A Story: Everything Comes from God

Someone once praised Sa'd ibn Zangi, may endless mercy rain upon his grave. The ruler gave him money, robes of honor, and treated him kindly, granting him a rank fit for his worth. But when the man saw 'God alone' stamped on the coins, he grew restless and tore the robe from his shoulders. Such a flame of longing seized his soul that he leapt up and set off into the wilderness. One of his companions in the desert asked him, 'What did you see that changed your state so completely? At first you kissed the ground before him; you shouldn't have ended by turning your back and walking away.' He laughed and said, 'At first, out of fear and hope, I trembled like a willow branch. But in the end, trusting that God alone reigns, neither wealth nor any person mattered in my eyes.' In a town of Syria an uproar broke out, and they seized a blessed old man. His words still ring in my ears, from the moment they clapped chains on his hands and feet. He said, 'Unless the king gives the order, who would dare to plunder? One must love an enemy like this, for I know it is the Friend who has set him upon me. Whether honor and high standing, or humiliation and chains, I trace it all back to God, not to this man or that.' Wise one, do not fear the illness when the healer sends you his bitter medicine. Swallow whatever comes from the Beloved's hand; the patient is no wiser than the doctor.