Page 45 - The Book of Rumi

The Deaf Man and His Sick Neighbor

man had been losing his hearing for some time but was too proud to
A admit his debility and continued to pretend that nothing was wrong
with him. One day, a friend bumped into him outside his home and told him
that the old man next door had taken ill and that it would be kind to pay him
a visit, as he had no relatives to drop in on him. The nearly deaf man somehow
made out what his friend was telling him and promised to visit his neighbor
that very same day.
How was he going to approach his sick neighbor, wondered the deaf man,
especially now that he had become ill and weak and likely able to speak only in
a whisper? But there was no way out of it; custom decreed that he pay the old
man a visit and inquire after his health. He decided that he’d decipher what the
patient was saying by reading his lips and respond accordingly. Nevertheless,
just to be on the safe side, he prearranged his questions in his mind and his
neighbor’s probable answers accordingly.
He decided that when he asked, “How are you feeling?” the sick neighbor
would probably say, “Thanks be to Allah, I’m surviving.” Then he’d say to
him, “That’s wonderful, thank goodness!” and continue: “What did you have
to eat today?” The neighbor would probably reply, “I had a lovely vegetable
soup, with a glass of cooling sherbet,” to which he would respond: “Bon
appétit; how wonderful!” In addition, he would ask: “Which doctor has pre-
scribed your medication?” and the patient would probably tell him the name
of one of the local doctors, to which he’d confi rm, “Fantastic, he’s the best
in the trade.”
Thus, he was encouraged by his plan and immediately went next door to
pay his visit. He sat next to the old man’s bedding, which was spread out on
the fl oor, and kindly asked him: “How are you feeling, my dear neighbor?”
“I’m dying!” moaned the sick man.
“Thank God!” the deaf man said jovially, and continued with his next
question, which he had duly prepared: “What did you eat last night?”

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