Story: Ishq-e-Majaazi (False love) and its cure
Submitted by Mohammed Gilani on
A devotee resided in the company of a saintly man for
the sake of improving and rectifying his spiritual life.
He diligently applied himself to the Zikr and deeds
which the Shaikh prescribed for him. However, there was one
maidservant of the Shaikh who brought food to them from the
Shaikh's house. By, daily glancing at her as she brought the food,
his heart became filled with love for her. Thus, whenever she
brought the food, he cast lustful glances at her, instead of
looking at the food.
The maidservant who was also a devotee seeking Allah Ta’ala,
soon realized that he was casting lustful glances at her. Her
enlightened heart perceived the lustful glances and thus she
complained to the Shaikh: "Hazrat, a certain Mureed of yours is
involved with lustful love. What benefit will there be for him
from your prescribed Zikr and spiritual exercises? You should
first cure him of this figurative love."
Hence, the Shaikh, in spite of knowing the secret, did
not scold the Mureed and refrained from exposing him.
However, within he thought of a way to cure him of this lustful
love. Allah Ta’ala inspired him with a plan and he acted upon
it. He gave the maidservant some laxative, which caused her
acute diarrhea. At the same time, he instructed her to collect the
feces in a bucket.
Due to the purgative, she defecated about twenty times
until she became very weak and thin.
Her face became
exceedingly pale and her eyes and cheeks became hollow. Her
face appeared frightful like one suffering from cholera. She
appeared very unattractive and all her beauty vanished. The
Shaikh then told her: "Take his food to him today and then
quietly stand there." When the Mureed saw the maidservant,
instead of looking at her, he now turned his eyes away and told
her: "Put the food down". As he uttered these words, the Shaikh
entered in the room and said: "O you fool, why is it that today
you turn your eyes away from this girl?
What is missing from
her today that your love for her has vanished?" Then, the
Shaikh instructed the girl to bring the container in which all the
feces had been collected. When she placed it before him, the
Shaikh said to the Mureed: "O foolish one, apart from these
feces, nothing else has left her. From this, it seems that in actual
fact you were in love with these feces and now that it has gone
out of her body, your love has also gone.”
Now that through the purgative she has become weak
and pale, the love that you once felt has now vanished." The
Shaikh asked the Mureed, "Tell me, if you really loved this girl
then how is it that this love has now turned to dislike and
aversion?” Through this plan of his Shaikh, the Mureed
realized that he had become involved in sensual love. He
became ashamed of it and in sorrow and lamentations, he
repented to Allah Ta’ala. Through this repentance and sorrow,
he was eventually endowed with true Divine Love.
Hazrat Maulana Rumi (Rahmatullah Alaihe) drew this advice
from the story:
"O people, today you fall in love with a well-musk-scented one
with curly locks.
One day that same lock of hair will appear worse to you than
the tail of an old donkey.
"Those very eyes that cause you to become intoxicated and for
which you are prepared to sacrifice your life,
In old age will have dirty water dripping from them.
Look at a beautiful child who through his beauty becomes
Master among men
But look when old age overtakes him, he becomes worthless.
Look how lovely and fresh the sun appears at the time of rising,
But remember its death at the time of setting.
See how splendid the moon appears on the fourteenth night,
But check how is its sorrowful state as it begins to wane.
O Man, you are in love with good food and fine outward form,
But see the result thereof in the toilet afterwards.
The people of this world, like the world itself, are truly
unfaithful.
When they turn their face towards you, then know it is not the
face,
It is merely the back of the head.
Now that you have come to know the unfaithfulness of the
world and worldly people,
Then establish company with the saints of Allah Ta’ala and
with no other beings except them."
Ma'arife Mathnawi