In The Name of God The Merciful The Compassionate.

1 - O Life of the heart, Husamu’ddín, desire for a Sixth Part has long been boiling.

2 - Through the attraction of a Sage like you, a Book of Husam has come into circulation in the world.

3 - O spiritual one, I bring to you as an offering the Sixth Part to complete the Masnavi.

4 - From these Six Books give light to the Six Directions, in order that anyone who has not performed the circumambulation may perform it.

5 - Love has nothing to do with the five senses and the six directions: its goal is only the attraction exerted by the Beloved.

6 - Afterwards, maybe, permission will come: the secrets that ought to be told will be told,

7 - With an eloquence that is nearer than these subtle obscure allusions.

8 - The secret is partner with none but the knower of the secret; in the skeptic’s ear the secret is no secret.

9 - But the command to call the people to God comes down from the Maker: what has he to do with acceptance or non-acceptance ?

10 - Noah continued to call for nine hundred years: the unbelief of his folk was increasing from moment to moment.

11 - Did he ever pull back the rein of speech ? Did he ever creep into the cave of silence ?

12 - He said, “Does a caravan ever turn back from a journey on account of the noise and clamour of dogs ?

13 - Or on a night of moonlight is the running of the full-moon in its course retarded by the dog’s outcry ?

14 - The moon sheds light and the dog barks: every one proceeds according to his nature.

66 - Still, if it is impossible to drain the Oxus, one cannot deny one’s self as much as will slake thirst.

67 - If you are thirsting for the spiritual Ocean, make a breach in the island of the Masnaví.

69 - When the wind sweeps away the straw from the river-water, the water displays its unicolouredness.

70 - Behold the fresh branches of coral; behold the fruits grown from the water of the spirit !

71 - When it is made single of words and sounds and breaths, it leaves all that and becomes the Ocean.

72 - The speaker of the word and the hearer of the word and the words— all three become spirit in the end.

77 - When the Divine command comes, “Enter into forms” - they enter; likewise at His command they become divested.

78 - Know, therefore, that to Him belongs the creation and to Him the command “the creation” is the form and “the command” is the spirit riding upon it.

79 - The rider and the ridden are under the authority of the King: the body is at the portal and the spirit in the audience-chamber.

80 - When the King desires the water to come into the pitcher, He says to the spirit-army, “Ride !”

81 - Again, when He calls the spirit aloft, there comes from the overseers the cry, “Dismount !”

82 - The discourse, after this, will become subtle: diminish the fire, do not put more faggots on it,

113 - It is the spirit, and we all are colour and designs: the star of every thought in it is the soul of the stars.”

114 - Where is thought ? There all is pure light: this word “thought” is for your sake, O thinker.

115 - Every star has its house on high: our star is not contained in any house.

119 - The intellect is strong in the head but weak in the legs, because it is sick of heart though sound of body.

120 - Their intellect is deeply involved in the dessert of this world: never, never do they think of abandoning sensuality.

127 - Every plant that turns its face towards the spirit drinks, like Khizr, from the Fountain of Life.

128 - Once more, when the spirit sets its face towards the Beloved, it lays down its baggage into the life without end.

How an inquirer asked about a bird that was supposed to have settled on the wall of a city, “Is its head more excellent and estimable and noble and honourable or its tail ?” - and how the preacher gave him a reply suited to the measure of his understanding.

129 - One day an inquirer said to a preacher, “O you who are the pulpit’s most eminent expounder,

130 - I have a question to ask. Answer my question in this assembly-place, O possessor of the marrow.

131 - A bird has settled on the city-wall: which is better—its head or its tail ?”

132 - He replied, “If its face is to the town and its tail to the country, know that its face is better than its tail;

133 - But if its tail is towards the town and its face to the country, be the dust on that tail and spring away from its face.”

134 - A bird flies to its nest by means of wings: the wings of Man are aspiration, O people.

135 - The lover who is soiled with good and evil, do not regard the good and evil; regard the aspiration.

136 - If a falcon be white and beyond compare, it becomes despicable when it hunts a mouse;

139 - Did this heaven ever hear We have honoured which this sorrowful Man heard ?

144 - What is there in the old woman that was not in them, so that she rapt you away from those figures to herself ?

