Abu Saeed Abil KhairLet sorrowful longing dwell in your heart,never give up, never losing hope.The Beloved says, The broken ones are My darlings.Crush your heart, be broken.Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir Nobody, Son of Nobody Vraje Abramian~~If you do not give up the crowdsyou wont find your way to Oneness.If you do not drop your selfyou wont find your true worth.If you do not offer all youhave to the Beloved,you will live this life free of thatpain which makes it worth living.Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir Nobody, Son of Nobody Vraje AbramianPiousness and the path of loveare two different roads.Love is the fire that burns both beliefand non-belief.Those who practice Love have neitherreligion nor caste.Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir Nobody, Son of Nobody Vraje Abramian~~Be humble.Only fools take pride in their station here, trapped ina cage of dust, moisture, heat and air.No need to complain of calamities,this illusion of a life lasts but a moment.Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir Nobody, Son of Nobody Vraje Abramian~~Suppose you can recite a thousand holyverses from memory.What are you going to dowith your ego self, the truemark of the heretic?Every time your head touchesthe ground in prayers, remember,this was to teach you toput down that load of egowhich bars you from enteringthe chamber of the Beloved.To your mind feed understanding,to your heart, tolerance and compassion.The simpler your life, the more meaningful.The less you desire of the world,the more room you will have in itto fill with the Beloved.The best use of your tongueis to repeat the Beloveds Name in devotion.The best prayers are those inthe solitude of the night.The shortest way to the Friendis through selfless service andgenerosity to His creatures.Those with no sense of honor and dignity are best avoided.Those who change colors constantlyare best forgotten.The best way to be with thosebereft of the Beloveds qualities,is to forget them in thejoy of silence in ones corner of solitude.Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir Nobody, Son of Nobody

AttarStrive to discover the mystery before life is taken from you.If while living you fail to find yourself, to know yourself,how will you be able to understandthe secret of your existence when you die?~~In the dead of night, a Sufi began to weep.He said, This world is like a closed coffin, in whichWe are shut and in which, through our ignorance,We spend our lives in folly and desolation.When Death comes to open the lid of the coffin,Each one who has wings will fly off to Eternity,But those without will remain locked in the coffin.So, my friends, before the lid of this coffin is taken off,Do all you can to become a bird of the Way to God;Do all you can to develop your wings and your feathers.Fariduddin AttarHakim SanaiThose unable to grieve,or to speak of their love,or to be grateful, thosewho cant remember Godas the source of everything,might be described as a vacant wind,or a cold anvil, or a groupof frightened old people.Say the Name. Moisten your tonguewith praise, and be the spring ground,waking. Let your mouth be givenits gold-yellow stamen like the wild roses.As you fill with wisdom,and your heart with love,theres no more thirst.Theres only unselfed patiencewaiting on the doorsill, a silencewhich doesnt listen to advicefrom people passing in the street.Sanai Persian Poems Coleman BarksHazrat Sultan BahuImam GhazzaliMaulana RumiOmar KhayamWine turns out to be a good metaphor for the sufi approach for many reasons: sufi meditation gives a sweet blissful feeling, sufism is about living in the moment, sufism wants to be above a purely rational approach, sufism wishes followers to feel humble.Drinking wine is my travailTill my body is dead and staleAt my grave site all shall hailOdor of wine shall prevail.(hazrat sultan bahu says faqeers are those whose grave is alive, khayam seems to suggest he is a faqeer)Drinking wine is my travailTill my body is dead and staleAt my grave site all shall hailOdor of wine shall prevail.(hazrat sultan bahu says faqeers are those whose grave is alive, khayam seems to suggest he is a faqeer)They say the Lion and the Lizard keepThe Courts where Jamshyd gloried and drank deep:And Bahram, that great Hunterthe Wild AssStamps oer his Head, and he lies fast asleep.Alike for those who for TO-DAY prepare,And those that after a TO-MORROW stare,A Muezzin from the Tower of Darkness criesFools! your Reward is neither Here nor There.I resolve daily that at dusk I shall repentFor a night with a cup full of wine spent.In the presence of flowers, my resolve simply wentIn such company, I only regret that I ever resolved to repent.Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of SpringThe Winter Garment of Repentance fling:The Bird of Time has but a little wayTo flyand Lo! the Bird is on the Wing.Ah! my Beloved, fill the Cup that clearsTo-day of past Regrets and future FearsTo-morrow?Why, To-morrow I may beMyself with Yesterdays Sevn Thousand Years.Pursuing knowledge in childhood we riseUntil we become masterful and wiseBut if we look through the subtle disguiseWe see the ties of worldly lies.Early one morning I heard an angelic chimeBringing news of a loving and joyous climePursuit of the unimportant is the worst crimeLive in joy & love before the end of your time.Iram indeed is gone with all its Rose,And Jamshyds Sevn-ringd Cup where no one knows;But still the Vine her ancient Ruby yields,And still a Garden by the Water blows.How sweet is mortal Sovranty!think some:OthersHow blest the Paradise to come!Ah, take the Cash in hand and waive the Rest;Oh, the brave Music of a distant Drum!Happily I walked with the tavern down the linePassed an old drunk, holding a bottle of wineDo you not fear God? was reproach of minesaid, Mercy is Gods sign, in silence I wine and dine.This Old World weve named Cosmos by mistakeIs the graveyard of nights & days, no more awakeAnd a feast that hundred Jamshids did breakAnd a throne that hundred Bahrams did make.The secrets eternal neither you know nor IAnd answers to the riddle neither you know nor IBehind the veil there is much talk about us, whyWhen the veil falls, neither you remain nor I.All my companions, one by one diedWith Angel of Death they now resideIn the banquette of life same wine we triedA few cups back, they fell to the side.Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend,Before we too into the Dust Descend;Dust into Dust, and under Dust, to lie,Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer andsans End!The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,Moves on: nor all your Piety nor WitShall lure it back to cancel half a Line,Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.And, as the Cock crew, those who stood beforeThe Tavern shoutedOpen then the Door!You know how little while we have to stay,And, once departed, may return no more.Into this Universe, and Why not knowingNor Whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing;And out of it, as Wind along the Waste,I know not Whither, willy-nilly blowing.In the wheel of fortune the unseen vineDrink, be merry, wait your turn in lineWhen it is your turn, neither cry nor whineEveryone must taste the same deadly wine.The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts uponTurns Ashesor it prospers; and anon,Like Snow upon the Deserts dusty Face,Lighting a little hour or twois gone.The Grape that can with Logic absoluteThe Two-and-Seventy jarring Sects confute:The sovereign Alchemist that in a triceLifes leaden metal into Gold transmute;Hark! Feed me wine, if you really careTurn into ruby my face of amberBathe me in wine when death me ensnareWith boards of vine my coffin bear.Once transpired, cannot be changedOnly pain will come if remorse engagedThough with sorrow you may be agedNot even a dot will be rearranged.The Ball no Question makes of Ayes and Noes,But Right or Left as strikes the Player goes;And He that tossd Thee down into the Field,He knows about it allHE knowsHE knows!(the Ball is the seeker who must submit totally to the will og God)You know, my Friends, how long since in my HouseFor a new Marriage I did make Carouse:Divorced old barren Reason from my Bed,And took the Daughter of the Vine to Spouse.And strange to tell, among that Earthen LotSome could articulate, while others not:And suddenly one more impatient criedWho is the Potter, pray, and who the Pot?(in some states sufis become so rapt in Truth, they are unable to distinguish themselves from the Light of God)Rabia BasriI carry a torch in one handAnd a bucket of water in the other:With these things I am going to set fire to HeavenAnd put out the flames of HellSo that voyagers to God can rip the veilsAnd see the real goal.***************Brothers, my peace is in my aloneness.My Beloved is alone with me there, always.I have found nothing in all the worldsThat could match His love,This love that harrows the sands of my desert.If I come to die of desireAnd my Beloved is still not satisfied,I would live in eternal despair.To abandon all that He has fashionedAnd hold in the palm of my handCertain proof that He loves meThat is the name and the goal of my search.Rabia al-Adawiyya, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut Perfume of the Desert~~O Lord,If tomorrow on Judgment DayYou send me to Hell,I will tell such a secretThat Hell will race from meUntil it is a thousand years away.O Lord,Whatever share of this worldYou could give to me,Give it to Your enemies;Whatever share of the next worldYou want to give to me,Give it to Your friends.You are enough for me.O Lord,If I worship YouFrom fear of Hell, burn me in Hell.O Lord,If I worship YouFrom hope of Paradise, bar me from its gates.But if I worship You for Yourself aloneThen grace me forever the splendor of Your Face.Rabia al-Adawiyya, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut Perfume of the Desert~~In love, nothing exists between heart and heart.Speech is born out of longing,True description from the real taste.The one who tastes, knows;the one who explains, lies.How can you describe the true form of SomethingIn whose presence you are blotted out?And in whose being you still exist?And who lives as a sign for your journey?Rabia al-Adawiyya

