Story of the Jewish king who for bigotry's sake used to slay the Christians.

Explanation of the envy of the vizier.

439. Any one who from envy mutilates his nose makes himself without ear and without nose (unable to apprehend spiritual things).

440. The nose is that which catches a scent, and which the scent leads towards an abode (of spiritual truth).

441. Whoever hath no scent is without a nose; the scent (referred to) is that scent which is religious.

442. When he has caught a scent and given no thanks for it, (that) ingratitude comes and devours his nose (deprives him of the organ of spiritual perception).

443. Give thanks (to God) and be a slave to those who give thanks: be in their presence (as one) dead, be steadfast.

567. The ear of the head is the cotton-wool of the ear of the conscience: until the former becomes deaf, that inward (ear) is deaf.

568. Become without sense and without ear and without thought, that ye may hear the call (of God to the soul), ‘Return!’”

569. So long as thou art (engaged) in the conversation of wakefulness, how wilt thou catch any scent of the conversation of sleep?

570. Our speech and action is the exterior journey: the interior journey is above the sky.

571. The (physical) sense saw (only) dryness, because it was born of dryness (earth): the Jesus of the spirit set foot on the sea.

572. The journey of the dry body befell on dry land, (but) the journey of the spirit set foot (took place) in the heart of the sea.

577. Outward speech and talk is as dust: do thou for a time make a habit of silence. Take heed!

How honour was paid to the description of Mustafá (Mohammed), on whom be peace, which was mentioned in the Gospel.There was mention of his (external) characteristics and appearance;

727. The name of Mustafá was in the Gospel—(Mustafá) the chief of the prophets, the sea of purity.

728. There was mention of his (external) characteristics and appearance; there was mention of his warring and fasting and eating.

729. A party among the Christians, for the sake of the Divine reward, whenever (in reading the Gospel) they came to that name and discourse.

730. Would bestow kisses on that noble name and stoop their faces towards that beauteous description.

731. In this tribulation of which we have told, that party were secure from tribulation and dread.

732. Secure from the mischief of the amírs and the vizier, seeking refuge in the protection of the Name of Ahmad (Mohammed).

737. The Name of Ahmad gives such help as this, so that (one may judge) how his Light keeps guard (over his followers).

738. Since the Name of Ahmad became (to the Christians) an impregnable fortress, what then must be the Essence of that trusted Spirit?

How a child began to speak amidst the fire and urged the people to throw themselves into the fire.

783. That Jew brought to that idol a woman with her child, and the fire was blazing.

784. He took the child from her and cast it into the fire: the woman was affrighted and withdrew her heart from (abandoned) her faith.

785. She was about to bow down before the idol (when) the child cried, “Verily, I am not dead.

786. Come in, O mother: I am happy here, although in appearance I am amidst the fire.

787. The fire is a spell that binds the eye for the sake of screening (the truth); this is (in reality) a Divine mercy which has raised its head from the collar (has been manifested from the Unseen).

788. Come in, mother, and see the evidence of God, that thou mayst behold the delight of God's elect.

789. Come in, and see water that has the semblance of fire; (come away) from a world which is (really) fire and (only) has the semblance of water.

790. Come in, and see the mysteries of Abraham, who in the fire found cypress and jessamine.

791. I was seeing death at the time of birth from thee: sore was my dread of falling from thee;

792. (But) when I was born, I escaped from the narrow prison (of the womb) into a world of pleasant air and beautiful colour.

793. Now I deem the (earthly) world to be like the womb, since in this fire I have seen such rest:

794. In this fire I have seen a world wherein every atom possesses the (life-giving) breath of Jesus.

801. O true believers, come in, all of you: except this sweetness (‘adhbí) all is torment (‘adháb).

802. Oh, come in, all of you, like moths; (come) into this fortune which hath a hundred springtimes.”

803. (Thus) he was crying amidst that multitude: the souls of the people were filled with awe.

804. After that, the folk, men and women (alike), cast themselves unwittingly into the fire

854. Húd drew a line round the believers: the wind would become soft (subside) when it reached that place.

855. (Although) it was dashing to pieces in the air all who were outside of the line.

856. Likewise Shaybán the shepherd used to draw a visible line round his flock.

857. Whenever he went to the Friday service at prayer-time, in order that the wolf might not raid and ravage there.

858. No wolf would go into that (circle), nor would any sheep stray beyond that mark;

860. Even so, to those who know God (‘árifán) the wind of Death is soft and pleasant as the breeze (that wafts the scent) of (loved) ones like Joseph.

865. The water and clay, when it fed on the breath of Jesus, spread wings and pinions, became a bird, and flew.

866. Your glorification (of God) is an exhalation from the water and clay (of your body): it became a bird of Paradise through the breathing (into it) of your heart's sincerity.

867. Mount Mount Sinai, from (seeing) the radiance of Moses, began to dance, became a perfect Súfí, and was freed from blemish.

879. If water is imprisoned in a tank, the wind sucks it up, for it (the wind) belongs to the original (source):

880. It sets it free, it wafts it away to its source, little by little, so that you do not see its wafting;

881. And our souls likewise this breath (of ours) steals away, little by little, from the prison of the world.

882. The perfumes of our (good) words ascend even unto Him, ascending from us whither God knoweth.

883. Our breaths soar up with the choice (words), as a gift from us, to the abode of everlastingness;

884. Then comes to us the recompense of our speech, a double (recompense) thereof, as a mercy from (God) the Glorious;

885. Then He causes us to repair to (makes us utter) good words like those (already uttered), that His servant may obtain (something more) of what he has obtained.

886. Thus do they (our good words) ascend while it (the Divine mercy) descends continually: mayst thou never cease to keep up that (ascent and descent)!

887. Let us speak Persian: the meaning is that this attraction (by which God draws the soul towards Himself) comes from the same quarter whence came that savour (spiritual delight experienced in and after prayer).

888. The eyes of every set of people remain (turned) in the direction where one day they satisfied a (longing for) delight.

889. The delight of (every) kind is certainly in its own kind (congener): the delight of the part, observe, is in its whole;

890. Or else, that (part) is surely capable of (attachment to) a (different) kind and, when it has attached itself thereto, becomes homogeneous with it.

891. As (for instance) water and bread, which were not our congeners, became homogeneous with us and increased within us (added to our bulk and strength).

892. Water and bread have not the appearance of being our congeners, (but) from consideration of the end (final result) deem them to be homogeneous (with us).

1012. Adam, created of earth, learned knowledge from God: (his) knowledge shot beams up to the Seventh Heaven.

1013. He (Adam) broke the name and fame (pride) of the angels, to the confusion of that one who is in doubt concerning God.

1014. He (God) made the ascetic of so many thousand years (Iblís) a muzzle for that young calf (Adam),

1015. That he (Adam) might not be able to drink the milk of knowledge of religion, and that he might not roam around that lofty castle.

How the ambassador of Rúm questioned the Commander of the Faithful, may God be well-pleased with him.

1446. The man said to him, “O Commander of the Faithful, how did the spirit come to the earth from above?

1447. How did the infinite bird go into the cage?” He replied, “God recited spells and incantations over the spirit.

1448. When He recites spells over the non-existences which have no eye or ear, they begin to stir.

1449. Because of His spells the non-existences at that very moment are dancing joyously into existence.

1450. When, again, He recited a spell over the existent, at His word the existent marched (back) post-haste into non- existence.

1451. He spake into the ear of the rose and made it laughing (blooming).

1459. If thou wouldst not have the mind of thy spirit in (a state of) perplexity, do not stuff this cotton-wool into thy spiritual ear.

1460. So that thou mayst understand those riddles of His, so that thou mayst apprehend (both) the secret sign and the open.

1461. Then the spiritual ear becomes the place where wahy (inspiration) descends. What is wahy? A speech hidden from sense- perception.

1462. The spiritual ear and eye are other than this sense-perception.

(the meaning of) maqám (permanent station) and hál (passing state).

1433. Afterwards he addressed to him subtle discourses and (spoke) of the holy attributes of God—how good a Friend is He!

1434. And of the loving kindnesses of God to the Abdál (saints), in order that he (the ambassador) might know (the meaning of) maqám (permanent station) and hál (passing state).

1435. The hál is like the unveiling of that beauteous bride, while the maqám is the (king's) being alone with the bride.

1436. The unveiling is witnessed by the king and by others as well, (but) at the time of being alone (with the bride) there is no one except the mighty king.

1437. The bride unveils before commons and nobles (alike); in the bridal chamber the king is (alone) with the bride.

1438. There is many a one of the Súfís who enjoys hál, (but) he that has attained to maqám is rare amongst them.

1439. He (Shaykh) reminded him of the stages traversed by the soul, and he reminded him of the journeys of the spirit.

1440. And of the Time which has (ever) been void of time, and of the Station of Holiness which has (ever) been majestical.

1441. And of the atmosphere wherein the Símurgh of the spirit, before this (material life), has flown and experienced (the bounty of Divine) grace.

1442. Every single flight thereof (being) greater than the horizons (of this world) and greater than the hope and greed of the longing lover.

1443. When Shaykh, found the stranger in appearance a friend (in reality), he found (that) his soul (was) seeking (to learn) the (Divine) mysteries.

1444. The Shaykh was adept and the disciple (the ambassador) eager: the man (rider) was quick (dexterous) and the beast belonged to the royal court (was nobly bred and docile).

1445. That spiritual guide (Shaykh) perceived that he (the ambassador) possessed (the capacity for receiving) guidance: he sowed the good seed in the good soil.