Ayaz and the King’s Pearl

Listen now to the story of the taste of command and its flavor, expressed in its spiritual meaning.

The king gave a jewel among the court and assembly to the minister, asking how much it was worth, and the minister exaggerated its value. The king ordered him to break it, but the minister said, "How can I break it?"

One day, the king went to the court and found all the pillars there.

He took out a shining jewel and quickly placed it in the minister's hand.

He asked, "How is it, and what is its worth?" The minister replied, "It is worth more than a hundred loads of gold."

The king said, "Break it." The minister replied, "How can I break it? I am the well-wisher of your treasury and wealth."

"How can I allow such a jewel, which is priceless, to be wasted?"

The king praised him and gave him a robe of honor, taking the jewel back from him.

The generous king bestowed upon the minister every garment and robe he had worn.

He engaged them in conversation for a while about a new matter and an ancient secret.

After that, he handed it to the chamberlain, asking what it was worth to a seeker.

The chamberlain said, "It is worth half the kingdom. May God protect it from destruction."

The king said, "Break it." The chamberlain replied, "O sun-sword, it is a pity to break it."

"Leave its value between its brilliance and shine, for this light has become its follower."

"How can my hand move to break it, as I would be an enemy to the king's treasury?"

The king gave him a robe of honor and increased his salary, then praised his wisdom.

After an hour, he gave it to the commander, who returned it for examination.

He said the same, and all the commanders said the same. Each received a precious robe of honor.

Although imitation is the pillar of the world, every imitator is disgraced by examination.

The jewel finally reached Ayaz, and Ayaz's wisdom and non-imitation of them, and his lack of pride in the king's gifts and robes, and the king's praise of the wise for their cunning and examination, for it is not permissible to consider an imitator a Muslim. A Muslim may be rare, but an imitator rarely emerges safely from such examinations, for they lack the stability of the insightful, except for those whom God protects, for the truth is one, and its many misleading opposites and semblances of truth. The imitator, not recognizing the opposite, does not recognize the truth, but if the truth guards him with grace, his lack of recognition does not harm him.

"O Ayaz, now tell me, how much is this jewel worth with its brilliance and skill?"

He said, "More than I can say." The king said, "Now quickly break it."

He had stones in his sleeve and quickly broke it before him, which was the right thing to do.

Or perhaps he had seen this in a clear dream, having placed two stones in his pocket.

Like Joseph, who in the depths of the well, had his end revealed by divine inspiration.

Whoever receives the message of victory and triumph, for him, desire and lack of desire become one.

Whoever is assured of union with the beloved, why should he fear defeat and battle?

When he is certain he will checkmate, the loss of horse and elephant is trivial to him.

If his horse is taken, whoever seeks the horse, let him go, for it is in his path.

What kinship does a man have with a horse? His love for the horse is for precedence.

Do not struggle so much for appearances; without the noise of form, grasp the meaning.

The ascetic worries about the end of the matter, wondering what his state will be on the day of reckoning.

The gnostics, wise from the beginning, are free from worry and the states of the end.

The gnostic has only fear and hope; his knowledge of the past consumes both.

Seeing that he sowed beans, he knows what the harvest will be.

The gnostic is free from fear and anxiety; the sword of truth has split the "hey" and "hoo."

His fear and hope are from God; fear vanishes, and hope becomes manifest.

When he broke the special jewel at that moment, a hundred cries and laments arose from the commanders.

"What recklessness is this? By God, he is a disbeliever who breaks this luminous jewel."

And all those people, out of ignorance and blindness, were broken in the king's command.

The precious jewel, the result of love and affection, why was it hidden from such a mind?

The commanders rebuked Ayaz for breaking it, and Ayaz replied to them.

Ayaz said, "O renowned leaders, is the king's command better in value or the jewel?"

"Is the king's command more valuable to you, or this beautiful jewel for God's sake?"

"Your gaze is on the jewel, not the king. Your qibla is a ghoul, and the road is not the path."

"I do not turn my gaze from the king; I am not like a polytheist who turns to stone."

"A soul without a jewel that chooses a colored stone, then the king sets me aside."

"Turn your back on the doll with the color of a rose; let reason be dazzled by the color-bringer."

"Enter the stream, strike the jug on the stone; set fire to the scent and color."

"If you are not among the highwaymen on the path of religion, do not worship color and scent like women."

The leaders bowed their heads, seeking excuses from that forgetfulness with their souls.

From the heart of each, two hundred sighs at that moment rose like smoke to the sky.

The king signaled to the old executioner, "Remove these wretches from my presence."

"What are these wretches worthy of my presence, who break our command for the sake of a colored stone?"

"Our command, in the eyes of such corrupt people, has become despised and worthless for a colored stone."

The king intended to kill the commanders, and Ayaz interceded before the king's throne, saying, "O king of the world, forgiveness is more appropriate."

Then Ayaz, the increaser of affection, leaped forward and ran to the throne of the great king.

He prostrated and took his own throat, saying, "O Qobad, from whom the heavens are amazed."

