Page 76 - The Book of Rumi

The Prophet Visits a Sick Man

n old acquaintance of the prophet Mohammad was taken ill. Unable to
Aeat, he had lost a great deal of weight and become an invalid. When the
prophet heard about his old friend’s pitiful state, he decided to pay him a visit.
As he walked into the sick man’s room, he realized that the old man’s days were
numbered and that in fact he was nearing his end quite rapidly. Thus, he paid
his friend much attention and tried to soothe his pain with kind words. The
old man was so thrilled and grateful to see the prophet sitting beside him that
he felt like he’d been gifted a new lease on life.
“My illness has brought me this unbelievable fortune!” he uttered feebly.
“The prophet himself has come to pay me a visit! What an auspicious morn-
ing! How grateful I am for all my pains and aches, for they have brought the
prophet to my side! God has bestowed me my wish in my old age. He has
given me such a backache that I can’t sleep at night from the pain, but this is
no torture; it’s in fact my treasure! My prayers have been answered before my
death.”
The prophet was puzzled when he heard the old man praying for pain.
“Old friend, from your words I can tell that you have been praying erro-
neously. You may have thought that you’re asking God for sweet kindnesses,
but in fact your wrong words have brought you much misfortune! It sounds
like, instead of praying for a long, healthy life you’ve been begging for poi-
soned meals. Which prayer did you utter?”
“I can hardly remember, I’m in such agony,” moaned the poor man. “But
wait, being in your presence, my mind’s beginning to clear a bit,” he said
weakly. “I felt guilty for many sins I’d committed and was frightened of God’s
punishment. I had no patience and felt unworthy to even begin to repent.

Like a drowning man, I reached out to anything I could grab to keep afloat.
I prayed that He would inflict all the tortures of hell upon me while I’m still

alive so that once I pass into the next world I can fi nally fi nd peace. Now I’m
riddled with such pain and suffering that I can’t even remember any prayers,
let alone what my sins were! Your kind visit has meant a great deal to me, and

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