Haqaaeq-e-ashyaa aur Maashooq-e-haqeeqi

The path of Sufism diverges so sharply from the beaten track that when a newcomer enters this realm, voices echo in his ears from all sides telling him that whatever he has seen, heard, and understood until today is entirely wrong. However, a lifetime of experience, knowledge, and certainty cannot be overturned in an instant. Therefore, a person inevitably begins to suspect that this realm itself is a world of illusions, where self-evident truths, observation, and experience hold no value. The Sufi masters are also well aware that what they wish to convey is not easily understood. For this reason, before offering spiritual instruction and guidance, they generally have to draw people's attention to a fundamental question: what are the true realities of things? First, they instruct the seeker to discover the true nature of everything—what it actually is. Then, through an abundance of examples, they demonstrate that what you consider to be the reality of a thing is not its actual reality. Khwaja Fariduddin Attar says:

Agar ashya chuneen boodi ke paida'st

Sawal-e-Mustafa kai aamadi raast

Ba-haq, mehtar-e-deen guft, Ilahi!

Ba-man binmay ashya ra kama hi

(Ya'ni Rasool Allah SAW)

Khudawand ke een ashya chiguna ast

Ke dar chashm-e-to aknoon bazhguna ast

[If things were truly as they appear,

How could the prayer of the Chosen One be justified?

To God, the Master of Religion (i.e., the Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him) said, O Lord!

Show me things exactly as they are.

O Lord, what is the true nature of these things,

Which currently appear inverted in your eyes?]

That is, if all things were truly as they appear on the surface, why would the Messenger of Allah (Peace Be Upon Him) pray, O God! Show me things exactly as they are in reality.

Sahabi says:

Har cheez ke paida'st, namood'st na bood

Bo'd ast kaboodi-e-ke beeni, na sama

[Everything that is visible is merely an appearance, not reality;

The blueness you see is distance, not the sky.]

Whatever is visible is merely an appearance, not reality. This blueness that you see is not the sky, but rather the vast distance of your vision.

To explain this concept, Maulana Rumi first takes up the physical world. Through numerous examples, he demonstrates that what is overtly visible and tangible is not the essence; rather, the true essence within it remains imperceptible:

Neest ra binmood hast aan muhtamam

Hast ra binmood bar shakl-e-adam

[That Absolute has made the non-existent appear existent,

And made the existent appear in the form of non-existence.]

Bahr ra poosheed o kaf kard aashkar

Baad ra poosheed o binmoodat ghubar

[He concealed the ocean and made the foam visible,

He concealed the wind and showed you the dust.]

Choon manara, khaak-e-peechaan dar hawa

Khaak az khud choon bar-aayad bar-ula

[Like a minaret, the dust swirls in the air;

How could dust rise to such heights on its own?]

Khaak ra beeni ba-baala ae aleel

Baad ra na, juz ba-ta'reef o daleel

[You see the dust rising high, O feeble one,

But not the wind, except through deduction and proof.]

Kaf hami beeni rawana har taraf

Kaf pay-e-darya na daarad munsarif

[You see the foam flowing in every direction,

But foam cannot move without the ocean.]

Kaf ba-hiss beeni o darya az daleel

Fikr pinhaan, aashkara qaal o qeel

[You see the foam with your senses, and the ocean through reason;

Thought is hidden, while speech and words are manifest.]

Nafi ra isbaat mi pindaashteem

Deeda-e-ma'doom beeni daashteem

[We considered the negation to be the affirmation,

We possessed eyes that only saw the non-existent.]

Een adam ra choon nishandaandar nazar

Choon nahaan kard aan haqeeqat oo basar

[How He has planted this non-existence in our sight!

How He has hidden that reality from our vision!]

Een jahan neest bas hastaan shuda

Waan jahan hast bas pinhaan shuda

[This world is nothing, yet it appears to exist,

And that world is real, yet it remains hidden.]

