Tiny Tales: Traditional Stories in 100 Words: Sufis: not in book

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The Man and the Peris

There was a man who went to live with the peris, flying away to fairyland.

"A wolf must have killed him," people said, "or perhaps a highwayman."

His wife married again.

His children grieved for him, but then forgot and became caught up in their everyday lives.

Then, after many years, he returned. He lived with his grown children, telling them stories of his life with the peris.

He did not stay.

After a month he vanished just as he had done before, and no one saw him again.

The peris had ravished his soul; he could not leave them.

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 192 in the book. Rumi tells the story of "Abd al-Ghauth" but Arberry notes that the name appears to be fictitious. For more about the peris (fairies), see Wikipedia.

King Mahmud and the Thieves

King Mahmud wandered the city in disguise at night. One night he joined some thieves.

Each thief bragged about their talents: ears, eyes, arm, nose, fist, and then Mahmud said, "My skill is in my beard; a wag of my beard can save thieves from the gallows."

The thieves were glad to meet this companion!

They raided the royal treasury, and Mahmud committed each thief's face to memory.

The next day he had them all arrested.

Imagine their surprise when they saw their companion on the throne.

"But I will not wag my beard to show you mercy," he said.

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story ___ in the book. Rumi's version of the story is full of all kinds of details as the thieves recite each of their powers and then put each power to use in their raid on the treasury. Rumi does not say that Mahmud refused the nod of mercy at the end; I added that part. Who knows, though: perhaps Mahmud did spare his night-companions! You can read more about Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni at Wikipedia.

The Old Woman and her Wrinkles

People who steal God's words for their own purposes are like the old woman who was desperate to get a husband.

Seeing her wrinkled face in the mirror, she grabbed a Koran and began cutting out strips of paper, plastering them to her face with spit to cover her wrinkles. The strips kept falling off, but she kept licking and putting them back on.

She finally got so frustrated that she cursed Iblis in anger, and Iblis himself appeared. "Don't involve me in this!" he shouted. "This desecration makes you more dangerous than a hundred of the most dangerous devils."

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 179 in the book. For more about Iblis, see Wikipedia.

The King and the Jester Play chess

The king was playing chess with the royal jester.

"Checkmate!" said the jester, delighted.

The king was enraged and began throwing chess pieces at the jester. "Take that, damn you!" he shouted. "And that! And that!"

The king then insisted that they play another game.

That game did not go well for the king either.

Then the jester suddenly got up, grabbed some blankets, and covered himself completely.

"What are you doing?" shouted the king.

"I'm about to say checkmate," replied the jester. "I only speak the truth, and thus I must first protect myself from your fire and fury."

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 162 in the book. In the story, Dalqak hides under the furniture, but I had him use blankets instead. Compare the story of Nasruddin preparing to send himself to jail for criticizing the ruler's poetry: The Governor's Poetry. Rumi tells this story about the jester Dalqak and the King of Tirmidh. For another Dalqak story, see: The Court Jester Gets Married.

The Dervish and the Vizier's Servant

A dervish was discontented. Despite his devotions, God's bounty was lacking.

Then the dervish saw the vizier's servant wearing a beautiful belt of gold.

"O God," shouted the dervish, "that is how a good servant is rewarded!"

Meanwhile, the sultan heard about that golden belt and suspected the vizier of embezzlement. He had the vizier's servants tortured. "Tell me what your master has done, or I will cut your throats!" said the king.

But the servants said nothing, refusing to betray their master.

Then the dervish dreamed he heard a voice from heaven. "That is how a good servant behaves!"

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 157 in the book. The story tells of a nobleman's servant; I made it the vizier's servant to help tighten things up.

The Candle in Daylight

A dervish ran back and forth through bazaar. It was broad daylight, and yet he was carrying a lighted candle in his hand.
"Hey!" someone shouted at him. "What are you going with a candle in broad daylight? What's the joke?"
"It's no joke!" replied the dervish. "I'm looking for a man."
"The bazaar is full of men! They're not hard to find."
"Oh, but they are!" replied the dervish. "I'm looking for a real man, a true man, and if I could find such a man, a man of true wisdom, I will dedicate my life to that man."

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 155 in the book. This story is told about Aesop and also about the Greek philosopher Diogenes. For more about this folktale tradition, see Aesop, Diogenes, Rumi: The Lamp in Daylight.

