Huu Door
Sufi Stories
Inner Life
Sufi Stories
Inner Life
The Good Dog
786
as-salaam 'alaykum:
I would like to post a story about the nature of some kinds of spiritual training.
The Good Dog
I had a dog once. I thought that I could teach this dog tricks and good behavior. I did that
work, and indeed, the dog seemed to have good habits and good manners (adab).
So after a time I wanted to show off this dog to others to brag about how great of a dog I
had trained on my farm, where I am an expert at training animals. So I arranged a recital to
showcase the dog in public.
So the day came. I groomed the dog and rehearsed him in his tricks that he would do that
day. He was such a good dog, he had such good manners. I was totally confident that my
dog would behave with such good qualities.
So in the gathering, I brought the dog, and people were there. Now one of my guests was
in competition with me for who was best dog trainer. He didn't like what I was doing, but
he knew a lot about dogs. In fact he had brought a dog too.
When the appointed time came, I turned my dog out of his carrier, and prompted him to
start his tricks as I had taught him.
To my horror, my dog ran away and went right up to the other dog that was there, and
started mating with that female dog my competitor had brought.
So the people were laughing at me, and especially my competitor. What kind of tricks
and manners is this ? Any dog can do this action. Why did you bring us here to watch 2
dogs having sex ? Are you stupid or something ? What kind of a dog trainer are you
anyway ?
So I got my dog away from that situation and took him home in disgrace. I even checked
him at home later to see if he had forgotten everything, but he hadn't. He did every trick
just right, just as I had taught him. He was such a good dog.
Later I had a nightmare, and in the dream my competitor was laughing at me. He was
saying:"you are a good trainer but you don't know anything about dogs. Everybody knows
that a dog will forget everything if he smells a female that is in season. So I came to put
you in your place with my female dog that was in heat. I knew that your dog would never
remember his tricks when he could smell the condition that my dog was in. You are
foolish. You are trying to teach a dog like a human. "
So my Shaykh commented about this maqsus. If you keep the dog in you, no matter how
much external training you learn, when the desire finds the irresistible, it will fail. That is
not tariqat, just to learn etiquette. The change must be a full inside change, and you must
be rid of the need of titles, desires, and all the vain glorious things of the world. If you
don't accomplish this by prayer, you will be like the dog, and when the shaytan wants to
mislead you and make you fall, all he has to do is find the effective object of your desire,
and you will fall into that just like the dog. Know well that shaytan knows all the tricks
and can see your heart even better that most people can. He will whisper into your heart
(sudoor) and you will accept that trick. You can't blame the shaytan either, because he is
doing what God has allowed him to do. The fault lies in you, as you can't discern the
difference between Rasoolallaah's voice (sal) and the tricks of the shaytan. So don't think
that you can fool me or fool God about that matter. Allaah Aliyyon is Khabir fiy kulli sha’
i, aware of all things.
He asked us to know the inner meanings of this surat.
# 114 B'ismillaah ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem.
Qul 'awdhu bi ir-Rabb in-nas. - I seel refuge in the Lord of men.
Maliki nas. - Ruler of men.
Ilaahi nas. - Diety of men
min sharr il-waswas il-khannas - from the whispering of the sneaky concealed one.
al-ladhi yuwaswisu fi sudur in-nas. - the one that whispers into the chest/heart of the men.
min al-jinnati wa an-nas. - from among the genies and the men.
So I think all this speaks clearly to the point that things must be placed properly and the
states of the nafs must be effectively changed. At least we must be able to tell the
differences between the voices.
For the citation I have selected, it is easy to understand that we must seek refuge from
this tricky whisperer, as he has the permission to reach the heart level, and all the
memorizing in the world will not stop that. Only an internal and profound change will do
when it comes to the matters of the heart.
If we don't have this change then we are dogs, and the shaytan will have easy access to us.
Every action and motivation must be examined carefully with the proper light of Truth.
