بخش 77 - خلق الجان من مارج من نار و قوله تعالی فی حق ابلیس انه کان من الجن ففسق

The fire (of pride and jealousy) was flaming in the soul of the fool (Iblís), because he was (born) of fire: the son is (endued with) the inward nature of his father.

No; I have spoken in error; ’twas the compelling might of God: why, (then), adduce any cause (for it)?

The causeless action (of God) is quit of (all) causes: it is lasting (without change) and firmly stablished from eternity.

In the perfection of the holy work sped on (by Him) what room is there for (any) temporal cause or temporal thing?

What is (the real meaning of) “the inward nature of (his) father”? His (God's) work (creative energy) is our father: (His) work is the kernel, and the formal (physical) father is the skin (shell).

O nut-like body, know that Love is thy friend: thy soul (inspired by Love) will seek thy kernel and batter thy shell (to pieces).

The man doomed to Hell whose skin is his friend—(God who hath said) “We will give them (other) skins in exchange” bestows a (new) skin upon him.

Thy spiritual principle and kernel is dominant over the Fire, but thy skins (sensual faculties) are fuel for the Fire.

(In the case of) a wooden pot in which river-water is (contained), the power of fire is entirely (directed) against the vessel containing it.

Man's spiritual principle is a ruler over the Fire: when is Málik (the Ruler) of Hell destroyed therein?

Do not, then, increase (pamper) thy body; increase (cherish and cultivate) thy spiritual principle, in order that thou mayst be the Fire's sovereign, like Málik.

Thou hast ever been adding skins to thy skin: necessarily thou art (black) as a skin (enveloped) in (layers of) soot.

Since the Fire hath no fodder (fuel) except the skin, the vengeance of God will tear the skin off that pride (of thine).

This arrogance is a product of the skin; hence power and riches are friends to that pride.

What is this arrogance? (It consists in) being oblivious to the essential principle and frozen (insensible)— like the oblivion of ice to the sun.

When it (the ice) becomes conscious of the sun, the ice does not endure: it becomes soft and warm and moves on rapidly.

From seeing the kernel (essential principle) the whole body becomes (filled with) desire: it becomes miserable and passionately in love, for “Wretched is he who desires.”

When it does not see the kernel, it is content with the skin: (then) the bondage of “Glorious is he who is content” is its prison.

Here glory is infidelity, and wretchedness is (true) religion: until the stone became naughted, when did it become the gem set in a ring?

(To remain) in the state of stoniness and then (to say) “I” (is absurd): ’tis time for thee to become lowly and naughted (dead to self).

Pride always seeks power and riches because the bath-furnace derives its perfection from dung;

For these two nurses increase (foster) the skin: they stuff it with fat and flesh and pride and arrogance.

They have not raised their eyes to the kernel of the kernel: on that account they have deemed the skin to be the kernel.

Iblís was the leader on this way, for he fell a prey to the net (temptation) of power (eminence).

Riches are like a snake, and power is a dragon: the shadow (protection and guidance) of (holy) men is the emerald (which is fatal) to them both.

At (the sight of) that emerald the snake's eye jumps (out of its head): the snake is blinded and the traveller is delivered (from death).

When that Prince (Iblís) had laid thorns on this road, every one that was wounded (by them) cried, “Curse Iblís!”

Meaning to say, “This pain is (fallen) upon me through his treachery”: he (Iblís) who is taken as a model (by the wicked) was the first to tread the path of treason.

Truly, generation on generation came (into being) after him, and all set their feet on his way (followed his practice).

Whosoever institutes an evil practice, O youth, in order that people may blindly fall in after him,

All their guilt is collected (and piled) on him, for he has been (as) a head (to them), while they are (like) the root of the tail.

But Adam brought forward (and kept in view) the rustic shoon and sheepskin jacket, saying, “I am of clay.”

By him, as by Ayáz, those shoon were (often) visited: consequently he was lauded in the end.

The Absolute Being is a worker in non-existence: what but non-existence is the workshop (working material) of the Maker of existence?

Does one write anything on what is (already) written over, or plant a sapling in a place (already) planted?

(No); he seeks a sheet of paper that has not been written on and sows the seed in a place that has not been sown.

Be thou, O brother, a place unsown; be a white paper untouched by writing,

That thou mayst be ennobled by Nún wa ’l-Qalam, and that the Gracious One may sow seed within thee.

Assume, indeed, that thou hast never licked (tasted) this pálúda (honeycake); assume that thou hast never seen the kitchen which thou hast seen,

Because from this pálúda intoxications arise, and the sheepskin jacket and the shoon depart from thy memory.

When the death-agony comes, thou wilt utter a (great) cry of lamentation: in that hour thou wilt remember thy ragged cloak and clumsy shoon;

(But) until thou art drowning in the waves of an evil plight in which there is no help (to be obtained) from any refuge,

Thou wilt never call to mind the right ship (for thy voyage): thou wilt never look at thy shoon and sheepskin jacket.

When thou art left helpless in the overwhelming waters of destruction, then thou wilt incessantly make (the words) we have done wrong thy litany;

(But) the Devil will say, “Look ye at this half-baked (fool)! Cut off the head of this untimely bird (this cock that crows too late)!”

Far from the wisdom of Ayáz is this characteristic, (namely), that his prayer should be uttered without (being a real) prayer.

He has been the cock of Heaven from of old: all his crowings are (taking place) at their (proper) time.