“Thank you,” I heard myself stutter, touched by his kindness. “That security guard … he whipped me. He said I deserved it.” As soon as I uttered those words, I was struck by the childish whining in my voice and my need for comfort and compassion. Shams of Tabriz shook his head. “They had no right to do that. Every individual is self-sufficient in his search for the divine. There is a rule regarding this: We were all created in His image, and yet we were each created different and unique. No two people are alike. No two hearts beat to the same rhythm. If God had wanted everyone to be the same,
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