Page 199 - The Book of Rumi

Treasure in Egypt

n Baghdad, there lived a man who had inherited great wealth. As he was
Iyoung and inexperienced, he spent frivolously and was soon penniless. On
the verge of becoming homeless, he turned to God, begging to be saved and
to recover his wealth. He cried endlessly, feeling remorseful that he had wasted
what had passed of his life and had nothing to show for it.
One day, having exhausted himself with many hours of lamenting and
weeping, the young man fell asleep and had a dream. In his dream, a voice
advised him to go to Egypt, where he was certain to fi nd a great treasure that
had been hidden for many years. What was keeping him, the voice persisted;
why didn’t he wake up and just go?
The man woke up in a strange mood, still trying to process the odd
dream he’d just had. He thought, with nothing more to lose, why not join the
fi rst caravan that was headed for Egypt? And that’s exactly what he did.
After several days, he arrived in Cairo, destitute, hungry, and unable to
secure shelter. He was too embarrassed to beg openly, fearful even in this
foreign city that he might bump into someone familiar from his more carefree
days. Thus, he decided to wait for the cover of darkness before exposing his
plight so that he could remain faceless. Although practically dying of hunger,
he struggled with the humility of having to beg. Back and forth he went,
undecided about how to approach people, and before he knew it, much of the
night had passed.
The previous week, there had been a few robberies in the neighborhood
where the man had ended up, and the police were on guard, having been rep-
rimanded by the mayor for being too lenient on criminals. They were ordered
to arrest anyone who might look suspicious, even if the detainee happened
to be a relative of the caliph. The punishment for theft was nothing less than
the amputation of one’s arm! The police felt considerable pressure to fi nd
culprits, even if they weren’t sure that a suspect was actually guilty.
When they saw the poor man from Baghdad cowering in a dark corner
off the street and shivering in the cold night air, they were relentless and beat

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