Couplet 750-753

نقشِ باشد پیش نقّاش و قلم

The sculptures are humble and weak  before

عاجز و بستہ چو کودک در شکم

creator and his instruments, like a child in the stomach

پیش قدرت خلق جملہ بارگہ

All the creatures of this world are in front of Allah

عاجزاں چوں پیش سوزن کارگہ

Are humble, like the clothe for embroidery before the needle

گاہ نقشِ دیو و گہ آدم کند

Draws the pictures of satan sometime and of human

گاہ نقشِ شادی و گہ غم کند

Sometimes depicts happiness and sometimes, sadness

دست نے تا دست جنباند بدفع

There is no hand , which comes forward to stop

نُطق نے تا دم زند از ضرّ و نفع

There is no speech who states on gain or loss

                    These couplets are connected with Couplet 747:

نقشِ با نقّاش چوں نیر و کند

How can sculpture argue with its creator

                   This says that the pictures are humble and weak before their creator and his pen like a child in the mother’s womb, as it does not have any authority or power there, and Allah makes his face whatever He likes, as Allah says in Quran (3:6):

It is He who forms you in the wombs however He wills. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

               All the creatures of this world are similarly humble and weak before the power of Allah like the clothes meant for embroidery before the needle. The way needle is creating different pictures, the power of Allah creates the pictures of satan sometimes and of human being or that of happiness and of sadness. Neither we have hands to wave nor the speech to tell our gain or loss from these pictures.

Couplet 746-749

لذتِ انعامِ خود را وا مگیر

Don’t take back the taste of Your bounty

نُقلِ خمر و جامِ خود را وا مگیر

Don’t take back the snacks of wine and goblet of wine

ور بگیری کیست جُست و جُو کند

Who can argue, even You decide to take back

نقشِ با نقّاش چوں نیر و کند

How can sculpture argue with its creator

منگر اندر ما مکُن در ما نظر

Don’t see us and don’t keep eye on us

اندر اکرام و سخائے خود نگر

See the bounties and charity bestowed on us

ما نبودیم و تقاضا ماں نبود

Neither we were nor our request

ُلطفِ تو نا گفتئہ ما می شنود

You kindness have been hearing our untold stories

                   It has been said above at Couplet 745 that

عاشقِ خود کردہ بودی نیست را

You made a non-existent one Your devotee

Now the gifting of bounty of love has come to our knowledge and it has been put forward in the court of Allah regarding this and said that don’t take away the taste of bounty of love from us. Furthering this it is said the attributes of ishq i.e. snacks eaten with wine and goblet of wine (باطنی), which means the knowledge, awareness and hidden conditions should not be removed from us. And who is there who can question Allah what He does as Allah says in Quran (21:23):

He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned

And in Quran (13:41):

And Allah decides; there is no adjuster of His decision. And He is swift in account.

                       As we are merely the sculptures and You are the creator of these sculptures and hence how can sculptures argue with the creator. And we are not making a claim of these bounties, rather we are not worthy of having these bounties if our errors and defects are considered. Instead we are merely dependent on Your kindness and blessing and hence don’t look over our conditions as our position is always found to be error-prone and bad. You look at your bounties and gifts and we need not to be a claimant to getting these. Thus it is further said that we were nothing and neither we were desirous (to get certain bounties) but Your blessings are listening to our these untold desires and has bestowed this existence and other things.

Couplet 745

لذتِ ہستی نمودی نیست را

You have the non-existent (we) the taste of existent one

عاشقِ خود کردہ بودی نیست را

You made a non-existent one Your devotee

                          The breathe we take (life) and the existence we are enjoying are all the gifts given by You (Allah). Furthering this, our existence is all Your creation. After this, You have allowed us the non-existents the taste of existence, as human being become happy seeing one’s own existence. This is the worldly bounty, then You have made us, the nothing, as Your devotee, which is the spiritual bounty. The essence of love and ishq have been given to one and all, someone has kept it in suspension, whereas, others have accepted it. It may also be possible that the meaning could be that the nothing has been given existence and then make them His devotee.

