This is the 23rd article in a special series by Ally Adnan that brings to life memorable incidents from the rich and fascinating life of Hazrat Amir Khusrau, whose timeless legacy continues to inspire the world
Amir Khusrau had a deep desire to please Nizamuddin Auliya and was always seeking ways to bring him joy.
On one occasion, wishing to make him happy, he acquired a rare parrot to present to his master and trained it with great effort and care to sing and speak in Arabic, Persian and Hindavi. When the bird was ready, he brought it to the khanqah and offered it as a gift.
The parrot recited a Hindavi song, a Persian ghazal and verses from the holy Quran, each thoughtfully selected and lovingly taught by Khusrau.
Nizamuddin Auliya smiled gently and after a long pause, spoke to Khusrau. “Dear Khusrau,” he said, “what need is there for a parrot to speak? It is good when a parrot can talk, but better still when the heart speaks in remembrance of God. May you become parrot-hearted yourself and always speak the eternal truth of the Creator.” He then turned to one of his disciples and asked him to free the bird.
In these quiet moments, Nizamuddin Auliya taught Amir Khusrau that it is better to train one’s heart to speak the truth, sing with the soul and remember God than to teach a bird to mimic words it does not understand. He thanked Khusrau for the offering and blessed him with a prayer, which was answered and Khusrau went on to speak, sing and remember God with his heart.
The writer is based in Dallas, Texas and writes about culture, history and the arts. He tweets @allyadnanjanjua and can be reached at [email protected]