Why God Allows Pain and Suffering? - a Poem by Rumi

A servant of Lord cries out to Him,
voicing a hundred complaints
about all the pain and suffering
we must endure in life.
God responds: "Those pain and suffering you must endure
on the path of righteousness,
will surely serve as your ultimate redemption.
Didn't your pain and suffering make you remember Me,
even convincing you to come back and beg for My mercy?
Blame your own lifestyle and personal choices
which have lured you to walk away from My door,
even rejecting Me.
Go and ponder deep over this Divine Truth:
The pain and suffering you endure in this life
are the perfect remedy for your empty soul.
Because they not only help shaping your character,
but also clean your heart by constantly polishing it.
You see, it was precisely your pain and suffering
which brought you back to your rediscovered God!
Now you're running away from pain and suffering,
and begging Me again for My grace and compassion.
Go and ponder deep over this Divine Truth:
Those so called friends of yours who always try
to keep you away from your Lord,
are in reality your sworn enemies."
Rumi

گزيده ابياتي از مثنوي معنوي حضرت مولانا درشرح دردوغم- دفتر چهارم

بنده می نالد به حق از درد و نیش

صد شکایت می کند از رنج خویش

حق همی گوید که آخر درد و رنج

مر تو را لابه کنان و راست کرد

این گله زان نعمتی کن کت زند

از در ما دور و مطرودت کند

در حقیقت هر عدو داروی توست

کیمیا و نافع و دلجوی توست

که ازو اند گریزی در خطا

استعانت جویی از لطف خدا

در حقیقت دوستانت دشمنن

که ز حضرت دور و مشغولت کنند

'Love Is My Religion' a Poem by Ibn Arabi

The following universally known and recited Sufi poem of the great 13th century Spanish-born Sufi master, Ibn Arabi is one of the quintessential doctrines of Sufism:  Unity of Religious Ideals. Ibn Arabi once again reiterates the profound Sufi belief that regardless of race, religion, or nationality, we are all one. For more on Ibn Arabi's life, Sufi teachings, and collection of his works online, please visit my previous post: Ibn Arabi's Profound Sufi Teachings

Love is My Religion
By Ibn Arabi

"My heart has become capable of all forms:

A pasture for the gazelles,

A Temple for the Idols, the Pilgrim’s Kaaba,

The Tablets of the Torah and the Book of the Quran.

I profess the religion of love,

and whatever direction and route it takes,

Love is my religion and my faith."

"Mi corazón se ha vuelto capaz de acoger todas las formas,
es pradera para las gacelas, monasterio para monjes.
Templo para Idolos y Kaaba del peregrino,
Tablas de la Toráh y Libro del Corán.
La religión que profeso es la del Amor
y sea cual sea el rumbo que tome,
su montura, el Amor es mi religión y mi fe."

"Mon cœur peut désormais prendre toute forme

Prairie pour les gazelles, couvent pour les moines

Temple pour les idôles, Kaâba pour les pèlerins

Tables de la Torah, livre du Coran

J'adhère à la religion d'Amour, là où s'orientent ses montures

L'Amour est ma religion et ma foi."

"قلب من پذيراي همه صورت‌ هاست
قلب من چراگاهي است براي غزالان وحشي
و صومعه‌ اي است براي راهبا ن ترسا
و معبدي است براي بت‌ پرستان
و كعبه‌ اي است براي حاجيان
قلب من الواح مقدس تورات است
و كتاب آسماني قرآن
دين من عشق است
و ناقه‌ي عشق مرا به هر كجا خواهد، سوق مي‌دهد
"عشق ، دین وایمان من است


شیخ الاکبر محی الدین ابن عربی اندلسی -مذهب عشق




لقد صار قلبي قابلا كل صورة
فمرعي لغزلان و دير لرهبان
و بيت لاوثان و كعبة طايف
و الواح تورات و مصحف قرآن
ادين بدين الحب اني توجهت
ركائبه فالحب ديني و ايماني
شیخ الاکبر محی الدین ابن عربی اندلسی -مذهب عشق

Persian Sufi Poetry

 Persian Sufi Poetry
An Introduction to the Mystical Use of Classical Poems
|142 Pages| PDF |English|

Persian Sufi Poetry (An Introduction to the Mystical Use of Classical Poems) is A MUST READ book for anyone interested in in-depth study of Sufism expressions in Persian Literature...Click on above image or the highlighted links to read it (once accessed, you can go full screen by clicking the little icon at the bottom right corner of embedded box)...