For example, when a whirlwind rises, what we see is the dust. But the actual reality—the force that set the dust in motion—is the wind. The dust is overtly visible, but the wind must be proven through reason and deduction. When we converse and debate, everyone readily perceives the speech and the words, but the root cause of the speech—thought and intellect—remains hidden. In short, the things that are overtly visible are not the true realities, and the true realities are neither tangible nor self-evident.

The more real and actual a thing is, the more imperceptible and unobservable it becomes. To frame this in a modern context, consider that the most certain and absolute entity is matter. However, upon deeper reflection, we realize that the only perceptible and observable aspects of matter are its color and dimensions. Nothing else about it can be perceived by the senses. We deduce that since color and dimensions cannot exist independently, there must be an underlying entity that sustains them. Yet, those philosophers who argue that a substance is nothing in itself but merely a collection of attributes can argue that matter itself is nothing; it is simply a convergence of attributes that we label as matter. Ultimately, the existence of a thing does not depend solely on it being tangible and observable.

Once it is broadly understood that we can and do make mistakes regarding the realities of things, the Sufi masters instruct the seeker regarding specific concepts central to Sufism, explaining that their reality is not what common people believe. For example, the entire world agrees that the primary purpose of life is the pursuit of pleasure. The Sufi masters also believe this, but they argue that we must first determine what true pleasure actually is. Start from the beginning: a child loves playing, toys, and colorful, shiny things. As he grows up, he realizes this was a childish taste. Now he devotes himself to fine clothes, luxury, and recreation. When his knowledge and intellect develop further, he realizes these were mere youthful whims whose time has passed. He then engages in higher pursuits, acquires knowledge and competence, and seeks fame and honor. He attains wealth, status, reputation, and high office. He becomes a public leader, and this appears to be the ultimate pinnacle of life. But when the recognition of reality advances even further, it becomes clear that these, too, were meaningless pursuits. This progression continues, but eventually, a limit is reached, and for those focused on the outward world, that limit becomes the ultimate achievement of life.

The Sufi masters state that just as you have made errors in judgment from childhood until today, that chain of errors has still not ended. Just as advancing stages of maturity proved your previous pursuits to be superficial, there are still further stages of elevation remaining, and they have no end. One stage will be crossed, and another will appear. The second will be crossed, and a third will appear, and so on. However, these intermediate destinations are not devoid of spiritual joy and intuition. Therefore:

Rah-rawaan ra khastagi-e-raah neest

Ishq khud raah ast o ham khud manzil ast

[For the travelers of this path, there is no weariness of the journey;

Love itself is the path, and Love itself is the destination.]

Beauty and elegance are desired by the entire world, yet people fail to determine what true beauty actually is. The beauty that people admire in things is a temporary beauty, not the real one. If a wall becomes illuminated by the reflection of the sun, one should not call the wall luminous; in reality, it is the sun that is luminous. Similarly, things that possess temporary attributes are not the true owners of those attributes. Maulana Rumi says:

Hamcho aan ablah ke taab-e-aaftab

Deed bar deewar o hairaan shud shitaab

[Like that fool who saw the sunlight

Upon a wall and was instantly captivated.]

Aashiq-e-deewar shud k'een ba-ziya'st

Be-khabar k'een aks-e-khursheed-e-sama'st

[He fell in love with the wall, thinking it was radiant,

Unaware that it was merely the reflection of the heavenly sun.]

Choon ba-asl-e-khesh paiwast aan ziya

Deed deewar-e-siyah maanda ba-ja

[When that light returned to its source,

He saw only a dark wall left in its place.]

Oo bimaanda door az matloob-e-khesh

Sa'y zaa'e, ranj baatil, paay reesh

[He remained far from his true desire,

His efforts wasted, his suffering in vain, his feet wounded.]

Garche aahan surkh shud, oo surkh neest

Partaw-e-aariyat-e-aatash zaneest

[Though the iron turns red, it is not red in itself;

It is merely the borrowed glow of the fire.]

Gar shavad pur-noor rauzan ya sara

To madaan raushan, magar khursheed ra

[If a window or a house becomes filled with light,

Do not consider them luminous, but only the sun.]

War deewar goyad raushanam

Partaw-e-ghairi nadaaram, een manam

[And if the wall claims, I am luminous,

I hold no one else's reflection, this is my own light.]

Pas bigoyad aaftab ae na-rasheed

Choonke man ghaa'ib shawam aayad padeed

[Then the sun would reply, O ignorant one,

When I disappear, your true state will be revealed.]

Sabz-ha goyand ma sabz az khudaim

Shaad o khandaaneem o bas zeba khudaim

[The greenery claims, We are green on our own,

We are joyous, smiling, and inherently beautiful.]

Fasl-e-taabistaan bigoyad ae umam

Khesh ra beeneed choon man bigzaram

[The season of summer replies, O multitudes,

Look at yourselves once I have passed.]

Tan hami naazad ba-khoobi o jamaal

Rooh pinhaan karda farr-e-par o baal

[The body boasts of its excellence and beauty,

While the soul keeps its glorious wings concealed.]

Goyadash, ae mazbala to keesti

Yak do roz az partaw-e-man zeesti

[The soul says to it, O heap of dust, what are you?

You have lived for a day or two only by my reflection.]

Ghanj o naazat mi na-gunjad dar jahan

Baash ke ta man shawam az to nahaan

[Your coquetry and pride cannot be contained in this world;

Just wait until I withdraw myself from you.]

Partaw-e-rooh'st nutq-e-chashm o gosh

Partaw-e-aatash bawad dar aab josh

[Speech, sight, and hearing are but reflections of the soul,

Just as the boiling of water is but a reflection of the fire.]

It is a consequence of this misconception that people equate beauty with mere physical appearance, radiance, bodily proportion, physical symmetry, delicate gestures, playfulness, and the like. They cannot even conceive that something lacking these traits could also be beautiful. In reality, all the beauty in the universe—whether it is the radiance of the sun, the colors of the rainbow, the azure of the sky, the bloom of the greenery, the growth of childhood, the freshness of youth, or the luminous grace of old age—is merely a faint reflection of the True Beauty.

Aan shua'i bod bar deewar-e-shaan

Janib-e-khursheed waraft aan nishaan

[That was but a ray of light upon their wall;

The trace of that light has returned to the sun.]

Bar har aan cheezay ke uftad aan shua'a

Tu bar aan ham aashiq aayi ae shuja'a

[Upon whatever object that ray falls,

You fall in love with it, O brave one.]

Ishq-e-tu bar har che aan maujood bod

Aan ze-wasf-e-Haq chu zar-andood bod

[Your love for whatever exists in this world,

Was due to the attribute of the Divine, gilding it like gold.]

Choon zari ba asal raft o mis bimaand

Az zari-e-khweshtan muflis bimaand

[When the gold returns to its source and only the copper remains,

It is left bankrupt of its golden hue.]

Taba'a ser aamad talaq-e-oo bikhaand

Pusht bar-way kard o dast az way fishaand

[Your nature becomes satiated and divorces it;

It turns its back on it and washes its hands of it.]

Az zar-andood-e-sifaatash pa bikash

Az jahalat qalb ra kam goy khush

[Withdraw your feet from its gold-plated attributes;

Out of ignorance, do not call the counterfeit coin good.]

Kaan khushi dar qalb-ha aariyati'st

Zer-e-zeenat maya-e-be-zeenati'st

[For that goodness in counterfeit coins is merely borrowed;

Beneath the adornment lies a core devoid of beauty.]

Zar ze-rooy-e-qalb dar kaan mi-rawad

Sooy-e-aan kaan tu bi-ro, kaan mi-rawad

[The gold from the face of the counterfeit coin returns to the mine;

You, too, go toward that mine where it returns.]

Noor az deewar ta khur mi-rawad

Tu bidaan khur ro ke dar khur mi-rawad

[The light travels from the wall back to the sun;

Go toward that sun, for it is fitting to do so.]

Zaan sipas bistaan tu aab az aasmaan

Choon nadeedi tu wafa dar naawdaan

[Thereafter, take your water directly from the sky,

Since you have seen no loyalty in the rain-gutter.]

In short, the attributes found in all worldly things are merely temporary. The true essence is something else entirely—the source from which these attributes emanate, or the Being that is genuinely characterized by them. Once these premises and this logical progression are firmly understood, the core teaching of the Sufis begins. They urge you to reflect deeply on the things you consider your goal, your desire, and your life's ultimate achievement, and to ask yourself whether they are truly worthy of being your life's ultimate purpose. The object you perceived as beautiful was not inherently beautiful; rather, it merely caught a fleeting reflection of the True Beauty, which soon faded away. Therefore, the ultimate focus of your thoughts and desires should be the True Beauty, the True Elegance, and the True Beloved. This is the very soul of Sufism, its core faith, and its guiding creed.

Abr ra taabi agar hast az mah ast

Har ke mah khaanad abr ra oo gumrah ast

[If the cloud possesses any radiance, it is from the moon;

Whoever calls the cloud the moon is astray.]

Noor-e-mah bar abr choon manzil shuda ast

Rooy-e-tareekash ze-mah mubaddal shuda ast

[When the light of the moon descends upon the cloud,

Its dark face is transformed by the moon.]

Gar-che ham-rang-e-mah ast o daulat'st

Andar abr aan noor-e-mah aariyat'st

[Though it shares the moon's color and possesses its splendor,

Within the cloud, that moonlight is merely borrowed.]

Daya aariyat bod roozay do-chaar

Maadara! Ma ra tu geer andar kinaar

[A wet nurse is but a borrowed comfort for a few days;

O Mother! Take us into your own embrace.]

Man nakhwaham daya, maadar khush-tar ast

Moosiyam man, daya-e-man maadar ast

[I do not want a wet nurse, the mother is far better;

I am like Moses, my wet nurse is my own mother.]

Man nakhwaham lutf-e-Haq az waasita

Ke halaak-e-khalq shud een raabita

[I do not seek the grace of God through an intermediary,

For this reliance on intermediaries has been the ruin of mankind.]

The path of Sufism diverges so sharply from the beaten track that when a newcomer enters this realm, voices echo in his ears from all sides telling him that whatever he has seen, heard, and understood until today is entirely wrong. However, a lifetime of experience, knowledge, and certainty cannot be overturned in an instant. Therefore, a person inevitably begins to suspect that this realm itself is a world of illusions, where self-evident truths, observation, and experience hold no value. The Sufi masters are also well aware that what they wish to convey is not easily understood. For this reason, before offering spiritual instruction and guidance, they generally have to draw people's attention to a fundamental question: what are the true realities of things? First, they instruct the seeker to discover the true nature of everything—what it actually is. Then, through an abundance of examples, they demonstrate that what you consider to be the reality of a thing is not its actual reality. Khwaja Fariduddin Attar says:

Agar ashya chuneen boodi ke paida'st

Sawal-e-Mustafa kai aamadi raast

Ba-haq, mehtar-e-deen guft, Ilahi!

Ba-man binmay ashya ra kama hi

(Ya'ni Rasool Allah SAW)

Khudawand ke een ashya chiguna ast

Ke dar chashm-e-to aknoon bazhguna ast

[If things were truly as they appear,

How could the prayer of the Chosen One be justified?

To God, the Master of Religion (i.e., the Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him) said, O Lord!

Show me things exactly as they are.

O Lord, what is the true nature of these things,

Which currently appear inverted in your eyes?]

That is, if all things were truly as they appear on the surface, why would the Messenger of Allah (Peace Be Upon Him) pray, O God! Show me things exactly as they are in reality.

Sahabi says:

Har cheez ke paida'st, namood'st na bood

Bo'd ast kaboodi-e-ke beeni, na sama

[Everything that is visible is merely an appearance, not reality;

The blueness you see is distance, not the sky.]

Whatever is visible is merely an appearance, not reality. This blueness that you see is not the sky, but rather the vast distance of your vision.

