The Faqir and The Thief

“So it is, and so it was long ago, when the Qalandar met the bandit chief . . .”
So began the Master’s last tale. It was an unexpected one, for the hour was late, well past the time of farewell. But we settled ourselves to listen, knowing that the Master does nothing without purpose.
The Master sipped once more on his cup of tea and said:
“Not so long ago, as time is counted, there came to a certain oasis far in the western desert a faqir. He was a Qalandar, a wandering dervish, who had walked the deserts of Africa and Arabia for many years, seeking only solitude wherein he could remember his Creator and contemplate the Divine mysteries. His virtue and faith, his submission to the will of God, had been rewarded with tranquility of spirit, and his sincerity and devotion on the path of Love was such that the Hidden had been revealed to his heart, and he had become a Wali, a Friend of God.

“Now it came to pass that the night the faqir wandered into this oasis and lay beneath a palm tree to rest before the midnight prayer, there was, unknown to him, another man under a nearby tree who was also making camp for the night.
“But the other man was a notorious bandit, once the feared chieftain of a band of robbers who had for years plundered the spice caravans and waylaid rich merchants on their way from the coastal cities to the inland towns. The outcry against his merciless raids, however, had at last reached the ears of the Sultan and he had
ordered his soldiers to hunt down the band and destroy them. Many were caught and beheaded. Many others deserted their chief out of fear that they would share the fate of their comrades.

“Eventually, this evil man found himself alone. His purse was now empty, every last coin having been spent in escape, and he was a hunted criminal with a price on his head. Even his former allies, those dishonest merchants who had bought his stolen goods, closed their doors against him. They also feared, lest the wrath of the Sultan fall upon their necks. And so he had fled for many days across the desert and come at last to the oasis where, tired and hungry, he sat beneath a tree and cursed his wretched fate.



“Now I ask you, which of these two men is the greater, and which the less? Whom has God blessed and whom has He cursed?..."
Everyone of us kept silent.
"No, do not answer! You do not know the answer, for you are not their judge. The Creator alone is the judge of His creation.
“Munkir and Nakir, however, the angels who question the dead when they are assigned to the grave, looked upon the scene of the two men and sighed. ‘Surely,’ said Munkir ‘here at least the true gold may be seen from the false. These two may be judged, though their end is not yet come. God will have the greater, and Satan the
less.’
‘Alas! It must be so,’ agreed Nakir. ‘True gold is the most rare, and therefore are the fields of heavens spacious indeed, while the halls of Hell are filled to bursting, overflowing even the deepest
pits.’
“Now God perceived the thoughts of His servants, and spoke to the hearts of the two angels. ‘Verily, thou hast pronounced their just fate,’ He said. ‘Yet woe unto mankind had I created the world by justice alone. Am I not the Merciful and Compassionate? Behold! I will visit them with sleep and visions that thou shalt
know the truth of My creation.’
“Thus the Lord sent sleep and mighty dreams to the faqir and the wretched thief. And lo, the Qalandar awoke in hell, even into the midst of the great fires of the pit. And the bandit chief arose in Paradise, where he stood among the saints before the very Throne of God.”

The Master sipped his tea again. His eyes searched our faces over the rim of the glass.
“Is it mercy to send the worst of man to heaven?!” he asked. “Or justice to send the best of man to hell?!”
No one dared answer.
“Good!” he said soothingly. “To cleanse the heart of judgment is to discern the Way of Love. And such was the lesson of Munkir and Nakir. “For they beheld the faqir awaken in the very midst of Hell, and saw that most worthy of men rise up naked as the fires burned his flesh and the cries of tormented souls pierced his ears. Yet he did not feel pain at the touch of the flames, and showed neither surprise nor fear. His thought was only of his Beloved, and no affliction was great enough to sway his love. He sat among the fires and the torment as a dervish sits, and in a voice clear and strong he began to sing.
“‘La Illah illa Allah! La Illaha illa Allah!’
“The fires blazed furiously as the song began and then dimmed to smoldering embers, and the burning mountains trembled at the Holy Name. Now the tormented souls ceased their wailing to listen, for the name of God is not uttered in the pits. Then there was no other sound to be heard but his, and the song went on and on
until the very foundations of Hell were shaken, and the damned souls began to feel a spark of forbidden hope.
“Surely Hell would have fallen into ruin had not Satan himself appeared, and begged the faqir to depart. But the old man would not move, for he had walked many years on the Path of Love, and the Beloved’s Will was his will, whether it be paradise or eternal fire.”
The Master paused for a moment to again sip the tea beside him.
He did not look at us until he began the tale again.
“And what of the thief?” he asked, when the glass was empty. “This chieftain of bandits who was once so feared and terrible, and who had fallen into wretchedness and misery, the fate of all such
men in the end.
“God caused the two angels to perceive his vision also, and they saw him rise and stand robed in white, trembling amidst the host of heaven before the Throne of Almighty God. And the angel Gabriel
spoke unto him.
“‘By the mercy of the Lord, thy Creator, thy earthly deeds are forgiven thee,’ he said. ‘Come now and be at peace.’
“And now the truth filled his heart, and great wonder, and every veil fell from his eyes; and he saw with a clear sight the Majesty and Beauty of His Compassion, and he wept.
“And the Lord God spoke unto him, and said: ‘O man, fear not.
For thou canst not fall so low that I cannot raise thee up.’
“And fear left the thief. He knelt and prostrated himself before his God and wept. On and on flowed the endless tears of his wasted life, until they became the very waters of mercy and would not cease; and the feet of the saints were washed by his tears.
“He would have wept for eternity had not the vision ended and the two men abruptly awakened. Then the thief saw the faqir as he stood, and came to him still weeping from the dream. And the faqir perceived all that had befallen them and embraced him, and they prayed together at the midnight hour even unto the dawn. Much befell them afterwards, for the thief became the disciple of the faqir, but that is all of their tale I will tell.
“And Munkir and Nakir, who had perceived but the tiniest particle of the unending mercy of God, bowed before their Creator in submission, and in shame of their rash condemnation. For surely beyond the comprehension of men and angels is the Judgment of God.”

====================================
This is a drop from the Book The Master of Jinn by Irving Karchmar, which gives an enlightenment to the sincere seekers.

Adam's Fall

Direct exposition of spiritual theme is avoided in the holy scriptures of most religions. The glare of the sun is too strong and blinding to the watery eye. If one wishes to have a view of its penumbra, one must use coloured glasses. Direct facts are misleading and confusing to the ordinary man; esoteric writers and speakers have all along clothed realities in may-hued garbs, so that those who have eyes to see may see. Jesus Christ (a.s.) has spoke in parables; he, even said, that pearls should not be thrown before swines. Common people, not realizing the drift of argument, go astray; it requires a certain amount of leavening in one’s temperament to grasp facts.. leavening implies fermentation of feelings to the proper degree, in addition to training of the intellect.

We are dealing here with the Esoteric side of Islam… If Islam is denuded of Esotericism, it become a mere skeleton of formalities which people of a rationalistic turn of mind would accept only a formalities. Unless this skeleton is clothed with flesh and vivified, the real beauty of Islam cannot be appreciated.

The whole drama of human existence is played in the context of God’s kindness and mercy. God desires to make human beings aware of their own nothingness so that they will put aside claims and open themselves up to His gentleness, love, and forgiveness. People should never forget that the fall of Adam from paradise was directed by the divine compassion from behind the scenes.

“O tree, put up your head next to Adam’s throne!”

“O appetite for fruit, enter into Adam’s heart!”

“O accursed one, let loose the reins of your whispering!”

“O Eve, you show the way!”

“O Adam, don’t eat the fruit, have self-restraint”

“O self-restraint, don’t come near Adam!”

Then the question is: O God, God, What is all this?

The answer is: “We want to bring Adam from the throne of indifference to the earth of need. We want to make evident the secret of love.”


