Discourses of Rumi

FIHI MA FIHI V 55Property, wealth, gold, all are unbounded andinfinite, but they are imparted according to thecapacity of the individual. Who could support anendless supply without being driven mad? Do younot see how Majnun and Farhad, and the otherfamous lovers, took to the mountain and desertfor the love of a woman, when they were filledwith a passion beyond their power to control? Doyou not see how Pharaoh, when empire andwealth were showered upon him without end,laid claim to being a god?Yes, indeed these people have faith, but they donot know what that faith is in. In the same way achild has faith it will have bread to eat, but theydon’t know where this bread comes from. It is thesame with all things that grow. A tree turns yellowand dry of thirst, but it doesn’t know whatthirst really is.Our faith is like a flag. First we set the flagfluttering in the air to proclaim our belief, andthen send troops to the foot of that flag fromevery direction to support and defend it. We sendreason, understanding, fury and anger, forbearanceand liberality, fear and hope, on and on