The King, Al Wahid, peerless and profound

Whose wisdom works silently and aloud

He sent two dervishes upon a mission

A testing quest, an unalterable imposition

“My close and near bondsmen, my dervishes!

You witness My presence and services

But now I’m sending you upon the earth

Where you will rise and flourish from a birth

And there you have a special job to do

To tend to my wild garden through and through

The patio is your responsibility

Each side for each of you, clear it of weeds

Those weeds grow through the cracks relentlessly

They find a way and grow back endlessly

Their names are creeping thistle ma’siah

Another one’s called hub ad dunya

Here is a gardening tool to pull them out

It’s called at tawba, working strong and stout

The clearer and flawless the paths you make

I will be there to visit for your sake!”

So off they went the dervishes abroad

Far, down to earth as stated by their Lord

The first dervish he struggled to control

The weeds, he pulled them out, as he’d been told

The other one, he found a clever trick

Told to him by a snake, whispering and thick

“Use this bold spray, it’s called riya so fine,

It will destroy the weeds and look sublime

Not only your dear King but all around

Will love to see your patio and grounds!”

And so it came to pass, the patios

The first dervish, he struggled and was slow

His patio looked incomplete, unkempt

Some weeds pulled out, some sticking out and bent

The other’s patio, so clear and fine

Shining from riya spray it looked divine

But on the day the King came for a visit

The second dervish, ailing was his spirit!

Because the King his patio He spurned

And to the dirty patio He turned

“O why, dear king, my patio forsake

Which is so free of weeds for Your Pure Sake?!”

The King He viewed the dervish with a look

The riya spray shivered and the ground it shook…

“I spend My time on this poor patio

Because with at tawba it shines and glows

This one he struggles, but he keeps pulling

The weeds grow back but he does not give in

They keep returning, tearful is his heart,

I love the fact that he does not depart!

But you just do it all for pride and show

So take heed from your brother, then you will know!

Don’t be hoodwinked, the weeds are of the earth

And you have not been sent there just for mirth

Keep dealing with those weeds that grow within

You need Me close; alone you cannot win…”