Explanation of a Sentence in Asrar-al-towhid and A Look at Sufi's Provisions

There is a sentence by a butcher to Abusaeed in one of the stories of “Asrar-al-towhid” (Maqamat of Sheikh Abusaeed Abollkheir) that contains a “regretful” combination. Professor Shafie Kadkani believes, based on what he has written in the appendix to the book, that the “regretful” combination denotes “ridicule” and has described it; but according to the other sources, and based on the semantic structure of above-mentioned sentence it can be said that the combination means “oppression”, and the butcher intended to express the Sufi's parasitic manner of life. Besides citing evidences that confirm the mentioned meaning from other texts, it has been shown, in present paper and through a discussion on Sufi's provisions by their illuminations, that the more we get away from the earliest periods of Sufism, the illuminations get more important places in monastery system and engaging in manual jabs decreases among the Sufis. Meanwhile the approach of common people to Sufis and the situation made them to give illuminations are the other discussed issues.