������
8. Stain Your Prayer Rug with Wine
THE SUFI WAYT HIS IS THE legend of Layla and Majnun.
Once, a boy of exceeding beauty was born into the family of a
noble Shaykh. He was named Kais, and as he matured it became obvi-
ous to all that he would one day become a source of great pride to his
family and tribe. Even from a young age, his knowledge, his diligence,
his learning, and his speech outshone that of all his peers. When he
spoke, his tongue scattered pearls, and when he smiled, his cheeks
were violet tulips awakening to the sun.
One day, Kais met a girl so lovely that he was instantly struck with
a yearning he could not understand. Her name was Layla, meaning
“night,” and like the night, she was both dark and luminous. Her eyes
were those of a gazelle, her lips two moist rose petals.
Layla too felt an emotion for Kais she could not comprehend.
The two children were drowning in love, though in their youth they
knew not what love was. It was as though love were a wine-bearer, fill-