Avoiding Caprice
ca·price
/kəˈprēs/
noun – a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior.
noun: caprice; plural noun: caprices
152.
Islam and faith are opposition to caprice. Unbelief is conformity with caprice. When someone gains faith, this means that he has made a covenant not to conform to caprice.
The other one says, "That's not my work. I can't do that. I'll pay the tribute* and stay alive." The Prophet also was satisfied. He accepted that and gave them safe-conduct. He said, "When someone torments a zimmi,* it is as if he has tormented me — and a possessor of a covenant in a covenant."
This one says, "I'm a believer," but he's not a believer. He says, "I'm peace," but he's not. He says, "I'm white," but he's not, he's black. He says, "I'm a falcon." He's a crow. (607)
153.
Whoever lives as he sees fit will not die as he sees fit.
Did you see the bee that went around aimlessly? Wherever its opinion took it, it sat down. The butcher drove it back from the meat several times, but it didn't stay away. The third time, he lifted up the cleaver and cut off its head. It was rolling and twisting on the ground. The butcher said, "Didn't I tell you not to sit just anywhere?"
And that honey bee, which sits by the command, "Eat from all the fruits" [16:69]. This is why, whenever it eats something, within it is healing for the people [16:69]. (267)
154.
"Drunkenness" is of four sorts and four levels: First is the drunkenness of caprice. Deliverance from it is immensely difficult. Only a fast-going traveler will pass beyond the drunkenness of caprice.
After this there is the drunkenness of the spiritual world. He has not yet seen the Spirit, but he has immense drunkenness. He does not look upon the shaykhs, nor even the prophets. When he begins to speak, nothing of the Koran or Hadith comes to him. He considers it shameful to speak of transmitted knowledge, unless by way of making understood. Passing beyond the second level is extremely difficult and arduous — unless the dear servant of the Real, God's unique one, should be sent to him so that he may see the reality of the Spirit and reach God's road.
The drunkenness of God's road is the third level. It is an immense drunkenness, but it is linked with stillness, for God has brought him out of what he had fancied it to be.
After this is the fourth level — drunkenness in God. That is perfection.
After that is sobriety. (700)
155.
Forgetfulness is of two sorts. One pertains to this world, because it's standing forth. This world makes you forget the afterworld. Another cause of forgetfulness is being busy with the afterworld, such that someone forgets even himself. In his hands this world is like a mouse in the hand of a cat. Because of being a companion of God's servant, he has become what no shaykh sitting thirty years on a prayer-carpet has ever become.
A third cause of forgetfulness is love for God, so he forgets this world and the afterworld. This is the level of Mawlana. This world is forbidden to the folk of the afterworld, the afterworld is forbidden to the folk of this world, and both this world and the afterworld are forbidden to the folk of God. That is the meaning of this — that is, that he should forget. The reason is that Mawlana is drunk in love, but he has no sobriety in love.
As for me, I'm drunk in love, but I'm sober in love. In my drunkenness I don't forget like that. How could this world have the gall to veil me? Or — to be veiled from me? (78-79)
156.
As for the explanation of "caprice": Know that by "caprice" I do not mean gold, women, and this world. Rather [a person of caprice] does not dare to circle around this world, fearful lest the drunkenness of caprice should be lessened. Most monks have this drunkenness of caprice, and it is of such minds that they speak.
Imad and those like him, having become perfect in the drunkenness of caprice, caught a scent of the drunkenness of the Spirit. Awhad was closer to the completion of caprice. Pharaoh's sorcerers were complete in caprice, so the scent of the Spirit reached them. Pharaoh was not complete. He was a logician* and well-born, but there was an excellence in the sorcerers that he did not have. Sayyidhad the scent of the Spirit and the drunkenness of the Spirit more than Mawlana. His sciences were many, but he had no attachment to them.
Shaykh Abu Bakr had the drunkenness from God, but he did not have the sobriety that comes after this drunkenness. I know this on the basis of knowledge. (700-1)
157.
These leaders do not speak correctly about the outward meaning of the Loran, because that outward meaning can be known and seen only through the light of faith, not through the fire of caprice. If they had the light of faith, how could they pay out several thousand and take judgeships and posts? Does anyone give a skirt full of gold to buy a serpent from a serpent-catcher? I don't mean the water snake that doesn't have any poison, I mean the mountain snake that is full of poison. When someone flees from judgeship and posts — if he flees for God's sake and not for some other reason — that's from the light of faith. When he becomes a serpent-knower, he'll be a Companion-knower.
The Koran-bride will throw off her veil
when she sees the dominion of faith cut off from strife.
The man who said that — I marvel how disengaged he was from himself! His speech is God's speech. God's speech is perfect, it's complete.
When grapes have not become ripe, they're kept between clouds and sun lest they burn. Again, the sun shows its face — lest they become withered. And so on until they're perfect. After that, there's no harm from the sun. Before they become sweet, the owner of the garden fears that cold will come. Once they're perfect in sweetness, they're nurtured even under snow.
The man who reaches this perfection is drowned in the light of God and drunk in the pleasure of the Real. He is not fit to be a guide, for he is drunk. How can he make someone else sober? Beyond this drunkenness there is another sobriety, as I explained. When a man reaches that sobriety, his gentleness takes precedence over his severity. But the one who is drunk has not reached that sobriety, and his gentleness is equal to his severity. When someone's gentleness has become predominant, he is fit to be a guide. God's gentleness is equal to His severity. However, His Essence is all gentleness, so gentleness predominates.
The Prophet had a revelation from Gabriel, and he also had revelation in the heart. The saint has only the latter.* (146-47)
158.
Now, grapes have a limit before which cold will harm them. After that, there's no fear. After that, they're nurtured under snow.
At first the fish went toward the water. Now, wherever the fish goes, water goes.*
Meat, wine, and melon have the characteristic that if the body is healthy, they aid the health, and if the body is ill, they aid the illness. That's why they tell a sick person to avoid meat. (644)
159.
The treatise of Muhammad the Messenger of God would not profit me. I must have my own treatise. If I were to read a thousand treatises, I'd become darker.
They don't know the secrets of God's saints and they study their treatises. Everyone stirs up his own imagination, then makes accusations against the speaker of the words. They never accuse themselves. They don't say, "There's no mistake in those words — it's in our ignorance and imaginings!"
When you write metrical words next to each other, why does this make you happy? You should know that happiness is in the companion's togetherness, that they should live agreeably next to each other and display beauty. As for those who fall apart, caprice comes between them, and their light goes away.
When you put something in honey, it stays fresh and sweet, because the air of caprice does not find its way into it. If the pores become closed, it becomes turbid. (270-71)
160.
With all this, when a disciple has not become perfect so as to be secure from caprice, it is not in his best interest for him to be away from the shaykh, because a cold breath can turn him cold all at once. That is a mortal poison, breathed out by dragons, and it turns everything it touches black. But, when he becomes perfect, being absent from the shaykh does not harm him.
And glorify Him through the long night [76:26]. In other words, when a veil comes between the disciple and the shaykh, that is night. When darkness comes upon you, at that time you must glorify Him with seriousness. You must try to make that curtain disappear. The more darkness increases and the more the shaykh becomes disliked by you, the more you must strive in his service. Do not grieve and do not despair if the darkness becomes long, because through the long night. When the darkness becomes long, after that the brightness will be long. When someone's debt is heavy, his affliction will be heavy, and when someone's debt is light, his affliction will be light.
The high places will be earned in the measure of diligence because, when the veil has not come, this brings the self's tasting and light into movement, for, whenever someone finds, that is the influence of I blew into him of My Spirit [15:29]. It is that which does the work. For a darkness may come in, a veil and an estrangement, such that he becomes unaware of the state of the companion. The Soul begins to take control, and It starts to make interpretations, because It is not able to breathe in the midst of that love and brightness. As long as the Soul keeps on interpreting, make yourself a fool, because Most of the folk of the Garden are fools.
The majority of the denizens of hell are from among these clever people, these philosophers, these knowledgeable people, the ones for whom cleverness has become a veil. From everything they imagine, ten more imaginings arise, like the offspring of Gog.
Sometimes he says, "There is no road." Sometimes he says, "If there is, it's long." Yes, the road is long, but when you go, extreme happiness does not let you see the length of the road. Such is The Garden is surrounded by detestable things. All around the garden of paradise there are fields of brambles. But, the scent, which comes forth in welcome and gives news of the beloveds to the lovers, makes those bramble fields pleasant.
All around the bramble field of hell the road is roses and sweet herbs. But, the scent of hell that comes out makes that pleasant road unpleasant.
If I were to explain the pleasantness of this road, no one could bear it. (144-46)
From the book, Me and Rumi © 2004 William C. Chittick
