What my Shaykh is like
Today someone asked me what my Shaykh is like, this is what I told them.
Outside the gates of Nafsistan there is a small, overgrown trail that leads deep into the forest. Sometimes one of the inhabitants of the city will find it and follow it. If they do not get lost on the way, eventually the will find themselves at a still, quiet pool of water in the deepest part of the forest.
Being thirsty, they bend over to drink, but when they do they see them Selves reflected perfectly in the pool. When this happens they become frightened or repulsed by what they see and go away thirsty. Sometimes you can find them wandering in the forest, muttering to themselves about how impure and unpleasant the water looked, and hoping that they can find a pool to drink from that will not show them what they are afraid to see.
Sometimes though, a traveler will learn to close their eyes, so that they are not distracted by the reflection, then they drink.
The water is so cold that it hurts the teeth and throat to drink. It is so chill and pure that the chest constricts and the heart thinks that it will stop beating.
I don't know if you have ever drank anything really cold on a very hot day, but if you have you know that is like your eyes snap into a whole new level of focus.
This is exact what happens to the travelers when they drink. They are so shocked by the taste of the water that they open their eyes as they drink. Because their focus has changed they see beyond their own reflection to the bottom of the pool, where there is an arrow pointing the way out of the forest. If the travelers follow the arrow they will eventually find themselves in the Land of the Living.
"My Shaykh is like that pool." I told my friend.
Outside the gates of Nafsistan there is a small, overgrown trail that leads deep into the forest. Sometimes one of the inhabitants of the city will find it and follow it. If they do not get lost on the way, eventually the will find themselves at a still, quiet pool of water in the deepest part of the forest.
Being thirsty, they bend over to drink, but when they do they see them Selves reflected perfectly in the pool. When this happens they become frightened or repulsed by what they see and go away thirsty. Sometimes you can find them wandering in the forest, muttering to themselves about how impure and unpleasant the water looked, and hoping that they can find a pool to drink from that will not show them what they are afraid to see.
Sometimes though, a traveler will learn to close their eyes, so that they are not distracted by the reflection, then they drink.
The water is so cold that it hurts the teeth and throat to drink. It is so chill and pure that the chest constricts and the heart thinks that it will stop beating.
I don't know if you have ever drank anything really cold on a very hot day, but if you have you know that is like your eyes snap into a whole new level of focus.
This is exact what happens to the travelers when they drink. They are so shocked by the taste of the water that they open their eyes as they drink. Because their focus has changed they see beyond their own reflection to the bottom of the pool, where there is an arrow pointing the way out of the forest. If the travelers follow the arrow they will eventually find themselves in the Land of the Living.
"My Shaykh is like that pool." I told my friend.
posted by Mushtaq Ali at 6:52 PM
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