Only One...

"All religions are in substance one and the same.

In the adorations and benedictions of righteous men
The praises of all the prophets are kneaded together.

All their praises are mingled into one stream,
All the vessels are emptied into one ewer.

Because He that is praised is, in fact, only One,
In this respect all religions are only one religion.

Because all praises are directed towards God's light,
Their various forms and figures are borrowed from it.

Men never address praises but to One deemed worthy,
They err only through mistaken opinions of Him."


Maulana Jalalu-'d-din Muhammad Rumi
The Masnavi I Ma'navi, III, 12
Abridged and Translated by E.H. Whinfield [1898]