Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You are truly a Mullah — a Qazi — only when you know the Name, the living connection.
You may be very educated. But no one can remain when the measure of life is full.
The title is only real when what it points to is actually present inside the person who carries it.
This pauri redefines the religious title from within the tradition's own framework. A Qazi (Islamic judge/scholar) is only truly a Qazi when they carry the Name — the genuine inner alignment that the title is supposed to point to.
This is not a rejection of Islamic learning or scholarship — Guru Nanak had deep familiarity with Islamic thought. It is the same critique he levels at Hindu Pandits and Buddhist monks: the title is meaningful only when the substance is present.
Have you ever met someone with an impressive title who didn't live up to it — and someone without a title who surpassed it? What was the difference?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI