“Now let me have the mirror so that I can prove to you my good manners and earn your trust.” “God forbid,” he said, “I would never do such a thing. Even if its essence cannot be broken, you shall not do this.” “Now let us remember the condition once again,” he said, and he gave the following advice: “The condition and the agreement is this: Every time you see your fault, you shall put the mirror down, you shall not destroy its jewel-like essence. “O Master,” he said, “Again, let me find a pretext to avoid this situation.” The point about the mirror is a subtle one. I promise, I cannot wait any longer!” And yet his heart does not accept it.
If you are unable to find the fault in yourself, at least find fault with me, as i am the owner of the mirror. The only condition is that you do not find fault with the mirror. Know that it is your own image find the fault in yourself! At least don’t look into the mirror while you are near me. Now I say, “Let me give you the mirror, but if you see some fault on its face, do not blame the mirror, but something reflected onto the mirror. Now, O friend, you say, “Place the mirror into my hand so that I may look at it!” Yet I cannot find a pretext for this, nor can I deny your request but i say in my own heart, “Let me find some pretext not to give you the mirror, because if I say that there is something wrong with your face, perhaps you will not accept it and if you say that the mirror is defective, this will be worse for you.” Yet love does not allow me to find a pretext. With the tongue of the heart, he says, “Surely, this is not possible.” Hide the fault that you see on his face from him, because he is my friend. If any ugliness has appeared in the mirror, know that it is your own do not despise the mirror. If you prostrate youself a hundred times in front of a mirror, it never moves from its place. And I am the saint of the saint, the friend of the friend therefore I am less easily shaken, more firm. I said, “O.K., let it be so, but what happiness does it bring to me?” If I were to be proud of it, it would be very ugly but Mevlana, if one looks at the attributes defined by the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet, is a saint. This is the whole of the words that do not end and will not end until the Resurrection. Then you see the “One without a beginning” from “the One without a beginning” and the subtlety of the ayat “He sees the eyes” (Surah Anam VI:103) is also an indication of this. The subtle points of the Qur’an, “They love God, and God loves them” (Surah Maida V:54) are indications of the effect of this love. Something reaches you from the Kadim, the Eternal One. But you bring prayers to Him, because that Court that is without any need likes your prayers and wishes and you, due to those prayers, can escape these events and find safety. What is it worth to bring cumins to Kirman? Who will it make happy? What will it cost? There is such a great palace there, one without prayers or wishes He does not expect anything from anybody. It is the soul, but what is it when you have placed the soul underneath your arm? It is that power that is within you, by means of which you move and attain liberation.
Where can the one who is “created afterwards” find the one who has no beginning? How can he understand Him? Where is the soul and the great God that has created everything? The Truth is the Kadim, the Ancient One He is the being who has no beginning.
May God not deprive us of his abundant blessings. This book was gathered from the words of the beloved Mevlana Shamsuddin Tabrizi, the Sultan of those who have attained. I begin in the name of God, the infinitely Compassionate and Merciful, and I ask His help. Selections from The Conversations ( Maqalat)