A Lesson to Learn for LIfetime......Nice Story......

The Mughal Emperor Akbar was one day out hunting in the forest. When it was time for evening prayers he dismounted, spread his mat on the middle of a pathway and knelt to pray in the manner of devout Muslims everywhere.

Now it was precisely at this time that a Jaat (peasant) woman, perturbed by the disappearance of a goat from her small farm in a village just outside the jungle, went rushing by, anxiously searching for her the missing goat. In her preoccupation she did not notice the kneeling figure of the Emperor and tripped over him, then got up and without a word of apology rushed further into the forest.

Akbar was annoyed at this interruption but, he observed the rule of speaking to no one during the Namaaz.

Now just about the time that his prayer was over the jaat woman returned, joyfully holding the rope to her hand from the goat that she had found. She was surprised and frightened to see the Emperor and his entourage there. Akbar gave vent to his anger against her and shouted, “Explain your disrespectful behaviour or you will be punished.” 

The Jaat woman suddenly became fearless, looked into the Emperor’s eyes and said, “Your Majesty, I was so absorbed in the search of my missing goat that I did not even see you here, not even when, as you say, I stumbled over you. Now while you were at Namaaz, you were supposed to be searching the One who is infinitely more precious than my goat".  And how is it that you noticed me?”

 

The Emperor was stunned and shamed into silence and later confided to his friends that a peasant woman, who was neither a scholar nor a Mullah, had taught him the meaning of prayer.