Chapter VI: Love, Longing, Contentment
Hazrat Ibn Omar asked his slave: Where do you live? He said: In Iraq. He asked: What do you do there? I heard that there is not a single person at Iraq for whom God has not sent a disaster. Hazrat Ka'ab once mentioned about Iraq: There is there nine portions of evils out of ten portions and one portion is in Syria. Nobody has got any reason to stay in a place where sins are widely practiced. God says: Was not the earth spacious enough in order that they should migrate there? Rather we should pray: O our Lord, take us out of this city whose inhabitants are oppressors -4:75. The reason is that when sins are widespread, danger descend there and all perish including also the pious persons. God says: 'Fear disturbance'. Itdoes not fall specially on the sinners alone. So whoever remains satisfied at seeing the sins committed commits a great guilt.
STORIES OF LOVERS: A certain Aref was asked: Are you a lover? He said: I am not a lover, but I am a dear one. A lover is industrious. He was asked: People say: You are one of the seven. He said: I am full seven. He said: When you see me think that you have seen 40 Abdals. People asked him: How does it occur? You are only one man! He said: I have adopted one conduct from each Abdal. People asked him: We heard that you can see Khizr. He smiled and said: It is no wonder to see Khizr, but it is a wonder to wish that Khizr should see a man and remain absent from him.
It is reported that Khizr said: Whenever any thought occurred in my mind that there was not such a friend of God whom I did not know, I saw then a friend of God whom I did not know before. Once Abu Yazid Bostami was asked: Tell us of your meeting with God. At this, he raised a cry and said: We to you, there is no good in your knowing it. They asked: Tell us about your life and death struggle for God. He said: To give you a clue to it is not allowed. People asked him: Tell us about your patience at the beginning of your religious life. He said: Yes, I called my soul towards God, but it became disobedient. Then I promised that I will not drink water for one year and I will not sleep for one year. My nature fulfilled it.
310 LOVE AND ATTACHMENT Vol-IV