|
There was once a dervish who came to a baker's shop; he stood in front of the window looking at the beautiful loaves of fresh bread, and smiled at the baker. The baker asked the dervish, "Are you hungry?" "Yes, I am hungry," said the dervish. "Then I will feed you!" "But you cannot feed me!" "What do you mean, I can't feed you? Of course I can feed you! Come inside." So the dervish went into the bakery and, whoof! One loaf gone. Two loaves — whoof! Three loaves — whoof! He ate and ate and ate, then turned to the baker and asked, "Is there any more? I'm still hungry!" |
|
The Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, used to say, "I am proud of my poverty." And he wasn't poor. Yes, he slept on just a mat, and he gave away everything in his house so that by morning only a date remained, but he certainly wasn't poor, so what was he talking about? He was talking about his need — by poverty he meant, "I am in need, I am hungry." But for what? Not for comfort, not for food. He is hungry for Allah. So that's why the dervish said to the baker, "You cannot feed me — I can swallow the bread from forty bakeries and I will still be hungry."
backCopyright © 1999, 2000
Kathleen Seidel All Rights Reserved
Permission is explicitly granted for educational and non-profit purposes. Please use the credit: Serving the Guest. Copyright 1999, 2000 Kathleen Seidel. Copyright information for previously published material by other authors used by permission, and print sources for images, may be found at http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook.