Sufi masters become a magnet for all kinds of requests, some worthy, some less so, as we saw in the recent post about Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Nizamuddin’s Pir, Baba Farid, also once had a request which he chose not to fulfil.

It is said that one time a poorly dressed dervish presented himself before Baba Farid; the master gave him something and then indicated he could depart. But the dervish remained standing in front of the shaikh, and asked him to give him the comb that he had removed from its cover and which was lying on the prayer carpet.

As the comb was not worth anything, and had already been in long use by the shaikh, he did not reply to the request.

Then the dervish began to shout in a loud voice, “If the shaikh gives me this comb, he will receive plenty of blessings!”

“Be off,” said Baba Farid to the dervish, “and do not disturb me any more. I throw you and your blessings into the river.”