One Small Eye

Legend that has been passed along for centuries by disciples of Sheikh Farid, narrates an important episode during the time he was serving his spiritual mentor Khawaja Qutubudin Bakhtiyar Kaki. Sheikh Farid used to arrange hot water for his master's ablutions.

On a very wet and cold, stormy night, he realized he had no way to light a fire, as every thing around was either cold and humid or wet. So he left the sanctuary in search of fire. He kept walking through the dark rainy night, and had become quite wet and started to shiver, but he did not give up his search. Finally, he perceived a light at a distance and he started walking towards it. He finally arrived at the door of building. He knocked on it and a voice asked who it was.

After he revealed his name, a woman answered the door and asked why he had arrived at a brothel. Sheikh Farid answered, that he was led there by light of the lamp, and he was looking for a way to light a fire, to heat water for his master's ablutions. The woman unabashedly told him that she would not give him the fire for free, and asked him if he had any way to pay her. He replied that he did not have any money. The woman then said,"If you need fire, you must give me what I ask for."

Sheikh Farid asked for her price and she replied that she would like one of his 'eyeballs' as payment. Sheikh Farid then asked for a knife, and unhesitatingly pulled out his eyeball and gave it to the woman. She, then gave him some burning wood to take away.

He arrived back at the sanctuary and performed his duties, as before. In the morning, when his master was entertaining an audience with discourse, Sheikh Farid came in with a bandage covering his eye that had been bleeding. His master asked him why he had tied a bandage to his eye.

Sheikh Farid replied in Punjabi "Akh Aa Gayee Ay" that meant his eye was infected and was oozing. His master smiled at him and said, "You are right, open your bandage now, Akh Aa Gayee Ay, which also in Punjabi, means that 'the eye has come'.

When Sheikh Farid opened his bandage, he rubbed his eye and opened it and found that his eyeball was back. His master then said,"This new eyeball is a little smaller than the one the Lord gave you. I could not compete with Him, so I got you a smaller one."

It is said that whoever ascends to the spiritual throne of Sheikh Farid, from then on, has one eye that is smaller than the other.