Story of Halíma's asking help of the idols when she lost Mustafá (Mohammed)—on whom
be peace—after he was weaned, and how the idols trembled and
prostrated
themselves and bore witness to the grandeur of Mohammed's estate—may God bless and save him!
915. I will tell you the story of
Halíma's mystic experience,
that her tale may clear away
your trouble.
When she parted Mustafá
from (her) milk, she took him up on the
palm of her
hand as (tenderly
as though he
were) sweet basil and
roses,
Causing him to avoid
every good or evil (hap), that she might
commit that (spiritual) emperor to
(the care of) his grandsire.
Since she was
bringing the (precious) trust in fear
(for its safety), she
went to the Ka‘ba and came into the Hatím.
From the air
she heard a
cry—“O Hatím, an exceedingly mighty Sun has shone upon you.
920. O Hatím, to-day there will suddenly come
upon you a hundred
thousand beams from
the
Sun of munificence.
O Hatím, to-day
there will march into you with pomp a glorious King, whose harbinger is
Fortune.
O Hatím, to-day without
doubt you wilt become
anew the abode of
exalted spirits.
The spirits of the holy will come to you from
every quarter in troops
and multitudes, drunken
with desire.”
Halíma was bewildered by that voice: neither in
front nor
behind was any one (to be
seen).
925. (All) the six
directions
were empty of
(any visible) form, and
this cry was
continuous—
may the soul
be
a ransom for that
cry!
She laid Mustafá
on the earth, that she might search
after the sweet sound.
Then she cast her eye to and fro, saying, “Where is that king that
tells of mysteries?
For such a loud sound is arriving from left and
right. O Lord,
where is he that causes it to arrive?”
When she did not see (any one), she
became distraught and
despairing: her body
began to tremble like the willow-bough.
930. She came
back towards that righteous
child: she did not see
Mustafá in his (former)
place.
Bewilderment on bewilderment fell upon her heart:
from grief her
abode became very
dark.
She ran to the
dwellings
(hard by) and raised
an outcry, saying, “Who has
carried off my single
pearl?”
The Meccans said, “We have no knowledge:
we
knew not that a
child
was there.”
She shed so
many tears and
made (so) much lamentation that those others began
to weep because of
her (grief).
935. Beating her breast,
she wept so well (mightily)
that the stars were made to
weep by her weeping.
Story of the old Arab who directed Halíma to seek help from the idols.
An old
man with a
staff approached her, saying, “Why, what
has befallen
you, O Halíma,
That you didst let such a fire (of
grief) blaze (forth)
from your heart and
consume these bowels
(of the bystanders) with mourning?”
She replied, “I am
Ahmad's (Mohammed's) trusted
foster-mother, so I
brought him (back)
to hand him over to his grandsire.
When I arrived in the Hatím, voices were coming (down)
and
I was hearing (them)
from the air.
940. When I
heard from the air those melodious strains, because
of that sound
I laid down the infant
there,
To see whose voice is (the origin of) this cry, for it is a very beautiful
cry and very delightful. I saw no sign of any one around me:
the cry was not ceasing for
one moment.
When I returned
(to my senses)
from the bewilderments
of
my heart, I did not
see the child there (where I had left him): alas
for
my heart!”
He (the old man) said, “O
daughter, do not grieve, for I will show unto
you a queen,
945. Who, if she wish, will tell what has happened
to the child: she knows the dwelling-place of the child and
his setting-out (on the way).”
Then Halíma said,
“Oh, my soul be a
ransom for you, O
goodly and fair-spoken Shaykh!
Come, show me that queen
of clairvoyance who has knowledge of what
has happened to my child.”
He brought her to ‘Uzzá, saying, “This idol is
greatly prized for information
concerning
the
Unseen.
Through her we
have found thousands that
were lost, when we
hastened towards her in devotion.”
950. The old
man prostrated himself before
her (‘Uzzá)
and
said at once, “O Sovereign of
the
Arabs, O sea of munificence!”
(Then) he said, “O ‘Uzzá, you have done many favours (to
us), so that
we have been
delivered from snares.
On account of your favour the duty (of
worshipping
thee)
has
become obligatory
to
the Arabs, so
that the Arabs have submitted
to you.
In hope of you this
Halíma of (the
tribe) Sa‘d has come into the shadow of
your willow-bough, For
an infant child of hers is lost: the
name of that child
is Mohammed.”
955. When he said “Mohammed,” all those idols immediately fell headlong and
prostrate, Saying, “Begone,
O old man! What
is this search
after that Mohammed
by whom we
are deposed?
By him we are overthrown and reduced
to a collection of (broken) stones; by him we are made unsaleable and valueless.
Those phantoms which the followers of vain opinion used to see from us at times during
the
Fatra
Will disappear now that
his royal court
has arrived: the water is come
and has torn up (annulled)
the ablution with sand.
