why prophets were given hardship

this whole universe is the Beloved

 

Soul guides and prophets

have an innate innocence, but they are

subject to the same consequences as everyone.

If a donkey veers off-course, he will be hit with a stick.

If you do wrong, you will be punished. Abu Bakr said

that steadiness is the central virtue. From the

mind’s stability comes right action

which in turn balances the

intelligence.

 

They asked me why

prophets were given hardship.

I said it helps to have clear indications.

And I added silently to myself, Be more

humble like someone help captive.

Bow to the one who

can free you.

 

Bahauddin, father of Rumi

the drowned book

 

carry your heart like a sun

a noble heart

 

You

could become a

great horseman and help

to free yourself and this world though

only if you and prayer become sweet lovers.

It is a naive man who thinks we are not engaged in a

fierce battle, for I see and hear brave foot soldiers

all around me going mad, falling on the ground

in excruciating pain. You could become a

victorious horseman and carry your

heart through this world like a

life-giving sun though only

if you and God become

sweet lovers.

 

Hafiz

the gift

 

sing in the dark and try to forgive


 

In the dark times
Will there also be singing?
Yes, there will be singing.
About the dark times.

Bertolt Brecht

 

There will be prayer, too,
but to a different god,

and dread will lurk
in the songs we sing.

Doom in the timpani
no matter what the tune,

the tune a variation
on the theme of doom.

We will sing in the dark
and try to forgive

and try not to dwell
on the lives we lived.

The music we play
will be a funeral song,

the poetry we speak,
that ancient tool

we used to believe
was the vital spark,

or if not the spark,
will be the match we strike

again and again
in the darkest dark.

 

Andrea Hollander