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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Seven Reasons why Dogs are like Saints - Near Sibu 2011 Part 2




In our drive in and out of estates, we were today accompanied by an elder gentleman, who for the sake of anonymity shall be referred to here as “Gurindam”.

Almost immediately, Gurindam kept us surprised, laughing and crying (well, almost) as he regaled us with stories about faith, love, God and the Prophet. From one stop to another, he would effortlessly change topics, from traditional Malay lore, martial arts and songs, to tasawuf (inner reflection), Judaism, Islam, and to his abiding enthusiasm in estate management.

One of the lore which he shared was why (he said) dogs have 7 important characteristics of sainthood –

SEVEN REASONS WHY DOGS ARE LIKE SAINTS
1. Dogs are loyal. Almost pathetically filial. Step on his tail and he won’t even bark. Try doing that to a cat and see what happens…
2. Dogs are humble. They don’t like sitting on high places. But buy or wash a car, and just wait for kitty to climb up and laze on the roof, surveying his kingdom like a lord. While being blissfully ignorant of the streaky dusty paw prints he left all over the brightly polished surface.
3. Dogs are patient. They will wait for the longest time outside the cornershop as you make up your mind whether to buy skim milk or full cream.
4. Dogs die without leaving behind any (physical) inheritance for his kin.
5. Dogs stay awake late into the night.
6. Dogs are not gluttons and will not fight over food.
7. I forgot... I will update you the soonest I talk to Gurindam (he's still in bed, I think) Hehehe. Postscript (over breakfast) - Dogs are wanderers ("Musafir"), just like the dervish in the wild.

There are many man-made stories ridiculing or questioning the nobility of the dog - one of the most ridiculous is that angels do not visit a house that has a dog. I could hear the angels muttering behind my back, "REALLY? We didn't know that... How we wish you know-all mortals would not drag us into your hubris and bigotry."

There are many thoughtful things which I am returning home with today. But this lore of the saintly dog is one of the most beautiful to me. I hope you like the story.

Have a doggy-happy day, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa.

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