Saints of Islam

L

K • ji

Sayani, Husain R.

Saints of I si

am ,

■I

SAINTS OF ISLAM.

5

SAINTS OF ISLAM

BY

HUSAIN R. SAYANI

B. A. (Bom).

LONDON

LUZAC & Co.

46 Great Russell Street W. C.

1908.

PRINTED BY E. J. BRILL — LEIDEN (Holland).

Saints of Islam.

PREFACE.

The following pages are intended to give
briefly some of the main features of the re
ligious philosophy of Islam along with a brief
account of some of the interesting events of
the lives of three of its great Saints. A few
of the sentiments ascribed to these saints have
been rendered freely into English in order to
bring out the spirit of the thought clearly
which a literal rendering too often is hardly
able to convey, and these thoughts have been
compared to similar sentiments of other emi-
nent Oriental thinkers. I have selected the
three lives from three different periods in order
to survey briefly the development of some of
the political events and to a small extent the
literary advancement effected by the Moham-
medans in the course of these periods.

VI

As the interesting events of the lives of
great persons great in their moral character
and greatness of mind, whether they be of
the Christian faith or of any other, are gene-
rally found to be interesting and instructive,
as such lives contain those strange realities
of human life which appeal to the human mind
and are instructive to the understanding of
human nature ; and as there has been of late
a keen and growing interest in the literature
of the East among the Christian public I have
ventured to lay before them the lives of these
Muslim saints. Perhaps the title of this book
would suggest to some minds the narration of
miraculous deeds, of mighty dragons blown out
of life by the mere blow of a breath and wild
beasts charmed into obedience by simple words
of command; or it might suggest perhaps the
discussion of subtle metaphysical questions and
a vain endeavour to solve the dark mysteries
of human life; but instead of finding these if
the reader finds in these lives some lessons
of true philosophy; if he realizes the truth of
these lines —

VII

"What is life worth without a heart to feel
The Great and lovely and the poetry and
Sacredness of things" —

the object of writing this little book would be
considered as achieved.

H. R. S.
Bombay,
India.

Saints of Islam.

CHAPTER I.

KHWAJA HASAN AND HIS TIME.

Hasan the handsome was so named because
when he was a few days old his mother took
him to the Khalif Omar who exclaimed on
seeing him "how handsome the child is, name
him Hasan" (i. e. handsome). When he grew
old he became a jeweller and travelled from
one country to another showing his jewels to
the Amirs and Nobles of his time. During
one of these travels, it is said, he visited
Constantinople and had dealings with the
Grand Minister. Once the Minister took him
out with him telling him "I shall show you
to-day a strange sight". When they were
outside the city he saw a large royal tent set
up with silk strings tied to gold pegs and
furnished with silk curtains. Presently he saw

a body of armed soldiers in their full uniform
taking a round of the tent and uttering some
words in a low voice. They went away after
taking the round and a number of venerable
old men with gray beards followed and did
the same ceremony over. After them came
the chief councillors of the state and lastly
some beautiful damsels with gold trays laden
with gems and jewels over their heads. They
too performed the same ceremony. When all
had gone away, the king with his minister
entered the tent, and after a while they came
out and the king left the place with tears in
his eyes. Hasan was greatly surprised and
asked the minister what it meant. He said
"The Emperor had a son handsome and
accomplished, bold in war and wise in council,
whom his father loved with all his heart. The
prince suddenly fell ill, and in spite of all the
efforts made to save his life he succumbed to
his illness. This tent is set up over his tomb
for the annual ceremony in his memory which
is performed in this wise. A body of soldiers
in their full uniform and bearing their arms
commence the ceremony by taking the round

of the tent and uttering these words while so
doing "Oh Prince if it lay in our power to
avert what befell thee with the strength of
our arms, our service was ready for thee. But
strength and arms avail not against Him by
whom thy fate was decreed". Then follow
venerable old men uttering the words while
taking their round " Our intercession was ready
for thee but intercession avails not with one
whose decrees are final". Then the councillors
of the State repeating "if our craft and cunning
could have averted thy death we would surely
have exerted them in thy favour. But craft is
in vain against the All-Knowing Providence".
Lastly the beautiful damsels uttering the words
" Our charms were ready to do thee service
"Oh Prince" but this was from Him who is
not affected in any way by beauty's wiles and
beauty's tears". The king then enters the tent
with his minister and says "Oh Prince I would
have sold my whole kingdom to save thy life
but kings are as helpless against death as the
poorest of their subjects". It is said that this
scene weighed so heavily on Hasan's mind
that henceforth all his endeavours were to

4

prepare himself against Death. He settled
at Bussora and led a pious life and spent his
time in the service of his fellow creatures.

Perhaps no theme is oftener dwelt upon by
Oriental Authors than Death. Its grim side as
well as its bright side, for even grim Death
has its bright side, are depicted in the peculiar
vein of Oriental style. They delight to depict
Death as the unconquerable conqueror that
snatches away the crown from the powerful
monarch's head and lowers him from his
throne to the bier; the all-levelling leveller
that puts the meanest slave on an equal footing
with his master and the poorest subject with
his powerful sovereign ; the ever present
Instructor teaching us the lesson that worldly
glory and the vain pursuits of this life end in
nothingness ; It is also a consoler consoling the
afflicted and the wronged one that their miseries
will soon come to an end, and comforting the
bereaved one that he has only to pass Death's
bridee to enter the land where he will have
no more to suffer the pangs of separation.

Every scene of life has its humorous side
and Sadi in one of his odes describes the

5

humorous side of Death and we have tried to
give below the humour of the sentiment
expressed in that ode. The picture needless
to say is drawn from the Oriental way
of life. —

How sad the hour when Life's concluding game
Waits the last move of Checkmate and of Death
When the weak frame wearied with its life-long work
Lies on the bed, to seek its last repose in Death.
How sad to see the few last efforts of the loving friends
To save a life whose cup of time is filled
For what avails all care and cleverness
'Gainst Nature's final laws or Fate's decree.
Still in that hour hope clings to the dying man
When Med'-cine fails, the aid of amulets, and incantations sought,
Concluding still 'tis the Hakivis fault

For matters would not come to such a pass the otherwise
While Life's frail ship lies rolling, its sails all lost,
How sad to think what passes over the troubled mind
Perhaps the thought of evil done in this short life
Its swift gliding realized

The dread of evil end, for evil done to others
For the passing good of transient Life, whose end is seen so near
At last the sad news given out, how sad the scene
The house it rings with Mullets prayers
Swift and loud for paid with ready coin
The first rites o'er the priests have still their time, engaged
In vain ceremonies, kept for some months, at regular intervals
For custom hath decreed it more than love;
Pure faith based on love is simplest in its form
Free of cumbrous ceremonies and various rites
The device of cunning priests, to gain a living in a fellow

creature's death.
Sweetmeats and fruits given to fill the fakir's mouth
Fat and pampered,

Perhaps more worthy to be kept on fasts than fed with sweets

Thus fed that they may bless the dead man's soul

Sincerely if sincerity be purchased.

Then comes another scene,

The wrangles betwixt the beneficiaries

Trying each to rob the other of his right

The house, the shop, the garden, all appraised,

Perchance the Cazi has the lion's share

For power has this attribute

Of drawing money to itself

By crooked means in mismanaged states.

Last scene of all, Love's last act

The dear spouse that wets her eyes with tears

Love's flow which hath its ebb like other things

Forgetting soon the past

She weds another — ■ the scene here ends at last.

Before however proceeding further with
Hasan's account we should take a brief survey
of the time in which he lived (19 A.H to
1 10 A.H.). Hasan was born at Medina in the
year 19 A.H. and died no A.H. living to
the ripe old age of 91. He had seen the
fourth Khalif, Ali, when that personage came
to Bussora and visited the chief mosques of
that city giving orders that none should ascend
the pulpit and preach to the faithful except
those who had proved themselves worthy of
that office. Perhaps the greatest harm done
to religion and to society in general is by its
illiterate and narrow-minded priests who preach

7

only to gain notoriety or make a living out
of it. But AH found in Hasan a true and
worthy preacher and he was allowed to preach.
In the natural course of events that followed
after the holy Prophet's death, the purity
of religious sentiment and the enthusiasm for
truth that had governed the minds of those
who were Islam's first votaries, and which had
contributed in a great degree to bring about
the establishment of a growing Mohamedan
Empire, had already begun to be alloyed by
selfish motives and a desire of mere temporal
power. It came to a culminating point when
on one side Imam Husain the noble grandson
of the Prophet stood for the purity of religion
and on the other side Yazid moved simply by
a desire to gain temporal power and the en-
joyment of worldly pleasures opposed him.
The field of Karbala had decided for Yazid.
The first four Khalifs had lived in the sim-
plest possible style. All the state-revenue in
their time had been spent for state purposes.
In Yazid' s time appeared the first signs of
that luxury and royal state for which subsequ-
ently the Mohamedan kings became distin-

8

guished among monarchs of other nations,
Islam had laid down the principle that the
Ruler of the Faithful should be the Defender
of his Faith too. It required in the sovereign
a moral character above reproach, and an
unalloyed intention to serve the people for
the Love of the Lord and not for any selfish
motive. The Prophet had said "the leader of
a people is their servant and should serve
them". The struggle for preserving this prin-
ciple in practice continued, though weakly,
after Husain. Abdulla bin Zaid one of the
citizens of Mecca had raised the standard of
revolt against Yazid's descendant Merwan bin
Abdul Malik who was the Khalif of that time.
The Khalif after delivering the Friday sermon
in the Jam-e-Musjid of Kufa asked any one
of the congregation to come forward and lead
an army against the Meccans. But as yet the
love of the people was so much for the purity
of religion and for the sacred city of the
Prophet's birth-place that no one would come
forward, and lead an army for this purpose ;
when Hajjaj a young man of exceptional abilities
but without any scruples of conscience came

forward and undertook to do the job for the
Khalif. By degrees, this man rose to power
till he became the Governor of Irak during
Hasan's life time.

Hajjaj the tyrant.

This Hajjaj is the Nero of Mahomedan
history. Some of the historical works written
by Persian authors contain some interesting
pages regarding the history of this man.
Although of a very tyrranical nature he was
not without a ghastly humour of his own as
is shown by the following stories related of
him. It is said he delighted in spilling human
blood. Once when out hunting with his Amirs,
in the hot pursuit of a chase his horse led
him far away from his attendants into a sandy
plain, and the trying heat of the tropical sun
and the fatigue of the chase made him very
thirsty. He looked in vain for a long time
for some human habitation. At last after
wandering a good deal he espied a cottage
and found an old woman therein. He told
her to appease his thirst which was killing
him and the old woman brought him a cup

IO

of water. He told her that in recompense for
saving- his life he would reward her if she
came any day to his court. The old woman
was delighted with the expectation of a great
reward and went a few days later to his court.
Hajjaj said "Look here old woman thou didst
appease my thirst and saved my life that was
flowing out of me, by a sweet cup of water.
What better recompense can I give thee than
giving thee to drink the sweet cup of martyrdom
than which there is no sweeter cup to the
faithful and which gives him eternal life in
paradise, a rare gift for which the faithful
must ever be thankful". All the protestations
of the poor woman were in vain against his
tyrranical nature and she had to drink the
sweet cup of martyrdom and forfeit her life
for her misplaced act of charity.

Another time while riding out of the town
he found a rustic sitting alone and his sense
of humour being aroused he went near the
rustic and said "Dost thou know Hajjaj
the governor of these provinces? What
sort of a fellow is he"? The rustic replied
"He is a blood-thirsty tyrant". "And dost

1 1

thou know me" Hajjaj said," I am Hajjaj
the son of Yusuf the ruler of these pro-
vinces". The rustic had a ready mind and
he answered "Dost thou know me? I am the
son of an Amir and I suffer from a malady
which turns me mad three days every month
and to-day is one of those days". Hajjaj
could not but admire the fellow's cheek
and humour.

It is said a pious man who was reputed
amongst the Muslims as one whose prayers
always hit the mark of acceptance in the
Divine Court visited Bussora and Hajjaj was
informed of his arrival. He sent for him and
told him to pray for him his best prayer. The
pious man raised his hands in prayer and said
"Oh Lord take away this tyrant's life". Hajjaj
exclaimed "for God's sake what are you about".
"My prayer" he replied "would free thee from
thy evil nature and the muslims from thy
tyranny". It however took some time for the
acceptance of the Derwish's prayers in the
Court of God, and Hajjaj lived for some years
more to tyrranize over the people.

In his last moments too the tyrant was not

I 2

without his ghastly humour. He asked his
astrologer who was near his death-bed whether
he (the astrologer) had found in his astrological
calculations that a ruler of note would die in
those days. He replied he had found out from
his calculations that a ruler of the name of
Kulaib would die in the near future. "Of a
truth" said the tyrant, "My name is Kulaib
(doggie) although no one knows it for my
mother used to call me by that name. But I
would make thee a fore-runner for me for
I might have recourse to the services of a
cunning fellow like thee in the regions where
I go", and the astrologer found to his cost
that some words are better left unsaid.

It is worth noticing that when Hajjaj was
Governor of Irak he prepared an expedition
from Bussora the chief city of Irak, under
the Khalif's order for the invasion of India
and gave its command to his nephew Abul
Kasim. Of the subsequent history of the ex-
pedition we need not write as every reader
of Indian history is familiar with it. But there
is a halo of romance around Abul Kasim's
tragic fate. He had sent two beautiful Indian

13

Princesses taken as prisoners of war for the
Khalif 's harem. One of them with the idea of
wreaking vengence on the chief whose sword
had laid to dust her father's kingdom told the
Khalif who was captivated with her charming
beauty that she was unworthy of his bed for
Abul Kasim had defiled her before he sent
her to the Khalif. The Khalif's wrath was
kindled and he sent a peremptory order to
Abul Kasim to get himself sewed up in a
sack and order his men to bring the sack to
the Khalif. Abul Kasim it is said, faithful to
his master's order did what he was bid to do
though he had to pay it with his life. It is
said the Khalif subsequently found out Abul
Kasim 's innocence and put the wily princess
to death. The story if true, shows at any
rate, the faithfulness of the general, a national
characteristic for which Mahomedans are
distinguished amongst other Oriental nations.
Hasan generally preached on Friday the
Sabbath day of the Mahomedans before a large
congregation. He was bold in his speech and
never feared to speak out the truth though
he had sometimes to risk his personal safety

14

for it. One of our sages says that God appoints
a Pharoah for him whom he loveth, to try his
patience and the saint had his Pharoah in the
tyrant Governor. Once while the saint was
preaching on the blessings of having a good
and just ruler and was depicting the character
of a tyrant in bold colours the Governor
entered the Musjid with his soldiers, with drawn
swords and took his seat amonst the conore-
gation. The people said to one another "Now
will Hasan bridle his tongue for the safety
of his dear life" ; but Hasan went on boldly
with his theme growing warmer and warmer
over it till Hajjaj even admired his boldness
and rose and said "If anyone would like to
see a bold fellow, here is one in the person
of Hasan". But though the tyrant appreciated
the Saint's true worth, he was a slave to his
tyrranic nature as every tyrant is, and the
saint had to suffer many a persecution from
his hands. The saint's sufferings, however
came to an end by the tyrant's death and
he had the consolation to see the people
freed from the tyrant's zulum.

It is remarkable with what a peculiar sort

15

of pleasure and a smile of gratitude we look
back upon our sufferings suffered for a true
cause whether that cause may have triumphed
or not. Life's path though strewn with thorns,
when traversed, with virtue and righteousness
as one's guides and a noble object in one's
view looks after all, a fair one when we look
back upon it and the sentiment is well expressed
in the lines of the Persian Poet Jalal when
he says.

"The country which I traversed looked to
me a fair one after all, when I looked back
upon it. Though the dust of mishaps was all
along my path it was perhaps purposely laid
there that I should clean it off from my
garments with my tears. If I tripped and fell
away for a time from Thee it was even so for
Thy will decreed it to teach me something.
If I was not allowed to be near Thee unless
I passed the kennels of Thy dogs who barked
and snapped at me, the thought that Thou
wast near and that I would soon reach Thee
was consolation enough for me and after all
to be united with Thee atoned for all the pain
and sufferings I suffered in Thy Love".

i6

Ibn sirrin the interpreter of dreams.

Another notable figure in Hasan's time was
Ibne Sirrin who figures in Mohamedan history
as the true interpreter of dreams. It is said
that in interpreting dreams he would note the
hour when it was dreamt, the season of the
year, the peculiar natural aspect at the time
and the physical and mental condition of the
dreamer. Many interesting stories are told of
the way in which he interpreted dreams. A
person came to him and said that he had
dreamt that night that some one gave him
seventy leaves of a tree. The interpreter told
him that he would receive seventy thousand
dirhams (a small silver coin) in a few days.
It so happened that a few days later, the
person obtained a service under Government
and getting into the good graces of the Khalif
for a distinguished act of service which pleased
the Khalif he obtained from him the seventy
thousand dirhams fore-told by the interpreter.
A few months later another person had the
same dream and he came before the interpreter
for its interpretation. He told him he would

*7

receive seventy lashes of the switch in a few
days, and it happened as he had fore-told.
The people were surprised and asked the
interpreter the reason of the contrary turning
out of the same dream. He replied "when the
former person came to me the leaves were
green on the trees and the branches were thick
with fruit. While when the latter came the
season had changed and the trees had only
dry branches of which switches are made".

According to the belief of the Muslims,
prophets and saints have true dreams for there
being no mist of sins to cloud their vision,
their pure spirit sees the coming event on the
horizon of time before it actually happens,
which the ordinary eye cannot descry. Next
to the prophets and saints, according to them,
as regards dreaming true dreams, come the
righteous king, solicitous about the welfare of
his subjects, the old man nearing his death
and the faithful and loving wife always true to
the interests of her husband.

Ibn Sirrin interpreted aright about Hasan's
death. One of his friends told him that he
had seen in his dream that night that a bird

i8

suddenly dropped down from the heavens and
picking up the fairest pebble from the Musjid's
compound flew away with it. "If thou speakest
truth" he said, "Hasan will soon be picked
away from us by death for he is the
most pious man amongst us," and so it
happened.

Hasan was so humble that he never thought
himself better than any of his fellow creatures.
One day passing by the banks of the Tigris
he saw a negro on the spree, with a woman
in his company, and a bottle of wine placed
before him. Hasan said to himself "Perhaps
I am better than he, for I am no drunkard
neither am I immoral with women". As he
was engaged in this train of thought a boat
passed along the waters and caught by a
sudden blast of wind it capsized. The crew
seven in number struggled in the water for
their lives. The negro jumped in and saved
one after another six of the number and turning
to Hasan said "Come along save the seventh
for thou thinkest thyself better than me. I
am no drunkard. The bottle contains only
water and the woman is my mother". Hasan

19

never afterwards considered himself better than
any of his fellow creatures.

A story is told about the Saint's love of
the lower animals. He bargained to purchase
a horse of one of his acquaintances, for the
dumb creature had got maimed and had
excited the Saint's pity. The acquaintance was
only too glad to get rid of it. Next day the
acquaintance saw in his dream a fair plot of
land in heaven and a beautiful horse grazing
on it and inquiring to whom it belonged, he
was told that it belonged to Hasan the lover
of lower animals. Next day the Saint's acquaint-
ance went before him and asked of him as
a favour to cancel the bargain as he said
from what he had seen in his dream the
previous night, he now appreciated how noble
it was to be kind to the dumb creatures. But
the Saint would not cancel the bargain, for
the Saint had seen the same dream that night,
and the acquaintance left his house disappointed.
Next night the Saint saw in his dream a
spacious mansion in Heaven far better than
the plot of land and the horse grazing upon
it which he had seen the previous night, and

20

inquiring to whom it belonged he was told
that it belonged to the person who was lenient
in his dealings with his fellow creatures and
treated them with love and kindness. The
Saint next day went to his acquaintance, and
according to the desire of the acquaintance
cancelled the bargain.

That Hasan appreciated the responsibility
of a leader can be gathered from his taking
a lesson to his heart from an answer he
received from a drunkard, whom he saw
reeling and going on with unsteady steps in
one of the muddy streets of Bussora. He told
him to keep his steps steady otherwise he
might get a bad fall, whereupon the drunkard
answered "Oh Iman of the Muslims I would
clean myself of the dirt easily enough if I
tripped, but it would be sad both for thee
and thy followers if thou trippest, and couldst
scarce clean thyself of the dirt that would
cling to thee for ages". Hasan took the lesson
to heart and told his followers to warn him
instantly they found him in the wrong.

Hasan had a keen sense of humour and
even trifles would give him food for reflexion.

2 I

Seeing a child carrying a candle he asked
him whence had the light of the candle come.
The child remained embarrased for a time
but presently a blast of wind blew out the
light and the child said in triumph "Tell me
Sir where has it disappeared and I shall tell
you whence did it come" Thus Life's flicke-
ring flame appears from whence one scarcely
knows, and vanishes by a sudden blast of death.
The sentiment is well expressed in the lines of
the poet Rumi where speaking of Life and
Death he says —

"It was a speck of colour that appearing
on the horizon of human life from the one
colourless ocean of Divinity, remained there
for a while, and losing again its colour of
individuality it vanished into the colourless
sphere from whence it had come".

Hasan says "a woman's answer once went
right to my soul. She came running to me
with bare hands and head complaining of her
husband's conduct towards her. I asked her
to go and cover herself properly and then
come to me. She said 'Imam of the Muslims
I have so lost my senses in the love of a

22

creature that I am not conscious of my own
self. Hadst thou not informed me of it, I
would have run on to the Bazar unconscious
of my not being properly covered ; but wert
thou as much in love with thy Creator as I
am with one of His creatures thou wouldst
not have looked to my bare arms and head'.
Hasan says "I was on the terrace of my
house when I heard my neighbour's wife
giving the following warm sermon to her
husband. She began — 'Hast thou lost thy
sense ; I have been with thee for these forty
years, thy partner in all thy sufferings. I never
complained of thee even if thou didst not
supply me with my wants and endured for
thee the cold of winter and the hot weather
of summer. I kept thy respect in thy fellow
creatures' eyes and submitted to thy slightest
wish. But I will never never submit to this
thing. Thou wantest to take another partner
in thy love prefering her to me. I will never
allow thine eyes to settle on another woman's
beauty. I will seize the Imam's skirt and
complain bitterly of thee before him". Hasan
says this reminded him of the Lord's words,

23

* Verily God forgiveth not the taking of other
partners unto Him but other than this he
forgiveth to whom He pleaseth". The love
that one should bear towards his Lord must
be unalloyed, pure and selfless.

We give below some of Hasan's words
comparing the sentiment with the similar
sentiments expressed by other Mahomedan
thinkers of note —

To one who asked what is Patience —
Patience is two-folded, its one-fold lies in
suffering affliction with a cheerful mind resig-
ning oneself to the Will of the Lord ; the
other in restraining oneself from indulgence
in things forbidden by the Lord.

The man having praised Hasan's patience
and piety he replied — Nay, that piety is
best which is born of the love one bears to
his Lord whilst it may be that mine be out
of a desire to get the good things of Heaven ;
and that patience is best which proceeds out
of love to conform to the Divine pleasure,
dreading to fall away from Him — while it
may be that mine be due only to a dread
of the torture of Hell ; for true love should

24

allow no alloy of simply centering one's hopes
on any created thing forgetting the creator
or of doing anything which love requires to
be done, simply out of a dread of some thing
which we don't like to suffer". Sadi has a
similar sentiment where he says "Oh nightingale
thou warblest in vain ; take to thy heart the
instance of the moth ; it burns itself in love
of the lamp light without uttering any noise ;
for the lovers, their self extinguished, live
only in their loved one's love and no utterance
of complaint comes from one who is dead to
himself.

2. The true standard of judging the worth
of a person's knowledge lies in its beneficial
effect upon its possessor ; of deed in its being
effective, of love in its being sincere, of
contentment in its independence of things
earthly, and of patience in its being due to
a sincere love of the Lord. Whoever is truly
possessed of these, I would not be surprised
if his Lord poureth on him all His blessings.

3. A sheep is better than an un-awakened
human being, for the sheep is called away
by the shepherd's voice from grazing on

25

weeds that would harm him ; but the word
of God does not call away a human being
steeped in pleasures of this world from self-
indulgence.

4. There is no greater pestilence on this
earth than one who always utters vain words ;
and whosoever remains silent without observing
and judging upon things around him is deeply
set in ignorance ; and the glance which goes
without drawing a lesson goes in vain.

5. Whosoever is sound in sense has al-
ways moments of silent contemplation and
communion with his heart, searching out and
discovering in those moments truths which lay
hidden before and which leap up on his
tongue when the occasion calls them forth.

6. It is no slander to expose three persons,
the person who always indulges his passions,
the adulterer and the oppressive ruler who
practises zuhtni over his subjects. Compare
the Koran "God loveth not that evil be
matter of public talk unless any one hath been
wronged and God is the Hearing, the Knowing."

7. The best reins are those that thou
puttest on thy refractory self.

26

8. Sincere piety reaches the point where
nothing but truth comes upon the tongue of
its possessor whether he be in temper or out
of temper; where his limbs are never used
amiss in the perpetration of that which is
forbidden by the Lord, where not a single
thought passes his mind which is not approved
of His Lord. Compare the similar sentiment
in Jami where he says —

"Nothing can extinguish true love's fire for
it is the spiritual in man which ignites it. The
rino- dove can as soon remove the natural rinof

O fc>

around its neck as the lover remove the fet-
ters of obedience put round his neck by Love's
hands".

9. If I knew myself quite free from hypo-
cracy I would love myself more than any
other creature on the face of this Earth.

Saints of Islam.

CHAPTER II.

IBN ADHAM OR THE SAINT-KING.

SULTAN IBRAHIM OF BALKH SON OF SULAIMAN ADHAM BIN MANSUR.

"Whosoever loveth and is chaste in his love, and
hideth it, and dieth in it dieth a Martyr" (Hadis
or saying of the prophet).

Ibn Adham's father was a prince but his
heart was given to piety. He left his country
and became a derwish. A derwish, according
to his creed, must pass his life in such a way
as to gain ultimately that purity in which he
should see the reflection of the Supreme
Beauty of his Creator ; consequently he passes
his time in good deeds, in prayers and the
contemplation of Divine attributes, and of His
Beauty reflected in Nature. The holy Koran
repeatedly appeals to the mind of the reader,
to read Nature's Book and to reflect on its

28

contents ; for instance in the Sura, where the
Lord sayeth — "Verily in the creation of the
Heavens and of the Earth ; and in the alternation
of night and day and the ship which glideth
upon the sea with what is useful to man, and
in what the Lord sendeth down of the rain
from Heaven reviving- thereby the Earth after
its death ; and in the scattering over the Earth
of all the moving creatures, and in the sending
of winds and the clouds that move between
the Heaven and the Earth, are signs unto
those that exercise their reason". And in the
saying of the prophet "An hour's contemplation
is better than a year's prayers".

The derwish travelled by day and passed
his nights in prayers and contemplation. At
last he came to Balkh, at that time a famous
and populous city in the Oriental world, and
passing through its streets paused at the palace
of the king, probably thinking of his own
palace and the good things he had left behind.
The Princess seeing the derwish came to
the window to bestow a coin upon him. The
poor derwish was smitten in love with her
beauty. Her charming beauty had ensnared

29

him. He might well describe himself in some
such sentiments as the oriental poets delight
to indulge in — "Those charms of the watery
tulips of thy lips and the languishing nar-
cissuses of thy eyes — sometime redden my
face like the tulip with the thought of thy
union — sometimes droop me down like the
narcissus with the dread of thy separation".
The derwish would not move from his place.
Day after day he was there to catch one more
glimpse of the charming beauty of the Princess.
The king was in wrath and would have put
him to death, but justice required otherwise.
The king ordered him to come into his presence.
He saw that the derwish was of no ordinary
kind and was struck with his refined manners
and daring conduct. "What wouldst thou have
of me" he said. "Thy daughter's hand", the
derwish replied. "Her mahar is two precious
gems of the size of a bird's egg", the king
said. The derwish left the Court. It is related
he went to the sea-shore and engaged himself
in prayers and devotions asking Divine aid
to help him. His prayers were accepted and
Khizar appeared before him. Thrusting his

3Q

hands into the waves he brought out the
desired gems and presented them to the
derwish. The dervvish next day went to the
king and in full court presented the gems to
him. The king was non-plussed, and finding
the Princess willing to wed the derwish, the
engagement was ratified and the day fixed
for the wedding. But before the appointed
day a report was given out that the Princess
was dead. The lover was distracted. One
sudden autumn blast of death had withered
the spring flower of his hope and scattered
it to the winds. He followed the bier to the
graveyard, which was outside the city, as was
usually the case in those days. When the
people departed he lingered in the grave-yard
to get a last glimpse at her, if opportunity
offered, and to feast his eyes for the last time
with her supreme beauty. At dusk when there
was no one near about, he took out the body
from the mound of earth, but just as he was
looking upon her he heard a noise and some
robbers appeared upon the scene. He hastily
concealed himself. It so happened that there
was a person among the robbers who was

3i

once a clever Hakim, but by some freak of
fortune had turned a robber. After gazing at
the Princess' face for a while he exclaimed
"She is in a stupor on account of some drug
administered to her; she is not dead". He
took out a drug from his pocket and put it
in her mouth. After a while the Princess
opened her eyes. The lover could not contain
himself. He sprung out from his concealment
and made for the robbers. They were taken
by surprise and took to their heels. In a short
time the Princess recovered her senses com-
pletely and the two lovers left the place to
settle somewhere far from the city of Balkh;
which they did in a quiet cottage, where
under such romantic circumstances Ibrahim Ibn
Adham , popularly called Bin Adham, was
born, about the end of the first century of
the Mahomedan Hejira. He grew up in that
cottage where Love and piety reigned supreme.
His mother died when he was only a boy,
and his father thinking to give him a fit
education brought him to the city of Balkh
and put him to school. The boy went daily
to school and one day his grand-mother

32

happening to pass that way, was struck with
the boy's extraordinary resemblance in his
features, to her dead daughter. Her suspi-
cions were aroused and after a complete in-
quiry the boy was found out to be her own
grand-son and was taken to the family bosom
as the Lost Joseph returning once more to
Canaan. In the course of time his grand-
father died and left the throne to Ibn Adham.
Ibne Adham was now in his full youth,
with the absolute powers of an Oriental Poten-
tate, and blest with all the luxuries which
human heart could desire. But he had early
imbibed his father's piety and his sentiments
in the little cottage of his childhood, where
not only piety but Love which chasteneth it
and gives its sovereign seal to it, which alone
makes it acceptable in the Divine Court, had
reigned supreme. He knew that mere dry
piety was at best a weak disciplinarian, a tutor
with but scanty knowledge and without any
firmness of character or refinement of sentiment
who could scarcely mould the character of
his pupils or influence their sentiments. He
had begun to realize that he should awaken

33

within himself that inward eye, before whose
keen glance the innumerable curtains that
have preceded and will follow our present
life should rise one by one and reveal to the
spectator a considerable portion of Creation's
play from its beginning to the end of its one
ever lasting scene. In fact his mind was just
awakening to the mystery of the human soul
which had puzzled many a great mind before
him, and which nature reveals to her few
chosen ones — when he received signs after
signs from his Divine Instructor which worked
powerfully on the state of his mind.

It is related that as he was one night
engaged in his devotions he heard a voice
upon the roof of his room. When he questioned
it the voice answered "I am searching my
lost camel here". "How canst thou find it on
the roof of a king's palace", he said. The
voice replied "Oh Ibn Adham canst thou
find thy Lord in a king's palace"?

A few days later when he came to his
room one evening after his usual devotions,
he saw his royal bed occupied by one of his
slave girls. Ibn Adham was highly vexed

3

34

with the girl but she only smiled at him on
seeing him angry. His curiosity was aroused
and he questioned her about it. She answered
"Oh Sire it is only for a few moment's
gratification of my vanity to occupy a royal
bed that I suffer my master's anger. Wouldst
thou not incur thy Master's anger for all thy
self-indulgence and the gratification of thy
vain desires?"

A few days after this, it is said, he received
another sign which went right to his soul.
One day as he was on his throne in full state
of royalty with the Amirs all around him,
each one kissing the humble ground of
obeisance before his feet and standing in his
place with bowed neck and folded hands ready
to obey the slightest sign from his master's
eye, an unknown person entered the court
and passing boldly through the line of Amirs
stood before his throne, and demanded whether
he could give him a shelter in his inn. "Is
this an inn?" the king exclaimed "this is a
king's palace". "And pray Sir who was before
you in this palace?" the person asked; "My
father"; "and before that?"; "My grandfather

35

and so on" was the reply. "Is this then not
an inn" the person said "a sojourning place
where the incomer after a short-lived hospitality
marches forth on his onward journey?". So
saying the person disappeared. Ibn Adham's
mind was highly perturbed. He realized he
had to make the best of his short sojourn in
this world to gain whatever might be of avail
on his onward march. He became restless
with these thoughts, and he thought to beguile
his mind from them by going for a hunt with
his Amirs. He gathered his Amirs and set
out for that purpose. In the heat of the chase
he pursued a deer which led him far away
from his Amirs. In the excitement of his mind
he heard the deer utter to him "Oh Ibn
Adham leave me alone for thou art Love's
chase". The lamp of his soul was kindled.
He was put in mind of the words of his
Lord "when I love him (the righteous man)
I become his ears with which he hears, and
his eyes with which he sees and his hands
with which he handles and his feet v/ith which
he walks". Ibn Adham realized that he must
acquire Divine ears to hear His words and

36

the secrets of Nature, he must have Divine
eyes to see the Supreme beauty of the Creator,
and have Divine feeling to feel every pulse
and spring with which nature is guided.

Leaving the chase Ibn Adham passed on
and when he had gone far from Balkh he
alighted from his horse and seeing a peasant
working in a field he exchanged his royal
dress with him, and gave him his horse. The
next several years he spent in self-instruction
and in the acquirement of his cherished object.
Some part of this time he spent in a cave
near a village, only coming out once or
twice a week to earn his scanty meal with
the sweat of his brow, half of which meal he
gave to the needy, retaining the other half
for himself.

In after-years he used to desribe the hard-
ships he endured during this period. "Once"
he said" "it was so cold that it was frozen
all around the cave. I broke pieces of ice
and took my bath with them. I yearned for
some warm covering, but I had none. Presently
I felt myself wrapped up in something warm,
and sleep came upon me. I had a quiet nap

37

for some hours. When I awoke I saw to my
great surprise that it was a great dragon that
had wrapt me up and I prayed 'Oh Lord
thou didst send it in the garb of Thy mercy,
but I now see it in its own garb which is that
of Thy wrath'. The Dragon gently removed
itself from me".

THIRD STAGE.

The second stage in this Saint's Life was
now complete. He had now thrown off the
dross of "Self and retained the pure gold
of selfless love. He was now the Sikander of
his time, for he had built a solid wall between
his pure self and the gog and the magog of
evil passions, and selfish desires. No syren
voice of "self can now allure his spirit down.
We might now echo the sentiment of the
poet "Sanai" regarding him —

"It takes days, before the wool on a sheep's
back be turned into a derwish's garb or a
cord for the ass's neck ; weeks, before the
cotton seed sown in the moist ground produce
the stuff, which by the aid of human art be
turned into a bride's apparel, or a martyr's

38

pall ; months, before the sperm turns into an
infant — a future hero to lead victorious legions
to break the enemies ranks ; years, before the
stone turns into a priceless jewel ; generations,
before a true poet be born to delight mankind
with his exquisite poetry, or a philosopher to
change the sentiments of mankind ; but it
takes centuries, before a true ma?i of God be
born who seeing; his Lord with his inward
eye, lead erring, blind humanity to the path
of virtue, of righteousness, of Love".

We shall now give some instances related
of our Saint's endurance for the love of Him
for Whom he had forsaken his earthly kingdom,
his love of human kind, his charitable mind
in the truest sense of the word and last but
not least the good he did for human kind.
In relating these instances we should not forget
that he was once a powerful potentate blest
with all the luxuries that human heart could
desire. The contrast must have been keen.
The poor peasant endures the hustles of the
world with patience because he is inured to
it from his childhood, and after a time does
not see anything out of the way in it. The

39

needy is humble because it is his interest to
be so. But it must have been different with
one who was once a powerful king. He endured
it all with a good humour, which never failed
him, and a sweetness of temper never soured
by any hardship. Once while on a ferry boat
he had with him a set of rowdy Amirs who
finding him a derwish made him the butt
of their raillery and played all sorts of practical
jokes upon him. His endurance was put to a
sore trial, but he did not lose his composure.
He must have been vividly reminded of the
time when the Amirs kissed the ground of
obeisance before his feet, and stood with bent
necks to obey his slightest order ; who crouched
with fear to see their king angry, and were
thirsty to gain his slightest approbation. At
last Divine inspiration came unto his pure
heart and whispered "if thou desirest they
shall be meted out with grievous punishment";
But his humble prayer was ttO Lord I remem-
ber thy Hundred Names each bespeaking the
peculiar phase of thy Mercy except one
'Al-Kahhar' (the Avenger) which speakst of
thine anger. Give them the eyes to see

40

between right and wrong". His prayer was
accepted and they saw before them one crowned
with the Light of Divine Glory, with a Halo
of Divine Light all around him. They fell at
his feet and asked for mercy.

Once wrapt up in his own thoughts he sat
on a Musjid's front steps. Presently the Muezzin
came and pushed him so roughly that he fell
some steps below. He said in after years
regarding this incident that he only wished
the Musjid had more steps, for every fall from
the steps gave him an inward vision such as
he would not sell for the kingdom of both
the worlds.

Such and similar treatment he received
while he was unknown ; but such a character
and intellect as his was, could not long be
hidden. He travelled much and his fame in
spite of his unwillingness grew apace. Where-
ever he went his words of wisdom and the
purity of his character worked upon the
sentiments of the people.

In those days when the means of communi-
cation were scanty, when no state aid was
given to clergymen to live in all the comforts,

4i

nay luxury of life, and to keep the public
conscience straight; when there were no great
public funds for the Salvationists to go forth
to foreign lands to beat the tomtoms and make
a grand tamasha, in those days a more solid
work was done for blind humanity by the
voluntary efforts of persons who, possessing
a purity of life and a greatness and nobleness
of mind such as is rarely found in our present
age, have left foot-prints on the path of human
life to guide for ever the erring to the path
of selfless love and righteousness.

The last years of Ibn Adham's life and
activities were spent at the Holy Musjid of
Mecca. He lived during the reign of three
successive Khalifs of Bagdad, Harun-Ar-Rashid,
Mamun and Mutasim-Billah, the last of whom
is said to have visited him and conferred
with him. The influence of a great Murshid
or a true saint in a Mahomedan kingdom is
such as can scarcely be conceived by those
who do not belong to that creed. In his holy
Darbar worldly distinctions are done away
with. The poorest peasant may take his seat
beside the proudest monarch. Rulers and chiefs

42

kiss the hands of the holy man with reverance
and join their hands with his in solemn baiat
(or a pledge with their lives to be guided by
him). He is often the Mediator between the
king and his subjects in redressing their wrongs
and obtaining justice from the powerful
monarch's hands, and such influence he exercises
not by any temporal power placed in his hands,
for he never cares to have any, but by the
moral force of his character and the greatness
of his mind.

In the viausam (or period) of Hajj or the
sacred pilgrimage when a stream of pilgrims
from every part of the world gathered in that
holy city, Ibn Adham's pure words like Isra-
feel's trumpet must have enlivened many a
spirit dead with wrong- doing in its body-grave.
Like many other sacred relics the pilgrims
must have carried with them his words and
the various remembrances of his pure life to
all the parts of the world.

A large circle of disciples gathered round
the saint. The first condition that he made
with the person who desired to enter his
circle was that he should eat only of what

43

was lawfully gained. He himself went daily
to the forest to cut wood, and in exchange
for it had loaves of bread and dates which
he distributed among his disciples, retaining
only a scanty portion of it for himself. Many
instances are related of his love of mankind
and his truly charitable mind. While staying
with some fellow-derwishes in the midst of
winter in an old creaking Musjid, which had
a door full of holes like a sieve, he stood
for the whole night before the door to keep the
bitter from wind beating against his poor friends

While travelling with a fellow-derwish his
friend fell ill. The Saint nursed him most
tenderly and spent all he had with him. As
his friend wanted some more comforts the
Saint sold his riding donkey and procured
them for him. When his friend became well
they set out again on their travel ; but as
his friend did not like the idea of walking
all along as he felt still a little weak, the
Saint carried him full three manzals on his back.

While passing through a street he saw a
man dead-drunk, his face and mouth filthy
with the drink. The saint fetched water and

44

cleansed his face and mouth with it saying
"it is not meet that the mouth which uttereth
God's name should remain filthy". When the
man heard of what the saint had done, he
repented of his folly and cured himself of his
bad habit.

