thou sayest there is no Hindu and no Musalman?' The Guru, not being engaged in controversy with Hindus at the time, gave no answer to the first part of the question. In explanation of his statement that there was no Musalman he uttered the following:—
To be[1] a Musalman is difficult; if one be really so, then one may be called a Musalman.
Let one first love the religion of saints,[2] and put aside pride and pelf[3] as the file removeth rust.
Let him accept the religion of his pilots, and dismiss anxiety regarding death or life;[4]
Let him heartily obey the will of God, worship the Creator, and efface himself—
When he is kind to all men, then Nanak, shall he be indeed a Musalman.[5]
The Qazi then put further questions to the Guru. The Guru called on Mardana to play the rebeck, and sang to it the following replies and instructions adapted for Muhammadans:—
Make kindness thy mosque, sincerity thy prayer-carpet, what is just and lawful thy Quran,
Modesty thy circumcision, civility thy fasting, so shalt thou be a Musalman;
Make right conduct thy Kaaba,[6] truth thy spiritual guide, good works thy creed and thy prayer,
- ↑ In the original, 'to be called a Musalmān.' The same idiom is found in Greek.
- ↑ Also translated—(a) Let him first of all make his religion agreeable to men; (b) let him first love his saints and his religion.
- ↑ Also translated—(a) which bring trouble; (b) to dispel pride and worldly love is to be filed or cleansed of impurities.
- ↑ This verse is also translated—Being resigned to God, obedient (dīn), and lowly (mahāne), let man set aside all fear of birth and death—the transmigration which so exercises the oriental mind.
- ↑ Mājh ki Wār.
- ↑ The great cube-like Muhammadan temple at Makka to which the faithful make pilgrimages.
