THE STORY OF MAJNOON AND HIS CAMEL

By Hazrat Hakim Muhammad Akhtar Saheb

Once Majnoon was sitting on his camel going towards the house of Layla. But as he became drowned in

thoughts about Layla, in this state of being besides himself - absent in mind the reins of the camel

became loose in his hand. The camel then instead of going towards the house of Layla, turned his

direction towards home, where the camel had a little one for which it was besides itself with love.

When Majnoon recovered from his state of absent mindedness, he became quite distressed and

perplexed. The camel had gone back to where it had set out from. He again forced the camel to take the

route towards Layla's house. But it happened quite a few times that after traveling for a short while,

thoughts about Layla would occupy his mind and while he was in an absent-minded state the camel

would turn back. In the end

Majnoon became angry and he said: "My Layla is in front and this, camel's Layla is at the back of us". Its

little one makes it turn back. For this reason, this path of love cannot be traversed. And during this

whole life of mine, I will not be able to reach my Beloved"

Hence he jumped from the top of the camel. He fell and broke

his one leg. , Moulana Rumi (RA.) now says:

"Life is starving through being separated from the Lord of the

'Throne, Who is the truly Beloved.

But the body in search of means of livelihood, like the camel, goes in

an opposite direction".

Then Majnoon said:

"Now I have become a ball

And I roll along, as the bats of Layla's love drives me along".

Moulana Rumi (RA.) now gives the advise from this story: For the love of Layla who is a mere corpse that

will become rotten, Majnoon makes so much effort. But we who are supposed to be the Lovers of the

Lord, how can our love be any less. It is more fitting that we should for the sake of His love become like a

ball to be driven about.