786 The Zahuri Web Site - Sufi Stories
1
Here is a humorous anecdote of Zahurmian which (unlike most jokes) stayed with me for a long time. A familiarity
with the politics of the Indian subcontinent is helpful in appreciating the humour. Zahurmian valued hope highly
and writes about in the lecture, The Inward Peace, on this website. Here I think he means to point out that as
valuable and important as hope is it should not be devoid of perspective.
There was once a politician who lost an election - the time came for the newly elected man
to take up residence in the official house. On the arrival at the official residence the new
incumbent found his predecessor still in residence. He asked him why he had not moved
out yet. The answer came readily - "Ah" he said, "It is true I may have lost the election - but I
have not lost hope!"
2
Here is another story which Zahurmian quoted to me many years ago to put certain anxieties at rest concerning
astrology.
In olden times there was a famous astrologer whose skills were said to be so great that he
could accurately foretell the exact date that any person who consulted him would die. The
king came to hear of the astrologers great skills and called him into his presence. He
inquired if this story was true and, on hearing that it was, the King requested the astrologer
to predict the date of the King's own demise. The astrologer duly consulted his charts and
gave the King the exact date.
The King was not comfortable with the reply as it was a little closer than he liked. He asked
again if the astrologer was indeed infallible in this respect. Receiving confirmation of this
the King said he would prove the astrologer could be wrong.
He asked the astrologer to say what date the astrologer himself would die. Consulting the
charts the astrologer named a date several years off. The King said, "Now I will prove you
wrong - call in the executioner!"
3
Here is a reply which Zahurmian gave to a question. It has considerable profundity.
Zahurmian was once asked which was most important the meaning or the sound of words.
He replied that the meaning of words was of little or no importance whatsoever. The sound
of words had some significance, but what really counted was neither of these - it was the
implication of words that counted.
4
Another story
There was once a mystic who had great powers of asceticism. He lived as an ordinary
fisherman and everyday he would go out in his boat and catch many fish. He would
distribute his catch amongst the poor and only save one fish head for himself. One day he
called one of his trusted disciples and said "It appears that my spiritual development is
held up by something and I have not been able to fathom out what it is. I want you to go and
visit a great Sufi mystic who lives some way away. I want you to ask him for the solution to
my problem. He is one of those much loved by God."
Accordingly the disciple traveled for many weeks until he reached the town of the great
Sufi. He inquired as to the direction to his cave but was shown instead the path to a great
mansion, a veritable palace situated on the top of a hill. He checked again and all agreed
that this was where the mystic lived.
As he walked up the hill his mind was filled with amazement and doubt - how could a great
Sufi live in such luxury? 'Perhaps he lives in a cave nearby', he thought. At the entrance to
the palace he became even more amazed when he saw the opulence of the building.
There were semiprecious stones set in the outer walls and a huge solid gold door
confronted him. One nervous knock was enough to have them swung open by handsome
and attentive slaves who were clad in finery the like of which he had not dreamed of. This is
surely the palace of some great worldly king he thought. Amazement gave way to
amazement as he beheld the magnificent columns covered in diamonds and rubies. The
richest and rarest lapis lazuli covered the walls and examples of the most precious and
rare art works were displayed everywhere. Cushions of the rarest silks lay scattered
around. Seductively beautiful women passed by and it required all his training not gaze on
their beautiful forms or catch their dark lustrous eyes which seemed to silently invite any
passerby to leap into them and drown, as into a dark inviting pool.
He was finally shown to the presence of the illustrious saint - whose magnificent bejeweled
robes would have put the sultan of Turkey and the emperor of India to shame. Dishes of the
rarest delicacy were brought in by beautiful young men and women and he was served with
food whose exquisite taste passed beyond the disciples imagination.
How many a time has a disciple been saved from himself by obedience to his spiritual
guide? It was this alone that enabled him to convey respectfully the message of his master
to the emminent Shaikh- rather than run out in disgust, fear and protest at such shows of
pomp and majesty.
He gave reverential salaams and the message that his master had requested him to
deliver. The great Shaikh paused a moment and said. "Convey likewise my salaams to
your master, and tell him that the answer to his question is - that he suffers from greed."
