Were you sent as a prophet to unite, or were you sent to divide?

I have been reading more of Rumi's poetry and ran across this one. This is a shortened version to highlight the point that struck me so forcefully and which serves as the title to this post. In the full version, Moses is moved to run after the shepherd and to confess his error, but the shepherd reassures the prophet that God used even that rebuke to draw the shepherd closer. To paraphrase something I once heard a rabbi say, when the one who loves stumbles, he still falls into the lap of God.

I thought Christians might be touched by the tenderness of the shepherd's devotion to God expressed in terms of caring for a small child. Although Rumi writes as a Muslim, I cannot help noticing an almost Christmas note in the first lines.

The Shepherd's Prayer

Rumi

From the book “Rumi, Poet and Mystic, a selection of his writings“,
Translated from the Persian by Reynolds A. Nicholson.
Slightly abridged

Moses saw a shepherd on the way, crying,
“O Lord… Where are You, that I may serve You and sew Your shoes and comb Your hair?
That I may wash Your clothes and kill Your lice and bring milk to You,
O worshipful One: That I may kiss Your little hand
and rub Your little feet
and sweep Your little room at bed-time.”

On hearing these foolish words, Moses said,
“Man, to whom are you speaking?
What babble! What blasphemy and raving!
Stuff some cotton into your mouth!
… the High God is not in want of suchlike service.”

The shepherd rent his garment, heaved a sigh, and took his way to the wilderness.

Then came to Moses a Revelation:
“You have separated My servant from Me.
Were you sent as a prophet to unite, or were you sent to divide?
I have bestowed on every one a particular mode of worship,
I have given every one a peculiar form of expression.
The idiom of Hindustan is excellent for Hindus;
the idiom of Sind is excellent for the people of Sind.
I look not at tongue and speech,
I look at the spirit and the inward feeling.
I look into the heart to see whether it be humble,
though the words uttered be not lowly.

Enough of phrases and conceits and metaphors!
I want burning, burning: become familiar with that burning!
Light up a fire of love in thy soul, burn all thought and expression away!
O Moses, they that know the conventions are of one sort, they whose souls burn are of another.”

The religion of love is apart from all religions.
The lovers of God have no religion but God alone.

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