Tiny Tales: Traditional Stories in 100 Words: NaNoWriMo April

Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo April. Show all posts

14. Azrael and King Solomon

Laura Gibbs · 14. Azrael and King Solomon

"Save me, King!" shouted Solomon's courtier. "The angel of death looked at me angrily in the marketplace!"

"I cannot save you from Azrael," Solomon replied.

"Command the winds to transport me to India; that way I'll escape."

Solomon commanded the winds; whoooosh... the winds carried the man to India.

The next day, Azrael visited Solomon's court.

"Why did you look upon my courtier so angrily that he fled to India?" Solomon asked.

"I wasn't angry at him," Azrael replied. "I was simply astonished to see him there because I knew he was fated to die later that day in India."

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry, 6.
Notes: See Wikipedia for more about King Solomon in folklore and also about Azrael, the angel of death.

Here is a manuscript illustration of King Solomon attributed to Mirza Ghulam (Walters Art Museum); Solomon is talking to the hoopoe bird, who is part of another legend about Solomon (hoopoe legends here).

21. The Sufi Who Went to Heaven

Laura Gibbs · 21. The Sufi Who Went to Heaven

A Sufi dreamed he ascended to heaven.

"Rejoice!" the angels said. "Today is God's birthday!"

Then the Sufi saw a holiday parade. Muhammad rode a white stallion, surrounded by angels and flocks of followers. Then came Krishna on a peacock, also with angels and followers. Next was Jesus. Buddha. Mahavira. So many holy leaders.

Finally there came an old man riding a donkey, all alone.

"Who are you?" the Sufi asked.

"I'm God," he said, "and I'm alone here because my followers follow others."

When he awoke, the Sufi decided to worship God only; he no longer followed any religion.

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 8 in the book. Mohammad and Jesus are both prophets in the Islamic tradition. Krishna, Buddha and Mahavira are holy men of different Indian traditions.

27. Turning Lead into Gold

Laura Gibbs · 27. Turning Lead into Gold

A greedy king wanted to turn lead into gold, so he found a teacher who could do this.

"If you too want this power," said the teacher, "you must spend twelve years with me in the forest as my disciple."

Greedy for gold, the king agreed.

Together with the teacher's other disciples, the king endured pain and discomfort year after year.

After twelve years, the teacher taught him the mantra for turning metal into gold and rocks into jewels.

But the king now realized that such wealth meant nothing.

He chose instead to remain in the forest with his teacher.

Inspired by: Come to the Secret Garden: Sufi Tales of Wisdom by M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
Notes: This story is on p. 33 of the book. The story in the book is very long and detailed, and it's such a great story! The way that the king detects the alchemist is very ingenious, and the travails of his years in the forest are also very detailed, even painful to read.

49. The Faithful Man's Shadow

Laura Gibbs · 49. The Faithful Man's Shadow

A man worshiped God constantly. He danced, and he sang God's praises. Every step, every breath, all was for God. He cared nothing for himself; he cared only for God.

God wanted to reward this faithful man. "Ask for anything!" God said.

"I have everything," the man replied.

"Ask not for yourself," God suggested.

"On one condition," said the man.

"Name it," God replied.

"Let my shadow behind me work miracles, so I neither see it nor know it. My shadow, not me. That way I will not fall into the trap of ego from which love has freed me."

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 2 in the book.

57. The Old Man and the Two Strangers

Laura Gibbs · 57. The Old Man and the Two Strangers

An old man sat outside the town gate.

A stranger arrived. "What's this town like? My hometown was full of thieves and liars. I need a new home."

"Thieves and liars here too," said the old man.

The stranger began to walk away.

Another stranger approached. "I'm looking for work. Is this a good town? In my hometown people are good and kind."

"Good and kind here too," said the old man.

The first stranger protested. "You really are a liar!"

"I speak the truth," the old man explained. "Wherever you go, you'll find people are just what you are."

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 13 in the book.

59. Advice to a Seeker

Laura Gibbs · 59. Advice to a Seeker

A young man left his home to seek a teacher.

Along the way, he found an old man sitting under a tree.

"Old man," he said, "I seek a teacher. Where should I look?"

The old man smiled as he recited the names of many cities, near and far.

The young man thanked him and went from place to place, seeking.

Thirty years passed. Then, he understood.

He hurried back to the tree. The old man was still there, now even older.

"Why didn't you reveal yourself then?" he asked.

"You weren't ready," said the old man. "Now you are."

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 4 in the book.

65. The Caliph and the Pearl

Laura Gibbs · 65. The Caliph and the Pearl

Caliph Abdul-Aziz possessed a pearl of exquisite beauty, and he had it set in a ring of gold. All the courtiers of the Caliph's court admired this marvelous pearl.

A famine then swept through the country, and the people were in distress, so the Caliph decided to sell the priceless pearl to feed his people.

"But you will never acquire such a pearl again!" his courtiers warned him.

"I can't drink from this pitcher while my people have nothing but poison," the Caliph replied. "Better to see my gold ring without its pearl than to see my people in distress."