960. Get you far off, O old man!
Do not kindle mischief! Hark, do not burn us with (the
fire of) Ahmad's (Mohammed's) jealousy!
Get you far off,
for God's sake, O old man, lest you (too) be burnt
by the fire of Fore- ordainment.
What squeezing of the dragon's
tail is this? Dost you know at all what the announcement (of
Mohammed's advent) is (in its effects)?
At this news the
heart of sea
and mine will surge;
at this news the
seven heavens will tremble.”
When the old
man heard these
words from the
stones (idols),
the ancient old man let his staff
drop (from his hand);
965. Then, from tremor and
fear and dread
caused by that proclamation
(of the idols),
the old man was
striking his teeth together.
Even as a naked
man in winter, he was shuddering and saying, “O destruction!”
When she (Halíma) saw the old
man in such a state
(of terror), in
consequence of
that marvel the woman lost (the
power of) deliberation.
She said, “O old man,
though I am in affliction
(on account of the loss of
Mohammed), I am in manifold bewilderment (not knowing whether I should grieve
or rejoice).
At one moment the wind is making a speech to me, at another moment the stones are schooling me.
970. The wind
addresses me with articulate words,
the stones and mountains give me intelligence of (the real nature of) things.
Once (before) they of the Invisible carried off my child—they
of the Invisible, the green-winged
ones of Heaven.
Of whom shall I complain? To whom
shall I tell
this plaint? I am become
crazy and in a hundred minds.
His (God's)
jealousy has closed my lips (so that I am unable) to unfold (the tale of) the mystery: I say (only) this much, that my child is lost.
If I should say anything else now, the people would
bind me in chains
as though I were mad.”
975. The old
man said to her, “O Halíma,
rejoice; bow down in thanksgiving
and do not rend your face.
Do not grieve: he will not
become lost to thee;
nay, but the (whole)
world will become
lost in
him.
Before and behind (him)
there are always hundreds of
thousands of keepers and guardians
(watching over him) in
jealous emulation.
Didst not you see
how those idols
with all their arts fell headlong at the name
of your child?
This is a marvellous epoch on the face
of the earth: I have grown
old, and I have not seen aught
of
this kind.”
980. Since (even)
the stones (idols)
bewailed this (prophetic) mission, think
what (tribulation)
it will set over (bring down
upon) sinners!
The stone is guiltless in respect of being an object of worship, (but) you are not under compulsion in worshipping it.
That one that
was under compulsion has
become so afraid: consider (then)
what (terrible) things
will be fastened upon the guilty!
How ‘Abdu ’l-Muttalib, the grandfather of Mustafá (Mohammed), got news of Halíma's having lost Mohammed, on whom be peace, and searched for him round the city and made lamentation at the door of the Ka‘ba and besought God and found him
(Mohammed), on whom be peace.
When the
grandfather of Mustafá
got the news of Halíma
and her
outcry in public
And of such
loud screams and shrieks
that the echo
of them was reaching
to (the distance of) a
mile,
985. ‘Abdu ’l-Muttalib
at
once knew what
was the matter: he beat his hands
on his breast and wept.
In his grief he
came ardently to the door
of the Ka‘ba, saying, “O You
that knowest the secret of night and
the
mystery of day,
I see not any
accomplishment in myself, that one like me
should be Thy confidant. I see not
any merit in myself, that I should be accepted of this auspicious
door,
Or that my (bowed)
head and my prostration (in
prayer) should have
any worth, or that
because of my tears any fortune should smile (upon
me);
990. But in the countenance of that unique
Pearl (Mohammed) I have beheld the signs of Thy grace,
O Bounteous One;
For he doth not resemble us, though he is of us: we all are (as)
the copper, while
Ahmad
(Mohammed) is the Elixir.
The wondrous things that I have seen in him I have not
seen in friend or enemy.
None, (even)
with a
hundred years' endeavour, would (be
able to)
indicate that which
Thy bounty has bestowed on him in childhood.
Since I saw with (intuitive) certainty Thy favours towards him,
(I know that) he is a pearl
of Thy sea.
995. Him I bring (forward) to plead
with Thee: tell me his plight, O You
who knowest (every)
plight!”
From within the Ka‘ba came at once a cry, “Even now he will show
his face unto
you.
He is blessed by Us with
two hundred felicities, he is guarded
by Us with two
hundred troops of angels.
We make his outward
(appearance)
celebrated in the world; We make his inward (reality)
to
be
hidden from all.
The water and clay
was (like) gold of the mine: We are the goldsmith; for We carve
it now into an anklet, now into a seal.
1000. Now We make it the shoulder-belt
for a sword, now the chain on the neck of a lion.
Now We fashion from
it the ball (on
the
top) of a throne, now the diadem on the
heads (of them)
that seek empire.