The saint's good humour never failed him.
While going to the forest to cut wood a
proud lashkari (common soldier) mistook him
for a slave and accosting him roughly asked
the way to the abaciani (an inhabited place).
The saint replied "I am no doubt a bondsman",
and pointed to the grave-yard meaning there
is the population. This vexed the proud soldier
and he assaulted the saint. The people gathered
and when the fellow knew whom he had
assaulted, he fell on his knees and asked for
mercy. The saint replied "I blest thee for it
for the wronged one is nearer his Lord than the
wrong doer. I answered thee aright for I am
His bondsman, and the grave-yard daily gets
an increase in its population while the city
now-a-days is getting depopulated".

When asked whether he had ever seen a
truly charitable person the saint replied " At

45

Mecca I went to an hair-dresser and having
nothing with me to pay him I said 'Trim
my hairs for thy Lord's sake'. He kissed
my forehead and trimmed my hairs as he
would have trimmed a king's or an Amir's.
I told him I would pay him whatever I get
at the very first opportunity. A little while
after this, one of my disciples sent me a purse
of pure gold dinars. I took the purse to the
hair-dresser and offered it to him. He said
'Oh Ibn Adham what a simpleton thou art.
Didst thou not say "Do it for thy Lord's
sake." I did it for His love and I wont't have
anything in return for it'. I said 'Look here,
these are Dinars of pure gold'. He answered
'Oh miser! true wealth lies in the possession
of a rich mind and not in gold and silver.'

If a derwish share his scanty meal, honestly
gained by the sweat of his brow, with his
brother derwish, it is perhaps an act of
charity more acceptable in the sight of God
than the giving away of some superfluous
thousands by a millionaire, which did not add
to his comforts but which were rather an encum-
brance unto him and which he generally gives

46

for gaining vain titles and earthly glory. We
do not for a moment deny the fact that these
thousands contribute to the comforts of his
fellow brothers, and relieve their sufferings.
But the question is whether such charity
goes to enrich the heart of the donor;
the spirit can only redeem itself by paying
the ransom of Divine selfless Love. The
smallest coin of action with the stamp of Love
upon it, and unalloyed by a selfish motive,
contributes to this ransom. "If thou beamest
upon thy fellow-brother with a smile it is
charity." "If thou fillest his bucket with water
from thy own it is charity". It is always
humble because it looks to the greatness and
goodness of God. The Persian Poet perhaps
felt the same emotion when he spoke in
exaggerated terms in the manner of his own
kind" "If there be an ant endowed with
speech ; if there be an hair endowed with life
and love, I am that ant and I am that hair".
That our saint knew how noble is the pain
of love can be gathered from his answer to
a day-labourer, who, returning home one
evening dejected and sorrowful, for he had

47

not earned his wages for the day to supply
his family with the evening meal, saw the
Saint sitting in all composure and envied him
his lot. The saint replied "I would gladly
exchange all my righteous deeds for this thy
hour's selfless sorrow for those whom thou
lovest. This reminds one of the sentiments
contained in the Persian poet Attar's lines. —

"No rank vain glory for me ; I would
sooner have pain of Love — its longings — *«
its yearnings ; — for Love's pain is man's sole
birth-right — Angels feel it not though they
may feel Love.

Insipid would be the possession of both the
Worlds if thy heart is void of Love's ecstacy
of pain — its yearnings — its hopes.

Let the infidel delight in his infidelity and
the believer in his faith — an atom of Love's
anguish would disengage Attar's heart of
both — Then grant me O thou who art my
pain's relief the pain of thy Love which alone
is my Life".

According to the Sufi Doctrine the com-
ponent units of this great integer the Universe,
are but the bubbles that bubble out of one

48

ocean of Love. In its bubble state, the individual
bubble has its activities and movements in
proportion to its limited capacity. But while
it is merged in the endless ocean it is the
ocean that acts, with its unlimited powers and
activities, and not the bubble. We shall relate
now one or two instances out of the many of
the super-natural powers assigned to this Saint.

Once an old acquaintance who knew him
in his former days of kingly power saw him
on the banks of the Tigris sewing his patched
garment. He taxed him for what he had left
in exchange for a poor derwish's life. The
saint threw his needle into the water below
and a thousand fishes came out, each with a
gold needle in its tiny mouth. The saint
demanded his own and a tiny fish came out
with his needle and raising its head placed
it (the needle) at his feet.

The true derwish never asks any favours
of others for himself, for he is resigned to
the will of his Lord. It so happened that Ibn
Adham had to remain without food for seven
successive davs. He was more thankful to his
Lord, for he was nearer Him, for "the Lord

49

loveth the Patient". On the seventh day
pressed down by hunger he said "I ask of
Thy Mercy to give me food". Presently a
youth appeared before him and invited him
to dinner. The saint was led to a spacious
mansion richly furnished. When the host gazed
at him attentively he recognised him and
-exclaimed "Of a sure thou art Ibne Adham
my master. I am thy slave whom thou didst
purchase when thou wast king of Balkh,
and all this is of thy bestowal and legally
thine". The saint granted the slave his freedom
and all that legally belonged to him (Ibne
Adham) and left the place saying "I will
never ask my Lord again for myself.

One of the most pathetic stories related
about this saint is the meeting between the
father and the son, between the husband and
his wife, after a lapse of many years. Ibne
Adham's only son was a child when his father
left his family amidst such romantic circum-
stances as we have described. When the
Prince grew up he yearned to meet his father.
With his Queen-mother and four thousand
attendants the Prince set out for the pilgrimage

4

50

of Hajj, as he knew that his father was at
Mecca at that time. When he arrived there
he was informed that his father went daily
to the forest to cut wood. The Prince next
day took the way to the forest and saw the
Saint carrying a pack of wood on his back
to sell it in the bazaar. The Prince's heart
was touched. His father seemed also to
recognise him. Next day one of the saint's
disciples brought the Prince with his mother
in the presence of his father. Paternal love
surged in his heart and he embraced his son
warmly and seated him on his lap. He question-
ed him as to his creed, whether he knew the
Koran and had any share of learning. The
Prince answering in the affirmative his father's
heart was filled with joy. Meanwhile the people
gathered to see this strange interview and
said unto one another "Now will he leave us
and his noble work for the people". The
saint suddenly exclaimed uO Lord protect us",
and the Prince lay dead in his arms. The
people exclaimed "What has befallen thee
Ibne Adham". The saint replied "Divine
Inspiration came unto me and whispered in

5i

my heart 'wouldst thou now claim a selfless
love for us' ; and I prayed 'Oh Lord if my
love for Thee is not selfless then part one of
us from the other'. The arrow hit the mark
against my son".

Every noble sentiment born of Divine Love,
though small in its extents and activities at
its birth, finding a congenial place in the
human mind, and fed by the sweet waters
of love, rises and swells into larger and still
larger proportions, irrigating and fertilizing
many a barren thought on its onward march,
till it joins the ocean from which it derived
its original waters, and assumes the ocean's
activities and movements. This is illustrated
in the holy Koran where the Lord says of
Ibrahim the Prophet of God — "And so did
we show Abraham the domain of the Heavens
and of the Earth that he might be one of
those who are stablished in knowledge". "And
when the night overshadowed him he beheld
a star. "This" said he "is my Lord" : but
when it set he said "I love not those that
set". "And when he beheld the moon uprising
"This" said he "is my Lord", but when it

52

set he said "Surely if my Lord guide me
not I shall be of those who go astray".

"And when he beheld the sun uprise he
said" uThis is my Lord this is greatest" but
when it set he said uOh my people I share
not with you the guilt of joining Gods with
God". "I verily turn my face to Him who
hath created the Heavens and the Earth
turning aside (from everything else) and I
am not one of those who take Partners with
the Lord".

The prophet's thought rests a while on the
twinkling beauty of the gem-like star but he
feels conscious of its setting. Then the moon,
the Queen of night, with her soft beauty
appeals to his imagination. But she too obeys
the same law. Then his imagination goes forward
and views the sun with its eye-piercing light
and brilliant rays. But his reason concludes
that all these powerful agencies are subservient
to the fixed laws set for them by their Divine
Master whose must be the Supreme Beauty,
the Supreme Power, the Supreme Wisdom,
and who suffers no decline of any sort, and
the prophet exclaims "Verily I turn my face

53

towards Him turning aside from everything
else. Henceforth Divine Love rises superior
to every obstacle in his way, he recks not
every threat, every insult, and ignominy, even
the torture of burning alive in fire ; it rises
above the supreme parental love that rises
in his bosom and he is resigned to His will
when ordered tc sacrifice his son.

In conclusion we give below some of the
words assigned to this Saint. -

i. Markst thou the man who knoweth his
Lord ; his mind is always contemplating and
taking lessons ; and his tongue uttereth those
lessons in praise of his Creator's goodness ;
his acts are subservient to the Divine will ;
and his mental eye is always engaged in
discovering the beauties of his Creator's Art
in what His hands have wrought.

2. The traveller on this path has three
curtains before his eye; when he removes
them he sees the treasure he is in search of.
Were he offered the kingdom of both the
worlds he should not rest contented, for
whosoever is satisfied with the created forsaking
his Creator is selfish and the selfish in the

54

end is disappointed. Secondly, were the kingdom
of both the worlds snatched away from him
he should not grieve for the loss, for this
shows narrowness of mind ; — and the narrow-
minded shall be punished ; thirdly, he should
not allow any flattery or bestowal to seduce
him for it shows a lack of loftiness of spirit
to be thus tempted away from one's purpose,
and the low spirited is confined in a narrow
sphere out of which he cannot come".

3. "Tie what thou openest and untie what
thou tiest, i.e., tie thy tongue and untie thy
purse strings."

4. (To one who had wronged his soul and
asked the way to be righteous).

"When thou thinkest of doing wrong, do it
after thou hast done these six things. — Partake
not of thy daily bread for it is of His bounty —
Take thee out of His protection and His king-
dom and do it where He seeeth thee not — for
it is shame adding unto shame to do it under
His very eyes while thou eatest of His bounty
and livest under His kingdom. Turn away
the Angel of Death when he cometh to take
thy life away — and the two Angels "Munkar"

55

and "Nakir" when they come to question thy
spirit after thy passing away from this life
"who is thy Lord". — Refuse thou to take
the path to Hell when they lead the righteous
to Heaven and the wrongdoer to Hell. If thou
canst not do these six things then prepare thee
against Death before it overtakes thee ; know
thy Lord before the question is put to thy
spirit "Who is thy Lord" ; and be of the
righteous so that the angels may lead thee
to Heaven."

