(Masnavi Book 1: 07) Another Jewish King who persecuted the Christians

The story of another Jewish king who endeavoured to destroy the religion of Jesus.
740. Another king, of the progeny of that Jew, addressed himself to the destruction of the people of Jesus.
If you desire information about this second outbreak, read the chapter of the Qur’án (beginning): By Heaven which hath the (zodiacal) signs.
This second king set foot in the evil way that was originated by the former king.
Whosoever establishes an evil way (practice), towards him goes malediction every hour.
The righteous departed and their ways remained, and from the vile there remained (nothing but) injustice and execrations.

745. Until the Resurrection, the face of every congener of those wicked men who comes into existence is turned towards that one (who belongs to his own kind).
Vein by vein is this sweet water and bitter water, flowing in (God's) creatures until the blast of the trumpet (at the Resurrection).
To the righteous is the inheritance of the sweet water. What is that inheritance? We have caused (those of Our servants whom We have chosen) to inherit the Book.
If you will consider, the supplications of the seekers (of God) are rays (proceeding) from the substance of prophethood.
The rays are circling with the substances (whence they spring): the ray goes (ultimately) in the direction where that (substance) is.

750. The window-gleam runs round the house, because the sun goes from sign to sign of the zodiac.
Any one who has affinity with a star (planet) has a concurrence (of qualities) with his star.
If his ascendant star be Venus, his whole inclination and love and desire is for joy;
And if he be one born under Mars, one whose nature is to shed blood, he seeks war and malignity and enmity.
Beyond the (material) stars are stars in which is no conflagration or sinister aspect,

755. (Stars) moving in other heavens, not these seven heavens known to all,
(Stars) immanent in the radiance of the light of God, neither joined to each other nor separate from each other.
When any one's ascendant (fortune) is (from) those stars, his soul burns the infidels in driving (them) off.
His anger is not (like) the anger of the man born under Mars —perverse, and of such nature that it is (now) dominant and (now) dominated.
The dominant light (of the saints) is secure from defect and dimness between the two fingers of the Light of God.

760. God hath scattered that light over (all) spirits, (but only) the fortunate have held up their skirts (to receive it);
And he (that is fortunate), having gained that strown largesse of light, has turned his face away from all except God.
Whosoever has lacked (such) a skirt of love is left without share in that strown largesse of light.
The faces of particulars are set towards the universal: nightingales play the game of love with the rose.
The ox has his colour outside, but in the case of a man seek the red and yellow hues within.

765. The good colours are from the vat of purity; the colour of the wicked is from the black water of iniquity.
The baptism of God is the name of that subtle colour; the curse of God is the smell of that gross colour.
That which is of the sea is going to the sea: it is going to the same place whence it came—
From the mountain-top the swift-rushing torrents, and from our body the soul whose motion is mingled with love.
How the Jewish king made a fire and placed an idol beside it, saying, “Whoever bows
down to this idol shall escape the fire.”
Now see what a plan this currish Jew contrived! He set up an idol beside the fire,

770. Saying, “He that bows down to this idol is saved, and if he bow not, he shall sit in the heart of the fire.”
Inasmuch as he did not give due punishment to this idol of self, from the idol of his self the other idol was born.
The idol of your self is the mother of (all) idols, because that (material) idol is (only) a snake, while this (spiritual) idol is a dragon.
The self is (as) iron and stone (whence fire is produced), while the (material) idol is (as) the sparks: those sparks are quieted (quenched) by water.
(But) how should the stone and iron be allayed by water? How should a man, having these twain, be secure?

775. The idol is the black water in a jug; the self is a fountain for the black water.
That sculptured idol is like the black torrent; the idol-making self is a fountain full of water for it.
A single piece of stone will break a hundred pitchers, but the fountain is jetting forth water incessantly.
’Tis easy to break an idol, very easy; to regard the self as easy (to subdue) is folly, folly.
O son, if you seek (to know) the form of the self, read the story of Hell with its seven gates.

780. Every moment (there proceeds from the self) an act of deceit, and in every one of those deceits a hundred Pharaohs are
drowned together with their followers.
Flee to the God of Moses and to Moses, do not from Pharaoh's quality (rebellious insolence) spill the water of the Faith.
Lay your hand on (cleave to) the One (God) and Ahmad (Mohammed)! O brother, escape from the Bú Jahl of the body!
How a child began to speak amidst the fire and urged the people to throw themselves into
the fire.
That Jew brought to that idol a woman with her child, and the fire was blazing.
He took the child from her and cast it into the fire: the woman was affrighted and withdrew her heart from (abandoned) her faith.

785. She was about to bow down before the idol (when) the child cried, “Verily, I am not dead.
Come in, O mother: I am happy here, although in appearance I am amidst the fire.
The fire is a spell that binds the eye for the sake of screening (the truth); this is (in reality) a Divine mercy which has raised its head from the collar (has been manifested from the Unseen).
Come in, mother, and see the evidence of God, that thou mayst behold the delight of God's elect.
Come in, and see water that has the semblance of fire; (come away) from a world which is (really) fire and (only) has the semblance of water.

790. Come in, and see the mysteries of Abraham, who in the fire found cypress and jessamine.
I was seeing death at the time of birth from thee: sore was my dread of falling from thee;
(But) when I was born, I escaped from the narrow prison (of the womb) into a world of pleasant air and beautiful colour.
Now I deem the (earthly) world to be like the womb, since in this fire I have seen such rest:
In this fire I have seen a world wherein every atom possesses the (life-giving) breath of Jesus.

795. Lo, (it is) a world apparently non-existent (but) essentially existent, while that (other) world is apparently existent (but) has no permanence.
Come in, mother, (I beseech thee) by the right of motherhood: see this fire, how it hath no fieriness.
Come in, mother, for felicity is come; come in, mother, do not let fortune slip from thy hand.
Thou hast seen the power of that (Jewish) cur: come in, that thou mayst see the power of God's grace.
’Tis (only) out of pity that I am drawing thy feet (hither), for indeed such is my rapture that I have no care for thee.

800. Come in and call the others also, for the King has spread a (festal) table within the fire.
O true believers, come in, all of you: except this sweetness (‘adhbí) all is torment (‘adháb).
Oh, come in, all of you, like moths; (come) into this fortune which hath a hundred springtimes.”
(Thus) he was crying amidst that multitude: the souls of the people were filled with awe.
After that, the folk, men and women (alike), cast themselves unwittingly into the fire—

805. Without custodian, without being dragged, for love of the Friend, because from Him is the sweetening of every bitterness—
Until it came to pass that the (king's) myrmidons were holding back the people, saying, “Do not enter the fire!”
The Jew became black-faced (covered with shame) and dismayed; he became sorry and sick at heart,
Because the people grew more loving (ardent) in their Faith and more firm in mortification (faná) of the body.
Thanks (be to God), the Devil's plot caught him in its toils; thanks (be to God), the Devil saw himself disgraced.

810. That which he was rubbing (the shame he was inflicting) on the faces of those persons (the Christians) was all accumulated on the visage of that vile wretch.
He who was busy rending the garment (honour and integrity) of the people—his own (garment) was rent, (while) they were unhurt.