By Dr. Majid M. Naini (www.naini.net)

Note: This article was published by Iran Times.

Bename Hazrate Eshghبنام حضرت عشق                    

 

Asheghan eidetan mobarak bad,عاشقان عیدتان مبارک باد        

Eid bar asheghan mobarak bad.عید بر عاشقان مبارک باد        

Eid ar booye jone ma darad,عید ار بوی جان ما دارد              

Bar tou va bar jahan mobarak bad.  بر تو وبر جهان مبارک باد   

Spring's onset blesses our planet with a revival of beauty, bounty, and new life. As nature's rebirth begins, I hope our hearts and souls also bloom the new buds of love, compassion, and hope, which could bring about a much more peaceful, loving, and caring year for all of earth's inhabitants. Unfortunately, last year our world was plagued with wars and violence. Many people, including innocent children, women, and men have been killed or injured. Countless others suffer from insufficient food, shelter, and medicine. I pray to Hazrate Eshgh (the God of love) that this coming Noruz will be a healthy, happy, prosperous, harmonious, and peaceful year for every living creature on our beautiful planet, especially for my fellow Iranians and everyone who celebrates Noruz. I hope that a magical divine ray of love, wisdom, and humanity will shine through the hearts of all people and their leaders. I wish this would miraculously warm their hearts and enlighten their souls to make a genuine effort for eternal peace on Earth.

On this wonderful and ancient occasion, I intend to highlight a few of Molana's teachings and insights, particularly for the younger generation who may not know him as well. I hope that all of us remember these teachings in order to make the above wishes come to fruition. Molana has been the best selling poet for over a decade in the U.S. and other countries. UNESCO dedicated 2007 as the "Year of Rumi". Molana, through his higher senses in his times of jubilation and ecstasy, experienced the most astonishing visions about the realities and mysteries of our universe and our life journey. About 750 years ago Molana described such phenomena as force of gravity, nuclear explosion, spinning Earth and galaxies, matter and antimatter, our five higher senses, music's origin, and countless other scientific wonders that centuries later scientists "discovered". Above all, Molana's poetry emphasizes eternal love and the human journey and endeavor in the present life and beyond.

1. Molana declares that love is the reason for the creation of the universe. Love makes mountains dance and the whole universe sing a heavenly song of divine unity. Love surpasses all the boundaries of race, nationality, gender, religion, civilization, and culture. As love is universal, so is truth.

The holy Prophet said that God has stated,

My intention for the creation has been love (mercy).

I didn't create to profit,

But to be generous to the creatures.

For love God created the universe,

Every particle benefited from God's Sun of mercy.

If it was not for the pure love,

When would I (God) have given existence to the universe.

I erected the grand universe,

So you could comprehend the grandeur of  love.

The spinning of galaxies is a wave of love,

     Were it not for love, the world would perish.

2. Love is the miraculous force that quickens the flow of the energy of our souls and allows us to soar to the highest state of ecstasy in our majestic journey of life. Through love, all the ills of humanity can be cured.

I was dead,
I became alive.
I was tears,
I became laughter.
The majesty of love came,
And I became an everlasting majesty myself.

Even if  the devil XE "devil"  falls in love, he will win,
He will become like Gabriel and his evilness will die.

Be happy, oh our well desired love, 

The healer of all our ills.

Oh, the medicine for our pride and arrogance,

Oh (love), you are our Plato and Galen.

Through love, the earthly body soared to the skies,
Mountains began to dance and became agile.

From love, bitter becomes sweet,

From love, thorns become flowers,

From love, vinegar becomes wine,

From love, fire becomes light,

From love, devil XE "devil"  becomes angel XE "angel" ,

From love, sorrow becomes joy,

From love, sickness becomes health,

From love, fury becomes mercy,

From love, dead becomes alive,

From love, king becomes servant.

     My religion is to be alive from Love,

     Being only physically alive, is a disgrace.

3. There is no death. Life is an everlasting journey through time and space within this universe and then beyond in timelessness. For the time being, we are stationed on the beautiful Earth, in the Solar System of the Milky Way Galaxy, in the Local Group Cluster, in the infinite Universe.

I died from solid and became plant,

From plant I was transformed to animal. 

From animal I died and became a human,

Then why should I be afraid of death XE "death" ?

I never became less from death XE "death" .

Next I die from human,

and soar to become an angel XE "angel" .

I soar again from an angel XE "angel" ,

and become something that you cannot even imagine.

