Page 58 - The Book of Rumi

Impervious to the men’s retorts and pretending to be unaffected by the
weeping boy, the shaykh pulled his quilt over his head and slept soundly. The
boy remained beside him, weeping until the next prayer time, and the shaykh
did not glance at him once.
Why would the full moon, in all its glory, be bothered by the barking of
moonstruck dogs? Does the moon even hear their noise? The beasts do their
job while the moon does its own, spreading light all over the world. All things
on earth and above do their own little task; running water does not lose its

clarity or calm because of the straw and dust that float on its surface! The
king, amused by his entertainers, drinks his wine by the stream until dawn,
unaware of the cacophony of the frogs around.
Had the creditors collectively dug into their pockets to gather the half
dinar that the shaykh owed the boy, they could have easily paid him off. Yet
the will of the shaykh prevented them from exercising their generosity and
the boy from receiving anything at all. Such, and much more, is the power and
mystery of a Sufi .
At the next prayer time, a servant arrived with a covered tray sent by one
of the shaykh’s wealthy admirers who knew that he was unwell and didn’t have
much longer to live. The servant paid his respects and laid the tray before the
shaykh, lifting the cover to expose a small banquet of exquisite sweets. Much
to everyone’s surprise, there lay four hundred dinars in a corner of the tray and
half a dinar separately wrapped in a cloth by their side. The creditors gasped
in awe, unable to fathom how the shaykh had managed to bring about such
a miracle. Instantly they repented, ashamed to have ever doubted his powers,
and begged his forgiveness.
“I forgive you all your doubts,” the shaykh replied. “Go in peace. I asked
God to show me the right way, and thus He did! Although this half dinar is
not worth much, to gain it depended on the tears of the child! Unless the
sweet-seller boy cried his heart out, the doors of benevolence would not be

flung open. My brothers, by the child I mean the child in your own eyes! Con-
sider your needs fulfi lled once you shed tears. If you want to be the recipient

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