This week, we are drawn into the voice of Sheikh Farid, the 12th-century Sufi mystic whose words carry the ache of longing and the sweetness of surrender. Known as Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakar—Treasure of Sweetness—his verses, preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib, cross every boundary, inviting us to remember what is essential: to love fully, to live honestly, to stay close to the One.

In his couplets, his words touch something profound. Not just the mind, but the heart. They don’t teach us as much as they awaken us—to the quiet pull within, to the truth we often forget, to the love we are made for.

Sheikh Farid reflects on his relationship with IkOankar (The One) and offers this piercing reflection: If I knew the hem was to fray, I would have tied a tight knot.

Sheikh Farid draws us into the imagery of the wedding. In Panjabi love poetry, the hem of the Beloved’s robe is that to which the lover clings. As part of the common wedding rituals of his period, the hems of the couple were tied together in a knot to signify the deep love and strong bond to be fostered between them. The idea of grasping the hem of one’s robe also appears in the context of the human-Divine relationship across faith traditions, evoking a sense of humble submission and devotion, of reverence, of refuge in the One, of trust that the One will lead us where we need to go.

Sheikh Farid reflects, If I knew earlier that something in my love was temporary or fraying, then I would have made more effort. If we know that this temporality will cause our relationship with One to dwindle, we ought to tie ourselves to the Beloved through remembrance. Love with the One is lasting and transcendent. The unripe relationships of this world, rooted in temporality, do not remain. Sheikh Farid reflects on his regret and his lack of remembrance, inviting us to reflect on whether the knot we have tied is indeed tight.

He continues: For me, no one is as great as You; having roamed, I have seen the whole world. He has seen all things, looked everywhere, and come to this understanding. The One is great! The One is vast. But the One is also the Beloved with whom we can have great intimacy, great love, great devotion.

We pause.
We reflect.

What are we planting so that this intimacy may bloom? This relationship with the One will not simply grow on its own. A blooming thing still needs care, still needs looking after, still needs to be nurtured. Sheikh Farid reminds us that our devotion also requires labor and discipline. Our love is not only about customs or particular symbols. It is about the meaning behind them.

If I knew the hem was to fray, I would have tied a tight knot. What a striking image. To tie ourselves to the One we love. To cling to the One we love—not because we seek to escape life—but because we have tasted that devotion, we have seen the Greatness of the One, and we cannot bear to let go. This is not desperation—it is devotion. Not weakness—but grace.

May we let our hearts soften.
May we lean into a love that is lasting.
May we cling to the hem of the great Beloved.
May the knot be tight. May the fabric never fray.

May the Guru-Wisdom guide us!