Claim Is Not Enough

"It was a harsh winter night. It was snowing heavily. All streets and roads were covered in white. I saw from the end of the street that on the other side there is a young man who is leaning against the wall and his hair is white with snow. I thought maybe he was some addict who had hit his head on the wall. I shook him and asked: What are you doing?! O young man, are you not attentive, it is snowing! Maybe you've been sitting here too long?! You will get sick. Your life is in danger.

The young man, perhaps not listening to me carefully, pointed his eyes forward, showing that his full attention was on the front window. I understood that this person is a young lover. I sat there and started crying. The young man said, 'O old man, what has happened to you? Have you fallen in love too?!'

I replied, 'Before seeing you, I thought that I was also a lover (of Yusuf e Zahra a.s), but now that I have seen you (how self-absorbed you are in your longing for love) I understood that I am just a claimant of love. Is it possible for a lover to be oblivious to his beloved for even a moment?!"

Shaykh Rajab Ali Khayyat (rh)