The enemies of Abu Said insisted that every teacher had learned from a previous teacher, but Abu Said explained that God Himself was his teacher.
They denounced Abu Said for not making the pilgrimage to Mecca. He then explained that traveling a thousand miles to visit a house of rocks and clay isn't difficult; what is difficult is to make your own heart a house that the God of the Kaaba will visit.
So too the poet Rumi: O people who have gone on the pilgrimage, where are you, where are you? The Beloved is here; come back! come back!
Inspired by: Under the Sufi's Cloak: Stories of Abu Said and His Mystical Teaching by Mohammad Ali Jamnia and Mojdeh Bayat
Notes: This story is on p. 18 of the book. You can find out more about the Kaaba and the pilgrimage to Mecca at Wikipedia.
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