Pearls of Wisdom 338

1. Seek a true friend,
    for a friend seeks the benefit of a friend,
    Do good to the people for the sake of God
    or for the peace of your own soul
    that you may always see what is pure
    and save your heart from the darkness of hate.

2. The Merciful God promised Mustafa,
     "You will die but the Qur'an will prevail.
    I shall exalt your Book and its Miracle
    and protect its face from being changed.
    This Qur'an to you is Moses' staff;
     like that dragon it will devour all deception."

3. The bottom of the river is full of jewels.
    Take heed! Do not make the water turbid.
    The spirit of man is like the air:
    when dust surrounds it the sky is veiled.
    Not withstanding such a state of darkness,
    God made visions to help you
    find the road to redemption.

4. The servile earth and the lofty sky:
     without this opposite
     the sky would not be so high.
     The low and high of the earth
     are winter and spring.
     The low and high of time
     are night and day.
     The low and high of the body
     are sickness and health.
     By means of these opposites
     the world is kept alive;
     by means of these doubles
     souls feel fear and hope. [Mawlana Rumi]