Shah Shams Tabrez

Shah Shams Tabrez 

 
Also located in the mytsic city of Multan is the famous shrine of Shah Shams Tabrez. The saint came from Baghdad and died in 1276 AD. The shrine was built in 1330 AD. The Tomb is square, 30 feet in height, surrounded by a hemispherical dome.
Shams-i Tabriz was, without doubt, a no ordinary person. He had studied Quran and jurisprudence with his father and uncle, both accomplished Jurists, very early in life. He was sent to Tabriz to seek further knowledge. He studied various sciences with Abubakar Sanjasi Tabrizi, a reknown mystic teacher of Najmuddin Kubra order. When Shams-i Tabriz demonstrated his interest in learning the esoteric and the metaphysical, he recommended that he would go to a master teacher, Kamal Jundi. Shams Tabriz who had an innate and inborn gift for the metaphysical accomplished himself as a master within a relatively short period. He was certified by Kamal Jundi as a master himself and was cautioned that he would stay away from the odinary and the mundane and that one day he will meet with someone who will act as his mouthpiece and speak to the world on his behalf. He was however told that he had to wait until his future student was ready to receive from him the promised gift. He was also advised by his master to stay away from the sufis as well as the faqihs (religious scholars) which he did. Always traveling from place to place (he was called parinda or flying bird for hat reason), Shams would show up at times at the seminaries and madrisas, however, without revealing his credentials. He disliked the mystics because they had given up the Shari'a (practice). He detested faqihs (scholars) because they indulged in useless polemics and diatribes. He avoided staying at the seminaries and khankahs. Instead he stayed at the Traders inns, showing himself as a traveling salesman. He ate very little. An occasional meal (bread and soup) would be enough for days. He virtually starved his body, as if saying no to his self. In return, he received the uncanny gift of knowing the other person's mind, predicting the events, even transferring himself from one place to another (ta'y ardh ). He was capable of doing things that seemed extra-ordinary, uncanny or supernatural to an undiscerning eye. He kept it however from the ordinary people. Rumi saw it when Shams threw his hand-written manuscripts in the water, then taking them out, dry and intact, with no sign of water on the pages. This was no magic or illusion; this was a God-given gift. In Quran, God says " Kun Fa ya Koon ".(We say, Be and it is).
It is said that God lends His power or phenomenon of immediate Being to his chosen people, such as Prohets or Saints. Some people are born with these gifts, in varying degrees ( they may not even be aware of their hidden potential) while others can get there through personal struggle to get close to God ( taqarrub or salook). It is the human journey from fana to baqa. You give up your ' self ' to be one with the Ultimate. Shams-I Tabriz was born with the gift and he perfected it through suffering his self. He recognized it early on in his childhod, according to his own admission in the Maqalat ( an authentic record of his conversation with Rumi, recoded in Sultan Vald's hand. He did not lose any time to perfect the gift of the esoteric in him. Finally, as predicted by his teacher Kamal Jundi, the flowering of Sham's gift took place and manifested itself in his counterpart, Jalal uddin Rumi. Shams was able to transfer, his knowledge and wisdom onto Rumi in a rather mysterious manner.
Rumi has repeatedly said in his Mathnavi and Divan that it was not him but Shams talking through him. That is why he did not use his name in any of the verses out of more than 50,000 verses that he left behind. Rumi ends most of his poems with the name of Shams of Tabriz. In so long as this phenomenon of transfer of souls had never been witnessed before nor did it happen again in the annals of history, it makes the story of these two oceans unique and one of its own kind.
 I'm Light Within His Light

I circled awhile with each of the intelligences,
the nine fathers that control the levels of spirit-growth.
I revolved for years with the stars through each astrological sign.
I disappeared into the kingdom of nearness.
I saw what I have seen,
receiving nourishment as a child lives in the womb.
Personalities are born once,
a mystic many times.
Wearing the body-robe,
I've been busy in the market,
weighing and arguing prices.
Sometimes I have torn the robe off
with my own hands and thrown it away.
I've spent long nights in monasteries,
and I have slept with those who claim to believe nothing
on the porches of pagodas,
just traveling through.
When someone feels jealous,
I am inside the hurt and the need to possess.
When anyone is sick,
I feel feverish and dizzy.
I am cloud and rain being released,
and then the meadow as it soaks it in.
I wash the rains of mortality from the cloth around a dervish.
I am the rose of eternity,
not made of water or fire or the wandering wind,
or even earth.
I pay with those.
I am not Shams of Tabriz,
but a light within his light.
If you see me, be careful.
Tell no one what you've seen.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 331
Version by Coleman Barks
"Say I Am You" Maypop, 1994

Selections from Maqalat-i Shamsi Tabriz
(his Conversations with Rumi)

-the authentic sayings of Shams-i Tabriz
Annotated by Nasir Shamsi

Each verse was revealed for a reason
--circumstantial application of orders

It (Hashish) affects people, so that they understand nothing and become giddy and stupefied. A question (was asked) wine is prohibited in the Quran, but Hashish is not prohibited . I (Shams Tabriz) answered: There was a reason for each verse (of the Quran), and thus it was revealed to the Prophet; in the time of the Prophet (may peace be upon him), the companions (Sehabah) never took Hashish, for he would have punished them with death. Each verse was revealed to the Prophet to meet a certain need and for a certain reason. When the companions recited the Quran in loud voice in the presence of the Prophet, his blessed mind was disturbed and this verse was revealed to him:" 0 Ye, who believe! lift not up your voice above the voice of the Prophet " (Quran 49:2).
Maqalat-i Shams

Each Prophet attested the one before him-then who attested the last prophet(Muhammad) ?

"The Prophets introduce one another. Jasus says:" 0 Jews, you did not know Moses well; come and see me in order to know Moses." Muhammad says: " 0 Christian, 0 Jew, you did not know Moses or Jesus well; come and see me in order to know them." The prophets all introduce one another, and the words of the prophets explain and make clear the words of the other prophets. After this the apostles said:" 0 Messenger of God, each prophet introduced the one before him; you are the last of prophets, so who shall introduce you?" He said:" He who knows his Self (man arafa naf's-a hu, knows his Lord, that is, he who knows me, knows my Lord." The more learned a man is, the further is he from his aim; the more complicated his thought, the further removed he is. This is an air of the heart, not of the mind." (Maqalat-i Shams)(Note: Ali ibn Abi Talib is reported to have said: man arafa naf's-a hu faqad arafa Rabba hu.) Maqalat-i Shams

On Masti (ecstacy) and Hoshamandi (sobriety)

This oblivion (masti or be- ikhtiari)) is of two kinds; one is forgetfulness of the world which imposes itself on us and makes us forget the memory of the future world; the other way of oblivion is preoccupation with thoughts of the future world, so that one forgets oneself as well, and one plays with the
world as a cat plays with a mouse. Through association with a man of God, he (Rumi) has obtained a position that a Shaykh, after thirty years of sajdah (prostration)) could never obtain; the third way of forgetfulness is love for God, so that man forgets both this world (dunya) and the future world (akhira); this is the meaning of the saying: "This world (dunya)is forbidden to men of the future world (akhirah),and the future world is forbidden to men of this world; and both, this world and the future world are forbidden to men of God (A saying of
the Prophet); that is, that he should forget everything but God; Mawlana enjoys drunkeness (masti)in love; for him there is no sobriety (hoshmandi) in love, but for me there are both drunkenness (masti) and sobriety (hoshmandi) in love. For me there is no such oblivion in drunkenness. How does the world dare to conceal me with a veil or to be concealed from me with a veil? (Maqalat-i Shams)

Presence of Heart in prayers

" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:" There is no prayer, unless the heart is present!" Some people thought that if they had attained a state in which the heart was present, they did not need to perform the Formal Prayers (any more). Their argument is the Formal Prayer was a means to an end, therefore seeking the means after attaining the end is an act in vain." We grant that according to their belief, it may be true that they have attained the perfect state--the sainthood (velayat) and the presence of heart. However, their giving up Formal Prayer detracts from all that. (I say) this perfection of state which you have attained - did the Prophet attain it or not? If he says: " No, he did not attain it", they would cut off his head and he'll be dead. If he says: " Yes, it was attained by the Prophet", then I will say:" Why don't you then follow the Prophet (s) who was so generous in his promises, favors and admonitions and who is unparalleled ( in piety) and a beacon of light (for everybody).
If there is one of those Saints (Wali) whose piety is so true that there is no doubt about it, and there is another person who is not a saint; I say that if this Saint stopped performing his formal religious duties and the other person performs these duties scrupulously, I will rather follow this other person, and not even greet that Saint (Vali).
Maqalate Shams-i Tabriz

Naz-o-Niaz (Hazoori-e Qalab)

" What good is it if you take your soul at hand, and present it [to God]? What use is it to take cumin to Kirman?[or take peanuts to Georgia). How will this add any value, or price, or cultivation to what is there? Since there is such a royal court, he is now without need (bi-niyaz), so take your needfulness (niyaz) there. Since the one without need likes needfulness. Using that needfulness, you can suddenly leap out of the midst of all these creatures. Something from the Ancient One [God] will be joined to you, and that is love ('ishq). The trap of love has been set, and you are wrapped up in it, since "they love him" (yuhibbunahu) is the impression of "He loves them" (yuhibbuhum) "
Maqalat-i Shams

Find the Seeker!

"Man has two qualities: One is (his) need. Through this quality, he hopes and he has his eyes on reaching the goal. The other quality is being without a need. What hope can you have from being without need? What is the utmost end of a need? Finding what has no needs ! What is the ultimate end of seeking? Finding what is sought. What is the ultimate end of the sought? Finding the seeker!
(" aadamee-raa dow Sifat-ast: yakee neyaaz. az aan Sifat omiid-daar wa chashm bi-neh, ke maqSuud dar-aay-ad. Sifat-e degar bee-neyaazii. az bee-neyaazii che omiid-daar-ii? nehaayat-e neyaaz chiist? yaaftan-e bee-neyaaz. nehaayat-e Talab chiist? dar-yaaftan-e matluub. nehaayat-e maTluub chiist? dar-yaaftan-e Taalib").
Maqalat-i Shams

Both ecstasy and sobrie­ty in love!

The oblivion is of two kinds; one is forget­fulness of the world which makes us forget the about the memory about the future world; the other way of oblivion is preoccupation with thoughts of the future world, so that one forgets oneself as well, and one plays with the world as a cat plays with a mouse. Through association with a man of God, he has obtained a position that a Shaykh, after thir­ty years of prayer could never obtain; the third way of forgetfulness is love for God, so that man forgets both this world and the future world; this is the meaning of the saying: "This world is forbidden to men of the future world, and the future world is forbidden to men of this world; and both, this world and the future world, are forbidden to men of God (A saying of the Prophet); that is, that he should forget everything but God; Mawlana (Rumi) enjoys ecstacy in love; for him there is no sobriety in love, but for me there is both ecstasy and sobrie­ty in love. For me there is no such oblivion in drunken­ness; how does the world dare to conceal me with a veil or to be concealed from me with a veil? (M-14)

Know what you talk about!

The preacher preaches in order to explain the signs of the aim and to show the way to the traveler and an amateur Shaykh, and the poet composes a poem to talk about both the aim and the way, but he is embarrassed in front of man who knows the truth. Let me tell the story of the man who was talk­ing about fish! Someone said to him:" be quiet, what do you know of a fish? Why do you explain something which you do not know? "The man said:" What! Do I not know what a fish is?" And the other man said: "No! You don't; if you do, tell me the signs of a fish." He said:" The sign of a fish is that it has two horns like a camel!" "What!", he said, " I was not sure that you do not know what a fish is, but now that you gave me the signs of a fish, it be­came clear to me that you cannot even tell a cow from a camel!" (M-12)

The mother-hen and the duckling!

In the time of childhood, something strange had happened to me. Nobody knew my situation. My father also did not know. He used to say:" You are not mad! Yet I do not know what is the mater with you! It is neither hardship of meditation nor anything else." I said to him: "please listen to me: your and my matter is like this: ' Place some duck eggs under our hen. The hen sits on the eggs and ducklings are hatched. The ducklings grow up and follow their mother hen to a pond and jump into the water. The mother, being a hen goes clucking around the water, but cannot get into the water. So my father, I see an ocean be­fore me that is home and ship for me. If you be­long to me, or I belong to you, enter this ocean, if not, then go to the hens (M-11)

See the Jewel in the box !

It is no wonder that if they put a jewel wrapped in a black handkerchief and hidden in ten bandages, into a stout box, and then put the box in the sleeve of a fur coat, they cannot see it! Even in this world, though the jewel is hidden in veils, it still has a gleam which shines out. He who has perfect sight can see the jewel, even though it is veiled. It is no wonder that he cannot see it when it is not unveiled, but it is strange that they should uncover the jewel and put it in front of him, and that he should still be unable to see it at all! But if it were not so, how should he utter the words of Socrates, Hippocrates, the Brothers of Purity (Ekhwan Safa) and the Greek philosophers, in the presence of Muhammad and his offspring, and the children of Muhammad's soul and heart, not the children of his body (his water and clay?), while God is also present and watching them?
(M-21)

The Body and the Soul !

The philosophizer who is familiar with philo­sophy gives the interpretation about the torture of grave after death, and he discusses the matter in a rationalistic way and says: "The soul came here (into the body) in order to perfect itself and to acquire the provision of perfection from this world. So that when it goes out of this world it may not regret. Thus it had to leave the form and come to the idea and the body had to become accustomed to the soul. But if the soul becomes busy with form and accustom­ed to the body, then the upper door is closed and there remains no more space and vastness for the soul. For example, on the one hand he enjoyed wealth and respect and he found a companion and partner in a woman, as well as all kinds of pleasures, on the other hand. Thus he bent to this side. If one mere­ly utters the name of death in front of him, he will die a thousand times. But, had he found the objects of his desire in the other world, he would be anxious to go there. Thus his death would not be death, but life, as the Prophet (may God's greetings be upon him) says: "The believers do not die but are transfer­red from one place to the other. Thus, being trans­ferred to another place is one thing and death is another. If you are, as it were, in a dark and narrow house and you can neither let the light enter nor can you stretch your legs; then it happens that you move from there to a big house, where there is a garden and flowing water. One cannot call this death!

The matters known to the Prophet and his trustee!

"He (Ali ) said to the Prophet: "0 Messenger of God, you send everybody to me, why not other companions?" (Guft: Ya Rasulullah, hamah beh man havalah me kuni maslehat sahabah ra darin kar?) He said:" Yes, I do this because you are my trustee (ameeni)and your trustfulness is known to me. These people will be subjected to your authority on the Day of Judgment(Een mardaman ra ruz-i qiyamat dar gardan mi kunem taqlid-i shuma ra). This is known and has been observed. And you know (the mysteries) of the world beyond and the Day of Judgment and you see them them so clear­ly, while the other (companions) do not know about all this, even through acquired knowledge (hearing and stories). For you are not but a unique person-one who is unique in his time- and you should restrain from divulging the secrets (to others), and talk to them only in vague and ambiguous words, except to the person who wishes to be with you alone".
(M-33)

You are what you keep company with

There is no doubt that whoever you associate with or get attached to, you will acquire his characteristics. Keep looking at a straw, you will become pale because of its paleness; look at the grass and the flowers, you will feel fresh and light; for the compan­ion attracts you in his own world and that is why re­citing the Quran purifies the heart, because then you remember the prophets and their states; the images of prophets assemble in your spirit and become your com­panions.
(M-50)

The Sun and the Moon

Mawlana is the moonlight (while I am like the Sun). The eyes can not per­ceive the Sun of my being; but they can perceive the Moon. The eyes are not able to endure the Sun because of the intensity of its radiance and light, and the Moon cannot attain the Sun, unless the Sun attains the Moon.
(M-57) 

Courtesy:  A translation of Maqalat-i Shams, with a biographical account of Mawlana's Teacher and Mentor, Shams-i Tabrizi by nasir shamsi