SHORT STORY,

"THE OGRE AND THE SOFI"

A Sufi master travelling alone through a desolate mountain region was suddenly

faced by an ogre – a giant ghoul, who told him that he was going to destroy

him. The master said, 'Very well, try if you like, but I can overcome you, for I

am immensely powerful in more ways than you think.' 'Nonsense,' said the

ghoul. 'You are a Sufi master, interested in spiritual things. You cannot overcome me,

because I rely upon brute force, and I am thirty times larger than you.'

'If you want a trial of strength,' said the Sufi, 'take this stone and squeeze liquid

out of it.' He picked up a small piece of rock and handed it to the apparition. Try as

he might, the ghoul could not. 'It is impossible; there is no water in this stone. You

show me if there is.' In the half-darkness, the master took the stone, took an egg out

of his pocket, and squeezed the two together, holding his hand over that of the ghoul.

The ghoul was impressed; for people are often impressed by things that they do not

understand, and value such things highly, more highly than they should in their own

interests.

'I must think this over,' he said.'Come to my cave, and I shall give you hospitality for

the night.' The Sufi accompanied him to an immense cave, strewn with the belongings

of thousands of murdered travellers, a veritable Aladdin's cavern. 'Lie here beside me

and sleep,' said the ghoul, 'and we will try conclusions in the morning.' He lay down

and immediately fell asleep.

The master, instinctively warned of treachery, suddenly felt a prompting to get up

and conceal himself at some distance from the ghoul. This he did, after arranging the

bed to give the impression that he was still in it.

No sooner was he sat a safe distance than the ghoul awoke. He picked up a tree-

trunk with one hand, and dealt the dummy in the bed seven mighty clouts. Then he

lay down again and went to sleep. The master returned to his bed, lay down, and

called to the ghoul:

'O ghoul! This cavern of yours is comfortable, but I have been bitten seven times by

a mosquito. You really should do something about it.'IDRIES SHAH

OF THE

Copyright © The Estate of Idries Shah

IDRIES SHAH

OF THE

Copyright © The Estate of Idries ShahGO TO

THE BOOK

>>>

This shocked the ghoul so much that he dared not attempt a further attack. After

all, if a man had been hit seven times by a ghoul wielding a tree trunk with all the

force he had...

In the morning the ghoul threw the Sufi a whole ox-skin and said: 'Bring some

water for breakfast, so that we can make tea.' Instead of picking up the skin (which

he could hardly have lifted in any case) the master walked to the nearby stream and

started to dig a small channel towards the cave. The ghoul was getting thirsty: 'Why

don't you bring the water?' 'Patience, my friend. I am making a permanent channel

to bring the spring-water right to the mouth of the cavern, so that you will never

have to carry a water-skin.' But the ghoul was too thirsty to wait. Picking up the skin,

he strode to the river and filled it himself. When the tea was made he drank several

gallons, and his reasoning faculties began to work a little better. 'If you are so strong

– and you have given me proof of it – why can't you dig that channel faster, instead of

inch by inch?'

'Because,' said the master, 'nothing which is truly worth doing can be properly

done without the expenditure of a minimum amount of effort. Everything has its own

quantity of effort; and I am applying the minimum necessary effort to the digging of

the canal. Besides, I knew that you are such a creature of habit that you will always

use the ox-skin.'

The Ogre and the Sufi

This story is often heard in teahouses in Central Asia, and

resembles folkloric tales of the Europe of the Middle Ages. The

present version is from a Majmua (dervish collection) originally

written by Hikayati in the eleventh century, according to the

colophon, but in the form given here apparently dating from thesixteenth century.

THE END.