Immortal words
The following tale is taken from Rumi's Masnavi, which I never tire of reading. It is a free rendition of the English translation by R A Nicholson. The Prophet (pbuh) was gathering together a force to fight against the disbelievers and repel their insolence. He chose a youth from the tribe of Hudhayl and appointed him commander of the army and leader of the cavalry. It is widely known that the foundation of an army unquestionably rests with the chief-in-command. An army without a command or a people without a chief can be likened to a body without a head. When people abandon their chief, they become morally and spiritually dead.
On account of their avarice, egoism and selfinterest, some people have become headstrong and have taken justice into their own hands. They are like a pack of animals fleeing from a burden and running into the mountains, even while their master comes running after them saying: "There is a wolf in the mountains [who is] ready to devour you. If you disappear from sight now, the mighty wolf will appear from any direction. He will chew your bones like sugar and you will not survive. Even if he does not devour you immediately, you will be left without fodder and you will die for lack of food. Beware! Do not flee from my control and from your burden, as I am your sustainer".
Such people are just like this beast of burden. Their souls, which determine their nature, predominate and they become "worshippers of the self". The Almighty did not consider human beings to be beasts of burden; he compared them to horses. Mustafa (Mohammed) was God's stable overseer beasts, which are the iniquitous carnal souls.
for Moved by loving kindness, God said: "Come all of you, so that I may train you; I am the trainer". The Holy Prophet (pbuh) has said: "Since I have trained the carnal souls, I have suffered many kicks from these beasts. Wherever there is someone who tries to train others, there is no way of avoiding kicks as well. It is always the prophets who get most of the kicks because it is they who attempt to enlighten the ignorant.
"Without enlightenment, you are merely stumbling along. At my command, go at a jog-trot so that you may become gentle and be suitable for a king to ride. The Lord said: 'Come all, come all beasts of burden that have shied away from discipline. If they do not come, O Prophet, do not grieve for them nor be full of hatred for those who lack steadfastness. The ears of some are deaf to these messages; every beast has a different stable.
"Some are frightened and run away from this call; the stall of every horse is separate. Some are angry and annoyed by this message; every bird has a separate cage. Even the angels were not all equal; for this reason they formed diverse ranks in heaven. Some children, even though they are all at the same school, surpass others in their lessons. Sense perceptions are possessed by all, but the function of sight belongs only to the ocular sense. Though a hundred thousand ears [are] arranged in rows, they all still need a clear eye.
"These rows of ears have the special function of hearing the words of the spirit and the traditions of the Prophet and the Revelation. A hundred thousand eyes alone would not have that ability; no eye is equal to hearing. Similarly, consider each sense separately, one by one; each one is incapable of doing the work of another. The five external and the five internal senses are arranged in ten ranks according to their worship of God. Anyone who deliberately draws back from the rank of true reli- gion, will be demoted to a lesser rank'.
"Do not make little of the Divine Word; this word is an exceedingly great elixir. If someone turns away in repugnance from His word, by no means withhold the elixir from him. If his soul presently has a spell cast on it, your teachings will profit him later on. So say: 'Come all, come all, take heed, for God invites you into the abode of peace.' Therefore, come back from egoism and headstrongness; seek a leader and do not desire leadership".
When the Holy Prophet (pbuh) appointed this young, brave warrior, he had divine blessings to do so. The objections raised by one who was jealous were in violation to the following Divine edicts: "It is possible that you dislike a thing that is good for you and like a thing that is bad for you. But Allah knows and you don't know it" (2:216). "If you dislike a thing it may be that Allah brings about a great deal of good through it" (2:19).