Page 164 - The Book of Rumi

Child on the Roof

woman, beside herself with emotion, rushed into Imam Ali’s modest
A home. Hardly able to breathe, she fell to her knees.
“O savior, I beg of you to help me!” she pleaded. “My one and only child
has climbed onto the roof and gotten stuck in the gutter and will not come
down, no matter how much I beg him. I’m frightened that he may fall, and I’ll
lose him forever. He’s the light of my eyes, but he’s too young to understand
reason. I even pointed to my breasts so that maybe he’ll climb down for milk,
but he turned his face away.”
Her tears prevented her from continuing as she choked on her words. Ali
let her sob freely, conscious that her hysterical condition was not going to be
helpful to her son. After a few long minutes, the woman calmed down. She
looked up at Ali’s kind face; he was watching her intently, his eyes fi lled with
compassion.
“I’m at my wit’s end, my lord,” the woman whined. “Tell me what to do.”
“Now that you’ve calmed down, my good woman, listen carefully,” Ali
began softly. “Go and fi nd another child nearly the same age as your son and
send him up to the roof. When your son sees the other boy, in whom he will
see a resemblance to himself, he will walk over to him. I promise you, like
prefers like. We’re always attracted to those who are similar to us. Your boy
will soon be safe.”
The woman did not lose a beat and ran out the door in search of such a
boy. In no time, her son was saved, voluntarily walking over to his new friend
and climbing down the stairs together to safety.

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