During the Ottoman Empire, in Turkey, one of the Sultan's guests told him about a famous Sheikh living in Anatolia. He warned the Sultan to be careful in his attitude, since the Sheikh had hundreds of thousands of followers who were ready to follow him through thick and thin. And if the Sheikh turns against the Sultan, then a commotion will begin in the state, and the Sultan may even lose his throne. Having heard such alarming speeches, the Sultan decided to send for the Sheikh to find out who he really was.
When the Sheikh arrived at the palace and they met, the Sultan addressed the Sheikh with the following words:
- They say that you have hundreds of thousands of true followers. Is this true?
“No, that’s not true,” answered the Sheikh.
- Strange. Well, how many of them do you have then? - the Sultan continued to ask.
“One and a half,” the Sheikh answered mysteriously.
- One and a half... Very strange. Why is everyone telling me that you have so many followers that with their support you have the power to carry out a coup?
Having received no answer, the Sultan continued:
- Well, in that case we will stand the test. I need to convince myself of the truth of your words. And let’s not delay, we’ll do it the day after tomorrow. There is a large field on the outskirts of the city, and we will invite everyone there.
After this conversation, the Sultan sent messengers to all corners of the state with a message addressed to all the followers of the Sheikh that in a day the Sheikh would be in such and such a place, and that their presence would be very important. And in front of the field, where all the Sheikh’s followers were to gather, the Sultan ordered a large tent to be erected. And he ordered several sheep to be placed in the tent, but so that no one would know about it.
On the appointed day, hundreds of thousands of people came to the field to see the Sheikh. Seeing such a huge crowd, the Sultan left the tent and quietly addressed the Sheikh:
- You said that you only have one and a half students. So what happens, who are all these people? After all, they all consider themselves your followers.
- Maybe they do, but this is only in words. In fact, they are not. As I already told you, I only have one and a half true disciples. However, very soon you will see this for yourself.
Then the Sultan said, addressing the audience:
— The sheikh committed a crime. And he will be executed immediately if there are not ten volunteers among you who are ready to give their lives to save the Sheikh.
There was a commotion in the crowd. People began to look at each other in fear. And then one of those present came forward and said:
- He is my Sheikh and he is my Teacher. And I am ready to sacrifice myself to save him.
At a sign from the Sultan, the guards took this man and took him to the tent. And in the tent they slaughtered a sheep, and they did it in such a way that the blood flowed in a stream outside the tent. They did this on purpose so that people would see it and believe that the man had been executed. Seeing the flowing blood, people became seriously worried. Some even felt sick at the sight of blood. Here the Sultan came out of the tent again and made his announcement again, this time calling nine volunteers who were ready to give up their lives for the sake of their beloved Teacher.
The answer was silence. For a few minutes there was complete silence in the crowd. Then the woman stood up and said that she was ready to sacrifice herself. As with the previous volunteer, the guards took her to the tent and there they slaughtered the second sheep. Seeing a fresh stream of blood flow out of the tent and pour into the pool of blood from the previous massacre, the crowd began to disperse in horror. Literally in a matter of minutes, hundreds of thousands of so-called adherents were gone.
Then the Sheikh turned to the Sultan:
“Now you’ve seen for yourself that I only have one and a half real students.”
The Sultan had no choice but to nod his head in agreement. Then he added, thinking aloud:
- Now everything is clear. This means that this man is one disciple, and the woman is half.
“No, no,” said the Sheikh. “The woman is my real student, and the man is only half of the student.”
And seeing how at these words the Sultan’s face acquired a perplexed and interrogative expression, the Sheikh without hesitation added:
“The man was not sure that he was really going to die, especially since he had no idea that he would be killed right there, in the tent, and in such a cruel way.” But the woman knew what she was getting into, she saw the blood spilled with her own eyes, and still agreed to go to execution. She is the real student. Student with a capital letter.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru