1 Corinthians 1:27 · World English Bible
but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame the things that are strong.
Jadhba: The pull Jadhba names being drawn by God rather than climbing toward him. The choosing then owes nothing to credentials, and the one chosen cannot point to anything that earned it.
From the Sufism reading below.
The same verse, read by one tradition.
SUFISM
Jadhba: The pull Jadhba names being drawn by God rather than climbing toward him. The choosing then owes nothing to credentials, and the one chosen cannot point to anything that earned it. Teachers in this line say a single pull from God outweighs a lifetime of a person's own effort. Someone with no standing ends up carrying what no amount of merit could buy.
Inability to grasp is itself a grasp: the mind's edge is honest knowledge The line comes from Abu Bakr, and Sufis have repeated it ever since. It meets a clever person exactly where they are strongest, at the spot where an answer is expected and none arrives. Admitting the limit turns out to be the first accurate thing said. Someone who can say "I don't know" has come nearer than the one with a smooth answer for everything.
ʿUjb: Being pleased with yourself Al-Ghazali uses ʿujb for the quiet warm feeling a person has about their own gifts. That feeling fastens onto whatever they are best at: the sharp mind, the good name, the strength in the arms. Being shown up stings most in the area a person counts on, which is why it works. Losing the glow leaves the ability intact and takes away only the story told about it.
Faqr: Poverty Faqr means holding nothing of your own, coming to God with empty hands. The Quran puts it plainly: people are the needy ones, and God is the one who needs nothing. A person already full of their own standing has nowhere to put anything more. Having little of your own leaves room, which is why the one nobody was watching often gets filled.
Malāma: Blame The Malāmatis of old Nishapur made a practice of looking unimpressive and kept whatever was good in them out of sight. Their reasoning was simple: a reputation for holiness feeds the very thing it claims to cure. Counting as nobody removes the audience, and with it the pull to perform. A person is left who no longer needs anyone to be watching.
Sufism lens
Who did I rank today without saying a word out loud?
The lowest place is where water gathers, and the valley is full because it sits beneath everything. Standing low is not a loss of ground.
An empty cup is the only one you can pour into. A full cup is not being generous when it refuses.
Do the good thing and let it be the whole of the matter, without waiting for anyone to see. The watching audience adds nothing to the act.
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