Chief of the Prophets

Chief of the Prophets — Page 13

Chapter One 13 darkness covered the entire world. This dark state of the world was depicted by Ḥasan Rohtāsī 1 in his Musaddas 2 which he composed for this book on the request of this humble person: When the world was entirely covered in darkness, And ignorance raged all around. Forgotten were the inherent moral qualities of humans, Friend from foe was hard to distinguish. Ignorance and rebellion ruled Over land and sea. None of the expressions of the east was lovely, Nor did the west possess any charm in its hands. Neither Uttar 3 had the remedy for the pain of the heart, Nor the climate of Deccan 4 was pleasing to the heart. Neither the party, nor the bartender, nor the beloved survived. Nor the saddle, nor the camel, nor Lailā 5 survived. Neither India had its traditional modesty, Nor the calligraphy of China had any splendor. Neither the Greek Law had any cure, Nor the Persian fire had any warmth left. Wiped out was every notion of knowledge and wisdom. The (virtues of the) world appeared to be nonexistent. 1 Ḥasan Rohtāsī was a poet and a contemporary of Sheikh ‘Abdul-Qādir. [Publisher] 2 Musaddas is a particular rhythm and arrangement of verses. 3 Uttar is a state located in the northern part of India. [Publisher] 4 The Deccan Plateau makes up the majority of the southern part of India. [Publisher] 5 Lailā and Majnūn are two characters of a classical Arabian folk tale. [Publisher]