--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hasan, the Begger: Believe it or not…" description: "\"“Hasan, the Begger: Believe it or not, they call this purgatory on earth “holy-suffering”. I am a leper stuck in limbo. Neither the dead nor the living..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/elif-shafak-1594_bad-luck_hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they_791946.jpg" --- # Hasan, the Begger: Believe it or not, they call this… ![“Hasan, the Begger: Believe it or not, they call this purgatory on earth “holy-suffering”. I am a leper stuck in limbo. Neither the dead nor the living want me among them. Mothers point me out on the streets to scare their misbehaving little ones, and children throw stones at me. Artisans chase me…” quote by Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/elif-shafak-1594_bad-luck_hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they_791946.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/elif-shafak-1594_bad-luck_hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they_791946.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/elif-shafak-1594_bad-luck_hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they_791946.jpg) > ““Hasan, the Begger: Believe it or not, they call this purgatory on earth “holy-suffering”. I am a leper stuck in limbo. Neither the dead nor the living want me among them. Mothers point me out on the streets to scare their misbehaving little ones, and children throw stones at me. Artisans chase me from their storefronts to ward off the bad luck that follows me everywhere, and pregnant women turn their faces away whenever they set eyes on me, fearing that their babies will be born defec-tive. None of these people seem to realize that as keen as they are to avoid me, I am far keener to avoid them and their pitiful stares. Friday is the best day of the week to beg except when it is Ramadan, in which case the whole month is quite lucrative. The last day of Ramadan is by far the best time to make money. That is when even the hopeless penny-pinchers race to give alms, keen to compensate for all their sins, past and present. Once a year, people don't turn away from beggars. To the contrary, they specifically look for one, the more miserable the better. So profound is their need to show off how generous and charitable they are, not only do they race to give us alms, but for that single day they almost love us. I’ve realized that the trees and I had something in common. A tree shedding its leaves in autumn resembled a man shedding his limbs in the final stages of leprosy. I am naked tree. My skin, my organs, my face are falling apart. Every day another part of my body abandons me. And for me, unlike the trees, there would be no spring in which I would blossom. What I lost, I lost forever. When people looks at me, they don’t see who I am but what I am missing. Whenever they places a coin in my bowl, they do so with amazing speed and avoid any eye contacts, as if my gaze is contagious. In their eyes I am worse than a thief or a murderer. As much as they disapproves of such outlaws, they don’t treat them as if they are invisible. When it comes to me, however, all they see is death staring them in the face. That's what scares them--to recognize that death could be this close and this ugly.”” [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A beggar’s suffering reveals societal hypocrisy, where compassion is conditional and driven by self‑image, exposing deep moral contradictions. **In simple terms:** People help only when it boosts their own image, not out of true empathy. Key Takeaway Question the motives behind charitable acts. Themes social justice human dignity hypocrisy Mood somber critical Type social reflective When to use this quote - public charity - urban poverty - community outreach - policy making Key Concepts marginalization altruism social perception Questions to Reflect On - Why do we give only when observed? - How can we foster authentic compassion? A Different Perspective Charitable acts may be performative rather than genuine. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Almost love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost-love/) [Bad luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-luck/) [Best day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-day/) [Best time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-time/) [Death star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-star/) [Deep love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-love/) [Deep quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-quotes/) [Deep thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-thoughts/) [Eye contact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye-contact/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Last day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-day/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Past and present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-and-present/) [Pregnant women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pregnant-women/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rumi/) [Rumi poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rumi-poetry/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [The-forty-rules-of-love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-forty-rules-of-love/) ## Related quotes > [“Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/try-not-to-resist-the-changes-that-come-your-way-instead-let-life-2/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Things that can seem malicious or unfortunate are often a blessing in disguise, whereas things that might seem unpleasant can be harmful in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/things-that-can-seem-malicious-or-unfortunate-are-often-a-blessing-in/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“The past is a whirlpool. If you let it dominate your present moment, it will suck you in. Time is just an illusion. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/the-past-is-a-whirlpool-if-you-let-it-dominate-your-present-moment-it/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“There ́s a metaphor which I love: living like a drawing compass. As you know, one leg of the compass is static, rooted in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/there-s-a-metaphor-which-i-love-living-like-a-drawing-compass-as-you/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [ “Ironically, \[living in\] communities of the like - minded is one of the greatest dangers of today ́s globalized world. And it ́s happening… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/ironically-living-in-communities-of-the-like-minded-is-one-of-the/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“In the Ottoman times, there were itinerant storytellers called "meddah. " They would go to coffee houses, where they would tell a story in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/in-the-ottoman-times-there-were-itinerant-storytellers-called-meddah/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Intellect and love are made of two different materials. Intellect ties people in knots and risks nothing, but love dissolves all tangles and risks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/intellect-and-love-are-made-of-two-different-materials-intellect-ties/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“East, west, south, or north makes little difference. No matter what your destination, just be sure to make every journey a journey within. