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Where Does He Not Exist?
“Hey! Can’t you see?!” shouted a Maulvi.
The others heeded his voice and looked in the direction, where an old man with a white beard was sitting on a mat under a shed, legs stretched towards the Holy Kaaba. Dressed in bluish clothes, his skin colour suggested he wasn’t a native.
“That’s the Qibla! The direction of the Holy Kaaba! How dare you stretch your legs towards that direction?!”
The maulvi, seeing his blue dress and staff, said, “You seem to be a fakir from Hind! Do you have no shame? Those legs of yours should be cut! Move them!!”
A small crowd was attracted to the spot, many of them hajj pilgrims. Whispers started among them.
“Do you not understand me? MOVE YOUR LEGS! NOW!”
“Guruji! What happened?” Suddenly, disrupting the crowd, two men came running.
“It’s nothing Mardana, I’m fine”, he said, “I apologize for my ignorance. Which way should I move my leg, sahib?”
“Nanakji, that’s the direction of the Kaaba, the House of Allah! Move your legs away from it!” another whispered into his ear.
Nanak reluctantly moved his leg in another direction.
The angry maulavi was calmed down by the both of them. Yet, murmuring under his breath in anger, he turned towards the Kaaba, or where the Kaaba previously was.
Seeing the Kaaba vanish stupefied him. He turned to both his sides, but nowhere to find the Kaaba. Until the nearby crowd, who also stood stupefied and shocked after noticing the Kaaba’s mysterious disappearance, shouted on spotting it in the same direction as the Hindu fakir’s legs!
Guru Nanak, having heard the commotion, and himself noticing this miracle, quickly turned his feet away to yet another direction; only for the Kaaba to appear in the new direction again.
“Oh lord! Forgive me! Who are you?” Cried the maulavi “How do you move the House of Allah like that?!”
He said, “Oh maulavi! Know that I ain't responsible for such a miracle. All praise be to Allah, the all-powerful! You say to move my feet away from the direction of Allah, but tell me, is there a direction in this creation where He doesn’t exist?”
(Retelling of a popular Sikh legend mentioned in the Janamsakhis)
© iamjusta_storyteller
The others heeded his voice and looked in the direction, where an old man with a white beard was sitting on a mat under a shed, legs stretched towards the Holy Kaaba. Dressed in bluish clothes, his skin colour suggested he wasn’t a native.
“That’s the Qibla! The direction of the Holy Kaaba! How dare you stretch your legs towards that direction?!”
The maulvi, seeing his blue dress and staff, said, “You seem to be a fakir from Hind! Do you have no shame? Those legs of yours should be cut! Move them!!”
A small crowd was attracted to the spot, many of them hajj pilgrims. Whispers started among them.
“Do you not understand me? MOVE YOUR LEGS! NOW!”
“Guruji! What happened?” Suddenly, disrupting the crowd, two men came running.
“It’s nothing Mardana, I’m fine”, he said, “I apologize for my ignorance. Which way should I move my leg, sahib?”
“Nanakji, that’s the direction of the Kaaba, the House of Allah! Move your legs away from it!” another whispered into his ear.
Nanak reluctantly moved his leg in another direction.
The angry maulavi was calmed down by the both of them. Yet, murmuring under his breath in anger, he turned towards the Kaaba, or where the Kaaba previously was.
Seeing the Kaaba vanish stupefied him. He turned to both his sides, but nowhere to find the Kaaba. Until the nearby crowd, who also stood stupefied and shocked after noticing the Kaaba’s mysterious disappearance, shouted on spotting it in the same direction as the Hindu fakir’s legs!
Guru Nanak, having heard the commotion, and himself noticing this miracle, quickly turned his feet away to yet another direction; only for the Kaaba to appear in the new direction again.
“Oh lord! Forgive me! Who are you?” Cried the maulavi “How do you move the House of Allah like that?!”
He said, “Oh maulavi! Know that I ain't responsible for such a miracle. All praise be to Allah, the all-powerful! You say to move my feet away from the direction of Allah, but tell me, is there a direction in this creation where He doesn’t exist?”
(Retelling of a popular Sikh legend mentioned in the Janamsakhis)
© iamjusta_storyteller