Then, when the time comes to rise in station, we will have the freedom from that kind of
"dog" training.
as-salaam 'alaykum:
I would like to post a story about the nature of some kinds of spiritual training.
The Good Dog
I had a dog once. I thought that I could teach this dog tricks and good behavior. I did that
work, and indeed, the dog seemed to have good habits and good manners (adab).
So after a time I wanted to show off this dog to others to brag about how great of a dog I
had trained on my farm, where I am an expert at training animals. So I arranged a recital to
showcase the dog in public.
So the day came. I groomed the dog and rehearsed him in his tricks that he would do that
day. He was such a good dog, he had such good manners. I was totally confident that my
dog would behave with such good qualities.
So in the gathering, I brought the dog, and people were there. Now one of my guests was
in competition with me for who was best dog trainer. He didn't like what I was doing, but
he knew a lot about dogs. In fact he had brought a dog too.
When the appointed time came, I turned my dog out of his carrier, and prompted him to
start his tricks as I had taught him.
To my horror, my dog ran away and went right up to the other dog that was there, and
started mating with that female dog my competitor had brought.
So the people were laughing at me, and especially my competitor. What kind of tricks
and manners is this ? Any dog can do this action. Why did you bring us here to watch 2
dogs having sex ? Are you stupid or something ? What kind of a dog trainer are you
anyway ?
So I got my dog away from that situation and took him home in disgrace. I even checked
him at home later to see if he had forgotten everything, but he hadn't. He did every trick
just right, just as I had taught him. He was such a good dog.
Later I had a nightmare, and in the dream my competitor was laughing at me. He was
saying:"you are a good trainer but you don't know anything about dogs. Everybody knows
that a dog will forget everything if he smells a female that is in season. So I came to put
you in your place with my female dog that was in heat. I knew that your dog would never
remember his tricks when he could smell the condition that my dog was in. You are
foolish. You are trying to teach a dog like a human. "
So my Shaykh commented about this maqsus. If you keep the dog in you, no matter how
much external training you learn, when the desire finds the irresistible, it will fail. That is
not tariqat, just to learn etiquette. The change must be a full inside change, and you must
be rid of the need of titles, desires, and all the vain glorious things of the world. If you
don't accomplish this by prayer, you will be like the dog, and when the shaytan wants to
mislead you and make you fall, all he has to do is find the effective object of your desire,
and you will fall into that just like the dog. Know well that shaytan knows all the tricks
and can see your heart even better that most people can. He will whisper into your heart
(sudoor) and you will accept that trick. You can't blame the shaytan either, because he is
doing what God has allowed him to do. The fault lies in you, as you can't discern the
difference between Rasoolallaah's voice (sal) and the tricks of the shaytan. So don't think
that you can fool me or fool God about that matter. Allaah Aliyyon is Khabir fiy kulli sha’
i, aware of all things.
He asked us to know the inner meanings of this surat.
# 114 B'ismillaah ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem.
Qul 'awdhu bi ir-Rabb in-nas. - I seel refuge in the Lord of men.
Maliki nas. - Ruler of men.
Ilaahi nas. - Diety of men
min sharr il-waswas il-khannas - from the whispering of the sneaky concealed one.
al-ladhi yuwaswisu fi sudur in-nas. - the one that whispers into the chest/heart of the men.
min al-jinnati wa an-nas. - from among the genies and the men.
So I think all this speaks clearly to the point that things must be placed properly and the
states of the nafs must be effectively changed. At least we must be able to tell the
differences between the voices.
For the citation I have selected, it is easy to understand that we must seek refuge from
this tricky whisperer, as he has the permission to reach the heart level, and all the
memorizing in the world will not stop that. Only an internal and profound change will do
when it comes to the matters of the heart.
If we don't have this change then we are dogs, and the shaytan will have easy access to us.
Every action and motivation must be examined carefully with the proper light of Truth.
Then, when the time comes to rise in station, we will have the freedom from that kind of
"dog" training.
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