Why the Prophet Did Not Veil Hypocrisy
From Rumi’s Masnavi (مثنوی معنوی), Book 2, section 77 of 113: How one of the Companions thought (to himself) disapprovingly, “Why does not the Prophet God bless and save him! throw a veil (over their hypocrisy)?” (اندیشیدن یکی از صحابه به انکار که رسول (ص) چرا ستاری نمیکند). Below, each of its 46 couplets is given in Persian, followed by R. A. Nicholson’s English translation.
How one of the Companions may God be well-pleased with them! thought (to himself) disapprovingly, “Why does not the Prophet God bless and save him! throw a veil (over their hypocrisy)?” اندیشیدن یکی از صحابه به انکار که رسول (ص) چرا ستاری نمیکند
تا یکی یاری ز یاران رسول
در دلش انکار آمد ز آن نکول
(Their request was ignominiously refused), so that one of the Prophet’s Companions conceived in his heart dislike of that recoilment,
که چنین پیران با شیب و وقار
میکندشان این پیمبر شرمسار
Thinking, “Grey-haired and venerable old men like these this Prophet is putting them to shame.
کو کرم کو ستر پوشی کو حیا
صد هزاران عیب پوشند انبیا
Where is generosity? Where cloaking (of sins)? Where modesty (respect for the feelings of others)? The prophets cover up hundreds of thousands of faults.”
باز در دل زود استغفار کرد
تا نگردد ز اعتراض او روی زرد
Quickly, again, in his heart he asked pardon of God, lest he should be disgraced for objecting (to the Prophet’s behaviour).
شومی یاری اصحاب نفاق
کرد مومن را چو ایشان زشت و عاق
The turpitude of befriending the Hypocrites made the true believer wicked and rebellious like them.
باز میزارید کای علام سر
مر مرا مگذار بر کفران مصر
Again he was crying in supplication, “O Thou who knowest the inmost consciousness, do not leave me persisting in unbelief!
دل به دستم نیست همچون دید چشم
ور نه دل را سوزمی این دم به خشم
My heart is not in my control, as (my) eyesight (is); else I would at this moment burn my heart in anger.”
اندر این اندیشه خوابش در ربود
مسجد ایشانش پر سرگین نمود
(Whilst he was) in this thought, slumber seized him. To him (dreaming), their mosque seemed full of dung:
سنگهاش اندر حدث جای تباه
میدمید از سنگها دود سیاه
A corrupted place, its stones (steeped) in filth: from the stones floated up black smoke.
دود در حلقش شد و حلقش بخست
از نهیب دود تلخ از خواب جست
The smoke went into his throat and made it smart: terrified by the bitter smoke, he sprang from sleep.
در زمان در رو فتاد و میگریست
کای خدا اینها نشان منکری است
Forthwith he fell on his face and wept, saying, “O God, these things are the sign of (their) disbelief.
خلم بهتر از چنین حلم ای خدا
که کند از نور ایمانم جدا
Wrath (against them) is better, O God, than such forbearance (as mine), which separates me from the light of Faith.”
گر بکاوی کوشش اهل مجاز
تو به تو گنده بود همچون پیاز
If you scrutinise the labour of them that follow falsehood, (you will se that) it is stinking, coat upon coat, like an onion.
هر یکی از یکدیگر بیمغزتر
صادقان را یک ز دیگر نغزتر
Every one (of their efforts) more pithless than another, (while), in the case of the sincere, (every effort) is more excellent than the other.
صد کمر آن قوم بسته بر قبا
بهر هدم مسجد اهل قبا
Those folk (the Hypocrites) tied a hundred belts on their mantles in order to destroy the Mosque of the people of Qubá.
همچو آن اصحاب فیل اندر حبش
کعبهای کردند حق آتش زدش
Even as the Lords of the Elephant (who abode) in Abyssinia made a Ka‘ba, (but) God set it afire;
قصد کعبه ساختند از انتقام
حالشان چون شد فرو خوان از کلام
(And then) they (the Abyssinians) made an attempt on the Ka‘ba in revenge: read from the Word (of God) how they fared!
مر سیه رویان دین را خود جهیز
نیست الا حیلت و مکر و ستیز
The reprobates of the Religion have indeed no equipment but cunning and deceit and contentiousness.
هر صحابی دید ز آن مسجد عیان
واقعه تا شد یقینشان سر آن
Every Companion saw plainly (in sleep) some vision of that Mosque, so that the secret (purpose) of it became to them certain knowledge.
واقعات ار باز گویم یک به یک
پس یقین گردد صفا بر اهل شک
If I should relate the visions, one by one, then the purity (of the Companions) would become certain to them that doubt;
لیک میترسم ز کشف رازشان
نازنینانند و زیبد نازشان
But I am afraid of revealing their mystery: they are the disdainful loved ones (of God), and disdain beseems them.
شرع بیتقلید میپذرفتهاند
بیمحک آن نقد را بگرفتهاند
They have received the (religious) Law (directly from God) without mechanical imitation (of others): they have taken that (unadulterated) coin without (applying) the touchstone.
حکمت قرآن چو ضالهی مومن است
هر کسی در ضالهی خود موقن است
The Wisdom of the Qur’án is like the true believer’s stray camel: every one has certain (intuitive) knowledge of his own stray.
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