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The Sanctuary of Sincerity and Purity

The sanctuary of sincerity and purity

          is the retreat of the dervishes.

The breath of the Holy Spirit

          is the speech of the dervishes.


O you who are caught up in the world

          and seek to raise your status there,

lofty placelessness is the lowest level reached

          by the dervishes.


How long will you seek

          the cause of creation?

The purpose of creating humankind

          is to produce dervishes.


Being obliterated by the arrow of fate,

          affirming contentment with the will of God,

these are the ways and manners

          of dervishes.


The ascetic’s eyes are set on heaven,

          contemplating palaces promised there.

The niche of faqr and fana

          is the paradise of dervishes.


From pre- to post-eternity,

          the atoms of the universe spin

out of longing for

          a glance from dervishes.


From whom are you seeking alchemy?

          You will never find it.

Alchemy is only possible

          through service to dervishes.


Do not be proud of yourself;

          do not mock dervishes.

Everything other than God is cut off

          by the exclusive love of the dervishes.


One can never describe

          or define dervishes,

yet all that you see in the world

          bears witness to dervishes.


Nurbakhsh, why are you

          again speaking of dervishes?

Speech itself is left shamefaced

          in trying to adequately praise the dervishes.

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