B. Sheik Ali

Knowledge Society PublicationsSaraswati Puram, Mysore

Shaikh Sa’di

Book Name : Shaikh Sa�di

Author : B. Shaikh Ali

Year of Publication : 2009

Dedication

Dedicated to the fond memory ofProf. M.Abdul Khadir

Professor, University of Mysore, India,a renowned scholar of Urdu and Persianwith a mission to foster those language,

an intellectual with Rare Perceptionsof men and events, and a sophisticated soul

of highest absolute values.

Contents

Introduction

1. Life of Sa�di 1

2. Gulistan 13

3. Character of the Kings 23

4. On Men of God 45

5. Importance of Contentment 63

6. On Silence 79

7. On Youthoood and Love 85

8. On Oldage 95

9. On Education and Training 101

10. On Company and Environment 113

11. A Short Review of Boston 131

Preface

Shaikh Sa�di, the great poet, thinker and reformer, has earnedworld fame. Emerson has called him, �Wisdom of God.� Hisworks, Gulistan and Bostan, are World classics. His poetrytouches, stirs and moves the heart to teach delightfully. Hisprose too carries gems of Wisdom expressed in stories andparables that thrill all, young or old. They reflect the richexperience he had gained. He has touched almost all aspectsof life, from childhood to oldage. He possessed the mind of aphilosopher, the imagination of a poet, the heart of a Sufiand the will of a crusader to change the society for the better.For this he adopted his own technique of parables, thefascinating way of teaching which would sink into the mindof man. He has drawn the essence of history to teach whatfactors upgrade man and what factors degrade man. His Workis like a full-blown rose, each velvet petal of which stands forsome value of human wisdom. The depth of his understandingof human nature, the range of his rich experience havingtrotted a good part of the known world, the sincerity of hissoul to teach mankind righteous path and the beauty of hiscaptivating way of expression have all made his work, Gulistan,a marvelous work. An orphan who lost his father at the ageof three struggled hard in most adverse circumstances tobecome one of the brightest stars on the horizon of worldliterature.

Sa�di lived in a momentous age which witnessed the gloryof Islam at its peak and also the sudden havoc and catastrophethat followed the Mongol attacks under Chenghiz and Hilaku.

His long life of over a century made him do four great things,gain knowledge and wisdom, travel a good lot, write as manyas 22 books, and do penance in a corner. His great job wasto guide and help humanity at a time of crisis when all valueswere shattered at the hands of Mongols. As a result of that,people preferred retreat to action. Penance and piety gavethem greater satisfaction than facing the challenges of life.He stressed on action and said doing was more importantthan thinking or feeling. Service to man was also devotion toGod. The aim of Sa�di was not to lift man to heights oflearning nor to push him to depths of piety, but to make himlive harmoniously and graciously with his own fellowmen. Allmen wish to be great, but it comes only to those who work,who initiate, who concentrate and who persevere. Sa�di wouldsay learning leads to knowledge, knowledge to wisdom, wisdomto creativity and creativity to greatness. Life is a chess game,universe is the chess board, events are pawns, rules of gameare the laws of nature, andGod is the umpire. We have toplay the game, where there is no allowance for ignorance ormistakes. One would win the game if one were to play thegame well. Sa�di played well and earned eternal fame.

Gulistan has eight chapters and Bostan has ten. The firstchapter of Gulistan is on kings. Of all the institutions manhas devised ever since the dawn of history, political system isthe most powerful, which commands financial, military andhuman resources and holds the key for the welfare of man.Hence Sa�di has focused his attention on it with 21 reformativemood to make the monarchs know what their rights andduties were, how important was their office, why should theytake it seriously and what consequences would follow if theyfailed in their duties. The kings ought to be just and fair,generous and kind, bold and brave, wise and farsighted andalso God - fearing and righteous. Power is a trust from Godwhose misuse was unforgivable at least on the day ofaccountability.

Sa�di comes from kings to holy men, the Dervishes whostand for spiritual life or moral code without which121ppin6SSis neither genuine nor permanent. This moral code is kindnessand compassion, contentment and patience, love and devotion,service and sacrifice. But both the rulers at the top and theholy men at the bottom are microscopic in number, the bulkbeing the common man, the rank and life, who form the coreof the society. It is their well being which is the aim of ShaikhSa�di, for whom he offers his rich experience particularly tothe youth, in order to make their life meaningful. It isknowledge and skill, wisdom and understanding that wouldmake the life of the youth useful and purposeful. From theyouth he turns towards the old and elderly, and deals withthe problems they face. The last chapter of Gulistan, thelong one, is all about pearls of wisdom drawn from the depthsof his rich experience. Gulistan is indeed a wonderful work, amarvelous teacher to those who wish to learn, a delightfulsource of enjoyment to those who love literature, and a richtreasure-house of knowledge and wisdom to those who wishto come up in life.

If Gulistan is a masterpiece in prose, Bostan is in poetry.Bostan preceded Gulistan, a natural process of poetrypreceding prose. His poetry is based on four principles,greatness of ideas, excellence of expression, reality of factsand element of excitement. Bostan too is packed with thepersonal experiences of the poet which he gained in his longlife of over a century. After the dazzling brightness of Gulistanwe come to the soothing effect of Bostan, where we learn alot on love and affection, hospitality and generosity, serviceand gratitude, justice and fair play, contentment and prayers,and goodness and kindness. In Bostan too as in Gulistan themedium of stories, anecdotes and parables is used to instruct,inspire and advice people to discern right from wrong andfollow meaningful and purposeful life. One example here isenough to indicate the value system Sa�di had in mind. Hatim

Tayee was so generous that he did not like to disappoint evenhis murderer.

One last word is essential here to record. This workwould never have come to light but for the generosity of avery enlightened family of Dr. Nisar Ahmed and Dr. NooriNisar Ahmed of U.S.A. They have been a pillar of supportto many an institution of social service including SultanShaheed Education Trust of Mysore ever since its inception.By profession they are physicians to heal the patients, bynature they are benefactors to cure the misery of people,and by faith they are truly religious to diffuse the message ofdo good and be good. In them we find all the values andvirtues Shaikh Sa�di preached to humanity. The author of thisWork feels highly grateful to them for their gracious gesturein sponsoring this work. He is thankful to Mr. Fairoz Ahmedfor all the help he extends to Knowledge Society Publications.

Mysore B. Sheik AIi September 1, 2009

Introduction

Greatness of Shaikh Sa�di is such that an eminent thinker ofthe order of Emerson has called him �Wisdom of God�. Awriter, a thinker, a teacher, a poet, a philosopher and a Sufi,Sa�di is rated one among the four greatest litterateurs ofPersian language, the other three being Firdausi, Rumi andHafiz. Even among these four, his work, Gulistan, tops thelist as the most widely read, adored and appreciated. Itspopularity owes to the fact that he has furnished edifyinghuman ideals through parables that touch the mind and soul.His Hikayats or stories reflect the realities of life at all levelsfrom top to bottom. His purpose is to teach men how tolead a healthy, happy, peaceful and meaningful life. He heldthe pen of a poet, the mind of a philosopher, the heart of aSufi, the zest of a preacher, and the vision of a diviner. Anaristocrat of intellect with sublimity of soul, he was at oncea teacher to the monarchs and emperors as also to the humbleand lowly.

Sa�di gained his knowledge and wisdom through hard way.He suffered a lot in life. He traveled a lot. He met peopleof all shades. He lived a long life of over a century. Hewitnessed many ups and downs of history. He saw the gloryof Islam at its zenith when Baghdad was the brightest jewel.He also saw its merciless destruction and devastations at thehands of Chenghiz and Hilaku, the Mongols who caused riversof blood to flow, Baghdad, the hub of ancient cultures fromBabylonian times is so very unfortunate that it has notescaped being a victim even to-day of modern Hilakus. This

was also a period when Sa�di witnessed a galaxy of brilliantstars on the horizon of spiritual life such as Jalaluddin Rumi,Farid-ud-din Attar, Shuhab-ud-din Suharwardy, Shams-e-Tabriz, Najmuddin Razi and Mohiyuddin-ibn-al-Arabi.

All these are great Sufis who have contributed much tospiritual thought. But each of them is unique in his ownway, and has given us something special. Rumi made abstractmetaphysical concept of God so easy that even a child couldunderstand. Ghazali invited our attention to God�s light, adistant ray of which is man�s intellect, the source with whichhe is doing wonders on this earth. Hafiz concentrated moreon beauty of God and made us appreciate everything on thisearth. Now Sa�di has come to open our eyes towards thesociety, man�s relations with man, which is so essential fororderly existence on this globe. If some one pointed ustowards Almighty to explain who He is, what He is, and whereHe is, another taught us what should be our relations withour own Master, the Creator, the Supreme and the SublimeLord of the world. Now a third Sufi, Sa�di is attempting totell us how we can make this earth a heaven. It is upto usto make it either a hell or a heaven. Thus Islamic thoughthas rotated round these three concepts of know God, knowyourself and know the universe. If rumi was helpful to us toknow God, Ghazali made us think what we are. Now Sa�di isteaching us how we are living on this earth.

There are four main aspects of Sa�di�s message. Theyare rational and objective outlook, depth of his thoughts,uniqueness of his approach, and power of his appeal. Wefind his personal experiences in both Gulistan and Bostan.He passed through strange phases of life, upheavals,catastrophes, and also prosperous and flourishing conditionsof life. He moved in the company of mendicants as also ofmonarchs. He attracted the attention of paupers also andof princes also. He knew what is piety and penance and alsowhat is power and authority. What he wrote on all aspects

of life happens to be the product of mature mind. He goesdeep into the mind and conscience of the people acting as amirror of their own experiences. His aim is to make everyone realize that life is a serious drama in which every onehas a vital role to play, whether he is a king or a coolly.Progress would depend how well each plays his own part. Hehas laid down the rules of the game which would fit any age,any country.

Sa�di upholds those values which shape man into a moralpersonality. For this man has to use qualities both of headand heart, pay attention both to his physical and spiritualneeds and regard life as an opportunity to realize the best heis capable of. As a human being he owes something to hisown self, and also to his family, to his society, to his stateand to the whole humanity at large. Sa�di would say manpossesses conscience which should be kindled with the torchof learning when he would realize he has a responsibility tosociety. As a citizen he has to promote new attitudes andvalues, new thinking and feeling and new humanism and peace.This requires knowledge, understanding, love, labour, patienceand imagination, when man attempts to move in thatdirection, sooner or later he would build up a higher culture.Training man in that direction is the aim of Sa�di.

He has done great service to mankind by indicating thecauses and the principles by which man can reach his destinyof meaningful life. Faith and belief, knowledge and wisdom,love and labour, service and sacrifice are all instruments tobring about a healthy social change. It is not enough if afew are happy and others are in misery. Sa�di has conceivedan ideal State where every one is happy.

His two works Gulistan and Bostan throw intensive lighton all aspects of man�s life, whereby he could become cultured,creative and committed person to a cause. This work is anattempt to give a glimpse of his thoughts. The first chapter

of Gulistan is about the rulers, the kings and monarchs. Itis significant to note that the starting point of Sa�di is State.Politics is power. It commands both human and naturalresources. Finance and army are two important organs ofbody-politic which are under the control of the State. It wasall personal monarchy in days of Sa�di. He has dealt at lengththe rights and duties of the Sultan, the nature of kingship,the attitude and behaviour of the monarchs. He says kingshipis a great responsibility. The kings are answerable to Godfor their deeds. They may escape here but not on the day ofjudgement. Power is a trust for the welfare of the peopleand not for the pleasure of the king. The good of the people,the rank and file, and the common man, those who labourwith their hands, their happiness and prosperity should remainupper most in the mind of the monarch. He should rememberthe great struggling unknown masses of men and women, whoare at the base, are the dynamic force that lift the society toa higher level. They are like the roots of a tree that suckthe nutrients from the soil, up through the trunk to the twigsand branches that bear fruits and flowers. A nation is asgreat and only as great as the rank and file. Sa�di would saywisdom of life is all compounded by the experience of thecommon man and hence he should be paid great attention totheir welfare. Kingship demands qualities of boldness andcourage, foresight and wisdom, justice and fairplay, patienceand perseverance, fear of God and love of service, virility andvigour together with generosity and compassion.

The second chapter is about God-intoxicated souls, thesaints, Sufis and mendicants. From political power he comesdown to spiritual arena, the two extremes, from love of powerto love of God. Both command power, one over spiritualforces, and the other over physical. Mystical trends in Islamare called Sufism. It is the purification of heart from basertemptations. It is ascension to higher level by means of divineknowledge. It is adherence to spiritual values, those that

are eternally the best. Since God is the ultimate basis of allspiritual life, loyalty to God virtually amounts to man�s loyaltyto his own ideal nature. Sufism demands renunciation,abstinence, patience, penance, poverty, prayer, contemplation,meditation, confidence, love, hope, fear, determination andcertainty. Sa�di being himself a Sufi was best qualified toenlighten on this subject.

The third chapter is further elaboration of two of theaspects of Sufism, namely patience and contentment. Theseare essential qualities needed by every man, whether he is asaint or common man. Possession of wealth would not bringhappiness, which is an attitude of mind. Sa�di discusses amoral code of conduct, the source of development in everysector of life. Gulistan is a renowned text which spells outthe secrets of success in life both of this and the other world.He devotes the entire fourth chapter to calmness, quietness,silence and tranquility. He would say silence is golden. Onehas to listen more and talk less. God has given us one tongueand two ears. Better to put energy to think and work thanto talk and waste time. Wise men do not talk much. It isdoing that is more important than feeling and talking, whichis like releasing an arrow from a bow that may hit a wrongtarget and cause us needless regret. Sa�di would say keepyour big mouth shut unless you have a pearl to share.

The fifth chapter deals with the life of young men, whenthey are excited by an inner urge of love. It is a naturalemotion. Love is indeed a hunger of human soul for beauty.Love is the moving energy of all living beings. It is an attitudeof mind, feeling and will that are strong, deep and enduring.The youth is in passionate love to sow the seed of immortalityinto mortal body so as to perpetuate life. It is a naturalurge which should be satisfied within the frame work of verystrict social and religious laws, or else sensuous pleasureswould lead to disastrous consequences. Sa�di stresses more

on beauty of character. One should not be enamoured byface or form which are not of lasting value. Through a seriesof stories Sa�di has exposed human nature and has warnedthe youth to be on guard. He has explained to us what beautyis, and what sort of beauty is to be preferred.

The sixth chapter is about the problems of old age.Birth, growth and decay are natural phenomenon, where eachphase has its own fascinating and challenging problems. Wisemen discuss them in their correct perspective to explain themeaning and significance of each phase. Man in any agewould not look forward to death, although it is inevitable.Until he breathes his last, he is hopeful he would yet survivea little longer. At birth the baby regards this world as aprison and weeps, but gets soon so well familiarized as totake it as a paradise not willing to leave it at any cost. Oldage has its own problems. Sa�di has thrown fascinating lightsthrough stories on this phase of life.

The seventh chapter is on education of the youth, a veryuseful chapter reflective of his rich experience and knowledge.No wealth is greater than knowledge, no poverty is greaterthan ignorance, and no investment is greater than investmentin human resources. Education holds the key for the welfareof man. We need man-making, character-building and value-oriented education. Education should foster new attitudesand values, promote new humanism and peace, and advancenew knowledge and skill. It should make man wise and noble,fit enough to face the challenges of life. Education is the artof training mind, body and soul. It should give our youth amoral personality. It must be a search for truth, a quest forexcellence and a march towards higher objectives of life. Itmust sow the seeds of knowledge that should fructify on thehorizon of human fellowship. It must help man liveharmoniously and graciously with his own fellowmen.Education should transform man into a better human being.

He should be able to move from knowledge to skill, fromskill to wisdom, and from wisdom to understanding.Education should help man build bridges of understandingbetween man and man so that he can reach his destiny whichis to bring about a world brotherhood. Sa�di has thrownintensive light on these aspects.

The eighth and the last chapter in Gulistan is on ethicsand morality. Morality, said Plato, is harmony. Morality,said Jesus, is compassion. Morality, said Nietzsche, isstrength. But Sa�di would say, morality is nobility of soul,which sees goodness in oneself and in others. Morality isdevelopment in man the qualities of head and heart. It isthe assertion of human dignity, the unity of man, the respectfor man. It recognizes the rights of all for free development.It shapes the character of man and guides him towards justice,truth, beauty, love and service. It differentiates man fromother living beings. It levels down the barriers of caste, creedand class and takes the stand on the bed-rock of humanism.Love and liberalism are two important features of morality.In this chapter Sa�di has explained the essence of ethics andmorality through as many as 108 pearls of wisdom.

Bostan is yet another great work of Sa�di. If Gulistan isone eye of a beautiful maiden, Bostan is the other eye,without which beauty is impaired. If Gulistan is a garden ofroses, Bostan is a field of dancing daffodils. If Gulistan is amaster-piece of prose, Bostan is a jewel of poetry. Poetry totouches, stirs and moves the heart of the people and teachesdelightfully. Bostan preceded Gulistan, just as in theevolutionary process man burst out first in poetry before histhought process resulted in prose. Poetry is based on fourprinciples, expression of reality, sublimity of thought,creativity and originality, compactness and beauty. Bostanfoots the bill on all these four points. It seems to sum upthe experiences of a long life of Sa�di. Among his 22 books

these are two well renowned works that top the list in wisdomand knowledge, in interest and utility and in popularity andfame. Sa�di was on tour for more than 30 years visiting almostevery important place of his times. Whatever struck himmost which was worthy of record, he narrated them in theseworks. Bostan reflects his own life which was exciting inmany respects. He had a message to convey to humanitythat it was upto man to make his life good or bad, that itwas doing, not thinking or feeling that would lead to successand that love of man was also as essential as love of God.Bostan carries ten chapters. They are (1) Justice and overviewof the world, (2) Service to man, (3) Love, (4) Hospitality, (5)Trust, (6) Contentment, (7) Gratitude, (8) Repentance and (9)Prayer. All these relate to mystic thought or Sufism, whichis purification of mind and heart. It is elevation of man tothe level which is eternally the best. It is a bundle of highestabsolute values that pertain to spiritual life of man. It isthe search for higher truth where man would experiencessupernatural qualities.

Thus both Gulistan and Bostan are rich treasure housesof knowledge. They present a quintessence of wisdom tohelp man lead a meaningful life. They are intended to shapeman�s destiny through a simple technique of parables andstories. They relate to all strata of society, all aspects of lifeand are relevant to all ages and all countries. They are theproduct of a mature mind whose labour of love was the studyof man and his problems. He has done it so well as to attractthe attention of any mind in any age and in any land, Sa�diset a new trend in literature that earned for him a high placeamong world litterateurs.

1

Life of Sa�di

Sa�di lived in a momentous age which changed the very pictureof the Islamic world. On one side it was an age whichwitnessed the peak of Islamic glory in political, social, moral,intellectual and spiritual spheres, and on the other, it suffereda trauma of brutal and savage attacks of the Mongols underChenghiz and Hilaku. They shook the very foundation ofthe Islamic empire. The contrast was more glaring when wesee a host of mighty souls like Attar, Rumi, Razi, Ghazali,Hafiz and Sa�di, lifting man to his destiny of �Perfect man�at a time when greed and lust for power were causing riversof blood to flow. Sa�di�s long life of over a century witnessedthis drama with great insight and agony, leaving behind onpages of history profound impressions of his maturity andwisdom. At such a time he guided humanity on right lines,threw intensive light on all aspects of life, particularly on therights and duties of the rulers, social and moral responsibilitiesof the people, need for the right type of education and trainingto the children, and ways and means for the meaningful lifeof man. In fact his writings acted as a light house in thedark stormy waters for safe landing on the shore.

Sa�di the great poet, a thinker, a reformer and a Sufiwas born in Shiraz in 589/A.H (1149 A.D.) His full name was

Shaikh Sa�di2

Shaikh Sharfuddin, title, Maslehuddin, and nom de plume(takhallus) Sa�di. He lived a long life, some say 116 or 120years, but this is disputed. Accurate record of the age cannotbe traced, but it was not in any way less than a century. Hisfather�s name was Abdulla Shirazi, who was an official in thecourt of Sa�d Zangi, the ruler of Shiraz. It was in honour ofthis ruler that Sa�di adopted his takhallus. He was a greatpatron of letters and learning, a ruler just, kind and generous.Shaikh Sa�di was fond of poetry even from his childhood, andhas chosen his pen name at any early age which becameillustrious through out the Islamic world. His father, AbdullaShirazi, was a very pious soul, a Sufi in his own right, whoseimpact was deep on Sa�di, although he died while Sa�di wasstill a young child of three years.

Sa�di would never miss to mention instances of hischildhood when his father would make him pay attention evento small matters of behaviour. While celebrating the schoolingceremony of the child, Sa�di�s father had given him, apart frompen and paper, a gold ring. He was yet a child at that time.Some one knocked off the ring in exchange for some sweets.Sa�di regrets how foolish he was not to remember the valueof gold which his father had explained. Once his father tookhim to Eid-prayers. He instructed Sa�di to hold the garmentof his father fast, so that he should not be lost in the crowd.On the way Sa�di saw some children playing. He went andjoined them only to realize his father had disappeared. Hestarted crying. With great difficulty his father traced himand admonished him for ignoring the instruction. This was alesson be shared with humanity by making it a principle ofmystic life. He says:

(Any one who sets out the seek God should remember

Shaikh Sa�di 3

to hold fast the garment of a wise guide).

The point to note here is how the poet turns theexperience of his own childhood into a principle for thosewho are in love of God. Without strictly observing theinstruction of a wise teacher, the seeker of higher knowledgewould lose the way.

He mentions one more unforgettable lesson of hischildhood which his father taught. Once in the company ofhis father he spent his whole night in prayers, while the restof the people were asleep. Sa�di said to his father, �howunfortunate, these people are fast asleep and would not getup to offer prayers�. The father reprimanded him saying, �Itwould have been far better if you too were sleeping thanfinding faults with others�. Sa�di remembered this all his lifethat it was a sin to speak ill of others. The Parish priesttaught him how to do ablution (Wazu) and added, whilefasting one should not brush the teeth with neem twig. Heproceeded further to speak ill of a particular feudal lord. Sa�diremembered the advice of his father and recited a versemeaning it was not permissible to brush the teeth while fastingbut quite permissible to eat the flesh of a dead man. Islamicethics equates gheebath (speaking ill of other in their absence)with eating flesh of a dead person.

Shaikh Sa�di was thus being brought up under verycongenial and happy circumstances, when suddenly his fatherpassed away. He was hardly three years old at that time.He never forgot what it meant to be an orphan. Adversityand orphanage played a vital role in shaping his life. He says,do not kiss your own child in the presence of an orphan.You are not aware how the poor thing feels. Quranicinjunctions are very specific in paying utmost attention tothe affairs of the orphans and Sa�di very effectively preachedthis message all his life. No act pleases God so much as loveof orphans and service to them. Our Holy Prophet himself

Shaikh Sa�di4

was an orphan. Innumerable Ahadis relate to the dutiesMuslims are called upon to perform in respect of orphans.Sa�di says when orphan cries, God�s throne (arsh) is shaken.Good care of orphans finds a high place in Islamic ethics.Fortunately Shaikh�s mother was alive until he grew up. Shetoo was a noble lady from whom Shaikh learned a lot.

Although Shiraz was also a great centre of learning,Shaikh went to Baghdad for higher studies and got admittedto the reputed University of Nizamiah, which had beenestablished by Nizamuddin Tusi in 459 A.H. Shaikh AbuIshaq Shirazi was the Director of this School. He took goodcare of Sa�di and fixed a fellowship for him. He had thegood fortune to study under such a great scholar as AbdurRahman-ibn-Jauzi, who was the star thinker of the time. Hewas at once proficient in several branches of knowledge andhad authored over 200 books. Sa�di did not concentrate muchon logic, philosophy and other physical or natural disciplines,but preferred theology, jurisprudence, ahadith, commentariesof Quran, Sufism and literature. In other words he optedfor spiritual areas along with humanities. He was precociousand did well in all his subjects. Once he participated in adiscourse in one of the towns of Iraq, while he was still youngand unknown in the academic circles. He was made to sit inthe last row of the hall. Discussion was quite lively andheated. One issue raised a serious debated. He too soughtpermission to speak. He threw such intensive light on it asto be applauded from every side. The presiding dignitary gotup, led him to his chair and placed his turban on his head,but he pleaded it was too high an honour for a learner, andthat he might be excused from accepting it, only because itmight excite any false pride in him. Moral urge to avoidfame was quite evident while he was yet a student.

He got deeply interested in Sufism. He became adisciple of the famous saint, Shaikh Shuhabuddin Suharwardly,who enunciated the illustrious theory of light. According to

Shaikh Sa�di 5

this theory God is eternal light. This light is self-existent,self-manifest and indefinable. It has two kinds of illumination,abstract and accidental. Abstract light is without form orlimitation. It is not an abstract of any substance. Its essenceis consciousness or knowledge. It is the principle of universalintellect and its distant reflection is the individual intellect.The human soul is the highest dwelling place of abstractillumination.

This theory fascinated Sa�di who inferred that mindor intellect and the soul or heart are two fundamental factorsto know the higher truth. The one who concentrate on thesetwo would be well here and hereafter. He would know howto live and how to be happy in this world and also how togain eternal peace in the next world. He probed deep intoways and means to help man reach his goal. He was fortunateto spend some time with the famous Sufi saint Suharwardywhile they traveled together on high seas. He was acontemporary of yet another great Sufi saint. Shaikh AbdulQadir Jeelani, the founder of the Qadria order of Sufism. Hebecame his disciple as well. Qadria, Suharwardia, Chishtiaand Naqshfandia are the four systems or orders of Sufism,the schools of thought that teach their own technique to knowGod and to experience God. If Suharwardia order hadenlightened his mind and soul the Qadria order strengthenedhis will to achieve something in this world. The result was akind of output in Gulistan and Bostan which was at oncemoral, material and spiritual. It was Shaikh Abdul QadirJeelani who had insisted not to ignore this world.Consequently, following his path Sa�di became not onlyphilosophical but also pragmatic.

Not only such mighty Sufi saints as Jeelani andSuharwardy but Farid-ud-din Attar and Najmuddin Kabra toohad an impact on Sa�di. These were illustrious stars of thetime in spiritual matters and the Shaikh was greatly influencedby them. But he struck a path of his own. He did not

Shaikh Sa�di6

become a recluse sitting in one corner meditating merely onhigher knowledge but blended both worldly and celestialmatters to guide humanity on righteous path. For a time hewas inclined towards devotional and emotional affairs of theSufi saints and attended their meetings, but soon realized hewas not cut out for it. It happened because of a badexperience. Once he was forced to listen whole night to aQawwal whose voice was so distasteful in the morning hegifted a dinar and his head-dress Amama) saying his voice dida miracle which the advice of a many wise men could not do,namely not to be lost in such devotional gatherings.

