Discourses of Rumi

368 V DISCOURSES OF RUMIleather, then came to offer them up to God, saying,“I like these little shapes. I made them, but itis Your job to give them life. If You give them life,You will make my works live. Or, You do nothave to—the command is entirely Yours.”Abraham said, “God is He who gives life anddeath.” Nimrod said, “I give life and death.”When God gave Nimrod kingship, he deemedhimself omnipotent as well, not attributing thiscredit to God. Nimrod said, “I too bring life tosome and cause others to die, and what I desirethroughout my kingdom comes from my knowledge.”When God bestows knowledge, sagacityand shrewdness, people claim all credit for themselves,saying, “Through my skill and abilities, Igave life to these actions and have attained ecstaticjoy.” Abraham said, “No, it is God who giveslife and brings death.”Someone said: “Abraham said to Nimrod, ‘MyGod is He who brings up the sun out of the eastand sends it down in the west. God brings the sunfrom the east. If you claim to be a god, then dothe reverse.” But then Nimrod compelledAbraham to abandon this point, and Abraham