Tiny Tales: Traditional Stories in 100 Words: Islam: Attar

Showing posts with label Islam: Attar. Show all posts

~ 5. The Sound of Joseph's Cup ~

Laura Gibbs · 5. The Sound of Joseph's Cup

During a famine, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt for relief.

Joseph received them, his face covered with a veil.

As they spoke, Joseph kept striking a cup which resounded mournfully.

Finally, Joseph's brothers could bear it no longer. "What is the meaning of this mournful sound?" they asked.

Joseph struck the cup. "The cup says you had a brother named Joseph."

Again. "It says you threw Joseph into a well."

Again. "You sold him into slavery."

Again. "You told your father his son was dead."

Joseph's brothers all wept and were afraid.

Now they were the ones in the well.

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 31: Joseph and his Brethren.

~ 9. Moses and the Bearded Dervish ~

Laura Gibbs · 9. Moses and the Bearded Dervish

A dervish begged Moses for help. "Please ask God why I can't make spiritual progress despite my endless prayers and deep devotion."

When Moses asked God, God explained, "That dervish is obsessed with his beautiful bushy beard. He even interrupts his prayers to comb his beard. His beard obsession is blocking his progress."

Moses told the dervish what God said, and the dervish immediately began tearing out his beard, wailing.

The angel Gabriel then appeared to Moses. "Look at that poor dervish!" Gabriel scoffed. "While tearing out his beard, he's just as obsessed with it now as he was before."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 34: A Dervish Who Possessed a Beautiful Beard.

13. Moses Seeks Advice from Iblis

Laura Gibbs · 13. Moses Seeks Advice from Iblis

"Moses!" said God. "I see that you are troubled. Go ask Iblis for advice."

So Moses went to see Iblis, who had once been a heavenly angel but who had rebelled and been cast out.

"God sent me to you for advice," Moses said to Iblis.

"My advice is simple," replied Iblis. "Never say "I" about anything. Set aside all ego. That way you won't become like me. Your vanity and self-pride, your resentment, your envy and your anger are like dragons. Yet instead of subduing them, you pet them and cherish them, and you do so at your peril."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 34: God Speaks to Moses. You can read more about Iblis at Wikipedia. In the original, the narrator is the one who speaks of dragons, but I attributed those words to Iblis.

16. Jesus and the Jug of Water

Laura Gibbs · 16. Jesus and the Jug of Water

Jesus and his companion drank from a stream.

"How sweet this water is!" Jesus said.

They filled a jug with water from the stream and continued their journey.

When Jesus felt thirsty, he drank from the jug but immediately spat it out. "I don't understand!" he exclaimed. "It's the same water. Why does it taste bitter?"

The jug itself answered Jesus. "I'm old as earth, made and remade many times, taking many forms; this time my form is that of a jug. I always carry the bitterness of death, and it is death's bitterness you just tasted in my water."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 26: Jesus and the Pitcher of Water.

36. Majnun and the Shepherd

Laura Gibbs · 36. Majnun and the Shepherd

Majnun followed his beloved Layla's caravan into the desert, but her parents wouldn't let him near her.

Mad with love, he persuaded a shepherd to loan him a sheepskin. "Disguised as a sheep, I will join your flock and when you lead your flock past Layla's tent, I might catch the scent of her perfume."

But when they reached Layla's tent and Majnun smelled Layla's perfume, he fainted.

The shepherd had to carry the unconscious Majnun back out into the desert.

The shepherd then threw water on Majnun's face, reviving him, but the water could not cool his burning love.

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 39: A Story of Majnun. You can read more about Layla and Majnun at Wikipedia.

37. Majnun and the Caravan

Laura Gibbs · 37. Majnun and the Caravan

As Majnun roamed the desert, grieving because of his separation from Layla, he chanced upon a caravan.

The merchants invited him to sit by their campfire, having heard of this strange madman and of his love for Layla.

"Surely the time has come to set this love aside," one of the merchants said to Majnun. "You could go back to your old life, and everyone would praise you for making a wise choice."

"I don't want everyone's praise!" Majnun shouted. "I refuse such praise! An insult from Layla is worth more to me than a thousand compliments from anyone else."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 45: Attitude of the Birds.

42. The Beggar and the King

Laura Gibbs · 42. The Beggar and the King

A beggar fell at the king's feet, professing his love.

"For daring to love me," said the king, "you must choose: beheading or exile."

"O beloved king," replied the beggar, weeping, "I will go into exile."