145 - You will not say, I will tell plainly: it is reason and sense and perception and consideration and soul.

146 - In the old woman there is a soul that mingles: the pictured forms in the hot-baths have no spirit.

148 - What is soul ? Soul is conscious of good and evil, rejoicing on account of kindness, weeping on account of injury.

149 - Since consciousness is the inmost nature and essence of the soul, the more aware one is the more spiritual is he.

150 - Awareness is the effect of the spirit: anyone who has this in excess is a man of God.

168 - In this world (Mohmad) he says, “Do You show unto them the Way,” and in yonder world he says, “Show them the Moon.”

169 - It was his custom in public and in private, “Guide my people: truly they know not.”

170 - By his breath both the Gates were opened: in both worlds his prayer is answered.

174 - The claim is this, that the esoteric teachings of Mohammed are wholly revelation within revelation within revelation.

333 - The Prophet said, “If you desire Paradise from God, desire nothing from any one.

334 - When you desire nothing, I am your surety for the Garden of resort and the vision of God.”

Concerning the interpretation, in a general sense, of the Quranic Verse: “as often as they kindle a fire for war.”

353 - As often as they kindle the fire of spiritual warfare, God quenches their fire so that it is put out.

354 - He makes a resolution, saying, “O heart, do not stay there !” he becomes forgetful, for he is not resolute.

355 - Since there was no seed of sincerity sown by him, God has caused him to forget that resolution

356 - Though he strikes the match of his heart, the Hand of God is always extinguishing the star.

A Story in further exposition of this.

357 - A man of trust heard a sound of footsteps during the night: he took up the fire-lighter to strike a flame.

358 - At that moment the thief came and sat down beside him, and whenever the tinder caught he put it out.

359 - Laying the tip of his finger on the place, in order that the fiery star might vanish.

360 - The Khwaja thought it was dying of itself: he didn’t see that the thief was extinguishing it.

361 - The Khwaja said, “This tinder was moist: on account of its wetness the spark is dying at once.”

362 - As there was great gloom and darkness in front, he didn’t see a fire-extinguisher beside him.

363 - The infidel’s eye, because of dimness, does not see a similar fire extinguisher in his heart.

364 - How is the heart of any knowing person ignorant with the moving there is a mover ?

365 - Why don’t you say, “How should day and night come and go of themselves without a Lord ?”

366 - You are conversant with intelligible ones; see what a lack of intelligence is shown by you, O despicable man !

367 - Is a house more intelligible with a builder or without a builder ? Answer, O man of little knowledge !

368 - Is writing more intelligible with a writer or without a writer ? Think, O son !

369 - How should the jím of the ear and the ‘ayn of the eye and the mím of the mouth be without a Writer, O suspect ?

370 - Is the bright candle without one who lights it or with a skilful lighter ?

378 - This world is a trap, and desire is its bait: flee from the traps, quickly turn your face towards God.

379 - When you have gone this way, you have enjoyed a hundred blessings; when you have gone the opposite way, you have fared ill.

380 - Therefore the Prophet said, “Consult your hearts, though the mufti outside gives you advice in affairs.”

381 - Abandon desire, in order that He may have mercy: you have found by experience that such is required by Him.

382 - Since you cannot escape, do service to Him, that you may go from His prison into His rose-garden.

383 - When you keep watch continually, you are always seeing Justice and the Judge, O misguided man;

384 - And if you shut your eyes because you have veiled yourself, how should the sun relinquish its work ?

How the King revealed to the Amírs and those who were intriguing against Ayaz the reason of his superiority to them in rank and favour and salary, in such a manner that no argument or objection was left for them.

385 - When the Amírs boiled over with envy, at last they taunted their King,

386 - Saying, “This Ayaz of yours has not thirty intellects: how should he consume the salary of thirty Amírs ?”

387 - The King, accompanied by the thirty Amírs, went out to hunt in the desert and mountain-land.

388 - The monarch descried a caravan in the distance: he said to an Amír, “Go, man of weak judgement,

389 - Go and ask that caravan at the custom-house from what city they are arriving.”

390 - He went and asked and returned, saying, “From Rayy.” “Whither bound ?” asked the King. He was unable to reply.

