I saw my Lord with the eye of the heart.
I asked, ‘Who are You?’
He replied, ‘You’.
~ Mansur Al Hallaj
________________________
If one studies history of divine souls, one will always find find that those who preached love, compassion, universal brotherhood, respect for life, etc. you will find that they were inevitably persecuted by the government and the dominant religious authorities of the times.
Jesus Christ, The Sikh Gurus, are well known examples but much less is known about the Sufi saint Mansur al-Hallaj. The people followed them in large numbers turning away from the priests and preachers of the times, towards these divine souls and masters. Following them because they stirred their souls and enlightened them.
However arrogant leaders of religious and political institutions can not accept nor forgive anyone who enlightens the masses. So they always try to destroy these great beings.
But what difference do earthly matters of life and death make to the soul that is divine, and transcended this material world? They may destroy the body but not the soul, nor can they silence the words and the teachings.
One can also observe this, from the life of Mansur al-Hallaj (858 - 922). He was a Persian mystic, revolutionary writer and a major teacher and influence in the Sufi tradition.
He spent long periods in meditation and was imprisoned by many who disapproved of his claim to be true only to the one God rather than to protocols of social and religious custom.
Mansur was finally incarcerated for 9 years. Rather than getting destroyed, he rejoiced and used the time to meditate, realising that he and God were but one. When he emerged from his cell he kept uttering the the words, "An Al-Ḥaq" (I am the Truth)
_________________
What would happen if the masses followed Mansur?
He was repeatedly asked to publicly recant, but he steadfastly refused. Unwilling to change his statements, he was finally sentenced to death. Mansur was not only to be killed but to be so destroyed that it must frighten others not to deviate from norms laid out by religious leaders.
Thousands of people witnessed his execution on the banks of the Tigris River. He remained defiant, and uncowed even as he was led to the scaffold. He was first punched in the face by his executioner, then lashed until unconscious, and then decapitated Witnesses reported that Al-Hallaj's last words under torture were "All that matters for the ecstatic is that the Unique should reduce him to Unity," after which he recited the Koranic verse 42:18. His body was doused in oil and set alight, and his ashes were then scattered into the river.
Mansur Al-Hallaj taught people to find God inside their own souls. He preached without the traditional Sufi cloak and used language familiar to the local population.
Among other Sufis, Mansur was an anomaly. Many Sufi masters felt that it was inappropriate to share mysticism with the masses, yet Mansur openly did so in his writings and through his teachings.
Mansur al-Hallaj claimed, "There is nothing wrapped in my turban but God."