To explain this concept, Maulana Rumi first takes up the physical world. Through numerous examples, he demonstrates that what is overtly visible and tangible is not the essence; rather, the true essence within it remains imperceptible:

Neest ra binmood hast aan muhtamam

Hast ra binmood bar shakl-e-adam

[That Absolute has made the non-existent appear existent,

And made the existent appear in the form of non-existence.]

Bahr ra poosheed o kaf kard aashkar

Baad ra poosheed o binmoodat ghubar

[He concealed the ocean and made the foam visible,

He concealed the wind and showed you the dust.]

Choon manara, khaak-e-peechaan dar hawa

Khaak az khud choon bar-aayad bar-ula

[Like a minaret, the dust swirls in the air;

How could dust rise to such heights on its own?]

Khaak ra beeni ba-baala ae aleel

Baad ra na, juz ba-ta'reef o daleel

[You see the dust rising high, O feeble one,

But not the wind, except through deduction and proof.]

Kaf hami beeni rawana har taraf

Kaf pay-e-darya na daarad munsarif

[You see the foam flowing in every direction,

But foam cannot move without the ocean.]

Kaf ba-hiss beeni o darya az daleel

Fikr pinhaan, aashkara qaal o qeel

[You see the foam with your senses, and the ocean through reason;

Thought is hidden, while speech and words are manifest.]

Nafi ra isbaat mi pindaashteem

Deeda-e-ma'doom beeni daashteem

[We considered the negation to be the affirmation,

We possessed eyes that only saw the non-existent.]

Een adam ra choon nishandaandar nazar

Choon nahaan kard aan haqeeqat oo basar

[How He has planted this non-existence in our sight!

How He has hidden that reality from our vision!]

Een jahan neest bas hastaan shuda

Waan jahan hast bas pinhaan shuda

[This world is nothing, yet it appears to exist,

And that world is real, yet it remains hidden.]

For example, when a whirlwind rises, what we see is the dust. But the actual reality—the force that set the dust in motion—is the wind. The dust is overtly visible, but the wind must be proven through reason and deduction. When we converse and debate, everyone readily perceives the speech and the words, but the root cause of the speech—thought and intellect—remains hidden. In short, the things that are overtly visible are not the true realities, and the true realities are neither tangible nor self-evident.

The more real and actual a thing is, the more imperceptible and unobservable it becomes. To frame this in a modern context, consider that the most certain and absolute entity is matter. However, upon deeper reflection, we realize that the only perceptible and observable aspects of matter are its color and dimensions. Nothing else about it can be perceived by the senses. We deduce that since color and dimensions cannot exist independently, there must be an underlying entity that sustains them. Yet, those philosophers who argue that a substance is nothing in itself but merely a collection of attributes can argue that matter itself is nothing; it is simply a convergence of attributes that we label as matter. Ultimately, the existence of a thing does not depend solely on it being tangible and observable.

Once it is broadly understood that we can and do make mistakes regarding the realities of things, the Sufi masters instruct the seeker regarding specific concepts central to Sufism, explaining that their reality is not what common people believe. For example, the entire world agrees that the primary purpose of life is the pursuit of pleasure. The Sufi masters also believe this, but they argue that we must first determine what true pleasure actually is. Start from the beginning: a child loves playing, toys, and colorful, shiny things. As he grows up, he realizes this was a childish taste. Now he devotes himself to fine clothes, luxury, and recreation. When his knowledge and intellect develop further, he realizes these were mere youthful whims whose time has passed. He then engages in higher pursuits, acquires knowledge and competence, and seeks fame and honor. He attains wealth, status, reputation, and high office. He becomes a public leader, and this appears to be the ultimate pinnacle of life. But when the recognition of reality advances even further, it becomes clear that these, too, were meaningless pursuits. This progression continues, but eventually, a limit is reached, and for those focused on the outward world, that limit becomes the ultimate achievement of life.

The Sufi masters state that just as you have made errors in judgment from childhood until today, that chain of errors has still not ended. Just as advancing stages of maturity proved your previous pursuits to be superficial, there are still further stages of elevation remaining, and they have no end. One stage will be crossed, and another will appear. The second will be crossed, and a third will appear, and so on. However, these intermediate destinations are not devoid of spiritual joy and intuition. Therefore:

Rah-rawaan ra khastagi-e-raah neest

Ishq khud raah ast o ham khud manzil ast

[For the travelers of this path, there is no weariness of the journey;

Love itself is the path, and Love itself is the destination.]

Beauty and elegance are desired by the entire world, yet people fail to determine what true beauty actually is. The beauty that people admire in things is a temporary beauty, not the real one. If a wall becomes illuminated by the reflection of the sun, one should not call the wall luminous; in reality, it is the sun that is luminous. Similarly, things that possess temporary attributes are not the true owners of those attributes. Maulana Rumi says:

Hamcho aan ablah ke taab-e-aaftab

Deed bar deewar o hairaan shud shitaab

[Like that fool who saw the sunlight

Upon a wall and was instantly captivated.]

Aashiq-e-deewar shud k'een ba-ziya'st

Be-khabar k'een aks-e-khursheed-e-sama'st

[He fell in love with the wall, thinking it was radiant,

Unaware that it was merely the reflection of the heavenly sun.]

Choon ba-asl-e-khesh paiwast aan ziya

Deed deewar-e-siyah maanda ba-ja

[When that light returned to its source,

He saw only a dark wall left in its place.]

Oo bimaanda door az matloob-e-khesh

Sa'y zaa'e, ranj baatil, paay reesh

[He remained far from his true desire,

His efforts wasted, his suffering in vain, his feet wounded.]

Garche aahan surkh shud, oo surkh neest

Partaw-e-aariyat-e-aatash zaneest

[Though the iron turns red, it is not red in itself;

It is merely the borrowed glow of the fire.]

Gar shavad pur-noor rauzan ya sara

To madaan raushan, magar khursheed ra

[If a window or a house becomes filled with light,

Do not consider them luminous, but only the sun.]

War deewar goyad raushanam

Partaw-e-ghairi nadaaram, een manam

[And if the wall claims, I am luminous,

I hold no one else's reflection, this is my own light.]

Pas bigoyad aaftab ae na-rasheed

Choonke man ghaa'ib shawam aayad padeed

[Then the sun would reply, O ignorant one,

When I disappear, your true state will be revealed.]

Sabz-ha goyand ma sabz az khudaim

Shaad o khandaaneem o bas zeba khudaim

[The greenery claims, We are green on our own,

We are joyous, smiling, and inherently beautiful.]

Fasl-e-taabistaan bigoyad ae umam

Khesh ra beeneed choon man bigzaram

[The season of summer replies, O multitudes,

Look at yourselves once I have passed.]

Tan hami naazad ba-khoobi o jamaal

Rooh pinhaan karda farr-e-par o baal

[The body boasts of its excellence and beauty,

While the soul keeps its glorious wings concealed.]

Goyadash, ae mazbala to keesti

Yak do roz az partaw-e-man zeesti

[The soul says to it, O heap of dust, what are you?

You have lived for a day or two only by my reflection.]

Ghanj o naazat mi na-gunjad dar jahan

Baash ke ta man shawam az to nahaan

[Your coquetry and pride cannot be contained in this world;

Just wait until I withdraw myself from you.]

Partaw-e-rooh'st nutq-e-chashm o gosh

Partaw-e-aatash bawad dar aab josh

[Speech, sight, and hearing are but reflections of the soul,

Just as the boiling of water is but a reflection of the fire.]

It is a consequence of this misconception that people equate beauty with mere physical appearance, radiance, bodily proportion, physical symmetry, delicate gestures, playfulness, and the like. They cannot even conceive that something lacking these traits could also be beautiful. In reality, all the beauty in the universe—whether it is the radiance of the sun, the colors of the rainbow, the azure of the sky, the bloom of the greenery, the growth of childhood, the freshness of youth, or the luminous grace of old age—is merely a faint reflection of the True Beauty.

