I have a Maker, hidden are His I have a high Creating Lord
bounties unto me; yea, whose mercies aye are hid;
there's no parting me from a Lord who hath none equal
Him, and without peer is He. and no fear is known to Him.
Depart from me in peace and So fare thee safe and leave me
leave me and my strangerhood; lone in strangerhood to wone.
For with the lonely For He the only One, consoles
exile still the One shall my loneliness so lone.
company.
So I left him and continued Accordingly I left him,
my journey; and but every station I came
every stage I came to, I to, I found he had foregone
found him before me, till me, till I reached Al-Madinah,
I came to Medina, where where I lost sight
I lost sight of him and of him, and could hear
could hear no news of no tidings of him. Here
him. Here I met Abou I met Abu Yazid
Yezid el Bustani and Abou al-Bustami and Abu Bakr
Beker es Shibli and a al-Shibli and a number of
number of other doctors, other Shaykhs and learned
to whom I told my case, men to whom with many
and they said, "God complaints I told my case,
forbid that thou shouldst and they said, "Heaven
gain his company after forbid that thou shouldst
this! This was Abou gain his company after
Jaafer the leper, in whose this! He was Abu Ja'afar
name, at all tides, the folk the leper, in whose name
pray for rain, and by whose folk at all times pray for
blessings prayers are answered." rain and by whose blessing
When I heard prayers their end attain."
this, my longing for his When I heard their words,
company redoubled and my desire for his company
I implored God to reunite redoubled and I implored
me with him. Whilst I the Almighty to reunite me
was standing on Arafat, with him. Whilst I was
one plucked me from behind, standing on Arafat one
so I turned and pulled me from behind, so
behold, it was Abou Jaafer. I turned and behold, it
At this sight I gave a loud was my man. At this
cry and fell down in a sight I cried out with a
swoon; but when I came loud cry and fell down in
to myself, he was gone. a fainting fit; but when I
came to myself he had disappeared
from my sight.
This increased my yearning This increased my yearning
for him and the ways for him and the
were straitened upon ceremonies were tedious to
me and I prayed God to me, and I prayed Almighty
give me sight of him; Allah to give me sight of
nor was it but a few days him; nor was it but a few
after when one pulled me days after, when lo! one
from behind, and I turned, pulled me from behind,
and behold, it was he and I turned and it was
again. Quoth he, "I conjure he again. Thereupon he
thee, ask thy desire said, "Come, I conjure
of me." So I begged him thee, and ask thy want of
to pray three prayers to me." So I begged him to
God for me; first, that pray for me three prayers:
He would make me love first, that Allah would make
poverty; secondly, that I me love poverty; secondly,
might never lie down to that I might never lie down
sleep upon known provision, at night upon provision
and thirdly, that assured to me; and
He, the Bountiful One, thirdly, that he would
would vouchsafe me to vouchsafe me to look upon
look upon His face. So he His bountiful face. So
prayed for me, as I wished, he prayed for me as I
and departed from me. wished, and departed from
And, indeed, God hath me. And indeed Allah
granted me the first two hath granted me what the
prayers; for He hath devotee asked in prayer;
made me in love with to begin with he hath made
poverty, so that, by Allah, me so love poverty that, by
there is nought in the the Almighty! there is
world dearer to me than nought in the world dearer
it, and since such a year, to me than it, and secondly
I have never lain down since such a year I have
upon assured provision; never lain down to sleep
yet hath He never let me upon assured provision,
lack of aught. As for the withal hath He never let
third prayer, I trust that me lack aught. As for the
He will vouchsafe me that third prayer, I trust that
also, even as He hath he will vouchsafe me that
granted the two others, also, even as He hath
for He is bountiful and granted the two precedent,
excellently beneficient. And for right Bountiful and
may God have mercy on Beneficient is His Godhead,
him who saith: and Allah have mercy on
him who said;
Renouncement, lowliness, the Garb of Fakir, renouncement,
fakir's garments be; In lowliness;
patched and tattered clothes His robe of tatters and of rags
still fares the devotee. his dress;
Pallor adorneth him, as on their And pallor ornamenting brow
latest nights, The moons as though
with pallor still embellished 'Twere wanness such as waning
thou mayst see. crescents show.
Long rising up by night to pray Wasted him prayer a-through
hath wasted him; And from the long-lived night,
his lids the tears stream down. And flooding tears ne'er cease
as 'twere a sea. to dim his sight.
The thought of God to him his Memory of Him shall cheer his
very housemate is; For lonely room;
bosom friend by night, th' Th' Almighty nearest is in
Omnipotent hath he. nightly gloom.
God the Protector helps the fakir The Refuge helpeth such Fakir
in his need; And birds and in need;
beasts no less to succour him Help e'en the cattle and the
agree. winged breed;
On his account, the wrath of Allah for sake of him of wrath
God on men descends, And is fain,
by his grace, the rains fall And for the grace of him shall
down on wood and lea. fall the rain;