Sa�di�s life is divided into four parts. He spent hisfirst thirty years in education, another thirty years roamingabout the whole world. His third phase was devoted towriting, the productive work in which Gulistan and Bostanare most prominent. The fourth phase was penance andprayers. In the second phase of his life he visited differentlands and gained such rich experience which formed the coreof his third phase that gifted to mankind his writings in theform of parables or Hikayats which have caught theimagination of the people from ages. The cause for thedecision to be away for so long was the destruction of Baghdadby Hilaku and also the urge to gain first hand knowledge ofthe realities of life. To read things in books is quite differentfrom seeing them in life. This tour was not for a year ortwo but for thirty long years. We wonder at his interest,energy, patience and ability to manage to be away from homefor so long. It was a feature of the Muslims to be worldtrotters. They became great geographers and discoverers.For years Shaikh roamed about in Asia and Africa. In theeast he went to Khurasan, Balkh, Kashghar and India wherehe visited Somnath temple and stayed there for some days.From India through sea-route he went to Arabia, then toIraq, Syria, Palestine and Asia Minor. In Central Asia hevisited such places as Azerbaijan, Asfahan, Tabriz, Basra,

Shaikh Sa�di 7

Kufa, Damascus and Diyar-bakar. He crossed over toAlexandria, and then to many places in North Africa apartfrom Persian Gulf, Arabian sea, Red sea, Mediterranean seaand Amman Straits. He performed Haj many a time. Hestayed for long in Mecca and Medina. He writes in Bostanthat once he was so exhausted that he slept on the road itself.A passer by warned him why he was anxious to commit suicide.

He gained rich experience in these tours. He sufferedhardships as well. In Damascus he became a bonded labourat the hands of Christians who engaged him for diggingtrenches. For quite long he could not escape from theirclutches. Once he spotted a man he knew from Halb whowas surprised to see him in that plight. That man was awareof the greatness of Shaikh, who told him that the attempt toescape from the cruelly of his own people got him entangledin the cruelty of the strangers. The man took pity on him.He liberated Sa�di by paying the Christians ten Dinars. Hedid one more thing. He gave his daughter in marriage toSa�di. A new phase begins in his life. It was not a happylife. The girl he married was bad-tempered. He found himselfin the plight of Socrates who too had a bad wife, who hadonce emptied a bucket full of dirty water on the body of herhusband, the wisest man on earth. The only thing Socratessaid was that ever thundering lady had burst out to-day.Likewise Shaikh had to tolerate the pangs of his wife. Onceshe taunted him that her father had bought him for tenDinars. Shaikh said, �Yes, he bought me for ten Dinars, butsold me to you for hundred Dinars�. It is strange that noblesouls suffer at the hands of destiny which tests their patience.Shaikh married again in Sin�a the capital of Yaman. A sonwas born but he died early. It caused a great shock to Sa�di.He loved him much. He writes in Bostan:

(My son is buried in Sin�a; how can I sketch the intensityof my feelings at his loss). He became so uncontrollable that

Shaikh Sa�di8

he tore apart a part of the grave to have a look at him, butthe scene was so ghastly that he himself fell unconscious.When he recovered and came to senses, he gave a messageto the whole humanity which might be in similar plight.

(If you are desirous that darkness of your grave be asbright as day-light, lit the lamp of good deeds here on thisearth). One ought to know at the hour of utter grief, whatpearls of wisdom would flow from his pen!

The thirty years he passed in tour were not at allpleasant. For a long time he did the job of a water-carrier inJerusalem and in Syria. He had to work hard, earn moneyand then continue his journey. But he never complains ofthese hardships. He took them all as sports, helpful incharacter building programme. Only once he felt utterlyhelpless. He did not have money to buy a pair of shoe.Walking bare-footed caused great pain. He went to Kufamosque to take rest. There he saw a man who had lost bothhis limbs. Sa�di fell in prayers thanking God his limbs weresafe, no matter shoes were missing.

Poverty and hunger stared at him in the journey. Fordays he had to suffer. Once he was in Alexandria when afamine was raging. The mendicants were feeling miserable.One of them said a particular impotent person had becomevery rich and was feeding the poor. Some suggested to gothere and have a meal. They invited the Shaikh also. Hesaid, a lion would rather die of hunger but not part-take ofthe left-over of a dog. At last when Shaikh heard there wasa change of government in Shiraz, and that after Sa�d Zangi,his son Khutluq Khan Abu Bakr, had come to the throne hedecided to return home. Things had enormously changed forthe better. But when he came home he learned that theKing did not patronize the scholars. He was fond of themendicants or Darvishes.

Shaikh Sa�di 9

Shaikh too decided to lead the life of mendicants. Heswitched over to a new life but continued to do the normalwork of reforms in this new garb. This is his last and fourthphase when he became bold to pin-point where the rulerswere going wrong. He carried on a campaign for goodgovernance, justice, fair-play, law and order. His magnum-opus, Gulistan, carried its first and the longest chapter onrulers, on kingship, on administration and good government.State is a powerful institution which holds the key for thewelfare of man. His writings carried effect. This was a periodwhen Mongols had caused havoc. People were scared everywhere. Death and destruction was the order of the day.

Once when he reached Kashghar, he heard there waspeace for a time between Chenghiz and Sultan MohamedKhwarizim. When the Shaikh went to the main mosque ofthe city, a child was reciting a lesson of grammar that Zaidwas hitting Umar. Shaikh asked the boy that there was peacebetween the Mongols and the Sultan. The boy laughed atthe suggestion. He did not know who the stranger was. Heenquired where the stranger had come from. When Shaikhsaid he was from the land of Shiraz, the boy was surprised,and at once recollected he must be Shaikh Sa�di. He pleadedfor a verse and the Shaikh obliged him:

(Oh! my admirer, I have fallen into your trap; I aminterested in you, but you are still in the conflict of Umarand Zaid). One could imagine how much Sa�di loved children;to what extent he would go to reform them; how much hedesired peace and rejected war. It could also be inferredthat a child of Kashghar, 1500 miles away of Shiraz, had heardof Sa�di and how much he respected and adored the greatpoet.

Sa�di passed away during the time of Arghun Khan,grandson of Hilaku in 691 A.H (1294 A.D.). He was buriedin Shiraz not far from Dil-Kusha, where Hafiz-e-Shiraz was

Shaikh Sa�di10

resting. It is now called Sa�dia. It has also become a placeof pilgrimage. People go there every week to pay respects.They stay there all day and return home in the evening.

Shaikh Sa�di�s life was as fascinating as his writings.He opened his eyes at a time when Islamic culture was at itszenith and passed away when the Mongols caused havoc toits political stability. It was also an age of a galaxy ofillustrious Sufi saints who attempted to salvage the innerconscience of man through a moral and intellectual code ofconduct. It was an age of great thinkers, poets, philosophers,scientists, Sufis and literatteurs, who added much to theheritage of mankind. Shaikh Sa�di stands out prominent amongthem. His job was to help people set up a social order basedon the values of equality, justice, solidarity, peace, freedomand brotherhood. These were the values that were in dangerunder the Mongol attacks. He launched a programme throughparables in Gulistan and Bostan which would reform everyinstitution of the the society. It was the result of his deepthinking, rich experience, wide contacts and adversecircumstances.

His life teaches us quite a few things. First, man couldreach great heights given the required will and efforts. Anorphan who lost his father at the age of three rose to suchfame that Emerson called him �Wisdom of God�. Secondly,to achieve something, one has to give up comforts. Thirtyyears of long tour with many ups and down made him suffergreat hardships. Thirdly, success in life depends on action,that is, what we do and not what we feel or think. All peoplewish to be great, but it comes only to those who work, whoinitiate, who concentrate and who persevere. They say it isbetter to work out than rust out. It is not hard work thatkills, but it is worry that kills. Fourthly, Shaikh would saylearning leads to knowledge, knowledge to creativity andcreativity to greatness. Knowledge would open the door ofclarity in all things, wisdom would offer the required liberty

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and creativity to experiment in things, and faith would giftyou unity in all essential things. Therefore, hold on fast toknowledge, wisdom and faith. Faith would help develop withinyou the character of God, as per a hadith. Fifthly, life is notmerely breathing but it is facing the challenges of life. Youget something only when you lose something. Those who donot risk anything would not gain anything. Sa�di�s life is aclassical example of this dictum. Sixthly, do not opt for thematerial goods which are fleeting like wealth, power, positionand status, but opt for spiritual goods, such as good mindand good character that would confer honour and greatness.Shaikh would say, I will achieve what I dream, with love,labour, patience, perseverance and imagination.

Lastly Shaikh would call life as a chess game. Universeis a chess board. Phenomena of the universe are the pawns.Rules of the game are the laws of nature. God is the umpire.We have to play the game. Never overlook a single mistake.There is no allowance for ignorance in this game. One getsfull awards if one were to win the game. One would becheckmated soon, if one were to play it ill. Shaikh playedthe game very well and earned the laurels of eternity.

2

Gulistan

Gulistan is a classic that has stirred the imagination of thepeople from centuries. It is a reformative work which hasacted as a guide to shape good life. It is its style that isfascinating. Profound thoughts, high ideals, social behaviour,good conduct, ethics, morality, state-craft, training of youth,spiritual values and such other topics are stressed in the formof delightful stories or Hikayats. They cover a wide range oflife indicating Sa�di�s rich experience, maturity and wisdom.His purpose is to expose human nature, change attitude andvalues and help shape a healthy and happy social order.

On the Supreme and Sublime Creator of the World.

No work in the Islamic scholarship would begin withoutseeking the blessings of God. Gulistan is no exception, butits approach is unique. Here it touches something that holdsthe key to the very existence of man. Man ought to bethankful to God for life, but life depends upon breathing.Life is not seen; what is seen and what is felt is breathing.Man�s entire life depends on the air that goes within, andthe air that comes out. Inhaling and exhaling are twocontinuous processes that do miracles in man. They keepthe man alive. If he breathes last, he is no more. Heartpumps blood to all parts, to all tissues and into every cell,

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and this blood carries good gas we call oxygen, but whosupplies this oxygen to heart? It is air that we breathe in.Again, the heart draws out the bad gas we call carbon dioxidefrom every cell, every tissue. Which agency throws back thisgas from the body either through nose or mouth? It is againthe air we breathe out. Thus these two processes breathingin, and breathing out, control our life. Just to know howimportant they are, hold the breath for a while and do notbreathe for two minutes, you would know what happens. Youwould be no more. Should we not be thankful to God forthis precious gift of breathing?

This is an obvious phenomenon every one knows.Medical sciences carry volumes on it. But Sa�di�s poeticreflections on this have lifted it to metaphysical heights,making it an instrument to excite in man spiritual devotionto God. Sa�di is a Sufi whose task is to radiate God�s light inman�s heart. Nothing would serve better his mission to igniteGod�s love in man than this example of breathing, which isso obvious and so apparent. We adore the thinking of Sa�difor adopting such techniques to explain the profoundphenomenon of mysticism through such simple examples.Reflections on Divinity and Creativity, life and death, loveand devotion are all made so easy even to a common manwho could not only understand but appreciate as well.

Since God is the source of all spiritual life, man ismade to enter into that sphere through physical life ofbreathing. One should know first the fundamentals beforeone goes to the details that life is not merely breathing butalso doing something more than breathing. The rest of thechapters of Gulistan explain what man has to do apart frombreathing. If he does not do that he would be like an emptyshell without any pearl in it.

Therefore, the first duty enjoined on man is to thankGod for limitless benefits conferred on man. God Himself

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reminds man in Quran saying, �Oh children of David, bethankful, for there are not many among the multitudes whoare thankful�. Breathing is not the only gift man enjoys butcountless other benefits to. Just observe at your table whatyou eat. Man with all his skill and knowledge cannot producea drop of water or a grain of wheat unless God provides. Togrow a grain of wheat nature or God lends all the potentialsof the earth, its fertility, its moisture, together with heat andlight that come from as distant a place as sun. Is man capableof providing such energy to so many, so freely and so easily?Again observe the chemical change in the seed itself, whichsprouts, becomes plant and yields fruits and flowers. Canman do this miracle? Can he turn the green grass cow grazesinto milk? Can he turn a dew drop into a pearl in a shell?Can he put musk in a deer? The more you think the moreyou ought to be grateful to God.

Sa�di draws great moral lessons from this situation.Instead of being grateful, man becomes ungrateful. Hecommits crime. His anger, jealousy, hatred, cruelty and greedtouch a level that disturbs God�s design. No tiger killsanother tiger. No wolf kills another wolf. But man becomesblood-thirsty of his own species. He causes river of blood toflow. Brutus takes his dinner at Caesar�s table to-night, andstabs Caesar the following day. Despite all this God�s mercyis such that man is not denied his food. He is allowed allthe liberty to do what he intends. He is equally gracious onall, whether they believe in Him or not. Sa�di says:

(Oh Gracious Lord! You shower graces on all, whetherthey be Zorastrians or Christians. When you are so graciouson foes, would you deny favours to friends?)

In a passage of exception ally exalted excellence, Sa�dihas sketched the beauty of God�s creativity in nature. It isimpossible to put its grandeur in translation. He says:

�The carpet-layer of morning breeze was asked to spread

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velvet green sheet of grass; the care-taker nurse of Springwas asked to nurse the green offsprings in the cradle of soil;when the spring came, the trees were made to put on gorgeousnew dress of great value; For the celebration of the joyousglory of Spring, the children of the branches got colourfulhats of beautiful buds; the juice sucked by the bees waschanged into sweet honey by the wonder of nature; look, hownature has trained the seed of a date to grow into a talltree!?

Sa�di is reminding us here what wonder nature has instore; how the sprinklers of the clouds revive the dead soilto sprout into lush green carpet of grass; how the bare nakedbranches of the autumn season change into bushy fresh leaves,as if putting on a new gorgeous dress; how they bloom in thespring season, as if the jungle has become a fairy-land; howthe bees suck the nectar of flowers to produce honey, as if amyriad sugar-factories have emerged from somewhere; andhow small seeds grow into tall trees, as if to look down uponman to say how small he is! The purpose of saying all thisis to make us appreciate nature, to know the creativity ofGod, to learn the lesson that we too should becomeproductive, and to thank God how great and how mercifulHe is. it is the duty of man to acknowledge the debt heowes to nature, and thank God by remaining ever grateful toHim.

Not only remembering God but also paying homageto Prophet is Islamic tradition. Here also Sa�di is unique inhis approach. If his �Hamd� (praise of God) is sublime, his�Nath� (PRAISE OF Prophet) is superb. Both would standunexcelled. prophets are vice-regents of God on earth.Prophet Muhammad is the last of them imbibing in himselfthe finest of all. It is said Abraham was Khaleelullah (intimateof God); Moses was Kaleemullah (spoken to by God); andJesus was Roohullah (soul of God) but Prophet Muhammadwas all these and much more. Sa�di submitted:

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Here certain attributes of the prophet are pin-pointedwhich stand for an ocean of meaning. The first is, he isShafee, who would plead for mercy for all on the day ofjudgement. That is the day of accountability, a terrible daywhen destiny would be decided, either hell or heaven. Atsuch a time he is the one who would stand for the faithfuland plead for the redemption.

The second attribute stated is �Matha��. He is theleader, the guide, the master of the entire umma (community)who implicitly obeys his orders, follows his foot-steps, andregards his words as next only to those of God. His sayings,which are thousands and thousands have almost the same forceas Quranic verses. His life is the role model for all. Hisprecepts, his practices, his teachings form the basis of Islamicjurisprudence (fikha). If the term �Shafee� stands for his rolein the next world, the term �Matha�� stands for his role onthis earth.

The third attribute mentioned here is �Nabi� orprophet. Prophets are special messengers of God to reformsociety. They have been sent since Adam�s time, as many as1,24,000 according to Islamic traditions to indicate largenumber, not exactly that figure, whenever humanity strayedinto wrong channels, and the need arose for their reform.Prophet Muhammad is regarded as the greatest of them all,who in a short time of 23 years revolutionized the society,gave them a faith and belief to follow, a code of conduct toobserve, and a State to build healthy social order. Hismessage of the unity of God and unity of manmetamorphasised a morbid society. Sa�di has condensed anocean of meaning in one word �Nabi�.

The fourth attribute indicated here is Kareem, aquality of kindness, compassion, love, mercy, and generosity.This is the quality of God and the Prophet shared that virtue.Prophets are those sublime souls who are gifted with limitless

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virtues that make them super or perfect beings in order tobring about a social order of unity, equality, solidarity,brotherhood, freedom and harmony. Sa�di focused hisattention on those virtues which had deep meaning.

In the second verse he has chosen another fourattributes of great significance. One of them is �Khaseem�,one who distributes, shares, gifts, and endows. ProphetMuhammad shared everything good he had with others, hisknowledge, skill, wisdom, love, values and virtues. Hepresented more edifying ideals before the society, such as truthand beauty, justice and order, service and sacrifice. Hepreached a man-making, character building, value-orientedprogramme where such individual values as decency, dignity,discipline, humility, sincerity, integrity, and simplicity, foundprominent place. He stressed the social values of concernfor the poor, the rejected, the dejected, the orphans and thedestitutes.

Then the value of beauty is added to this ethical codethrough �Jaseem� which stands for everything perfect.Everything in the universe is so beautiful. Poets hold theview, truth is beauty and beauty is truth, that is all one knowsand needs to know. Sa�di says beauty is an attribute of God.This Divine Beauty is reflected in thoughts, deeds and actionsof Prophet Muhammad.

The third value added in the second verse is�NBaseem�, which is the fresh morning breeze. Every thingis so refreshing in this breeze; same is the case with themessage of Islam which prophet Muhammad had brought. Itsmessage of unity, equality, brotherhood and freedom acted asa fresh breeze to a society deep in darkness and ignorance.Very soon it spread to different and distant lands causing anew culture to emerge and change the very picture of history.

The fourth value added in this verse is �Vaseem� whichstands for a new order of high refinement. The poet brings

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out the different shades of Prophet�s services whose aim wasto evolve a better society. He was like a full blown rose,each velvet petal of which would emit fragrance of some highvalue.

When Sa�di went to Medina and approached theresting place of Prophet Muhammad, he was inspired to saysomething whose exalted beauty and meaning could never beexcelled. He said:

This contains an ocean of meaning. It has come outwith the depth of his feelings paying tribute in such exquisiteterms that they touch the heart, mind and soul. It is inArabic which sums up an ocean of meaning in a few words.The first verse has a reference to Prophet�s ascension to theexalted court of God where he had an audience with Almighty.Moses was denied the vision of God and heard only the Divinevoice, but Prophet Muhammad was said to have met God attwo bows length distance. Traditions say he first went toJerusalem, from where he was he was lifted sky-high to theexalted court of Almighty God. There he shared not onebut thousands of secrets which he went on unfolding the restof his life which became the profound theology of Islam. Itwas on this occasion he got the instruction to make five timesprayers (Namaz) compulsory on all Muslims. A single phrase,Balagh-ul-Ula, implies Mi�raj, which is a paramount traditionof Islamic faith.

The second phrase in the verse, Kashaf-ud-duja-bi-jamalihi, is the miracle Prophet performed on earth, wherehe dispelled the darkness of ignorance, and transformed thesociety that built up a refined culture. The faith, society,State and culture which Prophet Muhammad gifted tohumanity had the hall-mark of his deep vision.

The second verse, Hasnat-jamee-Khisalihi, refers tothe personal character of the prophet, who summed up thequalities of �Perfect Man�, an ideal for all others to copy.

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He lived in the lime-light of history whose every word, everydeed was regarded as if Divine Dispensation. The last phrase,Solloalai-hi-o-aalihi, is a prayer. Let peace and blessings beon him and his family. No name is taken with greater respectby any Muslim than that of the Prophet, and none wouldmiss to say �Peace be upon him�. The poet has done thisbeautifully well in his own inimitable way. Sa�di has saidsomething more in praise of the Prophet.

(What fear is there for the community, as long as such apowerful being is there as its supporter? Why should one beafraid of the storms in the ocean when Noah is the captainof the ship?)

Thus begins Gulistan with an invocation to God, whichis unique is several respects. It is a thanks offering startwhere the poet counts just one single gift of God to man,breathing, on which depends our life. It is not respiratorysystem alone that exists in man, but several others as well,such as digestive system, nervous system, circulatory system,more than all reflective thinking and intellectual system, thesource of all creativity. Can we thank God sufficiently forendowing on man all those faculties where by he is claimingto be a partner of God? Yet, can man excel God, or nature?Can he give life to an ant? Can he make a blade of grass, adrop of water or a grain of wheat, unless God gives them tohim? Let us not talk of sun or moon, or stars or the universewhich are too big to imagine. It is this limitation of manthat excites humility in the poet.

More forceful, more elaborate and more beautiful isthe homage paid to Prophet Muhammad, who became aninstrument to unravel the glory of God. It was he whopersonified all Divine dispensations, who laid the foundationof the Kingdom of God on earth, who designed a better socialorder, and who set an example of �Perfect Man�. The poetoffers him his sincere gratitude in terms that touch the peak

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of literary excellence.

This introduction raises the stature of Shaikh Sa�di togreat heights in the literary field. The way he has sketchedthe beauty of nature can be classified as a master-piece of amaster craftsman. He is one among the four greatestluminaries of Persian literature, the other three being Firdausi,Rumi and Hafiz. Persian which is regarded as the French ofthe east has gained its reputation because of the skill andwisdom of these four great men.

3

Character of the Kings

Gulistan is composed of eight chapters, the first of them,the longest, is on the rights and duties of the kings. Theyare in the form of stories or Hikayats, 41 of them, throwinglight on several aspects of this important institution. Thechoice of the subject is significant, as it indicates how vital ispolitical power in society. Of all the institutions man hasdevised ever since the dawn of history, the political system isthe most powerful affecting the life of the people. A smallState like Greece made several experiments in this field, suchas aristocracy, oligarchy, monarchy, timocracy, democracy,dictatorship and so on. Plato�s Republic is a classic dealingwith democracy. Ibn-e-Khaldun�s Prolegomena has sketchedthe features of an ideal State, but none of them proved freefrom its own defects. At last the present day has struckwith democracy, thinking it is the best, but even Churchillhas said, it was the worst form of government but soon addedthere was no alternative to that. In the absence of anythingbetter, it was taken as the most suitable.

Islam also tried its best to devise a better sort ofgovernment and gave the name of the Kingdom of God onearth. It experimented with it very successfully for a shortperiod under orthodox Caliphate. With the assassination ofHazrat Ali, the experiment came to an end, and reverted to

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personal rule ever since the time of Muwiyah. Not only inthe Islamic world, but all over the globe monarchy becamethe pattern until the 19th century when nationalism anddemocracy changed the picture in many parts of the world.At the time Sa�di was alive it was personal rule that wasprevailing, and he bestowed his serious thoughts on it.

In any system the State is very powerful because itcommands effective control over all the four importantresources, namely political, military, financial and humanresources. Politics is the key for the welfare of the people,for their safety and security, for their peace and prosperityand for their progress and development. Naturally, ShaikhSa�di has focused his attention on it with a reformative moodto make the rulers on the throne know what their rights andduties were, how important was their office, why should theytake it so seriously, and what consequences would follow ifthey failed in their duties.

Sa�di has elaborated what sort of qualities should bethere in a King. If he is too harsh, he would becomeunpopular. If he were to be kind, his reign would be a failure.Justice and fair play, firmness and kindness, conquests andconsolidation and patience and perseverance were all neededin correct proportion. In this chapter Sa�di has exhortedrulers to adopted Islamic principles of ethics and morality,where equality, brotherhood, service, sacrifice and love reignsupreme. He has taught all this through Hikayats or stores.

Parabla (1)

A King ordered death sentence on a prisoner. In helplessmood, the prisoner resorted to choicest abuses on the king,whose temper rose high. A wise minister intervened and saidit was a natural phenomenon. One who had lost hope of lifewould not mind saying anything. A helpless cat would pounceeven on a ferocious dog if it attacked it. A helpless man

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becomes fearless. The minister recited a Quranic verse thatGod would be pleased with those who forgave the faults ofothers. This had good effect on the king, who controlled hisanger and forgave the prisoner. The rivals of the goodminister would not take this easy. They attempted to poisonthe ears of the king saying the prisoner did not deserve pardonas he abused the King, and that it was unwise on the part ofthe minister to recommend mercy on one who insulted theking. But the king did not fall into this trap. On the otherhand he admonished the evil-intended minister saying �I wouldrather opt for that falsehood which did good than for thattruth which did bad�. Sa�di adds wise men have said, ignorethe truth that causes mischief and brings misery, and listento that falsehood that solves the problem. On the palace ofthe King Faridoon it was inscribed. �Oh brother ! Thisworld would not help any one. Link your heart with Life-Giver, the Creator of this world. When death comes it makesno difference whether you die on the throne or on the floor�.Each parable excited a moral lesson.

Parable (2)

One of the Kings of Khurasan had a dream in which theentire body of Sultan Mahmood of Ghazni had been reducedto dust but his eyes were active gazing at everything. Heasked all the wise men of the court its meaning. None couldinterpret it correctly except a mendicant (Darvish) who said,Mahmood�s eyes were witnessing and feeling sorry that hiscountry had passed into the hands of others. Sa�di wants toteach through this story the lesson that there was no securityany where in the world, and that the short opportunity givento every one should be put to good use before death silencedeveryone. One should not wait for that day when Muezzinwould proclaim, so and so was no more; hasten to his funeralprayers.

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Parable (3)

A King had a son who was short in stature, and not verygood liking. The king did not like him much. He asked theking whether he liked a short but wise or a tall but fool. Headded other instances. We eat the sheep which is short andnot the elephant which is big. The small Mount of Sinai wasmore sacred than big mountains. A lean Arabian horse isany day preferred to a big donkey. The king had a heartylaugh at these arguments, but the other princes felt too bad.It so happened a few days later that an enemy attacked thecountry of this king. The short statured prince fought soboldly and fiercely that the enemy ran away. All other goodliking princes showed no sign of any valour, and retreated inhaste. The King was immensely pleased with the brave lad,hugged him and kissed him. His brothers got so jealous thatthey poisoned his food. Luckily, one of the princesses avertedthe tragedy in time. The Prince said Divine dispensationwould not allow the wixcked to overpower the virtuous.When the king came to know of the plot, he admonished theperpetrators severely. Sa�di says even if phonix goes extinct,no one would like to be under the shadow of an owl. Headded:

(Even if a man of God has got just half a loaf of bread,he would share it with a poor needy; but even if an entirecountry were to come under the grip of a King, he wouldlike to have yet another).

