Re: Rumi - on Fornication
***The Arabic proverb, “If you commit fornication, commit it with a free woman, and if you steal, steal a pearl.”
***This basically means that if you’re going to do something wrong and fornicate, don’t go to a prostitute. If you’re going to have himmah in the dunya, have high dunya himmah. Don’t go to hell for something cheap. A Turkish proverb says that if they’re going to hang you from the tree, demand that they hang you from the highest one. One time Imam al-Junaid was walking by and saw a man that was going to be hung for brigandary, and he stopped by the man and said salams to him. He said, do you show a brigand like that any respect? He said I’m impressed with any man willing to give his life for what he desires. His point was that, he’s willing to give his life for dunya, and we’re not willing to give our lives for the akhirah?