Tree of Life - Masnavi

Knowledge is the fruit that we must be searching for!

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THE STORY OF THE TREE OF LIFE

A wise man once told a person, just to test him that in India there is such a tree, that whoever eats of the fruits of that tree, never dies. When the King heard of this, he fell in love with it. He immediately sent a messenger to India to search for this tree. The messenger wandered around in India from place to place in search of this tree. He wandered about in quite a distressed state, but nowhere did he find such a tree. Whenever he enquired from people, they would tell him: "Only mad people look for such a tree". They used to jeer and scoff at him. At last when he had become tired of roaming around like that in a foreign country and exhausted by the difficulties of travel, he decided to return home. He was very disappointed. On his return he met a "Qutub Sheikh" along the way.

He said to the Sheikh:

"O Sheikh, this is a time for mercy and benevolence.

I have become helpless and disappointed in my quest.

This is a time for your kindness".

The Sheikh replied:

"What is your disappointment?

And what is the nature of your quest?"

He replied:

"My King has given me this job to search for such a tree in India

That whosoever eats of its fruits will live forever.

I have wandered around in India for years and searched everywhere

But no sign of it did I find. People jeer at me and consider me a mad one".

The Sheikh listened to him, laughed and said:

"O Saleem, this tree is only the bounty of knowledge.

Through knowledge a person finds everlasting life

And one without knowledge is a dead one.

You have searched for the outer form of knowledge and therefore lost the way.

You have been deprived of the form of knowledge too, because you failed to understand the inner meaning".