The disciple almost reeled at the answer and would have exploded but for the duty he he
owed to his master.
During the whole journey back his mind was in a turmoil but finally he reached the humble
cave of his guide. He was greeted with delight and eagerness. "Come, come," said his
guide, "tell me,what was the message."
The disciple kissed the hand of his guide and paused. "Come!" said his master, "tell me
every word he said, and do not leave out a syllable."
Thus prompted the disciple said,"He asked me to convey his salaams, and to tell you that
the problem you suffered from was..... greed!
The masters eyes widened and an expression betokening a great sense of relief,
happiness, and delight passed over his face.
The disciple could no longer hold in his thoughts and he burst out - "Oh master! He is such
a man who lives in such opulence and decadence that a worldly king could not aspire to.
He is surrounded by every worldly luxury - how could he say such a thing to you who
practice such asceticism and live in such poverty!
The guide calmed him with a penetrating look and said. "He is right. He is right. He lives
surrounded by such things for which he cares not a jot - but I, whenever I eat the head of the
fish I cannot help but wish for another".
5
Here is a story, not attributable to Zahurmian, but one which I hope he would not disapprove of.
A group of travelers came to a tall mountain at the top of which they were told was hidden
unparalleled riches. Anxious to reach such riches they sought for a path way by which to
climb the mountain. They soon discover that there were many pathways. At the foot of each
pathway they came across locals who all confirmed that this particular pathway was the
best, and indeed only, pathway to bring the traveller to the top of the mountain.
They became a little confused which group of locals was right? One or two more
adventurous and bolder spirits took the nearest pathway and traveled a little way up.
Reaching a plateau they heard the call of someone at the top of mountain. The call was a
little faint, but could be heard - they hurried back to the rest of the party to convey the
message they had heard. On reaching their comrades they were pleased to be able to tell
them that it was all right, they need not be concerned, the message was that 'all the paths
lead to the top of the mountain'.
The party of travelers were overjoyed and, rejoicing, they went round the mountain telling all
the various groups of locals at the foot of each path that, whilst they were right that their
particular path did lead up the mountain, the same was true for all the other paths. Of
course they got a mixed reception. Some embraced this and some rejected it. The group
continued to travel round the mountain rejoicing in their knowledge that all paths lead to the
top of the mountain. Of course, you will have noticed something which escaped their
attention. That, despite this 'knowledge', none of the party ever actually went all the way up
the mountain.
The fact is that those who had returned from their plateau with the message had not
realized that in the difficult conditions in which they had heard the message a part of it had
not been heard - perhaps it was due to the howling of the wind, who can tell. What had
actually been said by the one calling from the mountain was -
"ALL THE PATHS LEAD UP THE MOUNTAIN - SO COME UP BY ONE OF THEM."
6
Here is a piece of fiction which nevertheless tries to convey one of the ways in which a sufi Sheykh may teach
patience.
The disciples sat near the Shaykh in a circle. The Sheykh began to focus his gaze as if
looking into space. Turning to his expectant followers he began to talk of a beautiful garden
in a nearby town, one that he used to love to walk in. He described visits he had made with
his own Shaykh to the garden, and also extolled the virtues of the town, its excellent coffee
house, its famous library and the plethora of excellent bookshops - the disciples became
excited - "sir we should love to visit this place in your company" said one. The Shaykh
seemed pleased and soon the disciples were in earnest discussion of the practicalities of
the proposed outing which it was determined would take place the very next day - it now
being too late in the day to go straight away. The cost of the tickets, the time of the trains or
buses, arrangements for lunch etc. were interspersed with excited speculation about the
merits of the place to be visited.
A little while later the Shaykh stood up to retire for the night. The disciples stood out of
respect as usual and each kissed his hand and received a blessing from the Sheykh. After
his departure the disciples relaxed and began to discuss more freely the proposed visit
and various other matters. At length they too turned in for bed. The newest disciple had
been given the honour of sleeping in the meeting room. He climbed into a sleeping bag he
had arranged on the floor and was soon asleep dreaming of the next day's visit.
