The Commentary

Part one begins with the beginning of man, saying that God raised man up from a clot of blood. This part is influenced by the Qur'an, especially the sura "The Embryo." Because God saw fit to make man superior to every other creation, I felt that this was how the poem should begin. It's almost as if God raised man high, and therefore has great expectations for him. The Qur'an says that everyone had to bow to man, and Iblis, who did not, was damned. Part one further talks about why man should praise God -- mainly because God gave man life.

This first part ends much as the story of the first man, Adam, in the Qur'an ends -- with disappointment. Man is described as the "creator of veils" that separate God from man. Using the Sufi image of the Rose (for God), I also describe man as "weeds." I though this was particularly appropriate, because the Garden of Eden represents the perfection of God, and Adam's disobedience is the marring of that perfection, or the weeds in the rose bush.

Part two is instruction to man to get back to God. I used the theme of separation in this part, drawing from Sufi ascetics and from the Qur'an itself. Moses is the example I use here, a man who could have been pharaoh, yet chose to lead his people into the wilderness. Going away from worldly wealth saved him. The Qur'an draws a similar idea in the early Makkan suras, where the Cave is contrasted to the City. The cave is away from man, and man's world (the City). God here is compared to a lover, something Rumi did frequently. God is the ultimate Beloved, the potter who formed man's shape, and the first word on man's lips.

Part three attempts to employ Sufi images and themes. It talks about unity with God, the kind of intimate unity where God and the Divine Spark in Man become one. God here is the lover, He is honey, He is wine. God is the very blood that flows through the veins of the Prophets. A reference is made to the "Books of His People," something the Qur'an does frequently. The reader is told that the means to this ecstasy can be found in the Qur'an.

Part four again implores man to leave the pleasures of this world behind. Moses is again mentioned, as are Muhammed, Mary, and Noah. The Qur'an does this frequently. This part is apocalyptic, in that it warns the reader that the "Day of Trembling" is near. This is a warning, in the tradition of the Early Makkan suras, that God's patience is not infinite.

Part five is a summary part, telling the reader that true happiness can be found in unity with God. References to the Ka'Ba are made -- and a comparison is drawn between the Ka'Ba of mud and the Ka'Ba of flesh. Abdallah al-Ansari does this in one of his poems, and I felt it was a wonderful comparison.

I have attempted to use both traditional Qur'anic themes, such as honor to God and separation from evil along with Sufi imagery such as the Rose, the Beloved, and the intimate unity with God. I wanted to maintain a traditional slant with formal language throughout the poem, but I also wanted to come from a slightly mystical standpoint. At best, this poem is a good attempt to write in the style of a culture I've only read in translation. At worst, it goes against everything the religion stands for. I leave you, Dr. Kahf, to make that judgement. I hope you enjoyed this page!

--Michael A. Roberts

Spring, 1998