Ghulam Yahya is well known to students. He was a great scholar, excelling in philosophy and logic, in
fact his kitab has been and still is, taught as standard book.
He presented himself at the residence of a very well known sheikh Mirza Jan-Janah Rahmatulah
alayhi. The doorman went inside to obtain permission for him to enter. Nobody was allowed to
enter without permission. The appointment of a doorman was a common practice with the
Naqshbandi masha`ikh of old.
When permission had been obtained, Ghulam Yahya had entered and greeted: “Assalaamu-alaikum”. Mirza Jan Jananah Rahmatulah alayhi replied: “Wa alaikum salaam”. But as he lifted his head his eyes fell on Ghulam Yahya, he quickly covered his face with one arm and shooed Ghulam Yahya away with the other hand, saying: “There is no place here for a bear!”
Quite perplexed Ghulam Yahya left the room.
In actual fact, that one glance by Mirza Jan Janaah Rahmatulah alayhi was sufficient to size up
Ghulam Yahya. The reason for calling him a bear was that he had a big, thick beard which was
unkempt and disorderly.
Being an alim, a molvisahib, the condition of his heard betrayed a streak of disorderliness in his personality. Once outside Ghulam Yahya paused to ponder over Mirza Jan Janah Rahmatulah alayhi’s reaction.
“It must be my beard”, he surmised correctly.
Straightaway he went to a nearby barber to have it trimmed. When he presented himself again, beard neatly
shaped and combed, the response was completely different.
Mirza Jan Janah Rahmatulah alayhi welcomed him happily and asked him to be seated and complimented him:
“Masha-Allah! You now look like a human being!”.
Did you notice how quick the interview was? Just a glance and the “interview” was over. Each person
is judged according to the rank he wishes to attain, in our worldly affairs, a candidate applying for
the governmental position of Collector will be interviewed with regard to qualities desired in such
a person. Is he strong willed? Is he firm and dependable? And so forth, and so forth.
Here is another way a sheikh may “interview” a candidate: provide him with a cup of tea. If he drinks
audibly, slurping his tea, he has failed.
Our Dini teaching is that water (or any liquid) should not be drunk in a noisy fashion – animals drink that way! When eating, chew silently.
