Accountability

By Abdul Rahim Khan, Rtd K A S,

Pulwama.

                                            

I was once sitting in the company of my Peer-u-Murshid along with many fellow travelers and Our Guide narrated a story of some Great Fakir to teach us the core of our following a Fakir.

He said that once a Great Saint in the company of his chief disciple left his place to meet another Saint whom he had met since and thereafter he could not see him. Therefore he started a journey along with his disciple to see him and in doing so he had to travel through a forest which was dense due to tree population.

They traveled a long way; and for just taking rest for a while they sat under a tree where there was a spring of fresh and clean water.

When they began to drink the water from the spring for quenching their thirst, they heard the chattering of two birds perching on a branch of the same tree under which they both were resting.

The Saint was conversant about the Bird’s language and he could hear and understand as to what was going in between them.

On hearing the conversation of the birds, the Saint became too gloomy. The birds fled away.

The Disciple was astonished as to what has made the Great saint so grim and gloomy! He could not tolerate the grim situation and therefore requested humbly to the Saint as to what has made him gloomy?

The Saint with a sigh told him that he (SAINT) is in a pposition to understand the language of birds and the two birds who were chattering on the branch of this tree, were telling to each other that the Saint to whom they (The Saint & his Disciple) were going to meet, has passed away; and therefore they fled away towards his place to offer Nimaz-e-Jinazah there. Now, therefore, we must also hurry to reach there  so that we can also attend the Nimmaz-e-Jennazah.

The two had a very brisk march towards the place where the Saint was supposed to have passed away.

To their surprise and astonishment what they observe is that the Saint had not passed away.

Second astonishment to them was that the two birds who by intuition had known the death of this living Fakir, were here again perching on the branch of the tree under which the so called dead Fakir was living & sitting in deep conversation with his disciples.

One bird was saying to the second bird that the information which he had received by intuition was wrong. Had it been true then he (The first bird) would have also received it by intuition.

This did not happen therefore, the information received is wrong as the Fakir is living and is in deep conversation with his disciples.

The first bird told him to wait with all the patience; and let the audience before him leave, so that they make a dash to him to enquire about the facts of the whole episode.

The Saint who with his lone Disciple had rushed to the spot to offer the funeral prayers was also in a dilemma to know the facts of the information got by the bird.

When the disciples of the Fakir left and the Fakir was let alone, the two birds dashed to the floor, offered their respects to the Fakir and then narrated the whole issue to him (The Fakir).

The Fakir had a good smile upon his lips and he said to both the birds that whatever you have heard or not heard is correct.

The both birds in all the astonishment humbly enquired as to how both of them can be correct!

The Fakir with tears in his eyes said that he forgot to recite the Kalimay Haq in his one breath and that breath was therefore dead and when such an unfortunate thing happened that my one of the breaths died, the information was received by the first bird that the Fakir is dead but it was my that breath which was lost because of my (Fakir’s) negligence.

So, the Saint who had come to meet the Fakir told to his disciple that every breath counts and every moment is accountable!!!