Fools Honor The Mosque

Fools honor the mosque
yet seek to destroy those in whose heart God lives.
That mosque is of the world of things;
this heart is real.
The true mosque is nothing but the heart of spiritual kings.
The real mosque that is the inner awareness of the saints
is the place of worship for all: God is there.

Mevlana, Mesnavi, II, 3108-3111.
tr. Kabir Helminski.