Parable (4)

A gang of Arab robbers finding a safety sanctuary on top ofa hill were looting the people. With great difficulty a kingtraced their abode, sent a strong contingent and brought themall in chains. He ordered all of them to be put to death.Among them was a very handsome young man. A ministertook pity on him, and pleaded with the king to spare his life.

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The king did not appreciate the plea and said it was not wiseto kill a snake and save its young one. Even with showers ofblessings from above, thistles would not bear fruits. Weshould not waste our time and energy in training theincorrigible. But the Minister insisted that it is theenvironment that shapes the personality. Even a dog in thecompany of those believers of Kahf cave turned so good, andeven the son of a Prophet, Noah, in the company of badbecame so bad. At last the King was persuaded to spare hislife, not without a warning it was a wrong step, as we shouldnot take an enemy lightly. The minister himself took chargeof the young man, trained him well under good teachers, andbestowed his personal attention in bringing him up. Hereported the matter to the king that the boy was shapingwell. Hardly two years had passed when the man reverted tothe gang of murderers, killed the two sons of the minister,looted all his property and soughter shelter in the sanctuaryof his father. The king felt very sorry and said barren landwould not yield flowers, all efforts would gain in vain. Asword would not know whose head it was cutting. Doinggood to bad is punishing the good. If goodness is the responseto the bad people, what is the response to the good people?

Parable (5)

The son of a king�s seargent was very intelligent andpromising. The king was very much pleased with his charmingmanners and good looks. He rose high in office. It is rightlysaid:

(Goodness of heart is wealth and not property; Respectand regard depend on wisdom, and not on age). Wicked andjealous people would not keep quiet. They wanted toeliminate him under the false charge of fraud The Kingwanted to know the cause for this hostility. He said a jealousheart would not reconcile to the rise of a good man. They

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were unhappy with my rise in life. There is no remedy forjealousy.

(If a bat cannot see in day-time, why should we blame thesun for it?)

A thousand blind eyes of the bats are far better than the sungoing dark. In order to make the bats see in the day-light,we cannot afford to lose the light of the sun. Sa�di adds theKings should be careful in lending ears to every complaint.Many time wisdom and talent of others excite jealousy andhatred in others.

Parable (6)

A King was very crueal. Not being able to bear his cruelty,many of his subjects left the land. A wise minister attemptedto dissuade him from his policy, but the king imprisoned him.Not long thereafter revolts and rebellions removed the kingfrom the throne. Sa�di says:

(A cruel King could hardly rule a country; a wolf could hardlybe trusted for safety. A wolf is always a wolf, though it mighthave been brought up among human beings).

Parable (7)

A king was on a sea-voyage. A non-Arab slave was also onboard, who never had a journey on sea. He became sea-sickand started shouting. The king was annoyed. A wise mansaid he would silence the slave. Permission was given. Thewise man threw him into the sea. He had to struggle hardto survive. The wise man lifted him again on board. Theslave had learned a lesson and remained quiet thereafter. Inthis parable Sa�di wants to teach us that we would know thevalue of a thing when we lose it.

Shaikh Sa�di 29

(A satiated man would not relish even a banquet; a hungrymouth would feel delicious even a dry loaf).

Parable (8)

A king fell ill. He was quite old, almost in his last days.One day a messenger brought the good news that his armyhad won war, had destroyed the foe and had occupied hisrival�s territory. The king who was counting his days said,�Give this good news to my successors, and not to me�. Themoral of this story is, death is inevitable. It would not spareeven the monarchs. Good news of victory would not cheer adying man. Every one has to keep in view the last journey.

Parable (9)

Harmuz succeeded his father, Nausheerwan, andlocked up all the ministers of his father. When the reasonfor it was asked, he said, �All of them were afraid of me. Ithought in their fear, they might do some mischief, and henceI have taken a precautionary measure. A serpent bites theheel of a shepherd to avoid being a victim of a stone on hishead. The first thing a shepherd would do on spotting asnake is to crush its head on stone. Sa�di draws the lesson:

(Be fearful of one who is fearful of you, although you may bemore powerful). Sa�di is so worldly wise that he rolls thepearls of wisdom for all sections of the society.

Parable (10)

Shaikh says that once he met a cruel King in Damascusmain mosque where he had come for prayer. Seeing theShaikh he asked for his prayers against a foe who was harassinghim, for God answers the prayers of men of God. ShaikhSa�di told him, �Be good and kind on your people, so thatAlmighty king too who is above, would be good and kind uponyou. If you do that, you would not be afraid of any one�. Itis in this parable we find Sa�di�s famous couplet:

Shaikh Sa�di30

(The entire humanity are different parts of the samebody, which were created from a single source. If one partof the body feels the pain, all other parts become restless).Here is a strong assertion of the unity of man, the dignity ofman, that all men being born equal should have equal rights.Here is humanism writ large preaching brotherhood andsolidarity.

Parable (11)

Hajjaj-bin-Yusuff, who was known for his cruelty met a Sufisaint and asked him to pray for his well-being. He addedGod would accept the prayers of holy men. The saint prayed,�Oh God, take away soon the life of this man�. Hajjaj becamefurious and said �Is this prayer for well-being?� The saintsaid, �It was the best prayer both for you and the people,for you would be relieved of further sin, and they would besaved from more misery. Your death would be a happierevent than your rule. Saints cannot pray for the welfare ofcruel kings.�

Parable (12)

A cruel king asked a holy peson which prayer was mostbeneficial for him. The saint replied your rest in the afterwould would be most helpful prayer, for at least during thosehours people would have peace. It is better for such a manto go to sleep, and best of all if he were to go for eternalsleep.

Parable (13)

�A king was lost in pleasure. He was saying, �I have noworries; I am not bothered of any affair, either good or bad�.Outside the palace a mendicant was shivering in the cold.He said, �It is fine you are alright, but as a king, would younot care for the problems of the poor?� This touched theconscience of the king. He threw a purse of a thousand gold

Shaikh Sa�di 31

coins at the mendicant and asked him to use them for hisneeds. The mendicant had good time for a few days, spentall the money, and approached the king again. The mood ofthe king was different this time. He lost his temper. A wiseminister told the king, help to the needy should be in regularsmall amounts and not a purse of a thousand gold coins at atime. It would not only empty the treasury but would causeoccasions to snub people. One should neither encourage thegreedy nor disappoint the needy.

(One who is lavish would soon regret)

Parable (14)

A king was indifferent towards his subjects and harsh on histroops. An enemy invaded his land. His army ran away fromthe field. Sa�di asked one of the soldiers why having been inthe pay for so long, he deceived the king at the hour of theneed. The soldier said, �My horse was not fed for days asno provision was provided for it, and I had to mortgage evenits saddle. In these state of affairs how can you expect loyaltyfrom the soldiers? If the king were to be generous on soldiers,they would be willing to give their life for him, or else theywould flee from the field.�

Parable (15)

A minister resigned his job and joined a group of mendicants(Dervish). He felt greatly relieved of the pressure ofadministrative work. The king would not lose him and hencehe invited him to join duty. He refused and said retirementwas far better for him. Those who come out of such mundanepublic affairs �blunt the biting teeth of greedy dogs, and shutthe mouth of the fussy people. The phoenix (Huma)commands respect because, it is satiated with dry bones andnever hurts any one.� Sa�di has a dig here on public servantsfor their nefarious deeds.

Shaikh Sa�di32

Parable (16)

A question was put to a fox why he was fond of the companyof a lion. It said, �I get the left-over of what he eats, and Iremain safe from my enemies.� When asked further why hewould not sit along with him to eat, it said, �I would not besafe from his clutches�. Sa�di says, if a zorastrian were toworship fire for a hundred years, he would be reduced toashes if he were to fall into it even for a moment. This isthe case of the kings, against whose temper one ought to beever on guard. Sometimes they get angry even if you salutethem, and other times they might reward you even if youabuse them. Their company might bring you either wealthor death. Therefore, wise men have discarded their companyand fools have embraced it.

Parable (17)

One among the friends of Sa�di was reduced to poverty. Hethought of leaving home to seek fortune somewhere. Yet itpricked his conscience at what others would say; he desertedthe family to have good time elsewhere. He approached Sa�diand sought his help to get a job in some office. Sa�di warnedhim that such jobs were highly risky, for he would be at themercy of king�s pleasure. Yet he would not listen. Sa�di usedhis influence and fixed him in a good job. He worked hardand rose high in king�s esteem. Others got jealous of himand involved him in a false case of embezzlement. The casewas brought before the king. Any amount of pleadidng thathe was innocent would not work. For long years he was keptin a jail. When he was released, he revealed the facts toSa�di, who remainded him of his warning and related a storyof a fox which was running away as if to escape a catastrophe.When asked the reason, it said people were roping the camelsfor free-service. They said �you are a fox and not a camel;why are you afraid?� It said, �some jealous folks may report

Shaikh Sa�di 33

I am the young one of a camel. No body would verify thetruth of this report, and I too would become a victim�.Having said this, Sa�di added despite his warning he hadaccepted the job, the inevitable consequences of which hehad to bear.

Parable (18)

A group of Sufis was associated with Sa�di. A wealthy lordwas greatly impressed by the piety of the Sufis, and fixed agrant for their livelihood. Some one among that group didan undesirable thing and the generous lord was so put outthat he stopped the pension for all. Sa�di came to know ofthese, and he tried to intervene. The guard barred the entryof Sa�di into the chamber of the Lord, who felt very sorry atthe guard�s behaviour. He restored the pension for all. Thisparable has three morals. Those who profess piety shouldnot go off the mark. Second, for the fault of one, all shouldnot be penalized. Third, how kind

Sa�di was to every one, and how much respect he commandedeven in high circles.

Parable (19)

A prince inherited large treasures from his father. He startedspending it lavishly on the welfare of the people and on thearmy. He thought no fragrance would come out if incensewas kept in a closed-box. No seed would bear fruit unlesssown in the field. People warned him that he would regret ifhe was wreckless in spending and that if he gave awaysomething to every one, each one wold get only a grain, butif he collected a grain from each one of them, his treasurywould be full. The prince retorted Kharoon possessed limitlesswealth, but died a miserable death. Nowsheerwan earned famethrough his generosity. The moral is needless hoarding ofwealth would serve no purpose. A wise would make wealth

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recognize its duty, which is to put it to right use.

Parable (20)

The righteous ruler, Nowsheerwan went for hunting. Hiscamp was short of salt to prepare his dishes. A servant wassent to a village to purchase salt paying the price. Theservant asked what harm was there if some salt was got freefor the royalty. Nowsheerwan said oppression would startfrom a tiny beginning. If the king were to taste one applefrom the garden of a farmer, his staff would ravage the entiregarden. If the king were to take one egg from a poultry, hissoldiers would finish off the entire poultry. The oppressivewould pass away, but memory of his wicked deeds would everremain. The moral is those in responsible positions ought tobe extra careful in exercising their authority.

Parable (21)

Sa�di says that a governor was mercilessly collecting taxes fromthe public to enrich royal treasury. He was not aware thatGod would be displeased if injustice was perpetrated and thatsuch deeds would be visited by retaliation. People would notlong tolerate injustice, and they would overthrow the ruler.Sa�di gives an example from the animal world. Although lionis the leader of all animals, and donkey is the one mostridiculed, yet wise men would prefer a donkey that bears theload to a lion that tears others. Oppressive ruler would nevergain real peace. Even if one were to swallow a big bone, itwould tear up the belly some day. The moral is nemesisovertakes good fortune.

Parable (22)

A wicked soldier hit a mendicant (Dervish) with a stone. TheDervish had no power to hit back. He preserved that stonecarefully. It so happened the soldier was jailed for some fault

Shaikh Sa�di 35

of his arrogance. The Dervish went there and hit him withthe same stone. When the soldier was surprised and askedthe reason why. The Dervish said that it was the same stonewhich he had used earlier. The soldier asked where was heall these days. Dervish said he was afraid of the positionsoldier held, and that when he was down he took theopportunity. The moral is action would surely have itsreaction sooner or later. Do as you wish to be done by.

Parable (23)

A king fell ill for which no one could find a cure. All doctorssuggested there was only one cure. He needed the spleen ofsome one who suffered from the same disease. Search becameintensive to find such a person. At last they found out aboy in a remote village who had the same ailment. Theparents of the boy were bribed heavily and made them agreeto spare the boy for the life of the king. The chief Qazi orjudge also justified the cause and certified life of the boycould be taken to save the king. The boy was brought upand was about to be killed. When the executioner lifted thesword, the boy lifted his head up gazing at the sky and burstedout in loud laugh. The king was surprised and asked whetherit was an occasion for laughter. The boy said: �Parents lovechildren and not sell them; judges do justice, and not sanctionill-legal murder; One king is approached for mercy, and notfor brutal killing. When all these institutions have failed,when parents have gone greedy for money, when judges haveturned sycophants, and when the king was scarifying aninnocent to save his own life, there is none but God to saveme, and hence I looked up to the Supreme and the Sublime,my last hope�. Listening to this the king burst out in tearsand said, �I would rather die than take out the life of a boy�.He kissed the boy and let him go. It is said the king toowas cured thereafter. The moral is deep. How consciencegets dimmed for wealth, power and position, how brightness

is kindled even in children, and how Divinity protects theweak. One should never be desperate even in the worst ofcircumstances. The boy was laughing and not weeping.Observe how Sa�di teaches morals.

Parable (24)

A slave of a king ran away. Detectives brought him back.He had offended the minister also, who was waiting to punishhim. He recommended his execution to the king so thatothers too should learn a lesson. The slave fell on king�sfeet and said, �I have eaten your salt, and I do not want youto be punished on the last day of judgement for illegally takingout the life of a man. First, allow me to kill this minister,and then put me to death which would be legal�. The kingasked the minister what was the answer to the slave�ssuggestion. The minister said for God�s sake and for blessingsand peace for the departed soul of the king�s father, it seemedappropriate to pardon the slave, or else he would involve himalso in the affair. The moral is those who dig the graves forothers would themselves fall into them. Those who plan illfor others would purchase trouble for themselves. No malicefor any one should be the principle for civilized society.

Parable (25)

A loyal and a noble minister of a king came under the badtemper of that king who imprisoned him for no fault. Hehad great admirers. A neighbouring king very secretlyinformed him that a good position awaited in his court, andthat he would be too happy to welcome him, if he so desired.The wise minister replied on the back of the same letter suchsentiments which should not harm him even if the letter wasdisclosed. Detectives intercepted that letter and presentedit to the king. The letter said the nice sentiments expressedabout him were much more than acceptable. He would not

Shaikh Sa�di 37

desert a master whose salt he was eating all his life simplybecause of a small misunderstanding, and that he would onlyconsider it a little excess of helplessness of one who had beenso generous all the time. The king realized his lapse, feltsorry, released the ministers, restored his position andrewarded him adequately. The moral is keep open the doorfor reconciliation even with the enemy.

Parable (26)

A king was very generous. He would always pass orders todouble the remuneration for any good work done, and forany one who was loyal, wise and efficient. Having heard thisa man of God went out of control in ecstasy. When askedthe reason he said he recalled the assurance of Almighty Godthat He would enhance many, many fold His graces uponthose who do good to others. If a small king of this land isso generous, what about the generosity of that Lord of theearth and heaven who is the master of the whole universe.The moral is generosity is an attribute of God, which pleasesGod, and that the generous would get manifold rewards fortheir good deeds.

Parable (27)

A rouge was amassing money through several unfair means,through cheating, corruption and extortions. A man of Godcalled him a snake which would bite any one, and an owlwhich brought bad-luck wherever it went. He warned himnot to persist in bad deeds or else God�s curse would be uponhim. It happened that way not long after that warning. Hishouse was burnt to ashes. He was wondering who set fire tohis house. That holy man heard this and said it was thesmoke his wicked deeds excited; the sighs of the helplesswould reach the heavens. The moral is those who sow theseeds of thorns would reap the thistles.

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Parable (28)

A wrestler was known for his skill. He had a learner whomhe liked immensely and whom he taught every one of those359 arts of wrestling except the last one. The learner excelledhis teacher and rose in fame. One day he boasted before theKing that his teacher was senior to him just in age and thathe was no match to him in wrestling. The king did notappreciate his arrogance and arranged a match to know whowas really superior. The young man proudly entered into thering like a rogue elephant and challenged his guru. The guruused the last trick which he had not taught and threw thehaughty student flat on the floor. The king rewarded themaster and reprimanded the pupil who had challenged hismaster. The humiliated wrestler attempted to explain thatit was the last trick which he had not taught that decidedthe issue, and not the real strength. The teacher retortedthat he had saved the trick only for such an eventuality. Themoral is modesty is the crown of character and that the prideeven of the mighty would not stand in the way of their fall.To be disrespectful to the teacher is to be inhuman.

Parable (29)

A holy man lost in the love of God was meditating in a jungle.A king passed that way, and the holy took no notice of him.The king got angry, and sent his minister to warn him. Theminister asked him why he did not greet His Majesty. Theholy man said salutations to the monarchs were obligatoryonly on those who expected royal favours. Secondly, the kingshould remember that it was his duty to serve the subjectsand that he existed for them and not the subjects for theking. The shepherd is for the flock of sheep, but the flockof sheep are not for the shepherd. The distinction betweenthe servant and the master would disappear when both are inthe grave. Listening to this the king felt sorry and said, �Asksomething, and I will give you�. The mendicant said, �Do

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not disturb me again. Do not come to me again�. He advisedhim that the wealth and power the king commanded wouldnot last long. It was of some one else yesterday, and it wouldbe of some one else next day The moral is those who are inpower should realize their moral responsibilities. Rulersshould respect the rights of the common man.

Parable (30)

A minister met the famous Sufi saint, Zun-noon-Misri, andsaid he had to attend night and day on the King whose fearhaunted him every moment. The saint felt sorry and was intears listening to the sad tale. He said the miniter wouldhave turned an angel had he feared God as much. �Had Itoo feared God as much as you feared the King, I wouldhave been one among the most faithful (Siddiqeen)�. Themoral is fear of God would earn love of God equal to whichnothing exists in the world.

Parable (31)

A king ordered an innocent prisoner to be executed. Theprisoner said, �Oh king, just think how costly my deathsentence would be to you. I would be no more and mysufferings would be just for a few seconds, but on the lastday of judgement when I hold your garment and seek justicefor taking my life ill-legally, what might happen to you makesme shiver�. When the king heard this he changed hisdecision. The moral is every one should remember ultimateretribution. One may escape here but not hereafter.

Parable (32)

Once, Nowsheerwan sought the advice of all his ministers ona very important issue. All expressed their opinion. Theking also expressed his view, but the wisest of the ministers,Buz-ar-Jamhir, did not express his opinion. He simply agred

Shaikh Sa�di40

with the king�s view. When later in privacy the other ministersasked him why he did so, and why he declined the views ofmore mature advisers, he said �we are not aware what wouldbe the outcome of this issue. All depends on the Will ofGod. Things may turn right or wrong. If they turned as perthe view of the king, it is fine; if they turned against hisviews, I would not be held responsible, and I would escapefrom his anger�. This foresight was highly appreciated bythe other ministers who had not considered the effect ofopposing the king�s view. The moral is monarchy is such adespotic regime where it was safe to say �Yes� to everythingthe monarch said. When he says it is night at a time of sun-shine, one should agree with him and add stars and moon arealso visible.

Parable (33)

A cunning guy appeared before aking and claimed that hehad just returned from Haj pilgrimage, that he was a Saiyid,from the line of Hazrat Ali, and that he was a poet. Herecited a few verses also. Other courtiers said he was a liar.He was seen in Basra on Bakrid Eid-day. Some one said hewas not a Saiyid, for his father was a Christian. A thirdperson said he was not a poet, for what he recited were versesfrom the Dewan-e-Anwari. The king ordered he should bebeaten up and sent out, for there was no limit to his falsehood.The cunning fellow said, please listen to one more point. Ifthat were to be false, p0unish me as you please. Permissionwas granted. If a traveler presents you curd-milk, it wouldbe one spoon curd and two spoons water. Zit would be acombination of both. Worldly wise folks do speak falsehood.I have travelled world-wide. If I speak untrue things, it isnothing surprising. It made the king laugh and he said thatthis liar has spoken the truth for first time in life. He deservesto be pardoned. Giving him something, he was sent off. Themoral is there are all sorts of people in the world, and all

Shaikh Sa�di 41

should not be judged from the same yard-stick. The motivebehind the talk should be kept in view. Existence forces mento adopt all tricks.

Parable (34)

One of the sons of Harun-al-Rashid, the famous AbbasidCaliph, got very angry when some one abused him. Hereported the matter to his father, who consulted his ministerswhat should be done. One of them said the culprit shouldbe killed. Another said his tongue should be cut off. Thethird said his property must be seized. The fourth said heshould be deported. But Harun said to his son, �If you can,please pardon him; if you cannot, you abuse him in thelanguage he did; see, you do not exceed the limit. If youexceed, it would be an offence. if he drags you to the court,you would be punished�. The moral is the sycophant ministerswere disturbing the social order, justice and fair play. Butthe wise ruler advised his son what was just right, the noblestpart was to forgive, if not retaliate in equal measure, and nomore. The pillars of a righteous State are wisdom of theruler, justice of the judges, learning of the scholars and valourof the soldiers. Harun went down in history as a great rulerbecause of his wisdom.

Parable (35)

Sa�di was once sailing in a boat. Another small boat comingfrom the opposite direction lost its balance and startedsinking. Two brothers who were in it were about to bedrowned. Humanists in Sa�di�s boat pleaded with a navigatorto rescue the brothers for which they would be suitablyrewarded. He jumped into the water and brought back oneof them, and the other was drowned. Shaikh Sa�di said theother was not destined to live any long. The man who hadrescued the survivor laughed and said there was some other

Shaikh Sa�di42

reason as well beyond destiny. He added this man whom Isaved gave me a lift on a camel when I was stranded in thejungle, but other one who was drowned had whipped me whenI was a child. The moral is, do good, you will get good; dobad, you would suffer a lot.

Parable (36)

Two brothers were discussing their life. One of them wasengaged in King�s service holding high position, and the otherone was earning his livelihood by hard labour. The governmentofficial taunted the poor brother why he would not opt for agovernment job which would relieve him working fingers tohis bone. His brother replied that a simple, contented,peaceful and free life was far better than comforts gotthrough standing as a sentry in a king�s court. The moral isself reliance should be preferred to subordination where anindividual loses his identity and becomes a servant of others.

Parable (37)

The enlightened monarch Nowsheerwan, got the news that aparticular enemy was no more. The messenger broke thenews, congratulated the ruler that God had eliminated hisrival and that all should feel happy over this event.Nowsheerwsan said if God had lifted him, �would He spareme?� All have to die. How could this be a good news?�The moral is one should not rejoice if misfortune were tofall on an enemy.

Parable (38)

A council of Wise advisers was discussing some importantissue of the State. Every one was engaged in a heated debate,but Buzir Jamhir remained quite silent. He was asked whyhe was not taking part in the discussion. He said when rightsolutions were being offered by wise councillors, where was

Shaikh Sa�di 43

the need to say anything?� When things were happeningwithout any intervention, why should I poke my nose into it?If I were to see some one was blind and was likely to fallinto a well, it was criminal at that time to sit quiet�. Themoral is wise people talk less and observe more, absorb moreand understand more. Silence is golden.

Parable (39)

When Harun-al-Rashid seized Egypt, it occurred to him itwas a country where Pharooh had claimed Divinity. In orderto express his great displeasure he appointed an ignoble slaveas its Governor, a negro by name Ghazeeb. He was so foolishas to suggest to the farmers to sow wool when theycomplained cotton crop was all destroyed because of thedraught. Sa�di says it is a wonder how God lifts even thelowest of the low to highest position. Whilethe strong andthe robust collapse in no time, the weak and the helpless livelong, a fact reason cannot explain.

Parable (40)

Some one presented to a king a very beautiful Chinese maid.The king fell in love with her, but she would not respond.He got angry and gave her to an ugly Negro slave. She wasquite happy with him. The king became furious and orderedboth of them to be thrown down to a ditch from the top ofa fort. A wise minister said it was not the fault of the slaveto deserve punishment. It is God�s will and purely a personalaffair not subject to royal command. A thirsty person whenhe reaches a spring of water would not be afraid of the attackby an elephant. A hungry fellow seeing the dishes on thetable would not observe the sanctity of Ramazan. The kingwas pleased with such pleadings and desired to give away theslave to the minister, who said, let the girls also be given tothe slave, for it was not fair to come in the way of the lovers.

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The moral is love is above the status of power. It cannot bemade to order. Destiny of man is not in king�s hand. It isshaped by God.

(The high-breed Arabian horse is suffering under chains,while a golden ring is seen round the neck of a donkey).

Parable (41)

Some one asked Alexander the Great how come you conqueredcountries from east to west, whereas other kings with largeforces, full treasury and vast territories could not achievewhat you did. Alexander replied that he did not harm thepeople who came under his control, he did not stop the grantstheir earliers monarchs had bestowed upon them, and thathe took their names on all occasions with great respect. Themoral is consolidation is more important than conquest,interest of the people is more important than filling thetreasury, and praising the good deeds of others is morerewarding than finding their faults.

Thus Shaikh Sa�di has opened the account in Gulistanwith the duties of the kings, problems of the State and theneed for good governance. He has taught the kings highmorals, as monarchy was the only form of government knownin his days, and the State was the main institution for bettersocial order, for peace and safety, for promotion of arts andletters, and for civilized way of life. He has excited inmonarchs wisdom and knowledge, justice and air-play, kindnessand compassion, bravery and courage. The art ofadministration is not an easy job. It is a great responsibilitycalling for patience and sobriety, humanism and generosity,foresight and dynamism, fear of God and love of man. Hehas depicted here eccentric nature of the kings who havemade history colourful and interesting. If a mendicant speaksonly his lips move, when the king speaks, a kingdom is shaken,hence Sa�di�s stress on State.

4

On Men of God

The second chapter in Gulistan is about the men of God.The term used for it is Darvish, who is one who discoverdsthis world and takes to God. it is significant to note thatthe mental journey of Shaikh Sa�di is immediately frommonarchs to mendicants, from matter to mind, from powerto poverty and from here to hereafter. He wants us tounderstand that one has to move from the transitory toeternal, that we reap later what we sow now and that weshould know the two extremes in order to strike a middlepath. The masses come in between these two extremes whoshould be aware of the helpful and unhealpful aspects of boththese groups so as to enhance the quality of their own life.There are 46 parables in this chapter.

Parable (1)

A holy person was asked what he thought about yet anotherpious peson whom many did not hold high. The holy personreplied apparently there was no fault in him, and what waswithin was best known only to God. The police is notconcerned about the internal affairs of the family, and theDarvish has no reason to suspect any one. The moral is oneshould not be inquisitive about the personal matters of others.

Parable (2)

Shaikh Sa�di saw a Darvish in a highly imploring mood at thefoot-steps of Ka�ba, shedding tears and seeking God�s mercyto wash off his sins. He was saying that he had broughtnothing but a bundle of short-comings. What Sa�di isindicating here is, if men of God were to cry like this forforgiveness, what about others who are knee deep in sins.The moral is we should never pray to God that He may grantwhat we desire, but that His Will may be accomplished inus, and that in His Will is our peace.

Parable (3)

People saw the great Sufi saint, Shaikh Abdul Khader Jeelani,who is called saint of the saints, in ecstasy of prayers in Ka�baimploring Dot to make him blind on the last day of judgementso that he should not feel ashamed in the presence of greaterlovers of God. The moral here is people should not be proudof their piety. Modesty and humility form the crown ofcharacter.

Parable (4)

A thief ransacked the house of a Darvish and found nothing.He was about to go disappointed empty-handed. The Darvishfelt sorry and threw the blanket on which he was sleepingsaying, �take this, your efforts should not go waste�. Men ofGod have no limits in goodness.

Parable (5)

Shaikh Sa�di presents his personal experience. Once in ajourney he sought the company of a few men of God whowere on the same road. The holy men refused to take him.He was surprised and asked the reason. They said they hada bitter experience in the past. A thief in the garb of aDarvish accompanied them. Not only he robbed their

Shaikh Sa�di 47

belongings but also the royal treasury, with the result all ofthem had to suffer for long in a jail. From that date we arecareful not to take any one along with us. The moral is thesin of one brings misery to many. Fifty friends are not enough,one enemy is too much.

Parable (6)

A pious person was a royal guest. At the table he ate verylittle and prayed long at the carpet. When he came homehe felt hungry and demanded food. His son was surprisedand said he came from royal dinner. Did he not eat there?His father said, �I ate little and prayed long to impress mypiety�. The son said, �you have to repeat your prayers aswell, for God would not be pleased with the pretenders�.

Parable (7)

Even in childhood Shaikh Sa�di was very religious. He recallsan instance. One night he got up very early for prayers, andfound all others still in bed. He said to his father what apity, all these were fast asleep, and would not get up to offerprayers. His father said it would have been far better if youtoo were in bed than find fault of others. The moral is oneshould not pick holes in the conduct of others. Self-righteousness is not a virtue. Sa�di quotes his own life toteach others.

Parable (8)

In an assembly a particular pious person was highly praised.he was also present. he said, �I know what I am; you do notknow me well; are you aware how many faults are there inme�? People go by the exterior, not knowing what is within.People praise a pea-cock looking at its colours, but the pea-cock itself feels ashamed looking at its feet�. The moral isall that glitters is not gold.

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Parable (9)

A man of God in Lebanon was known for his piety andmiracles. Once in Damascus mosque while doing ablutionshe fell into the pond. With great difficulty he was rescued.One of his disciples said, �I do remember you crossed over adeep river without getting your feet wet. How come youwee likely to be drowned to-day in a shallow pond�? Thepious soul thought a bit and said, �Our Holy Prophet wouldget at the Sublime Throne of God on his own without thesupport of Gabriel or Mekail; but it was not always, onlysome times; other times he would be like any ordinary personenjoying the company of his wives. The enlightened aresometime in lime-light and sometime in clout. Some one askedJacob how come you smelled the fragrance of Joseph�s shirtwhen he was still in Egypt, and not when he was thrown intoa well, which was not far off. Jacob said he was like alightening in the sky, which shines brightly for a second andutter darkness in a second. When it shines even sky is visible,when it does not, we cannot see even our feet. The moralis, even men of God are human beings who are subject tothe same laws of nature, although at times they reach highheights of super-natural powers.

Parable (10)

Once in a Syrian city of Balbak Sa�di was delivering a soul-stirring lecture. The audience were not responding. Itseemed to have no effect on them. It looked as if he wasshowing a mirror to the blind or he was attempting to traindonkeys. Some one who passed by heard a few of his lastsentences, and was so excited as to be too loud in praise.This caused a stir in the assembly who took deep interestthereafter. The moral is even if one or two were to bebenefited by the discourse, it is worthwhile, and that thespeaker need not be dejected if he failed to impress all.

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Parable (11)

Walking in the deserts of Arabia, Sa�di was so tired one nightthat he could not take one step further. Yet he was advisedby some one to be pragmatic. A gang of robbers are therebehind him and the door-steps of Ka�ba in front. If he losesheart in such a situation, he would be risking his life andmissing an opportunity. Wise people have said it might seempleasant in a jungle to sleep at night under the shade of abanyan-tree, but it would be at the high risk of one�s life.The moral is courage is called for at moments of crisis.

Parable (12)

Shaikh Sa�di met a pious person who had been attacked by aleopard. He was still recovering from the wounds, but wasthanking God every minute. Some one asked him what washe thanking for. He said, �I thank God I am suffering frompain, and not in sin�. Men of God suffer pain to wash offsins. When the Egyptian ladies were infatuated at thecharming Joseph, he prayed Almighty God that he wouldprefer to go to jail to the company of these bewitchingbeauties. The moral is one should always be thankful to Godeven at worst of circumstances, for whatever happens is forour own good.

Parable (13)

A Darvish was in some need. He lifted a blanket from thehouse of yet another Darvish without his permission. Itamounted to theft. He was brought before the judge whoordered his hand to be cut off. The owner of the blanketsaid he would not mind the theft and he would forgive him.But the judge said, law is law and he cannot be forgiven.Darvish said, �My property is wakf property. I have nothingof my own. Whatever I have is God�s property over whichany needy would have the right. This convinced the judge

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who revised his decision. The moral is one could take libertywith friends but not with enemies. Be careful whose dooryou are knocking at.

Parable (14)

A king asked a mendicant whether he ever remembered theking. The mendicant said, �yes, I do, whenever I forget God,you are in my mind�.

Parable (15)

A man of God saw in the dream a king to be enjoying in aheaven and a pious person suffering in a hell. He asked thereason, and he was told the king loved men of God andbelieved them; hence he was granted heaven. The piousdesired the royal company for comfort and wealth and hencehe was punished in a hell. The moral is wearing the cap of amendicant is not enough; one should have qualities of Godeven if you wear a soldier�s helmet.

Parable (16)

Shaikh Sa�di relates an instance when he said some one in ahappy mood, walking barefoot, bare head from Hijaz to Kufa.He was saying, �I have no worries of any sort. Neither Ipossess any property nor am I a servant of a monarch. Apasser-by riding on a camel said, �Make some arrangementsfor a ride, or else you would die of exhaustion walking all thetime�. It so happened that on the following day the rider onthe camel passed away, while the walker was still hale andhealthy. Sa�di says:

(While the lame donkeys covered the full distance, those whowere hale and healthy passed away).

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Parable (17)

A king invited a pious man, who thought he should take somedrug which would make him appear weak so that the kingcould take more interest in him. He took some drug whichkilled him. The moral is men should not resort to hypocracywhich would not serve any purpose.

Parable (18)

A caravan was looted by high-way robbers in Greece. Theyseized quite a lot of goods. Merchants pleaded, protestedand begged in the name of God and His Prophet, but to noeffect. The wise philosopher Luqman, was also there in thatCaravan. people asked him to intervene and plead with therobbers to spare the property. He said wasting words ofwisdom would be worse than losing property. You cannotdrive a nail into a stone. Sa�di says, do good to needy attimes of safety, that would help you when you are in difficulty.Help the needy in the hour of his need or else whatever youpossess might be taken away by persons more powerful thanyou.

Parable (19)

Ibn-e-Jausi, the great scholar, was Sa�di�s teacher, who alwaysadvised him not to attend the assembly of ecstasies. Sa�diwould not listen. He was fond of such assemblies, and hewould not miss them. Once he was caught in an assemblywhere the Qawwali was very disgusting. It went on allthrough the night until the morning prayer, when it had tocome to an end. Sa�di felt so relieved that he got up andhonoured the Qawwal by placing his own turban on his head.People were surprised as they did not expect an act of thisnature by such a highly dignitary as Sa�di. They asked thereason. He said what a great teacher like Ibn-e-Jausi couldnot do, this Qawwal did. His curse voice made him decide

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never to attend such assemblies again. The moral is bitterexperience make people do what pearls of wisdom would notachieve.

Parable (20)

Some one asked Luqman whom did he learn morals from?He said from those who were ignorant of morals. �I avoidedall their undesirable acts�. A wise man learns from ignorantsalso.

Parable (21)

A pious person would eat too much in the night and readQuran whole night. A man of God said it would have beenbetter had he eatern half a loaf of bread and gone to sleep,for a filled belly would have no room for God�s light. Themoral is piety is not breaking laws of nature.

Parable (22)

A person addicted to wrong changed his life. He took togoodness, yet people thought he was bad. He said to hisSaint he was worried about people�s opinion. The saint said�thank God you are not what people think. Their opinionwould not affect you in any way. This position is far betterthan the situation when people think you are good but inreality you are bad. No one could control people�s tongue�.

(Repentance is enough for God�s forgiveness, but there is noescape from the tongue of the people).

Parable (23)

Shaikh Sa�di expressed his grievance before a man of God thata particular person gave a false evidence against him. Theholy man said, �Shame him by doing good to him. You adopt

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a righteous path so that he should not have any room topick holes against you�. The moral is revenge though sweetis never successful. Retaliation intensifies the fire of hostility,but bless those who abuse you and pray for those whopersecute you, policy will win even die-hards.

Parable (24)

Some one asked a man of God what was Sufism. he answeredin earlier days the visible part of the life of holy men wasvery miserable but the invisible part of their life was verypeaceful. They had none of the comforts or wealth of thisworld, but their heart and soul was filled with the light ofGod. Where soul is enlightened, the person is a Darvisheven on throne. The moral is kindle the conscience with thetorch of love of God and love of man and you would be onthe path of spiritual life.

Parable (25)

Shaikh Sa�di says he was with a Caravan in a journey. Theycamped in a jungle. One among them was a restless Sufi.He was getting excited all through the night loudlyproclaiming the name of God. In the morning they askedhim why he was doing so. He said, �I saw nightingales ontrees remembering God, and also animals in the forest, frogsin the wells and even vultures on hill tops were all busythanking God for the wonders on this earth. Why should Ibe lost carelessly fast asleep�? The moral is when othercreatures remember their creator, why should man thesupreme being be an exception?

Parable (26)

A rationalist was with Shaikh Sa�di in his tour of Hijaz. Thisperson had his own reservations about the piety and penanceof the Sufis. They reached an oasis where an Arab lad, black

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in colour, came out of his house and sang with such a sweetmelody that birds flocked from all sides. This excited thecamel of the rationalist which threw its rider on the groundand fled into jungle. Shaikh said to the rationalist that theboy�s sweet melody about God excited the animals and birds,bu it had no effect on him. Those whose conscience is deadare worse than animals. Not only the nightingales praise thefragrance of God is attributes but also the thorns on rosebushes do acknowledge God�s wonders. Hence it is the dutyof man to be lost in the love of God. This is the message ofthe Sufis who die to themselves to be alive in God.

Parable (27)

A king had reached his last days and was about to die. Hehad none to succeed him. He made a Will that the firstperson that entered the city the following day would becrowned a king. It so happened that a mendicant who hadbegged a bread all his life was the first to enter the city. Asper the Will he was made the king. The State functionedwell for a few days but not for long. Revolts and rebellionsbecame the order of the day. Ambitious neighbours wouldnot miss the opportunity to take advantage. The new kinghardly had any rest. An old friend of his came to visit himand congratulated him on his good luck, expressing great joy.The king said that it was not occasion to rejoice but to mourn.Earlier my concern was only for a piece of bread, but I haveto worry for the whole world. Throne is not a bed of roses.I hardly sleep in the night. The moral is power, position andauthority are such heavy loads that a man gets crushed undertheir weight. Hazrat Umar was so sensitive of his dutiesthat he was restless all the time.

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Parable (28)

Hazrat Abu Huraira would daily attend on our Holy Prophetwho once instructed him to come on alternative days so thatmore intimacy could be developed. When Sun rises daily itis taken for granted and no body appreciates, but in winterwhen it is in clouds, every one wants it to shine.

(Lest misunderstandings should develop among friends, do notdevelop too much intimacy).

Parable (29)

An elderly person felt miserable when gas accumulated in hisbelly. When he eased he became alright. People weresurprised. Shaikh Sa�di says it is all a natural process. Bellyis a prison where air should not be imprisoned.

Parable (30)

Shaikh Sa�do relates his personal life. Being disgusted withhis friends in Damascus he left for Jerusalem, where he fellcaptive in Christian hands. They engaged him in diggingtrenches. A landlord of Halb who knew him passed that way.He asked what was the matter. Shaikh said to escape thecompany of friends and to develop love of God he went tothe sacred place of Jerusalem, but fate played a strange gameand he was taken as a bonded labour. The landlord tookpity on him, paying ten Dinars to the Christians he got himreleased from their captivity. He did one more thing. Onpromise of a hundred Dinars as mehr (patrimony) he got hisdaughter married to Sa�di. The bride proved to be hottemper. She started taunting him. He was the one whomher father had bought for ten Dinars. Shaikh acknowledgedthat was true �that he bought me for ten dinars from theChristians but he sold me for hundred dinars to you�. It isthe greatness of the Shaikh that he would not forego his

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cheerfulness in worst of circumstances. He says her fatherrescued him from one misery but entangled him in another.He gave one more example. Some one saved a lamb from awolf, brought it home and cut it to have a banquet. Thelamb had the right to feel that the man saved it from thewolf only to become himself a wolf. It is said of Socratesthat he too had a wife who was bad temper. Once sheemptied the entire dirty water of a bucket on his body. Allthat Socrates said was, �Every day you were thundering, to-day you have burst out�. Great men have limitless patience,excessive self-control and endless moral courage.

Parable (31)

A king enquired a Darvish who had a large family, how werethings. He replied all night in prayers and all day in hardlabour to earn livelihood for the family. The king got thepoint and fixed a remuneration. The moral is God opens athousand doors to those who do their duty.

Parable (32)

A man of God was busy in his prayers and penance in a jungle.A king passed that way. He invited the Darvish to the cityto stay for a few days. He refused. The king sent his Vazirto persuade him and he finally agreed. Nice arrangementswere made in the city for his stay; a palatial mansion, livelygarden, beautiful maidens, delicious dishes and all comforts.A few days later the king visited the Darvish. His penancehad disappeared. He was enjoying the nice food and he hadput on gorgeous dress. The king was surprised at this changebut Shaikh Sa�di says locks of the ladies act as chains to tiethe intellect of the wise. Any who was entangled in themwould lose not only his head and heart but also this worldand the next. A wise minister commented on the plight ofthe Darvish that monarchs should be very generous to the

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scholars so as to invite others also to learning and avoidpatronizing the holy, so that they should not be tempted toworldly desires.

Parable (33)

A king had to face a difficult campaign. He vowed if hewere to win he would give away a big bag full of gold to theholy and the pious. He won the campaign. He filled a bagwith gold coins and asked a servant to distribute the goldamong the pious. He took the bag and went to the city butcame back with the bag intact. He reported to the kingthere was not a single pious person in the city. The king wassurprised and said he had heard there were 400 of them.The servant said the real pious person would not accept thegold; and he who accepts the gold is not a real pious person.The king had a hearty laugh and said the joker was speakingthe truth.

Parable (34)

People asked a learned man whether it was permissible to fixpensions for Darvishes out of Wakf property. He wsaid itwas permissible if such pensions prompted them to be morediligent and devoted in their prayers, but it was forbidden ifit were to result in earning their livelihood.

Parable (35)

A poor and hungry Darvish visited a city where a wealthyman was known for his generosity and love of learning. Ascholarly debate was going on at that time. The wealthylord asked the Darvish also to say something. He said hewas not literate. All that he knew was a verse whose meaningwas that a hungry mouth would be as anxious for a table as alover for his beloved.

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(One who is satiated would not relish even a banquet, but toa hungry mouth even a dry bread is a great delicacy).

Parable (36)

A disciple complained to his teacher people pester him toomuch. The teacher advised him to lend some money to thepoor, and demand some money from the rich who come. Thepoor will not come again fearing you would demand the loanback, and the rich would not come fearing you would againdemand money from them. Gulistan is a treasury of worldlywisdom.

Parable (37)

A bright boy said to his father, the colourful lectures of thespeakers would not impress him much because they do notdo what they say. The father advised him to consider theworth of what they say and it was not his job to probe deepinto his deeds. A blind man was crying for help being strandedin a sluch, and complaining no one had the goodness to lit alamp there. A wit said to the blind when he could not seethe lamp what was the good in keeping a lamp there? Thisworld is a business market. Unless you pay cash you cannotbuy anything. Shaikh Sa�di has broughtout the distinctionbetween a learned scholar and a holy person. In a storm theformer would save others but the latter would save himself.

Parable (38)

Someone was seen on the road deep asleep. A holy personpassed that way. Suddenly the man on the road opened hiseyes and shouted, the faithfuls cast affectionate glances evenon the sinners, they hide their sins, they do not look downupon them, and they regard such acts as graces from God.

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Parable (39)

Some bad characters were teasing a Darvish. He was helplessand could not do anything. He reported the matter to histeacher. He said he who had taken to penance should notcomplain these irritations. He who complained was not reallya Darvish. If some one threw a stone into a lake, the waterwould not get dirty. The seeker of truth would not mindsuch trifles. It is better to ignore and forgive them. Thatwould wash off the sins.

Parable (41)

A dispute arose between the flag and the scarf. The flagsaid, �I am wanted everywhere. They carry me in theirjourney. They hold me in their battles. They use me ingreat testing times. You remain safe in palaces. You find aplace on the faces of beautiful princesses. You commandgreat respect but I remain in the hands of servants andsoldiers always under stress and anxiety, what is the reason�?The scarf replied, �I am humble and modest, and you areproud and haughty�.

Parable (42)

Someone asked a wise person how to know who is a sincerefriend. He said they are who help the needy. They givepreference to the needs of others over their own. He who isself-centred is no friend at all.

(If you are a human being, help others, or else like an animal,eat, drink and pass away).

Parable (43)

In the city of Baghdad an elderly person gave his daughter inmarriage to a cobbler, who bit the lips of the bride so harsh

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as to cause bleeding. The following day the father of thebride asked the groom whether he took her daughter to be aleather shoe. What Shaikh Sa�di wants to say here is habitsdie hard. A mountain may move from its place but not thehabits.

Parable (44)

A jurist had a daughter who was not at all a beautiful. Nobody would marry her. At last the jurist got her married toa blind person. A physician came from a distant land whocould cure blind persons. Some one suggested to the juristto get his son-in-law cured. The jurist said he was afraid onseeing the face of the daughter his son-in-law might as welldivorce her. Holy men ought to be careful in worldly affairs.The moral is human nature is like mercury likely to changeits shape at the slightest touch. One ought to be extremelycareful in dealing with its sensitive matters.

Parable (45)

A king had no regard for the Darvishes, men of God. hetook them lightly. One of them sensed the feelings of theKing and said, �Oh King, we are far better than you in thisworld, and God willing, we would be fine in the next world aswell. Despite your pomp, power, wealth and army, you haveno peace of mind, but we have no worry of any sort. Wesleep peacefully in the night. We are lost in the love of Godthat gives us immense pleasure. A hadith (sayings of theProphet) states poor reach heaven 500 years earlier than therich reach. When death comes it makes no distinctionbetween the rich and the poor. This world is a drama inwhich all actors are on par whether they be a king or a servant.Even the king had to go one day. If that is the case Darvishiis better than kingship which carries great risks. hence thereis no reason for any one to look down upon the other�.

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Parable (46)

People asked a wise man which one between bravery andgenerosity is better. The wise said, one who is generous neednot be brave. Hatim Tayee died but people still rememberhim. Behram Gaur was a very brave king. On his gravestands an inscription, the hand that gives is far more powerfulthan the one that holds the sword. Generosity any day is farbetter than bravery.

It should be said this chapter is intended to serve adouble purpose, it is informative and reformative. Informativein the sense it has sketched in a broad way the behaviouralpattern of the Darvishes or men of God, their attitudes andvalues and their ways of living and thinking. It is informativein the sense it has pointed out their weaknesses and short-comings so that the system could be improved. It is donethrough the advice sought be the disciples from the teacherswhat should be done in a particular situation. Secondly, thischapter coming next only to that of kings suggests theimportance of politics and religion, the two powerfulinstitutions of society for civilized life. One relates to physicalsphere and the other to spiritual. One commands immensehuman and material resources to build a progressive, unifiedand meaningful state, and the other deals with the personallife of the individuals with immense potential to realize highertruth, to understand the mystery of life and to move towardsperfect or super man. In between religion and politics Shaikhdeals with the society whose well-being is the main target ofhis work.

5

Importance of Contentment

Gulistan�s third chapter is on contentment with 29 parables.Wealth and power would not confer on man pace of mind,and not even a large family. One needs contentment forthat which Sufis regard as a very important requirement forspiritual life. It is a state of mind where we feel happy withwhat we possess, we avoid greed and acquisitiveness, envy andavariciousness.

Parable (1)

A Darvish of Halb said to a cloth merchant that if thewealthy were to do justice and pay what was due to men ofGod, they would not be forced to beg. Luqman says he whoknows no patience knows no wisdom. No boon is greater thancontentment. Luqman had become an embodiment ofpatience. Shaikh has stressed here patience and contentmentas great virtues.

Parable (2)

An Egyptian lord had two sons. One of them acquiredknowledge and the other went for wealth. The former becamea great scholar, and the latter a Minister in the Government.The wealthy aunted the scholarly brother that he had risen

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high as Minister and the other was yet poor and suffering.The scholarly brother replied God was more gracious uponhim than the other. He got the legacy of the Prophets butthe other was condemned with that of Pharaoh and Haman.The learned brother thanked God that it did not fall to hislot to oppress people. The moral is knowledge is any daypreferable to wealth.

Parable (3)

Shaikh heard some Darvish saying that dry bread and tornclothes should be preferred to bearing the charity of someone. Some one told him of a philanthropist who was verygenerous on the deserving and he would meet all his needs.The Darvish said seeking heaven with neighbour�s help wasfar worse than going to hell. The moral is stand on yourown and do not be under the debt of any one.

Parable (4)

One of the non-Arab kings sent a very proficient physicianto Holy prophet in order to treat the patients of Arab towns.He stayed there for quite long but no patient turned up fortreatment. At last he appeared before the Holy Prophet andreported the matter. Prophet said it was the habit of hiscompanions that they would not eat until they were veryhungry, and when they ate they would retain still a part oftheir hunger. The physician said this was the secret of theirgood health. Paying his respects the physicians went back tohis land. The moal is even good health came under thecategory of moderation and contentment.

Parable (5)

An Iranian King, Ardsheer Babakan, asked a physician howmuch food one should take daily. The physician said it shouldbe a little less than fifteen ounces. The king said one would

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become weak with so little a meal. The physician said thismuch food is enough to bear your weight. If you eat moreyou to bear the weight of the food. We must eat only tolive and not live to eat. The moral is one has to appreciateShaikh�s technique in teaching man every aspect of good life.

Parable (6)

Two Darvishes of Khurasan lived together and traveledtogether. One of them was weak who would eat once in threedays, and the other was strong who would three times a day.It so happened in some city they were taken in custody forno fault of theirs and kept in a prison for three days. Whenit was proved they were innocent, they were ordered to bereleased. On opening the doors of the prison it was foundthe weak was alive and the strong was dead. One of thephysicians said the contrary would have been surprising. Theweak was used to bear hunger and survived; the strong wouldnot stand hunger. The moral is, eat less, talk less and sleepless constitute a golden rule.

Parable (7)

A physician advised his son not to eat much. The son arguedpeople say better to die eating well than to die in hunger.The father said, adopt moderation. God dhas ordained, eatand drink, but do not exceed the limits. Do not overloadyour belly nor so little as to feel weak.

(Man is neither helpless nor master; moderation in everythingis highly desirable).

Parable (8)

a patient was asked what would he like? He said he did notfeel liking anything. Ask a patient the value of health. Godhealth is God�s blessings, if only one is not in poverty.

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Parable (9)

A few Sufis of the Wasith city had taken some provision oncredit from a grocer who was pressing for its payment.Sometimes he would demand it in a search manner. One ofthe Sufis said it would have been better had we deceived ourself by false promises of food than stand the pressure of thegrocer. Better to die wanting to eat meat than suffer thedemands of the butcher. The moral is living beyond the meansis to invite trouble.

Parable (10)

In the war against Mongols a brave soldier was wounded.Some one suggested a particular druggist was so stingy thateven if Sun�s rays were to fall on his table he would not sharethe light of the Sun with others. The wounded soldier saidhe was not sure the druggist would give that drug or not,and even if he gave whether it would be effective or not, andhence begging it from him would be worse than death forhim. To borrow anything from a mean fellow would be atorture to the soul.

Parable (11)

A scholar fell into adversity. He had a large family. Hesought help from a known person who respected him much.That person did not appreciate the demand. Unwillingly hegave something but the scholar fell from his eyes. The scholarsaid the need was met but at the cost of esteem. �He gaveme bread but took away my self-respect. Starvation had beenfar better than this humiliation�. The moral is sensitivepersons have their own values which they hold as veryprecious.

Parable (12)

A Darvish was in need of some help. His friend suggestedthat a particular lord would meet his need. The Darvishsaid he did not know him. The friend said he would takehim. When they went there they saw a man with a grimface. The Darvish traced his steps back. His friend askedwhy. He said �I gave back to his face what he would havegiven me. In case you need help seek it from one whom themoment you are you would feel happy�. the moral is face isthe index of man that would reveal much more about a man.

Parable (13)

Alexandria once suffered a famine. It was a very severe one.Birds, ants, fishes and wild life were all dying. Darvishes couldnot bear the hunger any longer. All eyes were set on skyhoping and praying for rainfall. It was said a wealthy impotentin the city had set a public kitchen which would feed allhungry. Some Darvishes suggested to go there and have ameal. Opinion of Shaikh Sa�di, who was also present, wassought. He said a lion would die of hunger but would noteat the left over of a dog. The moral is better to sufferthan to make compromises with basic principles.

Parable (14)

People asked Hatim Tayee whether he had seen any one morecourageous and generous than himself. He said yes. Oneday he cut forty camels to feed people. For some work hewent to a forest where he saw a wood-cutter lifting heavywood to eke out existence. He asked the wood-cutter whywas he working so hard and why was he not going to thetable of Hatim for a meal which was opened to all. He saidthe person was earned the daily bread by the sweat of hisbrow would not be under the obligation of Hatim. Hatimfelt the wood-cutter excelled him in courage. The moral is

dignity of labour and self-help are higher values and that manshould not be a burden on others when he could earn himselfsomething.

Parable (15)

Prophet Moses saw a beggar covering his body in sand as hehad no clothes to put on. He pleaded with Moses to prayfor his prosperity. Moses prayed and left the place. Quite afew years Moses passed that way again. He saw commotion.He asked what was the matter. People said the same beggarhad committed a crime and had murdered a man under theinfluence of intoxication. He was being executed. ShaikhSa�di says if the cat had wings no bird would have been safe.If the donkey had horns, it would never have allowed anyone to come near. It is better ants do not have wings.

(When an ant got feathers it flew in the air and said it waslike Solomon from quite a few days).

Parable (16)

Shaikh Sa�di saw an Arab Badaon in the jewellery market ofBasra. He said he was once traveling in an Arabian desert.He had nothing to eat and was feeling miserable because ofhunger. Suddenly he found a bag lying on the road. Withgreat joy he lifted it hoping there might be something in itto eat. When he opened it, it was full of pearls. Whatcould pearls do in hunger? He was utterly disappointed. Indry sands to a hungry mouth pearls are as good as shells.

Parable (17)

In a thick forest an Arab was very thirsty. He expressed hislife desire. �How I wish before my death I could see fillingfull my water-sack�. The moral is basic demands of life arequite different from material goods. Man could be alivewithout gold or pearls but not without air and water.

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Parable (18)

A Darvish lost his way in a jungle. He had nothing with himto eat. He struggled hard to find the way but all in vain.At last he died. A caravan passed that way. It found a bagfull of Dirhams (cash) and something scribbled on ground.�Even if you have immense gold with you but not anythingto eat, you would face miserable death�. Shaikh Sa�di isrelating the bitter experiences so that others could be onguard.

Parable (19)

Shaikh Sa�di tells us he never grumbled over his own hardshipsof life, but once he felt very sorry when he had to walk bare-foot having no money to buy a pair of shoe. With this regrethe entered the mosque of Kufa where he saw a man whoseboth legs were cut off. Shaikh lifted his hands in sincereprayers to God that he was lucky to have both of his limbssafe. The moral is man should have an eye on positive aspecteven in worst of circumstances. There is always a silver liningto the dark clouds.

Parable (20)

A king went hunting with his companions. It was winterseason and he was quite away from any town. It was nighttime. He spotted a farmer�s house and he thought he couldspend the night with him. The ministers thought, it wasbelow royal dignity to stay with a farmer, and that they wouldfix the tents in the jungle itself. The farmer came runningand pleaded royal stay with the farmer would not bring downthe dignity of the King but would enhance the rank of thefarmer. The king was pleased with this plea and spent thenight with the farmer. The moral is thinking process of thereally great is quite different from red-tape bureaucrats.

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Parable (21)

A beggar accumulated wealth. A king was in need of moneyfor a campaign and asked the beggar to lend it which wouldbe paid back when revenue was collected. The beggar was amiser. He said to the king �please do not dirty your handsby taking the money of a beggar�. When he did not agree toany persuasion, the king ordered all his wealth to be seized.It was done. The moral is those who do not listen to reasonwould be taught a bitter lesson and they would regret in theend.

Parable (22)

Shaikh Sa�di relates an instance that once he met a bigbusinessman. he had goods on 150 camels besides 40 slavesto attend to his besides quite a a few other employees. Onenight he started boasting all about his big concern He boredShaikh Sa�di all through the night. Neither did he sleep norallowed Sa�di to sleep. He said a consignment of goods wasgoing to Turkistan. It would be later sent to India. �I owna good lot of property in a particular city. I would be goingto Alexandria, from there to China where I would buy Chinaglass which would be be taken to Rome. In Rome I wouldbuy silk which I would take to India. In India I wouldpurchase iron which I would sell in Halb. Halb mirrors arefamous which I would take to Yaman. Yaman is known forbed-sheets which I would take to Persia. After that I wouldstop my tours and set up a shop.� Thus he went on endlessly.Sa�di listened to all this patiently. In the end he asked Sa�dialso to say something. Shaikh said, a landlord fell down froma horse in a jungle and said either contentment or death alonewould satisfy the greedy eye of a worldly wise-man. The moralis mature minds would not appreciate such silly talk. Theworth of a man would be known by what he talks.

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Parable (23)

Shaikh relates the story of a person who was excessively miser.He would not throw a crumb even to Abu-Hurar�s cat orAshab-e-Kahaf�s dog. He would close the door when he wouldtake his meals. He went on a journey to Egypt where hehad his relatives. The boat he was traveling was sunk and hewas drowned. All the wealth fell into the hands of his relativeswho had nice time. What he collected all his life was of nouse to him and it was lavishly spent by those who had notearned it. A Hadith says the only thing we possess is whatwe give for a good cause, for that alone would be of use onthe day of accountability.

Parable (24)

A weak person caught a big fish, but it was so big that itmanaged to slip off the net. A servant went to a river tofetch water, but was swept off in the current. A hunter wentto short a leopard, but the leopard tore him to pieces. Shaikhsays man proposes but God disposes. The fish was destinedto live a longer. The last days of the servant had come.Death awaited the hunter. Ultimately it is the Will of Godthat matters.

Parable (25)

A lame person killed a creature that had a thousand legs. Aman of God passed that way who said a disabled person tookthe life of one which had a thousand legs, and it could notrun away. When death chases a victim, no one can save him.It is not within the power of man to avoid the inevitable.

Parable (26)

Shaikh Sa�di saw a fool who was quite well-built, in costlyrobe riding on an Arabian horse, with a silken turban on his

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head. Somebody asked Shaikh Sa�di how did he look? Sa�disaid a donkey had turned into a man. A good luck, acharming face and good character would be far better thancostly silken robes. All that glitters is not gold.

Parable (27)

A thief taunted a beggar whether he was not ashamed ofextending his palm before every one for a paisa. The beggersaid extending palm was far better than getting the hand cutoff for stealing a tiny bit of gold. The moral is those whoare wrong path have no right to teach others.

Parable (28)

This parable is too long. It is very meaningful. It tells usphysical force would not take us too far. One should haveeither knowledge or skill or wisdom or wealth. One has tolearn some arts and use intellect or common sense to get on.

It is about the story of a wrestler who became a victim ofadverse circumstances and felt helpless to make both endsmeet. He thought of going some where else to test hisfortunes and sought the permission of his father. He saidart or skill would be of no use until it was put to use. Unlessincense is put on fire, its fragrance would not come out.Father said, give up the idea of journey, be contented at whatyou get at home, efforts would not always yield wealth,patience and peace of mind are more important. No onecan grab the garment of wealth by sheer force of arms, anymake-up before a blind serves no purpose, unless fate ordestiny would not help, a hundred skills would be of no use,strength and fate are not twins. The father used severalarguments to dissuade the son from undertaking the journey.

But the son said journey has several advantages. it delightsman, it may bring profits, one would come across many

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wonderful things to see. One may gain unique experiences.We may meet friends. We may learn many things. We mayenhance our knowledge and skill. Father said, all that wastrue, but journey would be helpful only to five types of people.First to merchants who had goods. They sell it, they makeprofit, they have assistants, servants and helpers. Wealthylive comfortably even on hills, dales and valleys. It is thepoor who are strangers even in their own land. Sondly, thescholars who are respected everywhere. They win the heartof the people by their knowledge, by their sweet tongue.Learned are wanted everywhere. They command respect.Ignorants are like counterfeit coins which are rejectedeverywhere. Thirdly, men of art and beauty. Beauty has anattraction of its own. Beauty is preferred to wealth. Acharming face would heals many disheartened souls. Wherevera beauty goes, it attracts fans. We keep the colourful featherof a peacock in the holy Quran. Pearls are beautiful whichare in demand any where. Fourthly, those who are giftedwith music, sweet voice, are wanted everywhere. When Davidsang, resonance filled to air. Even men of God fall intoecstasy at heart-stirring songs. Music is the food for soul.Fifthly, men of skill, of some craft are wanted everywhere.Skill is like magnet that attracts legitimate wages everywhere.One who is unskilled would starve even if he is as strong asRustum.

All this did not convince the son. He said livelihood was amatter of fate, of chance. An attempt is needed to get it.We earn our bread through farming, through trade, throughservices, and through skill and craft, but everywhere we haveto do something. Action is the condition for success.Although death is inevitable, knowing it no one goesdeliberately into the mouth of Python. Saying so, the sonsought the blessings of the father to move out. He set outon a long journey, came near a river where he had to crosson a boat. He would not be taken on board unless he paidthe fare and he had no money. The wrestler pleaded a lot

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with boat-man to give a free lift, but he would not agree.The boat moved out without the wrestler who cried he wasprepared to mortgage his clothes for a ride. The boatmanagreed and came back to the jetty. The wrestler got angryand started giving blows to the boat man. He took him onthe ferry. When it was thus sailing sea became rough andstorm seemed imminent. The Greeks had installed a tall pillarthere to warn of storms. The boat man said the boat neededrepairs; some one who was strong should go up the pole andhold the rope of the boat until the repairs were done. Thewrestler offered his services and went up the pole. The boatman seized the opportunity to punish the wrestler, left himon the pole and moved out fast. This is how the boatmantook revenge on the wrestler, who fell down from the pole.He struggled hard a night and a day to reach the shore. hehad nothing to eat except the leaves of the trees and rootsof the plants. That gave him some energy to walk. Hereached a town where one had to pay even for drinking water.He had not a single paisa. No one took pity on him. He gotangry. He started beating a few people. Others would notkeep quiet. They fell on him. He was wounded. Evenmosquitoes could harass an elephant. Even ants could makea lion miserable.

Helplessly the wrestler joined a caravan. It camped at a placefor the night. The tired wrestler fell fast asleep. A wiseman said we should not trust the wrestler, not knowing whatsort of man he was. An instance was related. A poor manhad some dirhams. He was afraid some one might rob themoff. His friend said he would take care of the cash and therewas nothing to worry. At the dead of the night the friendturned thief and ran away with the cash. Suspecting the sameof the wrestler, the caravan left him there and moved out.The wrestler was annoyed early in the morning being left alonein the jungle. He did not know what to do. Fortunately forhim a prince passed that way having come to the junglehunting. Seeing a person in awful conditions he enquired what

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was the matter. On knowing the whole story he helped himto reach his native land.

The father was delighted to see the son back home. Theson related the whole story, the rich experiences he hadgained, what the boat man did to him, how the villagerstreated him when he wanted some water to drink, and howthe Caravan moved out leaving him alone in the jungle. Thefather said he had already warned of the risks of journey forthe poor whose hands were empty, and even for the bravewhose purse was empty. A poor soldier said an atom of goldwas better than a maund of force. The son said unless onesuffered difficulties one would not get anything. Withoutrisking one�s life no battle could be won. Without sowingthe seeds no one would reap the harvest. The son said hebore some hardships but gained good lot of experience. Howcan a diver fetch pearls if he is afraid of a crocodile. Thebottom part of a grinder would not rotate, hence it bearsthe weight of the upper part. An angry tiger were to sit in acave, it would die of hunger. A fallen phonix would find nofood to at. If you hunt only at home you would hit onlycob-webs.

The father listened patiently to all this and said the princetook pity on him or else some wild animal would have finishedhim off. Then the father related the story of the ring of anIranian king. It look place in Eidgah of Shiraz. The kingfixed a ring on the tomb of the saint Azdudalin and said anyone would get the ring if he were to shoot through the ring.Four hundred archers tried their luck. None was successful.A child was play with a bow. He shot an arrow from theroof of a house. It passed through the ring. What expert400 archers could not do, a child did He got the ring andalso plenty of other awards. He soon broke the bow and thearrow. People asked him why. He said it was to make hisearlier repute remain intact. In case the king were to say

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�short again�, it might not be possible. Thus in this parableShaikh Sa�di has brought out quite a few points of great value.Physical strength has its own limitations. It did not help thewrestler at any stage. Knowledge, skill and wisdom are ofsupreme importance which would help man at all times andin all circumstances. Youngstes must listen to the advice ofelders. The wrestler ignored the advice of his father andsuffered a lot. Lastly, in case of the absence of knowledge,skill, wisdom and understanding, one should have at least somewealth to face the challenges of life.

Parable (29)

Shaikh Sa�di relates a story that a mendicant sitting in a cavewas lost in the love of God. His piety had reached a highlevel. He was totally unconcerned with the affairs of thisworld. He would never bow before any one. A king passedthat way and he was greatly impressed by his penance. Heurged the Darvish to share the royal table at least once. Withgreat difficulty after long persuasion he accepted the royalinvitation to dine with the king. He said it would beirreligious to turn down the invitation. He attended thedinner. The king called on him next day and found himtotally a different man. He got up to pay respects to theking. He showered praises on the king. When the king wasgone, his disciples asked the Darvish about his surprisingbehaviour. Where had that self-esteem and dignity of pietygone? The Darvish said, be loyal to the salt you eat; begrateful to those whose table you share. Your ears wouldnot blame you, if you deny them sweet music. Your eyeswould not be wet, if they miss fragrant roses. Your backwould not demand a bed roses. Your hand has pillow wouldbe enough for sound sleep. But if you do not get two nmealsa day, you tommy would revolt. Sa�di is stressing here howhunger plays a key role in life.

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Thus, quite a few aspects of rich experience are narrated here.Contentment is important. Patience and gratitude areessential tools for civilized life. Self dignity demands do notstretch you palm before others. Do not set out on a journeywithout where withalls. Life of this world is all a journey,but our destiny is next world for which we have to carrysome resources. Nothing but good deeds would act as assetsfor a peaceful eternal life.

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6

On Silence

The fourth chapter of Gulistan is on silence. The wisereformer, Sa�di is encompassing here a vast area of characterformation. The object is to help man gain peace of mind,make progress and move forward to fulfil man�s destiny. Thisrequires a multi-dimensional view of man making and characterbuilding programme. Silence forms an important aspect ofthat exercise, which confers many benefits. It is a yard stickof man�s dignity. Let the lips move only to spill the beam ofwisdom, if there are any in man, or else let them remain shut.Man�s mouth is a powerful instrument either to win heartsor incur displeasure. A man would at once be judged bywhat he says and how he says. One ought to be extremelycareful in one�s talk. Once he utters something, it would belike an arrow released from a bow, with no way to retrieve.Therefore, silence is golden. It confers dignity. Better to dosomething than say something. Even if words of wisdom arerolled out, they would not be appreciated by the foes, andthey would be looked upon with envy by the friends. HenceSa�di advocates silence and he narrates 13 parables here in itsfavour.

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Parable (1)

Shaikh Sa�di mentioned to a good friend of his that hepreferred to remain silent, for once a man opened his mouth,either good or bad would come out of it. Enemies wouldpick only the bad out of it. His friend replied that enemyalone was good who would never see any good in you. Yourfinest art would seem highly defective in his eyes. Sa�di mightbe a fragrant rose, but he would appear a thorn in the fleshof his foe. A bat would never like the brightness of sun.

The moral here is one would be safe if silence prevailed.

Parable (2)

A merchant prince incurred great loss. He advised his sonnot to reveal the loss to any one. The son wanted to knowthe reason. The father said, one thing was wealth was lost,and the other, that would make the enemies happy andfriends, sad. To speak of misery when we are deep in it, isto suffer more misery. Bear things gracefully as they come.

Parable (3)

A Youngman was very learned and wise, but by nature veryreserved. He would remain silent in the company of scholars.One day his father asked him, �you too say something�. Theson said, �I am afraid they may ask me something which Imay not be able to answer, and that may make me feel sad�.He added a story. A Sufi was repairing a shoe. A soldierdragged him to nail the shoe of his horse.

Parable (4)

Once a profound religious scholar had a dialogue with aheretic, who over powered the religious man in arguments.People asked the scholar how come despite his profound

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knowledge he did not silence th heretic, and did not makehim accept the true faith. The scholar replied the heretichad no faith in Quran and Hadith, and would not care tolisten to them. he would press his own heretic views. �Whyshould I lend my ears to such views. Therefore, I kept quiet�.The moral is better to avoid needless altercations.

Parable (5)

The renowned physician, Jalinoos, once saw a wise man inheated arguments with a fool. Jalinoos said if that man wereto be really a wise man, he would not have quarreled with afool. He would not have allowed the matter to move further.Even if the fool were to say something very harsh, he wouldsay he was much worse than what he had thought of. �I amnot aware of quite a few weaknesses of my own. I am quiteconscious of that fact�. Such a line of thought would haveended the confrontation.

Parable (6)

an Arab orator, whose name was Sohban was regarded as amighty king of his profession. The beauty of his talk was thathe would never repeat a word once he used it even if he wereto lecture for a year continuously on the same topic. Hewould present his thoughts in various other ways and not inthe same manner. However fascinating or delightful thethought may be, it should not be repeated in the same words.Sa�di is teaching here the art of public speeches.

Parable (7)

He who speaks out while others are speaking confesses hislack of decency. it is bad manners to meddle in the talk ofothers. Culture, decency and civilized way of life demandthat one should listen patiently until the other finished his

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talk. It is the first sign of ignorance, according to wisemen,in a man who speaks out in the middle. One who is aware ofrefined manners would never do that.

Parable (8)

Hasan Maimundi was a wise minister of Sultan MahmudGhazni. Once the Sultan discussed some confidential matterswith him and his associates desired to know what the matterswere. Maimundi told them the king might tell them alsowhat he had disclosed to him. They said that the king wouldnot take them into confidence, and he trusted only Maimundi.In that case it was all the more important that he shouldnot lose the trust and reveal confidential matters to others.He would not lose his head by committing a breach of trust.It is not proper on the part of others to know the secretsthe king shared with the minister. Silence in such matterswas the best policy.

Sa�di is teaching here a lesson that one should not probe intothe secrets of others.

Parable (9)

Shaikh Sa�di wanted to buy a house. He was hesitatingwhether to buy it or not. A Jew strongly recommended itwas a good house and he should buy it. He further added hewould be his neighbour. Sa�di said that was exactly its greatestdrawback that a Jew would be his neighbour. it would be acostly affair even if it was available for ten dirhams. If theJew was not its neighbour, it would have been cheaper evenfor a thousand dirhams. This story is reflective of the badimpressions Jews had created on the psyche of Muslims evenin that age. Things are much worse to-day.

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Parable (10)

A poet approached the chieftain of a gang of high-way robbers.he praised the chieftain profousely. The only reward he gotwas the loss of clothes, he had onhis body. He was turnedout naked. Stray dogs began barking at him. He tried topick rocks from the ground. he could not do it as they wereunder deep snow. he shouted this was a strange countrywhere dogs were free but rocks were tied to the soil. Thechieftain heard this and had a hearty laugh. He gave backhis clothes and presented a Khillat as well. The moral ofthe story is flattery would not be appreciated even by thecriminals, who would be helpless at the hands of their ownnature. The poet lost his lone belonging, his dress. Thechieftain would not spare even that. The second aspect ofthe story is the unique effect of the poetic thought thatstones were under bondage while dogs enjoyed full freedom.

Parable (11)

An astrologer came home to see a bad scene. Some strangerwas in a romantic mood with his wife. The astrologer losthis temper. Bitter scuffle followed. A wit passed by who,said to himself, the astrologer spoke of the heavenly bodies,but was not aware who was present in his house. Do nottrust the sooth-sayers; when they are ignorant of their ownaffairs, how can they foretell what was in store for others?

Parable (12)

A priest whose voice was very unpleasant was not at all awareof his weakness. People were disgusted of his sermons, butno one was bold enough to point out his defect. Once hisfriend came and said he had a dream in which he saw peoplefelt very relieved by his sermons, and they had gone into sleep.The priest got the point and thanked the friend for hinting

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what was wrong in his sermons. The moral is reformation isa difficult task, but it could be done in a tactful way. Sa�di isan expert in teaching how social change is to be broughtabout. He is our real friend who points out our defects.

Parable (13)

The call of a Muezzin was very hoarse, such as to exciterepugnance. A good hearted Mutawalli, care-taker of themosque, told him that he had been paying five dinars to allother Muezzins, but he would pay ten this Muezzins in orderto make him go elsewhere and seek a job. The Muezzinaccepted the proposal and left for a different place. After afew days he came back and said that his new employers werepaying twenty dinars to go elsewhere. The old Mutawalliadvised him not to listen to their offer. They would be willingto pay fifty dinars ultimately to get rid of him. The moralof the story is peple resort to pay anything to escape bitterexperience. No price is too high to come out of a badsituation. Test a candidate before you employ him.

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7

On Youthoood and Love

Love is not a passing sentiment or a feeble emotion, but anattitude of life involving the mind feeling and will that arestrong, deep and enduring. Love is the hunger of the humansoul for Divine Beauty. It is the source of all life and themoving energy of the whole world. It is the Divinemanifestation of God in our heart. It is the nature of Godand movement towards God. It reveals the inner relation toReality. A lover is eager not only to find beauty, but also tocreate beauty, perpetuate beauty and plant the seed ofimmortality in the mortal body. Without love all life wouldcome to an end. It is love that makes the parents bear allthe burden to bring up children. Love is appreciation ofbeauty and beauty is perfection. What is this beauty thatwe are all seeking to perpetuate through love? It is wisdomand knowledge, value and virtue, honour and courage, andjustice and faith.

Sa�di would stress beauty of character rather than beautyof body, which is ephemeral, whereas beauty of character iseternal. All Reality is eternal beauty whose nature being self-expression got itself reflected in the universe because of love.God is all love who manifested Himself in all things beautiful.This is the view of a few philosophers and Sa�di wouldsubscribe to the thought things beautiful are gifts of God to

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make man love God. Intensity of love is Ishq, more aspiritual state of affairs. Carnal love is different from spirituallove. Sa�di in this chapter of 21 parables throws intense lightto make us realize aspects both of spiritual and carnal love.

Parable (1)

People asked Hassan Maimandi, Mahmud�s Vazir, whyMahmud was so fascinated of Ayaz, although there were quitea few other more beautiful persons in the court, and thatAyaz was just nothing before them. Maimandi replied thatwhich appeared good to heart appeared good to eyes as well.If heart was not inclined even Joseph would seem unfair. Loveis all above physical beauty. He whom the king likes, evenhis vices would become virtues. The moral is the sterlingcharacter of Ayaz, his knowledge and wisdom, loyalty anddevotion that were at the roots of Mahmud�s special likingfor Ayaz.

Parable (2)

Some one owned an extremely handsome slave whom he lovedimmensely, but the slave was very haughty and foul-mouthed.The master once complained to his friend how nice it wouldhave been if beauty had been clubbed with refined mannersas well. The friend replied it was futile to expect servicewhere love was involved. Slavery ends where love begins. Aslave is a drawer of water and hewer of wood, but a belovedis one whose blows too should be taken as kisses. The moralis everything is fair in love and war.

Parable (3)

Sa�di says he knew a man of great piety who fell in love witha beauty. He suffered her pranks. Sa�di admonished him andattempted to drag him away from carnal passions. He saidwhere carnal love entered piety disappeared, passion and

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wisdom were eternal rivals which would not co-exist. Themoral is passions would not spare even pious people.

Parable (4)

Some one was lost in the love of another, but it wasimpossible to reach the goal. He decided to commit suicide.people persuaded him not to take that extreme step. Hesaid the first condition of a lover was to die in the love ofthe beloved. His beloved was no other than a handsomeprince. The prince came to know of this affair. He tracedthe person, appeared before him and asked him who was he,where had he come from, what was his name, what did he dofor living, and such other relevant questions. The man wasso much lost in love that he could not even talk. The princeconsoled him, asked him not to worry, and said he too was amember of the mendicants lost in love of God. This surprisedthe lover all the more. he said his existence in the presenceof such a great lover of God was not worthwhile. So sayinghe burst out with a loud cry and breathed his last. Sa�dimentions this story to indicate lovers of God hold life lightly,and that they would be ever willing to be lost in love of God.

Parable (5)

In a school a student was very handsome. His teacher wasextremely fond of him. He treated him genly and kindly.The boy said to the teacher that he was so grateful for allhis interest in training him so diligently, and yet he wouldrequest to rectify if there were any faults in him. The teachersaid, please asks this to some one else, for in his eyes nothingseems to be wanting in him. The moral here is that those inlove of God would see nothing but good in the whole universe,they would take even their sufferings as a blessing of God,and they would regard, in His Will was their peace.

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Parable (6)

Sa�di states his personal experience. A good friend of hiscalled on him one night. He was delighted, and felt s happythat the lamp he was holding fell down. There was utterdarkness. The friend was greatly annoyed and asked him whydid he extinguish the lamp. Shaikh said, it was because ifany undesirable person had come, he should be turned out.If any handsome beloved had come, he could embrace him inthe darkness of the night. The moral here is that love is astrange phenomenon that causes unusual situations.

Parable (7)

A man said to his friend, �where were you so long? I was soanxious to meet you�. The friend said the feeling of longingfor a friend was far better than estrangement in intimacy.Sa�di says a lover should not be too crazy for his beloved,because the beloved was like a lamp which would not mindthe burning of moths. It just desires the moths to hoverround it.

Parable (8)

Shaikh Sa�di had a very intimate friend, so intimate that onewas the alter-ego of the other. It so happened that they hadto be away from each other for quite long. When they metthe friend complained that Sa�di had not cared to send evena messenger enquiring his welfare. Sa�di said he did not desireto do that lest the messenger should have a glimpse of hisfriend, and he be deprived of it. In love envy is essential. Alover would never be satiated with the vision of the beloved.Love stands for the depth of feelings more to be felt thansaid.

