Sufi Stories of Saadi Shirazi
Story 4 -The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A band of Arab brigands having taken up their position on the top of a mountain and closed the passage of caravans, the inhabitants of the country were distressed by their stratagems and the troops of the sultan foiled because the robbers, having obtained
Story 1- The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Story 1 One of the great devotees having been asked about his opinion concerning a hermit whom others had censured in their conversation, he replied: 'I do not see any external blemishes on him and do not know of internal ones.' Whomsoever thou
Story 2 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
I saw a dervish who placed his head upon the threshold of the Ka'bah, groaned, and said: 'O forgiving, 0 merciful one, thou knowest what an unrighteous, ignorant man can offer to thee.' I have craved pardon for the deficiency of my service Because
Story 22 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A king was subject to a terrible disease, the mention of which is not sanctioned by custom. The tribe of Yunani physicians agreed that this pain cannot be allayed except by means of the bile of a person endued with certain qualities. Orders having been
Story .6 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A hermit, being the guest of a padshah, ate less than he wished when sitting at dinner and when he rose for prayers he prolonged them more than was his wont in order to enhance the opinion entertained by the padshah of his piety. O Arab of the desert,
Story 38 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A company of philosophers were discussing a subject in the palace of Kesra and Barzachumihr, having remained silent, they asked him why he took no share in the debate. He replied: 'Veziers are like physicians and the latter give medicine to the sick
Story 5 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Several travellers were on a journey together and equally sharing each other's troubles and comforts. I desired to accompany them but they would not agree. Then I said: 'It is foreign to the manners of great men to turn away the face from the company
Story 19 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A caravan having been plundered in the Yunan country and deprived of boundless wealth, the merchants wept and lamented, beseeching God and the prophet to intercede for them with the robbers, but ineffectually. When a dark-minded robber is victorious
Story 41 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Iskandur Rumi, having been asked how he had conquered the east and the west, considering that the treasures, territories, reigns and armies of former kings exceeded his own and they had not gained such a victory, replied: 'Whatever country I conquered
Story 4 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A thief paid a visit to the house of a pious man but, although he sought a great deal, found nothing and was much grieved. The pious man, who knew this, threw the blanket upon which he had been sleeping into the way of the thief that he might not go
Story 12 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
An unjust king asked a devotee what kind of worship is best? He replied: 'For thee the best is to sleep one half of the day so as not to injure the people for a while.' I saw a tyrant sleeping half the day. I said: 'This confusion, if sleep removes
Story 22-the Rules for Conduct in Life- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Affairs succeed by patience and a hasty man fails. I saw with my eyes in the desert That a slow man overtook a fast one. A galloping horse, fleet like the wind, fell back Whilst the camel-man continued slowly his progress.
Story 3-The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
I have heard that a royal prince of short stature and mean presence, whose brothers were tall and good-looking, once saw his father glancing on him with aversion and contempt but he had the shrewdness and penetration to guess the meaning and said: 'O
Story 24 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
King Zuzan had a khajah of noble sentiments and of good aspect who served his companions when they were present and spoke well of them when they were absent. He happened to do something whereby he incurred the displeasure of the king who inflicted a
Story 2-The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
One of the kings of Khorasan had a vision in a dream of Sultan Mahmud, one hundred years after his death. His whole person appeared to have been dissolved and turned to dust, except his eyes, which were revolving in their orbits and looking about. All
Story 23-the Rules for Conduct in Life- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Nothing is better for an ignorant man than silence, and if he were to consider it to be suitable, he would not be ignorant. If thou possessest not the perfection of excellence It is best to keep thy tongue within thy mouth. Disgrace is brought on
Story 10 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
I was constantly engaged in prayer, at the head of the prophet Yahia's tomb in the cathedral mosque of Damascus, when one of the Arab kings, notorious for his injustice, happened to arrive on a pilgrimage to it, who offered his supplications and asked
Story 11 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
I spoke in the cathedral mosque of Damascus a few words by way of a sermon but to a congregation whose hearts were withered and dead, not having travelled from the road of the world of form, the physical, to the world of meaning, the moral world. I perceived
Story 5 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
I saw at the palace-gate of Oglimish the son of a military officer who was endued with marvellous intellect, sagacity, perception and shrewdness; also the signs of future greatness manifested themselves on his forehead whilst yet a small boy. From
Story 9 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
An Arab king was sick in his state of decrepitude so that all hopes of life were cut off. A trooper entered the gate with the good news that a certain fort had been conquered by the good luck of the king, that the enemies had been captured and that the
Story 7 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A padshah was in the same boat with a Persian slave who had never before been at sea and experienced the inconvenience of a vessel. He began to cry and to tremble to such a degree that he could not be pacified by kindness, so that at last the king became
Story 40 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A Chinese slave-girl having been brought to a king, he desired to have connection with her whilst in a state of intoxication but, as she repelled him, he became angry and presented her to one of his negro-slaves whose upper lip was higher than his nostrils
Story 6 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
It is narrated that one of the kings of Persia had stretched forth his tyrannical hand to the possessions of his subjects and had begun to oppress them so violently that in consequence of his fraudulent extortions they dispersed in the world and chose
Story 1-The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
I heard a padshah giving orders to kill a prisoner. The helpless fellow began to insult the king on that occasion of despair, with the tongue he had, and to use foul expressions according to the saying: Who washes his hands of life Says whatever
Story 9- The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
One of the devotees of Mount Lebanon, whose piety was famed in the Arab country and his miracles well known, entered the cathedral mosque of Damascus and was performing his purificatory ablution on the edge of a tank when his feet slipped and he fell
Story 32 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
An impostor arranged his hair in a peculiar fashion, pretended to be a descendant of A'li and entered the town with a caravan from the Hejaz, saying that he had just arrived from a pilgrimage. He also presented an elegy to the king, alleging that he
Story 39 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Harun-ur-Rashid said when the country of Egypt was surrendered to him: 'In contrast to the rebel who had in his arrogance of being sovereign of Egypt pretended to be God, I shall bestow this country upon the meanest of my slaves.' He had a stupid negro,
Story 48-the Rules for Conduct in Life- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A rich profligate is a lump of earth gilded and a pious dervish is a sweetheart besmeared with earth. The latter is the patched garment of Moses and the former is the bejewelled beard of Pharaoh. Nevertheless good men retain a cheerful countenance in
Story 22 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
It is related that a hermit consumed during one night ten mann of food and perused the whole Quran till morning. A pious fellow who had heard of this said: 'It would have been more excellent if he had eaten half a loaf and slept till the morning.' Keep
Story 20 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Despite the abundant admonitions of the most illustrious Sheikh Abulfaraj Ben Juzi to shun musical entertainments and to prefer solitude and retirement, the budding of my youth overcame me, my sensual desires were excited so that, unable to resist them,
Story 38 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A murid said to his pir: 'What am I to do? I am troubled by the people, many of whom pay me visits. By their coming and going they encroach upon my precious time.' He replied: 'Lend something to every one of them who is poor and ask something from every
Story 35 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
In conformity with the above sentiments an affair of importance emerged to a padshah, who thereon vowed that, if it terminated according to his wishes, he would present devotees with a certain sum of money. His wish having been fulfilled, it became necessary
Story 23 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
One of the servants of Umrulais had fled but some men, having been sent in pursuit, brought him back. The vezier who bore a grudge towards him desired him to be killed that the other servants may not imitate his example. He placed his head on the ground
Story 5-the Effects of Education- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
The son of a pious man inherited great wealth left him by some uncles, whereon he plunged into dissipation and profligacy, became a spendthrift and, in short, left no heinous transgression unperpetrated and no intoxicant untasted. I advised him and said:
