Completion

In a particular sea, I have heard,
pearl shells rise from the depths in April,
opening their mouths to the sky.
Mist also rises, then falls as rain.
A few drops fall into each open mouth.
The shells close and fall again,
their hearts full with a pearl-to-be.
Much later, the diver descends and brings
up a gem of great price.
Eons ago, the divine breath dived into us,
and now it dives again and again,
a thousand pearls wrapped in a blanket.

~Mahmoud Shabistari~

The completion of each stage of the pearl's development was necessary at a particular moment to prepare the way for something else. As Shabistari says a thousand potential pearls lie wrapped within us. To grasp another, we may need to let go of the the one already in our hand.

A traditional translation of this quality is "the Last." It shows us that it is really time to let go. The One Being is there at the moment of ripeness, when the fruit is eaten. Imagine the whole universe as fruit. When it is eaten, Allah is still there, so you can't lose by letting go.

I was at a particular stage in my life, where I longed for completion. After a few "right-back-where-I-started" moments, this Name appeared to me. Enabling me to see clearly and ever so painfully what I was unwilling to let go of after all these years. Breathing this pathway illuminated what I needed to do...in the light of the One.

Subhana'Llah. In all things, God be praised.


Sources:
~ The Sufi Book of Life by Neil Douglas-Klotz
~ Mahmoud Shabistari's Gulshan-i raz