Couplet 740-744

ما کہ باشیم اے تو ماراجانِ جاں

O’  You are soul of our life. Who are we?

تاکہ ما باشیم با تو درمیاں

When you are there, who are we in between?

ما عد مہائیم و ہستی ہائے ما

We and our existences are nothing

تو وجودِ مطلقِ فانی نما

You are unseen, but a complete existence

ماہمہ شیراں و لے شیرِ عَلَم

We are lion, but lion on the flag

حملئہ شاں از باد با شد د مبدم

Whose existence is due to flow of air

حملئہ شاں پیدا و ناپیدا است باد

The attack of lion of flag are visible, but air is unseen

آنکہ ناپیداست ہرگز گم مُباد

The entity who is unseen from eyes, should not move away from our hearts

بادِ ما و بودِ ما از دادِ تُست

Our existence and our show are Your gift only

ہستیِ ما جملہ از ایجادِ تُست

All our existence is Your creation only

                 In the couplets above the word ما (we) has been used profusely and now juxtaposing that he says who are we that the word ما (we) be used for us before You. Thus our existence is such a minuscule that we can even not call ourselves ‘we’. The reason of exaggeration is to showcase the non-entity of our existence and effectively, it is nothing. Further he says that we and our existences are all nothing, though it looks like an entity apparently, and You are the Perfect Existence (وجودِ مطلق), but are not beings seen apparently. Thus what a mistake of considering an existence based on what we see, as we are considering a nothing existence as real existence and the Real Existence is not being seen and hence not in our thoughts. The same has been observed from our transactions & thoughts as we have sight and be proud of our existence and don’t have sight on the existence of Allah. Furthering this content, he puts forward an example that our existence is like lion which is there in the flag (photo of lion on flag or on posters) and it looks like attacking when air is blowing and hence we are able to see the attack or movement of lion of the flag but not the air (thus this attack is nothing but looks like existed). The air which is the stimulant behind movement of lion is actually existent but it is unseen from our sight. Similarly our existence and actions are completely non-existent in front of Real Existence, but are apparently seemed to be existed. Whereas, the Real existence is that of Allah, but our sight do not go towards that. Subsequent to this, he makes supplication that the entity, Who (Allah) is unseen to us (i.e. attributes of Allah) should not be decreased in our heart i.e. if Allah wills, the reality be dawned in our hearts and be witnessed to the attributes and manifestations of Allah every time.

Couplet 737-739

ما چو چنگیم و تو زخمہ میزنی

We are like Sarangi (stringed instrument) and you hit with sticks

زاری از مانے تو زاری میکنی

We are not crying, it is you who is crying

ما چو نایم و نوادر ما ز تُست

We are like flute and the sweet sound is of yours

ما چو کوہیم و صدا در ما ز تُست

We are like mountains and the echo is from you

ما چو شطر بخیم اندر بُرد و مات

We are like chess in losing and winning

بُرد و مات ما ز تُست اے خوش صِفات

O’ with beautiful attributes, our loss or gain is with you

              Maulana Rum digresses here towards Allah and starts describing the contents of oneness of Allah (توحید). The connection develops from the content of just previous couplets, where crying was termed as natural and beyond one’s control. Now the same content is being stressed and discussed that similar is the position in all other actions as well, because our control is merely imaginary, whereas, the real controller of our actions is Allah only. And we are without any control in this whole creation and hence he says that O, Allah, our position is like a sarangi (a stringed musical instrument) and You are hitting with sticks to produce sweet sound. Thus You are the creator of our actions and therefore, apparently actions are being performed by us but these are effectively from You only. In this regard, if we crying (زاری), it is effectively from You because of being Creator. These are attributed to Allah merely being the Creator of the actions but these are being acted upon by the servant (human being). As a logic for reason in this couplet, زاری می کنی is said as has been narrated from a Hadith that Allah will ask one of His servants at the day of Qayamah:

