The Eyes of Love See True Beauty

The Eyes of Love See True Beauty

This story is taken from the famous book Masnavi by Maulana Rumi.

One day, the king of the time was traveling with his courtiers when one of them pointed out, “Your Majesty, the woman who just passed by is Layla.”

The king, curious, asked, “Who is Layla?”

The courtier replied, “Your Majesty, Layla is the woman for whom a man has lost his senses and roams the world as if mad. People call him Majnun.”

Intrigued, the king ordered, “Bring Layla before me! I want to see the woman who has driven a man to madness.”

Layla was brought to the court. The king looked at her and saw an ordinary-looking, dark-skinned woman—far from the extraordinary beauty he had expected.

Disappointed, the king said, “O Layla, I see nothing special about you. Why would Majnun lose himself over you?”

Layla smiled and replied, “O King, if you are not Majnun, how can you know who Layla truly is? To see my beauty, you must look through the eyes of Majnun. Only then will you see me as the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Similarly, dear friend, just as Layla’s beauty could only be seen through Majnun’s eyes, the beauty of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) can only be recognized through the eyes of a true lover of the Prophet. If you see him through the eyes of someone like Abu Jahl, he will appear ordinary. But if you see him through the eyes of a lover, you will see him as the greatest and most perfect being, unlike anyone else.

(Masnavi by Hazrat Jalaluddin Rumi, may Allah bless him)