Aslam

Ibnul Karabi was the spiritual guide of Hazrat Junaid. One man invited him thrice to a feast but every time the host drove him away from his door. At the fourth time, he accepted his guest and said: I have done this to examine your modesty. He said: I have been bearing this dishonour for the last 20 years. I have reached now to the condition of a dog. If it is driven away, still it will come. If you have called me fifty times and driven me away every time, I would have still then come.

He said: I went to a locality and there I became known as a pious man. I became tired at this. So I entered a public bath room, found there a valuable dress and fled away with it. I put on over that dress my gown. Then I walked slowly on the pathway, The people came to me, snatched my gown, took away the valuable dress and beat me very severely, I became then the thief of the bath room. Then my mind became quiet. Now think how God kept people like him in severe trials and trainings. They did not take care of their own lives. Those who take care only of themselves go away from nearness of God. The meaning of engagement with self is to be away from the nearness of God. There is no screen of distance between heart and God and no impediment.

There was a beautiful and honourable man among the leaders of Bostan. He did not keep himself separate from the assembly of Abu Yezid. One day he told Abu Yezid: For the last 30 years. I have been fasting all the year round without any break and praying at night without any sleep. Inspite of this servere religious exercise, I have got nothing of wisdom of which you are speaking. I believe it and love it. Abu Yezid said: If you fast and pray at night without sleep for 300 years, you will not get but a bit of this knowledge. He asked him: Why? He said: Because you are busy with yourself. He asked: Has it got any medicine? He said: Yes. He asked: Inform me of it, I will do it. He said: You will not accept it. He said: I will accept it. He said: Go to this barbar and have your hairs of head and beard shaved. Take off this dress and take a load of refuges and walnut call all the boys around you and say: I will give you one walnut to a boy who gives me a slap. Enter the bazar in this condition and go round the people with it Go round the people in this condition who know you. The man said: Sobhan Allah, are you telling me this? Abu Yezid said: Your expression of 'Sobhan Allah' is included in Shirk, He asked: How

314 LOVE AND ATTACHMENT Vol-IV

is it? He said: Because you have uttered Sabhan Allah thinking you as big. You have not uttered real Sobhan Allah. He said: I cannot do this work. Show me another. He said: Begin with it before any other work. He said: I will not be able to do it. He said: I told you before that you will not be able to do it.