بخش 128 - دعوت کردن مسلمان مغ را

A certain man said to a Magian, “O such-and-such, hark, become a Moslem, be one of the true believers!”

He replied, “If God will, I shall become a true believer; and if He increase His grace, I shall become possessed of intuitive faith.”

He (the Moslem) said, “God wills thy true belief, in order that thy spirit may be delivered from the hand (power) of Hell;

But thy ill-omened carnal soul and the wicked Devil are dragging thee towards infidelity and the fire-temple.”

I can side (only) with him who is predominant: I (must) fall in the direction to which the predominant one is pulling (me).

Since (according to thy assertion) God was desiring of me a firm belief (in Islam), what is the use of His desire when He does not succeed (in attaining His object)?

The carnal soul and the Devil have carried their will to success, while that act of (Divine) favour has been defeated and pulverised.

(’Tis as if) thou hadst built a palace and pavilion and erected therein a hundred beautiful (ornamental) designs,

And desired that that goodly place should be a mosque— and (then) some one else had come and made it a Christian monastery;

Or (as if) thou hadst woven a piece of linen cloth, in order deftly to make it a coat for some one to wear,

And (when) thou wert desiring (it to be) a coat, a rival, from (motives of) hostility, made the linen stuff into a pair of trousers in spite of thee.

When some one has forced his way in against his (the householder's) will and planted a thornbush in his property and house,

The master of the house is humiliated because such a shabbiness (abasement) is inflicted on him.

I too, though I am fresh and new, would become shabby (abased) through being associated with such a contemptible person.

Since the will of the carnal soul is besought for help, ’tis mockery (to say) that whatever God wills shall come to pass.

(Even) if I am a disgrace to the Magians or am an infidel, I am not such (a miscreant) as to think this of God,

That any one should seek to exercise authority in His kingdom against His will and in spite of Him,

And thus should occupy His kingdom, so that the Creator of the breath dare not breathe a word (in opposition),

(And that though) He wishes to repel him and must needs (do so), (yet) the Devil at every moment is increasing His anxiety.

(On this hypothesis) I must worship the Devil, inasmuch as he is predominant in every assembly,

Lest the Devil take vengeance on me—and then in that case how can the Gracious (God) lend me a (helping) hand?

That which he (the Devil) wills, his desire (therein) is fulfilled: by whom (except him) shall my affairs be restored to prosperity?