He woke a little late in the morning to find the others already preparing breakfast. Indeed
he was barely able to get up before the Shaykh himself appeared in the doorway. The
disciples kissed his hand and made their salaams. When it came to his turn the Sheykh
looked at him with his intent and knowing look. "You slept well?" he inquired with a smile.
"Yes thank you, sir" the disciple replied, honoured by the Shaykhs attention.
Breakfast proceeded as usual and the Sheykh was brought the morning paper which he
began to read avidly. The disciple waited for news of exactly when the proposed trip would
take place. To his growing surprise no mention was made of it and the day began to unfold
as if no such plans had been made. For a long time he said nothing - guided by the fact
that no one else seemed inclined to mention it. Disciples began to go about various tasks.
He himself eventually excused himself to take a bath. He remained confused however. On
returning to the room he was in time to be introduced to a guest - a visiting Sheykh from
nearby. This made it impossible to inquire about the proposed trip and he held his tongue
with a growing sense of confusion. Eventually he assumed some change in the plans had
been made in his absence. Later, having an opportunity to talk to a senior disciple, he
inquired what had happened about the trip. He received a shrug of the shoulders and a
short sharp look in reply - then the senior disciple turned to him in a kindly way and said he
supposed it may have been due to a change in the weather or some such reason. It was
clear that no discussion had been had.
A similair scenario happened the following day - and again a few days later. The disciple
angrily began to feel that the Shaykh did not do what he said he would do, and he gave up
any ideas of any such visits.
The following morning he awoke to find the Khanqah in the midst of some confusion as
everybody seemed to be busy preparing for something - his inquires eventually yielded the
information that everybody was going out on a picnic to such and such beauty spot. Almost
before he knew what was happening the new disciple found himself walking in line behind
the Shaykh towards the local station.
The day was marvellous! A feeling of intense happiness accompanied the whole trip, The
Sheykh spoke deeply and eloquently, and everything seemed to conspire to make the trip
smooth and wonderful with new revelations opening the mind of the disciple.
He never again asked or questioned what the Shaykh did or did not do.
JMZ
1
Here is a humorous anecdote of Zahurmian which (unlike most jokes) stayed with me for a long time. A familiarity
with the politics of the Indian subcontinent is helpful in appreciating the humour. Zahurmian valued hope highly
and writes about in the lecture, The Inward Peace, on this website. Here I think he means to point out that as
valuable and important as hope is it should not be devoid of perspective.
There was once a politician who lost an election - the time came for the newly elected man
to take up residence in the official house. On the arrival at the official residence the new
incumbent found his predecessor still in residence. He asked him why he had not moved
out yet. The answer came readily - "Ah" he said, "It is true I may have lost the election - but I
have not lost hope!"
2
Here is another story which Zahurmian quoted to me many years ago to put certain anxieties at rest concerning
astrology.
In olden times there was a famous astrologer whose skills were said to be so great that he
could accurately foretell the exact date that any person who consulted him would die. The
king came to hear of the astrologers great skills and called him into his presence. He
inquired if this story was true and, on hearing that it was, the King requested the astrologer
to predict the date of the King's own demise. The astrologer duly consulted his charts and
gave the King the exact date.
The King was not comfortable with the reply as it was a little closer than he liked. He asked
again if the astrologer was indeed infallible in this respect. Receiving confirmation of this
the King said he would prove the astrologer could be wrong.
He asked the astrologer to say what date the astrologer himself would die. Consulting the
charts the astrologer named a date several years off. The King said, "Now I will prove you
wrong - call in the executioner!"
3
Here is a reply which Zahurmian gave to a question. It has considerable profundity.
Zahurmian was once asked which was most important the meaning or the sound of words.
He replied that the meaning of words was of little or no importance whatsoever. The sound
of words had some significance, but what really counted was neither of these - it was the
implication of words that counted.
4
Another story
There was once a mystic who had great powers of asceticism. He lived as an ordinary
fisherman and everyday he would go out in his boat and catch many fish. He would
distribute his catch amongst the poor and only save one fish head for himself. One day he
called one of his trusted disciples and said "It appears that my spiritual development is
held up by something and I have not been able to fathom out what it is. I want you to go and
visit a great Sufi mystic who lives some way away. I want you to ask him for the solution to
my problem. He is one of those much loved by God."
Accordingly the disciple traveled for many weeks until he reached the town of the great
Sufi. He inquired as to the direction to his cave but was shown instead the path to a great
mansion, a veritable palace situated on the top of a hill. He checked again and all agreed
that this was where the mystic lived.
As he walked up the hill his mind was filled with amazement and doubt - how could a great
Sufi live in such luxury? 'Perhaps he lives in a cave nearby', he thought. At the entrance to
the palace he became even more amazed when he saw the opulence of the building.
There were semiprecious stones set in the outer walls and a huge solid gold door
confronted him. One nervous knock was enough to have them swung open by handsome
and attentive slaves who were clad in finery the like of which he had not dreamed of. This is
surely the palace of some great worldly king he thought. Amazement gave way to
amazement as he beheld the magnificent columns covered in diamonds and rubies. The
richest and rarest lapis lazuli covered the walls and examples of the most precious and
rare art works were displayed everywhere. Cushions of the rarest silks lay scattered
around. Seductively beautiful women passed by and it required all his training not gaze on
their beautiful forms or catch their dark lustrous eyes which seemed to silently invite any
passerby to leap into them and drown, as into a dark inviting pool.
He was finally shown to the presence of the illustrious saint - whose magnificent bejeweled
robes would have put the sultan of Turkey and the emperor of India to shame. Dishes of the
rarest delicacy were brought in by beautiful young men and women and he was served with
food whose exquisite taste passed beyond the disciples imagination.
How many a time has a disciple been saved from himself by obedience to his spiritual
guide? It was this alone that enabled him to convey respectfully the message of his master
to the emminent Shaikh- rather than run out in disgust, fear and protest at such shows of
pomp and majesty.
He gave reverential salaams and the message that his master had requested him to
deliver. The great Shaikh paused a moment and said. "Convey likewise my salaams to
your master, and tell him that the answer to his question is - that he suffers from greed."
The disciple almost reeled at the answer and would have exploded but for the duty he he
owed to his master.
During the whole journey back his mind was in a turmoil but finally he reached the humble
cave of his guide. He was greeted with delight and eagerness. "Come, come," said his
guide, "tell me,what was the message."
The disciple kissed the hand of his guide and paused. "Come!" said his master, "tell me
every word he said, and do not leave out a syllable."
Thus prompted the disciple said,"He asked me to convey his salaams, and to tell you that
the problem you suffered from was..... greed!
The masters eyes widened and an expression betokening a great sense of relief,
happiness, and delight passed over his face.
The disciple could no longer hold in his thoughts and he burst out - "Oh master! He is such
a man who lives in such opulence and decadence that a worldly king could not aspire to.
He is surrounded by every worldly luxury - how could he say such a thing to you who
practice such asceticism and live in such poverty!
The guide calmed him with a penetrating look and said. "He is right. He is right. He lives
surrounded by such things for which he cares not a jot - but I, whenever I eat the head of the
fish I cannot help but wish for another".
5
Here is a story, not attributable to Zahurmian, but one which I hope he would not disapprove of.
A group of travelers came to a tall mountain at the top of which they were told was hidden
unparalleled riches. Anxious to reach such riches they sought for a path way by which to
climb the mountain. They soon discover that there were many pathways. At the foot of each
pathway they came across locals who all confirmed that this particular pathway was the
best, and indeed only, pathway to bring the traveller to the top of the mountain.
They became a little confused which group of locals was right? One or two more
adventurous and bolder spirits took the nearest pathway and traveled a little way up.
Reaching a plateau they heard the call of someone at the top of mountain. The call was a
little faint, but could be heard - they hurried back to the rest of the party to convey the
message they had heard. On reaching their comrades they were pleased to be able to tell
them that it was all right, they need not be concerned, the message was that 'all the paths
lead to the top of the mountain'.
