Whomever we befriended, we never gave them up,
We always kept faith and loyalty. We never waded into the swamp of betrayal,
Poetry
Poems by Akrom Malik, newest first. Pick one for your mood.
There are two things in the world, O friend,
That take away your mind and senses and make you drunk. Making every deed seem right to your nafs,
In the hard hour when the whole world has given up and gone,
In the hour when the heart aches from the blade of slander. Akrom MALIK
EXPLAINING WHY THIS VERSE WAS WRITTEN
Assalamu alaykum, dear Grandfather, O great Sultan! Great Sahibqiran, Khan of the face of the earth!
O heart that longs for the path of the prophets,
O one who dreams of the way of the saints! Know yourself as dead before you die,
Do you love openly, do you love in secret,
Do you burn with jealousy, do you deny your love; Do you come with avowal, do you rush past with torment,
There is no zeal in my worship, no feeling, my God,
In my heart there is not a breath of fear, my God, Not a trace is left of the track of istighfar, my God,
If you are in the right, do not be hurt and do not hurt — that is all,
If you are in the right, the Truth will protect you. If you are in the right, take no offense and give no offense — that is all,
Wondrous tales, wondrous words,
The subject of the stories is your honor, your glory. May luminous greetings reach you from the Truth,
The mind is stunned by the tricks of the nafs,
Satan lies in wait, hidden in every corner. Unable to grasp the Truth, thought and awareness freeze,
Every moment that passes without you is a hardship to pass,
On a night without you, the breaking of dawn is a hardship. Akrom MALIK
One should not believe every word one hears,
Just as not everything one sees is real. Just as, though you renounce living by a truth that seems impossible,
Do not leave yourself, stay within yourself,
And if you leave, it is better to come back to yourself. Do the deeds that befit you,
Wondrous tales, wondrous words,
The subject of the stories is your honor, your glory. May luminous greetings reach you from the Truth,
TO LOVERS
If you love, consent to burn, and love, Consent to renounce yourself, and love.
Do not say you are unhappy — happiness is within you,
Your character and manners are reflected in your life. Peace lies in every word you say, in your speech,
No one has the right to shut
The doors of repentance on any servant. Live wrapped in rags, if you must,
Servant, be careful, be careful,
Never speak of a secret you do not know. Shine like fire, if you will, laugh like the flowers,
We bade farewell to those who left — be safe,
We opened our arms to those who came — peace be upon you! Be good to some, and to others be bad,
If you clasp someone to your bosom as a friend,
And reveal to him your secrets and mysteries — And then destiny makes your foot begin to limp,
If you say, “I don’t want to carry the grief of the world,”
If you say, “I don’t want to load mountains on my shoulders,” If you say, “I don’t want to taste poisons every day,”
They said: “People read your sorrowful poems,
Your enemies rejoice, and your friends are grieved.” I said: “Since he is an enemy, let him rejoice for once,
They said: “Why is all you write pain and parting?
Why can you not keep away from torment?” I said: “I am amazed at my state myself,
As they grow older, the wise slowly
Begin to tie up the knot of their words. Smiling calmly at those who come and go,