بخش 34 - مثل

’Tis like (the tale of) the caravaneers (who) arrived and entered a village and found a certain door open.

One (of them) said, “During this spell of cold weather let us unload (alight) here for a few days.”

A voice cried, “Nay, unload outside, and then come indoors!”

Drop outside everything that ought to be dropped: do not come in with it, for this assembly-place is of high dignity.”

Hilál was a spiritual adept and a man of illumined soul, (though he was) the groom and slave of a Moslem Amír.

The youth served as a groom in the stable, but (he was really) a king of kings and a slave (only) in name.

The Amír was ignorant of his slave's (real) condition, for he had no discernment but of the sort possessed by Iblís.

He saw the clay, but not the treasure (buried) in it: he saw the five (senses) and the six (directions), but not the source of the five.

The colour of clay is manifest, the light of religion is hidden: such was (the case of) every prophet in the world.

And a second (observer) saw a bird flapping its wings, but not the hair in the bird's mouth (beak);

But that one who was seeing by the light of God was aware both of the bird and of the hair, And said (to the other), “Pray, direct thine eye towards the hair: till thou see the hair, the knot will not be untied.”

The one saw in the mud (only) figured clay, while the other saw clay replete with knowledge and works.

1145 The body is the minaret, knowledge and obedience (to God) are like the bird: suppose three hundred birds (to be perched on it) or (only) two birds, whichever you please.

The middle man sees the bird only: neither before nor behind (him) does he see anything but a bird.

The hair is the hidden light belonging to the bird, whereby the soul of the bird is enduring (for ever).

Its knowledge gushes perpetually from its soul: it (this bird) has nothing that is borrowed (from others) and (owes) no debt.