One day, Mawlana Dervish, the head of the Naqshbandi order and one of its greatest mentors, was sitting in his zawiya (small mosque). Suddenly some enraged saint burst into his room.
“You, you are sitting here,” the uninvited guest hissed at him, foaming at the mouth, “a dog, you are a dog.” You sit surrounded by your indulgers, indulging your every whim! You sit and feel blissful when I encourage people to strive for the divine through prayers and the abstinence that is prescribed for us from above.
At the word “dog,” some of the students jumped to their feet to throw out the possessed fanatic.
“Stop,” said the mawlana, “for there is nothing bad in a dog.” I am a dog, faithfully serving my master. I guard his flock, anticipating the wishes of our lord. And, like a watchdog, I will pounce on the thief and the enemy. And I will wag my tail with delight when my master’s friends come.
Just as barking and tail wagging are natural for a dog, so is this quality inherent in us, and since we are all under the power of our master, he has no need to bark or wag his tail.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru