Our Destiny is Paradise

  بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

نَصیبِ ماست بِهِشْت، اَی خُداشِناس، بِرَو

کِه مُسْتَحَقِّ کَرامَت، گُناه‌کارانَنْد

Meaning:

 It is our destiny to be in Paradise, oh theologian, shoo away! 

Indeed it is the sinners who deserve God's generosity.  

  

Language:

Persian/Farsi


Transliteration:

Naseeb-e Maa Ast Behisht, Ae Khuda Shanas BRoo

 Ki Mustahiq e Keramat Gunah kaaraanand 

Video/Audio:

Brief Explanation:

The Mercy of the Benevolent Lord will manifest itself on the one who is most needy, and according to Hafez, who else is more needy as compared to the sinners? Khuda Shanas, translated as Theologian, could also mean anyone who claims to know God by heart, or claims to speak on behalf of God and makes salvation as an exclusive right to those who follow them.

Background:

As is often the case of friends of God, Hafez was targeted for being anti-religion due to a lack of understanding, and even lack of effort in understanding of what he was all about.  He did not go against those who condemned him, but rather went along a different paradigm altogether.  

His is a thought process that accepts human imperfections and propensity to sin, but argues in favor of the the principle of God’s unlimited forgiveness and leniency (since in Islam, God is, first and foremost, “Benevolent” and “Merciful”).  His argument revolves around manifestation of this Mercy, and who else but the (repenting) sinners who will be the recipient of such Mercy. This is of course in line with a tradition of the Prophet ﷺ which can be seen here:

حَدَّثَنَا هَارُونُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الأَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عِيَاضٌ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْفِهْرِيُّ - حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي صِرْمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ ‏ "‏ لَوْ أَنَّكُمْ لَمْ تَكُنْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبٌ يَغْفِرُهَا اللَّهُ لَكُمْ لَجَاءَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ لَهُمْ ذُنُوبٌ يَغْفِرُهَا لَهُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Abu Ayyub Ansari reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:

If you were not to commit sins, Allah would have swept you out of existence and would have replaced you by another people who have committed sin, and then asked forgiveness from Allah, and He would have granted them pardon.

Every nation is on the right path

  بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

هَر قَوْم راست راهی، دینی و قِبْلَه‌گاهی

ما قِبْلَه راست کَرْدیم، بَر سَمْتِ کَج‌کُلاهی

Meaning:

Every nation is on the right path, towards their respective Qiblahs, to which they turn

I have straightened my Qiblah in the direction of your tilted cap 

  

Language:

Persian/Farsi


Transliteration:

 Har qaum raast raahay, deen-e wa qibla gaahay

Maa qibla raast kardaym, bar samt kaj kulaahay.

 

Video/Audio:

Brief Explanation:

God has given guidance to every nation, and as long as they are consistent on that guidance and tradition then that means they are on the right path.

Background:

Amir Hasan 'Ala' Sijzi Dehlawi, a disciple of beloved of God (mehboob-e-ilahi), Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya (may Allah be pleased with him), writes about a conversation between the shaykh and his favorite disciple, Amir Khusrau (may Allah be pleased with him), enshrined in verse form in his compilation of poems.

The two were making ritual ablutions (wudhu') by the river one early morning, and a group of Hindu ascetics (sadhu) came by for their morning bath and prayers. During ablution, it is pertinent to note that the shaykh had pushed his cap back so it was tilted. Amir Khusrau, upon seeing the sadhus was thinking to himself, saddened by the fact that they were unbelievers, and thus misguided. The shaykh felt his misgivings, and uttered a statement, which came to be the defining statement of Sufi Muslim creed in South Asia:

هر قوم راست راهي، ديني و قبله گاهي

Every nation is on the right path, towards their respective Qiblahs, to which they turn

Embarrassed by the fact that his thoughts were read by the shaykh, as well as by the spontaneous correction, Amir Khusrau was humbled, amazed and immediately rectified his mistake by responding:

 ما قبله راست كرديم ،‌بر سمت كج كلاهي

I have straightened my Qiblah in the direction of your tilted cap 

And, devoted to his shaykh and remaining true to his word, Amir Khusrau (as well as all the Chisti saints even to this day) stayed compassionate, inclusive towards other faiths and humble.