Honours & Insults
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ One of the greatest characteristic weaknesses of man is the control of his temper. Insult or ridicule of the awliya’ is their fuel for the righteous. A true Sufi takes no notice of any insult done to him. How great Sufis have mastered this difficult evil is illustrated by the following instance. Once, Shaykh Abu Thahir Yahya ibn Yusuf as-Sarsari ( q.s. ), a great shaykh of his time, was passing through a bazaar when someone hurled an insult at him by addressing him as “ Ya Shaykh az-Zindiqin ,” meaning, ‘O Leader of the Heretics’. One of the muridun of the great shaykh with him was enraged at this insult to his revered teacher, and wanted to retaliate there and then. The shaykh calmly restrained him. On reaching the home of the shaykh , to pacify the murid ’s anger, Shaykh Abu Thahir ( q.s. ) showed him a bundle of letters written to him by people of eminence, addressing Shaykh Abu Thahir ( q.s. ...