The Inner and Outer Temple

  The Inner and Outer Temple

Watch vigilantly the state of
thine own mind.
Love of God begins in
harmlessness.

Know that the Prophet built an external Kaba
of clay and water,
and an inner Kaba in life and heart.
The outer Kaba was built by Abraham,
the Holy ;
The inner is sanctified by the glory of
God Himself.

On the path of God
two places mark the stages.
The material temple,
and the temple of the heart.
Make your best endeavour
to worship at the temple of the heart.

O mendicant, paradise is only an
allurement ;
The real objective is
the house of God Himself.

Fasting only means the saving of bread,
formal prayer is the business
of old men and women,
pilgrimage is a pleasure of the world.
Conquer the heart,
its subjection is conquest indeed.

If thou canst walk on water
thou art no better than a straw.
If thou canst fly in air
thou art no better than a fly.
Conquer thy heart,
that thou mayest become somebody.

One man spends seventy years in learning
and fails to kindle the light.
Another, all his life learns nothing
but hears one word
and is consumed by that word.

On this path argument is of no avail ;
Seek, and thou mayest find the truth.

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Beware of My friend, put not thy reliance
commenting on three things:
on a fact on heart, on time and on life.
you know not The heart is easily tempted,
to the bottom time is always in a state of flux,
and with the sands of life run out.
exactitude [Imam ALI, (r)] [by Abdullah al-Ansari (r)]