A Sufi's tears

Once in old age, Hazrat Shah Suleman Taunsvi, Pir e Pathan, received a gift of assorted & expensive dry fruit from a Khorasani trader. He immediately distributed all of it amongst his disciples and other ordinary people.
One of his disciples was close by, and asked him "Hazrat, why did you not keep a few for yourself?"

Hazrat Suleman stayed silent but tears started flowing down his face. Eventually his beard was wet with them.

The disciple asked, "Hazrat, what is the matter?!"

Hazrat Suleman replied, "Son, all my life I've eaten bread & water and I find myself unable to thank my Lord & Sustainer. How could I ever hope to thank Him if I ate luxurious food?"


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Do not think the friends of God are ordinary men like me & you! Rubies are stones too, but what a difference there is between an ordinary stone and a precious one.


More on the Pir e Pathan here & here

Beautiful website

Here's a lovely artistic site I'm sure readers of this blog will enjoy: Gulab Mahal.


especially this section: Shrines in Pakistan

Sufism is simple

The Sufi Path is really exceedingly simple*:-

1. Repent from wrongdoing against the Creator and His Creation. Make amends if possible.

2. Avoid sinning in the future. Remove the sources of temptation and situations where one may slip, or be under pressure to do the wrong thing. [eg. TV, certain types of social gatherings etc. It's important to realize that what everyone has a different ethical challenge. For instance TV may be not as bad for some people, but for others like myself it's an oft catastrophic hindrance on the Path]

3. Add some extra worship to the prescribed 5 prayers. Read the Quran daily if only a little bit. Send blessings [durood] on the Prophet, peace be upon him, and find your personal Zikr.

4. Try and do good work and be a positive force in the world. Be kind to all, to use the hippie maxim, "Be the Change you want to see."


Or as the Prophet Peace be upon him, said, if you cannot think of anything good to say, stay silent. There is profound wisdom in this. Why should we remember or do Zikr of evil? It is better to do Zikr of God. Criticism wastes time and makes us dispirited. It contributes nothing to the world and inhibits our personal growth.

Build a better world, with your own two hands [forgive me for paraphrasing I think Ben Harper here, but as one grows older one realizes all cliches are true... I think Peter Ustinov said that.]


5. Pray Tahajjud... the Night prayer. All Sufis agree that this prayer is obligatory for the Sufis as it was for the Holy Prophet peace be upon him.



May God give success.




* simple in theory- hard in practice!