Discourses of Rumi

discourse 40Jauhar, the Sultan’s servant, said, “We have beentold that we must repeat the Muslim credo fivetimes during our lifetime. What if we don’t understandthe words, or do not memorize them correctly?After death, what questions will we beasked, seeing that we have forgotten even thequestions we were taught?”Rumi replied: If you forget what you havelearned, then of course you become a clean slatesuitable for questions that you have not learned.Now, this minute, you are listening to me. Youaccept some part of what I say because you haveheard similar things before, but some you onlyhalf accept, and concerning other things you hesitate.No one hears this rejection or acceptance, orthe debate going on within you. Even though youare listening, no sound or voice comes to your earfrom within you. If you search inwardly, you willfind no instrument of speech.This coming of yours, to visit me, is itself aquestion without a throat or tongue, namely,