Discourses of Rumi

discourse 14Sheikh Ibrahim said: “Whenever Saif-al-DinFarrukh ordered someone to be given a beating,he would immediately occupy himself until thebeating was over, so that no one could intercede.”Rumi said: Whatever you see in this world correspondsexactly with what is in the worldbeyond. All these realities are samples of the otherReality. Whatever exists in this world has comefrom there.The bald man of Baalbek carried on his headtrays and samples of various herbs—a pinch ofpepper, a pinch of mastic, a pinch from everyheap. The heaps were infinite, but there was noroom on his tray for more. People are like thebald man of Baalbek, they are loaded with pinchesand pieces out of the treasuries of God, someknown and some hidden—a piece of hearing, apiece of speech, a piece of reason, a piece of generosity,a piece of knowledge. For this reason ourwork is always a reflection of God.