Page:Tales from the Gulistan (1928).pdf/96

The Morals of Dervishes

being pious in my childhood, rising in the night, addicted to devotion and abstinence. One night I was sitting with my father, remaining awake and holding the beloved Qurân in my lap, whilst the people around us were asleep. I said: "Not one of these persons lifts up his head, or makes a genuflection. They are as fast asleep as if they were dead."

He replied: "Darling of thy father! Would that thou wert also asleep, rather than disparaging people."


 * The pretender sees no one but himself,
 * Because he has the veil of conceit in front;
 * If he were endowed with a God-discerning eye,
 * He would see that no one is weaker than himself.