"Islamic mysticism, or Sufism, has found its finest expression in the classical poetry of Persia, in particular during its most creative period up to the late 15th century. Focusing on the poems themselves rather than on their authors, this very readable introduction surveys the development of Persian mystical poetry, dealing first with the relation between Sufism and literature and then with the four main genres of the tradition: the epigram, the homiletic poem, love poetry, and symbolic narrative.

Johannes Thomas Pieter de Bruijn (1931) recently retired from the Chair of Persian at the University of Leiden. He wrote Of Piety and Poetry: the Interaction of Religion and Literature in the Life and Works of Hakīm Sanā’ī of Ghazna (1983) and several other studies on classical Persian literature and the history of Persian studies in Europe. In 1997 he published a Dutch translation of Sa‘dī’s Gulistān..."

 Persian Sufi Poetry

An Introduction to the Mystical Use of Classical Poems
|142 Pages| PDF |English|

Life is Too Short, Live for Today! - a Poem by Rumi

There are a hundred drums constantly beating
inside our hearts everyday,

but we barely care to hear their beating sounds
the next day or after.

We all have cottons stuffed in our ears
and hair stuck in our eyes,

all we do today is either worry about tomorrow,

or plot some absurd futuristic ideas.

Go and burn your cottons in the fire of love
like Hallaj* and other pure-hearted Sufis.

Did I make you ponder a bit over my cotton and fire analogy?

They're basically antagonists,
two opposites always fight each other to death.

If you notice that your day of reunion
with Love [God] is getting closer,

go and get yourself a stunning facial makeover
for that special occasion!

Death for us simply means an immense joy,
and a highly anticipated mystical reunion.

If you're already mourning while still alive,
you might as well just leave now!

This materialistic world is like a prison for us,

it's truly a blessing to finally tear these prison walls down.

But how could a pacified prisoner
who is so happy to still live in this prison

possibly grasp our dying desires
to meet up with the Designer of this World [God]?

Don't expect to find any loyalty in this prison,

in this savage world,
even the most loyal prisoners back-stab each other.

Rumi


*By Hallaj, Rumi is referring to the passionate and truly God-intoxicated 10th century Persian Sufi poet known as the 'Sufi Martyr of Love', Mansur Hallaj who was charged with blasphemy for uttering in a moment of pure mystical intoxication and ecstasy:  Ana ul-Haq or I'm God...
Hallaj was subsequently imprisoned, tortured, and burned at the stake.

غزل شماره 246 ازديوان شمس تبريزي يا ديوان كبير حضرت مولانا جلال الدين بلخي رومي

بانگ آن بشنويم ما فردا 

صد دهل مي‌زنند در دل ما

غم فردا و وسوسه سودا

پنبه در گوش و موي در چشمست

همچو حلاج و همچو اهل صفا

آتش عشق زن در اين پنبه

اين دو ضدند و ضد نکرد بقا

آتش و پنبه را چه مي‌داري

خوش لقا شو براي روز لقا

چون ملاقات عشق نزديکست

گر تو را ماتمست رو زين جا

مرگ ما شادي و ملاقاتست

عيش باشد خراب زندان‌ها

چونک زندان ماست اين دنيا

چون بود مجلس جهان آرا

آنک زندان او چنين خوش بود

تو وفا را مجو در اين زندان

که در اين جا وفا نکرد وفا

SAY IT! - a Quatrain by Rumi

In this highly passionate quatrain, Rumi, either in real life or in an ecstatic moment of rapture and poetic imagination, confronts Shams Tabrizi by challenging him to reveal once and for all whether he loves him or not. For Rumi, Shams of Tabriz was not only a divine manifestation, but also a shining mirror through which Rumi could clearly see and appreciate God's beauty and grace. Shams  Tabrizi's mysterious appearance in Maulana's life was truly Rumi's 'Epiphany Experience'.

The 'Inner awakening' which Rumi repeatedly refers to throughout his poetic works is precisely thanks to Shams Tabrizi's shattering Rumi's otherwise uneventful and mundane world, turning him from a highly respected scholar of Islamic-Jurisprudence and Muslim Preacher into a love-intoxicated and ecstatic wandering Sufi Dervish whirling around the streets of Anatolia desperately looking for his lost mystical lover.

One  question still remains unanswered though:  Was Rumi really looking for his mystical lover, or the Beloved [God] who actually allowed him to get burned by the enraging fires of Shams of Tabriz?

If you're no longer interested in me,
SAY IT!

The lover you're leaving behind is all alone
but always in love with you,
SAY IT!

If there is no longer any room for me in your heart,
SAY IT!

IF THERE IS, SAY IT! IF NOT, SAY IT!
Just tell me the truth.

رباعي حضرت مولانا جلال الدين بلخي رومي

گر هیچ ترا میل سوی ماست بگو

ورنه که رهی عاشق و تنها است بگو

گر هیچ مرا در دل تو جاست بگو

گر هست بگو نیست بگو راست بگو

WHAT A LOVE!, a Poem by Rumi

This is one of my all time favorite poems of Rumi. What makes this poem so interesting is the fact that Rumi starts out in an amazingly intoxicated state of joy and happiness, being entirely absorbed in Shams Tabrizi's love and companionship. One can clearly sense optimism and joy simply pouring out of Rumi's pen. But halfway through the poem, Rumi's state of mind suddenly changes, and he becomes somewhat moody and nostalgic. He then ends the poem in a very strange and melancholic manner.

It's precisely this abrupt change of mind, and Rumi's honest and spontaneous outpourings which have fascinated me all along. What sets Rumi apart from the rest of classical or modern Persian poets is precisely his deliberate and total disregards for the often very methodical and carefully managed rhyming poetic formulas of the Persian poetry. Rumi simply lets all his feelings out, not even worrying whether or not his verses are in rhyming order, or even politically correct!






WHAT A LOVE!
What an amazing love that I've got,
O Lord.

HOW MARVELOUS!
HOW WONDERFUL!
How charming and beautiful is
This love of mine,
O Lord.

WHAT A HEAT!
What a heat and how so incredibly hot I feel -
Like the burning hot sun -
By the sheer warmth of this love,
O Lord.

WHAT A MOON!
What a moon and what a pure red wine
That are accompanying my fallen in love
Heart and soul these days,
O Lord.

WHAT A PASSION!
What a passion this love
Has provoked in my mundane world,
O Lord.

WHAT A TASK!
What an incredibly difficult task
That You've got High Up There,
O Lord!

WHAT A DUST RISING!
The ruler's egomaniac horsemen
Fell down from their high horses.
What a dust rising scene that was,
O Lord!

I've hit rock bottom.
I've gone down so much,
That I don't even know how to get back up again.
I don't know, I really don't know
What all this uproar deep inside me is for,
O Lord?

The winds of change are blowing again
From every alley and corner of this town.
What's all this melancholy I'm feeling these days,
O Lord?

Why do I feel all tied up,
If there are no chains or shackles attached to me?

WHAT SHACKLES! WHAT CHAINS!

That are tied up so tight to my feet,
O Lord.


BE SILENT!
Be silent so you don't leave yourself exposed.
To my left and right,
There are so many strangers these days,
O Lord.


Rumi - Ghazal/Ode # 95 from Divan-e Shams Tabrizi


زهی عشق زهی عشق که ماراست خدایا
چه نغزست و چه خوبست و چه زیباست خدایا
چه گرمیم! چه گرمیم! ازین عشق چو خورشید
چه پنهان و چه پنهان و چه پیداست خدایا
زهی ماه زهی ماه زهی بادۀ حمرا
که جانرا و جهان را بیاراست خدایا
زهی شور ! زهی شور ! که انگیخته عالم
زهی کار ! زهی کار ! که آنجاست خدایا
فرو ریخت فرو ریخت شهنشاه سواران
زهی گرّد زهی گرّد که برخاست خدایا
فتادیم فتادیم بدانسان که نخیزیم
ندانیم ندانیم چه غوغاست خدایا
ز هر کوی ز هر کوی یکی دود دگرگون
دگر بار دگر بار چه سوداست خدایا
نه دامیست نه زنجیر همه بسته چرائیم؟
چه بندست! چه زنجیر! که برپاست خدایا
خموشید خموشید که تا فاش نگردید
که اغیار گرفتست چپ و راست خدایا

غزل مشهور شمارهٔ ۹۵ 'زهی عشق زهی عشق که ماراست خدایا' از دیوان شمس تبریزی مولانا

O People Gone On Hajj Pilgrimage, Where Are You? - a Poem by Rumi

|

Rumi's following mystical poem is one of my all time favorites. This deeply meaningful poem clearly manifests Rumi's profound mystical Sufi argument that a believer's "Inner" reality always outweighs the "Outer" practices and rituals of his/her faith. Through these highly mystical and meaningful verses, Rumi is effectively teaching us that while it's a noble Islamic cause and a Muslim's lifelong obligation to embark on the Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, our genuine pilgrimage must first start by not only helping our next-door neighbors and loved ones under our own roofs , but also by embarking on the Sufi mystical pilgrimage deep within our own self in search of our hidden inner realities. Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the 'Five Pillars' of the Islamic faith, and also a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for any Muslim who has the physical and financial ability to undertake the journey. Rumi is simply at his best in this short poem. I hope my translation can capture Maulana's intended Sufi mystical messages and teachings. By Kaaba (House of Allah/God), Rumi is referring to the Cube-shaped structure in Mecca, Saudi Arabia where Muslim make their annual Hajj-Pilgrimage (see above image).





O People Gone On Hajj Pilgrimage, Where Are You?
By Rumi (Ghazal/Ode # 648 from Divan-e Shams)


O people gone on Hajj Pilgrimage
Where are you? Where are you?
The Beloved is right here
Come on back, come on back!

Your Beloved is your next-door neighbor -
Wall-to-walls -
Why are you wandering in the Arabian deserts?

If you take a really good look at
Beloved's Faceless Face,
You will get to see clearly that
The Master, the Holy House, and the Kaaba
Are all in reality You!

You've already journeyed like ten times
On the path of Hajj Pilgrimage
To visit that Holy House.
For once in your life,
Also climb up to the roof of your own house.

That Holy House is indeed magnificent
You've already talked about its many wonders.
But from the Master of that House,
Did you even get its correct address?

Where is your flower bouquet
If you've seen that Divine Garden?

Where is your soul's pearly essence
If you now belong to the Ocean of God?

Well, despite of it all,
May all your sufferings turn into your treasures.
Alas, you are always veiling your own treasures.
Rumi


غزل شماره ۶۴۸ مولانا جلال الدین بلخی رومی از دیوان شمس تبریزی یا دیوان کبیر


ای قوم به حج رفته کجایید کجایید
معشوق همین جاست بیایید بیایید
معشوق تو همسایه و دیوار به دیوار
در بادیه سرگشته شما در چه هوایید
گر صورت بیصورت معشوق ببینید
هم خواجه و هم خانه و هم کعبه شمایید
ده بار از آن راه بدان خانه برفتید
یک بار از این خانه بر این بام برآیید
آن خانه لطیفست نشانهاش بگفتید
از خواجه آن خانه نشانی بنمایید
یک دسته گل کو اگر آن باغ بدیدیت
یک گوهر جان کو اگر از بحر خدایید
با این همه آن رنج شما گنج شما باد
افسوس که بر گنج شما پرده شمایید