Once Rumi came across a beggar who didn’t appear to be a beggar. ‘Why do you beg, young man?’ asked Rumi. ‘I’ve no money and my life is wretched. So, I ask for alms,’ the beggar replied. ‘No life is wretched,’ said Rumi. ‘Did anyone tell you that you had a nice and musical voice?’ Rumi asked the beggar.
The beggar was unaware of his own qualities. Rumi took that beggar to his disciple Fahzaan Ulzehyr, a Turk who was adept at Qeerat, Arabic word for the musical rendition of the Quran. Rumi’s disciple taught that beggar the art of reciting the Quran and transformed his life.
We must be au fait with our own special abilities and hone them to perfection. We’re born to soar high. No life is useless. Nature has imbued every individual with wonderful traits. We must zero in on them and lead the life of happiness and contentment. Many of us often remain unaware of our own potential and hidden greatness. To quote Thomas Gray, ‘Many a flower is born to blush unseen and waste its sweetness on the desert air.’ Remember, life not well lived is life unlived.
September 30 is 815th Birth Anniversary of Rumi