A wave moved through his vertebrae
leaving an ape behind. The animal

blues got him down 'nough
to ponder on the Lord’s great work & wonder

What do fish worship? Being less
upright than him, do they love flotsam

like heavenly equivalent? Or are their thoughts
bent towards some unbreathable

bottom? Adhem's in it deep; can feel
the pressure of it, too; a bit of bone stuck,

like a fin, out his prostrating back, till
CRACK one day he’ll finally be free.

The only fragments are those that do to their creator what he intended for them. The visual equivalent to this is the self-photograph; with the reluctant look of its subject turned creature, before the lens & the laughter of the image, reveling in its resilience over its assembler.

Yet in the moment of the shot, who’s to say the scene isn’t invisibly touched by the hand of its master? A river wrinkled, a staff blurred mid-motion, a light refracted in the lens's eye; all seem signals of a hand that says, “If I’m no god, then let me hold this image up to one.” For this, too, will be remembered on the Day of Judgment.

"No" said the Sufi to his Love, because
he knew his way was long & lone;

I could once put more words to this
song, now all I've got's a moan, -oan:

noone follows Adhem & he follows none.
Strange. It's as if somewhere

the road went wrong, leaving his sole
Nobody farther than he could say.

God to Niffari: "we're strays for one another."
Let the starving animal among us nay.

Mawqif of That Which Appears

He stopped me at That Which Appears, but I didn’t see Him appear; he could appear concealed & not concealed. Substanceless, He could appear & there would be substance.

He said: “Stop at the inferno.” I saw that that with which He punishes is paradise & that with which He eases paradise is punishing.

He said: “One undivided & impenetrable, everlasting & merciful, is He."

He said: “Stop at the earth & sky.” I saw that which descends upon the earth to be a scheme & that which ascends it was a snare; that that which ascends includes that which descends -- the two summon themselves.

He said: “That which descends is your horse & that which ascends is your journey, so consider what you ride & where you go."

“You descend through distance & ascend through distance; a distance of a length of a length that doesn’t speak."

“How can you be with Me, if you’re caught between descending & ascending?"

“I haven’t brought out any matter from the earth that I assemble Myself though, or any matter from the sky. Only this: I’ve made all matter appear & divided Myself from it. I veiled Myself then I began, assembling Myself. These were the ways; the ways were a trajectory.”

He said: “Stop at paradise.” I saw His manifested objects all assembled there; looking just as they did on earth, behind the veil of matter. I saw that He made naught appear behind this matter, for 'Behind' contained a limit. I saw that He made naught appear so He could stay concealed, & make appear, so substanceless He would be what there was substance for.

He said: “If you dwell on the throne, you’ll remain in flight. If you dwell in recollection, you’ll remain veiled.”

“If any other than Me be your stray, vanquish him."

“If I’m your stray, you err from Me & are bewildered by anyone beside Me."

“Consider -- why haven’t I ever made you my stray, or turned to you?"

“You’re my stray & I’m yours; there's no one absent among us."

“All that shows itself & other than it, through itself, has wound you with itself & other; & it shakes you free from itself & other."

“All that shows you that which is beside itself, & not itself , has schemed against you. All that shows you itself, & not what is beside itself -- you shall see all its luminousness alights."

al Niffari

***

موقف ما يبدو

أوقفني فيما يبدو فيخفي ولا يخفى فيبدو ولا معنى فيكون معنى، وقال لي قف في النار، فرأيته يعذب بها ورأيتها جنة ورأيت ما ينعم به في الجنة هو ما يعذب به في النار.
وقال لي أحد لا يفترق صمد لا ينقسم رحمن هو هو.
وقال لي قف في الأرض والسماء، فرأيت ما ينزل ما ينزل إلى الأرض مكراً وما يصعد منها شركاً ورأيت الذي يصعد هو عما ينزل ورأيت ما ينزل يدعو إلى نفسه ورأيت ما يصعد يدعو إلى نفسه.
وقال لي ينزل مطيتك وما يصعد مسيرك فأنظر ما تركب وأين تقصد.
وقال لي تنزل مسافة تصعد مسافة مسافة بعد بعد لا يحادث.
وقال لي كيف تكون عندي وأنت بين النزول والصعود.
وقال لي ما أخرجت من الأرض عينا جمعت بها علي ولا أنزلت من السماء عيناً جمعت بها علي إنما أبديت كل عين فقسمت بها عني وحجبت عني وحجبت ثم بدأت فجمعت بي وكانت هي الطرق وكانت الطرق جهة.
وقال لي قف في الجنة؛ فرأيته يجمع ما أظهر فيها من العيون كما جمع في الأرض ببدوه من وراء العيون فرأيته يبدو لا من وراء العيون فيكون الوراء ظرفاً ورأيته لا يبدو فيخفي ولا يخفى فيبدو ولا معنى فيكون معنى.
وقال لي إن أقمت في العرش فما بعده فابق فاراً، وإن أقمت في الذكر فما بعده فابق محجوباً.
وقال لي إن كان غيري ضالتك فأظفر بالحرب.
وقال لي إن كانت ضالتك تهت إلا عني وحرت إلا معي.
وقال لي انظر إلي لما جعلتك ضالتي ألم أقبل عليك.
وقال لي أنت ضالتي وأنا ضالتك وما منا من غاب.
وقال لي كلما أراك نفسه وأراك غيره به فقد ربطك به وبغيره ونفضك عنه وعن غيره.
وقال لي ما أراك سواه ولم يرك نفسه فقد مكربك، وما أراكه ولم يرك سواه رأيت كل شيء في نور نورتيه.

النفري
من كتاب المواقف

Mawqif of The Sea

He stopped me at the Sea, where ships sunk & planks floated, then sunk. He said:

“He who sails isn’t saved."
“He risk himself-- whoso throws his body in & doesn’t sail."
“He ruins, whoso sails & doesn’t risk himself."
“In risk there is a shred of rescue.”

Then came the wave, raising up what lay beneath & swelling on the shore.

He said: "The surface of the sea is an unreachable glow, its depth an impossible darkness; between the two are untrustworthy fishes."

“Don’t sail the sea; I veil you by the instrument. Don’t throw yourself in it; I veil you by the act."

“The sea contains edges; which one will harbor you?"

“When you give yourself to the sea, & drown, you’re a creature of it."

“I mislead you, if I lead you to any but Me."

“If you ruin in any other than me, you belong in your ruins."

“This world is for him I’ve turned from it & whom I’ve turned it from; the next one is for him I’ve turned it to & whom I’ve turned to Me.”

al Niffari

***

موقف البحر
أوقفني في البحر فرأيت المراكب تغرق والألواح تسلم، ثم غرقت الألواح، وقال لي لا يسلم من ركب.
وقال لي خاطر من ألقى نفسه ولم يركب.
وقال لي هلك من ركب وما خاطر.
وقال لي في المخاطرة جزء من النجاة، وجاء الموج ورفع ما تحته وساح على الساحل.
وقال لي ظاهر البحر ضوء لا يبلغ، وقعرة ظلمه لا تمكن، وبينهما حيتان لا تستأمن.
وقال لي لا تركب البحر فأحجبك بالآلة، ولا تلق نفسك فيه فأحجبك به.
وقال لي في البحر حدود أيها يقلك.
وقال لي إذا وهبت نفسك للبحر فغرقت فيه كنت كدابة من دوابه.
وقال لي غششتك إن دللتك على سواي.
وقال لي إن هلكت في سواي كنت لما هلكت فيه.
وقال لي الدنيا لمن صرفته عنها وصرفتها عنه، والآخرة لمن أقبلت بها إليه وأقبلت به علي.
النفري