I have two ways of loving You:A selfish oneAnd another way that is worthy of You.In my selfish love, I remember You and You alone.In that other love, You lift the veilAnd let me feast my eyes on Your Living Face.Rabia al-Adawiyya. Doorkeeper of the heart:versions of Rabia. Trans. Charles Upton

The source of my suffering and loneliness is deep in my heart.This is a disease no doctor can cure.Only Union with the Friend can cure it.Rabia al-Adawiyya, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut Perfume of the DesertSaadiShaikh Sharfuddin ManeriWasif Ali Wasif We wish Pharaohs Here and Moses Hereafter When a boat is about to sink, passengers of themselves begin to invoke Allah The world is ancient, but it has not lost its newness Some are dead when alive; others are alive even after death We earn to live and we live to earn Fortunate is the person who remains pleased with his fortune When the child is ill, the mother will know how to pray He who has no light in his heart, what will he gain from the festival of lamps Life by itself is not the aim of life. The aim of life is to attain life eterna We go along carrying the burden of others, and, having gone some way, we throw off all our burdens, and are silently lost in some unknown world. It is sin to remember the sin you have already repented over. Forget about the sin you have given up Life is come from God; live it for God. Wealth is come from God; spend it in the way of God A more fearful thing than death is the fear of death If you wish to see impurity, look within yourself; if you wish to see good, find it in others Peace will come once you remove the conflict between your desires and your duties That man is cursed twice who is not generous even with the money he has acquire wrongly Once repentance (taubah) is truly accepted, even the memory of the sin is erased What is truth? That which comes from the lips of a truthful person. The more honest the person the greater the truth The most unfortunate person is one who remains hard-hearted even in poverty When the eye becomes the heart, the heart becomes the eyeYunus EmreThe drink sent down from Truth,we drank it, glory be to God.And we sailed over the Ocean of Power,glory be to God.Beyond those hills and oak woods,beyond those vineyards and gardens,we passed in health and joy, glory be to God.We were dry, but we moistened.We grew wings and became birds,we married one another and flew,glory be to God.To whatever lands we came,in whatever hearts, in all humanity,we planted the meanings Taptuk taught us,glory be to God.Come here, lets make peace,lets not be strangers to one another.We have saddled the horseand trained it, glory be to God.We became a trickle that grew into a river.We took flight and drove into the sea,and then we overflowed, glory be to God.We became servants at Taptuks door.Poor Yunus, raw and tasteless,finally got cooked, glory be to God.Yunus Emre, translated by Kabir Helminski and Refik Algan The Drop That Became Sea~~Your love has wrested me away from me,Youre the one I need, youre the one I crave.Day and night I burn, gripped by agony,Youre the one I need, youre the one I crave.I find no great joy in being alive,If I cease to exist, I would not grieve,The only solace I have is your love,Youre the one I need, youre the one I crave.Lovers yearn for you, but your love slays them,At the bottom of the sea it lays them,It has Gods images-it displays them;Youre the one I need, youre the one I crave.Let me drink the wine of love sip by sip,Like Mecnun, live in the hills in hardship,Day and night, care for you holds me in its grip,Youre the one I need, youre the one I crave.Even if, at the end, they make me dieAnd scatter my ashes up to the shy,My pit would break into this outcry:Youre the one I need, youre the one I crave.Yunus Emre the mystic is my name,Each passing day fans and rouses my flame,What I desire in both worlds in the same:Youre the one I need, youre the one I crave.~~Ask those who know,whats this soul within the flesh?Realitys own power.What blood fills these veins?Thought is an errand boy,fear a mine of worries.These sighs are loves clothing.Who is the Khan on the throne?Give thanks for His unity.He created when nothing existed.And since we are actually nothing,what are all of Solomons riches?Ask Yunus and Taptukwhat the world means to them..The world wont last.What are You? What am I?Yunus Emre, translated by Kabir Helminski and Refik Algan The Drop That Became Sea~~We entered the house of realization,we witnessed the body.The whirling skies, the many-layered earth,the seventy-thousand veils,we found in the body.The night and the day, the planets,the words inscribed on the Holy Tablets,the hill that Moses climbed, the Temple,and Israfils trumpet, we observed in the body.Torah, Psalms, Gospel, Quran-what these books have to say,we found in the body.Everybody says these words of Yunusare true. Truth is wherever you want it.We found it all within the body.Yunus Emre, yranslated by Kabir Helminski and Refik Algan The Drop That Became SeaSheikh SaadiNot a word is said even in sportWithout an intelligent man taking advice thereby.But if a hundred chapters of wisdom are read to a foolAll strike his ear merely as sport.A man had by his sins forfeited the divine favour but the lamp of grace nevertheless so shone upon hispath that it guided him into the circle of religious men and, by the blessing of his association withdervishes, as well as by the example of their righteousness, the depravities of his character weretransmuted into virtues and he refrained from lust and passion. But the tongues of the malevolent werelengthened with reference to his character, alleging that it was the same as it had ever been and thathis abstinence and piety were spurious.By apology and penitence one may be saved from the wrath of GodBut cannot be saved from the tongues of men.He could no longer bear the reviling tongues and complained to the pir of the Tariqat. The sheikhwept and said: How wilt thou be able to be sufficiently grateful for this divine favour that thou artbetter than the people imagine?A murid said to his pir: What am I to do? I am troubled by the people, many of whom pay me visits.By their coming and going they encroach upon my precious time. He replied: Lend something toevery one of them who is poor and ask something from every one who is rich and they will comeround thee no more.A pious man came to the door of a college from a khaniqah.He broke the covenant of the company of those of the Tariqa.I asked him what the difference between a scholar and a dervishamounts to?He replied: The former saves his blanket from the wavesWhilst the latter strives to save the drowning man.A pious man saw a wrestler full of wrath and foaming at the mouth. He asked:What is the matter with this fellow? A bystander said: Someone has insulted him. He remarked:This base wretch is able to lift a ton of stones and has not the power to bear one word.Although able to tear up an elephants frontHe is not a man who possessed no humanity.A mans nature is of earth.If he is not humble he is not a man.Two sons of amirs were in Egypt, the one acquiring science, the other accumulating wealth, till theformer became the ullemma of the period and the other the prince of Egypt; whereon the rich manlooked with contempt upon the faqih and said: I have reached the sultanate whilst thou hast remainedin poverty as before. He replied: O brother, I am bound to be grateful to the most high Creator forhaving obtained the inheritance of prophets whilst thou hast attained the inheritance of Pharaoh and ofHaman, namely the kingdom of Egypt.I am that ant which is trodden under footNot that wasp, the pain of whose sting causes lament.How shall I give due thanks for the blessingThat I do not possess the strength of injuring mankind?

KabirKabir says, rare listenershear the song right.I dont touch ink or paper,this hand never grasped a pen.The greatness of four agesKabir tells with his mouth alone.Listen, I see the world is mad.If I tell the truth they rush to beat me,if I lie they trust me.God! God! they cry,till theres a callus on their tongue.If saying God gave liberation,saying candy made your mouth sweet,saying fire burned your feet,saying water quenched your thirst,saying food banished hunger,the whole world would be free.Ive burned my own house down,the torch is in my hand.Now Ill burn down the house of anyonewho wants to follow me.7Who can I tell?And who will believe it ?When the bee touches that flower,he dies.Theres no creation or creator there,no gross or fine, no wind or fire,no sun, moon, earth or water,no radiant form, no time there,no word, no flesh, no faith,no cause and effect, nor any thoughtof the Veda. No Hari or Brahma,no Shiva or Shakti, no pilgrimageand no rituals. No mother, fatheror guru thereInto a lions coatrushes a goat.Youll recognize him by his talk.The word reveals.You dont find:diamonds in storerooms,sandal trees in rows,lions in flocks,holy men in herds.Use the strength of your own arm,stop putting hope in others.When the river flows through your own yard,how can you die of thirst?No customers for the word,the price is high.Without paying, you cant get it,so move on by.The road the pandits took,crowds took.The Truths pass is a high one.Kabir keeps climbing.Man in his stupid acts:iron mail from head to toe.Why bother to raise your bow ?No arrow can pierce that.When there isnt a traceof creation or destruction,what do you meditate on ?Pandit, do some researchand let me knowhow to destroy transiency.Money, religion, pleasure, salvationwhich way do they stay, brother?North, South, East or West?In heaven or the underworld?If God is everywhere, where is hell ?The fearful things that everyone fears,I dont fear.Im not confused about sin and purity,heaven and hell.Kabir says, seekers, listen:Wherever you areis the entry point.A mans wife goes with him to the door,his friends go a few steps more.At the corpse-ground theres only the stretcher.After that, swan, youre on your own.Everyone says words, words.That word is bodiless.It wont come on the tongue.See it, test it, take it.The mind is a nervous thief,the mind is a pure cheat.The ruin of sages, men and gods,the mind has a hundred thousand gates.Keep remembering God,Death has you by the hair.Hell strike at home or in foreign lands,you never know when or where.