Hasan al-Basri (642 – 728 CE) was one of the very early Sufis, born to a handmaid of one of the Prophet Mohammed’s wives, and in later life one of the companions of Rabia of Basri. He said that four incidents gave him the greatest lessons in life, one of which is the following.

One day Hasan saw a child carrying a lighted lamp. Hasan asked the child, “From where have you brought this light?”

The child extinguished the lamp and said, “Tell me, where has the light gone?”