This story is mentioned in a book by Ibn Ata-Ellah titled 'Lata-if Al-Menan' (Chapter 8).
Several centuries ago, in a small village, a man selected to lead an austere lifestyle (called a Zahid in Arabic). He was a fisherman and he did not earn much, yet whatever little he would earn, he would give part of it for charity, and keep the rest for himself.
One day, one of the people of the village needed to go to the Capital for some business. That was a major news in the small village. Upon hearing about the trip, the Zahid went to the man to ask him a favor. And said to him "A brother of mine lives in the Capital. Would you please convey my Salam and ask him to pray for me, because he is a Wali of Allah (Living Saint)." The Traveler said "Sure, I will do that for you."
The Zahid gave the Traveler the name of the Wali. The Traveler went to the Capital and finished whatever business he went there for. Then, he started asking around if someone knew a man with the name he was given. He was told that a man with that name owns a huge house, and was given directions to that house.
The Traveler found the house and was quite surprised. The house was so big and beautiful, it looked good for royalty. He was looking for a Wali, who typically would be a man who has relinquished all riches, content with little and has dedicated his life for worship. He was not sure he had found the right man, but he still asked the watchman about the owner of the house.
The watchman told him that the owner was at the Sultan's palace and he should be coming back soon. The Traveler was almost certain then that this could not be the Wali he was looking for. Because again, a Wali would typically stay away from all signs of worldly powers and powerful people in authority. But, he thought, since he had come all the way to find the man, he might as well wait a little more and make sure the owner of the house was not the man he was looking for.
An hour or so later, he saw the man coming, wearing expensive clothes, riding a fine horse and surrounded by servants and guards, as if he was a king.
The Zahid's friend thought 'there is no way this man could be a Wali'. And he almost decided to go back without meeting the man, then thought he might upset his friend the Zahid if he did not do his best to find the Wali. So, he asked permission to meet the owner of the house, and was surprised that he was allowed in straightaway. It was amazing what he saw inside the big beautiful house. There were so many expensive things and so many servants.
He finally met the man and informed him about where he had come from and about the message of the Zahid. The rich man said "you came from his town?" the Zahid's friend said "Yes". The rich man said "When you go back, tell him the following: How long are you going to be busy with worldly matters? and how much longer will you continue to seek them? and when will you ever going to stop desiring such things?". The Zahid's friend was totally speechless.
He went back to the village and met the Zahid. The Zahid asked him if he had managed to meet the Wali, and the answer was positive. So, he asked him what did the Wali tell him. His friend did not want to hurt the Zahid's feelings, so he said "Nothing. He did not say anything". The Zahid said "You have to tell me the truth." So, His friend told him the whole story. The Zahid looked at the ground thinking silently. Moments later his eyes were filled with tears. A while later, he said "My brother was right. Allah has washed every desire for worldly matters from his heart, yet gave him all that. As for me, Allah gave me very little, yet I still think sometimes about what I have."
Comment
The moral of the story is that, it is not how much one has, it is how attached one is to whatever he has. Imam Al-Ghazali said in Al-Ehaya (v. 1 p. 27) about the true meaning of Austerity: is not not to have money (or eschewing money), it is for the Heart not to be busy with it.
The Zahid was trying all he could to be a good Sufi, and he received advice and guidance on how to improve himself, from a person in an unexpected situation.
The Zahid admitted that despite his ascetic lifestyle, he still could not stop himself from thinking, sometimes, about his possessions, as little as they were. The rich man, (a) knew the little problem the Zahid had, without having been specifically told about it (more on that later), and (b) expressed his view that it is very unacceptable for a Sufi to have such a problem.
Keeping desires under control is one of the basic guidelines Sufis follow. The final goal is to reach a stage where one is enlightened and has realized the truths of religion. It is easier said than done, however.
It is true that a firm belief is essential for realizing truths of religion, yet there are so many things that can veil such truths from being properly seen, such as anger, hatred, holding grudges, jealousy, badmouthing, lust for money, consuming more food and drink than one's body actually needs, cursing, impatience, lying,.. the list goes on, some items are more serious than others.
No wonder religious guidelines typically call for peace, moderation, forgiveness, truthfulness, etc. They are guiding the faithful towards realization. It is probably in one's genes to seek deep realization, since almost everyone instinctively realizes the importance of having such traits, even if some people think it is not always easy to acquire them. Many non-religious people have that urge too. They probably attribute it to the need to live as fine human beings within a civil society. But, that instinctive drive could have a deeper final goal, buried in one's subconsciousness.
So, how do such things hinder 'sight'?
They keep a person's mind preoccupied. They stir one's emotional and sensuous side, in turn that keeps one from feeling inner tranquility and keeps him from taking a clear and deep look inside. Some might consider it impossible to live without fulfilling one's desires and urges. Besides what would a life mean without trying to fulfill one's desires?
