Page 130 - The Book of Rumi

Guest Killer Mosque

utside the town of Rey in Persia, there stood a mosque that had earned
Oa shocking reputation. The town’s inhabitants called it the Guest Killer
Mosque, and for good reason! Strangers, however, did not know this deadly
secret, and every time one arrived in Rey and took refuge in the mosque for
the night, he was killed and his body recovered the next morning. People from
Rey never entered the mosque at night, convinced that the place was haunted
and that djinns lived in its dark, empty corners.
One day a man arrived who was well aware of the mosque’s reputation
but nevertheless wished to check the validity of the locals’ superstition, as well
as test his own courage. “I will not value my own body beyond its worth, for
it’s the spirit that’s priceless beyond all,” he argued to himself. “One’s body will
inevitably perish, but spirit is everlasting.”
When the townsfolk found out about the stranger’s intention, they unani-
mously tried to dissuade him. But, despite their best efforts, they failed.
“Dear concerned friends,” argued the stranger, “I’m tired of this life and
have no regrets. I yearn for a challenge; I don’t mind the physical damage. To
leave this world would be sweet for me, just like a bird who’s been freed from
his cage.”
People tried to change his mind, reminding him of the tortuous pain
that might be awaiting him in the mosque. They reasoned that to embark on
a heroic course may at fi rst seem like a simple choice, yet once fully engaged,
the diffi culties of the path will become all too clear; they told him that he’d
be sorry. However, he turned a deaf ear to them. They pleaded with him to
give up his crazy idea and not to tarnish the reputation of their town and its
citizens any further with yet another murder. But he had no ears to heed their
appeals.
“I’m not like a skittish housecat who buckles under at the fi rst signs
of fear! I’ve given up on my life. I’m afraid of nothing, and if I lose my life
tonight, so be it; I’ve achieved my purpose,” insisted the brave heart.
The townsfolk slowly began to disperse, realizing that their words were
having no effect. Reluctantly, they prepared themselves to confront the man’s

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