Digital BW, The Print

Luke Granfield wrote:

>>From "The Spirituality of Imperfection" by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine
>Ketcham:
>
>"Once, when Rabbi Mordecai was in the great town of Minsk expounding the
>Torah to a number of men hostile to his way, they laughed at him. 'What you
>say does not explain the verse in the least,' they cried.
>"'Do you really think,' he replied, 'that I was trying to explain the verse
>in the book? That doesn't need an explanation! I want to explain the verse
>that is within me.'"
>
>
>
>  
>
I think given the current misunderstanding of Islam by many, and the 
hostility of  much of the public to even the word "Islam," that the 
following Persian story appropriately illustrates the idea succinctly 
and even provides a welcome insight into how many muslims feel about the 
intolerance preached by the current crop of "Jihad zealots".. (in case 
anyone cares, I am not a follower of Mohammed - but can easily see the 
wisdom in this story)


Mullah Nazruhdin  was spending some time as an ascetic, alone on an 
island, in the middle of a large lake...  Upon his departure to the 
island he told some more "senior" clerics that he would be working upon 
his devotion to Allah, and particularly planned to work upon perfected 
his kneeling supplications (bows) towards Mecca, so that in perfecting 
his physical honoring of the lord, he could more closely approach 
spiritual perfection.

After a few weeks, three senior (and very self-important)  Mullahs took 
it upon themselves and said "let us go see how Mullah Nazruhdin is 
getting along on the island and see if his supplications of prayer have 
improved"

They rowed out to the island and spent a day eating and discussing with 
Mullah Nazruhdin various spiritual insights...  When evening prayers 
arrived the three visiting Mullahs stood and watched as Nazruhdin 
offered his prayers, bent and prostrate towards Mecca.

"No, no" they said, "you still have not got it right, watch brother 
Ahmed demonstrate the proper obeisance"  and they proceeded to 
demonstrate how they KNEW prayers were most properly to be offered to 
the divine.

Mullah Nazruhdin promise to work much harder to hopefully bring his 
manner closer to how they had instructed..

Just after sunset the three Mullahs began to row back from the island...

As they got about halfway back to shore, one Mullah noticed something 
towards the island flashing brief spurts of white in the afterlight of 
sunset upon the surface of the lake.. As they rowed along the flashes 
grew brighter and it soon became apparent they were simply the spray 
being kicked up by something in or on the water..

As this first mullah pointed out the strange phenomenon to his two 
brother mullahs, they all suddenly realized it was someone running to 
them from the island, kicking up spray with their speed on the surface 
of the water..

It was Mullah Nazruhdin!

They could see his arms waving as he tried to draw their attention, and 
finally, over the wind and surf they could hear his voice:

"Wait, wait, Brothers, I think I finally have it right, please come back 
and review my prayer stance once more..."



Keith
 
 



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