14. The question of the Tithe

(14. The Question of the Tithe).

It is to be understood also that the religion of this community is the true teaching of the Lord (Mawla-na) and his Hujjat, and therefore the (material) value of the Truth which they both know (must be) everything (one possesses), not only the one-tenth (of the income) prescribed by the shari'at. This one-tenth is the price of the shari'at which is not worth more. Therefore in these times of the "night of the Faith" the Truth can be obtained only by those of the "people of order" who will sacrifice every thing they possess for the sake of Truth.

But whoever will keep for himself even a trifle, shall not acquire the Truth because he will not obtain the consent of the Hujjat and his wisdom and knowledge, and none of those who do not [Fol. 16] possess these will acquire salvation.

A poet says:-

If thou wilt remain in possession even of a trifle (value of property)
thou art not the man of the "way."

Khwaja Nasir says [1]:-

When his Hujjat shall blow the trumpet of the preaching,
he will Kill all who are (still) living in possession of the knowledge.
But when he (the Imam) shall blow the trumpet of Resurrection in his own essence,
He will make alive all who died in ignorance.
to those who will be alive by the sound of his teaching,
He will give a place on the throne of his eternal kingdom.
But those who remain dead on the day of His mission
He will burn in the fire of the eternal non-existence.
The sign of life in Him in this world is this:
That man should free his heart from whatever is not He.
The sign of death in Him is opposite to this,
And he will destroy that man's place to dust.
If He breathe to thee, both worlds will come into thy possession,
But if not, He will take from thee even thy essence.
Therefore if any one will keep for himself from the "price of Truth (i.e.
Hujjat)" anything, however small it may be, he will not attain the true teaching.
Failing in this, he will fail in every thing, because all the things are in Him and
without Him nothing. And if he will hand to Him all he possesses, keeping
nothing for himself, he will become a king and lord of both worlds.

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[1] See also above, fol. 10, where the same poem is quoted, and even the first two bayts repeated.