استطعمتک فلم تطعمنی

I asked food from you, but you didn’t give

            Similar question will be raised for water and clothes, then the servant puts forward that You are above all these things. The meaning of this was then declared that so and so servant of Mine asked you for food, water or clothes and if you have given him then, you would have got here. In this Hadith, the action of asking food, which is an action of the servant, was attributed figuratively towards Allah. Likewise, Quran (75:18) says:

So when We have recited it [through Gabriel], then follow its recitation.

Here, recitation by Gabriel has been attributed towards Allah and on similar lines, Maulana states زاری می کنی. Same context is mentioned in another example that we are like flute and the sweet voice that come from it is from You, like the sound of flute is from the one who plays it. In the third example, it is said that we are like mountains and the echo that is produced is from You, like the echo from mountains is actually from the one who calls. The fourth example is that our example is like chess, where the loss or win depends on the moves of the player and similarly, our loss and win i.e. those actions which define our being dominating or being dominated are from You only in view of Your being the Creator, as discussed above.

               The objective of Maulana in these couplets is teachings of meditation of Tauheed and the gist is that one should keep remembering that complete actions, movements, gestures, changes etc. of our and all other creatures are effective from Allah only.

Couplet 734-736

جملہ گفتند اے قزیر انکار نیست

Every one said that O’ vizier, it is not the negation

گفت ما چوں گفتئہ اغیار نیست

Our insistence is not that of others

اشکِ دیدہ است از فراقِ تو دواں

We are not stop weeping due to your separation

آہ آہ ست از میانِ جاں رواں

The heart is crying

طفل بادا یہ نہ استیزد و لیک

A kid, when weeping, is not fighting with mother

گِرید اُو گرچہ نہ بد داند نہ نیک

He cries though not knowing what is good or bad

Repeated insistence of pupils to vizier for leaving solitude

                     The pupils said that our insistence are not due to negation as your saying and what we are entreating is not what those who are not attached to you are saying. The proof of this argument is that our tears are not stopping because of your separation and the heart is crying. This would not have been the condition if we are negating you and its example is like a kid who does not stop crying, but this would not mean that this is against his mother as he doesn’t know whether it is good or bad. Thus as crying of a child is natural phenomenon, similarly out entreats are too natural due to separation.

 

Couplet 730-733

گفت حُجّتہائے خود کوتہ کنید

He (vizier) said that limit your entreaties

پند رادر جان و دردل رہ کنید

And inculcate the advices in heart

گر امینم مُتہم نبُود امیں

If I am honest, then an honest one is not tainted

گر بگویم آسماں را منِ زمیں

Even if I say sky as earth

گر کمالم با کمال انکار چیست

If I am perfect and then what is the issue of raising questions

ورنیم ایں زہمت و آزار چیست

And if I am not, then why are you taking pains

من نخواہم شد ازیں خلوت بروں

I will not come out of solitude

زانکہ مشغولم با حوالِ دروں

As I am busy in hidden delights

The reply of vizier that I won’t come out of solitude

Thus the vizier replied that stop this debate and discussion and obey what has been advised to you should be accepted by heart i.e. don’t insist on me. In summary, if you consider me as honest and your well-wisher, then it is not correct to doubt on that person, even if he says earth for sky. Thus if I am an accomplished one for you, then what is there to question and negate what I am advising. And if I am not an accomplished one, then why are you here to insist and argue and I am not going to leave the solitude as I am busy in hidden delights (احوالِ باطنی).

Couplet 721-729

دیوار انطقِ تو خامُش می کند

Your oration stops satan

گوشِ ما را گفتِ تو ہُش می کند

Your oration makes our ears attracted

گوشِ ماہوش ست چوں گویا توئی

When you speak, our ears are completely inclined

خُشکِ ما بحر ست چوں دریا توئی

Since you are river and our lands are like sea

با تو مارا خاک بہتر از فلک

The earth is better than heaven, if you are with us

اے سماک از تو منوّر تا سَماک

O, You, the heaven are lighted with the fish like you

بے تو مارا بر فلک تاریکی ست

It is darkness even in the heaven if you are not with us

با تو اے مہ ایں زمیں تاریکے ست

O’ You, how can this world be dark, if you are with us

با مہِ روئے تو شب تاری کے ست

How can the night be dark, with your face like moon is shining

روز را بے نورِ تو تاریکی ست

The day is dark without your noor

باتو بر خاک از فلک بردیم دست

We are moving ahead of heaven through you

بر شَمامابے تو چوں خاکیم پست

We are as deflated in heaven as in earth, without you

صورتِ رِفعت بود اَفلاک را

The skies are getting the apparent loftiness

معنیِ رِفعت روانِ پاک را

The pious rooh have spiritual loftiness

صورتِ رِفعتِ برائے جسمہا ست

The bodies have false loftiness,

کسمہا در پیش ِ معنٰی اسمہا ست

And are merely a name before meaning (spiritual)

اللّاہ اللّاہ یک نظر بر ما فگن

O’ Allah, bless us with your one glance

لا تُقَنِّتْنَا فَقَدْ طَالَ الحَزَنْ

Don’t let us down, as pain has been extended

               These are in the words of pupils of vizier and it is also reply vizier’s statements and replies are not intended to reject him but it is an entreat. They eulogized that your oration stops satan (i.e. nafs) i.e the truth, wisdom, teachings and commands of your orations drive the bodily and lowly thoughts away. Thus the desired result is to stop the carnal thoughts and the same is achieved through your discussions.  There is indication that the discussions of masters bring noor and blessings and hence need to be listened to carefully. As said above at couplet 699:

پُنبہ اندر گوشِ حسِّ دوں کنید

Put a piece of cotton in your external ears

بندِ حسِّ  از چشمِ خود بیروں کنید

Remove the external hindrance from your eyes

                    The objective is the hidden ears (ears of rooh) need to be made attentive and we are also feeling the same and hence we are desiring you to speak. When you speak, our ears become attentive and as said above couplet 704:

حِسِّ خُشکی دید کز خُشکی بزاد

Our senses have seen this earth as it is born out of it

                That is to move away from dryness and align with river, thus we too are striving for the same. But the same will be achieved only with your companionship as our dryness (carnal attributes) become river (spiritual attributes) when you are with us. You are river of beneficence and what you said above at couplet 703:

سیرِ باطن ہست بالائے سَما

Hidden excursions are in heavens

                   Then this treasure too could only be achieved through our companionship, as when you are with us, the clay of earth is better than skies. If we reach in skies without you, then there are darkness for us and with you, as you’r like moon, how can the skies be dark. Thus we remain with you in the earth, then we are benefitting the spiritual noor from your nearness & blessings. When we are separated with you, then even if we reach the skies, we are bereft of spiritual noor, as spiritual noor are not necessary for physical elevation. Thus the pupils were saying that we will move away from skies if you are with us and will remain as lowly as in earth even if we reach skies without you. This is because these plain skies are merely physically elevated and rooh needs spiritual elevation, which is not possible without you. This means that sky is body and bodies get physical elevation and rooh is spiritual one and bodies in comparison to rooh are like the alphabets of a name (which are not desirable objectives) as compared to the essence of name (the desirable). Similarly, bodies are not the desirable objectives, but the rooh are. Thus non-desirable things could get elevation at very lowly level, whereas, desirable things need higher level of elevation. They further entreated that for god’s sake, have a glance at us and don’t let us be empty handed as pain is too much.