5. I have four chargers to ride upon — I
ride on gratefulness to meet His bounty, on
sincerity when going forth to do any righteous
deed ; on patience to battle with a hardship ;
on repentance to meet His forgiveness".

CONCLUSION.

The famous poet of Shiraz in one of his
odes says "Last night I saw the Angels knocking
at the door of the wine-house ; — they kneaded
Adam's clay with wine".

The wine house surely is in its full swing.

56

Every new comer has his destined cups given
to him in the ever circulating round by the
hands of the Divine Cupbearer. But the cups
are however mixed with their wine-dregs. It
is left to the drinker's choice not to allow
the fumes to raise false phantasies before his
eyes preventing him to see the Cup-bearer's
Divine Beauty. Every cup should reveal to
him a new charm, a new beauty in the cup
bearer hidden before ; till when his spirit is
fully intoxicated with these Divine Love Cupsr
losing his uself" in the unconsciousness that
should follow, nothing should remain before
his mental eye but the Supreme-Beauty of the
Creator. Then he should have acquitted himself
of the Divine "Trust offered to the Heavens
and the Earth and the mountains but the
burden of which they were not equal to bear""
but which as Hafiz says "fell to the lot of a
poor madcap in love like himself".

Saints of Islam.

CHAPTER III.

ST. JUNAID OF BAGDAD AND HIS TIME.

Junaid was born in the year 232 A.H. at
Bagdad where his father and uncle lived. His
uncle was the most pious man of his time
and Junaid being his favourite was brought up
under his special care. He showed exceptional
abilities from his childhood. When he was
seven years old his uncle took him to Mecca
with him in the season of Hajj. It is said
that in the Sacred Musjid or Harem of Mecca
where three hundred great divines of the time
had gathered to meet his uncle and to discuss
religious matters with him, the discussion
turning upon what is "gratitude", the child's
opinion was asked about it. He replied
"Gratitude is appreciating the gift of the giver
and not abusing it but making the best use

58

of it". Every one admired this answer from
a boy of seven years. When Junaid grew up
he set up a business of glassware but his
spare hours he spent in thinking and acquiring
knowledge, and his nights in prayers and silent
contemplation. When he had spent about
thirty years in this way the people began to
know of his orreat abilities and the eoodness
of his character. It is said that some of his
enemies poisoned the ears of the Khalif of
the time against him and he thought of
finding a plausible excuse to disgrace him.
The Khalif had a beautiful slave-eirl who
was his great favourite and who had no
equal to her in point of beauty in his ha-
rem. He ordered her to put on her best
dress and deck herself with the royal jewels
and to go before Junaid and say to him after
suddenly removing the veil from her face and
disclosing her beauty before his ravished eyes
uSire my heart is turned cold to the affairs
of this world. Henceforward I lone to remain
at thy feet, taking instruction from thy holy
lips, and serve thee as the meanest of thy
servants. He also instructed a confident servant

59

to follow the girl secretly and to inform him
of what happened. The girl did as she was
bid to do. Junaid lifted up his head from the
silent thoughts in which he was immersed and
looked at her beautiful face and heaved a
heavy sigh. The girl was, it seems, so affected,
that she gave up her ghost and fell dead at
his feet. The servant went and told what had
occured, to the Khalif. He now repented of
the hasty step he took in the matter but he
saw that he could not blame Junaid in the
matter and that he should not have tried to
delude thus an innocent person into a trap.
This incident however, came to the know-
ledge of the people and it raised Junaid's
name and reputation amongst them. He now
began to preach to the people. The purity
of his thoughts added to his great mental
abilities and the goodness of his character
contributed to work a great change in the
sentiments of the people. He was a very
effective speaker and is said to have impressed
his hearers a good deal. But before proceeding
further we should survey briefly the preceding
century and a half of the Mahomedan Hejira

6o

as far as it bears to our present subject. We
should also give in a few concise words the
spirit of Sufi Philosophy of Islam of which
Junaid was one of the greatest exponents. The
Ummayid dynasty had fallen. It was supplanted
by the Abbaside Khalifs (or Caliphs as expressed
by the Europeans) popularly known as the Kha-
lifs of Bagdad. During the reign of the second
ruler of this dynasty Al-Mansur, the foundation
of the world-renowned city of Bagdad was laid.
There is an interesting story regarding the build-
ing of this great city. The first sovereign of this
Abbaside dynasty had built a palace for himself
outside the town of Kufa the Capital of the
Ummayaiids, and a new town had sprung up
around it. During the disturbances that followed
after him, the second Khalif thinking his life un-
safe in that town, ordered his engineers to make
every preparation for the purpose of building a
great city, and he himself with his two Amirs
went to search for a proper site for this purpose.
He came near the place where the present city of
Bagdad is situated and seeing a Christian mona-
stery and a monk engaged in devotion therein
he told his Amir to enter the monastery and

6i

question the monk about the suitability of the
site for building a great city. The monk after
giving a favourable report of the site asked
the name of the Khalif. He was told that it
was Mansur, whereupon he answered "This
Khalif won't be able to build a city here for
I have found in an old book left by my
predecessors here, that a king of the name
of Miklas will build here a great city which
will be famous throughout the world. The
Amir returned and told the Khalif what the
monk had said. Hearing it the Khalif alighted
from his horse and laying his head on the
bare ground thanked his Lord. The Amir
was surprised and questioned him why he
had done so, whereupon he said "When I
was quite a boy we were in very straightened
circumstances as the Umayiid Khalif then in
in power and his adherents were very hard
upon us looking upon us as rivals to the
throne. My young companions and myself
used to make small picnic parties and our
rule was that each of us should pay the
expense of the party by turn. I could not
find anything with me to defray its expense

62

when my turn came, and looking about here
and there, I found my nurse's threads of
which she used to weave strings lying about.
I pocketed them and sold them in the bazaar
and paid my share of the picnic expense.
When my nurse missed the threads she thought
that I must be the young rogue that had
stolen them and she questioned me and found
out where her threads had gone. She nick-named
me Miklas (thief) and used to call me by that
name. No one knew the secret except the
nurse and myself. The monk has augured
well". The Khalif instantly gave his engineers
orders to build the city.

As we have already alluded to before, the
simplicity and purity of life and the selfless
desire for truth and self-sacrifice for it, which
had characterised the companions of the Prophet
and the first votaries of Islam and which had
already begun to ebb during the time of the
Ummayiid Khalifs continued in its ebb even
after these Khalifs, and during the spring
time of the Bagdad Khalifs had completely
changed into a luxury of living and indulgence
in the pleasures of life which ultimately snapped

63

the foundation of the great Khalifat (rule of
the Khalifs) of Bagdad, and gave the reins
of government into the hands of Turkish
slaves, owned by these Khalifs. Ultimately
they usurped the throne and became the rulers.
The greatest Khalif of the Abbaside dynasty
was Harun Ar Rashid. Though wilful and
proud, he had a strong character and unbending
will. In the internal administration of the state,
and in extending the Mahomedan sway his
hand was strong and descended with a force
which was quite necessary in those stirring
times to maintain a growing empire.

Harun Ar Rashid had a strong sense of
duty and loved to get direct information
regarding his subjects. He used sometimes
therefore to put on the garb of a tradesman
or derwish and mix with the people and
enjoy their hospitality of an evening. The
stories in the "Arabian Nights" regarding
him have a nucleus of truth around them out
of which such a nebulous globe of fiction has
been spun out. He had a high appreciation
of the true dervishes and whenener he grew
tired of the worries of State-affairs he sought

64

consolation in their company and took to his
heart much plain spoken and homely advice
uttered from their lips. One evening he went
with his Vazir to see a well known pious
derwish of his time, Fasil bin Ayaz, and sought
admittance to his house. The saint was reading
the Koran and had come to the verse "Deem
they who earn evil unto them that We will
deal with them as We deal with those who
believe and do righteous deeds?". The Khalii
said to his Vazir "If we need any advice,
this verse is sufficient unto us". They then
knocked at the door and in answer to the
Saint's inquiry the Vazir said "It is the
Commander of the Faithful who seeks admit-
tance to thy house". "I have nothing to do
with the Commander of the Faithful" was the
reply ; whereupon the Vazir reminded him that
he was bound to obey the Khalif according
to the words of God "Oh ye who believe obey
God and obey the Apostle, and those among
you invested with authority". They entered
the room of the Saint. He put out the light
that he might not be disturbed in his prayers
and the hand of the Khalif happening to fall

65

upon him, in the darkness, he remarked
"What a well-formed hand is this! Would
that the Khalif not besmear it with evil deeds
and save it from the fire of God's anofer".
The Khalif was touched and asked for some
words of sound advice whereupon he said
"Thy ancestor was the Prophet's uncle and
he asked of him to appoint him a ruler over
an Arab clan. The Prophet replied uRemember
and control thyself'1 meaning thereby self
control and discipline should precede and is
far superior to ruling over others, for without
self-discipline many a time sovereignty results
in repentance on the day of Judgment. Harun
asked for more and the saint replied "Before
thee was a good Khalif Umar Ibne Abdul
Aziz who when he came in power asked the
good counsel of a pious man and he said
■"If thou desirest to acquit thyself worthy of
this office, regard the old amongst thy subjects
as thou wouldst regard thy own father and
the young as thou wouldst thy brother and
the child as thy own child and regard the
woman amongst them as thou wouldst thy
mother and sister and deal with them accor-

5

66

dingly; for thy kingdom is like unto thy own
household and thy subjects its members ; then
be a support unto them in their helplessness
as thou wouldst like to be unto thy father in
his old age ; be kind and lenient unto them
as thou wouldst unto thy brother, and instruct
and nourish them as thou instructed! and
nourisheth thy children.

"God has appointed a good house which
He hath named Heaven, and a bad one
which he hath named Hell. He hath made
thee in thy time warder of these two houses
as regards thy subjects. For it depends to a
great degree upon how thou dealest with thy
subjects that they take virtue's path which
leads to Heaven or the wrong path to Hell ;
for thy lax administration will encourage them
to lawlessness and vice and thy proper
administration will give them opportunities to
take the better path. If an old woman amongst
thy subjects to-day remains without food for
a single day, through the neglect of thy duty
towards them, thou shalt have to answer for
it tomorrow before thy Lord on the day of
Judgment". It is said the Khalif was so touched

6;

with these words that he left the pious man's
house with tears in his eyes. Harun's son
Mamun who succeeded him maintained the
traditions of his father, and his able rule was
conspicuous for Mahomedan victories over the
Roman empire and the extension of Mahomedan
sway. But the chief thing of interest to us is
that his conquests brought the Greek classics
and great works of the Greek mind within
the reach of Muslim thinkers. Aristotle and
other great works were translated into Arabic
and the people's mind always inclined to
religious philosophy turned to it more than ever.
The instruction which one derives directly
from a really great and ingenious mind who
has been gifted by nature with supernatural
powers which enable him to read its book of
hidden secrets and derive lessons from it
which others cannot, is of a far superior kind
to that which the after-generation derives from
words and works which the instructor leaves
after him as a legacy for mankind in general.
To know personally a great and true instructor,
to keep company with him, to be allied closely
with him in the ties of friendship and love,

68

to know his character in private and in public,
to be a partner in his joys and sufferings, to
feel in some degree what he feels, to imbibe
the true spirit of his thoughts, to know every
lane and avenue, whether spiritual or otherwise
which has led to these thoughts, is a far
superior kind of instruction to that derived
by after-generation from the words assigned
to him, or any work left by him, whether
divinely given to him and brought into existence
through his spiritual agency, or the mere
product of his own intellect. It is specially
so in the case of religious instruction, where
the ignorant mind is apt to take only a literal
view and cannot feel the abstract idea; or when
he looks only to the outward form and features
of religion, however graceful and beautiful,
but cannot feel the inward spirit and the
noble feelings that are even depicted in the
mirror of the external form and which even
an untutored mind endowed with an artistic
eye sometimes does not fail to discern.

Among every nation, it is the interest of
the class of priests who have to depend for
their means of sustenance on what they receive

69

from the people for their preaching to them,
or who have no worthier desire than to gain
cheap notoriety among the masses, to endeavour
to keep them confined to the mere letter of
religion, and its outward form and ceremonies,
which often inclines the people to be narrow-
minded and bigoted and breeds an intolerance
in them of a broad and unconfined view of
religion. The purity and expanse of religious
thought which had characterised the first four
Khalifs after the Prophet, and the generality
of Mahomedans in their time, had gradually
given way to a great degree to intolerance
of free thoughts and a preponderance of the
priestly class we have above alluded to. In
direct contrast in their views and sentiments
to this class, another school of thinkers had
risen who called themselves Sufis and who
taught religion in its noblest aspect, and as
Junaid was one of its best exponents it will
be interesting to give here in a few words
the spirit of the Sufi Philosophy of Islam.

THE WHOLE UNIVERSE A REFLECTION OF DIVINE

LIGHT; THE REFLECTION, NOT THE REALITY;

THE SHADOW NOT THE SUBSTANCE.

Their ideas about the Deity although
approaching in some ways to pantheism were
not really pantheistic for they did not subscribe
to the belief that the whole Universe is God
Himself but that it is only a reflection of
Divine Light, the shadow, but not the real
substance, or in other words it is the Divine
attributes working and moving and appearing
in innumerable different lights and colours.
Creation is only the mirror in which a million
different movements of one, all-comprising
Divine attribute of "Love" in its multifarious
phases are seen. The perfect human being is
the best in creation, for, possessing the full
scope of attaining pure and selfless Love, he
has attained it after passing through many
a trial and barrier set before him and the
attainment ot his object.

Pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, pride
and humility, in fact every opposite feeling
owes its birth and existence to the one

7i

all-encompassing feeling of "Love." But Love
in its perfect form is Divine Love shorn of
all "self" looking to the loved one alone.

KNOWLEDGE AND SELF INSTRUCTION.

Just as in an ordinary love-affair between
a man and a woman, the love which originates
in a lover by his taking a fancy to, and being
drawn away and attracted by some peculiar
and remarkable traits in the character of the
loved one, an inward beauty rather than an
outward charm in her, that Love rests on a
more solid foundation than that which owes
its birth to the mere attraction of outward
beauty ; so the flame of Divine Love can
only be fully kindled when the inward and
unclouded vision, penetrating through the
outward garb of nature, finds out the Divine
spirit that is working underneath and which is
the life and essence of all creation. According
to the Sufi derwishes the traveller on this
path of Divine Love should take as his text
"I (the Lord) was a hidden treasure and loved
to be sought out" which implies that the
ultimate object of the Creator in the evolution

72

of creation was that He should be known as
He is ; and this knowledge can only be attained
through the avenue of pure and selfless love.

TRUE PIETY.

Taking these principles as his basis the
Sufi derwish builds his moral edifice upon
it. Piety according to him has two sides
external and internal ; the external lies in
keeping oneself confined to the limits set down
by the moral law of religion ; the internal in
the sincerity and purity of thought which
should precede action. Although admitting
that specified prayers and other acts of piety
contribute to some degree in elevating one's
character, he thinks that the true moral
elevation lies in making love one's Musjid and
turning to the Kibla of Divine will, in offering
the sacred Nimaz of self-effacement. The true
fast according to him is the moral fast of ab-
staining from everything forbidden by the sacred
law of Love; and the true Zakat, the Zakat
of self-sacrifice and spending one's mental and
physical powers for the good of one's fellow-
creatures for the mere love of his Lord.

73

DEALINGS WITH OUR FELLOW-BROTHERS.

"Faith is Good- Will" said the Prophet and
he repeated his words thrice to give force to
them. Faith must have its edifice on the firm
basis of good-will towards all and a clear
conscience with the Lord and His creatures.
But good-will attains perfection when the spirit
of self-sacrifice, of placing other people's good
before one's own, is exercised and put into
practice.

KINDLING OF LOVE'S DIVINE FLAME.

Human society is based on Love and
whatever position one enjoys in the social
scale he gets ample opportunities to exercise
his faculty of Love. But that feeling which is
meanly exercised to gain a selfish end, or
for the indulgence of a short-lived pleasure,
is not the pure substance but a mixture which
requires the fire of trial to purify it of its
dross. Unlike any other commodity Love cannot
be made a bargain of-, for if it be given in
return for any selfish object in view, it
vanisheth when that object is gained or when

74

there is no hope of attaining that object. It
should be kindled purely, for when purely
kindled it is returned purely. It requires
awakening- but when it echoes its sound
clearly through the human heart, without the
voice of self mixed with it, it is sure of a
pure and unmixed response. As a Persian
poet says :

"A balm can only be applied where there
is pain". "A difficult problem is soon solved
when the pressing necessity of its solution
arises". "Just as the waters always find a low
ground for their flowing out, the sweet response
of Love flows for him who is smitten down
by it". "How sweet the appeasing of one's
trying thirst, but thou canst not have this
appeasing delight without first feeling thirsty".
"The child when it crieth with hunger its
mother gives it suck ; and the cloud of
mercy pours water on the parched land."

THE DEVELOPEMENT OF THE SENSES.

The machinery of the senses should be so
put in action that every wheel respectively of
each sense should work and turn out pure stuff

75

of love, the spiritual engineer of Divine Love
guarding it from its turning out waste-matter.
The sense of sight should be so engaged
that every glance should endeavour to find
out a new beauty in nature, every thought
to trace out a new art in what her hands
have wrought. The sense of hearing should
be exercised to listen to the voice of nature
all around. The gentle tunes of birds varying
in a thousand varieties each sweet though
different to the other, the sweet sound of the
flowing waters, the gentle murmur of the winds,
the love-exciting" notes of the string- instruments
and above all the Divinely melodious human
voice singing the sad tale of Love, all this
listened with a contemplative mind adds to
the warmth of the pure flame which has been
kindled in one's heart and gives him the
sweet and sad pleasure, the ecstacy of love
which the Lover's heart yearneth for. As a
Persian poet sings. —

u What pleasure can sweet viands give !

For me sweet kisses of love,

Though preceded by trial's hard things;

76

Sweet were the words of that charming cup-
bearer

Drink deep of this Love-cup, and speak not
of it to those who are ignorant of its
hidden pleasure."

TRIAL IN THE DURBAR.

Junaid and his disciples gradually began to
exercise such a vast influence over the
sentiments of the people that they became
a thorn in the side of the narrowminded and
bigotted clergy of their time. One of them
who had a great influence with the Khalif
poisoned his ears against them saying "These
persons' propaganda lies only in teaching
people how to love. They love music and
everything that is beautiful in nature and
preach to people the liberal ideas of the free
thinking heretics". The saint and some of his
chief followers were arraigned on a charge of
preaching heresy to the people and brought
before the Khalif in the full Darbar. The
culprits were seated in a line and the executioner
was ordered to do his deadly work. As he
advanced towards one of them, another, Nuri

77

by name, arose instantly and took the place
of the intended victim. The Khalif was surprised
at the man's eagerness to serve his brother
derwish and save his life , even though it
be for a few moments more, and he said to
him uThou but thinkest lightly of thy life to
sell it so cheaply". He replied "It is the rule
with us to prefer our fellow-brother's welfare
to our own and afford him the enjoyment of
whatever is dear and valuable to us. Think
not that I regard my life lightly. I consider
it as the most precious gift to me from Heaven,
for every moment of it is precious to me, as
I may use it to a good purpose and so stand
in the service of the Lord that I may gain
thereby His Eternal Nearness, and the ecstacy
of seeing His Supreme Beauty". The Khalif
was touched with these words and stopped
the executioner from doing his work and
referred the matter to the grand Cazi to be
decided upon after a due inquiry. In those
days of summary justice when it did not require
any big briefs to be prepared, and a lengthy
and costly process to be undergone, before
the case came to be finally decided upon by

7»

the "learned Judge", the Cazi in the simple
old fashion of our ancestors took up the
case immediately in the presence of the Khalif.
As a shrewd lawyer, for lawyers were shrewd
in those days too, he thought to cross-examine
one of the defendants whom he thought quite
ignorant in matters theological. So he began.
"If the true believer has twenty dinars in his
possession, how much out of this is he bound
to give in charity by the set rules of his faith"?
The derwish answered "Twenty dinars and
a half. The Cazi went on in triumph "Who
ever didst such a sort of foolish thing"? "A
far better man than thee, Cazi" said the
derwish. "The first Khalif of the Faithful Abu
Bikar had forty thousand dinars with him
in the time when Islam was in its infancy and
struggling for its very existence. He spared
not a single coin out of it but spent it all in
the way of the Lord, for he loved Him with
a sincere love. An obedience to the rules set
by our religion, no doubt requires a fraction
of the amount one has, to be paid in charity,
but true love requires that nothing should be
spared to gain love in return."

