Four Prisoners

Discussion   Join

  

Four children are born in a prison:

Muslim: A blind prisoner, though cannot see the prison walls, however has blind-faith that he is in a prison.

Mu’min (Believer): A prisoner in solitary confinement can see the prison walls, though has never seen a window, however has solid faith that there are some windows to look through to outside!

Sufi: A prisoner who once did look through a prison window and saw a flash of what is outside.

Muwahhid (Professor of the Divine Oneness): An executed prisoner, hanging from the end of a rope, dangling in front a prison window and can look through, non-stop, at the outside, the more he sees the more he suffocates, the less he can utter any words!

***

Muslim talks a lot about escaping from the prison that he has never seen, to the outside that he has never seen!

Mu’min gives glad tidings that there are, for sure, windows some place in this prison.

Sufi: Stuttering while coming out of the shock of what his eyes have seen through the prison window, babbles and most people don’t understand what he is saying.

Muwahhid dances at the end of the rope gasping for air.

***

Muslim prays to Allah asking for an escape.

Mu’min prays to Allah for a window.

Sufi prays to Allah for one more look out the window.

Muwahhid prays to Allah to grant the prayers of the Muslim, the Mu’min and the Sufi.

***

From inside the prison the four prisoners are in four different circumstances.

From outside they are simply four prisoners!


الجامع الصغير. الإصدار 3,22 - لجلال الدين السيوطي
المجلد الثالث >> فصل: في المحلى بأل من حرف الدال
4276 - الدنيا سجن المؤمن وسنته، فإذا فارق الحياة فارق السجن والسنة
["السنة" (بفتح السين والنون): القحط والجدب]ـ
التخريج (مفصلا): أحمد في مسنده والطبراني في الكبير وأبو نعيم في الحلية والحاكم في المستدرك عن ابن عمرو
تصحيح السيوطي: صحيح



© 2006-2002,  Dara O. Shayda