We have great affections towards this earth, because
it lies in the posture of acquiescence. Now
We produce from it a
(spiritual) king like this; now We make it frenzied
(with love) in the
presence of the king:
On account of him hundreds of thousands of lovers and loved ones are in lamentation and outcry and search.
1005. This is Our work, to the confusion of that one who
has no spiritual inclination
towards
Our work.
We confer this eminence on
the
earth for the
same reason
that We place a portion
of
food before the destitute,
Because the earth
has the external form of dunness, while
inwardly it has the
qualities of luminosity.
Its outward (appearance) has
come to be at war
with its inward (reality): its inward is like a jewel and its outward like a (common) stone.
Its outward says, ‘We
are this, and no
more’; its inward says,
‘Look well before and
behind!’
1010. Its outward is denying (and says) that the inward is naught;
its inward says, ‘We will
show (thee the
truth): wait (and see)!’
Its outward and its inward
are in strife: necessarily
they are drawing (Divine) aid from this patient endurance.
We make the
forms (of existence) from this sour-faced earth: We make
manifest its hidden
laughter,
For (though) outwardly the earth
is (all) sorrow
and tears, within it there
are hundreds of thousands of laughters.
We are the Revealer of the mystery, and Our
work is just this,
that We bring
forth these hidden
things from concealment.
1015. Although the thief is mute in denial
(of his theft), the magistrate brings
it to light by torture.
These (diverse) earths
have stolen (Our)
favours, so that
through affliction We may bring them to confess.
Many is the wondrous child that it (the earth) has had, but Ahmad (Mohammed) has surpassed
them all.
Earth and
Heaven laugh and
rejoice, saying,
‘From us two
(who are) joined in wedlock such a
king is born!’
Heaven is bursting for joy
of
him; earth is
become like the lily on account of his purity.
1020. Since your outward and your inward, O fair earth,
are at war and (engaged) in struggling
(with each other)—
Whoso is at war with himself for God's sake, to the
end that his (inward)
reality may become
the opponent of (mere) scent
and colour,
(If) his darkness is in combat with his light, the sun of his spirit will never set.
Whoso shall strive in tribulation for
Our sake, Heaven will put its back under
(will support)
his feet.”
Your outward (form)
is wailing because
of the darkness; your
inward
(spirit) is (like) roses within roses.
1025. It (your outward
form) is purposely like Súfís (who are) sour-faced
(sad and mournful)
in order that they may not mix with every
one that quenches the (inner) light.
Like the
hedgehog, the sour-faced
knowers (of God)
have hidden their
(spiritual)
pleasures in rough prickles (of austerity).
The orchard
is hidden, (while)
around the
orchard those
thorns are plainly seen, saying, “O
thievish foe, keep far
from this
gate!”
O hedgehog, you have made the prickles
your guardian and, like a
Súfí, have buried
your
head in your bosom,
That none of these rose-cheeked thorn-natured ones may
encounter (become acquainted
with) a
farthing (the least part) of your pleasure.
1030. “Though your infant
(Mohammed) is childish, verily both the
worlds are his
parasites
(attendants).
We make a (whole) world living through
him; We make Heaven
a slave in his service.”
‘Abdu ’l-Muttalib said, “Where is he now? O You that knowest the secret (of all things), point out the right
way!”
How ‘Abdu ’l-Muttalib asked for a clue to the place where Mohammed was—peace be upon him!—saying, “Where shall
I find him?” and how he was answered from within the Ka‘ba and obtained the clue.
A voice
reached him from
within the Ka‘ba. It said, “O seeker, that righteous child
Is in such and such a wadi
beneath yonder tree.” Then the
good-fortuned old man at once set out.
1035. At his stirrup (were)
the princes of
Quraysh, for his (Mohammed's)grandfather was one of the
notables of Quraysh.
All his
(Mohammed's)
ancestors (reaching back)
to the loins of Adam (were)
lords in feast and
fray and the carnage
of battle.
This lineage is (applicable) only to his
husk (body), which is strained pure (in descent) from mighty emperors.
His kernel, in sooth, is remote from lineage, and unsoiled (by contamination with mankind): none is its
congener from the
Fish to Arcturus.
None seeks (to know) the birth and
(coming into) existence of the Light
of
God: what need of
warp and woof
has God's robe of honour?
1040. The meanest robe of honour that He bestows in recompense (for good works) excels
the embroidered raiment of the
sun.
The rest of the story of (the Divine) Mercy’s calling Bilqis.
“Arise, O Bilqis! Come and
behold the Kingdom!
Gather pearls on the shore of God’s
Sea!
Thy sisters are
dwelling in the glorious Heaven:
why do you behave like a sultan
on account of
(possessing)
a carcase?
Dost you know at all what noble gifts that Sultan (God) gave to your sisters?
How didst you jubilantly take
drummers (into your service), proclaiming,
‘I am quuen and
mistress of the bath-stove’?”
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