illustration to a Sufi Poem by Abu Said A'bil Khair

In the ocean of belief many are the pearls of
                                      certainty,

But there is also the self, drawing breath, in
                                    whirlpools aplenty,

Every oyster is a circle of the eye filled with tears,

And every wave points towards the Beloved's
                              eyebrow - the symbol of reality.

Hazrat Abu Said bin Ab'il Khair (from 'Abu Said Ab'il Khair
and his Rubaiyat' by Dr Z.H. Sharib

When the mystic dives deep within the ocean of
his own existence even his own breathing
seems like a whirlpool. He may find many
'oysters' (the outer manifestations, or forms)
within which are pearls - inner spiritual essence.
The outer forms are linked to grief since their
form seperates them from their hidden Essence.
The approach to the Essence is frequently by
means of suffering (from seperation) or 'tears'.
The very existence of the outward manifestation
however points to the existence of a hidden
reality, just as the waves of the ocean are a
manifestations of the ocean. In them the ocean
takes specific temporary forms before returning
into itself. The existence of the wave is an
indicator of the hidden reality of the ocean - a
sign.
Similarly the events and forms manifest in life
are indicators of the existence of an unseen
Essence.