Rumi - Intoxicated

The town’s ruler, Mo’in al-Din Parvaneh, once said: “I love Mawlana Rumi, but his followers have terrible manners.” Word of this ultimate insult got back to Rumi and his circle. Mawlana, surrounded by his disciples, marched into the ruler’s court, and said: “Did you say of my followers that they have bad manners?”

The ruler, embarrassed before the saint, put his head down and confessed that he had indeed called them that. The followers rejoiced, for they expected Rumi to call out the ruler. Instead, Mawlana said: “Everything you say about them is true. They do have terrible manners. I took them on as my disciples on the path to God because they have terrible manners. If they already had beautiful manners, I myself would have become their disciple.