The World is Never Far From Him

He who is perfect in the Path of Faith

Will never be deceived by Adam’s clay:

He will always see the Light in Adam –

Its brilliance will not remain a secret.

In stone, wood, straw, or mountain

He will at all times see nothing but God.

Didn’t Bayazid himself see God in all things?

He saw the Face of God in the tiniest leaf.

The world is never far from Him:

Could its perfume stray far from the rosegarden?

He who is deprived of the sense of smell

Cannot distinguish fragrances

Just as the stream-bed isn’t conscious

Of the water always flowing through it.

If I revealed any more about these things

The two worlds would disappear

And I would become His enemy

And he would light a fire in my soul and body.

From: Perfume of the Desert – Inspirations from Sufi Wisdom

Edited: Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut