Your Actions Do Not Match Your Words…
Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi of Balkh, a man of wide learning, began his career as a merchant but later turned to the ascetic way. He made the pilgrimage to Makkah, and was martyred in 194 (810).
He was a master of many sciences, and wrote many books. He claimed to have studied under I,700 teachers, and to have acquired several camels’ loads of books. The circumstances of his transformation were as follows…
Shaqiq went to Turkistan on a trading expedition. On the way he paused to look at a temple, where he saw an idolater worshipping an idol and making humble obeisance.
“You have a Creator who is living and omnipotent and omniscient,” he told the man. “Worship Him. Have some shame; do not worship an idol from which neither good nor evil comes.”
‘If it is as you say,” the idolater replied, “is He not able to provide you with your daily bread in your own city? Must you then come all this way here?”
These words awakened Shaqiq to the truth, and he turned back towards Balkh.
A Zoroastrian happened to travel along with him.
“What are you engaged upon?” asked the Zoroastrian.
“Trading,” Shaqiq replied.
“If you are going in search of sustenance that has not been preordained for you, you can travel till the resurrection and you will not attain it,” said the other. “And if you are going after sustenance that has been foreordained for you, do not trouble to go; it will come to you of itself.”
These words awakened Shaqiq still further, and his love for worldly things grew chill and he became a renown scholar and ascetic.
Source: The Memorial of the Saints, Fariduddin Attar
