Discourses of Rumi

discourse 39Husam al-Din Arzanjani, before entering the serviceand society of dervishes, was a great debater.Wherever he went, he engaged vigorously in argumentand controversy. He used to debate well andspoke excellently, but once he took up the companyof dervishes his heart turned completelyagainst debate.“Whoever desires to sit next to God, let themsit with lovers of God.” These intellectual sciencesare a game and a waste of life, compared to thespiritual experiences of the dervishes.This way of desirelessness is the way to attainyour desires. Whatever you have longed for willcome to you on this path, whether the shatteringof armies, victory over your enemy, capturingkingdoms, bringing people to obedience, excellingyour contemporaries, or elegance of speech.When you have chosen the way of poverty, thesethings come to you. No one has ever traveled thisroad and had cause to complain, contrary toother ways where only one out of a hundred