بخش 97 - پیش رفتن دقوقی به امامت آن قوم

In the salutations and benedictions addressed to the righteous (saints) praise of all the prophets is blended.

The praises are all commingled (and united): the jugs are poured into one basin.

Inasmuch as the object of praise Himself is not more than One, from this point of view (all) religions are but one religion.

Know that every praise goes (belongs) to the Light of God and is (only) lent to (created) forms and persons.

How should folk praise (any one) except Him who (alone) has the right (to be praised)?—but they go astray on (the ground of) a vain fancy.

The Light of God in relation to phenomena is as a light shining upon a wall—the wall is a link (focus) for these splendours:

Necessarily, when the reflexion moved towards its source, he who had gone astray lost the moon and ceased from praise;

Or (again) a reflexion of the moon appeared from a well, and he (the misguided one) put his head into the well and was praising that same (reflexion):

In truth he is a praiser of the moon, although his ignorance has turned its face towards its (the moon's) reflexion.

His praise belongs to the moon, not to that reflexion, (but) that (praise) becomes infidelity when the matter is misapprehended;

For that bold man was led astray by (his) perdition: the moon was above, while he fancied it was below.

The people are distracted by these idols (objects of desire), and (afterwards) they repent of the lust which they have indulged,

Because he (such a one) has indulged his lust with a phantom and has remained farther away from the Reality (than he was before).

Your desire for a phantom is like a wing, so that by means of that wing he (the seeker) may ascend to the Reality.

When you have indulged a lust, your wing drops off; you become lame, and that phantom flees from you.

Preserve the wing and do not indulge such lust, to the end that the wing of desire may bear you to Paradise.

The people fancy they are enjoying themselves: they are (really) tearing out their wings for the sake of a phantom.

I have become a debtor for (I owe) the explanation of this topic. Give me time, I am destitute; on that account I keep silence.