Ask about my state when you have
set aside “I” and “we.”
Come without self, then ask
about the state of a selfless friend.
Go with sincerity
to the lovers’ tavern of ruin,
then ask the master
about the mystery of fana and baqa.
Give away your own existence
on the path to the Beloved,
then in the district of nothingness ask
about fidelity and purity.
Let go of your desires, surrender to God’s command
without seeing yourself,
then ask
about contentment.
Without the pain of love, don’t go searching
for remedies;
ask about medicine when you become afflicted
with pain for Him.
Whatever problem you encounter
on the path of love,
seek in yourself
its cause and significance.
Turn your back on learned lectures
about this world and the hereafter,
then go before the bestower of light and ask
for discourses about God.