The Man and the King's Donkeys

A man came running into a stranger's house.
"Save me!" he shouted. "Save me please!"
"But what's wrong?" asked the homeowner. "What are you running from?"
"The king's agents are gathering donkeys! They're seizing donkeys to do forced labor for the king."
"You're not a donkey! They're not going to take you. What are you worried for?"
"They might make a mistake and think I'm a donkey and take me away. They're taking the donkeys in earnest; the danger is real!"
The homeowner shook his head sadly. "Remember who you are!" he said. "You're not a donkey. Be a man!"

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 152 in the book. Arberry notes a similar story in Sadi's Gulistan.

The Motionless Hermit

A hermit had put his complete trust in God. "I shall sit here," he said, "and do nothing. I won't move. I will only wait in the faith that God will provide."
A passing caravan saw the hermit sitting there, motionless.
"Hello!" shouted the travelers.
The hermit said nothing.
"He must be starving," the travelers said, so they offered him food, but the hermit wouldn't even open his mouth.
So the travelers pried open his mouth and forced soup down his throat, and then bread.
The hermit smiled as he thought, "Whether we want it or not, God will provide."

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 151 in the book.

The Bedouin and his Dog

A Bedouin sat weeping beside the road.
"What's wrong?" asked a passerby.
"I am weeping for my poor dog, who is dying here," said the Bedouin, pointing to his dog. "He's an excellent dog, my guardian and companion."
"What is he dying of?" asked the passerby.
"Of hunger I suppose," said the Bedouin.
"But you have a bag full of food there! Why don't you feed the dog?"
"Because I have a long road ahead, and it takes money to buy food, while tears cost nothing."
This man is like Joseph's brothers: he weeps, but his heart has no love.

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 137 in the book.

The Pear-Tree's Illusions

A wife sought to deceive her husband, so she climbed a pear-tree. "Husband, come catch the pears I throw down!"
Then she began screaming at him. "You pervert! What are you doing? Leave that boy alone!"
"I'm here alone!" shouted her husband.
The wife climbed down. "I saw you fondling a strange man! You go up in the tree and I'll catch the pears."
The woman's lover then came.
"Hey," shouted the husband. "I'm seeing the same thing: I see you with a strange man. The pear-tree's illusion is powerful!"
Rumi says: Get down from the pear-tree and rejoin reality.

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 130 in the book.

The Walnuts and the Water

A thirsty man saw a stream of water deep down in a ravine. There was no way he could descend to the water, so he climbed into a walnut-tree and began dropping walnuts into the water far below.
Plop, plop, plop, plop. The walnuts dropped into the stream.
A passerby scoffed at him. "You will never raise the water that way!" he said.
The man in the tree smiled. "I know the water carries the walnuts away, but it's not about the walnuts or about the water. It is about listening to the sound as they fall. Plop, plop, plop."

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 110 in the book. In the original story, the man also watches the bubbles on the surface of the stream, but I focused on the sound.

The Dervish's Two Hands

A dervish lived alone in the wilderness, eating only fruit that God made fall from the fruit-trees.
One day, though, this dervish succumbed to temptation: he reached up and plucked a fruit.
Punishment came swiftly: bandits hid in this wilderness, and the dervish was arrested with them. The governor commanded, "Amputate the right hand of each bandit!"
The dervish did not complain; he knew this was God's punishment.
But then God made a miracle: when the dervish was alone in his hut and no one could see, God restored his hand so that he could weave baskets using both hands.

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 78 in the book. The story goes on to explain that someone does happen to see the miracle of the dervish weaving with two hands, and the dervish realizes that God wants to make the miracle known as a lesson to others. Arberry notes the name Abul-Khair al-Aqta ("the Maimed") al-Tinati.

Moses and the Magician Brothers

Pharaoh's most powerful magician had died, but his two sons were also magicians. Pharaoh summoned them to confront Moses.
Unsure what to do, the brothers went to their father's grave, and their father's ghost spoke to them. "Go find Moses and try to steal his staff. If you succeed, ally with Pharaoh; if not, ally with Moses."
The brothers found Moses asleep under a tree, staff by his side. When they snatched the staff, it became a roaring dragon.
"Save us, Moses!" they screamed.
Moses awoke and pardoned them.
"Fight on God's side!" he said, and they replied, "We will."

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 70 in the book. In the original story, the magicians flee from the dragon but then fall sick and return to Moses to ask him to save them; I compressed that part.

Rabia and the Animals

Rabia had gone into the mountains one day, and all the wild creatures gathered around her, happy to be in her presence: goats and gazelles, squirrels and rabbits, woodpeckers and partridges, all the wild animals.
Hasan then joined her there, but as soon as they saw him, all the animals ran away in fear.
"Why do they come to you, but flee from me?" Hasan asked.
Rabia answered his question with a question. "What did you eat today?"
"Just some chicken-broth," replied Hasan.
"The animals know that you have eaten of their fat," said Rabia. "Why shouldn't they fear you?"

