Khawaja and the Hindi Parrot
The words that have slipped through thy tongue
Reckon them arrows thine arch hath slung
O son, can’t they suspend in the middle of the way (1)
Floods must be stopped before they come may
As water has flooded the world to surround
It wipes out everything; it knows no bound
The commands are initiated in heaven
Deem them not result of any being’s action
Allah wills it so without an accomplice
Though the actions bear unto us witness
Zaid had shot an arrow toward Omar
Arrow had caught Omar like a panther
It had been hurting him for more than a year
God hath created ‘pain’ man hath to bear
Zaid had been stricken to death with fear
Till Doom, that spot may remain in tear
Omar died of that wound full of pain
Zaid is the cause of his being slain
All pains must be to him (Zaid) ascribed
Though it is Allah whom all abide
Similarly, Income, prudence, soul and mating
All created by Allah, decree predetermined
The cause may close the doors to the effect
When ‘Friend’ is shamed by God’s neglect (2)
Friends of Allah have been rightly awarded power
That they may bring the arrow back to the archer (About Miracles)
Wali has the power to undo the done
Nothing is burnt kebab or rod, none (3)
All the hearts that listened to the chatter
Made them forget and forgo the matter
O wise man needing logic to reason necessary
The Qur’an says, “Allah has got power over memory.”
We abrogate not what’s desired in heaven (4)
A new message is here because old, forgotten
Allah has power over memory and forgetfulness (5)
Like an autocrat’s hearts bear His governance
When in forgetfulness, he’s stopped to ponder (6)
Though talented, he may not work; no wonder
“Don’t ridicule or laugh! My message forget not” (7)
Messengers are to remind; you remember naught
The ruler of the city may the bodies administer
Thou art ruled by men of heart, do register
Action as a discipline can be studied (8)
Man is but a pupil of eye sophisticated
People regarded them as poor, of lower rank
Nobody guessing real worth the pupil bank (9)
I can’t explain it in full detail any louder
Holy Enclave has it forbidden, the order (10)
Mindfulness and forgetfulness, all in all
We all owe to Him, and He listens to call
Filtered are thousands of ideas during night,
To mind during the day which may take flight? (11)
During the day, so full of ideas is our mind
Pearls are kept safe in a shell duly bind
All that knowledge so far has passed
The souls of Walis hath them cognized (12)
Days are in muse; exploit means to earn a living
The night is there for sweet remembrance and giving
The goldsmith’s job is not for an ironsmith (13)
Toward the unbeliever, nobility has no blithe
On Doom’s day, profession and character so unravel
Like the luggage, one carries for a long travel (14)
The vision that has enamored your brow
It may put you in a long ordeal now
Character and professional ethics after sleeping
Travel to their owner immediately without waiting
In the morning, the professional worries, all stress
Fairly or grudgingly reach where they get along to press
Like pigeons from many cities, they flew
Bringing to their native city letters due
Whatever you may observe is traveling to soul
Beware! All parts are but bound to their whole (15)
Reckon everything returning to original –1st cause.
A window to Mathnavi Maulvi Ma’nvi
Translation and Commentary Seema Arif
Further Links for Rumi
(1) All actions but follow the Law of Requital: Allah’s pre-destination requires strict decree in cause and effect. So says the law of requital. Human beings do not have the freedom or authority to change the result after the action has been performed. Qur’an: 2:21, 2:179, 2:183, 2:185, 2:189, 3:123, 3:129, 3:199, 5:35, 7:69, 7:157.
God decrees a thing, and this sets in motion something else because it entails it according to God’s law, and the breaching of the system of entailment is not pleasing to God (The Conclusive Argument From God: p.50)
(2) Even when Wali violates the Divine Order, his powers may lose their effect. Divine rules are for all, with no exception. Even the Prophets were punished, as Jonah (Yunus) had to live in the stomach of fish for forty days.
(3) Neither cause nor effect is disturbed. Divine order is maintained.
(4) Such as Our revelations as We abrogate or cause to be forgotten. We bring (in place) one better or the like thereof. (Pickthall) Qur’an: 2:106
(5) Memory is in control of one’s heart. Our emotions depend upon how we remember events happening in our lives. Allah has power over the heart. To some, he blesses forgetfulness so they may forget the wounds life has caused them, and some remain aware of the constant pain.
(6) When a man forgets to beseech God’s favor, he may never reach his goal, however hard he may try.
(7) “But ye treated them with ridicule, so much so that (ridicule of) them made you forget My Message while ye were laughing at them! (23:110)
(8) Man is just a tool to bring about certain actions. The action does not originate in men. The cause and effect are predetermined
(9) Ibn-Arabi has told us in Fusus that Man is like a pupil to Allah to witness its universe, an instrument of vision, as it is to the eye. This is why he is called “Insan”. It is by him that Allah beholds His creatures and has mercy on them. The pupil is like a filter that passes a vision to the eye. So are the Walis; they are better judge of human thought and conduct, So one must not regard them lower in rank regarding knowledge.
See more on Wilayat and Sainthood. Click for Details
(10) Holy Enclave or Supreme Council: Al-mala’ al a`la: The term is found in Qur’an: 37:8, 38:69. According to Shah Wali Allah, this group members both angels and developed human souls, who play an important part in decision-making about future of earth and its inhabitants. Of course, The final decree is that of God.
See The Conclusive Argument From God (Chp.no.3, pages 43-48). Click for Intro
(11) There is a tiny growth on the lower brain, the brain stem, called reticular formation. It is reported to filter all thoughts and happenings
during the day, keeping the useful and throwing away the wasted. Learn more about
(12) Deen is but continuous dissemination of knowledge from Divine to common. Prophets, Apostles, Saints, and Scholars are Allah’s chosen means for it. So that they not only recognize but also respect this series they have become part of.
(13) Rumi had a firm belief in the quality of essence. An ironsmith is a commoner who deals with hard objects harshly, so harshness and uncouth behaviors become essential to his personality, while a goldsmith has to deal with pure, delicate objects, which requires sophistication and decency in his manners. Gentleness and nobility drift towards purity. See more on purity. Click for Details.
(14) One’s actions are always returning to oneself. Similarly, the thoughts and intentions that we are collecting are like luggage to travel to our final destination.
(15) One cannot lay off one’s character, professional ethics, or style of dealing with the public, all but emerge from the soundness of his heart. So if one thinks he has been laid off, all worries at night (forgetfulness) are temporary. They return in the morning with full force, and the man has to face them, smiling or grudgingly.
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