Story 10

I was keeping vigil beside the tomb of the prophet Yahya (John), peace be upon him, in the great mosque of Damascus, when one of the Arab kings, a man notorious for his injustice, happened to come on pilgrimage. He prayed, made his petitions, and asked God to grant his need. Poor and rich alike are servants at this threshold of dust, and the richer they are, the more needy they become. Then he said to me: since dervishes have high aspirations and are sincere in their dealings, join your prayers to mine, for I fear a formidable enemy. I told him: show mercy to your weak subjects, and you will suffer no harm from a strong enemy. With mighty arms and the strength of a powerful hand, it is wrong to crush the fist of a helpless wretch. Does he not fear, the one who shows no pity to the fallen, that if he himself stumbles, no hand will reach out to help him? Whoever sows the seed of evil and expects a good harvest has cooked up empty fancies and built on false hopes. Take the cotton from your ears and give people their due, and if you refuse them justice, there is a Day of Justice ahead! The children of Adam are limbs of one another, for in creation they are made of a single essence. When fate brings pain to one limb, the other limbs cannot stay at rest. If you feel no sorrow for the suffering of others, you do not deserve to be called a human being.