Once four holy dervishes of the second rank met and decided to go around the whole earth in search of four objects that would help them serve humanity. Having devoted many years to studying all kinds of sciences, the dervishes came to the conclusion that they could serve people best in such cooperation. They agreed to meet again thirty years later and went their separate ways.
And on the appointed day the dervishes gathered together again. The first dervish brought a magic staff from the far North: whoever sits on this staff can be transported to any part of the world at will. The second dervish brought a magic turban from the distant West. Having put it on, a person could take on any appearance, turn into any creature. The third, traveling in the far East, got hold of a magic mirror in which one could see any corner of the earth. The fourth dervish, returning from the distant South, brought a magic cup that cured any ailment.
So, having these treasures, the dervishes looked into the mirror to find out where the Source of life was; then they flew up to him on the staff and drank of living water. They wanted to become long-lived so they could find better use for their magical items. Now, in order to find out who needs their help most, the dervishes began to say a prayer. The mirror reflected a man lying on his deathbed. He lived in a distant country, many days' journey away, but the dervishes, riding a staff, found themselves at his house in an instant.
“We are famous healers,” they said to the gatekeeper. “Knowing that your master is sick, we came to heal him.” Let us in.
The servant conveyed their words to the master, and he ordered them to be immediately taken to him. But as soon as the dervishes approached the patient, he turned pale and began to lose consciousness. The Dervishes were immediately taken out of the room, and one of the servants explained that this man hated the Dervishes and had been their enemy all his life. Then the dervishes, taking turns wearing a magic turban, changed their appearance so as not to embarrass the sick man, and again came to him, but as other people. They gave him a sip of some medicine from a magic cup, and his illness disappeared. He had never felt so healthy before. His happiness could not be described, and, being a rich man, he gave one of his houses to the dervishes as a reward for his healing. Dervishes settled in this house. Every morning they went in different directions and throughout the day helped people with their magical objects.
But one day, when there was only one dervish in the house - the owner of the cup, the royal guards burst into his room, grabbed him and took him away. And this happened because the king’s daughter fell ill with some strange disease and the ruler, having heard about the owner of the cup as a great physician, ordered him to be urgently taken to the palace. The dervish was brought to the princess's bed. He took the medicine that they had already tried to treat her with, poured it into his cup and brought it to her lips. But since he was deprived of the opportunity to consult with the magic mirror about what medicine the princess needed, the cup did not help. The princess did not feel better, and the angry king ordered the dervish to be crucified on the wall. The dervish began to beg the king for a delay, explaining that he should consult with his comrades, but the king was impatient and believed that the dervish was being cunning and only wanted to gain time.
Meanwhile, three other dervishes, having returned home and not finding their comrade there, looked in the mirror and saw that he was in danger of death. Without wasting time, the dervishes sat on the staff and flew to his aid. They arrived just in time and rescued him, but they could no longer help the king’s daughter because they had lost their cup. The dervishes looked into the magic mirror and saw their cup at the bottom of the deepest ocean in the world, where it was thrown by order of the king. And even with the help of their magic items, it took them a whole millennium to bring her back.
Since then, taught by bitter experience, the dervishes began to work in deep secrecy, skillfully hiding their wonderful methods under a variety of covers, and therefore everything they did for people looked simple and easily explainable.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru