Sufists were mystic groups in middle east and Asia minor circa 600AD unto present. Inheriting from the ancient teachings in those areas, they obtain to a deeper understanding of the current religions and sects, but they wrapped their stories in religious garbs to avoid persecution.
The sufi story of Moses and the Shepherd as told in Rumi’s Masnavi
There was once upon a time a shepherd, roaming in deserts and lands after his sheep, and at the same time he had a passion for God. As he followed the sheep he would burst into prayers and freely talked with his Beloved from the bottom of his heart. And it so happened that one day Moses [1], the prophet of Israel, was also treading a path in the desert and came close to the place that the shepherd was tending his flock. The shepherd was in prayer and singing to God as usual, and as Moses was coming close he could hear the shepherd voice:
Where are you so that I become your servant?
Mend your shoes and comb your hair!
Kiss your hands and rob your feet!
And as the bed time comes I prepare your sheets?!
May I be scarified to you all my goats!
I offer to you all these lullaby songs
Moses was standing and staring in amazement to this shepherd and wondering where is the beloved that he is singing to. Moses looked around and saw no other person than the shepherd himself. And as his curiosity rose to high he approached the shepherd and asked him who is his beloved and where she lives? The shepherd answered that my beloved:
.. [is] the one that created us
and this heaven and earth came from Him
Moses burst into angered and said: “you lost your mind, right after your coming to faith you lost it to blasphemy! What is this offense and nonsense that you say? May your mouth be filled by cottonwood!”
The shepherd stood perplexed and stopped singing. He recognized Moses and realized he is the prophet of the time and is chastising him in anger. The prophet called him blasphemous, and dismissed him from the divine presence. In depression and regret he sat back in his place and listened to Moses chastising words: “cloth and comb are for us to use, how His Highness ever needs these? If you stop not from uttering these words a fire will come to burn the earth! An ignorant friend is indeed an enemy, God does not need this type of services, bed sheet is for the one who sleeps, and shoe for the one in need of walking”
The shepherd was a very simple man and could not understanding many of Moses words, and could not tolerate all that anger and attack that was coming his side. Words of Moses surround him like flames of fire and wondering why Moses was calling him enemy while he was singing to God in all sincerity. So with a painful heart he said to Moses: “O Moses you shut my lips, and burned me in regret and sorrow”
And then he went away into wilderness believing that was driven away from the presence of God. He walked aimlessly while shedding tears. At the same time, Moses who believed that he did his prophetic duty and guidance, felt happy and began to walk back to the city. But as he was walking towards the city the word God came to him and blamed him:
You severed our servant from us
You are sent to join not to cut
For every person we made a nature
For every person we made a language
For him it sounds sweet and for you bitter
For him it is soothing and for you it is thorny
For him it is holy and for you blasphemy
For him sweet and for you poison
I am not affected by people good or evil
Not by their intelligence and quality
For Hindu I made Hindu terms
For Parsi I made Parsi terms
I did not created these but to benefit the creatures
And as a grace to my servants[2]
I care not to the external and the word
I care to inside and the mood[3]
I observe the heart to see if it is humbled
Even if his words are harsh in appearance
A fire of Divine love takes over the soul
and burns into the fire all words and intellect
O Moses, law-observing are one group of people
And those burned their souls in Me another group
The nation of love is away from all religions
For lovers the religion and nation is God[4]
The Word of God finished and Moses ran in haste to find the shepherd. He passed by many mountains and rivers, but did not find the shepherd. Wherever he arrived at, he could only see the shepherd’s footprint [5]. But Moses persisted, and by the Grace of God he finally caught up to the shepherd who was moving in desert like a ghost wind. Moses ran up to him and thinking that the shepherd is still regretting tried to sooth him by kind words: “Good news! A Word came from the Lord: do not look for any law and regulation, just say what your hearts wishes” [6] But the shepherd was already sore high and his soul was in union with the Divine. He said to Moses:
O Moses I surpassed this,
and now immersed in the blood of heart
As you leashed my horse,
it jumped to the other side of the universe
And now my feeling is beyond words
What I say is not describing me
You see an image in the mirror
What you see is your own image not the mirror itself[7]
Moses and shepherd parted their ways [8] and each followed his own path. Moses continued to preach and fulfilling his prophetic duties, but shepherd in his spirit of Divine Love went on wandering in the land of Wonder.
Comments: [1]
In Sufi literature Moses is the symbol of religion and law-observing mentality. It represents a state in human spiritual evolution in which the vision is based on rational thinking and observing laws. It is not condemned, but Sufi says there are still higher states to come. In this story, the shepherd represents such a higher state that, while lacking the intellectual power of Moses, has a more direct vision of God, a vision that surpasses the external rituals and laws. While in mainstream life and conventional society Moses is superior to the shepherd, but in the kingdom of God it is the shepherd who will sit at the right hand of the Father.
The symbolism of Moses occurs in many other Sufi stories. It also found its way into the Quran in the story of Moses and Khidr, where Moses as a man of exterior knowledge encounters with Khidr who possessed the inner knowledge of things, and throughout their journey Moses fails to realize the implication of what Khidr was doing.
[2] “… And as a grace to my servants …”
Religions are sent as Grace. They are here to help us, not as odd dogmas that hinder us from perfection. Sincere following of any religion creates joy and bliss in the life of the adherent. “We did not send you but as a grace to all” (Quran 21:106) — “listen to My supreme word which I shall declare to thee who art beloved, for thy welfare” (Bhagavad Gita 10:1)
[3] “… I care not to the external and the word, I care to inside and the mood … “
The word and mood are two famous twin terms in Sufism, Haal and Kaal. Haal (mood) is the spiritual feeling and aura that is created in the devotee as a result of his Divine life and meditations. Whereas Kaal (word) is merely words that one may utter and may not necessarily indicate a high spiritual state, even if the words are too intellectual and engaging.
[4] “… For lovers the religion and nation is God …”
Lovers (devotees) are the true followers of God. They care only about God, not much about philosophies, rites, rituals and human personalities. Their religion is a one-pointed life directed towards God.
[5] “Wherever he arrived at, he could only see the shepherd’s footprint”
This is a very common theme in Sufi stories where the Intellect is way behind the Soul in the heavenly race and cannot catch up but only sees faint footprints. This indicates the spiritual faculty is separated from the regular intellect.
[6] “… do not look for any law and regulation, just say what your heart wishes”
A very famous Sufi phrase. It somehow summarizes the whole doctrine. But this teaching applies only to those who obtained a certain level of spiritual growth and purity of heart. For an average person, following what the “heart wishes” will lead to his downfall.
[7] “… What you see is your own image not the mirror itself”
God is the faculty behind all the faculties. While everything comes from God, but none is God itself: “Nothing is like unto Him” (Quran 42:11), “Neither the hosts of the gods nor the great sages know My origin” (Bhagavad Gita 10:2)”. While Sufi acknowledges the whole creation as a manifestation of God and at times he may feel God in everything, yet he has reservations regarding the true nature of God. Sufi maintains that God in His true essence is unfathomable.
[8] “Moses and shepherd parted their ways … “
Another common theme in Sufi stories, in which, at the end Moses parts its way from the true devotee of God. Not that Moses and in general religious thinking are to be condemned, but it is just that they are a stepping stone in the path of spiritual evolution. One is not to stand in the first step, and eventually has to “part its way”, and go on in his soul journey into new and unknown regions of Heaven.
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Originally published at https://god-ministry.com on October 24, 2020.
