Counsel and Advice

Whatever share was not set aside for you before you existed, anyone who struggles to gain it is chasing wind. You must bow your head in acceptance and offer your neck in obedience, for whatever a just ruler does is never injustice. The key to conquering lands lies in His treasury; no one has ever opened those gates by the strength of his own arm. To certain eyes the painting looks crooked, and they imagine the painter was no master. If you truly have vision, you will see both good and bad as coming from God; seeing double comes only from cross-eyed sight. The same One who created crops and palm trees and gave them sustenance also sent the locust to eat its share. Look closely and you will find that whoever cries out is really crying against his own bad character. Be pure, my brother, and fear no one; keep in mind that this advice I learned from my father. Whether you run on your feet or hurry on your head, the Divider will not grant a portion He did not assign you. Greatness and undivided sovereignty belong to God alone; to others whom you see, He has only lent it. If you are a person of understanding, set your heart on the afterlife, not on this ruined world, which is a home built of misery. Do not walk the earth with arrogance and pride, O human, for the very dust beneath your feet was once a human like you. The world is set upon water, and the wise know that the surface of water is no place for stability or foundation. Choose contentment with the decree of fate, Saadi, for whoever becomes a servant of God's command is free.