“O servant, avoid disobedience and stay away from caprice!

O caprice, you take his reigns!

O world, you display yourself to him

O servant, you show self-restraint

O self-restraint, don’t come near him

O God, O God, what is all this?

We want to make the servant plead with Us. We want to make apparent Our Attribute of forgiveness.


God’s reality is mercy and compassion. The existence that He spreads out in the universe is nothing but mercy for all created things. His mercy and love make the Hidden Treasure manifest so that it might be known. When God’s own servants, created upon His form, come to know the Treasure, they experience it as sheer good and utter joy. God set up the drama so that His creatures may reap the fruit of existence, awareness, and
bliss. Even the angels with their superior knowledge of affairs were not able to see into this mystery.

The angels said, "What, will you place therein one who will wok corruption there, and shed blood?" God did not reply that He was not doing that. He said, I know what you do not know. In other words, “I know that I will forgive them. You know their disobedience, but I know My forgiveness. In your glorification, you make manifest your own activity, but in My forgiveness I make manifest My own bounty and generosity. I know what you do not know, which is my love for them and the purity of their belief in loving Me. Although outwardly their good works are barefoot, inwardly their love for Me is pure. I know what you do not know which is my love for them. No matter what they are, I love them.

No more can I speak. If you truly want to realize the ocean of wisdom of what I just mentioned, I can share to you one beautiful prayer of our beloved Prophet Muhammad “O Lord, show me ‘things’ as
they really are.”

I pray with you all so that The One show us things as they really are. No other prayer you will ever need to seek and realize the truths and the Ultimate Truth (Al-Haqq)

May Allah bless Muhammad and his holy households, and

May Allah send millions of salaams upon him and them.

Dho ‘l-Nun, A Saint | His Saying

The great muslim writer Fariduddin Attar believes that the words of the Saints are profitable even to those who cannot put them into practice, inasmuch as they strengthen aspiration and destroy self-conceit.

The Great Jonaid (or Al-Jonaid) of Baghdad, (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Their sayings are one of the armies of Almighty God whereby He confirms and reinforces the disciple, if his heart be dejected.”

The Imam Yusof Hamadhani advised some people, who asked him what they should do when
the Saints had passed away from the earth, to read eight pages of their Sayings every day. Attar felt that it was incumbent upon him to supply this desideratum. And this was one of his motives in writing the Tadhkiratul Awliya' (Memoirs of Saints)

1.
One of the great saints mentioned in this book is Dho ‘l-Nun al-Mesri Abu ‘l-Faiz Thauban ibn Ebrahim al-Mesri. Also called Dho ‘l-Nun,he was born at Ekhmim in Upper Egypt c. 180 (796), studied under various teachers and travelled extensively in Arabia and Syria.

In 214 (829) he was arrested on a charge of heresy and sent to Baghdad to prison, but after examination he was released on the caliph’s orders to return to Cairo, where he died in 246 AH (861 CE); his tombstone has been preserved. A legendary figure as alchemist and thaumaturge, he is supposed to have known the secret of the
Egyptian hieroglyphs. A number of poems and short treatises are attributed to him, but these are for the most part apocryphal.

2.
Dho ‘l-Nun related as follows:
For thirty years I called men to repent, but only one person came to the court of God in due obedience. The circumstances were these.
One day a prince with his retinue passed by me by the door of the mosque. I spoke these words:“No one is more foolish than the weakling who tangles with the strong.”
“What words are these?” demanded the prince.
“Man is a weakling, yet he tangles with God who is strong,” I said.
The young prince grew pale. He arose and departed.
Next day he returned.
“What is the way to God?” he asked.
“There is a little way, and there is a greater way,” I answered. “Which of the two do you want? If you desire the little way, abandon the world and the lusts of
the flesh and give up sinning. If you want the great way,abandon everything but God, and empty your heart of all things.”
“By Allah, I will choose only the greater way,” said the prince.
The next day he put on the woollen robe, and entered the mystic way. In due course he became a saint.

3.
One day Dho ‘l-Nun’s companions came to him and found him weeping.
“Why are you weeping?” they asked.
“Last night when I was prostrating in prayer,” he replied, “my eyes closed in sleep. I saw the Lord, and He said to me, ‘O Abu ‘l-Faiz, I created all creatures and they separated into ten parts.
I offered the material world to them; nine of those ten parts turned their faces to the material world. One part remained over.
That one part divided also into ten parts. I offered Paradise to them; nine parts turned their faces to Paradise. One part remained over.
That one part split likewise into ten parts. I brought Hell before them; all fled and were scattered for fear of Hell.
Only one part remained over, those who had not been lured by the material world, nor inclined after Paradise, neither were afraid of Hell. I said to them, “My servants, you looked not upon the material world, you inclined not after Paradise, you were not afraid of Hell. What do you seek?”
All raised their heads and cried, “Thou knowest best what we desire.”

4.

These words uttered by Dho 'l-Nun reminds us and inspires us that we must not forget to Choose God. The Hell whose existence frightens the believers... to abstain from the forbidden things and the Heaven whose existence encourages the believers... to follow the commandments of God, are already things worth being grateful to our Lord. Every time these are mentioned we are reminded of our duties and responsibilities to our Lord and inspires us to pray and remember Him. Yet, we must not also forget that these may also tempt us... to such point we pray and follow the Commandments in great hope that paradise may be rewarded to us... and we abstain from forbidden things that we may not be thrown to the Hell.
Better than that, we must pray, follow the commandments, and abstain from forbidden things just for his sake, nothing more.

May God be pleased with Dho 'l-Nun.

And praise and thanks to God, the Creator of all the worlds for giving us these glad tidings, these consciousness, and these thoughts.


Reference:
Tadhkiratul Awliya' - Fariruddin Attar
Futu Al Ghaib - Hadrat Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani

What is Love?

1.
I can still remember in one of our high school days, our Filipino teacher asked (in tagalog language), "What is Love?"
The whole class was so silent for many seconds, thinking... Fearing that the teacher would be annoyed if no-one participated,I raised my hand and answered, "Ma'am, it is a special way of feeling that is experienced by most of us."

Six years later, someone explained to me what Love really is.
Love has no definition through which its essence can be known. Rather, it is given descriptive and verbal definitions, nothing more. Those who define love have not known it, those who have not tasted it by drinking it down have not known it, and those who say that they have been quenched by it have not known it, for love is drinking without quenching.

======+=====+=====


2.
Someone asked, “What is loverhood?”
I replied, “Don’t ask me about these meanings –
When you become like me, you’ll know;
When it calls you, you will tell its tale.”

=====+=====+=====

3.
Love makes bitter sweet,
Love turns copper into gold,
Love makes dregs into wine,
Love turns pain into healing,
Love brings dead into life,
Love makes kings into slaves -

=====+=====+=====

4.
"What is it to be a lover?" a friend asked.
"To have a perfect thirst." I answered. "What would happen, o friend, if you became a lover like me. Every day madness, every night weeping. Her image not out of my eyes for an instant. You would cut yourself off from your friends. You would wash your hands off the world. When I mix with people, I am water with oil, outwardly joined, inwardly separate. Leaving behind all selfish desires, you would become sick, but not any sickness a doctor could cure. If for an instant the doctors tasted this heartache, they would escape their chains and tear up their books!"



References:
Futuhat Al makkiya - Ibn Arabi
Kulliyat I shams - Jalaluddin Rumi
Mathnawi - Jalaluddin Rumi

Some Time in Life

1.
It was one of their last days in college. Five friends agreed to have a joy ride to the mountain nearby and eat sumptuous foods as a kind of celebration for the upcoming new chapter of their lives. By night, they were in a warm argument. And the topic was “Happiness.”

“I don’t know about what all of you want but one day I will have a name.”Ishita said.”Every signal that the car will halt at, people will gather they’ll come to me for autographs. I am going to be really famous. And so the happiest of all of us.”

Rajiv said, “Why would you need to be famous to be happy? To be happy, man has to be successful. I will be the best. And you will see, I will be the happiest amongst us all."

(Here, success for him is in business. Becoming one of the leaders in a top blooming company.)

“Success doesn’t remain with one for very long.” Jenny replied.

“Success would always leave the side of successful men someday, whether it be because of age or because of time. Only money remains. You’ll see, I will earn more money than any of you. And I’ll be the happiest.”

“I will be the happiest.” said Mohit.

“Because I have seen the extreme sorrows. But to be happy, I neither need money… nor name… nor even success… I want power. Because in today’s date the one who has power… he automatically gets everything else.”

“Hey, Mon,” said Rajiv. “Why are you so silent? Don’t you want to be happy also?”
Mon just smiled back at Rajiv and said, “If all of you will become happy, who will keep track of it? I will just be the accountant of all your happiness. Give me 50 Php.”
And so, each of the four gave him 50 Php, even though they were still puzzled of what was passing through Mon’s mind.
“We’ll bet 200 Php.” Said Mon after a thought.

“There’s a little confusion in the market... All of you say, you’ll be happier than the other. Let’s do this, after 5 years …on this day, in this very place…ah no… we’ll meet at a better place and decide who is the happiest... the one who is happiest wins this wager.” And all of them agreed.

Meanwhile, the day of graduation came up. That same day Rajiv wasn’t the only one catching a plane. In fact all of them were stepping into a new life… Away from the security of college… All of Mon’s friends were leaving one another’s hands… proceeding to a destination they had fixed. And him?… He still had to find his goal.

A year after graduation.
Ishita was making her first steps in entering showbiz.
Rajiv joined the company headed by his elder brother.
Mohit joined a political party.
Jenny joined a magazine that gossips about the famous and the rich people in the country.
Mon was already working as writer in a health Magazine.

The main difference between these four (Ishita, Rajiv, Mohit & Jenny) and Mon is that they were so much concentrated on their goals: Popularity, Success, Power, Money.... so much that they would do all just for the sake of attaining their goals, even if it means breaking the code of ethics and morality.
Ishita, an upcoming actress compromised on her honour in order to make it in the movies. She had to sleep with her co-star who was already a top celebrity.
Jenny, an ambitious middle-class girl achieved her dream of becoming super-rich by conning a millionaire into marrying her.
Mohit thought the only way to get ahead in politics is by sabotaging the opposition, and the result was the death of their political enemy.
Rajiv thought no business can be a success if you haven't greased enough palms. If you don't support a political party now, you'll not reap any benefit in the future if that party could win in the election.

But Mon was very much simple. Every trial that comes along, he was always moderate. He'd find ways to solve a problem, in a legal and moral way. He was fired, and he searched for another job. He was busted by a girl for not being rich, and yet because of his practical ways he'd shown her, he'd won her heart.

Exactly after 5 years, they met again just as what had been promised. But he had no idea who was to be declared as a winner for not being able to see the inner state of his friends. Outwardly, he could suspect they would all be happy for all of the four had reached their goals. At that same meeting, an emergency call reached Ishita anouncing the suicide of her long-time sweetheart for he felt so betrayed by her.

Later that month, Jenny filed a divorce because her "so-rich" husband had so many mistresses.
Rajiv's business was coming to a downfall. Because the enemy of the political party he had supported also became his enemy in terms of business transaction. Well, that's the disadvantage of blatantly supporting a political party. If one supports a party, all the other political parties become his enemy.
Mohit became an insomniac... the death of their political enemy kept on stirring in his conscience for he was the main cause of that death.

Mon then realized these and learned the wisdom behind, the truth about life that he had witnessed. He met his friends on another occasion.
"I will keep these two hundred pesos very safe." Mon announced. 'Because this money thought me what joy is all about. Happiness is nothing but the absence of sadness. All our life we chase happiness and stop living life. Happiness is not in reaching the destination. It's in the journey. So all we have to do is try not to be unhappy, and automatically we will be happy."

2.
Oh, my beloved friends,
Do not be fooled by the elegant bends,
and the sweet fragrance of a road...
Do not suddenly hasten to run on that goal,
for your feet may be prickled by the hidden thorn.
Do not jump unmindful of the direction,
for you may stumble and fall,

Walk, walk upright so that you may stay in balance.
And enjoy every careful step that you take...
Come, come, oh my dear,
Let us walk... slow but tender.

Adopted from Life Mein Kabhi Kabhiee

The Event Inevitable

1.
When the Event Inevitable cometh to pass,
Then will no (soul) entertain falsehood concerning its coming.
Many will it bring low; Many will it exalt;
When the earth shall be shaken to its depths,
And the mountains shall be crumbled to atoms,
Becoming dust scattered abroad,
And ye shall e sorted out into three classes.
Then there will be the Companions of the Right Hand; What will be the Companions of the Right Hand?
And the Companions of The Left Hand, - What will be the Companions of the Left Hand?
And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter).
These will be Those Nearest to God;
In Garden of Bliss;
A number of people From those of old,
And a few from those of later times.



2. The Event Inevitable is the Hour of Judgment. People may doubt now whether it will come. But when it comes, as it will come, suddenly upon them, it will come with such tremendous reality that it will burnt deep into the experience of every soul. No one can then be deceived or entertain false notions about it.
There will be sorting out of Good and Evil, Or rather, there will be threemain classes. Among the Good there will be the specially exalted class, those nearest to God, and the Righteous people generally, called the Companions of the Right Hand (Ashab-ul-maimana). And there will be those in agony, the Companions of the Left Hand (Ashab-ul-mash-ama). Many who were high and mighty in this life will be brought low for their sins, and many who were lowly but virtuous will be exalted to various ranks and degrees. The old landmarks will be lost in the inner world, as they will be in the outer world.
Now, regarding the word “Foremost (in Faith)”, there are two meanings, and both are implied. (1) Those who have reached the highest degree in spiritual understanding, such as the great prophets and teachers of mankind, will also take precedence in the Hereafter. (2) Those who are the first I time-the quickest and readiest – to accept God’s Message – will have the first place in the Kingdom of Heaven. The category Foremost in Faith is nearest to God. And Nearness to God is the test of the highest Bliss.


3. There is a group of people called the sufis. Four interpretations are given for this name. Some see, looking at their exterior, that they wear rough woolen garb, in Arabic the word wool is suf, and they call them sufis from this. Others, looking their way of life free from the anxieties of this world, and at their ease and at peace, which in Arabic is safa, call them sufis on that account,. Yet others, seeing deeper, look at their hearts, which are purified of everything other than the Essence of Allah. Because of the purity of those hearts, in Arabic safi, they term them sufis. Others who know call them sufis because they are close to Allah and will standing the first row, in Arabic saff, before Allah on the day of the Last Judgment.


References:
The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 56 The Inevitable Event
Sirr al-asrar fi ma yahtaju ilayhi al-abrar - Abdulqadir Al-Jilani

Khizr and Moses

1.
Moses asked God whether there was any one man more knowing than himself; and he was directed to go to Khizr. Khizr is supposed to be one Balya ibn Malacan, who having drunk of the water of life had become immortal. Moses with his servant, Joshua, proceeded to the place where the two seas met. When they arrived at the meeting of the two seas, they forgot the fish the roasted one in which they had brought for their dinner; and the fish took its way freely to the sea. When Moses called for dinner, Joshua told him what had actually happened. They then returned to the place from which the fish had jumped into the sea. Here Moses met Khizr and requested him to be allowed to follow him “that thou mayest teach me part that whic

h thou hast been taught.” Khizr answered: “verily thou couldst not bear with me: for how couldst thou patiently suffer those things, the knowledge whereof thou dost not comprehend.” Moses replied: “thou shalt find me patient if God please.” (he Qur’an continues).
“So they went on by the seashore, until they got aboard a ship; and Khizr made a hole therein. And Moses said unto him: “Hast thou made a hole therein, so that thou mayst drown those who are aboard? Thou hast done a strange thing.” He answered, “Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me?” Moses said: “Rebuke me not, because I did forget, and impose not on me a difficulty which I had not anticipated” Wherefore they left the ship and proceeded until they met with a youth; and Khizr slew him. Moses said: “Hast thou slain an innocent person, without his having killed another? Now hast thou committed an unjust action.” He answered, “Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me.” Moses said, “If I ask thee concerning anything hereafter, suffer me not to accompany thee; now hast thou received an excuse from me.” They went forward, therefore, until they came to the inhabitants of a certain city; and they asked food of the inhabitants thereof; but they refused to receive them. And they found therein a wall, which was ready to fall down, and Khizr set himself to put it upright. Whereupon Moses said unto him, “if thou wouldst, thou mightiest

doubtless have received a reward for it.” He answered, “this shall be a separation between me and thee; but I will first declare unto thee the significance of that which thou couldst not bear with patience. The vessel belonged to a certain poor men, who did their business in the sea; and I was minded to render it unserviceable, because there was a King behind them, who took away every sound ship by force. As to the youth, his parents were true believers; and we feared, lest he being an unbeliever should oblige them to suffer his perverseness and ingratitude; wherefore we desired that their Lord might give them a more righteous child in exchange, and one more affectionate towards them. And the wall belonged to two orphan youths in the city; and under it was a treasure hidden, which belonged to them, and their father was a righteous man; and thy Lord was pleased that they should attain their full age and take forth their treasure, through the mercy of thy Lord; and I did not what thou hast seen of mine own will, but by God’s direction. This is the interpretation of that which thou couldst not bear with patience.”


2.
Khizr met Moses at the junction of the rivers; Love and Humanity – the unmanifest and manifest of Nirguna and Sarguna or exotericism and esoterism. The Qur’an says:Marajal bahrayni yaltaqiyan
“We have issued two seas that never mingle with one another.”
Baynahuma barzakugl la yabgiyan.
“There is a partition between them that is irremovable.”

David too refers to his partition: “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water spouts: all thy waves and billows are gone over me.”
3.
When one is on this cataract, one requires a boat and a boatman to tide over it. Moses met the boatman in the person of Khizr and the boat was the boat of spiritual training. When the boat reaches the other side of the river, there lives a king who confiscates all sound boats. To save his ship, Khizr , the spiritual guide springs a leak in it. This is the hole of Love in the bottom of Humanity. Satan is unable to confiscate it, a leaky boat is of no good to him. In such a boat Humanity passes over to spirituality.

Khizr and Moses, the guru and disciple, it maybe, landed on the other side of river, in the country which the tyrant ruled. Khizr took hold of a youth, i.e., desire and slew him outright. This youth was Nafs(desire-body). In the second stage of the journey one has to kill his desire body; unless desires are killed, there can be no progress, this demon in the shape of a youth will be shadowing our steps. The two then leave this country and enter another country – a country inhabited by plunderers no doubt – and in a state of ruin. Here Khizr and Moses have to satisfy their creature comforts, but nobody would give them a crumb of bread. Khizr, however, sets about repairing a wall in imminent danger of falling. Under the shadow of this wall, two precious treasures lie buried – Treasure of Prophetship and Saintship, the two orphans referred to. In this country of plunderers, the walls of Shari’at is protecting these two treasures. Under the protection of ceremonial institutions, the peace of the country was maintained. The two treasures would have fallen into unworthy hands. Hence Shari’at (ceremonial institution) protects spiritual treasures.

References:
Qur’an al-karim, Surah Kahf
Qur’an al-karim, Surah Rahman
Mathnavi – Jalaluddin Rumi
Esoteric Narratives – Khan Sahib Khaja Khan