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Parable (9)

A scholar fell in love with a beauty. He had to suffer muchfor it; he would bear all pranks but would not give up theaffair. Sa�di attempted to convince him that it was not properfor scholars to suffer indignity. The scholar said he wouldrather bear the hardships of love than give up love. It is likea loop round the neck of a deer where it would feel helpless.More you advice the lovers greater would be the intensity oftheir love. Love is a craze which ends either in union or indeath.

Parable (10)

Shaikh Sa�di narrates his personal experience. Once he toofell in love with some one, but the behaviour of the belovedwas not to his liking, and hence he remained aloof. Afterthe lapse of a few years they met again. By that time beautyhad all gone. The psalms of David and the charms of Josephhad all disappeared. Domains of attractions had becomethings of the past. What Sa�di wants to say is pride in beautywas undesirable. Looks of a person are transitory. Love ofGod alone was worthwhile. Lovers should be careful in theirchoice.

Parable (11)

Once Shaikh Sa�di asked a non-Arab about the youth. Hesaid they were no good. They are harsh when they are intheir prime of life, and kind when they get old. Sa�di isexposing here the tendencies lovers face in their romanticmood.

Parable (12)

People asked a great scholar if a person were to be with abeauty all alone in privacy, whether he would exercise self-

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control, the scholar said even if he did that he would notescape from the twisting tongue of the public. God wouldforgive all sins if one were to repent, but redemption fromthe hands of the people was impossible.

Parable (13)

A parrot was locked up with a crow in a cage. The parrotfelt miserable at the ugly look of the crow. he was cursinghis fate why he had to suffer such agony. Greater surprisewas the fact that the crow too felt the same feelings. Hetoo was cursing his fate and longed for a chance to hop on agarden wall with a fellow crow. A sinner too would as muchdetest the company of a holy man as the holy man would doof the sinner. A fool would as much dislike the company ofa wise-man, as the wise man would do of the fool.

Parable (14)

Shaikh Sa�di was traveling with a good friend of his. Theywere very intimate friends, but on some issue they fell apart.They got separated for quite long. When they met againthe friend recited those verses of Sa�di which spoke ofreconciliation. Sa�di felt happy, and they were good friendsagain. The moral is differences are natural but reconciliationbrings greater relief.

Parable (15)

A person lost his beautiful wife. His mother-in-law camehome to collect patrimony (Meher). A friend visited him toexpress his grief at the loss and to console him. He askedhow he was facing the situation. The man replied the loss ofwife was not that unbearable as the presence of mother-in-law. The rose had withered away but thorns were there stillon the bush.

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Parable (16)

Shaikh Sa�di recalls his days of prime-life. He passed througha city and it was mid-day awfully hot. He was very thirsty.He sat in a shade of a wall hoping some one would come andhe could get a glass of water. It so happened that anextremely beautiful lady passed that way, and she was goodenough to get him a glass full of icy-cold water. Sa�di fell inlove with her and said any one who once saw her would nevercome back to his senses until the last day of judgement. PoetIqbal has said:

�Knowledge could never overpower beauty; all wisemen have committed this silly mistake�.

Parable (17)

In Kashghar mosque Shaikh Sa�di found a boy who wasextremely beautiful. He was studying Arabic grammar andrepeating the conjugation of past perfect. The example hewas citing was Zaid beat Umar. At that time Sultan MohamedKhwarizm Shah had made peace with his rival, Khata Shah.Sa�di pointed out the two rulers had made peace and thatthere was no need for the boy to repeat the conjugation ofwarfare. The boy did not recognize Sa�di. He asked wherewas he from. When Sa�di said that he was from Shiraz, theboy was excited, as he knew that Sa�di was well-known in thatland for his poetry. Next day the same boy came runningand asked Sa�di whether he was the same well-renowned poet.He pleaded with Sa�di to stay for some more days in the sametown so that he could get the honour of serving him. TheShaikh related the story of a saint who was doing penance ina cave. The Shaikh asked him why would not he visit a town.The saint said in a slush even an elephant would slip off.Town atmosphere was so filled with comforts and pleasuresthat the piety of a holy man would be a thing of the past.

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Parable (18)

While traveling in Hijaz Shaikh Sa�di met a Darvish who wason a Haj pilgrimage. An Arab Lord had given the Darvish ahundred dinars in order to perform the ritual sacrifice. Onthe way high-way robbers robbed everything he had. All weregreatly disturbed but it had no effect on the Darvish. Heremained as calm and composed as if nothing had happened.The Shaikh asked him whether he was not worried at theloss of all his belongings. He said although robbers tookaway everything I had, that did not perturb him because hehad never attached any value to wealth. Men of God pay noattention either to gain or loss of wealth, is the moral of thisstory.

Parable (19)

People of Arabia brought to the notice of an Arab King thegreat romantic love of Laila and Majnun. The king orderedthe presence of Majnun. People traced him and brought himbefore the king, who admonished him severely that being ahuman he was wandering in a jungle like a beast. Majnunsaid those who had not seen Laila said the same thing. hequoted the instance of the ladies of Egypt who had accusedZulaikha for having fallen in love with a slave, but once theysaw that slave, Joseph, they cut their own fingers inastonishment, such was their charm for Joseph. The kingthought Laila too must have been a ravishing beauty thatstirred the soul of Majnun. He ordered the presence of Lailaand she was brought. She was nothing in beauty. Even themaids of the palace excelled her in beauty. The king askedMajnun why at all he was fascinated by such an ordinary ladywith no attractive feature of any sort. Majnun said oneshould see Laila with Majnun-eyes. Love is inexplicable. Itneeds not eye-sight but insight. It is more a spiritual affairthan sensual. Love is the search for Divine Beauty which

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many physical eyes cannot detect. It is a gift of God only toa few. He jests at scars who never felt a wound.

Parable (20)

Shaikh Sa�di relates the story of the Qazi, or judge of Hamdanwho fell in love with the son of a horse-shoe vendor. Theboy was irritated and uttered foul things. People felt badand hinted to the Qazi that it was below his dignity. Hewould not listen and continued the affair. The King came toknow of it. He wanted to check the matter himself. Hefound the Qazi indulging in indecent acts. The boy and theQazi were together. Broken cups of wine were scattered allaround and the Qazi was full up in intoxication. The kingbecame furious. He ordered the Qazi to be brought back tosenses. He got up and asked whether it was dawn. Peoplesaid, yes, and added Sun had risen. Qazi asked from whichdirection. It was replied from the east. The Qazi said untilthe day the sun rose from the west, the door of repentancewould be kept open by God, and hence he would seekforgiveness from God.

The king would not stand all non-sense and said it wasno time for forgiveness. His crimes had exceeded all limits.He would be put to death by throwing him down from thetop of the fort, so as to teach others too a lesson. The Qazisaid he was not the only person in the world who hadcommitted such a crime. You push some one else from thefort and he would learn a lesson not to repeat the act again.This made the king laugh. He pardoned him. There werequite a few in the gathering who wanted the Qazi to bepunished. To them the king asked, �Lift up your hands ifyou are all very pure�. Not a single hand went up. themoral of the story is that high and mighty too suffer fromhuman frailties.

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Parable (21)

A NOBLE SOUL FELL IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTY.They were traveling together in a boat, which suddenly strucka mire and caused havoc to the passengers. The boat-manattempted to save many, but not all. He approached thelovers and said he could save one of them and not both. Theyoung man implored his beloved be saved. So saying he wasdrowned. Shaikh Sa�di intends to convey the moral throughthis story that the life of the beloved was more precious to alover than his own life. There is still something moresignificant in it that real lovers of God are those who areever ready to give up their life in love of God. They feelimmortality needs the loss of mortal self. Shaikh Sa�di is asufi to the core who attempts to teach the essence of spiritualtruths through stories, so that even common man should knowhigher values.

Thus this chapter deals with love both in the physicaland spiritual sense. It touches, on high moral values as alsoon carnal desires. The purpose of Shaikh Sa�di is to makeknown to people all aspects of life, including love which playsa dominant part in it. He has not hesitated even to expresshis own personal experiences. He tells us how emotionsstimulate a path that leads to Divine Beauty. The urge oflove in man is the prime factor not only for the perpetuationof life in all living beings but also to reveal the inner realitythat God being the essence of all love revealed Himself in allthings beautiful. Poet Iqbal says:

�He who concealed His beauty from Moses is theOne who revealed Himself in the ravishing beautiesof this universe�.

8

On Oldage

Life is a journey. Everything in the universe is in movement.Whether sun or moon or stars, but living beings are subjectto a cyclical order, birth, growth, decay and death. Over thedebris of the old, a new plant comes up; child becomes fatherof man. This law of nature is eternal. Shaikh Sa�di takesinto account all phases of man�s life. If the fifth chapter ofGulistan was on youthhood, love, sentiments and emotions,the sixth chapter is on oldage, the ripe age when maturitygifts man a different phase of life. A bud blooms into fullrose and then withers away. A fruit reaches its full size,becomes ripe, tastes good, and then comes close torottenness. So is the case of man who passes from theenchanting childhood through the romantic and robustmanhood to ripe old age, when he is as helpless as a child.Man is twice a child, once when he is actually a child, andthen in oldage when all his faculties are impaired.

Man never invites death. At no time of his life he wantsto fade out. He cries when he is born, but gets so used tolife that death becomes pain. Sa�di discusses several issues inthis chapter that confront oldage. There are nine parableshere.

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Parable (1)

Shaikh Sa�di was once engaged in a scholarly discourse in theJamia-mosque of Damacus when suddenly an excited manappeared and said that an old man of 150 years was breathinghis last. He was saying something in Persian which we couldnot understand. Perhaps he wants to dictate a will. If anyone among this grou were to know Persian it would be greathelp if he were to come. Shaikh Sa�di reached the place. Hewas reciting a quatraine whose meaning was that he wantedto live for a few more years, and that it was a pity death wastaking him away. People were surprised having lived such along life he was still anxious to live long. Sa�di consoled himand said he could well understand his condition, for even theextraction of a tooth was painful. One could well imaginethe gravity of the situation when life was to be extractedfrom every cell of the body. Sa�di added that he would sendfor a good physician who could be of help. The old man saidwhen death was knocking at the door, no physician could doanything. When foundations of a house were tottering, anyrepairs of the upper structure would be of no use. The moralis that mortality greets every one.

Parable (2)

An old man married an young girl. He tried to please thebride saying that she should be thankful to God for gettingmarried to a wealthy, cultured, refined and enlightened man,who was willing to satisfy all her desires. She should feelhappy that she did not marry a haughty, poor, quarrelsomeand ignorant young man. The wife did not feel hapy andsaid the things he possessed were of no value to her. Needsof a woman were entirely different. They fell apart and gotseparated. She married a young man who was poor, ill-mannered and short-tempered, and yet she thanked God thatit was good relief from the clutches of an old man.

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Parable (3)

Shaikh Sa�di was a guest of an old wealthy person inDiyarbakar who said he did not have for a long time any son.People suggested that there was a particular tree in a jungleunder whose shade if sincere prayers were offered God wouldbless him a son. He did exactly that and God was graciousenough to bless him a son. The boy grew up and ShaikhSa�di heard this also that the boy was enquiring about thattree so that he could pray for the demise of his father. Sa�disays this is a strange world where the father was crazy tohave a son, and the son was crazy to see the death of thefather. Sa�di exhorts all youngsters to respect their parents,serve them to the best of their ability and take their blessings,so that they could expect the same from their children.

Parable (4)

Shaikh Sa�di narrates his personal experience that in the primeof his life he was proud of the fast walk which he did. Onceit so happened continuous fast walk for long exhausted himso much that he had to rest under the shade of a tree. Awise man who passed that way found him asleep. He warnedSa�di that the place was not safe and that he might be attackedat any time by the robbers. He added it was far better towalk slowly than running which would exhaust man. An Arabhorse that runs fast would soon be tired but a camel thatmoves slowly walks night and day to reach the destiny. Therace between the turtle and the hare is well known; walkingslowly but continuously made the turtle win the race, whereasrunning fast and getting exhausted made the hare lose therace.

Parable (5)

A handsome, charming and lively young man was once acompanion of Shaikh Sa�di in a journey. He met the same

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man after quite a few years later when he had become almostold. He said he got married, brought up children and facedthe harsh music of life that caused his blooming face a thingof the past. The moral is one has to make a distinctionbetween transitory and permanent aspects of life. Wealth,beauty joy or sorrow are things transitory, knowledge, skill,wisdom and understanding are more lasting.

Parable (6)

Shaikh Sa�di says when he was a young man he said somethingharsh to his mother which made her sad. She said, �you haveforgotten your childhood when you were helpless. You havenow become arrogant�. Sa�di recalls his life to warn the youththat they should ever be respectful to parents, for there isnothing more precious in the world than the love of mother.

Parable (7)

The son of a wealthy miser fell ill. People suggested for therecovery of the boy either recitation of Quran be arrangedor a lamb be given in charity. He thought lamb would beexpensive and recitation of Quran would be cheaper. Hearranged the latter. A wit remarked Quran is on his lips butmoney was within his soul. This miser is like a donkey whichdoes not know how to come out of a quagmire. He wouldrecite holy scriptures a hundred times to come out of it butnot spend one dinar, if that were to be the fee for the relief.

Parable (8)

People asked an old man who was lonely why he was notgetting married. He said he did not like old women and youngwomen would not like him. A person blind by birth wouldnot have vision even in his dreams. The moral is what cannotbe cured must be endured. Oldage is a difficult phase inman�s life.

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Parable (9)

An old man married a beautiful girl whose name was Gauhar,meaning pearl. Naturally it was not a successful venture.Being displeased with the husband the wife caused havoc inthe house. The matter reached the court. The judge said itwas foolish to blame the girl. It was the natural result ofthe incompatible marriage. The hand that shivers would notthread the pearl.

Thus in this chapter Sa�di tells us that each phase ofman demands a different type of response. What a childneeds would be different from what a young man or an oldman needs. Life is a complex affair where wisdom andunderstanding alone would be helpful guides. Man would bein trouble if he does not act wisely. He cannot expect inoldage the vigour of his youth. The whole world is an openbook whose every page is a lesson to a reflective mind. Man�slife too conforms to laws of nature where in the growth phaseeverything is robust, strong and sturdy, and in the decayingphase it is all weak, pale and helpless. He is like a lion inmanhood who turns calm, quiet and sober like a camel inoldage. As a child he finds all his strength in limbs thatmake him run about restless like mercury. As a young manhe diverts all his energy in romance as if he is a love-bird.As an old man he finds his tongue to be all powerful and hetalks like a parrot. Thus the drama of life goes on fromcradle to grave with numerous scenes of fascinating nature.

9

On Education and Training

The most important chapter of Gulistan is the seventh chapterthat deals with education and training, the mission thatconverts man into enlightened being. Education is the artof training mind, body and soul. It is the agent for socialchange in order to make man live harmoniously and graciouslywith his own fellow-beings. It is the job to bring up to surfacethe best a man has. It is a man-making character buildingprogramme which aims at creative vision, finer tastes andnobler aims. It is an onward march of man towards higherobjectives which help man face challenges of life, know realitiesof life and build civilized life. Education is not merelyknowing information but moving from knowledge to skill, fromskill to wisdom and from wisdom to understanding. It is theability to solve the basic problems of life like food, shelterand clothing wisely and skillfully. It is building of bridgesbetween man and man. It is the search for truth andexcellence. It is the transformation of man into a moralbeing. In short education is that treasure of knowledge whereknowledge is life, knowledge is light, knowledge is power andknowledge is Divine. Sa�di has stressed its importance in 20parables.

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Parable (1)

The son of a Vazir was very backward, dullard and stupid.The Vazir entrusted the boy to the care of a very reputedteacher for proper training. The renowned teacher exertedhis utmost but the boy would not learn anything. The teachersaid to the Vazir, �I went mad teaching your son, but yourson learned nothing�. Shaikh Sa�di quotes a verse meaningeven if you take the donkey of Jesus to Mecca, it would yetremain a donkey when it comes back.

Parable (2)

A wise man instructed his children that they should learnsome art, some skill. Skill or craft is that magnet whichattracts rightful livelihood on its own. Wealth, property, landor power are all untrustworthy that would slip off, but skillis that stream which would ever be in motion. Even if askilled person is poor, it does not matter for skill itself iswealth. It would have its value wherever he goes. Anunskilled person would suffer and would be a beggar. ShaikhSa�di relates an event. A political upheaval took place in Syria.Many had to leave their hearth and home. Educated andskilled children of the unlettered peasants rose high n lifeand became ministers, but ignorant and unskilled children ofthe ministers had to beg before the unlettered peasants.Shaikh Sa�di has taught us here a lesson that knowledge andskill are superior to anything on earth.

Parable (3)

A very competent teacher was very harsh in training a prince.he would resort even to caning. The prince complained theking and showed even the scars of beating. The king askedthe teacher why he was harsh only on his son, whereas hewas kind and nice on all others. The teacher said defects

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and weaknesses of others could be concealed but not of theroyal family. They spread like wild-fire all over even beyondthe kingdom. Mistakes of the common man are not thatharmful as those of the kings. They may leadd even to thedestruction of the kingdom. Hence special attention was paidto the training of the prince.

Parable (4)

Shaikh Sa�di states that he knew of a teacher in one of theprovinces of West Asia where he was very harsh on students.He would severely chastise the children, he would spank themand he would abuse them. The boys got disgusted of himand pressurized the parents to remove him. Another teacherwas appointed who was good, kind and sober, almost angelicin nature. Children felt very happy. They had very nicetime and took undue advantage of the goodness of the teacher.Matters reached the level of boys doing mischief. They forgottheir studies and caused serious problems. The parents hadno alternative to bring back the same old disciplinarian. Sa�disays that a prince got a silver slate on which was inscribed inletters of gold that the spanking of a teacher was far betterthan the loving care of the parents.

Parable (5)

A bright boy inherited plenty of wealth from his uncle. Itled him astray. All his piety disappeared. He indulged inlicentiononess, became extravagant and took to bad habits.Shaikh Sa�di tried to reform him, admonished him, warnedhim and told him wasteful expenditure was like the flow ofwater under the bridges which could never be brought back,but the boy would not listen. He was addicted to wine aswell. Sa�di stopped taking interest in him. He thought theboy would soon be ruined. It happened exactly like that.The boy had to beg later for each marcel of food. Shaikh

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felt very bad but was helpless to do anything. Yet he thoughtone should not find fault with any one at such bad time andadd insult to injury. The moral is if you do not train childrenwhen young, any effort later would be in vain.

Parable (6)

A king entrusted his son to a good teacher for training. Hedid his best to shape him well but he proved useless.Teacher�s own sons became bright stars but the princeremained hopeless. The king got wild, admonished the teacherthat he did injustice and did not do his job well. The teachersaid he was fair to all but the potential of the prince itselfwas different. One cannot expect a rocky soil to yield fruits.

Parable (7)

A Sufi said to his disciple that if only the kind of love manhas for his daily bread had been for the love of God, he wouldhave excelled angels in rank. Man has to remember God hadnot forgotten the baby while it was yet in the womb of themother so helpless and tiny. God in His mercy shaped himinto man, gave him life, mind, feelings, beauty, intellect andpower to speak. Man, therefore, ought to be extremelygrateful to God.

Parable (8)

Shaikh Sa�di heard a Badaon instructing his son that he wouldbe asked on the last day of judgement what did he do in theworld, and not who was his father, what was his job or whatwas his race. The moral is man�s deeds are important andnot his race, colour, tongue or job.

Parable (9)

The birth of a scorpion takes a different mode from all othercreatures. it comes out tearing the womb of its mother.When asked why it would not come out of its pit in winter,it retorted what welcome it got in summer so that it shouldcome out again in winter. The moral is a dangerous elementwas not wanted at any time.

Parable (10)

The wife of a Darvish was on a family way. The Darvishvowed if he were to get a boy, he would give away everythingto the mendicants except what he had on his body. Godblessed him with a lively boy. The Darvish fulfilled his vowand gave away whatever he had in the name of God. ShaikhSa�di passed that way after a few years and saw the Darvishin chains put in a prison. He asked the reason and was tld itwas because of his son. Under the influence of intoxicationhe committed a murder and ran away. The police seized hisfather and put him in jail. Shaikh Sa�di said to the Darvishthat his agony was self-invited through sincere prayers to Godfor a son. Sa�di added it was far better for a mother to givebirth to a snake than to a wicked child.

Parable (11)

While Shaikh Sa�di still very young asked a wise person whatwas maturity and when would man become mature. Thelearned person said normally a person attained maturity afterhis 15th year, when he would feel certain natural changes. Butreally mature is he who prefers God�s will to his own. He inwhom this quality is not present is not at all mature. Evenif he is forty years old, if understanding and decency arelacking, we cannot say he is mature. If knowledge and wisdomare missing in a man, he is not mature. if he is incapable of

extending helping hand to others, he is not mature. If he isunable to make others happy, he is not mature. Shaikh Sa�dihas summarized a great ethical code in this parable.

Parable (12)

Once Shaikh Sa�di too joined the group that was covering theMecca journey by walking. On the way the group startedquarrelling on some issue. It became quite a serious scuffle.A sage said in a chess game the foot soldier moving up wouldbecome a minister, but the hajis who moved through thejungles yet remained degraded. He who picked holes of otherswas not a Haji. A camel would not harm any one, would notmisbehave with any one, would eat thorns but serve others,and would bear the load of others. The camel was the realHaji, and not the one who spoke ill of others and indulged inhurting and harming others. The moral is religious ritualsshould improve the morals of man. When that purpose wasnot served, man would be worse than an animal.

Parable (13)

A person became an expert in the art of throwing burningarrows that would cause destruction to houses. A sage saidit was a dangerous game, for he would stand to greater lossas his house had thatched roof. Those who live in glasshouses should not throw stones at others. Shaikh Sa�di addsthat one should think before what one says. He should openhis mouth only when he was sure he was saying the rightthing, or else he would suffer adverse remarks. he has totake into account the circumstances of the time before sayingor doing anything.

Parable (14)

A fool had an eye problem. he went to a veterinary doctorwho put some medicine which made him blind. The matter

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was taken to a court. The judge said it was not the fault ofthe Veterinary doctor. The fool was a donkey in going to aVeterinarian. He should not have gone to a wrong place.Weaving a mattress was different from weaving a carpet. Noone is adopt in everything.

Parable (15)

The son of a sage passed away. People asked the sage whatshould be inscribed on the tomb stone. Would he like Quranicverses to be inscribed? The sage said, please do not do that.Over the time inscription may be effaced, people may walkover it. If at all you want to write some thing, write thisquatrain whose meaning is: �I was getting excited whenevergreen grass was sprouting in a garden; now that you havecome in spring to my grave, you would find the lawn only ofsorrow and grief; it is all reminiscent of remorse andrepentance�.

Parable (16)

A saint saw a wealthy man had tied the hands and feet of aslave and he was beating him badly. The saint admonishedthe owner and said he ought to be grateful to God for gettinga human being like himself as a slave, and for making himmore respectable than a slave. It was not fair he should beharsh on a slave, lest that slave should emerge better thanhe on the last day of judgement, and he should sufferhumiliation. Do not be angry on the slave and do not hurthis feelings whom you have purchased paying a few coins andnot brought him into existence. This pride would be of nouse before Almighty God whom he should never forget. Youare a slave of that Supreme and Sublime Master. HolyProphet has said that the greatest regret on the last day ofjudgement would be of the person whose slave would be ledto the paradise and his master to the hell.

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Parable (17)

Shaikh Sa�di was traveling in Balkh towards the city ofBamiyan. The road was very hazardous. Marauders werejust waiting. A sturdy, strong wrestler with bows and arrowswas also with Sa�di. On the way he paraded his strength.He would uproot plants, he would demolish walls and hewould do such pranks. But he had not faced hardships oflife. He had been brought up in ease and comfort. He hadnot traveled at any time. He had not heard the siron of anywar. The highway robbers suddenly attacked the party. Sa�diasked the wrestler to show his mettle. The bows and arrowsfell off from his hands. He stood shivering. Sa�di saved hislife by surrendering all his belongings to the thieves. Theinexperienced wrestler proved more a liability.

Parable (18)

Shaikh Sa�di says that he found the son of a wealthy personboasting over the tomb of his father that it was made ofmarble, that it had been ducked with gems, and that it carriedcolourful inscriptions. He pointed to the grave of a poormendicant which was just of mud, but the son of themendicant said that his father would reach heaven soon justby scratching the mud, whereas the father of the wealthy sonhad to struggle hard and hard before he could move the heavymarble walls. Sa�di adds the donkey whose load is less wouldwalk comfortably. The fakir who is used to hunger wouldeasily approach the door of death whereas the wealthy wouldfind very hard to move.

Parable (19)

Shaikh Sa�di asked a sage the meaning of a hadith which saysthat the greatest enemy of a person was his own self. Thesage replied, if you do favour to a foe he would turn into afriend, but if you do the same to your self it would demand

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still more and still more. The more you favour, the morehostile it becomes. Eating less makes man angelic in nature.Eating too much is the quality of animals and it makes onesluggish. If you extend a helping hand to some one, he wouldbe grateful, but if you do the same to yourself it would makeyou a slave and rule over you.

Parable (20)

This is a long dialogue on the debatable point whether wealthypeople or God-fearing souls are more important to the society.Shaikh Sa�di has entered into a long discussion on this subject.A person seemed to be a mendicant but did not possess theirqualities was present in a social gathering. He was bitterlycriticizing the wealthy folks. he said wealthy were lost inamassing wealth, having no spark of devotion or service toman. Shaikh Sa�di differed from this view and said wealthywere the source for the income of the mendicants, and forthe livelihood of the recluse. They help the holy in severalways; they build serais for their stay; they support the widows,the aged, and the needy; they pay zakat, alms and charity;they liberate slaves; they endow land for wakf; they performsacrifices; whereas the mendicant or fakir only performs namazor prayers and that to willy, nilly.

Sa�di added a wealthy was standing for night prayers (Isha)but the faqir was lost in the thought where to get his dinner.A person who is worried for his daily need would have adisturbed heart. Poverty is a crime. A hadith says that thosewho extend their palm before others are a disgrace to all onthis earth. Having heard this, the other man said that HolyProphet had also said that a faqir was a person of pride tohim. Shaikh Sa�di said that this reference was only to thoseholy men who resigned to the will of God and suffered allhardships, and not to those who were parasites on others,who pretended piety and they were like drums whose inside

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was empty. A hadith also says deprivalions may even lead toheresy. The hand of a giver is always upper, and of thereceiver always lower. Having heard this that faqir lost histemper. he started abusing Sa�di. He said Sa�di was needlesslyexaggerating the virtues of the wealthy. The rich were proud,haughty and unjust. They hate the poor. They are greedyand harsh on the faqirs. They love flattery and they areindifferent towards the scholars. They would not part a paisawithout show. They are stingy and misers. they amass wealthaimlessly. They post harsh and rude guards at the door whoprevent the needy from entering the house. When they diethey leave behind all their wealth with great grief and pain.

