Araqi
 
Love Lesson 20
 
‘Isqh (Unrestraint Love) bestowed upon the Ma’shooq (beloved) nobility and affluence whilst humiliation and mendicancy (Ifteqaar) upon the ‘Asheq (lover). The might and power of the ‘Ishq (Unrestraint Love) is what disgraces the ‘Asheq (lover) not the greatness of the Ma’shooq (beloved) since many (i.e. Ma’shooq) are indeed slaves/lowly themselves. Under all circumstances affluence is the attribute of the Ma’shooq (beloved) and neediness/mendicancy the attribute of the ‘Asheq (lover). [1]
 
Therefore ‘Asheq (lover) is a pauper who “needs all things and nothing needs him”. About “the one who needs all things”: He shall eventually arrive upon the truth of all objects [2] i.e. as a Moheb (Divine Lover) thus no matter what he gazes upon beholds Its Face and therefore beyond all doubts he shall find need in all objects since:
 
Endlessly mine two eyes stared upon the concepts of You
Therefore no matter what I gaze upon just thinking of You
 
“Faqr (Neediness) is an innate urgent necessity of the human essence independent of any specific want” and about “the one which nothing needs him”: ‘Need’ is a characteristic of the Existence and when the lover reaches the state of Tajrid and lofty rank of Tafrid the endowed garment of Existence and all its peripherals which were entrusted upon the lover in concordance to the commandment, “Allah doth command you to render back your Trusts to those to whom they are due” (Koran [4:58]) are to be rendered back to the Beloved (Mahboob) and lover enrobes the searchless gown of Nonbeing approaching the state “this present moment for Allah is as if in Azal (Causeless Sempiternity)” and in such state (timeless causeless needless) nothing has any need for the lover. [3]
 
Wallowing within the sea of Nonbeing, no needs left for the poor mendicant (the lover), the outer limits of his impoverishment reached “Once poverty reaches completion the man has reached Allah” and lover’s neediness terminates forever since “An object going beyond its limits reverses to the opposite”. Allah Almighty within anything and upon anything has no needs:
 
Nonbeing you become, if coupled with the Unique One
Everything you become, if nonbeing you are
 
Within the rank “needs all things and nothing needs him” the impoverished lover needs all (and that is so) because he finds the object of desire behind the veil of ordinary objects. But the lover within the solitude of Being & Nonbeing endured the existence & destruction, finds himself in no need of his Self nor any sustainer (Jonaid) and has no heart begging for sustenance from any sustainer (Ali Jorairy). Within this state the pauper (lover) endures the duress of Nonbeing risen above the Being of his Self whereat glances upon the beauty of the Beloved beholds the darkling image of annihilated Self, wearing the Hijab (veil) of darkness upon his face, neither finds light within the hearth of his Being nor the manifest of a luminous face within the hearth of Nonbeing, inescapably forsaken within the darkness:
 
In our religion the ultimate knowledge is this:
That he wears the darkened cloak of poverty   (he is the lover)
 
True believer is the one who wears the gown of Faqr (Poverty & Neediness).
 
Know that the affluent is often dwelling upon the outer-limits of Qorb (Divine Closeness) afar (from Beloved) and the mendicant Dervish dwelling upon the outer-limits of distance near (to Beloved).
 
If an affluent and a mendicant Dervish both brave the universe of ‘Ishq (love), the affluent is carrying a lantern and Dervish a half-lit torch. Any breeze from the universe of love extinguishes the affluent’s lantern but flares up the Dervish’s torch:
 
For the poor, their shattered hearts
For them, the affluent, their graves
 
Broken hearts won the ball in this Polo field.
 
End.
 
 
 
[1] ‘Ishq is an unrestrained love that can go wild. In this love relation the beloved could be a human being or money or an idol. When this ‘Ishq’s object of desire is the Creator, then it is called Hob (love) and there is only One Nonesuch Beloved. In ‘Ishq the lover is reduced to mendicancy and its beloved apotheosized.
 
[2] The lover of ‘Ishq (love) finds love in women, men, money, power and etc. He may even worship affectionately a porcelain doll or a mango!? This love gravitates him towards a constant truth: Beyond all these objects of desire there is One Nonesuch Being his true Beloved. Upon the perception of this truth he becomes a Moheb a Divine Lover.
 
[3] Neediness is our innate characteristic. We yearn, long, miss, mourn, love… We often know not why and can little explain this force within us except by its effervescence within our behavior with people. Sufis learnt from Prophet Mohammad Peace Be Upon Him how to disrobe from Being into the brink of Nonbeing.
 
 
 
Background: Young children chase the vehicle used by the HIV/AIDS home-care team from Chikenkata Hospital in Zambia. Chikenkata was one of the first hospitals to bring AIDS care out of the hospitals and into the homes of Africans. (Sept 97)
 
 


© 2004-2002,  Dara O. Shayda