Late Hajj Sahamuddin has narrated from his father and that late gentleman has narrated from his grandfather that once the ruler of the time, late Husayn Ali Mirza took off his clothes to take bath in the river, but his dog prevented him.

He did not pay attention to it and was about to descend into the river. When the dog observed that stopping was of no use and he is about to step into the water, he jumped into the river at a particular point and was instantly attacked by a crocodile.

The ruler came to know what the reason of the dog's objection was and how that dog had sacrificed himself on his master. Thus, he cancelled his intention of bathing and returned from there amazed at the loyalty of the dog and filled with grief and tears.

Allamah Majlisi, in the 14th volume of Bihar ul-Anwar, has mentioned some incidents about the loyalty of dog and its readiness to sacrifice its life for its master.

Since the modesty and loyalty of dog is in contrast to shameless and disloyalty of man, I think it would be appropriate to narrate a story, which Shaykh Bahai (r.a.) has versified as follows:

A worshipper lived in the cave of Mount Lebanon, like the folks of the cave. He had severed connection with everything, except the Almighty Allah, and obtained the treasure of respect by remaining in solitude. He fasted during the days and in the evening got a loaf of bread, from which he ate half and saved the other half for dawn meal. He was very pleased with his circumstances.

He lived in this way and never came down from the mountains. By chance, one day that loaf did not arrive. He became extremely weak and exhausted. He recited the Evening Prayer (Maghrib) and then the Night Prayer (Isha), but his mind was wandering here and there, anxious about his food, because he was very restless about his sustenance.

He neither worshipped during the day nor could he sleep. When it was morning, he came down from the windy place. There was a village of fire worshippers and deviated people at the foothills. The worshipper went to the door of a fire worshipper and the latter gave him two loaves of barley bread. The worshipper thanked him and was pleased and satisfied.

He turned to go back to his place of stay to satiate his hunger. An itchy dog lived at the place of the fire worshipper and it had grown so thin that it was merely a bundle of bones and skin. If a circle was drawn before him with a compass he nearly died taking it to be a loaf of bread. If someone said 'Khabar' (report) he heard it as 'Khubz' (bread) and went berserk.

It started following the worshipper and caught the tails of his shirt. The worshipper threw one loaf of bread to him and moved on so that no harm comes to him. The dog devoured that loaf and again pursued the worshipper to harass him further. The worshipper threw another loaf in order to be safe from its retribution.

The dog ate up the other loaf as well and started pursuing hi m again. He was running after him like a shadow and making the sound of Afw Afw (forgive me, forgive me) and he was tearing his clothes. When the worshipper was fed up, he said: I have not seen a dog more useless than you. Your master gave me only two loaves of bread, but you nasty dog took away both. Now, what for are you chasing me and tearing my clothes?

The dog started speaking: O man of perfection, open your eyes and see clearly. I am not useless. The house of that old fire worshipper is my home since I was a pup. I guard his sheep and protect his house. Sometimes he is kind to me and gives a loaf of bread and sometimes a handful of bones. Sometimes he forgets to feed me and due to hunger my life becomes bitter. Sometimes that old fire worshipper can neither procure bread for himself nor from me, but my practice is only to stay at his door whether to thank or to be patient.

But when you did not get bread only on one night, you turned away from the court of your sustainer to a fire worshipper and the edifice of your patience crashed. You forsook your friend for a loaf of bread and made peace with the enemy. Tell me with justice my man, who is shameless. You or I?

That worshipper was shocked by this and slapped his head and swooned.

O Bahai, O dog of the self, take lesson of contentment from the dog of that old fire worshipper. If no door of patience opens before you, you are lowlier than an itchy dog of a fire worshipper.