Shaikh Sa�di said they discouraged the needy from comingbecause the needy had pestered them much. The Shaikh saidhe had heard of faqirl who had moleted some one. He wasafraid he would be punished and hence started justifying hisdeed. He said, �Oh Muslims! when a peson cannot afford tomarry, and cannot control his passion, what else he woulddo? Islam prohibits celebicy. The wealthy have many avenues,many women slaves, every night they indulge in profligacy.The hungry would knock of a bread. When a hungry dogfinds a piece of bread it would not see where was it from.He would not check whether it was a piece from ProphetSaleh�s camel or a dead corpse of a donkey of Dajjal. Ahungry person had no patience to check permissible orforbidden food�.

Such discussion between Sa�di and the Faqir went on for long.Both were presenting arguments in their favour. The faqirresorted to violence. He tore the garment of Sa�di and usedfoul language. The Shaikh also did not keep quiet and saidharsh things. The matter reached a level where witnessessuggested that it should be referred to the court. Theyappeared before the Qazi who first addressed Sa�di and saidthat the Shaikh had praised the wealthy too much and thought

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that their harsh treatment of the poor was justified. This isnot proper, because wine involves intoxication; treasure isassociated with snake; pearls of the monarchs were linked todangerous crocodiles that shed tears while devouring humanvictims. Behind merriment of life lurks death. Entry intoparadise demands denial of many of the pleasures of life. Norose is without a thorn and no rejoicing without sorrow andsuffering. Thus the wealthy group is not all nobilitypersonified. There are quite a few ungrateful among them,as also grateful. Likewise among the mendicants there arepatient and impatient friars or beggars. If every dew dropwere to become pearl, the value of the pearls would benothing. There are quite a few wealthy who possess thequality of mendicants, and there are quite a few mendicantswho have the resourcefulness of the wealthy. He is the richestperson who removes the sorrow of the mendicants, and he isthe greatest mendicant who never seeks the charity of thewealthy.

The Qazi then turned towards the Faqir and said his thoughtthat all wealthy indulge in pleasure-seeking, in sinful deeds,in merriment and enjoyment was wrong. It is a few may belike that but not all. It is true there are a few misers, whoneither feed themselves nor others, who amass wealth, whotake no notice of the poor mendicants, and who are not afraidof even Almighty God. They think they possess money andwhy should a duck be afraid of water. A camel rider is fearlessof desert. But there is another category of the rich whosetable is open for all, whose door is never shut for anyneedy,and whose thoughts are focused both on this and thenext world. These words of the enlightened Qazi satisfiedboth the parties, and they hugged each other.

Thus Shaikh Sa�di has thrown intensive light in this chapteron aspects which would be helpful to lead a meaningful life,if we bestow serious thoughts on them. Its main focus is on

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training and education. We have to train our children onright lines, make them know realities of life, inspire them togrow big, and warn them from ignorance, indolence, apathyand superstition. Success depends upon what we do, and notupon what we think or feel. The price of success is hardwork and get results quickly. It needs industry, integrity,concentration and resolute will. These are te factors thatare brought out in this chapter through parables.

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10

On Company and Environment

The eighth and the last chapter of Gulistan is on friends,company and environment, which play a very important partin man�s life. The saying is, tell me your friends and I willtell you what you are. Bad company spoiled the son even ofa Prophet, Naoh, and good company brought credit even todogs of the cave saints, Ashab-e-Kahaf. History of nationsis changed through physical features and environment. Peopleof cold countries are active and smart and people of warmclimate become enervative and lethargic. Shaikh Sa�di is notteaching here through his unique technique of parables, buthas adopted a different method of words of wisdom (Hikmat).There are altogether 107 statements of wisdom in this chapter.

(1) Wealth is for the comfort of life, but life is notfor amassing wealth. Some one asked a wise manwho is fortunate and who is unfortunate. He replied,he is fortunate who earned wealth and spent it wisely,and he is unfortunate who having earned it used itneither on himself nor on others.

(2) Prophet Moses advised Korah (Kharoon) to be abenefactor of humanity as Almighty God has beenso beneficent to him. He did not listen. The earthsucked him in with all his wealth. Do good and forget

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it all; be generous in giving, but not for name orfame. God deeds would bring good rewards even inthe next world.

(3) Two people suffer needless trouble, one whoamassed wealth, but used it not; the other gainedknowledge and acted not on it. Knowledge withoutaction is ignorance.

(4) Gaining knowledge is for the service of man, andnot for earning livelihood.

(5) He who sold his knowledge, piety and penancehas put his assets on fire. An impious scholar isfaithless. He is like a blind man holding a lamp. Howcan he see?

(6) A country is illumined by the wise, and a religion,by the pious. The king who listens to the wise isreally a wise ruler. he would not appoint any oneexcept the wise. The kings need the wise men morethan the wisemen need the kings.

(7) Three things are useless without three things. (i)wealth without trade, (ii) Knowledge without debate;(iii) Country without politics.

(8) To be kind to bad people is to be harsh on goodpeople. To forgive the wicked is to impose a penaltyon the mendicants.

(9) Have no faith on the friendship of the kings andthe sweet voice of the children. Do not give heartto the beauty who has a thousand lovers.

(10) Do not reveal a secret even to your sincerefriend. Who knows he may turn a foe tomorrow.Do not be harsh on your foe, who knows he mayturn a friend tomorrow.

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(11) What you want to keep confidential, do notdiscuss that with any one. Your friends too havefriends, and your secret would not remain a secret.The wise would put a stop to the spring at the sourceitself or else it would become an uncontrollablestream.

(12) Do not trust the loyalty of a weak enemy. Hewould be waiting for an opportunity to get strongand turn again a foe. Do not rrust the friendship ofthe friends also put out the fire of hostility before itbecomes a flame.

(13) When in the company of two rivals, speak insuch a way that you need not feel sorry, if they wereto become friends.

(14) He who face makes up with enemies all byhimself loses his friends and causes concern tofriends.

(15) When you face serious problems in doing ajob, choose the line of least damage or worry in doingthat job.

(16) If money were to be helpful in gaining yourobjective, do not hesitate to spend it. Do not riskyour life in doing a job. There is no need to useforce when tact could do the job.

(17) To crush an oppressor is to help humanity. Hewho is kind on snakes puts the life of mankind indanger.

(18) It is totaling wrong to accept the advice of anenemy, but it is good to listen to it, so that suitablesteps be taken against it.

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(19) Excessive anger is a sign of savagery. Needlesskindness is a sign of foolishness. Do not be too harshlest you be hated, and not be to kind lest you beoverpowered. A wise person neither thinks himselfgreat nor degrades himself. A father advised hisson to do good to people, but not so much as tomake them burn into wolves.

(20)Two people are enemies of a country and ofreligion. One is an impatient King who cannot controlhis temper, and the other is that ignorant piousperson who is unaware of devotion to God.

(21) It is essential that kings should not be proud,and holy men should not be hypocrites.

(22) Ill-mannered person is in the grip of his enemy.He would not escape from his punishment whereverhe goes.

(23) Feel happy when you see dissensions in the enemycamp. Be alert and cautious when you see themunited.

(24) The last resort of an enemy is to sound the bellof friendship. It does that work which no enemycould do. Get the snake�s head crushed by yourenemy.

(25) Do not convey any news that hurts the feelingsof others. leave it for others to do it. Ohnightingale, bring us the glad tidings of spring, andleave the bad news to owls.

(26) Do not report the matter of any fraud to theking until you are sure he believes your word or elseyou would risk your life.

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(27) He who advises a haughty person would himselfbe in need of advice. Haughty persons do not acceptthe advice of others.

(28) Do not be deceived by your enemy.

(29) Do not be a victim of flattery. Only fools arefond of flattery.

(30) Do not be delighted by the praise of an ignorantat the excellence of your speech. If some onerectifies your speech so as to remove its short-comings, do not feel bad. Until a critic reviews yourspeech, there is no scope of its being sound.

(31) Every one holds his own intellect very high, andhis own son as very handsome. No one would feelhimself a fool, even if the whole world loses its wit.A Muslim and a Jew were in a heated debate. Inanger the Muslim cried �if my scriptures were to bewrong, oh God, make me die a Jew�. The Jew said,�I swear on Torah if things were to be contrary towhat I say, let me die like you a Muslim and not aJew�.

(32) Ten people could take their food merrily at atable, but two dogs would fight bitterly even thewhole dead corpse were to be at their disposal. Agreedy would die hungry, even if he possessed thewhole world. A contented Darvish would share withothers even if he were to have half a loaf of bread. Acontented mendicancy is far better than greedymonarchy. At the time of death Shaikh Sa�di�s fatheradvised the Shaikh, �Oh my son! Passion is a fire, beaway from it; put out that fire with the water ofself-restraint�.

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(33) One who does not do good while young wouldnot bear difficulties when old. No one would bemore unfortunate than that oppressor in whosemisery none would come to his rescue.

(34) What is got easily would not last long. Chinawares are cast from corrosive material of forty longyears, but a chick picks the moment it is hatchedfrom an egg. Human baby becomes mature onlyafter forty years. Pebbles are found every whereand hence of no worth, but diamonds are rare anddifficult to get and hence very precious.

(35) Many things are accomplished by patientperseverance. Haster makes waste. Swift horse gottired; slow-paced camel reached the destiny.

(36) Nothing is more suited to a fool than silence. Ifyou understand this point, you would not remain afool. When you have no merit in you, keep yourmouth shut, for tongue is the source to bringdisgrace. An empty shell of a nut will be light. Afool was educating a donkey. A wit told him, regarda mute animal as your teacher and learn from it thelesson of silence.

(37) One who keeps bad company would never seeanything good. if an angel were to keep companywith a devil, it would also learn brutality, hypocrisy,and fraud. How can a ferocious wolf learn anythinggood?

(38) He who disputes with the wise to show off hiswisdom is a fool. When a learned person is speaking,do not raise objections even if you know much morethan he does.

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(39) Do not expose the defects of others. That wouldbring you disgrace and you would lose their trust.

(40) He who gained knowledge but did not practiceit is like one who ploughs the field but not sows theseeds. Do not think every veil hides a beauty; maybe she is a grandma; do not be lost in mereimagination, check and verify things.

(41) If every night were to be a festive night like Shab-e-Qadir, the value of Shab-e-Qadir would be gone.If all stones were to be Badakshan diamond, the valueof diamonds in the market would be equivalent tothat of pebbles.

(42) He who is handsome need not necessarily be ofgood conduct. What is important is character andnot facial beauty. One would not know a man�scharacter in a day or two. One could know his skill,talent and knowledge but not his inner self. Do notbe satisfied with his inner self, and do not bedeceived. Inner badness of a person would not berevealed for years together.

(43) He who quarrels with his elders is in a way killinghimself. A squint eye would never see things straight.

(44) It is not wise to westle with a tiger or to strikea blow at a sword.

(45) A weak who ventures to challenge a strong wouldbe facilitating his foes for his own destruction.

(46) One who ignores the advice of the wise wouldface unpleasant situations.

(47) Unskilled cannot tolerate the skilled because ofjealousy and hatred. Stray dogs bark at the huntingdogs but cannot face them boldly.

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(48) But for hunger no animal would have beentrapped by any hunger, and the hunter himself wouldnot have cast his net but for hunger. Hunger putsman�s hands and feet in chain. A hungry mouth wouldforget to remember even God.

(49) Wise people eat slowly so as to digest well. Piouspeople eat quenching only their half hunger so as toremain in prayers. Good people eat so as to be alive.Youngsters eat until the table is emptied. Old peopleeat until they start sweating, but recluses(Qalvandars) eat until they cannot even breath, andnothing is left on the table. One who lives only foreating would not get sleep on two nights, on onenight he eats so much that he becomes restless, andon another night when he suffers from hunger.

(50) Consultations with women is disastrous, and itis a sin to be generous to conspirators.

(51) It is foolish not to kill a foe when he confrontsyou, or else he would kill you. Not to kill a snake isto get ready to be bitten by snake. This is the viewof one group. The other group says, do not be in ahurry to kill; taking life is easy, bringing back to lifeis impossible.

(52) A scholar or a wit, who indulges in argumentswith an ignorant should not expect any increase inhis honour. It is not surprising the ignorant mayoverpower the wise by his tall talk. A stone canbreak a pearl; that would not increase the value ofthe stone, nor would it reduce the price of the pearl.

(53) No wonder if the stupid were to harass the wise.The sound of a drum silences the melody of anightingale and the bad smell of garlic may suppressthe fragrance of a rose.

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(54) If a pearl falls into a slush, it would not lose itsworth; if dust rises sky-high, it would yet remain dirt.We feel sorry for the incompetent, but it isimpossible to train the incompetent. Ash has noworth in it; it is like dust. If you have any talent inyou, bring it up to surface; it is not necessary youquote parentage. The son of Noah lost the glory ofProphethood. The father of such a great Prophetas Abraham, Azar, was an idol worshipper.

(55) The fragrance of musk is enough to say it is musk;there is no need for musk vendor to declare it ismusk. The wise remain silent like the casket of musk,for his merit speaks for itself. The ignorant is like adrum, hollow within and all sound on the outer.

(56) The feelings of your life-long friend should notbe hurt in a moment. It requires ages for a stone tobecome a diamond. It should not be crushed by asingle blow.

(57) Intellect is in the grip of selfish desires in such amanner as if a weak person in the hands of a conning,crafty and sly woman.

(58) Ideas without power are illusions and powerwithout ideas is ignorance or madness.

(59) That philanthropist who spends on himself andon others is far better than that pious person whotakes and hoards.

(60) He who gives up right desires for the sake ofgaining cheap popularity falls into wrong desires.The heart of a recluse who retreats not to a cornerto remember God is like a rusted mirror.

(61) Little drops make a mighty ocean. One bereft

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of power collects pebbles to eliminate an enemy atleisure.

(62) A learned person should not tolerate thefoolishness of the ignorant. it is harmful to both.The learned loses his dignity and the ignorantenhances his ignorance. Kindness increases the prideof a mean person.

(63) It is not fair for any one to commit a sin. Sin ina learned person is more condemnable. Knowledgeis a sword to fight the devil. When one who wieldsthat sword is himself a prisoner, he would suffer muchhumiliation. It is more regrettable if the learnedhaving two eyes were to fall into a well.

(64) Life depends merely on breathing. This worldis only a bridge between existence and eternity.Those who buy this world in exchange for the nextworld are donkeys. What did they get by sellingsuch a dear one as Prophet Joseph?

(65) The Devil cannot overpower God�s sincere souls,and a king cannot overpower the poor. Do not lendmoney to those who do not pray (perform namaz).When they cannot discharge their debt to God, howwould they clear your loan?

(66) One who does not share his bread with otherswould not be talked of well when he dies. The ownerof an orchard would not know the taste of thosefruits which a widow picks up from the ground andeats in her hunger. Just to remember the hunger ofthe hungry Prophet Joseph never filled his belly whena famine was raging in Egypt. How can one who issatiated know what hunger is? He who is in troublewould realize the conditions of a helpless. Do notask cinders from your neighbour. The smoke you

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see coming from his house is the sigh of his grief.

(67) In days of famine do not ask an impoverishedDarvish how is he. In case you ask him, extend ahelping hand and give him something. Go to adonkey only with the intention of saving it when itis knee-deep in quagmire.

(68) Two things are against common sense, one is toeat more than what is assigned to you in your fate,and the other, to die before your time.

(69) Oh seeker of livelihood! Have faith in God, Hewould provide you bread to eat. Oh you wanted bydeath! you cannot save your life by running away.Death never spares anybody.

(70) A wicked wealthy is like a mud-heap coated withgold, and a noble mendicant is like that beautysmeared with dust or like that cloak of Moses fullof patches and patches.

(71) One who suffers from intense jealousy would bedenied of God�s mercy. He regards an innocent ashis enemy. Shaikh Sa�di saw a senseless personspeaking ill of a high dignitary. Shaikh said to him,�If you are unfortunate, what is wrong with thatfortunate? An unfortunate suffers in the disease ofhis own jealousy�.

(72) The student who does not have faith in histeacher is like a poor lover deprived of the companyof the beloved. He too would be deprived ofknowledge. An impractical scholar is like a treewithout fruits. An ignorant pious is like a housewithout doors. The purpose of Quran is to teachmorals, and not very pleasant recitation.

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(73) People asked a wise person, �With whom are weto compare an impractical scholar?� He replied,�With honey comb without honey�. If it is not givinghoney, let it not sting at least.

(74) A man without affection is like a woman; a greedypious is a marauder, a hypocrite in holy dress.

(75) Envy does not disappear from the heart of twopersons, one is that merchant whose ship laden withgoods was drowned, and the other, he whose endowerjoins the group of recluses.

(76) Robes presented by a king are very nice but nicerwould be the torn clothes which are your own. Thesimple homely meal is far better than the deliciousmenu of a mansion.

(77) It is not correct to take any medicine withoutchecking its effect, and to join a caravan withoutknowing its whereabouts. Some one asked ImamGhazali how did he reach the heights of knowledge.He said, �I never felt shy in asking that which I didnot know.�

(78) Do not be in a hurry to ask what would be knownto you any way. By so doing you would be damagingthe grandeur and the dignity of the State whenLuqman saw Prophet David was melting iron, he didnot ask what was being made, for he knew this secretwould be revealed one day without enquiry.

(79) One should not take to the company of badpeople, whose way of life is looked down upon. Ifsome one were to frequent a bar, he would besuspected of going to a bar even if he turns towardsa mosque. Wise people have advised us not to mixwith fools. The company of ignorants would make

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even a wise a donkey, and surely the fools would growmore foolish.

(80) The camel is such a patient animal that even ifa child were to hold its rein and walk for forty miles,it would not disobey, but if some one were to directit towards a dangerous valley, it would snatch therein from his hands, and it would not obey him. It isnot good to be kind to those who are harsh. Fall onthe feet of he who is kind, but throw mud into theeyes of he who confronts you.

(81) He who intrudes into the talk of others in orderto assert his superiority would not be successful inhis efforts, for people would soon detect the degreeof his ignorance. One who speaks too much is nottaken seriously. Even if he says the right thing peoplewould take it to be wrong and false.

(82) Shaikh Sa�di had a wound on his body. Histeacher, the great Sufi saint, Hazrat ShaikhShuhabuddin Suharwardy, would frequently askwhether the wound was healed, but he never askedwhere was the wound. One ought to be careful onwhat he talks. Speak always the right thing. Betterto go to jail speaking the truth than to be releaseduttering a lie.

(83) To utter a lie is to effect a blow. Even if thewound is healed, the scar would remain there.Falsehood of Joseph�s brothers made themunbelievable even when they spoke the truth. Onewho is used to speak the truth, even if he utters awrong thing, people would not mind. One who is ahabitual lier, even if he speaks the truth, peoplewould not believe him.

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(84) Man is among the supreme of the creations andthe dog comes at the bottom, but wise people say agrateful dog is better than an ungrateful man.Throw a crumb to a dog, it would not leave yourdoor even if you hit it with a hundred stones. Dogood all your life to a mean person, he would pounceupon you even over a trifle.

(85) The seeker of comforts would not learn any art.Unskilled is unfit for leadership. Voracious eaterwould be humiliated. In case you want to be fat likea bull, you should also be prepared to bear the burdenlike a donkey.

(86) It is said in Bible when God blesses man withwealth, he forgets God and hoards wealth. WhenGod puts man in misery, he becomes desperate. Heis either proud in prosperity or miserable in poverty.If this is the situation both in good and bad days,when is he to be grateful to God?

(87) The will of God brings down a king from thethrone or keeps a man quite well in the belly of afish. He alone is happy who got the blessings toremember God, although he may be like ProphetYunus in the belly of a fish.

(88) If Almighty God were to be in harsh mood, evenProphets and saints would tremble in fear; if in themood of mercy and grace, even sinners would be onpar with saints. If the Supreme and the SublimeMaster were to be displeased on the last day ofjudgement, even prophets would not get a chanceto plead excuse. If the Majestic Lord were to bekind and compassionate, even brute criminals couldhope for forgiveness.

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(89) He who having suffered the miseries of this worlddoes not adopt the right path, would face severepunishment in the next world.

(90) Good people are those who learn from theexperiences of the people of the past, and theybecome examples for their successors to follow, butthieves would persist in their job until they get theirhands cut. Even a bird when it sees another bird inthe cage would not move to pick the grain in thetrap. If you do not learn from the experiences ofothers, others would learn from your pitiableconditions.

(91) He whose ears are deaf for good words of others,would not listen to the advice of any one. One wouldnot gain God�s blessings by muscle power, one needsGod�s mercy.

(92) The fakir whose future is bright is superior tothe king whose future is bleak. The grief thatprecedes joy is better than the joy that precedesgrief.

(93) The earth gets showers from the sky, but thesky gets dirt from the earth. The vessel presentswhat it contains.

(94) God sees everything yet conceals everything.The neighbour sees nothing yet makes a lot of fuss.If the people had the ability to know the unknown,no body in the world would have got peace.

(95) You get gold digging the earth but that goldcomes out of the miser�s hands only when he dies.Mean people do not spend it, they hoard it. Oneday they would leave behind all of it earning onlydisgrace.

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(96) He who is not kind on weak and helpless wouldsuffer one day at the hands of an oppressor.

(97) A man of God was praying in his seclusion, OhGod! shower your blessings on the bad, for you havealready blessed the good. Your grace on them wassuch that they were born good.

(98) When a wise man finds himself in the midst ofconflicting divisive forces, he would very tactfullycome out of them, but if he were to be in the midstof unifying and pacifying forces, he would stay back.This is because in the first case safety and securitywere at risk, but in the second case there was amplescope for joy and reward.

(99) Betting is a matter of luck. You need 18 pointsto win, but you get only three, the sure sign of loss.The horse you bet would prefer to be in a grazingyard, but it was helpless when brought to a racingground.

(100) King Jamasheed was the first person to inventembroidery on dress and to wear a ring on the lefthand. Some one asked him why he preferred theleft hand to right hand. He said right had alreadygot its superiority. King Faridoon ordered Chineseartists to decorate the outer covers of his tents whichwere exposed to dust. Hence, you too be good tobad people, for good were already great.

(101) Some one asked a sage why ring was worn onthe left hand, although right hand had greater dignity.He said great men were always denied something.It is the Divine dispensation that some one shouldget knowledge and wisdom, some one power andauthority, some one pleasures of this world, and someone of the next. It is rare for good and bad to exist

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in the same place.

(102) He alone has the power to advise kings who isneither fearful of losing his head nor hopeful ofgaining any wealth. The fans of the unity of Godwould never be frightened by any one. This is theroot of the unity of God (towhid).

(103) Two people need not go to a court of law, onewho is happy with his own rights, and the other whodoes not wish to grab the rights of others. The dutyof the king is to protect the weak from the excessesof the strong, of the police to smash the blood-thirsty, and of the judge to reform the cunning, crafty,deceitful and the wicked.

(104) Lemon acidity makes the teeth of any one sour,but sweets (graft) make the teeth of a Qazi (judge)sour. Accepting a few fruits by a Qazi meanspermission for others to loot the entire field.

(105) What else an old pros could do except to giveup prostitution or a dismissed cop could do exceptto stop pinching people�s purse.

(106) Some one asked a famous philosopher why theycalled a Cyprus tree a free tree (Azad) although itnever bore fruits or flowers. He said other treeswere subject to seasons, sometimes to spring,sometimes to autumn, sometimes to fruits,sometimes to flowers, but Cyprus is free from theseconditions. It is always green and fresh; neitherspring affects it nor autumn; it has neither to bearthe burden of fruits nor of flowers. Shaikh Sa�diadded, one should be like a Cyprus tree. Do not beaffected by anything, neither by spring nor byautumn. Euphrates was flowing in the past, it isflowing even to-day. Be generous like a date-tree.

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If you cannot be anything, be at least like a Cyprustree free from all encumbrances.

(107) Two people die carrying great regrets, onewho amassed wealth, but never used it for anypurpose, and the second, who gained knowledge butdid not put it to practice. Generosity covers all sins.Miserliness cannot hide a thousand virtues.

With this Gulistan comes to an end. It is a wonderfulwork that throws intense light on all aspects of life. It is aguide to good life for all whether yong or old, rich or poor,prince or pauper, ignorant or wise. For this an understandingof the challenges of life at all levels from childhood to oldageis required. He has bestowed more attention on the conductof kings who hold power and sway over people and sketchedat length what their rights and duties are, what their whimsand fancies are, and how one ought to be extremely carefulin dealing with them. From kings, the symbol of politicalauthority, he comes to Darvishas or holy men who stand forspiritual life or moral code without which success or happinessis neither genuine nor permanent. This moral code is kindnessand compassion, contentment and patience, love and affection,devotion and service. But both the rulers at the top and theholy men at the bottom are microscopic in number, the bulkbeing the common man, who forms the core of the society.It is his well-being which is the aim of Shaikh Sa�di, for whomhe offers his rich experiences particularly to the youth in orderto make their life meaningful. It is knowledge and skill,wisdom and understanding that would make the life of theyouth useful and meaningful. From the youth he turnstowards the old and deals with the problems they face. Thelast chapter, the long one, is all about the pearls of wisdomdrawn from his depths of understanding of human life.Gulistan is indeed a wonderful work, a marvelous teacher tothose who wish to learn and a wonderful source of enjoymentto those who appreciate good things of life.

11

A Short Review of Boston

If Gulistan is a master piece in prose, Bostan is in poetry.Bostan preceded Gulistan. In man�s intellectual evolutionpoetry preceded prose, and Shaikh�s creativity too conformsto this principle. Poetry is based on four fundamental facts,greatness of ideas, excellence of expression, reality of factsand element of excitement. Bostan is packed with all thesefour features. it looks as if all the stories of Bostan are thepersonal experiences of the poet which he gained in his longlife of over a century. Mature thoughts of a poetadministering morals and manners impress not merely themind but also touch and stir the soul. Modern science andtechnology that has split the atoms is incapable ofspiritualizing man without which man will neither be happynor successful. Shaikh Sa�di has done this great humanizingjob.