391 - He said to another, “Go, noble lord, and ask whither the caravan is bound.”

392 - He went and returned and said, “For Yemen.” “Ha,” said the King, “what is their merchandise, O trusty one ?”

393 - He remained perplexed. The King said to another Amír, “Go and inquire the merchandise of those people.”

394 - He came back and said, “It is of every sort; the greater part consists of cups made in Rayy.”

395 - He asked, “When did they set out from the city of Rayy ?” The dull-witted Amír remained in perplexity.

396 - So till thirty Amírs and more had been tested: feeble in judgement and deficient in mental power.

397 - He said to the Amírs, “One day I put my Ayaz to the test separately,

398 - Saying, ‘Inquire of the caravan where it comes.’ He went and asked all these questions right.

399 - Without instructions, without a hint, he apprehended everything concerning them, point by point, without any uncertainty or doubt.”

400 - Everything that was discovered by these thirty Amírs in thirty stages was completed by him in one moment.

463 - Listen, mount repentance, overtake the thief, and recover your clothes from him.

464 - The steed of repentance is a marvellous steed: in one moment it runs from below up to heaven.

466 - Lest he steal your steed also, keep watch over this steed of yours incessantly.”

Story of the person whose ram was stolen by some thieves. Not content with that, they stole his clothes too by means of a trick.

467 - A certain man had a ram he was leading along behind him: a thief carried off the ram, having cut its halter.

468 - As soon as he noticed, he began to run to left and right, that he might find out where the stolen ram was.

469 - Beside a well he saw the thief crying, “Alas ! Woe is me !”

470 - O master,” said he, “why are you lamentin ?" He replied, “My purse of gold has fallen into the well.

471 - If you can go in and fetch it out, I will give you a fifth with pleasure.

472 - You will receive the fifth part of a hundred dinars in your hand.” He said, “Why, this is the price of ten rams.

473 - If one door is shut ten doors are opened: if a ram is gone, God gives a camel in compensation.”

474 - He took off his clothes and went into the well: at once the thief carried away his clothes too.

477 - None but God knows his cunning: take refuge with God and escape from that impostor.

590 - You yourself will tear up your slumber by the roots, like the thirsty man who heard the noise of the water.

591 - “I am the noise of the water in the ears of the thirsty: I am coming like rain from heaven.

592 - Spring up, O lover, exhibit agitation: noise of water and thirsty, and then to fall asleep !”

Story of the lover who, in hope of the tryst promised by his beloved, came at night to the house that he had indicated. He waited part of the night; he was overcome by sleep. His beloved came to fulfill his promise and found him asleep, he filled his lap with walnuts and left him sleeping and returned.

593 - In the days of old there was a lover, one who kept troth in his time.

594 - For years checkmated in the toils of his fair one’s favour and mated by his king.

595 - In the end the seeker is a finder, for from patience joy is born.

596 - One day his friend said, “Come to-night, for I have cooked haricot beans for you.

597 - Sit in such and such a room till midnight, that at midnight I may come unsought.”

598 - The man offered sacrifice and distributed loaves, since the moon had appeared to him from beneath the dust.

599 - At night the passionate lover seated himself in the room in hope of the tryst promised by that loyal friend.

600 - After midnight his friend, the charmer of his heart, arrived like those who are true to their promise.

601 - He found his lover lying asleep; he tore off a little piece of his sleeve.

602 - And put some walnuts in his lap, saying, “You are a child: take these and play a game of dice.”

603 - When at dawn the lover sprang up from sleep, he saw the sleeve and the walnuts.

604 - He said, “Our king is entirely truth and loyalty: that which is coming upon us is from ourselves alone.”

616 - Listen, grip the throat of self-restraint and strangle it, in order that Love’s heart may be made happy, O Cavalier !

617 - How should His heart be made happy till I burn ? Oh, my heart is His home and dwelling-place.

618 - You will burn Your house, burn it. Who is he that will say, “It is not allowed” ?

619 - Burn this house well, O furious Lion ! The lover’s house is better so.

620 - Henceforth I will make this burning my qibla, for I am the candle: I am bright by burning.

621 - Abandon sleep to-night, O father: for one night traverse the district of the sleepless.

Ya Ali Madad