"O phoenix, from whom the phoenixes of prosperity derive, and the generosity of every generous one."

"O generous one, whose generosity makes the world's generosity vanish in hidden sacrifice."

"O subtle one, whose red rose, out of shame, tears its garment."

"From your forgiveness, the foxes are bold over the lion; who has a document other than your forgiveness?"

"The negligence and audacity of these criminals are from the abundance of your forgiveness, O forgiver."

"Negligence always arises from audacity, for reverence is removed from the eye by disease."

"Negligence and forgetfulness are ill-taught; they are burned by the fire of reverence."

"His awe gives wakefulness and insight; negligence and forgetfulness flee from his heart."

"At the time of plunder, sleep does not come to people until someone steals their cloak."

"When sleep flees from the fear of the cloak, how can the sleep of forgetfulness exist with the fear of the throat?"

"Who neglected reverence so that forgetfulness was born, or error and mistake?"

"Like the drunkard who commits crimes, he says, 'I was excused from myself.'"

"He is told, 'But what was the cause, O wicked one, that you lost that choice?'"

"Selflessness did not come; you called it thirst. Your choice did not become thirst-driven."

"If drunkenness came without your effort, the cupbearer of the soul would have preserved your covenant."

"He would have supported you and been your excuse. I am the servant of the slip of the divine drunkard."

"The forgiveness of all the world is a speck, a reflection of your forgiveness, O you from whom every benefit comes."

"Forgiveness speaks the praise of your forgiveness; it is not enough, O people, beware."

"Grant them life and do not drive them away from yourself; they are your sweet taste, O fortunate ones."

"Have mercy on him who saw your face; how will he endure the bitterness of your separation?"

"You speak of separation and distance; do whatever you wish, but do not do this."

"A hundred thousand bitter deaths are not like the separation from your face."

"Keep the bitterness of separation from males and females away, O refuge of the criminals."

"To die in hope of union with you is sweet; the bitterness of your separation is above fire."

"The fire-worshiper says in the midst of that hell, 'What grief would I have if you had looked at me?'"

"That gaze sweetens the pains; it is the blood price of the sorcerers' hands and feet."

The interpretation of the sorcerers' words to Pharaoh at the time of punishment, saying, "No harm, we are returning to our Lord."

The heavens heard the cry of "No harm," as if the sky became the target of that scepter.

"The blow of Pharaoh is no harm to us; the grace of God prevails over the wrath of others."

"If you knew our secret, O misleader, you would free us from suffering, O blind-hearted."

"Come, see from this side, this organ is playing, 'Oh, if only my people knew.'"

"God gave us the justice of Pharaoh, not like your Pharaoh-ness and perishable kingdom."

"Raise your head and see the living and glorious kingdom, O you who are deceived by Egypt and the Nile."

"If you abandon this filthy garment, you will drown the Nile in the Nile of the soul."

"Stop your hand from Egypt, O Pharaoh; within Egypt, there is the soul of a hundred Egypts."

"You say 'I am the Lord' to the common people, unaware of the essence of these two names."

"When is the Lord trembling before the lorded? When is the ignorant bound by body and soul?"

"Behold, we are the 'I,' free from 'I,' from the 'I' full of calamity and trouble."

"That 'I' was ominous for you, O dog, but for us, it was a destined fortune."

"If it weren't for this vengeful 'I,' how would such good fortune have come to us?"

"Thank God we are escaping from the perishable abode; we give you advice on this gallows."

"The gallows of our execution is the steed of departure; the gallows of your kingdom is deception and heedlessness."

"This hidden life in the form of death, and that hidden death in the shell of life."

"Light appears as fire, and fire as light; otherwise, how would the world be the abode of deception?"

"Do not hasten; first, become nothing, then rise from the east of light like the sunset."

"From the eternal 'I,' the heart became dazed; this cold 'I' became a disgrace."

"From the 'I' without 'I,' the soul became happy; his world became the world of 'I.'"

"Now that he is free from 'I,' he has become 'I.' Blessings upon the 'I' without trouble."

"He is fleeing, and 'I' is before him, running as he sees him without a companion."

"You are his seeker, not your seeker; when you die, your seeker becomes your goal."

"Are you alive, that you may be washed away by death? Are you a seeker, that your goal seeks you?"

"In this discussion, if you were a keen pathfinder, Fakhr al-Razi would be the secret-knower of religion."

"But since 'he who has not tasted does not know,' his intellect and imaginations increased his bewilderment."

"How can this 'I' be revealed through thought? That 'I' is revealed after annihilation."

"These intellects fall into need, in the cave of how, where is incarnation and union?"

"O Ayaz, who has become annihilated from proximity, like a star in the sun's rays."

"Rather, like a drop transformed into a body, not bewildered by incarnation and union."

"Forgive, O forgiveness in your chest, the previous grace is all preceded by you."

"Who am I to be with you, O you who have taken all the 'minhas' by your hem?"

