To the Nizam

The lump of clay served as a very good tablet for the Babylonian;
Then from the reeds of the Nile and the trees of the forest parchment was made;
The Beni Israel would not adapt dead substances to inscribe the words of life,
So the skins of sheep recorded the mysteries of Torah.
Now Allah, to Whom be all Praise, writes His doctrines into the hearts of men.

Is man more worthy that he should be the tablet of the Lord?
Let the foolish man praise the field for its ripe cherries,
And the ignorant adore the mud for the rose and the lotus.
Out of the dust of the ground doth Allah bring forth treasures,
Who created man from the least, yet imparted to him Love.
Now that the seals of the treasure chests have been opened,
Now that the fruit of the Garden is being shared far and wide,
Give thanks unto Allah and ever renew this praise,
For His Message today is travelling to the ends of earth.

Lo fool, even this mud was God’s,
Even the earth and all that it conceives;
From the Adamic raised He Adam and blessed him.
Iblis from his high state was banished for bowing not before Adam,
Then he plotted vengeance upon his Lord.
“My Lord will I obey, most certainly:
Henceforth I shall bow before man, bow before wealth, bow before power.
A thousand times shall I obey the Lord. I will worship man,
And man seeing me, shall bow before man, bow before wealth, bow before power.”
So man has worshipped man, forsaking the Truth.
But the Truth will arise—
A lump of clay, a reed of the Nile, the skin of a sheep, the tongue of man,
And on the morrow the heart of the Prophet will make itself known.

Praised be He, the Giver of Light and Life and Truth,
From Whose Bosom came Qur’an and Masnavi,
And Who will never deprive humanity of the Spirit of Guidance.