Didn’t I Tell You?

Peace, one and all…

This Ramadan, my wife and I are trying to explore Surat al-Kahf, the Chapter of the Cave. The following verse leapt out at me, as much-needed advice on the Way. This beautiful ghazal of Mevlana’s came shortly after as a distillation of this ayah’s inward meaning. And God knows best.

‘Make thy soul patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, desiring His Face. Turn not thine eyes away from them, desiring the adornment of the life of this world, nor obeying one whose heart We have made heedless of the remembrance of Us and who follows his caprice and whose affair exceeds the bounds’
Quran 18:28

Didn’t I Tell You

Didn’t I tell you:
Don’t go over there, for I am the one who knows you;
In this mirage of annihilation,
I am your source of life;
and if in anger for a million years
you run from me, in the end you will return to me
for I am your destination?

Didn’t I tell you:
Don’t be content with the outer scheme
and semblance of the world,
for I am the architect
of your pavilion of contentment?

Didn’t I tell you:
I am the sea and you are just a fish in me;
don’t go on the dry and sandy beach
for I am your liquid purity?

Didn’t I tell you:
Don’t step into a trap just like a bird.
Come to me, for I am your wings and feathers
and your power of flight?

Didn’t I tell you:
They will rob you and leave you cold,
for I am your hearth and fire?

Didn’t I tell you:
They will fill you with ugly attributes
so that you will lose your way to me,
your wellspring of virtues, attributes?

Didn’t I tell you:
Don’t say how or from which quarter
your affairs will be arranged;
I create you out of nowhere and nothing?

If you are the lamp of hearts,
know which way leads homeward.
And if you have the qualities of a lord,
know that
I
am
your
Overlord.

Hazret-i Mevlana, Ghazal 1725, Divan-i Kebir