Internal Impurities, and the pure Mosque

A wise and pure-hearted young man of noble lineage traveled across the sea until he reached a city in the land of the Romans.

When the people of that city saw the young man’s vast knowledge, sincere piety, and refined manners, they honored his arrival and provided his belongings with a fitting place that reflected their respect and esteem.

One day, the most eminent and righteous man among them went to meet him. He addressed the young man, saying, “Get up, my friend, and dust the mosque and cleanse it of straw and rubbish.”

Upon hearing this, the young man, steadfast on the path of truth, immediately left that land, and no one saw him there after that.

The followers and the sheikh assumed that this poor young man had become averse to work and that he lacked the ability or the desire to serve the House of God. (The Mosque)

The next day, this kind young man encountered the mosque’s caretaker on the road. He stopped him and admonished him, saying: “You acted poorly, following a flawed and hasty opinion that day (when you were asked to help clean the mosque).

Didn’t you know, you conceited youth, that great and wise men only attained their lofty positions through the grace of God via service and humility?”

Then the young man burst into tears with all sincerity and anguish emanating from the depths of his heart, and said: O my brother, O you who illuminate the heart and nourish the soul with your guidance,

I found no defilement in that holy place (the Mosque), nor did I see any dust or dirt in it; But I found myself, the one defiled by sins and flaws, in that pure and pristine place.

Therefore, I had no choice but to retreat and leave. Because that holy mosque should be pure and free from all defilement and impurity, and I did not wish to defile it with my presence.

For the Sufi path and the way of the dervishes are nothing other than this: that the seeker should be humble and see himself as lowly and submissive at all times.

So if you seek elevation and hope for sublimity, then you must choose humility. For there is no roof of glory, no lofty height, nor a ladder to ascend it, except through humility.

Phrases

Pakizaboom: Characterized by authenticity, purity, virtuous nature, and descent from a pure land or origin.

Darband-e Rum: The name of a strategic border region in the Roman Empire (Asia Minor or the borders of ancient Byzantium) that served as a residence for Sufis, border guards, and ascetics.

Bar Amad: Arrived, landed on the shore (because he had a sea voyage).

Fadl: Knowledge, perfection, generosity.

Faqr: In Sufi terminology, it means lack of need for creation and absolute need for Truth (a true dervish).

Tamayuz: The ability to distinguish right from wrong, refinement, intelligence.

Rakht: Possessions, travel luggage.

Sari Salihan: The head of the righteous, the abbot of the monastery or protector of that land, and the great ascetics.

Bifshan: A cleaner, a sweeper (from the root Afshandan meaning to shake and clean).

Khashak: Small pieces of wood and sawdust, small pieces of rubbish.

Haman Kain: As soon as this happened, at that moment. In particular

Mard Rahru: Seeker of the path, traveler on the path of truth (referring to the young man himself)

Bazsh: Himself

Hamal Kardand: They judged him, they thought so, they suspected him

Pravai Khedmat: Desire and readiness to serve, ability to serve or tolerance of it

Garftesh Beh Rah: He met him on the path

Rai Tabah: A corrupt idea, a wrong decision

Kodak Khodpasand: A reference to a naive and arrogant person (the servant addresses him thus because of his apparent judgment)

Mardan: Elders of the path, those who have reached the path of truth

Garstan Garft: He began to cry

Az Sar Sedq O Soz: From sincerity, deep longing, and intense pain

Janparor Delfroz: O you who nourish the soul and enlighten the heart (a polite and humble address from a young man to his servant)

Baq’ah: Threshold, sacred place, mosque or monastery

Aloudah: Impure, sinful, veiled by the spirit.

Gnostic Meanings

The Concept of “Service” in Sufi Education: “Service” (such as cleaning roofs and sweeping mosques) is a key tool for “breaking the ego” and humbling the perceived pride of new seekers (Sufis), especially if they are people of virtue and knowledge. The sheikh wanted to test the young man, but the young man surprised everyone by “seeing the fault in himself,” not in the work itself.

Seeing the Self in its Lowest Form: When the young man was asked to clean the mosque of khashak (rubbish and dust), his mind immediately shifted from the “material meaning” to the “gnostic behavioral meaning.” He saw the mosque as pure, and that his own existence—with its remnants of selfishness and metaphorical being—was the true defilement that must be removed so that the House of God would remain pure. This represents the pinnacle of “self-reproach” and the humility of the enlightened.

The Ladder and Humility: Saadi’s use of the Arabic word “ladder” carries a rhetorical significance; Ascending to heaven or spiritual stations requires a means of elevation. In Saadi’s philosophical lexicon, humility is the opposite of gravity: the lower you descend into the earth, the higher you ascend into the heavens of truth, just as a raindrop humbles itself before the sea and becomes a pearl.

This story/wisdom from Saadi Shirazi’s book, Bustan, means that true elevation and lofty spiritual stations are not attained through boasting of knowledge and outward virtue, but rather stem from the destruction of ego, viewing oneself with the eye of inadequacy, and humbling oneself before the majesty of Truth and the purity of His sacred attributes. It is significant in the path of mystical conduct and moral education because it reveals the essence of genuine humility, in which the seeker sees their own shortcomings as the first things that must be purified. It affirms that breaking down and descending to the level of the earth is the only legitimate and legitimate ladder for ascending to the heavens of divine acceptance and human eternity.

Arabic Translation

وَفَدَ شَابٌّ عاقِلٌ نَقِيُّ السَّرِيرَةِ طَيِّبُ الأَصْلِ
عَبْرَ البَحْرِ حَتَّى وَصَلَ إِلَى مدينةٍ في بلاد الرُوم

فَلَمَّا رَأَى أَهْلُ ذَلِكَ البلد مَا يَتَحَلَّى بِهِ الشَّابُّ مِنْ عِلْمٍ غَزِيرٍ، وَزُهْدٍ صَادِقٍ
وَأَدَبٍ رَفِيعٍ، أَكْرَمُوا وِفَادَتَهُ وَأَنْزَلُوا مَتَاعَهُ فِي مَكَانٍ لائِقٍ يُعَبِّرُ عَنِ الِاحْتِرَامِ وَالتَّقْدِيرِ

وَفِي أَحَدِ الأَيَّامِ، تَوَجَّهَ كَبِيرُ الصَّالِحِينَ وَشَيْخُهُمْ إِلَى هَذَا الشَّابِّ قَائِلاً لَهُ
قُمْ يَا صَاحِبِي وَأنْفُضِ الغُبَارَ عَنِ المَسْجِدِ وَطَهِّرْهُ مِنَ القَشِّ وَالقُمامة

فمَا إِنْ سَمِعَ هذا الشاب السَّالِكُ المَاضِي فِي طَرِيقِ الحَقِّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ
حَتَّى خَرَجَ مِنَ تلك البلاد فَوْرًا، وَلَمْ يَرَهُ أَحَدٌ هُنَاكَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ

فَظَنَّ التابعون وَالشَّيْخُ أَنَّ هَذَا الشاب الفَقِيرَ قَدْ نَفَرَ مِنَ العَمَلِ
وَأَنَّهُ لَا يَمْلِكُ القُدْرَةَ أَوِ الرَّغْبَةَ فِي خِدْمَةِ بَيْتِ اللهِ (المَسجد)

وَفِي اليَوْمِ التَّالِي، صَادَفَ هذا الشاب الطيب، خَادِمُ المَسْجِدِ فِي الطَّرِيقِ
فَاسْتَوْقَفَهُ وَعَاتَبَهُ قَائِلاً: لَقَدْ تَصَرَّفْتَ بِشَكْلٍ سَيِّئٍ تَبَعًا لِرَأْيٍ فَاسِدٍ وَمُتَسَرِّعٍ في ذلك اليوم
(عندما طُلب منك المساعدة في تنظيف المَسجد)

أَلَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْلَمُ، أَيُّهَا الفَتَى المَغْرُورُ بِنَفْسِهِ، أَنَّ الرِّجَالَ العِظَامَ وَالعَارِفِينَ
لَمْ يَصِلُوا إِلَى مَقَامَاتِهِمُ السَّامِيَةِ إِلَّا بِفَضْلِ الخِدْمَةِ وَالتَّوَاضُعِ؟

فَأَجْهَشَ الشَّابُّ بِالبُكَاءِ بِكُلِّ صِدْقٍ وَحُرْقَةٍ نَابِعَةٍ مِنْ أَعْمَاقِ قَلْبِهِ
وَقَالَ: يَا أَخِي، يَا مَنْ تُنِيرُ القَلْبَ وَتُغَذِّي الرُّوحَ بِتَوْجِيهِكَ

إِنِّي لَمْ أَجِدْ فِي تِلْكَ البُقْعَةِ الشَّرِيفَةِ (المَسجد) أَيَّ تلوث، وَلَا رَأَيْتُ فِيهَا غُبَارًا وَلَا تُرَابًا
بَلْ وَجَدْتُ نَفْسِي أَنَا المُلَوَّثَ بِالذُّنُوبِ وَالعُيُوبِ فِي ذَلِكَ المَكَانِ الطَّاهِرِ النَّقِيِّ

وَلِذَلِكَ، لَمْ يَكُنْ لِي بُدٌّ سوى أَنْ أَتَرَاجَعَ وَأَنصرف خَارِجًا؛ لأَنَّ ذَلِكَ المَسْجِدَ المُقَدَّسَ
يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ طَاهِرًا بَعِيدًا عَنْ كُلِّ دَنَسٍ وَشَائِبَةٍ، وَمَا كُنْتُ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُدَنِّسَهُ بِوُجُودِي

فلَيْسَ المَنْهَجُ الصُّوفِيُّ وَلَا طَرِيقُ الدَّرَاوِيشِ إِلَّا هَذَا: أَنْ يَتواضع السالك
وَأَنْ يَرَى نَفْسَهُ هَالِكَةً خَاضِعَةً، فِی كُلِّ حِينٍ

فَإِذَا كُنْتَ تَبْتَغِي الرِّفْعَةَ وَتَرْجُو السُّمُوَّ، فَعَلَيْكَ بِاخْتِيَارِ التَّوَاضُعِ
إِذْ لَا يُوجَدُ لِسَقْفِ المَجْدِ وَذَلِكَ السَّطْحِ العَالِي وَلَاسُلم تَرتقي به، الا بالتواضع

المعاني العرفانية

مفهوم «الخدمة» في التربية الصوفية: تُعدّ “الخدمة” (مثل تنظيف السقوف وكنس المساجد) أداة رئيسية لـ”كسر النفس” وإذلال الكبرياء الافتراضي لدى السالكين (الصوفية) الجدد، خاصة إذا كانوا أصحاب فضل وعلم، حيث ان الشيخ أراد اختبار الشاب، لكن الشاب فاجأ الجميع بـ”رؤية العيب في نفسه” لا في العمل نفسه رؤية النفس بأدنى صورة لها: عندما طُلب من الشاب تنظيف المسجد من الخاشاك (القمامة والتراب)، انتقل ذهنه مباشرة من “المعنى المادي” إلى “المعنى السلوكي العرفاني”؛ فرأى أن المسجد طاهر، وأن وجوده هو -بما يحمله من بقايا الأنانية والوجود المَجازي- هو التلوث الحقيقي الذي يجب إخراجه ليبقى بيت الله خالصاً، هذا يمثل ذروة مقام “الملامة النفسية” وتواضع العارفين

السُّلّم والتواضع: استخدام سعدي للفظة العربية “سُلَّم” يحمل دلالة بلاغية؛ فالصعود إلى السماء أو المقامات الروحية يحتاج إلى وسيلة ارتقاء، وفي معجم سعدي الفلسفي، التواضع هو الجاذبية العكسية: كلما انخفضتَ في التراب، ارتفعتَ في سماء الحقيقة، تماماً كقطرة المطر التي تواضعت للبحر فصارت لؤلؤة

هذه القصة/الحكمة من سعدي الشيرازي في كتابه البوستان تعني أنَّ الرفعة الحقيقية والمقامات الروحية السامية لا تُنال بالمفاخرة بالعلم والفضل الظاهري، بل تنبع من تدمير الأنانية ورؤية النفس بعين التقصير والتواضع أمام جلال الحق وطهارة مُقدساته، ولها أهمية في مسار السلوك العرفاني والتربية الأخلاقية لأنها تكشف عن جوهر التواضع الصادق الذي يرى فيه السالك عيوب نفسه كأولى ما يجب تطهيره، مؤكدة أن الانكسار والنزول إلى رتبة التراب هو السلم الوحيد والشرعي والوحيد للارتقاء إلى سموات القبول الإلهي والخلود الإنساني

Persian text

جوانی خردمندِ پاکیزه‌بوم
ز دریا بر آمد به دربندِ روم

در او فضل دیدند و فقر و تمیز
نهادند رختش به جایی عزیز

سرِ صالحان گفت روزی به مرد
که خاشاک مسجد بیفشان و گرد

همان کاین سخن مرد رهرو شنید
برون رفت و بازش کس آنجا ندید

بر آن حمل کردند یاران و پیر
که پروای خدمت نبودش فقیر

دگر روز خادم گرفتش به راه
که ناخوب کردی به رایِ تباه

ندانستی ای کودکِ خودپسند‌؟
که مردان ز خدمت به جایی رسند‌؟‌

گرستن گرفت از سر صدق و سوز
که ‌ای یار جان‌پرورِ دلفروز

نه گَرد اندر آن بُقعه دیدم‌، نه خاک
من آلوده بودم در آن جای پاک

گرفتم قدم لاجرم باز پس
که پاکیزه به مسجد از خاک و خس‌

طریقت جز این نیست درویش را
که افکنده دارد تنِ خویش را

بلندیت باید‌، تواضع گزین
که آن بام را نیست سُلَّم جز این