Story 17-the Rules for Conduct in Life- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Everyone thinks himself perfect in intellect and his child in beauty. A Jew was debating with a Musalman Till I shook with laughter at their dispute. The Moslem said in anger: 'If this deed of mine Is not correct, may God cause me to die a Jew.' The
Story 68-the Rules for Conduct in Life- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
How can he hear whose organ of audition has been created dull, and how can he avoid progressing upon whom the noose of happiness has been flung? To the friends of God a dark night Shines like the brilliant day. This felicity is not by strength of
Story 80-the Rules for Conduct in Life- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
What can an old prostitute do but vow to become chaste, and an policeman not to commit oppression upon men? A youth who sits in a corner is a hero in the path of God Because an old man is unable to rise from his corner. A youth must be strong minded
Story 11 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A dervish, whose prayers met with answers, made his appearance, and Hejaj Yusuf, calling him, said: 'Utter a good prayer for me', whereon the dervish exclaimed: 'O God, take his life.' He replied: 'For God's sake, what prayer is this?' The dervish rejoined:
Story 21-the Rules for Conduct in Life- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Whatever takes place quickly is not permanent. I have heard that eastern loam is made In forty days into a porcelain cup. A hundred are daily made in Baghdad. Hence thou seest also their price is vile. A little fowl issues from the egg and seeks
Story 13- The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
I heard a king, who had changed might into day by pleasures, saying in his drunkenness: 'We have in the world no moment more delightful than this, Because I care neither for good nor for bad nor for anyone.' A naked dervish, who was sleeping
Story 14-the Effects of Education- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A little man with a pain in his eyes went to a farrier to be treated by him. The farrier applied to his eyes what he used to put in those of quadrupeds so that the man became blind and lodged a complaint with the judge who, however, refrained from punishing
Story 3-the Effects of Education- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
An illustrious scholar, who was the tutor of a royal prince, had the habit of striking him unceremoniously and treating him severely. The boy, who could no longer bear this violence, went to his father to complain and when he had taken off his coat,
Story 76-the Rules for Conduct in Life- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
The first sovereign who laid stress on costume and wore rings on his left hand was Jamshid; and being asked why he had adorned his left whereas excellence resides in the right hand, he replied: 'The right hand is fully ornamented by its own rectitude.' Feridun
Story 36 - The Manners of Kings - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
There were two brothers: one of them in the service of the sultan and the other gaining his livelihood by the effort of his arm. The wealthy man once asked his destitute brother why he did not serve the sultan in order to be delivered from the hardship
Story 3-the Excellence of Contentment- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
I heard that a dervish, burning in the fire of poverty and sewing patch upon patch, said to comfort his mind: 'We are contented with dry bread and a patched robe For it is easier to bear the load of one's own trouble than that of thanks to others.' Someone
Story 66-the Rules for Conduct in Life- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Whoever does not betake himself to the path of rectitude in consequence of the castigations of this world will fall under eternal punishment in the next. Allah the most high has said: And we will cause them to taste the nearer punishment of this world
Story 25 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
One of the sheikhs of Syria, being asked on the true state of the Sufis, replied: 'In former times they were a tribe in the world, apparently distressed, but in reality contented whereas today they are people outwardly satisfied but inwardly discontented.' If
Story 6-the Advantages of Silence- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
Subhan Vail is considered to have had no equal in rhetorics because he had addressed an assembly during a year and had not repeated the same word but, when the same meaning happened to occur, he expressed it in another manner and this is one of the accomplishments
Story 1-the Excellence of Contentment- gulistaan-e-sa.adii
A Maghrabi supplicant said in Aleppo in the row of linen-drapers: 'Lords of wealth, if you were just and we contented, the trade of begging would vanish from the world.' O contentment, make me rich For besides thee no other wealth exists. Loqman
Story 3 - The Morals of Dervishes - gulistaan-e-sa.adii
I saw A'bd-u-Qader Gaillani in the sanctuary of the Ka'bah with his face on the pebbles and saying: 'O lord, pardon my sins and, if I deserve punishment, cause me to arise blind on the day of resurrection that I may not be ashamed in the sight of the