First of all, it is true that fighting one's desires might not be easy but it is not impossible, mystics from different religions have done it numerous times. Sufis call fighting one's desires and improvement of oneself, the real Jihad, probably indicating the importance of the inner struggle. Second, while some habits need to be thrown out of one's life for good, for several desires, it is taming them not killing them that is sought. For instance, the prophet said once: "We are people who eat only when we are hungry. And when we eat we do not fill our stomachs." Islam urges a Muslim to exercise control over when to eat, how to eat, what to eat and even how much to eat. A person with desires under control instead of them controlling his behavior, is probably expected to live healthier, physically and psychologically, not to mention the start of feeling the spiritual aspects, which is the ultimate goal one should not forget amid the many physical and psychological benefits of treading the path of light.
The goal is precious, and to reach it one needs tenacity as well as guidance. The Quran describes the Prophet peace be upon him as (7:157): "For he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure)". Also, the Prophet said: "There is nothing that can get you closer to God that I have not told you about, and nothing that can get you away from God that I did not warn you about." That is why religious guidelines exist. And that is why trying to follow them with keenness is not an option to a Sufi.
In their serious efforts to reach their goal, many Sufis would intentionally avoid living a comfortable life, and instead, adopt an ascetic way of life, just to train themselves not to be obsessed with desirable worldly things, in hope that with less preoccupations, one may start 'seeing'. Seeing, by the way, as the bulk of Sufi literature suggests, is probably not just metaphoric.
Sufis do not live an ascetic life for the sake of living such a life, because that would be turning a means to an end. It is missing the point. However, despite one's sincere effort, results may still be unrealized. That was probably the main reason behind the Zahid's request for a prayer from a more advanced Sufi. Unless a serious effort leads to some results, then possibly something hasn't been going right. It could be that one's intentions are not fully purified.
Purity of intentions is of paramount importance in Islam. Muslims typically are taught from an early age that to Allah, one's hidden intentions are as clear as one's physical actions. In other words, one may fool ordinary people, but one cannot fool God Almighty. Sometimes, it is also hard to fool advanced Believers. The prophet said: "Be ware of the insight of the believer; He looks through the Light of/from God". The rich man above, needed little clues, to 'figure out'/'receive' much more information about the Zahid than he was given, especially about his inner situation. That is quite common in Sufi stories, by the way. If I understand correctly, what enables Sufis to 'see' without effort, such information is pristine faith that stems from purity of heart, calmness of senses, freedom from restless thoughts and unceasing pictures on mind, no negative feelings for others, and not hurting anyone. It is usually not a simple journey until one has purified his inner sight.
The Zahid realized what was his problem, and realized also that the rich Sufi did not have it, despite the fact that he was living what looked like a lifestyle that may keep one busy with so many things. Which is something a Sufi would try to avoid as much as possible.
Another practice Sufis use to advance themselves in the path, is Seclusion. In it they concentrate on prayers, contemplation and Zikr. It is aimed at decreasing the presence of people and worldly affairs in one's mind, so the spiritual aspect is more perceptible and the presence of God gets stronger in one's heart. Ibn-Arabi said that some Sufis can reach a stage where they are in constant seclusion, whether they are in real seclusion or not. No worldly matters or events can shake them out of it. They live a normal life, but without the kind of emotional ups and downs that most people experience. They are very realistic and far more aware of life and existence than normal people can give them credit for. They have no worldly desires left to fulfill. Whatever they have or get of worldly things is acceptable to them. When they seek something it is out of human nature of seeking it, but without obsession, lust or passion. To succeed in getting something of worldly matters is not much different from not getting it. They portray a sort of a detached attitude towards worldly matters, not because they despise or do not understand or do not appreciate a normal lifestyle, but because they are aware of much more than what a normal man's senses can feel, they simply feel that, yet feel what is beyond that too. One would typically be relieved to find something important, advanced Sufis have found all they want, all that matters, at any point of space-time. A Sufi saying goes: "Who did not find God did not find anything of worth, and who found God did not miss anything."
Ibrahim Ibn Adham once said "If rich and powerful people knew what kind of life we live, they would pull their swords to fight us over it." He was living in the remains of an old house when he said it, having a simple meal once a day at best. He was a son of a very rich governor. His early life was full of everything a rich family can provide, which probably means he knew what he was talking about. When he realized what Sufism is and the kind of serious effort it demands, one day he left all that was available to him, taking nothing with him, and he never looked back. This kind of incident happened many times in Islamic history. People moving voluntarily from fame and fortune to total obscurity, living a modest life, away from the quarrels of life.
Ibn Ata-Ellah mentioned the story of the rich Sufi as an example of how advanced Sufis are 'veiled' from eyes of the public. In this particular story, abundant wealth was the veil. In many Sufi stories, it is not uncommon for Sufis to appear in unexpected places. In appearance, they would be doing a positive and a good job. They avoid drawing attention to themselves. It is irrelevant to them where they are in the social hierarchy, or what particular job they are doing. They are there to serve humanity. And that may or may not be noticeable in physical terms, because it is their spiritual role in a community that matters. Their mere presence is important for a healthy society. They are described as the poles holding up a tent and keeping it stable, where the tent here is society.
