What It Means - Day 292

I Have Learned So Much

I

Have Learned

So much from God

That I can no longer

Call

Myself

A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim,

A Buddhist, a Jew.

The Truth has shared so much of Itself

With me

That I can no longer call myself

A man, a woman, an angel,

Or even pure

Soul.

Love has

Befriended Hafiz so completely

It has turned to ash

And freed

Me

Of every concept and image

My mind has ever known.

Hafiz

I know that many mainstream Muslims are somewhat suspicious of the Sufis - and we've discussed how Seyyed Nasr is more than a little suspicious about popular translations of Rumi or Hafiz or the other Sufi poets - but I love many of them, and they played a profound role in my path to Islam. This poem, especially, is one that speaks to me. It wasn't until I converted to Islam, and truly began to study it, that I began to understand the universality of all religions (making our centuries of internecine conflict all the more tragic).