🌙 The Wolf at the Door: Rumi’s Lesson on Trusting Allah in Trials
How Mawlana Rumi Taught His Son to See Beyond Fear and Find the Hand of God Behind Every Test
One day, Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi (RA), the revered Sufi mystic and poet, returned home to find his young son visibly upset. Concerned, he asked gently,
“What’s wrong, my son?”
The boy replied softly,
“Nothing…”
Sensing the pain hidden behind that quiet word, Rumi said nothing further. Instead, he walked outside. At the door hung a wolfskin—likely a leftover from teaching or theatre. He took it down, draped it over himself, and let out a loud howl, mimicking a wild wolf.
Startled at first, his son peered outside and saw the strange creature. But as he watched more closely, he began to laugh.
Rumi took off the wolfskin and smiled.
“My dear son,” he said,
“this is how the trials of this world are. A wolf is terrifying—but you laughed because you knew it was your father behind the disguise. In the same way, know that behind every hardship and trial in life is your Lord, Allah (SWT). Trust Him. Never be afraid of what comes, because He is always behind it, guiding you with love.”
✨ Reflection and References:
This story isn't just a charming tale—it’s a profound spiritual lesson. Rumi used a living metaphor to teach tawakkul—deep trust in God—through experiential wisdom.
🕊 Quranic Parallels:
“It may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and you like a thing while it is bad for you. And Allah knows while you do not know.”
— (Quran, Surah al-Baqarah, Chapter 2, The Cow, Verse 216)
“Indeed, with hardship comes ease.”
— (Quran, Surah al-Inshirah, Chapter 94, The Expansion, Verse 6)
🕊 From the Teachings of the Ahlul Bayt (AS):
Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS) said:
"A believer is not tried with anything except that he will come out of it with a higher rank and increased purification."
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 78, p. 178)
And Imam Ali (AS) beautifully stated:
“Trust in Allah is the price of every precious thing and the ladder to every lofty height.”
(Nahj al-Balagha, Hikmah 289)
🌱 Final Note:
Trials wear the mask of fear, but behind every howl is the mercy of the Beloved. Just as Rumi’s son saw his father beyond the wolf, we are invited to see the hand of Allah (SWT) behind every shadow, knowing He is never absent—only teaching.