It is said that one fakir, who wanted to study without making any effort, was after some time expelled from the circle of Sheikh Shah Gwattha Shattar. When Shattar informed him of his decision, the fakir said:
“You have a reputation for being able to teach all wisdom in the blink of an eye, and yet you still expect me to spend a lot of time with you!”
“You have not yet learned how to study, but you will know what I mean,” said the Sufi.
The fakir pretended to leave Shattar, and he himself began to sneak into the tekkiya every night and watch the sheikh. Soon he saw Shah Gwatth take out a precious stone from an inlaid metal casket. Raising it above the heads of his disciples, he said:
“This is the repository of my knowledge and nothing more than the Talisman of Enlightenment.”
“So this is the secret of the sheikh’s strength,” thought the fakir.
That same night he again snuck into the meditation hall and stole the talisman.
However, no matter how hard he tried, in his hands the gem did not reveal any secrets and did not give any power. The fakir was bitterly disappointed.
He became a teacher, recruited students and tried again and again to enlighten them or himself with the help of a talisman, but it was all in vain.
One day, when his disciples had gone to bed and he was sitting in his hermitage, pondering over his problems, Shattar appeared before him.
- Fakir! - said Shah Gwatt. “You can always steal something, but you can’t always make it work.” You can even steal knowledge, but for you it will be useless, just like a thief who stole a razor from a barber (made thanks to the knowledge of a blacksmith), but does not know how to shave, this razor is useless. He declares himself a barber and dies in agony because he not only did not shave a single beard, but even cut several throats instead.
“But I have a talisman, and you don’t,” said the fakir.
“Yes, you have a talisman, but I am Shattar,” said the Sufi. “With my skill I can make another talisman, but you cannot become Shattar with your talisman.”
“Why did you come then, just to torment me?” - the fakir cried.
“I came to tell you that if you didn’t think so literally, you wouldn’t imagine that having a thing is the same as being able to change with its help, and you would be ready to learn how to learn.”
However, the fakir believed that the Sufi was only trying to get his talisman back, and since he was not ready to learn how to learn, he decided to stubbornly continue his experiments with the precious stone.
His disciples continued his work, and their followers too, etc. In fact, the rituals that are the result of his tireless experimentation form the essence of their religion today. These customs have become so sanctified by time that no one can imagine that they had their own origin in the circumstances just described.
The venerable bearers of this faith try to be equally pious and impeccable, so these beliefs will never die.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru