Story No. 9

One of the holy men of Lebanon, whose spiritual ranks were spoken of throughout the Arab lands and whose miracles were famous, entered the great mosque of Damascus. As he was performing his ablutions by the edge of the Kallasa pool, his foot slipped, he fell into the basin, and only with great difficulty pulled himself out. When they had finished the prayer, one of his companions said: There is something that troubles me, if I may be allowed to ask it. He said: What is it? He said: I remember that the sheikh once walked across the surface of the western sea and his foot never got wet. What was the state today that in a mere hand's depth of water you nearly drowned? The sheikh sank into thought, and after long reflection he raised his head and said: Have you not heard that the Master of the world, peace be upon him, said: 'There is a moment I have with God that no angel drawn near nor prophet sent can contain me in'? And he did not say 'always.' At such a moment as he described, he could give no attention even to Gabriel and Michael; yet at other times he lived with Hafsa and Zaynab. The witnessing of the righteous lies between revelation and concealment. They show themselves, and they steal the heart away. You show your face, then you turn away; you drive up your own market and stoke our fire high. I gaze upon the one I love with nothing in between, and a state overtakes me that leads me further astray.