Stories from Rumi
CREATION OF MAN
By : IAK (Pehawar)
When the almighty decided to create mankind to be proved by good and evil, He deputed Angel Gabriel to bring a handful of earth from the earth for the purpose of forming Adam’s body. Gabriel came to earth to execute the Devine command. The earth being apprehensive that the man so created would rebel against God, and bring down Gods wrath upon her remonstrated with Gabriel, and besought him to forbear. Gabriel granted the request of the earth.
Then God deputed Michael on the same mission, and the earth made similar representations to him. He too listened to the entireties of the earth and returned to the heaven without taking a handful of earth.
The angel Israfil was next sent to the same errand, and he too returned without taking the handful of earth.
Then the angel Izrail was sent to execute the mission. The earth made similar representations to him, but he did not listen. He told the earth that in executing the injunction, painful though it might be, he was regarded only as a spear in the hand of the Almighty.
On the return of Izrail to heaven with the handful of earth, God said that he would make him the angel of death. Izrail represented that it would make him hateful to the people. God said that Izrail would operate by disease and sickness, and men would not look for any cause beyond these diseases.
The Almighty also said that death would in reality be a boon for the wise and only fools would wish that there were no such thing as death.
The point highlighted is that death is a boon. In the words of Rumi:
" If there were no death; the world would not be worth a jot."
