Discourses of Rumi

236 V DISCOURSES OF RUMIyou to have a working Imam than a speakingImam.”What he said was the truth. If the purpose ofspeaking is to communicate instruction delicatelyto uplift the people, that had been accomplishedmany times better without words. So whatUthman said was perfectly correct. During thetime he was in the pulpit he did no external workvisible to the people; he did not pray, he did notgo on the pilgrimage, he did not give alms, he didnot commemorate God, he did not even speak thecaliph’s address. Therefore, know that work andaction are not limited to the outer form only,rather these visible forms of work are merely ashadow of that true work of Soul.The Prophet said, “My Companions are likestars; Whichever of them you follow, you will beguided right.” When someone follows a star andfinds their way by it, the star does not speak.Merely by looking at the star, they discover thatinvisible road and reach their goal. In the sameway, it is possible by merely gazing at God’s saintsto find the spiritual path. Without words, without