The party of travelers were overjoyed and, rejoicing, they went round the mountain telling all
the various groups of locals at the foot of each path that, whilst they were right that their
particular path did lead up the mountain, the same was true for all the other paths. Of
course they got a mixed reception. Some embraced this and some rejected it. The group
continued to travel round the mountain rejoicing in their knowledge that all paths lead to the
top of the mountain. Of course, you will have noticed something which escaped their
attention. That, despite this 'knowledge', none of the party ever actually went all the way up
the mountain.
The fact is that those who had returned from their plateau with the message had not
realized that in the difficult conditions in which they had heard the message a part of it had
not been heard - perhaps it was due to the howling of the wind, who can tell. What had
actually been said by the one calling from the mountain was -
"ALL THE PATHS LEAD UP THE MOUNTAIN - SO COME UP BY ONE OF THEM."
6
Here is a piece of fiction which nevertheless tries to convey one of the ways in which a sufi Sheykh may teach
patience.
The disciples sat near the Shaykh in a circle. The Sheykh began to focus his gaze as if
looking into space. Turning to his expectant followers he began to talk of a beautiful garden
in a nearby town, one that he used to love to walk in. He described visits he had made with
his own Shaykh to the garden, and also extolled the virtues of the town, its excellent coffee
house, its famous library and the plethora of excellent bookshops - the disciples became
excited - "sir we should love to visit this place in your company" said one. The Shaykh
seemed pleased and soon the disciples were in earnest discussion of the practicalities of
the proposed outing which it was determined would take place the very next day - it now
being too late in the day to go straight away. The cost of the tickets, the time of the trains or
buses, arrangements for lunch etc. were interspersed with excited speculation about the
merits of the place to be visited.
A little while later the Shaykh stood up to retire for the night. The disciples stood out of
respect as usual and each kissed his hand and received a blessing from the Sheykh. After
his departure the disciples relaxed and began to discuss more freely the proposed visit
and various other matters. At length they too turned in for bed. The newest disciple had
been given the honour of sleeping in the meeting room. He climbed into a sleeping bag he
had arranged on the floor and was soon asleep dreaming of the next day's visit.
He woke a little late in the morning to find the others already preparing breakfast. Indeed
he was barely able to get up before the Shaykh himself appeared in the doorway. The
disciples kissed his hand and made their salaams. When it came to his turn the Sheykh
looked at him with his intent and knowing look. "You slept well?" he inquired with a smile.
"Yes thank you, sir" the disciple replied, honoured by the Shaykhs attention.
Breakfast proceeded as usual and the Sheykh was brought the morning paper which he
began to read avidly. The disciple waited for news of exactly when the proposed trip would
take place. To his growing surprise no mention was made of it and the day began to unfold
as if no such plans had been made. For a long time he said nothing - guided by the fact
that no one else seemed inclined to mention it. Disciples began to go about various tasks.
He himself eventually excused himself to take a bath. He remained confused however. On
returning to the room he was in time to be introduced to a guest - a visiting Sheykh from
nearby. This made it impossible to inquire about the proposed trip and he held his tongue
with a growing sense of confusion. Eventually he assumed some change in the plans had
been made in his absence. Later, having an opportunity to talk to a senior disciple, he
inquired what had happened about the trip. He received a shrug of the shoulders and a
short sharp look in reply - then the senior disciple turned to him in a kindly way and said he
supposed it may have been due to a change in the weather or some such reason. It was
clear that no discussion had been had.
A similair scenario happened the following day - and again a few days later. The disciple
angrily began to feel that the Shaykh did not do what he said he would do, and he gave up
any ideas of any such visits.
The following morning he awoke to find the Khanqah in the midst of some confusion as
everybody seemed to be busy preparing for something - his inquires eventually yielded the
information that everybody was going out on a picnic to such and such beauty spot. Almost
before he knew what was happening the new disciple found himself walking in line behind
the Shaykh towards the local station.
The day was marvellous! A feeling of intense happiness accompanied the whole trip, The
Sheykh spoke deeply and eloquently, and everything seemed to conspire to make the trip
smooth and wonderful with new revelations opening the mind of the disciple.
He never again asked or questioned what the Shaykh did or did not do.
JMZ
Sufi Stories 2
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