79

"Thou speakest wisely" said the Cazi ubut
why should one give half a dinar more than
he has?" aAs a fine" said the derwish "for
hesitating to spend where sincere love dictated
it to be so spent; for true love dispels any
idea of "self in the lover". The Cazi baffled
by the derwish's answer turned towards
another and began to question him about the
minor points of ecclesiastical law. The derwish
after answering all his questions correctly, for
the majority of these derwishes used to study
religion in all its branches, said in the end
"Cazi thou lookest only to the letter of religion,
forsaking its spirit. Thou hadst better ask us
what is the end and aim of all these laws
set by religion. Knowest thou not O Cazi !
that there are creatures of God upon this
earth whose faith is Love. They live in His
love and breathe His love-breaths. Their
very heart-life is His love. They see with
His eyes and hear with His ears and feel the
divine feeling".

The Cazi said "Oh Khalif of the Muslims,
if the accused are heretics then I decide that
no true believer is left on our earth".

8o

We give below an illustrative story taken
from an Oriental work to show that when
love the Sultan passion is recognised and given
allegiance to, it underfetters all other passions
and directing them into their proper channels
gives them their full scope in the performance
of the office assigned to them.

There was a king of old, who as was the
custom of the Oriental kin^s in those times,
changing his royal garb of an evening and
putting on that of the common people, used
to walk in the slums of the city to know
personally the state of his subjects. One evening
while taking- such a walk he met with four
persons who he thought were bent on doing
a big job that night. He joined them saying
UI am a bird of the same feather with vou".

0

Finding him a boon companion they soon
became friendly with him. He inquired of
each, of the particular art he knew whereupon
one of them said "I understand the speech
of the lower animals". His other companion
said "I am gifted with such a sense of smell
that I can find out with its aid where the
treasure is hidden." The third said "I know the

8i

art of opening a lock however intricate it be".
The fourth said "I am gifted with a power bet-
ter than that which any of my other companions
possesses, for if I happen to see once a person's
face even in darkness, I can recognise him
ever afterwards, though he be hid amongst
a thousand people". They all inquired of the
new friend what art he possessed whereupon
he said "I possess this extraordinary power
that if I chance to see a person sentenced
to be hanged and if I nod my head at him
he is at once set at liberty." "This is mighty
good", they said, "and this should make us
bold to-night to commit burglary on the king's
treasury". They all set out together. In the midst
of their way they met with a dog who barked
at them. Their new friend asked of the one who
knew the speech of the lower animals, "what
does this dog say"? "It says", said he, "there
is a king amongst you but refuses to say
any further". When they came to the treasury,
its locked door was opened by the companion
who knew the art of opening intricate locks
and they entered it and the treasure was soon
searched out where it lay hidden, by the person

6

82

who possessed the extraordinary sense of smell
amongst them. After their work was over
they separated and the king came to his
palace. The next day it was given out that
the king's treasure had been stolen during
the night. After trying his officers' skill in
tracing out the burglars, and finding them
wanting in it, for there were no such clever
detectives in those days as we have, though
the thieves we believe did not yield to ours
in point of their thieving intellect, the king
gave the clue to his officers of the burglars'
whereabouts. The burglars were tried in the
Cazi's kutcheri and were sentenced to be
hanged ; but the king had given orders not
to execute the punishment upon them without
his order. When the burglars saw they would
soon be hanged, the one amongst them
possessed of acute distinguising powers said
"I suspect the stranger who joined us in the
burglary was the king himself for our companion
interpreted the dog's bark as meaning 'there
is a king amongst you'. Were I to see
him I would soon recognise him though he
be in his royal garb and state." They asked

83

therefore of the warder to get permission of
the king to allow them to come in his presence
as they wanted to tell him something. They
were ushered into the king's presence and
the person blest with extraordinary distin-
guishing powers said to him ueach of us has
shown his art to thee. Now we ask of thy
blessed head this favour to nod at us a little
and free us from the gallows for truly enough
it possesseth the power of saving persons
from the gallows".

The king's head nodded politely at them
and set them at their liberty. The king gave
each of them an office congenial to his abilities.
Thus love the Sultan-passion when recognised
and given allegiance to unfetters the thieves
of passions and gives them honest and congenial
work to do.

We give below some of the sentiments of the
saint and his followers comparing them with
similar sentiments by other Oriental thinkers.

LOVE.

i. Junaid. —
Love is a sacred trust, a heavenly gift,

84

placed in the human heart, to be spent only
for receiving pure love in return. For, unlike
other things, it cannot be made a bargain
of. If it be bartered for the gratification of
a selfish desire, or for the indulgence of a
short-lived pleasure, when such desire or
pleasure is satisfied the sacred trust is taken
away for its abuse and is seldom replaced
again. Love is perfect between two persons
when one can say to the other uThou art
me and "vice versa;" an entire disappearance
of the Lover's individuality. Compare this
sentiment with the similar one in the Koran
"We offered this trust (of pure Love) to the
skies and the earth and the mountains but
they refused to bear up the burden and were
afraid of the heavy charge but man took it
up ; verily he was oppressive in this to himself
and ignorant (of the responsibility involved in it).
2. Shibli. —
The heart wherein Thy Love dwelleth does
not require any other lamp, for Thy love-light
removeth its darkness ; when on that day of
reward and retribution people put forth what
they did to get their expected meed, our proof

»5

shall He in the love we bore Thee where all
our hopes were centred.

3. Junaid. —

If all thy merits cannot win His nearness
thy merits are in truth demerits. Compare the
similar sentiment in Sadi.

"Let Philosophers claim sense as the best
gift of nature but those who know Thee say
that the intoxication of Thy Love is far sweeter."

Compare also Saint Rabia's prayer. —

uO Thou who knoweth the heart's secrets
grant thou the pleasures of this world to him
who desireth ; and of the next to him who
striveth for them. Only grant Thyself unto
me for Thou art all in all unto me."

MAGNANIMITY.

4. Junaid. —

Magnanimity consists in not laying thy
burden upon another and that what thou hast
thou spendest in another's cause.

Compare Sadi.

"True nobility lies in spending what thou hast
for another's cause and true honour in laying
thy face in humble adoration before thy Lord."

86

TRUE PIETY.

5. Ibne Ata. —

True piety has two sides, the external and
the internal ; the external lies in keeping oneself
confined to the limits set down by the moral
law of religion, the internal in the sincerity
and purity of thought which precedes thy action.

Compare the Koran.

"There is no piety in turning your faces
towards the East or the West, but he is pious
who believeth in God and the Last Day and
the Angels and the Scriptures and the Prophets ;
who for the Love of God disburseth his wealth
to his kindred and to the orphans and the
needy and the way-farer, and to those who
ask for charity and for freeing the necks
fettered in slavery ; who observeth prayer and
payeth the purifying alms and who is one of
those who are faithful to their engagements
when they have engaged in them, and patient
under ills and hardships and in time of trouble :
these are true in their faith, and these are
the truly pious."

87

THE PURE IN HEART.

6. Shibli. —

The pure in heart are nourished in the lap
of His Love and fed with the milk of His
kindness like the child who is fed and nou-
rished by its loving parent.

7. Sirri Sikti. (Junaid's uncle and Instuctor).
The pure in heart like earth receiveth every

evil and giveth in return its fruitful product.

THE PURE IN HEART WHO KNOWETH HIS LORD.

8. Shibli. —

The life-time of the pure in heart who
knoweth his Lord may be likened unto the
aspect of nature in spring time wherein the
water-cloud smileth and the thunderbolt con-
sumeth, the thunder soundeth and the breeze
bloweth, sweet flower of every kind blossometh
and the bird intoxicated with the beauty of
the time poureth forth its soul ; so the righteous
man's eyes shed tears while his lips smile ;
his heart burns and is consumed with the
fire of Love lit in it, while he like a fond

88

bird in love with the flowers and intoxicated
with the beauty, utters the praises of his Lord.

9. Sirri Sikti- —

The pure in heart who knoweth his Lord
is like the sun which sheddeth its lusture for
all, irrespective of any person or place, and
like the earth which beareth the weight of
the high and the low, even like unto water
which possesseth the life-giving property and
like the lamp from which other lights are
kindled.

Gratitude.

10. Junaid. —

Gratitude is appreciating the gift of the
giver and not abusing it but making the best
use of it.

1 1 . Gratitude is looking to the giver and
not to the gift.

Magnanimity.

12. Junaid. —
Magnanimity lies in forgetting any obligation
thou hast done to others and not mentioning
it as UI have done this for you" nor even
ascribing it to thyself.

89

13. Abu Hafs. —
Magnanimity lies in giving justice to others
and not standing on receiving justice from
others.

14. THE FEAR OF THE LORD.

The fear of the Lord is the Lamp by which
thou canst distinguish the good and the evil
that is contained in thee.

INTERPRETING FEELINGS.

15. Sirri Sikti. —

Thy manners and words interpret thy
feelings and thy face is the mirror wherein thy
heart is reflected.

THREE KINDS OF CHARACTER.

16. Siri Sikti. —

Three kinds of character the men possess
One like the mountain firm and obdurate
Nothing can remove him from his place
The other like the tall firm rooted tree
Moved now and then by storms and winds
The last is like the feather, borne by the
wind where'er it turneth.

9o

GOOD TEMPER.

17. Sirri Sikti. —

Good temper lies in not offending another's
feelings and forbearing" with him if thou receivest
injury from him, seeking not any retaliation.

THE STORIES ABOUT THE RIGHTEOUS.

18. Junaid. —

The stories related about the righteous are
like the hosts of angels from Heaven, to
guard and guide thee on thy way.

Compare Jami (Persian poet).

"When thou hast set up the idols of good
intentions within thy mind breathe unto them
the preserved breaths of the righteous and
they will rise up into moving actions and rea-
lities. If evil passions create an earthquake in
thy heart charm them into silence by the magic
words of the truly righteous."

c£ to

P3

•H

cd

•H

u
0
,£3

3

-51

a

rH

w
H

i

id

-Pi

•H

ctfi

cd

University of Toronto
Library

DO NOT

REMOVE

THE

CARD

FROM

THIS

POCKET

Acme Library Card Pocket
LOWE-MARTIN CO. Limited