Junaid and Behlool
Behlool simulated madness,
though he was not mad. Junaid a scholar and Sufi or repute, knew him
very well. One day as they met, Junaid requested him to give him some
counsel and admonition.
"You do no need any advice. You are a well known Aalim."
Behlool said.
But Junaid insisted. Behlool
gave in and said: "Well, I shall ask you three questions. If you
answer them correctly, you will be advised."
And then he proceeded to ask:
"Do you know how to talk?"
"Do you know how to eat?"
"Do you know how to sleep?"
Junaid found these simple. He said:
"I know how to talk. I talk
with a low voice, politely and to the point, so that the listeners are
not at all offended. I eat after having washed my hands, say Bismillah
before I commence, and chew the food properly. When I finish, I thank
Allah. Before I go to sleep, I do my Wudhu and retire to a clean, Pak,
bed. Then I bear witness to my faith and sleep."
"Well," Behlool said,
"It is no use talking softly if it is a lie. It is all the worse. When
talking, one must ensure that one speaks truth. That is the cardinal
point. And when eating, remembering Allah over a food which is Haram,
forbidden or usurped, has no meaning. You have to ensure that what you
eat is Halal or that you are not misappropriating the funds of an
orphan, a widow, a fellowmen. And what is the use of sleeping with
Wudhu and all the recitations if your heart is full of malice, jealousy
and enmity towards your Momin brother. He who sleeps with a clean heart
sleeps a religious man. Do you understand? These are the principles.
The rest are all secondary virtues."
Reference:
Pearls of Wisdom. A String of Incidents in the History of
Islam. The World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim
Communities. Pages 37-38. |