Some people believe that a sufi must be without wealth. Actually, this is an incorrect view. To willfully insist upon living in poverty is itself an attachment. The sufi, though, is free from all attachment. The essential point here is that the sufis heart should have no attachment to wealth or worldly possessions. If a sufi is rich one day, then poor the next, he or she remains unaffected by either condition.
The story is told of a darvish who went to visit an honorable and wealthy shaikh. Seeing the shaikh’s affluence, the darvish thought, “How can Sufism and such prosperity go hand-in-hand?” After staying a few days with the shaikh, the darvish decided to leave. The shaikh said, “Let me accompany you on your journey.”
After they had gone a short distance the darvish suddenly noticed that he had forgotten his kashkul. So he asked the shaikh for permission to return and get it. The shaikh replied, “I departed from all my possessions, but you can’t leave behind even your begging bowl. Therefore, we must part company here.”
Thus, the sufi is not attached to either wealth or poverty.
Related articles
- The Sufi Question (via Darvish) (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- How Many Sufis Are There in Islam? by Stephen Schwartz (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Two poignant Line from The Sufis of Afganistan Film (Roughy translated) (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- New Issue of Sufi Magazine with an article from Yours Truly (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Do sufis dance as part of their practice? (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Traveling and Social Conduct on the Path by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Do I have to convert to Islam to be a sufi? Answer by Dr.Javad Nurbakhsh (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Recommending Sufism and the Way of Blame by Dr. Toussulis (2) (mycaravanofdreams.com)
- Going & Doing by Dr. Stewart Bitkoff (mycaravanofdreams.com)
I like that story very much. Thank you for sharing it!
I’m always glad to share.