[Sunlight] "Don’t look only at the exterior"

~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you read the Qur'ân
don't look only at the exterior, my son:
the Devil considers Adam as nothing more than clay.
The external sense of the Qur'ân is like a person's form:
while his features are visible, his spirit is hidden.
Someone's uncles look at him for a hundred years,
and yet of his inward state
don't see so much as the tip of a hair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To ze Qor'ân ay pesar zâher ma-bin
Div Âdam-râ na-binad joz keh tin
Zâher-e Qor'ân cho shakhs-e âdamist
keh noqushesh zâher va jânesh khafist
Mard-râ sad sâl `amm o khâl-e u
yek sar-e muyi na-binand hâl-e u

-- Mathnawi III: 4247-4249
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

------------------------------------

Archive for Sunlight can be accessed at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight /messages
To subscribe, please send an email to : sunlight-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe, please send an email to: sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:Sunlight-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Sunlight-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Sunlight] "Don’t look only at the exterior"