Jami's Unheeded Words of Wisdom
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
7 November
2023
One of my
favourite books in Persian mysticism is Jami's Baharestan (Abode of Spring;
modelled upon the Gulistan of Shaikh Sadi). It's an argosy of fables and full
of profound aphorisms. One of the best sayings in the book is, “It is best to
avoid low company, whether they come in peace or in war.” By the way, November
7 is Jami's birth anniversary who was last of the greatest Central Asian
mystics and a coeval of India's Kabir.
Though one
might say, what's so striking about this quote as bad and low company has been
condemned by all sage and sane people right from the beginning of human
civilization? Jami's point is different, all-encompassing and much more subtle.
An anecdote from history will help you understand this. Colonel James Todd
described this episode in his Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. When
Maharana Pratap was engaged in constant battles with Akbar's armies and was in
dire straits, a Rajput chieftain from Boondi, Rajasthan, volunteered to help
him. That chieftain was a man of easy morals and untrustworthy. Though Pratap's
other Rajput generals and courtiers were in favour of seeking help from that
chieftain, Pratap and his trusted Muslim General Hakim Khan Suri were against
it. Suri, an upright and a very devout Muslim, who fought valorously with
Pratap in the Battle of Haldighati and died in 1576, told him (Pratap) that
Quran and Hadees advised to avoid the company of lowly people in all
circumstances. Low company must be avoided at any cost.
There's a
Zoroastrian proverb in one of the Gathas written in ancient Iranian, " Zik
Ne Phil Misqeef-In'bilat Dik "(Lowly company pollutes your heart and
mind). A man is known by the company he keeps. Your good company may take a
very long time in influencing you positively but low company will spoil you in
less than a day! Effects of bad things, people and company are much stronger
and often far-reaching.
The current
scenario in West Asia is yet another example of the ill-effects of having a low
company.
The US is a
perpetually unethical country with a sole objective of keeping the rest of the
world in turmoil. It's an ally of Israel in defeating Hamas. Emboldened by the
aid and assistance of the US, which is militarily the world's strongest
country, Israel is wreaking havoc in Gaza. Political and defence observers are
of the view that it's the provocation of the US that lionises Israel.
The problem
with humans is that despite being aware of the consequences of a lot many
things and actions, they keep repeating those very things. We've precedents
before us that low company in peace or war eventually creates intractable
issues, yet we refuse to learn and do what should have been avoided. This is
human nature.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/jami-words-wisdom/d/131060
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