Ayaz considers himself guilty in this intercession and seeks forgiveness for this crime, and in that apology, he considers himself guilty, and this humility arises from the recognition and greatness of the king, for "I am the most knowledgeable of you about God and the most fearful of God," and God Almighty said, "Only those of His servants who have knowledge fear God."

"Who am I to bring mercy to the soiled dream, to guide the dream adorned with knowledge?"

"I am cheap for a hundred thousand slaps if I am turned into the weak of slaps."

"What should I say before you, should I announce your knowledge, or remind you of the condition of generosity?"

"What is unknown to you, what is that, and what is not remembered by you, where is it in the world?"

"O you who are pure from ignorance, and your knowledge is pure from that which forgetfulness hides."

"Have you ever considered anyone as someone, like the sun, you have raised him with light?"

"When you made me someone, if I plead, listen to my plea out of generosity."

"Since you have taken me out of my image, that intercession is also done by you for yourself."

"Since this abode is empty of my face, wet and dry, the house is not mine."

"You made the prayer flow from me like water, grant its plant and make it accepted."

"You were the first to bring the prayer, be the last hope for its acceptance."

"So that I may boast that the king of the world forgave the criminals for the sake of a servant."

"I was pain, entirely self-conceited; my king made me the remedy for every sufferer."

"I was hellish, full of turmoil and evil; his hand of grace made me a Kawthar."

"Whoever was burned by hell in the fire, I will make him grow again from the body."

"What is the work of Kawthar, that every burned one becomes fresh and stored from it?"

"Every drop is a herald of generosity, saying, 'What hell burned, I will restore.'"

"Hell is like the cold of autumn; Kawthar is like spring, O orchard."

"Hell is like death and the grave; Kawthar is like the trumpet of resurrection."

"O you whose bodies are burned by hell, your honor draws you to the Kawthar."

"When you created the creation, who profits from me? Your grace commanded, O living, self-sustaining."

"The mute profit from your generosity, which makes all the incomplete ones whole."

"Forgive these body-worshipping servants; forgiveness from the sea of forgiveness is more appropriate."

"The forgiveness of creatures is like a stream and a flood; they rush to their own sea."

"Every night, forgiveness from these heart-pieces, like pigeons, comes to you, O king."

"You release them flying at dawn, to be imprisoned in these bodies until night."

"Flying again at evening time, they fly from the love of that porch and roof."

"So that they may break the bond of your union, they come to you, for they are accepted by you."

"Flying, safe from the return of downfall, in the air, for 'to Him we shall return.'"

"A call comes from that generosity, 'Come,' after that return, there is no greed and sorrow."

"You have endured many strangenesses from the world; know your worth, O nobles."

"Under the shade of this tree, I am intoxicated with grace; come, stretch your legs."

"Legs full of trouble from the path of religion, on the edge, and the hands of the eternal maidens."

"The maidens have become affectionate, for these Sufis have returned from the journey."

"The Sufis, pure as the light of the sun, have been lying on the ground and dirt for a while."

"Without effect, pure from dirt, they have returned, like the light of the sun to the high disk."

"This group of criminals, O glorious one, all their heads have reached a wall."

"They have become aware of their error and crime, though they were checkmated by the king's dice."

"They have turned to you now, sighing, O you whose grace opens the way for criminals."

"Grant passage to the polluted ones, hurry, in the Euphrates of forgiveness and the eye of washing."

"So that they may wash from that long crime, and enter the ranks of the pure in prayer."

"In those ranks, beyond measure, the drowned in light, 'We are the pure ones.'"

"When the speech reached the description of this state, both the pen broke and the paper tore."

"Has any ship ever crossed the sea? Has any lamb ever carried the lion?"

"If you have a veil, come out of the veil, so that you may see a wondrous kingdom."

"Though they broke your protection, O intoxicated people, he who is intoxicated by you has an excuse."

"Their intoxication was from fortune and wealth, not from your wine, O sweet actor."

"O king, intoxication is from your special selection; forgive your intoxicated ones, O forgiver."

"Since you have intoxicated me, do not punish me; the law does not see punishment for the intoxicated."

"When I become sober, then punish me, for I will never become sober myself."

"Whoever drinks from your cup, O benefactor, is forever free from consciousness and punishment."

"Eternally in the annihilation of their intoxication, whoever annihilates in your love does not rise."

"Your grace tells our hearts to go, O you who are pledged in the yogurt of our love."

"Like a fly in our yogurt, you are not intoxicated, O fly, you are the wine."

"The vultures become intoxicated by you, O fly, when you drive your horse on the sea of honey."

"The mountains, like particles, are intoxicated by you; the point, compass, and line are in your hand."

"The sedition that makes them tremble is yours; every precious jewel is cheap to you."

"If God gave me five hundred mouths, I would explain you, O soul and world."

"I have one mouth, and that too is broken, in shame before you, O knower of the secret."

"I am more broken than non-existence, from whose mouth these nations have come."

"A hundred thousand hidden effects are waiting to emerge from non-existence with grace and goodness."

"From your demand, my head turns, O you who have taken me to that grace."