4. Whatever we do on Earth is recorded for eternity. This current life is like a dream and when our bodies die; it is then that we feel awake. It is this awakening which will reveal the consequences of our "earthly" deeds.

Similarly, this world which is the sleeper's dream XE "dream" ,

The sleeper thinks that this is permanent.

Until suddenly the dawn of death XE "death"  arises,

And he is freed from the darkness of suspicion and deception.

He will laugh at his sorrows,

When he sees his eternal place and home.

Whatever you did in this sleep in the world,

Will appear to you at the time of awakening.

So you should not think,

that this evil act is permissible in this dream XE "dream"  (world),

And has no consequence.

The blood (shed by you) will not sleep,

after your death XE "death"  in (the law of) retaliation,

Do not say that I will die and I will be freed.

This present retaliation (in the present world)

is a (temporary) deception,

In comparison with the wound of that (future) retaliation,

this is a play.

Whoever plants the seeds of the shrubs,

     Do not expect to find him/her in a rose garden.

5. Clean the mirror of your heart and soul so you can access your five higher senses.

There are five other (spiritual) senses XE "senses"   

besides our five (bodily) senses XE "senses" .

Those (spiritual senses XE "senses" ) are like red (pure) gold;

these (bodily) senses XE "senses"  are like copper.

The medicine of patience will burn the veil XE "veil, veils"  over your eyes,

It will also open your heart.

When the mirror XE "mirror"  of the heart becomes clear and pure,

You will see images beyond the water and soil (the Earth).

You will see not only the image,

but the image-maker,

Not only the carpet,

but the carpet layer.

6. Love, tolerance, and patience are the magical alchemy that accelerates the process of our spiritual growth. This could transform our violent and unkind world into a peaceful and harmonious one.

The animosity of people toward you in this world,

IIf you realize, is a hidden gold treasure.

People's tempers are turned against you,

So your face is forcefully turned

toward that direction (God).

Carry the burden smilingly and cheerfully,

Because patience is the key to victory.

The prophets XE "prophets"  have suffered immensely from the petty ones,

They have often writhed in anguish from such snakes.

When you tolerate the pettiness of these petty ones,

You will reach the light of the prophets XE "prophets" ' traditions.

7. Happiness is a state of mind and thoughts.  We should be their master and not their slave.

     People are all prisoners of thoughts,

     For this reason they are broken hearted and sorrowful.

Oh my brother, you are all thoughts,

The rest are bones and flesh.

If your thoughts are flowers, 

You are a flower garden.

And if your thoughts are shrubs,

You are burning wood for fire.

If you are rose water, you are sprinkled on head and bosom,

And if you are urine, you are poured out.

As I travel around our world, I always ask my audience and whomever I meet to pray and hope for global peace and harmony. I try to remind them that we are all God's children regardless of race, color, religion, nationality, gender, and culture. Thus, in the very name of love, I humbly ask every one of you to please fervently pray, hope, and work to bring about an incredible year of love, peace, prosperity, joy, and harmony to our planet. I hope we can finally learn from our past mistakes to be kinder, more compassionate, and tolerant towards each other and our environment. Please keep in mind as Zoroastrians stated long ago, we can only carry our "good words," "good thoughts," and "good deeds" with us to the higher world. May our prayers and good wishes become an ocean of love to permeate and soften the hearts and souls of all the world's people to come closer together and bring about the everlasting global peace and harmony that we need so urgently right now. I sincerely wish that we all follow Molana's grand teachings and pass them on to as many others as we can - in the name of love and peace. So would you please,

Set a fire in your heart from love,

Burn all thoughts and statements.    

God stayed and everything else left,

Be happy, oh fierce love, the burner of all our ills.  

*All poetry translations are by Dr. Majid M. Naini and some are from his book, Mysteries of the Universe and Rumi's Discoveries on the Majestic Path of Love.

About the author: Dr. Majid M. Naini, a Professor of Computer and Information Technology and former University Dean, is a leading Rumi scholar who has traveled over 400,000 miles throughout the world and has spoken at the United Nations and over 500 national and international conferences, seminars, and TV and radio programs since the tragic events of 9-11 to promote universal love, peace, and harmony and to enhance understanding and communication among people of all faiths, cultures, and backgrounds. He is the author of many books and articles including Mysteries of the Universe and Rumi's Discoveries on the Majestic Path of Love.

www.naini.net

... Payvand News - 03/31/08 ...