson’s commentary tells us, like beggars, refers to the custom to which guests were allowed to take food home with them after being invited to a meal. “It was not unusual (though considered unmannerly) for greedy guests to collect and carry away the food left over from a feast. Such a person was called zillah-band.” However, Rumi, following Islamic tradition, seems to despise this custom, regarding it as ungracious of guests showing greed for something they do not own. It is sharing and not possessing, which is favored by the Qur’an.

    6.        Zakat: charity (for the poor): one of the “five pillars” of Islam- the requirement for Muslims to donate approximately two and half percent of one’s surplus wealth once a year to the poor. Zakat is
    an essential obligation, a divine principle, violating it invites wrath from Allah…He may withhold rain, a major factor in growing crops and hoarding food and wealth. The commentators quote from Traditions: wa-lá mana`ú l-zakáta illá hubisa `anhumu ‘l-qatr”, “And there is no refusal of the (required) charity except that the rain is seized (and taken away) from them.”

    7.        [zinâ]: Unholy and unlawful sex means any kind of sexual relationship outside marriage—either by the married (adultery) or by the unmarried (fornication). It is believed to spread plagues or incurable communicable diseases when prevalent in society. Now, we witness AIDS as modern times plague. “idhá ra’aytumú ‘l-wabá a qad fashá fa-`lamú anna ‘l-zinâ qad fashá” meaning “When you see that the plague has definitely spread, know that shameful sexual conduct has definitely spread”.

    8.         Rumi emphasizes the need for a chastised relationship between the sexes. He abandons and despises homosexuality as violating the divine law of life and procreation. It is corrupting the way of the pious, he exclaims.

    9.        Rumi warns that abhorrence of divine laws can even eclipse the sun. As the lead, Angel Azazeel, commander of skies, was disgraced. Azazel was the name of Satan before his fall. His insolence was to refuse to bow in courtsey to Adam when all the angels were commanded to do so. Satan refused, with the arrogant claim that he was superior to Adam since he was made from “fire,” but Adam was made from (mere) clay (Qur’an 7:11-12). Satan also arrogantly blamed
    God for his own fall: “You caused me to err” (7:16), whereas Adam and Eve showed humble respect to God by saying, “O Lord! We have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and show mercy to us, we will surely be among the lost!” (7:23) 

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