Sufi and His Lost Donkey - Daftar-e-Dom

A merchant Dervish would travel for days at a time, exchanging his wares in the towns and villages he traveled through. He landed in a lonely town on the edge of the desert late at night after a hard journey. He looked for a Sufi House nearby to spend the night, as was traditional for Dervishes. When he found the shop, he immediately rushed to the stables to tend to his tired donkey, who had patiently carried the items all day. He made sure the horse had plenty of water and hay. He tipped the young stable boy to take special care of his donkey just to be sure.

The other dervishes at the Sufi House were primarily impoverished and hungry laborers, their hearts always on the point of sin. They decided to take advantage of their good fortune when they discovered the newcomer had a donkey in the stables. They swiftly sold the donkey to another guest who was departing that same night and used the money to buy food and lightings for the evening, unbeknownst to the owner.

The men became increasingly frantic as they began to prepare their meal, excited that everything was in place for a magnificent feast tonight. They showed the donkey's owner a lot of respect by bowing to him repeatedly and making him feel welcome. Meanwhile, they privately rejoiced that they would no longer have to beg for a crumb of food, nor would they have to fast in the future days due to a lack of resources. For his part, the proprietor considered himself fortunate to be at the Sufi House that evening, able to partake in a delectable supper in the company of great, generous Sufis. He had no idea what he was getting himself into!

The food was eventually served, and everyone had a great time eating to their hearts' content. The men started the Sama as soon as they finished their dinner. The dust rose from beneath their feet, combining with the cooking smoke and engulfing the whirlers in a mystical fog. The Sufis danced and sang, raising their arms to the heavens and whirling around in circles, stamping their feet and prostrating on the floor, washing the floor clean with their robes. The musicians stepped up the beat and began singing heartily, Gone is the ass, gone is the ass! as the Sama-gathering progressed.

Gone is the ass, gone is the ass! the Sufis screamed after the musicians, arms in the air.

Unaware that it was his donkey they were singing about, the donkey's owner joined in enthusiastically and sang along with them: Gone is the ass, gone is the ass!

The Sama lasted late into the night and into the morning. The men parted ways one by one as the sun rose, offering one other warm farewell. The donkey's owner dusted off his clothes and gathered his possessions as he prepared for another day at work. He ran to the stables, hoping to meet up with his newfound Dervish buddies, but he didn't spot his four-legged partner. He assumed the stableboy had brought the animal to the brook to give him some water; perhaps he hadn't had enough the night before. When the little kid eventually emerged, the owner inquired about the whereabouts of his donkey. The youngster was perplexed and informed him he had no idea what he was talking about. The proprietor became enraged and snatched him by the throat, threatening to kill him.

He cried, I left my donkey in your care last night! You were supposed to take care of him. Don't make excuses for me; hurry up and bring him to me—otherwise, I'll report you to the authorities! he said.

The boy admitted, I was subdued by the Dervishes. I was terrified for my life! They sold your donkey and used the proceeds to pay for last night's feast. Leaving a loaf of bread with a gang of hungry men is like tossing a scrawny cat to a pack of ferocious wolves! he shouted, attempting to think rationally about the situation.

Shouldn't you have told me that they were stealing my donkey if they stole him from you by force? If you had, I could have bought him back from the buyer or gotten the money out of this wild bunch. How am I going to track them down now that they've all gone their separate ways? What an unforgivable wrong you've done to me! he wailed.

I swear to God, I tried to warn you multiple times, but your zeal was bigger than all of theirs combined! The stableboy retorted. You sang ‘Gone is the ass, gone is the ass!' even louder than the rest! As a mystic with access to so many secrets, I assumed you must have given them your permission!

The Dervish concurred, I was excited, stimulated by their enthusiasm. However, it was silly of me to want to be like them. Imitation has ruined my life! I curse it a thousand times since it has permanently ruined me!

A merchant Dervish would travel for days at a time, exchanging his wares in the towns and villages he traveled through. He landed in a lonely town on the edge of the desert late at night after a hard journey. He looked for a Sufi House nearby to spend the night, as was traditional for Dervishes. When he found the shop, he immediately rushed to the stables to tend to his tired donkey, who had patiently carried the items all day. He made sure the horse had plenty of water and hay. He tipped the young stable boy to take special care of his donkey just to be sure.

The other dervishes at the Sufi House were primarily impoverished and hungry laborers, their hearts always on the point of sin. They decided to take advantage of their good fortune when they discovered the newcomer had a donkey in the stables. They swiftly sold the donkey to another guest who was departing that same night and used the money to buy food and lightings for the evening, unbeknownst to the owner.

The men became increasingly frantic as they began to prepare their meal, excited that everything was in place for a magnificent feast tonight. They showed the donkey's owner a lot of respect by bowing to him repeatedly and making him feel welcome. Meanwhile, they privately rejoiced that they would no longer have to beg for a crumb of food, nor would they have to fast in the future days due to a lack of resources. For his part, the proprietor considered himself fortunate to be at the Sufi House that evening, able to partake in a delectable supper in the company of great, generous Sufis. He had no idea what he was getting himself into!

The food was eventually served, and everyone had a great time eating to their hearts' content. The men started the Sama as soon as they finished their dinner. The dust rose from beneath their feet, combining with the cooking smoke and engulfing the whirlers in a mystical fog. The Sufis danced and sang, raising their arms to the heavens and whirling around in circles, stamping their feet and prostrating on the floor, washing the floor clean with their robes. The musicians stepped up the beat and began singing heartily, Gone is the ass, gone is the ass! as the Sama-gathering progressed.

Gone is the ass, gone is the ass! the Sufis screamed after the musicians, arms in the air.

Unaware that it was his donkey they were singing about, the donkey's owner joined in enthusiastically and sang along with them: Gone is the ass, gone is the ass!

The Sama lasted late into the night and into the morning. The men parted ways one by one as the sun rose, offering one other warm farewell. The donkey's owner dusted off his clothes and gathered his possessions as he prepared for another day at work. He ran to the stables, hoping to meet up with his newfound Dervish buddies, but he didn't spot his four-legged partner. He assumed the stableboy had brought the animal to the brook to give him some water; perhaps he hadn't had enough the night before. When the little kid eventually emerged, the owner inquired about the whereabouts of his donkey. The youngster was perplexed and informed him he had no idea what he was talking about. The proprietor became enraged and snatched him by the throat, threatening to kill him.

He cried, I left my donkey in your care last night! You were supposed to take care of him. Don't make excuses for me; hurry up and bring him to me—otherwise, I'll report you to the authorities! he said.

The boy admitted, I was subdued by the Dervishes. I was terrified for my life! They sold your donkey and used the proceeds to pay for last night's feast. Leaving a loaf of bread with a gang of hungry men is like tossing a scrawny cat to a pack of ferocious wolves! he shouted, attempting to think rationally about the situation.

Shouldn't you have told me that they were stealing my donkey if they stole him from you by force? If you had, I could have bought him back from the buyer or gotten the money out of this wild bunch. How am I going to track them down now that they've all gone their separate ways? What an unforgivable wrong you've done to me! he wailed.

I swear to God, I tried to warn you multiple times, but your zeal was bigger than all of theirs combined! The stableboy retorted. You sang ‘Gone is the ass, gone is the ass!' even louder than the rest! As a mystic with access to so many secrets, I assumed you must have given them your permission!

The Dervish concurred, I was excited, stimulated by their enthusiasm. However, it was silly of me to want to be like them. Imitation has ruined my life! I curse it a thousand times since it has permanently ruined me!