Story of the preacher who at the beginning of every exhortation used to pray for the unjust and hard-hearted and irreligious.
A certain
preacher, whenever he mounted
the pulpit, would begin to pray
for
the highway robbers (who plunder and maltreat the righteous).
He would lift
up his hand, (crying), “O Lord,
let mercy fall upon evil men and corrupters and insolent transgressors,
Upon all who
make a mock of the
good people, upon
all whose hearts
are unbelieving and those
who dwell in the Christian monastery.”
He would not pray
for the pure; he would
pray for none but the wicked.
85. They said to him,
“This is
unknown (extraordinary): it is no
generosity to pray for the people of unrighteousness.”
He replied, “I have
seen (experienced) goodness
from these folk: for this reason
I have
chosen
to pray
for them.
They wrought so much wickedness and injustice and oppression that they cast
(drove) me forth from evil into
good.
Whenever I turned my
face towards this world, I suffered blows and
beating from them,
And took
refuge from
the blows Yonder:
the wolves were
always bringing me back into the
(right) Way.
90. Inasmuch as they contrived the means of my (spiritual) welfare, it behoves me to pray for
them, O intelligent one.”
The servant (of God) complains to God of pain and smart: he makes a
hundred complaints of his pain.
God says, “After
all, grief and
pain
have made you humbly entreating
and
righteous.
Make this complaint
of
the bounty that
befalls you and removes
you far from
My door and makes you an
outcast.”
In reality every foe (of yours) is your
medicine: he is an elixir
and beneficial and
one that seeks
to
win your heart;
95. For you flee away from him
into solitude and
would fain implore help of God's grace.
Your friends are
really enemies, for they make
you far from
the (Divine)
Presence
and occupied (with
them).
There is an animal whose name
is ushghur (porcupine): it is
(made) stout and big by blows of the
stick.
The more you cudgel it, the more it
thrives: it grows
fat on blows of the stick.
Assuredly the
true believer's soul is a porcupine,
for it is (made)
stout and fat by the
blows of tribulation.
100. For this reason
the tribulation and
abasement (laid) upon the
prophets is
greater than
(that laid upon) all the
(other) creatures in the world,
So that their souls became stouter
than (all other) souls; for no other class of
people suffered that affliction.
The hide is afflicted by the medicine (tan-liquor),
(but) it becomes sweet like Tá’if leather; And if he (the
tanner) did not rub the bitter
and acrid (liquor)
into it, it would become
fetid,
unpleasant, and foul-smelling.
Know that Man is an untanned hide, made noisome and gross by humours.
105. Give (him) bitter
and acrid (discipline) and much rubbing
(tribulation), that he
may become pure and lovely and exceedingly strong;
But if you cannot (mortify yourself), be content, O cunning one, if God give you tribulation without
choice (on
your
part),
For affliction (sent) by the Friend is
(the means of) your
being purified: His knowledge is
above
your contrivance.
The affliction
becomes sweet (to the sufferer) when he sees happiness: the medicine becomes
sweet (to the sick
man) when he regards
health.
He sees victory for
himself in the very essence of checkmate; therefore he says,
“Kill me, O
trusty ones!”
110. This policeman became a (source of)
profit in respect of another,
but he became reprobate in respect
of himself.
The mercy appertaining to the
Faith was cut
off from him; the hate
inherent in the Devil enfolded
him.
He became a factory of
anger and hatred:
know that hate is the root
of error and infidelity.
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