Shaikh Sa�di has written 22 books in which Gulistan andBostan figure as sun and moon. After the dazzling brightnessof Gulistan, we come to the soothing effect of Bostan, wherepearls of wisdom have been surfaced from the depths ofunderstanding. The Shaikh covered not only a long journeyof his own life but also a good part of this globe where hegained those rich precious experiences which would cost muchto any man but we get for nothing. He admits Bostan is

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reflective of what he saw in Syria and Turkistan. What hesaw continuously for thirty long years, he put them down inGulistan and Bostan which became rich heritage of mankind.

Shaikh Sa�di was a philosopher and a reformer who wantedto bring about a social change. Those were the days whenpeople preferred retreat to active life. Penance and pietygave them greater satisfaction than facing challenges of life.Sa�di desired to change this situation. He stressed on actionand thought doing was more important than thinking orfeeling. Service to humanity was also devotion to God.Religion is not all payers in a mosque but also building ahealthy and happy society. Life is not merely breathing butalso onward march towards progress and development.Growth is the law of nature, where a seed becomes a treeand bears fruits and flowers. Man too should rise from thefleeting pleasures of life to realize that he too should becomea part of development. The aim of Shaikh Sa�di was not somuch to lift man to heights of learning or push man to depthsof piety but to make him live harmoniously and graciouslywith his own fellow men in amity and concord. In hisphilosophy religion meant love of God and love of man, goodconduct and behaviour, compassion and kindness, and serviceand sacrifice.

In Bostan also as in Gulistan the medium of story isused to instruct, advise and inspire people. it says, holdmasses as roots of a tree and king as its trunk. When theroots are weak, how can the tree be fresh? Hatim was sogenerous that he did not like to disappoint even his murderer.Thee are altogether ten chapters in Bostan. They are (1) Onjustice and fair play; (2) On Service to Society; (3) On love;(4) On hospitality; (5) On Willingness; (6) On contentment;(7) On training and instruction; (8) On gratitude; (9) Onrepentance and (10) On prayers. Here we will give just aglimpse of the whole work.

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Chapter I : Justice and Fair Play

Parable (1)

King Nausheerwan advised his son at death bed, be kind onthe poor; do not be lost in your pleasures; help the needy; ashepherd would be crazy to protect the hard when a wolf isspotted; King�s crown is the prosperity of the people; and beon guard against those who are haughty and who fear notGod.

Parable (2)

An experienced and intelligent tourist rose to the rank of aminister in a King�s court. The displaced Vazir poisoned theears of the king that the new minister was fond of handsomeslaves. The King in rage enquired with the minister whatthe affair was. Suspecting some conspiracy the ministernarrated the dream of some one who saw an extremelyhandsome prince painted in dark colours. When asked whyit was so, the prince said, the painter was his foe and hecould not help it. The king said he too had detected hisspecial liking for handsome slaves. The Vazir replied, �Wasit not true the poor envy the rich? I too was once ashandsome as these; those days were revived in my mind; whowould not love beauty?� The king was satisfied with thisanswer, and he enhanced his rank.

Parable (3)

The royal robes of a king were not gorgeous. People askedhim why he was not robed in dazzling dress. He said thetreasury was a public trust and he would not misuse it onsplendid dress. Dazzling dress is fit only for women and hewould not like to be seen in such a dress.

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Parable (4)

The famous emperor of Iran, Darius, went for hunting. Inthe race he moved so fast as to be left behind all alone. Onseeing the king, a shepherd came running. The king thoughthe was an enemy and he was about to shoot him down. Theshepherd said it was strange the king could not distinguish afriend from a foe. �I am in charge of the royal stable, and Iknow each of those horses, thousands in number. You aremy king and you do not recognize your own servant.Destruction is in store for the land where the king is noteven as intelligent as a shepherd.�

Parable (5)

Caliph Omar-bin-Abdul Aziz wore a ring studded with aprecious rare gem. When a famine came he told it for therelief of the distressed. Some one said the Caliph would notget again such a rare gem. The Caliph said that finger wouldlook ugly which wore the ring when masses were in misery.He alone was fortunate who preferred happiness of othersover his own.

Parable (6)

An Iranian King went to a mendicant and said he would liketo give up kingship and lead a life of recluse in some cornerlost only in love of God. The mendicant said it was notproper for a king to say so. The job of a king is not to holda rosary or a prayer carpet or be dressed in the cloak of afakir, but to rule over the land providing peace, prosperityand well-being to the people.

Parable (7)

The Sultan, Qazal Arsalan, owned a very strong fort. Hewas very proud of it. He asked a scholar whether he had

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seen anywhere a stronger fort. The scholar said it is indeeda formidable and an impregnable fort, but one should not betoo sure about it, for it was in the hands of some one elsebefore the Sultan got it. It was now in his hands, buttomorrow it might fall into the hands of others. Change isthe law of nature and nothing is constant.

Parable (8)

Once a severe famine raged Damascus. People died inthousands. A friend of Shaikh Sa�di who was once very affluentand robust had grown weak and poor. Shaikh Sa�di askedhim how come his pitiable condition. He said when peoplewere getting drowned, he would not stand still on the shore.He spent all his wealth for the relief. He said, �When I seethe wounds of others, I feel miserable. I feel their pain. Eachand everyone of us must bear all the sufferings of the worldas our own.�

Parable (9)

A wicked person slipped into a well. He cried for help; nonewent to his rescue; on the other hand some one hit him witha rock and said when was he helpful to others, so that othersshould rush to his help? The one who digs a grave falls intoit.

Chapter II: Service to Society

Parable (1)

A wife asked her husband not to buy bread from a particularbakery, for the baker is a cheat in whose shop none but flieswere seen. The husband said, �We should not stand in theway of anyone�s livelihood. Do good to others and lift thosewho fall.�

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Parable (2)

The wife of a government employee asked her husband to goand fetch something from the royal kitchen for the childrenwere hungry. The husband said the kitchen was closed thatday for the king was fasting. The wife said in anger whetherthe king was not aware that more than his fasting his iftarwould bring him redemption, for it would quench many hungrymouths.

Parable (3)

A generous liberal soul possessed less wealth but more helpfulnature. A poor person wrote to him that he was in jail beingunable to discharge the debt. The generous person took pityon him and stood surety for his debt. The loan was heavyand could not be paid back with the result the noble generousperson was put behind the bar, where he ultimately died.Shaikh Sa�di says a generous soul resting in grave was far betterthan a living person whose heart was dead.

Parable (4)

A dog was dying of thirst in a desert. A kind andcompassionate soul used his turban to draw water from awell and quench the thirst of the dog. He thus saved thelife of the dog. Shaikh Sa�di says if you cannot dig a well, atleast get a lamp lit in a mosque. Help the needy so as toattract God�s mercy. Life is a chess game where even a pawncould become a Vazir.

Parable (5)

A wealthy lord was extremely miser. One day he turned outa beggar who was seeking a piece of bread. It so happenedin the change of fortune that the miser lost everything. hehad himself to beg for a morsel of food. One day he

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approached the door of a very generous peson who orderedhis servant to serve him a meal. The servant came back intears saying the beggar was once his master. The generouslord said it was no wonder. The surprising thing was that hewas the beggar whom he had turned out. This is a touchingparable where Shaikh Sa�di draws a contrast how fortuneschange, how beggars could be masters and masters could bebeggars, how nemesis overtakes good fortune and how morallaw asserts itself sooner or later.

Parable (6)

A person saw in a jungle a helpless lame fox which could notmove about. A lion would hunt something, would eat a goodpart of it, and leave the rest to the helpless fox. It was thusa daily routine affair. The person felt Divine dispensationwas such that God fed every one whether he did work ornot. So thinking he retreated to a jungle and waited long forfood to come. He got nothing from any where. He grewweak day by day. At last he heard a voice from a mosquethat he was not a lame fox but a hale, healthy able body; goand hunt like a tiger, eat yourself and feed others.

Parable (7)

A person seemingly pleasant mannered was excessively miser.Once Shaikh Sa�di along with a few of his associates were hisguests. He engaged them all night in pleasant talk, but servedthem nothing. Some one among the guests said a loaf ofbread would be far better than his sweet talk. Useless talkwas like a hollow drum, all sound without substance.Generosity and hospitality were far better than piety andpenance.

Parable (8)

Generosity of Hatim Tayee is proverbial. He had an

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excessively nice horse whose swiftness was known all over.The Roman emperor wanted to that whether Hatim wasreally generous. he would demand that horse; if he were topart with it, he would really deserve his fame or else his claimwas false. He sent his servants to bring that horse. Hatimtreated them well and held a banquet in their honour. Nextday the servants expressed the desire of the emperor that hewould like to have his horse. Hatim felt miserable and saidwhy did they not inform him the wish the previous night itselfwhen he killed the horse to arrange the banquet as he hadnothing else to feed them. When the emperor heard thisstory he was dumb-founded.

Parable (9)

A king of Yemen was proud of his generosity; and jealous ofthe name and fame of Hatim Tayee. He sent a servant tocut the throat of Hatim and bring his head. The servantcame to Arabia and met a young man. He took him home,fed him well, and treated him with such affection and kindnessthat he fell in love with him. Next day while departing theservant disclosed the purpose of his visit to Arabia. Theyoung man, his host, said that he was Hatim Tayee who wasoffering his head to be cut, for he would not allow his guestto go empty handed, as the king would be displeased. Theservant would not believe what he heard. He fell on the feetof Hatim, went back to Yemen and related the whole storyto the king who was astonished beyond limits. Heacknowledged that Hatim was head and shoulder moregenerous than anybody in the world.

Parable (10)

There was a hornet�s nest on the roof of a merchant�s house.He asked his wife to get a knife to remove the nest. Thewife said why do you disturb the insects leave them alone. A

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day later the hornets harassed the lady so much that thehusband had to declare doing good to bad would be invitingtrouble.

Chapter III: On Love

Parable (1)

While dancing a beautiful dancer got her garment burnt infire. She was very much perturbed. Her lover cried, �Whydo you worry. Only your garment was burnt, but my soul isall burning within�.

Parable (2)

A lover of God took to jungle. His father was greatlyannoyed. He attempted to dissuade the son from his decision,but to no use. The son said, �My soul is longing for DivineBeauty. All things of this world seem dark to me. Once aman is in love of God, he would not care for anything. Hissensitivities are dead for everything else and his ears go deaf.He dives deep all by himself in the ocean of spiritualknowledge. Without the likes or dislikes of any one he wouldbe lost in the love of God, for he has gained the pleasure ofGod�.

Parable (3)

A mendicant (fakir) was begging at the door of a mosque.Some one said he would not get anything at this door. Thefakir asked whose was this door and got the reply it was ofGod. He said he never returned empty-handed from the doorof any man and how would he go empty-hand from the doorof God. He stayed put at that door until he breathed hislast. At the final choke he smiled and said, �Thank God! the

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Beloved opened the door�.

Parable (4)

An old man would do penance all night and prayers in themorning. He got a warning, �Go away from here, your prayerswould not be accepted�. He persisted in his prayers and didnot stir out from the place. In the second night too he gotthe same message. He never lost hope and carried on hisprayers. At last he got the news his prayers were accepted.

Parable (5)

Ayaz, the slave, was the favourite of Sultan MahmoodGhaznavi. People asked the Sultan what good was there inAyaz which made him like so much. The Sultan said hisdevotion to the king. Once a camel laden with jewels andgems slipped off and all the treasures were scattered. TheKing ordered the lords and nobles to pick whatever theydesired. All rushed to loot. Ayaz remained still where hewas. The King asked him whether he was not desirous ofjewels Ayaz said the most precious jewel was by his side,meaning king. The King was highly pleased.

Parable (6)

A rustic chief visited the capital of a king. He got terrifiedat the grandeur of the royal court. His son asked him whywas he so nervous. After all he was also a chief in a village.The man said his area was restricted. He was struck withwonder at the glory of this little monarch. He was remindedof the Lord of the earth and heaven, the Supreme and theSublime, how much more glorious it may be; so thinking Istarted shivering.

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Parable (7)

Some one asked fire-fly which shines in the night why it wasnot seen in the day. It said in the bright light of the sun,where would its light be seen.

Parable (8)

Some one asked a moth why it hovered over a lamp. It saidfor the sake of love. To be lost in the love of the beloved isthe first principle of love. I love dying for love. A loverwould not care for his own life.

Parable (9)

Shaikh Sa�di says one night he heard a moth asking the lampwhy it was weeping all night. �I am your lover; it isunderstandable if I were to fall in you in love and end myself,but why do you weep when I burn myself?� The lamp saidlove was not the monopoly of moth alone. Its love wasfinished in a moment, but �I melt all night in love�. Shaikhsays do not feel sorry over the death of lovers. They do notdie, they are just separated.

Chapter IV: On Hospitality

Parable (1)

Shaikh Sa�di says man is made of mud and not fire, and hencehe has to acquire the quality of humility, not of hot temper.A dew drop fell on a mighty ocean. It felt so humble at itslittle existence, but that drop fell into the mouth of a shelland became a pearl finally to reach the crown of a king.Nothing is small in nature. When worm yields a pearl, howmuch more man, the supreme of creations, could do? Whatis he not capable of doing? Every one has to ask himself

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how many pearls he has gifted to humanity? God has filledhis eyes with limitless number of drops; instead of makingthem pearls he turns them into tears causing so much miseryto man.

Parable (2)

A pious and noble soul went to Turkistan. As he was a God-fearing man he was allowed to stay in the mosque. One daythe care-taker of the mosque asked him to clean up themosque. He ran away and was not seen. Next day he wasseen somewhere. When asked the reason for his suddendisappearance he said in a pure place like a mosque, it wasnot fair that an impure person like himself should stay. Whenthe care-taker asked him to clean the mosque he thought apure place had gone impure because of the presence of animpure person, and hence he left the place.

Parable (3)

On an Eid day the renowned Sufi saint, Sultan Bayazidbustami, had his bath and came out. Suddenly some one bymistake threw a heap of hot ashes on his head. The Sufisaid this ash was just nothing before the hell fire. He wassmiling all the way while wiping off the dust from his face.There is no limit to the patience of the men of God.

Parable (4)

A darvish clothed in mendicant�s dress goes to an impressivecourt hall of a Qazi and sits at a place reserved for highdignitaries. The Qazi looks furious. He was removedinsultingly from that place and made to sit in a corner. Theproceedings of the court were resumed. On some issue twolawyers of a case entered into a hot dispute. The heateddebate perturbed the Qazi also. There seemed to be nosolution to the case. At that stage the Darvish who had

been insultingly removed from the reserved seat, gets up andthrows such intensive light on the issue that it was settled inno time. The whole court was greatly impressed at the depthof his knowledge and wisdom. The Qazi got up, came nearthe Darvish, pleaded his apology, and desired to place his head-ware on his head. The Darvish declined it and said he wouldnot have these symbols of pride. So saying he left the place.On enquiry it was found out that the Darvish was no otherthan Shaikh Sa�di himself.

Parable (5)

A cheerful and charming vendor of honey had his shop full ofcustomers. A grim and terse looking person who was also inthe same business envied him. He would go door to doorfrom morning to evening, but none would buy his stock. Awoman remarked the terseness of his face had destroyed thesweetness of his honey.

Parable (6)

A brutal ruffian was beating a fine gentleman. Some oneasked him why he was bearing all these blows. He said, keepquiet. Every brute hits the weak thinking he was fightingwith a lion. His regarding me as a lion is enough for me.No learned person would debate with an ignorant. Goodpeople are those who respond good to bad. Do good to thosewho hate you; bless those that curse you; and pray for thosethat persecute you. These are indeed good moral teachings.

Parable (7)

A darvish was badly bitten by a dog. His daughter askedhim why did he keep quiet. The father said, it was for thedogs to bite man and not for man to bite dogs. No manshould pollute his teeth by doing so. Biting is a quality ofdogs and not of man.

Parable (8)

A king had a slave who was not only bad looking but alsohighly ill-tempered. All were unhappy with him. Some oneasked the King why the slave should not be sold in the marketand get a good one. The king said he would not do it becausehis bad manners motivated the king to adopt good mannes;besides patience would have its own rewards. He would notlike to burden others with the bad manners of this slave byselling him.

Parable (9)

A very sick person came to stay with the famous Sufi saint,Hazrat Maruf Karkhi. He was almost on death bed, buthighly ill-tempered. His sighs and cries all night disturbedthe sleep of others. No one would approach him except theholy saint who served him quite a few days and nights. Onenight when all were asleep he started shouting and shouting.This provoked a maid-servant of the house to request thesaint to remove the patient. The Sufi told her that she shouldthank God for her good health, and that she was not t and eone in the plight of that poor patient. Man should bear thesufferings of others, and be patient at all times.

Parables (11)

From the chamber of a man of God a person heard thebarking of a dog. He was surprised and went inside to checkwhat it was. He saw none there except the saint, who guessedwhy the man had intruded. The saint said there was no doginside the house, and he was himself barking. None was morefaithful than a dog and none more degrading. God loves loyaltyand faithfulness, and hence he was himself like a dog barkingat the court of Almighty God so as to excite His mercy andreceive some blessings.

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Parable (12)

A slave of a king absconded. He could not be tracedanywhere. A few days later he came on his own. In rage theking ordered his execution. The slave lifted his hands andstarted praying. �Oh God! on the day of judgement punishnot this king for taking the life of a man, for I have eatenhis salt for quite long�. When the king heard this, he wasdeeply impressed. Not only did he pardon him but elevatedhim to a high post. Good thoughts are very helpful even attimes of serious exigency.

Parable (13)

It is said Hatim was deaf. Once he saw a fly caught in aweb struggling hard to come out. Having heard its soundHatim said, �Greed takes man to grave�. His friend saidpeople thought he was deaf and yet he heard the sound ofthe fly. Hatim said when people praised him he would becomedeaf but when they listed his weaknesses, he would listencarefully so as to rectify them.

Parable (14)

A good natured sincere soul fell in love with some one.People did not take it kindly. They said all unpleasant thingsabout him. He said, �My heart is so full of love that therewas no place in it for anything else�.

Parable (15)

Luqman, known for wisdom, was dark in complexion. Peopletook him to be a slave. Some one engaged him for digging atrench for one full year. When he came to know who washe, he fell on his feet and sincerely apologized. Luqman said,�This regret after one full year of torture was of no use.However, I would excuse you, for during this period I have

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learned a lot. It has immensely increased my wit. I havealso has immensely increased my wit. I have also a slave andI will not be harsh upon him�.

Chapter V: On Willingness

Happiness is the gift of God. It is not a bounty or a boonfrom a ruler, nor is it the fruit of one�s labour. A tiny anttoo is fed from Divine dispensation and also the blood-thirstylion. As our hands do not reach out to heaven, we should becontent with what we get.

Parable (1)

Shaikh Sa�di had a friend in Asfahan who was known for hisvalour. He had won many battles. So strong, brave anddashing that even Rustum would not face him. Shaikh Sa�dileft Asfahan. After quite a long time when he met his friendhis picture had changed. He had grown weak, feeble andsickly. Sa�di asked the reason. He said, turn of events, changeof fortune, exigencies of the hour, when the Mongols causedsuch havoc that no Hercules could avert it.

Parable (2)

A rustic felt immense pain in the stomach. He consulted anexpert doctor, who said the disease was so killing that thepatient might not survive till next day morning. It sohappened the Doctor died that very night and the patientmet Sa�di after a lapse of forty long years. The moral is donot be hasty in passing judgements.

Parable (3)

A donkey of a rustic died. He fixed its head at the gate ofhis garden so that no one should cast an evil eye on the

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garden. A wit said the donkey which could not save its ownlife while it was alive, how could its dead head be of any useto others?

Parable (4)

A poor person had just one dinar in his pocket. Even thatfell off somewhere on the road. He searched for it intenselybut could not find it. Next day some one spotted it andpicked it up. Shaikh Sa�di says good luck or bad luck are allin God�s hands. Our livelihood is gift of God and not thefruit of our labour.

Parable (5)

A person named Bakhtiyar was very happy and wealthy. Hisneighbour as a contrast was very poor. One day he workedhard all day long, but got nothing. He returned home empty-handed. His wife raged in anger and said, look at yourneighbour and learn something. The husand said �I am notborn with Bakhtiyar�s fortune�.

Parable (6)

A vulture and a kite had a debate. The vulture boasted thatthe kite could fly high in the sky but not see what was onthe ground. But the vulture could detect even a grain ofcorn on the soil. So saying the vulture dashed to the groundto pick the grain and to show off its skill. a hunter had casta net on the ground and it was caught in it. The Kite said,�you could see the tiny grain but not the wide net�.

Parable (7)

The young one of a camel told her mother to rest a whileafter a long journey. The mother said it was not within herpower, for the reins were in the hands of some one else.

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Chapter VI: On Contentment

Parable (1)

A person prostrated twice before the King, Khwarizmexpecting some bounty. His son asked why did he prostratebefore king when it was permissible only for God. The fathercould not answer this question.

Parable (2)

A fat, well-built and bulky person stayed with Shaikh Sa�di.There was a date garden in Basra and it was a good harvestseason. The person climbed up the date tree, slipped off,and fell down. In no time he was dead. The owner askedhow come so soon he died. Shaikh Sa�di said eating too muchhe had grown so fat that the branch of the tree could notbear his weight. Eating too much is a curse is the moral ofthe story.

Parable (3)

A poor person was happy with his loaf of bread. Some oneasked him to go to the royal kitchen and eat the delicacies.He went there but the sentry pushed him out. The poorman felt love of good dishes resulted in humiliation.

Parable (5)

The cat of a poor man rushed to the table of a rich man.The servants hit it so hard that it started bleeding. It saidthe rats of the poor man�s house were far better than therich food at the table of a wealthy man.

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Parable (6)

The son of a poor man grew up. The father was worried wherewould he find bread for him. the wise wife consoled herhusband why should he worry. The Lord who has given lifewould give him bread as well. He dos not keep any one hungry.

Parable (7)

A darvish built a house which was only as high as his ownheight. Some one asked him why he built it so low. He saidit served his purpose. This world is not a place of permanentresidence. �I have to travel to-morrow�.

Parable (8)

A king entrusted the State to a holy person and died. Thepious ran the show for a few days, but enemies would notallow him to remain in peace. They attacked him fromdifferent directions and he got worried. he asked his friendto pray for him. The friend said, when one opted for powerand authority leaving the life of contentment, one had to facethe music inevitable in authority.

Chapter VII: On Training and Instruction

Parable (1)

Iranian King, Takhush, revealed a secret to a slave andinstructed him not to disclose it to any one, but the slavecould not keep it a secret. The king ordered the executionof the slave. The wise minister intervened and said what theking himself could not do, and could not keep his own secret,how could he expect the slave to do it?

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Parable (2)

An Egyptian Darvish would always remain silent. Peoplethought he was a very wise person and numerous discipleswere attracted. Once he thought if he remained silent howcould people know he was a learned person. Hence he startedspeaking. His ignorance was exposed, and all ran away. Safetyof the fools lies in silence.

Parable (3)

In a discussion some one said very indecent things. Peopleroughed him up. Shaikh Sa�di says scent does not require itsvendor to speak of its fragrance. Its fragrance is enough tospeak of its quality. Not the heated arguments but thebehaviour of a person would be enough to determine theworth of the person. He who speaks ill of others wouldhimself be guilty of the same charges. Theft is better thanback-biting. A thief carries away boldly something, but aback-biter not only commits a sin but also goes empty-handed.

Parable (4)

Some jealous persons reported to the king Faridun that hisminister was a traitor. He lends money to the people oncondition that it should be returned only after the death ofthe king. Faridun was enraged and sent for the minister,who said, those who had received the loan would ever prayfor the long life of the king so as to avoid discharging thedebt. The king was pleased and the rank of the minister wasenhanced.

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Chapter VIII: On Gratitude

Parable (1)

The king of Shiraz, Thughral, saw an Indian soldier shiveringin cold. He said to him that he would send a warm coatfrom the palace. The King forgot all about it when he camehome. Shaikh Sa�di says man should be thoughtful of thesufferings of others or else there would be no distinctionbetween man and animal.

Parable (2)

A thief was caught and was imprisoned. A person waslamenting at his helplessness. A wit said to him, �ThankGod, you are free, and not in jail as the thief was whosehands and feet were in chains. At times of difficulties thinkof those who are in more difficulties�.

Parable (3)

Some one mistook a pious Muslim to be a Jew. He thrashedhim much. The pious gave away all he had to the personwho chastised him. He was surprised and said this could notbe the response to the beating. The pious said, �I thankGod. I am not a Jew which you thought and for that goodfortune I am giving you all that I possess�.

Parable (4)

a traveler was left all alone in a desert. he was cursing hisown fate. A sensible donkey which was laden with full loadsaid, �Thank God, your back is not burdened as mine onwhich people ride as well�.

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Parable (5)

A priest cast a condemnable glance at a drunkard who waslying on a road. The drunkard said, �Do not cast such aglance, may be you too would be in the same plight�.

Parable (6)

Shaikh Sa�di narrates his experience at the temple of Somnath.An idol full of precious jewels had been installed there whichwould lift its hand and answer the queries of the worshippers.Sa�di became curious to know the truth behind it. He becamea good friend of the temple priest. He stayed in the templefor quite a few days. One night he observed a curtain behindthe idol and the priest was seated there. He had a string inhis hands which he would pull and the hands of the idol wouldgo up. Shaikh Sa�di took to flight when the priest saw him.He too chased Sa�di until he fell into the well. Shaikh Sa�disays had he been alive, he would not have spared his life.Soon after he left Somnath.

Chapter IX: On Repentance

Parable (1)

A person brought home a young one of wolf. He nursed itwith great care and brought it up. When it grew bit, it torethe master and ate him away. A wise man has said, a wolfwould always remain a wolf even if it were to be brought upamong the humans.

Parable (2)

A cunning fellow would knock off the wealth and property ofothers and blame the Satan for the deeds. The Satan said,�You always carry out my designs and yet why do you blame

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me. angels are recording all your deeds and you are deceivingme as well�.

Parable (3)

A person harvested the crop and brought it home. One nighthe felt so sad that he lit a fire. The fire reduced all his cropto ashes. A wit said, �You lit the fire; what is the good ifyou now regret it?� Shaikh Sa�di says life is the crop; wastingtime is to lit fire. Wise people buy good life from the assetof the crop.

Chapter X: On Prayers

Parable (1)

With all sincerity and devotion a person was praying beforean idol to remove his distress. Again and again he beggedbefore the idol, but to no purpose. In anger he shouted, �Incase his prayer was not answered, he would turn to AlmightyGod, the Supreme and the Sublime, and seek His help�.Hardly he said so, his problems were solved. Shaikh Sa�disays, seek favour only from God. Everything else is helpless.An idol could not be Divine.

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