You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at Internet Archive, Sacred Texts, and Hathi Trust. You can read more about Caliph Abdul-Aziz at Wikipedia.

~ 90. Finding Bayazid ~

Laura Gibbs · 90. Finding Bayazid

Bayazid of Bastam was a seeker.

He lived a long life and, when he was seventy-four, someone asked how old he was.

Bayazid replied, "I'm four years old now! For seventy years, I was hidden behind veils. I found myself only four years ago."

When Bayazid was a young man, a stranger came to Bastam looking for him. People directed the stranger to Bayazid's house. He knocked at the door, and Bayazid answered.

"I'm looking for Bayazid," the stranger said.

"I'm looking for him too!" replied Bayazid. "I've been looking for over thirty years, and I still haven't found him."

Inspired by: Sacred Laughter of the Sufis by Imam Jamal Rahman
Notes: This story is on p. 3 of the book. Rahman only tells the story of the young Bayazid. I added the other famous anecdote about Bayazid; it even appears in the Wikipedia article about him.

~ 95. The Disciple and the Dove ~

Laura Gibbs · 95. The Disciple and the Dove

A Sufi master gave his disciple a dove. "Take this dove," he said, "and kill it somewhere where no one will see. Don't return until you have completed this task!"

The disciple took the dove and left.

He returned three years later.

"Forgive me," he said, "for I have failed. I climbed mountains, I explored caves, I looked everywhere for a place where God would not be there as a witness. But I could find no place without God, so I haven't killed the dove."

The master smiled. "Let the dove go free," he said. "You have accomplished the mission."

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda.
Notes: This is story 14 in the book.

~ 97. Junaid's New Neighbor ~

Laura Gibbs · 97. Junaid's New Neighbor

When Junaid went to greet his new neighbor, the old man snarled and slammed the door in his face.

After enduring the man's rude behavior for several weeks, Junaid despaired. "Oh God," he prayed, "please take this man's life."

That night, God came to Junaid in a dream. "This man has been your neighbor only a few weeks, but he has been my neighbor for sixty years. If I can abide with him, you can too."

When he awoke, Junaid remembered God's words. "I shall let the man be as he is," Junaid decided. "For who am I after all?"

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 15 in the book. You can read more about the Sufi Junaid at Wikipedia.

~ 100. Fruits and Thorns ~

Laura Gibbs · 100. Fruits and Thorns

Abu Said lived a long life.

During the early part of his life, he followed the path of the ascetic, dwelling in the desert where he fasted, eating only bitter roots and thornbushes to stay alive.

In later years, he lived in the city, where he enjoyed melon balls and other fruits dipped in sugar.

Someone once asked him, "Which tastes better: the roots and thorns, or the melons and fruits?"

"If you are with God," replied Abu Said, "the roots and thorns are sweeter than melons, but if you are apart from God, even the sugared fruits taste bitter."

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. 19 of the book. You can find out more about Abu Said at Wikipedia.

~ 103. Abu Said and the Straight Path ~

Laura Gibbs · 103. Abu Said and the Straight Path

One of Abu Said's disciples was quite wealthy and proud of his fine clothes. When the master and his disciples went walking, he liked to go in front, showing off his clothes.

"No!" said Abu Said. "Walk behind!" So the man walked behind.

"No! Walk on my right!" The man did so.

"No! Walk on my left!" The man did so.

"No! Ahead! Behind! Right! Left!" commanded Abu Said.

The bewildered disciple finally shouted, "Master, where should I be?"

"Put the self away and walk the straight path," replied Abu Said.

At those words, the man awoke and became enlightened.

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. 34 of the book. For another story of "the path" see Being on the Path.

~ 107. Abu Said and the King of the Gamblers ~

Laura Gibbs · 107. Abu Said and the King of the Gamblers

One day in the market, Abu Said saw some half-naked, scruffy-looking men who were carrying an even more naked and more scruffy-looking man high on their shoulders.

Abu Said asked, "Who are you?"

"I am the King of the Gamblers!" the man replied. "My fellow gamblers made me their king because I lost everything I owned, and I did so without fear."

Abu Said smiled. "I salute you, brave soul!" he said. Then he told his disciples, "May we all become kings as the King of the Gamblers has done, giving up all we have in order to gain God."

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. 35 of the book. You can find out more about Abu Said at Wikipedia.

~ 151. The Bedouin's Pitcher of Water ~

Laura Gibbs · 151. The Bedouin's Pitcher of Water

A poor Bedouin woman urged her husband to take the king a gift so that they might receive a gift in return.

"But we have no gift to give," he protested.

"Take the king a pitcher of water," she replied. "Water is precious in the desert, and desert water is rare."

So the husband took a pitcher of water to the royal city. With great care, he made the long journey, not spilling a drop.

The king accepted the water kindly and, in his generosity, he returned the pitcher to the Bedouin, but now the pitcher was filled with gold.

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry, 8. In his notes to Rumi's long version of the story, Arberry also provides a detailed summary of a long and even more comical version in Muhammad Aufi's Jawami al-hikayat.
Notes: Compare the legend of Krishna and Sudama. You can read more about the Bedouin at Wikipedia.

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~ 154. The Patient Fisherman ~

Laura Gibbs · 154. The Patient Fisherman

A man was fishing at a pond. He sat patiently waiting for the fish to bite, and he had caught several fish already.

Another fisherman came. His line got tangled on some lotus roots in the pond. He tugged angrily, and as a result he snapped his fishing line, so he went away with nothing.

A third fisherman grew impatient. He cursed the pond and all the fish in it, yelling loudly, and then he broke his fishing rod in two and threw it into the pond. He also went away with nothing.

The first man just kept on fishing.

Inspired by: Come to the Secret Garden: Sufi Tales of Wisdom by M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
Notes: This story is on p. 13 of the book. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen's parable goes into much more detail including people who come to the pond for water in addition to coming to the pond to fish.

~ 158. The Prisoner and the Prayer Rug ~

Laura Gibbs · 158. The Prisoner and the Prayer Rug

An honest man had been wrongly imprisoned.

His wife sent him a prayer rug that she had woven herself with an intricate pattern.

Kneeling upon the rug, the man prayed. Days and months passed, and as he prayed and gazed upon the rug, he finally realized the pattern was a map of the prison.

Committing the map to memory, the man escaped, leaving the rug behind for any other prisoners who could read the signs.

When he emerged from the prison, he found his wife there waiting, sure that someday he would emerge from the darkness back into the light.

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 16 in the book. The story in the book is more elaborate where the man is a locksmith and what is woven into the rug is the pattern of a lock, and with the help of the guards he gets the metal he needs to make a key so that he and the guards can escape. I simplified the story here.

~ 161. The King Rides to Damascus ~

Laura Gibbs · 161. The King Rides to Damascus

Death appeared to the king in a dream. "I must take you at sunset tonight."

Terrified, the king summoned his minister. "Interpret this dream! What shall I do?"

"Sire," the minister replied, "you must take the swiftest horse and ride where Death will not find you. Head for Damascus!"

The king rode and rode, amazed at the horse's speed. At sunset, just outside Damascus, he stopped to water the horse.

"Thank you, good horse, for running so swiftly," he said.

"I also thank your good horse," said Death, who appeared out of nowhere. "I wasn't sure you'd arrive in time!"

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 9 in the book. The idea of not-escaping-Death also shows up in this story: Escaping the Angel of Death.

~ 174. The Lion Tattoo ~

Laura Gibbs · 174. The Lion Tattoo

"I want a lion tattoo, here, on my shoulder," a man said to the tattoo-artist. "Make it a big one!"

"Gladly!" replied the artist.

But when the man felt the needle's sting, he shouted, "That hurts! What are you doing?"

"The lion's tail," said the artist.

"Well, leave out the tail."

The artist resumed his work, and the man screamed again. "What's that?"

"The legs."

"Leave them out."

And so it went on: no tail, no legs, no belly, no mane.

No lion.

"You're not ready for a lion," the artist scoffed, and he drove the man from his shop.

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry, 10.
Notes: Rumi tells this story about a man of Qazvin in Iran.

This story provides the illustration for the cover of Coleman Barks' lovely book, Feeling the Shoulder of the Lion.

~ 199. The Wild Parrots of India ~

Laura Gibbs · 199. The Wild Parrots of India

A merchant told his pet parrot that he was going to India.

"Find my wild kindred," she said, "and tell them of my life here."

The merchant thus spoke to the wild Indian parrots, and as soon as he finished speaking, they fell down dead.

On his return, the merchant sadly told his parrot what had happened.

Then his own parrot fell down dead.

When he lifted the corpse from the cage, grieving for his poor pet, the parrot fluttered her wings; she was not dead at all.

"My kindred showed me the way!" she said, flying away to freedom.

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry, 7.
Notes: Compare a similar story about the Buddha: Fat Quail and Thin.

A painting from Iran, 18th-century:

1. The Lion and the Rabbit

Laura Gibbs · 1. The Lion and the Rabbit

Every day, the lion demanded that the animals send him a victim to eat.
One day, it was the rabbit's turn. The rabbit took his time on the way, thinking of a plan to escape the lion.
"Why are you late?" the lion roared.
"My apologies," said the rabbit. "I saw an even bigger lion, and I was frightened."
"Show me!" the lion commanded.
The rabbit took the lion to a well. "The lion's in there," said the rabbit.
The lion looked in and saw the other lion. Infuriated, he jumped in the well and drowned, attacking his own reflection.

Inspired by: The Panchatantra, translated by Arthur Ryder. It is in Book 1, Story 10. Rumi includes the story also (Arberry, Masnavi Tales 5). This story is told about a tiger and a rabbit in Raju's Indian Fables.
Notes: There are many stories about animals being fooled by reflections in the water as the lion is here. Compare the famous Aesop's fable about the dog crossing the stream: The Dog and the Shadow.

Here is an illustration by E. Boyd Smith: