Meaning
O Gracious Bountiful One! From Your Treasures Unseen
The Guebre (infidel) and the Christian are honoured by Your bestowals
How can Your friends/adherents ever be deprived?
When You view dissenters/adversaries with such benevolence?
Language
Persian/Farsi
Transliteration
Ae Kareemey ke az Khazana-e Ghayb
Gabr o Tarsa Wazeefe Khordaari
Doostan Ra Kuja Kunee Mehroom
Tu Ke Ba Dushman Een Nazar Daari
Video/Audio
Brief Explanation
The Most Generous does not withhold His Bounties from those of different faiths, or even from unbelievers, so how on earth will the faithful be deprived? This is a poem of utmost optimism and inclusion. It uses contrasting terms such as friends and adversaries to drive the point home.
Background
These lines are included in the preface of Saadi Shirazi’s Gulistan, or Flower Garden/Rose Garden, one of his two major works, the other being Bustan, or the Orchard. In South Asia, this landmark of Persian literature is a must-read for scholars of literature, Central Asian culture, and the religion of Islam. These verses, on the one hand, reflect optimism and, on the other, are essentially inclusive, underscoring the importance of Allah’s Benevolence to all—even those who are unbelievers on the face of it.
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