Apr 14 2023
Abu-Said Abil-Kheir – If you keep seeking
If you keep seeking the jewel of understanding
by Abu-Said Abil-Kheir
English version by Vraje Abramian
If you keep seeking the jewel of understanding,
then you are a mine of understanding in the making.
If you live to reach the Essence one day,
then your life itself is an expression of the Essence.
Know that in the final analysis you are that
which you search for.
— from Nobody, Son of Nobody: Poems of Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir, Translated by Vraje Abramian
/ Image by saeed mhmdi /
Easter was last Sunday. Passover just ended. And, for my Muslim friends, it is the holy month of Ramadan. Regardless of spiritual tradition, it is a good time of year to recognize new life and renewed spirit ready to awaken within us…
This poem speaks a direct truth that should be obvious, but somehow isn’t.
If you live to reach the Essence one day,
then your life itself is an expression of the Essence.
When we focus on a goal, when we turn our hearts and all our thoughts and energies toward it, we begin to take on the qualities of that which we strive for. We could say that we become what we seek, but that’s not exactly what Abu-Said Abil-Kheir is saying; rather, we eventually discover that we are what we seek. What we seek we find inside. It has always been there, we must simply search.
When we are reminded of this truth, a hidden tension in the soul eases. There is always a nagging question: Will I achieve my goal? Am I foolish to even pursue it? This poem’s insight dismantles that self-defeating inner dialog. Through seeking we necessarily succeed. The seeking itself defines us and opens us, awakening recognition of the goal with us always.
Know that in the final analysis you are that
which you search for.
Have a beautiful day!
Recommended Books: Abu-Said Abil-Kheir
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Abu-Said Abil-Kheir
Turkmenistan (967 – 1049) Timeline |
Sheikh Abu-Said Abil-Kheir was one of the earlier Sufi poets. He lived more than two centuries before Rumi, yet, like Rumi, much of his mysticism follows a similar path of annihilation in divine Love.
Abu-Said’s poetry ranges from the ecstatic and celestial, to struggles with abandonment. His poetry has an immediacy and even a sort of devoutly wry petulance that can draw comparisons with the great Bengali poet, Ramprasad.
Abu Said referred to himself as “Nobody, Son of Nobody,” to convey the mystic’s sense of having completely merged or disappeared into the Divine, leaving no trace of the ego behind.
He lived in Mayhana in what is modern day Turkmenistan, just north of Iran and Afghanistan in Central Asia.
Loved this perspective on goal achieving and becoming the qualities of that which we seek. Unique and strikingly true. Thank you for sharing!
Kelsey
Thank You Ivan, this is a beautiful poem, took me a while to connect and I believe
it to be true, and I am living by your Thought for the Day. Thank You.
A truly inspiring message
A further deeper understanding may be , like a salt doll walking into the ocean ,when the essence is reached there is no doll just essence
Letting go of the seeker is as important as seeking
Thus have I heard 🙏
Hello, All!
I’m a bit late to the party, here… Your summation of this poem strongly resonates with something from the Charge of the Star Goddess, an important piece of liturgy (and one of the very few such pieces) from modern Wiccan tradition: “Those of you who seek me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you naught, unless you know the mystery: If that which you seek, you do not find within yourself, you will never find it without you. For Behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.”
Profound stuff. Truth is there for the seeking…and in seeking, we become Truth.
Thank you, Ivan, for sharing this with us! Thank you also to everyone who shares their insights with other readers. Blessed Be.