The parable says: “So the two of them set out. And when they had climbed onto a boat, the guide made a hole in it. [Moses] said to him: Did you make a hole in it so the passengers would drown? You have done something truly monstrous! [The guide] replied: Did I not tell you, you would not be able to retain your patience in my company? [Moses] said: Do not be displeased with me for my forgetfulness – and do not impose some further difficulty in my work.” (Qur’ân 18:71–73)
According to some Sufis, this part of the parable refers to the first stage of the inner journey, from the physical to the astral world. It involves crossing an inner sea of darkness, for which the boat of dhikr (unceasing prayer or repetition) is essential.
Generally speaking, initiates are all too ready to blame their Master and the damaged tools – lack of concentration, an active mind – at their disposal, instead of quietly containing their energy for the job at hand, turning a restless mind and inadequate, occasional prayer practice into a firm habit of uninterrupted, ceaseless repetition. Taking up the challenge of complying with the Master’s instructions and doing repetition (unceasing prayer) in spite of everything the mind distracts one with develops the very strengths one needs.
As Moses is now strongly aware, the task is to never forget: constant remembrance and prayerful repetition. As Moses says to the guide: Do not be displeased with me for my forgetfulness. So the seeker’s challenge is to never forget, to keep remembering, to do non-stop unceasing prayer.
And the parable in the Qur’ân continues: “Then the two of them set out. And when they had met a child, [the guide] killed him. So [Moses] said to him: Have you killed an innocent being, who has killed no one? You have committed a terrible crime! [The guide] said to him: Did I not tell you, you would not be able to retain your patience in my company? [Moses] said: If ever again I question you about anything at all, you can deprive me of your company. Please forgive me.” (Qur’ân 18:74–76)
This part of the parable symbolizes the second stage of the inner journey, crossing the whole astral region to its peak, just before the causal region. It involves subduing the lower mind and transforming it into the virtuous, obedient, disciplined, well-educated mind. At the peak of the astral region, the passions are finally burned.
The parable uses a shocking image to make us understand the seriousness and the radical nature of this transformation process that transmutes the wicked child of the lower mind into the good child of cooperative, pure, devoted mind, by radically re-educating the mind. It does not mean the disciple must ‘kill’ the mind. On the contrary, one must be careful not to suppress the lower mind and the passions by denying them or trying to cut them out; they are left behind only when one turns them around, transforming them patiently but firmly into virtues.
And it is the constant presence and magnetic attraction of the spiritual guide, however invisible he may remain, that enables the disciple to accomplish the impossible task of transforming all the passions. So once again the parable gives the message that we may not see or understand what is happening to us, but something is definitely going on at every moment, all day long. The seeker is in good hands and is constantly being prepared, even long before the time of initiation into his/her chosen path.
The parable now goes on to the third stage of the journey: “So the two of them set out. And when they reached an inhabited village, they asked the inhabitants for food, but they refused to give them hospitality. After that, they found there a wall on the point of collapsing. The man put it together again, at which [Moses] said to him: If you had wanted to, you could well have asked payment for doing that. [The guide] said: This is the separation between you and me. I will make clear to you the meaning of what you could not endure with patience.” (Qur’ân 18:77–78)
The third stage of the inner journey takes place in the causal region as the soul gradually approaches the threshold to the domain of Spirit. The things of the Mind domain, referred to in the parable as village food and village hospitality, no longer nourish the seeker. Only positive contentions remain for the soul to settle, for which no reward is expected, demanded or given – because if we expect, receive or ask for a reward, it means we must remain in the Mind’s domain.
The guide’s behaviour models for the initiate that if the soul is to separate itself from the domination of the Mind, one needs to act from complete surrender and submission to the will of the Lord, as a disinterested observer, content with whatever happens. This is what distinguishes a mature soul from a struggling beginner, and it marks the stage where the ascent really begins. For when the soul is attuned in this way, it is finally free to enter the realms of Spirit and go homewards, liberated forever from the domination of the Mind.
The parable ends with the guide explaining succinctly the purpose behind his actions, before he goes on his way – leaving Moses, the spiritual seeker, to digest his lessons and grow in spiritual understanding. The Qur’ân tells us that Moses eventually meets a man of God, "Jethro of Madian," and serves him for ten years as his shepherd. Yes, it is a spiritual apprenticeship, for at the end of this period Moses immediately hears God speaking to him from a burning bush on the right side of a mountain. But that is another story, for another day!
I originally wrote this second excerpt on Moses in the Qur'an
for the final chapter in a series of 3 unpublished books on Sufism
that I ghost-wrote, completed in 2006.
for the final chapter in a series of 3 unpublished books on Sufism
that I ghost-wrote, completed in 2006.