But the king ordered the guards to behead him.

Later, in private, the king's minister asked, "Why did you execute that beggar?"

"Because he wasn't a true lover," replied the king. "If he truly loved me, he would have chosen death, and then I would have spared him and become his dervish. But he loved his head better; he didn't love me at all."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 20: The King and the Beggar. The story is about "the king of Egypt."

44. The Man without a Key

Laura Gibbs · 44. The Man without a Key

"Help!" a man shouted. "Has anyone found a key lying in the road? This is my house, this is my door, but I have lost my key."

A wandering Sufi walked towards him.

"Do you have my key?" the man asked eagerly.

"No, I don't have your key," said the Sufi. "But don't worry. Just stay here near the door, even though it's shut. Be patient, and someone will open the door for you. You are lucky: I do not have a door or a key. I pray to God that I might find my own door, open or shut!"

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 43: The Lost Key.

47. The King's New Palace

Laura Gibbs · 47. The King's New Palace

A king had built the most splendid palace in the world, and he celebrated with a splendid feast.

The king then asked his quests, "What do you think of my new palace?"

Everyone praised the king's great achievement, but then a lone sage spoke forth. "Were it not for one flaw, O King, this palace could be a paradise on earth!"

"What flaw?" shouted the king in anger. "I see no flaw!"

"I'm referring to the door through which Azrael, the Angel of Death, will enter," replied the sage. "With all your wealth and power, you cannot close that door."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 24: A Sage's Jest Concerning a Palace.

50. The Sufi and the Gravedigger

Laura Gibbs · 50. The Sufi and the Gravedigger

A Sufi wandered one day into the cemetery and saw an old gravedigger working there.

"Old man," the Sufi said to him, "may I ask you a question?"

The gravedigger looked up from his work. "Of course," he said. "Ask!"

"In the many years you have spent here in the cemetery digging graves, have you ever witnessed a miracle?"

The gravedigger laughed. "The only miracle I've witnessed is this: every day the dead come here and I bury them, but I still can't master my own desires. People die every day, but the dog of desire inside me never dies."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 21: Excuses of the Fifth Bird.

60. The Death of Socrates

Laura Gibbs · 60. The Death of Socrates

Socrates had been condemned to death.

His pupils, grieving, gathered around him.

"After we take you up and wash you and wrap you in your shroud, where do you want us to bury you?" they asked.

"If you can find me," he said, "bury me wherever you want. But will you be able to find me? I am not sure about that. At this moment I have not so much as a shred of knowledge of myself. If over the course of my long life I have not found myself, how do you expect to find me when I'm dead?"

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 26. You can read more about the death of Socrates at Wikipedia, and compare a similar Sufi story about Bayazid: Finding Bayazid.

64. When Hallaj Grew Pale

Laura Gibbs · 64. When Hallaj Grew Pale

Hallaj dared to say, "I am the Truth" (Ana 'l-Haqq). In other words: "I am God."

So the people condemned Hallaj to death.

They impaled him, and they cut off his hands and feet.

The loss of blood made Hallaj grow pale, so he lifted up the stumps of his wrists and moved them across his face.

"I do not want to look pale," he said, "because I do not want them to think I am afraid. With this blood I redden my face. Now when my executioner looks upon me, he will see that I am a brave man."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 25: Anecdote of Hallaj. You can read more about Hallaj at Wikipedia.

~ 94. The Grieving Sufi and Shabli ~

Laura Gibbs · 94. The Grieving Sufi and Shabli

A Sufi came to see Shabli, his teacher, weeping bitterly.

"Why are you weeping?" Shabli asked him.

"I had a friend whose beauty filled my heart. He died yesterday. Now I feel as if I will die of grief today."

"Grieve not! You enjoyed that friendship while it lasted. You must seek another," Shabli said. "But this time, take as your friend one who will not die, and then you will have no cause to grieve. This attachment to what is mortal will always end in grief. Go seek your beloved in that place beyond which there is no beyond."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 25: An Anecdote of Shabli. You can read more about Shabli at Wikipedia. I have adapted this saying attributed to him: "O people! I go to place beyond which these is no beyond. I go to the south and the north, to a place beyond which is there is no beyond. Everything that I saw after that I could see in one hair of my little finger."

~ 111. Sultan Mahmud's Golden Bracelet ~

Laura Gibbs · 111. Sultan Mahmud's Golden Bracelet

One night Sultan Mahmud rode out alone and saw a man sifting earth, looking for gold. Around him were heaps of earth that he had already sifted.

