Discourses of Rumi

FIHI MA FIHI V 193remains. From this we know that it is waxembodied into a certain shape, but wax none theless.Similarly, ice is nothing but water. When youmelt it, only its form dissolves.The human being was created like this: Theytook the feathers of an angel, and tied them to thetail of an ass, in hopes that the ass—from theradiance and companionship of the angel—mightbecome an angel, too. So what is so wonderful ifthis ass became a human? God is able to do allthings.When a child is first born, it is worse than anass, sticking its hands in filth and then into itsmouth to lick. The mother must spank the babyto stop it. The ass at least has some sort of discrimination;when it urinates, it opens its legs sothe urine will not trickle on them. Yet the child,who is worse than an ass, God raises into a manor woman. If God should turn the ass into ahuman, what is so astounding in that? With God,nothing is a cause for astonishment.At the resurrection, all parts of a person willspeak. The philosophers interpret this allegorically.They say: When the hand speaks, perhaps