Inspired by: Sufi Women by Javad Nurbakshsh
Notes: This story is on p. 31 of the book. You can find out more about Rabia of Basra and also about Hasan of Basra at Wikipedia.

Pharaoh and the Astrologers

Pharaoh's astrologers warned him that an Israelite child conceived on such-and-such a night would destroy the kingdom. So, to prevent the child's conception, Pharaoh invited the Israelites to a festival which lasted all that night.
Meanwhile, that same night Pharaoh ordered Imran, his treasurer, to sleep at the door of his bedroom.
Imran was an Israelite.
In the night, Imran's wife came to him as he slept in front of Pharaoh's bedroom door.
"Why have you come to me here?" Imran asked.
She replied, "Yearning brought me here, and God's command."
Thus Moses was conceived just outside Pharaoh's bedroom door.

Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 68 in the book. You can read more about the Islamic legends of Moses at Wikipedia.

The Sufi and the Thief

There was a Sufi wandering in the desert, when a thief attacked him.
"Stop!" shouted the Sufi. "I have no money, no baggage, nothing. I have been dead to this world for thirty years. There is no one for you to attack."
The thief laughed. "How can a dead man speak? You are not one with God. You may have thrown aside all your baggage, as Jesus did, but Jesus had kept a single slender needle, and for that reason he could not ascend higher than the fourth heaven."
Then the Sufi understood, and thanks to the thief, he surrendered.

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 44: An Ill-Treated Sufi. Attar only indirectly references the story of Jesus and the needle, which is found in other Sufi poets.

God and Iblis

When God breathed life into Adam's body, he did not want the angels to see. Accordingly, he commanded the angels to prostrate themselves so they couldn't see the secret.
Iblis, however, wouldn't bow down. "I won't bend the knee," said Iblis. "I will look upon the secret."
God was angry. "You stole my secret!" he said. "When a king hides his treasure, he kills the witness. You are that witness!"
Iblis begged God to spare him, so God didn't kill Iblis, but cursed him, while while Iblis ever hopes that God in his mercy will free him from the curse.

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 38: Extract from Ganj-Nama, The Book of Treasure of Osman Amru.

Zulaikha and the Prison Guard

Because of Zulaikha, Joseph had been imprisoned.
She commanded the prison guard to strike Joseph fifty times. "I want to hear him cry out!" she said.
The guard pitied Joseph. "I will beat this animal skin," he said, "while you cry out."
But Zulaikha was suspicious. "Hit him harder!" she told the guard.
The guard told Joseph that Zulaikha would wonder if there were no marks on his body. "Brace yourself!" said the guard, and then he began to really beat Joseph.
Joseph screamed, and when Zulaikha heard his cries this time she said, "Ah! That now sounds very real!"

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 37: Joseph and Zulaikha. You can read more about Joseph and Zulaikha ("Potiphar's wife") at Wikipedia.

Mahmud and the Idol

Sultan Mahmud vowed to destroy the great idol of the goddess in the Temple of Somnath on the western coast of India.
The priests of the temple offered him ten times the weight of the idol in gold if he would spare the statue of goddess.
Some of Mahmud's officers urged him to accepted the offer of gold, but Mahmud refused. "God would then say that Azar fashioned idols, while Mahmud sold them!"
Then, when Mahmud smashed the idol, heaps of precious stones came pouring out.
"The idol got what it deserved," said Mahmud, "and God also has rewarded me."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 36: Sultan Mahmud and the Idol of Somnat. You can read more about Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni at Wikipedia, and you can also read about his raid on the Temple of Somnath in Gujarat, India, and also more about the goddess Lat which is the name Attar gives to the goddess in this story. Azar was the name of Abraham's father who is supposed to have been a maker of idols; other Islamic sources give his name as Tarah.

A Woman's Perfect Beauty

A man was besotted with love for a woman. He supposed she was flawless, but she had one noticeable defect: there was a mole on her face. It had been there for many years, but the man did not even see this flaw; her beauty was perfect in his eyes.
Over time, however, his love cooled. Then he noticed the mole.
"What happened to your face?" he asked. "When did you get that mole?"
"The mole appeared at exactly the moment that you ceased to love me," she said. "When your love ceased to be perfect, so did my looks."

Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 35: The Lover and his Mistress. The story is about a woman with a speck in her eye, but I changed it to be a mole on her face.