Story of a Sufi’s Rebuke
Some Sufis were sitting together in private, when one of them opened his mouth in slander.
“Didst thou ever make a crusade in Europe?” he was asked.
“Beyond the four walls of my house,” he replied, “I have never placed my feet.”
“Never have I met so unfortunate a man,” observed the questioner. “The infidel remains safe from his enmity, yet a Mussulman escapes not the violence of his tongue.”
Concerning Absent Friends
In relation to an absent friend, two things are unlawful. The first is to squander his possessions; the second, to speak evil of his name.
Look not for good words from him who mentions the names of men with scorn, for behind thy back he says those things which he said to thee of others.
He only is wise who concerns himself with his own affairs and is indifferent to the world.