Couplet 715-720

چار پارا قدرِ طاقت بارنہ

Put the weight on an animal according his capacity

بر ضعیفاں قدرِ قُوّت کارنہ

Give the task to weak people according their bearing

دانئہ پر مرغ اندازہ ویست

Every bird has its food according to its nature

طُعمئہ ہر مرغ انجیرے کے ست

How can every bird digest fig?

طفل را گرناں دہی بر جائے شیر

If you give chapatti to a child instead of milk

طفلِ مسکیں را ازاں ناں مردہ گیر

You can consider that child indifferent to chapatti

چونکہ دندانہا بر آرد بعد ازاں

When he has get teeth,

خود بخود گردد دلش جویائے ناں

He will seek for chapatti then

مرغ پرنا رُستہ  چوں پرّاں شود

When a bird, who has not yet developed feathers, fly

لقمئہ ہر گربئہ درّاں شود

Will become the food of predators like cat

چوں بر آرد پر بپرّد اُو بخود

He will fly automatically, once he gets feathers

بے تکلّف بے صفیرِ نیک و بد

Even without any signals and without any troubles

                   All this is in words of Maulana, digressing from the story as is his practice. There is an indication of custom to masters in these examples that they should not teach seekers or suggesting some work beyond their capacity. The first example is that an animal should be loaded according to what it could bear. Similarly, the weakened people should be allotted work according their powers. Second example is that each and every bird has its food and diet according its nature and how can the diet of every bird be fig. The third example is that of a child if he be given chapatti instead of milk, then consider that poor fellow dead only. However, when he gets his teeth, then he will automatically seek for chapatti. Fourth example is that if a bird, who has not yet got feathers, tries to fly, he will definitely become the food of any predator like cat. However, when the bird gets its feathers, it will definitely fly around comfortably without any limitations.

                  In the same analogy, when a novice seeker be treated like an accomplished one or he himself likes more weight as indicated in the fourth examples, then he will definitely be finished and destroyed. At the initial stages, he needs the companionship, which is like milk for child. When he starts getting benefits without any help and achieves a status of stability, which is like getting teeth, the removal of companionship does not matter at that stage. Otherwise, he will get trapped in the paws of satan, which is like cats and Allah knows how will he be distracted or digressed because of unawareness of the path of sulook.

Couplet 711-714

جملہ گفتند اے حکیمِ رخنہ جُو

All of them said, O’ full of wisdom,

ایں فریب و ایں جفا با ما مگو

Don’t teach us these tricks and troubles

با اسیر انیم تاکے ایں فریب

We are prisoners, how long will we play these tricks?

بیدل و جانیم تا کے ایں عتیب

We are without life ad hearts, how long do you angry with us

چوں پزیرفتی تو ما راز اِبتدا

When you have chosen us from the start,

مرحمت کُن ہمچنیں تا انتہا

Keep your blessings like this till end

ضُعف و عجز و فورِ ما دانستئہ

You are aware of our weakness, humility and limitations

دردِ مارا ہم دوا دانستئہ

And you are also aware of the treatment of our pain

Continuous entreaty of pupils to leave him solitude

                       In reply to vizier, all the pupil entreated that your being is solitude becomes the reason of our troubles and also don’t spell out these troublesome talks i.e. don’t push us away  this way. Since you have accepted us in the ishq from the start and hence keep blessing on us till the conclusion (end). You are fully aware of out weaknesses and limitations and the medicine of our separation is merely meeting and your nearness. Thus leave your solitude ad come out of it.

Couplet 703-710

سیر بےرونی ست فعل و قول ما

Our actions and words are lowly excursion

سیرِ باطن ہست بالائے سَما

Hidden excursions are in heavens

حِسِّ خُشکی دید کز خُشکی بزاد

Our senses have seen this earth as it is born out of it

مُوسیِ جان پائے بر دریا نہاد

The Moses of the rooh trades on water

سَیرِ جسمِ خُشک بر خُشکی فتاد

The body made up of clay has excursion in earth only

سَیرِ جاں پا در دلِ دریا نہاد

The excursion of rooh puts its feet on river

چو نکہ عمر اندر رہ خُشکی گذ شت

Since the life has been elapsed in the earth

گاہ کوہ گاہ صحراء گاہ دشت

Sometimes in jungle, sometimes in mountains and sometimes in land

آبِ حیواں را کجا خواہی تو یافت

When will you be able to obtain the water of life

موجِ  دریا را کجا خواہی شگافت

When will be able to cut through the waves of river

موجِ خاکی فہم و وہم و فکرِ ماست

The earthly waves are our thoughts, whims and our understanding

موجِ آبی محو  و سُکرست و فناست

The heavenly waves are rupture, contentment and annihilation

تادریں سُکری ازاں سُکری تو دُور

Till you are in this contentment, you are away from that ecstasy

تا ازیں مستی ازاں جامے نفور

Till you are engrossed here, you are not intending towards maarifah

گفتگوئے ظاہر آمد چوں غبار

The external discussions are like hindrances

مُدّتےخاموشِ خُو کن ہوشدار

Try to be silent for sometime, come to senses

What we said that the connection with external worldly affairs are the hindrance for revelation of hidden directions pertains to our actions and words and the hidden excursion is connected with lofty heavens. Now he states the connection and resemblance of external senses with this external world and the hidden senses with the hidden world. The external senses have merely seen the external world, as it is born out of the earth and whereas, the rooh has stepped on the river surface by crisscrossing by Jesus or in some prints by Moses. Thus external senses are made up of elements from this world and are moving within earth, whereas, rooh which is from that heaven moves around the hidden world. The simile of earth (this world) by land (خُشکی) and hidden world by river (دریا) is used to firstly, as against clay, the water is the main element of life, as in Quran (21:30):

and made from water every living thing

The hidden world is the reason for spiritual life as against this world which is making people oblivious of Allah and causing real death. Secondly, the expansion of river is more as against land. Similarly, the hidden world has more expansion as compared to this external world, which due to world of creation is limited in quality and quantity. Thirdly, river has hugeness as against land, which has combination and similarly, unity is the objective in hidden world as against external world in which numbers are objective. Some of the people who reads signs (اہلِ رموز) has explained Ayah (Quran 17:70) and carried them on the land and sea as فی نّاسوت و الملکوت (in this external world and hidden world). The crossing of river by Moses is well documented and it is an external simile and the story of Jesus will be narrated by Maulana in the book’s sixth part –

ہمچو عیسیٰ بر سرش کرد فرات

کاملینی از غرقہ در آبِ جیات

Thus the body relates and connects with this external world, whereas, rooh connects with hidden world and hence excursion of body of clay does happen in this external world (خُشکی) and spiritual excursion starts with the stepping into river. You are still not endowed with the excursion of hidden world, but you should considering that your rooh does not possess the capability of this is wrong. You have passed whole of your life in moving in external world and in connection with worldly affairs, then consider the fact that your life has gone in aspiring worldly desires – sometimes in mountains, sometimes in land and sometimes in jungles, thus how can you get the fountains of heavenly waters and how can you get the chance to cut through the river of hidden world.

Now he is explaining the dry land and wet waters, the simile which has been mentioned above, the waves of land (خُشکی) means our worldly wisdom and intelligence and belief and powers of thoughts. The water (آبی), which has been termed as river above are hidden ecstasy, throws and annihilation thus these thoughts and beliefs of this world are the hindrances  of revelation of hidden conditions. Thus he further states that till you engrossed in the intoxication of worldly desires and are away from the hidden ecstasy, you will remain far from that hidden wine. These connections with the world has effects in heart leading to it lowly depths, thus this external discussion is nothing but like a veil. You need to keep silence for quite long time and keep attention towards the heart (i.e. meditation).