For the Sake of Katmir and my Ancient Ancestor...
For days I sat here by the well,
For days and nights no man came,
I can almost smell the water
Down in the well, and yet unable
To get to it!
For days, this dog of God
Sat here by the well.
Oh Lord, was I dying of thirst?
Oh Lord, was I going deranged...
Thinking things that is strange
For a dog to think?
Then she came.
She looked upon me
And I saw pity and mercy in her eyes.
She took water from the well
And offered me its life-giving sustenance.
Oh Lord! She looked upon me
With pity and mercy
And saved me!
Oh Lord, look upon her
With pity and mercy
And save her too -
For the sake of Katmir
Of the Seven Sleepers,
And my Ancient Ancestor
Who stood by your
Prophet Adam
When all the other animals
Of the World were
Ranged against him!
……………..........................
Prose References -
Reference # 1 - The prose is in reference to the story of the courtesan and the dog that she saved by giving him water, in consequence of which God forgave her all her previous sins and opened the gates of paradise to her. This story was actually covered in a previous posting entitled The Courtesan, the Dog and God's Infinite Forest of Mercy - Prose of Ramadhan Part 56.
Reference #2 – Katmir the dog is the lucky canine who slept with the seven sleepers in the well-known biblical quranic story. This too was already written in a posting entitled The Holy Quran, Mr. Ikhlas and Katmir the Dog – Man’s Best Friend.
Reference #3 – “…my Ancient Ancestor…” is about the boss dog who protected Adam when he first landed on earth, alone and without protection. The Devil whispered to all the animals about this human Adam whose progenies will rule the earth and gain mastery over all animal kind. This boss dog defended Adam when he was utterly alone, and fought off all the other animals.
 |
| ...dear Katmir. |
With so many previous writings on this point, you might wonder why I have decided to post up this prose. It is because the story was retold to me by someone so delicate and kind, that he did not find it in him to call the woman in the story a courtesan or prostitute or even a bad woman. He simply referred to her as ‘the other things woman’. Hehehe. I found it sweet... and discreet in the very gentlest traditions of the Sufis.
Shaykh Bahauddin Adil was sharing the story to highlight one of the important gist of his coffee-less coffee-talk yesterday - and that God is forever looking for the smallest excuse, the most inane, every day, itsy-bitsy good deed as His reason to pour His mercy and forgiveness on us. “…God is not like us!” He concluded, stressing on the boundless horizon of His Mercy which is beyond our measure… because, let’s face it, sunshine - human 'mercies' are often constrained by our petty thinking, petty prejudices and petty pride. (You may like to watch the coffee-talk yourself... Just Click Here.)
I think it is good to remind each other every day. We are not perfect, and it is always wonderful to recall beautiful stories from history that dot the night sky like stars – as navigation points to guide us safely through this worldly sea to the heavenly harbour and the Divine Presence of God and His Most Beloved.
Alhamdulillah!
Thank you for dropping in, sunshine.
Wa min Allah at-taufiq
These are the doggy postings mentioned above plus one more -
Seven Reasons why Dogs are like Saints - Near Sibu 2011 Part 2
The Courtesan, the Dog and God's Infinite Forest of Mercy - Prose of Ramadhan Part 56
The Holy Quran, Mr. Ikhlas and Katmir the Dog - Man's Best Friend
Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way
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