It happened once upon a time that a certain, very spiritual Pir felt he would like to go for a walk, and naturally a number of his students wanted to go with him.

They walked all together until they came to a large walled garden that belonged to a certain noble, and there the Pir asked permission of the gardener to enter and admire the beauty. The gardener willingly granted this, for the Pir was known to him and highly respected.

As they strolled around the garden, the Pir was attracted to a particular rose bush that was covered with beautiful, fragrant flowers. There he stopped and for a long time contemplated the exquisite sight. Then, deeply moved by the beauty, he humbly leaned forward and kissed one of the blooms.

The students, seeing this, thought that they must also do likewise—but it was not enough for them to kiss a flower. They each had to pick a blossom of their own and kiss it perhaps fifty times.

The gardener, seeing so many of his roses taken in this way, began to scold the students, but one of them said to him, “Do not blame us. We are students of our Pir, and our path is to do as he does.”

The Pir observed this, but did not say anything.

A short time later, they left the garden and walked further, until they happened to come to the place of a blacksmith. There the smith was busy in the smoke and heat, hammering at a bar of red hot iron.

The Pir paused outside the smithy for a moment, watching. Then he stepped forward and humbly kissed the glowing metal.

And the students felt ashamed, and could not move.