tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477977813908451879.post6927693260087464125..comments2023-06-01T16:13:53.680+05:00Comments on Rukkuri: Being gratefulAbdul Sattar Yoosufhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485058097476633462noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477977813908451879.post-25891833158047696872012-05-21T11:56:54.562+05:002012-05-21T11:56:54.562+05:00Thanks Anonymous. Thats the direction we would all...Thanks Anonymous. Thats the direction we would all hope to move along.Abdul Sattar Yoosufhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10485058097476633462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477977813908451879.post-35262899872942572332012-05-19T10:22:13.233+05:002012-05-19T10:22:13.233+05:00Indeed, gratefulness is a godly attribute worthy o...Indeed, gratefulness is a godly attribute worthy of emulation by men and women. But, true gratefulness and graciousness are not human attributes though a select few individuals have manifested them. <br /><br />Arthur John Arberry is a noted Arabic and Persian scholar. Among other works, he wrote about the mystics of Islam. In this work there is a story about a Bedouin. It goes this way: <br /><br />In the Sahara, water is very scarce and available only in small quantities in oases. And many Arabs live far from large oases, especially Bedouins. A Bedouin once witnessed some rain and saw a quantity of water gathered in a pool on the ground. It was the time of the Khalifah Haroun Rasheed. During his time, anyone who brings rare special gifts to the Khalifah were handsomely rewarded so this Bedouin, desirous of the reward, filled a camel waterbag with the water and made the fortnight-long journey to Baghdad. After, a few days in waiting, he finally got an audience with the Khalifah. When the man presented the water bag to the Khalifah, he showed immense gratitude, rewarded him handsomely and asked a Courtier to keep him in one of the royal guest houses until he wanted to leave. <br /><br />In private, he told the Courtier, “Do not let the Bedouin see the River Euphrates running behind the Palace.”<br /><br />Professor Arberry says that every Sufi story has a <i>Zaahir </i> and <i> Baathin </i> meaning, though most teachers are not likely to reveal the baathin meaning until the student matures, which for some may take 40 to 50 years. He says, in the allegory the Khalifah is God. There are men who spend all their life in the service of humanity and God, praying all the time. There are others who think of God only on Fridays or other days or when misfortune befalls them. The transgressors are unaware of the devotion of the devoted, the sleepless nights the devotees spend in prayers, year after year. Yet He accepts the comparatively meagre prayers of the ordinary as if it is the greatest prayer He had been offered.<br /> <br />Now that is Real Gratitude.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com