The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 3 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations
Religion
The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 3 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations
Iran -- Religion; Religions
During his mortal malady he was constantly
engaged in reading the _Alhíyát shafá_, “the hymns of recovery,” and
in translating the _Asúlújía_,[148] “Theologia,” and he sang
cheerfully: “I believe in the divinity of the most high Creator, the
prophecy of intelligence, the Imámet of the spirit, the heaven as a
Kiblah, and the liberation of philosophy, and I detest the
free-thinkers, and other religions.” At the moment of death, he
pronounced the names of the self-existent Being, of the intelligence
and spirit, and of the stars, and the by-standers also joined him in
chorus, until he had left the mortal garment. His life exceeded one
hundred years, and he had preserved his strength and his faculties
entire. He gave these directions to Húshíar, that after death to be
burnt would be preferable, but, if the people prevented it, Húshíar
should bury him with his feet to the West, as all distinguished
personages, such as Aristotle and his followers, repose in the same
way. Húshíar executed his will, and also, according to his direction,
burnt at the head of his tomb, during a whole week, every day and
every night, a lamp to the honor of the star which at that time ruled
over him, and distributed the food and raiment which are appropriated
to that star among the Brahmans and necessitous, who all prayed to
render the star propitious, in order that the soul of Hakím Kámrán
might be united with the pure spirits. Húshíar went afterwards to
Agra, and I saw a book in the hand-writing of Húshíár, in which was
stated, that he, after Kámrán’s death, saw him in a dream clothed in a
fine garment, and sitting by the side of the lord _Mashterí_,
“Jupiter.” Húshíar asked him: “How camest thou to this place?” He
answered: “The pure spirits, when they saw me free from worldly
desires, drew me to them, and by the aid of their intercession, I was
made one of the angels.”
The creed of the Hakíms Hírbed and Manír, with regard to the reality
of inspired persons, was, that these celebrated men were perfect
sages, and masters of an excellent condition; by their words and deeds
they reached the state of perfection, on which account they treated
mysterious questions relative to theoretical and practical wisdom with
the confidence of pure truth; but for the sake of the vulgar, they
used a typical and allegorical language, leaving it to other sages,
the able chiefs and saints of their persuasion, to explain the law and
the religion: this is the creed of philosophers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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