The
saloks of Sheikh Farid
Ji guide the seeker towards life’s true purpose, the devotion to the one absolute Divine, IkOankar. In these saloks, he reminds us that our time in this world is finite; therefore, one must turn to IkOankar without delay. Yet, attachment to transient possessions and relationships causes many to forget this truth, becoming entangled in vices that lead to restlessness and inner turmoil. In contrast, those who cultivate virtues such as love, humility, patience, contentment, selfless service, and righteousness experience the bliss of connection with IkOankar even while living a householder’s life. Their life becomes serene and suffused with inner joy.
pharīdā khāku na nindīai khākū jeḍu na koi.
jīvdiā pairā talai muiā upari hoi.17.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1378
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the seventeenth stanza, Sheikh Farid addresses himself and says, O Farid! The dust should not be slandered. No one is as great as the dust. He continues with the line of thought from the previous stanza on the importance of humility. In Islam, humility is considered the foundation of all other virtues, as it is through humility that one surrenders to the Divine. In the Qur’an, the framing around dirt or dust is that the earth is a splendid place of the Divine, the earth being primarily of dirt and water.
When Muslims die, they are buried in the same dirt they once walked on, and that same dirt is placed above them. Dirt is an element of life created by IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). It is the thing we build things out of, the thing we grow things in, the thing we may end up buried under, or merging with, even as we are cremated. This dirt takes us within it when we die, absorbing us back into the elements from which we are made. How can we speak poorly of dirt? What pride or sense of self do we have that has convinced us that we are better than this dirt? People walk all over it, and still it has humility, still it has greatness, still it takes care of and provides for people. Sheikh Farid is asking himself and all of us to reflect more on our own egos. When we talk about virtuous beings, they have this kind of humility—a dust-like or dirt-like humility that is a necessary prerequisite for vastness and greatness. Will we become like that dirt? Will we emulate that generosity and humility? Will we become vast in our compassion, in our grace, in our giving, in our forgiveness?
