Page 184 - The Book of Rumi

True Servitude

destitute man was standing by the side of the road one day, hoping
A to receive alms from passersby, when he saw a group of men walking
toward him dressed in colorful silk livery with brilliant, bejeweled belts. He
had never seen people like these before and asked a person standing nearby:
“Who might they be? Which kings and notables are they?”
“They’re not kings or dignitaries; they’re the servants of Omid of Kho-
rasan, one of the sultan’s ministers.”
As soon as the poor man heard this, he turned to God in despair and
let the words roll off his tongue: “God, why don’t You, too, look after Your
servants like Omid of Khorasan does?”
The poor man uttered these ungrateful words out of desperation, for
he never had enough clothes to keep warm or enough food to stave off his
chronic hunger. But not long after the incident, the sultan turned against
Omid, accusing him of treachery, binding his arms and legs, and throwing
him in prison. He ordered Omid’s servants to be arrested, tortured, and inter-
rogated until they divulged where Omid had hidden his treasure.
For an entire month, the innocent servants were tortured day and night.
The frustrated tormentors threatened to cut out their tongues if they didn’t
reveal where the treasure was kept, but none of them spoke. In the end, the
sultan became exasperated and ordered them to be killed. Their limbs were
severed from their bodies, their tongues were cut out, and their corpses were
thrown into a sewage-fi lled ditch outside town.
That very same night, when the poor man who had earlier cried out in
despair at the wealth of Omid’s servants was soundly asleep in the dark, damp
entryway of a neighborhood mosque, he had a revealing dream. In his dream,
a holy man approached him, saying: “This is a lesson for you! You must learn
how to be a true servant, like Omid’s men. Only then may you approach the
door of God and be worthy of seeking His grace!”

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