Aan shua'i bod bar deewar-e-shaan

Janib-e-khursheed waraft aan nishaan

[That was but a ray of light upon their wall;

The trace of that light has returned to the sun.]

Bar har aan cheezay ke uftad aan shua'a

Tu bar aan ham aashiq aayi ae shuja'a

[Upon whatever object that ray falls,

You fall in love with it, O brave one.]

Ishq-e-tu bar har che aan maujood bod

Aan ze-wasf-e-Haq chu zar-andood bod

[Your love for whatever exists in this world,

Was due to the attribute of the Divine, gilding it like gold.]

Choon zari ba asal raft o mis bimaand

Az zari-e-khweshtan muflis bimaand

[When the gold returns to its source and only the copper remains,

It is left bankrupt of its golden hue.]

Taba'a ser aamad talaq-e-oo bikhaand

Pusht bar-way kard o dast az way fishaand

[Your nature becomes satiated and divorces it;

It turns its back on it and washes its hands of it.]

Az zar-andood-e-sifaatash pa bikash

Az jahalat qalb ra kam goy khush

[Withdraw your feet from its gold-plated attributes;

Out of ignorance, do not call the counterfeit coin good.]

Kaan khushi dar qalb-ha aariyati'st

Zer-e-zeenat maya-e-be-zeenati'st

[For that goodness in counterfeit coins is merely borrowed;

Beneath the adornment lies a core devoid of beauty.]

Zar ze-rooy-e-qalb dar kaan mi-rawad

Sooy-e-aan kaan tu bi-ro, kaan mi-rawad

[The gold from the face of the counterfeit coin returns to the mine;

You, too, go toward that mine where it returns.]

Noor az deewar ta khur mi-rawad

Tu bidaan khur ro ke dar khur mi-rawad

[The light travels from the wall back to the sun;

Go toward that sun, for it is fitting to do so.]

Zaan sipas bistaan tu aab az aasmaan

Choon nadeedi tu wafa dar naawdaan

[Thereafter, take your water directly from the sky,

Since you have seen no loyalty in the rain-gutter.]

In short, the attributes found in all worldly things are merely temporary. The true essence is something else entirely—the source from which these attributes emanate, or the Being that is genuinely characterized by them. Once these premises and this logical progression are firmly understood, the core teaching of the Sufis begins. They urge you to reflect deeply on the things you consider your goal, your desire, and your life's ultimate achievement, and to ask yourself whether they are truly worthy of being your life's ultimate purpose. The object you perceived as beautiful was not inherently beautiful; rather, it merely caught a fleeting reflection of the True Beauty, which soon faded away. Therefore, the ultimate focus of your thoughts and desires should be the True Beauty, the True Elegance, and the True Beloved. This is the very soul of Sufism, its core faith, and its guiding creed.

Abr ra taabi agar hast az mah ast

Har ke mah khaanad abr ra oo gumrah ast

[If the cloud possesses any radiance, it is from the moon;

Whoever calls the cloud the moon is astray.]

Noor-e-mah bar abr choon manzil shuda ast

Rooy-e-tareekash ze-mah mubaddal shuda ast

[When the light of the moon descends upon the cloud,

Its dark face is transformed by the moon.]

Gar-che ham-rang-e-mah ast o daulat'st

Andar abr aan noor-e-mah aariyat'st

[Though it shares the moon's color and possesses its splendor,

Within the cloud, that moonlight is merely borrowed.]

Daya aariyat bod roozay do-chaar

Maadara! Ma ra tu geer andar kinaar

[A wet nurse is but a borrowed comfort for a few days;

O Mother! Take us into your own embrace.]

Man nakhwaham daya, maadar khush-tar ast

Moosiyam man, daya-e-man maadar ast

[I do not want a wet nurse, the mother is far better;

I am like Moses, my wet nurse is my own mother.]

Man nakhwaham lutf-e-Haq az waasita

Ke halaak-e-khalq shud een raabita

[I do not seek the grace of God through an intermediary,

For this reliance on intermediaries has been the ruin of mankind.]