Mahmud approached quietly, threw a golden bracelet among the heaps of earth, and then rode away.

The next night, Mahmud came back, and the man was still there, sifting.

"Surely the gold you found last night would suffice you for many years!" Mahmud said. "Why are you still sifting?"

"I found a dazzling golden bracelet!" the man replied. "Finding such treasure makes me even more eager to keep sifting. Now I'll never stop!"

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 38: Mahmud and the Seeker after Gold. You can read more about Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni at Wikipedia. Attar does not tell the story as a rebuke of the man; instead, the man is an admirable seeker: "Be like this man and search until the door is opened to you."

~ 116. Abu Ali and the Old Woman ~

Laura Gibbs · 116. Abu Ali and the Old Woman

There was an old woman who wanted to make an offering to Abu Ali Daqqaq. "Please accept this piece of gold from me," she said.

But Abu Ali replied, "I can accept gifts from God only; I cannot accept this piece of gold from you."

At that, the old woman laughed. "You must be squint-eyed or something! Is that why you are seeing double? God is one with each of us: we are in God and with God. There is nothing else to see. All gifts come from God."

Then Abu Ali understood and he accepted the piece of gold.

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 42: Shaikh Bu Ali Dakkah. More about Abu Ali Daqqaq.

~ 156. A Man Who Gathers Stones ~

Laura Gibbs · 156. A Man Who Gathers Stones

Far away to the east, there is a man gathering stones. He bends down over the ground, and he picks up stones, one after another after another.

He does this without stopping.

As he gathers these stones, he weeps.

As his tears fall on the ground, the tears turn into stones.

There is a man who gathers stones. He bends down over the ground, and he picks up stones, one after another after another.

He does this without stopping.

He gathers. He weeps.

Stones.

There is a man who gathers stones...

Seek.

Keep seeking.

And lose yourself in the quest.

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 40: Tears of Stone.

~ 159. The Princess and the Slave ~

Laura Gibbs · 159. The Princess and the Slave

A princess fell in love with a slave. She had to see him, but how?

The princess sent her handmaidens to him, and they gave him drugged wine. Then the handmaidens carried him, asleep, to the princess.

He awoke, and the princess took him into her bed.

Before dawn, the princess sent him to sleep again with more drugged wine, and the handmaids carried him back.

When he awoke the next morning, he did not know what to think. Was it a dream? Was it real?

He spent the rest of his life remembering that one night.

It was love.

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 43: The Princess in Love with her Slave.

~ 184. The Fly and the Beehive ~

Laura Gibbs · 184. The Fly and the Beehive

Searching for honey, a fly flew into a garden where there was a beehive, but the hive was closed.

"I'll pay a copper penny to anyone who lets me in!" shouted the fly.

Someone let the fly into the hive, and she paid with a penny.

But as soon as the fly was inside, her feet got stuck in the honey.

As she flapped her wings, she became even more stuck.

"Cruel tyranny! This is poison, not honey!" she cried. "I paid a penny to come in, but now I would pay ten pennies if I could just get out."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 41: The Fly and the Honey. The story says she paid an "obol" which is a Greek coin; there were bronze and copper obols, six obols to a drachma.

~ 187. The Moths and the Candle ~

Laura Gibbs · 187. The Moths and the Candle

The moths were enraptured by the candle.

"We must learn more!" they said.

One moth flew to the window where the candle sat and came back to report what she saw.

"You have learned nothing!" said the others.

They sent another moth who touched the candle with her wings, but the heat made her retreat. She flew back and reported.

"You still have told us nothing!" said the moths.

They sent another moth who threw herself into the flame, becoming one with the candle, burning.

The moths watched from a distance. "She has learned all, but can tell us nothing."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 44: Story of the Moths. I decided to use feminine pronouns for the moths.

~ 196. The Miser ~

Laura Gibbs · 196. The Miser

A man kept gold in a treasure chest which he buried under a floorboard.

The man died, and then a year later the man's son had a dream: he saw a mouse running back and forth, weeping pitiably.

"What's wrong, mouse?" he asked.

The mouse replied with his father's voice! "I still crave the gold I buried here."

"Father," said the son, "how did you become a mouse?"

"That is what happens to misers like myself," the mouse replied. "Have pity on me, and take care to avoid my fate: renounce the love of gold now while you still can."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 11: The Miser.