He who loves sets out with open eyes towards his goal, making a plaything of his life. Farid ud-Din Attar
It is a Mystery
We have staked our life, our reason, our spirit, our religion, in order to understand the perfection of an atom. Sew up your lips and ask nothing of the empyrean or the throne of God. No one really knows the essence of the atom – ask whom you will. The Heavens are like a cupola upside down, without stability, at once moving and unmoving. One is lost in contemplation of such a mystery – it is veil upon veil; one is like a figure painted on a wall, and one can only bite the back of one’s hand. The Conference of the Birds, Farid ud-Din Attar
Which Way Do We Go?
O my heart, if you wish to arrive at the beginning of understanding, walk carefully. To each atom there is a different door, and for each atom there is a different way which leads to the mysterious being of whom I speak. To know oneself one must live a hundred lives. But you must know Go by Himself and not by you; it is He who opens the way that leads to Him, not human wisdom. The knowledge of Him is not at the door of rhetoricians. Knowledge and ignorance are here the same, for they cannot explain nor can they describe. The opinions of men on this arise only in their imagination; and it is absurd to try to deduce anything from what they say: whether ill or well, they have said it from themselves. God is above knowledge and beyond evidence, and nothing can give an idea of his Holy Majesty.
We are Blind
There is none but him. But, alas, no one can see Him. The eyes are blind, even though the world be lighted by a brilliant sun. Should you catch even a glimpse of Him you would lose your wits, and if you should see Him completely you would lose your self. The Conference of the Birds, Furid ud-Din Attar