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/east-west-south-or-north-makes-little-difference-no-matter-what-your/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Things that can seem malicious or unfortunate are often a blessing in disguise, whereas things that might seem pleasant can be harmful in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/things-that-can-seem-malicious-or-unfortunate-are-often-a-blessing-in-2/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Patience does not mean to passively endure. It means to be farsighted enough to trust the end result of a process. What does patience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/patience-does-not-mean-to-passively-endure-it-means-to-be-farsighted-3/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [No one is ever holy without suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/no-one-is-ever-holy-without-suffering/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“At its best, the expression crucified God reminds us that the power of all life, God, faces and suffers some of the worst that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lewis-taylor/at-its-best-the-expression-crucified-god-reminds-us-that-the-power-of/) [Mark Lewis Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lewis-taylor/) > [“Holy Suffering "Choosing to suffer means that there must be something wrong with you, but choosing God's will - even if it means you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/holy-suffering-choosing-to-suffer-means-that-there-must-be-something/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“You can study God through everything and everyone in the universe, because God is not confined in a mosque, synagogue or church. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taken-from-the-forty-rules-of-love-by-elif-shafak/you-can-study-god-through-everything-and-everyone-in-the-universe/) [Taken from The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taken-from-the-forty-rules-of-love-by-elif-shafak/) > [“Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things may seem, do not enter the neighbourhood of despair. Even when all doors remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taken-from-the-forty-rules-of-love-by-elif-shafak/whatever-happens-in-your-life-no-matter-how-troubling-things-may-seem/) [Taken from The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taken-from-the-forty-rules-of-love-by-elif-shafak/) ## More by Elif Shafak > [“Od nje je naučio dvije osnovne stvari o ljubavi: prvo, da je, za razliku od onoga što romantici tako naduto tvrde, ljubav više postupan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/od-nje-je-nau-io-dvije-osnovne-stvari-o-ljubavi-prvo-da-je-za-razliku/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Why roots were rated so highly compared with branches or leaves, Peri had never understood. Trees had multiple shoots and filaments extending in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/why-roots-were-rated-so-highly-compared-with-branches-or-leaves-peri/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“How could they be so certain of the superiority of their truths when they knew so little, if anything at all, about other cultures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/how-could-they-be-so-certain-of-the-superiority-of-their-truths-when/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“When you master a language, you are given the key to a castle. What you’ll find inside depends on you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/when-you-master-a-language-you-are-given-the-key-to-a-castle-what-you/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Her insanın erafında bir renk halesi vardır. Seninkini biliyor musun?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/her-insan-n-eraf-nda-bir-renk-halesi-vard-r-seninkini-biliyor-musun/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“I'm not one of those pious types who spend their whole lives hunched on prayer rugs while their eyes and hearts remain closed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/i-m-not-one-of-those-pious-types-who-spend-their-whole-lives-hunched/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“England has a peculiar way of making foreigners feel exhilaratingly free and depressingly alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/england-has-a-peculiar-way-of-making-foreigners-feel-exhilaratingly/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“There are things so awful in this world that the good-hearted people, may Allah bless them all, have absolutely no idea of. And that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/there-are-things-so-awful-in-this-world-that-the-good-hearted-people/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Irrationality is part of everyday rationale”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/irrationality-is-part-of-everyday-rationale/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“In love, boundaries are blurred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/in-love-boundaries-are-blurred/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“It had just hit her why and how people could fall in love with Istanbul, in spite of all the sorrow it might cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/it-had-just-hit-her-why-and-how-people-could-fall-in-love-with/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Inside, I found three things: a silver mirror, a silk handkerchief, and a glass flask of ointment. These items will help you on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/inside-i-found-three-things-a-silver-mirror-a-silk-handkerchief-and-a/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“Talent is a favor of the divine. To perfect it one must work hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/talent-is-a-favor-of-the-divine-to-perfect-it-one-must-work-hard/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“level, they use this as a poor excuse to disregard the rules of the sharia. Drinking, dancing, music, poetry, and painting”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/level-they-use-this-as-a-poor-excuse-to-disregard-the-rules-of-the/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) > [“In many parts of the world you were what you said and what you did and, also, what you read; in Turkey, as in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/in-many-parts-of-the-world-you-were-what-you-said-and-what-you-did/) [Elif Shafak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) [Explore all 180 Elif Shafak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/) ## More Almost love quotes > [Emeth came walking forward into the open strip of grass between the bonfire and the Stable. His eyes were shining, his face was solemn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/emeth-came-walking-forward-into-the-open-strip-of-grass-between-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Goodbye, my almost lover. Goodbye, my hopeless dream. I'm trying not to think about you, can't you just let me be? So long, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-fine-frenzy/goodbye-my-almost-lover-goodbye-my-hopeless-dream-i-m-trying-not-to/) [A Fine Frenzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-fine-frenzy/) > [When I think of the time that I almost loved you, you showed your ass and I saw the real you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce/when-i-think-of-the-time-that-i-almost-loved-you-you-showed-your-ass/) [Beyonce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce/) > [I once loved a girl who almost loved me, but not as much as she loved John Cusack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/i-once-loved-a-girl-who-almost-loved-me-but-not-as-much-as-she-loved/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [“Goodbye my almost lover, goodbye my hopeless dream, I'm tryin not to think about you, Can't you just let me be? So long, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-fine-frenzy/goodbye-my-almost-lover-goodbye-my-hopeless-dream-i-m-tryin-not-to/) [A Fine Frenzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-fine-frenzy/) > [I don't really like politics that much. And I like the order and simplicity of sports. They have an ending. You can argue with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-don-t-really-like-politics-that-much-and-i-like-the-order-and/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [“For a quick moment, I saw Grandma as she saw herself: a decent woman whom God, for unfathomable reasons, had chosen to punish. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/for-a-quick-moment-i-saw-grandma-as-she-saw-herself-a-decent-woman/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [My friends are much more dangerous than my enemies. These latter - with infinite subtlety - spin webs to keep me out of places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lafcadio-hearn/my-friends-are-much-more-dangerous-than-my-enemies-these-latter-with/) [Lafcadio Hearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lafcadio-hearn/) > [Perhaps there is no position more perilous to a man's honesty thanthat?of knowing himselftobe quiteloved by a girl whom he almost loves himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/perhaps-there-is-no-position-more-perilous-to-a-man-s-honesty/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [“I have for you braised and fried chicken feet, served with buffalo sauce, a salad of cauliflower rubble and grated celery, and a blue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-elliot/i-have-for-you-braised-and-fried-chicken-feet-served-with-buffalo/) Amanda Elliot > [“It had taken all the heartbreak, all the almost love and the wrong love, to know that this love was true love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-garber/it-had-taken-all-the-heartbreak-all-the-almost-love-and-the-wrong/) [Stephanie Garber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-garber/) > [I like the order and simplicity of sports. They have an ending. You can argue with your friends about it, but in the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-like-the-order-and-simplicity-of-sports-they-have-an-ending-you-can/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [I recalled when I worked in the woods and the bars of Madras, Oregon. That short-haired joy and roughness America your stupidity. I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/i-recalled-when-i-worked-in-the-woods-and-the-bars-of-madras-oregon/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [“It is as if the moon and the trees have switched places. The sky is plunged into the heavy cloud-lidded darkness that seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/it-is-as-if-the-moon-and-the-trees-have-switched-places-the-sky-is/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“Hands that never touch. Lips that never meet. The Almost Lovers, never to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-hachton/hands-that-never-touch-lips-that-never-meet-the-almost-lovers-never/) [Rae Hachton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-hachton/) [Browse all 23 Almost love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost-love/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Hasan, the Begger: Believe it or not, they call this purgatory on earth “holy-suffering”. I am a leper stuck in limbo. Neither the dead nor the living want me among them. Mothers point me out on the streets to scare their misbehaving little ones, and children throw stones at me. Artisans chase me from their storefronts to ward off the bad luck that follows me everywhere, and pregnant women turn their faces away whenever they set eyes on me, fearing that their babies will be born defec-tive. None of these people seem to realize that as keen as they are to avoid me, I am far keener to avoid them and their pitiful stares. Friday is the best day of the week to beg except when it is Ramadan, in which case the whole month is quite lucrative. The last day of Ramadan is by far the best time to make money. That is when even the hopeless penny-pinchers race to give alms, keen to compensate for all their sins, past and present. Once a year, people don't turn away from beggars. To the contrary, they specifically look for one, the more miserable the better. So profound is their need to show off how generous and charitable they are, not only do they race to give us alms, but for that single day they almost love us. I’ve realized that the trees and I had something in common. A tree shedding its leaves in autumn resembled a man shedding his limbs in the final stages of leprosy. I am naked tree. My skin, my organs, my face are falling apart. Every day another part of my body abandons me. And for me, unlike the trees, there would be no spring in which I would blossom. What I lost, I lost forever. When people looks at me, they don’t see who I am but what I am missing. Whenever they places a coin in my bowl, they do so with amazing speed and avoid any eye contacts, as if my gaze is contagious. In their eyes I am worse than a thief or a murderer. As much as they disapproves of such outlaws, they don’t treat them as if they are invisible. When it comes to me, however, all they see is death staring them in the face. That's what scares them--to recognize that death could be this close and this ugly.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elif Shafak" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they-call-this-purgatory-on-earth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Almost love" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they-call-this-purgatory-on-earth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/elif-shafak-1594_bad-luck_hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they_791946.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/elif-shafak-1594_bad-luck_hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they_791946.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/elif-shafak-1594_bad-luck_hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they_791946.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hasan, the Begger: Believe it or not, they call this purgatory on earth “holy-suffering”. I am a leper stuck…” — Elif Shafak", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elif Shafak", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-shafak/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Hasan, the Begger: Believe it or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they-call-this-purgatory-on-earth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-shafak/hasan-the-begger-believe-it-or-not-they-call-this-purgatory-on-earth/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```